February 15, 1006

The area’s second church was organized in 1874 at Belew Cemetery. It was the First Baptist Church. The church was organized two miles north of Onega.

Belew settlement and cemetery were established in 1856 by Mr. Aaron Belew, his sons, sons-in law, and other friends who came from Missouri and Kentucky. The Belews established a trading post and business in this area.

The early day settlers of the Belew Settlement and the organizers of the First Baptist Church included the following: Aaron Belew, Lewis Belew, John Belew, S.B. Tabors, Jim Arnett, Don Mayberry, Henry Coppage, Neal Coppage, Elijha Coger, George Coger, Joel Mann, Marion Mann, Cris Mann, Frank Davis, G.P. Davis, Andy Miller, Jacob Plunk, Dave Plunk, Ab Stapp, Alford Flippen, Tom Welborn, John Welborn, Dave Smith, A.M. Doren, Jr., Bert Waite, Joe Waite, Jr., Attorney Montgomery, George Acres, John Henderson, Nathaniel Henderson, Newt Henderson, Perman Henderson, John Henderson, Jr., John Cantrell, John L. Cantrell, Jr., Dave Highshaw, Jesse Owens, and Bill Spencer.

According to the old newspapers, many of the family names in the Belew beginnings are prominent names later in the work of the First Baptist Church. However, forty years lapsed between the establishment of the Belew settlement and the publication of the newspapers.

The Baptist group organized at the Belew Cemetery, but it is not known exactly when they began. But since many of the prominent Baptist Laymen of the Onega Baptist Church were descended from the early Belew setters, it is believed that they worshiped in the Belew area for several years before its organization.

The exact date that the group began its worship in Aubrey is also not known, but it was in existence in the building it now uses but in another location in town by March 10, 1888. The building as it appears now on north Main Street was previously located at the corner of Magnolia and Spring Hill Road.

A committee selecting a place for the cemetery location bought six acres of land from L.N. Edwards. The number of graves at the six-acre burial site is not known, and we don’t know why the new location for a cemetery was brought to town.

Aubrey did, however, have a new school just being completed at this time. This was when Aubrey was beginning to boom in many different ways. The material used for building construction was wood and fire was hazardous in those days with little water available for protection. Beautiful Victorian homes were being built all over town during this period of time. The homes were patterned after the homes that the settlers were forced to vacate in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.

The new Victorian Baptist church was built on the six-acre cemetery. It was moved in 1906 to its current location.

My listing of these early day people as Belew settlers could be off by two miles since Onega was already in existence and had been for a few years before 1856.

In 1874, Newt Henderson was in the hardware business in Onega. This business was located in the area where the old peanut dryer is now located. No doubt many of the above-mentioned Belew settlers were involved with the railroad work, since the rail line was being built through Belew on its way to Onega.

The railroad had not made its way to Onega in 1874, however; the cross ties were being made at that time from the local cross timbers oak trees. I have in my collection of items, an instrument that was used to whittle the oak trees into cross ties.

Many of the Belews lived and settled in and around Pilot Point. The Plunks owned a place in the 1850's, which is currently off of Blackjack Road where the Cagle descendants and Jackie Fuller currently live.

The businesses that were located where the peanut dryer is today were destroyed in 1867 by a large fire. The buildings and businesses were rebuilt and reestablished. Soon after the Ornego (spelled from an old newspaper) fire, Newt Henderson built his hardware store on the west side of where Main Street is today.

The photo for this week is of the class of girls on the same grounds where the Baptist Church was located at the corner of Magnolia and Spring Hill Road. This school building was built in 1906 and this photo was made in 1918.

I was acquainted with most all of these people in their later years. One that stands out in my memory, was the girl who is laying down on the left side on the front row. Her name is Mary Slaton. Mary’s father was William James Slaton. He was the son of Sanford Slaton. A few years earlier, Mary’s great-grandmother was the photographer who had a photo lab set up in the top of Granny Harmon’s home. I am sure that many of the photos I have in my possession were processed by Mary. My Dad was presented these photos by Jim Slaton, and they have proven to be very valuable in the early day recordings of Onega (Aubrey) and Belew.

I must not fail to mention Lillie Kate McIntosh. She is Mary Alice Coffey’s mother. She was an early day historian that I was privileged to talk with many times.

This last paragraph has been a rich and rewarding period of history and I plan to spend more time on this in the future.

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