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BOOK    286.H629   c.  1 

HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST    DENOMINATION 

IN    GEORGIA    #    HISTORY    OF    BAPTIST    D 


3  T1S3  DQDTOflDM  2 


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JAMES    EDWARD   OGLETHORPE. 


GENERAL  JAMES  EDWARD  OGLETHORPE, 

The  founder  and  first  Governor  of  the  Colony  of  Georgia, 
was  born  in  London,  England,  December  21st,  1688.  He  was 
educated  partly  at  Corptis  Christi  College.  In  1714  he  was  a 
Captaifi  in  the  first  troop  of  Queen  Anne's  Guards,  and  after- 
wards served  under  Prince  Eugene.  At  the  age  of  3jf.  he  was 
elected  a  Member  of  the  Parlianieitt  for  Haslemere,  in  Surrey^ 
and  continued  to  represent  it  forj2  years.  He  Tuas  Chair/nan  of 
the  Parliament  committee  for  inqitiring  into  the  state  of  the 
Jails,  which  was  formed  in  February,  1728,  and,  this,  finally, 
led  to  his  embarkation  for  Georgia  with  a  colony  of  distressed 
debtors,  and  others,  who  zvere  desirous  of  seeking  an  asylum  in 
the  luilds  of  America.  He  embarked  for  Georgia  with  116 
settlers,  in  Ahwember,  17 J2,  and  reached  Charleston  January 
ijth,  17JJ.  A  few  days  after,  he  arrived  at  Yamacraw, 
Georgia,  and  marked  out  the  site  of  Savannah.  He  left 
Georgia  for  England  in  174},  to  answer  charges  preferred  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Cook,  which,  by  a  court-martial,  were 
declared  groundless  and  malicious,  and  Cook  was  dismissed 
from  the  service,  hi  IT44  ^^  '^'^^  appointed  a  field-ofiiccr 
under  Field-Marshal,  the  Earl  of  Stair,  to  resist  an  expected 
invasion  by  France.  Ln  174^ he  was  appointed Major-General, 
in  1747  Lieutenaftt-General,  and  in  ij6o  General  of  the  forces 
of  His  Majesty,  the  King  of  England.  He  lived  till  the  ist 
of  July,  17SJ,  a  venerable  instance  to  what  a  duration  a  life 
of  temperance  and  virtuous  labor  is  capable  of  being  protracted. 
For  his  matiy  great  and  meritorious  virtues,  he  received  from 
the  Duke  of  Argyle  a  full  testimony,  in  the  British  Senate, 
io  his  military  character,  to  his  natural  generosity,  to  .his 
contempt  of  danger,  and  to  his  regard  for  the  public  welfare. 


e^ 


HISTORY 


^ 


■^' 


OF  THE 


"■"S  t 


181  uenonnnaiion  m  i^eoma; 


b 


Biographical  Compendium  and  Portrait   Gallery 

OF  Baptist  Ministers  and  Other 

Georgia  Baptists. 


I  WILL  GIVE  you  PASTORS  ACCORDING  TO 
MINE  HEART,  WHICH  SHALL  FEED  YOU  WITH 
KNOWLEDGE   AND    UNDERSTANDING. 


Jeremiah  3:iS- 


compiled   for  the  christian   index. 


ATLANTA,    GEORGIA  : 
Jas.  p.  Harrison  Sl  Co.,  Printers  and  Publishers. 


TABLE  OF  CX3NTENTS. 


V 


"^ 


^ 


^ 


\; 


Preliminary  History,  1733-1770. — The  Settlement  of  Georgia  1111733 — The  Result  of  a  Colonization 
Scheme  which  Proved  a  Failure — Oglethorpe  Returns  to  England  in  1743 — Georgia  Became  a  Royal 
Province  in  1752 — John  Reynolds  the  first  Governor— Not  till  1754  did  the  Province  Begin  to  Pros- 
per— A  New  System  of  Government — The  First  Legislature  Met  in  January,  1755 — The  Second 
General  Assembly  met  in  1758 — Early  Laws — Governor  Ellis  Recalled  and  Sir  James  Wright  Ap- 
pointed Governor  in  1760 — Indian  Depredations — Prosperity  Under  Governor  Wright's  Administra- 
tion— George  III  Proclaimed  King  in  1761 — The  Indian  Treaty  of  1763  gains  Georgia  Territorial 
Acquisition  to  the  Mississippi — Its  General  Condition  at  that  Time — Character  and  Ability  of 
Governor  Wright. 

The  First  Baptists  in  the  State,  1740-1772. — Whitefield's  Orphan  Asylum — Nicholas  Bedgewood 
r\  adopts  Baptist  Views  and  is  Ordained — Early  Georgia  Baptists  in  the  Neighborhood  of  Savannah- 

Benjamin  Stirk  Preaches  Until  1770— Rev.  Edmund  Botsford  Conies  to  Georgia  in  1781 — Some  Ac- 
count of  Him — He  Settles  at  Tuckaseeking — Daniel  Marshall  and  Introduction  of  Baptist  Prin- 
ciples into  Northern  Georgia— His  Arrest  for  Preaching — Samuel  Cartledge,  the  Constable — His 
Strange  Conviction — Daniel  Marshall's  Trial — Some  Account  of  Mr.  Barnard,  the  Justice  Who 
Tried  Mr.  Marshall — Kiokee  Church — Act  of  Incorporation— Sketch  of  Rev.  Daniel  Marshall — 
His  Death  in  1784 — His  Last  Words  and  Burial  Place, 


The  Revolutionary  Period,  1772-1774 — Labors  of  Edmund  Botsford—Visits  Kiokee— Preaches  for 
Daniel  Marshall — Loveless  Savidge — His  Conversion  to  the  Baptist  Faith — Botsford's  Labors — 
"The  Rum  is  Come" — He  is  Ordained. — Botsford's  Church  Constituted  in  1773 — His  Flight  in  1779 — 
Causes  of  the  Revolution — "  Liberty  Boys" — Georgia  Speaking  Out — Condition  of  the  State  in 
1772 — A  Provincial  Congress  Elected  in  1775 — In  1776  it  was  Resolved  to  Embark  in  the  Cause  of 
Freedom— Georgia  in  Active  Rebellion — Georgia  Subjugated  in  1779,  and  the  Royal  Government 
Re-established  in  Savannah  — Botsford  and  Silas  Mercer  Flee,  but  Daniel  Marshall  Stands  Firm— 
His  Trials  and   Labors — The  Licensure  System — Statistics  From  1788  to  1794. 


Growth  and  Organization,  1782-1799. — Peace — Savannah  Again  in  Our  Possession  in  July,  1783 — 
Georgia's  Desolate  Condition — Baptist  matters — Formation  of  the  Georgia  Associarion— Views 
of  Sherwood,  Benedict  and  Asplund^"  Begun  in  1784" — Two  Sessions  Annually  for  Half  a  Dozen 
Years — Extracts  From  Newton's  Diary — Alexander  Scott — Silas  Mercer — Sanders  Walker — Abra- 
ham Marshall — Evangelistic  Labors  at  the  Foundation  of  the  Baptist  Denomination  in  Georgia — 
James  Matthews — Precarious  Times — Formation  of  the  Hephzibah  Association  in  September, 
1795 — Formation  of  the  Sarepta  Association,  in  May,  1799. 

The  Powelton  Conferences,  1800-1803. — The  General  Aspect  of  Affairs — The  Condition  Peaceable 

and  Prosperous — But  Zion    Languishing — The    First    Step  Upward — Henry  Holcombe--Joseph 

Clay — C.  O.  Screven — Jesse  Mercer — The  Grand  "Departure" — The  Meeting  of  1801 — The  Second 

Conference  in  1802 — The  Report  Adopted— Results — Incident  in  the  Life  of  Mercer — Savannah 

*)  Association  Constituted  -in  1802, — Its  action  in  Regard  to  the  Powelton  Conference — The  First 

.^-^  General  Committee — Action  of  the  Committee^The  Religious  Condition  in  1803 — Origin  of  Bap- 

ft»^  list  Interest  in  Savannah — A  Church-  Organized   in    t8oo— The  Establishment  of  Colored  Baptist 

Churches  in  Savannah — And  a  Brief  Account  of  Them. 


IV  TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 

First  Evforts  at  Co-opekation,  1803-1810. — The  General  Committee  Organized  for  Work — First 
Circular  Address— Remarks  Concerning  the  General  Committee — First  Steps  towards  Establishing 
a  School  Among  the  Indians  and  a  Baptist  College — A  Charter  Refused  by  the  Legislature  — 
Jesse  Mercer's  Circular  Address  Defending  the  Committee — Mount  Enon  Adopted  as  a  Site  for  the 
Proposed  College — Incorporation  Still  Unattainable — The  General  Committee  Merged  into  a 
Permanent  Board  of  Trustees — Reasons  Why  the  Charter  was  Refused — But  the  "Trustees  of 
Mount  Enon  Academy"  Incorporated — An  Academy  Established,  which  Flourished  a  Few  Years 
Only. 

The  First  Five  Associations, 1810-1813. — General  Condition  of  Georgia  in  1810— General  Condition  of 
the  Denomination  at  the  Same  Time — Growth  of  the  Georgia  Association — Formation  and  Growth 
of  the  Hephzibah  Association — Formation  and  Growth  of  the  Sarepta  Association— The  Oc- 
mulgee  and  Savannah  Associations — Their  Growth — Singular  Formation  of  Black  C^reek  Church — 
Statistics  of  1813— A  Revival  — Laborious  Times  and  Pious  Men — Hostilities  Against  Great  Britain 
Declared  June  i8th,  1813 — L^nanimity  and  Patriotism  of  Baptist  Sentiment — Lumpkin  and  Rabun. 

Missionary,  1813-1820. — 1813  an  Epoch — The  Early  Mission  Spirit  on  the  Seaboard — Influencing  Char- 
acters— The  Savannah  River  Association  in  1813 — Formation  of  the  First  Georgia  Missionary  So- 
ciety— Missionary  Enthusiasm — A  Remarkable  Circular — It  is  R'ead  Before  the  Georgia  Associa- 
tion by  Jesse  Mercer — Meeting  Appointed  at  Powelton  in  1815 — A  Strong  Missionary  Society 
Formed — The  Georgia  Association  Takes  Hold  of  the  Missionary  Work  in  Earnest — The  Ocmul- 
gee  Association  — Patriotic  Circulars — The  Mission  Spirit  in  the  Ocmulgee  Association — "  The 
Ocmulgee  Mission  Society"  Formed  in  July,  1815 — The  Mission  Spirit  in  the  Sarepta  Association — 
A  Mission  Society  Formed  in  June,  1816 — The  Resolution  of  Dr.  Sherwood  in  1820 — Spirit  of  the 
Hephzibah  Association — It. Favors  the  "General  Committee" — Favors  Itineracy  and  Domestic 
Missions — The  Hephzibah  Baptist  Society  for  Itinerant  and  Missionary  E.xertions,  Formed  in 
February,  1816 — A  Foreign  Mission  Society  Formed  in  1818 — The  Ebenezer  Association  Formed  in 
March,  1814 — The  Tugalo  and  Pied.r.ont  Associations  formed  in  1817 — State  of  Religion  in  the 
Second  Decade  of  the  Century. 

GH-A-DPTIEI^  IX:. 

Indian  Reform,  1818-1824. — Feeling  in  Regard  to  Indian  Reformation  in  the  Beginning  of  the  Cen- 
tury— Extract  from  the  Mission  Board  of  the  Georgia  Association  in  1818 — Desire  of  the  Indians- 
First  Steps  Taken  by  the  Ocmulgee  Association — "  Plan"  for  "  Indian  Reform"  Adopted — Inter- 
esting Letter  from  Doctor  Staughton — General  Government  Appropriations — Appointment  of 
Francis  Flournoy — Some  Account  of  Him — His  Vindication  and  Death — Appointment  of  E.  L. 
Compere — Establishment  of  a  School  and  Mission  at  Withington  Station — Action  of  the  Ebenezer 
Association — Zeal  and  Liberality  of  the  Ladies — Report  of  the  Ocmulgee  and  Georgia  Associa- 
tions in  1824 — General  View. 

Gxai^^i^TEi^  x:. 

The  General  Association,  1820-1823.  -Action  of  the  Sarepta  Association  in  1802 — Considered  Fa- 
vorably by  the  Ocmulgee  and  Georgia  Associations — Disregarded  by  the  Ebenezer  and  Hephzibah — 
Considered  unfavorably  by  itself — The  General  Meeting  in  Powelton  in  June,  1822 — Notabilities 
Present — Sermon  by  Sherwood  and  Prayer  by  Mercer — The  Constitution  Presented  by  Brantly — 
Its  Adoption — Extracts  from  the  Circular  Letter — Second  Session  of  the  General  Association  and 
its  Action — Action  of  the  Sarepta  in  1823 — The  Sunbury  Association  Joins  the  General  Associa- 
tion in  1823 — The  Ebenezer  Declines  to  Unite  with  The  General  Association — Action  of  the  Heph- 
zibah— Brantly,  Sherwood,  Armstrong,  Kilpatrick. 

cxb:j^:e't:hi-jei  ikz. 

State  of  Religion,  1822-1826. — The  Sunbury  Association,  Slight  Review — The  Savannah  Church, 
Some  of  its  Pastors — State  of  Religion  in  the  Sunbury  Association,  in  the  Third  Decade  of  the 
Century— Augusta,  a  Baptist  Church  Constituted  there  in  1817 — The  Shoal  Creek  Convention — 
Efforts  of  the  General  Association — Uniformity  of  Discipline,  Effort  to  Promote  it  Falls  Through — 


TABLE   OF    CONTENTS.  V 

Want  of  Harmony— Address  of  General  Association  of  1825— Why  Given — Position  of  the  Gen- 
eral Association  in  Regard  to  Education — The  Association,  Disappointed,  Recommends  the 
Formation  of  Auxiliary  Societies  in  1826 — A  Constitution  Recommended — The  Ebenezer  Associ- 
ation—Mission Arguments  of  that  Day — Prominent  Men — Hephzibah  Association— The  Sarepta 
Association — Yellow  River  and  Flint  River  Associations— Denominational  Statistics  in  1824. 

Educational,  1825-1829. — '"  Indian  Reform"  Once  More— Conclusion  of  that  Mission — Cause  of 
its  Abandonment — Sketch  of  E.  L.  Compere— Contributions  of  the  Georgia  Baptists — Interest 
in  Education — Few  Educated  Men — The  State  Convention  and  Education— Address  of  1826 — 
Columbian  College— A  Fund  for  Theological  Education — Opponents  of  Education — Some  of  their 
Notions — Anecdotes  Illustrative  of  Ignorance—"  Go  Preach  My  Gospel" — What  Mercer  Said 
About  "  Inspired  Sermons" — Dr.  A.  Sherwood. 

GIa:J^:P1?:BI^  xzixx. 

Mercer  Institute,  1829-1839.— The  Penfield  Legacy — Who  Helped  to  Secure  it— Sherwood's  Res- 
olution— $1,500  Raised — Instructions  to  the  Executive  Committee  — Dr.  Sherwood's  Manual  La- 
bor School  Near  Eatonton — Mercer  Institute  Opened  January,  1833 — Plan  of  Mercer  Institute — 
B.  M.  Sanders  Placed  at  its  Head — A  Baptist  College  at  Washington  Proposed  and  Abandoned — 
Mercer  University— Report  of  Trustees  for  1838 — Acts  of  Incorporation,  of  Convention  and 
College — The  First  Board  of  Trustees — Their  First  Report,  Showing  the  Organization  of  the  Col- 
lege and  its  Financial  Condition — Classes  Organized  in  January,  1839 — B.  M.  Sanders,  the  First 
President  of   Mercer  University — His   Farewell  Address — The  Blacks  not  Forgotten. 

Anti-Effort  Secession,  1817-1837 — The  Spirit  of  Opposition— Its  Causes — First  Manifestation  in  the 
Hephzibah — the  Mission  Spirit  in  that  Association  in  1817,  1818 — Charles  J.  Jenkins — Sketch  of  his 
Life — The  Association  gives  the  Cold  Shoulder  to  Missions  and  Education — Jordan  Smith  Leads  ofE 
a  Faction  in  1828 — Which  forms  the  Canoochee  Association — Resolution  of  the  Piedmont  Association 
in  1819 — Isham  Peacock — The  Ebenezer  Association,  Session  of  1816 — Enters  upon  Indian  Reform 
Mission  in  1820—  Abandons  it  in  1823 — In  1836  Decides  in  Favor  of  Missions,  etc. — A  Division  Oc- 
curs— Its  Circular  Letter  of  1836 — The  Anti-Mission  Spirit  in  the  Ocmulgee — It  Declares  Non- 
Fellowship  with  those  Favoring  Benevolent  Schemes — Troubles  Begin — Formation  of  the  Central 
Association — The  Sarepta  Joins  the  Convention — A  Division  of  the  Association  Ensues—"  Pro- 
test "  and  "  Answer  " — The  Itcheconnah  Divides— The  Yellow  River  Follows  Suit— The  Flint 
River  Keeps  the  Ball  Rolling — While  the  Columbus  and  Western  Feel  the  Doleful  Effects  of  the 
Anti-Mission  Spirit — Division  is  Consummated — The  General  Feeling  of  the  Times,  1833-1837' 
Illustrated  by  Incidents. 

Religious  History,  1826- 1836. — The  Great  Revival  of  1827 — Accessions  to  the  Different  Associations — 
Reports  for  1829— The  Anti-Intemperate  Society — Georgia  Association  of  1828  and  1829— The  Sun- 
bury  Association— Religious  Condition  in  1830 — Denominational  Statistics — Religious  Condition 
from  1830  to  1836— Described  by  Jesse  Mercer — Dr.  C.  D.  Mallary's  Statement— What  a  Writer  in 
The  Index  Said — The  Convention  Still  Presses  Forward — Revival  Incidents — The  Convention 
Resolution  of  1835 — Campbell's  Call  for  the  Forsyth  Meeting — Its  Proceedings— Communications 
from  Dr.  Hillyer,  Dr.  Campbell  and  Rev,  T.  B.  Slade — Peace  Dawns  Once  More — The  Meeting 
at  Covington. 

General  State  of  the  Denomination,  1840-1846 — The  Convention  of  1840 — The  Christian  Index 
removed  to  Georgia-  Influence  of  the  Paper — Mercer  University  in  1840 — State  of  Religious  Feel- 
ing—Report on  State  Missions  for  1842  -Death  of  Jesse'  Mercer — Report  on  his  Death,  by  C.  D. 
Mallary — His  Influence — Georgia  Baptist  Statistics — Report  on  State  Missions  for  1845 — Report 
of  Brethren  Appointed  to  Attend  the  Organization  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention — Account 
of  the  Organization  of  that  Convention— Causes  which  Led  to  it — Georgians  Present — Previous 
Course  of  the  Abolitionists — Effect  of  the  Division  on  Southern  Contributions — Sketch  of  Dr. 
Johnson,  its  First  President— Messengers  to  the  Old  Triennial  Convention, 


VI  TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 

Denominational  History,  1845-1861. — Action  of  the  State  Convention  in  Regard  to  Separation — 
Effects  of  the  Rupture  on  Southern  Benevolence — Washington  Association — Western  Associa- 
tion— Rehoboth  Association — Bethel  and  Columbus  Associations — Coosa  and  Tallapoosa  Associa- 
tions— The  United  Baptists — State  of  Religion  in  1850— The  Hearn  Manual  Labor  School — Noble 
Men  of  that  Period  and  what  they  Did — The  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention — Why  Constituted — 
Its  Formation  and  Progress — Cherokee  Baptist  College  and  Woodlawn  College — Mission  Among 
the  Cherokees — David  Foreman  and  E.  L.  Compere — T/ie  Landmark  Banner  and  Cherokee 
BaJ>tist--'Y\ve,  Morth  Georgia  Missionary  Association — The  Ten  Years  Preceding  the  War — The 
Bible  Board  and  Colporter  Society — Exciti  ;g  Questions — Associations  in  the  Georgia  Baptist 
Convention,  and  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention,  before  the  War,  and  their  Benevolent  Contribu- 
tions. 

Denominational  History,  1861-1881. — The  Secession  of  the  Southern  States— Action  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention,  at  Savannah — Of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  at  Athens — Of  the  Cherokee 
Baptist  Convention  at  Calhoun — The  Christian  Index  ;  Its  History  from  I833 — The  Property  of 
Jesse  Mercer  until  1839— Of  'he  Baptist  State  Convention  until  1861 — Of  S.  Boykin  until  1865 — 
Of  J.  J.  Toon  until  1873 — Of  J.  P,  Harrison  &  Co.  to  the  Present  Date — Evangelistic  Labor  in 
the  Army — State  of  Religion  After  the  Return  of  Peace — Colored  Baptists  ;  their  Associations 
and  Conventions — Atlanta  Baptist  Seminary  ;  Drs.  Robert  and  Shaver — Statistics  of  the  Denomi- 
nation in  the  State  for  1881 — Fifty  Years  Ago  and  Now. 

History  of  Mercer  University,  1813-1881. — A  Brief  Retrospect — Origin  of  the  Anti-Mission  Bap- 
tists, Called  "  Old  School  Baptists  " — Something  of  their  Creed  and  Policy — The  Regular  Baptists 
Slightly  Compared — Was  the  Tendency  of  the  Convention  Evil  ? — Mercer's  Reply — Early  Benefi- 
ciaries of  the  Convention — Mercer  Institute,  under  Sander's  Management — Manual  Labor  Sus- 
pended in  the  University  in  1844 — First  Graduates  of  Mercer — Theological  Department,  Why  Dis- 
continued— Classical  Department — Law  School — How  the  War  Affected  Mercer — Removal  of 
Mercer  University — Future  of  the  College— Presidents  and  Professors — The  Several  Administra- 
tions— Some  of  its  Professors — Mercer  the  Rallying  Point  of  the  Denomination. 

Position  on  Various  Matters,  1794-1881 — The  Georgia  Baptists  and  Patriotism — "Goodwill  to 
Man" — Marital  Rights  of  Slaves — Temperance— The  Baptists  Never  Likely  to  Form  a  Party — The 
Act  of  1785  to  Support  Ministers  out  o  f  the  Public  Treasury — Remonstrance  of  the  Georgia  Bap- 
tists— The  Baptists  and  Religious  Liberty — Mercer  Writes  that  Section  in  the  State  Constitution — 
A  Strong  Baptist  Protest— Education  of  Colored  Ministers — Pulpit  Affiliation  in  the  Olden  Time — 
No  open  Communion  Among  the  Early  Baptists  of  Georgia — Pulpit  Courtesies  Allowed  to  Pedo- 
baptists,but  their  Official  Acts  not  Recognized — The  Constitution  of  the  Richland  Church — The 
Case  of  Mr,  Hutchinson — Jesse  Mercer  on  not  Recognizing  Pedobaptist  Immersion — Extracts 
from  Sherwood's  Manuscripts.  ' 


PREFACE. 


One  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  Georgia  was  not  settled.  And  one  hundred 
years  ago,  there  were  but  few  Baptists  in  the.  State.  We  had  then  not  half  a 
dozen  churches  here,  and  no  District  Associations  at  all.  Now,  counting  Mis- 
sionary and  Anti-Missionary  Baptists,  we  have  eighty-five  white  Associations, 
1, 800  white  churches  and  120,000  white  church  members.  In  addition, 
there  are,  among  the  colored  people,  over  thirty  Associations,  about  900  churches 
and  110,000  church  members.  The  adherents  of  our  faith,  therefore,  make  a 
grand  total  of  230,000.  The  history  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  a  denomination 
containing  such  large  numbers  should  be  interesting  and  certainly  is  worthy  of 
investigation.  In  truth,  it  appears  but  a  simple  matter  of  justice  and  propriety, 
that  a  connected  historical  account,  even  though  brief,  of  the  Baptists  of  Georgia 
should  be  compiled. 

This  attempt  to  present  the  main  facts  attending  the  origin  and  growth  of 
Baptist  sentiments  in  Georgia,  is,  necessarily,  a  compilation.  It  embodies,  how- 
ever, the  results  of  an  investigation  of  a  large  amount  of  materials  collected  from 
various  sources.  Among  them  we  may  mention  complete  files  of  the  Georgia 
Baptist  Convention  and  the  Georgia  Association;  the  volumes  of  The  Chris- 
tian Index  since  its  removal  to  Georgia ;  and  all  the  collections  of  the  Georgia 
Baptist  Historical  Society,  embracing  the  series  of  Minutes  of  District  Associa- 
tions in  the  State,  preserved  by  successive  clerks  of  the  Convention  ;  as  also  files 
of  Association  Minutes  which  friends  have  loaned  us,  and  excerpts  of  the  most 
important  facts  contained  in  them,  which  they  have  kindly  written  out  for  us. 
Beside  these,  the  works  of  Benedict,  Campbell,  Mallary,  Mercer  and  Marshall, 
have  been  of  great  service.  The  Analytical  Repository,  published  at  Savannah, 
by  Dr.  Holcombe,  in  the  beginning  of  the  century,  has  furnished  valuable  in- 
formation. But  the  most  weighty  assistance,  perhaps,  has  been  rendered  by  the 
writings  of  Dr.  Adiel  Sherwood — especially  the  series  of  articles  on  "Jesse  Mercer 
and  his  Times,"  prepared  by  him,  twenty  years  ago,  for  The  Christian  Index 
much  of  which  has  never  seen  the  light.  We  were  so  fortunate,  also,  as  to 
secure  the  papers  pertaining  to  Georgia  Baptist  History,  collected  by  Dr.  David 
Benedict,  and  deposited  by  him  with  the  American  Baptist  Historical  Society, 
Philadelphia;  among  which  was  the  manuscript  history  of  Georgia,  by  Dr. 
Sherwood,  referred  to  by  Dr.  Benedict  in  the  notes  to  his  History  of  the  De- 
nomination. 

These  materials,  and  many  more,  have  been  employed  to  construct  this  brief 
History  of  Georgia  Baptists,  and  for  the  purposes  of  the  Biographical  Compen- 
dium. All  suitable  facts  have  been  used,  wherever  found,  nor  have  we  deemed 
it  necessary  always  to  quote  our  authority.     It  has  been  our  great  object  to 


VIII  PREFACE. 

gather  and  connect  together,  as  well  as  could  be  done  in  a  limited  space  and 
v'  ithin  a  short  period,  the  main  features,  so  far  as  they  are  ascertainable,  of  the 
: ;  >  ■  I  >  I  ■  I :  I  )  n  ination  in  the  State.  We  have  aimed  to  present  them  in  a 
■  1  )  '.  . :  and  popular  form — to  make  plain  and  clear  statements  ;  and  therefore 
we  have  not  sought  after  the  embellishments  of  style,  nor  the  mere  graces  of 
composition.  We  have  striven  especially  to  be  accurate.  Such  facts  only  are 
given  as  we  believe  to  be  entirely  raliable,  and  for  which  we  have  what  com- 
mends itself  to  us  as  good  authority ;  and  we  are  confident  that  the  reader  may 
rely  on  the  correctness  of  the  record.  If,  occasionally,  the  same  incident  is  men- 
tioned more  than  once,  this  happens  because  different  lines  of  research  and  nar- 
rative touch  or  cross  each  other,  and  it  will  be  found  that  such  dual  notice,  while 
it  vindicates  the  truth  of  the  statement,  helps  to  fix  the  fact  noticed  in  the  mind. 
To  return  thanks  one  by  one  to  the  brethren  who  have  placed  us  under  obli- 
gation by  kindly  assistance  in  this  work,  and  to  tell  over  their  names  from  first 
to  last,  would  be  a  sheer  impossibility.  But  while  we  cannot  thus  mention  all, 
there  are  some  to  whom  special  acknowledgment  is  due.  We  are  indebted  to 
Rev.  J.  H.  Kilpatrick  for  files  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  and  the  Georgia 
Association ;  to  Rev.  W.  L.  Kilpatrick,  for  documents  collected  by  him  as  Sec- 
retary of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Historical  Society ;  to  Rev.  S.  Boykin,  for  valuable 
services  in  the  preparation  of  the  History  and  many  of  the  Biographical  Sketches, 
and  to  Dr.  Shaver,  Rev.  C.  M.  Irwin,  and  his  wife,  for  diligent  and  faithful  work 
on  the  Compendium.  To  these,  and  to  all  who  have  furnished  us  records  or  facts, 
we  tender  our  most  grateful  thanks  for  their  aid  in  placing  on  permanent  record 
so  many  incidents  fraught  alike  with  interest  and  with  profit.  It  is  largely  through 
their  generous  help  that  our  fathers  stand  before  the  present  generation  on  these 
pages,  live  over  their  lives  among  us,  and  incite  us,  in  holy  emulation,  to  live  as 
they.  We  can  say  without  affectation,  and,  we  hope,  without  immodesty,  that 
a  desire  to  accomplish  good  animated  us  in  the  inception  of  this  enterprise,  and 
has  sustained  and  guided  us  through  all  its  stages.  If  the  cause  of  Christ  is 
promoted,  and  the  readers  of  the  volume  now  committed  to  the  public  are 
strengthened  for  more  vigorous  service  to  that  cause,  we  shall  feel,  even  in  the 
absence  of  all  other  reward,  that  our  "labor  has  not  been  in  vain  in  the  Lord." 

The  Index  Publishing  Company. 
Atlanta,  Georgia,  1881. 


Map  of  Georgia  in  1810. 


The  Map  of  Georgia  which  we  present,  wa>i  prepared  from  original  surveys  and  other  documents 
for  Eleazer  Early,  in  1818,  by  Daniel  Sturges.  The  entire  length  of  the  State  was  300  miles,  and  its 
breadth  240.  Its  area  was  58,000  square  miles,  or  87,120,000  acres,  and  the  inhabitants  numbered 
about  four  to  the  square  mile — say  230,000. 

The  following  table  will  give  an  exact  statement  of  the  area  and  population  of  each  county   in 


Bullock  . 
Burke.... 
Camden . . 
Chatham. 
Clarke . . . . 
Columbia 
Effingham 


Glyn 


jacksCn.;::;: 

Jasper 

Jefferson 

Liberty  

Madison' '.'.'.'.'. 

Mcintosh 

Montgomery 

Morgan 

Oglethorpe... 

Pulaski 

Putnam 

Richmond 


Tattnall  . . 
Telfair,... 
Twiggs.  . 
Warren  .. 
Washingto 
Wayne.... 
Wilkes  . . . . 
Wilkinson; 


15X 


Area, 
Square  M's. 

Population. 

244 

6,356 

43= 

2,827 

990 

2,305 

1,040 

10,858 

1,125 

3,9+ 

13.540 

280 

7,628 

500 

11,242 

485 

2,586 

S" 

12,156 

,.78 

780 

10,815 

396 

3.4'7 

440 

11,679 

451 

13,330 

528 

.0,569 

384 

7,573 

588 

6,111 

371 

8,579 

320 

2,220 

6.5 

6,228 

202 

4,555 

195 

3.730 

«47 

2.954. 

377 

8,369 

448 

12,259 

560 

2.993 

37° 

10,029 

31s 

6  189 

S40 

4.477 

1,190 

2,206 

414 

744 

362 

3.405 

420 

8.725 

648 

9,940 

501 

676 

500 
450 

14,887 
2.I.S4 

*  Laid  out  since  i8io. 

There  were,  as  we  see,  ^i)  counties  only,  with  a  population  of  about  225,000,  in  1810. 

The  territory  obtained  by  General  Jackson's  Treaty,  in  1814—164  miles  long  and  67,'-^  broad — con- 
tained 11,070  square  miles.  The  territory  occupied  by  the  Cherokees,  in  the  northern  pait  of  the 
State,  contained  16,815  square  miles.     It  was  160  miles  long  and  99J4  broad. 

The  territory  occupied  by  the  Lower  Creeks,  in  the  lower  western  part  of  the  State,  was  142  miles 
long,  io55<;  broad,  and  contained  14,981  square  miles.  We  thus  see  that,  in  1810,  15,134  square  miles 
only  were  laid  out  and  occnpied  by  the  white  people,  which  was  less  than  one-fourth  of  the  whole. 
While  the  Indians  enjoyed  the  usufruct,  or  right  of  occupancy,  the  State  of  Georgia  always  claimed 
the  right  to  the  soil. 

As  late  as  the  end  of  the  second  decade  of  the  century,  the  Ocmulgee  river  was  the  border  of  the 
white  settlements ;  and,  of  course,  up  to  about  1820,  the  history  of  the  Baptist  denomination  of  the 
State  must  be  confined  witliin  the  limits  lying  east  of  that  river,  and  south  of  the  Tugalo  on  the 
north. 


GEORGIA  IN   1818. 


1. 

PRELIM  FN  ARY  HISTORY. 

1733-1770, 


I. 


PRELIMINARY  HISTORY. 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  GEORGIA  IN  1733 — THE  RESX^LT  OF  A  COLONIZATION 
SCHEME  WHICH  PROVED  A  FAILURE — OGLETHORPE  RETURNS  TO  ENG- 
LAND IN  1743 — GEORGIA  BECAME  A  ROYAL  PROVINCE  IN  1752 — JOHN 
REYNOLDS  THE  FIRST  GOVERNOR — NOT  TILL  1754  DID  THE  PROVINCE 
BEGIN  TO  PROSPER — A  NEW  SYSTEM  OF  GOVERNMENT — THE  FIRST  LEGIS- 
LATURE MET  IN  JANUARY,  I755 — THE  SECOND  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY  MET 
IN  1758 — EARLY  LAWS — GOVERNOR  ELLIS  RECALLED  AND  SIR  JAMES 
WRIGHT  APPOINTED  GOVERNOR  IN  1760 — INDIAN  DEPREDATIONS — PROS- 
PERITY UNDER  GOVERNOR  WRIGHT'S  ADMINISTRATION — GEORGE  III  PRO- 
CLAIMED KING  IN  1761 — THE  INDIAN  TREATY  OF  1763  GAINS  GEORGIA 
TERRITORIAL  ACQUISITIONS  TO  THE  MISSISSIPPI — ITS  GENERAL  CONDI- 
TION AT  THAT  TIME — CHARACTER  AND  ABILITIES  OF  GOVERNOR  WRIGHT. 

The  history  of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  the  State  of  Georgia,  is  almost 
coeval  with  the  history  of  the  State  itself.  Its  early  history,  in  truth,  requires 
for  its  comprehension,  a  statement  of  some  of  the  main  events  attending  the 
original  settlement  of  Georgia.  For,  in  the  ship  Anne,  which  brought  General 
Oglethorpe  and  his  first  colony  to  our  shores,  in  January,  1733,  there  were 
Baptists,  who  were  the  ancestors  of  many  living  in  Georgia  to-day,  belonging 
to  our  denomination. 

The  settlement  of  Georgia  was  the  result  of  a  benevolent  endeavor,  on  the 
part  of  a  large  and  most  respectable  association  of  English  gentlemen,  number- 
ing among  them  some  of  the  nobility,  to  provide  an  asylum  for  poor  but 
respectable  people,  who  had  no  means  of  supporting  themselves  in  the  mother 
country.  They  obtained  a  charter  from  George  II,  on  the  9th  of  June,  1732, 
for  a  separate  and  distinct  province  between  the  Savannah  and  Altamaha  rivers, 
to  be  named  GeoTgia,  in  honor  of  the  king  who  granted  the  charter.  It  was 
resolved  by  the  trustees  that  none  were  to  have  the  benefit  of  the  transportation 
and  subsequent  subsistence  charitably  afforded,  but  those  who  were  in  decayed 
circumstances  and,  on  that  account,  disabled  from  any  profitable  business  in 
England.  These  persons  were  required  to  labor  on  the  land  allotted  to  them 
for  three  years,  to  the  best  of  their  skill  and  ability.  One  hundred  and  fourteen 
persons  embarked  at  Deptford,  four  miles  below  London,  and  on  the  17th  of 
November,  1732,  set  sail  from  Gravesend.  These  were  desigfiated  as  "  sober, 
industrious  and  moral  persons,"  and  James  Edward  Oglethorpe,  Esquire,  one 
of  the  trustees,  consented  to  accompany  them  at  his  own  expense,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  forming  the  settlement.  He  was  clothed  with  power  to  exercise  the 
functions  of  a  governor  over  the  new  colony.  Charleston  harbor  was  reached 
January  13th,  1733,  and  Beaufort,  January  20th.  There  the  colonists  remained 
until  Oglethorpe  had  selected  a  site  for  his  intended  settlement.  He  chose  the 
bluff  upon  which  the  city  of  Savannah  now  stands.  His  colonists  arrived  on 
the  first  of  February,  put  up  tents,  and,  occupying  the  interval  in  unloading, 
formally  landed  on  the  12th'  of  February,  17^,3. 

In  regard  to  this  settlement  of  Georgia,  two  circumstances  should  be  borne 
in  mind.  The  first  is,  that  it  was  originated  by  the  people  of  South  Carolina, 
that  a  barrier  might  b&  erected  between  themselves  and  the  menacing  Spanish 


4  TRELIMINARY    HISTORY. 

authorities  in  Florida.  The  second  is,  that  the  colonization  scheme  proved  a 
failure,  and  that  Georgia  was  eventually  settled  by  a  totally  different  class  of 
people,  who  emigrated,  mostly,  from  the  older  States  on  the  Atlantic  border. 
Some  very  valuable  emigrants  from  Germany  and  Scotland  settled  in  the  State. 
It  required  but  a  short  time  for  the  trustees  to  discover  that  the  poorer  classes 
of  people,  which  they  sought  to  benefit,  were  useless  as  colonists.  They  then 
sought  for  a  bold,  hardy,  industrious  set  of  men  who  were  accustomed  to  rural 
pursuits,  and  made  proposals  which  were  accepted  by  a  number  of  Highlanders 
from  Scotland,  who  settled  on  the  Altamaha  in  January,  1736,  and  built  a  town 
now  known  as  Darien.  About  the  same  time  one  hundred  and  seventy  Germans 
arrived,  and  joined  the  seventy-eight  Salzburgers,  from  Salzburg,  Bavaria,  who 
had  settled  at  Ebenezer,  thirty  miles  above  Savannah,  in  March,  1733. 

There  were  now,  in  the  beginning  of  1736,  over  six  hundred  white  inhabitants 
in  Georgia,  of  whom  one-third  were  Germans.  At  the  end  of  the  eighth  year 
over  fifteen  hundred  colonists  had  been  sent  over,  for  whose  benefit  $560,000 
had  been  expended  ;  besides  these,  others  had  come  at  their  own  expense,  but 
their  number  is  not  known.  Ten  years  after  Oglethorpe  settled  at  Savannah 
there  were  twelve  or  fourteen  towns  scattered  throughout  the  territory,  from 
Darien  to  Augusta,  which  had  been  settled  in  1735,  and  was  now  advancing  in 
wealth  and  population. 

Oglethorpe  had,  indeed,  effected  a  wonderful  change  in  the  aspect  of  the 
entire  country  in  ten  years. 

Indignant  at  calumnious  misrepresentations  made  against  him  by  a  personal 
enemy.  Lieutenant-colonel  Cook,  he  embarked  for  England  in  September,  1743, 
and  demanded  an  investigation  by  court-martial.  After  the  most  mature  delib- 
eration, the  court  adjudged  the  charges  to  be  false,  malicious  and  groundless. 
Oglethorpe's  honorable  acquittal  was  reported  to  the  king,  and  Lieutenant-colonel 
Cook  was  dismissed  from  the  service  and  declared  incapable  of  serving  his 
majesty  in  any  military  capacity  whatever.  General  Oglethorpe  never  returned 
to  America. 

A  change  in  the  government  of  the  province  was  established  by  the  trustees. 
It  was  committed  to  the  care  of  a  president  and  four  councillors,  or  assistants, 
who  should  act  agreeably  to  instructions  received  from  the  trustees.  But  the 
colony  did  not  prosper. 

While  this  was  due,  partly,  to  war  and  the  insecurity  of  life  and  property,  it 
was  mostly  due  to  the  system  of  government  adopted  by  the  trustees.  Human 
ingenuity  could  hardly  have  devised  a  scheme  better  calculated  to  repress  pros- 
perity and  hinder  all  material  progress.  Under  that  government,  the  province, 
during  eighteen  years,  had  not  produced  subsistence  enough  for  its  own  con- 
sumption ;  and,  for  the  first  seventeen  years  of  the  colony's  existence,  one  ves- 
sel-load, only,  of  Georgia  produce  was  exported.  It  was  not  until  after  slavery 
was  legally  authorized,  in  1749,  and  titles  to  land  were  made  in  fee  simple,  or 
"an  absolute  inheritance,"  in  1750,  that  the  colony  began  to  prosper.  In  1752, 
the  trustees,  convinced  that  the  province  was  not  flourishing  under  their  man- 
agement, and  wearied  with  the  murmurs  and  complaints  of  the  colonists,  re- 
signed their  charter.  The  government  reverted  to  the  Crown,  and  Georgia  be- 
came a  royal  province  A  proclamation,  sent  over  in  November,  1752,  declared 
it  to  be  tTie  royal  pleasure  that  the  magistrates  and  officers  in  the  colony  of 
Georgia  should  continue  in  the  exercise  of  their  respective  offices  until  some 
other  provision  should  be  made  for  the  government  of  the  province.  The  Pres- 
ident and  his  assistants,  therefore,  continued  to  govern  the  country  until  the 
arrival  of  Captain  John  Reynolds,  an  officer  in  the  navy,  on  the  29th  of  October, 
1754,  who  had  been  appointed  Governor  by  the  King  the  preceding  August. 
They  acted  under  the  control  of  the  "  Board  of  Trade  and  Plantations,"  appointed 
by  the  King  for  the  superintendence  of  colonial  affairs,  at  the  head  of  which  was 
the  Earl  of  Halifax. 

In  the  meantime  the^e  changes  had  produced  beneficial  results.  After  the 
charter  was  surrendered,  the  President  and  his  assistants  reported  that  settlers 
came  daily  from  the  other  colonies  in  America,  as  well  as  from  Germany  and 
Great  Britain.     These  consisted  of  a  better  class  of  emigrants. 


PRELIMINARY    HISTORY.  5 

Georgia  now  contained  many  citizens  of  great  respectability,  and  colonists  of 
a  desirable  character  flocked  into  its  borders.  During  1754  a  large  colony  of 
Puritans,  originally  from  England,  moved  from  South  Carolina  and  settled  at 
Midway,  Liberty  county.  But  the  general  condition  of  the  country  was  wretched 
and  by  no  means  prosperous.  Desolateness  brooded  over  the  land,  and  several 
years  elapsed  before  Georgia  began  to  prosper.  "The  town  of  Savannah," 
wrote  Governor  Reynolds  to  the  Board  of  Trade,  "  is  well  situated,  and  con- 
tains about  one  hundred  and  fifty  houses,  all  wooden  ones,  and  mostly  old.  The 
biggest  was  used  for  the  meeting  of  the  President  and  assistants,  and  wherein 
I  sat  in  council  for  a  few  days ;  but  one  end  fell  down  whilst  we  were  all  there, 
and  obliged  us  to  remove  to  a  kind  of  shed  behind  the  court-house." 

An  entirely  new  system  of  government  was  now  established.  It  was  similar 
to  that  prevailing  in  the  other  colonies,  and  consisted  of  three  branches — the 
Governor,  his  Advisory  Council  of  ten,  and  the  Commons,  nineteen  in  number, 
elected  by  the  people.  The  first  Legislature  met  January  7th,  1755,  at  the  call 
of  the  Governor. 

Governor  Reynolds  was  recalled  August  5th,  1756,  and  Henry  Ellis  was  ap- 
pointed Lieutenant-Governor  August  15th,  1756.  During  the  administration  of 
Reynolds  lands  were  taken  up,  settlers  flocked  in,  trade  increased,  and  prosperity 
began  to  manifest  itself ;  but  he  proved  unequal  to  his  position  :  his  own  coun- 
cil united  with  the  lower  house  in  preferring  charges  of  mal-administration 
against  him,  and,  after  a  trial  in  England,  he  was  permitted  to  resign.  His  suc- 
cessor was  a  man  of  great  prudence,  discretion  and  firmness,  and  his  adminis- 
tration was,  on  the  whole,  successful.  By  treaties  with  the  Creek  Indians,  he 
mitigated  some  of  the  most  serious  evils  and  dangers  of  the  Georgians ;  for, 
until  after  the  Revolutionary  war,  the  colonists  were  subject  to  the  murderous 
ravages  and  depredations  of  the  Creeks  on  the  west  and  the  Cherokees  on  the 
north.  It  should  be  remembered  that  for  years  the  colony  of  Georgia  embraced 
a  territory  only  1 50  miles  long,  and  about  thirty  miles  wide,  except  in  the  ex- 
treme southern  portion.  In  1750  the  Creeks  alone  could  bring  three  thousand 
five  hundred  warriors  into  the  field,  and  the  intrigues  of  the  French  made  them 
exceedingly  restive  and  dangerous  neighbors ;  at  the  same  time  the  military 
force  of  Georgia  did  not  amount  to  five  hundred.  Notwithstanding  the  calam- 
ities of  the  times,  the  people  generally  were  contented  and  tranquil ;  a  visible  spirit 
of  industry  and  improvement  manifested  itself,  and  numbers  flocked  into  Georgia 
from  the  northern  colonies. 

Thus  stood  matters  during  the  administration  of  Governor  Ellis,  when  the 
third  session  of  the  second  General  Assembly  convened  in  Savannah,  January 
nth,  1758;  and  the  event  is  recorded  that  mention  may  be  made  of  a  few  of 
the  laws  passed  at  the  time.  One  of  these  regulated  trade  with  the  Indians  ; 
another  prohibited  slaves  from  being  taught  handicrafts ;  another  divided  the 
province  into  parishes  and  established  the  Church  of  England  worship.  The 
following  is  the  title  of  this  last  bill :  "  An  Act  for  constituting  the  several  Divis- 
ions and  Districts  of  the  Provmce  into  Parishes,  and  for  establishing  Religious 
Worship  therein  according  to  the  Rites  And  Ceremonies  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land ;  and  also  for  empowering  the  Church  Wardens  and  Vestrymen  of  the 
respective  Parishes  to  assess  Rates  for  the  repair  of  churches,  the  relief  of  the 
poor,  and  other  Parochial  service."  Savannah  was  in  "Christ  Church"  Parish, 
and  Augusta  was  in  "St.  Paul's  "  Parish.  It  has  been  claimed  that  this  was  a 
iwininal  transference  to  one  of  his  Majesty's  provinces  of  the  statutes  of  the 
British  realm  ;  but  we  shall  see  that  it  conveyed  a  legal  right  which  afterwards 
was  sought  to  be  enforced.  It  is  well  to  contrast  it  with  an  extract  from  the 
original  charter  granted  to  the  Trustees  of  the  colony  by  George  II :  "  And  for 
the  greater  ease  and  encouragement  of  our  loving  subjects,  and  such  others  as 
shall  come  to  inhabit  in  our  said  colony,  we  do,  by  these  presents,  for  us,  our 
heirs  and  successors,  grant,  establish  and  ordain,  that  forever  hereafter  there 
shall  be  a  liberty  of  conscience  allowed  in  the  worship  of  God  to  all  persons  in- 
habiting, or  who  shall  inhabit  or  be  resident  within  our  said  province,  and 
that  all  such  persons,  except  Papists,  shall  have  a  free  exercise  of  religion  ;  so 
they  be  contented  with  the  quiet  and  peaceable  enjoyment  of  the  same,  not  giv- 


6  PRELIMINARY    HISTORY. 

ing  offence  or  scandal  to  the  government."     The  exception  of  the  Papists  in  this 
charter  was  for  political  rather  than  ecclesiastical  reasons. 

In  the  law  just  quoted,  a  salary  of  $125  per  annum  was  allowed  to  each  cler- 
gyman of  the  Church  of  England  in  Georgia.  The  passage  of  this  law  was 
rather  singular,  for  there  were  Presbyterian,  Lutheran  and  Moravian  settlements 
in  the  State,  besides  that  of  the  Salzburgers,  all  of  whom  had  their  own  minis- 
ters. It  may  have  been  but  a  nominal  recognition  of  the  Church  of  England ; 
but  it  was  just  such  recognition  as  resulted  in  much  persecution  of  the  Baptists 
in  Virginia  and  New  England. 

In  1759  the  health  of  Governor  Ellis  gave  way,  and  in  November  of  that  year 
he  solicited  a  recall,  which  was  granted,  and  Sir  James  Wright  was  appointed 
Lieutenant-Governor  on  the  13th  of  May,  1760,  but  did  not  arrive  until  the  fol- 
lowing October.  Governor  Ellis  took  his  departure  on  the  2d  of  November, 
1760,  amidst  the  highest  manifestations  of  regard,  and  deeply  regretted  by  all; 
for  his  administration  had  been  greatly  beneficial  to  Georgia.  This  was  indica- 
ted by  the  increase  of  settlers,  their  tranquillity  and  happiness  in  the  more  popu- 
lous districts,  and  in  the  extension  of  trade:  in  1760  the  population  of  Georgia 
was  6,000  whites  and  4,000  blacks,  while  commerce  had  more  than  doubled 
itself  during  the  two  and  a  half  years  since  the  departure  of  Reynolds.  Still,  it 
must  be  confessed  that  the  province  was  in  a  languishing  condition.  The 
French  and  Indian  wars  on  the  north  and  west,  the  Spanish  depredations  on 
the  southern  borders,  and  the  bad  management  of  the  British  Indian  agents, 
kept  the  frontiers  in  a  constant  state  of  alarm  and  disquietude.  It  has  not  been 
deemed  necessary  to  enlarge  upon  the  Indians  and  their  affairs,  in  this  short 
sketch  ;  but  they  vv-ere  a  constant  menace,  and  though  they  were  restrained  by 
the  prudence  and  decision  of  Georgia's  Governors,  yet  the  people  through  long 
years,  continually  experienced  harrassing  alarms,  and  dreaded  threatening  inva- 
sions. Although  their  ravages  and  murderous  expeditions  were  directed  mostly 
against  the  more  northern  colonies,  yet  they  made  occasional  inroads  upon  upper 
and  lower  Georgia,  committing  depredations  and  dealing  death.  During  the 
first  years  of  the  colonial  history,  they  were  frequently  excited  to  evil  deeds  by 
intriguing  French  emissaries ;  and  after  revolutionary  hostilities  began,  when 
they  were  in  friendly  alliance  with  the  royalists,  they  were  more  dreaded  than 
ever.  This  will  be  readily  understood  when  it  is  remembered  that  in  1774, 
when  the  population  of  Georgia  was  17,000  whites  and  15,000  blacks,  with  only 
2,828  militia  scattered  from  Augusta  to  St.  Mary's,  there  were  within  the  bor-  , 
ders  and  along  the  frontiers  of  Georgia,  40,000  Creeks,  Cherokees,  Chickasaws 
and  Choctaws,  of  whom  10,000  were  warriors,  any  number  of  whom  could  be 
brought  against  the  colony. 

Governor  James  Wright  was  a  South  Carolinian  by  birth,  of  which  colony  he 
was  Attorney-General  for  twenty-one  years.  He  arrived  in  Georgia  October  i  ith, 
1760,  and  entered  upon  his  gubernatorial  duties  early  in  November.  He  was 
an  able  man,  educated  in  England,  and  every  way  well  qualified  for  his  position, 
and  the  State  prospered  under  his  administration  :  in  six  years  its  population 
increased  from  10,000  to  18,000 — 10,000  whites  and  8,000  blacks. 

He  enjoyed  a  privilege  which  has  occurred  but  once  in  Georgia  history.  In 
February,  1761,  intelligence  of  the  death  of  George  II.,  on  October  25th,  was 
received  in  Savannah,  and  on  the  loth  of  February  he  proclaimed  George  III 
King  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  uith  the  utmost  civil  and  military  pomp. 

In  November,  1763,  Governor  Wright,  and  the  Governors  of  Virginia,  North 
Carolina  and  South  Carolina,  and  Captain  John  Stuart,  Superintendent  of  Indian 
Affairs  for  the  Southern  District,  held  a  Convention  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  with 
seven  hundred  Indians,  including  the  chiefs  of  the  Cherokees,  Creeks,  Chicka- 
saws. Choctaws  and  Catawbas,  at  which  a  treaty  was  niade  which  enlarged  the 
boundaries  of  Georgia  to  the  Mississippi.  At  that  time  the  population  of  Geor- 
gia, though  small,  was  substantial  and  industrious;  its  agricultural  resources 
were  rapidly  increasing ;  its  commerce  required  several  thousand  tons  of  ship- 
ping; its  Indian  trade  was  large  and  productive,  and,  rising  in  importance  daily, 
it  was  fast  becoming  a  noble,  vigorous  and  flourishing  State.  The  productions 
consisted  mostly  of  indigo,  rice,  corn,  peas  and  lumber,  and  its  actual  State 


PRELIMINARY   HISTORY.  y 

boundaries,  established  by  a  treaty  with  the  Cherokee  and  Creek  Indians,  at 
Augusta,  January  ist,  1773,  included  in  general  terms  the  land  east  of  the 
Ogeechee  and  Oconee  rivers. 

In  closing  this  bird's-eye  view  of  the  early  colonial  history  of  Georgia,  with 
which  it  was  thought  advisable  to  preface  a  history  of  our  denomination,  that 
the  reader  might  have  a  clearer  idea  of  the  times  during  which  Baptist  princi- 
ples gained  a  foothold  in  our  State,  it  is  deemed  proper  to  insert  the  following 
from  Stevens'  History,  in  reference  to  the  last  royal  Governor  of  the  province : 
"  Each  of  the  other  Colonies  had  a  charter  upon  which  to  base  some  right  or 
claim  to  redress  ;  but  Georgia  had  none.  When  the  Trustees'  patent  expired,  in 
1752,  all  its  chartered  privileges  became  extinct,  and  on  its  erection  into  a 
royal  province,  the  commission  of  the  Governor  was  its  only  constitution — living 
upon  the  will  of  the  monarch,  the  mere  creature  of  royal  volition.  At  the  head 
of  the  government  was  Sir  James  Wright,  Bart.,  who  during  fourteen  years  had 
presided  over  it  with  ability  and  acceptance.  When  he  arrived,  in  1760,  the 
colony  was  languishing  under  the  accumulated  mismanagement  of  the  former 
Trustees,  and  the  more  recent  Governors  ;  but  his  zeal  and  efforts  soon  changed 
its  aspect  to  health  and  vigor.  He  guided  it  into  the  avenues  of  wealth,  sought 
out  the  means  for  its  advancement ;  prudently  secured  the  amity  of  the  Indians, 
and,  by  his  negotiations,  added  millions  of  acres  to  its  territory.  Diligent  in  his 
official  duties,  firm  in  his  resolves,  loyal  in  his  opinions,  courteous  in  his  manners, 
and  possessed  of  a  vigorous  and  well-balanced  mind,  he  was  respected  and  loved 
by  his  people,  and  though  he  differed  from  the  majority  of  them  as  to  the  cause 
of  their  distresses  and  the  means  of  their  removal,  he  never  allowed  himself  to  be 
betrayed  into  one  act  of  violence,  or  into  any  course  of  outrage  and  revenge. 
The  few  years  of  his  administration  were  the  only  happy  ones  Georgia  had  en- 
joyed, and  to  his  energy  and  devotedness  may  be  attributed  its  civil  and  com- 
mercial prosperity," 

In  a  letter  to  the  Earl  of  Hillsborough,  in  1766,  when  Revolutionary  troubles 
first  began  to  brew,  Governor  Wright  calls  Georgia  the  "  most  flourishing  colony 
on  the  continent ;"  yet  at  that  time  it  had  no  manufactures,  a  trifling  quantity 
only  of  coarse  homespun  cloth,  of  wool  and  cotton  mixed,  was  made,  besides  a 
few  cotton  and  yarn  socks,  negro  shoes  and  some  articles  by  blacksmiths.  Its 
productions  were  rice,  indigo,  corn,  peas,  and  a  small  quantity  of  wheat  and  rye. 
Industrial  enterprise  was  engaged  in  making  tar,  pitch,  turpentine,  shingles, 
staves,  and  sawing  lumber,  while  attention  was  devoted  te  the  raising  of  cattle, 
mules,  horses  and  hogs.  Most  of  the  inhabitants  were  hardy  farmers,  possessed 
generally  of  negro  slaves,  and  living  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  State.  Manu- 
factures were  prohibited  and  commerce  limited.  Beginning  with  objections  to 
the  Stamp  Act,  which  called  into  existence  the  "  Liberty  Boys,"  the  province 
became  more  and  more  agitated  from  1766  until  the  storm  of  revolution  burst 
forth  in  1775.  Even  then  there  were  many  respectable  citizens  in  Georgia  who 
inclined  to  royalty;  but  the  majority  sided  with  the  State  and  aided  in  achieving 
independence. 

It  is  not  necessary,  perhaps,  to  follow  further  the  current  of  Georgia's  political 
history.  Our  object  has  been  simply  to  give  a  clear  view  of  the  condition  of  the 
State  during  the  decade  between  the  year  1760  and  1770,  when  Baptist  principles 
were  first  gaining  a  firm  foothold  in  Georgia.  It  has  already  been  asserted  that 
there  are  Baptists  living  in  Georgia  to-day  whose  ancestors  came  over  from 
England  in  the  same  vessel  with  Oglethorpe,  in  1732,  and  very  shortly  after. 
Among  the  former  are  the  Baptist  families  of  Campbell  and  Dunham,  and  among 
the  latter  that  of  Polhill. 


II. 

THE  FIRST  BAPTISTS  IN  THE  STATE. 

1740-1772. 


11. 

THE  FIRST  BAPTISTS  IN  THE  STATE. 


WHITEFIELD  S  ORPHAN  ASYLUM — NICHOLAS  BEDGEWOOD  ADOPTS  BAPTIST 
VIEWS  AND  IS  ORDAINED — EARLY  GEORGIA  BAPTISTS  IN  THE  NEIGHBOR- 
HOOD OF  SAVANNAH — BENJAMIN  STIRK  PREACHES  UNTIL  1770 — REV. 
EDMUND  BOTSFORD  COMES  TO  GEORGIA  IN  1 77 1 — SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  HIM — 
HE  SETTLES  AT  TUCKASEEKING — DANIEL  MARSHALL  AND  INTRODUCTION 
OF  BAPTIST  PRINCIPLES  INTO  NORTHERN  GEORGIA—  HIS  ARREST  FOR 
PREACHING — SAMUEL  CARTLEDGE,  THE  CONSTABLE — HIS  STRANGE  CON- 
VICTION— DANIEL  MARSHALL'S  TRIAL — SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  MR.  BARNARD, 
THE  JUSTICE  WHO  TRIED-  MR.  MARSHALL — KIOKEE  CHURCH — ACT  OF 
INCORPORATION — SKETCH  OF  REV.  DANIEL  MARSHALL — HIS  DEATH,  IN 
1784 — HIS  LAST  WORDS  AND  BURIAL  PLACE. 

In  this  short  chapter  we  shall  discover  the  existence  of  Baptists  in  Georgia, 
on  the  seaboard,  about  the  middle  of  last  century.  These  soon  became  dispersed 
without  forming  a  church  ;  though,  in  the  lower  parishes  of  the  State,  Baptist 
families  resided,  scattered  here  and  there  through  the  country. 

We  shall  next  learn  that  it  was  about  forty  miles  above  Savannah  that  regular 
Gospel  ministration  first  gathered  Baptists  in  sufficient  numbers  to  form  a 
church  ;  but,  being  without  a  regular  ordained  minister,  they  were  simply  con- 
stituted as  a  branch  of  the  Euhaw  Baptist  church  across  the  border,  in  South 
'Carolina,  and,  as  such,  remained  for  several  years.  We  shall  then  ascertain 
that  the  main  influx  of  Baptists  into  our  State,  at  first,  was  through  Augusta  as 
a  door,  and  that  they  settled  mostly  in  the  counties  west  and  north-west  of  that 
city.  For  a  time  the  only  ordained  Baptist  minister  in  the  State  resided  twenty 
miles  northwest  of  Augusta,  where  he  was  instrumental  in  constituting  the 
first  Baptist  church  formed  in  the  State.  In  that  section  of  the  State  our  denom- 
ination first  became  numerous  and  strong,  and  has  so  continued  there,  to  the 
present  day. 

In  1740,  Mr.  Whitefield  began  to  build  his  orphan  house,  "  Bethesda,"  nine 
miles  below  Savannah,  in  doing  which  he  simply  carried  out  a  design  proposed 
by  John  Wesley  and  General  Oglethorpe.  This  enterprise  was  deemed  neces- 
sary, as  an  effort  of  humanity.  It  was  supposed  that  many  poor  emigrants 
would  die  in  the  new  settlement,  and  leave  children  unprotected  and  penniless, 
for  whom  provision  should  thus  be  made.  In  1741  the  children,  who  had  been 
boarded  out  at  different  places  in  the  city,  were  admitted  into  the  buildings, 
although  they  were  not  completed. 

Ten  years  later,  in  1751,  Mr.  Nicholas  Bedgewood  was  Whitefield's  agent  at 
the  Orphan  House.  He  was  an  Englishman,  twenty-one  years  of  age,  a  classical 
scholar  and  an  accomplished  speaker.  He  embraced  Baptist  sentiments,  and, 
in  1757,  went  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  where  he  united  with  the  Charles- 
ton Baptist  church,  being  baptized  by  Rev.  Oliver  Hart,  the  pastor. 

Mr.  Bedgewood  manifested  zeal  -and  talents  for  usefulness,  and  was  soon 
licensed  to  preach  by  the  Charleston  church.  In  1759,  -WO  years  after  his 
baptism,  he  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry,  and,  as  such,  seems  to  have 
labored  with  success,  for,  in  1763,  he  baptized  a  number  of  the  officers  and 
inmates  of  the  institution  over  which  he  presided.     Among  these  were  Benja- 


12  THE    FIRST    BAPTISTS    IN   THE    STATE 

min  Stirk  and  his  wife,  Thomas  Dixon,  a  man  named  Dupree,  and  others.  These 
appear  to  have  united  with  some  among  the  early  settlers  who  were  Baptists, 
and  formed  an  arm  of  the  Charleston 'Baptist  church  at  the  Orphan  House.  For 
we  learn  that  Mr.  Bedgewood  administered  the  Lord's  supper  to  the  Baptists 
at  the  Orphan  House.  The  following  persons  among  the  early  settlers  in  Georgia, 
were  Baptists :  Wm.  Calvert,  Wm.  Slack,  Thomas  Walker,  and  Nathaniel  Polhill, 
all  of  whom  were  from  England  excepting  Wm.  Slack,  who  was  from  Ireland. 
In  addition  to  these  there  were  John  Dunham  and  Sarah  Clancy,  husband  and 
wife,  who  came  over  with  Oglethorpe.  A  daughter  of  theirs  was  the  mother 
of  Rev.  J.  H.  Campbell,  still  living,  in  Columbus,  Georgia,  an  eminent  Baptist 
minister. 

Besides  these  there  was  William  Dunham,  whose  grandson,  Jacob  H.  Dunham, 
was  a  truly  pious  and  evangelical  Baptist  minister  in  Liberty  county,  m  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  first  white  persons 
ever  baptized  in  Liberty  county.  Wm.  Dunham  settled  on  Newport  river, 
where  he  died  in  1756,  leaving  several  daughters  and  three  sons— James,  Charles 
and  John. 

From  Mr.  Polhill  are  descended  some  of  the  most  worthy  Baptists  of  Georgia, 
among  others,  Rev.  Thomas  Polhill,  the  author  of  a  book  on  baptism  ;  Rev. 
Joseph  Polhill,  his  son,  a  distinguished  minister,  of  Burke  county,  who  died  in 
1858  ;  and  Rev.  John  G.  Polhill,  now  living,  a  minister  of  the  fourth  generation. 
Thomas  Dixon  returned  to  England ;  Dupree  died  ;  Benjamin  Stirk  moved, 
in  1767,  to  Newington,  eighteen  miles  above  Savannah,  after  marrying  Mr. 
Polhill's  widow.  And  thus  it  happened  that  the  Baptists  at  the  Orphan  House 
dispersed.  The  house  itself  was  burned  down,  and  ceased  to  exist  as  an  insti- 
tution. Indeed,  its  establishment  in  the  place  where  it  was  built  was  a  great 
error. 

Mr.  Bedgewood,  himself,  moved  to  South  Carolina,  where  he  married  and 
became  pastor  of  the  Welch  Neck  church,  on  the  Pedee  river.  Benedict,  in  his 
history,  says  :  "  Some  of  his  posterity  I  have  seen." 

A  number  of  Baptists  have,  however,  always  existed  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Savannah  from  its  earliest  settlement.  In  1740,  just  seven  years  after  the  settle- 
ment of  the  colony,  Rev.  Mr.  Lewis,  of  Margate,  England,  alleged,  by  way  of 
reproach,  that  "  there  were  descendants  of  the  Moravian  Anabaptists  in  the  new 
plantation  of  Georgia."  In  1772,  several  years  prior  to  the  war  of  independence, 
there  were,  in  the  lower  parishes  of  Georgia,  not  less  than  forty  Baptist  families, 
among  whom  were  fifty  baptized  church  members,  who  had  emigrated  from 
England  or  removed  to  Georgia  from  more  northern  colonies.  . 

Mention  has  been  made  of  Benjamin  Stirk,  who  was  among  the  number  of 
those  who  were  baptized  at  the  Orphan  House,  and  who  moved  to  Newington, 
eighteen  miles  north  of  Savannah,  in  1767,  after  losing  his  first  wife.  A  man  of 
learning  and  natural  ability,  he  developed  into  a  Christian  of  great  piety  and 
zeal.  He  soon  began  to  preach,  and  establish  places  of  public  worship  not  only 
in  his  own  house  and  neighborhood,  but  at  a  settlement  called  Tuckaseeking, 
twenty  miles  north  of  Newington,  where  he  discovered  a  few  Baptists.  As 
there  was  no  Baptist  church  in  Georgia,  at  that  time,  he  connected  himself  with 
the  Euhaw  Baptist  church,  in  South  Carolina,  of  which  church  the  brethren  at 
Tuckaseeking  were  constituted  into  an  arm,  perhaps  through  Mr.  Stirk's  instru- 
mentality. To  them  Rev.  Mr.  Stirk  preached  until  1770,  when  he  finished  his 
earthly  course,  thus  ending  the  useful  labor  of  a  few  years.  The  following  year, 
1 77 1,  the  little  band  of  Baptists  at  Tuckaseeking,  hearing  that  Mr.  Edmund 
Botsford,  a  licentiate  of  the  Charleston  Baptist  church,  was  at  Euhaw,  South 
Carolina,  sent  him  an  invitation  to  come  and  preach  to  them.  Accompanied  by 
Rev.  Francis  Pelot,  pastor  of  the  Euhaw  church,  Mr.  Botsford  visited  the  Tuck- 
aseeking Brethren,  and  preached  his  first  sermon  to  them  on  the  27th  of  June, 
1771. 

Born  in  England,  in  1745,  Mr.  Botsford  was  early  left  an  orphan.  He  sailed 
for  the  New  World,  and  arrived  at  Charleston,  January  28th  1766.  Converted 
under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Oliver  Hart,  he  united  with  the  Charleston  Baptist 
church,  and  was  baptized  on  the  13th  of  March,  1767.     After  a  course  of  pre- 


THE   FIRST   BAFTISTS   IN   THE   STATE.  1 3 

paratory  study,  under  the  instruction  of  Mr.  Hart,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  in 
February,  1771.  In  June  he  set  out  on  a  missionary  tour,  with  horse  and  saddle- 
bags, and  travelled  as  far  as  Euhaw,  where  he  remained  preaching  for  Mr.  Pelot 
until  invited  into  Georgia.  His  services  were  highly  acceptable  to  the  Tucka- 
seeking  brethren  and,  at  their  solicitation,  he  consented  to  remain  and  preach 
for  them  a  year.  But  he  did  not  confine  his  labors  to  Tuckaseeking,  where  he 
soon  became  very  popular.  He  preached  throughout  all  the  surrounding  regions, 
in  both  Georgia  and  South  Carolina.  There  were  a  few  Baptists  at  Ebenezer, 
a  large  settlement  of  Germaij  Lutherans,  twenty-five  miles  above  Savannah, 
and  Botsford,  visiting  them,  was  invited  to  preach,  providing  permission  to  use  ^ 
a  German  meeting-house  could  be  obtained  from  Mr.  Robinson,  the  pastor. 
Mr.  Robinson  made  no  objection  and  referred  the  applicant  to  the  deacon.  The 
deacon  replied,  when  permission  was  requested  : 

"  No,  no  !  Tese  Baptists  are  a  very  pad  people.  Dey  begin  slow  vurst :  py 
and  py  all  men  follow  dem.  No  !  no  !  go  to  the  minister  !  If  he  says  breach, 
den  I  giff  you  de  keys." 

"  The  minister  says  he  has  no  objection,  and  leaves  it  wiih  you,"  was  the 
answer  of  Mr.  Botsford. 

"  Den  take  de  keys !     I  will  come  and  hear  myself." 

It  was  October  ist,  1771  ;  and  Mr.  Botsford  preached  from  Matt,  ix:  13— "I 
will  have  mercy  and  not  sacrifice ;  for  I  am  not  come  to  call  the  righteous,  but 
sinners,  to  repentance."  Afterwards  the  old  deacon  said  :  "  Dat  peen  pad  poy, 
put  he  breach  Jesus  Christ.     He  come  again  and  welcome  !  " 

"  Py  and  py  all  men  follow  dem,"  was  the  honest  German's  prediction.  Let 
us  see  how  events  warrant  it.  When  uttered,  not  a  Baptist  church  existed  in 
Georgia  ;  nor  was  there  more  than  one  ordained  Baptist  minister  in  the  province. 
Scattered  here  and  there  might  have  been  one  or  two  hundred  Baptists.  Now, 
(i88i>  there  are  1,630  ordained  ministers,  2,755  churches,  and  235,381  communi- 
cants. At  that  time  there  were  probably  1 50  Baptist  churches  in  all  the  original 
colonies.  There  are  now  (1881),  in  the  United  States,  16,600  ministers,  26,000 
churches,  and  2,200,000  church  members.  Verily,  a  little  one  has  become  a 
thousand ! 

We  will  now  glance  at  the  introduction  of  Baptist  principles  into  Georgia,  in 
the  section  of  country  a  little  northwest  of  Augusta,  by  Rev.  Daniel  Marshall. 
On  the  ist  of  January,  in  the  same  year  that  Edmund  Botsford  visited  Tucka- 
seeking, 1 77 1,  Daniel  Marshall,  an  ordained  Baptist  minister,  sixty-five  years  of 
age,  moved  from  Horse  Creek,  South  Carolina,  fifteen  miles  north  of  Augusta, 
and  settled  with  his  whole  family,  on  Kiokee  Creek,  about  twenty  miles  north- 
west of  Augusta.  He  had  been  residing  for  some  time  in  South  Carolina,  where 
he  had  built  up  two  churches,  and,  while  dwelling  at  Horse  Creek,  had  made 
frequent  evangelistic  tours  into  Georgia,  preaching  with  remarkable  zeal  and 
fervor  in  houses  and  groves. 

