Near Stockport in Morgan County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Brick Church and Cemetery

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 22, 2018

1. Brick Church and Cemetery Marker

Inscription. The Windsor Township Baptist Association was organized January in 1818 by Elder William Davis with 35 members who met in homes, barns and schoolhouses. At the death of the six-year-old granddaughter of Samuel and Tabitha Davis Henery, this plot by the river was laid out for a church yard and deeded by John Henery in 1837. In 1838 a brick church was built at the cost of $1,000. It served this community until the road and church were destroyed by the flood of 1913. More then 50 men from this area served in the Civil War. Twenty-six veterans are buried here, four of the War of 1812, as well as William Davis veteran of the American Revolution; Obadiah Brokaw, founder of Big Bottom State Memorial; and Captain Isaac Newton Hook, river pilot at the age of ten and U.S. master of inland navigation, 1860-1873, who ran supplies on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers for the Union Army. At Captain Hook’s death in 1906 the steamers Valley Gem, Zanesville and Sonoma from Marietta in his honor landed passengers at the church here for his funeral, “the largest ever held in the Muskingum Valley.” “The Lord and the River giveth and then taketh away.”

Erected 1969 by the Henery (Henry) Family. (Marker Number 2-58.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these

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topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Religion & Religious Structures • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 20, 1906.

Location. 39° 34.183′ N, 81° 46.705′ W. Marker is near Stockport, Ohio, in Morgan County. It is on Ohio Route 376 1.9 miles Route 266, on the left when traveling north. It is two miles from Stockport. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Stockport OH 43787, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest,

in the Ohio River Valley,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Stockport (approx. 1.6 miles away); Underground Railroad (approx. 1.6 miles away); The Stockport Mill (approx. 1.6 miles away); Two Riverboat Pilots (approx. 1.6 miles away); Big Bottom Massacre (approx. 2.2 miles away); Water Power on the Muskingum River (approx. 3.8 miles away); Maple Grove Farm (approx. 5.6 miles away); Windlass or Crab Winch (approx. 6.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Stockport.

More about this marker. This marker is next to impossible to see when traveling at speed. It's

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 22, 2018

2. Brick Church and Cemetery Marker

This view is to the north. There is no way you are going to see this marker if you are traveling south from McConnelsville. When you get to the filling station outside Stockport, turn around and use your odometer to measure 1.9 miles back to this point, because it will be hard to see it northbound in the gloom under the trees if it is a sunny day.

face is parallel with the road, its paint is worn, and it is under trees whose trunks are the same color as the marker.

This is one of those rare one-sided markers. The other side is blank.

Additional commentary.
1. William Davis
Q: How did William Davis, a Revolutionary War veteran who died in 1778 end up in this cemetery? Marietta was not settled until 1788 and Settlers had not gone up the muskingum River yet.

A: There is one Revolutionary War veteran buried here and his name is William Davis, say a number of sources. None cite his birth and death dates and I cannot find a photograph of his gravestone on the internet. Perhaps the William Davis you refer to is a different William Davis. —Ed.

— Submitted August 18, 2022, by Loraine Helber of Logan, Ohio.

Lane to the Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 22, 2018

3. Lane to the Cemetery

The lane runs between the corn field and the woods. There is space to park inside the gate at the end of the lane. Cemetery is open dawn to dusk.

Brick Church Cemetery Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 22, 2018

4. Brick Church Cemetery Marker

This view is from the entrance gate. The Muskingum River is through the trees in the distance. Notice Captain Hook’s white tomb in the center distance. It dominates the cemetery of modest gravestones as you approach it.

Captain Isaac Newton Hook’s Tomb image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 22, 2018

5. Captain Isaac Newton Hook’s Tomb

The nine-foot high structure appears to be made of concrete and was recently whitewashed. Legend tells that the riverboat captain designed his tomb with a rounded top to prevent his wife from dancing with joy on it, as in a moment of temper she had promised to do.

The small platform on top held a skiff to take him away in case of a flood. A flood indeed came and took the boat away some years later. He minced no words stating his views on God, death, and the 15th Amendment on the stone tablet (photo 6) cemented onto the tomb.

Isaac Newton Hook. Born 1819–Died 1906 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 22, 2018

6. Isaac Newton Hook. Born 1819–Died 1906

“I love my posterity. It is the only everlasting life due me. I doubt the truth of inspiration to man by or from any supreme power.
“— I am opposed to the Amalgamation Abolition Congress that passed the 15 Amendment Bill to the Constitution of the United States after the majority had voted No.

“There is no beginning of man, time nor space, so there is no end.”

The 15th Amendment reads “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 6, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 22, 2018, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,852 times since then and 64 times this year. Last updated on June 2, 2023, by Grant & Mary Ann Fish of Galloway, Ohio. Photos: 1. submitted on August 22, 2018, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 24, 2018, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. A photo of Revolutionary War veteran William Davis’ grave stone • Can you help?