MOUNT OLIVET METHODIST CHURCH CEMETERY, Pickens County, SC a.k.a. > Version: 3.0 Effective: 29-Dec-2006 Text File: P227.TXT Image Folder: P227 ******************************************************************************** REPRODUCING NOTICE: ------------------- These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the recording contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the following USGenWeb coordinator with proof of this consent. Paul M Kankula - nn8nn (visit above website) SCGenWeb "Golden Corner" Project Coordinator Anderson: http://www.rootsweb.com/~scandrsn/ Oconee: http://www.rootsweb.com/~scoconee/oconee.html Pickens: http://www.rootsweb.com/~scpicke2/ DATAFILE INPUT . : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Aug-2006 GPS MAPPING .... : Gary Flynn at (visit above website) in -2006 HISTORY ........ : ____________ at ____________ in _______ IMAGES ......... : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in -2006 RECORDING ...... : ____________ at ____________ in _______ ******************************************************************************** CEMETERY LOCATION: ------------------ > GPS = Latitude N x Longitude W CEMETERY HISTORY: ------------------------ 1. Land originally belonged to the Mauldin Family. It's unknown if they established a family cemetery on this knoll. 2. Land was purchased by the Higgins Family. It's unknown if they established a family cemetery on this knoll. 3. Land was purchased by P227 Mount Olivet Methodist Church. There are no Mauldin or Higgins tombstones in the church cemetery area. It's unknown if any are in the P148 West View Cemetery. When the Rail-Road came through town, it was necessary for the church to move their building away from the tracks. 4. State of SC took over the cemetery when the church was dissolved and it was abandoned. 5. Land was purchased by City of Easley. Per Dr. Hal Jameson at sjameson1@charter.net on 29-Dec-2006 o----------o First United Methodist Church was established in 1846 in a brush arbor at the site of what is the present city cemetery. It was given the name Mount Olivet. Because the shelter was so open, services were not held in winter. Mount Olivet was admitted into the Methodist Conference in 1847 and in 1878, 31 years later, white frame building was built. The first burial was made behind the church in 1878. The location was beautiful, but too close to the railroad, so in 1930 the land was sold to the city that time there were a number of graves and the site became the location of the city cemetery. The city called it West View Memorial When new land was purchased on West First Avenue in 1930 plans were already made to build and to change the name of the church to First Methodist Church of Easley. It was soon apparent that additional space was needed for classrooms and a social hall. A second building was built in 1954. In 1960 a house next to the sanctuary was purchased for the parsonage and the old parsonage on the corner was demolished. A beautiful new building was built to house the present sanctuary, pastor's study and choir rooms. This last stage was completed in 1961. Today there is again a great need for more classrooms, an activities building and other facilities. A new parsonage was purchased, surrounding land is being acquired and plans are being made to expand. Submitted by: Kay Herbert (Mrs. Thad W.), Church Historian, 414 Inverness Way, Easley, SC 29642-3120 Sources: Church records and histories o----------o *** DOES THIS HISTORY APPLY TO P227's HISTORY? *** "Poplar Spring, a small pole house, about six miles from Antioch, over George's Creek was the next appointment. After some years it was abandoned and a better house was built near Pickensville and called Mount