We  will  gaze  upon  him  as  he  conducts  religious  service.  The  scene  is  in  a 
sylvan  grove,  and  Daniel  Marshall  is  on  his  knees  making  the  opening  prayer. 
While  he  beseeches  the  Throne  of  Grace,  a  hand  is  laid  on  his  shoulder,  and  he 
hears  a  voice  say  : 

"  You  are  my  prisoner  ! " 

Rising,  the  sedate,  earnest-minded  man  of  God,  whose  sober  mien  and  silvery 
locks  indicate  the  sixty-five  years  which  have  passed  since  his  birth,  finds  him- 
self confronted  by  an  officer  of  the  law.  He  is  astonished  at  being  arrested,  under 
such  circumstances,  "  for  preaching  in  the  Parish  of  St.  Paul !  "  for,  in  so  doing, 
he  has  violated  the  legislative  enactment  of  1758,  which  established  religious 
worship  in  the  colony  "according  to  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  Church  of 
England."  Rev.  Abraham  Marshall,  in  his  sketch  of  his  father;  published  in 
\ht  Analytical  Repositoi-y,  1802,  says  that  the  arrested  preacher  was  made  to 
give  security  for  his  appearance  in  Augusta  on  the  following  Monday,  to  an- 
swer for  this  violation  of  the  law,  adding:  "Accordingly,  he  stood  a  trial,  and 
after  his  meekness  and  patience  were  sufficiently  exercised,  he  was  ordered  to 
come,  as  a  preacher,  no  more  into  Georgia."  The  reply  of  Daniel  Marshall 
was  similar  to  that  of  the  Apostles  under  similar  circumstances,  "  Whether  it  be 


14  THE   FIRST   BAPTISTS   IN   THE   STATE. 

right  to  obey  God  or  man,  judge  ye;"  and,  "consistently  with  this  just  and 
spirited  replication,  he  pursued  his  luminous  course." 

We  have  Dr.  J.  H.  Campbell's  authority  for  it,  that  after  Constable  Cartledge, 
satisfied  with  the  security  given,  has  released  his  prisoner  temporarily,  to  the  sur- 
prise of  all  present,  the  indignation  which  swells  the  bosom  of  Mr.  Marshall, 
finds  vent  though  the  lips  of  his  wife.  Mrs.  Martha  Marshall,  who  is  sitting  near, 
and  has  witnessed  the  whole  scene.  With  the  solemnity  of  the  prophets  of  old, 
she  denounces  such  proceedings  and  such  a  law,  and,  to  sustain  her  position, 
quotes  many  passages  from  the  Holy  Scriptures  with  a  force  and  pertinency 
^'hich  carry  conviction  to  the  hearts  of  many.  The  very  constable  himself,  Mr. 
Samuel  Cartledge,  was  so  deeply  convinced  by  the  inspired  words  of  exhorta- 
tion which  then  fell  from  her  lips,  that  his  conversion  was  the  result;  and,  in 
1777,  he  was  baptized  by  the  very  man  whom  he  then  held  under  arrest,  and 
whom  he  led  to  trial  on  the  following  Monday.  A  North  Carolinian  by  birth, 
he  was  at  that  time  just  twenty-one  years  of  age!  Converted  and  baptized  in 
1777,  he  was  for  some  years  a  useful  deacon  of  ^Ir.  Marshall's  church,  at  Iviokee. 
and  assisted  in  the  constitution  of  Fishing  Creek  church,  in  1783,  and  of  the 
Georgia  Association  in  1784.* 

After  the  interruption  caused  by  his  arrest,  Mr.  Marshall  proceeded  with  the 
exercises,  and,  we  may  well  suppose,  preached  with  more  than  usual  boldness 
and  faithfulness.  Such  a  course  was  characteristic  of  the  man.  After  his  ser- 
mon, he  baptized  in  the  neighboring  creek  two  individuals,  relatives  of  the  very 
gentleman  who  stood  security  for  his  appearance  at  court. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  magistrate,  Colonel  Barnard,  was  also  after- 
wards converted,  and  he  became  a  zealous  Christian.  Although  (in  deference 
to  the  wishes  of  his  wife)  he  was  never  immersed,  and  lived  and  died  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Church  of  England,  yet  he  was  strongly  tinctured  with  Baptist 
sentiments,  and  would  exhort  sinners  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  He-  be- 
came a  decided  friend  of  Mr.  Marshall  and  of  the  Baptists,  and  spoke  of  them 
very  favorably  to  Sir  James  Wright,  the  Governor.  Though  somewhat  eccen- 
tric in' character,  yet  he  was  a  good  man,  and  died  in  a  most  triumphant  manner. 

Daniel  Marshall,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  Georgia, 
was  born  at  Windsor,  Connecticut,  in  1706,  of  Presbyterian  parents.  He  was 
a  man  of  great  natural  ardor  .and  holy  zeal.  Becoming  convinced  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  assist  in  converting  the  heathen,  he  went,  with  his  wife  and  three 
children,  and  preached  for  three  years  to  the  Mohawk  Indians,  near  the  head 
waters  of  the  Susquehannah  river,  at  a  town  called  Onnaquaggy.  War  among 
the  savage  tribes  compelled  his  removal,  first  to  Connogogig  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  then  to  Winchester,  Virginia,  where  he  became  a  convert  to  Baptist  views, 
and  was  immersed  at  the  age  of  forty-eight.  His  wife  also  submitted  to  the 
ordinance  at  the  same  time.  He  was  soon  licensed  by  the  church  with  which 
he  united,  and,  having  removed  to  North  Carolina,  he  built  up  a  flourishing 
church,  of  which  he  was  ordained  pastor  by  his  two  brothers-in-law.  Rev.  Henry 
Ledbetter  and  Rev.  Shubael  Stearns.  From  North  Carolina  he  removed  to 
South  Carolina,  and  from  South  Carolina  to  Georgia,  in  each  State  constituting 
new  and  flourishing  churches.  On  the  ist  of  January,  1771,  he  settled  in  what  is 
now  Columbia  county,  Georgia,  on  Kiokee  Creek.  He  was  a  man  of  pure  life, 
unbounded  faith,  fervent  spirit,  holy  zeal,  indefatigable  in  religious  labors,  and 
possessed  of  the  highest  moral  courage.  Neither  profoundly  learned  nor  very 
eloquent,  he  possessed  that  fervency,  earnestness  and  flaming  ardor  of  zeal,  uni- 
ted with  a  remarkable  native  strength  of  mind  and  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures 
which  fitted  him  for  a  pioneer  preacher.  From  his  headquarters  in  Kiokee  he 
went  forth  in  all  directions,  preaching  the  gospel  with  great  power,  and  leading 
many  to"  Jesus.  By  uniting  those  whom  he  had  baptized  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  other  Baptists  who  lived  on  both  sides  of  the  Savannah  river,  he  formed  and 

*He  commenced  preaching-  in  tySg,  was  ordained  by  Abraham  Marshall  and  Sanders  Walker,  and  for 
more  than  half  a  century  was  a  zealous  preacher  of  the  faith  he  once  persecuted.  As  late  as  1843,  ^t 
the  age  of  93,  he  travelled  from  his  home  in  South  Carolina  on  a  visit  to  Georgia,  and  after  preaching 
with  his  usual  earnestness,  in  the  very  neighborhood  where  he  had  arrested  Daniel  Marshall,  seventy- 
two  years  before,  he  was  thrown  from  his  horse  as  he  was  setting  out  for  home,  and  so  much  injured 
that  his  death  was  the  result. 


THE   FIRST   BAPTISTS   IN   THE    STATE.  1 5 

organized  the  Kiokee  church,  in  the  spring  of  1772  ;  and  this  was  the  first  Bap- 
tist church  ever  constituted  within  the  bounds  of  Georgia. 

The  following  is  the  act  incorporating  Kiokee  church,  and  is  extracted   from 
"Watkins' Digest,'' page  409;  also  from  the  Digest  of  "  Marbury  and  Craw- 
ford," page  143.     Certain  purely  formal  expressions  are  omitted: 
"  An   Act  for   incorporating  the  Anabaptist  church  on  the  Kioka,  in    the 

county  of  Richmo7td. 

"Whereas,  a  religious  society  has,  for  many  years  past,  been  established  on 
the  Kioka,  in  the  county  of  Richmond,  called  and  known  by  the  name  of  '  The 
Anabaptist  church  on  Kioka': 

"  Be  it  enacted,  That  Abraham  Marshall,  William  Willingham,  Edmund  Cart- 
ledge,  John  Landers,  James  Simms,  Joseph  Ray  and  Lewis  Gardener  be,  and 
they  are  hereby,  declared  to  be  a  body  corporate,  by  the  name  and  style  of  '  The 
Trustees  of  the  Anabaptist  church  on  Kioka.' 

"  And  be  it  fiirther  enacted,  That  the  Trustees,  (the  same  names  are  here 
given)  of  the  said  Anabaptist  church,  shall  hold  their  office  for  the  term  of  three 
years  ;  and,  on  the  third  Saturday  of  November,  in  every  third  year,  after  the 
passing  of  this  Act,  the  supporters  of  the  Gospel  in  said  church  shall  convene  at 
the  meeting-house  of  said  church,  and  there,  between  the  hours  of  ten  and  four, 
elect  from  among  the  supporters  of  the  Gospel  in  said  church  seven  discreet 
persons  as  Trustees,"  etc. 

"  Seaborn  Jones,  Speaker. 

"  Nathan  Brownson,  President  Senate. 

"  Edward  Telfair,  Governor. 

"December  2jd,  lySg." 

Its  meeting-house  was  built  where  now  stands  the  town  of  Appling,  the  county- 
site  of  Columbia  county.  Of  this  church  Marshall  became  the  pastor,  and  so  con- 
tinued until  November  2d,  1784,  when  he  expired,  in  the  seventy-eighth  year  of 
his  age.  The  following,  first  published  in  the  Analytical  Repository,  and  taken 
down  by  his  son.  Rev.  Abraham  Marshall,  in  the  presence  of  a  few  deeply 
afflicted  friends  and  relations,  were  his  last  words  :  "  Dear  brethren  and  sisters, 
I  am  just  gone.  This  night  I  shall  probably  expire  ;  but  I  have  nothing  to  fear. 
I  have  fought  the  good  fight ;  I  have  finished  my  course ;  I  have  kept  the  faith, 
and  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness.  God  has  shown 
me  that  he  is  my  God,  and  that  I  am  His  son,  and  that  an  eternal  weight  of 
glory  is  mine."  To  the  venerable  partner,  in  all  his  cares,  and  faithful  assistant 
in  all  his  labors,  who  was  sitting  by  his  side  bedewed  with  tears,  he  said,  "  Go 
on,  my  dear  wife,  to  serve  the  Lord.  Hold  out  to  the  end.  Eternal  glory  is 
before  us." 

After  a  silence  of  some  minutes,  he  called  his  son,  Abraham,  and  said,  "  My 
breath  is  almost  gone.  I  have  been  praying  that  I  may  go  home  to-night.  I 
had  great  happiness  in  our  worship  this  morning,  particularly  in  singing,  which 
will  make  a  part  of  my  exercise  in  a  blessed  eternity  !"  and,  gently  closing  his 
eyes,  he  cheerfully  gave  up  his  soul  to  God.  He  attended  public  worship  regu- 
larly, even  through  his  lingering  illness,  until  the  last  Sabbath  but  one  before  his 
dissolution,  and  even  until  the  very  morning  preceding  his  happy  change,  he  in- 
variably performed  his  usual  round  of  holy  duties. 

When  he  moved  into  the  State,  he  was  the  only  ordained  Baptist  minister 
within  its  bounds.  There  were  very  few  Baptists  in  the  State,  and  no  organized 
church.  He  lived  to  preside  at  the  organization  of  the  Georgia  Association,  in 
October,  1784,  when  there  were  half  a  dozen  churches  in  the  State,  many  Bap- 
tists, and  a  good  many  Baptist  preachers.  His  grave  lies  a  few  rods  south  of  the 
Appling  Court-house,  on  the  side  of  the  road  to  Augusta.  "  Memory  watches 
the  spot,  but  no  '  false  marble '  utters  untruths  concerning  this  distinguished 
herald  of  salvation.  He  sleeps  neither  'forgotten'  nor  'unsung;'  for  every 
child  in  the  neighborhood  can  lead  you  to  Daniel  Marshall's  grave." — Sherwood  s 
Gazeteer  of  Georgia,  sSjy. 

After  Mr.  Marshall's  death,  Kiokee  church,  which  he  founded  in  1772,  was  re- 
moved from  Applington,  the  county  site,  four  miles  north,  and  a  new  brick  house 
of  worship  was  erected. 


III. 

I  TIE  REVOIATTIONARY  PEIMOD. 

1772-1794. 


(2) 


THE  REVOLUTIONAKY  PERIOD. 


LABORS  OF  EDMUND  BOTSFORD — VISITS  KIOKEE — PREACHES  FOR  DANIEL 
MARSHALL— LOVELESS  SAVIDGE— HIS  CONVERSION  TO  THE  BAPTIST  FAITH. 
BOTSFORD'S  labors — "THE  RUM  IS  COME" — HE  IS  ORDAINED — BOTS- 
FORD'S  church  constituted  in  1773 — HIS  FLIGHT  IN  I779 — CAUSES  OF 
THE  REVOLUTION — "  LIBERTY  BOYS  " — GEORGIA  SPEAKING  OUT — CON- 
DITION OF  THE  STATE  IN  1772 — A  PROVINCIAL  CONGRESS  ELECTED  IN 
1775 — IN  1776  IT  WAS  RESOLVED  TO  EMBARK  IN  THE  CAUSE  OF  FREEDOM — 
GEORGIA  IN  ACTIVE  REBELLION — GEORGIA  SUBJUGATED  IN  1779,  AND  THE 
ROYAL  GOVERNMENT  RE-ESTABLISHED  IN  SAVANNAH — BOTSFORD  AND 
SILAS  MERCER  FLEE,  BUT  DANIEL  MARSHALL  STANDS  FIRM — HIS  TRIALS 
AND  LABORS — THE  LICENSURE  SYSTEM — STATISTICS    FROM  1 788    TO   1 794. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  history  of  Edmund  Botsford.  He  has  been  labor- 
ing faithfully  at-Tuckaseeking,  but  has  by  no  means  confined  his  labors  to  that 
locality.  In  1772  he  enlarged  the  sphere  of  his  labors,  travelling  up  and  down 
the  Savannah  river,  and  preaching  incessantly  in  both  South  Carolina  and  Geor- 
gia. Through  the  blessing  of  the  Spirit  he  made  many  converts,  who  were  bap- 
tized either  by  Mr.  Pelot  or  Mr.  Marshall,  for  as  yet  Edmund  Botsford  was  but 
a  licentiate.  In  one  of  his  preaching  excursions  he  visited  Augusta,  and  became 
the  guest  of  Colonel  Barnard,  the  justice  before  whom  Daniel  Marshall  had  been 
tried  for  preaching  in  the  Parish  of  St.  Paul.  Colonel  Barnard  prevailed  upon 
him  to  go  and  preach  at  Kiokee,  promising  to  accompany  him  and  introduce 
him  to  Daniel  Marshall.  Together  they  went  to  Kiokee  meeting-house,  and 
when  they  met  Col.  Barnard  said  : 

"  Mr.  Marshall,  I  wish  to  introduce  to  you  the  Rev.  Mr.  Botsford,  of  your  faith, 
a  gentleman  originally  from  England,  but  last  from  Charleston." 

After  the  usual  greetings,  the  following  conversation,  extracted  from  C.  D. 
Mallary's  Memoir  of  Botsford,  ensued  : 

"  Well,  sir,  are  you  to  preach  for  us  ?"  said  Marshall. 

"  Yes,  sir,  by  your  leave  ;  but  I  confess  I  am  at  a  loss  for  a  text,"  was  Bots- 
ford's  reply. 

"  Well,  well !  Look  to  the  Lord  for  one." 

The  text  that  suggested  itself  to  Mr.  Botsford's  mind  was  the  following  from 
Psalms  66:16:  "  Come  and  hear,  all  ye  that  fear  God,  and  I  will  declare  what  he 
hath  done  for  my  soul."  After  service,  Mr.  Marshall  said,  "  I  can  take  thee  by 
the  hand  and  call  thee  brother,  for  somehow  I  never  heard  convarsioii  better 
explained  in  my  life  ;  but  I  would  not  have  thee  think  thou  preachest  as  well  as 
Joe  Reese  and  Philip  Mulkey ;  however,  I  hope  you  will  go  home  with  me." 

Mr.  Botsford  did  so,  and  from  that  time  a  friendship,  which  was  never  dis- 
solved, existed  between  the  two. 

That  he  might  be  more  at  liberty  to  engage  in  the  evangelistic  labors  so  dear 
to  his  soul,  and  so  useful  and  needed  at  that  time,  Mr.  Botsford  terminated  his 
engagement  with  the  Tuckaseeking  brethren  near  the  close  of  1772,  and  engaged 
exclusively  in  missionary  work,  travelling  on  horseback  as  far  south  as  Ebenezer 
and  as  far  north  as  Kiokee.  His  labors  were  blessed  to  the  conversion  of  many, 
during  the  year  1772.  It  was  during  this  year  that  Mr.  Botsford,  on  his  way  to 
Kiokee  church,  where  he  had  an  appointment  to  preach,  rode  up  to  the  house  of 
a  Mr.  Loveless  Savidge,  ten  miles  northwest  of  Augusta,  to  make  inquiries  con- 
cerning the  road.  Mr.  Savidge  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  and, 
though  a  pious  man,  was  tinctured  with  bigotry.     To  the  faith  and  forms  of  the 


20  THE    REVOLUTIONARY    PERIOD. 

English  Establishment  he  was  strongly  attached.     Having  given  the  necessary 
directions  respecting  the  road,  Mr.  Savidge  said  : 

"  I  suppose  you  are  the  Baptist  minister  who  is  to  preach  to-day  at  Kioliee." 

"  Yes,  sir.     Will  you  go  ?"  responded  Mr.  Botsford. 

"  No;  I  am  not  fond  of  the  Baptists.  They  think  nobody  baptized  but  them- 
selves." 

"  Have  you  been  baptized  ?"  asked  the  visitor. 

"  To  be  sure  I  have — according  to  the  rubric." 

"  How  do  you  know?"  Mr.  Botsford  inquired. 

"How  do  I  know !  Why,  my  parents  told  me  I  was.  That  is  the  way  I 
know,"  answered  Mr.  Savidge. 

"Then  you  do  not  know,  only  by  the  information  of  others  T  and  mounting 
his  horse,  Mr.  Botsford  rode  on  to  Kiokee  meeting-house,  leaving  Mr.  Savidge 
to  meditate  on  the  words.  How  do  yon  know  ?  His  mind  constantly  reverted  to 
them,  and  they  harassed  him  continually  until,  after  an  investigation  of  the 
subject,  he  became  convinced  that  it  vi^as  his  duty  to  be  immersed.  Nor  was  it 
long  before  he  was  baptized  by  Mr.  Marshall.  He  used  to  say,  "  Botsford's 
'how  do  you  know?'  first  set  me  to  thinking  about  baptism,  and  resulted  in  my 
conversion  to  the  Baptist  faith."  He  began  to  preach  the  very  day  he  was  bap- 
tized, became  one  of  the  many  useful  licentiates  of  the  Kiokee  church,  was  the 
first  pastor  of  Abilene  (then  Red  Creek)  church,  which  he  was  probably  instru- 
mental in  founding,  in  1774,  and  of  which  he  was  pastor  as  late  as  1790.  He 
became  a  distinguished  and  useful  minister,  intunately  connected  with  early 
Baptist  history  in  the  State,  and  died  about  181 5,  when  nearly  ninety  years  of  age. 

To  present  some  idea  of  Mr.  Botsford's  labors  and  the  difficulties  against 
which  he  had  to  contend,  and  to  show  the  rude  and  uncultivated  state  of  society 
at  that  time,  we  will  give  another  incident  which  occurred  in  the  same  year  he 
met  Mr.  Savidge  and  set  him  to  thinking,  1772. 

He  was  preaching  at  the  court-house  in  Burke  county.  The  congregation 
paid  very  decent  attention  at  first ;  but,  towards  the  close  of  his  sermon,  some 
one  bawled  out,  "  The  rum  is  come  !  "  and  rushed  out.  Others  followed,  and  the 
sermon  was  finished  to  a  very  small  assembly.  When  Mr.  Botsford  went  to 
mount  his  horse,  he  found  many  of  those  who  had  been  his  hearers  intoxicated 
and  fighting.  One  old  gentleman,  considerably  the  worse  for  liquor,  came  up,  and 
taking  hold  of  Mr.  Botsford's  bridle  rein,  extolled  his  sermon  m  profane  dialect, 
swore  that  he  should  come  and  preach  in  his  neighborhood,  and  invited  . 
him  to  drink.  Declining  the  invitation  to  drink,  Mr.  Botsford  accepted  the  ap- 
pointment to  preach,  and  rode  away.  His  first  sermon  was  blessed  to  the 
awakening  of  the  old  man's  wife  to  an  interest  in  her  soul's  welfare.  One  of  his 
sons  also  became  rehgious ;  others,  to  the  number  of  fifteen,  in  the  settlement, 
were  hopefully  converted  ;  and  the  old  man  himself  became  sober  and  attentive 
to  religion,  though  he  never  made  a  public  profession. 

The  Baptist  church  in  Charleston,  hearing  of  the  success  that  attended  the 
ministry  of  Mr.  Botsford,  concluded  to  call  him  to  ordination.  Acccordingly  he 
was  ordained  March  14th,  1773,  Rev.  Oliver  Hart,  of  Charleston,  and  Rev. 
Francis  Pelot,  of  Euhaw,  assisting  on  the  occasion. 

During  1773  and  1774  Mr.  Botsford's  labors  were  abundant  and  successful,  a 
large  number  being  baptized  by  him.     Says  he,  himself: 

"  In  the  month  of  August,  1773, 1  rode  650  miles,  preached  forty-two  sermons, 
baptized  twenty-one  persons,  and  administered  the  Lord's  supper  twice.  Indeed, 
I  travelled  so  .much  this  year  that  some  used  to  call  me  the  flying  preacher." 

The  following  incident  occurred  on  the  i6th  of  July,  in  that  year,  at  Stephen's 
Creek,  South  Carolina.  Several  candidates  came  forward  for  baptism  ;  but  one, 
a  Mrs.  Clecker,  "did  not  know  thather  husband  would  permit  her  to  be  baptized." 

"  Is  he  present  in  the  congregation  }  "  asked  Mr.  Botsford. 

"  Yes,  sir."  >, 

"  Mr.  Clecker,  please  come  to  the  table ! "  exclaimed  the  preacher.  Mr. 
Clecker  came  forward,  and  proved  to  be  a  little  German.  "  I  have  reason  to 
hope,  Mr.  Clecker,"  said  Mr.  Botsford,"  that  your  wife  is  a  believer  in  Christ, 
and  she  desires  to  be  baptized  by  immersion,  but  not  without  your  consent. 
Have  you  any  objection  to  make,  sir  ?  " 


THE    REVOLUTIONARY   PERIOD.  21 

"  No,  no  I     Got  forpit  I  should  hinter  my  vife  !     She  vas  one  goot  vife." 
•  Nevertheless,  the  little  man  was  enraged  at  being  thus  summoned  and  pub- 
licly interrogated  ;  and  while  the  preparations  were  going  on,  he  vented  his 
wrath  privately  in  swearing  and  abusing  Mr.  Botsford. 

"  Vat !  ax  me  pefore  all  de  peeble  if  he'  might  tip  my  vife  !  "  Of  this,  how- 
ever, Mr.  Botsford  was  ignorant.  Coming  up  from  the  water,  after  the  admin- 
istration of  baptism  was  all  over,  and  passing  through  an  orchard,  he  saw  the 
little  German,  by  himself,  and  leaning  against  a  tree,  apparently  in  trouble. 

"Mr.  Clecker,  what  is  the  matter.?"  asked  Mr.  Botsford.  "  O,  sir,  I  shall  go 
to  de  tivel,  and  my  vife  to  hevin.  I  am  a  boor  lost  sinner.  I  can't  be  forgifen. 
I  fear  de  ground  will  open  and  let  me  down  to  de  hell,  for  I  cursed  and  swore  you 
vas  good  for  notting.  Lord,  have  mercy  on  me  !  "  Afterwards  he  found  peace 
in  believing,  and  Mr.  Botsford  had  the  satisfaction  of  baptizing  him  in  September, 
1773.  In  November  of  that  year,  Mr.  Botsford,  assisted  by  Oliver  Hart,  of 
Charleston,  and  Francis  Pelot,  of  Euhaw,  South  Carolina,  constituted  those  who 
had  received  baptism  into  a  church,  about  twenty-five  miles  below  Augusta. 
Then  styled  the  New  Savannah  church,  it  afterwards  assumed  the  name  of 
Botsford  meeting  house,  but,  after  the  Revolutionary  war,  the  building  was 
moved  eight  or  ten  miles  to  the  place  now  known  as  Botsford's  church,  of  the 
Hephzibah  Association.  It  was  the  second  Baptist  church  constituted  in  the 
State  of  Georgia.  In  the  same  year  Mr.  Botsford  married  Miss  Susanna  Nun,  of 
Augusta,  a  native  of  Cork,  Ireland,  who  had  been  baptized  by  Daniel  Marshall, 
and,  in  May,  1774,  the  newly  married  couple  settled  on  some  land,  purchased  by 
Mr.  Botsford,  in  Burke  county ;  but,  without  allowing  the  charms  or  cares  of  do- 
mestic life  to  diminish  his  activity  in  his  Master's  cause.  Mr.  Botsford,  from 
the  tabernacle  he  had  pitched  on  Brier  Creek,  started  out  into  the  surrounding- 
regions,  and  preached  the  gospel  with  fervor  and  success.  This  continued 
until  the  spring  of  1779,  when,  after  baptizing  148  persons,  rearing  up  one 
flourishing  church,  founding  two  others,  and  preparing  the  materials  for  others, 
Mr.  Botsford  hurried  from  the  province,  a  fugitive,  to  escape  the  British  and 
Tories ;  for  Georgia  had  just  been  subjugated  and  the  horrors  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  began  to  be  seriously  experienced  by  the  settlers. 

A  glance  at  the  political  situation  will  now  give  the  reader  a  clearer  insight 
into  the  general  condition  of  affairs.  It  is  1774.  For  many  years  England  has 
been  waging  war  with  the  French  and  Indians.  Peace  was  concluded  in  1763; 
but  these  wars,  undertaken  at  the  request  and  for  the  defence  of  the  colonies, 
had  cost  the  mother  country  $300,000,000,  and  on  the  loth  of  March,  1764,  the 
House  of  Commons  declared  it  right  and  proper  to  tax  America,  as  a  reUef  in 
the  endurance  of  this  burden,  added  to  the  already  large  national  debt.  Soon 
after,  the  House  of  Commons  voted  that  it  was  expedient  to  tax  America,  and 
enacted  the  celebrated  "Stamp  Act,"  on  the  2d  of  March,  1765.  This  was  re- 
sented strongly  by  the  Americans,  who  not  only  refused  to  use  the  stamped 
paper,  but  destroyed  it,  and  threatened  the  stamp  officers  with  death.  It  was  at 
this  juncture,  after  November,  1765,  whem  the  Stamp  Act  went  into  operation, 
that  the  patriotic  society  known  as  "  Liberty  Boys  "  was  organized. 

On  he  1 8th  of  March,  1766,  the  Stamp  Act  was  repealed,  but  on  the  29th  of 
June,  1767,  an  act  was  passed  by  Parliament  imposing  a  duty  on  tea,  glass,  pa- 
pers and  painters'  colors,  which  should  be  imported  into  the  colonies.  This  was 
the  culmination  of  disputes  on  the  subject  of  taxation  without  representation, 
which  had  been  raging  between  the  colonies  and  Parliament  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  England  contended  for  her  right  to  raise  a  revenue. 
America  contended  that  taxation  without  representation  was  unjust,  and  refused 
to  submit  to  it.  James  Habersham,  President  of  the  Council,  in  Savannah,  a 
loyalist,  but  a  true  patriot,  declared  that  the  money  proposed  to  be  raised  by  the 
Stamp  Act  was  more  than  Georgians  could  bear,  and  would  inevitably  ruin 
them.  Various  causes  of  exasperation  followed  in  quick  succession — among  other 
grievances,  no  petitionary  appeals  to  Parliament  being  heeded.  In  the  meantime 
immigrants  are  flocking  into  the  country.  Four  additional  parishes  are  laid  off 
in  1765  between  the  Altamaha  and  St.  Mary's  rivers.  In  1766  one  hundred  and 
seventy-one  vessels  were  entered  at  the  custom-house.  Between  the  years 
1763  and  1773,  the  exports  of  the  province  increased  from  thirty-five  thousand 


22  THE   REVOLUTIONARY   PERIOD. 

to  six  hundred  and  eight  thousand  dollars,  and  the  number  of  negroes  in  1773 
was  14,000. 

The  people  now  determined  to  speak  out  for  themselves,  and  in  February, 
1770,  the  Georgia  Legislature  took  into  consideration  the  authority  to  impose 
taxes  and  collect  duties  for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  revenue,  and  to  keep  a  stand- 
ing army  in  time  of  peace,  and  to  transport  persons  accused  of  treason  to  Eng- 
land for  trial.  The  House  of  Assembly,  after  defining  their  rights,  resolved 
"  that  the  exercise  of  legislative  power,  in  any  colony  by  a  council  appointed 
during  pleasure  by  the  Crown,  may  prove  dangerous  and  destructive  to  the  free- 
dom of  American  legislation — all  and  each  of  which  the  Commons  of  Georgia, 
in  General  Assembly  met,  do  claim,  demand  and  insist  on,  as  their  indubitable 
rights  and  liberties,  which  cannot  legally  be  taken  from  them,  altered  or  abridged 
by  any  power  whatever,  without  their  consent." 

In  1772  the  crisis  approached.  Committees  were  appointed  in  all  the  colonies 
to  decide  whether  to  submit  to  taxation  by  the  British  Parliament,  or  to  make 
a  firm  stand  in  opposition.  This  is  the  time  when  Daniel  Marshall  and  Edmund 
Botsford  are  making  converts  and  establishing  churches  above  and  below 
Augusta.  At  that  time  so  much  of  the  territory  of  Georgia  as  was  settled  by 
white  citizens  was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  north  to  south,  and 
about  thirty  miles  from  east  to  west,  and  but  thinly  populated.  It  presented  a 
western  frontier  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  had  on  the  northwest  the 
Cherokees,  on  the  west  the  Creeks,  on  the  South  a  refugee  banditti  in  Florida, 
while  Governor  Wright  controlled  the  King's  ships  on  the  coast.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  eastern  district  of  the  province  was  composed  of  whites  and  negro 
slaves — the  latter  most  numerous,  the  former  few  in  number.  While  a  great 
majority  of  the  inhabitants  favored  the  cause  of  the  colonists,  yet,  owing  to 
the  surrounding  dangers,  measures  were  adopted  with  cautious  circumspec- 
tion. The  year  1774  passed  without  any  decisive  demonstrations,  although  the 
committees  of  safety  were  active  and  efificient.  On  the  i8th  of  January  a  Pro- 
vincial Congress  met  in  Savannah  and  elected  three  delegates  to  the  Continental 
Congress  in  Philadelphia,  but  they  did  not  attend.  The  Provincial  Congress 
met  again  July  4th,  1775,  and  elected  five  delegates  to  the  Continental  Congress. 
During  its  session  a  British  schooner  arrived  at  Tybee  with  13,000  pounds  of 
powder  on  board.  This  was  captured  b}''  a  vessel  commissioned  by  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  of  Georgia,  and  5,000  pounds  of  the  powder  were  sent  to  Wash- 
ington, and  enabled  him  to  drive  the  British  out  of  Boston.  At  the  meeting  of 
the  Provincial  Assembly,  in  January,  1776,  the  House  resolved  to  embark  in  the 
cause  of  freedom — to  resist  and  be  free  ,  and  orders  were  given  to  arrest  Gov- 
ernor Wright  and  his  Council.  This  was  done  by  Joseph  Habersham  alone,  on 
the  28th  of  January,  in  the  Governor's  own  house,  where  he  was  left  a  prisoner 
on  parole;  but  he  effected  his  escape  on  the  night  of  February  nth.  Georgia, 
in  active  rebellion,  was  now  in  the  hands  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  and  re- 
mained so  for  three  years.  On  the  29th  of  December,  1778,  Savannah  was  cap- 
tured by  the  British.  Sunbury  was  captured  on  the  6th  of  January.  The  British 
hastened,  conquering  as  they  went,  and,  about  the  last  of  January,  1779,  Augusta 
fell  into  their  possession,  and  military  posts  were  soon  established  l3y  them  over 
the  most  populous  parts  of  Georgia. 

On  the  3d  of  March,  General  John  Ash,  with  1,700  men,  was  routed  at  Brier 
Creek,  in  Burke  county,  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Campbell,  of  the  British  army. 
On  the  4th  of  March,  1779,  the  State  being  mostly  reduced  by  the  troops,  the 
royal  government  was  re-established  in  Savannah,  and  on  the  1 3th  of  July,  Gov- 
ernor Wright  returned  and  etitered  again  upon  his  gubernatorial  duties.  The 
province,  almost  defenceless,  lay  struggling  ineffectually  in  the  grasp  of  her 
conquerors.  Dark  days  for  religion  followed.  Marauding  parties  traversed  the 
country  ravaging,  murdering  and  bearing  off  victims  to  the  horrible  prison  ships 
at  Savannah.  Imprisonment,  exile,  confiscation,  death  and  other  dreadful  calam- 
ities filled  the  land  with  mourning  and  suffering. 

And  how  fares  it  with  our  Baptist  brethren  ?  In  the  spring  of  1779,  Edmund 
Botsford  precipitately  flies  into  South  Carolina  and  thence  into  Virginia.  Geor- 
gia is  never  again  his  home.  Silas  Mercer,  father  of  Jesse  Mercer,  who  had 
settled  in  Wilkes  county  in  1775,  at  the  age  of  30,  and  united  with  the  church 


THE   REVOLUTIONARY   PERIOD.  23 

at  Kiokee,  fled  to  North  Carolina.  In  1777  Abraham  Marshall  also  sought  safety 
in  flight,  in  company  with  Silas  Mercer.  But  Daniel  Marshall  stood  his  ground 
and  never  deserted  his  post.  Though  rapine,  violence  and  bloodshed  filled  the 
land  with  consternation,  the  perseverance  and  zeal  of  this  brave  _  soldier  of  the 
cross  were  not  in  the  slightest  degree  abated.  Assisted  by  a  few  licentiates  who 
remained  faithfully  with  him,  he  continued  his  Christian  labors,  and,  even  in 
those  times  which  tried  men's  souls,  the  spirit  of  pure  religion  was  progressive, 
and  very  many  were  converted  to  God.  Still,  but  three  churches  were  consti- 
tuted anterior  to  the  war,  and  but  two  that  are  known,  during  its  progress.  The 
former  were,  Kiokee,  1772;  Botsford's,  1773;  Red's  Creek,  1774.  The  latter 
were  Little  Brier  Creek,  1777  ;  and  Fishing  Creek,  1782,  according  to  Asplund's 
Register.  There  was  another  Baptist  church  the  name  of  which  is  now  un- 
known, situated  on  Buckhead  Creek,  in  Burke  county,  of  which  Rev.  Matthew 
Moore  was  pastor.  During  the  war  its  members  were  scattered,  and  the 
church  became  virtually  extinct.  After  the  war  Matthew  Moore,  who  was  a 
Loyalist,  left  the  country.  About  1787  the  fragments  of  this  unknown  church 
were  collected  together,  and  by  Rev.  James  Matthews  and  Rev.  Benjamin  Davis 
organized  into  Buckhead  church.  The  baptizing  place  of  Rev.  Matthew  Moore, 
in  Buckhead  Creek  still  goes  by  the  name  of  "  The  Dipping  Ford." 

It  is  said  that  but  few  Baptists  became  Tories.  Espousing  the  cause  of  liberty 
from  high  and  holy  motives,  they  had  an  eye  not  only  to  the  temporal  interests 
of  the  land,  but  to  the  rights  of  conscience,  the  prosperity  of  their  churches  and 
the  general  interests  of  the  Redeemer's  Kingdom.  It  was  because  they  were 
such  ardent  friends  of  liberty  that  Botsford  and  Silas  Mercer  fled,  through  fear 
of  the  British  ;  and  it  was  because  he  was  such  a,  staunch  patriot  and  faithful 
minister  that  Daniel  Marshall  clung  to  his  home  and  to  his  ministerial  _  duties. 
No  dangers  daunted  him  ;  no  threats  could  intimidate  him.  Once,  during  the 
war,  when  a  party  of  Tories  demanded  where  his  horses  were  concealed,  he  pre- 
served an  obdurate  silence,  regardless  of  the  threats  and  impending  death,  and 
nothing  but  the  disclosure  made  by  his  wife,  unable  longer  to  enduie  the  tor- 
turing suspense  and  anxiety,  preserved  his  life. 

From  the  sketch  of  his  life,  written  by  his  son,  Abraham,  the  following  is  ex- 
tracted :  "  No  scenes,  however,  from  the  commencement  to  the  termination  of 
hostilities,  were  so  gloomy  and  alarming  as  to  deter  my  estimable  father  from 
discharging  the  duties  of  his  station.  Neither  reproaches  nor  threatenings  could 
excite  in  him  t"He  least  appearance  of  timidity,  or  anything  inconsistent  with 
Christian  and  ministerial  heroism.  As  a  friend  to  the  American  cause,  he  was 
once  made  a  prisoner  and  put  under  a  strong  guard.  But,  obtaining  leave  of 
the  officers,  he  commenced  and  supported  so  heavy  a  charge  of  exhortation  and 
prayer  that,  like  Daniel  of  old,  while  his  enemies  stood  amazed  and  confounded, 
he  was  safely  and  honorably  delivered  from  this  den  of  lions."  From  these  inci- 
dents we  not  only  learn  the  character  of  Mr.  Marshall,  but  we  discover  also  the 
trials  and  dangers  amid  which  he  and  others  of  similar  disposition  maintained 
the  Baptist  cause  in  the  early  history  of  Georgia. 

Mr.  Daniel  Marshall  was  twice  married — the  second  time  to  Miss  Martha 
Stearns,  of  Virginia,  to  whose  unwearied  and  zealous  co-operation  the  extraor- 
dinary success  of  his  ministry  is,  in  no  small  degree  ascribable.  A  lady  of  good 
sense,  singular  piety  and  surprising  elocution,  she,  in  countless  instances,  melted 
a  whole  concourse  into  tears  by  her  prayers  and  exhortations. 

Bold  and  independent  in  his  methods,  superior  to  local  attachments  and  un- 
dismayed by  danger,  Mr.  Marshall  was  capable  of  the  most  difficult  and  arduous 
enterprises.  He  went  from  place  to  place,  instructing,  exhorting  and  praying  for 
individuals,  families  and  congregations,  whether  at  a  muster,  a  race,  a  public 
market,  the  open  field,  an  army,  or  a  house  of  worship — wherever  he  was  able 
to  command  attention ;  and  the  fruits  of  his  astonishing  exertions  abundantly 
showed  that  he  was  constrained  by  the  love  of  Christ. 

These  statements  regarding  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marshall  have  been  abbreviated 
from  an  editorial  by  Dr.  Henry  Holcombe,  published  in  the  Analytical  Reposi- 
tory, in  1802,  Eternity  only  can  reveal  the  extent  to  which  the  Baptist  de- 
nomination in  Georgia  is  indebted  to  Daniel  Marshall. 

He  inaugurated  a  system  which  largely  acccints  for  the  growth  of  the  churches 


24  THE    REVOLUTIONARY    PERIOD. 

and  the  number  of  converts  in  that  early  day.  This  was  the  licensure  of  pious 
and  zealous  members  by  the  church,  and  the  active  exertions  to  which  they,  as 
lieutenants,  were  incited.  Many  of  these  were  specially  designated  "  itinerants." 
Most  of  the  best  and  most  useful  ordained  ministers  passed  through  these  stages 
ofpreparation,  and  when  their  labors,  united  with  those  of  regularly  ordained 
ministers,  made  it  advisable  or  necessary  to  organize  a  church  in  any  particular  lo- 
cality, this  was  done,  and  the  useful  and  zealous  licentiate  was  ordained  and  placed 
in  charge  of  the  newly  constituted  church.  This  was  the  course  through  which 
Alexander  Scott,  Sanders  Walker,  Samuel  Cartledge,  Silas  Mercer,  Abraham 
Marshall,  Loveless  Savidge,  Samuel  Newton,  Charles  Bussey,  James  Simms, 
Michael  Smalley,  John  Milner,  William  Davis,  Jeremiah  Reeves,  Joseph  Baker, 
Henry  Hand,  and  many  others,  passed,  all  of  whom  became  active,  able  and 
influential  ministers ;  and  it  was  thus  that  converts  were  made  so  numerously 
during  and  immediately  succeeding  the  war,  so  that  the  statistical  figures  actu- 
ally astonish  us.  By  an  examination  of  the  records  we  discover  that  in  1772 
there  was  one  church ;  in  1773,  two;  in  1774,  three;  in  1777,  four;  in  1780, 
seven;  in  1782,  eight;  in  1784,  nine;  in  1785,  eleven;  in  1786,  fifteen;  in  1787, 
twenty;  in  1788,  thirty- three ;  in  1789,  thirty-five;  in  1790,  forty-two  ;  in  1794, 
fifty-three,  with  nearly  four  thousand  members. 

The  following  short  table  will  give  a  comparative  view  at  three  different 
periods : 


YEAR. 

CHURCHES. 

MEMBERS 

ORD.  MINISTERS. 

LICENTIATES. 

1788 

33 

2,250 

19 

12 

1790 

42 

3. 211 

33 

39 

1794 

53 

3.350 

31 

13 

The  figures  in  the  first  line  are  taken  from  the  printed  Minutes  of  the  Georgia 
Association  for  1788.  Those  of  the  second  line  are  taken  from  Asplund's  Regis- 
ter of  1790.  And  those  of  the  third  line  are  taken  from  the  printed  Minutes  of 
the  Georgia  Association  for  the  year  1794,  when  it  convened  at  Powelton, 
October  19th,  but  the  table  of  statistics  is  incomplete  in  regard  to  ministers,  both 
ordained  and  licensed,  and  the  number  of  these  should  be  increased,  for  there 
were  fifty-one  ordained  ministers  in  1791.  We  feel  very  sure  that  there  were 
some  Baptist  churches  in  Georgia  in  1794  which  were  not  connected  with  the 
Georgia  Association — seven  at  least — Asplund's  Register  being  our  authority  ; 
so  that  it  is,  perhaps,  proper  to  put  the  number  of  churches  in  the  State,  in  1794, 
at  sixty,  and  the  number  of  members  at  4,500. 

Another  view  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  growth  of  the  denomination :  in  1772 
there  was  one  church;  in  1773,  two;  in  1774,  three;  in  1777,  four;  in  1780, 
seven;  in  i782,-eight;  in  1784,  nine;  in  1785,  eleven;  in  1786,  fifteen;  in  1787, 
twenty;  in  1788,  thirty-three;  in  1790,  forty-two;  in  1794,  sixty,  with  about 
four  thousand  five  hundred  members. 

Our  hasty  summary  of  events  has  given  us  a  few  glimyses  of  civil  affairs, 
deemed  proper  in  order  that  the  reader  may  bear  in  mind  the  condition  of  the 
country  when  Baptist  principles  first  took  root  in  our  State,  and  the  difficulties 
and  dangers  incurred  by  our  Baptist  fathers,  in  planting  and  nurturing  those 
principles.  From  a  feeble  colony  the  province  has  passed  through  the  evils  of 
misgovernment  and  the  calamities  of  war,  to  emerge  a  free  State  in  the  Federal 
Union.  We  have  seen  a  few  scattered  Baptists  begin  to  form  themselves  into 
churches  in  1772  and  1773,  ^"d  gradually  mcrease  in  numbers,  until,  in  1794, 
the  churches  number  sixty  or  more,  with  nearly  five  thousand  church  members. 
For  ten  years  the  churches  have  been  formed  into  an  Association,  which  has  met 
regularly  twice  each  year,  most  of  the  time,  and  which  has  consolidated,  strength- 
ened and  established  the  denomination,  giving  staunchness  to  its  formation  and 
a  correct  scriptural  character  to  its  doctrines.  These  churches  thus  wonderfully 
increased  in  numbers  and  strength,  by  the  active  and  self-sacrificing  labors  of 
.  our  fathers,  range  up  and  down  the  Savannah  river,  in  the  eastern  portion  of 
the  State,  within  the  counties  then  known  as  Chatham,  Effingham,  Burke,  Rich- 
mond, Franklin,  Washington  and^Wilkes. 


IV. 
GROAVTH  AND  ORGANIZATION, 

1782-1799. 


GROWTH  AND  ORGANIZATION. 


PEACE— SAVANNAH  AGAIN  IN  OUR  POSSESSION  IN  JULY,  1 783 — GEORGIA'S 
DESOLATE  CONDITION — BAPTIST  MATTERS — FORMATION  OF  THE  GEORGIA 
ASSOCIATION — VIEWS  OF  SHERWOOD,  BENEDICT  AND  ASPLUND—"  BEGUN 
IN  1784" — TWO  SESSIONS  ANNUALLY  FOR  HALF  A  DOZEN  YEARS — EXTRACTS 
FROM  NEWTON'S  DIARY — ALEXANDER  SCOTT — SILAS  MERCER — SANDERS 
WALKER — ABRAHAM  MARSHALL — EVANGELISTIC  LABORS  AT  THE  FOUN- 
DATION OF  THE  BAPTIST  DENOMINATION  IN  GEORGIA — JAMES  MAT- 
THEWS— PRECARIOUS  TIMES — FORMATION  OF  THE  HEPHZIBAH  ASSOCIA- 
TION, IN  SEPTEMBER,  1795 — FORMATION  OF  THE  SAREPTA  ASSOCIATION, 
IN  MAY,  1799. 

It  will  be  well  now  to  pause  and  take  a  cursory  view  of  the  general  situation 
of  affairs,  just  at  tfiat  joyful  time  when  the  dark  clouds  of  war  dispersed  and 
the  sun  of  peace  rose  and  bathed  the  land  in  its  bright  and  joyous  beams. 
The  defeat  of  Burgoyne,  at  Saratoga,  and  the  capture  of  Cornwallis,  at  York- 
town,  rendered  the  war  unpopular  in  England,  and  it  rapidly  drew  to  a  close. 

Lord  Cornwallis  surrendered  October  19th,  1781.  As  early  as  November  30th, 
1782,  provisional  articles  of  peace  were  agreed  upon,  by  American  and  British 
commissioners  at  Paris.  A  motion  to  suspend  hostilities  was  made  in  the 
House  of  Commons  on  the  29th  of  February  1783.  A  change  of  ministry  and 
policy  occurred,  and  steps  toward  the  establishment  of  peace  succeeded.  The 
withdrawal  of  the  British  forces  from  America  then  followed.  On  the  nth  of 
July,  1783,  the  embarkation  of  British  troops  from  Savannah  began,  and,  on 
the  same  day.  Colonel  James  Jackson,  at  the  head  of  the  colonial  forces,  marched 
in  and  took  possession  of  the  State  metropolis,  which  had  been  in  the  hands  of 
the  enemy  for  three  years,  six  months  and  thirteen  days.  It  was  not  until  Sep- 
tember 3d,  1783,  however,  that  definitive  treaties  between  England,  France  and 
America,  were  finally  ratified.  Thus  success  crowned  the  American  Revo- 
lution, and  the  glorious  but  terrible  war  for  independence  ended.  In  the  eyes 
of  all  Europe  the  different  colonies  were  free  and  sovereign  States. 

But  what  of  Georgia  ?  The  fierce  storm  passed  and  left  her  in  a  desolated, 
ravaged,  almost  ruined  condition.  Negroes  had  been  stolen  and  carried  off, 
five  thousand  departing  with  the  British  troops  from  Savannah.  Houses,  planta- 
tions, produce  and  much  other  property  had  been  wantonly  destroyed  by  fire. 
Many  widows  mourned  for  the  heads  of  as  many  families.  At  least  one  half 
of  all  the  property  of  the  State  had  been  destroyed,  and  society  was  completely 
disorganized.  Yet  recuperation  began  and  progressed,  notwithstanding  the 
Indian  wars  that  ensued.  Refugees  began  to  return,  among  whom  were  Silas 
Mercer  and  Abraham  Marshall.  The  former  settled  in  Wilkes  county,  in  1783, 
after  an  absence  of  six  years,  spent  with  Abraham  Marshall,  mostly  in  North 
Carolina.  The  faithful  preaching  which  had  been  done  by  Daniel  Marshall  and 
'his  efficient  lieutenants,  the  licentiates  of  Kiokee  church,  began  to  manifest 
itself.  The  Baptists  scattered  throughout  the  country,  by  affinity  gravitating 
towards  each  other,  gradually  united,  formed  churches,  and  soon  began  to  take 
measures  for  the  formation  of  an  Association.  The  first  preliminary  meeting 
occurred  at  Kiokee  church,  in  October,  1784,  and  five  churches  were  represented : 
Kiokee,  constituted  in  1772  ;  Abile^ie  (then  called  Red's  Creek,  or  Reed's  Creek), 
constituted  in  1774;  Fishing  Creek,  constituted  in  1782;  Greenwood  (then 
called  Upton's  Creek),  coristituted  in  1784 ;  and  Botsford  (then  called  Lower  or 
Little  Brier  Creek),  constituted  in  1773.     It  is  admitted  that  there  is  a  little 


28  (iROWTH   AND    ORGANIZATION. 

doubt  to  be  attached  to  the  statement  that  Botsford  was  one  of  the  churches 
which  united  in  forming  the  Georgia  Association  ;  but  Dr.  Sherwood  inclines  to 
that  opinion  very  decidedly. 

There  were  two  Brier  Creek  churches  in  Burke  county,  and  two  in  Wilkes 
county.  Those  in  Burke  county  existed  prior  to  1 790,  and  are  called  by  Asplund, 
"  Head  Brier  Creek  "  and  "Lower  Brier  Creek."  This  latter  was  constituted 
in  1773,  and  is  now  known  as  Botsford.  Of  this  James  Matthews  was  pastor 
in  1788.  Those  in  Wilkes  county  were  known  as  "  Upper  Brier  Creek,  or  Brier 
Creek  Iron  Works,"  and  "  Head  of  Brier  Creek,"  constituted  in  1787.  Of  these 
two  churches,  Wm.  Franklin  was  pastor  of  the  former  in  1788  and  1794,  and  of 
the  latter  Joseph  Busson  was  pastor  in  1790,  and  Isaac  Bussey  was  pastor  in 
1794.  The  former  may  have  been  constituted  in  1777,  as  stated  by  Mercer,  on 
page  18  of  his  History  of  the  Georgia  Association.  Head  of  Brier  Creek 
church,  of  Burke  county,  is  probably  now  Little  Brier  Creek,  sometimes  called 
Franklin's  church,  and  was  constituted  by  Wm.  Franklin  and  Isaac  Bussey, 
perhaps  in  1777. 

Dr.  Adiel  Sherwood,' in  his  manuscript  history  of  Georgia,  called  by  Benedict, 
"  Sherwood's  Collection  of  Historical  Papers,"  says  :  "  We  begin  with  the  Georgia 
(Association ).  This  was  constituted  in  May,  1785,  at  the  present  location  of 
Applington,  Columbia  county,  then  the  site  of  the  Kiokee  church.  Four  or 
five  churches  united  in  the  formation,  and  were,  probably,  Kiokee,  Fishing 
Creek,  Red's  Creek  (now  Abilene),  and  perhaps  Greenwood  and  Botsford.  For 
several  years  there  were  two  annual  sessions  one  in  May  and  one  in  October." 

John  Asplund,  in  his  "Annual  Register  of  the  Baptist  Denomination,"  pub- 
lished in  July,  1791,  says:  "Georgia  Association,  Georgia — This  Association 
began  1784,  *  *  *  *  *  They  have  two  meetings  yearly — the  first  on 
Saturday  before  the  third  Lord's  day  in  May,  and  the  second,  the  Saturday 
before  the  third'Lord's  day  in  October — and  hold  three  days." 

Asplund  was  in  Georgia  in  1790,  and  visited  Abraham  Marshall,  from  whom 
he  obtained  his  information.  Dr.  David  Benedict  visited  Georgia  to  gather  ma- 
terials for  his  history  in  1810.  He  says,  in  a  note  to  his  "  General  History  of  the 
Baptist  Denomination,"  in  1848  :  "There  is  some  difference  of  opinion  between 
Mercer  and  Sherwood  as  to  the  date,  (meaning  1784,  and  quoting  from  Mercers 
History  of  the  Georgia  Association),  which  I  find  thus  given  in  my  old  work. 
I  do  not  remember  how  this  and  some  other  facts  were  ascertained ;  but  am 
confident  that  .they  were  communicated  by  Mr.  Abraham  Marshall,  as  I  spent 
some  time  with  him  at  his  own  house  at  Kiokee,  in  1810,  where  his  venerable' 
father  died.  Mr.  Asplund  visited  Mr.  Marshall  twenty  years  before,  to  whom  he 
gave  the  same  account  as  to  date  of  this  body,  as  appears  by  his  Register 
for  1790." 

Now  let  us  see  what  Dr.  Sherwood  says,  in  his  original  manuscript  history, 
which  has  been  kindly  placed  in  our  possession  by  the  American  Baptist  His- 
torical Society,  having  been  deposited  with  that  Society  by  Dr.  Benedict  himself.* 

"Rev.  Jesse  Mercer  puts  the  date  in  1784,  in  his  History  of  the  Georgia  As- 
sociation, and  is  guided  by  Asplund  and  Benedict.  The  first  visited  Abraham 
Marshall,  to  procure  materials  for  his  Register,  about  1790 ;  the  last "  [did  so  to 
gather]  "materials  tor  his  History  of  the  Baptists  about  181 1."  [It  was  really 
in  1810.]  "  The  reasons  to  be  assigned  are  conclusive  with  the  author  that  Mr. 
Marshall  must  have  forgotten  the  date."  [Dr.  Sherwood  now  gives  the  follow- 
ing three  reasons  why  he  thinks  the  first  session  of  the  Georgia  Association  was 
held  in  May,  1785:] 

"I.  In  1793  Mr.  Marshall  sends  Dr.  Rippon,  of  London,  manuscript  Minutes 
of  the  body  for  1785-6-7-8  and  9. 

"May  15th  and  i6th,  1785.  This  Association  met  at  Kiokee,  and  consisted 
of  only  five  churches." 

"  October  20th,  1787.  Sixteen  churches  met  at  Greenwood.  The  increase  was 
600.     1,402  in  all."  . 

*NoTE. — These  manuscripts  were  loaned  to  J.  H.  Campbell  by  Adiel  Sherwood,  and  ha\e  been  mostly 
preserved  verbatim  in  his  "  Georgia  Baptists,"  which  fact  should  heighten  our  opinion  of  that  very 
valuable  work.     Dr.  Sherwood  carries  the  history  to  1835  or  1840. 


GROWTH   AND    ORGANIZATION.  29 

"October,  1788,  at  Clark's  Station — 2,223  members. — Rippons  Regisfei-." 

"  It  would  seem  that  if  there  had  been  a  meeting  prior  to  1785,  Mr.  Mercer 
would  also  have  given  an  account  of  it. 

"2.  On  the  i8th  of  Jvlay,  1785,  Rev.  Dr.  Furman,  then  residing  at  Society 
Hill,  South  Carolina,  writes  Mr.  Marshall,  and  this  is  an  extract  of  his  letter  : 

"  '  But  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  whether  any  plan  has  been  fallen  upon, 
among  you,  for  cultivating  union  and  improvement  among  your  churches.' 

"  '  It  appears  to  me  desirable  that  all  the  churches  in  this  State  and  Georgia 
should  be  united  in  Association.'  He  then  invites  Mr.  Marshall  to  attend  the 
Charleston  Association  next  fall,  and  gives  notice  of  the  time  and  place  of  its 
session." 

"  If  the  Georgia  Association  had  been  formed  in  1784,  would  Dr.  Furman, 
who  did  not  reside  more  than  one  hundred  miles  distant  from  Kiokee  be  ignorant 
of  it  up  to  May  ist,   1785  ? 

In -the  Charleston  Minutes  for  1785  is  this  record  : 

"  Rev.  Silas  Mercer  and  Peter  Smith  appeared  as  messengers  from  the  Georgia 
Association,  lately  formed,  and  were  cordially  received." 

"3.  In  December,  1837,  the  author  had  a  conversation  with  the'  Rev.  Samuel 
Cartledge,  who  was  present  at  the  formation  of  the  Association,  and  the  sub- 
stance of  his  narration  is  as  follows  :  He  thought  it  was  in  the  fall  of  the  year, 
but  remembers  that  a  Remonstrance  was  agreed  on,  against  an  Act  of  the  Legis- 
lature for  the  support  of  religion.  An  Act  was  passed  at  Savannah,  February 
2 1st,  1785,  and  is  recorded  in  Manuscript  Volume  B.,  p.  284,  in  the  Secretary 
of  State's  office,  Milledgeville.  Some  of  the  features  of  the  Act :  "  Thirty  heads 
of  families  "  might  choose  a  minister  "  to  explain  and  inculcate  the  duties  of 
religion." 

"  Of  the  public  tax  paid  into  the  treasury,  four  pence  on  every  hundred  pounds, 
valuation  of  property  should  be  deducted  and  set  apart  for  the  support  of  religion. 
'  The  mode  of  choosing  the  minister  shall  be  by  subscription  of  not  less  than  thirty 
heads  of  families,  which  shall  be  certified  by  an  assistant  judge  and  two  magis- 
trates, on  which  the  Governor  shall  give  an  order  to  the  treasurer  to  pay  out  the 
money  for  the  minister's  support.  All  the  different  sects  and  denominations  of  the 
Christian  religion  shall  have  free  and  equal  liberty  and  toleration  in  the  ex- 
ercise, etc' " 

"  Among  old  papers  in  the  Marshall  family  is  a  copy  of  a  Remonstrance 
sent  to  the  Legislature  by  the  Association  at  its  formation.  It  begins  thus  :  '  To 
the  honorable  the  Speaker  and  General  Assembly  of  Georgia,  the  Remonstrance  of 
the  Baptist  Association,  met  at  Kiokee  meeting-house,  1 6th  May,  1785,  showeth.' " 

"  This  Remonstrance  was  carried  to  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature  by  Silas 
Mercer  and  Peter  Smith,  and  the  act  complained  of  was  repealed. 

"  Mr.  Cartledge  remembers,  too,  that  Alexander  Scott  was  Moderator  at  this 
session,  and  that  Mrs.  Marshall,  then  a  v/idow,  grieved  that  her  husband  (as 
usual)  was  not  in  the  chair;  but  Daniel  Marshall  died  November  2d,  1784,  and 
it  is  not  likely  that  a  session  would  have  been  held  later  in  the  season." 

To  all  of  this  Dr.  Benedict,  in  a  foot  note  to  the  edition  of  his  History,  pub- 
lished in  1848,  says  justly:  "Mr.  Sherwood's  arguments  are  plausible,  and  as 
there  were  no  records  to  refer  to,  it  would  not  be  strange  if  Mr.  Marshall  was 
mistaken  in  a  year.  Again,  as  they  [the  Associations]  met  at  first  twice  a  year, 
and  as  old  bodies,  formed  as  this  was,  generally  had  preparatory  meetings,  and 
grew  into  an  Association  in  an  informal  manner — so  it  might  have  been  in  this 
case.  Under  these  circumstances  it  is  not  strange  that  there  should  be  a  dis- 
crepancy of  a  year  in  collecting  materials  so  loosely  thrown  together." 

Doubtless  this  passage  conveys  the  real  truth  in  the  matter,  and  we  may  rea- 
sonably conclude,  with  Asplund,  in  his  Register  of  1790,  that  the  Georgia  Asso- 
ciation "  was  begun"  in  October,  1784.  by  a  preliminary  or  preparatory  meet- 
ing, at  which  Daniel  Marshall  presided,  and  the  Association  was  formed 
and  named,  but  at  which  no  regular  business  was  transacted.  On  the  15th  of 
the  following  May,  the  first  regular  meeting  occurred,  and  Daniel  Marshall  hav- 
ing died  meanwhile,  Alexander  Scott  was  elected  Moderator. 

As  to  Daniel  Marshall,  his  son  tells  us  that  he  attended  public  worship  regu- 


30  GROWTH   AND    ORGANIZATION. 

larly  until  the  last  Sabbath  but  one  before  his  dissolution  on  the  second  of  No- 
vember, 1784. 

All  this  accords  with  Samuel  Cartledge's  recollection,  that  the  Association 
^as,  formed  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  and  yet,  that  its  first  meeting  was  after  the 
passage  of  an  Act  of  the  Legislature  against  which  the  Association  remonstrated  ; 
for  the  Act  was  passed  in  February,  1785,  and  the  Remonstrance  was  adopted  in 
May  of  that  year.  It  should  be  remembered  that  a  similar  course  was  pursued 
by  the  Sarepta  Association.  The  delegates  from  the  eight  churches  dismissed 
by  the  Georgia  met  at  Shoal  Creek  meeting-house,  in  Franklin  county,  in  May, 
1799,  formed  an  Association  and  named  it  the  Sarepta,  and,  in  October  of  the 
same  year,  the  Association  held  its  first  session,  at  Van's  Creek  meeting-house, 
Elbert  county. 

Dr.  Sherwood  expresses  it  as  follows:  "In  May,  1799,  the  brethren  met  at 
Shoal  Creek,  Franklin,  to  confer  about  forming  a  new  Association,  having 
obtained  letters  of  dismission  of  the  Georgia,  the  preceding  October.  In  the 
fall  they  met  again,  at  Van's  Creek,  Elbert,  and  adopted  the  Constitution  and 
Decorum  of  the  Georgia,  and  sent  messengers  to  the  Georgia — Wm.  Davis  and 
G.  Smith." 

The  Doctor  himself  appears  to  accept  this  conclusion  as  to  the  date,  for  he 
says,  in  the  third  edition  of  his  "  Gazetteer  of  Georgia,"  published  at  Washing- 
ton city,  in  1837:  "Through  the  instrumentality  of  Mr.  Marshall,  and  other 
ministers,  the  Georgia  Association  was  constituted  at  Kiokee,  at  Columbia 
court-house,  in  1784,"  making  the  number  of  churches  five.  In  the  interval 
between  October,  1784,  and  May,  1785,  it  is  not  likely  that  Dr.  Furman  would 
hear  of  the  preliminary  meeting. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  until  1790  the  Georgia  Association  met  twice 
a  year — in  May  and  October.  In  May,  1785,  it  met  at  Kiokee,  but  where  it  met 
in  October  we  now  know  not.  In  May,  1786,  the  body  held  its  session  at  Fish- 
ing Creek,  Wilkes  county.  It  convened  at  Whatley's  Mills  (now  Bethesda 
church),  in  May,  1787,  and  in  October  of  the  same  year  it  assembled  at  Green- 
wood. It  convened  at  Kiokee  in  May,  1788,  and  at  Clark's  Station  in  October. 
Long  Creek  entertained  the  convention  in  May,  1789,  and  Whatley's  Mills  in 
October.  The  session  was  at  Botsford's  (Brier  Creek),  in  May,  1790,  and  at 
Abilene  in  October,  1790,  when  the  Association  adjourned  to  meet  at  Van's 
Creek,  in  October,  1791,  abandoning  semi-annual  sessions. 

A  few  extracts  from  the  Diary  of  Rev.  John  Newton,  the  grandfather  of  Mr.' 
John  H.  Newton,  of  Athens,  and  brother  of  sergeant  Newton,  of  revolutionary 
notoriety,  will  show  something  of  the  spirit  of  the  Association  in  that  day.  He 
was  the  pastor  of  Providence  church,  Jefferson  county.  ' 

"  Saturday,  May  igth,  17S7. — Started  early  (from  Silas  Mercer's),  and  got  to 
the  Association  in  good  time.  Brother  Bussey  preached  —after  him,  brother 
Cook  preached.     Letters  from  the  churches  were  lead. 

"  Sunday,  May  20th,  1787. — Sermons  preached  by  Peter  Smith,  Jeremiah 
Walker  and  Abraham  Marshall.     Several  others  exhorted. 

''  Monday,  May  2ist. — The  Association  sat  on  business.  Several  ministers 
preached  to  the  people  in  the  woods  ;  the  power  of  God  was  present  to  heal. 
Brother  Jeremiah  Walker  preached  on  baptism.  Silas  Mercer  baptized  brother 
Thomas.     Lively  times." 

"  Tuesday,  May  22d.—Kix.&r  singing,  praying  and  exhorting,  we  parted  in 
peace  and  great  love." 

This  meeting  was  held  at  Whatley's  Mills  (Bethesda). 

"  Saturday,  May  lythf  1788. — I  came  to  the  Association  (at  Kiokee)  and 
found  many  of  the  ministers  here.  Sanders  Walker  preached.  Letters  were 
given  in  from  near  twenty  churches.  Silas  Mercer  was  chosen  Moderator,  and 
Jere  Walker,  clerk.     All  things  done  decently  and  in  order. 

"  Sattirday,  October  i8th,  1788. — We  came  to  the  meeting-house  at  Clark's 
Station.  Vast  multitudes  gathered.  Heard  preaching.  Read  letters  ftom  the 
churches. 

"  Sunday,  October  igth. — Heard  several  sermons. 

"  Mottday,    October  20th. — Went    on    business.      Brother    Hutchinson   was 


GROWTH   AND   ORGANIZATION.  3 1 

received  as  a  helper ;  several  other  ministers  received  as  helpers.     List  of  dele- 
gates called.     Query   brought   in:   What   is    Christian  perfection?     Answer 
God's  children  are  perfectly  justified  before  God,  by  the  imputed  righteousness 
of  Christ,  although  they  are  imperfect  in  their  sanctification." 

"  Saturday,  Jl/ny  i6th,  lySg. — Went  to  Association  at  Fowler's  meeting-house 
(Long  Creek).  Brother  Tinsley  preached  on  "  My  grace  is  sufficient."  Inter- 
mission.    Large  congregation. 

"  Afternoo7i. — Brother  Cleveland  preached.  Brother  Hutchinson  gave  an 
exhortation  how  God  can  love  his  people  from  eternity  and  yet  condemn  them 
in  convictions.  Election  proved  by  one  being  struck  under  convictions  and 
others  left  unconcerned  as  they  were  before." 

"  Saturday,  May  13th,  17 go. — Came  down  to  the  place  of  the  Association, 
and  found  a  large  number  of  people. 

"  Sunday,  May  i6th. — Brother  Matthews  preached  from  2d  Corinthians,  6:20  : 
'  Now  then  we  are  ambassadors  for  Christ.'  Brother  Holcombe's  text,  Psalm 
126:3  •  ■  The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us,  whereof  we  are  glad.'  Brother 
Marshall's  text :  '  And  this  man  shall  be  the  peace  when  the  Assyrian  shall 
come  into  our  land.'  Brother  Silas  Mercer  preached  on  brother  Marshall's  text. 
"  Moftdav,  May  ijtk,  lygo. — Letters  from  other  Associations  read.  Appointed 
brethren  Marshall,  Mercer,  Newton,  Donald,  Bussey  and  Sanders  Walker,  as 
a  committee  to  prepare  rules  of  Decorum,  and  present  them  at  the  next  Asso- 
ciation." 

This,  perhaps,  refers  to  the  articles  of  Faith  and  rules  of  Decorum  adopted  in 
1791. 

"Monday,  October  i8th,  lygo, — Met  early.  Several  ministers  preached  in  the 
woods,  at  the  standi  We  sat  on  business  and  broke  up  before  night,  all  in 
peace  and  love.  Next  Association  to  be  on  Saturday  before  third  Sabbath  in 
October,  at  Van's  Creek." 

Rev.  John  Newton  came  to  Georgia  from  South  Carolina;,  soon  after  the  Revo- 
lution. Dr.  B.  Manly,  Sr.,  in  his  history  of  the  Charleston  Baptist  church, 
mentions  him  as  a  minister  and  a  member  of  that  church.  He  died  soon  after 
the  session  of  the  Georgia  Association  in  1790.  The  brother,  John  Cleveland, 
to  whom  he  refers  in  the  Diary,  resided  in  South  Carolina,  but  preached  a  great 
deal  in  Georgia. 

In  November  of  1784,  the  spirit  of  the  venerable  Daniel  Marshall  took  its 
flight  to  the  realms  of  glory,  but  he  had  a  worthy  successor  in  his  son  Abraham, 
who  fled  to  North  Carolina  with  Silas  Mercer,  in  1777,  and  returned  six  years 
after.  Among  the  other  most  noted  ministers  at  that  time  was  Alexander  Scott, 
who  must  have  been  a  very  useful  and  efficient  preacher,  though  deficient  in 
education.  He  was  Moderator  of  the  Association  in  1785.  Afterwards  he 
moved  to  South  Carolina,  becoming  pastor  of  the  Black  Swamp  church,  and 
subsequently  removed  to  Mississippi,  of  which  State  a  son  of  his  became  gov- 
ernor. There  was,  also,  Silas  Mercer,  who,  about  1775,  was  baptized  by 
Alexander  Scott,  uniting  with  the  Kiokee  church,  by  which  he  was  licensed  to 
preach.  In  fact,  he  began  to  preach  immediately  after  his  baptism,  stepping 
from  the  water  upon  a  log,  whence  he  addressed  the  assembled  multitude. 

Born  in  North  Carolina,  February,  1745,  he  was  raised  an  Episcopalian.  After 
reaching  manhood  he  experienced  a  saving  change,  but  not  until  after  he  married 
and  moved  to  Georgia  did  he  became  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  propriety  of 
believer's  baptism ;  then  he  was  immersed.  Before  his  death  he  was  justly 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  exemplary,  useful  and  pious  ministers  of  the  South- 
ern States.  Yet  he  was  not  distinguished  for  literary  attainments.  He  was, 
however,  very  zealous,  and  was  instrumental  in  establishing  several  churches  by 
his  faithful  labors.  In  him  the  lively  Christian  and  able  minister  of  the  New 
Testament  were  happily  united,  and  he  should  be  classed  among  the  fathers  and 
founders  of  our  ministers  and  churches. 

Twenty-two  Baptist  churches  in  Wilkes  county  alone,  were  constituted  and 
built  up  between  the  close  of  the  war  and  the  year  1790,  mainly  through  the 
labors  of  Silas  Mercer,  assisted  by  Sanders  Walker,  John  Millner,  Sr.,  a  licen- 
tiate and  a  powerful  exhorter,  Jeremiah  Reeves,  Sr.,  Matthew  Talbot,  William 


32  GROWTH    AND    ORGANIZATION. 

Davis,  Peter  Smith,  William  Franklin  and  James  Matthews.  All  of  these, 
except,  perhaps,  John  Millner,  Sr.,  and  Jeremiah  Reeves,  Sr.,  were  pastors  of 
churches  in  Wilkes  county  before  1790,  and  several  of  them  were  licentiates  of 
Kiokee  church.  Among  them  Silas  Mercer  towered  both  as  a  preacher  and  a 
man  of  devotion,  religious  enterprise  and  indefatigable  labors.  He  established 
an  academy,  which  offspring  of_his  benevolence,  though  presided  over  by  James 
Armor,  mouldered  into  non-existence  soon  after  Silas  Mercer's  death,  in  1796, 
for  want  of  pecuniary  support.  The  worthy  founder  of  it,  however,  as  such, 
and  as  a  powerful  preacher  and  advocate  of  the  doctrines  and  ordinances  of  the 
Gospel,  shall  be  embalmed  in  our  memories  and  immortalized  in  our  annals. 
Semple  tells  us  that  he  seldom  talked  on  any  subject  except  religion ;  that  in 
countenance  and  manners  he  had,  considerably,  the  appearance  of  sternness  ; 
and  that  he  was  indefatigable  in  maintaining  his  opinions. 

