The decision came following a community meeting in which the foundation’s archaeology team, First Baptist’s Let Freedom Ring Foundation, key historians, anthropologists and the descendants sat down to discuss their options.  Additionally, historians discovered a list of names of congregation members found at the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library titled, “Baptismal, Memberships and Death: 1865.” The list includes nearly 1,650 names. The discovery has helped further the church’s understanding of its descendants and plays a crucial role in its history.