Olivet It is now within the corporation of the town of Easley's Station, on the R & D Railroad. The church is now a good structure with bell and steeple." Source: An Historical Outline of Greenville Circuit, South Carolina Conference M. E. Church, South by Samuel M. Green At the Request of the 2nd Quarterly Conference 1884 George L. Thomason of Mauldin, South Carolina has taken the materials of Rev. Samuel M. Green and printed his circuit notes of 1884. In the Tabor Methodist Church history, it tells about Poplar Springs. It reports that the "old church was on the old Alex Robinson place, now owned by George Cox and adjoining lands of Joel Miller and others. There is still an old cemetery there. It had a log seats, hand drawn, with slab for backs - a very crude structure. One of the members of church Mrs. Adeline Hitt, widow of George Hitt, remembers as a child in 1887 or 1888 attending a funeral service and burial at the old church and cemetery." Abstracted by Melanie Reagan. Article in 1930. It was known as Poplar Springs, and was situated about one half mile northwest of Arial Mountain. It was a Methodist Episcopal church and was probably located there soon after the Revolutionary War. There is no sign at present to show the exact spot where the building stood but there are a number of graves, several of them marked with head and foot stones, showing that there was a cemetery connected with the church. There is a tradition that some of the citizens of Old Pickensville were members of this church, as were others who resided on the headwaters of Wolf Creek and in the vicinity of Cedar Rock. It is also stated that sometime between the years 1835 and 1840, there was a division in this church and some of the members organized Mt. Olivet Church. Others organized Mt. Tabor near Cedar Rock. It is also stated that the late Mrs. Scynthia Ellis, whose maiden name was Duncan, was a charter member of this church. Mr. Elias Day of this city had an uncle who is as buried in the Poplar Springs graveyard, and his father, the late Baswell Day, was one of the moving spirits in the organization of Mt. Olivet Church on land donated by Joshua Mansell. Source: Easley Progress, 1930. o----------o The first person buried in the Methodist cemetery was Miss Mary Jane Folger, the 17 year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Folger. Her death occurred on the 8th of October, 1879. A few days after Miss Folger's burial the remains of a child of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Clyde's was exhumed from the Zion cemetery and reinterred near the grave of Miss Folger. A few days later the body of Mrs. Thomas Watson, a member of the Mount Olivet M. E. Church was also interred nearby. On the 27th of December 1879 the body of Robert Cook, a young Englishmen was buried there. ( These four graves stood in a row not more than fifty feet south of the Methodist Episcopal church for several months before others were added. ) By the year 1900 the plot between the church and the railroad had been covered with graves, and the subject of securing land for a town cemetery was being agitated. Mr. W. A. Mauldin was one of the first persons in the town to take an interest in the proposition and he brought the matter to the attention of the town council. It resulted in the council purchasing a tract of five or six acres of land just west of and adjoining the M. E. church property from the heirs of the late Luke I. Ariail and having it cut into lots which were sold to citizens as needed for burial purposes. The first lot was sold to Mr. W. A. Mauldin in 1901 and the body of his wife, Mrs. Sarah Martin Mauldin, was interred there in February 28th, 1902. A coincidence however is the fact that the body of