The Beginnings of Centerville Presbyterian Church

The Beginnings of Centerville Presbyterian Church. By local historian Phil Homes. This is the site of the first, organized Protestant church known to have been in existence in the East Bay., At the meeting held June 4, 1853, nine people signed a petition requesting Reverend W.W. Brier to organize them into a church to be known as the Alameda Presbyterian Church. , In 1855, the congregation decided to build a church building on this site. George and Mary Jane Lloyd donated a 2 1⁄2-acre lot and trustees voted to build a brick church 24 feet wide and 44 feet long. The building was completed and dedicated in 1856. , This structure was significantly damaged in the 1868 earthquake but the building was repaired with white siding to form the quaint "Old White Church," which graced the mission valley until it was destroyed in an arson fire in 1994. , The name change came in 1873 as the village of Centerville prompted the current name, Centerville Presbyterian Church. In addition to becoming one of the first Presbyterian churches in the East Bay, other significant milestones took place. The first church cemetery in the county was established. The first women elders were elected in 1936. In 1935, Rev. Roe Lewis from Pima, Arizona, became the first Native American to serve as pastor. The first choir was organized in 1949. , In 1955, four acres of land on Central Avenue (across from the DMV) were purchased, and a new church was built before the Glenmoor neighborhood was developed. With a vibrant, global mission to the world, the congregation continues to be central in the life of the Fremont community and has a significant engagement with the hungry and homeless as host to the Centerville Free Dining Room. , The Centerville Church Cemetery , The church laid out the cemetery in 1858. The official Cemetery Record provides the plot plan and the names of the men who purchased the plots and the death and burial dates of the 420 individuals buried here. The last burial was in 1920. Only one burial was recorded in 1860, 29 in 1868, and only one or two per year after 1894. Most were buried in their family plot, but the Chinese people and a few others were buried in a public plot. Unidentified people were listed as "a Stranger, a Strange man, a Stranger from Patterson, and a Stranger found dead in the hills." , The burial records provide an insight into the hardships and tragedies of pioneer days. Diphtheria was disease that took the most lives, followed by consumption (tuberculosis), and pneumonia. Other causes of death listed were scarlet fever, whooping cough, typhoid fever, cholera, hemorrhage, convulsions, lockjaw, tonsillitis, childbirth, exhaustion, and afflictions of the brain. People also died from burns, poisons, drowning, and horse, wagon or train accidents. The automobile was noted as a new hazard in 1911, when a 14-year-old boy was run over and killed. The cemetery remains today an important memorial to many pioneer families.