"Homecoming Is Held at New Streeter Church"

The following is taken from Beckley Post Herald (Greenbrier Valley News Section), 1950

By Teva Meadows:

"Following Sunday school and church services conducted by the pastor, Rev.

W. E. Harvey, of Maxwell Hill, an all-day service during which a basket lunch

was enjoyed, was held at the newly constructed church at Streeter last Sunday.

The Church has been named the Rhoda Ann Memorial Missionary Baptist church,

and the all day meeting was the first homecoming to be held there.

The Rev. Mr. Harvey related that he first came to Streeter to hold services on

July 4, 1949 and when he arrived there only one man was waiting to hear him.

Within the next thirty minutes a crowd of about 50 persons had gathered.

It was then that he first felt the need of a church in that vicinity. For many years

previous the people in the neighborhood had been having services in a one room

school.

Following the services, during which Rev. Harvey felt the need for a church,

the patrons of the community set about planning the church.

The new church is located on a lot where the old grist or water mill stood and which

was owned by the late Samuel Pack. Mr. Pack died in 1893 and for the next

47 years his widow, Rhoda Ann, lived on the property and was a faithful member

where services were held in the schoolhouse. The new church was named

for her.

During the past half century when the little school also served as a church, there

have been several pastors. The first was Jerry L. Meador, who served for a number

of years. The first clerk of the church was Micheal Adkins, an 84-year-old member

who is living still. Bum Pack, a retired school teacher, who taught in the little

school for several years, recalled vividly the baptismal service in 1906 when he himself

was baptized.

The Rev. Christopher Pack, now of Rainelle, and who is now 84-years old, was

the next pastor of the church. He was born and reared close to the location

of the church and served in the capacity of pastor several years.

The Rev. Richard Lilly, of Sand Knob, was the next pastor, he was replaced by

the present pastor, Rev. Harvey. The superintendent of the Sunday School is

Mason Lilly, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Jackson Lilly, lifelong residents of community.

The Sunday school was organized in January of this year.

During the Sunday afternoon service special music was furnished by different

church groups and guest speakers were also present. Those who spoke

or sang during the afternoon included: Rev. Homer Lilly, of Rock Castle

association; Rev. Malcolm Lilly, of Dunne and the Dunne Choir; Rev. Christopher

Pack of Rainelle: music by the White Twins, Orville and Norville of Nimitz."

Sarah Swope 1787-1862

I would like to thank Howard Vest for all his help the other day!

To my family: Sarah "Sally" Swope married Joshua Harvey. She is mother to Elizabeth Bell Harvey who married John Pack, grandmother to Mary Jane Pack who married Alexander Basham, and great grandmother to John Wesley Basham.

Cemetery is located off Rte. 19 beyond Ghent. Once the road becomes parallel with I77 you will see an unmarked, steep dirt road to your right.

"In Memory of Sally Harvey who died Feb. 21, 1862 and was born 1787"

Cemeteries, Part Three (Ellison Ridge Continued)

Cemeteries on Hatcher's Bench Rd. (16/2), Wallis Property sites

The following information may be helpful to anyone researching their family genealogy from Summers Co. I did not notate all the tombs. I may do that later.

Hatcher's Bench Road (located on hill above white building):

Toye Richmond 1916-1993

Zella Houchins 1896

J. Willis Lilly

Randy Yancey 1960-93

Samuel Bragg 1890-80

Carlos Ray Basham

Albert Preston Basham (son of Aiden Basham)

Cora Cook Basham

Carl Dean Basham

Boyd Cook 1924-1973

Joe Cook

Floyd Cook

Dot and Don Frye

Rollins

Meadows 1876-1987

Children of John A. Lilly (James Lilly)

Wallis Property (1): Go about a mile up the mountain on Hatchers Bench, pass the Wallis home. Once you pass the grain silo, you will see a gentle hill to your left. There is an untended cemetery about 500 ft from the road:

Joseph Lilly 1888-1951

John F Lilly 1849-1935

Virginia Lilly 1850-1919

George Johnston 1874-1905

Jeanette and James Johnston

Wallis Property (2): Continue out the dirt road, passing through several gates. You come to an open field. To the right you will see a small cluster of trees in the middle of the hay field under an old locus and wild cherry:

Virginia Harvey (wife of D.H. Harvey) 1889-1904

Jonathan Harvey 1841-1914 (a grandson of Joshua Harvey)

J. Calvin Harvey 1818-1914 (a brother to Elizabeth Bell Harvey)

Nannie Ann Lilly 1876-1953

Mildred Lilly

William Stonewall Jackson Lilly

Mason Lilly is probably buried here however at the time the weeds made it difficult to identify all.

