Providence Church
15010 W. Howardsville Road, Lena, Illinois 61048
This property was obtained by the Primitive Baptists, on August 10, 2016. Restoration work at the site is now complete.
Worship services are presently being held each third Sunday of the month, at 10:30 a.m.
History of the Providence "Old Stone" Church
The details of the constitution of Providence Church are presently unknown, except that the obituary of Joseph Wilson states that he was a charter member. Since Joseph Wilson is shown in the 1850 census for Scioto County, Ohio, with his wife and children, and since he purchased his farm in Rush Township, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, in 1852, the church must have been organized after that date. Most likely the church was formed by members being dismissed from Mt. Pleasant Church near South Wayne, Lafayette Co., Wisconsin, in the mid to late 1850's.
The obituary of Bro. Murray Howard states that during the time the Providence church was without a meeting house, they met in his house. Until evidence appears to the contrary, we assume that the church had no meeting house of its own until the stone church was erected. In 1861 Providence Church hosted the First Northwestern Association, but it appears the meeting was held at the meeting house of Mt. Pleasant Church, the mother church. The obituary of Bro. Ward B. Howard states that he united with the church in 1868, and was baptized by Elder Isaac N. Vanmeter, and a few years later helped build the stone church on one corner of his farm, and named it Providence. The cemetery, however, had been used at least twenty years before the stone church was built.
Photos showing the restoration of the Old Stone Church.
Burial List for the Old Stone Church Cemetery
LIST OF BURIALS KNOWN AT THE PRESENT TIME (A FEW HAVE BEEN MOVED):
Beine, Ruth Mastick, 1846-1875 (moved to Lena Burial Park August 22, 1929, buried in Block 6, Lot 9, beside her husband)
Chaddock, Elder Lafayette A., 1825-8/5/1900 (Lena Burial Park records list him as follows: Section 12, Lot #114, Grave Letter: ?H, Comments: No record of reinterment - probably means NOT MOVED)
Chaddock, Rebecca Kelley, 9/12/1823-6/29/1915 (Lena Burial Park records list her as follows: Section #12, Lot #114, Grave Letter: ?G, Comments: No record of reinterment - probably means NOT MOVED)
Howard, Martin Sr., 1791-1867 (a granite stone of later construction at Lena Burial Park has Martin and Ruth Howard's names on one side; Ward B. Howard, Malinda R. Kelley Howard, and Oscar E. Howard on the other three sides)(Stone in Section 12, Lot 17 Grave Letter G - five names on one stone on one grave space)
Howard, Ruth Ripley, Sep 1796-March 12, 1872 (a granite stone of later construction at Lena Burial Park has Martin and Ruth Howard's names on one side; Ward B. Howard, Malinda R. Kelley Howard, and Oscar E. Howard on the other three sides)(Stone in Section 12, Lot 17 Grave Letter G - five names on one stone on one grave space)
Howard, Murray, 1806-4/11/1874 (Obituary proves he was buried here.)
Howard, Susan Kelley, 1807-11/16/1887 (daughter of Ephraim Kelley, wife of Murray Howard 1806-1874)(Obituary proves she was buried here.)
Howard, Malinda R. Kelley, 6/13/1825-11/14/1909 (stone moved to Lena Burial Park - date unknown)(age 84 years 5 months 1 day)(Stone in Section 12, Lot 17 Grave Letter G - five names on one stone on one grave space)(there are three lot markers in front of this stone - one says "Father," one says "Mother," and one says "Oscar.")
Howard, Ward B., 6/27/1822-10/1/1897 (stone moved to Lena Burial Park - date unknown)(Stone in Section 12, Lot 17 Grave Letter G - five names on one stone on one grave space)(there are three lot markers in front of this stone - one says "Father," one says "Mother," and one says "Oscar.")
Howard, Oscar E., 1/11/1852-8/19/1852, infant son of Ward B. & Malinda R. Kelley Howard (stone moved to Lena Burial Park - date unknown)(Stone in Section 12, Lot 17 Grave Letter G - five names on one stone on one grave space)(there are three lot markers in front of this stone - one says "Father," one says "Mother," and one says "Oscar.")
