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Hiram J Lynch (1851VA-1914WV), s/o William Burnside & Mary Catherine (Lambert) Lynch, married Susan Virginia Ritter in 1894.
19 January 1899 they signed a contract with an oil company (Bk 105; Pg 143) for removal of oil and gas from underneath their then 568 acres of land, (price then about $1.56/barrel). A clause stated:
"...reserving however, therefrom about 20 acres as below described & church & graveyard around the buildings on which no well shall be drilled...."
The entire area blossomed for a few years from the oil boom. By the summer of 1901 the drilling was completed and the Lynch farm "...returned to its former pastoral atmosphere."
Susie, her three kids and widowed mother-in-law, Mary C (Lambert) Lynch, are found in John Clayton's household (Mary's son-in-law) for Wilmington, New Castle county, Delaware's 1900 census. Then, Susie and Hiram reportedly moved to Philadelphia for a couple years while her younger sister Ollie Jane's husband, William Albert Maxwell (1865WV-1941) and youngest brother, Dakon Edmund "Ed" Ritter (1875WV-1950) bought Hiram's store, with Maxwell's family moving March 1900, living in the "House in the Pines". Hiarm also sold off all his livestock except old grey mare, Granny. Susie & Hiram returning about March 1903, repurchasing the store, restocking farm with livestock and helping to oversee construction of new church building. Ed Ritter married Belva Swiger in 1902, became a medical doctor, and had five known children.
The historic Twin Houses were built ca1904, with oil money by Hiram & Susie Lynch after completion of the church building. Houses are furnished free gas for lighting, heating and reportedly were built for Hiram's two older married sisters, each having children, Berda Barbee and Ann Clayton. However, H W Lynch, IV wrote Berda returned to Philadelipha in 1904, --- before houses were completed in 1905. (later, both sisters filed a law suit ending at the state supreme court with ruling against Hiram's estate. Property and mineral rights were then divided three ways), so, Berda seemingly never occupied her house, it was occupied by Hiram, Susie & their growing family of four children, Susie, 'til her 1958 death.
Area of Lynchburg, http://community.webtv.net/billboggess3/LIFEATLYNCHBURG , name was changed to Maken, to satisfy the railroad, --- easterly, the area of Wolf Summit is reported having interurban streetcar service before 1915, but it all disppeared, --- leaving behind the 1903 built Maken/Point Pleasant Methodist church, its ca1853/5 relocated cemetery, both abandoned in 1964 by Methodist church, the ca1904 built Twin Houses one of which Hiram's youngest sister Ann lived in till death, then Susie's oldest daughter "Byrd", --- oil wells still providing "black gold" to a pumping station near Jarvisville road & Tenmile creek, which the oil company recently purchased land on which it sits, across Wizzardism run from the abandoned church cemetery, from heirs of the Lynch who owned that property.
Today Susie Lynch's grand, great grand and her great, great grandchildren are enjoying royalties from the oil company with price 07/03/08 peaking at nearly 100 times its 1906 price, over $147/barrel --- brought about by our high consumption, our weakening dollar and competing with China & India), ----- there are NO records of ANY royalties having ever been paid to the church for oil and gas being removed from beneath its one+ acre of property, --- location, somewhat in middle of Lynch's original 568 acres, --- granted, one acre is not much ----- but, its oil and gas, has and is being removed without known compensation, or consideration thus far shown for 109 years, while the oil company's profits swell to new all-time record highs.
The oil company was contacted by an official of the church and myself in 2006, we finding they are perfectly content on NOT providing any royalties nor assistance to the abandoned cemetery for oil &/or gas removed from below its 1858 recorded land in said BK 43 ; Pg 57, since removal started in 1899.
My aunt Edith (Boggess) Hough (1906MO-1996MD) http://files.usgwarchives.org/mo/jasper/bios/houghbog9bs.txt , attending 1918 burial of her grandmother, she and daughter Jane, in 1948, visited the Boggess and Wood gravesites finding all was well. They reported the Boggess monument was a duplicate of one in Park cemetery, Carthage, Missouri(ah).
Bertha with recently deceased husband Charles "Bud" Webb, bought the historic easterly Twin House from daughter of Susie Lynch, the sixth of eight known children, Mrs Catherine (Lynch) Teter in 1984, who requested they look after the cemetery, even with having no one buried in it. The Webbs beautifully restored this now, more than one-hundred year old historic land-mark --- self-pledging to look after the Methodist's church abandoned cemetery. Bertha said she and Bud saw the Boggess monument upright when first visiting the cemetery.
Overhead telephone lines cross the cemetery in location of toppeled Boggess monument, extending easterly - westerly, as shown on 1976 USGS topographic map, with repair or construction after 1984, reportedly pulling wires by use of horses. This might explain damage, such as the ton or more Boggess marble monument being knocked over and broken? I understand some of their debris was left on the church and abandoned cemetery property. It is assumed (?) they have a recorded right-of-way (perhaps someone local will check).
September 2003, Bertha sent me a copy of letter she found in her (Susie's) house from uncle Hale M Boggess (1879WV-1942MO) http://files.usgwarchives.org/mo/jasper/obits/b/boggess9ob.txt to Susie Lynch dated 24 May 1932 asking her to decorate his --- "...father and mothers grave."
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