Sanders  Walker,  perhaps  the  first  Baptist  preacher  ordained  in  Georgia,  was 
one  of  the  most  useful  ministers  in  that  section  of  the  State.  Born  in  Virginia 
March  17th,  1740,  he  was,  before  conversion,  of  a  turbulent  and  most  unmanage- 
able temper;  but,  after  transforming-  grace  did  its  work  upon  him,  he  was  dis- 
tinguished for  the  meekness  and  gravity  of  his  deportment,  and  the  meek  Safi- 
ders  Walker  was  the  sobriquet  applied  to  him.  He  began  to  preach  in  1767, 
in- South  Carolina,  but  moved,  first  to  North  Carolina,  and  then,  in  1772,  to 
Georgia,  where,  as  a  licensed  preacher,  he  united  with  the  Kiokee  church.  His 
own  ordination  must  have  taken  place  anterior  to  May  20th,  1775,  for  on  that 
day  he  and  Daniel  Marshall  ordained  Abraham  Marshall.  He  labored  mostly 
in  Wilkes  county,  where  he  resided,  and,  in  all  likelihood,  was  mainly  instru- 
mental in  the  constitution  of  Fishing  Creek  church,  in  1782  or  '83,  of  which  he 
was  the  pastor  as  late  as  1790.  In  1803  he  was  pastor  of  County  Line  church; 
and  in  1805  he  finished  his  course  with  joy,  in  the  65th  year  of  his  age. 

Allusion  has  been  made  to  Abraham  Marshall,  the  son  and  successor  of 
Daniel  Marshall.  It  is  a  matter  of  great  doubt  if  any  of  our  religious  sires  who 
lived  during  and  just  subsequent  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  are  entitled  to  the 
e.xalted  credit  due  to  Abraham  Marshall.  Though  an  uneducated  man,  he  ac- 
quired a  surprising  command  of  language.  It  is  stated  that  he  never  enjoyed 
forty  days  of  regular  schooling  in  his  life ;  for,  born  at  Windsor,  Connecticut, 
April  23d,  1748,  he  was  a  mere  boy  when  his  father  moved  with  his  family  as  a 
missionary  to  the  Mohawk  Indians,  near  the  head  of  the  Susquehanna  river. 
He  therefore  had  no  opportunities  for  obaining  an  education,  and  used  pleas-  , 
antly  to  excuse  his  own  want  of  cultivation  by  saying :  "  I  was  born  a  Yankee 
and  raised  a  Mohawk."  But  he  had  religious  training,  real  natural  ability,  elo- 
quence, the  most  zealous  earnestness,  and  genuine  piety.  He  had  decision  of 
mind  and  strength  of  character,  and  his  soul  burned  with  love  for  sinners.  For 
thirteen  years  in  succession  he  went  through  the  wilderness,  in  all  directions,  as 
an  itinerant,  preaching  and  spreading  among  the  early  settlers  the  good  news  of 
salvation  by  the  Cross.  His  conversion  took  place  about  1770,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  when  his  father  lived  in  South  Carolina.  He  united  with  the  church, 
was  baptized  in  the  Savannah  river,  and  immediately  began  to  preach.  In 
1775  he  was  ordained  at  Kiokee  church,  but  continued  his  itinerant  labors  with 
unabating  zeal,  even  during  his  flight  to  North  Carolina,  until  the  death  of  his 
father,  in  1784,  when  he  assumed  the  pastorate  of  Kiokee  church.  Not  even 
then  did  he  discontinue  altogether  his  itinerating  labors,  but  during  the  whole 
course  of  his  ministry,  down  to  18 19,  when  his  death  occurred,  he  indulged  in 
the  work  dear  to  his  soul — itinerating ;  and  his  praise  was  emphatically  in  all 
the  churches. 

All  through  life  his  orderly  deportment  gave  strong  and  conclusive  testimony 
•of  his  piety,  and  his  unabating  labors  bore  witness  to  his  abounding  zeal.  In 
doctrine  he  was  moderate  and  sound.  In  the  church  he  was  tender  and  submis- 
sive ;  in  his  family,  soft  and  indulgent.  He  was  a  nursing  father  to  young  min- 
isters and  doubting  Christians,  and  with  solemn  prayer  and  sweet  words  of  en- 
couragement ever  comforted  the  sick  and  needy.  For  fifty  years  he  preached 
faithfully,  lived  consistently  and  labored  zealously ;  and  when,  at  4.  o'clock,  on 
the  15th  of  August,  1819,  the  summons,  "Come  up  higher,"  was  received,  he 


GROWTH   AND   ORGANIZATION.  33 

said  to  the  mourning  and  weeping  friends  and  relatives  at  his  bedside,  "  The  time 
of  my  departure  has  come.  I  have  fought  a  good  fight ;  I  have  kept  the  faith  ; 
therefore  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness  which  my  glorious 
Lord  has  prepared  for  me  !  "  Then  he  gathered  up  his  feet  in  his  bed,  like  Jacob 
of  old,  and  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  Perhaps,  more  than  any  of  our  early  Baptists, 
he  was  noted  for  his  itinerant  labors.  The  condition  of  the  country  required 
such  labors,  and  he  rendered  them  willingly  and  joyfully. 

Thus  it  was  that  our  Baptist  fathers  laid  the  foundation  of  our  denomination 
in  the  State — by  persevering,  self-denying,  self-sacrificing  labors,  almost  disre- 
gardful  of  home-ties,  certainly  despising  danger  and  fatigue,  and  unweariedly, 
incessantly,  faithfully  planting  the  cross  in  the  dark  places  of  the  wilderness,  with 
a  zeal  truly  apostolic.  Among  them  was  James  Matthews,  Sr.,  whose  history 
will  bring  into  view  again  the  old  Botsford  meeting-house,  in  Burke  county.  He 
was  born  in  Virginia,  October  15th,  1755,  but  raised  in  South  Carolina,  and  ex- 
perienced a  hope  through  grace  in  his  seventeenth  year,  when  he  was  baptized, 
and  united  with  the  church  on  Little  River.  In  1782  he  moved  into  Georgia 
and  united  with  the  Red's  Creek  (now  Abilene)  church,  Columbia  county,  of 
which  Loveless  Savidge,  the  whilom  sheriff  who  arrested  Daniel  Marshall,  was 
pastor.  Gaining  the  approbation  of  his  brethren  as  a  licentiate,  he  was  called 
to  ordination,  and  came  under  the  imposition  of  hands  by  a  presbytery  com- 
posed of  Loveless  Savidge,  D.  Tinsley,  Sanders  Walker,  and  Abraham.  Marshall, 
in  1785.  Filled  with  a  fervid  zeal  in  the  Lord's  service,  and  with  an  ardent  love 
for  the  souls  of  men,  he  went  forth  as  a  missionary  of  the  cross,  and  soon  ac- 
quired general  esteem.  The  first  church  which  secured  his  services  was  on 
Brier  Creek,  in  Burke  county,  and  was  the  same  founded  by  Edmund  Botsford, 
in  November,  1773.  During  the  war  it  had  dwindled  away,  and  had  nearly  be- 
come extinct ;  but,  under  the  ministry  of  James  Matthews,  it  woke  to  new  life 
and  sprang  into  a  vigorous  existence,  as  the  result  of  his  labors.  In  less  than 
one  year  seventy  new  converts  were  added  to  its  membership  by  baptism.  The 
good  work  spread  out  far  and  wide.  Two  other  churches,  Buckhead  and  Mob- 
ley's  Pond,  now  Bethlehem,  both  in  Burke  county,  were  constituted,  and  the 
foundation  was  laid  of  a  third,  which  was  afterwards  built  up,  now  Rocky  Creek, 
Burke  county.  For  the  benefit  of  his  health,  Mr.  Matthews  moved  to  Wilkes 
county,  where  he  continued  until  his  death,  in  1 82S,  preaching  to  various  churches 
and  baptizing  many  converts.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  General  Committee, 
in  1803,  and  so  continued  for  a  number  of  years. 

All  these,  and  many/  more  devotedly  pious,  earnest-minded,  laborious  and 
self-sacrificing  men,  were  the  Baptist  ministers  who,  previous  to,  during,  and  just 
subsequent  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  by  their  extraordinary  zeal  and  ability, 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  Georgia.  They  were  men 
who,  regardless  of  pecuniary  reward,  and  impelled  by  an  ardent  desire  to  warn 
others  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come,  preached  wherever  God  gave  them  an 
opportunity  to  deliver  the  gospel  message,  whether  in  the  rough  settler's  cabin, 
or  in  rude  log  meeting-houses,  or  beneath  the  spreading  branches  of  the  forest 
trees.  The  Holy  Spirit's  blessing  accompanied  their  labors,  hundreds  were  con- 
verted to  God,  and  many  Baptist  churches  were  constituted  in  what  was  then  a 
wilderness.  In  some  respects  it  was  worse  than  a  wilderness,  for  the  gospel 
was  preached  and  churches  were  founded  when  men  were  compelled  to  carry 
guns  to  church  and  set  sentries  to  watch  during  divine  service,  in  order  to  pro- 
tect themselves  from  predatory  Indians.  Even  the  plantations  were  cultivated 
in  succession  by  armed  squads  of  men,  who  posted  sentinels  to  preserve  them- 
selves from  surprise  while  so  engaged.  Frontier  forts  were  built  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  settlers,  into  which  the  women  and  children  would  be  gathered  while 
the  men  were  banded  together  working  the  farms  ;  and  sometimes  it  happened 
that  these  forts  would  be  attacked  by  the  Indians  during  the  absence  of  the  men. 
Their  repulse  devolved  upon  the  few  brave  and  discreet  men  left  for  the  pur- 
pose, assisted  by  the  women,  many  of  whom  were  good  marksmen,  and  un- 
daunted by  danger.  This  state  of  affairs,  owing  to  white  encroachments  on 
what  the  Creeks  considered  their  lands,  continued  until  the  middle  of  the  year 
1796,  when,  after  a  formal  treaty  with  Creek  Indians  near  Muskogee,  near  the 
St.  Mary's  river,  depredations  which  had  prevailed  on  the  frontier  ceased ;  but 

(3) 


^4  GROWTH   vVND    ORGANIZATION. 

the  Federal  power  was  requisite  to  enforce  tlie  State  title  to  all  the  lands  east  of 
the  Chattahoochee,  which  was  effected  after  many  years. 

We  have  already  seen  how  rapid  was  the  increase  of  the  denomination.  At 
the  session  of  the  Georgia  Association  for  1794,  which  met  at  Powell's  Creek 
meeting-house,  near  Powelton,  on  Saturday,  the  19th  of  October,  several 
churches  moved,  in  their  letters,  for  a  division  of  the  Association.  There  were, 
really,  fifty-six  churches  in  the  Association,  but  four  of  them,  with  a  total  of . 
325  members,  were  South  Carolina  churches,  which,  about  that  time,  obtained 
letters  of  dismissal,  to  join  the  Bethel  Association,  in  that  State. 

The  following  was  the  action  of  the  Georgia  Association,  in  response  to  the 
letters  requesting  a  division  :  "  Agreed,  that  all  the  churches  in  the  lower  part  of 
our  union  who  see  fit  to  form  another  nieeting  of  this  nature,  have  our  consent ; 
and  that  the  one  be  called  'The  Upper  District  Georgia  Baptist  Association," 
and  the  other  '  The  Lower  District  Georgia  Baptist  Association.'  The  first 
meeting  of  the  Lower  District  Association  to  be  Saturday  before  the  fourth 
Lord's  day  in  September,  at  Buckhead  Davis'  meeting-house.  The  brethren, 
John  Thomas,  Jeptha  Vining  and  Silas  Mercer  to  attend  as  messengers.  The 
meeting  of  the  Upper  District  Association  to  be  at  the  Iviokee  new  meeting- 
house, on  Saturday  before  the  third  Lord's  day  in  October,  which  Association  is 
to  hold  the  present  constitution  and  records." 

Silas  Mercer  was  appointed  to  preach  the  Association  sermon,  and  Saturday  be- 
fore the  fith  day  in  December  was  set  apart  as  a  day  of  fasting,  humiliation  and 
prayer. 

The  meeting  appointed  in  September,  1795,  took  place;  eighteen  or  twenty 
churches  sent  delegates,  but,  counting  the  South  Carolina  churches,  twenty-two 
actually  separated  from  the  Georgia  Association  ;  but  the  name  assumed  by  the 
new  Association  was  Hephzibah,  and  delegates  from  its  first  session,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1795,  attended  the  meeting  of  the  Georgia,  in  October  of  the  same  year,  car- 
rying their  prifrted  Minutes.  See  Mercer's  History  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Asso- 
ciation, page  34,  which  says  that  the  Georgia  Association  contained  thirty-two 
churches  in  1795,  of  which  two  were  newly  constituted.  In  1794  the  Associa- 
tion contained  fifty-six  churches,  of  which  four  were  in  South  Carolina.  Twenty- 
two,  then,  must  have  withdrawn,  among  which  was  the  colored  church,  at  Sa- 
vannah, which  then  contained  381  members,  their  pastor  being  Andrew  Mar- 
shall. Eight  other  churches  obtained  letters  of  dismissal  from  the  Georgia 
Association  in  1798;  and,  in  May,  1799,  delegates  sent  by  these  churches  met 
at  Shoal  Creek  meeting-house,  Franklin  county,  and  formed  a  new  Association,  ■ 
designated  the  Sarepta.  This  Association  held  its  first  session  at  Van's  Creek 
meeting-house,  Elbert  county,  in  the  same  year.  The  next  session  was  held  in 
October,  1800,  with  Millstone  church,  Oglethorpe  county,  and  letters  from  nine 
churches  were  read.  Thomas  Gilbert  was  elected  Moderator,  and  William 
Davis,  Clerk.  Five  other  churches  united  with  the  Association,  making  nine  in 
all,  with  a  membership  of  797. 

Thus  we  have  hastily  traversed  a  period  of  more  than  half  a  century.  We 
have  discovered  the  introduction  o£  Baptist  sentiments  into  the  State ;  have  wit- 
nessed the  foundation  of  the  first  Baptist  churches ;  have  watched  the  indefati- 
gable and  self-sacrificing  labors  of  our  pioneer  Baptist  fathers ;  have  beheld  the 
gradual  influx  of  faithful  laborers  and  the  increase  of  Baptist  churches ;  and 
now,  at  the  close  of  the  century,  three  flourishing  Associations  exist,  while  Bap- 
tists, by  thousands,  stretch  from  the  Cherokee  country  on  the  north  to  the 
Atlantic  on  the  south,  occupying  about  one-third  of  the  present  territory  of  the 
State.  We  have  seen  the  glorious  sunshine  of  peace  succeed  the  lurid  gleams 
of  war,  and  have  beheld  the  desolation  and  destruction  in  the  track  of  Bellona's 
car.  We  have  obtained  a  partial  view  of  old-time  Baptist  methods  of  procedure 
at  our  Associations  ;  have  learned  by  what  labors  and  sacrifices  our  fathers  laid 
the  foundation  of  our  denomination  in  Georgia ;  have  had  glimpses  of  the  lives 
and  characters  of  a  few  of  the  more  prominent  ones  ;  have  settled  the  foundation- 
period  of  the  two  first  Associations  formed  in  the  State ;  and  have  reached  the 
beginning  of  the  new  century,  in  which  the  Georgia  Baptists,  under  new  leaders 
and  new'^methods  and  measures,  enter  upon  a  career  of  prosperity  and  useful- 
ness, marred,  nevertheless,  by  mistakes  and  dissensions  superinduced  by  the 
infirmities  incident  to  human  nature. 


V. 
THE  POA¥Ei;rON^  CONFERENCES. 

1800-1803. 


V. 


THE  POWELTON   CONFERENCES. 


THE  GENERAL  ASPECT  OF  AFFAIRS — THE  CONDITION  PEACEABLE  AND  PROS- 
PEROUS— BUT  ZION  LANGUISHING — THE  FIRST  STEP  UPWARD — HENRY 
HOLCOMBE — JOSEPH  CLAY — C.  O.  SCREVEN — JESSE  MERCER— THE  GRAND 
"DEPARTURE" — THE  MEETING  OF  180I — THE  SECOND  CONFERENCE  IN 
1802 — THE  REPORT  ADOPTED — RESULTS — INCIDENT  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  MER- 
CER— SAVANNAH  ASSOCIATION  CONSTITUTED  IN  l8o2 — ITS  ACTION  IN 
REGARD  TO  THE  POWELTON  CONFERENCE — THE  FIRST  GENERAL  COM- 
MITTEE— ACTION  OF  THE  COMMITTEE — THE  RELIGIOUS  CONDITION  IN 
1803 — ORIGIN  OF  BAPTIST  INTERESTS  IN  SAVANNAH — A  CHURCH  ORGAN- 
IZED IN  1800 — THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  COLORED  BAPTIST  CHURCHES  IN 
SAVANNAH — AND  A  BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  THEM. 

We  have  now  reached  the  beginning  of  a  new  century.  New  men  are  coming 
on  the  stage  of  action,  and  new  measures  begin  to  excite  attention.  Hitherto 
the  period  has  been  a  formative  one  ;  henceforth  a  period  of  growth  and  progress 
occurs.  A  class  of  ministers  equally  pious  and  zealous,  and  in  some  respects 
more  cultivated,  are  stepping  upon  the  scene. 

A  brief  view  of  the  denominational  labors  of  the  day,  and  of  the  general 
aspect  of  affairs,  as  well  as  of  the  political  "situation,"  will  enable  us  to  advance 
more  intelligently  upon  our  historical  journey. 

Louisiana  and  Florida,  ceded  to  France  by  Spain  October  ist,  1 800,  have  been 
purchased  from  France  by  the  United  States,  for  about  $16,000,000.  On  the 
20th  of  December,  1803,  General  Wilkinson,  and  a  large  body  of  emigrants,  took 
formal  possession  of  New  Orleans.  Georgia's  claim  to  all  the  land  between  the 
Chattahoochee  and  Mississippi  rivers,  obtained  by  treaty  with  the  Indians  at 
Augusta,  in  November,  1763,  had  been  sold  to  the  United  States,  in  1802,  for 
one  and  a  quarter  million  dollars,  the  general  government  guaranteeing  to  Geor- 
gia a  title  from  the  Indians  to  all  lands  in  the  State  cast  of  the  Chattahoochee, 
and  especially  of  the  lands  lying  between  the  Oconee  and  Ocmulgee  rivers. 

On  the  i6th  day  of  May,  1795,  Louisville,  in  Jefferson  county,  became  the  capital, 
and  so  continued  until  1804.  The  State  Constitution  was  revised  in  1799,  by  a 
Convention  of  which  Jesse  Mercer  had  been  elected  a  member,  and  in  which  he 
took  a  prominent  part.     The  section  on  religious  liberty  was  written  by  him. 

By  a  treaty  with  the  Indians,  in  1796,  the  United  States  had  put  an  end  to 
Indian  depredations  in  Georgia,  and  in  1800  the  population  of  the  State  was 
double  what  it  had  been  in  1790.  In  the  beginning  of  the  new  century,  she  con- 
tinued to  extend  her  population  by  laying  off  and  steadily  but  quietly  settling 
new  counties.  Towns  and  villages  sprang  up  in  the  wilderness.  In  1803  the 
county  of  Baldwin  was  laid  off,  and  a  site  for  the  town  of  Milledgeville  was 
selected  by  commissioners  appointed  by  the  Legislature,  with  a  view  of  making 
it  the  capital  of  the  State,  as  soon  as  the  proper  buildings  could  be  erected. 
These  were  completed  in  1807,  in  which  year  Milledgeville  became  the  seat  of 
government.  Thus,  at  the  beginning  of  the  century,  the  general  domestic  con- 
dition of  Georgia  was  peaceable  and  prosperous. 

While  the  dying  century  beheld  the  State  and  its  material  interests  advancing 
prosperously,  it  witnessed  a  discouraging  condition  in  the  spiritual  interests  of 


38  THE   POWELTON   CONFERENCES. 

the  country,  and  of  our  denomination  in  the  State.  Several  of  our  most  able 
and  active  ministers  were  removed  by  death,  and  by  their  loss  others  were  un- 
nerved for  designs  of  extensive  usefulness.  With  few  exceptions,  the  harps  of 
surviving  colleagues  hung  neglected  on  the  willows.  Learning  drooped,  religion 
appeared  in  mourning,  and  viperous  infidelity,  with  elevated  head,  menaced 
Christianity  with  venomous  fangs.  These  unpropitious  circumstances  exerted  a 
chilling  influence  throughout  all  our  churches.  The  interests  of  Zion  languished 
and  appeared  "  ready  to  die."  This  was  the  more  humiliating  to  intelligent  Bap- 
tists, as  they  enjoyed  no  means  of  securing  an  active  and  sympathetic  co-opera- 
tion, by  the  denomination,  in  any  design  intended  to  promote  the  interests  of 
religion,  learning  or  benevolence,  and  therefore  they  appeared  insignificant  or 
contemptible  to  opponents. 

At  this  juncture  a  step  was  taken  which  resulted  in  that  denominational  sym- 
pathy and  co-operation  which,  summoned  into  action  the  best  talent  of  our  de- 
nomination in  the  State,  and  which,  by  uniting  the  energies  and  benevolent  ten- 
dencies of  the  brotherhood,  has  called  into  being  our  Convention,  with  all  its 
educational  and  benevolent  enterprises,  and  has  elevated  our  denomination  to 
the  proud  position'  it  now  occupies.     This  step  was  the  appointment  by  the 
Georgia  Association,  in  October,  1800,  of  a  meeting  to  be  held  at  Powelton,  May 
1st,  1 80 1,  to  confer  as  to  the  best  means  of  reviving  the  religious  interests  of  the 
churches.     In  the  concoction  of  the  scheme  an  intelligent  observer  cannot  but 
discern  the  pious  benevolence  of  Jesse  Mercer,  although  it  may  be  that  Dr.  Henry 
Holcombe,  of  Savannah,  was  connected  with  the  movement  in  some  way.     He 
had  been  a  resident  of  our  State  for  one  year  only,  but  had  already  caused  the 
constitution  of  a  white  Baptist  church  in  Savannah,  and  it  is  not  to  be  doubted 
that  he  longed  to  see  the  energies  of  our  growing  denomination  aroused  and 
combined  ;  and   when  events  gradually  matured,  his  powerful  and  cultivated 
mind  made  him  a  leader  and  organizer,  a  master-spirit  among  first-class  men. 
Dr.  Henry  Holcombe  was  an  extraordinary  man.     Born  in  Virginia  in  1762, 
he  became  a  cavalry  officer  in  the  revolutionary  war  before  he  was  of  age  ;  and, 
converted  at  twenty-two,  he  preached  his  first  sermon  to  his  own  command, 
while  seated  upon  his  horse.     Raised  a  Presbyterian,  he  was  led  to  adopt  Baptist 
principles  by  investigating  Scripture ;  and  when  convinced  of  the  propriety  of 
immersion,  he  rode  twenty  miles  on  horseback  to  propose  himself  as  a  candidate 
for  immersion  to  a  Baptist  church.     He  was  the  means  of  the  conversion  of 
his  own  wife  and  her  brother  and  mother,  baptizing  all  of  them,  as  well  as  his, 
own  father,  who  renounced  Pedobaptist  sentiments.     He  was  a  member  of  the 
South  Carolina  convention  which  approved  the  constitution  of  the  United  States  ; 
and,  while  pastor  of  the  Euhaw  Baptist  church.  South  Carolina,  and  residing  at 
Beaufort,  was  called  to  Savannah.     He  was  a  man  of  commanding  personal 
appearance,  oi  unusual  intellectual  powers  and  of  grand  eloquence.     Mainly 
self-taught  he  attained  a  high  degree  of  culture,  and  though  he  resided  in  the 
State  about  twelve  years  only,  he  left  his  impress  on  it  inefTaceably.     The  peni- 
tentiary system  of  Georgia  was  of  his  suggestion.     He  was  the  originator  of 
the  "  Savannah  Female  Asylum."     He  published  the  first  religious  magazine  in 
the  South,  a  periodical  called  TAe  A7ialytical  Rcpositoiy  ;  and  with  it  he  did 
much  to  arouse  the  dormant  energies  of  Georgia  Baptists  and  unite  their  efforts 
in  great  benevolent  enterprises.     The  academy  established  at  Mount  Enon,  in 
Richmond  county,  was  a  child  of  his  brain,  and  as  long  as  he  remained  in  the 
State,  it  flourished.     A  strong  advocate  of  missions  and  of  education,  he  gave 
them  the  benefit  of  his  powerful  pen  and  eloquent  voice,  and  as  a  member,  and, 
for  a  time,  as  president  of  the  "  General  Committee  "  and  board  of  trustees  for 
Mount  Enon  College,  he  wielded  great  influence  and  labored,  with  astonishing 
vigor  and  capacity,  for  the  Baptist  cause  during  the  first  decade  of  the  century. 
Undoubtedly  he  stood  primus  mter  pares. 

Another  noble  mind  developed  by  the  exigencies  of  the  time,  and  sent  by 
God  to  help  usher  in  the  dawn  of  a  brighter  day  for  the  Baptists  of  Georgia, 
was  Hon.  Joseph  Clay,  a  man  who  stood  pre-eminently  distinguished  for  his 
talents,  virtues  and  piety.  He  was  the  son  of  Colonel  Joseph  Clay  of  the  revo- 
lurionary  army,  who,  as  a  "  Son  of  Liberty,"  was  on  the  committee  which  drew 


THE   POWELTON   CONFERENCES.  39 

up  the  resolutions  relating  to  the  grievances  of  which  the  Colonies  complained 
in  1774,  and  who  was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Safety,  in  1775,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Continental  Congress  from  1778  to  1780,  besides  filling  many  other 
important  offices.  Converted  under  the  ministrations  of  Dr.  Holcombe,  Joseph 
Clay,  Jr.,  renounced  Episcopalianism  and  became  a  Baptist.  At  the  time  of  his 
conversion  he  was  District  Judge  of  the  United  States  for  the  District  of  Georgia, 
.but  nobly  yielding  to  what  he  conceived  to  be  the  voice  of  duty,  he  exchanged 
the  judiciary  bench,  in  1802,  for  a  name  and  a  place  in  our  communion  as  a 
minister  of  the  gospel.  He  was  a  leading  member  of  the  convention  which 
formed  the  revised  constitution  of  1798,  and  the  original  draught  was  carefully 
prepared  by  him.  Liberally  educated,  he  was  graduated  at  Princeton  with  the 
highest  honors  of  his  class.  He  was  a  most  persuasive  orator,  a  refined  gentle- 
man and  an  humble  Christian.  A  native  Georgian,  he  was  born  in  Savannah, 
August  1 6th,  1764;  was  baptized  and  licensed  to  preach  in  1802,  and  ordained 
in  1804,  by  Dr.  Furman,  Dr.  Holcombe  and  Rev.  Joseph  B.  Cook,  pastors  of 
the  Charleston,  Savannah  and  Beaufort  Baptist  churches.  After  that  time  he 
travelled  and  preached  in  different  parts  of  the  United  States,  in  the  employ  of 
the  General  Committee,  and,  in  September,  1806,  was  invited  to  succeed  Dr. 
Stillman  as  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  church  of  Boston.  He  accepted,  so  far 
as  to  consent  to  spend  one  year  with  the  church,  and  was  installed  August  3d, 
1807.  In  November,  1808,  agreeably  to  his  engagement,  he  sailed  for  Savannah, 
expecting  to  return  in  the  spring ;  but  finding  his  health  seriously  declining,  he 
obtained  a  dismissal  from  his  pastoral  charge  in  October,  1809,  and  did  not 
return  to  Boston  until  December,  18 10.  On  the  nth  of  January,  181 1,  he 
expired,  after  a  long  and  tedious  illness,  in  the  47th  year  of  his  age.  The  follow- 
ing in  regard  to  him,  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Henry  Holcombe,  was  written  at 
Savannah,  in  1806,  to  Rev.  Dr.  Baldwin,  of  Boston: 

"  From  early  life  he  was  distinguished  by  genius,  docihty  and  great  amiable- 
ness  of  disposition  and  behavior.  In  morals,  learning  and  politeness,  he  has 
always  been  distinguished  among  the  most  moral,  learned  and  polite  of  his 
acquaintance.  As  a  son,  a  brother,  a  husband,  a  parent,  a  master,  a  neighbor, 
a  citizen  and  a  friend,  he  is  spoken  of  in  this  State  in  the  most  respectful  terms. 
For  acuteness  of  research,  undeviating  rectitude  and  manly  eloquence,  he  has 
been  much  celebrated  by  his  best  informed  acquaintance,  in  the  capacities  of  a 
lawyer  and  a  judge.  As  a  gentleman  of  property,  he  is  nobly  distinguished  for 
his  liberality  to  the  poor,  and  by  the  aid  he  gives  to  various  benevolent  institu- 
tions. And,  as  a  Christian,  and  a  minister  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  whom  he 
supremely  loves,  his  praise  is  in  all  the  Southern  churches.  Should  you  permit 
me  to  speak  freely  of  Mr.  Clay,  after  the  pleasure  and  the  honor  of  four  or  five 
years  intimate  acquaintance  with  him,  I  would  say  I  believe  him  to  be  one  of 
the  greatest  and  best  men  I  ever  knew  ;  but,  in  saying  this,  I  would  by  no 
means  be  understood  to  intimate  that  I  think  myself  able  to  form  an  accurate 
judgment  of  all  the  excellencies  I  believe  him  to  possess." 

Hon.  John  M.  Berrien  writes  as  follows  of  him :  "  His  disposition  was  pecu- 
liarly amiable,  and  he  was  distinguished  by  a  warm  and  active  benevolence. 
These,  combined  with  his  social  quahties,  made  him  an  object  of  universal 
affection  and  respect  in  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  If  any  one  in  that 
community  had  been  requested  to  point  to  a  man  of  blameless  conduct,  he  would 
have  been  designated." 

Another  man  of  polished  mind  and  pious  heart,  who  recruited  the  Baptist 
ranks  in  the  first  decade  of  the  century,  was  Charles  O.  Screven,  D.D.,  son  of 
General  James  Screven,  who  was  killed  in  Liberty  during  the  revolutionary  war. 
Born  in  1774,  he  united,  at  twelve,  with  the  Charleston  Baptist  church,  of  which 
his  grandfather.  Rev.  Wm.  Screven,  was  the  founder  and  first  pastor,  in  1683. 
Rev.  C.  O.  Screven  was  educated  at  Brown  University,  Rhode  Island,  where  he 
graduated ;  and  being  licensed  by  the  Charleston  church,  he  visited  Sunbury, 
Georgia,  and  began  to  preach  in  1801,  founding  a  Baptist  church  there.  He 
was  ordained  by  Dr.  Furman,  Mr.  Clay  and  Mr.  Botsford,  in  Savannah,  on  the 
29th  of  May,  i8o4.  Although  a  most  cultivated  Baptist  minister  and  a  polished 
Christian  gentleman,  he  preached  mostly  to  negroes,  and  was  instrumental  in 


40  THE    POWELTON   CONFERENCES. 

i 

turning  many,  both'  white  and  black,  from  darkness  to  light.  He,  too,  aided  in 
promoting  the  revival  of  religion  which  occurred  in  the  first  years' of  the  century, 
and  was  the  first  president  of  Mount  Enon  Academy. 

Major  Thomas  Polhill,  who  had  served  with  reputation  as  a  senator  in  the 
General  Assembly,  son  of  Nathaniel  Polhill  already  alluded  to  among  the 
early  Baptists  of  Savannah,  was,  also,  a  distinguished  member  of  that  galaxy 
which  shone  so  conspicuously  at  the  time  of  which  we  write.  He  was  born 
January  12th,  1760;  was  converted  in  1789;  and  ordained  by  Dr.  Hqlcombe 
and  Rev.  John  Goldwire,  on  the  9th  of  December,  r8o5,  renouncing  his  pros- 
pects of  military  and  political  fame,  that  he  might  devote  himself  to  the  duties 
of  the  sanctuary. 

Prominent,  also,  among  the  workers,  in  the  beginning  of  the  century,  were 
Abraham  Marshall  and  Jesse  Mercer.  The  latter,  son  of  Silas  Mercer,  was 
born  in  North  Carolina,  December  i6th,  1769,  converted  at  fifteen  and  ordained 
in  his  twentieth  year,  by  his  father  and  Sanders  Walker.  Without  doubt  the 
most  distinguished  and  infiuential  Baptist  minister  ever  reared  in  the  State,  his 
life  and  labors  were  so  interwoven  with  the  history  of  our  denomination,  that 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  chronicle  events  of  'importance,  for  at  least  half  a 
century,  without  connecting  his  name  with  them.  No  other  man  has  exerted  a 
greater  or  better  influence  upon  the  Baptist  interests  of  Georgia.  No  one  has 
labored  more  for  their  advancement  or  been  more  liberal  in  promoting  them. 
Distinguished  for  meekness,  piety,  benevolence  and  wisdom,  he  was,  also,  a 
powerful  preacher,  though  not  a  man  of  thorough  education  or  high  cultivation. 
His  long-continued  and  indefatigable  labors,  his  steadfast  devotion  to  Baptist 
principles,  his  staunch  piety  and  usefulness,  and  his  great  liberality,  have  em- 
balmed his  memory  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  Georgia  Baptists.  As  we 
progress  in  our  history  his  name  and  actions  will  be  the  subject  of  constant 
reference,  obviating  the  necessity  of  a  longer  personal  mention  of  him  here. 

We  have  now  noted  the  most  prominent  actors  among  the  historical  charac- 
ters of  the  Georgia  Baptists,  who  moved  in  the  drama  enacted  in  the  first  decade 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  put  in -train  events  which  moulded  the  destinies 
of  our  denomination  in  the  State.  The  names  of  others  might  be  given,  as 
John  Harvey,  John  Robertson,  Joseph  Baker,  Henry  Hand,  George  Granberry, 
R.  E.  McGinty,  John  Ross,  Edmund  Talbot,  Miller  Bledsoe,  George  Franklin, 
William  Franklin,  Norvell  Robei  :son  and  John  Stanford. 

These  all  lamented  the  languishing  state  of  religion,  and  the  want  of  co-ope- 
ration, and  earnestly  desired  to  enter  upon  some  course  by  which  unity  of  action 
in  spreading  the  gospel  and  carrying  forward  benevolent  enterprises  would  be 
secured.  Their  minds  were  reaching  out  for  some  method  of  useful  unison  of 
effort. 

It  was  just  at  this  time,  in  the  year  1800,  and  under  these  circumstances,  that 
the  Georgia  Association,  which  met  with  the  church  at  Sardis,  Wilkes  county, 
twelve  miles  northwest  of  Washington,  in  October,  adopted  the  following  reso- 
lutions, evidently  the  composition  of  Jesse  Mercer  : 

"That,  as  a  spirit  of  itineracy  has  inflamed  the  minds  of  several  ministers,  who 
are  desirous  to  enter  into  some  resolutions  suitable  to  carry  into  effect  a  design 
of  travelling  and  preaching  the  gospel,  a  meeting  be,  and  is  hereby,  appointed 
at  Powel's  Creek,  on  Friday  before  the  first  Sunday  in  May  next,  for  that  purpose. 

"  That  the  same  day  be  observed  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  solemn  prayer  to 
Almighty  God  for  prosperity  in  the  design,  and  for  a  dispensation  of  every  new 
covenant  mercy  in  Christ  Jesus." 

In  his  life'of  Jesse  Mercer,  page  153,  Dr.  C.  D.  Mallary  says  :  "This  propo- 
sition, which  we  shall  soon  see  resulted  in  some  important  measures,  originated 
with  Mr.  Mercer;"  and  Dr.  Sherwood,  in  his  manuscripts,  from  which  frequent 
extracts  will  be  made,  writes  as  follows ;  '•  Mr.  Mercer  was  connected  with  all 
the  great  religious  movements  of  his  age.  The  conferences  at  Powelton,  1801, 
1802,  1803  were  originated  by  him  and  Governor  Rabun,  and  these  ripened  into 
the  General  Committee,  a  body  from  members  of  each  Association  then  in  the 
State,  the  object  of  which  was  to  promote  itinerant  preaching  and  a  school 
among  the  Creek  Indians,  then  occupying  the  western  part  of  the  State — most 
of  the  lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  Oconee." 


THE   POWELTON     CONFERENCES.  4I 

This  grand  "departure"  of  our  denomination  was  the  first  exhibition  of  a 
spirit  and  tendency  which  finally  resulted  in  the  constitution  of  the  Georgia  Bap- 
tist Convention  twenty-two  years  later,  and  the  establishment  of  Mercer  Uni- 
versity, and  of  all  that  harmony,  unity  of  effort  and  co-operative  benevolence 
which  have  given  Georgia  Baptists  such  a  proud  position  in  denominational 
annals.  Attention  is  called  to  the  latter  of  these  resolutions":  Those  who  delve 
into  the  early  records  of  our  denomination  in  Georgia  will  be  struck  by  the 
frequency  with  which  days  of  fasting,  humiliation  and  prayer  were  appointed 
and  observed  by  our  fathers.  Perhaps  the  zealous  .spirit  and  holy  earnestness 
evolved  by  these  devout  observances,  accompanied  by  divine  blessing,  were  the 
real  cause  of  the  success  of  their  ministry,  and  of  the  rapid  growth  of  our  de- 
nomination. 

The  meeting  appointed  was  held  at  Powelton,  May  ist,  1801,  and  several  days 
were  pleasantly  and  profitably  spent  in  forming  liberal  and  judicious  designs  for 
usefulness.  Among  those  present  were  Jesse  Mercer,  John  Robertson,  Edmund 
Talbot,  Adam  Jones,  John  Harvey,  Joseph  Baker  and  Francis  Ross.  Other 
leading  characters  were  present,  among  whom  we  may  reckon  Abraham  Mar- 
shall and  Henry  Holcombe.  The  principal  objects  discussed  were  the  formation 
of  a  missionory  society  to  support  two  missionaries  among  the  Creek  Indians 
on  the  frontier,  and  itinerant  preaching  throughout  the  State.  The  results  of 
the  consultation  were  drawn  up  in  the  form  of  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Georgia 
Association,  calling  the  attention  of  the  Association  to  the  propriety  and  expe- 
diency of  forming  a  missionary  society  in  this  State  for  the  purpose  of  sending 
the  gospel  among  the  Indians  on  the  frontiers. 

Before  adjourning,  the  ministering  brethren  generally  were  recommended  to 
engage,  as  far  as  they  possibly  could,  without  unfaithfulness  to  existing  obliga- 
tions, in  itinerant  labors ;  and  those  present  entered  into  an  agreement  to  the 
same  effect.  An  appointment  for  a  similar  meeting,  at  Powelton,  was  made  for 
the  year  1802. 

The  letter  was  received  and  cordially  and  unanimously  approved  by  the  Geor- 
gia Association  at  its  session  in  October,  1801,  and  delegates  were  again  ap- 
pointed to  the  Powelton  meeting  for  1802,  to  devise  and  mature  proper  plans  for 
carrying  out  the  suggestions  of  the  first  meeting,  and  to  revive  and  extend  the 
influence  of  true  religion. 

This  second  conference  met  at  Powelton  on  Thursday,  the  29th  of  April,  1802, 
sixteen  messengers  from  the  different  Associations  bein§  present  on  the  first 
day,  whose  names  are,  Joseph  Baker,  Joel  Willis,  George  Granberry,  John  Ross, 
Henry  Hand,  Edmund  Talbot,  Jesse  Mercer,  Francis  Ross,  John  Robertson, 
John  Harvey,  Adam  Jones,  Benjamin  Thompson,  Miller  Bledsoe,  William  Lord, 
William  Maddox  and  Benjamin  Maddox.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  Joseph 
Baker.  John  Harvey  was  unanimously  elected  Moderator,  and  Joseph  Graybill, 
Clerk. 

Reports  from  individual  brethren,  in  regard  to  their  different  tours  through 
the  State,  as  itinerating  preachers  of  the  gospel,  showed  encouraging  results, 
and  it  was 

"  Resolved,  That  it  is  the  decided  opinion  of  this  Conference  that  the  religious 
interests  for  which  they  are  immediately  concerned,  begin  already  to  assume  an 
encouraging  aspect,  under  the  influence  of  the  partial  execution  of  their  lately 
adopted  measures." 

And  it  was  furthermore 

"Resolved,  That  we  feel  ourselves  bound  to  give  itinerate  preaching,  for  the 
ensuing  year,  all  the  aid  and  encouragement  in  our  power." 

On  Saturday,  May  ist,  the  committee  met,  and,  after  singing  and  prayer,  the 
subject  of  union  among  Christians  of  different  denominations  was  proposed  for 
discussion  by  Jesse  Mercer  ;  and,  "  from  the  different  impressive  lights  in  which 
it  was  placed,  appeared  to  excite  a  general  and  ardent  desire  to  use  every  en- 
deavor to  hasten  the  time  when  the  watchmen  in  Israel  shall  see  eye  to  eye,  and 
all  the  real  disciples  in  Christ  be  one,  as  He  and  His  divine  Father  are  one." 
Then,  on  motion  of  Dr.  Henry  Holcombe,  who  had  arrived  from  Savannah,  a 
committee  was  appointed  to  concert  a  plan  of  promoting  union  and  communion 


42  THE    POWELTON   CONFERENCES. 

among  all  real  Christians,  to  be  respectfully  submitted  to  the  consideration  of  the 
Georgia  Baptists  that,  should  it  be  approved,  they  may  concur  in  its  adoption." 
Joseph  Baker,  Jesse  Mercer  and  Henry  Holcombe  were  nominated  members  of 
this  committee,  and  on  the  third  day,  Saturday,  they  rendered  a  report. 

They  reported  "that  they  are  humbly  of  the  opinion  that  the  number  and 
present  situation  of  the  Baptists  of  this  State  require  a  stricter  and  more  inti- 
mate union  among  themselves,  in  order  the  most  effectually  to  concentrate  their 
powers  for  any  particular  purpose  ;  that  they  conceive  this  more  eligible  state  of 
the  churches  might  be  effected  by  a  choice  of  delegates  to  represent  each  church, 
annually,  in  the  Association  to  which  they  respectively  belong,  vested  with 
power  to  elect  three  members  from  each  Association,  to  compose  a  General 
Committee  of  the  Georgia  Baptists,  which  should  meet  annually  in  some  conve- 
nient and,  as  nearly  as  possible,  central  part  of  the  State,  with  liberty  to  confer 
and  correspond  with  individuals  and  societies  of  other  denominations,  for  the 
laudable  purpose  of  strengthening  and  contracting  the  bonds  of  a  general  union, 
on  the  pure  principles  of  eternal  truth,  until  all  who  breathe  the  spirit  and  bear 
the  image  of  the  meek  and  affectionate  Jesus,  shall  enforce  a  strict  discipline, 
and  sit  together  at  His  table ;  and  that  the  time  and  place  for  the  first  meeting 
of  this  committee,  should  it  be  eventually  formed,  shall  be  fixed  on  by  the 
'Association  that  shall  meet  last,  conformably  to  existing  appointments." 

This  report  was  agreed  to  and  adopted  unanimously ;  and  then,  after  agree- 
ing to  meet  again  on  the  Friday  before  the  first  Lord's  day  in  May,  1803,  fur- 
ther to  mature  their  designs  of  usefulness,  and  particularly  to  form,  if  possible, 
a  Missionary  Society,  the  Conference  adjourned,  with  many  demonstrations  of 
brotherly  love. 

A  result  of  this,  as  of  the  previous  meeting,  was  a  vast  amount  of  itinerating 
labor.  Our  ministers  traversed  the  whole  State,  two  and  two,  preaching  with 
unwonted  power  and  earnestness,  and  carried  out  fully,  in  spirit  and  in  reality, 
the  resolution  adopted  concerning  "  itinerate  preaching."  An  incident  in  the 
life  of  Jesse  Mercer  during  that  year,  1802,  will  not  only  illustrate  the  spirit 
which  animated  our  ministers,  but  will  demonstrate  the  nature  of  their  labors, 
and  show  the  results  of  their  zeal  and  earnestness.  Mr.  Mercer  had,  for  a  fort- 
night, been  on  a  preaching  tour,  and  had  spent  most  of  the  time  in  a  revival. 
On  his  return  he  attended  the  regular  meeting  at  his  church  at  Whatley's  Mill, 
now  called  Bethesda  church.  Aware  that  the  church  was  in  a  languid  state, 
his  sermon  was  on  the  deceitfulness  of  the  heart  in  crying,  Peace,  peace,  when 
there  is  no  peace. 

He  became  deeply  affected  at  the  end  of  his  discourse,  and  addressed  his  con- 
gregation as  follows  :  "  Dear  brethren  and  friends,  I  have  been,  for  a  great  part 
of  the  last  two  weeks,  addressing  a  people  that  I  believe  are  truly  awakened 
to  a  sense  of  their  lost,  helpless  and  ruined  state,  and  are  crying  out  in  their  ag- 
ony, What  shall  we  do  to  he  saved?  Among  them  my  tongue  seemed  to  be 
loosed,  and  I  could  point  them  with  great  freedom  to  the  way  of  salvation  through 
a  crucified  Saviour.  On  my  way  hither  I  felt  the  deepest  concern  in  contrast- 
ing your  lifeless  condition  with  theirs.  I  even  bedewed  the  pommel  of  my  sad- 
dle with  tears,"  and  here  lifting  up  his  hands  he  exclaimed,  "  O,  my  congrega- 
tion, I  fear  you  are  too  good  to  be  saved  !  "  And  he  burst  into  an  irrepressible 
flood  of  tears.  Descending  from  the  pulpit  and  recovering  himself  a  httle,  he 
poured  forth  a  most  solemn  and  impassioned  exhortation,  during  which  many 
came  forward  and  asked  for  prayer  in  their  behalf.  From  that  sermon  and  occa- 
sion one  of  the  most  interesting  revivals  which  has  ever  blessed  that  favored 
church  commenced,  and  forty-nine  were  added  to  the  church  by  baptism  before  the 
expiration  of  the  year.  During  the  same  year  thirty-eight  were  added  to  Phillips' 
Mill  church,  by  baptism,  as  the  result  of  a  pleasant  revival.  Of  this  church,  also, 
Mr.  Mercer  was  pastor.  Sardis  church,  likewise  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Mer- 
cer, reported  to  the  Georgia  Association,  in  October,  1802,  the  addition  by  bap- 
tism of  thirty-three  new  members  ;  and  Powelton  church,  of  which  he  was  pas- 
tor, reported  to  the  Association  twenty-nine  added  by  baptism.  Nearly  all  the 
churches  in  the  Georgia  Association  reported  considerable  gains  that  year — for 
instance,  Salem,  Oglethorpe  county,  26 ;  Freeman's  Creek,  Clarke  county,  56 ; 


THE   POWELTON   CONFERENCES.  43 

Lower  Beaverdam,  Greene  county,  28;  Rocky  Spring,  Lincoln  county,  31  ;  Big 
Creek,  Oglethorpe  county,  88 ;  County  Line,  Wilkes  county,  23 ;  the  colored 
church  in  Augusta,  220.  The  conclusion  is,  that  there  must  have  been  a  con- 
siderable revival  resulting,  we  may  justly  presume,  from  the  itinerary  labors  ad- 
vised by  the  Powelton  meetings ;  for  732  were  reported  as  the  whole  number 
•baptized  in  the  Georgia  Association. 

The  churches  of  the  Sarepta  Association  reported,  in  1801,  388  converts  bap- 
tized;  in  1802,  1,050  baptized.  Evidently  religion  had  greatly  revived,  owing 
to  the  blessing  of  God  on  the  faithful  dissemination  of  evangelical  doctrines,  in 
accordance  with  the  measures  adopted  in  the  first  Powelton  Conference. 

The  proceedings  of  the  second  Powelton  meeting  were  approved  by  the 
Georgia  Association  of  1802,  and  Abraham  Marshall,  Sanders  Walker  and 
Jesse  Mercer  were  appointed  to  attend  the  third  meeting,  in  May,  1803,  as  three 
regular  delegates  from  the  Association,  to  aid  in  consummating  the  plan  pro- 
posed by  the  meeting  of  May,  1802. 

The  Savannah  Association,  which  met  at  Savannah  in  January,  1803,  appointed 
Henry  Holcombe,  Aaron  Tison  and  Thomas  Polhill,  delegates  to  this  first 
Baptist  Convention  of  Georgia.  That  Association  had  been  constituted  at 
Savannah  on  the  3d  of  April  1802,  by  representatives  from  the  Newington 
church  (white),  the  Savannah  (white)  church  and  the  First  (colored)  church  of 
.Savannah.  Its  action  with  reference  to  the  Powelton  meeting  of  1802  may  be 
learned  from  the  following,  which  is  a  report  rendered  by  Alexander  Scott, 
chairman  of  a  special  committee,  which  was  unanimously  adopted  :  "  If  to  aim 
at  the  most  important  end  subordinate  to  the  glory  of  God,  namely,  '  the  com- 
plete union  of  His  people ;'  if  to  aim  at  this  end,  on  the  most  pure  and  liberal 
principles — '  the  principles  of  eternal  truth ;'  in  fine,  if  to  aim  at  an  excellent 
end,  on  excellent  principles,  by  excellent  means,  be  latidable,  the  plan  your  com- 
mittee have  strictly  investigated — the  plan  recommended  to  your  serious  attention 
by  the  ministers,  in  conference,  last  May,  at  Powelton — is  laudable  in  a  very 
high  degree,  and  claims  your  warmest  patronage." 

This  report,  which  appears  in  the  Minutes  of  the  Savannah  Association  for 
1803,  was  unanimously  adopted,  and  preceded  the  election  of  the  brethren  just 
mentioned,  to  represent  the  body  in  the  General  Committee  of  that  year,  James 
Sweat  being  appointed  to  till  the  place  of  either,  in  case  of  failure  on  their  part 
to  attend. 

On  the  29th  of  April,  1803,  therefore,  the  third  yearly  Baptist  conference  was 
held  at  Powelton,  Hancock  county.  Twenty-four  ordained  Baptist  ministers 
were  present,  besides  a  large  number  of  the  brethren  and  of  citizens.  Henry 
Holcombe  was  elected  Moderator  and  Jesse  Mercer,  Clerk. 

At  the  opening  of  the  session  it  was  found  that  the  following  Baptist  minis- 
ters were  present :  Francis  Ross,  John  Ross,  Miller  Bledsoe,  Henry  Cunningham 
(colored),  from  Savannah,  Charles  Goss,  Stephen  Gafford,  William  Green,  Henry 
Holcombe,  John  Harvey,  James  Heflin,  William  Lord,  William  Lovell,  Abraham 
Marshall,  Benjamin  Mattox,  James  Matthews,  Jesse  Mercer,  Robert  McGinty, 
William  Mattox,  Benjamin  Thornton,  Edmund  Talbot,  Joel  Willis  and  Sanders 
Walker.  Two  others  appeared  afterwards;  for  in  his  Circular  Letter  in  the  Minutes 
of  the  meeting  of  the  committee  for  1806,  Dr.  Henry  Holcombe  says:  "  There 
were  present  twenty-four  of  our  ordained  ministers,  with  incalculable  numbers 
of  their  brethren  and  fellow  citizens.  Thus  had  a  little  one,  the  almost  imme- 
diate offspring  of  our  pious  fathers,  according  to  the  prophecy,  become  a 
thousand ;  and  a  handful  of  corn  sown  by  them  with  tears,  on  the  top  of  a 
mountain,  waved  in  a  golden  and  copious  harvest." 

That  was  a  proud  day  for  the  Baptists  present.  Glorious  old  Powelton,  the 
nursery  of  Georgia  Baptist  enterprise,  beheld  a  grand  concourse  that  day,  when 
the  Baptists  of  Georgia  were  first  united  in  heart  and  endeavor ;  and  yet  a 
greater  and  more  glorious  day,  still,  dawned  upon  the  famous  village,  when  on 
the  27th  of  April,  1822,  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  was  formed  there. 
That  Convention,  however,  was  but  the  immediate  successor,  on  more  acceptable 
principles,  of  the  General  Committee,  created  on  this  April  30tR,  1803 — just 
nineteen  years  previous. 


44  THE    POWELTON   CONFERENCES. 

At  that  time  there  seems  to  have  been  a  general  revival  of  religion  in  both 
England  and  America,  and  the  missionary  spirit  was  considerably  heightened. 
God  was  doing  glorious  things  everywhere.  It  was  natural  therefore,  for  the 
day  to  be  consumed  in  hearing  accounts  of  the  progress  of  religion,  and  of  the 
prosperitv  of  the  churches,  and  of  the  doors  open  for  missionary  effort ;  and  in 
discussing  the  plan  to  unite  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  more  closely,  and  to  promote 
union  among  all  Christians.  On  the  next  morning.  April  30th,  1803,  a  com- 
mittee of  twelve,  with  the  title  of  The  General  Committee  of  Georgia  Baptists, 
was  chosen.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  this  committee  held  its  first 
meeting,  the  conference  having  dissolved  in  the  morning.  The  following  named 
members  of  the  committee  took  their  seats,  and  elected  Abraham  Marshall 
chairman,  and  Henry  Holcombe,  secretary  :  Fra?icis  Ross,  John  Ross,  Miller 
Bledsoe,  William  Green,  Henry  Holcombe,  Abraham  Marshall,  Jam.es  Mat- 
thews, Jesse  Mercer,  Robert  McGinty,  Edwund  Talbot  and  Sanders  Walker. 

The  first  action  was  the  adoption  of  the  following  : 

"Resolved,  That  the  encouragement  of  itinerant  preaching,  the  religious 
instruc:;ion  of  our  savage  neighbors,  and  the  increase  of  union  among  all  real 
Christians,  which  were  the  leading  objects  of  the  late  conference,  shall  be  zeal- 
ously prosecuted  by  this  committee." 

As  the  result  of  the  discussions  of  May  ist,  it  was  resolved  that  the  committee 
be  rendered  permanent  by  annual  delegations  from  the  Georgia  Associations,  or 
otherwise ;  that  it  not  only  encourage  itinerant  preaching,  but,  individually, 
practice  it,  as  far  as  was  consistent  with  indispensable  duties ;  and  that,  when- 
ever circumstances  will  justify  the  attempt,  an  English  school  be  established 
among  the  Creek  Indians,  as  the  germ  of  a  mission.  The  following  day  a 
Circular  Address  to  the  Baptist  Associations,  and  to  all  gospel  ministers  of  any 
other  denominations  in  the  State,  was  adopted,  and  the  time  and  place  of  the 
next  meeting  were  appointed,  viz:  Fourth  of  May,  1804,  at  Kiokee. 

This  "  conference  "  might  be  called  the  first  regularly  appointed  Baptist  Con- 
vention ever  held  in  Georgia.  Delegates  were  appointed  to  it  by  two  of  the 
four  Baptist  Associations  in  the  State,  though  there  were  ministers  there  from 
all  four  of  the  Associations.  The  Hephzibah  and  Sarepta  failed  to  appoint  dele- 
gates. It  established  a  method  of  co-operation  which  never  received  the  hearty 
endorsement  of  Georgia  Baptists,  and  which  expired  after  about  seven  years  of 
existence ;  yet  it  did  considerable  good  during  its  brief  career.  One  cannot  but 
regard  its  establishment  as  providential,  for  it  set  in  operation  agencies  that, 
awoke  the  denomination  in  Georgia  from  a  lethargic  state,  and  aroused  a  gen- 
eral revival  spirit.  We  have,  already  seen  how  that  spirit  was  evidenced  in 
1802,  by  the  figures  exhibited.  Other  figures  show  that  the  itinerant  system 
inaugurated  by  these  devout  and  self-abnegating  fathers,  was  attended  by  the 
divine  blessing,  and  wrought  wonders. 

'  The  number  reported  as  baptized,  in  the  year  1803,  in  the  Savannah  Asso- 
ciation, was  378 ;  in  the  Sarepta,  375  ;  and  in  the  Georgia,  689.  The  records 
of  the  Hephzibah  Association,  for  that  period,  being  lost,  its  additions  are  not 
known. 

To  the  Minutes  of  the  Georgia  Association,  for  1803,  which  appear  not  to 
have  been  printed  until  1804,  Jesse  Mercer,  the  Clerk,  appended  the  following: 

"  Doubtless  there  is  a  glorious  revival  of  the  religion  of  Jesus.  The  wicked 
of  every  (description,  have  been  despoiled  of  their  boasted  coat  of  mail ;  even 
deists,  who  stood  in  the  front  of  the  battle,  have  had  their  right  arm  broken, 
their  hope  disappointed,  and  their  prognostications  metamorphosed  into  false- 
hood. As  the  fruit  of  this  work  there  have  been  added  to  the  churches  of  the 
Georgia  Association,  more  than  1,400  ;  to  those  of  the  Sarepta,  more  than  1,000, 
a  year  ago,  and  we  doubt  not  but  that  number  has  greatly  increased  by  this 
time.  [Actually  375  had  been  added  to  the  Sarepta  during  1803;  while,  for  the 
years  1801,  1802  and  1803,  there  were  added  to  the  churches  of  the  Sarepta 
Association  1,813,  by  baptism.]  To  those  of  Bethel  (a  South  Carolina  Associa- 
tion), more  than  2,000.  There  is  and  continues  a  great  work  in  some  of  the 
churches  of  the  Hephzibah  and  Savannah  (Associations),  and  is  kindling  in 
others.     More  than  a  hundred  have  been  added  to  one  church  in  the  Charleston 


THE   POWELTON   CONFERENCES.  45 

Association.  We  are  authorized  to  say  that,  in  six  Associations  in  Kentucky, 
there  are  at  least  10,000  young  converts.  To  all  which  we  add  that  other 
accounts  from  different  and  distant  parts,  verbally  received,  state  that  the  Lord 
is  doing  excellent  things  in  the  earth." 

Perhaps  this  is  the  proper  place  to  introduce  a  few  short  sketches  of  some  of 
the  prominent  actors  on  the  stage  of  our  denominational  history  at  that  time, 
of  whom  the  reader  may  naturally  be  curious  to  obtain  some  information. 

Rev.  John  Harvey  was  a  very  distinguished  and  useful  minister  in  his  day, 
and  was  President  of  the  Powelton  Conference  in  1802,  being  at  that  time  a 
member  of  the  Powelton  church.  He  seems  to  have  been  greatly  respected  and 
to  have  occupied  a  very  prominent  position,  and  to  have  beeii  extensively  useful. 
Rev.  John  Robertson  was  a  man  of  very  high  character,  of  liberal  disposition 
and  a  devout  Christian.  He  began  to  preach  in  Wilkes  county,  but  moved  to 
Putnam  and  became  a  member  of  the  Tirzah  church.  He  was  Moderator  of  the 
Shoal  Creek  Convention  and  of  the  Ocmulgee  Association,  and  occupied  other 
prominent  positions,  among  them  the  first  vice-presidency  of  the  Ocmulgee 
Mission  Society.  In  his  fidelity  the  brethren  had  the  utmost  confidence.  Lazarus 
Battle  was  a  pious  and  distinguished  layman,  treasurer  of  the  Mission  Board  of 
the  Ocmulgee  Association,  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee,  a  man  of 
uncommon  wis  dom  in  council  as  well  as  energy  in  action,  both  as  a  Christian 
and  a  citizen. 

In  the  year  1824  the  Ocmulgee  Association  adopted  the  following  report  con- 
cerning the  death  of  Rev.  John  Harvey,  Rev.  John  Robertson  and  Lazarus  Battle  : 

"  In  the  death  of  these  three  distinguished  persons,  society  has  sustained  no 
common  loss — a  loss  irreparable  to  the  church,  to  the  settlements  in  which 
they  lived,  and  through  the  whole  circle  of  their  acquaintance ;  deeply  felt  by 
their  families  and  friends,  and  by  the  community  in  general.  To  speak  of  all 
their  virtues,  (were  we  capable,)  would  far  transcend  the  limits  of  this  work  and 
our  present  design.  Suffice  it  to  say,  their  upright  lives  bore  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  the  religion  they  professed,  and  they  left  satisfactory  evidences  that  they 
are  the  happy  sharers  of  the  blessed  fruit  thereof.  Brother  Harvey  spent  a  long 
life  in  the  faithful  ministry  of  the  word  of  life.  The  same  may  be  said  of  brother 
Robertson,  who  was  late  Moderator  of  this  Association.  And  brother  Battle 
was  not  only  a  useful  member  of  society  as  a  faithful  Christian,  but  eminently 
so  as  a  citizen.  He  was  treasurer  to  the  Mission  Board,  and  his  public  spirit 
was  indefatigable." 

Rev.  Robert  McGinty  was  a  man  of  high  standing  and  good  influence  ;  polite 
and  easy  in  his  manners ;  pious  in  character  ;  strongly  missionary  in  spirit ;  an 
excellent  Moderator  and  a  sound,  sensible  preacher.  He  was  one  of  those  who 
helped  to  form  the  General  Committee,  at  Powelton,  in  1803,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Committee.  He  was  Moderator  of  the  Ocmulgee  Association,  President 
of  the  Ocmulgee  Missionary  Society,  and  for  years  the  Moderator  of  the  Flint 
River  Association.  Raised  in  Wilkes  county,  he  was  baptized  at  the  same  time 
and  place  with  Jesse  Mercer,  in  1787,  and  was  ordained  prior  to  1799. 

Rev.  Edmund  Talbot  was  highly  respected  and  a  man  of  great  piety  and  use- 
fulness. In  all  the  records  he  is  spoken  of  most  respectfully,  as  a  man  of  high 
character  and  undeviating  rectitude.  Born  in  Virginia,  March  28th,  1767,  he 
came  to  Georgia  from  South  Carolina  at  twenty,  and  was  baptized  by  Sanders 
Walker  at  twenty-two.  He.  was  son-in-law  of  Rev.  John  Harvey,  President  of 
the  second  Powelton  Conference,  and,  while  greatly  fond  of  itinerant  labors,  he 
was  a  most  excellent  and  successful  pastor.  He,  too,  was  a  member  of  the  first 
General  Committee,  and  aided  in  the  attempt  to  establish  a  Georgia  Baptist  col- 
lege at  Mount  Enon.  He  was  a  Moderator  of  the  Ocmulgee  Association,  and  a 
vice-president  (and  acting  president)  of  the  Ocmulgee  Missionary  Society. 
His  influence  was  always  on  the  side  of  missions  and  education,  and  opposed  to 
what  was  erroneous  and  hypocritical ;  not  learned,  but  plain  and  straight- 
forward. In  person  he  was  tall  and  slender,  and  he  lived  to  see  our  State  Con- 
vention a  quarter  of  a  century  old. 

Rev.  Joseph  Baker,  who  assisted  in  the  Powelton  Conference  of  1802,  was 
from  the  Hephzibah  Association,  and  was  from  North  Carolina,  having  settled 


46  THE   POWELTON   CONFERENCES. 

in  Washington  county  in  1794,  where  he  was  called  to  ordination  and  served  the 
Bethlehem  church.  He  afterwards  moved  to  Baldwin  county,  and  was  pastor 
of  Fishing  Creek  church  until  his  death  in  1820.  Few  men  of  his  day  were  as 
highly  esteemed  as  he  was,  and  very  few  so  useful. 

Rev.  Miller  Bledsoe,  who  assisted  at  the  Powelton  Conference  of  1802,  was  a 
Virginian,  born  October  7th,  1761,  and  had  been  a  valiant  revolutionary  soldier. 
Converted  in  1788,  he  soon  began  to  preach,  and  was  ordained  in  1792.  He 
emigrated  to  Georgia  in  1793,  and  settled  in  Oglethorpe  county,  where  he 
preached  and  labored  faithfully  as  the  contemporary  and  co-laborer  of  Silas 
Mercer.  He  was  a  good  and  useful  man,  and  lived  to  be  nearly  eighty  years  of 
age.  ] 

Rev.  George  Franklin,  another  Virginian,  was  a  very  prominent  and  useful 
man  in  Georgia  at  the  period  of  which  we  write.  He  was  for  fifteen  years  Mod- 
erator of  the  Hephzibah  Association,  and  was'  a  valued  member  of  the  General 
Committee.  He  represented  Washington  county  in  the  Legislature  of  the  State, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  State  Convention  which  revised  the  Constitution  in  1788. 
He  was  born  in  Virginia  about  1744,  but  moved  to  Carolina,  where  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Vashti  Mercer,  an  aunt  of  Jesse  Mercer,  and  a  half  sister  of  Silas  Mercer, 
and  moved  with  the  Mercer  family  to  Georgia  in  1 774.  He  was  ordained  at  Little 
Brier  Creek  church,  in  1789,  by  his  father.  Rev.  Wm.  Franklin,  Rev.  Silas  Mercer 
and  Rev.  John  Newton,  Silas  Mercer  preaching  the  ordination  sermon.  He  doubt- 
less assisted  in  organizing  the  Hephzibah  Association,  in  the  Minutes  of  which 
Association,  for  the  3^ear  1 8 16,  may  be  found  this  entry:  "In  consequence  of 
the  death  of  our  venerable  and  beloved  brother,  George  Franklin,  whose  loss  the 
Association  is  sensibly  affected  with,  and  by  reason  of  which  the  Association  is 
disappointed  in  the  Circular  Letter  to  have'been  prepared  by  him  for  the  present 
session — after  a  short  deliberation  agreed,  on  motion,  that  a  committee  be  ap- 
pointed to  prepare  one,  previous  to  the  adjournment  of  the  Association,  and  that 
the  following  brethren  be  that  committee,  viz  :  F.  Boykin,  C.  J.  Jenkins,  N.  Rob- 
ertson." George  Franklin  was  a  good  man,  and  a  good  preacher,  and  was,  be- 
yond doubt,  one  of  the  most  pious,  useful  and  talented  ministers  in  Georgia. 
The  records  show  that  both  he  and  his  father.  Rev.  William  Franklin,  ranked  as 
such  in  their  day.  The  latter  died  suddenly  in  the  streets  of  Louisville,  some 
suspicion  being  excited  at  the  time  that  he  was  murdered. 

The  Circular  Letter  alluded  to  above,  was  written  by  Francis  Boykin,  and  the 
subject  was,  "  What  are  the  probable  causes  of  the  present  languishing  state  of 
religion  ?  "  It  is  a  plain,  straight-forward.  Scriptural  document,  adducing  three 
causes  for  spiritual  declension  :  i.  Neglect  of  the  public  services  of  religion.  2. 
Covetousness.  3.  Neglect  of  the  discipline  in  the  churches  required  by  God's 
word.  This  Francis  Boykin,  the  grandfather  of  S.  Boykin  and  T.  C.  Boykin, 
now  living,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  was  of  Welsh  descent,  being  descended 
from  Edward  Boykin,  who  settled  in  Isle  of  Wight  county,  Virginia,  in  1685. 
His  father,  William  Boykin,  emigrated  from  Southampton  county,  Virginia,  to 
South  Carolina,  in  1755  or  '56  and  settled  at  Kershaw.  He  was  a  captain  of 
cavalry  in  the  Revolution,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Moultrie,  and  in 
most  of  the  State  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  rose  to  be  a  Major  in  a 
regiment  of  infantry.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  and  was  said 
to  be,  when  in  uniform,  one  of  the  handsomest  men  in  the  army.  His  wife  was 
Catharine  Whitaker.  He  moved  to  Georgia  in  1800,  settled  in  what  is  now 
Baldwin  county,  died  in  1821,  and  his  remains  rest  on  the  plantation  of  S.  E. 
Whitaker,  Esq.,  ten  miles  from  Milledgeville.  He  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Hephzibah  and  Ocmulgee  Associations,  and  was  occasionally  appointed  a 
delegate  to  the  Georgia  Association  and  to  write  circular  letters.  A  son  of  his, 
James  Boykin,  was  among  the  founders  of  the  Columbus  church,  of  which  he 
was  for  years  a  beloved  deacon,  and  was  also  among  the  few  who  donated  an 
amount  larger  than  $1,000  to  Mercer  University. 

Let  us  now  glance  at  the  formal  establishment  of  a  Baptist  interest  in  Savannah. 
In  the  year  1794  there  were  eight  or  ten  Baptists,  only,  in  the  city.  They  deter- 
mined, however,  to  erect  a  house  of  worship,  the  prime  movers  and  ckief  agents 
being  Jonathan  Clark,  George  Mosse,  Thomas  Polhill  and  David  Adams.    There 


THE   POWELTON   CONFERENCES.  47 

seems  to  have  been  some  kind  of  church  formation  as  early  as  1795,  for  in  that 
year  the  city  conveyed  to  the  church  a  lot,  the  petition  for  which  was  drawn  by 
Robert  Bolton,  in  behalf  the  church.  With  one  or  two  exceptions,  the  Baptists 
were  poor  in  purse,  and  it  was  only  by  the  generous  contributions  of  friends  in 
South  Carolina,  and  of  persons  of  different  denominations  in  the  city,  that  they 
were  enabled  to  erect,  in  1795,  a  house  of  worship,  on  FrankUn  Square,  fifty  by 
sixty  feet  in  size.  This  was  done  under  the  superintendence  of  Ebenezer  Hills, 
John  Millen,  Thomas  Polhill,  John  Hamilton,  Thomas  Harrison,  and  John  H. 
Roberds,  trustees.  Having  no  Baptist  minister,  and  the  house  being  in  an  un- 
finished state,  it  was,  in  1796,  leased  to  the  Presbyterians,  who  had  just  lost 
their  church  edifice  by  fire.  They  furnished  the  building  with  pews  and  a  pulpit 
and  occupied  it  for  three  years.  In  1799,  while  the  house  was  still  under  lease 
to  the  Presbyterians,  Rev.  Henry  Holcombe,  of  Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  who 
was  pastor  of  the  Euhaw  church,  received  and  accepted  a  call  from  the  pew- 
holders  of  in  the  building,  consisting  of  persons  of  different  denominations,  to 
preach  and  act  as  pastor  to  the  congregation,  with  a  salary  of  two  thousand  dol- 
lars. He  entered  upon  his  labors  in  1799,  preaching  to  large  and  respectable 
congregations,  with  unwonted  power  and  eloquence.  Under  his  ministrations, 
the  interests  of  religion  among  the  different  denominations  increased ;  for,  beside 
the  Episcopal  building,  this  was  the  only  house  of  worship  in  the  city,  and  reli- 
gion was  in  a  languishing  state.  If  any  sort  of  church  organization  had  existed, 
it  seems  to  have  expired,  for  early  in  the  year  1800,  twelve  Baptists  entered  into 
a  written  agreement  to  apply  for  letters  of  dismissal  from  other  churches  and 
constitute  themselves  into  a  church  at  Savannah.  Their  names  were  Henry 
Holcombe  and  his  wife,  Frances  Holcombe,  George  Mosse,  Phebe  Mosse,  Jo- 
seph Hawthorn,  Mary  Hawthorn,  Elias  Robert,  Mary  Robert,  Rachel  Ham- 
ilton, Esther  McKinzie,  Elizabeth  Stanley,  and  Martha  Stephens.  Of  these,  two 
came  from  each  of  the  following  churches  :  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  Black 
Swamp,  South  CaroUna,  Sandy  Hill,  South  Carolina,  while  six  were  furnished 
by  the  Euhaw  church,  also  in  South  Carolina.  On  the  17th  of  April  the  house 
of  worship  was  dedicated  ;  on  the  nth  of  September  the  first  baptism  occurred. 
Dr.  Holcombe  baptizing  the  venerable  Mrs.  Mary  Jones,  relict  of  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Jones,  in  the  Savannah  river;  on  the  26th  of  November,  1800,  the 
church  was  fully  constituted,  with  a  membership  of  fourteen,  two,  Mrs.  Mary 
Jones  and  Mrs.  Eunice  Hogg,  having  been  received  into  fellowship.  Rev.  John 
Goldwire,  pastor  of  the  Newington  church,  Georgia,  preached  on  the  occasion, 
and  Rev.  Alexander  Scott,  pastor  of  Black  Swamp  church.  South  Carolina,  made 
the  prayer,  and  delivered  a  solemn  and  pathetic  charge  and  exhortation.  The 
duties  and  privileges  of  the  day  closed  with  the  administration  of  the  Lord's 
supper,  which  was  repeated  on  the  third  Sunday  in  April,  1801,  to  twenty  com- 
municants. .  In  the  same  year  a  charter  of  incorporation,  executed  by  John 
McPherson  Berrien,  and  signed  by  Governor  Josiah  Tatnall,  was  granted.  On 
the  25th  of  January,  1802,  the  church  presented  a  written  call  to  Dr.  Henry  Hol- 
combe, who  replied,  accepting,  on  the  24th  of  March.  In  the  summer  the 
Presbyterians  withdrew  to  their  new  and  spacious  house  of  worship,  and  the 
Baptists  occupied  their  own  building,  the  membership  increasing  to  sixty-seven 
by  the  end  of  the  year,  and  to  seventy-seven  at  the  beginning  of  1804. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  first  church  was  established  in  the  city  of  Savannah, 
mainly  through  the  instrumentality  of  Henry  Holcombe,  in  the  year  1800,  a 
dozen  only  composing  the  nucleus  of  the  church. 