Kelley, Ephraim, 1789-1873
Kelley, Amelia Mott Chaddock, 9/29/1791-3/16/1868 (Her tombstone is at the Holly Grove Cemetery now, leaning against the stone of Reuben Kelley).
Kelley, David E., 1810-12/25/1878 (son of Ephraim Kelley)(Obituary proves he was buried here.)
Leece, Elizabeth, 1813-1/5/1890 (Obituary proves she was buried here.)
Loomis, Antoinette "Hattie" Kelley, born January 1, 1846, died March 10, 1916 (moved to Lena Burial Park - September 16, 1916 - buried in Section (Block) 12, Lot 1)(age 70 years 2 months 9 days)
Loomis, Harvey, born on 29 Apr 1816 in New Hartford, Litchfield, Connecticut; died on 18 Nov 1881 (moved to Lena Burial Park - September 16, 1916 - buried in Section (Block) 12, Lot 1)
McElwain, Chloe Elizabeth Olive Bennett Perry, June 25, 1787-October 5, 1875 (mother of David T. Perry)(her dates of birth and death were taken from a stone in this cemetery which has not been found.)
Perry, Polly Howard, 9/16/1812-9/5/1878 (daughter of Martin Howard, first wife of David T. Perry)(Obituary proves she was buried here.)
Raymond, Harry, abt. 1795-2/23/1875 (probably a black servant)
Swievel, John W., 12/7/1878-6/16/1896 (raised by Edward Kiplinger)
Smith, Elder Henry, 1795?-7/19/1875 (his tombstone has now been found, and is being cleaned, in preparation of being mortared into a new cement base.)
Smith, Leah Grimes (later Parrem/Parm/Parham), 1805?-7/23/1890 (funeral service held August 17th, 1890, at the Old Stone Church, on Sunday of the First Northwestern Association)
PROBABLE OR POSSIBLE BURIALS:
McElwain, Justus, date of death unknown; one source says he was buried in the timber south of where the church was built, but no stone has been found.
Gere, Florence Irene Howard, daughter of Martin Freeman Howard Jr and Elizabeth Stevens, born October 7, 1848, died May 12, 1871 at Howardsville, Ill. Stone at Holly Grove Cemetery.
Gere, Florence Bertha, daughter of Florence Howard Gere. Born November 1, 1869, died November 24, 1870. Stone at Holly Grove Cemetery.
Howard, George Jefferson, son of Martin Freeman Howard Jr. and Elizabeth Stevens, born August 29, 1850, died September 24, 1852 at Howardsville, Ill. Stone not found.
Simmons, Harriet A. Howard, daughter of Martin Freeman Howard Jr and Elizabeth Stevens, born August 28, 1852, died June 12, 1887, at Howardsville, Ill. Stone at Holly Grove Cemetery.
Howard, Walter A., son of Martin Freeman Howard Jr. and Elizabeth Stevens, born Feb 14, 1855, died June 20, 1893, in Chicago. Stone at Holly Grove Cemetery.
Francis S. Gholson, March 9, 1821 - March 4, 1880
Gholson, Francis Ely, 9/10/1856-6/15/1878 (son of Francis S. & Nancy S. Gholson)
Rouse, James W., 1848-, age unknown. Death evidently about 1885-1890. Lived at Polo, Ill., and later at Lena, Ill. Minister (preached) but not ordained.
Chaddock, Josephine, born 1863, daughter of Lafayette A. Chaddock and Rebecca Kelley Chaddock.
Kelley, Reuben, son of Ephraim Kelley.
INFANTS:
Some of Henry and Leah Smith's fifteen children, of whom only four survived her. (Children's names include: Ellen, Joseph, David, Martha, Robert). Probably other infants, also.
COMMENTS: Burial records were not kept in Illinois until 1877, and were incomplete after that. The above list will be revised as more information becomes available, but it will always be incomplete due to loss of records.
Copyright c. 2010-2024. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.
