The Beech Grove United Methodist Church

History of the Beech Grove United Methodist Church at Newells Run, Route 1, Newport, Washington County, Ohio; by Patty Lauer,1983

In the early history of the work of the United Brethren in Christ in Ohio there was occasional preaching at or near Marietta The adherents of the church living in the Eastern portion of Washington County, Ohio were, at first, under the care of the Wills Creek Circuit.

In 1856 a Rev. H. Rice was appointed to take charge and became a pastor of the Kinderhook Church which was later called the Beech Grove Circuit.

The Beech Grove United Brethren Church was organized in a school house at Newells Run in 1868. The congregation was not large but with firm conviction that they would prosper the people went forward and made arrangements for the erection of a church. The site of an old Methodist Church, near the mouth of Newells Run, was thought the most eligible, and it was accordingly purchased from Jonathan Hoff for the sum of $1 50. This church was built of log prior to 1840 and was organized by Rev. Jones The old church, which had years before been deserted by the Methodists and had been since used as a tobacco shed, was torn down and a very neat little frame building put in its place Mr. Lewis Rowland and sons hauled the stone for the foundation. O’ Blennis was employed as the carpenter and others donated their labor. Mr. and Mrs. Augustus Leonard donated their board. This was in 1870 and in the following year the house was dedicated to the honor and glory of God

The first minister of this little church was Rev. George Athey. The succeeding ministers have been Reverends AL Moore, Riddle, Miller, George Moore and John Coleman. Rev. Athey had been re turned to the church once since he first had charge of it.

Some of the early Trustees of the church were Isiah Bogard, L Phillips, William Guiten, Jacob Gario and Peter Hasley. The pews of the church were made by Basil and Benson Edwards

From records in our church, in 1891, the Beech Grove Circuit consisted of five churches: Mt Zion, Beech Grove, Yankeeburg, Mt Gilead and Zion Hill. In 1893 Mt Gilead and Zion Hill were dropped from the circuit leaving Beech Grove, Yankeeburg and Mt Zion.

In March of 1903 it was brought before the Quarterly Conference members at the Beech Grove class to start a U. B. Church at Newport Ohio, In July of 1903 it was voted to add Bear Run to the circuit bringing it back to five churches in the circuit

At the April 3, 1915 Trustee meeting, the Board of Trustees were to get a permit from the common pleas court to sell the U.B. Church at Newport John Shaw gave a report of the condition and stated that there was no use made of the Newport Church and it should be sold The proceeds received from the sale were to be applied to the parsonage. In the April 24, 1915 record, two of the trustees, J.H. Mendenhall and Sherman Rowland were to purchase the Abbie Newlen property for a parsonage and they were to purchase it in their names and hold it until the churches of Newport Circuit paid them $1,000 cost and interest to be added Then J.H. Mendenhall and Sherman Rowland were to deed the property to the United Brethren Church Circuit or as the Quarterly Conference of the Newport Circuit may direct. The assessment for the Parsonage made by the trustees was as follows: Beech Grove — $500, Mt. Zion — $250, Yankeeburg — $150, Bear Run — $100. The Parsonage Trustees requested the Quarterly Conference to take action to have the proceeds of the Newport church property after it was sold to be applied to the purchase of the Parsonage.

For the record, in 1921 the pastors salary was $250.

From an August, 1931 report a Quarterly meeting was held at Beech Grove with the following churches represented: Yankeeburg, Fairview, Beech Grove, Mt Olive and Mt. Union.

In 1936-37, Beech Grove, Bear Run, Yankeeburg and Fairview were recorded as being in the Newport Circuit East Ohio Conference. At a meeting on May 6, 1 938 Rev Arnold spoke concerning the preacher pension campaign which was to be put on in all United Brethren Churches.

In 1942 the Annual Conference took action that the salaries for each church be raised 10%. Dr. Arnold set the goals for each church as follows: Beech Grove — $240, Bear Run — $110, Yankeeburg — $80, and Fairview — $150.

In a 1944 report Dr. Arnold talked again on the preacher pension fund and encouraged it for all churches

In an October 13, 1946 report Yankeeburg, Beech Grove and the First United Brethren Church at Marietta went together. At this time all three churches were without a pastor. Our records show that Rev. Donald Smith came as pastor in late 1 946 or early 1947. Marietta was in our circuit until 1970.

Against the same background which produced the United Brethren Church, at about the same time and in the same section of the country, the Evangelical Church was born. Jacob Albright was born near Pottstown, Pennsylvania on May 1, 1759. He joined the army when the Revolutionary War broke out. After the war he returned home. With sinfulness around him he attended a summer evening prayer meeting and was converted He united with the Methodist Church, but due to his absence from prayer and class meetings because of preaching tours, he lost his membership in the Methodist Church. While he found fine fellowship with the Methodists, it was because they were not so inclined to work among the German- speaking Americans that the Albright movement became a separate one. Two new churches were formed and finally in 1922 the union of the two churches was consummated under the name “The Evangelical Church.”

Even before the United Brethren and Evangelical Churches were well established in the east, they were pushing westward across the Alleghenies wherever German people migrated In the United Brethren Church, Christian Newcomer was ordained bishop by Otterbein in 1813. According to Bishop Newcomers own diary as early as 1813 there was a distinct effort put forth to unite the United Brethren and Evangelical Church. They shared similar discipline, doctrine and practices. This union was approved by the two churches and on November 16. 1946 in a great conference held in Johnstown, Pennsylvania the two groups forming  “The Evangelical United Brethren Church” with a combined membership of more than 750,000.

