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.”
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