The Beginnings of the Keepville Church

The Wesleyan Methodist Church in America was officially formed in 1843 at an organizing conference in Utica, New York, as a group of ministers and laymen splitting from the Methodist Episcopal Church, primarily over their objections to slavery, though they had secondary issues as well. Orange Scott presided as the meeting formed a federation of churches at first calling themselves the Wesleyan Methodist Connection. (The name was chosen to distinguish themselves from the British Wesleyan Methodists). Other leaders at the founding of the church were LaRoy Sunderland, who had been tried and defrocked for his antislavery writings, Lucious C. Matlack, and Luther Lee, a minister who later operated an Underground Railroad station in Syracuse, New York.

"If Orange Scott can be called the founder of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection, Adam Crooks would have to be named its perpetrator." He ministered in southern states. In 1864, Adam Crooks was elected denominational editor, which office he held until his death ten years later.
In addition to anti-slavery, the early Wesleyan Methodists championed the rights of women. The Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, New York hosted the first Women's Rights Convention in 1848, also known as the Seneca Falls Convention. It is commemorated by the Women's Rights National Historical Park in the village today.

Luther Lee, General President in 1856, preached at the ordination service of Antoinette Brown (Blackwell) the very first woman ordained to the Christian ministry in the United States. At the General Conference in 1867, a resolution was adopted favoring the right of women to vote (as well as the right of freedmen — blacks). This was 44 years before the U.S. constitution was amended to allow women voting privileges.

The following is an interesting historical record of a church group that as far as I know of no one has any information about. The group that originated before the Wesleyan Methodist Church of America in 1843, was called "The United Ancient Wesleyan Methodists". Thus the name Wesleyan Methodist was originated in part by two men that did not join up with the Wesleyan Methodist group until quite a few years later.

Rev. J.L. Moore

In about the year 1840 Rev. J. L. Moore and Rev. Howard seceded from the Methodist Episcopal Church on the account of slavery. Gathering a few followers they organized themselves into a body which the named the “United Ancient Wesleyan Methodist Church”. Outsiders called them “Howardites” in places where Rev. Howard pastored and “Moorites” where Rev. J. L. Moore pastored.

June 5th 1844 started a church in Mt. Pleasant – now known as the Allida Smith Memorial church on the Mosiertown Road just northwest of Meadville. Moore found some former ME members who had distanced themselves from the ME church on the account of slavery and Free Masonry. The church still today holds grounds on secret societies.

The newly organized churches established that any orthodox group could preach in the church, but no one that was part of the ME church, a slaveholder, nor a slave holding apologist if known nor a free-mason.

Around the same time 1844 J.L. Moore formed a class in the one room school house in Harrisonville(which is now called Keepville). This was a result of a revival that was held by him in this schoolhouse and the people that had gotten saved wanted their own church. Several of those that were part of the original church (or class meeting) in Harrisonville, were those who left the Albion Methodist Episcopal church. Mathew Keep was one of those two had left the ME church being a strong abolitionists.

There homes were part of the underground railroad which made their way along the Erie Canal. It was a very strong route that transferred slaves to the shores of Lake Erie and then over into Canada. Houses all along had places to hide slaves.

It is recorded in the old minutes of the account how Mathew Keep loaned his discipline to his sister Mrs. King. Her Pastor Rev. Josiah Flowers got it from her and had a great message on the dissenters. His sermon was entitled “A tree is known by its fruits.” Taking the discipline from beneath the pulpit he exclaimed with all the scorn that he was capable of exclaiming, (and that was a great deal) …"The Ancient Wesleyans…Oh how Ancient and only a Year old". Nearly all were grown on the Episcopal tree. Some of them became wormy and dropped off. Others were knocked off. But behold them now..Merely tied on to the “Ancient Wesleyan Tree.” They were not grown there; the string will soon break and let them fall and they will every one of them want to be taken and put back on the old tree again. They say they have left for conscience sake and I hope they stay away for God’s sake."

In 1852 both churches joined with the Wesleyan Methodist Church of America. Finally in 1854 a church building was built at Harrisonville for $1500 dollars. The name of Harrisonville soon changed to Keepville and the name of the church and cemetery did as well.

The oldest known photo of the church. (circa 1880)

Rev. J. L. Moore was preaching a revival in Cattararugous (Allegheny Township Venango County) Pennsylvania. After much research since the town of Cattararugous is no longer there, I found that it is located in the Northeast corner of Venango county and just southwest of Titusville, Pennsylvania. After having preached a powerful sermon and making a strong appeal in which he almost excelled himself he concluded by saying "I have done all I can do, I have said all I can say, I now leave the work with your own souls and with God." After which he fell back into the pulpit like one dead. He was carried out of the church to the home of Henry Lockwood where for several days just conscious. Then on October 1 1861 he died.

Rev. J.L. Moore tombstone located in the Keepville cemetery.

I am no doctor, but possibly suffered from a severe stroke or heart attack. His wife was able to get to be with him, but his children did not see him till his body had been brought back to Harrisonville and place in the Harrisonville cemetery. He is laid to rest here in our cemetery. A man that preached hellfire and brimstone….One who was not afraid to preach the truth and the reality of eternity. One who stood for principles and one who passed the baton of the heritage of Holiness onto to us. Are we running and reaching for the baton? Are we running the race with diligence and leaving something to pass on to future generations?Excerpt from the special service message preached at Keepville on August 10, 2008.

Church - 1920's

Church 1928 with the one horse barn still left on the West side.

1945 after Rev. Charles Baker added a 12' addition out the front of the church.
1998 after the bell tower was removed.

Church presently - still under construction with two additions added to each side.

Pictured below is Aunt Lydia Cole who wrote much of the history of the Keepville Church as the church secretary. She died just 2 months after Charlie Randall was born. Charlie at 95, is our oldest living congregant.