From the Catholic Record Society

Diosese of Columbus Bulletin

Vol. 3, No.2, February 1977

Homecoming at Chapel Hill

(From the “New Lexington Herald,” August 24, 1904)

Chapel Hill, an old historic village situated three miles from Corning, was the scene of the greatest event of the kind which ever occurred in this valley Thursday. Two thousand made the pilgrimage to that place to celebrate the homecoming of former residents.

It is the oldest settlement of this section and in its former days was the business center for not only southern Perry County, but neighboring counties as well. It is now almost a deserted village, and the ruins of the old stone church, St. Francis Catholic church, shows the traveler the ancient metropolis.

About the year 1840 the old log church burned, supposed to be the work of incendiaries. In 1841 the magnificent stone church was erected as a better protection against a like occurence from its enemies. Among the pioneer and older settlers were the names of Currans, Monahans, Duffys, Donahues, Corbitts, Nashes, Souders and O’Farrels.

Among the older families represented there were Judge M. H. Donahue and C. A. Donahue of New Lexington; A. H. Perand and Peter of Zanesville; William Corbitt, F. L. James Sweeney, John O’Neil, Peter Duffy and Peter of Columbus; William Curran of McConnellsvill&; Mrs. Kate Nelson of West Virginia; Charles Nash of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Mary J. Skinyon of  Kansas

In 1819 and 1880 when the railroad was constructed through this section and the valuable coal fields commenced to be developed the town of Corning was started and then the decline of Chapel Hill. John Monahan who had been a merchant at the country village moved his store to Corning and others followed.

Monahan is still in business in Corning and among its best and most enterprising business men. It was he who conceived the idea of that pilgrimage to their old home which resulted in such a complete success Thursday

A part of the afternoon devoted to speech at which the Rev. Fr. B. M. O’Boylan of Newark presided. O’Boylan was for years and up to the time of his going to Newark pastor of St. Bernard’s church of Corning and also of St. Francis church of Chapel Hill.  He delivered a most eloquent and instructive speech. Judge M. H. Donahue of New Lexington made a splendid address dealing with reminiscences.

Addresses were also delivered by C. A. Donahue of New and George T.  Drake of Corning.

Later in the day a monument erected to the memory of Father Rooney (1) a former pastor unveiled. Rev. Powers (2) of delivered the address.

1 Rooney died in 1 84.

2 Rev. Thomas A. later for years pastor of St. Peter’s, in Steubenville, Ohio

From the Catholic Record Society

Diosese of Columbus Bulletin

Vol. 3, No.2, February 1977

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI (1)

CHAPEL HILL, PERRY COUNTY, OHIO

Monroe township, in which Chapel Hill is located, constitutes the southeast corner of County. The township was organized about 1823 and named after President James Monroe. First settlements were made as early as 1814 by John McDonald and James Dew who had come out from Maryland. Names of other settlers listed (2) as living in the township at the time of its organization, or shortly afterwards, were Enos Devore, David Devore, Elisha Tinker, John Small, Samuel Morrow, Nicholas Owings, Elijah Wooley, Jacob Wooley, Stephen Rodman, John Rodman, C. Wood, David Hearing, William Ward, James M. Ward, George Juniper, William Staniford, John Acord and John Garver.

Few of the foregoing names appear in the early church records (3) of the little parish which soon came into being on what was called “Irish Ridge” in the northeast section of the township. John Dew is known to have been a Catholic, There are several tombstones in the parish cemetery bearing the name Dew. Of them, Michael Dew was buried in 1858. The family of Elisha Tinker may have been Catholic since a tombstone in the cemetery bears the name of Catherine Tinker who died in 1871 at the age of 47. Another name given among the early settlers which appears in the cemetery is that of Ward. A Joseph Ward, son of Joseph Ward, was buried in 1842 (being only a few months old at the time of his death).

Catholic families settling in the township in the 1820’s and recorded in the 1830 federal census include William Ward, his wife, one son and one daughter. Other families likely members of St. Francis parish listed in the 1830 census were and Mrs. Elizha Tinker with five boys and four girls, and James Dew and wife with four sons and two daughters.

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LC-NC-108  St. Francis Church,  Father Thomas Rooney

From the Bulletin of the Catholic Record Society of Columbus

Vol. XVIII, No. 10 Oct. 4

October, AD. 2003

1841

Ian. 24 Daniel Dekes and Mary Biron, witnesses James Longstreth and John Pearl. Aegs Olivetti

Feb. I I supplied marriage ceremonies for James Mcnamarra and Alice Woodword; wit. Peter Coil. AO

Feb.22 Cornelius Clagar and Agatln Young;wit. M. Gosman and James Longstreth AO

Mar. 6 I supplied marriage ceremonies for Thomas Fitspatrik and Jane Sweney AO

May 4 I supplied marriage ceremonies for Jesse Charpenter and Mary Charpenter AO

May 6 John Duffy and Catharina Mahley AO

May 18 Mchael  Forker and Rebecca Beckurth; wit. George Benneth and Ann Walpol AO

May 25 I supplied marriage ceremonies for Patrick and Ann Burns AO

June I Michael McCuniss? and Mary James AO

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