Obituary Rev. Richard Nolley, LaSalle Parish, La.

Submitted by Lora Peppers





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  Hello everyone!  I am indexing old Ouachita Parish obituaries, and 
stumbled across this article in one of the issues.  I have included the 
citation for it.  If you live in the Monroe or Baton Rouge area, you can see 
the actual article on microfilm at ULM and LSU's libraries.  Of course this 
is the Rev. Nolley that Nolley Memorial Methodist Church is named after (I 
have some Wilder grandparents buried there).  I vaguely remember hearing 
that they tried to dig his grave up when Nolley Memorial was built so they 
could move him there, but all they found was a nail from the coffin.  Does 
anyone remember this story?  Enjoy!

Lora Peppers

THE OUACHITA TELEGRAPH
FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1880
PAGE 2, COLUMN 3
AN APPROPRIATE MEMENTO.
     We learn that some of the brethren of the Methodist church in this State 
have erected a monument on the upper Alexandria Road, near Jena in this 
parish, to commemorate the spot, where in the year 1814 or 15 a Mr. Nolley, 
an itenerant Methodist preacher perished by the road side, while traveling 
on his work.  As explanatory of the incident of the death of this faithful 
servant in whose memory this monument has been erected, we extract from 
DeBowĘs Review the following scrap from the history of our parish:
      Mr. Nolley was a delicate feeble man and traveled on this circuit about 
1815.  In the winter while attempting to swim the Hemphills Creek, up where 
Squire Heard now lives, he got very wet, and the cold benumbed him so, that 
he perished by the road side, where he was found by the neighbors.  He was 
decently buried at old Mr. BrownĘs place near by and every preacher who 
since that time fills his circuit, pays a pilgrimage to the grave of the 
faithful minister, who fell in the harness and died at his post.ö
     We are informed that the monument is of white marble structure, very
neat 
and bears appropriate inscriptions.  It stands on the right of the road 
going from this place and between the residences of Messrs. Coleman & Hanes. 
  We think it highly commendable in those who have had it done, very 
appropriate indeed, and hope it may long stand to mark the historic spot.