Saint Thomas African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church of Mount Pleasant , Norfolk Co. Virginia File submitted for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: DianneTurner-Whitt ************************************************************************ USGENWEB 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 contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ************************************************************************ The following is a legal history of the St. Thomas African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church of Mount Pleasant (listed in the original deed as Mount Pleasant A.M.E. Zion Church,2200 Mt. Pleasant Rd.,Chesapeake, Va. Deed Book 142 pages 425,426 & 427; Deed Book 574 pages 136, 137 &138; Deed Book 591 pages 160 & 161) as researched by Dianne Turner-Whitt, grandaughter of Mattie Jones; neice of James Elijah Riddick, Mary Elizabeth Hinton, Marie Nichols and daughter of Joseph Harry Turner, Sr. According to information found in the aforementioned deed books, on August 23, 1879, Durant Simmons and his wife Ann V. Simmons of Princess Anne County granted to: Thomas Parson, Reuben Lamb, Dempsey Lamb, Miles Foreman, Jacob Riddick, Lamb Williams , Ishmael Wright and Rile Williams, Trustees for the Mt. Pleasant A.M.E. Zion Church and its successors, a parcel of land to be used "for the benefit of this denomination and house of worship and the only proper use on behalf of the same forever," for a sum of ten dollars and a special warranty. Known as "Simmons Grove," the parcel of land which measures one acre, is situated in the neighborhood of Mt. Pleasant in the County of Norfolk and the state of Virginia. It is bounded on the South by the main road, on the East by land owned by W.T. Hanbury and on the West by the balance of the property that was purchased by Mr. & Mrs Simmons from W. L. Brown and his wife as recorded in a deed bearing the date July 7,1875. On July 22,1886, Durant Simmons acknowledged the deed transfering the property to the St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church of Mt. Pleasant in the Clerks Office of the Norfolk County Court. The deed was lodged on April 14.1888, before a notary by Ann V. Simmons, who after being examined privately and apart from her husband and having the writing in the deed explained to her, acknowledged that she willingly relinguished the property to the St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church and did not wish to retract. The deed was admitted to the record. It was executed and delivered to W. H. Horton the Pastor at the time. On December 14, 1927 the trustees of St. Thomas executed a bond and as such became subscribers for five shares for which they received a loan of $500 from the Office of the Berkley Permanent Building and Loan Association which was located at 231 Berkley Ave., Norfolk, Virginia. The terms of the loan dictated that it was to be repaid at the rate of eleven cents per week, four cents per week for each share in accordance with the constitution and by-laws of the church as witnesssed by the trustees: S. D. Harper ; D. R. Jones;W.H. Warren; George Johnson and Cecil Johnson. The document was signed on December 14, 1927 at the Berkley Permanent Building and Loan Association in Norfolk, Virginia. As a result, the Loan Association held the deed in trust. Suffice it to say, a $500 obligation was a tremendous amount of money in the 1920s and no doubt, placed an enormous burden upon the congregants. However, this researcher surmises that the loan was essential to make the necessary improvements to this house of worship. Without those improvements there is little doubt that the building that stands erect to this day would even exist. After having given a ten day notice as recorded in the Clerks Office of the Circuit Court Of Norfolk County Virginia, representatives of the Berkley Permanent Building and Loan Association , Inc. conveyed to the Trustees of the St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church its intentions to place the terms of the sale of the property at a public auction , by advertisement in the Ledger-Dispatch, a newspaper published in the city of Norfolk, Virginia. Having made the highest bid of $300, the Berkley Permanent Building and Loan Association, became the purchaser of the church on November 27,1929 as witnessed by the trustees of the loan association. Occurences regarding the events after the property was purchased by the loan association as it relates to the St.Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church of Mount Pleasant are somewhat sketchy and are perhaps buried in the hearts and souls of those congregants who have passed on to eternity. They may have left an oral history of the events during these periods with their descendants. If those events are not recorded for posterity; they will be lost forever. What can be assumed is that the community of Mt. Pleasant continued to worship at the church, otherwise it would not exist today July 13,1999.