Forest Grove Christian Church - Lucas
FOREST GROVE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Historical marker application.
...The founding of this old Forest Grove Christian Church dates back to 1847 when William Snider and his wife, Mary Syndusky, opened their small home as a meeting place for Sabbath worship services. They had been part of the Reformation Movement back in Illinois.... As the first group was small – with the Snider family, the George Fitzhugh family and that of Gabe Fitzhugh, and any other who wished to come....
While we may safely say that William Snider and his wife founded the Forest Grove Christian Church, John M. McKinney, Jr. may be called its “guiding light.” ...
On July 23, 1858, a reaffirmation of faith was made by the following members: Elder J. B. Wilmeth as the organizational minister, the William Sniders, John Lovelady and wife, James Anderson and wife, and Mr. and Mrs. John M. McKinney, Jr.
1875 Membership
Elders of the Church: Aaron Snider, William Snider, John M. McKinney, John King
Deacons of the Church: James Wetsel, A. J. Lewis, William Coffey, Mary Warden
Members: Jonathan Bellew, Sarah Bellew, Ruth Boroman, John Bowman, Amanda Brown, Arthur Brown, Martha Brown, Mrs. Samuel Brown, Samuel Brown, Catherine Coffey, Daniel Coffey, Mary E. Coffey, Sarah E. Coffey, Jonathan Cook, Martha E. Cook, Isaac J. Faulkner, Emily Fitzhugh, Harriett Fitzhugh, Jane Hall, Jesse Hall, William Hall, Sally Heifner, George Ann Henson, Fannie Hunter, Sarah Ingram, Florence Johnson, Anjaine King, Texoma King, John Lovelady, Mary Lovelady, Julia Ann Marshall, Mary Ann McKinney, Margaret Ann Myers, Sally Scott, William Scott, William Smith, Dan T. Snider, James M. Snider, Uatus (Aunt Kate) Snider, Missouri Sparlin, Margaret Jane Spurgin, Susan Turnbow, Candice Warden, James Wetsel, Sarah Wetsel, Mary C. Wright, Moses Wright.
In the history A. H. Snider wrote of Forest Grove Christian Church, he stated that John M. McKinney, Jr. and Elder J. B. Faulkner were the first ministers of the Church....
According to the book Men of the Peters Colony by Seymour Conner, “William Snider came to Collin County prior to 1850 and was issued a Certificate, No. 821, for a 640 acre headright.” His is listed as “a 43 year old family man from Kentucky.”
Another of the first members was Sarah Bellew who came with a family member – John Abston, the only American Revolutionary War soldier who is buried in Collin County....
Sarah Wetsel was another charter member of the church; she was the wife of Peter Wetsel.... Their home near Allen, Texas, was an early stage stop which still stood until last year when it was burned by the Allen Fire Department to make way for developing the beautiful. Peter Wetsel was issued Certificate No. 992 for 640 acres of land from the Peters Colony....
James Wetsel was also a charter member of the church. Coming as a single man to the Peters Colony, he claimed a headright of 320 acres of land.
Aaron Snider, a pillar of the church, served in Fitzhugh’s Company in the Confederacy – Johnson’s Brigade. Before the War, he operated a mill and cotton gin in Forest Grove that were powered by two large steers.
The list of preachers who served the church through the years includes some of the best preachers of the denomination – such as John M. McKinney, Jr., Ben Forbes, J. J. Hall, John King, J. B. Wilmeth, Jim R. Wilmeth, Robert C. Horn, Frank C. Wilmeth, Dr. A. Cartright, Will Scott, William McKinney, J. S. Muse, Caleb Burrus, Charlie Carrolton, W. B. Stinson, T. J. Hunsaker, J. Ben Faulkner, D. W. Pritchet, A. P. Terril, S. W. Crutcher, B. F. Hall, J. G. Jones, Kirk Baxter, J. F. Skiles, Mack Cook, Ed Bowman, Ben Snider, A. M. Snider, Albert H. Snider, and Cord Spurgin. The last ministers were Richard Hartman and Donald Railford. Although church services were held for the last time in the church on April 8, 1984, the church still serves the community.
