This summary was written in June 2018 by Taneya Koonce. It was written for use in a church history celebration. Taneya is a descendant of the Robert Cox mentioned in the write-up.
Alum Springs Church has been a staple place of worship in the Craven County community for approximately 150 years. Though the origins of the church may never be fully and precisely documented, we know from early histories of the neighboring church down the road, Lane’s Chapel Methodist Church, that the two churches are forever connected. According to a history of Lane’s Chapel that was published in the book, “The Heritage of Craven County,” Alum Springs has its origins dated to the post-Civil War era.
In the proximity of the current Alum Springs sanctuary, there used to be the Old Cox’s Meeting House, a log cabin church used by multiple denominations. The early Methodist Bishop, Francis Asbury, even held sermons at the Old Cox Meeting House, noting in a personal diary that “there is a prospect of good” at this place. During the Civil War, Old Cox’s Meeting House was burned down and then subsequently replaced. Yet, just several years later, the congregation decided to rebuild again. What did they do with the first replacement? They gave this to the local African-American families to use as their place of worship and thus started the beginning of the Alum Springs Church home.
Along with the church is the graveyard and try as we might, locating the exact date of the very first burial is a nearly impossible task. Though we may suspect the graveyard started prior to the beginning of the 20th century, our current records provide us with the names of only a select few buried here around that time. It was not uncommon back then for the final resting places of our loved ones to either have no markings at all, have wooden grave markers, or to have markers that could not withstand the test of time. If you look out at our graveyard now you will see evidence of this fact as there are stone markings that no longer have legible writing.
From the diligent efforts of local historians and volunteers, who have taken the time to compile information from records captured long ago, and make updates by canvassing all the cemeteries in the county, we do know the names of a few of those buried early in the 20th century. The oldest burial that we can find documented among these records is that of Robert Cox, a man born into slavery in 1823, survived through enslavement, and preserved to live a long life, dying at the age of 85 in September of 1908. Robert had at least five children that we know of – Moses, Robert Jr., Joseph, Edward, and Cora – and many of his and their descendants are also buried here at Alum Springs. Many descendants also still worship in the church.
Robert’s tombstone still stands in the graveyard today, there to remind us all of the memory of our ancestors. As we honor the church’s history, let us continue to ensure that “there is a prospect of good” at Alum Springs, our church, our home.
References:
- Thorne, B. M. H., & Eastern North Carolina Genealogical Society (New Bern, N.C.). (1984). The Heritage of Craven County, North Carolina. New Bern, North Carolina: Hunter Pub. Co. [Find in a Library]
- Find-A-Grave: Alum Springs Church Burial Listings [cited June 2018]
- Photos: Alum Springs Church by Taneya Koonce; Robert Cox headstone by Shirlee Wilson Brundage