Mount Olive Cemetery Fund
TYPE OF FUND: Cemetery Fund
DATE ESTABLISHED: December 2022
PURPOSE: The purpose of this fund is to create perpetual funding for the ongoing maintenance, upkeep, and preservation of the Mount Olive Cemetery located outside of Philippi in Barbour County, West Virginia.
DISTRIBUTION: An annual grant will be issued for the maintenance, upkeep, and beautification of Mount Olive Cemetery, with the recommendation of the Grants Committee and full approval of the TCF Board of Directors.
VARIANCE POWER: If, in the judgment of the TCF Board of Directors, the restrictions and conditions of the fund become unnecessary, incapable of fulfillment, or inconsistent with the charitable needs of the community, the TCF Board of Directors maintains the right to modify the terms of this fund. TCF has exclusive legal control over its assets.
BACKGROUND: On September 15, 1800, Isaac Votaw and his wife, Ann, from Harrison County in the state of Virginia, entered into an agreement with Benjamin Yates, John Votaw, Zacariah Ellyson, Moses Cotaw, Preston Beck, and Isaac Votaw Jr. These individuals, members of the Richland Meeting, acted as trustees for the specific purpose of holding a designated tract of land in trust for the Society of Friends of the Richland Meeting. This land was intended to serve as a meeting place and burial ground.
In the late 1940s, Judge Ira Robinson, founder and president of the Barbour County Historical Society and a descendant of Quaker ancestry, began researching the history of the Friends known to have lived in the area. It is known that the Society of Friends maintained a meeting place near what is now Cherry Hill Farm.
Since that time, trustees have been appointed to ensure the cemetery's continued maintenance. Over the years, the cemetery has been cleared by volunteers and maintained through donations. Because the trustees do not charge for grave sites, they have been able to hire someone to mow the cemetery. Currently, there are five trustees: John Green (President), David Matko (Vice President and Assistant Treasurer), Carolyn Waddell (Secretary & Treasurer), Ladonna Davis, and Chris Irvine.