This  appears  to  be  a  suitable  place  in  which  to  introduce  an  account  of  the 
establishment  of  colored  Baptist  churches  in  the  city  of  Savannah. 

About  two  years  before  the  Revolutionary  war  a  colored  man,  and  a  slave,  by 
the  name  of  George  Leile,  was  converted  in  Burke  county,  by  the  preaching  of 
Rev.  Matthew  Moore,  a  Baptist  minister.  Baptized  by  Mr.  Moore,  George  Leile 
was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  church  of  which  Moore  was  pastor,  and  his  labors 
were  attended  with  success  among  the  people  of  his  own  color.  About  the 
beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  war  George  Leile,  who  had  been  liberated  by 
his  master,  Mr.  Henry  Sharp,  went  to  Savannah  and  began  to  preach  at  Bram- 
ton  and  Yamacraw,  near  the  city,  and  also  on  the  surrounding  plantations.     At 


48  THE   POWELTON   CONFERENCES. 

the  close  of  the  war,  when  the  British  evacuated  Savannah,  George  Leile,  who 
was,  also,  sometimes  called  George  Sharp,  accompanied  them  to  Kingston, 
Jamaica,  where  he  soon  raised  up  a  large  church.  Before  leaving  tor  Jamaica 
he  baptized  Andrew  and  his  wife  Hannah,  and  Hagar,  slaves  of  Jonathan  Bryan, 
and  Kate,  who  belonged  to  Mrs.  Eunice  Hogg.  Nine  months  afterwards  An- 
drew, commonly  called  Andrew  Bryan,  began  to  preach  at  Yamacraw,  and 
many  converts  were  the  result.  Although  persecuted  by  wicked  and  cruel  white 
people,  who  thus  sought  to  interrupt  their  worship  and  put  a  stop  to  their 
religious  meetings  under  a  pretence  that  they  were  plotting  mischief  and  insur- 
rection, they  were  sustained  by  Chief  Justices  Henry  Osburne,  James  Habersham 
and  David  Montague,  Esquires,  after  an  examination.  Permission  to  worship 
in  the  day  was  given  them.  A  barn,  for  a  house  of  worship,  was  granted  them  at 
Bramton,  by  Jonathan  Bryan,  the  master  of  Andrew  and  his  brother  Samson.  A 
number  of  respectable  and  influential  people  befriended  them,  and,  by  well-dozng 
they  at  length  disarmed  and  silenced  their  bitterest  persecutors.  Andrew  learned 
to  read,  and  for  two  years  preached  to  great  numbers  without  interruption,  in 
his  master's  barn,  although  neither  licensed  nor  ordained  ;  and  converts  began 
to  increase.  Their  condition,  as  being  destitute  of  any  one  qualified  to  admin- 
ister the  ordinances,  became  known  at  a  distance,  and  they  were  visited  by  Rev. 
Thomas  Burton,  an  aged  Baptist  minister,  who  baptized  eighteen  converts.  In 
1788,  Rev.  Abraham  Marshall,  of  Kiokee  church,  visited  them,  in  company  with 
Jesse  Peter,  a  young  colored  minister  of  Augusta,  baptized  forty-five  more,  and 
on  the  20th  of  January  organized  them  into  a  church,  and  ordained  Andrew 
Bryan  to  the  ministry,  as  their  pastor.  Thus  was  Andrew  Bryan  fully  author- 
ized to  preach  and  administer  the  ordinances,  and  his  church,  at  length,  properly 
organized.  Permission  was  granted  them  to  build  a  large  house  of  worship,  in 
the  suburbs  of  Savannah. 

Their  humble  virtues  and  orderly  lives  gained  for  them  public  esteem,  and 
banished  all  fears  and  suspicions  in  regard  to  their  conduct  and  motives.  The 
number  of  church  members,  at  first  eighty,  increased  rapidly,  and  several  gifted 
men  arose  among  them.  In  the  course  of  time  it  became  advisable  to  organize 
two  other  churches  with  members  from  the  mother  church,  and  on  the  26th  of 
December,  1802,  the  Second  colored  Baptist  church,  of  Savannah,  was  consti- 
tuted with  two  hundred  members,  A  third,  called  the  Ogeechee  colored  Baptist 
church,  was  constituted  on  the  2d  of  January,  1803,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty 
members.  Two  new  colored  ministers  were  also  ordained:  Henry  Cunningham, 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1803,  and  Henry  Francis  on  the  23d  of  May,  1802 — the 
former  to  become  pastor  of  the  Second  church,  and  the  latter  of  the  Ogeechee. 
Notwithstanding  this  diminution  of  numbers,  the  First  church  still  contained 
four  hundred  members. 

In  April,  1802,  the  First  colored  church  united  with  the  white  church  of 
Savannah,  and  the  Newington  church,  twenty  miles  north  of  Savannah,  in  the 
formation  of  the  Savannah  Association ;  and  in  January,  1803,  we  find  all  three 
of  these  colored  churches  and  the  two  white  churches  enrolled  as  constituent 
members  of  the  Association.  The  membership  of  the  Savannah  white  church 
was  sixty-seven  ;  that  of  Newington  church  was  seventeen  ;  while  the  combined 
membership  of  the  three  colored  churches  was  eight  hundred  and  fifty. 

Andrew  Bryan  died  on  the  12th  of  October,  181 2. 

In  1 8 12  this  Association  adopted  the  following :  "  The  Association  is  sensibly 
affected  by  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Andrew  Bryati,  a  man  of  color,  and  pastor  of 
the  First  colored  church  in  Savannah.  This  son  of  Africa,  after  suffering  inex- 
pressible persecutions  in  the  cause  of  his  divine  Master,  was  at  length  permitted 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  ministry  among  his  colored  friends  in  peace  and 
quiet,  hundreds  of  whom,  through  his  instrumentality,  were  brought  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  He  closed  his  extensively  useful  and  amazingly 
luminous  course,  in  the  lively  exercise  of  faith,  and  in  the  joyful  hope  of  a 
happy  immortality." 

About  ninety  years  of  age  when  he  died,  his  remains  were  interred  with 
peculiar  marks  of  respect.  During  his  funeral  services,  remarks  were  made  in 
honor  of  his  memory  at  the  meeting-house,  by  Dr.  Kollock,  Presbyterian  and 
Dr.  Wm.  B.  Johnson,  Baptist,  and  at  the  grave  by  Rev.  Thomas  T.  Williams. 


THE   POWELTON   CONFERENCES.  49 

Such  was  the  end  of  the  man  who,  an  ignorant  slave,  was  imprisoned  and  in- 
humanly whipped  for  preaching  the  gospel,  just  after  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
who,  while  suffering  the  lash,  said  to  his  persecutors,  holding  up  his  hands  in 
emphasis,  "  I  rejoice  not  only  to  be  whipped,  but  would  freely  suffer  death  for 
the  cause  of  Christ." 

He  left  an  estate  valued  at  $3,000.  His  nephew,  Andrew  Marshall,  a  slave, 
was  his  successor,  and  carried  forward  his  work  with  great  power  and  prosper- 
ity until  his  death,  in  1856,  when  he  was  worthily  succeeded  by  William  J. 
Campbell,  who  died,  after  a  long  life  of  consecration  and  usefulness,  on  the  i6th 
of  October,  1880,  greatly  lamented  and  esteemed,  especially  by  the  white  peo- 
ple. Perhaps  it  may  have  struck  the  reader  as  an  irregularity  on  the  part  of 
Abraham  Marshall  to  ordain  a  minister  and  constitute  a  church  by  himself. 
Speaking  on  the  subject  to  Doctor  Benedict,  the  historian,  he  said,  "  There  I 
was  alone,  and  no  other  minister  was  within  call.  A  church,  which  has  become 
large  and  flourishing,  was  suffering  for  the  want  of  organization  and  adminis- 
trators. All  things  were  ripe.  It  was  something  I  found  necessary  to  be  done, 
and  I  did  it,  and  all  worked  well."  In  the  year  1790  the  First  colored  church  of 
Savannah,  still  doubtful  as  to  its  own  organization,  sent  a  letter  to  the  Georgia 
Association  asking  an  expression  of  opinion  on  the  matter.  The  Association 
replied  that  it  was  an  extraordinary  case,  and  therefore  warranted  extraordinary 
means  ;  and  decided  that,  under  the  circumstances,  the  action  of  Rev.  Abraham 
Marshall  was  proper.  The  eminently  beneficial  results  which  followed  prove 
that  such  was  indeed  the  case. 

In  this  chapter  we  have  witnessed  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  the  denomi- 
nation in  Georgia.  We  may  call  it  the  era  of  co-operation.  The  languishing 
state  of  our  Zion  called  for  some  special  effort  on  the  part  of  good  men,  and  the 
result  was  the  Powelton  Conference  of  1801,  which  was  followed  by  very  bene- 
ficial results.  A  general  system  of  itinerating  was  inaugurated,  which  prevailed 
for  many  years  in  our  Associations,  ministers  going  out,  two  and  two,  and 
preaching  the  gospel  in  destitute  neighborhoods,  and  to  churches  too  poor  to 
sustain  a  regular  pastor.  The  Powelton  Conferences  brought  into  public  view 
the  best,  most  able  and  cultivated  men  of  our  denomination,  and  put  them  in 
active  co-operation,  in  pursuance  of  plans  for  the  promotion  of  personal  religion 
and  education,  and  for  reforming  and  evangelizing  the  Indians  in  Alabama.  It 
was  very  evident  to  discerning  minds  that  the  condition  and  prospects  of  the 
denomination  in  our  State,  lethargic  and  without  unity  of  either  aim  or  effort, 
was  in  the  highest  degree  discouraging.  Although  there  were  three  or  four 
Associations,  they  possessed  no  common  object  of  attainment,  nor  did  any  one 
of  them  have  any  special  grand  object  in  view.  The  old  leaders  were  passing 
off  the  stage  of  action,  leaving  the  churches  in  a  state  of  semi-paralysis ; 
while  the  new  leaders  and  prominent  men  lived  far  apart,  and  many  of  them  were 
barely  acquainted  with  each  other.  The  Baptists  of  Georgia  were  like  an  army 
with  comparatively  efficient  captains,  but  lacking  in  organization  and  general- 
ship. Religion  was  at  a  low  ebb,  and  education  was  in  a  still  lower  state ;  nor  was 
there  any  immediate  prospect  of  the  denomination  being  elevated,  educationally. 
Yet,  without  it,  how  could  we  hope  ever  to  become  respectable  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world,  and  maintain  our  denominational  position  creditably  }  This  was  the 
problem  to  be  solved  ;  and  it  called  forth  the  prayers  of  the  devout  and  the  cogi- 
tations of  the  serious.  Mutual  consultation  and  deliberation,  as  well  as  unity 
of  aim  and  effort,  became  not  only  proper  but  necessary ;  and  the  Powelton 
Conferences  were  the  result  of  a  general  understanding.  We  are  yet  to  see 
what  eventuated. 

A  view  of  some  of  the  more  prominent  men  of  that  day  has  been  given  to 
exhibit  their  general  animus  and  capabilities. 

The  reader  will  be  surprised  at  the  interest  manifested  in  religion  by  the  Bap- 
tist colored  people  of  Savannah  and  Augusta,  exceeding  as  it  did  the  interest 
among  the  whites.  In  both  of  those  cities,  from  an  early  date,  large  Baptist 
churches  of  the  colored  people  have  existed. 

(4) 


VI. 
FIRST  EFFORTS  AT  CO-OPERATION. 

1803-1810. 


vr. 


FIRST   EFFORTS  AT  CO-OPERATION. 

THE  GENERAL  COMMITTEE  ORGANIZED  FOR  WORK — FIRST  CIRCITLAR  AD- 
DRESS— REMARKS  CONCERNING  THE  GENERAL  COMMITTEE — FIRST  STEPS 
TOWARD  ESTABLISHING  A  SCHOOL  AMONG  THE  INDIANS  AND  A  BAPTIST 
COLLEGE — A  CHARTER  REFUSED  BY  THE  LEGISLATURE — JESSE  MERGER'S 
CIRCULAR  ADDRESS  DEFENDING  THE  COMMITTEE — MOUNT  ENON 
ADOPTED  AS  A  SITE  FOR  THE  PROPOSED  COLLEGE — INCORPORATION  STILL 
UNATTAINABLE — THE  GENERAL  COMMITTEE  MERGED  INTO  A  PERMANENT 
BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES — REASONS  WHY  THE  CHARTER  WAS  REFUSED — BUT 
THE  "TRUSTEES  OF  MOUNT  ENON  ACADEMY "  INCORPORATED— AN  AC- 
ADEMY ESTABLISHED,  WHICH  FLOURISHED  A  FEW  YEARS  ONLY. 

We  will  now  resume  our  consideration  of  more  general  affairs,  and  direct  our 
attention  to  the  formation  and  first  proceedings  of  the  General  Committee.  Its 
organization  and  first  meeting  occurred  at  Powelton,  Hancock  county,  on  the 
30th  of  April,  1803.  In  the  morning  the  committee  of  twelve  was  elected  by 
the  Convention,  which  was  then  styled  "  Conference,"  after  which  "  the  '  Con- 
ference' was  dissolved,"  and  never  again  assembled.  In  the  afternoon,  at  three 
o'clock,  the  committee  assembled  and  organized  by  the  election  of  Abraham 
Marshall  as  chairman,  and  Henry  Holcombe  as  secretary,  and  adopted  the  reso- 
lutions given  in  the  last  chapter.  The  sessions  of  the  committee  continued 
during  the  days  of  May  the  first  and  second,  and  it  adjourned  to  meet  at  Kiokee 
on  Saturday  before  the  first  Sunday  in  May,  1804,  after  adopting  the  following 
Circular  Address,  evidently  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Henry  Holcombe : 

•'  The  General  Committee  of  Georgia  Baptists,  held  at  Poweltofi,  the  first  of 
May,  180J,  to  the  Baptist  Associations,  and  all  Gospel  tninisters,  not  of 
their  order,  withi)i  this  State,  wish  the  •'  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of 
peace  : 

"Respected  Friends — We  have  the  satisfaction  to  inform  you  that  one  of 
the  distinguishing  traits  of  our  present  meeting  has  been  unprecedented  har- 
mony. An  appearance  of  coolness  and  misunderstanding,  which  had  palsied 
our  measures,  has  vanished  before  the  light  of  candid  investigation.  The  sense 
of  our  churches,  on  the  subject  of  a  general  union  among  themselves,  has  been 
carefully  collected  from  a  number  of  their  ministers,  deacons  and  other  intelli- 
gent characters  ;  and  we  have  seriously  considered  what  general  line  of  conduct 
is  proper  to  be  pursued  by  us  towards  good  men  who  are  not  in  our  connection. 
The  results  we  have  the  honor  to  lay  before  you,  in  hope  of  your  approbation 
and  concurrence. 

"  In  the  first  place,  therefore,  we  take  the  liberty  to  address  ourselves  to  the 
Associations : 

"  Beloved  in  the  Lord:  We  are  happy  to  learn  that  the  failure,  by  two  of  your 
number,  in  choosing  delegates  to  form  a  General  Committee,  agreeably  to  the 
plan  recommended  by  our  second  Conference,  must  be  ascribed  to  the  want  of 
that  complete  information  relative  to  the  necessity  and  object  of  the  measure, 
which  we  hasten  to  communicate.  In  doing  this,  it  is  necessary  to  remind  you 
that  a  little  more  than  three  years  ago  our  common  interests  as  Christians  were 


54  FIRST   EFFORTS   AT   CO-OPERATION. 

languishing  and  seemed  almost  ready  to  expire.  There  were,  indeed,  individuals 
who  bore  an  honest  testimony  to  the  truth,  and  a  few  well-disciplined  churches ; 
but  in  a  general  view,  you  will  readily  recollect,  our  situation  was  discouraging 
in  the  extreme.  Several  of  our  most  able  and  active  ministers  had  just  been 
removed  from  time  ;  others,  as  to  any  designs  of  extensive  usefulness,  were  un- 
nerved by  the  consequential  shock ;  learning  drooped,  religion  appeared  in 
mourning  and  was  daily  menaced  by  crested  infidelity.  All  this  was  published 
in  Gath  ;  and  to  add  to  our  humiliation,  possessing  no  means  of  co-operating  in 
any  design,  we  were  unnoticed  or  viewed  with  contempt  by  the  common  enemy. 

"  Many  solitary  individuals,  unknown  to  each  other,  lamented  this  situation 
of  affairs ;  but  who  could  step  forward,  not  only  at  the  risk  of  a  mortifying  dis- 
appointment, but  of  censure,  to  propose  any  measure  for  the  general  good  ?  All 
being  equal,  this  was  no  one's  duty  in  pa}-ticiilar,  an'd  yet,  it  must  be  acknowl- 
edged, it  was  the  duty  of  every  one  who  possessed  the  requisite  abilities.  Under 
these  circumstances,  a  meeting  of  ministers,  and  other  active  friends  of  religion, 
was  proposed  and  happily  effected  at  Powelton,  on  the  ist  of  May,  1801,  to  con- 
fer on  the  best  means  of  reviving  the  interests  of  the  churches.  At  this  mem- 
orable Conference,  zeal  rekindled  and  formed  the  pious  determination  of  propa- 
gating the  gospel  by  itinerant  preaching,  not  merely  throughout  the  State,  but, 
if  possible,  among  the  neighboring  savages. 

"  A  twelve-month  afterward,  agreeable  to  appointment,  a  second  Conference 
at  the  same  place,  by  concerting  a  plan  oi  general  union,  evinced  the  utility  of 
the  first,  and  led  to  the  third,  which,  as  you  have  seen,  has  terminated  in  this. 
Committee,  as  a  bond  of  union,  centre  of  intelligence,  aiid  advisory  council  to 
the  Baptists  of  this  State.  The  necessity  that  existed  for  such  an  issue  of  our 
deliberations,  it  is  humbly  presumed,  will  be  obvious  to  every  intelligent  and 
impartial  person  ;  and  the  leading  object  of  this  Committee  is  to  advance  your 
general  interests  by  drawing  your  lights  to  a  focus  and  giving  unity,  consistency 
and,  consequently,  energy  and  effect  to  your  exertions  in  the  cause  of  God. 
With  a  steady  view  to  an  object  so  desirable  and  important,  we  trust  that  con- 
verted individuals,  unconnected  with  any  religious  society,  and  of  our  denomi- 
national sentiments,  will  join  themselves  to  our  churches  ;  that  the  churches 
will  punctually  support  their  representatives  in  the  Associations  ;  and  that  these 
venerable  bodies  will  appear,  by  three  delegates  from  each,  at  the  time  and  place 
appointedfor  the  7neeting  of  this  Conijuittee.  In  that  case,  the  seats  which  we  have 
the  honor  to  fill,  as  the  Committee  of  the  late  Conference,  we  shall  most  cheerfully 
resign  to  your  delegates  ;  but  so  essential  to  the  Baptist  interests  in  this  State  do 
we  deem  the  General  Committee,  that,  should  there  be  a  deficiency  in  your  rep- 
resentation, we  are  bound,  as  appears  by  our  Minutes,  to  supply  it  by  the  method 
which  may  appear  most  eligible.  But  we  have  no  doubt  of  your  forming  the 
Committee  by  your  own  delegates,  except  it  should  be  prevented  by  an  inter- 
position of  divine  providence. 

"  Such  are  at  once  the  simplicity  and  magnitude  of  the  object  in  contemplation, 
that  we  think  it  unnessary  to  add  a  syllable  more — especially  as  the  utility  of  our 
late  arrangements  tending  to  it  is  so  honorably  attested  by  the  addition  of  thous- 
ands to  your  enlightened  bodies. 

"  We  proceed,  most  respectfully,  to  solicit  the  attention  of  all  gospel  ministers, 
not  of  om  order,  in  this  State. 

"  Reverend  Brethren — We  are  assured  by  revelation,  and  have  the  hap- 
piness to  feel,  that  all  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity,  make  but  one 
family.  If  of  this  description,  our  Father,  our  elder  Brother,  and  the  Spirit  that 
is  given  us,  are  the  same ;  and  the  same  our  hopes,  our  fears,  our  desires,  our 
aversions,  our  sorrows  and  our  pleasures.  Whenever  we  act  like  aliens  towards 
each  other,  it  is  because  we  are  disguised  by  our  imperfections,  or  misrepre- 
sented by  our  adversaries. 

"  Impressed  with  these  sentiments,  we  shall  be  happy  to  see  you  all,  or  any  of 
you,  at  our  next  meeting,  that  we  may  enjoy  the  opportunity,  in  our  public  ca- 
pacity, of  evincing  to  you  and  to  the  world  our  sincere  disposition  and  earnest 
desire  to  cultivate  and  maintain  friendship  and  fellowship,  not  only  with  you, 
but  with  all  the  true  followers  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  your  respective  denominations. 


\  FIRST   EFFORTS   AT   CO-OPERATION.        ,  55 

"  You  have  repeatedly  done  us  the  honor  publicly  to  invite  us  to  your  sacramen- 
tal tables,  and,  though, in  our  view,  there  were  serious  objections*  to  our  acceptance 
of  your  liberal,  and,  we  doubt  not,  affectionate  invitations,  we  prayed  that  all 
the  disciples  of  our  common  Lord  might  be  one,  even  as  He  and  the  Father  are 
one.  To  this  prayer  we  are  cordially  willing  to  add,  in  conjunction  with  you, 
our  best  endeavors  to  remove  every  obstacle  to  our  communion  at  that  board 
which,  we  trust,  will  be  succeeded  by  an  infinitely  richer  banquet  in  our  Fath- 
er's house. 

"  With  the  greatest  respect  and  affection,  we  invite  you,  Reverend  Brethren,  to 
an  investigation,  in  order  to  a  scriptural  adjustment  of  the  comparatively  small 
points  in  which  we  differ,  and  remain  your,  the  Associations',  and  the  publid's 
unworthy  servants  in  the  gospel. 

Abraham  Marshall,  Chairman. 

Henry  Holcombe,  Secretary." 

It  will  be  recollected  that  the  three  objects  set  before  themselves  for  accom- 
plishment by  the  General  Committee  were:  i.  The  encouragement  of  itinerant 
preaching ;  2.  A  mission  among  the  Indians ;  3.  The  increase  of  union  among 
all  real  Christians. 

This  last  object,  in  a  Baptist  organization  was,  doubtless,  a  mistake.  It  cast 
a  cloud  over  this  entire  movement,  and,  although  the  General  Committee  scheme 
lasted  perhaps  seven  years,  and  did  some  good,  it  was  never  cordially  adopted 
by  the  denomination,  and  was  dissolved  about  the  year  18 10.  Jesse  Mercer  was 
compelled  to  defend  the  committee,  and  to  answer  the  objections  and  fears  en- 
tertained by  many  that  it  was  intended  to  prepare  the  way  for  open  commun- 
ioh  ;  and  we  find  in  the  Minutes  of  the  Georgia  Association  for  1805  this  signif- 
icant entry:  "The  Minutes  and  Circular  Address  of  the  General  Committee 
were  read,  and,  as  many  serious  apprehensions  were  entertained  by  many  well- 
disposed  persons,  that  evil  might  result  from  the  continuance  of  the  committee, 
the  subject  was  again  discussed ;  and,  after  a  fair,  deliberate  investigation,  was 
carried  in  favor." 

It  will  be  seen,  however,  that  the  union  plank  of  the  platform  is  dropped ; 
that  mission  enterprise  is  allowed  to  languish  ;  and  that  the  establishment  of  a 
college,  which  could  not  be  incorporated,  became  the  sole  engrossing  subject  of 
consideration  and  object  of  effort.  It  does  not  surprise  us,  therefore,  to  dis- 
cover that  the  denomination  gives  the  cold  shoulder  to  the  General  Committee, 
becomes  indifferent  to  an  election  of  delegates,  and  allows  it  gradually  to  go  out 
of  existence.  The  plan  itself  was  not  adapted  to  the  genius  of  our  denomina- 
tion ;  nor  were  the  objects  proposed  those  most  likely  to  rally  the  support  and 
enthusiasm  of  our  churches.  They  never  expect  to  capture  Pedobaptist  denom- 
inations by  a  cotLp  d'etat. 

The  second  meeting  of  the  General  Committee  took  place  at  Kiokee,  on  the 
4th  of  May,  1804,  and  was  composed  of  thefollowing  brethren  :  Sanders  Walker, 
Abraham  Marshall,  James  Matthews,  Jesse  Mercer,  George  Granberry,  John 
Ross,  Miller  Bledsoe,  Henry  Holcombe,  Joseph  Clay,  Edmund  Talbot,  Thomas 
Rhodes,  — —  Moreton. 

Sanders  Walker  was  chosen  President,  and  Jesse  Mercer,  Secretary.  Two 
Episcopal  and  two  Methodist  ministers  were  present,  and  were  invited  to  seats  ; 
but  "  the  committee  perceived  with  regret  that  no  official  attention  had  been 
paid  to  their  circular  address  on  Christian  Union."  They  resolved,  notwith- 
standing, "  to  continue  their  sincere  endeavors  to  promote  it,  by  all  means  con- 
sistent with  the  rights  of  conscience  and  a  plain  declaration  of  the  whole  revealed 
counsel  of  God."  We  find  no  further  action  taken  on  this  subject,  however,  nor 
any  direct  allusion  to  it,  in  the  subject  proceedings  of  the  committee ;  their 
attention  becoming  almost  wholly  engrossed  in  the  foundation  of  Mt.  Enon 
College,  the  inception  of  which  was  due  almost  entirely  to  Dr.  Holcombe. 

At  the  second  session  Rev.  Joseph  Clay,  of  Savannah,  was  appointed  to  com- 

*For  instance:  No  general  consBltatioa,  by  our  denominations  respectively,  had  been  held  on  the 
propriety  or  impropriety  of  a  mixed  communion;  nor  did  any  discipline  exist  among  us  to  prevent 
members  excomraunicated  by  one  from  being  received  by  anothtf  .denomination,  to  meet,  in  a  new 
connection,  their  aggrieved  brethren  at  tha  Lord's  table. 


56  FIRST   EP^FORTS   AT   CO-OPERATION. 

municate  with  Colonel  Hawkins,  United  States  agent  among  the  Creek  Indians, 
for  information  regarding  the  best  method  of  establishing  an  English  school 
in  the  Creek  Nation.  It  was  also  unanimously  resolved  to  take  immediate  meas- 
ures for  establishing  a  literary  institution  to  be  denominated.  The  Baptist  Col- 
lege of  Georgia,,  and  a  committee  of  five  was  appointed  to  apply  to  the 
Legislature  for  a  charter  for  the  incorporation  of  the  General  Committee  under 
the  title  of  "  The  Trustees  of  the  Baptist  College  of  Georgia,"  and  to  determine 
upon  a  proper  location  for  the  college.     Their  names  were  Abraham  Marshall, 

George    Cranberry,     Henry     Holcombe,    Joseph    Clay   and   Moreton. 

The  Circular  Letter  is  an  able  document,  entirely  devoted  to  the  "  Importance 
of  Education,"  and  prepared,  not  by  Jesse  Mercer,  as  Mallary  says,  but  by 
Moreton,  of  the  Sarepta  Association.  The  session  of  the  General  Com- 
mittee for  1805,  took  place  at  Bark  Camp,  in  Burke  county,  in  May.  The  fol- 
lowing named  delegates  appeared :  From  the  Hephzibah  Association — George 

Franklin, Ross  and  V.  A.  Tharpe  ;  from  the  Georgia  Association — Abra  - 

ham  Marshall,  Jesse  Mercer  and  W.  D.  Lane;  from  the  Savannah  Association — 
Henry  Holcombe,  Thomas  Polhill  and  Joseph  Clay.  The  Sarepta  Association 
being  unrepresented,  the  committee,  agreeably  to  one  of  its  rules,  supplied  the 
deficiency  by  the  appointment  of  Edmund  Talbot,  Joel  Willis  and Scar- 
borough.    Henry  Holcombe  was  elected  chairman,  and  Joseph  Clay,  secretary. 

Abraham  Marshall,  as  chairman  of  the  committee  appointed  to  petition  the 
Legislature  for  a  charter  of  incorporation  for  a  Baptist  college,  reported  to  this 
session  of  the  General  Committee,  that  they  had  petitioned  the  Legislature  for 
incorporation,  but  without  success ;  that  there  is  reason  to  believe  "  that  this 
fivilure  is  owing  entirely  to  causes  which  may  be  removed  by  proper  explana- 
tions." Nevertheless,  it  was  "  resolved  unanitnously,  that  the  committee  would 
persevere  in  their  efforts  to  establish  a  college  or  seminary  of  learning  for  the 
education  of  youth  of  every  denomination,  though  they  should  never  obtain  the 
slightest  legislative  aid.  Hoping,  however,  that  the  denial  of  their  reasonable 
and  rightful  request  of  a  charter  of  incorporation  has  been  owing  to  causes 
which  are  removable,  and  knowing  that  there  are  advantages  in  the  possession 
of  such  an  Act,  which  the  Legislature  has  been  accustomed  to  grant,  we  trust 
that  their  liberality  will  not  permit  them,  after  the  opportunity  of  mature  delib- 
eration, to  withhold  from  us  so  just  a  privilege,  and  for  a  purpose  so  universally 
beneficial." 

Brethren  Abraham  Marshall,  Jesse  Mercer,  Joseph  Clay,  D.  W.  Lane  and 
Thomas  Polhill,  were  then  appointed  a  committee  to  receive  subscriptions,  select 
a  site  and  obtain  a  charter  for  the  college,  or  semmary,  and  Joseph  Clay  was 
appointed  treasurer. 

Joseph  Clay  read  a  letter  from  Colonel  Hawkins,  United  States  agent  among 
the  Creek  Indians,  in  which  he  expressed  approbation  of  the  desire  of  the  com- 
mittee to  establish  a  school  for  the  instruction  of  the  Indians  in  the  Creek  Nation, 
and  affirming  his  determination  to  aid  them  should  they  realize  their  design  ; 
"  intimating  his  intention  to  give  his  opinion,  after  a  convention  of  the  chiefs,  of 
the  proper  time  when  slwA place  where,  the  school  should  be  established."  Of 
course  the  committee  deemed  it  best  to  defer  further  action,  relative  to  this 
subject,  till  their  next  meeting. 

In  regard  to  itinerant  preaching,  several  members  of  the  committee  having 
expressed  their  sense  of  the  benefits  which  have  accrued  and  would  result  from 
it,  "  and  of  the  propriety  of  some  of  their  body  being  successively  engaged  in 
this  service,  as  they  might  feel  themselves  disposed  and  at  liberty,  the  brethren 
Mercer  and  Clay  proposed,  themselves,  to  make  a  tour  through  the  greater  part 
of  the  State,  in  the  ensuing  fall."     Their  proposition  was  approved. 

After  agreeing  to  meet  at  Clark's  Station,  in  Wilkes  county,  on  Saturday 
before  the  third  Sunday  in  May,  1806,  the  committee  adjourned. 

The  Circular  Address  issued  by  the  General,  Committee  at  this  meeting,  in 
1805,  was  written  by  Jesse  Mercer,  and  is  erroneously  referred  to  on  page  16  of 
Campbell's  "  Georgia  Baptists,"  as  being  a  circular  of  the  "  Georgia  Associa- 
tion,"* 

*NoTE. — In  the  original  manuscripts  of  Dr.  Sherwood,  tlie  words,  "of  the  Georgia  Association, " 
do  not  appear,  and  were  inserted,  periiaps,  to  afford  what  was  deemed  necessary  information. 


FIRST   EFFORTS   AT   CO-OPERATION.  57 

It  was  intended  to  exculpate  the  committee  from  blame,  in  the  eyes  of  the 
denomination,  on  points  which  the  attentive  reader  will  admit  gave  some  ground 
for  apprehension  in  the  minds  of  the  membership  at  large.  As  the  document 
affords  the  best  defence  ever  offered,  it  is  given  entire,  as  a  matter  of  historical 
interest,  not  that  it  is  supposed  for  a  moment,  that  the  staunch  Baptists  who 
composed  that  committee  ever  actually  contemplated  open  communion.  The 
first  proposition  to  discuss  "union  and  communion,"  in  1802,  was  undoubtedly 
a  mistake  ;  and  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  "  concert  a  plan  of  promot- 
ing union  and  communion  among  all  real  Christians,"  in  an  ors^anz'zatzon  in 
which  it  was  proposed  to  secure  the  general  co-operation  of  the  Georgia  Baptists, 
was  another,  and  greater,  mistake. 

The  Circular  is  here  given  : 

"  The  General  Committee  of  Georgia  Baptists,  in  session  at  Bark  Camp,  in 
Burke  county,  to  the  Baptist  Associations  in  this  State  severally,  present  senti- 
ments of  respect — greeting  : 

"Dear  Brethren — Since  our  earliest  existence,  in  our  present  capacity,  we 
have  been  reproached  of  ill  design.  And,  it  being  believed  that  the  things  which 
we  held  up  to  the  public  attention  as  the  objects  of  our  pursuit  were  not  the  only 
ones  which  we  had  in  view,  multiform  and  irrational  have  been  the  conjectures 
of  the  credulous.  To  attend  to  the  evil  surmisings  of  ignorance  and  ill  will, 
would  be  as  unnecessary  as  impossible ;  suffice  it  to  notice  a  few  which  may  be 
rather  termed  the  fears  than  the  opmio7is  of  the  more  thinking  part  of  those 
who  have  indulged  these  vagaries  of  imagination. 

"  It  has  been  feared  that  we  were  about  to  form  a  precipitate  communion 
with  other  religious  denominations,  which  (it  is  doubted)  would  be  in  itself  im- 
proper, and  in  its  consequences  mischievous  to  all  true  religion.  Though  to 
commune  at  the  Lord's  table  with  all  the  truly  gracious  is  desirable  in  the  ex- 
treme ;  and  though  it  is  the  duty  of  all  ministers  to  exert  themselves  to  lead  all 
the  followers  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus  in  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  and  the  bonds 
of  peace,  yet  it  should  seem  that  this  duty  must  be  discharged  with  a  truly  pious 
and  inflexible  regard  to  the  purity,  sufficiency  and  unity  of  the  gospel.  That  no 
unrighteous  compact  be  formed,  directly  or  indirectly,  with  unbelievers,  or  the 
Sons  of  Belial,  that  violence  be  practiced  on  no  ordinance  or  doctrine  of  God's 
holy  Word,  and,  that  proper  measures  should  be  adopted  and  pursued  till  all  the 
churches  of  the  saints  be  freed  from  all  those  superstitious  innovations,  human 
traditions  and  vile  hypocrisies  which  have  been  so  long  the  disgrace  of  their 
solemn  Assemblies,  and  still  are  the  baneful  sources  of  that  unhappy  difference 
which  now  wards  off  the  desired  communion.  This  done,  and  communion 
will  instantly  follow  in  beautiful,  sweet  and  desirable  succession ;  but  this  not 
done,  and  we  are  obliged  to  think  that  it  would  be  undesirable  and  destructive. 

"  But  it  has  been  insinuated  that  we  were  aiming  to  establish  our  religion  by 
law.  This  suggestion,  though  made  by  some  possessing  marks  of  respectability, 
we  are  constrained  to  view  the  most  unreasonable,  foreign  and  absurd.  He  who 
takes  but  a  superficial  view  of  this  subject,  will  readily  see  that  to  seek  such  an 
establishment  is  to  declare,  in  direct  terms,  the  weakness  and  insufficiency  of 
the  religion  so  to  be  established  ;  or  (in  other  words)  that  its  supports  are  in- 
competent, and  inferior  to  that  coercion  extended  in  such  establishment.  Con- 
sequently, such  a  measure  adopted  by  the  Baptists  would  set  them  in  direct 
opposition  to  their  openly  avowed,  most  sacred  and  distinguishing  principles  of 
faith  ;  and  also  cast  the  most  undeserved  contempt  upon  that  temper  and  dispo- 
sition of  mind  which  so  long  without  variation  or  abatement,  distinguished  them 
as  the  zealous  advocates  of  Civil  and  Religious  Liberty.  When  things  are  placed  in 
this  light,  it  is  evident  that,  except  we  could  dishonor  ourselves,  despose  the 
church,  subvert  religion  and  desert  the  divine  will,  we  cannot  have  any  clandes- 
tine views  in  contemplation. 

"  Lastly  :  It  has  been  thought  we  are  adopting  measures  to  establish  in  our 
church — in  particular— a  learned  ministry.  It  should,  and  we  hope,  will  be  ac- 
knowledged, that  learning  is  indispensable  in  some,  and  may  be  useful  in  every 
degree  ;  and  therefore  not  an  evil  in  itself  considered.  But  a  slight  attention  to 
this  subject  will  show  that  the  evils  deplored  are  the  wretched  offspring  of  the 


58  FIRST   EFFORTS   AT   CO-OPERATION. 

abuse  and  not  the  possession  of  literary  abilities  ;  and  that  these  abilities  owe 
their  origin  to  certain  circumstances  which  have  operated  therewith.  When 
licentious  and  unbridled  passions  accompany  learning  in  the  ministry,  and  de- 
votion is  united  with  gross  ignorance  in  the  people,  it  may  be  suspected  that  in- 
trigues of  philosophy,  and  vain  deceit,  innovation  and  perversion,  with  a  view  to 
filthy  lucre,  will  generally  obtain. 

"  Many  of  the  Popish  clergy  viewed  ignorance  in  their  people  so  favorable  to 
'their  lucrative  establishments  that  they  taught  that  it  was  the  mother  of  devo- 
tion ;  at  which  an  enlightened  mind  would  start  with  abhorrence,  and 
pronounce  it  the  nurse  of  superstition,  and  every  abomination.  It  therefore 
follows,  that  if  these  circumstances  could  be  detached,  learning  would  immedi- 
ately shine  forth  in  its  native  lustre  and  intrinsic  worth,  tending  to  the  bettei 
state  of  society  in  general.  To  that  part  of  this  work  which  belongs  to  the 
divine  agency,  we  make  no  pretensions  ;  but  so  far  as  learning  will  tend  to  the  re- 
moval of  ignorance,  prejudice  and  presumption,  so  far  it  is  ours,  and  should  be 
attended  to  with  promptitude  and  perseverance.  This  is  our  design,  to  accom- 
plish which  we  have  adopted  certain  measures,  which  we  are  pursuing  ourselves 
and  recommending  to  others. 

"  The  proposed'coUege  is  not,  therefore,  designed  for  the  education  of  our  chil- 
dren 'with  a  viezv  to  the  ministry,  nor  is  this  seat  of  learning  one  in  which  young 
men  already  in  the  ministry  shall,  but  may  be  further  taught  in  some  proper  de- 
gree. But  it  is  to  be  viewed  as  a  civil  institution  to  be  religiously  guarded  and 
conducted  for  the  better  education  of  the  rising  generation,  and  to  promote  the 
general  and  common  interests  of  morality  and  religion. 

"  To  do  good,  as  we  have  opportunity,  is  a  sacred  injunction.  That  this  good 
should  be  done  in  relation  to  the  following  as  well  as  the  present  generation,  is 
equally  certain.  That  we  have  it  in  our  power  to  do  good,  in  no  way,  to  greater 
advantage  than  by  establishing  some  lasting  source  of  knowledge  and  moral 
virtue,  is  a  certain  truth.  To  hand  down  to  the  next  generation  a  number  of 
young  men  both  moral  and  sensible,  must  not  fail  to  awaken  the  warmest  de- 
sires and  provoke  the  best  endeavors  of  all  well-disposed  parents.  Herein,  then, 
we  erect  an  altar  on  which,  not  only  ourselves,  but  all  others,  may  offer  the  sac- 
rifice of  well-doing  with  which  (saith  the  Word)  God  is  well  pleased.  To  this, 
dear  brethren,  we  exhort  you,  not  as  having  dominion  over  you,  but  that  you 
may  have  fruit,  which  may  abound  to  your  account.  By  perusing  our  Minutes 
you  will  see  the  nature  and  spirit  of  our  proceedings,  and  be  able  to  judge  of 
our  designs  more  fully.  We  pray  the  divine  blessing  to  rest  upon  you  in  your 
family,  church  and  associational  connections,  and  subscribe  ourselves  yours  in 
bonds  of  the  dearest  relation. 

"  H.  HOLCOMBE,  Chairman. 

"  Joseph  Clay,  Secretary." 

The  regular  Annual  Meeting  of  the  General  Committee  for  1806  was  held  at 
Clark's  Station,  May  1 7th,  1 8th  and  1 9th,  and  the  Minutes  present  us  with  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  virtual  demise  of  the  committee,  and  its  assumption  of  a  state  of  ex- 
istence tantamount  to  that  of  a  permanent  Board  of  Trustees  for  Mt.  Enon 
College. 

The  special  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose  had  determined  to  adopt 
Mt.  Enon  as  a  site  for  the  college,  and  this  determination  was  ratified  in  the 
meeting  at  Clark's  Mills.  The  holder  of  Mt.  Enon,  Dr.  Henry  Holcombe,  of- 
fered it,  embracing  202  acres,  to  the  committee  without  reservation,  agreeing 
himself  to  give  $100  for  two  acres  for  a  building  lot,  and  exhibiting  papers  which 
showed  that  $2,500  were  engaged  by  worthy  persons  for  lots,  in  case  his  dona- 
tion was  accepted.  Committees  were  appointed  to  procure  titles  to  the  Mount, 
in  behalf  of  the  committee,  to  survey  and  lay  it  out  in  lots,  and  to  prepare  a 
constitution  and  by-laws  for  the  body,  as  trustees  of  the  college,  to  be  presented 
at  the  next  session. 

Jesse  Mercer,  chairman  of  the  second  committee,  appointed  to  solicit  a  char- 
ter, reported  that  appearances  of  success  as  to  obtaining  a  charter  were  so  un- 
favorable that  nothing  had  been  attempted. 


FIRST   EFFORTS   AT   CO-OPERATION.  59 

The  following  extract  from  the  Minutes  explains  the  cause  of  some  of  the 
opposition ^to  granting  a  charter  to  the  college:  "On  being  informed  that  a 
number  of  respectable  characters  had  objected  to  the  institution  in  view,  from 
its  being  styled  The  Baptist  College  of  Georgia,  as  seeming  to  savor  of  party 
spirit,  the  committee,  superior  to  party  consideration,  unattached  to  names,  and 
desirous  of  removing  occasion  of  offence,  when,  as  in  this  instance,  it  may  be 
innocently  done,  resolved  unanimously  to  call  it  Mount  Enon  College.  The 
committee  also  determined,  as  soon  as  possible,  to  appoint  two  agents — one  to 
preach  on  the  western  frontier  of  the  State  and  visit  the  Creek  Nation  with 
reference  to  the  establishment  of  a  school  as  the  germ  of  a  mission  there ;  and 
the  other  to  make  a  preaching  tour  throughout  the  United  States  to  solicit  funds 
to  aid  in  establishing  Mount  Enon  College." 

Then,  in  order  the  more  effectually  to  execute  their  designs,  they  formed  a 
permanent  body  of  brethren  Benjamin  Brooks,  Joseph  Clay,  Lewis  C.  Davis, 
Stephen  Gafford,  Henry  Holcombe,  Abraham  Marshall,  James  Matthews,  Jesse 
Mercer,  Benjamin  Moseley,  Thomas  Polhill.  Thomas  Rhodes,  and  Charles  O. 
Screven.  The  nature  of  the  change  thus  effected  in  the  body  is  explained  thus 
in  the  Circular  Letter  adopted,  and  apparently  the  indication  is  that  the  Asso- 
ciations were  indifferent,  if  not  actually  suspicious  of,  or  hostile  to,  the  com- 
mittee :  "  Instead  of  receiving  a  delegation  from  our  associate  bodies,  in  addi- 
ition  to  our  appointment  by  your  Conference,  we  resume  our  original  stand- 
ing, as  exclusively  your  committee,  to  fill  up  vacancies  which  may  happen  among 
us,  by  our  own  suffrages.  We  shall  have  nothing  to  do  with  our  Associations, 
as  such,  in  future  ;  but,  as  a  bond  of  union,  a  centre  of  intelligence,  and  an  advi- 
sory council  to  the  Baptists  of  this  State,  as  Baptists,  shall  encourage  itinerant 
preaching,  the  instruction  of  savages,  and  the  increase  of  civility,  affection  and 
fellowship  among  all  real  Christfans. 

"The  change,  of  which  this  is  the  nature,  has  been  n\-AA.t., partly  because  the 
Associations  were  not  unanimous  in  sending  delegates  to  our  body,  and  partly 
because,  as  trustees  of  the  college,  which,  as  subordinate  and  subservient  to  the 
grand  objects  of  our  appointment,  we  have  resolved  to  establish,  the  more  per- 
manency we  possess,  individually  as  well  as  collectively,  the  weightier  will  be 
our  responsibility,  and,  of  course,  the  more  shall  we  be  entitled  to  confidence." 

The  reader  may  be  curious  in  reference  to  the  reasons  why  a  charter  was  not 
granted  to  the  proposed  college.  The  main  reason  was,  apprehension  of  a  suc- 
cessful rival  to  the  State  educational  institution — Franklin  College — which  went 
into  operation  in  1801.  Another,  and  strong  reason,  was,  that  as  it  was  pro- 
posed to  call  the  new  institution  a  Baptist  college,  it  would,  of  course,  teach 
Baptist  doctrines  only,  and  rear  up  and  educate  such  numbers  of  Baptists  that 
other  interests  would  be  imperilled.  It  was  supposed,  for  instance,  that  if  the 
Baptists  became  directors  of  a  college,  their  numbers  and  influence  would  be- 
come dangerous  to  the  liberties  of  the  State ;  and  it  was  even  insinuated  in  the 
public  prints  of  the  day  that  the  Baptists  were  the  leading  denomination  in 
Georgia,  and  that  if  they  obtained  a  charter  for  a  college,  with  a  celebrated 
writer  at  their  head,  the  treasury  would  be  in  an  alarming  condition,  and  even- 
tually everything  would  be  under  Baptist  direction.     (  Vide  White's  Statistics.) 

Hoping  to  disarm  prejudice  in  one  way,  the  committee  concluded  to  abandon 
the  name  Baptist  College  and  substitute  Mt.  Enon  College,  as  it  was  definitely 
settled  to  accept  Dr.  Holcombe's  donation  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  and 
adopt  that  locality  for  the  site  of  the  college.  Accordingly,  in  December,  1806, 
an  adjourned  meeting  was  held  at  Mt.  Enon,  and  a  constitution  was  adopted,  in 
order  to  carry  into  effect  the  design  of  their  appointment,  the  first  article  of 
which  was,  "  This  body  shall  be  known  and  distinguished  by  the  name  and  style 
of  the  General  Committee  of  Georgia  Baptists,  and  Trustees  of  Mt.  Enon 
College." 

The  meeting  convened  on  the  6th,  and  continued  to  the  9th  of  December, 
1806.  The  members  of  the  committee  present  were  sufficient  to  form  a  quo- 
rum, namely  :  Jesse  Mercer,  H.  Holcombe,  Lewis  C.  Davis,  James  Matthews, 
A.  Marshall,  Charles  O.  Screven,  Thomas  Rhodes,  and  Benjamin  Brooks.  The 
absent  members  were  Benjamin  Moseley,  Stephen  Gafford,  Joseph  Clay,  and 
Thomas  Polhill. 


6o  FIRST   EFFORTS   AT   CO-OPERATION. 

Jesse  Mercer  was  made  Chairman,  and  H.  Holcombe,  Secretary.  After  the 
adoption  of  the  constitution,  Henry  Holcombe  was  elected  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees ;  Jesse  Mercer,  Vice-President ;  Thomas  Polhill,  Secretary, 
and  B.  S.  Screven,  Treasurer.  Rev.  Charles  O.  Screven  was  elected  President 
of  Mount  Enon  College.  Drs.  Holcombe  and  Screven  were  appointed  to  con- 
tract for  building  a  boarding  and  school-house,  and  Rev.  Joseph  Clay  was  cho- 
sen to  collect  funds  for  the  erection  of  a  college  edifice.  The  Circular  Letter 
and  its  Appendix,  of  that  year,  witten  by  Dr.  Holcombe,  are  exceedingly  able 
and  intensely  interesting  articles,  and  deserve  a  permanent  place  in  history. 

It  is,  perhaps,  not  necessary  to  quote  the  Constitution  in  full ;  but  the  nth 
article,  which  is  given,  shows  how  the  "  Christian  Union  "  project  had  been  dis- 
carded : 

"  That  this  committee  shall  give  all  the  aid  in  their  power  to  itinerant  preach- 
ing and  missionary  efforts  ;  and  use  their  best  endeavors  to  collect  funds,  and 
form  arrangements  to  establish  and  endow  a  grammar  school  and  college  on 
this  Mount." 

It  seems  that  the  Legislature  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  grant  a  charter 
for  a  Baptist  college,  but,  in  1807,  it  did  graciously  incorporate  "the  trustees  of 
Mt.  Enon  Academy,"  and,  consequently,  at  their  meeting  in  August,  1807,  it 
was  resolved,  "  to  open  a  grammar  school  "  on  the  ist  of  September  following, 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Charles  O.  Screven,  until  a  "proper  character"  could 
be  procured  to  place  at  the  head  of  the  institution. 

The  school  was,  indeed,  opened  in  1807,  and,  under  the  temporary  care  of  Dr. 
Screven,  and  flourished  for  five  or  six  years ;  but,  on  the  departure  of  Dr.  Hol- 
combe for  Philadelphia,  in  December,  181 1,  it  began  to  decline  and  soon  ceased 
to  exist.  He  had  been  the  Ajax  upon  whose  broad  and  able  shoulders  the  school 
rested,  and  his  power  and  force  of  character  sustained  it. 

This  was  the  first  earnest  effort  made  by  Georgia  Baptists  to  establish  a  col- 
lege. Their  failure  was  due  to  inability  to  secure  a  charter  of  incorporation,  to 
an  unfortunate  selection  of  a  location  for  it,  and  to  the  want  of  funds — in  plain 
terms,  debt. 

Its  cessation  of  existence  was  accompanied,  perhaps  preceded,  by  the  expira- 
tion of  the  General  Committee ;  for  we  have  Dr.  Sherwood's  authority  for  as- 
serting that  it  was  formally  dissolved  about  1810.  But  we  have  seen  that  it  vir- 
tually changed  itself  into  a  Board  of  Trustees,  and  in  1807  it  appears  solely  in 
that  character,  nothing  else  but  the  college  seeming  to  claim  its  attention. 

These  facts  have  been  dwelt  on  for  the  reasons  that  they  are,  strictly  speaking, 
a  part  of  the  history  of  our  denomination  in  the  State,  and  because  they  exhibit 
the  first  general  effort  at  co-operation  among  the  Baptists  of  Georgia,  and,  also, 
because  they  manifest  the  interest  taken  by  our  fathers  in  the  cause  of  education. 

This  was  not,  however,  the  first  school  established  in  Georgia  under  Baptist 
auspices  ;  for  Silas  Mercer  had  opened  an  academy  and  employed  a  teacher  at 
his  residence,  called  Salem,  nine  miles  south  of  Washington,  in  1793.  At  the 
death  of  Silas  Mercer  in  1796,  Mr.  Armor,  who  had  been  employed,  gave  up 
the  rectorship  of  Salem  Academy,  and  Jesse  Mercer,  assisted  by  a  brother,  took 
charge  of  it  himself  for  a  while. 

There  were,  in  the  beginning  of  the  century,  six  incorporated  academies  in 
the  State.  They  were  at  Savannah,  Augusta,  Sunbury,  Louisville,  and  one  in 
each  of  the  counties  of  Burke  and  Wilkes.  In  1802,  Mrs.  Allen  opened  a  school 
for  females  at  Athens,  and  in  1805,  Madam  Dugas  opened  a  boarding  school  at 
Washington,  which  flourished  for  a  number  of  years.  Meson  Academy,  Lexing- 
ton, was  commenced  in  1804  or  1805.  In  181 1  the  Mount  Zion  Academy  was 
put  in  operation,  and,  soon  after  another  at  Powelton.  All  these  various  circum- 
stances combined  produced  the  extinction  of  the  Mount  Enon  Academy,  for 
which  solicitude  was  manifested  by  so  many  eminent  Baptists. 

The  following  is  the  description  of  it  as  it  appeared  in  1805  : 

"  Mount  Enon  rises  in  the  high  region  of  pine  land  which  separates  the 
Ogeechee  from  the  Savannah  river,  and  the  low  from  the  back  country.  The 
range  is  good ;  the  land  tolerably  productive  with  manure  ;  the  air  very  salubri- 
ous ;  and  the  water  equal  to  any  below  the  mountains.     The  principal  springs 


FIRST   EFFORTS   AT   CO-OPERATION,  6l 

issue  from  the  rocks  on  its  north  and  west  sides,  and  produce,  the  one  ten  and 
a  half,  the  other  five  and  a  half  gallons  in  a  minute.  In  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  this  place  are  Richmond  Baths,  and  general  saw,  grist  and  bolting  mills,  and, 
at  the  distance  of  ten  to  twenty  miles,  a  landing  at  New  Savannah  for  large 
boats,  Cowles'  Iron  Works,  Waynesborough  and  the  city  of  Augusta.  It  is  by 
computation  two  miles  in  circumference  and  two  hundred  feet  high." 

The  Boa7'ding  House  and  lot  were  held  by  trustees  until  1833,  when  they 
were  sold  for  fifty  dollars,  to  Dr.  B.  B.  Miller,  and  the  house  was  moved  to 
Hephzibah,  where  it  is  now  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Dr.  Miller. 

The  history  of  Mount  Enon  Academy  will  be  closed  by  a  humorous  saying 
of  Ben.  J.  Tharpe,  in  regard  to  Mount  Enon,  in  the  days  when  he  went  to 
school  at  Powelton.  He  had  ridden  over  to  gratify  his  curiosity,  and  after  his 
return  from  Mount  Enon  he  soberly  enunciated  his  theory  concerning  the  place, 
to  a.  friend.  Said  he  :  "  It  appears  to  me  as  if,  after  making  the  world,  the  Lord 
had  a  big  bag  full  of  sand  left,  and,  not  knowing  what  else  to  do  with  it,  he 
emptied  it  all  out  at  Mount  Enon." 

The  present  chapter  affords  a  singular  phase  of  our  denominational  history. 
Apparently  it  presents  to  our  view  a  series  of  mistakes ;  but  we  shall  find  the 
Baptists  of  Georgia  making  a  good  many  mistakes.  The  experiences  gained  by 
the  General  Committee,  and  by  those  who  estabhshed  Mount  Enon  Academy, 
proved  of  great  value  afterwards,  in  the  organization  of  our  State  Convention 
and  in  the  establishment  of  Mercer  Institute.  The  great  lesson,  learned  at 
Mount  Enon  and  practiced  at  Penfield,  was  not  to  incur  indebtedness. 

We  should  remember  that,  in  the  matter  of  organization  and  co-operation, 
everything  was  new  and  untried,  and  that  almost  insuperable  difficulties  hedged 
in  every  Christian  enterprise.  To  select  objects  upon  which  all  could  concen- 
trate was,  indeed,  difficult ;  and  to  induce  that  concentration  was  still  more 
difficult.  In  this  case  it  was  impossible,  and  we  may  add,  without  its  being  a 
matter  of  surprise.  Mount  Enon  was  not  the  proper  place  for  a  college,  and 
union  among  Christians  of  different  denominations,  wa's  not  the  proper  endeavor 
of  a  Baptist  convention. 

Hinting,  only,  that  it  was  too  early,  probably,  to  seek  the  establishment  of  an 
institution  of  high  grade,  we  will  add  that  there  were  elements  in  the  denomina- 
tion, as  will  be  seen  hereafter,  which  militated  against  the  successful  accomplish- 
ment of  the  objects  sought  to  be  attained  by  the  General  Committee.  But  we 
must  let  the  future  speak  for  itself.  One  thing  was  surely  learned  by  the 
experience  acquired,  and  that  was,  the  necessity  of  combination,  and  of  some 
instrumentality  by  which  the  energies  and  liberality  of  the  Baptists  could  be 
elicited,  combined  and  directed. 


VII. 
THE  FIRST  FIVE  ASSOCIATIONS. 

1810-1813. 


vn. 


THE  FIRST  FIVE  ASSOCIATIONS. 


GENERAL  CONDITION  OF  GEORGIA  IN  181O— GENERAL  CONDITION  OF  THE 
DENOMINATION  AT  THE  SAME  1  IME — GROWTH  OF  THE  GEORGIA  ASSCCIA- 
TION — FORMATION  AND  GROWTH  OF  THE  HEPHZIBAH  ASSOCIATION — 
FORMATION  AND  GROWTH  OF  THE  SAREPTA  ASSOCIATION — THE  OCMUL- 
GEE  AND  SAVANNAH  ASSOCIATIONS — THEIR  GROWTH — SINGULAR  FORMA- 
TION OF  BLACK  CREEK  CHURCH — STATISTICS  OF  1813 — A  REVIVAL — 
LABORIOUS  TIMES  AND  PIOUS  MEN — HOSTILITIES  AGAINS  J'  GREAT  BRITAIN 
DECLARED,  JUNE  i8TH,  i8i2 — UNANIMITY  AND  PATRIOTISM  OF  BAPTIST 
SENTIMENT — LUINIPKIN  AND  RABUN. 

And,  now,  let  us  gather  up  the  threads  of  our  history,  and  advance  to  the 
estabhshment  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention. 

The  population  of  the  State  had  advanced  from  162,000  in  1800,  to  252.432  in 
1810,  of  whom  145  414  were  slaves.  Under  the  governorship  of  Josiah  Tatnall. 
John  Milledge,  Jared  Irwin  and  David  B.  Mitchell,  the  Commonwealth  enjoyed 
a  high  state  of  prosperity.  Its  exports  increased,  in  ten  years,  from  $1,755,939 
to  $2,568,866.  The  Legislature  and  Executive  department  moved  from  Louis- 
ville to  Milledgeville  in  1807.  Although  Georgia  had  claimed  all  the  territory  of 
the  State  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  yet  it  was  not  until  1802  that 
the  land  between  the  Oconee  and  Ocmulgee  rivers  was  actually  acquired  from 
the  Indians,  and  it  was  only  by  different  treaties  in  18 14,  18 17,  1819,  1821  and 
1825.  that  the  Indian  titles  to  all  the  land  east  of  the  Chattahoochee  were  extin- 
guished ;  in  fact,  it  finally  required  the  force  of  arms  on  the  part  of  the  L^nited 
States  government  to  gain  possession  of  all  lands  east  of  the  Chattahoochee,  and 
effect  the  extinguishment  of  Indian  titles.  This  had  been  guaranteed  by  the 
general  government  when,  in  1802,  it  purchased  Georgia's  claim  to  all  the  land 
between  the  Chattahoochee  and  Mississippi  rivers. 

It  was  these  Creek  Indians  living  in  the  western  part  of  Georgia,  and  in  Ala- 
bama, in  whom  our  Baptist  fathers  interested  themselves  so  earnestly,  in  the 
beginning  of  this  century,  and  who  were  not  finally  removed  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi until  1836.  Audit  is  the  descendants  of  these  same  Indians  for  whose 
spiritual  benefit  we  are  still  laboring  and  bestowing  our  substance  in  the  Indian 
Territory. 

The  General  Committee,  though  desirous  to  do  so,  never  engaged  in  any 
benevolent  work  among  the  Indians ;  this  was  undertaken,  however,  as  we 
shall  see,  by  the  Associations  themselves,  about  1820.  Let  us  glance  again  at 
the  condition  of  the  Associations  first  formed  in  Georgia,  so  as  to  impress  their 
formation  and  early  growth  upon  our  minds,  and  obtain  a  bird's  eye  view  of  the 
denomination  in  the  State,  during  the  first  decade  of  the  century. 

The  Georgia  Association  was  formed  in  1784,  by  the  union  of  five  churches. 
In  1788  there  were  twenty-seven  Georgia  churches  in  connection  with  this  Asso- 
ciation, which  contained  2,270  members.  In  1790  there  were  forty-two  Baptist 
churches  in  Georgia,  whose  membership  was  3,211  ;  and  in  the  following  year, 
1791,  there  were  forty-seven  churches,  whose  total  membership  was  3,557,  there 
being  thirty-two  ordained  ministers  and  forty-five  licentiates.  In  the  year  1794, 
fifty-two  Georgia  churches,  with  one  whose  application  was  refused,  are  reported 
in  the  Minutes  of  the  Georgia  Association.     For  fourteen  of  these  churches 

(5) 


66  THE   FIRST   FIVE   ASSOCIATIOlSfS. 

the  members  of  preceding  years  are  given.  Allowing  a  fair  estimate  for  in- 
crease, and  counting  one  churcli  rejected  because  of  some  variance  vt^ith  the 
Kiokee  church,  and  the  total  is  fifty-three  churches,  and  3,650  members.  All 
these  facts  and  figures  are  taken  from  printed  records. 

The  Association  met,  in  1794,  at  Powell's  Creek— now  Powelton — and  it  was 
agreed  to  divide  the  Association,  those  desiring  it  being  permitted  by  formal 
resolution  to  form  another  Association,  towards  the  south,  in  the  following  Sep- 
tember. Delegates  from  eighteen  churches  met  at  Buckhead  Davis'  meeting- 
house, on  Saturday  before  the  fourth  Lord's  day,  and  formed  the  Hephzibah 
Association,  which,  in  1803,  included  twenty-two  churches,  with  1,132  members  ; 
in  1804.,  twenty-three  churches  and  1,492  members — a  gain  of  373;  in  1805, 
twenty-eight  churches  and  1,765  members;  in  1808,  delegates  from  forty-one 
churches  reported  a  membership  of  1,400,  allowing  twenty-four  for  the  Bethany 
church,  Washington  county,  whose  numbers  are  not  reported;  in  181 1,  there 
were  thirty-two  churches  and  1,785  members;  in  1812,  thirty-six  churches  and 
1,865  members;  in  1813,  thirty  churches  and  2,022  members. 

In  October,  1798,  eight  churches  were  dismissed  from  the  Georgia  Association 
to  form  a  new  Association,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  After  a  preUmi- 
nary  meeting,  in  May,  1799,  at  Shoal  Creek  church,  where  they  met  and  formed 
an  Association  which  was  named  The  Sarepta,  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year — 
October — they  held  their  first  session  at  Van's  Creek  church,  Elbert  county, 
when  the  Constitution  and  Decorum  of  the  Georgia  Association  were  adopted. 
Nowadays  we  should  call  this  the  second  meeting. 

There  were,  in  this  Association,  in  1801,  seventeen  churches  and  1,256  mem- 
bers; in  1802,  there  were  twenty-five  churches  and  2,527  members ;  in  1803, 
there  were  thirty-three  churches  and  2,693  members;  in  1804,  thirty-five 
churches  and  2,760  members  ;  in  1808,  forty  churches  and  2,375  members;  1810, 
forty  churches  and  2,220  members;  and  in  181 1,  forty  churches  containing 
2,050  members. 

Again,  the  Georgia,  in  18 10,  dismissed  twenty  of  its  fifty-two  churches,  to 
form  the  Ocmulgee  Association.  In  November  of  that  year  the  Ocmulgee  As- 
sociation was  formed  at  Rooty  Creek  meeting-house,  eight  miles  east  of  Eaton- 
ton,  by  the  union  of  twenty-four  churches,  four  of  which  came,  probably,  from 
the  Hephzibah  Association.  During  the  session  four  other  churches  were  ad- 
mitted. There  were  thirty-four  churches  represented  in  181 1,  which  had  a 
membership  of  1,877.  The  following  year,  181 2,  thirty-three  churches,  with  a 
membership  of  2,667,  were  represented,  showing  a  gain  of  801  in  one  year. 
Correspondents  were  received  in  that  year  from  the  Georgia,  Sarepta  and  Heph- 
zibah Associations. 

The  fifth  Association  in  the  State  was  the  Savannah,  which  was  formed  on  the 
5th  of  April,  1802,  by  the  union  of  three  churches — the  Savannah  church,  the 
Newington  church,  and  the  colored  church  of  Savannah.  The  membership  of 
all  these  churches  was  about  eight  hundred,  the  very  large  preponderance  being 
with  the  colored  church  in  Savannah.  The  delegates  from  the  three  churches 
were  as  follows  :  Rev.  Henry  Holcombe  and  Elias  Robert,  from  the  Savannah 
(white)  church ;  Rev.  John  Goldwire  and  Thomas  Polhill  from  the  Newington 
church,  and  Rev.  Andrew  Bryant,  Evan  Great  and  H.  Cunningham  from  the 
Savannah  (colored)  church.  The  delegates  met  on  Saturday,  April  3d,  and  con- 
stituted the  Association  on  Monday,  the  5th,  adopting  for  its  creed  the  English 
Confession  of  Faith  of  1688,  and  the  summary  of  church  discipline  of  the 
Charleston  Association.  It  was  resolved  to  divide  the  colored  church  as  soon 
as  practicable,  and  to  ordain  colored  ministers  regularly  to  take  charge  of  these 
churches ;  and  it  was  also  agreed  that,  when  engaged  in  business,  the  members 
call  each  other  "  brethren." 

In  consequence,  the  Second  colored  church  was  constituted  December  26th, 

1802,  and  the  Ogechee  colored  church  was  constituted  on  the  2d  of  January, 

1803.  Henry  Cunningham  was  ordained  on  the  ist  of  Januaiy,  1803,  to  take 
charge  of  the  Second  colored  church ;  and  Henry  Francis,  who  had  been  or- 
dained on  the  23d  of  May,  1802,  assumed  the  pastorate  of  the  Ogechee  colored 
church.     These  two  latter  churches  were  considered  members  of  the  Associa- 


THE   FIRST   FIVE   ASSOCIATIONS. 


67 


tion,  and  sent  letters  and  delegates  to  the  session  which  met  at  Savannah,  Jan- 
uarv  15th,  1803,  without  making  application  for  admittance.  The  membership 
of  the  five  churches,  in  January,  1803,  was  :  Savannah,  sixty-seven  ;  Newington, 
sixteen  ;  Savannah,  First  colored,  four  hundred  ;  Savannah,  Second  colored,  two 
hundred  ;  Ogechee,  colored,  two  hundred  and  fifty.  Seven  other  churches  ap- 
plied for  admission,  and  were  received  :  Black  Swamp,  ninety  members,  Alex- 
ander Scott,  pastor  ;  Coosawhatchie,  sixty  members,  Aaron  Tison,  pastor ;  Pipe 
Creek,  thirty-five  members ;  Bethesda,  twenty-eight  members,  James  Sweat, 
pastor ;  Three  Runs,  thirty — all  five  in  South  Carolina — Black  Creek,  seventy- 
seven  members,  Isham  Peacock,  pastor ;  Lett's  Creek,  forty-five  members, 
Henry  Cook,  pastor.  Total  membership,  i  ,298.  These  two  last  named  churches 
were  in  Georgia,  about  thirty  miles  southwest  of  Savannah. 

Mr.  Peacock  was  called  to  ordination  by  the  Lott's  Creek  church,  of  which  he 
was  a  licentiate,  and  was  a  very  useful  and  zealous,  but  not  learned,  young 
preacher.  His  ordination  took  place  at  Black  Creek,  the  presbytery  being  Dr. 
Holcombe,  Rev.  John  Goldwire  and  Rev.  Henry  Cook,  in  the  morning  of  Au- 
gust 15th,  1802.  The  same  presbytery  constituted  the  Black  Creek  church,  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  with  thirteen  members,  all  of  whom  had  in  the 
meanwhile  been  baptized  by  Mr.  Peacock,  after  his  ordination.  The  new  church 
then  presented  him  a  call  to  become  its  pastor,  which  he  accepted.  To  add 
still  further  to  these  remarkable  facts,  the  thirteen  members  were  all  converts 
under  the  preaching  of  Mr.  Peacock,  and  had  been  all  received  for  baptism  by 
experience  only  the  day  previous. 

These  facts  are  taken  from  the  Association  Minutes,  and  from  Dr.  Holcombe's 
Analytical  Repository,  and  from  Dr.  Benedict's  History,  and  may  be  relied  on 
as  correct. 

The  five  Georgia  churches  in  1803,  increased  to  eight  in  1804,  and  to  at  least 
nine  in  1805,  when  the  Sunbury  church  joined.  In  1806  the  name  of  the  Asso- 
ciation was  changed  to  Savannah  River,  because  its  churches  were  on  both  sides 
of  that  river,  most  of  them  being  in  South  Carolina.  The  growth  of  the  Georgia 
churches  of  this  Association  was  as  follows  :  800  members  in  1802  ;  1,055  mem- 
bers in  1803;  1,418  members  in  1804,  and  4,300  members  in  1813,  the  great 
majority  of  whom  were  colored  members. 

In  the  city  of  Augusta,  also,  there  was  a  large  and  flourishing  church  of  colored 
people,  which  contamed,  in  181 3,  588  members.  Thischurch,  the  name  of  which 
is  Springfield,  was  formed  in  1791,  and  connected  itself  with  the  Georgia  Asso- 
ciation as  early,  at  least,  as  the  beginning  of  this  century.  In  1803  it  had  500 
members,  and  in  1814  it  had  600  members.  It  established,  fourteen  miles  be- 
low Augusta,  an  arm,  or  branch,  called  Ebenezer,  which,  for  more  than  half  a 
century,  has  been  a  large  and  flourishing  church.  Jacob  Walker,  the  most 
prominent  pastor  of  the  Springfield  church,  occupied  a  position  in  Augusta  fully 
equal  to  that  held  by  Andrew  Marshall  in  Savannah.  At  his  death  the  whole 
city  of  Augusta  manifested  the  greatest  respect  and  sorrow,  as  for  one  of  its 
most  eminent  citizens. 

The  following  estimate,  the  figures  of  which  have  all  been  taken  from  printed 
Minutes,  gives  a  fair  view  of  the  statistics  of  our  denomination  in  Georgia,  in 
the  year  181 3  : 


Georgia  Association,  .  . 
Hephzibah  Association,  . 
Sarepta  Association,  .  . 
Ocmulgee  Association,.  . 
Savannah  River  Association, 


35  churches, 

36  churches, 
44  churches, 
39  churches, 
10  churches. 


