MONTE VISTA BAPTIST CHURCH CEMETERY, Oconee County, SC Version 1.0, 1-Jan-2002, C115A.TXT, C115 **************************************************************** REPRODUCING NOTICE: ------------------- These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, or presentation by any other organization, or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. **************************************************************** LOCATION: --------- From the Walhalla city outskirts, drive north on Highway 28 for 7 miles. After you come to the Highway 107 split-off to the right, the church is another 0.1 miles on the left side of Highway 28. HISTORY: -------- On April 10, 1923, the Rev. M.J. Stancil and deacons of the New Hope, Wolf Stake, and Pleasant Ridge churches known as the "Wood Field" met with a small group of Baptist in this vicinity, and Monte Vista Church was organized. Land was donated by the Fowler family. This meeting and subsequent meetings were held in an old vacant 3-room frame house on the farm of Dr. W.R. Craig. On September 7, 1924, the church began its new year in the building with the Rev. H.F. Wright as pastor. The first clngerk was H.E. Orr. Secretary and treasure was Miss Vadie Orr. The three deacons were James Henry Albert Beaty, W.A. Glouse, and John S. Carter. The first Sunday School superintendent was J.S. Carter, who held the position until 1948. The first Women's Missionary Union was organized in 1924 with Mrs. J.H.A. Beaty as president. She died in December 1928. In October 1935, Mrs. Nora Leister from the Second Baptist Church of Walhalla met with the ladies in the home of Mrs. E.V. Carter and organized the present society. It has maintained the youth organization most of these years. The first vacation Bible school was held in 1948, and has been held ever since. In July 1955, the Monte Vista ladies started talking about a parsonage with the late W.W. Lesley as pastor. A newcomer to the community, Mrs. Maka Knox turned her purse upside-down and gave four dollars to start the parsonage fund. Mr. And Mrs. Dennis Hamby donated property, and the funds started coming in. The first blocks were laid for the house the foundation on May 1, 1956, and with free labor the house was completed by December 3rd that same year. The Rev. and Mrs. Lesley had open house on the following Sunday and announced it was free of any debt. Mr. And Mrs. Walter Perry, who were not members of the church played a big part. Mr. Perry drew the blueprints and was foreman of the building project. By May 1962, while the Rev. U.G. Wilson was pastor, the congregation had outgrown its present classrooms. With Mr. Lewis McGee as chairman of the building committee, a new educational building was started. With donations and part free labor, some hired, by fall the building was ready. While the Rev. Everett Wilson was pastor, the congregation outgrew its building, and they started work on funds for a new church building. Work was begun in late 1974, but due to