Obion Chapel United Methodist history from Obion County History, Vol 1, p. 472 with great input from Bill Cunningham.

Obion Chapel is located 1/4 mile off Highway 21 between Troy and Hornbeak. According to p. 472, Obion County History, Vol. 1, 1981, p.472, the first log church was built around 1795 and also served as a school. This building burned.

A more likely date for this building would be 1859 instead of 1795. (typo and transpose of numbers ?)

1. The Jackson Purchase treaty between the Chickasaw Indians and the US government was not signed until October 19, 1818.
2. U.S. citizens were not allowed to settle in the Jackson Purchase area (West Tennessee) until the treaty was ratified by congress on January 7, 1819.
3. Marshall’s history and other sources state that the first settler in present-day Obion County was Elisha Parker in 1819 (page 5).

Bill Cunningham says family legend states that his Easterwood ancestors, and a number of their relatives and neighbors moved to that area from Gibson County in the 1850’s, not long before the Civil War. So many of them concentrated in the area that it became known as Gibson Ridge.  Legend also states that his great-grandfather, Asbury Easterwood, was one of those original settlers and a founder of Obion Chapel Church. Asbury’s sister, Nancy, married Samuel N. Miller, one of the donors of  land for the church.

As an aside, Samuel and Nancy Easterwood Miller’s daughter, Melinda Bell Miller, married T.J. Easterwood, who later served as sheriff and trustee of Obion County. This produced a lot of double cousins!

And again from Obion History, Vol. 1, 1981:  Two-and-1/2 acres were deeded to the church by James L. Thompson and Samuel N. Miller on April 11, 1861. The second church was built in 1866.  Rev. James A. Fussell held the first revival before the roof was completed. The present building was built in 1939. Two Sunday School rooms were added in 1962 in memory of Bobby Joe Tanner, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bud Tanner. Rev. Joe Walker serves as church pastor.

1885 SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC AT OBION CHAPEL
–submitted by Chuck Burress, Galax, Virginia, cburress [at] tcia [dot] net, 5-31-99

Charley Laster Burress (1876-1957) was born at Obion Chapel and lived there most of his life. He was my grandfather. In August 1948 he wrote an account of the 1885 smallpox epidemic that swept through the community. One family lost five children to the disease. All spelling appears as he wrote them:

Jimmie Evans died on his own farm.
Jim Brewer died on the Fuzzell farm.
Mrs. John Pennell died on the Fuzzell farm.
Willie Easterwood lost five children. Died on Bilbry Roberson farm.
Bas Forster died on Jim Burress and Will Dun farm.
Will Dun lost one child. Died on Burress and Dun farm.
Jim Burress lost one child. Died on Burress and Dun farm.
Anase Dun and his wife died on Burress and Dun farm.
Bill Evans died on Bob Wright farm.
Sialias Crews and one child died on Bob Wright farm.

Dora Burke <dburke [at] livingonline [dot] com>
Dean, Sarah E.  July 4, 1861 – Feb 7, 1956
Dean, John W.  Feb 22, 1858 – Mar 3, 1927
Three or four unmarked graves (don’t know if this applies to these Deans)

Obion County History, Vol. 1
Berry, Boone, 1887-1896
Burress, Albert, 1887-1920
Burress, Wm. Robert, 28 Jun 1870–6 Jun 1871
Burress, Charley Laster, 14 Sept 1876-16 Jul 1957
Burress, Emily Parkman, 1799-1884