Saturday, December 20, 2014

Jacksonville Community Church – A History



Christmas came early for me this year. Yesterday UPS delivered a copy of the handwritten manuscript pages of the Jacksonville Community Church history written by my great-grandmother, Jessie Tucker Agard.

On January 20 of this year I wrote a blog about my search for the history.  I talked with a number of folks in the church, including the pastor, and none of them knew about it, nor could find it.  My cousin talked with the former Jacksonville historian, and she walked across the street to the church and put her hands on the history.  It has taken a few months to get the sections together and copied, but good things come to those who wait.

The history begins in 1790 when Methodist Samuel Weyburn and family settled at what was later called Goodwin’s Point, and now known as Taughannock. Four years later Richard and Benjamin Goodwin, also Methodists settled at the same place.  In 1795, three Methodist preachers, Rev. Valentine Cook, Thornton and Fleming preached in the territory.

The history details the beginnings of the Jacksonville Church, and then includes minutes of the trustee meetings through 1946. 

Members of the “Jacksonville Station” and classes are listed, with some notations on who was “removed” or “expelled.”

An interesting note in the Quarterly Conference meeting held in Jacksonville on 22 August 1846 was this resolution:

“In the T-burg and Jacksonville Quarterly Conference held at Jacksonville the following, “Preamble and Resolution” was adopted as expressive of the wishes of each charge.
Viz:
From personal observation we are satisfied that a membership with secret societies tends to estrange men from the means of grace and promotes spiritual declension.

Therefore Resolved – That we do most respectfully represent to the ensuing annual conference that a Preacher, who is a member and holding fellowship with any ‘Odd Fellows Society,’ ‘Masonic Lodge’ or the ‘Sons of Temperance’ would not be acceptable on either of these charges.”     Signed: Peter Farrington R.S.”

No comments:

Post a Comment