Elijah P. (E.P.) Brown - story from his youth....

BETHANY UNION CHURCH ~ Crawford County, Indiana

The first known burial in this Cemetery was recorded as follows:

William F. M. BROWN, Infant son of Elisha and E. BROWN, born December 1, 1853, died September 10, 1854. This was near the meeting of the three roads at the top of the hill, one of which went south-west toward the Cross Roads School, one to the north-west toward Boston (now Eckerty) and the third which later became known as the Benham Mill Road past Mifflin.  In order to perpetuate these grounds, Elisha and wife deeded three quarter acres for burial purposes and three quarter acres for church purposes to the CHRISTIAN CHURCH for-ever-and-ever.
  On the grounds for church purposes was constructed a log building that was used for a number of years, having been used until it became too dilapidated for such purposes in about 1895.  At one of the last meetings at that place, Rev John BAGGERLY was conducting an all day meeting. It had rained and a young man, Elijah Peter "Pete" BROWN, decided that a log seat would be better if turned over, which he did with the result that a swarm of termites was stirred up, filling the room. People began to flee and Rev. BAGGERLY being surrounded by the flying creatures and they were flying into his mouth said: "There will be (blowing the ant out) church (blowing the ants out again) this afternoon  (blowing more ants out) at two o'clock" and made his way out without dismissing the congregation that was mostly out of the house. It became necessary to build a new church so a meeting was held at the Cross Roads School where a building committee composed in part DR. G. W. L. BROWN as Treasurer, George W. NEWTON as secretary and one other known member, Allen B. TUCKER. Trustees for the ground were George BLUNK, Silas LEONARD, and James A. "Jim" TUCKER. They leased the ground to a united group for a period of ninety-nine years.  While the following is not a complete list of those who contributed and built the new building yet these are yet known after fifty-six years:
Elijah PETER "Pete" BROWN furnished the poplar trees for which the siding was sawed. The trees were cut by John W. DENBO and Richard Absolum "Dick" KNIGHT.  

Transcribed verbatim from Mack Tucker’s, History Of Crawford County, IN. by C. V. Beringer