The History of Little
Flock Baptist Cemetery
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The following
are two excerpts from the Harrison County deed book for Little
Flock Baptist cemetery. Also following this is parts of a letter
written in 1908 by Levi Saffer to his cousin Eliza Snodgrass Porter.
He gives a detailed story of Little Flock, and who is buried here.
Little Flock Baptist
Deed Bk. D, Page 317,
November 6, 1824. Trustees of the Baptist (sic) church. I do certify
that George Boone, Joseph Blunk and Paul French were appointed
Trustees on behalf of Goshen Church, Salem Church and Little Flock
Church, all of the Baptist Order, for the purpose of receiving
deeds of gift and other donations for the sole benefit of such
churches.
Deed Bk. D. Pg 508,
March 25, 1826. Taylor Twp. Trustees for Little Flcok Church.
At an election held at Little Flock Church for the purpose of
electing trustees for said church, the following persons were
elected, David brown, Robert Brown and Paul French.
Deed book E. page
83, March 24 1827. John Saffer and wife Rebecca, convey to Paul
French, David Brown, and Robert Brown, Trustees of the Regular
Baptist Chruch, a certain lot or parcel of land to wit; Beginning
at the white oak standing on a ridge West of John Saffer's dwelling
house..., being a part of the SE quarter of Sect. 17, Twp. 5,
Range 5, conaining one acre.
Little Flock Chruch
By Levi G. Saffer
"William Saffer
was pastor for the church for nearly half a century. At one time
Little Flock was a large and flourishing congregation, but from
various causes the membership dwindled in numbers until my aunt,
Rhody Brewer, was the only member left, then she died leaving
her pastor the only survivor of Little Flock. This is probably
the only case in history in which a pastor outlived his entire
congregation, and it is also one of the very rare cases of a pastor
devoting his entire ministerial life to the spiritual needs of
the congreation without any fixed salary.
He steadily refused
to accept money for his ministerial labors. But when his congreation
made him a present of a horse, cow, or a blue jean suit of clothes,
he accepted gracefully and thankfully.
The house of worshiop
built and used for many years by Little Flock Congregation, was
a large hewed log structure, situated a little southeast of what
was known in early days as the Duggins Church, near the road leading
from Elizabeth to Buena Vista.
In the old graeyard
nearby, lie the remains of many sturdy pioneer Baptists, whose
zeal in support of their dogmas has seldom been excelled.
I have been told that
one Ben Shileds, a prominent Baptist of that day, was the first
person buried there."
Letter by Levi
Saffer in 1908
"If my memory
serves me right, your people lived on the farm afterward known
to me as the Duggins Farm. A few rods south of that farm is the
old Baptist burying ground. Ben Shields was the first person buried
there, and my mother was possibly the second. My grandfather Saffer
pointed out her grave to me when I was a lad. There was at the
head of the grave a rough slab of the common lime gray stone found
in the beds of the creeks there abouts. At one side of that graveyard
stood an old hewed-long meeting house known as the Little Flock
Church. Unless my memory is a fault, grandmother died in 1846,
and grandfather in 1848. I have it in my mind that grandmother
was _8 and grandfather 98. A lapse of 60 years obliterates many
facts one once had in mind.
Some years ago I left
that part of the country, I visited that old graveyard and found
it literally covered with dense growth of young hickory, intertwined
with green briers to an extent that made it almost impossible
to pass through it. Some of the graves had, at some former time,
been enclosed with palings. These were in a very advanced stage
of dilapidation. The old meeting hosue was much in the same condition.
The member of the Little Flock had long since been gathered unto
their fathers.
William Saffer, son
of Jona Saffer, and first cousin to my father and to your mother,
was for more than a quarter of a century, pastor of Little Flock
Church. About 1840 the membership began to dwindle, and by 1855
there was but on member living-that was Rhoda Brewer, your mother's
sister, the wife of John Brewer. For two or three years she was
the only member.
At her death the venerable
pastor William Saffer was almost alone in the world. His wife
and two sons and four daughters had died of consumption several
years before. He had preached the funeral of every member of Little
Flock and was now without a single member. This lonely condition
did not last long, for in a few months he followed his Little
Flock into the realms of the unknown and a Methodist minister
preached his funeral".
For more of the Levi
Saffer letter visit it online at
@copyright by Terry Straub
straub@jbntelco.com
and
Art Dillman
dee@ccrtc.com