Through the Years with the Caledonia Church of Christ
1807-1809:
Alexander Campbell, of Ireland and Scotland, came to America to join his father, Thomas, who had come a few years earlier. They were Presbyterians. In an effort to take the gospel to the American frontier; Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Ohio; they saw the need to restore the church as much as possible to the New Testament example. They joined with others such as Barton W. Stone and Walter Scott and restored the New Testament church, calling themselves “Not the only Christians, but Christians only”.
1830-1831:
A Christian minister, H. Jones, preached in the Hipsher neighborhood near what is now Caledonia.
1834:
Caledonia was incorporated.
1840:
The first Christian church in the county was organized at LeTimberville, which is now Kirkpatrick.
1841:
A hewn log church building was erected at a cost of $100 at Kirkpatrick. Mr. Dowling was the minister there for 14 years.
1860:
Alexander Campbell preached in the Marion area and at Kirkpatrick.
1866:
Mr. Beckley purchased a lot on Church Street in Caledonia, to be used by any minister of any religion, any time it was vacant.
1867:
The lot was sold to a group of Universalists for $400 and later sold to the Presbyterian Church.
1916
Silas Hill (Bob Hill’s grandfather), J. George, and Charles Likins; trustees of the Kirkpatrick Church of Christ, purchased the lot and frame building at what is now 300 N. Main Street in Caledonia for $501.
1928-1929:
The building was renovated and a brick facing, to cover the structure, was completed in 1929.
1930-1942:
Through the depression years when money was scarce, the congregation here worked at various money making projects to pay off the indebtedness. John Pommert made some of the payments himself.
1942:
The mortgage was burned. Silas Hill, the oldest member, burned it and Phyllis Longacre (now Disbrow, and still an active member), the youngest member, caught the ashes in a tray.
1948:
A church organ was given by Frank Yager in memory of his wife, Minnie Pommert Yager, and dedicated.
1960’s:
A basement was added behind the original structure for (4) classrooms.
1970’s:
The lot south of Church Street was bought and made into a parking lot.
1978-1979:
The upper classrooms were added to the bottom structure.
1979-Present:
Various improvements have been made to the building; including central air conditioning, an elevator, new windows, and many repairs, as needed.
Other Information:
Our church has helped many other churches get started in this area, Japan, and Haiti.
In the 1950’s, Charles Likins’ nephew, Claude, and Claude’s sister Lori Walker and their families wanted to go to Japan as missionaries. We helped them get the funds needed. They were in Japan for several years teaching and preaching.
In 1955, a group from our church started a church in Marion; the Hill Street congregation. They moved to Mt. Vernon Avenue in 1970 where they are today.
Another group from our church helped start the Church of Christ in Mt. Gilead.
We also helped start the Crestline Church of Christ with many of our members.
Additionally, we have helped the Marion Road church in Bucyrus with financial aid on occasion.
In the late 1990’s, a group called Haitian American Cooperative Christian Ministries (HACCM) arose from our church and we brought a young Haitian, named Job Hyppolite, to America and educated him at Johnson Christian College in Knoxville, TN. Job then started the Primitive Christian Church in St. Louis Du Nord, Haiti with a great deal of the funding coming from Caledonia.
As near as we can figure by the roll books we have, dating back to 1929, about 500 souls have met the Lord in Christian baptism at Caledonia since then. Over 200 of those members have since met the Lord personally.
A list of ministers and dates they began service are as follows:
R.F. Strickler 1919 Kenneth Huff 1956
J.C. Kidwell 1923 Jack Prentice 1959
Ray Wolford 1925 Art Hanze 1962
C.A. Mitchell 1929 Ron Brown 1965
W.R. Ellis 1933 Jim Comstock 1966
G.L. Bateman 1937 Bob Hayes 1980
E.H. Sturtevant 1943 Tony Amerine 1985
Melvin Keeran 1947 Ken Boswell 1992
E.J. Sparrow 1950 Jon Lanier 2012
Ray Thomas 1953 Donald Butters 2015
Deceased: (Dates have been added as they were recorded in the roll books. We recently found one of the roll books, so the death dates of many who were baptized in the 50’s and 60’s and have passed within the last 16 years were not recorded in it. Please let us know if you know the date of their passing. Listed in alphabetical order.)
Albright, Caroline 1936
Albright, F.W.
Baer, Jack 2015
Baird, Edwin
Baird, Irby 1942
Baird, Lemuel 1936
Baker, Simon
Beckel, Gary 1967
Birch, Maude 1959
Blaney, Vada
Bollinger, Nellie
Boterf, Ida 1933
Boterf, Nina 1934
Boterf, Vernon
Boterf, William 1935
Brocklesby, Emma 1947
Brocklesby, Eva 1972
Brown, Maxine 2014
Cain, John
Cain, Shirley
Caldwell, Dorothy 1961
Caldwell, Jess
Carpenter, Katherine
Chiles, Mary 2007
Clarey, Malissa
Clark, Florilla
Clark, Sherrie
Clouse, Clinton 1971
Clouse, Fern 1959
Crissinger, Bertha 1945
Collins, Roy
Jim Comstock 2016 (former minister, not a member at time of death)
Crock, Jacob
Crock, Kensel
Daniels, Agnes
Daniels, Clarence 1956
Davis, Elma
Delauder, L.E.
