Map
of the Christian
Church in Turkeyfoot
Also known as the Fairview Church of the
Brethren, it's the site of the unmarked burials of Jacob and Catherine (Younkin)
Minerd Jr.
This map depicts the site of the old Christian Church in Turkeyfoot (Disciples of Christ) near Kingwood, Somerset County, PA. It's where Jacob Minerd Jr. directed that he be buried in 1842 after his death, following being crushed chopping down a tree. It's also where we suspect his wife Catherine (Younkin) Minerd is buried.
Based on extensive documentary research, and interviews with local residents, the red area is our best guess as to where the old graves are located. That area is where old field stones once stood, marking early burials.
A
log church was built here in the 1830s, used by the Disciples of Christ. Later,
the Christian Church congregation was merged with a church in nearby New
Centerville, Somerset County. In about 1887, the building was sold to the German
Baptist congregation, and over time it was also known as the Fairview Church of
the Brethren. The log house was torn down about 1902, and was replaced by a
frame structure (seen here, with the photographer standing near the
treeline). This newer church was remodeled in the late 1930s. It was torn down
in about 1970, and has been vacant ever since.
Among the local residents who helped maintain the cemetery over the years include the late Orville Brougher, Dutch Brougher and Harvey Shaffer. Ross A. Brougher cut grass there with a team of horses. In an interview in 1992, Orville said that the old log church was located closer to the woods that it was to where the frame church later stood.
The inverted "U" shape on the map marks a turnaround for horses and buggies, and later automobiles. The turnaround was dug down 6 or 7 inches and a stone base was laid in. The excavated earth was spread on the sloping ground near the tree line to level off the property. Before that, the ground was so bumpy that someone could not take a riding lawnmower over it.
Map copyright © 1992 and text copyright © 2002 Mark A. Miner