weather conditions work went slowly. However, with a lot of volunteer labor under the direction of Mr. Audie Nichols, and the block and brick work was done by Mr. Robert Lowery, services were held in the basement in 1975. In August of 1976, all was complete and the dedication service held. There is a seating capacity in the sanctuary of 300, eight classrooms, offices and nursery upstairs, fellowship hall and four rooms in the basement. Under the leadership of the present pastor, the Rev. Claude Hightower, the church was completely debt-free in 1983. Monte Vista started with 30 charter members. Four of those are still with us in 1984. They are E.V. Carter, Merrill Carter, R.G. Beaty, and Lamar Land. DATAFILE INPUT . : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Dec-2000 HISTORY WRITE-UP : Mountain Rest Community Club in 1984 LIBRARY REFERENCE: ____________ at ____________ in _______ TRANSCRIPTION .. : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Dec-2000 TRANSCRIPTION NOTES: -------------------- a. = age at death b. = date-of-birth d. = date-of-death h. = husband m. = married p. = parents w. = wife (2) Unreadable Grave Markers BEATY, Ralph G., b. 10-feb-1905, d. 21-nov-1984, w. v.l. beaty BEATY, Richard Wayne, b. 14-feb-1939, d. 22-sep-1960, p. Ralph & viola beath BEATY, Viola L., b. 7-mar-1914, d. 21-dec-1996 BONNER, Alta Crosby, b. 1-sep-1895, d. 3-feb-1989, h. carvin bonner, m. 22-aug- 1915 BONNER, Calvin N., b. 1-may-1890, d. 13-may-1977 BONNER, Charles, b. 1916, d. 1979 BONNER, James Calvin, b. 7-jul-1948, d. 7-aug-1993 BONNER, Larry Wayne, b. 1952, d. 1994 BONNER, Norma Jean, b. 30-sep-1925 BONNER, Steve C. (Sr), b. 4-dec-1922, w. n.j. bonner BRILEY, Ernest, b. 27-apr-1912, d. 29-may-1969 CARTER, John Shelton (Jr), b. 16-aug-1920, d. 21-mar-1980 CLARKE, Hazel N., b. 19-sep-1915, d. 24-apr-1993 COBLE, Crystal Elizabeth, b. 4-may-1979, d. 13-oct-1979, f. gary cable COTHRAM, William B., b. 1903, d. 1964, w. l.l. cothran COTHRAN, Ernest R., b. 1928, d. 1980 COTHRAN, Lola L., b. 1900, d. 1978 EADES, Elsie, b. 5-may-1920, d. 14-may-1984 EADES, Gene W., b. 19-oct-1943, d. 18-mar-1988, w. n.a. eades EADES, Mack C., b. 10-oct-1897, d. 5-nov-1974, w. elsie eades EADES, Nancy A., b. 26-jun-1949 ELIOTT, Vadie Orr, b. 24-jul-1876, 6-feb-1955 ELLER, Bobby, b. 2-jun-1937, d. 8-jun-1937 ELLER, Clyde Warren, b. 16-jan-1934, d. 15-apr-1938 ELLER, Fred, b. 8-jun-1898, d. 26-jan-1974, w. m.b. eller ELLER, Mary B., b. 27-jun-1908 ELLER, Thomas M., b. 14-sep-1860, d. 22-mar-1938, w. z.m. eller ELLER, Zena M., b. 7-nov-1870, d. 16-aug-1941 FISHER, Samantha Lee, b. 22-mar-1979, d. 24-apr-1998, p. steve & sherry fisher, b. shawn fisher, s. stacy fisher FOWLER, C. Max, b. 14-apr-1933, w. f.g. fowler FOWLER, Fleta G., b. 5-apr-1936 FOWLER, Francis Cornelia, b. 29-mar-1912, d. 13-oct-1977 FOWLER, Gordon O., b. 11-aug-1934, d. 12-nov-1985 FOWLER, James Roy, b. 1931, d. 1996 FOWLER, Juan T., b. 21-sep-1908, d. 14-may-1993 FOWLER, Juan W., b. 1877, d. 