the first person buried in the new cemetery which had been given the name "West View", was that of a young lady. Miss Kate Hudgens. She was a daughter of Capt. and Mrs. A. W. Hudgens. Late Miss Janie Folger she was a young and beautiful young girl just blossoming into maidenhood. She died on the 26th of September, 1901. Since that time many of the citizens of Easley and surrounding territory have found their last resting place in this beautiful lot, and it will not be long until it too will be filled with graves. Already two additions of space have been added thereto. Many beautiful and costly monuments adorn the various plots, telling in many instances only the time of birth and death of the deceased. There are also the graves of a number of Confederate veterans in both cemeteries. They have been marked with marble slabs, placed there by the Wm. Easley U. D. C.'s and once each year their graves are decorated with flowers by the members of this organization. By: Alonzo Folger in 1946 o----------o First United Methodist was first named Mount Olivet Church. It started in 1847. At first they only had a shelter. Then the first building was built. It was made in 1878 -- four years after the town of Easley was formed. That building was Easley's first schoolhouse, also to be used in worship. They had to move because the church population kept growing. It used to be located in the crossroads of the Greenville-Pendleton Road. Now it is located at l0l West First Avenue, Easley, South Carolina. They built the new church in 1930. Then they had to expand the new church because their population was still glowing. Today we have a church that seats 600 people.Sources: Newspaper Church by C.B. Articles; Mount Olivet Methodist Kirkley First United Methodist Church Directory, 1985. Submitted by Anne Sheriff o----------o THE HISTORICAL TRAIL by John R. McCravy When we think of early Easley, we have to start with Holcombe's Store. This was the Post Office of Holcombe, S.C. Then we next think of the first church. This was Mount Olivet Methodist Church which stood where the West View Cemetery is located today. In fact, this cemetery was once the churchyard of Mount Olivet. This church started as a campground and later turned into a brush arber. The campground was called the Pickensville Campground. The bold spring at the foot of the hill was in what was called "Happy Hollow." This spring supplied this church with water as late as 1910. The church started with a 5-acre tract which began on the Mansell line corner, which is near the late W.W. Robinson home on West Main Street where Folger Avenue begins. It runs down Main Street to a location near the Crane Chevrolet Co. and runs across the railroad and took in a part of the city parking lot near the Custom Laundry and Cleaners. It then turned west to a point in the cemetery near the place West A runs into North 2nd Street. From this point, which is near the Second Alley Walk, the line then went along an old fence line through the cemetery to the beginning corner across the railroad. The city bought the land adjoining this churchyard from the late Luke Arial and another tract from Squire J.M. Jameson. The city developed West View Cemetery from these two tracts. When the church moved in 1930 to its present location, it sold the remaining land to the city. The first grave to be made to the new part of the cemetery was that of Miss Kate Hudgens. There is an old bell which was once used in this church which stood in the cemetery. This bell is one of three which the late W.M. Hagood purchased. This bell is well preserved and is stored in the new sanctuary on West 1st Street. We hope some day to see it in use again. Many of our old citizens attended Sunday School and preaching