Sign Up  /  Login

Brother Ben LbNA #30848

Owner:Boots Tex
Plant date:May 8, 2007
Location:
City:Farmersville
County:Collin
State:Texas
Boxes:1
Found by: Dr Bee
Last found:Feb 8, 2015
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:May 8, 2007
Brother Ben was a righteous man,
He had the power of God all through ‘im.
Got hisself ordained and preached and he gained
The respect of all who knew ‘im.

He was born in the Old Dominion,
Got the itch and he had to go
To the bluegrass land where he made a stand
On the banks of the Ohio.

He took a wife named Rebecca Moore
And they had ten kids or so;
He tilled the sod and he prayed to God,
And God told him that he had to go.

He heard about a land called Texas,
So he took his wife and family,
And he made the trip down the Mississip’
To the shade of a big oak tree.

With a canopy of leaves above their heads,
Rebecca cooked on an old wood stove,
And Brother Ben prayed with the Church he made
In a place called Shady Grove.

Ben and Becky had a few more kids
And the church that they founded there stayed.
Through the message he gave, many souls were saved;
God liked the little church that he made.

When his work on the Watson Branch was done,
He moved a little farther on West,
Where he preached salvation to a new congregation
And his life was truly blessed.

Bethlehem Baptist Church is its name,
Brother Ben made his churches to stay.
On the slope of a hill north of Farmersville,
It stands to this very day.

Rebecca and Ben stayed the rest of their days
Tending to their Bethlehem flock,
And there they rest at the Lord’s behest,
They were made of pretty good stock.

Reverend Benjamin Watson came to Texas in 1844 and founded at least 4 Baptist churches, at Shady Grove, Lone Oak, Bois d’Arc and this one north of Farmersville called Bethlehem Baptist Church. He was a circuit preacher and would go on horseback to pastor the congregations once each month. He lived on Indian Creek near here and gave part of his land to the church. He was a righteous man. He was my Great Great Grandfather. The picture on the logbook was drawn by my son and may or may not look like Bro. Ben, but was the inspiration for the stamp.

Directions:
Farmersville is on US 380 about 17 miles east of McKinney, Texas. From Farmersville, go north on Hwy. 78 to county road 618. The sign is on the right and that’s the direction you’ll turn. The road makes a jog, left, then right. Turn left on CR 664 (there’s a big old barn on the left). The cemetery is just up the road at CR 665 on the right.

To the box:
Park in front of the church office in one of the visitor’s parking spaces. Go through the gate at the west end of the building. Look southwest for an obelisk marker, about 4 feet tall that marks the grave of Ben Watson and his wife, Rebecca. Next to that marker, very close to a chain link fence, is the stone marking the grave of their daughter, Car(e)oline M. Howell. The box is between her and the fence, covered with rocks. Be sure to look for Lone Star Quilter's box, The Quilter's Cross, in this cemetery.