Ripley's first settler, Josiah Farnsworth, came from east part of State. He located on site of Quincy.

First religious services in Ripley held by Baptists at house of Nathan Wisner, under direction of Rev. Samuel Wisner.

April 29; Baptists of Ripley Township met to discuss organizing Baptist Church with Elder [Richard ?] Butler as moderator & Hezekiah Mason as clerk.

June; Elder Butler to spend ¼ of his time as pastor of this church (yearly salary $20.00).  William Wattles elected deacon & treasurer.

September; Church observed first "Lord's Supper."

Three delegates sent to Chautauqua Association.

February; Vote passed to hold religious meetings in school house near Israel Palmer's house

March; First 4 baptisms recorded. Missions in church began.

Ripley Baptist Society  incorporation recorded in County Clerk's Office- Liber 2, Page 215. Brother Butler resigned as pastor.

13 baptisms recorded.

Religious services held once in two months & covenant meetings alternate months.  These services held in two different schoolhouses; one near Elder Sawins, other at corner near Brother Gamaliel Parker's.

[Property now belonging to Pastor Frances Waite was, at one time, part of Gamaliel Parker's estate.]

Several members requested letters & formed an organization at Haight's Corners. Elder Davis adjusted all differences.  40 baptisms recorded next few years.

First Baptist Church & Society in Ripley & Westfield incorporation recorded in County Clerk's Office; Baker Ames, Henry Dean, Hezekiah Mason, Ferdinand Newbury, Gamaliel Parker, Eli Shove, Antipas Tillinghast, William Wattles.

Union Baptist Church of Westfield & Ripley incorporation recorded in County Clerk's Office; Samuel Beals, Norman Bisbee, Charles S. Boyer, Robert Boyce, Henry Dean, John C. Hungerford, Gamaliel Parker, Calvin Rice.

July 7; Sold fir $20 part of lot 65, 3rd township, 15th range... same deeded & designed for a public burying ground. Sold by John & Sybil Gage to James Bacon, Nicholas Combs, Hezekiah Mason, & Alfred Palmer. Recorded in County Clerk's Office- Liber 72, page 149.

Baptist Union Society of Ripley Center incorporation recorded in County Clerk's Office; Ethan Sawin, John A. Newbury, Moses A. Tennant, Israel Palmer.   Meeting at school of district #6. First burial in the Baptist Union Burial Grounds took place March 3rd; Joseph Selden (died from bilious colic; severe stomach pain & vomiting).  41 plots were sold, an additional two were sold, but undesignated.

Many families moved markers from this cemetery to Quincy Rural Cemetery (exactly when unknown).

Ohotocopy of old picture states, "Old Baptist Church, Ripley." Underneath is typed, "Dedicated 1853." Though it is not said, I am lead to believe this was Wattlesburg location [see 1855]. It appears to be a square, one story building with doubled, up long, narrow windows with a double door. It fittingly appears to be a Quaker Style (common for churches & meetinghouses of the time).  Last dated burial at Baptist Union Burial Grounds occurs 09 Feb 1853.  At least nine more buried without dates in records.

Construction on church building began at Wattlesburg.  Interest faded & Baptist meetings discontinued. Later another denomination was allowed the use of the church building.

Baptists of Ripley Village & surrounding territory had special meeting & formed Baptist Union Church & Society. Services held in Stanton Hall. Wattlesburg church [see 1855] was to be used as a Mission Church. The new society bought a lot & erected a church.  Committee consisted of; Dexter Alford, R. H. Holcomb, Jedediah M. Johnson, Addison Mason, Clarence Mason, J. A. Tennant.

January 1; Church lot was purchased at corner of Main & Goodrich Streets & construction began.

June 28; The new Ripley Baptist Church was dedicated.  This is the current [2004] location of the Ripley Free Library.

Church debt paid in full & the Brockway property on Goodrich Street was purchased to build a parsonage.

The church needed more room.  Mrs. Elizabeth Spencer sponsored an addition to the present chapel.

Cemetery inscriptions copied by Viola Jones.

Only 12 grave markers remain in cemetery.

Church still growing. Wattlesburg Church [see 1855] empty & in disrepair. Author indicates it is due to the community's indifferences.

Cemetery inscriptions copied by Virginia Barden.

Only 6 grave markers remain in cemetery.

Only 3 whole grave markers are found in cemetery.

Only 3 whole grave markers are found in cemetery.

During the summer Miss Viola Jones (Ollie Jones?) found a double stone belonging to Lorenzo & Sylvester Palmer at the Culver Cemetery.

The remaining stones were moved to Quincy Rural Cemetery. Old Wattlesburg Church records were used to reconstruct an interred list.