(This research was completed on 7/13/99) However, the legal records resurfaced as recorded when on February 21,1942 , a deed between the Berkley Permanent Building and Loan Association was executed via: Moses Smith; D.R. Jones; Cecil Johnson; Mattie Jones; Emma Harper; Mary Warren and Phillip Roberts: Trustees of the St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church of Mt. Pleasant for a sum of $100. The deed to this property was notarized on February 21, 1942 and presented in the Clerks Office of the Circuit Court of Norfolk with the certficate annexed and admitted to the record on November 29,1945. Trustees And Pastors of the Saint Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church as listed in the various legal documents dating back to August 23,1879 include: Reuben Lamb;Dempsey Lamb;Miles Foreman; Jacob Riddick; Lamb Williams;Ishmael Wright;Rile Williams; W.W.Horton-Pastor;J.R.Sears; S.D. Harper; D.R. Jones;W.H. Warren;George Johnson; Moses Smith;Mattie Jones;Emma Harper;Mary Warren and Phillip Roberts. A Partial List Of The Names Of Individual Buried In The Church Cemetery Of The Saint Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church (2200 Mount Pleasant Rd., Chesapeake,Va.23320) Note: This list only include the names of deceased persons whose graves included an identifiable marker. There was evidence of other graves but there was no way to identify the occupants. Although visible in some instances, the information inscribed was not legible and in other instances it was incomplete. aThe names of the deceased persons listed were cross-referenced on the internet via the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). The SSDI includes the names of all individuals who held a Social Security Card prior to death. The deceases is identified by name; date of birth (d.o.b.); and date of death (d.o.d.). Some of the names were not found in the SSDI. While others were in the SSDI, it was difficult to decipher a particular name because there were often more than 10 individuals with the same name listed. Mary Elizabeth Hinton d.o.b. 12/10/1922 d.o.d. 3/21/1998 Fitchett Funeral Home (757)-545-1112 Beatrice Riddick d.o.b. 12/12/1924 d.o.d. 4/28/1997 James Elijah Riddick d.o.b. 6/10/1920 d.o.d. 1/16/1997 (verified by SSDI) Malachi Harper d.o.b. 8/26/1904 d.o.d. 1/5/1965 (the SSDI Lists the d.o.b. as 12/1819) Mattie Jones d.o.b. 1894 d.o.d. 1964 Morning Glory Funeral Home (no longer exists) Charlie Williams March 1,1912 (no other information inscribed on this tombstone) Bettie Green d.o.b. 1909 d.o.d. 1954 Chatham Funeral Home Bethen March 25, 19 (incomplete information) Mary Hamlin d.o.b. 4/23/1897 d.o.d. 8/16/1988 Mary Warren d.o.b. 2/3/1884 d.o.d. 6/18/1963 Anthony WILSON January 19, (incomplete information) Cornelia B. Upton d.o.b. 5/3/1895 d.o.d. 4/1/1980 (the SSDI lists the d.o.b. as 3/30/1895) Mary Hines d.o.b. May 12, d.o.d. 7/4/1981 (the SSDI lists the d.o.b. as 5/12/1900) Rosa Mae Scott d.o.b. 12/23/1933 d.o.d. 9/29/1990 Alice H. Mallicott d.o.b. 8/16/1912 d.o.d. 8/15/1992 Elmer Leek Harkin 74 d.o.b. 5/5/1921 d.o.d. 11/30/95 Alexenl Brown d.o.b. 1912 d.o.d. 1971 John J. Davis d.o.b. 6/26/1932 d.o.d. 7/23/1984 (verified by SSDI) Anthony Reese d.o.b. 11/15/1919 d.o.d. 11/24/1985 Riddick Funeral Services (757)-855-9010 Emma Alston d.o.b. 9/12/1927 d.o.d. 8/21/1977 Twilight Funeral Home (no longer in existence) Rev. Lamb Smith d.o.b. 12/25/1906 d.o.d. 4/29/1975 (the SSDI lists the d.o.b. as 12/25/1905) Hilda Skinner d.o.b. 6/9/1903 d.o.d. 10/01/1998 Fitchett Funeral Home (757)-545-1112 Henry Poyner F-3 U.S. Navy d.o.b. 12/20/1895 d.o.d. 4/23/1958 William Bradley d.o.b. 1960 (no other information is inscribed tombstone weathered) Phillip Roberts d.o.b. 6/1876 (incomplete information Fitchett Funeral Home (757)-545-1112 Johnnie Johnson d.o.b. 4/6/1892 d.o.d. 11/11/1965 George A. Roberts d.o.b. 1916 d.o.d. 1960 (incomplete inscription on tombstone) Mattie Roberts d.o.b. 3/16/1882 d.o.d. 5/8/1971 Willoughby Hendrick d.o.b. 1906 d.o.d. 1954 (incomplete inscription) Phillip Roberts d.o.b. 7/12/1912 d.o.d. 12/6/1976 Fitchett Funeral Home 757-545-1112 Queen Creekmore d.o.b. 1912 d.o.d. 1965 (incomplete inscription ) Clarence Armstead d.o.b. 4/29/1916 d.o.d. 10/4/1968 (the SSDI lists d.o.b. as 4/29/1914) Hilda Phillips d.o.b. 1916 d.o.d. 1988 (incomplete inscription) Frank Nichols d.o.b. 1809 d.o.d. 1969 (the SSDI lists d.o.b. as 11/19/1908 &d.o.d. as 2/1969) Louvella Stallings d.o.b. 10/7/1893 d.o.d. 8/25/1971 Fitchett Funeral Home 757-545-1112 Alvin Scott d.o.b. 7/29/1957 d.o.d. 6/3/1972 Emma Bradley d.o.b. 3/10/1886 d.o.d. 5/13/1975 (the SSDI lists d.o.b. as 3/10/1887) Fitchett Funeral Home 757-545-1112 Annie Johnson d.o.b. 2/7/1903 d.o.d. 2/7/1978 Fitchett Funeral Home 757-545-1112 Virginia Creekmore d.o.b. 12/15/1916 d.o.d. 8/1/1978 (the SSDI lists d.o.b as 12/15/1915) Dixie Jones d.o.b. 9/13/1881 d.o.d. 8/1968 Interviews are being held on a continuous basis with long time family and church members of the Saint Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church for the purpose of compiling a supplemental lists of known individuals who are buried at this site but do not have grave markers.