Mt Olive Methodist Church Franklin County Mississippi - The Church That Benjamin Drake Nelson Built

Benjamin Drake Nelson, Ira A. Jenkins, Dora Lillian 

NelsonNote: Dora Lillian JENKINS Nelson. Photo contributed by Joseph Hoff. Submitted by Frances Phrares.

I found this sketch on a Franklin County Mississippi genealogy web site.The site has not been updated in quite a while so I am copying it in full in case it disappears. There is a good bit of important information that relates to more than just my Great (2) Grandfather. Benjamin Nelson ( married to Dora "Jenkins " Nelson).

Before getting to my own Great (2) Grandparents a little Clan house keeping. The article mentions several important items. and names about families from which I am a direct descendant from. That is the Causey and Whittington families. This sketch is also helpful in giving us clues about the some of the various religious influences on the two families which I intend to write in much detail later.

From the Sketch we learn the Missionary Baptist Church , which the Methodist were allow to use some before the building of Mt Olive, we see this:

Some of the charter members of the Baptist church were Mr. Madison
Whittington, who was clerk of the church. Uncle Matt as he was usually
called was Horace Whittington's grand father. Other members were: Mr.
William Smith, Ned Smith's grandfather, William Causey, their families and
others.

 
Mr Madison Whittington is the great grandson of Richard Whittington who was the brother of my Great (7) Grandfather Cornelius Whittington Sr. That of course would make him the direct descendant of my Great (8 ) Grandparents John Whittington, Jr. and Sarah Woodroffe.

Important info on other Methodist Whittington's are mentioned. My line descending from Cornelius has a very "Baptist" flair to say the least .Though as we shall see in a later post Methodism makes a rather strong presence there as to his some of his descendants..

The William Causey there mention is "possibly" the son of my Great Grandfather William Causey Sr by his first marriage but it is far more likely it is his grandson. I will attempt to nail that down. However there is little doubt he is a direct descendant of the William Causey Sr. As I mentioned, much more on these family dynamics in a latter post.

Now to my Great (2) Grandfather that is mentioned in this sketch:

..This weakened the Baptist membership, and the Methodist grew in number
and continued their worship in this church until the middle 1880's when they
felt the need of an organized and established Methodist church.

My grandmother, Elizabeth Ann Seale deeded enough land including a
lovely spring of water for a Methodist church building.

Three trustees were appointed to have a contractor hired and the church
built. These trustees were: Messers: Henderson Parker, Sr., Bob and
Russel Smith's grandfather, John Huff, Mr. Dolph Huff's father, and Stephen
Wilkinson. These trustees hired Mr. Bennie Nelson from Amite Co.,
Bewelcome community to build the church with the men of the community
helping him.

The heart weather boarding was dressed by hand, the boards were rove
and splintered by hand until they resembled heart shingles.

In 1889 my father, the late Dougle Elijah Seale who lived near Gloster
rode horseback to his mother's home near the church and gave several days
work on the church helping Mr. Nelson who was staying at my grandmother's
home, board given free, they finished the church....

My Great ( 2) Grandfather Benjamin Drake Nelson was the son of of my  Nelson Immigrant ancestor  Great (  3 ) Grandfather James Benjamin Nelson and his first wife my Great ( 3) Grandmother Lavisa Cassels Collinsworth ( she was widowed), the daughter of Great (4)  Rueben Cassell and Mary Sojourner.

My connection is  thus to these Nelsons is :  (5 ) "Mom (4) Myrtle Ruth "Nelson" Shepherd  (3 ) Hamilton Burton Nelson Sr (2) Benjamin Drake Nelson.(1) James Benjamin Nelson ( The Immigrant)

James Benjamin Nelson was a master builder and many of his buildings stand today in Mississippi and no doubt parts of Louisiana too. It is a goal of mine to obtain as many pictures of these buildings from the past and present as I can. We might not get to talk to James Benjamin Nelson today but his work , his craft can perhaps speak to us about him. On that note through the Mississippi Methodist Church web page it appears that Mt Olive Methodist Church is still in operation. I hope and pray the original building is  still standing. I intend to contact this Church this week and try to obtain photographs and other details this week. When I get such information I will update this post.

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF MT. OLIVE METHODIST CHURCH

Franklin County - Brookhaven District - Mississippi Conference - Edited 1966

The origin and beginning of the Mt. Olive Methodist Church in 1889
eleven miles South of Meadville, Miss. the County seat of Franklin County.

In the early 1850's or before a heart pine weather boarded Missionary
Baptist Church was built across the road north west of where Mt. Olive
Methodist Church now stands.

This church was about 20 by 30 ft. with one front door, and two windows
with shutters on the East side, in later years, the church being so dark in
cold weather, a large glass window with twelve panes was placed in the West
side. The building was heated by a chimney made of dirt, a wooden frame was
built the shape they wanted the chimney to be and the frame was covered
inside and out with "mud cats" which were made of mud held together with
Spanish moss.

This chimney had a large fire place and hearth and was placed in the
North end of the building but it never gave out much heat and was soon
replaced with a brick flue and a metal cast-iron box heater.

This building was used by both Baptist and Methodist alternately but
the Methodist had Sunday School in it each Sunday they had preaching which
was usually once a month. The Methodist also had a Childrens Day program
once a year.

Some of the Methodist preachers who preached in this church were: W.
W. Simmons, W. W. Cammock, Newton Huff, Mr. Dolph Huff's grandfather, Rev.
Jagers and others.

