31. Jericho Friends Church Cemetery

Winchester News, July, 1952, By Philip Kabel.
This is a combination of two articles by Mr. Kabel.



  It was nothing unusual in the early days for the old settlers to have their family burying grounds on a gravelly knoll, and this was the case at Jericho.
  The first burial here was that of a little Pickett boy who choked to death while eating a roasting-ear.
  He was buried on top of the mound and a tall rail pen was built around the little grave to keep animals from digging down to the body. This was a custom in the early days. The little slate marker, picked up in a nearby field, has on it his initials and 1833.
   The boy's mother, Aunt Polly (Pike) Pickett, was a sister of John Pike, who owned the farm. She came here from North Carolina in 1829, on horseback and carried all her belongings tied up in a large handkerchief. This was seven years before John Pike deeded this land to the trustees of the Jericho meeting for church and burial purposes.
  The early settlers of this community came principally from North Carolina and their first burial ground was on the east bank of Owl Creek in the woods on what is now the James Chenoweth farm about a mile and a half northeast of Jericho.
  This little creek was at one time known as Peacock Creek and later as Sorghum Creek. The Hills and Peacocks were some of the first settlers, and one of the Peacocks had a sawmill just north of this old burying ground.
  The sawing was done with what was called a sash-saw, one that was run up and down, the buzz-saw coming later on.
  A Mr. Cox also had a flour mill run by horse-power.
  The Peacock cemetery was a private burial ground, and the one at Jericho started out as a private one, but was opened to the public in 1836.
  In 1818, before Randolph county was organized, John Cox with his good wife and eight children, one of whom was Simon Cox, settled near White River a short distance east of the present site of Winchester. About two years later, 1820, White River meeting was set up and the Jericho meeting was begun soon.
  Here they built a little log church, with no windows, but merely holes with shutters for light. The women's side, which was separated from the men's side by a partition, had a big fireplace, but the men's side had only a hearth on the bare ground in the center of the room with a hole in the roof directly above to let the smoke out.
  Whenever possible charcoal was burnt on this hearth, since it made very little smoke.
  On May 19, 1840, Simon Cox and his wife Tamer, purchased a farm situated 5 miles east of Winchester and one mile south of Harrisville. Although farmers, he and his son Elisha were also skilled cabinetmakers, making coffins and serving as undertakers for the community. Simon Cox made two coffins, one of which was to be used for himself and the other for his wife. They were made of walnut and due to the custom of making them to fit the body, measurements of the person were taken and exacting skill was required to mitre and fit the joints perfectly so as to make a smooth finish as it was all hand work.
  At that time coffins were made and stored, or especially made to order. When stored they were not trimmed until needed. The two which he had made for himself and wife were stored in an upstairs room in their home where they remained for several years, the one made for himself being considerably larger than the one for his wife. For some time prior to her death she had dropsy, and on account of the swollen condition of her body the casket was too small and the one which he had made for himself had to be used for her.
  Mrs. Eleanor Beals, mother of Will and John Beals, whose first husband was Elisha Cox, helped trim many of the coffins which were made by her husband and father-in-law. The coffin which was made for Simon's wife was never used for burial, and for many years was stored in an upstairs room at the Beals farm, Will and John using it as a place for storage of walnuts which they had gathered. Some years ago El Fraze, undertaker of Union City, moved it to his funeral home there.
  The following is from an interview with Rev. C.A.(Addison) Peacock: "To the best of my recollection William Cox, or as we called him, "Uncle Billy Cox," sat at the head of the Jericho meeting. After his death Simon Cox sat at the head. Simon Cox and his son Elisha were what might be called undertakers, having made the coffins they also took charge of the remains at the service.
  At that time we had no special minister to preach the funeral, but any one who felt called upon to speak was at liberty to do so. After the remains had been carried into the church the congregation sat in silence until the head of the meeting, or some other Friend, would arise from his seat and speak a few words, followed by others until all those who felt so disposed had spoken.
  When the head of the meeting thought the time had come to close the meeting, he would say-"Friends, I think the time has come when those in charge might proceed to open the coffin."
  I can almost today see Elisha Cox arise from his seat, holding in his hand a long screwdriver, walk up to the coffin and remove the screws which fastened the lid, which was laid aside until the congregation viewed the remains: after this the lid was again replaced.
  Here the services of the undertaker ended as he did not provide means of conveyance to the burial ground, the coffin being loaded into the big wagon which had belonged to the deceased, or that of one of the neighbors, and those who had volunteered to dig the grave took charge when the funeral procession arrived at the cemetery."
  The first undertaker of this community who gave his entire time to this profession was John W. Diggs, grandfather of Max Diggs. He was born in this county in 1826, devoting his time to farming and the carpenters trade until 1855, then taking up the cabinetmakers trade which he pursued successfully until the beginning of the Civil War, in the winter of 1861-62, when he entered the profession of the undertaker, following this until the time of his death.
  When he conducted his first funeral at Jericho, at which he used his new hearse and his sleek-coated horses bedecked with shining harness, it was quite a shock to some of those staid old Quakers, some of them thinking that they had deviated far from the right path and were becoming too worldly, making a show of such a sad occasion.
  At both the White River and Jericho burial grounds, many of the graves are unmarked, some have only rough, unmarked stones, while others have initials with neither name, age or dates. It seems strange that the discipline of a people like these old Friends, so kind, so affectionate, so full of veneration for their departed ones, should have denied them the right to erect suitable memorials marking the last resting places of their loved ones, not costly and for vain show and display, but modest and appropriate, that future generations might know where lie the mortal remains of those who were honored and loved.

  Two former slaves are buried on the northeast slope of the Jericho mound, and the monument which was erected a few years ago, has on it the inscription: Elijah Johnson Died 1888-Born In Slavery-An Honest Upright Colored Man Respected By All Who Knew Him Who Felt Called To Preach Repentance That Others Might Be Freed From The Bondage Of Sin, Hannah His Wife Also A Slave Died 1895. Donated By Jericho School.
  Elijah Johnson lived in a little log cabin just north of the cemetery and preached in the Jericho neighborhood for a number of years.
  He was a highly respected citizen and always welcome in the homes of these old Quakers.