3,428  members. 
2,037  rnembers 
3,140  members. 
2,850  members. 
4,300  members. 


Total, 164  churches, 


i5'755  rnembers. 

About  this  period  a  great  work  of  grace  occurred  in  Georgia.  During  the 
year  1812,  1,265  converts  were  baptized  in  the  Sarepta  Association,  1,492  in  the 
Savannah  Association,  and  in  the  Georgia,  362  baptisms  were  reported  at  its 
session  for  181 3.  Churches  were  being  constituted  continually  in  all  parts  of 
the  State.     For  several  years  in  succession  the  different  Associations  had  been 


68  THE   FIRST   FIVE   ASSOCIATIONS. 

appointing  days  for  fasting,  humiliation  and  prayer,  and  sometimes  two  such 
days  of  humiliation  for  imploring  mercy  and  blessing  were  appointed  for  the 
same  year.  At  its  session  in  1811  the  Georgia  Association  adopted  the  follow- 
ing :     "  In  concurrence  with  the  Hephzibah  Association — 

"  Resolved,  That  Friday  before  the  fourth  Lord's  day  in  December  next,  be 
observed  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  to  God  that  He  would  graciously  pour 
out  His  Spirit  more  abundantly  on  church  and  people,  and  that  he  would  spread 
the  wing  of  His  providence  over  our  nation  and  avert  impending  calamities." 

In  181 1  the  Sarepta  appointed  the  following  4th  of  July  as  a  day  of  fasting 
and  prayer  for  the  outpouring  of  blessings;  and,  at  its  session  in  1812,  the  ist 
of  June  was  appointed  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  to  Almighty  God  to  avert 
the  calamity  of  war. 

The  Ocmulgee,  in  September,  181 2  :  "  Resolved,  That  the  first  day  of  Janu- 
uary  next  be  observed  by  this  Association  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer." 

The  spirit  of  itineracy  was  the  prevailing  spirit  among  the  churches  and  Asso- 
ciations, as  is  evidenced  by  the  following,  adopted  by  the  Georgia  Association, 
at  its  session  of  181 1:  "  lOneracy  has  the  decided  patronage  of  this  Asso- 
ciation, and  It  is  strongly  recommended  that  the  ministers  of  this  body  encour- 
age it  by  prompt  exertions." 

The  ministers  universally  engaged  themselves  devotedly  in  itinerant  labors, 
and  constituted  churches  all  over  the  eastern  half  of  Georgia ;  churches  as  far 
apart  as  Freeman's  Creek,  in  Clarke  county,  Richland  Creek,  in  Twiggs  county, 
and  Trail  Branch,  in  Pulaski  county,  belonged  to  the  Ocmulgee  Association ; 
and  a  general  spirit  of  earnestness,  piety  and  zeal  prevailed.  The  missionary 
.spirit  was  strong  and  pervading,  and  for  several  years  we  find  no  traces  of  an 
anti-missionary  spirit.  The  men  whom  we  have  special  occasion  to  admire,  for 
their  piety,  zeal  and  devotion  during  those  years,  were  Abraham  Marshall,  of 
Applington,  second  to  none  in  zeal  and  ministerial  usefulness,  and  now  near  the 
end  of  his  laborious  pilgrimage ;  Jesse  Mercer,  full  of  zeal,  earnestness  and  ac- 
tivity, and  already  assuming  thai  position  of  leader  in  every  good  work  and 
word  which  he  occupied  so  long ;  Robert  McGinty,  Edmund  Talbot,  James 
Matthews,  William  Davis,  M.  Reeves,  Joel  Willis,  Elijah  Moseley,  F.  Flour- 
noy,  Joseph  Baker,  V.  A.  Tharp.  Henry  Hand,  Norvell  Robertson,  George  and 
William  Franklin,  John  Stanford,  Littleton  Meeks,  Francis  Calloway,  David 
Montgomery,  Dozier  Thornton,  Miller  Bledsoe,  C.  O.  Screven,  William  Rabun, 
Wilson  Lumpkin,  Lazarus  Battle,  Charles  J.  Jenkins,  Thomas  Byne,  and  many' 
others,  all  of  whom  earnestly  preached  the  Word,  all  over  the  State,  seeking  to 
bring  sinners  into  the  fold  of  Jesus,  and  strengthen  saints  in  the  principles  of 
our  faith.  The  five  last  mentioned,  however,  were  not  ministers,  but  distin- 
guished laymen. 

The  period  which  we  are  regarding  was  that  just  preceding  and  during  the 
war  of  1812 — when,  on  account  of  the  English  claiming  and  exercising  the  right 
to  search  American  ships  for  deserters,  thus  frequently  impressing  our  citizens 
into  the  British  service,  and  also  on  account  of  the  capture,  by  Britisn  cruisers, 
of  American  vessels,  under  the  plea  that  they  were  a  lawful  prize,  because  bear- 
ing French  products — our  government  felt  compelled  todeclare  hostilities  against 
Great  Britain,  on  the  i8th  of  June,  18 12, 

It  will  be  interesting  to  the  reader  to  learn  the  position  taken  by  our  denom- 
ination with  reference  to  that  war.  The  very  prospect  of  such  a  war  had  exer- 
cised a  baneful  influence  upon  the  prospects  of  the  country,  and  had  called  forth 
the  appointment  of  days  for  fasting  and  prayer,  which  we  have  already  seen. 
The  effects  of  the  war  upon  Georgia  commerce  will  be  apparent  when  it  is  stated 
that  the  exports  of  the  State  for  the  years  181 2  and  18 13  diminished  about  one 
and  a  half  million  of  dollars. 

Among  the  Baptists  the  unanimity  of  sentiment  discerned  in  the  appoint- 
ment of  days  for  fasting  and  prayer,  was  shown  also  by  the  adoption  of  patri- 
otic resolutions  in  their  associational  meetings.  The  Sarepta  Association,  at  its 
session  held  at  Big  Creek  church,  Clarke  county,  in  October,  181 3,  adopted  the 
following : 

"  On  motion,  Resolved,    That  whereas  the  Georgia    Association   has   seen 


THE   FIRST   FIVE   ASSOCIATIONS.  69 

proper  to  set  forth  a  declaration  of  their  pleasedness  with,  and  determination  to 
support,  the  government  of  their  country,  in  its  present  administration,  and  to 
admonish  the  cliurches,  in  their  connection,  to  unity  and  perseverance  in  the 
present  war  and  its  prosecution ;  we  do  concur  therewith,  and  order  that  the 
same  be  published  in  the  Minutes  as  from  us  to  the  churches  in  union  with  us." 

This  reference  is  to  the  action  of  the  Georg-ia  Association  at  Fishing  Creek, 
Wilkes  county,  in  its  session,  a  few  days  previously,  in  the  same  month.  The 
article  was  drawn  up  by  a  committee,  consisting  of  Jesse  Mercer,  Wilson  Lump- 
kin, William  Rabun,  and  J.  N.  Brown,  and,  after  being  read  several  times,  was 
adopted  without  dissent.     It  stands  thus  : 

"  That  however  unusual  it  may  be  for  us,  as  a  religious  body,  to  intermeddle 
with  the  political  concerns  of  our  country,  yet,  at  this  momentous  crisis,  when 
our  vital  interests  are  jeopardized,  to  remain  silent  would  indicate  a  criminal 
indifference.  We,  therefore,  in  this  public  and  solemn  manner,  take  the  liberty 
of  saying  that  we  have  long  viewed  with  emotions  of  indignation  and  horror 
the  many  lawless  aggressions  committed  on  the  persons,  rights  and  property  of 
the  people  of  these  United  States  by  the  corrupt,  arbitrary  and  despotic  gov- 
ernment of  Great  Britain  and  its  emissaries.  And,  as  it  has  been  found  neces- 
sary to  resist  such  wanton  and  cruel  outrages  by  opposing  force  to  force : 

"  Resolved,  icnaniinously,  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  Association,  that  the 
WAR  so  waged  against  Britain  is  JUST,  necessary  and  indispensable  ;  and, 
as  we  consider  everything  dear  to  us  and  to  our  country  involved  in  its  issue, 
we  solemnly  pledge  ourselves  to  the  government  of  our  choice,  that  we  will,  by 
all  means  within  Our  power,  aid  in  its  prosecution,  until  it  shall  be  brought  to 
an  honorable  termination.  And  we  also  exhort  and  admonish,  particularly  the 
churches  belonging  to  our  connection,  and  brethren  and  friends  in  general,  to 
take  into  consideration  the  command  of  our  Lord  by  His  apostle,  '  to  be  subject 
to  the  powers  ordained  of  God  over  us,'  and  to  be  jointly  united  in  the  common 
cause  of  Liberty  and  Independence — to  be  examples  to  all  within  their  reach, 
by  a  peaceable  and  quiet  endurance  of  the  privations  and  afflictions  of  the 
present  war ;  by  a  promptness  to  defend  their  violated  rights  when  called  on  to 
personal  service,  and  by  a  cheerfulness  in  meeting  the  accumulated,  though  indis- 
pensable, expenses  thereof — in  all  things  showing  themselves  the  real  friends  of 
Liberty  and  Religion,  by  bringing  all  their  energies  to  bear  on  the  measures  of 
the  government,  thereby  the  more  speedily  (under  God)  to  bring  about  a  happy 
termination  of  these  calamities,  by  the  restoration  of  an  honorable  and  lasting 
peace.  And,  for  that  purpose,  we  further  exhort  them  to  let  their  united  sup- 
plications ascend  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts  that  he  would  graciously  preside  over  the 
councils  of  our  nation,  be  our  sun  and  shield,  and  cover  our  armies  and  navies 
in  the  day  of  battle." 

Two  of  the  members  of  this  committee,  in  after  life,  reached  the  exalted 
station  of  governor — William  Rabun  and  Wilson  Lumpkin.  The  latter  was 
one  of  the  noblest  men  our  State  ever  produced.  Although  born  in  Virginia, 
in  1783,  he  was  brought  to  Georgia,  in  1784,  and  may,  therefore,  be  called  a 
Georgian.  He  became  a  Baptist  in  early  manhood,  and  remained  faithful  to  his 
religious  principles  until  his  death,  on  the  night  of  December  28th,  1870 — a 
period  of  seventy  years.  Though  an  active  politician,  he  took  a  lively  interest  in 
religious  and  church  matters.  From  the  State  Legislature  he  passed  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  in  Congress,  and  thence  to  the  gubernatorial  chair, 
and,  afterwards,  to  the  United  States  Senate ;  in  all  of  which  positions  he  did 
honor  to  his  State  and  credit  to  his  denomination.  On  retiring  from  public  life, 
in  1 84 1,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Athens,  Georgia,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  days,  honored  and  respected  as  became  a  man  of  his  exalted 
worth  and  character. 

The  former,  Governor  Rabun,  was  a  North  Carolinian,  born  in  April,  1771. 
When  a  young  man,  he  moved  to  Georgia  with  his  father  and  settled  in  Powel- 
ton,  Hancock  county,  by  which  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature.  He  was,  for 
many  years  President  of  the  Senate,  and  as  such  became  Governor,  March  4th, 
1817,  on  the  death  of  Governor  D.  B.  Mitchell.  In  November,  1817,  he  was 
regularly  elected  to  the  gubernatorial  office,  for  two  years,  but  died  before  the 


•JO  THE    FIRST   FIVE   ASSOCIATIONS. 

expiration  of  his  term  of  office,  in  October,  1819.  He  was  truly  a  religious 
man,  a  strong  Baptist  and  an  active  and  zealous  church-member.  Even  vi^hile 
Governor  of  the  State,  he  was  the  clerk  and  chorister  of  his  church,  at  Powelton, 
and  represented  it  in  the  Georgia  Association.  By  request  of  the  Legislature, 
at  his  death,  Jesse  Mercer  preached  a  sermon  before  that  august  body,  a  few 
extracts  from  which  will  present  the  reader  with  a  just  estimate  of  his  character, 
by  one  who  knew  not  how  to  flatter  nor  how  to  prevaricate  : 

"Your  late  excellent  Governor  was  the  pleasant  and  lovely  companion  of  my 
youth  ;  my  constant  friend  and  endeared  Christian  brother  in  advancing  years  ; 
and,  till  death,  my  unremitted  fellow-laborer  and  able  support  in  all  the  efforts 
of  benevolence  and  philanthropy  in  which  I  had  the  honor  and  happiness  to  be 
engaged,  calculated  either  to  amend  or  meliorate  the  condition  of  man.    *    *    * 

"  It  was  his  felicity  to  have  many  friends,  few  enemies,  rare  equals  and  no 
superiors.  He  is  gone,  and  has  left  an  awful  chasm  behind  him.  A  widow 
bereft  of  a  tender  and  kind  husband ;  children  of  an  affectionate  and  loving 
father ;  servants  of  a  humane  and  indulgent  master ;  neighbors  of  a  constant 
friend  and  pleasant  companion ;  the  Baptist  church  of  her  bright  ornament, 
member  and  scribe  ;  two  mission  societies  of  their  secretary  ;  the  Georgia  Asso- 
ciation of  her  clerk ;  and  the  State  of  a  firm  politician  and  her  honored  chief. 
O,  what  an  awful  death  was  Governor  Rabun's  !  The  beauty  of  Georgia  is 
falle7i  /" 

As  an  evidence  of  Governor  Rabun's  spirit  and  independence  of  character, 
we  give  an  extract  from  a  letter  of  his  to  General  Jackson,  written  June  ist,  181 8 
It  was  in  reply  to  a  letter  from  General  Jackson,  in  which  the  action  of  the  Geor- 
gia State  troops,  in  attacking  the  Indian  town  of  Chehaw,  was  very  severely  cen- 
sured. The  General's  letter  contained  this  passage  :  "  Such  base  cowardice  and 
murderous  conduct  as  this  transaction  affords,  has  no  parallel  in  history,  and  shall 
meet  its  merited  punishment.  You,  sir,  as  Governor  of  a  State  within  my 
military  division,  have  no  right  to  give  a  military  order  while  I  am  in  the  field." 
In  his  reply,  after  referring  to  a  communication  from  General  Glascock,  on 
which  General  Jackson  based  his  censure.  Governor  Rabun  says :  "  Had  you, 
sir,  or  General  Glascock,  been  in  possession  of  the  facts  that  produced  this 
affair,  it  is  to  be  presumed,  at  least,  that  you  would  not  have  indulged  in  a 
strain  so  indecorous  and  unbecoming.  I  had,  on  the  21st  of  March  last,  stated 
the  situation  of  our  bleeding  frontier  to  you,  and  requested  you,  in  respectful 
terms,  to  detail  a  part  of  your  overwhelming  force  for  our  protection,  or  that 
you  would  furnish  supplies  and  I  would  order  out  more  troops,  to  which  you 
never  ye'  deigned  a  reply.  You  state,  in  a  very  haughty  tone,  that  I,  a  Governor 
of  a  State  under  your  military  division,  have  no  right  to  give  a  military  order 
while  you  are  in  the  field.  Wretched  and  contemptible,  indeed,  must  be  our 
situation  if  this  be  the  fact.  When  the  liberties  of  the  people  of  Georgia  shall 
have  been  prostrated  at  the  feet  of  a  military  despotism,  then,  and  not  till  then, 
will  your  imperious  doctrine  be  tamely  submitted  to.  You  may  rest  assured 
that  if  the  savages  continue  their  depredations  on  our  unprotected  frontier,  I 
shall  think  and  act  for  myself  in  that  respect." 

The  joint-committee  of  the  Legislature  which  was  appointed  to  consider  the 
death  of  Governor  Rabun,  referred  to  him,  in  their  report,  as  an  ornament  of 
society,  an  undeviating  and  zealous  patriot,  and  an  unwavering  friend  of  humanity. 
Says  the  report :  "  Nature  had  endowed  him  with  a  strong  and  vigorous  mind, 
and  a  firmness  of  character  which  never  forsook  him.  Love  of  order  and  love 
of  his  country  were  conspicuous  in  his  every  action,  and  justice  he  regarded  not 
only  as  a  civil  but  as  a  religious  duty.  His  public  life  flowed  naturally  from 
these  principles.  Ever  obedient  and  attentive  to  the  admonitions  of  his  con- 
science, his  public  acts  were  marked  with  an  integrity  which  did  honor  to  his 
station.  His  private  virtues  were  of  the  highest  order."  The  following  resolu- 
tion, recommended  by  this  joint-committee,  was  unanimously  agreed  to  by  the 
Legislature : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Executive  and  Judicial  officers  of  this  State,  together 
with  the  members  of  this  Legislature,  do  wear  crape  on  the  left  arm  for  sixty 
days  ;  and  that  the  members  of  both  branches  do  attend  at  the  Baptist  church, 


THE   FIRST   FIVE   ASSOCIATIONS.  /I 

on  Wednesday,  the  24th  instant,  at  twelve  o'clock,  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  a 
funeral  sermon,  to  be  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer,  on  this  mournful 
occasion." 

The  General  Committee,  as  well  as  the  Board  of  Trustees  for  Mount  Enon 
Academy,  has  ceased  to  exist.  Although  there  are  five  Associations,  there  is 
no  bond  of  general  union,  and  the  churches  have  no  common  object  of  interest. 
Clay  is  dead  ;  Holcombe  has  moved  to  Philadelphia  ;  and  C.  O.  Screven  has 
retired  to  Liberty  county,  where  he  is  laboring  faithfully.  Dr.  Wm.  B.  Johnson 
is  pastor  of  the  Savannah  church,  and  the  elder  Brantly,  who  had  for  several 
years  been  the  rector  of  the  Augusta  Academy,  in  181 1,  accepted  the  charge  of 
the  Beaufort.  South  Carolina  Baptist  church.  Jesse  Mercer  is  efficiently  supplying 
several  churches.  Rev.  Abraham  Marshall  is  still  pastor  of  Kiokee  church  and 
Moderator  of  the  Georgia  Association.  George  Franklin,  Edward  Talbot  and 
Charles  Culpepper  are  exercising  a  good  influence,  as  pastors,  in  the  Heph- 
zibah  Association.  The  prevailing  spirit  in  the  churches  is  that  of  itineracy, 
but  one  Association  only  having,  thus  far,  developed  any  plan  approaching  a 
systematic  missionary  effort,  and  that  was  the  Savannah  River,  which  has  a 
mission  committee  and  sustains  her  own  State  missionaries. 

It  was  just  at  this  time,  181 2,  that  Adoniram  Judson  and  Luther  Rice  were 
both  converted  to  Baptist  principles  on  their  passage  to  India,  although  they 
sailed  in  different  ships.  The  following  year,  1813,  Mr.  Rice  returned  to  Amer- 
ica, laid  their  case  before  the  Baptist  world,  and,  immediately  a  missionary 
enthusiasm  was  excited  which  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  old  Baptist  Tri- 
ennial Convention,  in  i8i4,  and  of  many  missionary  societies.  Luther  Rice 
soon  came  South,  and  was  partly  instrumental  in  originating  the  great  missionary 
movement  in  Georgia. 

Baptist  churches  are  springing  up  rapidly  in  the  State,  where  the  whites  dwell ; 
but  the  territory  of  the  whites  extends  no  further  west  than  the  Altamaha  and 
Ocmulgee  rivers.  Pulaski,  Twiggs,  Jones  and  Jasper  counties  are  on  the  western 
frontier,  and  Franklin  is  the  most  northerly  county.  Our  churches  generally  lie 
between  the  Ocmulgee  and  Savannah  rivers,  very  few  existing  on  the  seaboard. 
In  truth,  about  one-third  only  of  the  State  has  been  surveyed  and  laid  out  into 
counties,  the  rest  being  inhabited  by  Creek  and  Cherokee  Indians,  who  gave  a 
great  deal  of  trouble,  and  resisted  the  encroachments  of  the  whites  so  violently 
that  the  military  power  of  the  general  government  had  to  be  invoked. 
••^But  a  spirit  of  gloom  broods  over  the  State  on  account  of  the  war  with  Great 
Britain.  Our  denomination,  however,  patriotically  concedes  the  justice  of  our 
cause  ;  while  the  Associations  all  appoint,  annually,  days  of  fasting  and  prayer, 
for  the  effusion  of  the  Spirit  and  the  removal  of  war's  calamities. 


virr. 

MISSrONARY. 

1813-1820. 


/ 


VIII. 


MISSIONARY- 

1813  AN  EPOCH — THE  ARLY  MISSION  SPIRIT  ON  THE  SEABOARD — INFLU- 
ENCING CHARACTERS— THE  SAVANNAH  RIVER  ASSOCIATION  IN  1813— 
FORMATION  OF  THE  FIRST  GEORGIA  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY — MISSIONARY 
ENTHUSIASM — A  REMARKABLE  CIRCULAR — IT  IS  READ  BEFORE  THE  GEOR- 
GIA ASSOCIATION  BY  JESSE  MERCER — MEETING  APPOINTED  AT  POWELTON 
IN  1815 — A  STRONG  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  FORMED- THE  GEORGIA  ASSO- 
CIATION TAKES  HOLD  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  WORK  IN  EARNEST — THE  OC- 
MULGEE  ASSOCIATION — PATRIOTIC  CIRCULARS — THE  MISSION  SPIRIT  IN 
THE  OCMULGEE  ASSOCIATION— "  THE  OCMULGEE  MISSION  SOCIETY" 
FORMED  IN  JULY,  1815 — THE  MISSION  SPIRIT  IN  THE  SAREPTA  ASSOCIA- 
TION— A  MISSION  SOCIETY  FORMED  IN  JUNE,  1816 — THE  RESOLUTION  OF 
DR.  SHERWOOD  IN  1820— SPIRIT  OF  THE  HEPHZIBAH  ASSOCIATION — IT 
FAVORS  THE  "GENERAL  COMMITTEE" — FAVORS  ITINERACY  AND  DO- 
MESTIC MISSIONS — THE  HEPHZIBAH  BAPTIST  SOCIETY  FOR  ITINERANT 
AND  MISSIONARY  EXERTIONS,  FORMED  IN  FEBRUARY,  1816 — A  FOREIGN 
MISSION  SOCIETY  FORMED  IN  1818— THE  EBENEZER  ASSOCIATION  FORMED 
IN  MARCH, 1814 — THE  TUGALO  AND  PIEDMONT  ASSOCIATIONS  FORMED  IN 
1817 — STATE  OF  RELIGION  IN  THE  SECOND  DECADE  OF  THE  CENTURY. 

An  epoch  is  made  of  the  year  1813,  because  in  that  year  an  impetus  was  given 
to  the  mission  cause  in  Georgia,  which  worked  a  great  revolution  among  the 
Baptists  in  the  State,  and  finally  resulted  in  the  formation  of  our  State  Baptist 
Convention,  and  the  establishment  of  Mercer  University. 

Those  who  study  the  musty  records  of  our  denomination  in  Georgia,  will  find 
frequent  references  to  communications  from  the  General  Baptist  Mission  Corn- 
mittee  in  Philadelphia.  Let  it  be  put  on  record  that  this  Committee  did 
much  to  foster  the  mission  spirit  in  Georgia.  Let  it  be  put  on  record,  also,  that 
Luther  Rice  materially  assisted  in  arousing  and  promoting  a  missionary  spirit  in 
our  State,  by  visiting  various  localities  in  the  State,  forming  mission  societies, 
and  maintaining  with  them  a  regular  correspondence.  But,  while  there  was_  a 
strong  missionary  spirit  inherited,  as  we  might  say,  from  that  noble  man,  Daniel 
Marshall,  who  left  his  home  in  Connecticut  to  labor  among  the  Mohawk  Indians, 
yet,  for  want  of  co-operation,  it  had  never  been  developed. 

The  first  effort  at  denominational  co-operation  was,  as  we  have  seen,  a  failure. 
Allusion  is  made  to  the  "  General  Committee  "  formed  at  Powelton  in  1804 ;  and 
the  reasons  of  its  failure  have  been  partly  traced.  Had  it  engaged  more  actively 
in  missionary  effort,  and  made  no  attempt  at  promoting  Christian  union  among 
different  denominations,  it  might  have  merged  into  a  general  convention  such  as 
we  now  have,  and  which  is  much  more  adapted  to  the  genius  of  our  denomina- 
tion. We  shall  now  take  up  and  trace  out  the  different  threads  of  influence 
that  led  to  and  resulted  in  the  formation  of  our  State  Baptist  Convention,  which, 
at  its  origin,  was  merely  a  missionary  society. 

In  the  beginning  of  this  century,  the  southern  part  of  our  State  was  fortunate 
in  having  two  educated  and  cultivated  ministers,  who  promoted  the  cause  of 
missions  largely.  These  were  C.  O.  Screven  and  Henry  Holcombe.  The  latter 
exerted  a  powerful  influence  by  his  bi-monthly  Analytical  Repository,  published 
in  1 801  and  1802,  in  which  he  advocated  missions  and  gave  missionary  news. 


76  MISSIONARY. 

To  those  may  be  added  the  courtly  and  cultivJited  William  T.  Brantly,  Sr.,  who 
resided  in  Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  and  was  for  eight  years  one  of  the  ruling 
spirits  of  the  Savannah  Association,  which  embraced  about  three  times  as  many 
churches  in  South  Carolina  as  it  did  in  Georgia,  on  which  account  its  name  was 
changed  to  the  Savannah  River  Association  in  1806.  The  elder  Brantly  was  a 
man  cultivated  in  the  highest  degree  and  eminently  of  a  missionary  spirit. 
Two  other  master  minds  in  the  Savannah  River  Association  were  Dr.  William 
B.  Johnson,  the  successor  of  Dr.  Holcombe,  as  pastor  of  the  Savannah  church, 
and  Alexander  Scott,  both  of  whom  were  powerful  advocates  of  missions  and  of 
the  mission  cause.  For  years  Scott  was  the  Moderator  of  the  body,  and  Thomas 
Polhill  was  clerk.  He,  too.  was  a  strong  advocate  of  missions,  and  a  man  of 
intelligence  and  education,  who,  in  181 2,  issued  a  very  respectable  work  on  Bap- 
tism, containing  two  hundred  pages,  in  reply  to  "  A  vindication  of  the  rights  of 
infants  to  the  ordinance  of  baptism,"  by  Rev.  James  Russell.  He  was  for  a  time 
an  active  member  of  the  General  Committee  of  the  Georgia  Baptists,  and  labored 
zealously  for  both  missions  and  education  for  ten  years,  having  been  ordained 
in  November,  1805,  and  dying  in  December,  18 14. 

The  influence  of  these  lofty  characters,  added  to  a  missionary  enthusiasm  ex- 
cited by  the  conversion  of  Adoniram  Judson  and  Luther  Rice  to  Baptist  princi- 
ples, awakened  a  strong  missionary  sentiment  in  the  Savannah  River  Associa- 
tion. As  early  as  18 12  there  was  money  sent  up  by  the  churches  of  this 
Association,  for  the  support  of  itinerant  and  missionary  efforts,  and  at  the 
meeting  held  with  the  Sunbury  church,  in  that  year,  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  receive  and  appropriate  it.  They  employed  Rev.  Thomas  Trowel  as  an 
itinerant  missionary.  A  committee  was  also  appointed,  of  which  Rev.  William  B, 
Johnson,  D.  D.,  was  chairman,  to  prepare  and  report,  at  the  meeting  for  181 3, 
"a  plan  for  the  more  permanent  and  effectual  prosecution  of  itinerant  and  mis- 
sionary efforts  contemplated  by  the  body."  Dr.  William  B.  Johnson  was  also 
appointed  to  prepare  the  Circular  Letter  for  181 3,  on  this  subject:  "  THE  Im- 
portance AND  Advantages  of  Itinerant  and  Missionary  Efforts." 

The  Association  met  at  Union  church,  Barnwell  district,  South  Carolina,  on 
the  27th  of  November,  1813,  and  the  Circular  Address  prepared  by  WiUiam  B. 
Johnson,  was  adopted  and  published  in  the  Minutes  of  that  year.  It  is  a  tract 
of  remarkable  ability,  occupying  nine  closely  printed,  large  pamphlet  pages. 
We  find  also  in  the  Minutes  of  this  noteworthy  session,  that  a  special  committee 
was  appointed  to  consider  all  communications  addressed  to  the  body,  and  report 
upon  them.  In  its  report,  the  committee  expressed  their  cordial  approbation  of 
the  great  design  then  forming  in  America  for  sending  the  gospel  to  the  heathen, 
and  also  of  those  measures  the  Baptists  of  the  United  States  were  then  pursuing 
for  the  accomplishment  of  this  object.  Information  concerning  these  designs 
and  measures  had  been  communicated  in  letters  from  the  Philadelphia  and 
Charleston  Associations,  and  in  a  Circular  Address  from  the  representatives  of 
the  Boston,  Salem  and  Haverill  Societies  for  Foreign  Missions. 

Connected  with  their  recommendation,  the  committee  stated  that  in  the  com- 
munications referred  to  honorable  mention  was  made  of  the  ability  and  and  per- 
severing zeal  of  brethren  Rice  and  Judson,  missionaries  to  the  East,  whose 
secession  from  their  former  religious  connection,  and  union  with  the  Baptist  de- 
nomination, had  originated  the  great  design  now  contemplated  in  America,  and 
the  measures  taken  for  its  accomplishment.  Luther  Rice,  being  present,  was 
requested  to  address  the  body  and  state  any  matters  relative  to  this  subject 
which  he  deemed  worthy  of  attention.  He  arose  and  stated  that  he  had  lately 
returned  from  Calcutta  to  America,  and  that  he  had  visited  different  Associations 
and  places  in  the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  American  Bap- 
tists to  support  foreign  missions.  He  said  he  had  met  with  uniform  success, 
and  it  was  his  fixed  determination,  as  he  knew  it  to  be  that  of  his  colleague,  Mr. 
Judson,  then  in  the  East,  to  prosecute  the  foreign  mission  work  which  engaged 
their  attention  as  soon  as  suitable  provision  should  be  made  for  its  support  and 
furtherance. 

The  Association  appointed  a  day  for  fasting,  humiliation  and  prayer  for  the 
removal  of  the  awful  scourge  of  war,  and  for  an  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  upon 
the  churches  and  the  world  in  general.     It  resolved,  also,  "That  this  Associa- 


MISSIONARY.  'J'] 

tion  do  concur  with  the  recommendation  of  the  committee  in  relation  to  the 
design  now  forming  in  America,  and  the  measures  pursued  for  its  accomplishment. 

"Resolved,  also,  That  the  churches  be  exhorted  to  use  their  best  endeavors 
towards  the  support  of  foreign  missions." 

Dr.  William  B.  Johnson,  from  the  committee  appointed  the  previous  year  to 
prepare  and  report  a  plan  for  the  more  permanent  and  effectual  prosecution  of 
itinerant  and  missionary  efforts  contemplated  by  the  Association,  reported  a 
Constitution,  which  was  adopted,  for  the  organization  of  a  General  Committee, 
to  be  formed  out  of  the  churches  of  the  Association,  in  which  the  direction  and 
management  of  this  important  matter  should  be  vested.  This  committee,  called 
the  ■'  General  Committee  of  the  Savannah  River  Association  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  itinerant-and  missionary  efforts,"  composed  of  thirteen  delegates  from 
various  churches,  organized  by  the  election  of  the  following  officers :  William  13. 
Johnson,  President;  Thomas  F.  Williams,  Secretary;  H.  W.  Williams,  Treasu- 
rer; Drs.  C.  O.  Screven  and  William  T.  Brantly,  Assistants.  It  was  located' in 
Savannah. 

This  was  the  first  Georgia  associational  organization  for  missionary  purposes. 
There  had  been  sent  up  by  the  churches  ^230.26^-,  and  the  amount  on  hand, 
from  the  preceding  year,  was  $106.80.  The  committee  at  once  employed  two 
itinerant  preachers,  licentiates,  for  one  year,  Rev.  Thomas  Trowel  and  Rev. 
Allen  Sweat,  at  $80  each.  They  also  agreed  to  assist  Rev.  Charles  Felder, 
pastor  of  the  Springtown  church,  and  Rev.  Jacob  Dunham,  a  licensed  preacher  in 
the  Sunbury  church,  to  the  amount  of  $50  each,  and  to  give  each  $10  worth  of 
books. 

This  Association  concluded  to  divide  in  1817.  The  South  Carolina  churches 
retained  the  name  and  records.  The  Georgia  churches  formed  a  new  Associa- 
tion at  Sunbury,  Georgia,  and  held  its  first  session  at  Sunbury  in  November, 
1 81 8.  In  1 81 9  the  missionary  plan  of  the  Savannah  River  Association  was  put 
into  operation  in  the  Sunbury  Association,  by  the  annual  appointment  of  a  stand- 
ing committee  of  seven,  which,  for  a  great  many  years,  employed  associational 
missionaries,  whose  labors  redounded  to  the  glory  of  God  and  to  the  salvation 
of  many  souls.  These  missionaries  were  regularly  appointed  and  paid  by  the 
Standing  Committee  from  funds  sent  up  for  the  purpose  by  the  churches.  Let 
it  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  because  mention  is  thus  made  of  the  mission- 
ary work  in  the  Sunbury  and  Savannah  River,  that  none  was  performed  by  the 
other  Associations  of  a  similar  nature.  On  the  contrary,  we  see  repeated  men- 
tion of  itinerant  labor,  in  the  minutes  of  all  our  early  Associations,  and  it  is  ap- 
proved and  encouraged.  For  instance,  the  Hephzibah  Minutes  of  181 3  and  1816 
say  :  "  A  number  of  churches  in  our  connection  expressing  in  their  letters  a  de- 
sire for  the  continuance  of  itinerant  preaching,  the  ministers  and  preachers  agreed 
to  continue  it  in  the  usual  mode,"  etc.  In  1 814  the  Ocmulgee  passed  a  resolution 
that  its  ministers  go  forth,  two  and  two,  in  this  work ;  and  the  Georgia  had  en- 
couraged it  from  its  organization  ;  but  these  were  voluntary  and  unpaid  laborers, 
although  we  read  of  occasional  appropriations  of  money  for  itinerant  preaching. 

The  enthusiasm  in  regard  to  foreign  missions  aroused  at  the  meeting  in  181 3, 
which  we  have  just  been  considering,  was  productive  of  remarkable  and  lasting 
effects,  proving  that  meeting  to  be  but  one  link  in  a  most  wonderful  chain  of 
providential  events,  by  which  the  Almighty  set  the  Baptists  of  America  to  work 
in  behalf  of  foreign  missions.  Immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Asso- 
ciation, a  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  was  formed  in  Savannah,  whose  offi- 
cers were  identical  with  those  of  the  General  Committee  of  the  Savannah  River 
Association,  except  that  William  T.  Brantly  was  formally  made  the  corresponding 
secretary.  On  the  17th  of  December,  1813,  this  Society  adopted  a,  constitution 
and  a  circular  letter,  which  were  sent  to  the  Baptist  churches  and  Associations 
of  the  State,  and  resulted,  in  the  year  1815,  in  the  formation  of  missionary 
societies  in  the  Georgia  and  Ocmulgee  Associations,  and  led  to  the  formation  of 
similar  societies,  in  February,  18 16,  in  the  Hephzibah  Association,  and  in  June, 
18 16,  in  the  Sarepta.  The  missionary  spirit  was  now  strongly  developed.  But 
the  necessity  for  co-operation  soon  became  evident.  First,  the  Ocmulgee, 
Ebenezer  and  Georgia  Associations  resolved  to  co-operate  in  an  Indian  mission, 
in  1 82 1.     Then  the  necessity  of  a  more  extensive  union  was  perceived,  and  in 


78  MISSIONARY. 

1822  the  "  General  Association"  was  formed,  which,  in  1827,  changed  its  name  to 
"  The  Baptist  Convention  for  the  State  of  Georgia." 

But  it  will  be  necessary,  and  will  prove  interesting,  to  trace  out  the  different 
steps  which  led  to  these  results.  Let  us,  therefore,  revert  to  the  "  Savannah 
Baptist  Society  for  Foreign  Missions  "  as  our  starting  point.  First,  let  us  glance 
at  its  constitution.     It  reads  thus  : 

"  Believing  it  to  be  the  duty  of  Christians,  as  circumstances  in  Divine  Provi- 
dence shall  enable  them,  to  adopt  measures  for  effectuating  that  grand  command 
of  Christ,  '  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,'  and 
particularly  encouraged  to  this  duty  by  present  indications  of  a  providential  and 
propitious  nature,  we,  whose  names  are  subjoined,  do  for  this  purpose,  cordially 
associate  ourselves  as  a  society,  and  agree  to  be  governed  by  the  following 
constitution  : 

"  I.  This  society  shall  be  known  as  "  The  Savannah  Baptist  Society  for  For- 
eign Missions." 

"  2.  The  avowed  and  determined  object  of  this  society  is  to  aid  in  sending 
forth  and  supporting  missionaries  for  the  purpose  of  translating  the  Scriptures, 
preaching  the  gospel  and  gathering  churches  in  heathen  and  idolatrous  parts  of 
the  world. 

"  3.  The  immediate  management  of  its  concerns  shall  be  vested  in  a  Board  of 
Directors,  consisting  of  a  president,  vice-president,  recording  secretary,  corres- 
ponding secretary,  treasurer,  auditor  and  seven  trustees,  to  be  elected  by  ballot  at 
the  first,  and  at  each  annual  meeting  of  the  society,  by  a  majority  of  the  mem- 
bers present.  A  majority  of  the  Board  shall  constitute  a  quorum  to  do  business. 
Also,  the  Board  shall  appoint  as  many  assistants  as  they  may  deem  necessary 
for  carrying  into  effect  the  object  of  the  society,  each  of  whom  shall  be  furnished 
with  a  copy  of  this  constitution,  for  the  especial  purpose  of  obtaining  subscrip- 
tions aiid  donations,  and  of  collecting  and  transmitting  the  same  to  the  treasurer 
of  the  society,  annually,  at  or  before  the  time  of  the  annual  meeting." 

4.  Prescribes  the  time  and  place  of  the  annual  meeting. 

5.  Prescribes  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  president. 

6.  Gives  the  duties  of  the  recording  secretary. 

7.  Gives  the  duties  of  the  corresponding  secretary. 

8.  Gives  the  duties  of  the  treasurer. 

9.  Prescribes  how  money  shall  be  paid  out. 

"  10.  This  society  shall  consist  of  all  such  persons  as  subscribe  and  pay  into 
the  treasury  annually,  any  sum  which  they,  individually,  may  think  proper ; 
Provided,  that  such  annual  subscription  shall  not  be  less  than  two  dollars. 
Delegates  from  such  auxiliary  Baptist  societies  as  contribute  to  the  funds  of  this 
society,  shall  be  considered  as  members.  Any  person  may  withdraw  his  name 
at  pleasure. 

"II.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  directors,  as  they  may  deem  it  expedient,  to 
solicit  contributions  from  such  persons  as  may  not  choose  to  become  members, 
to  obtain  subscribers  to  the  society,  as  opportunity  may  offer ;  to  receive  sub- 
scriptions and  donations  for  the  benefit  of  the  society,  and  to  pay  the  same  over 
to  the  treasurer,  and  in  all  respects  to  advance,  as  far  as  practicable,  the  interest 
of  the  institution. 

"  12.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall,  without  delay,  appoint  a  delegate  or  dele- 
gates, to  meet  delegates  from  other  similar  societies,  for  the  purpose  of  forming 
a  "  General  Committee,"  or  of  devising  and  adopting  some  other  practicable 
method  to  elicit,  combine  and  direct  the  energies  of  the  whole  Baptist  denomina- 
tion of  the  whole  United  States  in  one  sacred  effort  to  diffuse  amongst  idolatrous 
nations  the  glorious  light  of  the  gospel  of  salvation, 

"  13.  All  donations  to  this  society,  specifically  donated  for  the  translation  of 
the  Scriptures,  shall  be  appropriated  to  that  particular  object." 

14.  Indicates  how  the  constitution  may  be  altered. 

"  Rev.  William  B.  Johnson,  President. 

"  Rev.  Charles  O.  Screven,  Vice-President. 

"  Rev.  William  T.  Brantly,  Cor.  Sec'y,         Henry  W.  Williams,  Treasurer, 
Thomas  F.  Williams,  Recording  Sec'y.       William  E.  Barnes,  Auditor. 


Missionary.  ^9 

TRUSTEES  : 

"  Rev.  James  Sweat,  Charles  J.  Jenkins,  Rev.  George  D.  Sweet, 

Thomas  Fuller,  John  Shick,  John  Stillwell, 

Elias  Robert." 

This  constitution  reads  as  though  it  may  possibly  have  been  modelled  after  a 
stereotyped  form,  circulated  by  Luther  Rice,  or  the  General  Committee  for  Foreign 
Missions  in  Philadelphia ;  but  the  Circular  Address  issued  by  the  society, 
and  which  exercised  a  marked  influence  on  our  denomination  in  Georgia,  is  evi- 
dently original,  and  deserves  a  place  among  the  permanent  records  of  the  Geor- 
gia Baptists.     It  is  headed  : 

"THE  SAVANNAH  BAPTIST  SOCIETY  FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS, 
•'  To  the  hihabitants  of  Georgia,  and  the  adjacetit  parts  of  South  Carolina  : 

"  Friends  and  Brethren — As  the  great  family  of  man  are  connected  to- 
gether by  the  same  fraternal  bond,  it  is  the  high  duty  and  interest  of  all  its  mem- 
bers to  use  the  best  means  in  their  power  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole.  Of  all 
those  means  which  have  been  employed  for  this  great  end,  none  have  been 
found  so  effectual  as  the  preaching  of  the  everlasting  gospel.  The  obligations 
to  contribute  to  its  extension,  therefore,  must  be  proportionably  binding. 

"  The  gospel  of  Christ  exhibiting  the  most  important  truths  and  furnishing 
the  most  exalted  motives  for  action,  accurately  delineating  the  path  to  pure,  un- 
alloyed happiness,  and  deriving  its  authority  from  Jehovah  himself,  produces,  in 
its  diffusion,  results  in  relation  to  the  benefit  of  man,  which  human  sages,  law- 
givers and  kings  have  for  ages  labored  in  vain  to  effect.  Alienated  from  his  God 
by  sin,  deprived  of  the  favor  of  his  Creator  by  apostacy,  man  wanders  in  the 
earth  a  wretched  object,  a  forsaken  rebel,  a  child  of  hell.  No  ray  of  light,  no 
gleam  of  hope  issues  from  his  dark  abode  to  point  out  the  way  to  restoration, 
happiness  and  glory.  No  human  efforts  can  relieve  his  hopeless  condition.  But 
in  the  gospel  of  Christ  the  sun  of  righteousness  is  seen  rising  with  healing  undei- 
his  wings.  His  divine  rays,  wherever  they  penetrate,  scatter  the  mists  which 
overwhelm  man  with  despair.  These  discover  to  him  the  way  of  deliverance 
and  joy,  and  lead  to  the  portals  of  bliss.  On  a  great  part  of  the  earth,  these  rays 
have  fallen  with  the  happiest  effect,  illuminating  the  extensive  regions,  turning 
their  inhabitants  from  darkness  to  light,  and  preparing  them  for  immortal  felicity. 
But  a  far  greater  part  of  the  earth  remains  unvisited  by  these  beams,  and  con- 
sequently continues  in  darkness,  and  sees  no  light.  But  this  part  waits  their 
appearance,  and  shall  not  wait  in  vain.  The  time  approaches  when  those  who 
have  long  sat  in  the  region  and  shadow  of  death,  shall  have  light  to  spring  up 
unto  them.  The  sun  of  righteousness  shall  diffuse  among  them  the  beams  of 
light,  and  the  whole  earth  shall  be  full  of  his  glory. 

"Late  events  in  divine  providence  prove,  with  convincing  testimony,  that  this 
time  fast  approaches.  Wars  and  rumors  of  wars,  the  overturning  of  nations, 
the  rapidly  increasing  destruction  of  the  Man  of  Sin,  and  the  growing  spread  of 
divine  truth — events  predicted  by  the  prophets,  and  represented  by  them  as 
prelusive  to  the  general  diffusion  of  the  gospel — clearly  show  that  the  universal 
triumph  of  Christ,  the  King  of  Zion,  is  not  far  distant.  What  deserves  partic- 
ular notice  in  this  view,  is  the  missionary  spirit  which,  within  a  few  years  past, 
has  been  kindled  with  enthusiastic  ardor  in  Europe,  at  the  altar  of  divine  love. 
Under  its  influence  great  things  have  been  attempted  and  performed  in  idola- 
trous nations. 

"  America,  catching  the  same  hallowed  spirit,  has  been  animated  to  similar 
exertions.  Besides  many  societies  formed  for  missionary  efforts  in  this  country, 
one,  to  the  imniortal  honor  of  our  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  brethren, 
has  been  organized  by  them,  of  considerable  extent  and  importance.  Under 
their  patronage,  missionaries  have  been  sent  out  for  the  purpose  of  effecting 
establishments  in  the  East,  for  the  diffusion  of  the  gospel  among  the  heathen 
tribes.  That  our  brethren  of  these  denominations  should  not  be  alone,  in  this 
great  work,  God,  in  the  arrangements  of  infinite  wisdom,  has  been  pleased  to 
bring  some  of  their  missionaries  over  to  the  Baptist  persuasion.     These,  still 


8o  MISSIONARY. 

desirous  of  pursuing  their  generous,  disinterested  career  for  the  benefit  of  the 
heathen,  now  present  themselves  to  the  American  Baptists  for- support.  And 
shall  they  present  themselves  in  vain  ?  Friends  and  brethren,  can  the  finger  of 
divine  Providence,  so  evidently  marking  out  the  path  for  us,  be  mistaken  ?  Can 
the  Lord's  will,  so  clearly  made  known  in  this  dispensation,  be  misinterpreted  ? 
Surely  not !  It  cannot  be  !  If  then,  it  be  the  high  duty  and  interest  of  the  great 
family  of  man  to  promote  each  other's  happiness,  and  the  benefit  of  the  whole, 
and  that  it  is  cannot  be  denied  ;  and  if  the  diffusion  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  be  the 
most  effectual  means  of  securing  these  objects — a  truth  that  must  be  admitted ; 
then  is  it  undoubtedly  our  duty  and  our  interest  to  embrace  the  present  auspi- 
cious moment,  and  engage  with  joyful  haste  and  determined  energy  in  the  great 
work  of  evangelizing  the  poor  heathen. 

"  Since  the  secession  of  our  dear  brethren,  Rice,  Judson  and  lady,  the  individ- 
uals alluded  to  above,  several  missionary  societies  have  been  formed  by  the 
Baptists  in  America.  These  societies  have  for  their  object  the  establishment 
and  support  of  foreign  missions ;  and  it  is  contemplated  that  delegates  from 
them  all  will  convene  in  some  central  situation  in  the  United  States,  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  an  efficient  and  practicable  plan,  on  which  the  energies 
of  the  whole  Baptist  denomination,  throughout  America,  may  be  elicited,  com- 
'  bined  and  directed,  in  one  sacred  effort  for  sending  the  word  of  life  to  idolatrous 
lar.ds.  What  a  sublime  spectacle  will  the  convention  present !  A  numerous 
body  of  the  Lord's  people,  embracing  in  their  connection  from  100,000  to  200,000 
souls,  all  rising  in  obedience  to  their  Lord,  and  meeting,  by  delegation,  in  one 
august  assembly,  solemnly  to  engage  in  one  sacred  effort  for  effectuating  the 
great  command:  'Go  ye  into  all  theAvorld,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature  !' 

"  What  spectacle  can  more  solemnly  interest  the  benevolent  heart !  What 
can  be  more  acceptable  to  our  heavenly  Father  !  We  invite  you,  dear  friends 
and  brethren — we  affectionately  and  cordially  invite  you — to  embrace  the  privilege 
of  uniting  in  so  glorious  a  cause,  so  divine  a  work.  God  has  put  great  honor 
upon  us  m  giving  us  so  favorable  an  opportunity  of  coming  up  '  to  the  help  of 
the  Lord  against  the  mighty.'  In  doing  so,  he  has  conferred  on  us  a  distin- 
guished privilege.  Shall  we  be  insensible  of  the  honor  ?  Shall  we  disregard 
the  privilege  ?  God  forbid !  Living  in  a  country  whose  generous  soil  yields, 
with  moderate  industry,  more  than  a  sufficiency  of  the  comforts  of  life,  and 
professing,  in  great  numbers,  to  be  redeemed  from  our  iniquities,  our  obliga- 
tions to  exert  ourselves  for  the  benefit  of  our  race  and  the  glory  of  God,  are 
great  indeed.  O,  let  us  feel,  impressively  feel,  the  force  of  these  obligations 
and  act  correspondently  with  them  !  And  we  trust,  in  our  attempt  to  act  in 
this  manner,  no  sectarian  views,  no  individual  prejudices,  no  party  considera- 
tions, will  have  leave  to  operate  any  unfriendly  influence  upon  a  design  conceived 
in  disinterested  benevolence,  and  having  for  its  object  the  good  of  man  and 
the  honor  of  his  Creator. 

"  Connected  with  this  address  to  you,  friends  and  brethren,  is  the  constitution 
on  which  our  society  is  organized.  According  to  this,  you  may  either  become 
members  with  us,  or  donors,  or  both.  In  either  character  we  will  cheerfully 
receive  your  aid  ;  and,  in  both,  we  hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of  ranking  great 
numbers  of  you. 

"  Wishing  you  grace,  mercy  and  peace,  we  remain  affectionately,  your  servants 
in  the  gospel,  for  Christ's  sake. 

"William  B.  JoiinsO'N,  Presz'denL 

"William  T.  Brantly,  Corresponding  Secretary. 

"  Savannah,  lyth  Dece^nber,  181^." 

It  was  this  noble  document,  in  all  likelihood,  the  production  of  William  T. 
Brantly,  Sr.,  and  the  attendant  constitution,  which,  according  to  a  suggestion  in 
the  letter  from  the  Whatley's  Mill  church  (now  Bethesda),  Jesse  Mercer  presented 
and  read  to  the  Georgia  Association,  at  its  session,  in  1814,  and  then  moved  for 
the  approbation  of  the  Association,  which  was  given  most  willingly  and  unani- 
mously. On  account  of  "its  evident  importance,"  it  was  thought  proper  to 
recommend  the  subject  to  the  consideration  of  the  churches,  and  Friday  before 


P^opl 


MISSIONARY.  8 1 

the  first  Sabbath  in  May,  1815,  was  appointed  as  a  day  on  which  all  who  were 
individually  disposed,  of  the  Georgia  and  of  other  Associations,  might  meet  at 
Powelton,  Hancock  county,  to  form  a  society  and  digest  a  plan  to  aid  in  the 
glorious  effort  to  evangelize  the  poor  heathen  in  idolatrous  lands.  The  meeting 
took  place  at  Powelton,  on  the  5th  of  May,  181 5,  and  a  strong  missionary  society 
was  formed,  called  "The  Powelton  Baptist  Society  for  Foreign  Missions,"  of 
which  Jesse  Mercer  was  made  President,  and  Wm.  Rabun,  Secretary.  Wm. 
Rabun  was,  at  that  time,  President  of  the  State  Senate.  In  its  first  year  the 
society  raised  $483.34,  of  which  Rev.  John  Robertson  gave  $12.31  J,  as  Dr. 
Adiel  Sherwood  informs  us. 

At  its  next  session,  in  October,  181 5,  at  Long  Creek,  Warren  county,  as  niight 
be  expected,  the  Georgia  Association  was  all  alive  to  the  subject  of  missions. 
It  received  from  "The  Baptist  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  for  the  United 
States,"  through  its  agent,  Luther  Rice,  the  report  of  the  board,  accompanied 
by  letters  desiring  the  aid  of  the  body,  "  to  spread  the  gospel  of  Christ  among 
the  heathen  in  idolatrous  lands."  The  Association  unanimously  agreed  to 
co-operate  in  the  grand  design ;  and,  the  more  effectually  to  do  so,  resolved 
itself  into  a  body  for  missionary  purposes.  Jesse  Mercer,  Benjamin  Thompson, 
Joseph  Roberts,  William  Rabun  and  James  N.  Brown,  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  digest  rules  for  its  regulation,  and  to  address  a  circular  to  the  churches  of 
the  Association  upon  the  subject,  and  to  correspond  with  the  Foreign  Mission 
Board.  The  following  year,  at  its  sesssion  with  the  church  at  Baird's  meeting- 
house, the  committee  submitted  a  report  which  begins  as  follows,  and  which  was 
adopted : 

"  The  Georgia  Association,  impressed  with  a  sense  of  duty,  and  anxious  to 
participate  in  the  missionary  operations  now  going  forward,  does,  for  that  pur- 
pose, make,  ordain  and  establish  the  following  Constitution." 

By  this  constitution,  seven  trustees  were  to  be  chosen  annually,  to  be  denom- 
inated "  The  Mission  Board  of  the  Georgia  Association,"  which  should  be  a 
component  member  of  "  The  General  Missionary  Convention  of  the  Baptist 
Denomination  in  the  United  States  of  America  for  Foreign  Mission."  It  was 
also  to  be  an  organ  for  the  churches  of  the  Association  for  domestic  missionary 
operations,  and  act  according  to  instructions  and  the  means  in  hand.  It  was 
empowered  to  appoint  an  agent  to  excite  a  missionary  interest  among  the 
churches  and  to  collect  funds,  and  to  appoint  one  of  their  own  body  to  repre- 
sent them  in  the  Triennial  Convention,  in  1817.  It  was  instructed  to  maintain 
a  correspondence  with  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  and  to  report  annually  to 
the  Association.  The  first  Board  appointed  consisted  of  Jesse  Mercer,  William 
Rabun,  Thomas  Rhodes,  James  Matthews,  William  Davis,  Malachi  Reeves,  and 
Joseph  Roberts.  This  board  continued  in  existence  eleven  years,  being  discon- 
tinued in  1827,  when  the  Association  resolved  to  send  its  missionary  funds 
through  the  State  Convention. 

Concerning  the  Mission  Board  of  the  Georgia  Association,  Dr.  C.  D.  Mallary 
says,  in  his  Life  of  Jesse  Mercer,  that  it  "  prosecuted  its  business  with  much 
success  for  many  years  ;  assisted  in  the  establishment  of  a  mission  among  the 
Creeks ;  received  and  disbursed  considerable  sums  of  money ;  kept  up  a  cor- 
respondence with  the  General  Board,  and  presented  to  the  Association,  from 
year  to  year,  spirited  and  animating  reports  of  their  proceedings  and  of  the  gen- 
eral condition  of  the  cause  of  missions.  Mr.  Mercer  was  uniformly  appointed 
as  a  member  of  this  Board,  was  generally  its  President,  and  invariably  one  of  its  ■ 
most  liberal  and  efficient  supporters." 

We  find  the  following  in  the  Minutes  of  the  Georgia  Association  for  1817  : 
"  Our  Mission  Board  made  a  satisfactory  report  relative  to  the  disposition  of  the 
funds  committed  to  their  direction  at  our  last  session ;  whereupon  they  were 
dissolved,  and  the  following  brethren  appointed  for  the  ensuing  year,  to-wit:  Mer- 
cer, Matthews,  Davis,  Rhodes,  Reeves,  Roberts  and  Rabun."  William  Rabun, 
who  was  also  Clerk  of  the  body,  was  at  that  time  Governor  of  Georgia.  He  died 
in  October,  181 9,  at  his  plantation,  near  Powelton,  Georgia. 

We  now  turn  our  attention  for  a  few  moments  to  the  original  Ocmulgee  Asso- 
ciation.    Its  early  history  excites  admiration.     Its  originators  were  pious,  godly 
(6) 


//  ^031 


82  MISSIONARY. 

men,  full  of  zeal  and  religious  earnestness,  and  they  were  ardent  in  their  endeav- 
ors to  promote  piety,  to  maintain  correct  church  order,  to  spread  the  gospel 
within  State  bounds,  and  to  advance  the  cause  of  foreign  missions.  Indeed,  this 
was  the  spirit  which  animated  all  our  early  Baptist  fathers  in  the  State,  to  an 
eminent  degree,  but  they  were  without  those  facilities  for  fostering  all  these 
causes  which  we  now  possess,  and  therefore  their  efforts  were  less  concentrated, 
and  not  so  intelligently  directed. 

Constituted  November  loth,  at  Rooty  Creek,  Putnam  county,  by  James 
Matthews,  John  Robertson,  Robert  McGinty,  Benjamin  and  Edmund  Shackel- 
ford, a  committee  appointed  by  the  Georgia  Association,  Joseph  Baker  was 
elected  Moderator,  and  William  Williams,  Clerk.  Twenty-eight  churches  sent 
delegates  to  its  second  meeting,  in  1811,  and  six  others  were  received,  and  its 
Circular  Letter,  written  by  Edmund  Talbot,  breathes  an  earnest  spirit  of  pious 
zeal  for  true  Christian  fellowship.  From  many  devout  exhortations,  this  only 
,  is  extracted  :  "  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world  ;  cherish,  guard,  exercise  and  ex- 
tend your  fellowship  with  unwearied  solicitude.  The  salvation  of  men  depends 
wholly  on  the  success  of  the  Christian  cause ;  it  is  the  cause  of  God.  It  con- 
stantly and  rapidly  gains  ground,  flourishes,  triumphs.  Its  effects  will  reach, 
77iiist  reach,  the  remotest  nations  and  the  latest  posterity." 

Its  session  of  181 2,  September  5ith-8th,  at  Shoal  Creek,  Randolph  county, 
was  a  notable  meeting.  On  Sabbath  Jesse  Mercer,  John  Ross,  and  the  eloquent 
Thomas  Rhodes,  preached  "  to  numerous  and  more  than  politely  attentive 
audiences,  wherein  saints  were  comforted,  convicted  souls  trembled,  and  arrows 
were  made  fast  in  the  hearts  of  the  King's  enemies."  The  Tirzah  church  made 
its  report  exculpating  Rev.  Francis  Flournoy,  and  a  most  stirring  Circular  Letter, 
written  by  Rev.  Elijah  Moseley,  was  read  and  adopted.  As  a  part  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  times,  and  as  exhibiting  the  spirit  of  our  Baptist  fathers  with  refer- 
ence to  the  war  of  181 2,  it  is  presented  in  full  to  the  reader. 

After  an  apology  for  writing  a  Circular  on  a  subject  so  diverse  from  those 
ordinarily  selected,  and  with  a  graceful  allusion  to  the  blessings  of  peace,  the 
horrors  of  war,  and  the  necessity  of  the  conflict  forced  upon  the  country,  the 
writer  proceeds : 

"  Your  progenitors,  brethren,  from  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era, 
during  the  darkest  as  well  as  the  most  luminous  ages  of  antiquity,  and  in  all 
modern  times,  have  been  the  asserters  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  ;  and,  very 
generally,  the  most  conspicuous  sufferers  for  it.  Do  you,  then,  whose  fathers 
have  suffered  so  much  for  you — who  have  been  so  highly  favored  with  its  en- 
joyment— now  deem  it  worth  defending?  Is  it  a  precious  gift  of  God? — a 
blessing?  If  so,  can  you,  without  impiety  and  a  species  of  sacrilege — the  act- 
ing in  contempt  of  Deity — relinquish  the  right  of  self-government  and,  by  that 
means,  bring  upon  your  souls  an  accumulation  of  guilt,  of  varied  stains,  indeed, 
but  of  deepest  dye  ? 

"  Were  you  a  sect  of  yesterday,  grown  out  of  and  arisen  from  the  squabblings 
of  parties  for  power,  wealth  and  influence  in  any  corrupt  and  corrupting  national 
establishment,  the  case  would,  indeed,  be  different.  But  the  contrary  being- 
true,  and  living  in  this  country,  so  highly  favored  of  the  Lord,  where  each 
denomination  enjoys  fully  every  religious  right,  equal  protection,  and  as  much 
liberty  as  is  believed  to  be  consistent  with  human  happiness,  an  indifference  to, 
or  supineness  in  defence  of,  these  blessings,  would  evince  a  state  of  mind  most 
depraved,  and  indicate  the  absence  of  every  truly  virtuous  and  religious  principle. 

"  It  has  been  said  that  '  our  constitution  and  form  of  government  are  unsuited 
and  incompetent  to  sustain  the  shock  of  war.'  Let  us  disprove  this  aspersion, 
by  the  prompt  support  we  give  them  in  the  present  conflict ;  and  demonstrate 
that  the  government  has  our  confidence  and  esteem,  and  that  we  will  sustain  it 
with  united  hearts  and  hands. 

"  This,  brethren,  is  not  a  war  of  passion  and  of  mad  ambition  on  our  part. 
Deeply  do  we  sympathize  with  many  of  the  virtuous  subjects  of  the  government 
our  country  is  contending  against.  We  lament,  with  genuine  sorrow  of  soul, 
the  individual  miseries  that  it  will  probably  occasion ;  the  useful  and  valuable 
lives  that  will  be  sacrificed  ;  the  many  amiable  and  worthy  characters  that,  prob- 
ably, in  consequence  thereof  will  go,  with  lacerated  hearts,  to  the  grave. 


MISSIONARY.  83 

"  These  reflections  affect  us  deeply.  But  in  the  eye  of  Eternal  Justice  we 
stand  acquitted  of  this  evil ;  it  devolves  on  the  head  of  the  aggressor — the 
iniquitous  and  corrupt  government  opposed  to  our  rights. 

"  Let  us  not  imitate  our  enemies  in  savage  ferocity.  The  exercise  of  the  vir- 
tues of  charity,  humanity  and  generosity,  as  practiced  by  you,  may,  and,  we 
trust,  will,  in  some  degree  alleviate  the  miseries  of  war.  To  the  practice  of 
them  we  exhort  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  If  war  excites  or  discovers  great 
vices,  it  may,  also,  be  a  season  of  practicing  great  virtues — the  virtues  that 
adorn  and  ennoble  our  nature.  The  brave  and  virtuous  sons  of  freedom  should 
ever  be  humane  ;  to  them  it  is  an  ornament  of  glory.  The  character  of  an 
honest,  virtuous  American  is  an  honorable  one ;  but  the  being  inflated  with  a 
spirit  of  national  vanity  is  ridiculous.  We  should  guard  against  'imbibing 
any  portion  of  that  spirit  which  cost  the  angels  their  seat.' 

"  The  necessity  of  union  among  the  citizens  of  our  country,  cannot  be  too 
frequently  inculcated.  An  honest  difference  of  opinion  may,  and,  probably, 
does  exist  among  men  of  virtue  and  talents,  too,  who  are  the  real  friends  of 
their  country,  with  respect  to  the  war.  The  right  of  private  judgment  should 
be  respected  and  ever  held  sacred.  No  consistent  republican,  or  true  friend  of 
his  country  wishes  to  impair  it ;  for  the  right  of  exercising  our  own  understand- 
ing is  the  foundation-principle — the  basis — upon  which  our  government  rests. 
Leave  the  abuse  of  liberty  and  of  the  freedom  of  speech  and  of  the  press,  to 
the  correction  of  the  laws.  No  doubt  the  legal  remedy  will  be  applied ;  but, 
remember  that,  whenever  this  right  is  \nX.trd\cttd,  freedom  expires  I  Incendia- 
ries, masked  pretenders  to  republicanism  and  patriotism,  will  endeavor  to  excite 
an  intolerant  spirit— a  spirit  of  party  and  caballing;  will  labor  to  effect  the 
proscription  of  all  who  do  not  think  as  they  affect  to  think  !  Divisions,  of  the 
most  mischievous  and  pernicious  consequences,  are  thus,  not  unfrequently, 
effected.  Enemies  of  this  description  are  capable  of  doing  you  more  essential 
injury  than  all  the  British  navy !  Ships  lost  can  be  replaced  ;  cities  demolished 
can  be  rebuilt ;  but  tinion  lost  is  seldom  regained ;  and  freedom  once  flown  is 

gone  FOREVER ! 

"  A  spirit  of  moderation  and  forbearance  will  tend  greatly  to  conciliate.  '  Let 
your  moderation  be  known  to  all  men '  is  an  apostolic  injunction.  Subjects 
the  discussion  of  which  would  be  proper  enough  at  other  seasons,  should  be 
avoided  in  times  of  peril  and  difficulty  if  the  least  degree  of  irritation  may  be 
the  result ;  and  every  conciliatory  measure,  in  the  adjustment  of  our  compara- 
tively small  matters  of  difference,  should  be  pursued. 

"We  exhort  you  to  the  strict  execution  of  gospel  discipline  in  the  churches  ; 
but,  in  the  exercise  of  it,  guard  with  watchful  care  against  the  mingling  of  un- 
holy tempers  and  passions  in  your  own  minds.  By  lenient  faithfulness  in  breth- 
ren, many  sorrows  may  be  prevented  to  many  precious  souls. 

"  The  exhortation  of  our  beloved  Chief  Magistrate,  in  his  proclamation  recom- 
mending a  day  of  humiliation  and  prayer  for  averting  national  calamities  and 
for  a  speedy  return  of  the  blessings  and  benign  influence  of  peace,  should  be 
frequently  revolved  in  our  minds.  Surely  only  the  profane,  and  those  inimical 
to  our  happy  and  free  government — the  wretched  advocates  of  rapine  and  blood- 
shed— could  be  regardless  of.  or  inattentive  to,  that  call ! 

"  But  a  greater  than  James  Madison  calls  upon  us  to  '  watch  and  pray.'  Jesus 
Christ,  our  Saviour,  our  Redeemer,  our  God,  calls  us  !  He  calls  us  by  His 
Word,  Spirit  and  Providence,  to  '  pray  without  ceasing.'  This  duty,  always 
necessary  and  pleasant  to  a  lively  faith,  with  peculiar  propriety  is  more  sol- 
emnly incumbent  at  a  period  like  the  present,  when  our  young  men  are  going  forth 
to  battle  in  defence  of  all  that  the  heart  of  man  holds  dear — our  violated  rights, 
our  civil  and  religious  liberties,  our  wives  and  our  little  ones,  the  rich  inheritance 
bequeathed  to  us  by  our  fathers.  They  go  forth  to  fight  in  defence  of  the 
tombs  of  our  fathers,  of  the  country  which  was  the  theatre  of  their  glory,  and 
to  preserve  their  graves  from  the  unhallowed  tread  of  the  enemies  of  Freedom  ! 
The  Lord  Jehovah  is  our  strength  and  shield  :  to  him  let  us  look  with  humble 
confidence  and  dependence.  His  omnipotent  arm,  so  often  made  bare  for  the 
defence  of  his  people,  will  support  us  through  the  perilous  conflict.     If  we  for- 


84  MISSIONARY. 

sake  him  not,  he  will  never  leave  us  a  prey.  By  their  rapacity,  intolerance  and 
injustice,  our  enemies  appear  to  be  making  God  their  enemy  also.  May  we 
never  imitate  their  madness  !  but  may  we,  by  putting  away  every  evil  practice 
and  every  evil  thing  from  among  ourselves,  seek  humbly  his  continual  dwelling 
and  blessed  presence  among  us.  Then,  indeed,  would  united  republican  America 
become  'a  praise  in  the  earth.'  Perhaps  the  reputation  of  republicanism  for  all 
time  to  come,  and  the  fate  of  unborn  milhons,  is  depending  on  the  union  and 
exertions  of  this  generation.  The  Empire  of  Freedom,  of  Reason,  of  Religion, 
and  of  Laws,  is  again,  under  God,  to  be  sustained  in  America  by  a  few  hands — 
by  the  true,  consistent  republicans  who  are  the  friends  of  liberty  and  law.  May 
we  escape  the  execrations  of  posterity,  by  handing  down  to  them,  unimpaired, 
the  rich  inheritance  of  Freedom  we  now  posses^  !  If  history  proves  any  one 
truth  clearly,  it  is  this :  That  no  nation,  without  public  and  private  virtue,  ever 
retained  its  freedom  long.  Religion,  virtue,  the  practice  of  justice  and  mercy, 
and  the  love  of  truth,  are  essential  to  the  very  existence  of  a  republican  gov- 
ernment, producing  happiness  to  the  governing  and  governed  alike.  Americans 
only  are  republican  !  May  they,  by  their  piety,  and  by  the  practice  of  all  the 
lovely  train  of  social  virtues,  prove  themselves  a  grateful  people  for  the  blessings 
they  enjoy,  and  not  altogether  unworthy  of  them  !  " 

These  eloquent  extracts,  expressing  such  noble  and  elevated  sentiments,  will 
serve  as  a  fair  exponent  of  the  spirit  and  general  disposition  of  the  Baptists  of 
that  day,  and  have,  therefore,  been  deemed  worthy  of  historical  embalming. 

The  session  for  1813  sent  forth  a  similar  letter  by  the  hand  of  Francis  Flour- 
noy,  breathing  pious  and  patriotic  sentiments,  in  strong  and  nervous  language, 
which  reads  like  the  blast  of  a  bugle. 

The  letter  for  1814,  however,  breathes  a  different  spirit.  It  discusses  fully  the 
ministerial  work,  after  speaking  of  their  strong  obligations  to  be  thankful,  even 
amid  the  gloomy  prospects  of  religion  which  had  so  universally  prevailed. 
Strong  ground  in  regard  to  itineracy  was  taken,  and  it  was 

''Resolved,  That  the  ministers  of  this  Association,  or  as  many  of  them  as  can, 
shall  join,  two  and  two  together,  and  perform  an  itinerant  tour  of  preaching  of 
at  least  two  weeks,  and  report  to  the  next  Association." 

The  following  was  also  adopted,  on  motion  of  Francis  Flournoy : 

''Resolved,  That  the  i8th  day  of  June,  (being  the  day  on  which  war  between 
America  and  England  was  declared,)  be  observed  by  this  Association  as  a  day 
of  fasting  and  prayer — not  that  we  mourn  because  war  was  declared,  but  we 
mourn  on  account  of  the  causes  which  forced  our  government  to  such  a  dread- 
ful alternative,  and  because  no  other  remedy  could  be  found  to  heal  our  wounded 
and  expiring  rights  but  the  blood  of  our  enemies.  And  also  that  the  24th  day 
of  August  (being  the  day  on  which  the  metropolis  of  our  country  was  captured), 
be  observed  in  the  same  solemn  manner ;  and  that  we  invite  our  brethren  and 
friends  in  general,  and  our  sister  Associations  in  this  State  in  particular,  to  join 
us  in  the  dedication  of  these  days ;  and  that  they  be  observed  annually,  the  for- 
mer till  peace  be  restored,  and  the  latter  till  the  capital  of  our  country  be  rebuilt." 

The  Circular  Letter  for  181 5,  written  by  Peter  F.  Flournoy,  begins:  "With 
grief  we  read  in  almost  all  your  letters  lamentable  tidings  of  barrenness  and 
declension  in  religion ;  yet,  seeing  that  most  of  you  are  praying,  according  to 
the  instructions  of  Christ  to  his  disciples,  '  Thy  kingdom  come,'  we  are  encour- 
aged to  hope  that  God  will  ere  long  send  a  plentiful  rain  to  refresh  His  heritage 
from  its  weariness."  And  yet,  in  that  year,  the  reports  from  the  itinerant  preach- 
ing, recommended  the  previous  year,  were  favorable,  and  it  was 

"Resolved,  Therefore,  to  pursue  it  more  extensively." 

