Category: People, Places
By1871, the men of the U.S. Colored Troops who had fought so hard for their country had returned home as free men. Their families were free as well. The world had changed, but there were some things that hadn’t. Nine formerly enslaved families would come together, and pool their small funds, to establish Smith Chapel A.M.E. Church, joining St. Johns A.M.E. in St. Charles, Sage Chapel A.M.E. in O’Fallon, and Grant Chapel A.M.E. in Wentzville. Each would built a house of worship, a burying ground for their loved ones, and a schoolhouse for their children. Only in Smith Chapel will you find at least three of these former soldiers, Benjamin Ogelsby, Smith Ball, and Martin Boyd who took the extra step, a very dangerous one, during the Civil War to flee their enslavers, and using the Underground Railroad, make their way to enlist. Which is why the Smith Chapel Cemetery in Foristell, Missouri is listed as one of the 800 sites on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Sites.
They would purchase one acre of land from another Union soldier, a German man from Ohio named William Potes, and his wife Ursala, for forty dollars. They would establish that one third of that acre would be used for the Chapel, one third would be for the cemetery to bury their loved ones, and one third would be for an establishment of a schoolhouse named Douglass for their children. [See the previous post about Douglass Schoolhouse at https://stcharlescountyhistory.org/2022/03/12/douglass-school/ ]
Among the Church’s Trustees were Smith Ball, Benjamin Oglesby, and Martin Boyd. Freedom seeker Smith Ball would make his way to St. Charles on February 28, 1864, and enlist in Company B of the 68th U.S. Colored Troops. Benjamin Oglesby fled from his enslaver Marshall Bird and enlisted on February 14, 1864, in Company D of the U.S. 56th U.S. Colored Troops. On October 31, 1864, Martin Boyd would flee for freedom and be taken in at Fort Peruque near Wentzville, enlisting in Company B of the U.S. 49th Colored Troops. [For more about the 56th U.S. C.T. see https://stcharlescountyhistory.org/2022/07/24/56th-u-s-colored-troops/ ]
Ogelsby’s son-in-law Jackson Luckett, along with Nathaniel Abington, Austin “Oss” Pringle, his son-in-law Smith Ball, David Bird, Thomas McClean, Mark Robinson, Claiborne Richards, and Martin Boyd were the Trustees for Smith Chapel AME Church’s Cemetery at Snow Hill. While the Church and school are gone and have ceased to be used, the cemetery has been in continual use for over 150 years. The lives of these hard working people whose stories are now etched in stone, are somewhat tumbled and tossed but still give their testimony to all that care to visit. The Cemetery is tenderly and lovingly cared for by descendants of those who are buried there, and a sister church in Wright City. For more about this special place see its website SmithChapel.com
Smith Chapel A.M.E. has been awarded a Grant from the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Currently they are working with a professional cemetery restorationist in order to repair headstones. They are working with the St. Charles Community College American History Service Learning classes, to assist in the restoration work, perform research and collect oral histories from area residents. There will be educational standards placed at the entrance, the site of the schoolhouse, the site of the church and at the cemetery. The one at the cemetery will list the known burials, many of which are veterans. As long as a name can is known, they are not forgotten.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY HISTORY 
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