Randolph County AlArchives Church Records.....Union Hill Methodist Church ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Linda Ayres http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00031.html#0007674 August 30, 2022, 1:58 am Union Hill Methodist Church Township 18, Range 10, Section 35 Foster's Bridge Road Randolph County Alabama. Information enclosed in [brackets] is added. Union Hill Methodist Church was organized in 1852 according to decedents of the founding members. It has been said the old church records were burned by accident in the 1970's. The oldest Church minutes available start in 1894. The land for the church and cemetery was donated by John D. Ball. It is unknown when Union Hill school was organized, but it dated back to at least the Civil War and closed in the late 1890's. Some of the teachers in later years at Union Hill school were Humphrey D. Landers, Robert Boyd and John White. The Union Hill school along with Mandy's Chapel school were consolidated with New Home school. The oldest grave in the cemetery is that of Betsey Lindley, her grave marker reads "Died 1879 first person to rest in this cemetery". [Elizabeth Ann New- Lindley] The first church was built on the side of the road where the cemetery is today. In 1936 the new church was built in its current location. It was painted white and in the later years bricked in. The Congregational Methodist Church Union Hill was reorganized on the 29th of September 1894 by Rev. J.C.A Henderson. List of members on that date were: A.I. Craft W.R. Craft J.H. Daniel [John] Sarah Halpin [Miss] Amos Lindley Martha Lindley Vina Lindley [Lavina Halpin] E.D. New [Elijah] Rhonda New [Rhoda Craft] M.B. Nix [Mary B. Jours] James Sellers James Sellers Jr. Mary Sellers N.A. Sellers V.S. Young 1895-1900 Members of the following families were members: Ball Craft Daniel Fowler Halpin Huddleston Key Landers Lindley Maddox Mize New Nix Sellers Waters Young The third Saturday in May was the cemetery cleaning. Not a weed, grass or leave to be found afterwards. The whole cemetery covered with mica sand shining like fresh snow. It was also a day to meet up with family and friends walk over the cemetery and talk about the ones that have passed on. The third Sunday in May is the Decoration/Home Coming/Memorial Day at Union Hill. The day of the that the families came/come together to decorate their family graves with flowers. In the old days the families used fresh flowers, in later years cape paper dipped in wax. Into the 1970's plastic home interior flowers and now silk flowers. From the 1920-1970's there were cars parked on the side of the road all the way out to Zion Church of God on one side of the church, on the other side of the church cars parked all the way to New Home church. People came from all over for the "All Day to Do". Everyone had on their Sunday best, all the women wore hats and gloves. The women brought out their best dishes of food. Most picnicked on the ground, but a few would spread out their best tablecloth on the table and make plates for people. There were church services in the morning and singing in the afternoon. A good many would just stand around outside visit with old friends and family. The third week in August was the week of the rival which started on Sunday night and ended on Friday night. Sometimes one minster would run the rival and sometimes there would be a different minster every night. It was always so hot in the church at night in the old days. They ladies always had their cardboard fans in hand. Sometimes the spirt would move someone to come forward and testify, but mostly it was uplifting singing, then the minster would tear into congregation with an "AMEN" here & there. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/randolph/churches/unionhil170gbb.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 4.2 Kb