Karolyn Terpstra St. Charles County Historical Society January 2017 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Karolyn Terpstra

• St. Charles County Historical Society

January 2017 Quarterly

ó

• Smith for sharing

their research into known burials at Sage Chapel

ó Jim Frain and the O’Fallon Historic Preservation

Commission for their support of Sage Chapel and dedication to preserving its story

ó The O'Fallon Historical Society and Mary Stephenson

for graciously sharing photographs and documents

ó Why Sage? ó The Property ó Who’s Buried There ó Ties to the Community ó What’s Next

By the 1950s the pace of burials at Sage Chapel slowed significantly the cemetery was being forgotten

ó A handful of local descendents

still knew and cared for the property

ó In 2012 a reported act of

vandalism brought Sage Chapel to the attention of the city

ó The O’Fallon Historic

Preservation Commission became involved with Sage Chapel

ó 114 known burials

ó Only 32 graves have

markers surviving today

ó First Burial in 1898 ó Most recent burial in

2015

ó All buried at Sage Chapel

are African American except 2

Simon & Cora White with their grandchildren Arlene and Betty

• White. Grandson Michael

the shadow on the porch. Simon and Cora are buried at Sage Chapel

(photo: Mary Stephenson, OHS)

ó

• wner of record for Sage Chapel

ó Only known deed record including this land is in 1871

ó Sheriff’s Partition from 5 Sept 1871 includes “Lot 9

being the graveyard it being part of the SQ ¼ of Section 26 TWP 47N, RE3… containing .11 acres… it being the family graveyard”

ó

Yard” as an adjoining property

ó Includes a 1899 deed record showing an adjoining lot as

being transferred from “George and Martha Murray to

• W. C. Long, George Washington, and Daniel Frost

(Trustees of the Baptist Church)

ó There is an African Baptist Church on Sondern Street

ó A Daniel Frost is known to be buried at Sage Chapel ó W.C. Long’s name appears in church records

Sage Chapel Cemetery

ó African Methodist Episcopalian

Church – south of Elm

ó Records indicate the Abington

family was active in this congregation Abington and Edwards families owned adjoining properties

ó African Methodist Episcopalian

Church – north of Elm

ó Church records have been lost

to time

ó Know Claiborn family owned

adjacent property

ó African Baptist Church

ó Believe this is Hopewell

Baptist Church

ó Trustees of this church are

connected to Sage Chapel deed records

Believed to be the African Methodist Episcopalian Church (photo: Mary Stephenson, OHS)

Clarence Claiborn (1909-1945)

(photo: Mary Stephenson, OHS)

Mishey Edwards (1881-1957)

(photo: Mary Stephenson, OHS)

Dorothy Edwards

(1904-1952)

(photo: Mary Stephenson, OHS)

First row: Clarence Claiborn, son of Maggie Hughes, Claiborn Luckett, Edmonia Robinson, Grant Jordan, Frank son of Tom and Lou Williams, Buster. Second Row: Hazel Williams, daughter of Tom & Lou Williams, sister of Frank Williams, Clara St. Clair, daughter of Lucy White, Maude Hutchinson, daughter of Emma Hutchinson, Rhoda daughter of Lucy White, Miss Pearl Sparks, teacher, Jane Hutchinson, daughter of Emma Hutchinson, Maria Lula Williams, daughter of Tom & Lou Williams. Picture was taken at the school for black children at the corner of Elm

• St. and Sonderen in O’Fallon in 1914 or 1915.

ó Nobody knows with certainty ó No records to indicate there was

ever a church called “Sage Chapel”

ó Perhaps a nod to the fields of

wild sage that grew on the Sonderen Plantation

ó Believed to be an area where

slaves worshiped around the time of abolition

Francis Rafferty Dryden (1860 – 1938)

(photo: Mary Stephenson, OHS)

ó 20 individuals buried at

Sage Chapel were born before the abolition of slavery

ó Unknown who of these

were born into slavery

ó Pricilla Ball was the earliest

born of those buried at Sage Chapel

ó Born in 1812 – She was

about 52 when the Civil War ended

ó Commitment in O’Fallon to

ensure this property is maintained and not forgotten

ó Discussions ongoing to

determine best way to address

• wnership

ó Exploring the possibility of a

monument with the names of those known to be in unmarked graves

Karolyn Terpstra (612) 325 – 9181 Karolyn.terpstra@gmail.com