Obed Denham

The Bethel Baptist Church was organized in 1798, as an anti-slavery church. Obed Denham, abolitionist and founder of Bethel, donated two lots for the church to build a meeting house and cemetery. Denham placed a deed restriction upon the gift, prohibiting the use by “those who hold slaves or commune at the Lord’s table with those who practice slavery.”

At Bethel Obed Denham purchased a tract of land, 1,500 acres in extent, on which he settled on the year 1797. He was a native of Virginia, but came here directly from Kentucky. He was a man of strong convictions, and disliking slavery, came to the then newly-consecrated territory of freedom with his family and kin, and having considerable means, was one of the prominent figures of the early history of the county. His home was just beyond the northwest limits of Bethel, where he died in 1817; his wife, Mary, deceased the following year, at the age of sixty-six years. They had sons named Timothy, who died in the township; John, who was a mill-owner; James, who lived a mile northwest of the village, but moved to Illinois many years ago; Obed E., who lived north of the village until his death. Of his daughters, Charity married Jeremiah Beck, and Sarah, Davis Crane. Rev. John Denham, a brother of Obed, lived on the same survey (No. 2373), in the eastern part. He was a Baptist preacher and a very old man when he came here, dying not many years after. His history, consequently, is poorly recollected. One of his sons was also called James, and from the fact of his being a very tall man was usually called "Long Jim." Rebecca, a daughter of Rev. John Denham, became the wife of Levi Beck. At one time the Denham's were very numerous in Tate, but by death and removal the number of the descendants has become very few, and the name now seldom occurs.