Copp Chapel Methodist Church (By 1871-By November 1927)

Copp Chapel Methodist Church (By 1871-By November 1927)

Southeast of Wooldridge & Northwest of Lupus

The Copp Chapel Church in 2010. At right, a view of the cemetery showing the Indian mound.

Various articles found referring to Copp Chapel or Point Church

The name of the picture is the name and date of the paper in which it appeared

History of Copp’s Chapel and the Cemetery

Compiled by Mae Bruce

The cemetery has been referred to as Copp’s Burial Ground, Copp’s Grave Yard, and Copp’s Chapel Cemetery. The land where the cemetery is located was donated by Michael and Elizabeth Copp and was expanded in 1927 with ground purchased from J. C. Pettigrew. There are currently 359 graves (includes the ones found by dousing that we don’t know who they are.) The cemetery contains an Indian mound.

The church prior to being called Copp’s Chapel was known as Stony Point or Old Point Church.

The earliest burial in the cemetery is Francis Maria Good, who died March 26, 1869 (she was born Oct. 14, 1866). She is the daughter of Isaac Good & Elizabeth Hampton Good.

On Feb. 2, 1871, Isaac Rimel and his wife Keziah deeded to Isaac Good, Isaac Rimel, Isaac Williamson & Jacob Rimel to “be used by the M. E. Church South as a place of worship, said Church to have the privilege of moving the Building.” One acre more or less “lying on the division line between my land and Michael Copp’s land.” The size of the tract was 8 rods by 20 rods (132 feet x 330 feet). Isaac and Keziah Rimel are the parents of Elizabeth Copp, wife of Michael Copp. The location of this church was probably on the northeast side of the Petite Saline Creek on what is currently Klein Road, and not where the church currently sits.

On April 14, 1876, Michael Copp and his wife Elizabeth deeded to the Prairie Home Circuit of the M. E. Church South ½ acre off of his 30 acres for use as a burial ground. This is where the cemetery currently is. Isaac Good and James Coffman were Trustees for the M. E. Church, South. By this time there were eleven burials (that we know of). This document was recorded Sept. 9, 1885.

The 1876 Moniteau County plat map shows the Cemetery in its current location. The M. E. Parsonage is also shown, but north of where the church currently sits.

In 1898 Sallie Smith, wife of Jasper Smith and daughter of Thomas Pate and LaVina Good, died and is buried in our cemetery. Her death notice “Funeral services and burial at Stony Point church.”

On Jan 1, 1901, Michael Copp and his wife Elizabeth deeded to A. D. Renfrow, John Wilcox, and H. D. Giles, Trustees of the M. E. Church South, 1 acre. This is the current church grounds.

In 1903 the current church building was built. (Assumed to be built this year based upon the sign above the door.) Elizabeth Copp also died in 1903.

[Ed. Note: In the August 18, 1904 California Democrat it describes the dediation of the Point church, near Wooldridge]

At some point the M. E. Church deeded the cemetery to the Copp Grave Yard Association.

In 1907 Rev. Isaac Good died followed shortly by his wife Elizabeth. Both are buried here. The death notice for Isaac in the California paper stated the funeral was at “Copp Church”. The extensive write-up in the Boonville paper, written by the person that performed the funeral service stated “funeral at “Old Point Church” near Wooldridge” and that he was laid to rest in “cemetery close by the church.”

April 22, 1921, J. C. Pettigrew and his wife Harriet deeded to W. J. Good, H. D. Giles, A. D. Renfrow, Trustees of Copp Grave Yard Association an L-shaped strip of land extending around the west and north sides of cemetery to enlarge the cemetery to the current size.

Nov. 10, 1927 the M. E. Church South deeded to the Copp Grave Yard Association the parcel of land where the church sits. A. D. Renfrow, H. D. Giles, and W. J. Good were trustees for the M. E. Church and R. F. Renfrow, Hugh Bruce, and Henry Merritt were trustees for the Grave Yard Association.

The oldest annual meeting minutes that exist are from Aug 25, 1929, but they reference “minutes of the last meeting”, and they had a beginning balance in the treasury. The officers elected were Hogan Bruce, president, Gladys E. Knorp, secretary, Mrs. J. M. Renfrow, treasurer. The Board of Trustees elected were Sigal Maize, 3 years, Albert Bruce, 3 years, and A. D. Renfrow, 3 years. H. D. Giles, 2 years, William Kaiser, 2 years, John Vaugh, 2 years, Mrs. Marion Windsor, 1 year, Mrs. Frank Renfrow, 1 year, Mrs. George Bruce, 1 year.

At a special meeting on Oct. 8, 1929, they adopted the by-laws of the Boonville Cemetery. Assume this to be the cemetery in Boonville currently known as Sunset Hills Cemetery. They also adopted a fee structure for opening of graves: Infant $5, adult $7, steel vault $10.

The Nov. 17, 1929 issue of the Sedalia Democrat, under Clarksburg items, states “Rev. C. B. Swinney went to Renfrow over the weekend to preach at Copp’s Chapel Sunday and Sunday night.”

The Aug. 29, 1930 issue of the Jefferson City Post-Tribune, under Prairie Home items, states “Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Windsor, Oscar Black and family, Lester Kirschman and family and Miss Helen Kirschman attended a basket dinner at Copps Chapel Sunday.”

The 1930 plat map of Moniteau County shows that J. C. Pettigrew owned the land around where the cemetery currently is. Across the road is land owned by L. M. Bruce.

In 1940 and 1941, they closed the meeting by singing “Till We Meet Again” and an old time hand shaking with the oldest attendees. The honorees in 1940 were Aunt Manze Carson of Prairie Home & Uncle Dug. Giles of Wooldridge. In 1941, the honorees were Mr. J. W. Vaughan, J. P. Renfrow Sr. & Sigal Maise.

Hogan Bruce remained president until 1950. At that time he was replaced by Ewing Coffman.

In 1953, the concrete-block wall along the road-side of cemetery was erected.

The Sept. 13, 1955 issue of the Sedalia Democrat, in the Bunceton items, states “Mr. and Mrs. M. R. Cooper and granddaughter, L. W. Cooper, and Louis Wood attended all-day services at Copps chapel near Wooldridge Sunday.”

The March 30, 1956 issue of the Jefferson City Post-Tribune states “A Sunrise service is scheduled at 5:30 a.m. Sunday at Copp’s Chapel near Wooldridge with the Rev. Cameron Pulliam, Wooldridge, as the speaker.”

In 1959 the association accepted pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Copp, who donated the ground where the cemetery is located. It is unknown as to where those pictures are now.

The Sept. 3, 1959 issue of the Sedalia Democrat, in the Bunceton items, states “Mr. and Mrs. M. R. Cooper, Bunceton and their son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Carmichael and daughter, Boonville, attended the annual all day services and basket dinner at Copps Chapel near Wooldridge.”

Several years there is mention of morning and afternoon services. In 1965 they voted to have the business meeting following the morning services and no afternoon services.

Annual meetings have been held continuously with a church service until 2020 when the COVID virus caused the meeting to be cancelled. The meetings were resumed in 2021.

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