BLEST BE THE TIES THAT BIND

Today we gather to celebrate——to celebrate not just one family, but all the families that have contributed to making Concord community and especially Concord church what it was and is. Last year at this time, I was working on the narrative history of the church and cemetery. When the Texas Historical Society notified me that the information for the marker had been sent to the foundry for the casting of the marker, I breathed a sigh of relief, that is until I realized that they had placed a rush order on it and even then according to their time schedule it would be running very close for the marker to arrive in time for this celebration. I kept thinking, what if we plan a big celebration and then the marker doesn’t arrive, what then?  My sister had more faith, and kept saying, “It will get here". Only when I received a call from the freight company saying that the marker was actually here did I rest easy

So today we are here to celebrate, and as we celebrate together we want to think about the ties that bind us together. (Song——BLEST BE THE TIE THAT BINDS)

We all have ties to our forefathers——those who came before us and settled in this area. We are bound by blood and kinship. Their genes have been passed down to us. Many people tell me that my daughter resembles me. Others say that I resemble my mother. I know that she resembles some of her forefathers. Our families have mixed and mingled so that we are either kin or nearly kin to just about everyone here. We have a strong bond that binds us together.

However, one of the early ties that bound those who came to this area was the tie of survival. The two Fitzgerald brothers (William A. and Michael Robertson) owned just about all of the northwestern quarter of the Jesse B. McNealy League ——the area where we now stand. (SHOW ON MAP) The George W. Fitzgeralds, a brother of W. A. ‘s wife Joicy) were here by the 1850. Neighbors were few and far apart. There were the Samuel Holiday and Henry Atkinsons. Neighbors had to help each other to survive. The area was virgin.Ttimber had to be cut—-houses and barns raised. Crops planted and harvested. Life was difficult and time consuming. If neighbor didn’t help neighbor, at times no one survived.

Bro. Charles Grasty was remembering just a few days ago how after a period of great stress, his grandmother had a nervous breakdown. She was hospitalized but his grandfather told the doctors that he had a crop to take care of and his kids to provide for, and that they couldn’t stay. So the doctors let him bring her home but said that she had to have absolute quiet. He related how the neighboring women would take turn about... their husbands driving by in the morning in the wagon and one would jump off and spend the day, cooking, taking care of the children, cleaning the house and at the end of the day their husband would come back by and they would hop up on the wagon and go to their house. The next day another would come, and so on until finally, one day his grandmother snapped out of her problem and was OK. That was a good example of neighbor helping neighbor. I’m sure that every one of you can relate times that neighbors pitched in to help. These are TIES THAT BIND

We are not sure as to what year William “Billie Cupe’ arrived in the area. Nor do we know exactly when W. A. Harding arrived here. It was after the census of 1850 however. We do know that Harding married Billie Cupe’s daughter, Mary, in 1853 in Anderson County. In 1862, Michael Robertson sold 2 acres of land to William “Billie Cupe’ and it was indicated in the deed that he already had a house and was living on the land.

In 1856 the Gaines family came from Georgia and the Hathcocks arrived in 1859.

Another tie that bound these people together was the TIES OF HARDSHIP. The Civil War brought disruption everywhere. Young men from the community left to fight . . . for some with fatal results. James E. Fitzgerald, the son of George W., enlisted as a private. His first Captain was a Hanks. He wrote, “The Company in which I enlisted did not leave till in 1862. I was only a boy of 16 when I left and oh! the privations and hardships I endured. The many, many miles I marched, footsore, weary, hungry, and cold. Well do I remember the one—half ear of corn as rations. I threw my part away thinking that if I could get no more, this would do me no good but someone told me that I had better keep it, it would taste good before I got any more and it was only too true. But the giver of all good threw his protecting arms around me and I was permitted to return to my loved ones again. There were four brothers of us in the war and two were lost and two reached home.”

William A. and Joicy lost their son, John C., in the Civil War. George W. and wife lost sons John B. and Christopher. William Fitzgerald lost son William. Few families were left untouched by the horrors of the war. The grief, hardships and difficulties of the time only served to deepen the ties that had already formed. They bound heart to heart and life to life. The people shared mutual woes’. They bore ‘mutual burdens’ and for each other “flowed the sympathizing tear.”

After the Civil War, changes began to take place. Michael R. sold his property to W. A. Harding and moved to an adjoining county. Ties were lengthened to include new families moving into the area. In 1869, the Joel Kelley Family (Joel and wife Deborah) as well as Van Funderburk (a brother of Deborah) and the Lunsfords
(U. W. had married Sarah, daughter of Van Funderburk) arrived in the area. A. Harding had sold some of the property he had bought from M. R. Fitzgerald to M.L. Dotson. (SHOW MAP Sometime between 1866 and 1869 a J. M. Rodden had acquired the 114.68 acres of land that W. A. Harding had kept. He sold this land to George W. Fitzgerald in 1872.  George W. sold this same land to Van Funderburk. It was only in 1877 that Van Funderburk sold this land to Deborah Kelley, widow of Joel P. Kelley.

William A. Fitzgerald sold to his sons, William Jackson, and J. C. the south 320 acres that he owned. They in turn sold their property (with the exception of 2 acres that William Jackson retained in the Southwestern corner) to Mrs. Mary Starkes in 1875. She sold this property to C. A. Fitzgerald (son of Michael R.) in 1881. The community was changing.

