Church and Family History Research
Assistance
for Butler County, Ohio
CHURCHES:
FAIRFIELD (HAMILTON)
ELK CREEK (TRENTON)
Elk Creek Church was organized in 1800, and was the first church in Trenton. Michael Pearce, Trenton's founder, made land available for the church and cemetery. The first building was made of logs. By 1820 the log structure was replaced by a brick building. The bricks were fired on site. It was a rectangular building, 40' x 60', with a gabled roof, two stoves, and a seating capacity of about 250 people. There were two doors in front, and one on the side, and four windows on each of the two longer sides.
Elder James Lee was probably the first pastor. He was followed by Elder Stephen Gard, who served for over 35 years. Elder Joseph Flint also served this church as pastor before moving to Iowa. Other pastors included Elders Samuel Potter (who served for 28 years), Moses Morehouse, and Samuel Williams.
Elk Creek Church prospered greatly, and lettered out members to organize ten or twelve churches in Indiana, and some in Ohio, in the early days of pioneer settlement. The church still had about 120 members in 1835. It was listed as a member of the Miami Association as late as 1908. The cemetery at the site is now called the Baptist/Pioneer cemetery.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Ashley, Case, Chambers, Dine, Hale, Hartley, Hole, Little, Long, Lucas, Morningstar, Padox, Potter, Vansickle (very incomplete list due to not having the actual church records).
PRAIRIE (MIDDLETOWN)
PLEASANT RUN (HAMILTON)
HAMILTON
INDIAN CREEK
Indian Creek Church was constituted on July 28, 1810, by Elders Joshua Palmer, Moses Frazee, and William Tyner, with 22 charter members. Abraham Lee, was the first clerk. In 1811 a log meeting house was built. By 1829, the membership had increased to 150, and they voted to build a brick meeting house of not less than 35 by 45 feet. The bricks were made by hand and burned in kilns at the site. The original front wall of the church is on the long northerly side and was laid in Flemish Bond, other walls being of running bond. The huge timbers supporting the roof system were hand hewn with ax and broad-ax; mortise and tenon joints, pinned with wood pins; trusses supported a roof system that still holds straight and true today. The floor boards were made with a whipsaw and most are in place today.
Elder William Tyner moderated the first meeting of the church in the cabin of John Morris. In 1812 Valentine Chase sold three acres of his farm to the church for its meeting house and cemetery, for nine dollars. Among those buried in the cemetery are Thomas Boone, cousin of Daniel Boone.
Indian Creek Church met regularly until April 1879, when five remaining members were dismissed to join Big Cedar Grove Church in Indiana. Meetings were held in the old church house at various times, including a centennial service in October 1910, at which Elders Robert W. Thompson, John M. Thompson, and E. W. Harlan preached.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Abraham, Barnum, Brady, Burke, Crubaugh, Dawson, Durwese, Hannah, Jones, Lee, Morris, Roll, Smith, Thurston, Wilkinson (very incomplete list due to not yet having the actual church records).
MT. PLEASANT
The Baptist Church on Brown's Run, Madison township, Butler Co., Ohio, known as the Mt. Pleasant Church, was organized by Elder Wilson Thompson, on the second day of September, 1819. The presbytery was composed of Elders and brethren from Elk Creek, Bethlehem, and Tapscott's Churches. There were sixty charter members, viz., Samuel Lucas, Elizabeth Banker, Hannah Lucas, Mary McGlaughlin, Ralph Voris, Jane Voris, Rachel Silbey, Lydia Barlow, Daniel Barklow, Thomas Mikesell, Thomas Royal, Catherine Royal, Elizabeth Banker, Elizabeth Lucas, Caroline Hinkle, Martha Lucas, Nancy Gouger, Matilda Kountze, James Baird, Mary Baird, Jane Williamson, Silas Payne, Rebecca Sellbe, Mary Ann Hinkle, Squire Hinkle, Tabitha Greggs, Levina Banker, Martha A. Craig, Anna Shankle, Joseph Hinkle, John L. Graves, Matilda Zimmerman, Ann Maria Stewart, John Voris, John Snyder, James Snyder, Sally Hinkle, Jane Voris, Elizabeth Gapheart, and Hannah Voris.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Adams, Baird, Banker, Barklow, Bowlus, Bush, Compton, Craig, Finkbone, Gapheart, Gouger, Graves, Greggs, Haug, Hinkle, Huchison, Kountze, Lucas, McGlaughlin, Miksell, Payner, Reece, Royal, Selby, Sellbe, Shankle, Silbey, Simms, Smith, Snyder, Stewart, Voris, Williamson, Wilson, Witters (very incomplete list due to lack of records).
MT. ZION
Mt. Zion Church was organized at the home of Lot Abraham, in Butler Co., Ohio, on Saturday before the second Sunday in March, 1835. The charter members were Lot Abraham, Joseph Flint, John Bloomfield, James A. Larson, James Johnston, Benjamin C. James, Catherine Hubb, Elizabeth Woodruff, Mary Johnston, Elizabeth Larson, Mary Bloomfield, Hannah Flint, and Mary Fenton. The presbytery was composed of Elder Wilson Thompson, moderator (Lick Creek); Elder Isaac T. Saunders, clerk (Hamilton & Rossville); and others as follows: Abraham Lee, Abraham Jones, and John Burk (Indian Creek); Samuel Gwaltney, Mark Campbell (Dry Fork); and brethren James Harden (White Water), Henry Sater (Johnson Fork), John Howell (Big Cedar Grove), Oliver Thurston (Bethlehem), and Thomas Flint (Bethlehem).
Mt. Zion Church united with the Miami (Old School) Baptist Association. The church dissolved when most of the members moved to Iowa, where they organized the Des Moines River Church.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Abraham, Bloomfield, Fenton, Flint, Hubb, James, Johnston, Larson, Stites, Woodruff (transcription not yet completed).
BETHLEHEM
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Barclay, Lacock (very incomplete list).
OXFORD
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