Introduction | Church History | Order of Microfilming

Introduction

The records of the Christ United Methodist Church, Jackson, Ohio were transferred for microfilming to the Center for Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio with the cooperation of Pastor Dale Lykens and the assistance of John F. Underwood, Church Historian.

The Center for Archival Collections is the publisher of this microfilm edition. The camera negative is the property of the Center for Archival Collections. For restrictions on the duplication of this collection please see the accompanying Note to Researchers.

This collection consists of four church record books, two membership roll books and one box of membership file folders. The collection spans from 1855 - 2005. The record books contain membership records, church officials, pastoral records, class records, baptisms, marriages, deaths, and funerals.

This introduction was prepared by Kathy Gardner and Mary Bowles in November 2007.

Church History

According to an article printed in the Jackson Standard on October 16 & 23, 1873, titled "Historical Sketch of the M.E. Church at Jackson, oral tradition dictates that there were Methodist families in Jackson as far back as 1805. However, the first written evidence is found in the Journal of the Court of Common Pleas, October 28, 1817 where it is recorded that Deacon Boroughs Westlake was authorized to perform marriages. This article also indicates that the first Methodist class was organized around 1811 at the home of John James. Members also met on occasion at the home of Samuel Hall and at a place called "Jerusalem" which according to the article was 2-3 miles east of Jackson. A log school house also served as an alternate meeting facility until a church was erected in 1835. This church was located at the corner of Water and Portsmouth Street.

In 1836 a disagreement amongst members resulted in some of the members leaving the church and starting a Protestant Methodist Church in Jackson. But according to another article written by Lily Long and published in the Jackson Herald on September 4 and Nov 5, 1929, the seceding members returned to the Methodist Episcopal Church after a couple of years.

In 1855 meetings were held in the "Old Court House" while the old church was being torn down and a new one built on the same site. At this point Jackson became a station and left the circuit. By 1856 the new church was erected but not complete so services were held in the basement. According to the 1873 article, a parsonage was built in 1865 and in 1868 the church was finally finished and dedicated on July 12 of the same year. This church was sold to the Board of Education and the money from its sale was used to begin building a new church in 1892-1893. This new structure was damaged by a fire in 1929 but reconstructed and is still being used.

The above history was compiled based on information obtained from a newspaper article entitled " Historical Sketch of the M.E. Church at Jackson", published in the Jackson Standard on October 16 & 23, 1873. This article can be found in the second record book (1872 - 1891) on this roll of microfilm. A second set of articles published in the Jackson Herald on September 4, 1929 and November 5, 1929 found in the same book was also used. Additional information was provided by Carol Holliger, archivist, Archives of Ohio United Methodism, Beeghley Library, Ohio Wesleyan University.

Order of Microfilming

Reel 1

1. Record Book, 1855 - 1873
   • Baptisms
   • Marriages
   • Memberships
   • Preachers and Leaders
   • Disciplinary Committees
   • Class Records
2. Record Book, 1872 - 1891
   • Historical Record
   • Memberships
   • Class Records
   • Leaders
   • Pastoral/Statistics
   • Baptisms
   • Marriages
3. Record Book, 1891 - 1909
   • Historical Record
   • Memberships
   • Baptisms
   • Marriages
4. Record Book, 1909 - 1930
   • Memberships
   • Marriages
   • Funerals
   • Baptisms

Reel 2

1. Membership Files, 1904 - 1982
   • Baptisms
   • Births
   • Deaths
2. Membership Roll, c. 1920 - 1988
   • Births
   • Baptisms
   • Deaths
3. Membership Roll, c. 1920 - 2005
   • Births
   • Baptisms
   • Deaths
   • Weddings

Jackson County Churches | Methodist Church Bibliography