Jollity United Methodist Church
Shelby County, Indiana
By Mrs. Morris [Marcia] Sweet
Back in the gray and misty dawn of the history of Jackson Township, Shelby County, there came two men who settled in what is now known as the Jollity Neighborhood. These men, William Shipp and Burgess Waggoner, brought their families from Kentucky and settled near the Brockman Cemetery.
In the latter part of the following year of 1823, Richard Shipp and family, Tandy Brockman and family, and Samuel D. Sandefur settled just east of School house #3, commonly called the Brockman School. Most of these families had come from Baptist communities in Kentucky, and after coming into their new homes in the wilderness they continued to live as neighbors, meeting from time to time in their respective homes for the purpose of worshiping God. In 1828 they organized into what in the early history of the Methodist Protestant was known as Union Societies, which afterward took the name of Associated Methodist.
In 1830, soon after the Methodist Conference Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, all the Associated Methodist, as a denomination, took the name of Methodist Protestant.
The charter members of the church at the 1828 organization were Tandy Brockman, his wife Martha, Richard Shipp, his wife Mary, their son Thomas, and his wife Mary,
Samuel D. Sandefur and his wife Elizabeth. The members elected Thomas Shipp as class leader.
In 1837 a committee was elected to plan and oversee the building of a new house suitable for worship, as the members no longer wished to worship in "the public building, which stood on the ground owned by James Sanders, Jr. This building was used as a school and also served as a meeting house for both the Baptist and the Methodist. This same year the first Jollity Methodist Protestant Church was built. The location was about one mile south of the present church, and was built by Mathew Kelly and his son-in-law, Josiah Frady for the sum of three hundred dollars, the timber being furnished by Thomas Shipp. In 1843 a new church was again constructed on a tract of land deeded to the trustees of the Jollity M. P. Church and their successors in office. This land was given by John Shipp, Benjamin Pile, and Joseph G. Gregory. This was a frame church and this site served until 1871 when the present brick church was built. The land for the present church, located in Blue River Township on the Johnson-Shelby County line was donated to the trustees by Isaac Beason. The contractor and builder was Robert Waggoner of Franklin, Indiana and the church was dedicated in the fall of 1871.
In 1877 the church was struck by a cyclones. The roof was torn away and the west wall was blown in causing damages of almost $500.00. This occurred in June and by September the church was again opened for worship. Since built the church has been redecorated several times. In 1945 the interior was refurbished with new lights and carpet. At the same time a new roof replaced the old.
In 1953 plans were completed for a new educational building at the cost of $23,000. This unit was completed in 1954. It provides several small Sunday School rooms, fellowship room and kitchen.
The Jollity Church is in the Marietta Jollity charge, with the parsonage located at Marietta. The parsonage had been at Jollity until 1953.
A memorable event for the church was when the annual M. P. Conference was held there in 1912.
As far as can be determined the Church is named after Frederick Jollity, who first surveyed Johnson County between 1820 and 1830.
Submitted by Courtney Krebs
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