The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United brethren Church had always shared theology, doctrine and a similar Book of Discipline. The Major difference between them had been language. By the mid-twentith century his was no longer a barrier. So, on April 23, 1968, in Dallas Texas the two churches joined to form the United Methodist Church.

-

            A list of the Beech Grove Members taken from a Membership  Book dated as far back as August 1893, J.W. Patton, Pastor, Some of the spelling may be incorrect as some of the names were not legible. Any names omitted is due to missing records.

1. Alta Bingham

2. Delta Bush

3. Eva Conley

4. Effie Edwards

5. Rebecca Noland

6. Jane Gueyton

7. W.N. Noland

8. Callie Pool

9. Mrs. E. Conley

10. Peter Hasley

11. Lydia Hasley

12. Henry Hasley

13. Lizzie Fredal

14. Isiah Bogard

15. Isaac Mendenhall

16. Wm. Gyton

17. M.E. Bogard

18. Wm. Wilson

19. Ruth Wilson

20. Addie Bingham

21. Harrietta Guyton

22. Rettie McGee

23. L. Noland

24. John McBride

25. P. Beardsley

26. Mary Rightmire

27. Lewis Phillips

28. Lutitia Phillips

29. J.M. Shaw

30. Mary Shaw

31. John B. Kigans

32. Aristle Hall

33. Julie Hall

34. C. McBride

35. Phoeba Bush

36. Wm. Bush

37. J.A. Risden

38. M.A. Risden

39. S.A. Risden

40. Anna Conley

41. Nora Huggins

42. Jennie Pool

43. Josie Bingham

44. Ida Pool

45. Mille Gano

46. Nellie Bingham

47. Hannah Lauck

48. Albert Bogard

49. Alonza McGee

50. Ezra McMulin

51. George Hall

52. George Dearth

53. Martha Ring

54. Sherman Rowland

55. Edna Pool

56. A.J. Britton

57. Wm. Conley

58. Henry Phillips

59. Cass Pool

60. Harry Bush

61. J.A. Bush

62. James Dearth

63. Susie Reese

64. Fannie Dearth

65. Wesley Hasley

66. James Reese

67. Lincoln Wise

68. Adell Rowland

69. John Hoff

70. Kent Adams

71. Ella Dearth

72. Mary Hoff

73. Lucy Hoff

74. Mrs. Samuel Hoff

75. Mrs. Charles Carver

76. Daniel Gano

77. Belle Conley

78. Debora Thomas

79. Ollie Dearth

80. Frank Bush

81. Carrie Britton

82. Nettie Ladd

83. Leroy Kiggans

84. Lib Wood

85. Mary Shalman

86. Jackson Pegg

87. Gusie O’Neal

88. Amanda Prichett

89. Susie Stats

90. Francis Pegg

91. Tish Barance

92. Lydia Bogard

93. Pernelia Dearth

94. Dora Newland

95. Mrs. Alonzo McGee

96. Dora Newland

97. Flordia Dearth

98. Lulu Eddy

99. Christ Lukehart

100. Margy Lukehart

101. Margy Wise

102. Mary A. Shaw

103.Millie Hoff

105. Estella McGee

106. Jonnie Hoff

107. Charles McVey

108. James Gano

109. Albert Pool

110. J.W. Patton

111. Mrs. J.W. Patton

112. Mrs. L. Starkweather

113. Mrs. A. Rowland

114. Wm. Eddy

115. Anna Rowland

116. A.J. Kenney

117. M.M. Kinney

118. Sophia Britton

120. Mary Seevers

121. Peter Gotz

122. Wm Athey

123. Lawrence McGee

124. Laure McGee

125. Nathan Eddy

126. Lesta Eddy

127. Ida Vess

128. John Vess

129. Rosa Vess

130. Grant Oakes

131. Charles Carpenter

132. Gussie Lock

133. Clyde Ritchie

134. Henry Vess

135. Lillie Mendenhall

136. Annie McIntyre

137. Garnet Bogard

138. Lucy Mendenhall

139. S.O. Collins

140. Knowles Martin

141. Elizabeth Pool

142. Effie Hasley

144. Frank Wilson

145. Isaac Wilson

146. Mary Hasley

147. B.B. Edwards

148. Edith Burton

149. Harry Noland

150. Ella Edwards

151. Mrs. B. W. Edwards

152. James Mendenhall

153. Ora Mendenhall

154. Lizzie Petty

155. Russell Britton

156. Mary Leister

157. Ethel Collins

158. Clara Martin

159. Augusta Schultheis

160. Pearl Noland

161. Ruby Noland

162. Grace Miller

163. Daisy Noland

164. Irene Hoff

165. Grace Shai

168. Twila Schultheis

169.Garnet Noland

170. Gladys Barnhouse

171. Michael Barnhouse

172. Sarah Barnhouse

173. Cecil Barnhouse

174. Chester Barnhouse

175. Virgil Barnhouse

176. Orville Atkinson

177. Stella Barth

178. Richard Barth

179. Melvin Barth

180. Clara Beardmore

181. Elizabeth Bleakley

182. Raymond Bogard

183. Anna Bush

184. Mary Bush

185. Effie Bush

186. Homer Bush

187. Arville Bush

188. Sylvia Bush

189. William Butler

190. Dora Butler

191. Irene Cassady

192. Gertrude Cameron

193. Elizabeth Dye

194. Howard Eddy

195. Joseph Eddy

196. Clarence Eddy

197. Cora Griffith

C. Garrison provided the following photos along with this note: Here is a photo of V.B. Slater, Pastor of the U.B. Beech Grove Church of 1910.  There was no mention of him in the church article by Patty Lauer.  I could not find any record of him or his family on rootsweb or google.  This photo belonged to Oma (Schultheis) Bogard.