By 1872 St. John’s Baptist Chapel on Sulfur Creek in Leopold Township was unsafe and services intermittent. Northern Perry County Catholics found aid in Saint Meinrad Abbot Martin Marty O.S.B. who arranged services at the present parish site. Three miles further north. for about 20 families (the Cassidys. Flamions, Alveys, Wheatley, Fosters, Basingers, Jacksons and Rogiers). For awhile he held services in the public school building or in the open air near present St. John/St Isidore. This new location is 3 ¼ mi. north of St. Joseph, 3 mi. north of Ranger, 7 miles from St. Meinrad, and 6 1/4 mi from Leopold.
caption “attachment_1314″ align= Clark Township 1867
Abbot Martin Marty O.S.B. erected a church on properly given by James and Nancy Cassidy and Vincent and Mary Mosby. Monks of Saint Meinrad Abbey served until in the 1880s, the Diocese of Vincennes took charge of strafing with priests From St. Mark Parish.
The New St. John Church was built by Abbot Martin Marty OSB. When the Old St. John’s was judged nu-safe 1872. Abbot Marty encouraged the 20 families of the old church to attend services at a school house some two Miles east of Bristow in Section 25. The cornerstone of the New St. John’s corner stone was laid April 12, 1874 at this new location.
In the 1960’s St. John and St. Joseph combined so that every parish in Perry County could have a resident pastor. Father Ralph Sraashelm led this consolidation. The new parish was saddened by the fire which took his life and the life of Martin Lasher January 10, 1969 when they were finishing the rectory kitchen. Father Ralph re-entered the burning house to pull Martin out. He also entered what he thought was a burning church to retrieve the Blessed Sacrament.
The $50.000 debt for the construction of the new church was Retired in the 1970’s with Shooting Match money. The first Shooting Match took place in 1964 - turkeys were live, and winners carried home fresh meat.
Deed Record 7 on page 385. The deed where James and Nancy Cassidy and Vincent and Mary Elisabeth Mosby deeded one acre to the church. Its deeding one acre in the SE corner of the SW 1/4 of Section 25 (that James Cassidy apparently owned) plus one acre in the SW corner of the SE 1/4 of Section 25 (that Vincent Mosby apparently owned). So STATE Parcel number 62-04-25-400-005.000-002 which is the rectangular piece that covers the cemetery and on up to the St. Isidore Road is the 1 acre from Mosby. STATE Parcel number 62-99-20-040-502-000-002 where the church building is at; and STATE Parcel number 62-04-25-300-004-002 where the parking lot and driveway entry to the church is at includes the other 1 acre from James Cassidy.
| However that upper parcel that is highlighted with you click on the entry to the church also includes some property (abt 1/2 acre) to the west of Cherry Road that was probably gotten from somewhere else — not in the second deed above. Maybe this other 1/2 acre came from the Deed Record 20 on page 254 that is referenced in the second deed. (I don’t know about this other abt 1/2 acre piece that is now also owned by the Church.) |
| Deed is actually dealing with a sale of land to Gilbert Esarey from the George McClellen Cassidy estate but it makes a reference that the land that is being deeded to Esarey excludes 2.85 acres that George and Harriet Cassidy deeded to Rev Paul Scchulter in Deed Record 54, page 245. That Deed Record 54 deals with part of the St. Isidore church. But this second deed is not addressing that land. It addressing a sale to Gilbert of land adjacent to the church. The deed also references to other St. John Church deeds (Deed Record 20 on page 254 and Deed Record 7 on page 385). |
| ————————————————————————————————————————————————-Litherland’s are sellers is also in that same Section. |
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James Cassidy is also in that same Section 25.
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| —————————————————————————————————————————————————The fourth deed from Harriet and Sarah Jane Cassidy is in that same Section 25 (plus Sect 36 south of 25). |
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Four deeds seem to be covering the area where St. Isidore is at these days.
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