Delauder, Margaret 1967
Dice, Bertha 1999
Dilts, Emma
Disbrow, Bill
Doyle, Ethel
Dutton, Damon 1971
Dutton, Stella 2002
Fink, Mildred
Fulton, A.D. 1942
Fulton, Lou 1944
Furniss, Art
Furniss, Lula 1965
Galleoges, Zella
George, Alice
George, John 1927
Goings, Cliff 1996
Hall, Dewey 1974
Hall, Vesta 1981
Harrington, Florence
Henry, Mary
Henry, Orpah
Henry, Viola
Hetrick, Rose Ann 2001
Hill, Alta 1947
Hill, Floyd 2007
Hill, Hattie 1941
Hill, Ray
Hill, Edith
Hill, Sarah 1964
Hill, Silas
Hill, Thomas 1981
Hipsher, Dessie
Hipsher, Forrest 1989
Hipsher, Karl 1990
Hipsher, Lafayette 1936
Hipsher, Laura 1944
Hipsher, Linda 2002
Hipsher, Oren
Hipsher, O.W. 1929
Hipsher, Reta Grace
Hipsher, Sylvan
Hipsher, Teresa
Hoffman, Harold 1994
Housekeeper, Terry (Longacre) 2007
Howell, Eunice
Hunt, Robert (Bob) 2004
Hunt, Eugene
Hunt, James
Hunt, Linda
Huffine, Howard 1937
Iden, Delmore 1976
James, Gladys 1984
Jerew, Ernest 1967
Jones, Mary
Jury, William 1958
Kaiser, John
Keirns, Darrin
Keirns, Janice 2012
Kennedy, Carol 2014
Kightlinger, Harold 1975
Kightlinger, Quinn
Kightlinger, Wilma 1995
Kile, Dorothy
Kile, Homer
Landes, Kathryn 2011
Landes, Michael
Landes, Robert
Lee, Ira 1956
Lee, Pearl 1968
Lesher, Jannie
Lesher, John 1928
Likins, Charles
Likins, Rena
Longacre, Allen 1983
Longacre, Elizabeth 1982
Longacre, George 2013
Longacre, Lola
Longacre, Marjie
Longacre, Ruthella 2007
Lyon, Rob
Martin, Dora 1962
Martin, Hayes 1990
Martin, Herbert
Markle, Phil 2002
Marky, Hazel 1991
Mason, Cora 1978
Mason, Evelyn 2013
Mason, Harvey 1968
May, Harold 1969
May, Joe 1957
May, Nora 1953
McColley, Marge 1999
McColley, Richard 2004
Medley, Janie
Medley, Vencil 1971
Merchant, May 1985
Miller, Charles 1977
Miller, Cleophas
Miller, Donald 1965
Miller, Elsie
Miller, Hattie
Miller, Ormond 2008
Miracle, Gene
Murphy, Cecil
Murrath, Francis 1957
Myers, Sarah
Nance, A.J. & Mrs.
Northrup, C.A.
Osborn, Asbury 1962
Osborn, Luella 1971
Osborn, Majel 1952
Osborn, Nellie 1958
Osborne, Milton
Osborne, Ruth 2016
Pace, Charles
Pace, Elizabeth
Pace, David
Pace, Maggie
Paxton, Theresa
Paxton, Roy 2015
Pickett, Mrs. Harold 1978
Pommert, John
Pommert, Minnie 1940
Price, Clarence 1989
Pursley, Reedy 2003
Pursley, Anita 2006
Rambo, L.A.
Ray, James
Redman, Evelyn 1973
Reed, Ada 1971
Rice, Arilla 1947
Rice, George 1940
Richards, Charles
Richards, Jennie
Richards, Susan
Rorick, Emerson 1961
Rorick, Jessie 1971
Rorick, M.R.
Rorick, Sarah
Ross, Delpha 1993
Ross, Mrs. Frances
Ross, Mrs. W.E. 1934
Samply, Roy 1978
Seaburn, Betty 2001
Schorr, Evelyn
Sharrock, Edna 1977
Sharrock, Elza 1970
Sharrock, Wayne 1975
Shelton, Waddie
Sherer, Wilford (Bud)
Sherer, Lola 2002
Shoemaker, J.F.
Shoupe, Ruby 1956
Showers, Eleanor 2014
Showers, Paul
Sickel, Lewis
Sickel, Ruth 1974
Smith, Cora 1996
Smith, Larry 2007
Smith, James 2005
Smith, Jean 2011
Steele, Lilly 1969
Steele, George
Steele, Raymond
Sullivan, Arlene 1975
Sullivan, Wayne 1975
Swearingen, Ray
Taylor, Ruth 1954
Thomas, Manuel
Thompson, Chester 1992
Thompson, Loretta 2002
Timinson, Mrs. Lee
Tubbs, Jeffrey A. 2016
Underwood, George
Underwood, Melvin
Underwood, Mildred 2005
Underwood, Minnie 1969
Underwood, Paul 1996
Vaughn, Dean
Vaughn, James
Vaughn, Jerry 2013
Vaughn, Ruth 2005
Vaughn, Shirley 2007
Walker, Lois
Ward, Pearl
Waterhouse, Willard
Watt, Nellie Mae 2016
Weir, Charles 1970
Whiteamire, Nancy 1996
Winch, Dora
Winters, Nellie
Woolum, Mildred 2016
Woolum, Wilber 1978
Yarger, Frank
** This information was originally compiled by Ken Boswell. Information was gleaned from old church roll call books and records he kept while ministering at the church from 1992-2012.
** Names have been added to the deceased list by Jackie Vaughn based on personal records she has kept while performing the church treasurer duties. If anyone has any additional information or corrections to any of these records, please notify Jackie at 740-244-3283 to have it added / corrected. Thank you.