in this first building near the railroad. I realize when I mention this some of you will smile. The windows were covered on the outside with green-slatted shutters called blinds. The glass window panes had checked papers glued to the glass. This gave the effect of stained glass. For many years a wood-burning heater was in the middle aisle. Five kerosene lamps hung from the ceiling. Seven wall lamps with reflectors hung on nails around the walls. The two rows of straight handmade benches were on each side of the center aisle. The choir was behind and to the left of the minister and faced the audience. The three high-back pulpit chairs were covered in black leather. A walnut console reed organ was near the choir at the front. An amusing story was told about one hot July Sunday. It seems the long wooden benches or pews had been varnished during the weekend and they were not thoroughly dry by Sunday. A lady member of the church wore a black dotted-swiss dress with large white dots all over it. When she stood up to sing, she left all the white dots stuck to the bench. Some of the benches collected lint from the various clothes worn by the congregation and took on a fuzzy appearance. It then took only a few weeks before the auditorium was furnished with comfortable chestnut and ash-wood pews which were later used in the sanctuary built in 1930. As we stroll through the old part of West View Cemetery, we realize that here are Easley's first residents. These fine men and women toiled and labored, made sacrifices and did without many things so their children and their children's children could have a better life in a better Easley. This has happened and all has come to pass. How Many People Remember MOUNT OLIVET Without the STEEPLE Mount Olivet was the name given the brush arbor which later became the Easley First United Methodist Church. This quaint little wood church stood in what is now the West View Cemetery in the heart of up-town Easley. The membership of Mount Olivet was many of Easley's founding citizens and many of their graves are near where the old church stood. The records show that Mount Olivet was chartered and joined the Methodist Conference in 1817. The church did not grow at first and only had preaching service once a month. It rocked along, however, and just after the War Between the States, people took a serious view of their church and many members were added. The ministers who served the church were: J.W. Stockman, 1865-1969; William Bowman, 1870; Olin L. Durant, 1876; A.W. Walker, 1877-1878; J.F. England, 1879; S.P.H. Elwell, 1880- 1883; W.H. Keaton, 1884-85; J.C. Davis, 1886-1887; John F. Anderson, 1888-1891; Nicholas Grady Ballenger, 1892-1893; Edward Palmer Hutson, 1894; John Fletcher Anderson, 1895-97; Jesse E. Rushton, 1898-1899. Also, William Eldridge Wiggin, 1900-1903; R.M. Dubose Sr., 1905-1907; Conner Black Burns, 1903-1909; Albert Hartwell Best, 1910-1911; P.B. Ingram, 1912; John David Hollar, 1913-1916; Raymond Lee Holroyd, 1917-1918; Clarence Wells Watson, 1919; John Paul Patton, 1920-1923; J.K. Walker, 1924-1925; and James Harper Brown, 1926. Also, John D. Hollar again, 1927-1930; Mark Boyd Patrick, 1931-1935; R. Carl Griffith, 1936-1939; Marvin Wharton, 1940-1941; James E. Merchant, 1945-1948; James Smiley Edwards, 1949-1953; C.O. Shuler, 1954-1957; Frank Dubose, 1957- 1960; B.S. Drennan, 1961-1964; Haskell Robert Reynolds 1965-1968 and Dr. John Mason Stapleton, 1969 till present. The question is asked in today's sketch "How many people remember Mount Olivet without the steeple?" A lady asked me this recently and I thought it good for a story. It was while the Rev. John Paul Patton was pastor that the church needed a new roof. The late J. Milton King said the