The  membership,  in  181 5,  was  2,666  in  forty-one  churches,  against  2,886  in 
1 8 14;  and  yet  the  missionary  influence  exerted  by  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  in 
Philadelphia,  and  extended  by  Luther  Rice,  and  which  went  out,  especially  from 
the  Savannah  Missionary  Society,  in  18 14,  was  felt  in  this  Association,  and 
resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  "  Ocmulgee  Missionary  Society,"  in  July,  181 5. 
This  proved  to  be  a  strong  and  influential  society,  which  succeeded  in  arousing  a 
genuine  missionary  influence  in  the  churches  of  the  Association,  and  obtained 
from  them  in  contributions  a  very  respectable  amount  of  money  for  missionary 


MISSIONARY.  85 

purposes.  Its  sixth  annual  session  was  held  at  Tirzah  church,  Putnam  county,  in 
1821,  when  Edmund  Talbot  preached  an  appropriate  sermon,  from  Isaiah  xxxii:  8, 
"But  the  liberal  deviseth  liberal  things,  and  by  liberal  things  shall  he  stand." 
Robert  McGinty  was  elected  President,  and  Benjamin  Milnor,  Edmund  Talbot, 
and  John  Robertson,  Vice-Presidents,  while  Abner  Davis  was  made  Secretary, 
William  Walker,  Treasurer,  and  William  Wiliiams,  Auditor  Besides  these  offi- 
cers there  were  seven  trustees.  In  addition  to  the  balance  in  the  Treasurer's 
hands,  the  contributions  from  various  churches,  swelled  the  total  amount  in  the 
treasury  to  $445.80,  of  which  $150  was  appropriated  to  the  General  Mission 
Board  of  Philadelphia.  At  that  session  Edmund  Talbot  acted  as  President. 
The  Circular  Address  sent  forth  with  the  published  Minutes  is  an  admirable 
missionary  tract,  elegant  in  style,  and  is  a  very  strong  document  in  favor  of  for- 
eign missions.  Evidently  written  by  a  man  well  acquainted  with  the  foreign 
mission  news  and  statistics  of  the  day,  it  presents  them  in  a  strong  light,  and 
with  great  skill  and  eloquence.  Apparently  it  is  from  the  pen  of  Edmund 
Talbot. 

One  is  not  surprised  to  find  the  Circular  Letter  of  the  Association  for  1816, 
written  by  Wilson  Whatley,  on  the"  Sin  of  Coveteousness  ;''  nor  to  find  Decem- 
ber 24th  set  apart  as  a  day  of  thanksgiving  for  blessings  hoth, nah'onal and  in- 
dividual, the  war  being  over. 

Friday  before  the  first  Sabbath  in  January  was  also  set  apart  "as  a  day  of 
humiliation,  fasting  and  prayer  to  God,  that  He  would  graciously  look  on  Zion 
in  her  low  estate,  and  pour  out  on  her  a  gracious  and  plentiful  shower  to  refresh 
His  heritage."  A  similar  resolution  was  adopted  in  1817,  "for  the  revival  of 
true  religion."  "  Brother  Culpepper  "  was  received  as  a  messenger  from  the 
Hephzibah  Missionary  Society,  and  a  strong  and  Scriptural  Circular  Letter,  by 
Lazarus  Battle,  on  the  "  Baneful  effects  of  Drunkenness,"  was  read  and  adopted. 

The  missionary  spirit  of  the  Association  was  now  thoroughly  aroused,  and  it 
soon  became  engaged  vigorously  in  mission  work,  contributing  to  the  Indian 
and  foreign  missions. 

Let  us  turn  our  attention,  now,  to  the  Sarepta  Association.  At  its  session  in 
October,  181 5,  after  there  had  been  presented  an  "Address"  of  Rev.  Luther 
Rice,  agent  of  the  Baptist  General  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  and  also  the 
annual  report  of  the  Board  itself,  soliciting  co-operation  "  in  the  great  and  good 
work  of  missionary  labor,"  the  Sarepta  Association  recommended  that  the 
brethren  meet  on  Friday  before  the  first  Sabbath  in  June,  18 16,  at  Moriah 
meeting-house,  Madison  county,  for  the  purpose  of  adopting  measures  in  aid  of 
missions,  and  to  form  themselves  into  a  missionary  society,  if  they  think  proper. 
Jesse  Mercer  attended  this  meeting,  for  he  says,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Benedict, 
dated  June  13th,  18 16:  "The  mission  spirit  increases  in  our  State;  but,  I  fear, 
is  to  be  checked  by  some  unfavorable  reports  from  Philadelphia,  among  the 
members  of  the  Board,  etc.  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  something  about  it,  so  as 
to  be  able  to  set  it  in  a  right  light  before  the  people  in  this  State,  who  are  easily 
discouraged  in  money  matters,  as  you  know  the  Baptists  to  be.  The  very  sound 
of  it  drives  every  good  feeling  from  many  of  their  hearts.  I  lately  attended  the 
formation  of  a  mission  society  in  the  bounds  of  the  Sarepta  Association,  and 
the  greatest  difficulty  seemed  to  be  how  their  money  was  to  be  applied,  and 
whether  it  would  be  judiciously  appropriated,  etc.  If  you  should  know  any- 
thing worth  transmitting,  I  would  thank  you  for  it." 

This  letter  was  ominous  of  the  sad  and  calamitous  anti-mission  troubles  of 
the  denomination  in  the  State,  which  began  in  18 19. 

Thus,  we  see  that  the  Sarepta  Association  took  its  first  decided  stand  in  favor 
of  missions  in  181 5,  and  in  the  following  year,  1816,  a  missionary  society  was 
formed,  about  the  first  of  June.  In  1817,  the  Association  resolved,  "  That  we 
cordially  receive  the  thanks  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  and  present  ours 
to  them,  for  their  attention  and  information  furnished  us  in  their  annual  reports 
and  letters,"  but  no  contributions  for  missions  appear  to  have  been  sent  up  by  the 
churches. 

Again,  in  181 8,  the  Sarepta  Association  expresses  gratitude  to  the  General 
Board  for  Foreign  Missions,  for  its  circular,  and  acknowledges  the  reception  of 


86  MISSIONARY. 

a  memorial  from  the  Kentucky  Missionary  Society,  inviting  co-operation  in  the 
establishment  of  an  Indian  mission,  to  which  the  Clerk,  Charles  J.  Jenkins,  was 
directed  to  respond  by  letter.  The  succeeding  year,  1819,  witnessed  further 
developments.  An  interesting  letter  was  received  from  the  Baptist  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,  containing  a  request  "  that  the  Association  give  its  views  rela- 
tive to  a  plan  for  the  establishment  of  a  seminary  for  the  education  of  young 
men  called  to  the  ministry." 

Charles  J.  Jenkins,  the  Clerk,  was  formally  appointed  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary for  the  Association,  in  its  communications  with  the  Foreign  Board,  and  he 
was  instructed  to  answer  that  the  Association  was  not  prepared  to  offer  any 
plan  in  reference  to  the  establishment  of  a  theological  seminary.  The  same 
request  was  made  of  all  the  Baptist  Associations  by  the  Foreign  Board.  It 
seems  that,  at  its  previous  meeting,  the  General  or  Triennial  Convention,  had 
made  a  constitutional  provision  for  the  erection  of  a  classical  and  theological 
seminary,  "  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  pious  young  men  who,  in  the  judgment  of 
the  churches  of  which  they  are  members,  and  of  the  Board,  possess  gifts 
and  graces  suitable  to  the  gospel  ministry."  Under  •  this  provision  •  the  Mis- 
sion Board  of  the  Triennial  Convention,  drew  up  a  plan  for  such  an  insti- 
tution, which  was  found  so  objectionable  that  further  operations  were  suspended 
until  the  next  session  of  the  Convention,  The  result,  however,  was  the 
establishment  of  Columbian  College,  at  Washington  city,  in  which  the  Bap- 
tists of  Georgia  manifested  much  interest,  and  for  which  they  contributed 
large  sums.  This  was  no  new  idea  in  Georgia.  As  far  back  as  August  9th, 
1814,  Dr.  William  B.  Johnson,  of  Savannah,  wrote  to  Rev.  Luther  Rice,  in 
Boston  :  •'  There  is  another  subject  which  has  occupied  much  of  my  thoughts, 
since  my  return,  to  the  furtherance  of  which  I  am  willing  to  bend  my  exertions. 
It  is  the  establishment  of  a  central  theological  seminary.  I  think  more  is  to  be 
done  in  this  business  northwardly  than  southwardly  ;  and,  though  I  have  no 
pretensions  to  great  talents,  learning,  influence,  or  property,  yet  I  am  willing  to 
employ  what  I  have  received  from  the  Lord,  in  these  respects,  for  the  promotion 
of  His  glory  in  this,  or  in  any  other  way." 

The  Missionary  Society  of  the  Sarepta  Association  seems  to  have  accom- 
plished good,  and  exerted  beneficial  influences  ;  the  missionary  spirit  increased, 
and  money  for  missions  began  to  flow  into  the  associational  treasury.  At  the 
session  of  1820,  held  at  Van's  Creek,  October  21-24,  it  was 

''Resolved,  That  the  clerk  of  the  Association  for  the  future  be  considered  as 
treasurer  of  the  same,  believing  that  we  have  churches  and  individuals  in  our 
bounds  whose  hearts  pity  the  miseries  of  the  heathen,  and  who  desire  to  con- 
tribute something  to  relieve  them.  Information  is,  therefore,  given  that  the 
treasurer  of  the  Association  will  gratefully  receive  the  least  mite,  either  for  for- 
eign or  domestic  missions,  and  it  shall  be  devoted  to  the  object  specified  by  the 
donor." 

It  was  at  this  session  of  1820  that  Rev.  Adiel  Sherwood,  then  pastor  of 
Bethlehem  church,  near  Lexington,  drew  up  the  following  resolution,  which  he 
offered,  although  it  was  read  by  the  clerk,  Charles  J.  Jenkins,  father  of  Hon. 
Charles  J.  Jenkins,  afterwards  Governor  of  Georgia: 

"  Resolved,  That  we  suggest  for  our  own  consideration,  and,  respectfully,  that 
of  sister  Associations  in  this  State,  the  propriety  of  organizing  a  general  meet- 
ing of  correspondence." 

After  much  discussion  the  resolution  was  passed. 

Dr.  Sherwood  was  then  a  young  man  and  a  new  comer  in  Georgia,  but  one 
who  had  thoroughly  identified  himself  with  the  Baptist  denomination  in  the 
State.  Having  been  licensed  by  the  Brushy  Creek  church,  of  the  Sarepta  As- 
sociation, he  afterwards,  in  18 19,  put  in  his  letter  with  the  Bethlehem  church, 
near  Athens,  and  became  its  pastor.  He  was  ordained  in  1820,  at  Bethesda 
church,  Greene  county,  during  a  meeting  of  the  Executive  Committee,  or  rather, 
"Mission  Board'"  of  the  Georgia  Association,  Jesse  Mercer,  James  Armstrong 
and  Malachi  Reeves  participating. 

At  its  session  in  1821,  held  at  Salem,  Oglethorpe  county,  the  Sarepta  Associa- 
tion adopted  the  following :  "  We  view  with  pleasure  the  exertions  of  our  mis- 


MISSIONARY.  87 

sionary  brethren  in  various  parts  of  the  earth,  and  especially  of  the  Sarepta 
Missionary  Society." 

It  is  apparent  that  the  Sarepta  has  exhibited,  in  a  greater  and  greater  degree, 
the  mission  spirit,  and  for  five  years  it  has  been,  through  a  missionary  society, 
collecting  and  disbursing  funds  for  mission  purposes  in  a  commendable  degree, 
and  it  has,  by  its  action  of  1820,  become  the  originator  of  our  Georgia  Baptist 
Convention,  although  it  does  not  seem  to  have  taken  an  active  part  in  the  mis- 
sion connected  with  Indian  reform. 

We  will  now  glance  at  the  spirit  that  animated  the  Hephzibah  Association, 
from  its  formation  to  that  period  in  our  denominational  history  which  we  have 
reached — the  time  when  our  State  Convention  was  formed. 

The  Association,  as  we  learn  from  the  Minutes  of  the  Georgia  Association  for 
1794,  was  constituted  in  September,  1795,  by  the  union  of  various  churches  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  latter  Association.  Being  the  second  Association 
formed,  there  was  no  other  body  with  which  the  dismissed  churches  could  con- 
nect themselves,  and  therefore  no  letters  of  dismission  were  given.  Permission 
was  granted,  in  October,*  1 794,  to  such  churches  as  might  desire  to  form  a  new 
Association,  to  do  so;  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  constitute  these 
churches  into  an  Association  in  September,  1795.  Eighteen  churches  seem  to 
have  united  in  its  formation  at  Buckhead  ;  but  the  body  grew  rapidly  after  a  few 
years,  and  thirteea  years  after  its  formation  contained  forty-one  churches,  with 
a  membership  of  1,400. 

It  cordially  approved  of  the  Powelton  Conferences,  sent  delegates  to  those 
meetings,  and  when  the  "  General  Committee  "  was  formed  its  delegates  appeared 
regularly  and  took  their  seats,  and  acted  with  it  until  1807.  At  that  time  George 
Franklin,  Edmund  Talbot,  Francis  Flournoy  and  Thomas  Johnson  represented 
this  Association  on  the  General  Committee  Board  of  Trustees  for  Mount  Enon 
Academy.  Previously,  Robert  McGinty,  Francis  Ross,  John  Ross,  Edmund 
Talbot,  Joel  Willis',  Sanders  Walker,  A.  Tharp,  Henry  Hand,  and  others,  had 
acted  as  representatives.  In  fact,  this  Association  was  thoroughly  in  unison  with 
that  whole  movement. 

Nothing  special  marked  the  history  of  the  Association  in  the  first  decade  of 
its  life,  to  make  it  materially  differ  from  those  we  have  been  considering.  In  its 
Minutes  for  1813  we  learn  that  a  number  of  the  churches  having  in  their  letters 
expressed  a  desire  for  the  continuance  of  itinerant  preaching,  "  the  ministers  and 
preachers  agreed  to  continue  it  in  the  usual  ffiode,"  and  they  united  in  couples 
as  follows  :  Franklin  and  Robertson,  Hand  and  Stanford,  Bateman  and  McGinty, 
Bush  and  Shirey,  Hillman  and  Huff,  Granade  and  Perryman,  Brinson  and  Mer- 
chant, Pool  and  Mott,  Armstrong  and  Martin,  Pearce  and  Hawthorn,  Smith  and 
Robertson,  Franklin, and  Cutts,  Culpepper  and  Ross,  Steeley  and  Vickers,  Man- 
ning and  Whittle. 

The  first  Saturday  in  December  was  "  recommended  as  a  day  of  solemn  hu- 
miliation, fasting  and  prayer,  to  implore  the  divine  mercy  and  blessing  on  our 
government,  land  and  nation  ;  and  to  beseech  the  Almighty  to  remove  from  us 
those  calamities  with  which  we  are  afflicted ;  and  that  it  may  please  Him  to 
pour  out  a  plenteous  effusion  of  His  Spirit  and  grace  upon  all  the  churches  of 
His  saints." 

This  was  in  reference  to  the  war  then  pending  with  Great  Britain. 

The  influence  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  and  of  the  Savannah  Mission 
Society  in  this  Association  is  very  palpable.  The  circular  and  constitution  sent 
forth  by  the  latter  led  to  the  appointment  in  181 5  of  a  meeting  at  Bark  Camp 
the  following  February,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  missionary  society.  "A 
missionary  for  Montgomery  and  contiguous  counties  was  appointed,  and  the 
Association  determined  to  engage  more  earnestly  in  the  domestic  mission  work. 
On  February  15th,  1816,  a  number  of  very  respectable  members  of  the  Associa- 
tion met  at  Bark  Camp  and  organized  a  missionary  society  after  the  model  of 
the  Foreign  Mission  Society  of  Savannah.  The  preamble  and  constitution  are 
nearly  identical ;  but  the  "  avowed  and  determined  object "  of  the  "  Hephzibah 
Baptist  Society,  for  itinerant  and  missionary  exertions,"  was  "  the  encourage- 
ment and  support  of  itinerant  and  missionary  efforts," 


88  MISSIONARY. 

A  list  of  the  officers  elected  is  given  :  President,  Rev.  Charles  Culpepper ; 
Vicc-Prcside7it,  Rev.  John  Ross  ;  Recording  Secretary,  Haywood  Alford  ;  Cor- 
responding Secretary,  Littleton  Spivey ;  Treasurer,  Thomas  Byne  ;  Trustees : 
George  Porthress,  James  Jackson,  John  Cock,  Isaac  Brinson,  Elisha  Ferryman, 
James  Stephens,  Eleazer  Lewis. 

This  Society  entdred  upon  a  vigorous  existence.  We  .find  its  delegates  re- 
ceived and  welcomed  by  the  Georgia  Association  for  many  years.  The  Ebenezer 
and  Hephzibah  Associations  also  gracefully  recognize  its  existence  and  welcome 
its  delegates.  In  the  Minutes  of  the  Hephzibah  Association  for  1816  the  fol- 
lowing entry  occurs  :  "A  letter  from  the  Hephzibah  Baptist  Society,  for  itinerant 
and  missionary  exertions,  together  with  their  Constitution  and  Minutes  of  their 
respective  meetings,  were  received  and  read,  and,  in  conformity  with  the  request 
of  that  Society,  through  certain  delegates  appointed  for  that  purpose,  soliciting 
the  approbation  and  advice  of  this  Association,  on  motion,  agreed  to  return  the 
following  answer : 

"We  received  your  friendly  communication,  soliciting  our  advice  and  concur- 
rence in  what  we  think  to  be  your  laudable  designs.  All  we  can  say  at  present 
is,  dear  brethren,  go  on  in  the  prosecution  of  your  designs  in  that  way  you  think 
may  be  most  conclusive  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  prosperity  of  Zion  ;  and 
that  the  God  of  Israel  grant  you  success  in  the  same,  is  our  hearty  prayer." 
.  The  Association  itself  supported  a  missionary  within  its  own  bounds  in  181 6  at 
a  cost  of  one  hundred  dollars,  and  yet  the  destitution  could  not  be  met  sufficiently. 
The  ministering  brethren  of  the  Association  itself  were  earnestly  requested  to 
visit  the  pastorless  churches,  and  preach  to  them  as  often  as  their  engagements 
would  admit.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  there  seems  to  have  been  a  remissness 
or  unwillingness  on  the  part  of  the  churches,  properly  to  sustain  their  pastors  ; 
for  the  Association  earnestly  recommended  the  churches  which  were  without 
pastors,  to  be  "  attentive  to  the  important  and  necessary  duty  of  making  pro- 
vision, according  to  their  ability,  for  a  proper  and  regular  support  of  pastors," 
and,  also,  properly  to  remunerate  those  ministers  who  should  visit  them  as  sup- 
plies. 

The  churches,  in  their  letters,  express  a  desire  for  the  continuance  of  itinerant 
preaching,  which  was  heartily  assented  to,  and  the  brethren  again  paired  off, 
two  and  two,  with  an  understanding  that  they  would  thus  engage  in  voluntary 
missionary  work ;  but  the  conviction  creeps  into  the  reflecting  mind  that  this 
custom  really  worked  ill  among  the  churches,  as  it  appears  to  have  disinclined 
them  to  sustain  regular  pastors,  and,  perhaps,  assisted  in  producing  that  anti- 
mission  spirit,  which  prevailed  so  painfully  for  many  years.  Still,  in  18 16,  the 
Association  with  emotions  of  gratitude  to  God  and  thankfulness  to  the  Board, 
listened  to  the  pleasing  information  relative  to  the  prosperous  condition  of  For- 
eign Missions  contained  in  letters  from  Dr.  Staughton,  Secretary,  and  from  Rev. 
Luther  Rice,  Agent  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  in  Philadelphia. 

When,  in  181 7,  a  formal  vote  was  taken  whether  the  Association  should  con- 
tribute to  the  funds  of  the  Baptist  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  it  was  decided 
in  the  negative ;  but  a  resolution  was  adopted  that  all  those  friendly  to  Foreign 
Missions  were  recommended  to  meet  in  January,  181 8,  at  the  Bethel  Meeting 
House,  near  Louisville,  Jefferson  county,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  Foreign 
Mission  Society,  distinct  from  the  Association.  A  Foreign  Mission  Society  was 
formed,  and  yet,  with  a  domestic  Mission  Society  at  Bark  Camp,  and  a  Foreign 
Mission  Society  at  Louisville,  the  Association  itself  became  anti-missionary  in 
sentiment. 

'The  sixth  Association  formed  in  the  State  was  the  Ebenezer.  It  was  consti- 
tuted in  March,  1814,  at  Cool  Springs  meeting-house,  in  Wilkinson  county,  from 
churches  dismissed  from  the  Hephzibah  and  Ocmulgee  Associations — six  from  the 
latter  and  eight  from  the  former.  The  Hephzibah  appointed  brethren  C.  Cul- 
pepper, George  Franklin,  N.  Robertson  and  J.  Shirey ;  and  the  Ocmulgee  ap- 
pointed Joseph  Baker,  V.  A.  Tharpe,  D.  Wood,  H.  Hooten,  and  Edmund  Tal- 
bot, presbyteries  to  meet  at  Cool  Spring  meeting-house,  Wilkinson  county,  on 
Saturday  beforethe  first  Sabbath  in  March,  and  constitute  the  churches  lying  in 
the  forks  of  the  Oconee  and  Ocmulgee  rivers  into  an  Association.  This  was  done, 
and  the  first  regular  session  was  held  the  following  August. 


MISSIONARY.  89 

In  the  first  years  of  its  formation,  the  Ebenezer  Association  corresponded 
with  the  General  Baptist  Mission  Committee,  in  Philadelphia,  and  took  an  inter- 
est in  "  Indian  Reform  "  among  the  Creeks. 

Two  new  Associations  were  formed  in  1817 — the  Tugalo  and  the  Piedmont, 
The  former  was  constituted  chiefly  from  churches  dismissed  from  the  Sarepta 
Association,  but  some  of  its  churches  were  in  South  Carolina.  It  was  composed 
at  first  of  the  following  churches :  Tugalo,  Beaverdam,  Poplar  Spring,  Lower 
Nail's  Creek,  Double  Branches,  Line,  Hunter's  Creek,  Leatherwood,  Eastanallee 
Chaujie,  and  Liberty.  In  1821  it  contained  nineteen  churches,  of  which  thirteen 
lay  in  Georgia,  with  a  membership  of  776.  There  were  twenty-one  churches 
in  1822;  but  nothing  was  done  in  reference  to  co-operation  with  the  General 
Association.  _  • 

The  Piedmont  was  also  formed  in  181 7,  and  was  really  an  anti-mission  Asso- 
ciation from  its  organization.  The  churches  represented  in  its  second  session, 
in  18 1 8,  at  Wesley's  Creek  meeting-house,  were  Jones  Creek,  Liberty  county; 
Wesley's  Creek,  Mcintosh  county ;  Sarepta,  Tatnall  county ;  Black  Creek,  Tatnall 
county ;  Purchase,  on  Satillo  river.  With  a  total  membership  of  121,  there  had 
been  nine  baptisms  during  the  year. 

At  its  session  in  1819  this  Association  voted  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  mis- 
sions. The  Association  then  contained  five  churches  and  294  members,  and, 
of  course,  formed  no  connection  with  the  General  Association.  One  of  its  most 
prominent  members  was  Isham  Peacock,  to  whose  ordination  reference  has 
been  made,  and  who  developed  into  a  whisky-drinking,  anti-missionary  preacher, 
and  lived  to  a  great  age. 

There/were  now  eight  Associations  in  the  State — the  Georgia,  the  Hephzibah, 
the  Sarepta,  the  Sunbury,  the  Ocmulgee,  the  Ebenezer.  the  Tugalo  and  the  Pied- 
mont— but,  although  some  interest  was  manifested  in  missions,  yet  the  general 
state  of  vital  religion  was  by  no  means  gratifying.  We  find  in  all  the  Associa- 
tions days  appointed  for  fasting,  humiliation  and  prayer  that  God  would  revive 
the  churches  and  graciously  visit  afflicted  Zion  with  His  Spirit.  _  This  unpropri- 
tious  state  of  affairs  was  due  partly,  perhaps,  mostly  to  the  war  with  Great  Britain, 
accompanied  as  it  was  by  warfare  with  the  Indians,  whom  the  English_  stirred 
up  to  hostilities  from  Canada  to  Florida.  When  peace  was  established,  in  181 5, 
war  with  the  Indians  ceased  in  Georgia  and  Alabama,  but  broke  out  again  in 
1 8 17,  and  continued  for  two  years,  until  the  strong  arm  of  General  Jackson 
quenched  hostility  in  blood  at  Horse  Shoe  Bend,  in  Alabama,  bringing  peace,  and 
by  treaty  acquiring  for  the  State  a  title  to  the  land  in  her  borders.  These  wars 
cast  over  the  religious  spirit  of  the  day  a  pall  of  gloom  and  discouragement  that 
lasted  for  years.  An  idea  of  the  moral  condition  of  the  period  may  be  obtained 
by  the  following  extract  from  the  Minutes  of  the  Georgia  Association  for  181 5, 
which  met  that  year  at  Long  Creek,  Warren  county : 

"  Received  a  letter  from  the  committee  of  the  Hopewell  Presbytery,  request- 
ing the  appointment  of  some  of  this  body  to  meet  in  a  general  association  of 
the  different  denominations,  to  be  assembled  at  Athens,  Tuesday  before  the 
Commencement,  in  1816,  to  combine  their  efforts  to  promote  morality  and 
■virtue,  as  well  as  religion." 

Abraham  Marshall  and  Ed.  Shackelford  were  appointed  for  the  purpose,  but 
we  have  no  report  of  the  proposed  meeting.  In  the  Minutes  of  181 6  we  do, 
however,  find  this  entry :  "  Recommended  to  the  churches  to  appoint  and  ob- 
serve among  themselves  days  of  humiliation  and  prayer  to  Almighty  God,  as 
regards  the  low  state  of  religion  and  abounding  iniquity." 

In  the  same  year  the  Hephzibah  Association  agreed  to  observe  "  a  day  of  hu- 
miliation, fasting  and  prayer  "  that  God  would  "  bless  our  country,  revive  religion, 
and  pour  out  a  plentiful  effusion  of  His  Holy  Spirit  upon  all  the  churches  of  His 
saints."  In  the  following  year,  1817,  the  Ebenezer  Association  "agreed  to  ob- 
serve Saturday  before  the  fourth  Sabbath  in  July  next  as  a  day  of  fasting  and 
solemn  prayer  to  Almighty  God  to  revive  His  gracious  work  among  us,  and  make 
us  more  active  in  the  ways  of  religion." 

The  second  decade  of  the  century  was,  then,  a  period  in  which  demoralization 
prevailed  and  religion  languished ;  nor  was  it  until  the  latter  half  of  the  third 
decade  that  God  manifested  His  spiritual  power  with  wonderful  effect. 


90  MISSIONARY. 

The  years  of  this  chapter  embrace  that  period  in  Georg^ia  Baptist  history  when 
the  attention  of  the  denomination  was  first  generally  directed  to  foreign  missions. 
The  impetus  given  to  this  grand  cause  by  the  conversion  to  Baptist  principles  of 
Luther  Rice  and  Adoniram  Judson  and  his  first  wife,  was  sensibly  felt  in  Georgia, 
and'the  interest  it  excited  was  strong  and  abiding.  Mission  societies  were  soon 
formed  in  all  the  Associations,  and  did  efficient  service  in  the  mission  cause. 
The  Savannah  River  Association,  which,  in  Georgia,  became  the  Sunbury  in 
1817,  supported  missionaries  within  its  own  bounds  ;  the  Associations  in  middle 
Georgia  took  hold  of  the  Creek  mission  vigorously,  while  the  Sarepta  Mission 
Society  sustained  a  mission  among  the  Cherokee  Indians  in  North  Georgia. 
Several  of  the  Associations  remitted  respectable  amounts  to  the  Baptist  Board 
for  Foreign  Missions,  in  Philadelphia,  and  at  different  times  some  of  our  prom- 
inent brethren  attended  the  sessions  of  the  Triennial  Convention.  In  this  chap- 
ter, however,  we  have  but  the  beginning  of  these  events.  So  far  there  has  been 
but  little  opposition  to  missions.  That  disposition  was  aroused  after  the  Anti- 
missionary  Baptists  of  the  more  Northern  States  had  held  a  convention,  in  181 5, 
incited  by  the  missionary  enthusiasm  of  the  day,  and  had  enunciated  their  prin- 
ciples ;  and  we  shall  find  that,  after  this  period,  a  strong  anti-missionary  senti- 
ment becomes  developed  in  Georgia.  But  the  more  pious,  intelligent  and  best 
educated  ministers  and  church  members,  beyond  doubt,  were  in  favor  of  the 
mission  cause. 


IX. 

INDIAN  REFORM. 

1818-1824:.v 


IX. 


INDIAN  REFORM. 

FEELING  IN  REGARD  TO  INDIAN  REFORMATION  IN  THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE 
CENTURY — EXTRACT  FROM  THE  MISSION  BOARD  OF  THE  GEORGIA  ASSO- 
CIATION IN  1818 — DESIRE  OF  THE  INDIANS — FIRST  STEPS  TAKEN  BY  THE 
OCMULGEE  ASSOCIATION — "  PLAN  "  FOR  "  INDIAN  REFORM  "  ADOPTED — 
INTERESTING  LETTER  FROM  DR.  STAUGHTON — GENERAL  GOVERNMENT 
APPROPRIATIONS — APPOINTMENT  OF  FRANCIS  FLOURNOY — SOME  AC- 
COl^NT  OF  HIM — HIS  VINDICATION  AND  DEATH — APPOINTMENT  OF  E.  L. 
COMPERE — ESTABLISHMENT  OF  A  SCHOOL  AND  MISSION  AT  WITHINGTON 
STATION— ACTION  OF  THE  EBENEZER  ASSOCIATION — ZEAL  AND  LIBERAL- 
ITY OF  LADIES — REPORT  OF  THE  OCMULGEE  AND  GEORGIA  ASSOCIATIONS 
IN   1824 — GENERAL  VIEW. 

There  was  an  earnest  desire  among  Southern  Baptists,  in  the  times  of  which 
we  write,  to  civilize  and  improve  their  Indian  neighbors.  Repeatedly  the  Asso- 
ciations of  Georgia  received  communications  from  the  Baptists  of  Kentucky, 
soliciting  co-operation  in  this  work.  Those  of  Mississippi  also  expressed  a  sim- 
ilar desire.  The  United  States  Congress,  with  a  just  appreciation  of  the  mat- 
ter, in  18 19,  appropriated  ten  thousand  dollars  annually  for  this  purpose,  subject 
to  the  direction  of  the  President,  Mr.  Monroe.  In  Mr.  Monroe's  opinion  it  was 
best,  in  order  to  render  this  beneficence  as  extensively  beneficial  as  possible, 
that  this  sum  should  be  applied  in  co-operation  with  the  exertions  of  benevo- 
lent associations.  With  the  Georgia  Baptists  the  idea  of  Indian  improvement  and 
evangelization  had  been  a  favorite  one  ever  since  the  beginning  of  the  century. 
Under  the  direction  of  the  general  committee.  Judge  Clay  had  corresponded 
with  Major  Benjamin  Hawkins,  United  States  Indian  agent,  who  resided  on  the 
Indian  frontier,  with  reference  to  the  establishment  of  an  English  school  among 
the  Indians  ;  but  the  period  was  not  a  propitious  one  for  the  enterprise,  and  the 
project,  as  a  matter  of  Christian  enterprise,  remained  in  abeyance  for  nearly  a 
score  of  years,  without  by  any  means  fadmg  from  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
Georgia  Baptists.  The  report  of  the  Mission  Board  of  the  Georgia  Association 
for  18 18  has  these  words  ; 

"  The  evangelizing  of  our  own  Indians  is  alone  the  broad  work  of  ages.  We 
invite  the  Association  to  inspect  the  moral  state  of  the  heathens  in  our  own 
country  ;  and  we  ask,  that  if  they  had  been  taught  to  cheat,  steal,  lie  and  swear, 
by  men  called  Christians,  does  it  not  prove  they  can  be,  and  that  it  is  a  shame 
they  have  not  been,  a  long  time  ago,  taught  the  fear  of  God,  the  sz'n  and  Sa- 
viour oi  man,  and,  also,  to  pray!"  The  minutes  of  the  Georgia  Association 
for  the  same  year,  18 18,  contain  these  words  :  "  Received  a  communication  from 
the  Secretary  of  the  Kentucky  Mission  Society,  inviting  our  co-operation  in  the 
establishment  of  a  school  in  that  State  for  the  education  of  the  youth  of  both 
sexes,  belonging  to  such  of  the  neighboring  Indian  tribes  as  may  be  disposed 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity." 

In  that  same  year,  the  chiefs  of  the  Creek  Nation  made  it  known  that  there 
was  a  prevailing  desire  among  the  Indians  for  instruction  ;  and  some  of  the 
chiefs  expressed  the  opinion  that,  if  schools  were  but  established,  their  benefits 
would  be  so  apparent  that  the  Indians  themselves  would  support  them. 


94  INDIAN    REFORM. 

All  these  facts  combined  to  urge  immediate  entrance  upon  a  work  for  which 
Providence  seemed  so  manifestly  to  be  opening  the  way,  especially  as  the  propo- 
sition of  the  President  secured  the  one  great  and  desirable  object,  that  those 
to  whom  the  instruction  of  the  Indians  was  confided  should  be  moral  and  reli- 
gious persons.  This  gave  to  "  Indian  Reform  "  the  character  of  a  true  mission. 
Pertinently,  therefore,  did  the  Mission  Board  of  ihe  Georgia  Association  ask,  in 
its  report  for  1819,  "  Thus  the  door  is  flung  wide  open  before  us,  and  invites 
our  entrance.  Shall  we  now  engage  or  not  ?  The  question  we  respectfully 
submit  to  the  decision  and  instruction  of  the  Association.'' 

The  Ocmulgee  Association  had  already  determined  to  engage  in  the  work  of 
"Indian  Reform,"  among  the  Creeks,  and,  in  1819,  had  deputed  Rev.  Francis 
Flournoy  to  act  as  its  agent  in  a  visit  to  that  Nation,  and  obtain  a  site  for  a 
school,  while  a  committee  was  appointed  to  draught  a  plan  of  operations.  It  was 
composed  of  Elijah  Mosely,  Abner  Davis,  Edmund  Talbot  and  Pitt  Milner. 

At  the  session  of  the  Ocmulgee  Association  for  September,  1820,  held  at 
Bethesda,  Jasper  county,  this  committee  presented  its  report,  which  was  desig- 
nated A  PLAN  OF  SCHOOL  TO  BE  THE  GERM  OF  A  RELIGIOUS  ESTABLISH- 
MENT   AMONG   THE   CREEK    INDIANS. 

Its  different  items  were  : 

1st.  The  Institution  shall  be  situate  in  that  section  of  the  Nation  which  lies 
between  the  Euchee  creek  and  the  Tallapoosy  river,  to  be  fixed  on  by  the  super- 
intendent. 

2nd.  It  shall  be  considered  under  the  patronage  of  the  Baptist  Board  of  Mis- 
sions in  the  United  States,  and  directed  by  the  joint  counsel  of  the  Ocmulgee, 
Georgia,  Ebenezer,  and  such  other  Associations  as  may  hereafter  co-operate  with 
them,  or  such  trustees  as  they  may  appoint  for  that  purpose,  according  to  the 
regulations  prescribed  by  the  general  government  for  Indian  improvement. 

3rd.  No  person  shall  be  employed  in  the  institution  who  is  not  of  decent  and 
respectable  character,  whose  example  shall  not  be  worthy  of  imitation,  and 
whose  religious  sentiments  are  not  strictly  in  unison  with  the  Particular  Baptists. 

4th.  The  immediate  superintendence  of  the  Institution  shall  be  committed  to  a 
regular  and  exemplary  minister  of  the  Baptist  order,  who  also  shall  be  considered 
as  a  missionary  to  the  Nation. 

5th.  The  superintendent,  teachers  and  families  engaged  in  the  Institution, 
shall,  from  the  commencement,  adopt  such  course  of  conduct  as  shall  be  best 
suited,  in  their  view,  to  impress  on  the  Indians  an  engaging  sense  of  civilized 
life,  moral  .propriety  and  religious  obligation,  by  leading  their  view  toward  God 
as  Creator  and  iinal  Judge  of  all,  and  toward  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  only  possible 
Saviour  of  sinful  men. 

6th.  Young  Indians  of  both  sexes  shall  be  received  into  the  Institution  (as 
soon  as  the  necessary  means  are  had)  to  be  educated  in  reading,  writing  and 
arithmetick,  and  the  civil  arts,  etc.,  at  the  expense  of  the  founders,  (except  where 
the  Indians  shall  choose  to  bear  a  part  or  the  whole  of  the  charge,  in  which  case 
they  shall  have  their  wish  freely.) 

7th.  The  superintendent  shall  make  a  regular  annual  report  to  the  constituents 
of  the  progress  and  prospects  of  the  Institution,  and  suggest  such  things,  from 
time  to  time,  as  he  shall  think  necessary. 

This  "plan,"  called  in  Georgia  Baptist  history  the  "Plan  for  Iridian  Reform," 
was  adopted  by  the  Association,  and  the  appoinment  of  Francis  Flournoy  by 
the  General  Board  as  the  Superintendent  of  the  Institution,  was  cordially  con- 
curred in  by  the  body.  Rev.  B.  Milner,  Abner  Davis,  Benjamin  Wilson,  Wil- 
liam WiUiams  and  Wilson  Lumpkin  were  appointed  a  Committee  of  Five,  to  be 
called  Trustees,  to  act  for  the  Association  in  the  establishment  of  a  mission 
among  the  Creek  Indians,  but  as  they  never  succeeded  in  holding  a  meeting 
during  the  year,  for  want  of  a  quorum,  their  appointment  was  revoked  in  1821, 
and  three  Trustees,  William  Williams,  Abner  Davis  and  John  Milner,  were 
elected  to  hold  their  appointments  during,  good  behavior.  The  churches  were 
recommended,  in  1820,  to  take  up  an  annual  collection  for  the  support  of  the 
school  among  the  Creek  Indians,  to  be  transmitted  to  the  Association  in  1821, 
when  Lazarus  Battle  was  appointed  Treasurer  to  hold  the  mission  funds.     The 


INMAN   REFORM.  95 

following  year,  1822,  a  "  Mission  Board  "  of  seven  members  was  formally  elected 
to  assume  control  of  the  mission  affairs  of  the  Association,  the  Ocmulgee  Mis- 
sion Society  was  incorporated  with  the  Association  itself,  and  the  body  was  fairly 
embarked  in  the  missionary  work. 

In  May,  1820,  Dr.  WiUiam  Staughton,  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Board 
of  Managers  of  the  Baptist  General  Convention  of  the  United  States,  (the  old 
Triennial  Convention,)  addressed  a  long  and  most  interesting  communication  to 
the  Georgia  Association,  in  behalf  of  the  Board.  It  contains  a  general  view  of 
the  Baptist  missionary  operations  of  that  period,  both  foreign  and  domestic  ; 
but  such  extracts  only  as  pertain  to  Georgia  Baptist  history  will  be  given  here. 
It  says  : 

"  The  managers  have  resumed  their  mission  among  the  Cherokees  with  re- 
newed ardor.  Missionary  measures  were  for  some  time  suspended  in  that  quar- 
ter, from  the  uncertainty  whether  these  Indians  would  continue  to  occupy  the 
land  of  their  progenitors,  or  retire  westward.  Liberal  appropriations  have  been 
made  to  enable  brother  H.  Posey,  assisted  by  Mr.  Dawson,  a  well  qualified 
teacher,  to  effect  a  permanent  and,  with  the  blessing  of  the  Redeemer,  a  pros- 
perous establishment  in  that  benighted  region. 

"  In  the  Georgia  and  Ocmulgee  Associations,  the  generous  wish  is  maturing 
into  holy  effort  to  instruct  and  evangelize  the  Indians  of  the  Creek  Nation.  The 
Board  rejoices  in  their  purposes  of  Christian  benevolence,  and  will  be  happy  in 
the  co-operation  of  their  counsels  and  exertions.  They  have  appointed  the 
Rev.  Francis  Flournoy,  a  brother  in  whom  the  Managers  place  great  confidence, 
as  possessing  excellent  qualifications,  to  commence  the  good  work  in  such  way 
as  his  own  judgment  and  the  advice  of  his  brethren  shall  conclude  most  expe- 
dient." 

The  letter  alludes  to  various  other  missionary  stations  among  the  Indians  in 
the  West  and  Southwest,  showing  that  more  than  sixty  years  ago  Indian  missions 
were  in  great  favor  with  our  denomination,  as  they  have  been  ever  since.  The 
following  extract  is  interesting  : 

"  They  [the  Board  of  Managers]  consider  it  due  to  the  impartiality  and  benev- 
olence of  the  general  government,  to  state  that  it  has  always  contributed  liber- 
ally to  the  Western  Stations,  with  a  view  particularly  to  Indian  reform,  and  has 
promised  to  augment  such  assistance  in  proportion  as  the  extent  of  the  efforts 
of  the  Board  shall  widen." 

We  thus  behold  the  United  States  government,  by  special  appropriations, 
sustaining  largely  our  General  Convention  in  efforts  to  "  reform  "  the  Indians — 
which  word  included  the  two  ideas  of  instruction  and  evangelization;  and  we 
see  the  Convention,  through  its  Board  of  Managers,  taking  the  initiative  in  estab- 
lishing a  mission  for  "  Indian  Reform  "  among  the  Creek  Indians  in  Alabama, 
in  co-operation  with  our  Georgia  Associations.  The  following  extract  from  the 
report  of  the  Mission  Board  of  the  Georgia  Association,  for  1820,  which  was 
adopted,  gives  a  clear  and  concise  view  of  the  state  of  affairs  with  reference  to 
that  mission  in  1820  : 

"  With  regard  to  a  school  among  the  Creek  Indians,  we  were  of  opinion,  as 
the  Ocmulgee  Associatiori  had  set  forward  a  design  of  the  same  nature,  that  it 
would  be  proper  to  form  a  co-operation  with  them  in  the  effort.  And  we  are 
happy  to  inform  you  that  a  pleasing  concert  has  been  readily  formed  in  this  im- 
portant object.  But  previously  the  Baptist  Board  of  Missions  for  the  United 
States  had  anticipated  it  as  a  work  of  no  distant  period,  and  only  wanted  a 
proper  person  to  begin,  to  enter  actively  into  the  design.  On  the  suggestion  of 
brother  Rice,  concurred  in  by  brethren  Mosely  and  Mercer,  bi other  Francis 
Flournoy  was  appointed  to  the  superintendence  of  the  contemplated  establish- 
ment, and  to  be  missionary  to  the  Nation ;  and  we  are  gratified  that  this  ap- 
pointment has  been  concurred  in  by  the  Ocmulgee  Association  ;  and  we  hope 
soon  to  receive  his  acceptance  of  this  appointment,  and  see  him  enter  on  the 
duties  of  his  station." 

Francis  Flournoy  was  born  in  Chesterfield  county,  Virginia,  and  was  a  man 
of  decided  ability  and  education.  He  seems  to  have  occupied  quite  a  promi- 
nent and  even  influential  position  in  the  Ocmulgee  Association,  of  which  he  was 


96  INDIAN   REFORM. 

Clerk  from  181 5  to  1821,  and  was  appointed  to  preach  in  1817,  in  case  of  fail- 
ure on  the  part  of  R.  E.  McGinty.  He  was  for  a  number  of  years  pastor  of  the 
Tirzah  church,  in  Putnam  county.  About  181 1  he  was  impeached  as  a  State 
Commissioner  and  tried,  and  was  laid  under  censure  by  the  Legislature.  In 
181 1  R.  E.  McGinty  moved,  in  the  Ocmulgee  Association,  that  the  church  at 
Tirzah,  of  which  F.  Flournoy  was  a  member,  "  be  advised  to  call  able  help  from 
the  different  churches,  to  examine  the  records  of  the  trial  of  brother  Flournoy, 
and  sum  up  all  or  any  of  the  testimony  that  was  had  before  the  High  Court  of 
Impeachment,  and  more  fully  and  manifestly  declare  his  case,  as  they  may 
find  it."  The  Tirzah  church  observed  the  above,  and  in,  1812,  the  following 
report  was  adopted,  which  completely  exonerated  Francis  Flournoy  from  all 
blame : 

"  772.?  Baptist  Chuj^ch  of  Christ  at  Tirzah,  to  the  Ocmulgee  Association  : 

Greeting — In  obedience  to  your  recommendation,  we  have  called  to  our 
assistance  a  number  of  the  best  informed  helps  that  we  could  obtain,  for  the 
purpose  of  re-examining  the  evidence  exhibited  before  the  High  Court  of  Im- 
peachment of  this  State  against  brother  Francis  Flournoy,  who,  having  met  and 
taken  up  the  case,  after  giving  it  a  calm,  fair  and  dispassionate  investigation, 
were  unanimously  of  opinion  that  no  just  cause  of  condemnation  can,  with  any 
propriety,  be  attached  to  brother  Flournoy. 

It  is,  therefore,  with  pleasure  that  we  declare  to  you,  and  all  others  whom  it 
may  concern,  that,  nowithstanding  the  many  oppressions  under  which  brother 
Flournoy  has  labored,  he  is  still  held  by  us  as  an  orderly  Christian  and  faithful 
minister  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Jesse  Mercer,  Moderator. 

William  Rabun,  Clerk. 

Tirzah,  4th  of  July,  1812. 

In  1 81 9  Mr.  Flournoy  was  sent  as  an  agent  of  the  Ocmulgee  Association  to  the 
Creek  Nation,  to  inquire  and  consult  in  regard  to  the  propriety  and  feasibility 
of  establishing  an  English  school  in  the  Nation  as  the  germ  of  a  mission.  While 
there  he  was  regularly  appointed  Superintendent  of  Indian  Improvement  in  the 
Creek  Nation,  which  appointment  was  cordially  concurred  in  by  the  Ocmulgee 
Association. 

He  was  murdered  at  night,  in  his  fifty-sixth  year,  while  encamped  near  Mont' 
icello,  in  Jasper  county.  The  murderer  was  a  runaway  negro,  who  hoped  to 
obtain  money  by  the  crime,  and  who  was  arrested  and  executed. 

At  its  session  of  18 19  a  committee  was  appointed  by  the  Ebenezer  Associa- 
tion to  co-operate  with  that  of  the  Ocmulgee  Association  in  establishing  a 
Reform  Mission  among  the  Creek  Indians;  and,  in  1820,  the  Association  form- 
ally concurred  in  the  "  Plan  for  Indian  Reform  "  adopted  by  the  Ocmulgee,  ap- 
pointed trustees,  and  requested  its  ministers  to  explain  the  entire  matter  to  their 
churches,  and  propose  to  them  methods  for  raising  money,  in  support  of  the 
mission.  Considerable  enthusiasm  and  great  unanimity  were  exhibited  by  the 
Association  in  sustenance  of  this  "laudable  pursuit,"  during  the  years  1821  and 
1822 ;  and  at  its  session  in  the  latter  year  it  was 

"Resolved,  That  brother  Compere,  Missionary  for  Indian  Reform,  be  invited 
to  take  a  tour  of  preaching  through  our  bounds,  and  solicit  contributions  for 
that  purpose." 

In  anticipation  of  immediate  joint  action,  the  Georgia,  Ocmulgee  and  Ebene- 
zer Associations  had  formed  a  Board  of  Managers,  through  the  respective  trus- 
tees appointed  to  take  charge  of  this  Indian  Reform  Mission.  Nothing  '^as 
done,  however,  previous  to  the  session  of  1 821,  as  Francis  Flournoy  declined 
the  appointment  as  Superintendent,  on  account  of  his  private  embarrassments, 
and  because  no  official  action  could  be  taken  at  any  time  by  the  Board  of  Man- 
agers, for  want  of  a  quorum.  Toward  the  close  of  1822,  however.  Rev.  Lee 
Compere,  of  South  Carolina,  was  appointed  Superintendent,  and  he  accepted 
the  appointment.  He  was  considered  "  well  fitted  for  the  work,"  as  a  man 
"  possessing  piety  and  talents,"  and  as  one  whose  "  praise  is  most  in  those  churches 
and  among  the  brethren  with  whom  he  has  most  frequently  been." 

Appropriations  were  made  and  Mr.  Compere  proceeded  to  his  field  of  labor ; 


INDIAN   REFORM.  97 

but  it  was  found  that  the  Methodist  Conference  of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina 
had,  through  their  agent,  Mr.  Capers,  concluded  a  treaty  with  the  Creek  Indians, 
which  threw  obstacles  in  Mr.  Compere's  way,  and  retarded  his  operations.  The 
Georgia  Associations  received  assurances  that  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
in  Philadelphia,  would  take  the  Creek  Mission  under  its  patronage  and  support, 
in  connection  with  the  co-operating  Associations.  The  Mississippi  Domestic 
and  Foreign  Mission  Society  appropriated  one  hundred  dollars  to  the  same 
mission  ;  while  it  was  ascertained  that  the  full  proportion  of  the  appropriation 
from  the  United  States  could  be  relied  on  with  certainty. 

At  length,  in  1823,  the  cheering  acknowledgement  of  successful  accomplish- 
ment was  made  to  the  Georgia  Association,  by  its  able  Mission  Board :  "  It 
affords  us  real  gratification  to  inform  you  that  the  institution  so  long  held  in 
anxious  anticipation  among  the  Creek  Indians,  is  now  in  successful  and  prom- 
ising operation,  under  the  superintendence  and  management  of  brother  Compere 
and  his  devoted  associates.  Many  formidable  obstacles,  like  the  mountain  which 
obstructed  the  building  of  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  have  subsided  and  become  a 
plain.  Between  thirty  and  forty  children  have  already  been  submitted  to  the 
entire  care  and  direction  of  the  missionaries ;  and  the  prospect  is  good  for  as 
many  as  can  be  supported  on  the  same  terms. 

The  heavy  expenditures  and  incidental  expenses  attendant  on  making  the 
establishment  thus  far,  have  been  sustained  by  the  very  liberal  patronage  of  the 
General  Board,  and  various  other  collections  and  resources,  which  the  report  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  for  the  united  Associations  will  show,  and  to  which 
report  we  refer  you  for  particulars.  We  regret,  deeply  regret,  that  the  Ebenezer 
Association  has  declined  further  co-operatipn  in  this  institution,  without  giving 
us  notice,  or  assigning  a  solitary  reason." 

The  following  is  the  action  of  the  Ebenezer  in  this  matter,  at  Stone  Creek, 
Twiggs  county,  in  1833:  "Took  under  consideration  the  Indian  Reform— 
whether  to  continue  or  discontinue  ;  and  it  was  discontinued."  V.  A.  Tharpe 
was  Moderator,  and  John  McKenzie,  Clerk. 

As  not  being  out  of  place,  another  extract  is  here  given  from  the  report  made 
to  the  Georgia  Association,  in  1823,  a  part  of  which  has  just  been  quoted  : 

"  The  moneys  designated  in  our  funds,  $369,  for  the  Creek  mission,  and  the 
sum  requisite  to  meet  the  expenses  of  our  messenger,  Adiel  Sherwood,  to  the 
Convention,  last  spring,  at  the  city  of  Washington,  have  been  appropriated  for 
those  purposes.  To  sustain  our  jnembership  in  the  Convention  and  to  re-imburse, 
in  some  measure,  the  amount  afforded  by  the  General  Board,  to  aid  in  the  com- 
mencement of  our  Creek  Mission,  we  have  also  appropriated  the  sum  of  $600. 
The  money  placed  in  our  hands  for  the  theological  institution  (Columbian 
College),  has,  also,  been  forwarded.  We  are  impressed  with  the  propriety  of 
not  suffering  the  Foreign  Mission  Funds  to  be  the  least  impaired  by  our  Creek 
Mission  ;  but,  that,  ultimately,  we  in  the  South  should  sustain  the  institution  in 
the  Creek  Nation,  and  reimburse  entirely,  if  not  replenish  the  funds  of  the 
General  Board. 

"  Dear  brethren,  we  recommend  that  you  lay  it  to  heart  and  devise  plans  the- 
most  promising  to  procure  the  support,  at  least,  for  this  infant  establishment, 
of  so  much  promise.  We  acknowledge  with  thankfulness  to  God,  the  pious 
deeds  of  several  benevolent  females  in  the  church  at  Shiloh,  in  making  and 
forwarding  sundry  garments  for  the  children  at  the  Creek  school,  and  hope  that 
many  Rhodas  in  other  churches  will  emulate  their  benevolence,  in  furnishing 
cloth,  rather  than  garments,  as  the  cloth  can  be  made  up  better  at  the  Station." 

"  Withington  Station,"  where  this  Indian  Reform  Mission  and  School  were, 
was  situated  about  thirty  miles  south  of  the  locality  now  occupied  by  the  city 
of  Montgomery,  Alabama,  and  was  in  the  very  midst  of  the  Creek  Nation. 

But  how  has  the  matter  been  progressing  in  the  Ocmulgee  Association  ?  Let 
the  report  of  the  Mission  Board  of  that  Association,  for  the  year  1824,  afford 
the  answer.  It  should  be  remembered  that,  in  1822,  the  Association  incorpo- 
rated in  its  own  organization  the  operations  of  the  flourishing  Ocmulgee  Mission 
Society,  appointing  as  its  successor  an  Associational  Mission  Board,  which  was 
elected  annually. 

(7) 


98  INDIAN   REFORM. 

"  The  Mission  Board  of  the  Ocmulgee  Association  to  their  constituents,  send 
Christian  salutation  : 

"  Beloved  Brethren — The  second  year  is  now  closed  since  we  first  became 
charged  with  your  funds,  and  the  management  of  your  missionary  concerns.  In 
discharging  the  duties  of  the  trust  confided  to  us,  our  steady  aim  and  constant 
endeavors  have  been  to  give  such  direction  to  the  means  put  into  our  hands  as 
might  best  promote  the  interest  and  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  our  blessed  Re- 
deemer. The  transactions  of  the  first  year  of  our  appointment  are  already  be- 
fore you.  It  now  becomes  our  duty  to  place  before  you  the  state  and  progress 
of  those  concerns  subsequent  to  our  last  report.  Permit  us  to  observe  that  the 
Withington  Station  continues  in  a  prosperous  condition,  and  promises  well  to 
become  a  light,  indeed,  to  the  poor,  benighted  Creeks.  There  are  now  forty- 
two  pupils  in  the  school,  who  are  daily  progressing  in  the  arts  of  civilized  life 
and  in  the  acquisition  of  useful  knowledge.  The  progress  already  made  by 
some  of  these  pupils,  in  writing,  has  surpassed  our  expectations,  specimens  of 
which  have  been  furnished  us  by  the  Superintendent,  which  we  cannot  forbear 
exhibiting  herewith  to  your  view.  The  Superintendent's  books  and  accounts 
have  also  been  submitted  to  the  examination  of  the  Executive  Committee,  and 
are  found  correct.  You  have  to  lament,  with  us,  the  afflicting  dispensation  that 
has  recently  taken  away  one  of  the  members  of  your  Board,  who  was  also  its 
treasurer.  The  pious  and  useful  endeavors,  and  the  enlightened  counsel  of  our 
late  brother,  Lazarus  Battle,  are  no  more  to  be  had  and  enjoyed  by  his  brethren 
on  earth.     But  he  has  rested  from  his  lai^ors,  and  his  wo?  ks  do  follow  hivi  f" 

In  1823  the  Ocmulgee  Association  appropriated  $250  to  the  Withington  Sta- 
tion, and  in  1824  the  Georgia  i\ssociation  appropriated  $350  to  the  same  pur- 
pose ;  in  each  Association  mission  matters  were  for  the  several  succeeding  years 
managed  by  mission  boards  or  committees  of  seven,  which  were  animated  by 
a  good  missionary  spirit,  and  did  good  work,  too.  The  report  of  the  Mission 
Board  of  the  Georgia  Association  for  1824,  says,  in  regard  to  the  school  at 
Withington  Station  : 

"  We  are  happy  to  say  the  school  is  still  in  a  flourishing  and  prosperous  con- 
dition. The  Superintendent,  brother  Compere,  attended  the  late  session  of  the 
Ocmulgee  Association,  and  presented  to  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  United 
Board  his  books  and  accounts,  which  were  found  correct ;  and  specimens  of 
writing,  and  a  letter  from  one  of  the  boys  in  the  school  to  the  patrons  of  the 
institution,  expressive  of  gratitude  for,  and  praying  a  continuance  of,  those  bene- 
fits which  the  benighted  condition  of  their  parents  forbids  them  to  afford ;  all  of 
which  were  not  only  satisfactory,  but  highly  pleasing.  The  prospect  is  truly 
encouraging,  and  inspires  zeal  m  the  prosecution. 

"The  President  of  the  United  States  has  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the  sup- 
port of  our  institution,  and  has  given  it  a  good  proportion  among  others. 
The  General  Board  also  continue  to  extend  their  fostering  care -towards  it;  but 
their  funds  are  quite  exhausted.  And  in  this  regard  we  regret  to  sa}^  that  the 
contributions  from  the  churches  are  dzinifizsked \\htr&  they  should  have  abounded. 
Many  of  the  churches  still  remain  inactive.  Will  they  never  be  provoked  to 
emulation  }  Will  they  be  content  always  to  lie  still  at  home,  while  their  brethren 
go  to  war  in  the  good  cause  of  benevolence  and  charity  ?  But  to  the  praise  and 
honor  of  some  of  our  beloved  sisters  and  friends  be  it  said,  that  they  are  pro- 
ducing a  remedy  for  this  deficiency.  We  have  been  presented  by  brother  J.  H. 
Walker  with  a  subscription  from  a  benevolent  female  society  in  the  church  and 
congregation  at  Greenwood,  of  about  five  hundred  yards  of  cloth  for  the  cloth- 
ing of  the  children  at  the  Withington  Station,  which  will  be  ready  for  trans- 
portation in  a  few  weeks.  The  grateful  acknowledgments  of  the  Board  are 
hereby  voted  them  for  their  kind  and  charitable  labors  of  love  towards  the 
children  of  the  roving  tribe." 

This  much  of  the  report  is  given,  as  it  presents  a  fair  idea  of  the  estimation  in 
which  this  mission  was  held  at  that  time  by  many  Georgia  Baptists. 

The  reader  has  now  some  idea  of  the  "  Indian  Reform  "  Mission  in  which  the 
Baptists  of  Georgia  engaged  with  great  enthusiasm  for  a  few  years.  The  "plan  " 
upon  which  it  was  conducted,  as  adopted  by  the  Ocmulgee  and  Georgia  Asso- 


INDIAN   REFORM.  99 

ciations  has  been  given  already,  and  those  two  were  the  main  Associations 
which  co-operated  in  sustaining  the  mission,  though  others  assisted  incidentally. 
This  was  the  second  general  enterprise  in  which  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  united 
their  efforts,  the  first  being  the  objects  whose  attainment  was  sought  by  the 
"  General  Comrhittee,"  consisting  mainly  of  itinerant  labors  and  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Baptist  college. 

It  is  pleasant  to  record  that  a  much  more  cheering,  hopeful  and  prosperous 
condition  has  begun  to  prevail  in  the  denomination.  It  begins  to  act  with  some 
unity  of  purpose.  While  Abraham  Marshall  has  passed  away,  his  son,  Jabez 
Pleiades,  has  risen  up  to  supply  his  place,  and  other  strong  and  useful  men  have 
become  identified  with  us.  The  elder  Brantly  has  charge  of  the  Augusta 
church ;  James  Armstrong,  Adiel  Sherwood,  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  Henry  J.  Rip- 
ley, have  migrated  to  the  State,  while  James  Shannon  has  been  converted  from 
Presbyterianism.  • 

A  better  tone  begins  to  exist  in  the  churches,  and  an  unwonted  activity  and 
interest  in  denominational  matters  has  been  excited.  The  General  Association 
has  been  formed  ;  two  more  Associations,  Yellow  River  and  Flint,  are  organized, 
and  the  number  of  Baptists  in  the  State  is  about  eighteen  thousand. 

The  State  has  now  a  population  of  about  400,930,  of  whom,  in  round  num- 
bers, 225,048  are  white,  and  175,882  are  colored  slaves  ;  but  emigrants  are  pour- 
ing in  daily,  and  the  tide  is  flowing  rapidly  towards  the  Chattahoochee.  The 
Creeks  were  overcome  by  General  Jackson  in  18 19,  and  the  lands  between  the 
Altamaha  and  the  Chattahoochee  were  acquired.  By  treaties  in  1817,  '18  and 
'19  the  land  in  the  territory  now  embraced  by  the  counties  of  Newton,  DeKalb, 
Gwinnet,  Walton,  Hall  and  Habersham  were  acquired.  In  1821,  the  State,  by 
treaty,  obtained  from  the  Creek  Indians  a  title  to  the  lands  lying  between  the 
Flint  and  Ocmulgee  Rivers,  including  the  counties  of  Monroe,  Bibb,  Crawford, 
Dooly,  Houston,  Upson,  Fayette,  Pike  and  Henry.  By  a  treaty  at  the  Indian 
Springs,  in  1825,  the  lands  between  the  Flint  and  Chattahoochee  rivers  were 
acquired,  embracing  the  counties  of  Coweta,  Campbell,  Carroll,  Troup,  Talbot, 
Muscogee,  Harris,  etc.  While  Georgia  claimed  the  entire  state,  by  right  of 
eminent  domain,  yet  the  Indians  held  a  title  to  these  lands,  as  individuals,  and 
they  resided  in  Western  Georgia  and  Eastern  Alabama,  an  object  of  interest  and 
concern  to  the  Christian  and  philanthropist,  and  an  object  of  care  and  benevo- 
lence on  the  part  of  our  general  government,  which,  from  that  time  to  the 
present,  has  never  ceased  to  approprite  funds  and  apply  measures  for  their 
amelioration  and  instruction. 

As  yet  there  are  no  large  towns,  but  few  villages,  and  but  few  village  churches, 
while  all  the  churches  lie  in  the  eastern  half  of  the  state.  The  denomination  is, 
however,  rapidly  spreading  westward  and  southward  with  the  tide  of  emigration. 


X. 

THE  GENERAL  ASSOCIATION. 

1820-1823. 


X. 

THE  GENERAL   ASSOCIATION. 


ACTION  OF  THE  SAREPTA  ASSOCIATION  IN  1820— CONSIDERED  FAVORABLY 
BY  THE  OCMULGEE  AND  GEORGIA  ASSOCIATIONS — DISREGARDED  BY  THE 
EBENEZER  AND  HEPHZIBAH — CONSIDERED  UNFAVORABLY  BY  ITSELF — 
THE  GENERAL  MEETING  AT  POWELTON  IN  JUNE,  1822 — NOTABILITIES 
PRESENT — SERMON  BY  SHERWOOD  AND  PRAYER  BY  MERCER — THE  CONSTI- 
TUTION PRESENTED  BY  BRANTLY — ITS  ADOPTION — EXTRACTS  FROM  THE 
CIRCULAR  LETTER — SECOND  SESSION  OF  THE  GEVERAL  ASSOCIATION  AND 
ITS  ACTION — ACTION  OF  THE  SAREPTA  IN  1823 — THE  SUNBURY  ASSOCIA- 
TION J'nNS  THE  GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  IN  1 823 — THE  EBENEZER  DE- 
CLINES TO  UNITE  WITH  THE  GENERAL  ASSOCIATION — ACTION  OF  THE 
HEPHZIBAH — BRANTLY,  SHERWOOD,  ARMSTRONG,  KILPATRICK. 

It  has  been  seen  that  the  resolution  which  led  to  the  organization  of  the 
Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  was  adopted  by  the  Sarepta  Association  in  October, 
i8so,  at  Van's  Creek. 

The  first  Association  to  meet,  afterwards,  was  the  Ocmulgee,  which  met  at 
Bethel,  Jones  county,  September  ist,  1821,  and  on  the  following  Tuesday  it 
adopted  a  resolution  declaring :  "  That  this  Association  do  heartily  concur  with 
the  Sarepta  in  the  resolution  for  the  organization  of  a  general  meeting  of  cor- 
respondence ;"  and  Pev.  Robert  McGinty,  John  M.  Gray  and  Cyrus  White,  were 
appointed  delegates  to  represent  the  Ocmulgee  Association. 

On  Monday,  October  15th,  the  Georgia  Association,  during  its  session  of  1821, 
at  Clark's  Station  meeting-house,  Wilkes  county,  by  resolution,  "  Agreed  that 
this  Association  concur  in  the  suggestion  and  recommendation  of  the  Sarepta 
and  Ocmulgee  Associations,  in  the  formation  of  a  general  meeting,  '  to  be  com- 
posed of  messengers  from  all  the  Associations  in  this  State,  or  as  many  of  them 
as  shall  come  into  the  measure ;'  that  this  meeting  commence  at  Powelton,  on 
Thursday  before  the  fifth  Sabbath  in  June,  1822  ;  that  we  send  up  five  members 
of  our  body  to  that  meeting,  viz :  Jesse  Mercer,  William  T.  Brantly,  Winder 
Hilman,  James  Armstrong  and  Jabez  P.  Marshall." 

In  the  Georgia  that  year  the  Sarepta  Association  was  represented  by  Adiel 
Sherwood,  and  the  Ocmulgee  by  Jeremiah  Reeves  and  Joel  CoUey,  who  doubt- 
less reported  the  action  of  their  Associations.  It  is  fairly  presumable,  therefore, 
that  a  general  understanding  existed  in  regard  to  the  meeting  at  Powelton,  in 
June,  for  the  formation  of  a  General  Association. 

In  the  Sunbury  Association  the  resolution  of  the  Sarepta  was  received  in 
1821,  but  was  postponed  until  the  next  session,  "for  the  further  consideration 
of  the  churches;"  and,  at  the  meeting  of  1822  its  decision  was  again  postponed 
for  a  year — that  is,  until  1823. 

The  Ebenezer  and  Hephzibah  Associations  disregarded  the  invitation  to  unite 
in  forming  a  General  Association ;  but,  what  is  more  remarkable,  the  Sarepta 
Association,  after  having,  in  1820,  adopted  the  resolution,  "that  we  suggest  for 
our  own  consideration,  and,  respectfully,  that  of  sister  Associations  in  the  State, 
the  propriety  of  organizing  a  general  meeting  of  correspondence,"  when  it  came 
to  consider  the  matter  in  accordance  with  its  own  resolution,  in  1 821,  passed 
the  following:  "We  do  not  conceive  that  there  is  a  necessity  for  such  a  me,;;t- 
ing." 


I04  THE   GENERAL   ASSOCIATION. 

The  truth  is,  the  resolution,  as  originally  drawn  up  by  AdieliSherwood,  was  as 
follows :  "  Resolved,  that  we  suggest,  respectfully,  to  the  consideration  of  sister 
Associations  in  the  State,  the  propriety  of  organizing  a  general  meeting  of  cor- 
respondence." This  was  amended  so  as  to  read,  ''for  our  own  consideration, 
and,  respectfully,  that  of  sister  Associations,"  etc. 

As, a  matter  of  course  that  subject  was  brought  in  for  consideration  by  the 
committee  of  arrangements  for  1821,  and  the  action  stated  above  was  taken. 
J.  H.  Campbell  asserts  that  this  resolution  was  drawn  up  by  Isham  Goss. 
Nevertheless,  we  find  that  for  several  years,  Mr.  Goss  represented  the  Sarepta 
Association  in  the  General  Association  as  a  messenger. 

Isham  Goss  was  the  son  of  Benjamin  Goss,  and  was  born  in  Virginia  before 
his  father  moved  to  Georgia.  He  had  three  brothers — John,  Jesse  Hamilton 
and  Horatio  J. — all  of  whom  were  Baptist  preachers.  The  two  former  removed 
to  Virginia,  where  they  died  in  the  faith,  after  lives  of  usefulness.  Isham  em- 
braced a  hope  at  the  age  of  nine,  and  became  a  preacher  at  Beaver  Dam  Church, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  that  useful  man,  William  Davis.  In  his  early 
ministerial  career  he  was  greatly  beloved  by  his  churches — Beaver  Dam,  Trail 
Branch,  Cloud's  Creek  and  others — and  he  exerted  a  great  influence  in  the  Asso- 
ciation. Repeatedly  he  was  its  Clerk  and  Moderator,  and  he  was  also  President 
of  the  Sarepta  Missionat-y  Society.  About  1820  or  1821  he  became  subject  to  a 
severe  headache,  brought  on  by  a  partial  separation  of  the  bones  of  the  skull, 
from  which  he  could  find  no  relief,  except  from  stimulants.  This  resulted  in  a 
partial  derangement,  from  which  he  never  fully  recovered.  He  confessed  to  a 
nephew  in  1839,  the  year  he  died,  that  he  had  engaged  more  than  became  a 
minister  in  worldly  pursuits,  in  hopes  of  acquiring  wealth,  which,  with  a  too 
great  addiction  to  stimulants  to  assauge  his  extreme  pain  in  the  head,  resulted 
injuriously  to  him  morally,  spiritually  and  physically.  He  was  excluded  from 
church  fellowship,  but,  having  moved  into  the  bounds  of  the  Yellow  River  Asso- 
ciation, was  restored  to  the  church  and  ministry.  He,  however,  never  recovered 
his  usefulnesss. 

It  can  be  said  of  him  that  he  never  drank  when  well,  and  that  Dozier  Thorn- 
ton and  Jesse  Mercer  were  friends  and  frequent  visitors  at  his  house.  We  have 
reasons  to  doubt  his  being  the  author  of  the  anti-Convention  Resolution  of  1821. 

Thursday,  the  27th  of  June,  1822,  arrived.  It  was  the  day  appointed  by  the 
Georgia  Association  for  the  assembling  of  delegates,  from  the  different  Associa- 
tions in  the  State,to  form  one  General  Association. 

The  meeting  took  place  at  Powelton,  and  there  was  a  large  assemblage  present.^ 
But  two  Associations,  however,  were  represented  :  Georgia,  by  Jesse  Mercer, 
Wm.  T.  Brantly,  Winder  Hilman,  James  Armstrong  and  Jabez  P.  Marshall ;  and 
the  Ocmulgee,  by  Cyrus  White.  Robert  McGinty  and  J.  M.  Gray  failed  to  at- 
tend. Adiel  Sherwood  was  there — the  man  on  whose  motion  the  Convention 
assembled,  and  yet  he  was  entitled  to  no  seat,  because  his  Association,  the 
Sarepta,  had,  on  reconsideration,  declared  against  the  necessity  of  such  a  meet- 
ing, and,  of  course,  sent  no  delegates. 

The  Convention  met  in  the  house  of  worship  of  the  Powelton  Baptist  Church, 
and  organized  by  the  election  of  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer  as  President,  and  Rev.  Jabez 
P.  Marshall  as  Secretary.  Jesse  Mercer  was,  at  that  time,  fifty-four  years  of  age. 
Rev.  Wm.  T.  Brantly,  then  thirty-four  years  old,  was  chosen  Assistant  Secretary. 

It  was  then  resolved  that  all  members  from  distant  churches  and  Associa- 
tions, lay  members  as  well  as  ministers,  together  with  the  members  of  the 
church  with  which  the  Convention  was  held,  be  invited  to  take  part  in  the  de- 
liberations. Among  those  who  accepted  seats  were  Rev.  Adiel  Sherwood,  Rev. 
Humphrey  Posey,  Rev.  Lee  Compere,  and  Rev.  Elisha  Ferryman. 

A  free  interchange  of  sentiment  on  the  part  of  those  present  resulted  in  the 
appointment  of  Jesse  Mercer,  William  T.  Brantly,  Cyrus  White  and  James  Arm- 
strong as  a  Committee  to  draft  a  Constitution,  to  be  reported  the  ensuing  day. 
Before  adjournment  on  Thusday,  Rev.  A.  Sherwood  was  appointed  to  preach 
at  the  opening  of  the  session  next  morning ;  Rev.  H.  Posey  was  appointed  to 
preach  at  its  close. 