The Forest Grove Christian Church stands at the west end of the ancient Fitzhugh Cemetery where many of the Earliest pioneers of Collin County are buried. The first burial there was of the twin daughters of Robert and Katherine Fitzhugh who died in 1852. Here, too, lies Eliza, the wife of the Church’s founder John M. McKinney, Jr.; She died at age 23 soon after the first land was purchased for the church in 1857. Near the east end of the Cemetery lies Gabriel Fitzhugh who donated the land for a cemetery with the request that he be buried under the big trees near the gate....
Historical marker application.
...The founding of this old Forest Grove Christian Church dates back to 1847 when William Snider and his wife, Mary Syndusky, opened their small home as a meeting place for Sabbath worship services. They had been part of the Reformation Movement back in Illinois.... As the first group was small – with the Snider family, the George Fitzhugh family and that of Gabe Fitzhugh, and any other who wished to come....
While we may safely say that William Snider and his wife founded the Forest Grove Christian Church, John M. McKinney, Jr. may be called its “guiding light.” ...
On July 23, 1858, a reaffirmation of faith was made by the following members: Elder J. B. Wilmeth as the organizational minister, the William Sniders, John Lovelady and wife, James Anderson and wife, and Mr. and Mrs. John M. McKinney, Jr.
1875 Membership
Elders of the Church: Aaron Snider, William Snider, John M. McKinney, John King
Deacons of the Church: James Wetsel, A. J. Lewis, William Coffey, Mary Warden
Members: Jonathan Bellew, Sarah Bellew, Ruth Boroman, John Bowman, Amanda Brown, Arthur Brown, Martha Brown, Mrs. Samuel Brown, Samuel Brown, Catherine Coffey, Daniel Coffey, Mary E. Coffey, Sarah E. Coffey, Jonathan Cook, Martha E. Cook, Isaac J. Faulkner, Emily Fitzhugh, Harriett Fitzhugh, Jane Hall, Jesse Hall, William Hall, Sally Heifner, George Ann Henson, Fannie Hunter, Sarah Ingram, Florence Johnson, Anjaine King, Texoma King, John Lovelady, Mary Lovelady, Julia Ann Marshall, Mary Ann McKinney, Margaret Ann Myers, Sally Scott, William Scott, William Smith, Dan T. Snider, James M. Snider, Uatus (Aunt Kate) Snider, Missouri Sparlin, Margaret Jane Spurgin, Susan Turnbow, Candice Warden, James Wetsel, Sarah Wetsel, Mary C. Wright, Moses Wright.
In the history A. H. Snider wrote of Forest Grove Christian Church, he stated that John M. McKinney, Jr. and Elder J. B. Faulkner were the first ministers of the Church....
According to the book Men of the Peters Colony by Seymour Conner, “William Snider came to Collin County prior to 1850 and was issued a Certificate, No. 821, for a 640 acre headright.” His is listed as “a 43 year old family man from Kentucky.”
Another of the first members was Sarah Bellew who came with a family member – John Abston, the only American Revolutionary War soldier who is buried in Collin County....
Sarah Wetsel was another charter member of the church; she was the wife of Peter Wetsel.... Their home near Allen, Texas, was an early stage stop which still stood until last year when it was burned by the Allen Fire Department to make way for developing the beautiful. Peter Wetsel was issued Certificate No. 992 for 640 acres of land from the Peters Colony....
James Wetsel was also a charter member of the church. Coming as a single man to the Peters Colony, he claimed a headright of 320 acres of land.
Aaron Snider, a pillar of the church, served in Fitzhugh’s Company in the Confederacy – Johnson’s Brigade. Before the War, he operated a mill and cotton gin in Forest Grove that were powered by two large steers.