shingles on the roof of the steeple were giving out and he said the trustees thought the tall steeple was a liability and of little value. It was decided to take the steeple down from the top of the cupola which held the fine old bell. Mr. Frank Pickens put a small tin roof on the cupola, and it remained this way until the church was dismantled in 1930. Some amusing facts about this church are given here. The church had green wood covered blinds on all of the windows, and one hot Sunday someone opened the window in the choir gallery. A large wasp came in and almost emptied the church. Then, every time someone rang the bell, several pigeons would fly out in all directions. Once the pews were varnished and somebody thinned a can of varnish with kerosene instead of gasoline, so the varnish never dried and was sticky, and you could hear people "peeling off" each time they got up to sing. Mr. King said that in 1887 a stove flue was built on the church and money was asked of the members to buy a wood heater: whereupon Mr. Hudgens said if people didn't have enough religion to keep them warm they needed to have it. Afterthought: Jerome Johnson of the Old Greenville Highway, tells me that several small buildings were built out of the old wooden church and those buildings are still standing in the Glenwood community today. TOMBSTONE TRANSCRIPTION NOTES: ------------------------------ a. = age at death b. = date-of-birth d. = date-of-death h. = husband m. = married p. = parents w. = wife NOTE: Era Davis determined the outline of the old church cemetery and recorded the tombstone inscriptions within this area. A few markers were very near its lot line. It is obvious that people were buried within this area, AFTER, the cemetery was sold to the City of Easley and renamed West View Memorial. Were these graves descendants of church family members? This is left up to you, to determine. (#?) Field-stone markers (?), Lowell Davidson, b., d. ANTHONY, Blanche Inez, b. 9-apr-1893, d. 25-feb-1896, p. w.b. & inez c. Anthony BARR, John F., b. 14-jun-1863, d. 6-apr-1883, p. w.m. & n.e. barr BARR, Leroy, b. 1885, d. 1973 BARR, M. Ola, b. 24-nov-1878, d. 1-mar-1914 BARR, Narcissa Emmaline, b. 1839, d. 1891, p. william & nancy barr BARR, Samuel A., b. 7-jan-1876, p. w.m. & n.e. barr BLALOCK, Cornelia Folger, b. 7-aug-1855, d. 16-oct-1890 BUNION, Della M., b. 1-dec-1856, d. 1881 CLYDE, Carolina I.M., b. 18-feb-1834, d. 6-apr-1902, h. j.b. clyde CLYDE, Child, father j.b. clyde CLYDE, Essie, b. 3-mar-1879, d. jan-1881, p. w.a. & s.a. clyde CLYDE, Eurie, b. 7-may-1896, d. 16-jan-1897, p. s.t. & lydie j.clyde CLYDE, Mary J., b., d. 22-sep-1891, h. t.m. clyde CLYDE, Pope Abney, b. 15-dec-1874, d. 11-oct-1877, p. j.b. & c. clyde CLYDE, Samuel T., b. 27-sep-1886, d. 25-nov-1896 CLYDE, Sarah A. Breazeale, b. 5-sep-1844, d. 24-jun-1895, h. w.a. clyde CLYDE, Thomas M., b. 30-apr-1855, d. 13-jun-1892 COOK, Robert C., b. 9-mar-1850, d. 27-dec-1879 COOK, Robert, b., d. 27-dec-1879 DALTON, L.H., b. 23-feb-1823, d. 8-jan-1902 DALTON, Martha W., b. 9-oct-1824, d. 22-aug-1900 DAY, Sarah J., b. c.1842, d. 25-feb-1881 ELLISON, Ellie Rogers, b. 22-jan-1852, d. 28-feb-1940, h. m.h. Ellison ELLISON, M.H., b. 14-sep-1845, d. 10-sep-1892 ELLISON, M.O., b. 17-may-1874, d. 5-feb-1902 FOLGER, Alfred (Dr), b. 20-mar-1811, d. 15-jul-1880 FOLGER, Alonzo Trezehant, b. 1864, d. 1958 FOLGER, Charlotte M., b. 10-sep-1857, d. 21-feb-1912, h. a.r. folger FOLGER, Essie Russell, b. 1867, d. 1948, h. alonzo folger FOLGER, Ethel, b., d. 23-may-1896, p. a.r. & c.m. folger FOLGER, Hilda, b. 24-sep-1899, d. 18-oct-1899, p. a.r. & c.m. folger FOLGER, Mary Jane, b. 21-aug-1862, d. 8-oct-1862, p. alenzo & m.e. folger FOLGER, Mary Jane, b. c.1862, d. 8-oct-1897, father