On  Friday  the  Convention  met  at  10  o'clock,  and  Rev.  A.  Sherwood  preached 


THE   GENERAL   ASSOCIATION.  IO5 

a  written  discourse  from  the  words,  "  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,"  Luke  iii:  4. 
in  which  he  very  forcibly  demonstrated  the  need  of  such  an  organization  as  was 
designed  by  the  Convention  proposed  to  be  formed,  and  he  portrayed  strongly 
the  evils  of  sectional  feelings  and  jealousies  arising  from  a  want  of  union,  and 
he  depicted  clearly  the  advantages  of  united  action.  He  was  then  pastor  of  a 
church  in  the  Sarepta  Association,  but  he  had  travelled  extensively  through  the 
State,  and,  for  several  years,  had  been  a  State  missionary  in  the  employ  of  the 
Savannah  Missionary  Society.  He  was  at  that  time  thirty-one  years  of  age,  and 
full  of  fire  and  zeal,  a  man  of  excellent  education  and  abilities,  and  very  tall  and 
commanding  in  appearance.  His  sermon,  bristling  with  facts  and  information, 
presented  the  strongest  reasons  why  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  should  unite  in 
some  method  of  co-operation. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  sermon,  Jesse  Mercer,  President  of  the  body,  led  in 
prayer.  During  his  prayer  he  alluded  to  the  divisions  and  petty  jealousies  which 
had  contributed  to  block  up  "the  way  of  the  Lord,"  and,  making  a  hearty  con- 
fession for  himself  and  others,  in  respect  to  these,  and  alluding  to  the  searching 
manner  in  which  the  scattered  and  disjointed  condition  of  the  denomination  had 
been  described  in  the  sermon,  he  most  touchingly  exclaimed,  "  Hast  thou  found 
us  out,  O,  our  enemy !  "  He  then  made  a  feeling  exhortation  approving  of  a 
Convention,  weeping  while  he  spoke,  and  melting  the  entire  assembly  to  tears. 
His  prayer  and  moving  exhortation  greatly  aided  in  the  adoption  of  the  Consti- 
tution. Indeed,  it  was  a  matter  of  doubt  which  contributed  most  to  effect  the 
purposes  of  the  Convention,  the  prayer  of  Mercer  or  the  sermon  of  Sherwood. 

Rev.  William  T.  Brantly  then  read  the  Constitution  which  had  been  pre- 
pared, article  by  article,  presenting  the  grounds  why  each  article  should  be 
adopted,  and  repeatedly,  during  his  address,  referring  in  the  most  commenda- 
tory manner  to  the  sermon  which  had  just  been  delivered,  appealing  to  its  facts 
and  arguments  as  reasons  for  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution.  He  did  not  con- 
clude his  address  until  the  morning  of  the  next  day,  Saturday,  29th  of  June, 
when,  after  mature  deliberation  and  a  full  discussion,  the  Constitution  was 
adopted. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  Constitution  then  adopted  : 

"  Whereas,  it  is  highly  expedient  that  a  more  close  and  extensive  union 
among  the  churches  of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  the  State  of  Georgia  should 
exist,  and  that  a  more  perfect  consent  and  harmony  and  good  understanding  can- 
not be  established  without  stated  meetings  of  delegates  from  the  several  Associa- 
tions, to  confer  together  on  subjects  of  general  interest  and  plans  of  public  utility  ; 
and  to  devise  and  recommend  schemes  for  the  revival  of  experimental  and  prac- 
tical religion  ;  for  the  promotion  of  uniformity  in  sentiment,  practice  and  discip- 
ine  ;  for  the  extension  of  the  gospel  by  missions  and  missionaries,  by  Bibles  and 
tracts,  and  for  the  fulfilment  of  that  scriptural  injunction,  "  provoke  one  another 
to  love  and  to  good  works ;"  and  since  it  hath  seemed  good  to  the  Georgia 
and  Ocmulgee  Associations  to  make  the  first  attempt  to  accomplish  these  im- 
portant objects  in  the  State  of  Georgia,  and  delegates  being  appointed  from 
these  bodies  to  meet  in  convention  at  such  time  and  place  as  might  be  agreed 
upon,  and  these  delegates,  namely  :  Jesse  Mercer,  William  T.  Brantly,  Winder 
Hilman,  J.  P.  Marshall  and  James  Armstrong,  on  the  part  of  the  Georgia,  and 
Robert  McGinty,  J.  M.  Gray  and  Cyrus  White,  on  the  part  of  the  Ocmulgee, 
having  been  appointed  to  convene  at  Powelton,  June  27th,  1822,  did  accordingly 
assemble  and  adopted  the  following  plan  of  operation  : 

"  I.  This  body  is  constituted  upon  those  principles  of  Christian  faith  generally 
acknowledged  and  received  in  the  Baptist  denomination. 

"  2.  The  constituents  of  this  body  are  the  Baptist  Associations  in  the  State  of 
Georgia,  or  as  many  of  them  as  may  think  proper  to  accede  to  the  terms  of  this 
convention. 

"  3.  It  shall  be  known  and  distinguished  by  the  name  of  '  The  General  Baptist 
Association  of  the  State  of  Georgia,"  and  shall  form  the  organ  of  general  com- 
munication for  the  denomination  throughout  the  State. 

"  4.  Each  Association  may  send  not  less  than  three  and  not  more  than  five 
delegates  to  represent  them  in  this  body,  and  all  delegates  shall  hold  their  ap- 
pointments until  others  are  elected  to  succeed  them. 


I06  THE   GENERAL   ASSOCIATION. 

"  5.  The  officers  of  this  union  shall  be  a  Moderator,  and  clerk  and  assistant 
clerk,  who  shall  be  appointed  by  ballot  at  each  annual  meeting,  and  shall  form  a 
committee  of  the  body  during  the  recess  of  the  meeting ;  but  this  committee 
may  be  increased  as  occasion  may  require. 

'■6.  The  Moderator  shall  perform  the  same  duties  that  devolve  on  Modera- 
tors in  the  several  Associations,  and  in  addition  to  this,  shall  be  authorized  to 
call  meetings  of  the  committee  in  the  interval  of  annual  meetings  should  it  be 
deemed  expedient. 

"  7.  The  clerk,  who  shall  likewise  be  treasurer,  shall  enter  in  a  book  all  the 
transactions  of  this  body.  The  assistant  clerk  shall  take  charge  of  all  distant 
communications  to  or  from  this  body,  and  shall  write  all  the  letters  which  it 
may  require. 

"  8.  Questions  of  difficulty  may  be  referred  from  any  of  the  Associations  to 
the  deliberation  and  advice  of  this  body. 

"9.  Acts  and  proceedings  of  this  body  shall  be  submitted,  from  time  to  time, 
to  its  constituents  for  inspection,  and  no  decision  shall  be  further  binding  upon 
any  Association  than  the  decisions  of  the  Associations  are  upon  the  churches 
which  compose  them. 

"  10.  The  following  are  the  specific  objects  of  this  body  :  i.  To  unite  the  influ- 
ence and  pious  intelligence  of  Georgia  Baptists,  and  thereby  to  facilitate  their 
union  and  co-operation.  2.  To  form  and  encourage  plans  for  the  revival  of 
experimental  and  practical  religion  in  the  State  and  elsewhere.  3.  To  promote 
uniformity  of  sentiment  and  discipline.  4.  To  aid  in  giving  effect  to  the  useful 
plans  of  the  Association.  5.  To  afford  an  opportunity  to  those  who  may  consci- 
entiously think  it  their  duty  to  form  a  fund  for  the  education  of  pious  young 
men  who  may  be  called  by  the  Spirit  and  their  churches  to  the  Christian  min- 
istry. 6.  To  correspond  with  bodies  of  other  religious  denominations  on  topics 
of  general  interest  to  the  Redeemer's  Kingdom,  and  to  promote  pious  and  use- 
ful education  in  the  Baptist  denomination. 

"II.  It  shall  have  power  to  form  rules,  make  arrangements  and  appoint  com- 
mittees for  the  accompHshment  of  any  or  all  the  above  objects,  provided  none 
of  these  rules  and  arrangements  shall  be  inconsistent  with  the  Scriptures  and 
the  known  principles  of  the  Association. 

"  12.  Two-thirds  of  the  whole  number  of  delegates  shall  form  a  quorum,  and 
a  majority  shall  decide  a  question. 

"13.  The  above  Constitution  shall  be  liable  to  amendment  or  alteration  by 
two-thirds  of  the  delegates  present,  provided  the  change  may  have  been  pro- 
posed by  a  member  of  the  General  Association  at  the  preceding  meeting. 

Jesse  Mercer,  Moderator. 

].  P.  Marshall,  Clerk" 

It  will  be  perceived  that  the  foregoing  differs  materially  from  the  Constitution 
of  the  Convention  at  present.  Various  changes  were,  indeed,  made  from  time  to 
time  ;  but  the  most  material  alteration  was  made  in  1845,  by  a  select  committee, 
which,  in  a  report,  presented  the  Constitution  as  it  now  exists,  and  which  was 
unanimously  adopted  at  Macon  in  1846. 

Thus  was  formed  that  body  which,  in  1827,  changed  its  name  to  "The  Bap.- 
TiST  Convention  for  the  State  of  Georgia,"  and  which  more,  perhaps, 
than  any  other  one  cause,  has  harmonized  and  combined  the  efforts  of  the  Bap- 
tists of  Georgia,  and  effected  those  beneficial  results  which  have  made  Georgia 
one  of  the  leading  and  most  benevolent  Baptist  States  in  the  South. 

The  same  committee  which  prepared  the  Constitution  presented  a  Circular 
Address,  which  was  received  and  adopted,  and  extracts  from  which  are  given 
here  to  show  the  views  and  arguments  of  those  fathers  who  formed  our  State 
Convention,  and  established  those  measures  of  denominational  progress,  eleva- 
tion and  co-operation  which  the  wisdom  of  three  score  years  has  sanctioned  and 
approved.  The  graceful  periods  are  evidently  from  the  polished  pen  of  the  elder 
Brantly : 

"  All  the  reasons  which  may  be  applied  to  the  support  of  Associations,  sepa- 
rate and  local,  will  evince  the  utility  of  one  more  general  and  comprehensive. 
If  it  has  been  found  profitable  to  bring  together  the  piety  and  wisdom  of  a  given 


THE   GENERAL  ASSOCIATION.  lO/ 

compass ;  and  if  the  united  intelligence  and  zeal  of  that  limited  space  have  been 
found  to  possess  a  happy  result,  would  it  not  seem  desirable  to  increase  the 
effect  by  enlarging  the  extent  of  the  field  and  strengthening  the  means  of  opera- 
tion ?  If  delegates  from  churches,  combining  their  counsels  and  efforts,  have 
not  been  without  works  that  speak  for  them,  and  vindicate  their  claims  to 
respect  and  consideration,  might  we  not  presume  that  delegates  from  Associa- 
tions, forming  an  annual  meeting  from  each  section  of  the  State,  would  bring  to- 
gether a  mass  of  information,  of  matured  observation,  of  solicitude  for  Zion's 
prosperity,  and  of  the  true  spirit  of  love,  which  would  flow  back  with  augmented 
energy  to  the  several  points  from  which  it  emanated  ? 

"  Viewing  the  known  principles  of  independence  upon  which  all  Baptist 
churches  are  constituted,  it  is  worse  than  idle  to  raise  any  alarms  about  the 
power  and  authority  of  a  General  Association.  The  idea  of  a  spiritual  judica- 
tory does  not  exist  in  the  Baptist  denomination, 

"  Nay,  such  an  idea  cannot  exist  until  the  whole  present  system  shall  have 
been  subverted,  and  a  new  one  substituted  in  its  place.  Now,  a  General  Asso- 
ciation does  not  go  one  step  out  of  the  old  track;  it  grows  naturally  and 
spontaneously  out  of  those  elements  of  order  already  established  and  organized. 
It  claims  to  be  a  member  of  the  same  family,  the  elder  branches  of  which  are 
so  widely  diffused  and  so  well  known.  As  the  offspring  of  these,  it  will,  of 
course,  fall  in  with  the  designs  and  aid  the  operation  of  the  parent  bodies. 

"  Why,  then,  will  you  cast  an  eye  of  suspicion  upon  the  artless,  humble  plan, 
which  your  wisdom  ought  to  foster  and  prayers  to  respect  ?  Why  awaken 
apprehensions  against  a  well-meant  and  hopeful  scheme,  which  promises  a  new 
era  in  the  history  of  our  churches  ;  and  which,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  will  confer 
a  unity  of  design  and  strength  of  action  highly  conducive  to  the  interest  of  the 
common  cause,  upon  all  our  existing  arrangements.?" 

The  Address  then  goes  on  to  mention  the  purposes,  or  objects  proposed  by 
the  General  Association : 

"  The  revival  of  religion  is  one  of  the  important  objects  which  this  new  Asso- 
ciation will  hold  in  anxious  contemplation.  To  those  who  regard  a  low  estate 
of  religion  as  an  affliction  to  the  church,  under  which  she  is  to  repose  with  qui- 
etude and  indolent  submission,  our  remarks  cannot  be  applied ;  but  to  those 
who  regard  such  a  state  as  an  affliction,  under  which  she  is  to  feel  the  mov- 
ings  of  active  repentance,  and  to  perform  works  suitable  to  the  awful  tokens  of 
God,  our  observation  must  have  a  reasonable  reference.  For  who  will  say, 
under  any  view  of  our  religious  condition,  that  it  is  not  time  to  seek  the  Lord, 
nor  yet  to  break  up  our  fallow-ground  ?  It  is  a  humbling  truth  that  the  general 
rule  with  churches,  throughout  the  State,  is  to  have  the  gospel  preached  only 
once  a  month ;  those  who  have  it  oftener  are  not  numerous  exceptions  to  the 
rule.  Hence  three  Lord's  days  in  every  month  pass  away  with  scarce  a  prayer 
to  CQUsecrate  their  hours,  or  a  holy  song  to  hallow  the  wasting  season.  Whilst 
the  ways  of  Zion,  unbeaten  by  the  foot  of  the  early  pilgrim,  lie  mourning  in 
desertion  and  neglect,  and  are  almost  lost  to  the  eye  of  the  unfrequent  traveller, 
the  sacred  abode  itself  presents  a  moving  desolation— a  building  which  seems 
almost  to  invite  the  approach  of  the  enemy  ;  a  few  withered  faces  and  tottering 
forms ;  some  heartless  exercises  performed  with  impatience  and  closed  with 
haste  ;  a  little  worldly  conversation  and  a  few  inquiries  about  prices  current,  and 
the  scene  is  concluded  until  the  next  stated  time.  Brethren,  if  we  draw  a  picture 
which  has  no  reality,  come  forward  and  disprove  our  representation.  Refute 
our  assertions  by  facts,  and  show  us,  if  you  have  it  to  show,  the  reverse  of  the 
picture.  But  if  you  cannot  show  the  reverse,  then  meet  us  in  solemn,  prayerful 
deliberation  upon  the  best  methods  for  producing  a  change  in  this  dismal  history 
of  events. 

"  The  want  of  exact  uniformity  in  discipline  is  a  source  of  frequent  disturb- 
ances in  our  churches.  It  has  often  happened  that  cases  have  been  disposed  oi 
in  one  church,  whilst  another  church  could  not  acquiesce  in  the  decision  of  its 
sister  institution,  and  long  contentions  have  ensued  upon  this  diversity  of  discip- 
linary measures.  Meanwhile,  Christian  fellowship  has  been  suspended,  nvalship 
and  jealousy  have  prevailed,  and  angry  disputes  among  brethren  have  existed, 


I08  THE   GENERAL  ASSOCIATION. 

to  the  no  small  detriment  of  the  sacred  cause.  At  the  same  time  it  has  been 
easy  for  imposing  characters  to  shelter' themselves  from  deserved  censure,  by 
relying  on  the  peculiar  modes  of  an  individual  society,  and  disclaiming  the  prin- 
ciples of  other  bodies.  To  obviate  such  a  state  of  things  is  one  design  of  our 
general  union.  It  is  true  that  the  influence  even  of  this  meeting  might  not 
produce  an  immediate  change  in  this  evil ;  but  it  might  adopt  expedients  to 
counteract  it  and  gradually  to  produce  a  sameness  in  the  usages  of  all  the 
churches. 

"  Nor  is  it  too  much  to  hope  that  this  General  Association  may  be  the  instru- 
ment of  calling  forth  more  laborers  into  the  Lord's  harvest.  The  present  small 
number  of  devoted  laborers  is  rapidly  becoming  still  more  reduced.  Within 
the  last  few  years  the  interest  of  the  Georgia  Baptists  has  lost  by  deaths, 
reiBovals,  and  otherwise,  a  large  portion  of  its  most  distinguished  and  zealous 
ministers.  The  names  of  Baker,  Marshall,  Sweet,  Winn,  Williams,  Franklin 
and  Boyd,  Bateman  and  Willis,  though  embalmed  in  the  dearest  recollections  of 
the  churches  and  brethren  who  knew  and  appreciated  their  worth,  live  in  our 
memory  only  to  tell  of  the  dismal  vacuity  which  their  removal  from  earthly 
scenes  has  caused. 

"  Such  losses  impel  the  emotions  of  Zion  beyond  the  first  transports  of  grief, 
and  extend  the  sorrowful  affection  until  the  force  of  a  mighty  reaction  rolls 
back  the  current  of  woe  in  a  full  tide  of  penitence,  prayer  and  holy  action.  To 
spend  our  time  in  unavailing  regret  is  not  the  right  way  to  improve  an  afflictive 
bereavement.  To  sit  down  in  forbidden  repose  until  the  rust  of  inaction  con- 
sumes our  energies,  is  not  the  way  to  repair  a  breach.  It  is  the  Lord's  work  to 
qualify  men  with  talents  and  grace  for  the  holy  employment  of  the  ministry ; 
but  it  is  our  work  to  pray  for  the  sending  forth  of  such ;  to  watch  the  bruised 
reed  that  waves  before  the  blast  and  to  prop  it  with  seasonable  succors  ;  to  fan 
the  half-suffocated  spark  of  the  smoking  flax ;  and  to  run  eagerly  with  those 
who  have  their  faces  set  as  if  they  would  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  to  strengthen  them 
in  the  way.  But,  to  speak  without  a  figure,  it  is  most  evident  that  our  churches 
have  only  themselves  to  blame  for  the  fewness  of  their  ministers.  And  if  the 
fault  is  chargeable  upon  them,  and  not  upon  God,  is  it  not  time  for  them  to  be 
roused  to  a  sense  of  their  deficiency,  and  begin  to  do  that  which  they  have  left 
undone  ?  Let  pious  young  men  receive  the  aids  of  learning ;  let  their  dormant 
faculties  be  drawn  out  by  the  light  of  science ;  let  the  burden  of  poverty  be 
taken  from  the  shoulders  of  those  who  already  labor  in  word  and  doctrine ;  let 
churches  see  that  their  ministers  are  freed  from  the  oppressions  of  worldly  care, 
and  have  their  time  devoted  to  the  study  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  care  of  souls  ; 
let  concerts  for  prayer  be  punctually  attended  and  devoutly  observed ;  let  the 
slumbering  energies  of  discipline  be  roused  into  wholesome  action  ;  and  let  all 
hearts  beat  in  unison  with  the  holy  promises  of  final  success,  and  with  the  com- 
ing glories  of  the  Saviour's  happy  reign. 

"  Our  meeting  has  been  numerously  attended,  and  the  ministration  of  the 
word  obtained  a  cordial  and  attentive  reception.  The  parting  scene  on  Sabbath 
was  truly  affecting.  The  flowing  eyes  and  speaking  faces  seemed  to  say, 
'  Behold,  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is,  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in 
unity !' 

"  Jesse  Mercer,  Moderator. 
"J.  P.  Marshall,  Clerk." 

The  General  Association,  before  adjourning,  appointed  brethren  to  present  its 
transactions  to  the  Ocmulgee  and  Georgia  Associations,  and  requested  certain 
others  to  represent  it  in  the  Ebenezer,  Sarepta  and  Tugalo  Associations,  the 
object  with  reference  to  the  three  last  named  being  to  secure  them  as  constitu- 
ents ;  but,  when  the  second  meeting  of  the  Association  occurred,  at  Powelton, 
on  Thursday,  June  26th,  1823,  the  Ocmulgee  and  Georgia  were,  again,  the  only 
two  Associations  represented. 

In  response  to  the  appeal  of  the  General  Association,  the  Ocmulgee  Associa- 
tion replied,  partially,  as  follows,  by  letter,  at  her  session  in  September,  1822 : 

"  The  transactions  of  your  first  convention  have  been  presented  to  our  body, 
by  our  much  esteemed  brother,  Jesse  Mercer,  and  have  been  taken  into  consid- 


THE    GENERAL   ASSOCIATION.  IO9 

eration.  We  have  now  to  state  that  your  specified  objects  meet  our  unanimous 
approbation.  *  *  *  We  cannot  close  this  poor  token  of  love  without  express- 
ing our  hope  that  the  General  Baptist  Association  of  Georgia  will  prove  a  lasting 
blessing  to  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom.  *  *  *  We  further  request 
your  next  convention  to  be  within  our  bounds. 

"  R.  McGlNTY,  Moderator. 
"James  Anthony,  Clerk." 

The  Sarepta  Association,  although  not  prepared  to  become  a  constituent 
member  of  the  General  Association,  nevertheless  appointed  Joseph  Davis  to 
prepare  a  friendly  letter  of  correspondence,  to  be  handed  in  at  the  next  meeting 
of  the  body,  by  I.  Goss,  M.  Bledsoe,  R.  Thornton,  I.  David  and  James  Sanders, 
who  were  appointed  correspondent  messengers.  It  may  be  well  to  state  here, 
that,  although  the  Sarepta  did  not  become  a  constituent  member  of  the  State 
Convention  until  1836,  it  was  not  from  a  spirit  of  opposition  so  much  as  from 
a  desire  to  preserve  harmony  and  fellowship  among  her  churches  and  church- 
members. 

The  Ocmulgee  was  represented  by  Cyrus  White,  John  Milner,  J.  M.  Gray  and 
W.  Williams,  while  the  Georgia  sent  as  delegates  Jesse  Mercer,  James  Arm- 
strong, William  T:  Brantly  and  Jabez  P.  Marshall,  Jesse  Mercer  was  again  elec- 
ted Moderator,  J.  P.  Marshall  Clerk,  and  William  T.  Brantly,  Assistant  Clerk. 

It  is  not  at  all  necessary  to  collate  a  history  of  the  mere  business  details  of 
the  General  Association.  It  will  be  sufficient  to  put  on  record  such  general 
action  of  the  body  as  manifested  the  aims,  endeavors  and  sentiments  of  the 
founders  of  our  State  Convention,  in  regard  to  the  condition  of  the  denomina- 
tion at  large. 

A.  Sherwood,  I.  Goss,  and  I.  David  were  received  as  corresponding  messen- 
gers of  the  Sarepta  Association,  and  admitted  as  constituent  members ;  and  all 
the  ministering  and  lay  brethren  present  were  invited  to  assist  in  a  free  commu- 
nication of  sentiment,  but  not  granted  the  privilege  of  voting.  A.  Sherwood, 
William  T.  Brantly  and  James  Armstrong,. were  appointed  a  committee  to  arrange 
and  bring  forward  business  for  the  Association.  The  succeeding  day,  Friday, 
they  submitted  a  report  which  embraced  the  following  objects  : 

1.  That  correspondence  be  extended  to  every  Association  in  the  State,  and  to 
other  religious  bodies,  as  far  as  practicable,  by  address  and  messengers,  which 
was  adopted. 

2.  "  Thai  a  plan  be  formed  to  promote  uniformity  of  church  discipline." 

A.  Sherwood,  James  Armstrong,  William  Williams  and  William  T.  Brantly 
were  appointed  to  digest  a  plan  and  report  the  next  day, 

3.  "  That  a  more  strict  attention  be  paid  to  the  practical  duties  of  religion." 
To  meet  this  proposition  ;  "  It  was  agreed  that  this  body  earriestly  and  re- 
spectfully recommend  to  the  churches  in  their  union  throughout  the  State,  that 
they  be  punctual  and  regular  in  assembling  at  their  places  of  worship  ;  that  they 
conscientiously  regard  the  Sabbath,  especially  as  a  day  of  public  worship,  and, 
whether  they  have  a  preacher  or  not,  read  the  Bible  and  other  good  books  ;  ex-  • 
plain  the  Scriptures  ;  establish  Sunday-schools ;  introduce  and  maintain  social 
prayer  meetings ;  preserve  church  discipline  ;  encourage  promising  gifts  ;  enforce 
Christian  government  in  their  families  ;  educate  and  catechize  their  children  ; 
instruct  their  servants ;  and,  especially,  that  ministers  take  the  lead  in  these 
important  objects." 

4.  "  That  the  delegation  from  each  Association  present  a  succinct  account  of 
the  state  of  religion  within  their  boundaries."     This  was  adopted. 

5.  That  agents  for  the  Association  be  appointed.  This  was  referred  to 
brethren  Brantly,  Sherwood  and  Goss,  as  a  committee,  and  their  report,  made 
the  following  day,  stated  that  "  they  had  considered  the  subject  so  far  as  the 
time  allotted  them  would  permit,  and  recommend  that  several  agents  in  various 
sections  of  the  State  be  requested  to  use  their  exertions  to  promote  the  interest 
of  this  body  ;  to  travel  and  to  preach  to  the  churches  ;  to  enlist  the  feelings  of 
ministers  and  other  influential  members  in  our  behalf ;  to  encourage  family 
religion  and  the  establishment  of  Sabbath- schools;  to  make  particular  inquiries 
among  the  brethren  as  to  the  expediency  of  establishing  a  Classical  and  Literary 


no  THE   GENERAL   ASSOCIATION. 

Seminary,  to  be  under  the  patronage  of  the  Baptists  in  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia  ;  to  receive  such  donations  as  may  be  offered  in  aid  of  our  general  pur- 
poses." 

The  Committee  on  Uniformity  of  Discipline  also  reported  on  Saturday,  28th. 
as  follows : 

"That,  in  their  opinion,  the  matter  is  one  of  too  great  magnitude  to  be  fully 
discussed  within  the  space  of  one  meeting,  and  that  it  is  a  point  on  which  much 
inquiry  should  be  made  throughout  the  denomination.  They  therefore  recom- 
mend that  a  correspondence  be  opened  with  such  State  Conventions  as  may 
have  been  already  formed,  and  also  with  distinguished  individuals  touching  this 
subject,  and  that  the  information  so  obtained  be  laid  before  the  next  meeting  of 
this  body." 

This  was  adopted,  and  Jesse  Mercer  and  William  T.  Brantly  were  appointed 
to  carry  the  design  of  the  report  into  effect.  Taking  into  consideration  the 
part  Rev.  I.  Goss  took  in  the  Sarepta  Association  against  the  General  Associa- 
tion, it  is  singular  that  for  several  years  he  represented  that  Association,  and  was 
appointed  to  preach  the  Introductory  sermon,  at  Eatonton,  in  1826,  which  he 
did.  It  seems  that  they  were  received  as  messengers  or  correspondents,  merely, 
from  the  Sarepta  Association,  and  not  as  representatives  from  constituent  bodies. 
To  secure  the  co-operation  of  the  non-acquiescing  Associations  in  the  State,  mes- 
sengers were  appointed,  in  1823,  to  represent  the  General  Association  and  urge 
a  formal  connection  with  that  body.  Roberts  was  appointed  to  attend  the 
Hephzibah  Association,  A.  Sherwood  to  attend  the  Sunbury,  J.  M.  Gray  the 
Piedmont,  I.  Goss  and  J.  Mercer  the  Tugalo,  J.  Armstrong  and  M.  Reeves  the 
Sarepta,  J.  Milner  and  William  Davis  the  Ebenezer ;  and,  in  addition  to  this,  a 
special  appeal  was  made  to  each  Association  in  the  Circular  Address,  which  is 
given  as  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  times  : 

ADDRESS    FOR    1 823. 

The  General  Association  of  Baptists  in  the  State  of  Georgia  to  their  brethren 
throughout  the  State  and  elsewhere,  with  Christian  salutation  : 
Brethren — We  had  looked  forward  with  much  pleasure  to  our  present  meet- 
ing, animated  by  the  confidence  that  the  Associations  which  were  not  represented 
in  our  body  at  its  formation,  would  at  least  send  up  their  delegates  to  this  meet- 
ing to  obtain  information  satisfactory  to  themselves  as  to  the  character  and 
objects  of  this  Convention.  In  this  coniidence  we  have  not  been  wholly  dis- 
appointed. Respectable  brethren  from  the  Sarepta  and  Ebenezer  Associations 
were  in  attendance,  and,  we  trust,  may  be  appealed  to  for  our  justification  from 
any  suspicion  of  improper  designs  in  forming  a  more  extensive  union. 

Should  there  be  any  good  reasons  agains;  the  united  efforts  of  the  Baptists, 
we  should  be  happy  to  know  them.  Should  it  be  so  that,  although  union  exists 
in  the  State  for  the  purposes  of  legislation,  yet  the  union  of  Baptists  would  have 
a  mischievous  operation  ;  should  it  be  true  that,  although  the  frame  of  society 
among  us  is  composed  of  many  remote  and  separate  members,  which  coalesce, 
yet  the  coalition  of  Associations  would  have  a  ruinous  tendency ;  should  it  be 
true  that,  although  men  of  the  world  may  unite  upon  any  extensive  scale  for  the 
accomplishment  of  secular  designs,  yet  Christians,  even  of  one  State,  may  not 
come  together  without  being  the  instruments  of  evil ;  should  it  be  true  that  men 
without  religion  are  trustworthy,  but  lose  their  credit  and  honesty  so  soon  as  they 
become  followers  of  Christ ;  and  should  it  be  true  that  those  who  have  been 
active  in  forming  the  General  Association  of  Georgia  are  men  of  such  suspicious 
virtue  that  a  conspiracy  against  Christian  liberty  and  morals  is  to  be  apprehended, 
then  reject  their  offers,  expose  their  treachery,  warn  good  men  against  their  in- 
sidious impositions,  and  guard  yourself  against  their  demands.  But,  is  any  one 
prepared  to  confirm  such  charges  against  the  General  Association  ?  It  has  set 
up  no  claims  to  obedience  and  submission  from  its  members  ;  it  has  enacted  no 
laws  to  bind  the  conscience  or  restrict  the  liberty  of  any  man  ;  it  has  arrogated 
to  itself  no  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  of  anv  limits  ;  no  papal  threats,  no  episcopal 
canons,  no  spiritual  decrees  have  been  issued  from  its  tribunal.     What,  then,  is 


THE   GENERAL  ASSOCIATION.  Ill 

the  harm  which  this  union  threatens  ?  What  is  the  evil  which  is  likely  to  grow 
out  of  it  ?  We  presume  that  the  mischiefs  apprehended  are  some  of  the  follow- 
ing :  This  union  threatens  to  disturb  the  slumbers  of  those  Christians  who  are 
more  fond  of  a  calm  and  quiet  life  than  of  the  pains  and  sacrifices  of  a  godly- 
conversation.  It  intends  to  exhibit  the  alarming  spectacle  of  a  body  of  behevers 
holding  forth  the  Word  of  life,  living  up  to  the  requirements  of  their  station, 
awake  upon  their  several  posts  of  duty  and  attentive  to  the  events  of  Provi- 
dence ;  sending  out  Bibles,  supporting  missionaries  at  home  and  abroad ;  main- 
taining personal,  experimental  and  practical  religion  in  their  churches,  in  their 
families  and  in  their  own  hearts.  AH  this  is  immensely  obnoxious  to  the  resent- 
ment of  an  opposite  spirit.  It  makes  religion  too  much  a  business  ;  requires  too 
many  sacrifices  ;  is  quite  too  active  and  industrious  ;  requires  too  much  praying, 
too  much  preaching,  too  much  money,  and,  in  a  word,  makes  too  much  noise 
about  the  interests  of  another  world.  If  these  are  the  worst,  faults  of  the  Gene- 
ral Association,  we  should  hope  it  might  obtain  the  indulgence  of  those  who 
have  solemnly  admitted  the  obligation  which  the  word  of  God  imposes  upon  all 
its  friends,  to  consecrate  their  lives  to  the  sacred  cause,  to  be  zealous  in  extend- 
ing the  knowledge  of  salvation  to  others,  as  they  are  grateful  for  its  saving 
benefits  to  themselves  ;  to  manifest,  in  some  degree,  the  same  spirit  which  actuated 
the  early  Christians,  who  were  all  for  Christ  and  Heaven. 

Brethren  of  the  Hephzibah  Association  :  We  invite  you  to  join  with  us  in  the 
common  cause.  Our  proposition  for  a  union  of  this  sort  you  have  once  rejected  ; 
but  we  humbly  trust  you  will  be  induced  to  reconsider  the  measure.  We  love 
you  in  the  Lord  with  a  genuine  Christian  affection,  and  ardently  desire  that  you 
might  see  as  we  see  in  this  highly  important  concern.  We  have  laid  no  snare 
for  you,  but  offer  you  the  same  privileges  and  powers  which  are  common  to  the 
Associations  composing  this  body.  We  cannot  beheve  that  you  would  reject  a 
useful  plan,  knowing  it  to  be  so  ;  and  we  cannot  feel  contented  that  you  should 
remain  without  the  knowledge  of  that  which  you  certainly  would  approve  were 
you  aware  of  its  worth  and  importance.  At  least  make  trial  by  sending  up  dele- 
gates, and  if  you  are  then  discontented  with  us,  you  shall  have  our  cordial  appro- 
bation for  withdrawing. 

Brethren  of  the  Sarepta  Association :  We  were  happy  to  see  your  messengers 
at  our  late  meeting.  You  have  evinced  a  disposition  to  make  yourselves  ac- 
quainted with  the  character  and  objects  of  our  body,  and  in  this  you  have  acted 
rightly.  We  approve  the  caution  and  circumspection  with  which  you  proceed 
in  this  business,  and  feel  anxious  that  we  should  be  thoroughly  known  before 
we  receive  the  official  testimony  of  your  respect  and  concurrence.  When  you 
have  examined  with  care,  and  have  then  united  with  us,  your  approbation  will  be 
worth  something,  as  it  will  have  resulted  from  an  enlightened  and  honest  con- 
viction. We  would  not  have  you  dragged  with  precipitation  into  a  new  scheme, 
as  such  haste  would  neither  be  useful  to  the  scheme  itself  nor  creditable  to  you. 
But  we  would  hope,  at  the  same  time,  that  you  have  already  discussed  this  sub- 
ject long  enough,  and  that  you  are  now  prep^ed  to  accede  to  the  terms  of  our 
new  and  interesting  union.  Let  us  hope,  brethren,  that  we  shall  have  the  happi- 
ness to  welcome  your  delegates  to  the  bosom  of  our  next  meeting,  and  that  you 
will  from  that  time  form  a  component  part  of  this  union. 

Brethren  of  the  Sunbury  Association :  We  had  hoped  that  your  just  discern- 
ment would  have  appreciated  the  merits  of  the  proposition,  which  was  sub- 
mitted at  your  last  meeting,  to  unite  with  us  in  forming  one  general  body  from 
all  the  Associations.  Still,  we  cannot  think  that  you  declined  the  measure  from 
any  motives  unfriendly  to  the  common  interests  of  the  Saviour's  kingdom.  You 
have  only  to  observe  the  characteristics  of  the  times  in  which  we  live,  to  perceive 
that  these  are  the  days  of  co-operation  in  everything  which  beautifies  the  fol- 
lowers of  the  Saviour.  Should  we  fail  to  collect  the  strength  of  our  denomination, 
to  embody  the  separate  parts  in  one  great  whole  ;  should  we  overlook  the  obvious 
advantages  of  united  exertion,  we  should  be  justly  reproached  Dy  the  zeal  of  other 
Christians,  and  should  be  wofuUy  indifferent  to  the  great  things  which  God  has 
wrought  for  us.  Let  us  indulge  the  hope  that  we  shall  enjoy  the  company  of 
your  delegates  at  our  next  meeting. 


112  THE   GENERAL  ASSOCIATION. 

Brethren  of  the  Ebenezer  and  Tugalo  Associations  :  The  plan  of  a  General 
Association  has  already  had  a  second  trial,  and  is  found,  upon  experiment,  to 
possess  all  the  advantages  which  were  anticipated.  It  has  brought  together,  in 
friendly  acquaintance  and  harmonious  deliberation,  brethren  who,  otherwise, 
would  not  have  been  known  to  each  other  ;  it  has  drawn  close  the  ties  of  Christian 
affection ;  it  has  created  good-will  and  amicable  understanding  upon  several 
subjects  of  general  utility,  and  has  paved  the  way  for  further  attainments  in 
these  important  particulars.  Our  desire  is  that  you  may  be  partakers  with  us 
of  the  benefit.  We  rely  upon  your  Christian  candor  to  bestow  upon  this  sub- 
ject the  attention  which  it  merits,  and  we  believe  that  you  will  not  be  inclined 
to  reject  it  without  a  trial.  Come,  then,  and  examine  for  yourselves.  Allow  us 
to  know  you  better,  to  love  you  more,  to  have  your  society  as  we  march  on 
towards  the  prize  of  the  incorruptible  inheritance. 

Brethren  of  the  Georgia  and  Ocmulgee  Associations :  We  are  happy  to  say 
to  you  that  you  have  done  well  in  devising  a  more  extensive  union.  As  your 
delegates  we  have  enjoyed  the  refreshing  comfort  of  another  interview.  We 
seemed  to  act  under  the  impulse  of  one  spirit,  and  to  have  in  view  but  one  ob- 
ject.    All  our  discussions  were  friendly,  courteous  and  affectionate. 

A  large  concourse  attended  the  preaching  on  the  occasion,  and  we  have  reason 
to  believe  that  much  good  was  done.  Much  remains  to  be  done  on  the  plan  of 
our  united  exertions,  and  your  delegates  cherish  the  confidence  that  you  will 
not  weary  in  well  doing. 

Jesse  Mercer,  Moderator. 

J.  P.  Marshall,  Clerk. 

This  extract  manifests  the  earnestness  with  which  the  originators  of  our  State 
Baptist  Convention  sought  to  carry  out  their  purposes,  as  well  as  the  lofty  ends 
they  had  in  view,  and  successive  years  have  but  demonstrated  the  wisdom  of 
their  pious  endeavors. 

,  The  Sunbury  Association  convened  in  1823,  at  Power's  church,  Effingham 
county,  and  when,  on  Saturday,  November  8th,  the  question  of  forming  a  con- 
nection with  the  "  General  Baptist  Association  for  the  State  of  Georgia  "  was 
resumed,  after  some  deliberation,  it  was 

"  Resolved,  That  this  body  adopt  the  proper  measures  to  become  a  constitu- 
ent member  of  the  Association ;  " 

And  H.  J.  Ripley,  H.  Milton,  W.  Connor  and  Samuel  S.  Law  were  appointed 
delegates  to  its  next  session. 

Adiel  Sherwood  and  J.  H.  Walker,  from  the  Georgia,  and  J.  H.  T.  Kilpat- 
rick,  from  the  Hephzibah,  appeared  as  messengers  that  year,  and  may  have  influ- 
enced the  body  in  its  action. 

In  1822  the  subject  of  uniting  with  the  General  Association  was  brought  up  in 
the  Ebenezer  Association,  at  Mount  Horeb,  and  its  decision  was  referred  to  the 
meeting  of  the  following  year,  1823.  When  the  session  for  that  year  occurred, 
at  Stone  Creek,  the  Association  "took  under  consideration  the  reference  of  last 
year,  relative  to  the  General  Association,  which  was  throzvn  under  the  table." 

In  1822,  Dr.  Brantly  presented  the  subject  of  union  with  the  General  Associa- 
tion, in  the  Hephzibah  Association ;  but  the  connection  was  rejected  by  the 
body,  very  decidedly. 

The  third  session  of  the  Convention  met  at  Eatonton  in  April,  1824.  Three 
Associations  were  now  constituent  bodies — the  Georgia,  the  Ocmulgee,  and  the 
Sunbury,  all  of  which  sent  delegates,  the  Sarepta  being  represented  by  corres- 
ponding messengers. 

The  General  Association  again  sent  forth  a  letter  of  correspondence,  extracts 
from  which  will  enable  us  to  comprehend  some  of  the  notions  then  entertained 
by  our  leading  brethren  regarding  the  objects  of  the  Association : 

"  Several  of  the  objects  which  have  engaged  our  attention  possess  a  high  import- 
ance in  the  views  of  distant  and  highly  respectable  brethren  who  have  favored 
us  with  their  correspondence. 

"  The  inquiries  which  were  made  according  to  the  resolution  of  last  year,  on 
the  subject  of  some  standard  confession  of  faith,  church  discipline  and  catechism, 
and  other  forms  of  church  transactions,  so  far  as  those  inquiries  were  extended, 


THE   GENERAL   ASSOCIATION.  113 

have  led  to  the  behef  that  the  time  is  not  remote  when  this  matter  will  be  gener- 
ally agitated  among  the  brethren  of  our  large  and  growing  denomination  through- 
out the  United  States.  There  is  but  one  voice  from  all — that  something  should 
be  done  in  this  way,  and  that  speedily.  The  only  difference  of  sentiment  which 
may  be  apprehended  is  upon  the  best  method  of  accomplishing  the  design.  .  . 
.  .  It  has,  therefore,  been  deemed  expedient  to  continue  the  correspondence 
of  last  year,  touching  this  design,  and  to  request  respectfully  and  affectionately 
from  you  the  full  and  explicit  declaration  of  your  views,  to  be  laid  before  our 
next  annual  meeting. 

"  We  trust,  brethren,  that  there  is  among  you  a  growing  solicitude  for  the  spir- 
itual welfare  and  religious  instruction  of  the  rising  generation.  When  the  hearts 
of  parents  are  turned  to  the  children  ;  when  the  moral  and  religious  claims  of 
the  young  begin  to  be  vindicated  from  neglect  and  abuse ;  when  a  general 
movement  of  holy  anxiety  begins  to  prevail  towards  those  who  are  to  form  the 
'  rudiments  of  future  society,  we  may  look  forward  to  happy  and  cheering  sea- 
sons of  "refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord."  Be  not  weary  in  well 
doing !  Prepare  the  minds  of  your  offspring,  by  early  cultivation,  for  a  favora- 
ble reception  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  Let  them  be  taught  to  respect  reli- 
gion with  all  its  institutions,  to  honor  the  pious  persuasion  of  their  parents,  to 
regard  this  world  as  "  but  the  bud  of  being  " — the  dawn  of  eternal  day — and  to 
prepare  for  the  everlasting  duration,  where  their  character  and  portion  must  be 
forever  fixed  and  unchangeable. 

"  Cultivate  the  spirit  of  prayer  with  augmented  care  and  assiduity.  *  *  * 
Strive  to  promote  the  spirit  of  brotherly  love  and  union,  and  endeavor  to  put  !;o 
silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men,  rather  by  holy  living  than  by  spirited  con- 
troversy ;  more  by  the  silent  eloquence  of  a  godly  conversation  than  by  the 
noisy  contentions  of  unproductive  words.  Let  the  love  of  Christ  dwell  richly 
within  you,  and  earnestly  cultivate  that  heavenly  plant  which,  in  its  early  bud, 
is  happiness,  and,  in  its  full  bloom,  is  Heaven.  Let  its  sacred  sweets  be  shed 
around  like  the  bruised  myrtle,  and,  by  its  soft  attractions,  let  your  spirits  be 
drawn  forth  to  whatsoever  things  are  lovely  and  of  good  report. 

"Continue,  brethren,  to  send  up  your  delegates  to  the  General  Association.  This 
is  the  medium  of  Christian  acquaintance,  of  extended  co-operation,  and  of  har- 
monious understanding.  It  is  here  the  hearts  of  your  ministers  are  cemented 
in  love  and  encouraged  to  persevere  in  duty  amid  trials  and  conflicts.  Here  is 
the  scene  of  unity  and  peace,  of  order  and  friendship. 

Jesse  Mercer,  Moderator. 

Adiel  Sherwood,  Clerk. 

The  session  of  the  General  Baptist  Association  for  1823,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, appointed  several  agents  to  visit  various  sections  of  the  State,  and  use 
their  best  exertions  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  Association,  encourage 
family  religion,  establish  Sunday-schools  and  make  particular  inquiries  among 
the  brethren  and  churches,  so  as  to  ascertain  the  general  opinion  in  regard  to 
the  expediencv  of  establishing  a  classical  and  literary  seminary.  In  reportmg, 
at  the  session'of  1824,  held  in  Eatonton,  April  22d,  23d  and  24th,  some  of  them 
stated  that  they  found  many  persons  favorable  to  weekly  church  services,  and 
to  the  establishment  of  Sunday-schools,  several  of  which  had  been  already 
commenced  and  were  prosperous  ;  but  the  plan  for  a  seminary  of  learnmg  met 
with  the  cold  rebuke  of  many  intiuential  members  of  the  Baptist  churches. 
Still  it  was  affirmed  that  there  were  many  members  and  friends  who  earnestly 
desired  such  a  seminary,  and  would  aid  in  its  establishment  when  the  public 
mind  was  more  enlightened  and  when  more  efficient  support  could  be  anticipated. 
With  reference  to  the  state  of  religion  in  the  different  Associations  connected 
with  the  body,  the  following  statements  were  made  :  In  many  churches  of  the 
Ocmulgee  Association  there  appeared  to  be  an  absence  of  zeal  in  the  promotion 
of  practical  religion  and  the  spread  of  the  gospel ;  but,  in  others,  there  was  a 
warm  engagedness  in  the  Redeemer's  cause.  In  the  families  of  the  brethren 
the  standard  of  religion  had  been  erected ;  Sabbath  schools  had  been  estab- 
lished and  were  prospering;  weekly  and  concert  prayer-meetings  were  con- 
stantly maintained  and  promptly  attended ;  and  to  these  churches,  which  were 

(8) 


il4  THE   GENERAL  ASSOCIATION. 

chiefly  in  the  counties  of  Henry,  Newton  and  the  upper  parts  of  Jasper,  there 
had  been  considerable  additions.  In  truth  the  prospects  within  the  Ocmulgee 
were  more  flattering  than  they  had  been  a  year  previous,  except  with  respect  to 
the  support  of  missions.  There  appeared  to  be  little  ground  for  hope  that  the 
support  of  the  mission  cause  would  be  warmer  or  more  liberal  than  it  had  been 
previously. 

A  more  favorable  report  was  received  from  the  Sunbury  Association,  which 
contained  in  that  year,  1824,  eighteen  churches,  ten  ministers  and  5,257  members. 
Several  of  its  churches  had  enjoyed  the  reviving  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  had  been  favored  with  unusual  accessions  to  their  numbers.  For  the  most 
part,  its  churches  were  harmonious  and  well  affected  towards  the  spread  of  the 
gospel,  and  in  it  a  general  improvement  in  the  denomination  manifested  itself. 
Special  mention  was  made  of  the  Missionary  Committee,  in  that  Association, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  attempt  supplying  destitute  churches  and  neighborhoods 
in  the  bounds  of  the  Sunbury  with  the  preaching  ol  the  gospel. 

It  was  stated  that  to  almost  all  the  churches  of  the  Georgia  Association, 
there  had  been  additions  by  baptism  during  the  year.  Especially  was  this  the 
case  at  County  Line  church,  in  Oglethorpe  county,  and  at  Bethel  church,  in 
Wilkes  county.  Many  churches,  however,  had  been  so  refreshed  as  to  "thank 
God  and  take  courage,"  and  in  some  the  precious  revival  influences  were  still 
visible.  The  whole  number  baptized  in  the  Association  had  been  293.  It  con- 
tained thirty-seven  churches,  twenty  ministers  and  2,986  members.  The  members 
of  a  few  churches  assembled  at  their  meeting-houses  punctually  for  worship, 
evety  Sabbath  ;  and  Sunday-schools  were  established  and  in  a  prosperous  con- 
dition. 

The  Clerk,  Adiel  Sherwood,  appends  these  remarks  to  the  general  proceedings 
of  the  General  Association  for  1824:  "All  the  deliberations  during  the  session, 
were  conducted  in  entire  harmony  and  in  much  brotherly  love.  No  unhallowed 
spirit  was  discoverable ;  but  so  apparent  in  the  conduct  of  the  brethren  were 
those  kindly  feelings  of  the  Christian,  that  every  one  appreciated  the  sentiment 
of  the  Psalmist,  '  How  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together 
in  unity  !'  The  preaching  of  the  word  was  attended  with  the  manifest  appro- 
bation of  our  Lord.  The  congregations  were  frequently  bathed  in  tears,  and 
there  is  ground  to  hope  that  much  good  has  been  done." 

This  was,  indeed,  a  notable  meeting  and  was  attended  by  some  eminent  men. 
From  the  Georgia  Association,  there  were  Jesse  Mercer,  W.  T.  Brantly,  James 
Armstrong,  Malachi  Reeves  and  Adiel  Sherwood  ;  from  the  Ocmulgee,  Jonathan 

Nichols,  Edmund  Talbot,  B.  Milner,  J.  CoUey  and Robinson ;  from  the 

Sii7tbury,  H.  J.  Riply,  the  commentator;  from  the  Sarepta,  Miller  Bledsoe, 
Isham  Goss,  Henry  David  and  James  Saunders.  Basil  Manly,  Sr.,  then  a  young 
man,  was  present,  as  a  representative  from  the  South  Carolina  State  Convention. 
Many  others  were  there  who  were  invited  to  seats,  among  whom  were  Thomas 
Cooper,  Elisha  Battle,  WiUiam  Flournoy,  William  Williams,  J.  Robertson,  B. 
Haygood,  J.  Gray,  Wilson  Connor,  Cyrus  White,  James  Brooks,  and  many 
others. 

Brethren  F.  M.  Gray,  Cyrus  White,  Wilson  Connor  and  Adiel  Sherwood  were 
appointed  agents  of  the  Association,  to  travel  for  three  months  throughout  the 
the  State,  preach,  take  up  collections  and  form  auxiliary  societies,  wherever 
practicable,  and  look  to  the  body,  at  its  succeeding  session,  for  compensation  ; 
and  the  churches  were  earnestly  recommended  to  form  Baptist  Tract  Societies, 
auxiliary  to  the  parent  society  recently  established  at  Washington  City. 

It  was  at  this  meeting  that  Adiel  Sherwood  and  Basil  Manly  were  appointed 
to  preach  on  Sabbath  morning.  There  was  a  very  large  assembly  present  and 
Jesse  Mercer,  then  in  his  fifty-fifth  year,  sat  in  the  pulpit  with  them.  Adiel 
Sherwood  was  to  preach  first,  then  in  his  thirty-third  year,  an  ordained  minister 
of  four  years  only,  and  full  of  zeal  and  fire,  and  pastor  of  the  Greenesboro 
church.  B.  Manly  was  even  younger,  low  in  stature,  but  with  a  pleasing  voice 
and  a  most  pathetic  delivery. 

Sherwood,  who  was  to  preach  first  arose,  calmly  surveyed  the  immense  con- 
gregation for  some  moments,  and,  instead  of  beginning  his  discourse,  observed 


THE   GENERAL  ASSOCIATION.  II 5 

in  his  own  quaint  way,  "  Where  shall  we  obtain  bread  to  feed  so  great  a  mul- 
titude ?  As  for  myself,  I  am  penniless  and  unprovided ;  but  there  is  a  lad  here 
who  has  five  barley  loaves  and  two  little  fishes."  He  then  turned  and  laid  his 
hand  upon  the  head  of  Basil  Manly,  who  was  leaning  forward,  his  face  resting 
upon  his  hands.  "And  this,"  Sherwood  proceeded,  "with  the  presence  and 
blessing  of  Jesus  shall  constitute  a  feast  for  all."  To  quote  Dr.  Manly's  own 
words  concerning. the  circumstance,  "This  well  nigh  upset  me.  But  it  drove 
me  to  prayer.  The  Lord  loosed  my  own  mind  and  unlocked  the  fountain  of 
tears,  so  that  it  was  computed  that  through  a  great  part  of  the  discourse,  there 
was  an  average  of  at  least  five  hundred  persons  continually  bathed  in  tears.  In 
all  this  Bochim  there  was  nothing  so  affecting  to  me  as  the  sympathetic  streams 
I  saw  coursing  down  the  furrowed  cheeks  of  Father  Mercer,  when  I  turned 
round  in  the  pupit."  After  the  sermon  the  ministers  descended  from  the  pulpit, 
mourners  were  invited  forward,  hundreds  threw  themselves  on  their  knees  and 
Jesse  Mercer  led  in  a  most  affecting  and  tear-compelling  prayer. 

As  various  new  characters  have  entered  upon  the  stage  of  action,  it  will  be 
interesting  to  the  general  reader  to  give  some  information  relative  to  them. 
One  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  the  denomination,  the  venerable  Abra- 
ham Marshall,  has  gone  to  his  reward,  universally  mourned  by  his  brethren. 
He  departed  this  life  on  the  15th  of  August,  181 9,  in  the  seventy-second  year 
of  his  age.  The  excellent  William  Rabun,  Governor  of  Georgia,  has  been  laid  in 
the  tomb,  also,  a  whole  State  making  great  lamentation  over  his  demise.  But 
Jabez  Pleiades  Marshall  has  risen  up  to  succeed  his  father,  as  pastor  of  Kiokee 
church,  and  is  taking  a  noble  stand  among  the  best  and  most  useful  Baptists  of 
the  day.  Thorough-going  as  a  missionary  Baptist,  he  entered  heart  and  soul 
into  all  the  benevolent  plans  of  the  day,  and  was  frequently  called  upon,  by  his 
brethren  to  act  for  them  in  responsible  positions.  As  a  preacher  he  was  clear, 
zealous  and  touching,  never  entering  the  pulpit  without  careful  preparation, 
and  preaching  strongly  the  doctrines  reckoned  strictly  orthodox  among  Baptists. 
Frail  in  body  and  constitution,  and  yet  zealous  and  indefatigable  in  his  exertions, 
he  wore  out  the  delicate  machine  in  which  his  persevering  spirit  worked,  and 
passed  away  at  an  early  age,  in  1832.  For  seven  years  he  was  either  Secretary, 
or  Assistant  Secretary,  of  the  State  Baptist  Convention. 

Another  controlling  and  influential  character,  who  has  entered  with  vigor  on 
the  stage  of  action  among  the  Baptists  of  Georgia,  is  William  T.  Brantly,  a 
courtly,  courteous,  highly  cultivated  and  thoroughly  educated  minister  and  scholar. 
He  became  rector  of  the  Richmond  Academy,  in  Augusta,  in  1819,  and  was  in- 
strumental in  founding  the  first  Baptist  church  of  that  city,  and  also  in  erecting 
a  handsome  Baptist  house  of  worship  which  cost  $20,000.  He  was  an  eloquent 
preacher,  of  commanding  presence  and  courtly  address,  who  exerted  a  great 
and  beneficial  influence  in  the  State  during  his  six  years'  residence  in  Augusta. 
He  was  a  man  who  strongly  advocated,  on  all  suitable  occasions,  the  cause  of 
education,  missions,  Sunday-schools  and  temperance.  He  was  a  polished  writer, 
a  distinguished  educator,  and  a  very  successful  pastor.  It  is  highly  probable 
that  he  was  the  author  of  the  circular  issued  by  the  Foreign  Missionary  Society 
of  Savannah,  in  181 3,  the  effect  of  which  was  so  potent  for  good  among  the 
Baptists  of  Georgia.  He  assisted  greatly  in  the  establishment  of  the  Georgia 
Baptist  Convention,  and  his  hand,  in  all  likelihood  drafted  its  Constitution,  for 
he  was  chairman  of  the  committee  appointed  to  prepare  it,  and  he  was  its  chief 
advocate  and  exponent. 

Another  individual  whose  influence  for  good  was  widely  felt  and  long  exer- 
cised in  Georgia,  was  Adiel  Sherwood.  Born  at  Fort  Edwards,  New  York, 
October  3d,  1791,  he  arrived  in  Savannah  at  seventeen  years  of  age,  in  the  year 
1808,  and  immediately  identified  himself  with  the  Baptists  of  the  State,  entering 
at  once  heartily  into  all  their  benevolent  and  evangelical  plans,  and  laboring 
with  a  zeal,  earnestness  and  intelligence  that  made  him  one  of  the  master-build- 
ers of  our  denomination  in  the  State.  Splendidly  educated,  intensely  earnest, 
devout  and  energetic,  he  stamped  himself  upon  our  denominational  history  in 
the  State  ineffaceably.  The  originator  of  our  Convention,  he  was  also  the  prime 
jnover  in  the  establishment  of    Mercer  Institute,    the   Manual  Labor  School 


il6  THE   GENERAL  ASSOCIATION. 

which  merged  into  Mercer  University,  in  which  he  was,  for  a  time,  Theological 
Professor.  For  ten  years  he  was  Secretary  of  the  State  Convention,  and  for 
many  years  was  one  of  the  most  successful  pastors  and  preachers  in  the  State. 
From  1818  to  1865  he  was  more  or  less  identified  with  the  Baptist  history  of 
Georgia. 

James  Armstrong,  a  native  of  New  York  also,  who  emigrated  to  Savannah 
and  there  united  with  the  Baptists,  in  18 10,  afterwards  settling  in  Wilkes  county, 
where  he  was  ordained,  in  18 14,  was  another  useful  man,  who  has  begun  to 
take  a  most  active  part  in  Baptist  matters.  For  more  than  twenty  years  he  was 
a  useful  and  influential  minister,  and,  as  a  member  of  the  Mission  Board  of  the 
Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  and  as  a  participant  in  every  benevolent  effort,  was 
active,  earnest,  practical,  sensible,  exceedingly  useful,  and  greatly  beloved.  At 
his  death,  in  1835,  he  was  Treasurer  of  the  State  Convention. 

Rev.  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick  has  also  entered  the  State  and  taken  up  his  residence 
in  Burke  county.  Born  in  North  Carolina,  in  1793,  highly  educated,  and  with  a 
spirit  burning  with  zeal  for  missions,  temperance,  education  and  Sunday-schools, 
he  was  worthy  to  take  a  stand  beside  Mercer,  Brantly,  Sherwood,  Screven,  Tal- 
bot, McGinty,  Marshall,  Davis,  Reeves,  Thornton,  and  the  others,  then  the 
strong  pillars  who  were  holding  up  the  Baptist  cause  in  Georgia.  For  years  he 
struggled  against  the  anti-mission  and  anti-temperance  spirit  in  the  Hephzibah 
Association,  and,  in  the  course  of  time,  became  the  universally  recognized  de- 
fender of  Baptist  faith  and  practice  in  his  section,  one  of  the  oldest,  wealthiest 
and  most  influential  sections  in  the  State. 


XL 
STATE  OF  RELIGION. 

1822-1826. 


XL 

STATE  OF  RELIGION. 


THE  SUNBURY  ASSOCIATION,  SLIGHT  REVIEW — THE  SAVANNAH  CHURCH, 
SOME  OF  ITS  PASTORS — STATE  OF  RELIGION  IN  THE  SUNBURY  ASSOCIA- 
TION, IN  THE  THIRD  DECADE  OF  THE  CENTURY— AUGUSTA,  A  BAPTIST 
CHURCH  CONSTITUTED  THERE  IN  1817 — THE  SHOAL  CREEK  CONVENTION — 
EFFORTS  OF  THE  GENERAL  ASSOCIATION —UNIFORMITY  OF  DISCIPLINE, 
EFFORT  TO  PROMOTE  IT  FALLS  THROUGH — WANT  OF  HARMONY— ADDRESS 
OF  GENERAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  1825 — WHY  GIVEN — POSITION  OF  THE  GEN- 
ERAL ASSOCIATION  IN  REGARD  TO  EDUCATION — THE  ASSOCIATION,  DIS- 
APPOINTED, RECOMMENDS  THE  FORMATION  OF  AUXILIARY  SOCIETIES  IN 
1826 — A  CONSTITUTION  RECOMMENDED — THE  EEENEZER  ASSOCIATION — 
MISSION  ARGUMENTS  OF  THAT  DAY — PROMINENT  MEN — HEPHZIBAH  ASSO- 
CIATION— THE  SAREPTA  ASSOCIATION — YELLOW  RIVER  AND  FLINT  RIVER 
ASSOCIATIONS — DENOMINATIONAL  STATISTICS  IN  1824. 

To  the  bird's-eye  glance  at  the  state  of  religion  in  the  Associations  in  1823 
and  1824,  furnished  by  the  Minutes  of  the  General  Association  for  the  latter 
year,  it  will  be  instructive,  as  well  as  interesting,  to  add  what  can  be  gathered 
from  other  sources,  so  as  to  present  as  correct  a  view  of  the  denomination  as 
possible. 

And,  first,  we  will  revert  to  the  seaboard,  and  make  a  few  historical  state- 
ments. It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Savannah  Association,  formed  in  1802, 
changed  its  name  to  Savannah  River  in  1806,  and,  at  its  session  held  in  New- 
ington,  twenty  miles  above  Savannah,  in  1817,  divided,  the  Georgia  churches 
forming  themselves  into  The  Sunbury  Association,  in  181 8.  The  number  of 
churches  was  twelve,  containing  a  membership  of  3,541,  most  of  whom  were 
colored. 

With  a  regular  mission  committee,  whose  duty  it  was  to  receive  and  disburse 
mission  funds,  employ  missionaries  and  make  an  annual  report,  this  Association, 
from  first  to  last,  was  unalterable  and  firm  in  its  attachment  to  the  mission 
cause  and  in  engagement  in  missionary  labor.  Its  reports  and  circular  letters 
give  no  uncertain  sound,  but  are  ever  bugle-blasts,  calling  with  seraphic  zeal 
upon  the  churches,  fully  to  perform  their  share  of  duty  in  evangelizing  the 
world,  and  inciting  them  especially  to  maintain,  year  after  year,  effective  mission 
labor  among  the  numerous  colored  people  along  the  Georgia  coast.  With 
reference  to  this  condition  of  affairs,  it  is  only  proper  to  bestow  due  credit  for  its 
existence  upon  Henry  Holcombe,  Alexander  Scott,  Thomas  Polhill,  James 
Sweat,  William  B.  Johnson,  C.  O.  Screven,  William  T.  Brantly,  Thomas  F.  Wil- 
liams, Andrew  Marshall,  Andrew  Bryan,  Henry  Cunningham,  Jacob  H.Dun- 
ham, Thomas  S.  Winn,  Evans  Great,  Matthew  Albritton,  Thomas  Meredith, 
and  Deacon  Josiah  Penfield,  whose  eloquent  pen  and  Isaiah-like  spirit  thrilled 
the  Association  with  utterances  similar  to  those  of  the  prophets  of  old. 

The  white  church  of  Savannah,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  constituted  in 
1800,  and  Dr.  H.  Holcombe  was  its  first  pastor.  He  remained  in  the  pastorate 
until  1 8 II,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Wm.  B.  Johnson,  who  served  the 
church  until  18x5,  when  its  membership  was  about  one  hundred. 

In  181 5  Dr.  Johnson  moved  to  South  Carolina,  and  Benjamin  Screven  became 


120  STATE  OF  RELIGION. 

pastor  of  the  church,  and  so  continued  until  1819.  James  Sweat  succeeded  Ben- 
jamin Screven,  and  was  pastor  three  years,  when  he  resigned,  and  Thomas 
Meredith  took  charge,  serving  during  1823  and  1824,  the  church  containing  in 
1823  seventy-one  members.  In  1825,  when  Henry  O.  Wyer  took  charge  of  it, 
this  church  contained  sixty-three  members  only ;  but  the  membership  nearly 
trebled  itself  during  his  pastorate  of  nine  years. 

Rev.  Henry  O.  Wyer  was  an  extraordinary  preacher,  and  deserves  more  than 
a  passing  notice  in  this  historical  sketch.  He  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in 
1802,  and  came  to  Georgia  in  1824.  In  1825  he  was  ordained  by  Rev.  William 
T.  Brantly  and  Rev.  James  Shannon,  and  was  installed  pastor  of  the  Savannah 
church.  He  died  of  pneumonia,  in  Alexandria,  Virginia,  May  8th,  1857,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-five. 

To  exhibit  the  state  of  religion  in  the  Sunbury  Association,  we  make  a  few 
extracts  from  its  annual  Minutes.  In  the  "  Corresponding  Letter  "  of  the  Sun- 
bury  Association  for  1822,  we  find  this  gratifying  statement :  "  It  is  a  source 
of  gratitude  to  us,  as  well  as  delight,  to  be  able  to  state  that  the  circumstances 
under  which  we  are  this  season  assembled,  are  peculiarly  interesting.  The 
people  throughout  the  whole  of  this  section  of  country  seem  to  have  experienced  a 
general  religious  excitement.  The  congregations  which  have  assembled  for  the 
purpose  of  worshipping  God  with  us  are  unusually  large,  attentive  and  tender. 
Many,  particularly  of  the  young  people,  seem  to  be  laboring  under  the  most 
pungent  conviction  ;  while  others  are  enabled  to  '  rejoice  in  hope  of  the  glory  of 
God.'  The  season  is  truly  animating  and  refreshing  to  the  pious  heart ;  and  we 
entertain  a  hope,  apparently  well  grounded,  that  the  time  of  refreshing  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord  has  come,  and  that  this  excitement  may  prove  to  be  the 
commencement  of  a  general  and  powerful  revival  of  true  godliness." 

And  again :  "  It  affords  us  pleasure  here  to  state  that  the  labors  of  our 
domestic  missionaries  have  been  acknowledged  and  blessed.  As  an  evidence  of 
this,  the  people  among  whom  they  have  been  laboring  have  presented  us  with 
most  urgent  solicitations  that  they  may  still  be  allowed  to  share  the  benefit  of 
their  services.  We  are  pleased  to  see  the  manner  in  which  missionary  effort 
prospers  wherever  it  is  made." 

The  Corresponding  Letter  for  1823  says :  "Several  of  our  churches  have  been 
blessed,  during  the  last  year,  with  the  reviving  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
have  beheld  many,  both  old  and  young,  bow  to  the  sceptre  of  Immanuel.  In  other 
of  our  churches  present  appearances  excite  the  hope  of  similar  favors.  The  desire 
for  the  universal  spread  of  the  gospel  is  also  becoming  more  general."  In  that  year 
the  Sunbury  decided  to  unite  with  the  General  Association,  and  its  first  messen- 
gers were  sent  in  1824.     H.  J.  Ripley  alone  attended. 

The  Minutes  and  Letter  for  1824  speak  of  the  successful  labors  of  two  Asso- 
ciational  missionaries  and  of  the  formation  of  one  missionary  society.  On  some  of 
the  churches  God  had  been  graciously  pleased  to  pour  out  the  influence  of  His 
Spirit.  Harmony  and  brotherly  love  presided  at  the  Association  ;  but  it  was  a 
matter  of  grief  "  to  be  obliged  to  state  that  there  are  still  some  among  us  opposed 
to  the  cause  of  missions."  But  the  brethren  were  exhorted  not  to  exercise 
unkindly  feelings  towards  them,  but  to  pray  for  them,  "that  the  veil  which 
darkens  their  understandings  may  be  removed."  C.  O.  Screven  was  Moderator, 
and  H.  J.  Ripley,  Clerk.  The  session  of  the  Sunbury  for  1825  was  interesting. 
Some  eminent  and  useful  men  belonged  to  the  body  at  that  time ;  among  them 
was  the  eloquent,  zealous  and  pious  Henry  O.  Wyer,  of  the  First  church  of 
Savannah;  Dr.  C.  O.  Screven,  pastor  at  Sunbury;  H.  J.  Ripley,  pastor  at  New- 
port ;  James  Shannon  (a  very  learned  man,  converted  from  Presbyterianism  by 
the  thesis,  "  Did  John's  baptism  belong  to  the  old  or  Jiew  Dispensation  ?");  S.  S. 
Law,  of  Sunbury  ;  Andrew  Marshall,  pastor  of  First  colored  church  of  Savannah, 
and  others.  In  its  report,  the  Committee  on  Domestic  Missions  asserts  its 
increasing  conviction  of  the  deserts  of  their  Domestic  Mission,  adding  :  "  Since 
it  was  established  many  souls  have  been  converted ;  several  churches  which  had, 
for  some  time,  been  gradually  declining,  have  been  revived  and  strengthened, 
and  one  church  has  been  constituted  through  the  labors  of  their  itinerant 
brethren." 


STATE   OF   RELIGION.  121 

The  Corresponding  Letter  for  1825  says  :  "The  state  of  the  churches  con- 
stituting this  Association,  in  some  instances,  gives  us  pain.  There  is  too  much 
indifference  to  spiritual  things  among  us,  and  some  of  our  churches  are  evidently 
in  a  declining  state ;  yet,  the  Lord  has  blessed  us,  and  caused  His  power  to  be 
made  manifest  among  us.  His  preached  Word  has  been  made  effectual  in  the 
conversion  of  sinners,  and  vi^e  indulge  a  hope  that  His  children  have  been  revived, 
and  their  faith  more  firmly  established  upon  the  Rock  of  Ages.  We  have 
enjoyed  much  Christian  affection  and  harmony  since  we  have  come  together, 
and  hope  that  we  feel  as  a  band  of  brothers,  engaged  in  promoting  the  glory  of 
our  Father's  Kingdom." 

In  that  year  S.  S.  Law  was  Moderator,  and  H.  J.  Ripley  was  Clerk.  The 
number  of  churches  was  17;  ordained  ministers,  12;  licensed  preachers,  i; 
members,  5,165  ;  baptisms  during  the  year,  228, 

Let  us  now  turn  our  vision  to  the  City  of  Augusta.  Remarkable  to  say, 
sixty  years  after  its  foundation,  no  Baptist  church  existed  in  that  city,  al- 
though there  were  large  Baptist  churches  in  existence  throughout  the  region 
around.  In  May,  18 17,  the  first  Baptist  church  was  constituted,  with  eighteen 
members  in  the  city,  Abraham  Marshall  preaching  on  the  occasion.  During 
1818  and  a  part  of  18 19  he  acted  as  pastor  of  this  church,  but  in  the  latter  year, 
the  trustees  of  Richmond  Academy,  for  the  second  time,  secured  the  services 
of  Dr.  Wm.  T.  Brantly,  as  rector  of  the  Academy,  and  he,  by  permission  of 
the  trustees,  preached  to  the  Baptists  gratuitously  in  the  chapel.  In  the  follow- 
ing year,  1820,  he  was  elected  pastor  of  the  church,  which  then  contained 
twenty-four  members,  and  he  served  it  most  usefully  until  his  removal  to  Phila- 
delphia, as  Dr.  Henry  Holcombe's  successor,  in  1826,  when  the  membership  of 
the  church  was  seventy-four.  Within  two  years  after  entering  upon  his  charge 
of  this  church,  Mr.  Brantly  had  the  pleasure  of  preaching  the  dedication  ser- 
mon of  a  handsome  church-building  which  cost  $20,000,  the  result  of  his  own 
personal  labors,  and  in  which  he  preached  to  large  congregations. 