Some of the Baptist ministers were: Moses Seale, my great grandfather,
Roland Wilkinson and others.

According to Mr. Nathan Bunekley in writing up his diaries and attending
this church commented, "I attended Mt. Olive Baptist church today and heard
a good sermon by the preacher." This was in 1855.

Some of the charter members of the Baptist church were Mr. Madison
Whittington, who was clerk of the church. Uncle Matt as he was usually
called was Horace Whittington's grand father. Other members were: Mr.
William Smith, Ned Smith's grandfather, William Causey, their families and
others.

Some of the Methodist who attended this church were Mr. Matt or Madison
Temple and family, grandfather of Mrs. Lizzie Sullivan. My grandfather
Elijah Seale and family. Uncle Hinds Whittington, John H Parkers
grandfather. The Jagers, Steele and Huff families.

There were several members of the Campbellite, Mormans and Primitive
Baptist in the community, but were not allowed to preach in this church.

Some of the Methodist who attended this church had their membership in
old Mt. Vernon church that stood near the Homochitto River in the lower part
of the now Homochitto Community going there once a month on horse back for the roads were merely widened trails and almost impassable at times.

Other Methodist members had their membership in Salem Methodist in
Amite County because they had relatives near this church and in visiting them, attended church at Salem. Among these were my grandparents, Elijah and Elizabeth McMillian Seale who later deeded the land for the present Mt.
Olive church. The Whittington and Wilkinsons also attended were charter
members of Old Salem Church.

As time rolled along changes came about by older members passing on,
the civil war days and years, and people moving away to schools and churches closer and of their choice.

This weakened the Baptist membership, and the Methodist grew in number
and continued their worship in this church until the middle 1880's when they
felt the need of an organized and established Methodist church.

My grandmother, Elizabeth Ann Seale deeded enough land including a
lovely spring of water for a Methodist church building.

Three trustees were appointed to have a contractor hired and the church
built. These trustees were: Messers: Henderson Parker, Sr., Bob and
Russel Smith's grandfather, John Huff, Mr. Dolph Huff's father, and Stephen
Wilkinson. These trustees hired Mr. Bennie Nelson from Amite Co.,
Bewelcome community to build the church with the men of the community
helping him.

The heart weather boarding was dressed by hand, the boards were rove
and splintered by hand until they resembled heart shingles.

In 1889 my father, the late Dougle Elijah Seale who lived near Gloster
rode horseback to his mother's home near the church and gave several days
work on the church helping Mr. Nelson who was staying at my grandmother's
home, board given free, they finished the church.

The by laws and constitution and organization of the church were drawn
up by Rev. W. W. Cammock who was a missionary to the Choctaw Indians, and Rev. W. W. Simmons, his father-in-law and the church was named Homochitto Chapel, but always went by the name of Mt. Olive, since the Baptist deeded or gave their old church to the neighborhood for a school building and its name was Mt. Olive.

Now the new church had to be furnished and since Mr. Henderson Parker
had his own saw mill and was a cabinet maker he made the pulpit stand and
secretary as it was called then, this stand held the church and Sunday
School record books, the little Methodist hymnals (song books) with no
notes, a church discipline, our little and few Sunday School books and a
large Bible that the ladies Aid Society, now W. S. C. S. bought, along with
a ceiling China lamp that hung in front of the pulpit stand, a beautiful
Fostoria pattern glass water pitcher and two glasses, two collection plates,
a felt tablecloth for the beautiful round table, that Mr. Parker made.
Uncle Hen Parker, as he was affectionately called, made two stands in harmony with the pulpit stand and placed them permanently (we thought) on each side of the pulpit stand and the one on the right was used for the pitcher and glasses, the one on the left was used mostly for a "pull up" into the pulpit
by the preacher. Flowers were placed there at times but seemed to be in the
way. These stands were taken away by a "destroyer" who also broke up the
lamp and other furnishings of the church. Yes, all has not been smooth
sailing with the old church, for Satan loomed big at times, so much so until
he asked, "Why have a church lets moved it to Meadville" and many of its
records also were destroyed. But thanks to the ever faithful few, and our
Heavenly Father old Mt. Olive still stands and I'll be ninety-seven years
old when it will be 100, and I hope to be there to celebrate.

In some humble way lets honor Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Seale for making it
possible for the community to have a place of worship.

She is buried between her husband, Elijah Seale and her son William
Joseph Seale in the Elijah Seal Cemetary on the Dougle E. Seale home place
about 1/4 mile North East of the church.

Written July 15, 1966 by
Mrs. Claude Seale Parker of Liberty, Miss.

I have written the above as accurately as I remember it being told to me by my parents, grandmother, and others, then we have one of Mr. Nathan Bunckley's diaries that was given us that I got data from.

I went to my first Sunday School there in 1896. Mr. Lamar Stokes was
Sunday School Supt. but said he was too young for the place and gave it up
to my father Dougle E. Seale who was Supt. for many years. Then the
conference appointed Mr. Stokes after my father's health failed, and he
resigned. In 1910 Mr. Stokes resigned as Sunday School Supt. and Mr. C. S.
Temple was appointed and was Supt. when I left the community in 1915.

The big Bible wasn't used much except it was placed open on the pulpit
stand and the preacher placed his open Bible upon it, or a written sermon
sometimes. I'm so glad for the interest shown it in having it repaired.

Webmaster's note: I have no idea where I got this!  If anyone knows, please let me know so I can give them credit for the contribution!