a.m. folger FOLGER, Mary P., b. 11-feb-1816, d. 3-mar-1907, h. a.m. folger FOLGER, Paul Earle, b., d. 23-may-1896, p. a.r. & c.m. folger FORD, Willie T., b. 11-mar-1883, d. 11-mar-1883 FREEMAN, J.M., b. 1891, d. 1943 GILLILAND, Langdon Turnbull, b. 11-mar-1868, d. 9-dec-1891 GOSSETT, Edwin K., b. 5-may-1855, d. 11-aug-1890 GOSSETT, Ellen, b. 15-may-1835, d. 26-aug-1909, h. john r. gossett GOSSETT, John R., b. 7-sep-1831, d. 20-feb-1900 GREEN, B.., b. d. GREEN, Sallie, b., d., h. w.h. green GRIFFIN, Maud, b. 25-oct-1878, d. 13-nov-1911 HESTER, Mary E., b. 22-jun-1863, d. 20-mar-1887, w. b.m. hesterGILLILAND, R.L. (Dr), b. c.1830, d. 1-dec-1892 HESTER, Mary E., b. 2-feb-1888, d. 188?, p. b.m. & m.e. hester HIGGINS, George McD, b. c.1871, d. 16-mar-1889, p. j.a. & a.a. Higgins HIGGINS, Joesph Walter, b. 21-nov-1881, d. 24-jun-1883, p. j.a. & a.a. Higgins HIGGINS, John Addison, b. 19-may-1872, d. 19-jan-1878, p. j.a. & a.a. Higgins HIGGINS, Samuel G., b. 30-jan-1874, d. 22-dec-1902 HOLLAND, Julie W., b. 27-aug-1876, d. 11-nov-1932, p. tom & mary holland HOWARD, Maggie, b. 26-aug-1847, d. 20-jul-1894, h. j.m. howard HUDGENS, Frank M., b. 1-nov-1885, d. 24-sep-1885 HUDGENS, Lee J., b. 17-jun-1887, d. 2-jan-1894, p. a.m. & l.m. hudgens HUGHES, E. Dean, b. 6-sep-1882, d. 28-sep-1932 HUGHES, Edward H., b. 1-aug-1857, d. 15-dec-1895 HUGHES, Estella, b. 19-jul-1887, d. 19-aug-1889, p. e.h. & mertha hughes HUGHES, Martha C., b. 16-nov-1878, d. HUGHES, Martha Mauldin, b. 26-jan-1857, d. 10-un-1932 HUTCHINS, J.W. (Rev), b. 19-may-1830, d. 23-feb-1890 JONES, Harrison, b. 1827, d. 22-jun-1907 JONES, Rebecca, b. 27-feb-1833, d. 24-sep-1895, h. harrison jones KELLY, Ada, b. 1876, d. 1935 KELLY, Adelia, b. 1874, d. 1954 KELLY, George Warren, b. 1840, d. 1919 KELLY, George Warren, b. 1880, d. 1846, p. george & m.p. Kelly KELLY, George Warren, b. 1880, d. 1886, father g.w. kelly KELLY, Hugh, b., d. KELLY, Martha P., b. 1848, d. 1921, h. george w. Kelly KELLY, Nancy C., b. 1879, d. 1972, h. weldon g. Kelly KELLY, Weldon G., b. 1881, d. 1941 KING, Hattie, b. 22-may-1867, d. 2-oct-1888, p. j.m. & m. king KING, Ida Adrdella, b. 12-dec-1867, d. 2-oct-1888, p. s.m. & m. king KING, J. Monroe, b. 1-aug-1845, d. 27-dec-1920 KING, Mary, b. 21-jun-1835, d. 10-feb-1918, h. j. monroe king KING, Maxie, b., d. KING, Warren M., b., d. MARTIN, Benjamin L., b. 31-jan-1909, d. 27-oct-1909 MARTIN, Henry A., b. 19-jan-1889, d. 22-apr-1890, p. b.p. & m.j. martin MERRITT, Cora, b. 5-mar-1882, d. 3-jun-1882, p. e.m. & a.a. merritt MERRITT, Eloise, b. 5-mar-1882, d. 14-jun-1888, p. e.m. & a.a. merritt MURRY, Alice W., b. c.1819, d. 13-mar-1883 NALLEY, Matilda C., b. 24-nov-1878, d. 1-mar-1914 NALLEY, Sarah, b. c.1862, d. 23-may-1887, h. ed nalley PERRY, Gwinn A., b. 1908, d. 1981 REARDON(?), Lucy, d. 21-jan-1884 ROBINSON, Eberhardt, b. 17-jan-1895, d. 1-jul-1896 ROBINSON, Mattie J., b. 23-jan-1859, d. 5-mar-1889, h. j.e. robinson ROGERS, Emily M., b. 17-sep-1848, d. 5-mar-1916 STANSELL, Sheila Lamerbe, b. 10-dec-1935, d. 12-jan-1936 WATSON, Mrs. WERNICKE, Louis, b. 3-dec-1821, d. 15-dec-1897 WERNICKE, Mary, b. 9-feb-1832, d. 9-sep-1881, h. louis wernicke WILLIAMS, A.G., b. 21-nov-1884, d. 5-oct-1885, p. t. & f.a. williams WILLIAMS, Isaac, b. 13-nov-1845, d. 5-feb-1888 WILLIAMS, J. Lenhardt, b. 7-jun-1881, d. 29-jan-1960, father j.r. williams WILLIAMS, John Richard, b. 20-oct-1842, d. 10-jan-1892 WILLIAMS, Mary Jones, b. 16-may-1856, d. 14-jun-1887, h. j.h. williams WILLIAMS, Mary M., b. 24-mar-1842, d. 20-dec-1886 WILLIAMS, Sarah A. Lenhardt, b. 24-apr-1852, d. 23-sep-1926, h. r.r. williams WILLIAMS, Thomas Watson, b. c.1825, d. 26-jun-1895 WOOD, W.M., b. 21-apr-1860, d. 3-apr-1883 WYNN, Olivia, b. 12-mar-1885, d., father e.t. wynn