Indian Trails

The following is taken from Charles Silas Hatcher's "Historic Genealogy...":

The Bluestone and Paint Creek Indian Trail

The Indian trail crossed Ellison Ridge (just south of Streeter) through the farms later owned by J.J. Bragg, Lacey Wills, John E.C.L. Hatcher, Reverend Allen McKinney, Posey Wood, Dr. Ballard C. Mann, and Luther W. Okes. This trail is mentioned in some of the early deeds of Ellison Ridge recorded in Giles County, Virginia (Summers Co. was once a part of Giles County VA).

This trail passed down the New River via the mouth of Indian Creek and then along the west side of New River to the mouth of Big Bluestone River. Here the trail left New River, going up Big Bluestone to the mouth of Little Bluestone River, up little Bluestone to the mouth of Suck Creek, up Suck Creek and thence across Ellison Ridge and the Flat Top Mountains. It went on through the site of present city of Beckley on to the head of Paint Creek and down the Paint to the Kanawha River.

Two other trails came into the main route on top of Ellison Ridge. One came from New River over the Tallery Mountain, crossing Big Bluestone River and going up Ellison Ridge to the main trail. The other trail crossed Little Bluestone River near the Fall Rock and went up the ridge by way of Panther Knob to join the main trail.

John "Snakebite" Lilly's Home

John "Snakebite" Lilly's home, built about 1835, is being restored. John Lilly, along with his family, owned thousands of acres in and around the Ellison Ridge area. His home was, many years later, converted into a barn.

Today I met the new owners: Tinker Kales and his wife Carol. They are painstakingly restoring the home to its original condition. It is amazing what they are doing- without any help!

Carol (pictured with me), the wife, I am distantly related to. She is also a Great Great Great Grandchild to John.

Ellison Ridge and James Ellison (also see my later posts)

The following is taken from notes by Charles Hatcher (Ellison Ridge borders Streeter area to the south):

"James Ellison and Matthew Farley were cribbing corn on Crump's Bottom, October 19, 1780, when they were attacked by seven Shawnee Indians. Farley swam across New River and escaped, but Ellison was wounded so badly in the shoulder that he was unable to swim. He did, however, run up the stream, but was captured later within a mile of Fort Field. His captors carried him about 15 miles up the Bluestone and Paint Creek Indian Trail which ran along a spur of Flat Top Mountains. It was this spur that was afterwards known as Ellison Ridge. The Indians arrived on the ridge with their prisoner just after dark. They camped on the east sid e of the ridge, across from the present forks where one road leads to Streeter and the other to Flat Top, both in West Virginia. The site of the camp is on the land formerly owned by John E.C.L. Hatcher, the father of this compiler. The Indians bound Ellison's hands and feet, then removed his moccasins for purposes of torture. He finally worked the thong loose from around his ankles and escaped later in the night with his hands still bound behind him. He hid among some cliffs about 500 feet away.

The Indians searched the cliffs and surroundings, but over looked one small space, where Ellison was hiding under the side of a cliff. They passed on, still continuing their search. On a sharp stone Ellison sawed the thong loose from around his hands and returned to Farley's Fort on Crump's Bottom.

[He] revisited the place where he escaped from the Indians several times during the lifetime of William (Dr. Bill) and Frances Lilly, the grandparents of this compiler. The place where Ellison escaped from the Indians in 1780 was on the land later owned by Dr. Bill Lilly and John E.C.L. Hatcher."

Ellison Ridge was used by many Indian tribes for hunting purposes. The ridge was named in honor of James. It remained untamed until 1833 when Robert Lilly, John Lilly (a direct ancestor to my family via Lillie Basham's mother Ida Jane Lilly. He is a great grandfather to Lillie) , Josiah Lilly, and Jonathan Lilly purchased from Alfred Beckley 3000 acres of land, known as Lilly's Panther Knob Survey.

Note: James Ellison's descendant Mary Eleanor Ellison is an ancestor to my family (Basham side). Also, Nancy, a descendant, married a Halstead. Genealogists are not able to verify due to lack of sources, but they believe that Nancy probably married a grandson of James Halstead (forefather to my cousins who descend from Ed Halstead)

Sources: Dee Wheaton, "James Halstead: Pioneer of Indian Creek";

Charles Hatcher, "Historical Genealogy of the Basham, Ellison, Hatcher, Lilly, Meadows, Pack, Walker, and other Families"

Cemeteries, Part Two (John R. Pack/ William Vest)

The John R. Pack/ William Vest Cemetery is located on Melvin Underwood Rd. Off Streeter Road. It is easily accessible.

There are a number of Bashams, Harveys, Vests, Wills, Packs, and Pettrys buried there. John R. Pack, forefather to many Packs living in Summers Co. is interred beside both his wives- Elizabeth Dell Harvey and Elizabeth Rollyson.

Lucy Pack Wills Basham is buried here along with Children from both her marriages. She was interred along side her first husband.

Supposedly Mary Jane Pack (wife to Alexander Basham and Wilson Harvey) is buried there, but I could not identify her tombstone. There are a few illegible ones.

It is a very peaceful cemetery with a bench or two to sit down on.