One change that has had a lasting effect was the organization of the church. This would be the cohesive force that would bind the community and continues to bind it today.
             (Song FAITH OF OUR MOTHERS—-FAITH OF OUR FATHERS)

That faith is a tie that truly binds. We meet here today to commemorate that event although it was on November 11, 1871, that J. W. Daves, Albert B. Dawson, and M. P. Gaines. H. G. Garloop, M. L. Taylor, M. A. Corder, Sarah A. Funderburk, G. E. Hardin, Julia Fitzgerald, Nancy P. Kelley, Dicy F. Lunsford, Sarah A. Lunsford, Jane Mitchel, L. A. McCain and M. I. Taylor met with ministers of the Gospel, L. R. Gore, R. R. Morrow and U. W. Lunsford met at the Fitzgerald school house for the purpose of constituting the above mentioned into a Baptist Church. William A. Fitzgerald was received by letter and Joyce Fitzgerald, (wife of William A.), Sarah J. Fitzgerald (daughter of William A) James Cris and Richard B. Fitzgerald (Sons of William A.) and Mary A. Daves were received by experience.

In December of 1871, the church proceeded to choose by ballot a name for the church which resulted in Concord. Tradition has it that Concord was the name of the small community in Louisiana from which the Kelleys, Funderburks and Lunsfords came. As they met and worshiped together, the bond of Christian love was a uniting force. Bless be the Tie that Binds, our Hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.”

A Union church had existed prior to this time because between September and November of 1871, the church asked U. W. Lunsford and S. R. Gore to see about dissolving the Union Church. We have no idea where it was located.

We are not absolutely sure of the location of the Baptist Church building but reports of older settlers locate it near the front of the present cemetery. The church may have continued for a while in the Fitzgerald school. We do know that by 1883, the church had its own building because of references to allowing a lecturer to use the building, and to the repair of the church house and the cleaning of the church yard.

In 1901, however, we know that a new building was erected. Four different tracts of land were given to the church at that time.

The first tract (in order of date of deed) was from William Jackson and it contained two acres of land. Why had William Jackson retained title to those 2 acres? Why had he not sold THOSE 2 ACRES when he sold the rest of the property to Mrs. Mary Starks? Was it because the church and cemetery existed on that plot of land? We know that there were a number of deaths in the community before the organization of the church in 1871. We know that William A. had a child, to die in 1856 and two children to die in 1857. A Narcissa Maccaskel who lived with the Holiday family died in 1852. Billie Cupe’s wife died in 1867. G. W. Fitzgerald’s wife died in 1868. Van Funderburk had an infant daughter to die in 1869 and daughter Elizabeth died possibly in 1868. Michael Robertson had a child to die in 1857 and a daughter in 1871. Where was the burial place of these people? Had William A. used a corner of land as a cemetery? He recorded the death of Narcissa Maccaskel in his Bible although so far as we know she was not a relative. There is no record of any of these being buried in any other cemetery and many of the families say they were buried at Concord. It is on these two acres where part of this building stands and extends southward to include the oldest part of the cemetery.

The second tract of land was given by C.D. Kelley & wife who gave approximately .65 acres of land. It joined to the west that given by W. J. Fitzgerald.

The third tract was .45 acres given by C. A. Fitzgerald and
wife and joined to the north that given William Jackson.

The fourth tract was given by W. H. Gaston and Mrs. L. A. Jemison, brother and sister, who gave 2.48 acres of land which joined the northwest corner of the tract given by W. J. Fitzgerald.

A wooden frame building was built on the site of the present church. Rev. U. W. Lunsford was pastor and the building was dedicated in May of 1902 with Dr. Sellers, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Palestine, preaching the dedicatory sermon. It was only years later that the 5th tract was given by William C. Pannell to Concord Cemetery Association (1988)

Tragedy struck the community in 1940 when this church building burned. Once again the ties that bind drew the church and community together. They rallied together to build a new, modern brick building which is in use at the present time. It was dedicated on May 10, 1942.

As we wander through the cemetery, we see the tombstones of our loved ones and we remember anew the TIES THAT BIND us as we share our grief one with another. In the early days, neighbor helped neighbor even during this time. They shared the burden of digging the grave, of building a casket. They shared the task of preparing the body and they mingled their tears at the side of the newly covered grave. Neighbors would bring food, and would sit with the family as they shared the grief of losing a loved one. But as we wander through the cemetery, we are reminded of one of the most important ties of all——AN ETERNAL TIE. The tie that binds us together eternally is the blood of Jesus Christ which was shed to provide eternal salvation for us when we trust in Him. With this assurance we know that we will meet again in heaven. As we remember our loved ones who have gone before Lucretia has written a song which says we will see their face again. (SONG BY LUCRETIA)

As hearts and lives were bound in the past, they continue to be bound in the present. The church and cemetery are places that have been meaningful to us in the past. It continues to be a special place today. Recently a man called the woman he loved and asked her to meet him at the Concord cemetery. Because of the unique beauty and old—fashioned charm of the place, he chose this site to propose marriage —— the old fashioned way, on bended knee. Not knowing that today was a special day for the church and cemetery association, they choose today as their wedding date.

We pray that the community will continue to feel the strong bonds of love and fellowship. Those of us who are descendants of early settlers cannot help but feel that a special bond is ours. We say: Blest be the Tie that Binds’ our prayer for the future continues to be ‘Bind us together Lord.. .with cords that cannot be broken... .Bind us together with love.