Union Grove Church and Cemetery

What Church?

Where is the Church, you may ask!

Answer: I do not know!

Update: A friend has informed me that it was not moved but, torn down about a year or so ago.

Wrong! My friend was incorrect.

New Update: I had heard of a church being destoryed by vandals in March but an old historical church that wasn't harming anyone except perhaps those who tired of the youths with their noisy "four-wheelers" who gathered there to party.

Why would they destory a building that shield them from the weather?
Who was this man in the pick-up truck? Why wasn't the teens' parents forced to follow a court order to rebuild this church? Was it really teens at all who pulled it down?

Did the county Sheriff Department or Board of Supervisors do a proper job in enforcing the law? What about a contempt of court order. There was no judgements becuase the parents promised to repair the first damage.
"News Flash",There was not any "porches" according to the old 1943 picture and the recent ones George and Pam Bumgardner Dawson's 1980s pictures.
Is that why the person in the pick-up finished destorying the building because they were ordered to pay for the previous damage.

We, who have ancestors buried here have a right to know...
These ancestors worshipped in the little historical church which is why it should be replaced and made a place for family homecomings, also, these youths and their parents should be taught to respect others, as well as the value of Holy Places.

First, Yellowleaf Cemetery in 2004 or 2005, now, Union Grove church and cemetery (yes, there appears to have been tombs damaged) if vandals are not punished then, they will continue to vandalize like the ones who have vandalized the Oxford City Parks this month, June 2006. At least they should be required to do community service, like upkeeping the cemetery ffor at least five years. That might teach them to respect Holy Ground.

Yes, this was my surprise when I journeyed out into the heat of 99 degrees Saturday afternoon June 10, 2006, with my walking stick, water, spy-glasses, hat, cell phone and camera to find and take pictures of the tombstones of my grand Aunt Eugenia Jane Gandy Mills and her Mills family.

I decide to take the country dirt and gravel roads from my home a mile north of Paris on CR 430, since CR 477 which intersect with CR 432 was only 1/10 of a mile from my house.

I had my trusty County Road Map and had traced my route before I left home. This was one of the many things, I remember from my Basic Training in the Women Army Corp, survival methods and map reading. I noted that this route would take me past the property her father, my great grand father,William Jefferson Gandy, once owned in the South 1/2 of section 8, T10S R2W on the east corner of the intersection of CRs 477 and 432, where at this intersection you will turn left. Then, after loads of ruts, twists and turns which my little 1997 Buick Century Custom took like a “RAM” truck, I was at my destination. I am an experienced country roads' driver, having been taught to drive on the tough back roads of Texas in the 1950’s. In fact, you might say the old county / western song "Country Roads" was my theme song. I knew to drive slowly and watch the road for ruts and wash outs, being careful not to drag "high center".

The entry to the Church and Cemetery is quite easy to find as it was on my left or west side of the road. I discovered I was only 1.6 miles from County Road 473 which I would travel into Oxford to the St Peter’s Cemetery on Jefferson and Sixteenth Street to find Eugenia and her husband Robert Henry Mills’ grave.

I turned into the parking area and was aghast at the sight of the missing church. The cemetery needed care too; the fence was lying broken at different sections with a large bit in a roll near the north backside of the cemetery.

Looking from parking area into cemetery

GYE MILLS, son of R. H. and E. J
[Robert Henry & Eugenia Jane aka Ginny Gandy MILLS ,
correct spelling informant: Pam Bumgardner Dawson,
Pam's 1980s picture is on left]

Click Picture

Mills, J. S.

Note the small flat stone behind Gye Mills’