The list of preachers who served the church through the years includes some of the best preachers of the denomination – such as John M. McKinney, Jr., Ben Forbes, J. J. Hall, John King, J. B. Wilmeth, Jim R. Wilmeth, Robert C. Horn, Frank C. Wilmeth, Dr. A. Cartright, Will Scott, William McKinney, J. S. Muse, Caleb Burrus, Charlie Carrolton, W. B. Stinson, T. J. Hunsaker, J. Ben Faulkner, D. W. Pritchet, A. P. Terril, S. W. Crutcher, B. F. Hall, J. G. Jones, Kirk Baxter, J. F. Skiles, Mack Cook, Ed Bowman, Ben Snider, A. M. Snider, Albert H. Snider, and Cord Spurgin. The last ministers were Richard Hartman and Donald Railford. Although church services were held for the last time in the church on April 8, 1984, the church still serves the community.
The Forest Grove Christian Church stands at the west end of the ancient Fitzhugh Cemetery where many of the Earliest pioneers of Collin County are buried. The first burial there was of the twin daughters of Robert and Katherine Fitzhugh who died in 1852. Here, too, lies Eliza, the wife of the Church’s founder John M. McKinney, Jr.; She died at age 23 soon after the first land was purchased for the church in 1857. Near the east end of the Cemetery lies Gabriel Fitzhugh who donated the land for a cemetery with the request that he be buried under the big trees near the gate....
FOREST GROVE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
THIS CHURCH TRACES ITS ORIGIN TO
INFORMAL PRAYER MEETINGS HELD
IN 1847 AT THE HOME OF WILLIAM
AND MARY (SYNDUSKY) SNIDER. AMERI-
CAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR VETERANS
AND ORIGINAL SETTLERS OF THE
PETERS COLONY ARE COUNTED AMONG
THE EARLY MEMBERS OF THE CON-
GREGATION. JOHN M. McKINNEY, JR. AND
J. BEN FAULKNER SERVED AS THE
FIRST MINISTERS OF THE CHURCH. ALL
CHURCH STRUCTURES HAVE OCCUPIED
THIS SITE ADJOINING HISTORIC FITZ-
HUGH CEMETERY WHICH HAS GRAVES
DATING TO 1852. ALTHOUGH SERVICES
ENDED IN 1984 CHURCH BUILDINGS
REMAINED THE SITE OF VARIOUS
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS.
Texas Historical marker, 1992.
THIS CHURCH TRACES ITS ORIGIN TO
INFORMAL PRAYER MEETINGS HELD
IN 1847 AT THE HOME OF WILLIAM
AND MARY (SYNDUSKY) SNIDER. AMERI-
CAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR VETERANS
AND ORIGINAL SETTLERS OF THE
PETERS COLONY ARE COUNTED AMONG
THE EARLY MEMBERS OF THE CON-
GREGATION. JOHN M. McKINNEY, JR. AND
J. BEN FAULKNER SERVED AS THE
FIRST MINISTERS OF THE CHURCH. ALL
CHURCH STRUCTURES HAVE OCCUPIED
THIS SITE ADJOINING HISTORIC FITZ-
HUGH CEMETERY WHICH HAS GRAVES
DATING TO 1852. ALTHOUGH SERVICES
ENDED IN 1984 CHURCH BUILDINGS
REMAINED THE SITE OF VARIOUS
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS.
Texas Historical marker, 1992.
Although the historical marker says services stopped in 1984, in 2012 the Forest Grove Christian Church is still active.
The Fitzhugh Cemetery behind the church is not affiliated with the church. However, the cemetery is often called the Forest Grove Cemetery.
At one time the Forest Grove Christian Church had one of the last tabernacles in Collin County on the south side of the church property. The tabernacle was razed about 2011.
The Fitzhugh Cemetery behind the church is not affiliated with the church. However, the cemetery is often called the Forest Grove Cemetery.
At one time the Forest Grove Christian Church had one of the last tabernacles in Collin County on the south side of the church property. The tabernacle was razed about 2011.