1958, w. lula fowler FOWLER, Lula Major, b. 1881, d. 1981 FOWLER, Rose B., b. 27-jun-1905, d. 8-oct-1988 FOWLER, Samuel M., b. 29-dec-1904, w. r.b. fowler FOWLER, Son, p. k.f. & martha fowler HAMILTON, J.W., b. 1880, d. 1963 HAMILTON, John, w. roxie hamilton HAMILTON, Roxie HOLDEN, Ida Orr, b. 1882, d. 1966 HOLDEN, Sam G., b. 1877, d. 1952, w. ida holden LITTELTON, John E., b. 20-jul-1903, d. 21-oct-1985, w. s.h. littelton LITTELTON, Mae W., b. 12-may-1920, h. juan littelton LITTLETON, Belle F., b. 13-dec-1871, d. 30-jul-1964 LITTLETON, Fred H., b. 5-feb-1909, d. 21-oct-1967 LITTLETON, Juan F., b. 19-apr-1911, d. 26-mar-1964 LITTLETON, Sudie H., b. 1-may-1926 LITTLETON, William L., b. 18-oct-1871, d. 30-dec-1949 McCALL, Bobbie N., b. 1934 McCALL, Hyman C., b. 14-dec-1927, d. 18-feb-1984, w. m.w. mccall, m. 12-apr-1947 McCALL, Laura H., b. 29-jan-1903, d. 14-jun-1986 McCALL, Lawton M., b. 24-jan-1890, d. 8-oct-1949, w. l.h. mccall McCALL, Leonard Dehoyl, b. 12-feb-1937, d. 26-feb-1989 McCALL, Manuel K., b. 1930, d. 1981, w. b.n. mccall McCALL, Martha W., b. 6-may-1932 McCALL, Thomas E. Edward, b. 1951, d. 1980 NICHOLS, Alan W., 27-dec-1946 NICHOLS, Ella M., b. 26-apr-1912 NICHOLS, John W., b. 9-jul-1905, d. 29-may-1975, w. w.i. Nichols, m. 16-aug-1928 NICHOLS, W. Audie, b. 16-jan-1903 NICHOLS, W. Irene M., b. 24-oct-1909, d. 30-oct-1992 NICHOLSON, Amanda Ella Mae, b. 17-jan-1917, d. 7-may-1996 NICHOLSON, Ella Ramey, b. 11-sep-1889, d. 23-oct-1950 NICHOLSON, Evan V., b. 30-dec-1881, d. 21-dec-1970, w. ella nicholson NICHOLSON, Harry E., b. 20-oct-1914, d. 19-sep-1944 NICHOLSON, Pauline F., b. 16-apr-1931, d. 17-apr-1996 NICHOLSON, Wade H., b. 15-mar-1926, d. 30-jul-1992, w. p.f. Nicholson ORR, Benjamin M., b. 12-jun-1928, d. 15-jul-1928, p. w.c. & may orr ORR, Ernest, b. 1911, d. 1979 ORR, Grady C., b. 21-mar-1910, d. 25-sep-1927, p. w.c. & may orr ORR, Harrison E., d. 7-mar-1931 ORR, Infant Daughters, b. 17-feb-1930, d. 17-feb-1930, p. w.c. & may orr ORR, Lethe, b. 19-sep-1854 ORR, Lilly Mae, d. apr-1932, a. 24y ORR, Mae B., b. 1892, d. 1971 ORR, Mae Bryant, b. 3-dec-1892, d. 16-jun-1971 ORR, Ollie Jones, b. 10-may-1907, d. 6-apr-1932 ORR, Walker Clifton, d. 10-jul-1941 ORR, William Calhoun, b. 12-aug-1883, d. 17-dec-1940, w. mae orr ORR, William J., b. 11-sep-1851, d. 17-sep-1924, w. lethe orr OWENS, Ruby C., b. 1926 OWENS, William L., b. 1914, d. 1980, w. r.c. owens PARHAM, Jacquelyn C., b. 1950, d. 1999 QUINN, Dores Beaty, b. 16-oct-1911, d. 23-nov-1985 RANKIN, Jessie F., b. 14-jun-1940, d. 24-nov-1988 RANKIN, Jimmy, b. 25-jun-1934, w. j.f. rankin RANKIN, Jonathan Paul, b. 23-feb-1971, d. 23-feb-1971 RIDLEY, Eunice W., b. 22-sep-1945, d. 13-dec-1988 RIDLEY, Tommy D., b. 12-feb-1939, d. 31-jan-1998, w. e.w. ridley SANDERS, Lucia Orr, b. 3-oct-1895, d. 19-jul1969 SAUNDERS, Web Lewis, b. 7-sep-1879, d. 10-mar-1957 SAYLORS, Frances, b. 4-mar-1915, d. 4-sep-1992 SNIDER, Fred, b. 29-aug-1892, d. 23-jan-1979 SNIDER, Mamie H., b. 25-jan-1900, d. 1-jun-1961