John Wesley United Methodist Church - Lewisburg, Greenbrier County

In early 2000 a cousin from Lewisburg sent me an old program from this church which listed the Pastors of John Wesley United Methodist Church in Lewisburg, West Virginia:

Rev. John Barnett (he officiated at marriages around 1875 - 1891)
Rev. E.A. Bolling (born in 1860)
Rev. J.L. Brown (he officiated at marriages around 1894-1895 - see previous post)
Rev. Michael Casongo
Rev. Henry K. James
Rev/ David E. Jasper
Rev. Abraham Jenkins
Rev. Moses Lake
Rev. J.W. Langford
Rev. R.P. Lawson
Rev. Julius C. Love
Rev. William Moorman (he officiated at marriages around 1891-92 - see 1/3/07 post)
Rev. Julius Williams
Rev. Roscoe Williams
(more names to be added)

Rev. J.L. Brown

Rev. J.L. Brown officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:

1894 -
Isaac Tucker Armstead & Bell Roles, 7/31/1894

1895 -
John Howard & Maggid Barrett, 1/3/1895

Rev. H.A. Brown

Rev. H.A. Brown officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:

1897 -
John H. Cash & Lavenia Toler, 12/25/1897

Rev. John H. Simpson

Rev. John H. Simpson officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:

1881 -
Robert Ellis & Francis Charlton, 3/14/1881
Cephalus "Fall" Moore & Sally Dunsmore, 7/3/1881

1883 -
William Moor & Bettie Nickell, 1/11/1883

1885 -
William Hubbard & Sallie Gilbreath, 12/29/1885
Lewis Nickell & Lucy Jane Dunsmore, 12/30/1885

1888 -
William Henry Brown & Relda Dunsmore, 10/10/1888

1889 -
Smith Albert Freeman & Mossie Peck

Rev. R.H. Mason

Rev. R.H. Mason officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:

1880 -

Isaac Tucker Armstead & Ellen Bailey, 3/15/1880

Rev. T.R. Morris

Rev. T.R. Morris officiated at the following (Black) SC Marriages:

1896 - George Carter & Minnie Murrell, 9/30/1896

Anderson Jones

Anderson Jones is a notable Greenbrier County resident as he was involved in the only case in which "a ghost" helped to send a man to jail for murder.

Anderson was the son of one of the aforementioned "Martha Jones" (see previous post)
& Reuben Jones. He was the brother of Reuben Jones.
He may be the William A. Jones who appears on the 1880 Census, Greenbrier County (GC), Lewisburg District (LD), BM, 3, with Reuben Jones.
(although he appears in later censuses as being about two years younger - but then in 1930 he gives an age which squares with this entry).
He appears on the 1900 Census, Greenbrier County (GC), Williamsburg District (WD) as a Black male, age 20, b. 1879, son of Martha, brother of Reuben.
He appears on the 1910 Census, GC, LD, BM, 31, b. 1879, single, servant.
He appears on the 1930 Census, GC, LD, BM, 55, b. ?1875, servant in a private family, son of Martha Jones.
He appears in the book THE GREENBRIER GHOST AND OTHER STRANGE STORIES by Dennis Deitz, on pages 12, 15, & 16. Mr. Deitz indicates that Anderson was a witness to the events following the death of Zona Heaster Shue (1896) (It appears that in testimony Anderson thought he was about 11 years old where the censuses would put him at 17-20 years old)
He appears on a WORLD WAR I DRAFT REGISTRATION CARD at age 40 & indicates that he was born 8/1888, that he was a laborer at Ronceverte & that his nearest relative was his mother, Martha Jones of Lewisburg. The card also indicates that he was medium height & stout build with brown eyes & black hair.
He appears on WV DEATH CERTIFICATE # 8537 which indicates that he died on 6/17/1953 at Lewisburg & that he was a single black male, the son of Reuben & Martha Robinson Jones. At the time of his death he was thought to be about 76 years old. He is buried at the Clintonville Cemetery.