"The Salem church was founded in the year 1851, and the chapel was built in the year 1853. The number of members at the time was 24. The Rev. John H. Evans [memorial ID 9445503] was minister, Hugh Elias [151876460], William Ellis [47838539] and Morgan Williams [117594749] were deacons, and Cadwaladr Jones [47841606] was later.

Salem Church flourished for a long time — there were numerous Sunday School and church and literary meetings of real value; and granted that the Welsh language is losing ground in the area, it would have lost much more if it had not been for the Welsh literary meetings held in Salem for about twenty years. After the disincorporation of the church by the officers of the District Meeting, almost all of the members and their letters came to Jerusalem, and they were and are faithful members."

Y Cyfaill, Mar 1910, image 23. Digitally translated from the National Library of Wales digital Welsh Journals collection.

Salem Church was founded after a congregational split caused by "The Log Chapel Quarrel." In 1851, there was a church meeting at which an ecclesiastical debate about burials became heated. Rev. John H Evan's obituary recounted, "Early in the history of the institution a bitter, foolish and unprovoked quarrel arose between influential persons in the churches. It profoundly affected the society of the area. It resulted in the creation of churches and cemeteries because as the founders could not agree alive or dead. The upheaval stirred up all the churches of the denomination in the province and the assembly so that the ministers and preachers became estranged from each other; the quarrel for the years was the matter of the District Meeting and the Assembly, and the quarrel ended before the death of all of that generation. In the meantime, the leaders of the dispute were behaving respectfully of each other outside of the disagreement."

Though there was a Welsh-American press, no articles have been found in which a full account of the events is given.

Examining several sources, it seems that some church leaders argued that only active members of the Congregation of the Log Chapel (later known as Jerusalem Church) and their family members should have the privilege of burial in the church yard. Some leaders and parishioners were deeply offended by the policy and left the flock. Land was secured for what would become Salem Cemetery, which served the needs of the wider community. In March of 1852, the cemetery's first funeral and burial service was held for Owen Thomas. He was the son of John W. Thomas, a deacon at Bethania Church, which had no cemetery.

Obit of J.H. Evans, Y Drych, 16 Sept 1915, p. 1. National Library of Wales Newspaper Collection. Translated using Google Translate.