During  his  pastorate  at  Augusta,  Dr.  Brantly  wielded  a  weighty,  and 
judicious  influence  in  Georgia,  ever  raising  his  eloquent  voice  and  using 
his  polished  pen  in  favor  of  those  noble  and  grand  causes  which  have  tended 
to  elevate  and  enlarge  our  denomination.  For  four  years  he  served  as  Assist- 
ant Secretary  in  the  General  Association,  and  when  he  left  the  State  in  1826,  the 
General  Association 

"Resolved,  That  as  our  beloved  brother,  the  Rev,  William  T.  Brantly,  who 
has  much  endeared  himself  to  us  by  his  Christian  deportment  and  faithful  dis- 
charge of  ministerial  duties,  is  about  to  remove  his  residence  from  this  State, 
we  furnish  him  with  a  letter  expressive  of  our  affectionate  regard  and  religious 
fellowship," 

From  Augusta  we  will  turn  our  gaze  to  the  centre  of  the  State,  bearing  in 
mind  that  the  state  of  religion  in  the  churches  was  such  as  to  bring  grief  to 
every  devout  mind.  Divisions  of  sentiment  existed.  Religion  in  the  family 
was  neglected.  Practical  godliness  was  illustrated  by  comparatively  few  profes- 
sors. The  ordinary  duties  of  religion  were  not  sufficiently  attended  to.  Church 
discipline  was  not  duly  regarded ;  and  the  support  of  pastors  was  by  many  not 
considered  obligatory.  On  all  these  subjects  the  General  Association  requested 
its  agents  to  preach,  when  on  their  travels ;  and  the  consequence  was,  as  we 
learn  from  Sherwood's  manuscript  notes,  on  the  30th  of  May,  1823,  messengers, 
who  were  chiefly  laymen,  sent  by  thirteen  different  churches,  met  in  convention 
at  Shoal  Creek,  in  Jasper  county,  to  take  into  consideration  the  necessity — i.  Of 
a  revival  of  practical  religion;  2.  Family  and  church  discipline;  and  3.  The 
duties  of  Christians  as  church-members,  in  support  of  the  ministry.  The  only 
two  ordained  ministers  present  were  John  Robertson,  who  was  made  Moderator, 
and  Cyrus  White,  who  was  elected  Clerk.  Certain  originators  of  the  scheme, 
namely  Shackelford,  McDowell,  McLendon,  Smith  and  Hambrick,  being  present, 
were  invited  to  take  seats. 

On  the  third  item  several  texts  were  quoted  showing  the  duty  of  members  to 
support  the  ministry.  Resolutions  in  favor  of  these  three  articles  were  adopted 
by  the  Shoal  Creek  Convention,  and  a   Circular   Address  was  issued  which 


122  STATE   OF   RELIGION. 

maintained  that  the  support  of  the  ministry,  church  expenses,  etc.,  are  a  charge 
on  the  church,  "  and  bind  every  member  in  proportion  to  what  he  hath." 

These  articles  were  adopted  by  laymen  chiefly ;  and,  among  the  members  of 
the  Convention  were  William  Walker,  William  Flournoy,  Thomas  Cooper  and 
Wilson  Lumpkin,  all  of  whom  were  rich  men,  as  were  most  of  those  who 
attended.  Dr.  Sherwood  says,  in  his  own  quaint  way:  "If  they  would  not 
flinch,  certainly  \h&  poo7'  ought  not." 

The  General  Association  adopted  these  measures  for  its  own,  in  June  of  that 
year,  and  vigorously  urged  them  ;  but  some  of  the  Associations  differed  aad 
were  offended,  as  though  the  General  Association  was  guilty  of  interference  or 
presumption.  The  Ocmulgee,  itself,  at  its  session  in  November  of  that  year, 
1823,  rejected  the  "third  item,"  which  afterwards  became  a  subject  much  dis- 
cussed, and  a  cause  of  bitter  persecution — especially  of  Mr.  Cyrus  White. 

To  his  note  recording  these  circumstances.  Dr.  Adiel  Sherwood  appends  this 
remark:  "  When  we  are  offended  with  plain  directions  to  duty,  it  is  good  evi- 
dence that  we  dishke  it."  From  which  we  may  infer  that  many  were  disinchned 
properly  to  sustain  the  gospel  at  home  ;  yet,  in  that  very  Association  it  31 8  were 
sent  up  for  missions  that  year,  $445  the  year  previous,  and  $280  the  succeeding 
year. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  the  custom  of  gratuitous  itinerant  work  performed  by  all 
the  ministers  during  the  summer,  in  the  different  Associations  at  that  day,  was,  in 
some  respects,  at  least,  prejudicial  to  the  cultivation  of  a  spirit  of  liberality 
among  church-members ;  for  at  the  very  session  in  which  tLe  Ocmulgee  con- 
demned "  ztetn  third,"  sixteen  ministers  agreed  to  spend,  each,  some  weeks  in 
itinerant  labor  among  the  settlements  in  the  new  counties. 

Another  endeavor  on  the  part  of  the  General  Association  was  to  originate 
some  scheme  or  plan  for  the  promotion  of  "a  uniformity  of  church  discipline." 
Jesse  Mercer  and  William  T.  Brantly  were  appointed  a  special  committee,  in 
1823,  to  correspond  with  the  Associations,  Conventions  and  distinguished  indi- 
viduals of  the  denomination,  regarding  the  subject,  and  lay  the  information 
obtained  before  the  body.  As  the  views  of  the  denomination  were  not  supposed 
to  be  fully  understood,  the  session  of  1824  continued  the  committee,  requesting 
it  to  gather  further  information,  and  report  at  the  next  session.  In  1825  the 
committee  reported,  judiciously,  that  the  matter  rest  for  the  present;  "but,"  to 
quote  from  the  Minutes  for  that  year,  "  members  of  the  Hephzibah,  Sarepta 
and  Tugalo  Associations  being  present,  stated  the  earnest  solicitude  of  their 
respective  bodies,  that  some  measures  should  be  taken  to  carry  into  execution 
the  subject  above  mentioned. 

"  Whereupo7i  it  was  resolved,  That  those  several  bodies  and  all  the  Associa- 
tions in  the  State,  be  affectionately  invited  to  send  delegates  for  that  special 
purpose,  to  our  next  session." 

The  next  session  was  held  at  i|^ugusta,  but,  as  will  be  readily  surmised,  nothing 
further  was  done  in  the  matter.  It  appears  singular,  however,  for  such  a  request 
to  be  made  as  representing  the  "  solicitude  "  of  bodies  not  in  connection  with 
the  General  Association. 

In  his  Manuscript  History  of  Georgia,  Adiel  Sherwood,  who  was  the  clerk 
of  the  General  Association  of  the  State,  at  that  time,  presents,  in  his  private 
memoranda,  some  of  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  measure  proposed,  which 
appeared,  of  course,  to  infringe  upon  the  sovereignty  of  the  churches.  He 
says  :  "  What  is  approved  by  one  church  is  condemned  by  another  in  the  same 
vicinity.  For  instance,  some  think  that  the  testimony  of  respectable  worldlings 
may  be  adduced /r^  or  con.  in  regard  to  a  member's  conduct;  others  admit  of 
that  from  the  church  only.  Some  maintain  that  public  offences  require  private 
dealing,  and  quote  Matthew  chap,  xviii ;  others  more  correctly  (.?)  confine 
Matthew's  directions  to  offences  against  your  own  person.  Some  approve  of 
washing  the  saints'  feet  as  an  ordinance  ;  others  reject  the  perpetual  obligation 
altogether ;  while  some  perform  the  ceremony  at  times,  but  not  as  an  ordinance." 
To  say  no  more  on  the  subject,  this  terse  presentation  of  its  difficulties  manifests 
the  injudiciousness  of  any  attempt  at  promoting  or  enforcing  a  strict  uniformity 
of  discipline  among  independent  and  sovereign  churches. 


STATE   OF   RELIGION.  1 23 

These  difficulties,  showing  the  actual  impossibility  of  introducing  perfect  uni- 
formity of  discipline,  caused  the  measure  to  be  dropped  entirely,  but  it  cannot 
be  doubted  that  the  more  intelligent  members  of  our  denomination,  in  that  day, 
experienced  the  evils  resulting  from  the  laxness  of  discipline,  and  foresaw  the 
numerous  troubles  which  afterwards  resulted  from  loose  and  divergent  views 
of  church  discipline  and  desired  to  avert  them. 

To  show  something  of  the  want  of  harmony,  and  divergence  of  views  in  re- 
gard to  discipline,  and  the  general  state  of  unchristian  feeling  that  existed  at 
that  period,  it  may  be  noted  that  in  1825,  the  Hephzibah  Association  rejected  a 
petition  to  send  messengers  to  the  General  Association  and  correspond  with  it, 
and  to  seek  to  bring  about  a  tmifoi'viity  of  discipline.  The  next  year,  1826,  it 
appointed  brethren  Cummings,  Huff,  Granade,  Gray  and  Brinson,  a  committee, 
to  visit  Bethesda  church  and  rectify  some  disorder ;  "  and  if  order  cannot  be 
effected,  then  the  committee  to  be  clothed  with  authority  to  expel  all  the  dis- 
orderly part  of  the  chtirch,  and  give  letters  of  dismission  to  those  that  are  in 
order,  to  join  some  church  that  is  in  order,  provided  the  church  will  act  in  con- 
junction with  the  committee."  In  regard  to  this.  Dr.  Sherwood,  writes,  "  This 
is  the  earhest  record  of  Associational  usurpation." 

At  its  session  in  1825  at  Rocky  Creek  church,  on  the  13th  of  September,  the 
Ebenezer 

Resolved,  "  That  we  set  apart  Friday  and  Saturday,  before  the  fourth  Sab- 
bath in  January  next,  as  days  of  fastmg  and  solemn  prayer  to  God,  that  He 
would  pour  out  his  blessings  on  the  churches  in  general,  that  brotherly  love 
may  abound  more  and  more,  and  that  His  common  blessings  may  be  gener- 
ally poured  out  on  our  land." 

The  General  Association  wisely  sought  to  unite  the  efforts  of  the  denomina- 
tion in  promoting  harmony,  good  order,  godliness  and  zeal  in  the  advancement  of 
missions,  education,  temperance,  and  the  establishment  of  Sunday-Schools  and 
Bible  societies. 

In  its  address  to  the  Associations,  in  1825,  it  solemnly  urged  them  to  co-operate 
in  attaining  these  ends,  soliciting  "  a  fair  hearing  "  for  its  cause.  Evidently  the 
production  of  Jesse  Mercer,  it  concludes  thus  : 

"  If  you  have  objections  to  our  plan,  we  say,  as  we  have  always  said,  meet  us, 
and  we  will  endeavor  so  to  shape  the  Constitution  of  our  Association  as  to  re- 
move every  objectionable  feature.  We  do  not  wish,  nor  expect,  to  have  a  sys- 
tem partial  or  exceptionable  ;  but  it  has  been  our  aim  to  act  upon  a  plan  in  which 
all  the  Associations  might  harmonize. 

"  Do  you  object  to  us  that  we  are  advocates  for  jnissiojtary  exertions  ?  Then, 
brethren,  your  controversy  is  not  with  us,  but  with  the  apostles  of  our  Lord, 
and  with  the  Saviour  Himself,  who  by  his  own  command  gave  the  first  mission- 
ary impulse,  under  the  force  of  which  a  grand  system  of  missions  has  been  ever 
since  in  successful  operation.  To  our  common  Master,  then,  we  refer  you,  and 
by  his  judgment  you  and  we  must  stand  or  fall. 

"Do  you  object  to  us  that  we  connect  money  and  religion,  in  conducting  pur 
plans  of  usefulness  }  Then  your  objection  lies  no  more  against  us  than  against 
the  inspired  advocates  of  the  Christian  faith,  who  appealed  to  the  beneficence  of 
the  churches  for  equalizing  pecuniary  burdens,  and  for  diffusing  the  glad  tidings 
of  the  gospel. 

Do  you  object  to  us  that  our  plan  contemplates  the  education  of  indigent 
young  men,  called  of  God  and  their  churches  to  preach  the  gospel?  We  meet 
this  objection  with  the  assurance  that  we  never  thought  the  cause  of  God  needed 
either  the  learning  or  the  ignorance  of  any  man  to  help  it  on ;  but  we  have 
always  considered  that  every  minister  of  the  gospel  should  be  apt  to  teach, 
which  he  could  not  be  unless  he  had  previously  learned  something ;  and  that 
God  had  made  it  incumbent  on  us  to  seek  the  best  preparation  for  His  \york.  If 
vou  who  decry  and  undervalue  education  will  come  forward  and  exhibit  to  us 
specimens  of  your  own  preaching,  according  to  the  form  of  sound  words,  with 
as  cogent  reasonings,  with  as  pure  a  style,  and  with  as  uncorrupt  doctrines, 
as  we  find  in  the  New  Testament,  then  we  will  allow  you  the  full  weight 
of  a  consistent  judgment  in  this  matter.     Or,  if  you  will  send  forward  any  one  of 


124  STATE   OF   RELIGION. 

your  own  number,  who  has  been  himself  favored  with  the  advantages  of  educa- 
tion, and  he  shall  say  that  learning  and  intellectual  improvement  are  needless 
or  hurtful  appendages  to  the  ministerial  character,  then  we  will  confess  that  we 
have  formed  a  hasty  judgment  on  the  subject,  and  that  it  will  be  well  for  us  to 
revise  our  decision. 

"  Do  you  object  to  us  that  we  are  seeking  sotfte  peculiar  pre-ejninence,  and 
aiming  to  climb  the  heights  which  ambition  descries  from  a  distance  ?  But 
here,  brethren,  we  could  with  equal  speciousness  retort  the  imputation,  were  we 
not  restrained  by  brotherly  love  and  forbearance.  For,  whether  do  we,  who 
unite  in  one  body  where  no  distinction  or  pre-eminence  can  exist,  or  they  who 
stand  off  with  the  reproachful  insinuation,  '  I  am  holier  than  thou  ! '  more  justly 
incur  the  suspicion  of  sinister  aims  ? 

"  But  we  will  not  believe  that  you  are  so  far  gone  in  the  spirit  of  captiousness 
and  cavilling,  and  we  therefore  reiterate  our  most  affectionate  invitation  to  you, 
and  add  our  earnest  prayer  that  you  may  stand,  perfect  and  complete,  in  all  the 
will  of  God,  rooted  and  grounded  in  the  faith,  and  at  all  times  prepared  to  give 
to  every  one  that  asketh  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  you,  with  meekness  and 
fear.  Jesse  Mercer,  Moderator. 

Adiel  Sherwood,  Clerk." 

This  extract  is  given  for  three  purposes — to  show  something  of  the  aims  and 
objects  of  the  General  Association ;  to  exhibit  the  earnestness  with  which  the 
Association  brethren  sought  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  others ;  and  to  mani- 
fest the  spirit  which  animated  the  leaders  in  the  General  Association.  One  of 
the  prime  objects  of  the  General  Association  was  to  advocate  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions, and  in  the  very  session  of  the  body  which  sent  forth  the  above  address, 
Jesse  Mercer  preached  a  missionary  sermon,  on  Sabbath  morning,  after  which 
a  missionary  collection  was  taken  up  that  amounted  to  $218  !  At  the  present 
day  such  a  collection  would  hardly  be  surpassed. 

The  General  Association  from  its  origin,  took  also  a  bold  and  outspoken 
position  in  regard  to  education,  both  theological  and  classical.  In  1826,  its  ex- 
ecutive committee  was  instructed  to  "prepare  a  plan  to  provide  a  fund  for  pur- 
poses of  theological  education,"  and,  in  their  report  the  following  year,  "  they 
recommend  that  each  member  of  this  body,  and  the  several  ministering  breth- 
ren in  our  bounds,  be  requested  to  use  their  exertions  to  advance  this  object  by 
removing  prejudices  and  showing  the  value  of  education  to  a  pious  ministry. 
There  are  in  the  State,  more  than  twenty  thousand  members.  Is  there  one  of 
these  who  would  be  deprived  of  the  privilege  of  giving  fifty  cents  for  so  de- 
sirable an  object  ?  " 

The  Association  in  1826,  resolved  also,  that  it  felt  "a  deep  and  lively  interest 
in  the  design  of  the  Convention  of  South  Carolina,  to  establish  a  Seminary  of 
Learning  in  the  neighborhood  of  Edgefield  Court-House,  and  that  we  do  cor- 
dially concur  with  said  Convention  in  carrying  its  design  into  effect,  and  that 
we  will  to  the  best  of  our  means,  contribute  to  its  advancement."  Brethren 
Brantly  and  Mercer,  were  even  appointed  to  meet  the  South  Carolina  committee 
at  Edgefield  S.  C,  and  confer  with  it. 

So  far  but  three  Associations  have  formally  connected  themselves  with  the 
General  Association — the  Georgia,  Ocmulgee  and  Sunbury.  The  Sarepta, 
however,  acknowledges  and  approves  of  its  existence  by  sending  corresponding 
messengers.  This  was  the  case,  for  a  time  or  two,  also,  with  the  Yellow  River 
Association,  which  was  formed  in  1824.  The  other  Associations  held  aloof; 
but  the  Hephzibah  and  Ebenezer  obtained  a  quasi  representation  through  the 
delegates  sent  by  the  missionary  societies  within  the  bounds  of  those  Associations. 
There  is  no  denying  that  there  was  a  decided  opposition  to  the  General  Associa- 
tion, arising  mainly  from  an  apprehension  that  the  Association  might  seek  to 
exercise  too  much  power  over  the  Associations  and  churches,  and  attempt  to 
diminish  or  curtail  their  freedom  of  action.  Perhaps  reason  for  opposition  was 
also  found  in  its  attempt  to  promote  uniformity  of  discipline,*  as  there  certainly 

*The  reader  should  be  informed  that  desire  for  a  uniformity  of  discipline  was  no  new  thing 
in  Georgia  among  our  churches.  As  far  back  as  1808,  steps  to  that  end  had  been  taken  in  the  Heph- 
zibah Association  ;  for,  in  the  Hephzibah  Minutes  of  1809,  we  find  this  entry  :  "  Agreeably  to  a 
resolution  of  last  year,  brother  Hand  presented  the  Philaaelphia  Confession  of  Faith  and  Summary 


STATE   OF   RELIGION.  1 25 

was,  in  its  strenuous  endeavors  to  advance  the  cause  of  missions,  education  and 
temperance. 

Grieved  and  disappointed  that  so  few  Associations  coincided  with  its  views 
and  operations,  after  the  lapse  of  four  years,  the  General  Association,  in  1826, 
resolved,  unanimously,  "  That,  as  several  of  the  Associations  in  this  State  have 
not  encouraged  the  designs  of  the  General  Association  and,  as  it  seems  now 
doubtful  when  or  whether  they  will  concur,  therefore  the  second  Article  of  our 
Constitution  is  so  amended  that  Auxiliary  Societies  may  be  admitted  as  compo- 
nent parts  of  this  body  on  exhibiting  their  Constitutional  Rules  for  our 
approbation : 

"  Provided,  That,  in  all  cases,  when  the  Associations,  in  which  the  societies 
shall  be  located,  may  manifest  a  wish  to  join  our  body,  the  said  Auxiliaries  shall 
be  blended  with  the  Associations  in  which  they  are  located."  In  accordance 
with  this  action,  afterwards,  for  years,  the  Hephzibah,  Sarepta,  Yellow  River, 
Flint  River,  Pike  County  Auxiliary  Societies,  and  many  others  sent  delegates  to 
the  State  Convention.  They  constituted  what  we  now  simply  denominate 
Mission  Societies.  The  form  of  Constitution  for  these  Auxiliaries,  prescribed  by 
the  session  of  1826,  was  as  follows  : 

"It  will  be  seen,  by  reference  to  the  twelfth  Article  of  these  Minutes,  that 
Auxiliary  Societies  are  entitled  to  send  delegates  to  this  body,  and  enjoy  all  its 
privileges.  A  form  of  Constitution  for  such  is  here  submitted,  with  the  earnest 
wish  that  they  may  be  formed  in  many  neighborhoods.  Why  could  not  each 
church  resolve  itself  into  an  Auxiliary  ? 

"  Article  i.  The  subscribers,  cordially  approving  of  the  object  and  Constitution 
of  the  General  Association  of  the  Baptists  of  Georgia,  do  agree  to  form  a  society, 

to  be  called  the  Auxiliary  Society  of ,  whose  sole  object  shall  be  to  co-operate 

with  the  General  Association  in  encouraging  missions,  and  especially  the  educa- 
tion of  pious  young  men  of  our  denomination  preparing  for  the  ministry. 

"  2.  All  persons  paying  one  dollar  or  upwards  annually,  shall  be  members  of 
this  society. 

"  3.  The  business  of  this  society  shall  be  conducted  by  a  Board  of  Directors, 
composed  of  a  chairman,  a  clerk,  a  treasurer  and  two  other  members,  who  shall 
hold  their  offices  one  year,  or  till  others  are  chosen. 

"  4.  The  duties  of  these  officers  shall  be  the  same  as  those  of  similar  officers  in 
other  well-regulated  societies. 

"  5.  The  funds  of  this  society,  shall  be  transmitted  annually  to  the  treasury  of 
the  parent  institution. 

"  6.  No  persons  shall  be  messengers  to  the  parent  society,  but  such  as  are  de- 
cidedly friendly  to  its  interests  and  of  good  moral  character. 

"  7.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  meet  when  the  interests  of  the  society  require 
it,  and  may  call  a  meeting  of  the  members  annually  or  oftener. 

"  8.  This  society  may  receive  donations  from  other  than  regular  members. 

"  9.  All  moneys  paid  into  the  general  treasury,  shall  be  appropriated  at  discre- 
tion, but,  when  the  object  designed  to  be  assisted  shall  be  designated  by  the 
donors,  to  such  objects  it  shall  be  sacredly  applied. 

"  10.  This  Constitution  may  be  altered  at  any  regular  meeting  of  the  society, 
two-thirds  of  the  members  present  concurring  therein." 

In  accordance  with  this  constitution,  many  "  Auxiliaries  "  were  formed  the 
names  of  some  of  which  are  recorded  here,  in  addition  to  those  already  given  : 
McDonough,  LaGrange,  Jasper  County,  Butts  and  Monroe,  Putnam  and 
Baldwin,  Sharon,  Rocky  Creek,  Chattahoochee,  Morgan  County,  Gtainnett 
County,  Tugaloo  Society,  Muscogee,  Troup,  Athens,  County  Line,  {Talbot 
County^  Walton  County,  Gainesville,  Monticello,  Columbus,  Twiggs  County, 
Mercer  Institute,  Newton  County,  Mountain  Creek,  {Harris  County^  Island- 
Fork,  {Gwinnett  County^  Meriwether  County,  Macon,  Thomaston,  Pifiey 
Grove,  {Richrnond  County,)  and  Coweta  and  Heard  Counties. 

of  Discipline.  The  Association,  wishing  to  proceed  with  caution  in  a  matter_  of  such  importance, 
thought  proper  to  recommend  a  convention  of  delegates  from  the  several  Associations  with  whom  we 
correspond,  to  meet  at  Powelton,  in  Hancock  county,  on  Saturday  before  the  first  Sunday  in  May 
next,  to  review  and  (if  need  be)  revise  the  same.  Brethren  Franklin,  Talbot,  Boykin  and  Robertson 
are  appointed  to  represent  this  Association  in  that  Convention."  Through  a  lack  of  proper  authori- 
tative records,  we  are  unable  to  ascertain  what  was  the  result  of  this  action,  but  we  opine  that  nothing 
was  done  of  any  material  influence. 


126  STATE   OF   RELIGION, 

Almost  alone  with  the  aid  of  these  Auxiliaries  the  noble  old  Georgia  Associa- 
tion for  at  least  ten  years  carried  on  the  business  of  the  Convention,  promo- 
ting its  interests  and  maintaining  in  our  State  among  Baptists,  an  interest  in 
every  good  word  and  work.  But  it  should  be  clearly  understood,  that  the  best 
men  of  the  denomination  in  the  State,  were  all  the  while  actively  co-operating 
with  one  another  in  the  Convention,  as  the  body  is  now  called  ;  for,  in  pursu- 
ance of  a  resolution  offered  in  1827,  the  name  "  General  Association  "  was  for- 
mally changed  in  1828,  to  that  of  "  The  Baptist  Convention  of  the  State  of 
Georgia." 

For  a  few  moments,  now,  we  will  consider  the  Ebenezer  Association.  Formed 
of  fourteen  churches,  in  18 14,  with  a  membership  of  675,  its  increase  was  as 
follows:  in  1816,  twenty  churches,  681  members,  twenty-six  baptisms;  in  1818, 
twenty-one  churches,  876  members,  thirty-two  baptisms;  in  1820,  twenty-five 
churches,  1,065  members,  fifty-six  baptisms  ;  in  1 821,  twenty-six  churches,  1,085 
members,  thirty-eight  baptisms  ;  in  1822,  twenty-six  churches,  1,019  members, 
forty-four  baptisms;  in  1823,  twenty-eight  churches,  1,048  members,  sixty-seven 
baptisms;  in  1824,  twenty-nine  churches,  969  members,  forty-eight  baptisms; 
in  1825,  thirty  churches,  1,070  members,  and  ninety-one  baptisms;  in  1827, 
thirty  churches,  1,074  members,  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  baptisms  ;  and  in 
1828,  there  were  thirty-two  churches,  1,198  members,  and  during  the  year  two 
hundred  baptisms.  In  the  the  year  following,  1829,  there  was  an  increase  of  four 
churches,  the  members  increase  to  1,431 ,  and  there  were  two  hundred  and  seventy 
baptisms.  In  1829,  thirty-four  churches  had  1,502  members,  there  having  been 
four  hundred  and  ten  baptisms.  The  Corresponding  Letter  of  that  year  speaks 
with  gratitude  of  a  very  general  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Association,  and  affirms  that  the  churches  were  united  in  love  and  fellowship, 
showing  the  effects  of  the  great  revival  of  1827.  ^ 

In  its  early  years  it  corresponded  with  the  General  Baptist  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions,  at  Philadelphia,  and  approved  of  the  establishment  of  a  theological 
institution.  It  appears  that  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  with  a  view  to  the 
establishment  of  what,  in  the  end,  proved  to  be  Columbian  University,  requested 
the  opinions  of  our  Georgia  Baptist  Associations  concerning  the  measure.  The 
reply  given  by  the  Ebenezer  Association,  in  1819,  was : 

"  The  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  having  requested  the  sentiments  of  the 
churches  and  Associations,  respecting  the  establishment  of  an  institution  for 
the  education  of  young  men  called  by  the  churches  to  the  ministry,  and  who 
have  not  funds  of  their  own  to  aid  them  in  obtaining  a  suitable  education  ;  the 
opinion  of  this  Association  is  that  an  institution  of  that  kind,  upon  proper  prin- 
ciples, is  laudable,  but  not  being  satisfactorily  informed  as  to  the  plan  spoken 
of,  hope  the  same  will  be  had  in  consideration  until  next  Association." 

The  next  year,  1820,  the  Association  adopted  the  following: 

"  We  are  of  opinion  that  such  an  institution  appears  laudable,  but  as  we  are 
unable  to  foresee  any  special  benefit  arising  from  it  to  the  churches  generally, 
we  can,  therefore,  only  say,  we  are  willing  that  our  brethren  who  are  in  favor  of 
such  a  plan  should  pursue  that  object ;  and  if,  at  any  future  period,  we  get 
more  fully  convinced  of  its  utility,  we  shall  the  more  cheerfully  come  into  the 
measure." 

In  the  same  year  the  Ebenezer  concurred  with  the  Ocmulgee  Association  in 
the  plan  for  Indian  Reform,  appointed  trustees  to  act  in  concert  with  those  of 
the  other  Associations,  and  urged  its  ministers  to  explain  the  plan  and  raise 
funds  to  carry  the  laubable  scheme  into  effect.  This  co-operation  was  contin- 
ued the  next  year,  and  a  Circular  Letter,  written  by  the  clerk,  John  McKenzie,  was 
adopted,  which  is  a  good  missionary  document,  ending  as  follows  : 

"  We  would  now  call  your  attention  to  the  laudable  undertaking  of  this  Asso- 
ciation, to  act  in  concert  with  the  Ocmulgee  and  Georgia  Associations  in  estab- 
lishing a  school  in  the  Creek  Nation ;  and,  as  there  are  some  of  our  brethren 
who  appear  not  willing  to  engage  in  the  work,  we  believe  it  is  for  the  want  of  light. 
For  if  the  gospel  is  to  be  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  to  all  nations ; 
and  if  the  birth  of  Christ  was  to  be  '  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  to  all  people ; ' 
we  ask  if  they  are  not  a  nation  }     If  they  are,  the  gospel  is  to  be  preached  to 


STATE   OF   RELIGION.  1 27 

them.  Are  they  a  people  ?  If  they  are,  then  the  '  glad  tidings  of  great  joy '  are 
to  reach  them.  But  they  have  no  written  language  into  which  these  glad  tidings 
can  be  translated.  They  must,  therefore,  be  taught  to  read  them  in  some  lan- 
guage into  which  they  already  are,  or  may  be  translated.  This  cannot  be  done 
without  expense.  We  entreat  you,  dear  brethren,  to  open  your  hearts  and 
hands  and  come  up  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty.  Isaiah  saith, 
'The  wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox.' 
From  this  Scripture  we  understand  that  the  disposition  of  the  wolf  and  the  lion 
are  to  be  changed.  We  have  by  the  sword  compelled  the  Indian  to  lay  down 
the  tomahawk  and  the  scalping-knife,  but  their  disposition  is  not  yet  changed, 
and  nothing  can  effect  that  but  the  gospel.  Dear  brethren,  let  us  call  to  mind 
that  glorious  night  on  which  the  Saviour  was  born.  The  angels  brought  the 
glad  tidings  to  the  shepherds,  and  immediately  there  was  heard  a  heavenly  host 
singing,  '  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  on  earth  peace  and  good  will  toward 
men.'  If  it  was  a  matter  of  so  much  joy  to  the  angels  to  bring  these  glad  tidings 
to  man,  how  much  more  ought  we  who  are  the  happy  participants  of  this  gos- 
pel to  rejoice  in  sending  it  to  the  poor  benighted  heathen  !  " 

This  is  given  as  a  fair  illustration  of  the  arguments  advanced  in  that  day  to 
incite  an  interest  in  Indian  mission  work.  The  consequence  of  this  address 
was  a  unanimous  determination,  the  next  year,  1822,  to  continue  "in  that  laud- 
able pursuit ; "  and  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  of  that  year,  for  in- 
structing and  evangelizing  the  Creek  Indians,  was  published  in  the  Minutes.  It 
has  already  been  referred  to.  It  tells  of  two  tours  made  by  Mr.  Compere,  and 
of  the  expectation  that  he  would  be  soon  settled  in  the  Nation.  The  report 
contains  this  appeal  to  the  three  co-operating  Absociations :  "  We  entreat  you 
not  to  suffer  yourselves  to  be '  too  soon  shaken  in  mind,  or  removed  from  the 
'  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty  ; '  "  and  was  signed  by  Jesse  Mercer,  Sec- 
retary; and  yet,  in  the  Minutes  of  1823  we  find  this  entry:  "Took  under  con- 
sideration the  Indian  Reform — whether  to  continue  or  discontinue  ;  and  it  was 
discontinued."  The  following  year,  1824,  a  motion  to  reconsider  the  m^atter 
was  lost ;  and  so,  also,  was  a  motion  to  reconsider  the  action  of  1823,  by  which 
a  communication  in  reference  to  union  with  the  General  Association  was  "  thrown 
under  the  table."  In  all  these  years  we  see  small  evidence  of  spirituality  and 
growth  m  the  churches.  There  were  no  expressions  indicating  love  and  harmo- 
nious fellowship.  Some  of  the  most  prominent  ministers,  such  as  John  McKenzie 
and  John  Blackstone,  changed  their  views  and  became  violently  anti-missionary 
in  their  proclivities,  after  having  manifested  a  strong  missionary  spirit ;  yet  the 
Minutes  of  the  General  Association  for  1825  assure  us  that  during  these  years 
the  Ebenezer  Missionary  Society  was  in  vigorous  operation,  and  had  an  agent  in 
the  field  collecting  mission  money  with  considerable  success. 

At  that  time  the  churches  of  the  Association  were  situated  in  Twiggs,  Lau- 
rens, Wilkinson,  Pulaski,  Baldwin,  Monroe,  Dooly,  Washington,  and  Telfair 
counties,  and  its  prominent  ministers  were  Eden  Taylor,  Henry  Hand,  John 
Blackstone,  Charles  Culpepper,  James  Steeley,  John  Ross,  John  McKenzie, 
Adam  Jones,  Vincent  A.  Tharp,  and  Theophilus  Pearce. 

Among  the  ministers  of  this  Association  was  John  Ross,  whose  name  has 
already  been  mentioned.  He  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  and  born  in  1781,  emi- 
grating to  Georgia  with  his  father  in  1798.  He  was  among  the  earliest  of 
those  who  settled  the  long-coveted  land  between  the  Oconee  and  Ocmulgee  riv- 
ers, and  was  a  man  of  more  than  respectable  talents  as  a  preacher.  He  lived 
in  the  Ebenezer  Association  until  1830,  and  was  for  several  years  its  Moderator, 
although  differing  from  the  majority  of  his  brethren  in  that  Association  in  regard 
to  the  benevolent  enterprises  of  the  day.  He  was  their  firm  friend  and  constant 
supporter,  while  the  Association  generally  were  opposed  to  them.  Their  oppo- 
sition affected  his  zeal,  however.  In  1825  he  was  a  messenger  of  the  Ebenezer 
Missionary  Society  to  the  General  Association  at  Eatonton.  In  1 830  he  removed 
to  Upson  county,  and  held  church  membership  within  the  bounds  of  the  Co- 
lumbus Association,  over  which  body  he  presided  until  his  death,  in  1837.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  popularity,  of  persuasive  eloquence  and  impassioned  manner, 
beloved  and  confided  in  by  all  who  knew  him.     In  the  last  years  of  his  life,  he 


128  STATE   OF   RELIGION. 

gave  freer  vent  to  his  zeal  in  behalf  of  missions  and  education,  and  exerted  a 
commanding  influence  in  the  Columbus  Association.  At  the  State  Convention 
in  Talbotton  in  1836,  he  warmly  advocated  the  establishment  of  a  Baptist  col- 
lege in  the  State ;  and  attended  the  noted  ministers'  meeting  in  Forsyth  in  July 
of  the  same  year,  entered  deeply  into  its  measures,  and  was  instrumental  in 
accomplishing  much  good. 

Vincent  A.  Tharp  was  another  leader  in  the  Association.  He,  too,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  born  in  1760,  and  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
was  licensed  in  Georgia  about  1800,  serving  several  churches  in  Burke  county. 
He  moved  to  Twiggs  county,  and  was  pastor  of  the  Stone  Creek  church.  He 
was  a  man  of  forecast,  benevolence  and  influence.  His  ability  was  great. 
Among  the  prominent  traits  of  his  character  were  benevolence  and  hospitality. 
Such  men  as  Polhill,  Franklin,  Ross,  Rhodes,  Baker,  McGinty  and  Mercer  were 
his  frequent  guests.  He  died  in  1825,  having  repeatedly  been  the  Moderator  of 
the  Ebenezer  Association,  Rev.  Charnick  Tharp  was  his  son,  and  Rev.  B.  F. 
Tharp  is  his  grandson. 

Theophilus  Pearce  was  also  a  Moderator  of  the  Ebenezer  Association  for  sev- 
eral years.  He  was  ordained  by  Vincent  Tharp  and  Henry  Hooten  in  181 5. 
He  was  a  useful  man,  and,  though  of  limited  education  and  indigent  circum- 
stances, he  was  highly  respected  wherever  known.  To  the  sick  and  dying  he 
was  a  frequent  visitor,  and  thus  made  himself  greatly  useful. 

We  will  now  briefly  glance  at  the  spirit  which  seems  to  have  animated  the  Heph- 
zibah  Association  during  the  second  and  third  decades  of  the  century.  Its  op- 
position to  the  General  Association  has  been  stated.  Its  unfriendliness  to  mis- 
sions was  strongly  manifested ;  and  all  the  mission  work  accomplished  by  the 
Association  for  years,  was  through  the  agency  of  the  Hephzibah  Mission  So- 
ciety, which  seems  to  have  been  quite  an  efficient  organization,  owing  to  the  zeal 
of  a  few  active  and  benevolent  members,  notably  Charles  J.  Jenkins.  At  its 
third  anniversary,  held  at  Providence  meeting-house,  Jefferson  county,  this 
society  had  $273,40  in  the  treasury,  and  reported  one  missionary  in  the  field.  We 
find  its  messengers  in  all  the  Associations  for  years,  and  also  several  times  in 
the  General  Association.  The  Association  itself  received  the  messengers  of  this 
society  and  bade  it  "  God  speed,"  but  assisted  not  in  its  benevolent  endeavors. 
It,  however,  recommended  those  friendly  to  foreign  missions  to  meet  and  form 
a  foreign  mission  society,  if  they  felt  so  inclined,  which  was  done,  and  the  society 
continued  in  existence  for  several  years. 

In  the  fall  of  1824,  it  consented  "to  allow  all  the  brethren  that  wish  to  join 
together  and  correspond  with  the  General  Association,  or  to  join  in  with  mission 
societies,  by  correspondence  or  otherwise,  but  to  be  entirely  separate  and  distinct 
from  the  Association." 

This  action,  doubtless,  was  due  to  the  efforts  of  Rev.  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  then 
a  new  member  of  the  Association.  The  next  year,  1825,  his  church,  Buckhead, 
and  Isaac  Brinson's  church,  Brushy  Creek,  by  a  petition,  requested  the  Associa- 
tion to  send  messengers  to  the  General  Association  of  the  State,  to  view  its 
order  and  modes  of  operation ;  but  Mr.  Kilpatrick  was  absent  from  the  session 
of  1825  and,  to  forestall  any  further  efforts  looking  to  a  connection  with  the 
General  Association,  the  body  ordered  the  following  to  be  a  part  of  its  Decorum : 
"This  Association  shall  have  no  right  to  correspond,  by  letter  or  messenger, 
with  any  General  Association,  or  Committee,  Missionary  Society,  or  Board.  Any 
brother  moving  either  of  the  above  subjects  in  this  body,  shall  be  considered  in 
disorder  and,  therefore,  reproved  by  the  Moderator.  But  wc  leave  any  brother 
or  brethren  free  to  correspond  or  contribute  or  not — just  as  their  feelings  may 
be  in  the  case."  But,  at  the  request  of  the  churches,  the  act  was  cancelled  the 
following  year,  1826,  and  the  old  Decorum  was  restored. 

To  account  for  this  unhappy  condition  of  affairs,  it  is  necessary  to  state  that 
Rev.  George  Franklin,  a  ruling  spirit,  and  who  had  been  strongly  missionary  in 
sentiment,  died  in  181 5  or  18 16.  Rev.  Charles  Culpepper,  another  strong  man, 
and  a  ruling  spirit,  had  become  connected  with  the  Ebenezer  Association. 
Charles  J.  Jenkins  had  moved  into  the  bounds  of  the  Sarepta  Association. 
The  Rosses,  R.  E.  McGinty,  Edmund  Talbot,  F.  Flournoy,  had  become  members 


STATE   OF   RELIGION.  1 29 

of  the  Ocmulgee  Association.  Henry  Hand,  also,  had  moved  to  a  distance,  and 
Winder  Hillsman  was  dead. 

All  the  strong-  missionary  men  had  thus  been  removed  from  the  Association, 
while  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  having  but  recently  become  a  member  of  the  Associa- 
tion, had  not,  as  yet,  acquired  sufficient  influence  to  counteract  the  anti-missionary 
element  which,  assisted  by  Joshua  Key  and  Jonathan  Huff,  he  finally  succeeded 
in  overcoming.  A  turn  of  the  tide  occurred  in  1828,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter, 
but  it  was  not  until  1830  that  the  body  officially  recognized  the  General  Associa- 
tion, when  M.  N.  McCall,  Jonathan  Huff,  Beasley,  Polhill,  Dye,  Hudson, 
Sinquefield  and  Allen  were  appointed  a  committee  to  visit  the  Convention  as 
spectators,  witness  its  order,  ascertain  who  composed  it,  and  learn  its  methods 
of  procedure. 

A  few  data  will  exhibit  its  growth  and  spiritual  prosperity.  In  1813,  it 
numbered  36  churches  and  922  members ;  in  1817,  there  were  33  churches,  2,197 
members  and  125  baptisms;  in  1820,  there  were  34  churches,  2,107  members 
and  1 10  baptisms;  in  1821,  35  churches,  1,806  members,  155  baptisms;  in  1824, 
36  churches,  1,447  members,  ']']  baptisms;  in  1825,  35  churches,  1,085  members. 

During  these  last  five  years  there  had  been  a  decided  decrease,  which  was 
recovered  in  the  years  following,  which  included  the  grand  revival  times  from 
1827  to  1831. 

In  the  Sarepta  Association  there  seems  to  have  been  a  much  better  benevo- 
lent tone.  It  commended  missions,  praised  its  mission  society,  encouraged  tract 
societies,  corresponded  with  the  Foreign  Mission  Board,  sent  its  ministers  on 
domestic  mission  tours  and  appointed  messengers  to  the  General  Association, 
but  decUned  to  become  a  constituent  member  ;  nor  did  it  consent  to  do  so,  until 
1835.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  that  Charles  J.  Jenkins,  Sr.,  who  resided  so 
many  years  of  his  life  within  the  bounds  of  the  Hephzibah  Association,  resided 
in  the  limits  of  the  Sarepta  Association,  from  18 18  to  1822,  when  he  moved  to 
Apalachicola,  Florida. 

Two  new  Associations  were  formed  in  1824,  two  years  after  the  constitution 
of  the  General  Association.  These  were.  The  Yellow  River,  and  The  Flint 
i?/2/6'r  Associations.  The  former  was  constituted  September  i8th,  by  a  com- 
mittee, the  members  of  which  had  been  appointed  by  the  Sarepta  and  Ocmulgee 
Associations  at  Harris'  Springs,  Newton  County.  The  presbytery  was  com- 
posed of  Isham  Goss,  Reuben  Thornton,  Edmund  Talbot,  James  Brooks, 
Iverson  L.  Brooks,  Richard  Pace  and  Cyrus  White.  The  latter  was  organized 
by  brethren  appointed  by  the  Ocmulgee  and  Ebenezer  Associations,  namely. 
Edmund  Talbot,  J.  Nichols,  D.  Montgomery,  J.  Callaway,  J.  Milner,  V.  A. 
Tharpe,  T.  Pearce.  To  form  these  Associations  twenty-one  churches  were 
dismissed  from  the  Ocmulgee  Association,  but  six  newly  constituted  churches 
also  united  with  the  Flint  River,  making  twenty  in  all ;  while  the  same  thing 
happened  in  the  case  of  the  Yellow  River,  six  newly  constituted  churches  uniting 
with  seven  dismissed  from  the  Ocmulgea,  making  thirteen  which  at  first  com- 
posed the  Association. 

At  its  first  session  the  Yellow  River  appointed  live  messengers  to  the  General 
Association,  one  only  of  whom  attended— Joel  Colley,  who  was  Moderator  of 
this  Association  for  many  years. 

The  Flint  P^iver,  at  first,  flatly  refused  to  correspond  with  the  General  Asso- 
ciation. 

Both  shared  richly  in  the  glorious  benefits  of  the  great  revival  of  1827  and 
1828,  and  both  enjoyed  the  valuable  evangelical  preaching  of  such  men  as  A. 
Sherwood,  John  E.  Dawson,  Jonathan  Davis,  E.  Shackelford,  J.  H.  Campbell, 
J.  S.  Callaway  and  V.  R.  Thornton.  Yet  the  Yellow  River  departed  from  the  old 
Baptist  faith  of  missions,  Bible  societies,  etc.,  refused  a  seat  in  its  body  to  Rev. 
A.  Sherwood,  as  a  representative  of  the  State  Convention,  in  1833,  and  to  this 
day  has  never  connected  itself  with  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention;  while 
the  Flint  River,  which  for  nearly  twenty  years  declined  co-operation  with  the 
Convention  and  with  missionary  Associations,  came  into  full  accord  with  them, 
and  has  heartily  and  most  lioerally  engaged  in  mission,  Sunday-school  and 
educational  enterprises  to  the  present  day. 

(9) 


130  STATE   OF   RELIGION. 

We  have  thus  given  a  glance  at  the  general  state  of  religion,  in  our  denomina- 
tion in  Georgia,  in  the  first  half  of  the  third  decade  of  the  century,  and  have 
touched  lightly  upon  the  history  of  the  Associations  formed  in  the  State  at  that 
period.  After  a  study  of  the  records,  wt  present  the  following  as  an  approxi- 
mately correct  table  of  the  statistics  of  our  denomination  in  Georgia,  for  the 
year  1824.  The  figures  were  taken  from  the  printed  Minutes  of  the  various 
Associations : 

ASSOCIATIONS.  CHURCHES.  ORD.  MIN.  LICENTIATES.  TOTAL. 

1.  Georgia 37 23 5 3,194 

2.  Ocmulgee,      ...  42 16 2 2,973 

3.  Sunbury,    ....  18 10 o 5.257 

4.  Yellow  River,     .     .  20 11 i 662 

5.  Sarepta,     ....  32  ,      ...     .     .5 5 1,366 

6.  Hephzibah,    ...  36 13 4 1.447 

7.  Ebenezer,  ....  29 14 2 969 

8.  Flint  River,    ...  20 5 2 523 

9.  Tugalo,  .....  15  .      ....  ID 4 1,017 

10,  Piedmont,       ...15 8 o 700 


264  115  25  18,108 

While  as  correct  as  statistics  usually  are  in  our  Associational  Minutes,  yet  the 
following  considerations  will  show  that  the  aggregate  was  larger  than  these 
figures  represent.  In  the  first  place,  the  statistics  of  some  churches  for  1823 
are  given  in  the  Minutes ;  in  the  second  place,  some  churches  were  dismissed 
from  one  Association  to  aid  in  forming  another,  and  had  not  yet  made  applica- 
tion for  admission,  and,  therefore,  are  not  estimated  here ;  and,  in  the  third 
place,  there  were  new  churches  constantly  forming  which  had  become  attached 
to  no  Association,  and  whose  statistics  do  not  appear  in  this  table.  Still,  these 
figures  are  somewhat  below  those  given  by  Dr.  Sherwood,  in  the  General  Asso- 
ciation Minutes  of  1825,  and  quoted  by  Dr.  Campbell,  on  page  15  of  his  book, 
as  applying  to  1825,  by  a  slip  of  the  pen,  perhaps.  The  discrepancy  is  due  to 
the  fact  that  Dr.  Sherwood  counts  the  membership  of  six  South  Carohna 
churches,  belonging  to  the  Tugalo  Association,  which,  of  course,  should  be 
omitted  from  the  Georgia  statistics.  He  gives,  also,  the  statistics  of  1821,  for 
the  Hephzibah  and  Ebenezer  Associations,  while,  in  the  mean  time,  various 
churches  had  been  dismissed  from  these  to  form  other  Associations,  thereby 
reducing  the  total  membership  of  the  Ebenezer  and  Hephzibah  Associations, 


XII. 
EDUCATIONAL. 

1825-1829. 


XIL 


educationa: 


"  INDIAN  REFORM  "  ONCE  MORE — CONCLUSION  OF  THAT  MISSION — CAUSE  OF 
ITS  ABANDONMENT— SKETCH  OF  E.  L.  COMPERE— CONTRIBUTIONS  OF  THE 
GEORGIA  BAPTISTS— INTEREST  IN  EDUCATION— FEW  EDUCATED  MEN — 
THE  STATE  CONVENTION  AND  EDUCATION— ADDRESS  OF  1826— COLUM- 
BIAN COLLEGE — A  FUND  FOR  THEOLOGICAL  EDUCATION— OPPONENTS  OF 
EDUCATION,  SOME  OF  THEIR  NOTIONS — ANECDOTES  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF 
IGNORANCE — "GO  PREACH  MY  GOSPEL" — WHAT  MERCER  SAID  ABOUT 
"  INSPIRED  SERMONS  " — DR.  A.  SHERWOOD. 

We'  now  turn  our  attention  to  those  matters  which  occupied  the  attention  of 
the  denomination  subsequent  to  1824.  One  of  these  was  the  matter  of  "  Indian 
Reform,"  which  consisted  in  the  support  of  an  Indian  Mission  and  school  among 
the  Creek  Indians  in  Alabama,  at  Withington  Station,  thirty  miles  south  of 
Montgomery. 

Though  sustained  largely  by  the  Georgia  Baptists,  this  mission  was  under  the 
control  of  the  General  Board,  at  Philadelphia,  which  had  been  formed  in  1814. 
That  board  appointed  Rev.  Francis  Flournoy  superintendent,  but  he  declined 
the  appointment,  and  Rev.  Lee  Compere,  of  South  Carolina,  was  appointed  in 
1822.  The  mission  was  actually  commenced  in  1823,  much  to  the  gratification 
of  many  Georgia  Baptists. 

It  has  not  been  deemed  necessary  to  dwell  very  minutely  upon  this  Indian 
Mission,  for  the  reason  that  no  very  special  results  ensued,  and  because  the  Bap- 
tists of  Georgia  soon  lost  their  interest  in  it.  Indeed,  the  last  contribution  for 
it  was  sent  up  to  the  Convention  in  1828,  and  the  amount  was  thirty  dollars 
only.  The  reasons  for  this  are  put  on  record  in  the  report  of  the  Mission  Board 
of  the  Georgia  Association  for  1825.  After  stating,  among  other  items,  that 
three  hundred  dollars  had  been  appropriated  to  the  Withington  Station,  the 
Board  continues  as  follows  : 

"  The  indisposition  of  some  Associations,  and  many  churches  and  individu- 
als, towards  missionary  effort  and  friendly  co-operation,  are  sources  of  our 
regret.  This  is  attributable,  in  a  considerable  degree,  to  a  circumstance  which 
your  Board  would  willingly  have  passed  by  in  silence.  A  general  expression  of 
disapprobation  against  the  part  'which  the  superintendent  of  Withington  Station 
has  acted,  has  come  up  from  the  churches  and  many  individuals,  which  calls  for 
his  removal.  But  very  few  churches  have  contributed  at  all  to  replenish  our 
funds  this  year,  and  where  any  sum  has  been  sent  up,  it  was  prohibited  by  most 
of  them  from  being  appropriated  to  said  Station.  Hence  your  Board  think  that 
they  are  called  upon  to  act  immediately  on  this  subject ;  for,  as  individuals,  they 
are  not  able  to  support  said  Station,  and  are  unwilling  any  longer  to  be  respon- 
sible for  the  monied  transactions  of  said  superintendent.  They  are  not  wholly 
unaware  of  the  responsibility  of  their  situation,  nor  of  the  delicacy  with  which 
they  should  handle  the  feelings  of  their  brethren.  They  intend  to  make  an  ex- 
pression of  their  opinion,  not  on  the  private  or  moral  character  of  Mr.  Com- 
pere, but  upon  those  parts  of  his  conduct  which  have  rendered  him  odious  in 
the  eyes  of  this  community,  and  which  have  dried  up  the  stream  of  munificence 
which  flowed  to  his  support.     They  have  not  formed  their  opinion  concerning 


134  EDUCATIONAL. 

him  from  public  rumor,  nor  from  paragraphs  of  party  papers,  but  upon  his  own 
public  and  private  letters.  They  feel  confident  that  his  acts  have  a  bearing  so 
unpropitious  on  the  whole  course  of  missions,  that  very  little,  if  anything,  will 
be  done  in  their  behalf  until  he  is  removed.  As  we  stand  connected  in  his  sup- 
port with  the  General  Convention  of  our  denomination,  we  do  not  feel  fully  au- 
thorized to  depose  him  ;  but  we  think  we  cannot  do  less  than  to  disclaim  any 
connection  with  a  man  whose  acts  have  brought  said  cause  into  such  disrepute. 
Therefore,  the  Board  recommend  the  adoption  of  the  following  resolution  : 

"  '  Resolved  unanimously ,  That  we  withhold  further  support  from  the  With- 
ington  Station.' 

"  The  reasons  which  have  induced  us  to  recommend  the  adoption  of  the  reso- 
lution are :  That  the  Rev.  Mr.  Compere  has  meddled  with  concerns  foreign  to 
his  mission  ;  he  has,  unasked,  charged  the  United  States  Commissioners  with 
corruption  in  making  the  treaty ;  he  has  taken  sides  with  those  who  are  endeav- 
oring to  render  it  (though  an  act  of  the  general  government)  null  and  void, 
and  he  has  vindicated  the  murderers  of  Mcintosh.  He  has  violated  his  agree- 
ment with  this  Board,  and  disobeyed  the  instructions  given  him  ;  he  has  treated 
these  instructions  with  indifference  and  contempt ;  when  written  to  and  cau- 
tioned by  the  President  of  this  body,  '  that  the  course  he  was  pursuing  would 
bring  the  mission  to  ruin,'  instead  of  returning  a  respectful  answer,  he  has  en- 
deavored to  vindicate  his  conduct ;  and  has  since  continued  to  act  so  opposite 
to  the  spirit  of  his  instructions,  and  that  of  a  cautious  missionary  of  the  Cross, 
that  they  are  compelled,  though  reluctantly,  to  take  the  present  course. 

"  And  be  it  further  resolved.  That  a  copy  of  these  proceedings  be  forthwith 
transmitted  to  the  General  Convention  of  our  denomination  in  the  United  States. 

"  Jesse  Mercer,  Presideftt. 

"  J.  P.  Marshall,  Secretary." 

The  Mission  Board,  which  suggested  such  summary  and  decided  measures, 
was  composed  of  Jesse  Mercer,  Adiel  Sherwood,  Malachi  Reeves,  J.  Roberts,  J. 
H.  Walker  and  E.  Battle. 

Of  course  we  are  obliged  to  accept  the  statements  of  the  report  made  by  such 
men  as  correct.  Mr.  Compere,  however,  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  act  as  he  did, 
in  justice  to  the  Indians,  among  whom  he  resided,  and  he  claimed  to  the  day  of 
his  death,  that  his  course  met  the  emphatic  approval  of  John  C.  Calhoun,  Sec- 
retary of  War  during  Mr.  Monroe's  administration.  Nevertheless,  his  conduct 
must  have  been  decidedly  injudicious,  for  a  Christian  missionary  acting  under 
instructions  to  which  he  had  consented  to  yield  compliance. 

He  was  born  in  England,  November  3d,  1789,  and  died  in  Navarro  County, 
Texas,  at  the  residence  of  his  son,  T.  H.  Compere,  June  15th,  1871,  in  his  Sist 
year.  He  was  educated  at  Bristol,  England,  under  Dr.  Ryland,  and  was  raised 
to  business  in  London.  By  the  Baptists  of  England,  he  was  sent  out  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  Jamaica,  but  the  sickliness  of  the  climate  compelled  him  to  remove  to 
South  Carolina.  In  1822,  he  was  appointed  missionary  to  the  Creek  Indians, 
among  whom  he  remained  six  years,  with  his  wife  and  family,  faithfully  and  zeal- 
ously performing  his  official  duties.  When  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  Creek 
Mission-school  it  contained  about  two  hundred  Indian  children  as  pupils.  These 
he  taught,  assisted  by  his  wife  and  Mr.  Simons,  afterwards  a  missionary  of  the 
Boston  Board  to  Burmah.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Susannah  Voysey,  who 
was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  London,  and  an  extraordinary  woman  of  great 
worth  and  strength  of  character.  The  prayer-meetings  in  the  mission  house 
were  largely  attended  by  the  Indians  and  their  children.  The  colored  slaves  of 
the  Indians  were  also  fond  of  attending,  which  was  offensive  to  some  of  the 
more  wicked  ruling  chiefs.  On  one  occasion,  in  the  absence  of  Mr.  Compere, 
when  his  wife  was  conducting  the  meeting,  about  twenty  of  the  negroes  who 
were  in  attendance  were  forcibly  ejected  from  the  meeting  and  whipped. 
The  next  day,  Mr.  Compere  rode  to  the  Indian  Court  or  Council,  dismounted, 
walked  boldly  up  to  the  scowling  chief  and  took  a  seat  by  his  side.  Perceiving  the 
ill-temper  of  the  Indians  and  a  desire  to  intimidate  him,  he  turned  and  looked 
the  chief  fully    in  the  face,    and  said  mildly  but   firmly,  "  1  am  not  afraid  of 


EDUCATIONAL.  1 35 

you,"  and  gazed  fixedly  into  the  chief's  eyes.  Presently  the  stern  features  of 
the  chief  relaxed  and  a  smile  appeared  on  his  countenance.  He  then  proceed- 
ed with  the  business  of  the  meeting.  At  the  proper  time,  Mr.  Compere  took 
his  stand  in  front  of  the  chief  and  remonstrated  against  the  cruel  treatment  of 
their  slaves  by  the  Indians  in  a  set  speech,  during  which  a  prominent  chief 
fiercely  raised  his  club  to  strike.  As  he  was  behind  the  speaker,  his  act  was 
unknown  by  Mr.  Compere  until  he  had  finished  his  address,  when  the  Indian 
himself  approached  and  apologized  for  raising  his  club  to  kill  him,  saying  he 
could  not  and  would  not  kill  so  good  a  man.  Afterwards  Mr.  Compere  had  no 
further  troubles  with  the  Indians.  The  removal  of  the  Indians  to  the  Territory, 
broke  up  the  mission  and  Mr.  Compere  bought  and  lived  upon  a  farm  twelve 
miles  east  of  Montgomery.  He  afterwards  resided  in  Tennessee,  Mississippi, 
Arkansas  and  Texas,  always  preaching  when  his  physical  ability  enabled'  him 
to  do  so.  He  met  heavy  pecuniary  reverses  before  the  war,  and  lost  all  the  rest 
through  the  vandalism  of  armed  ruffians  in  Arkansas,  during  that  struggle  ;  every- 
thing was  destroyed,  even  his  library,  memoranda,  papers  and  relics  of  his  past 
life  and  history. 

Mr.  Compere  is  described  by  one  who  knew  him  well,  as  a  man  of  quiet  un- 
assuming dignity,  urbane  and  deferring  to  others,  yet  conscious  of  his  own  abili- 
ties. Untrammelled  by  hobbies  and  independent  in  thought,  he  was  decided  in 
his  convictions  and  opinions,  and  very  pronounced  in  favor  of  everything  gener- 
ally acknowledged  to  be  morally  or  religiously  right  He  was  decidedly  a 
Regular  Baptist,  and  an  emphatic  preacher  of  what  is  called  "  doctrine,"  but 
never  preached  often  on  exciting  t^ics  of  dispute  among  denominations.  Al- 
ways endeavoring  to  have  a  conscience  void  of  offence  towards  God  and  man, 
he  made  himself  at  home  in  every  company.  With  the  lowly  and  unlettered  he 
was  unpretending,  and,  yet,  without  straining  he  showed  himself  the  peer  of  the 
most  pretentious,  without  seeming  effort  commanding  the  respect  of  the  high- 
est and  most  distinguished.  In  sentiment  and  practice  he  was  a  whole-souled 
"  Missionary."  His  style  as  a  preacher  was  lively,  pointed,  earnest,  solemn  and 
solid.  In  holy  things  he  never  indulged  in  lightness,  yet  he  was  a  most  pleas- 
ant and  affectionate  fireside  companion,  and  possessed  a  smiling,  pleasant 
countenance,  with  eyes  whose  expression  was  full  of  kind  feeling.  He  was 
twice  married,  left  several  children,  some  of  whom  have  proved  very  useful.  One 
of  them  Rev.  E.  L.  Compere,  resides  at  Witcherville,  Arkansas,  Rev.  Thomas 
Hechijah  Compere,  lives  in  McLainsborough,  Texas,  and  Mrs.  Susannah  Musco- 
gee Lyon,  a  daughter,  lives  at  Moulton,  Alabama.  The  last  two  were  born 
while  Mr.  Compere  was  a  missionary  at  Withington  Station,  and  were  named 
by  the  chiefs. 

No  more  money  was  sent  up  by  the  churches  of  the  Georgia  Association  for 
the  Creek  Mission ;  but,  for  three  years  longer,  the  Auxiliary  Societies  of  the 
Ocmulgee  and  Ebenezer  Associations  send  up  gradually-diminishing  sums  ;  and 
then  the  Withington  Station  Mission  disappears  from  Georgia  Baptist  history. 
It  was  a  fair  and  honest  endeavor,  nevertheless,  on  the  part  of  men  burning  with 
a  desire  to  benefit  their  fellow  man,  and  the  flame  kindled  then  has  never  expired 
since,  for  no  State  in  the  South,  perhaps,  has  felt  a  deeper  interest  in  Indian 
Missions  than  Georgia,  or  contributed  more  to  maintain  them.  The  Mission 
actually  concluded  with  the  removal  of  that  portion  of  the  Creek  Indians  west 
of  the  Mississippi,  in  1829,  and,  until  their  departure,  Mr.  Compere  remained 
with  them  as  Superintendent  of  the  Withington  Mission  Station. 

In  the  Minutes  of  the  General  Association  for  1826,  we  find  this  entry: 
"  According  to  the  wish  of  the  Ocmulgee  and  Georgia  Associations,  as  expressed 
in  their  Minutes,  their  funds  were  transferred  to  this  body,  to  be  appropriated  in 
such  manner — for  missionary  purposes — as  it  shall  deem  best,"  and  one  hundred 
dollars  were  appropriated  to  insure  to  the  delegates  appointed  by  the  Ocmulgee 
Association  a  seat  in  the  General  Convention. 

The  General  Association  thus,  in  1826,  became  the  recognized  common 
medium  through  which  the  Georgia  Baptists  made  their  contributions  for 
benevolent  purposes  of  all  kinds.  Two  years  before,  in  1816,  the  Georgia 
Association  had  established  its  Mission  Board,  and  during  that  time  this  Board 


136  EDUCATIONAL. 

received,  from  individuals  and  churches,  about  $5,000.  It  donated  about  $1,900 
to  the  Creek  Indian  Mission,  about  $1,000  to  Columbian  College,  and  over  $1,100 
to  general  missionary  purposes,  through  the  General  Convention,  besides  turning 
over  more  than  $i',ooo  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  General  Association  of  Georgia. 

During  these  years  the  mission  societies  of  the  Sunbury,  Hephzibah,  Ocmulgee, 
Ebenezer  and  Sarepta  Associations  have  all  been  collecting  and  disbursing  funds 
for  State  itinerant  work,  for  Indian  Missions,  for  Foreign  Missions,  and  for 
Columbian  College.  The  Sunbury  Association,  through  its  Mission  Board, 
continuously  maintained  several  missionaries  on  the  seaboard,  who  labored 
mostly  among  the  colored  people,  and  performed  a  work  which  redounds  to  the 
credit  of  that  body,  and  which  the  historian  could  not  fail  to  chronicle  without 
being  recreant  to  duty. 

Among  the  items  reported,  at  the  Convention  of  1825,  by  Rev.-C.  White,  was 
the  collection  of  $17.50,  for  educating  ministers;  $10.00  for  Indian  Reform,  and 
$5.00  for  Burman  Mission.  It  is  but  appropriate  to  record  again  that,  at  the 
same  session,  a  collection  of  $218.00  was  taken  up  after  the  missionary  sermon 
was  preached  by  Jesse  Mercer  on  Sabbath  morning.  In  the  following  year, 
1826,  he  preached  on  missions,  Sunday  night,  and  $67.25  were  collected.  In 
.the  morning  Dr.  William  B.  Johnson,  of  South  Carolina,  had  preached  on  the 
education  of  pious  young  men,  and  I108.00  were  collected  for  the  purpose. 
Luther  Rice  and  Basil  Manly,  Sr.,  were  present  and,  it  is  presumed,  lent  their 
influence  to  the  cause  of  education ;  for  the  body  engaged  to  support  Jonathan 
Toole,  in  classical  and  theological  studies,  as  a  beneficiary,  and  instructed  its 
Executive  Committee,  M.  Reeves,  B.  M.  Sai^ders,  J.  H.  Walker  and  J.  P.  Mar- 
shall, to  prepare  some  plan  by  which  a  fund  for  bestowing  a  theological  education 
upon  beneficiaries  might  be  provided.  This  was  the  first  definite  action,  looking 
to  education,  that  was  taken  by  the  State  Convention. 

Faithfulness  to  history  requires  the  statement  that,  with  few  exceptions,  the 
ministers  of  our  denomination,  during  the  third  decade  of  the  century,  were  un- 
learned men,  and  most  of  them  were  ignorant  men.  As  bright  exceptions 
among  ministers,  the  names  of  William  T.  Brantly,  Jesse  Mercer,  Adiel  Sher- 
wood, Henry  J.  Ripley,  Iverson  L.  Brooks,  James  Shannon,  Henry  O.  Wyer, 
Jabez  P.  Marshall,  B.  M.  Sanders,  and  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  may  be  mentioned. 
Most  of  these  were  men  of  fine  classical  education,  and  all  of  them  desired  the 
establishment  of  a  denominational  college  of  high  order.  This  desire  was,  of 
course,  participated  in  by  many  others,  including  numbers  of  very  intelligent 
laymen,  of  whom  our  denomination  could  claim  a  large  host ;  but,  strange  to 
say,  there  was  much  opposition  to  education  by  not  a  few  in  the  denomination. 

From  its  organization,  our  State  Convention  unhesitatingly  sustained  the 
cause  of  education.  In  the  years  1824  and  1825,  Mercer,  Brantly  and  Sherwood 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  consult  with  a  similar  committee  of  the  South 
Carolina  Convention  with  reference  to  co-operation  in  the  establishment  of  an 
institution  of  learning  in  the  latter  State  ;  and  in  1820  we  find  our  State  Conven- 
tion, then  called  the  General  Association,  expressing  a  deep  and  lively  interest 
in  the  design  of  the  Convention  of  South  Carolina  to  establish  a  seminary  of 
learning  in  the  neighborhood  of  Edgefield  Court-house ;  and,  cordially  concur- 
ring in  the  design,  it  promised  contributions  to  its  advancernent  to  the  best  of  the 
means  at  its  disposal.  Jesse  Mercer  and  William  T.  Brantly  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  meet  the  committee  of  the  South  Carolina  Convention,  at  Edge- 
field, in  March  of  that  year. 

The  Executive  Committee  was  also  authorized  to  employ  itinerants  to  travel 
and  preach,  and  explain  the  designs  of  the  General  Association.  This  was  set 
forth  so  plainly  in  the  "  Address  to  Associations  and  Individuals,"  adopted  by 
the  Convention,  that,  as  part  of  the  history  of  the  times,  it  is  quoted  in  full.  It  is 
not  difficult  to  discern  in  its  composition  the  hand  of  Adiel  Sherwood,  Secretary 
of  the  body. 

After  an  introduction  which  refers  to  the  opposition,  open  and  secret,  which 
the  Convention  had  encountered,  the  Address  proceeds  : 

"The  feature  in  the  Constitution  of  this  body,  which  is  odious  to  some  is, 
that  which  proposes  to   afford   the  means  of  education  to  pious  young  men, 


EDUCATIONAL.  137 

fitting  for  the  gospel  ministry.  It  is  designed  to  establish  a  seminary,  where, 
not  only  candidates  for  the  rriinistry,  but  every  child  of  the  denomination,  may 
be  educated.  Opposers  think  they  discover  something  in  this  clause  which  will, 
by  and  by,  seek  to  'lord  it  over  God's  heritage,'  undermine  the  independence 
and  liberty  of  the  churches  and  introduce  a  host  of  imposters  to  corrupt  the 
pure  principles  of  Christianity.  Let  us  examine  the  tendency  of  the  principles 
held  by  this  Association. 

"We  think,  and  we  believe  every  liberal  minded  man  will  coincide  with  us, 
that  the  encouragement  we  offer  to  learning  would  exert  a  most  powerful  influ- 
ence against  such  a  state  of  things  as  is  here  apprehended.  If  the  friends  of 
the  General  Association  were  desirous  of  effecting  that  with  which  they  stand 
charged  ;  if  they  wished  to  engross  all  the  authority  in  the  churches  ;  and  induce 
all  the  members  to  act  in  accordance  with  a  wicked  design,_  they  would  cry 
doTon  learning.  They  would  oppose  it  in  every  shape  and  in  every  degree  ; 
because  in  proportion  as  the  community  is  enlightened,  it  will  be  the  better 
qualified  to  resist  attempts  upon  liberties  and  privileges.  How  do  you  think 
the  Pope  has  acquired  such  an  ascendancy  over  millions  that  they  suppose  him 
'infallible'  and  able  to  forgive  sin?  Not  by  educating  them,  but  by _  keeping 
them  in  ignorance  and  shutting  up  the  sources  of  information.  This  is  his  policy  ; 
for  he  well  knows  if  access  to  the  Bible  were  easy  ;  if  it  was  read  from  child- 
hood, and  as  much  pains  taken  to  explain  it  as  by  Protestant  ministers,  the  peo- 
ple would  learn  that  God  alone  can  pardon  the  sinner — not  an  imperious  priest. 

''Opposers,  and  not  patrons  of  education  as  are  the  friends  of  the  Association, 
should  rather  lie  under  the  weight  of  the  censure  of  attempting  to  'lord  it  over 
God's  heritage.' 

"  A  quack,  who  has  discovered  some  cure  for  a  disease,  never  divulges  the 
secret,  lest  others  should  be  as  wise  as  himself,  and  then  his  source  of  wealth 
would  be  dried  up  ;  whereas,  those  physicians  who  wish  well  to  their  country, 
and  commiserate  the  unfortunate,  make  public  every  discovery  which  tends  to 
cure  disease  and  alleviate  sorrow. 

"  The  friends  of  the  Association  are.  by  their  opponents,  all  supposed  to  be 
learned.  Let  it  be  so  !  Then,  if  they  had  any  sinister  views  to  accomplish,  they 
would  act  the  part  of  the  quack  and  not  encourage  learning.  They  would  were  it 
in  their  power,  proscribe  every  school  denounce  every  minister  of  education  who 
had  not  joined  them,  and,  like  the  lawyers  of  the  olden  time,  keep  the  key  of  knowl- 
edge in  their  hands,  lest  the  unlearned  should  enter  in,  and  become  as  wise  as  them- 
selves. But  not  so!  .  They  urge  the  importance  of  education,  not  only  to  the 
ministry,  but  to  every  individual  in  the  community.         *         *         *         * 

"  Tyrants,  who  rule  with  a  rod  of  iron,  encourage  education  among  the  no- 
bility, and  leave  the  rest  of  their  subjects  as  ignorant  as  the  Hottentot.  More 
than  two  hundred  students  were  expelled  from  a  college  in  Europe,  tAVO  or  three 
years  ago,  for  expressing  liberal,  or,  as  we  would  call  them,  republicati  senti- 
ments in  politics.  The  ruler  well  knew  that  if  they  became  as  well  versed  in 
the  science  of  government  as  freemen  ought  to  be,  they  would  discover  by  how 
frail  a  tenure  the  ''jus  diviman  regum  "  is  held.  The  King  of  Sardinia  has 
lately  decreed  that  none  of  his  subjects  shall  enjoy  the  privilege  of  education 
unless  they  are  worth  three  hundred  dollars  !  Now,  we  leave  it  to  the  candid 
whether  th.^  friends  or  the  opponents  of  the  General  Association  ought  to  be 
looked  upon  as  dangerous  men  and  ranked  with  the  despots  of  Europe. 

"  Having  shown,  as  we  trust,  that  the  principles  which  govern  the  General  Asso- 
ciation tend  rather  to  prevent  than  to  bring  about  the  unhappy  state  of  things 
in  the  churches  which  opposers  seem  to  apprehend,  we  conclude  with  a  few  re- 
marks : 

•'  Friends  of  the  General  Association,  we  have  much  to  encourage  us.  The 
late  public  expressions  in  favor  of  education  have  cheered  our  hopes  and  em- 
boldened us  to  "  take  courage." '  It  is  too  late  in  the  day  for  opposers  to  object 
to  the  utility  of  learning  in  the  ministry  ;  for  the  want  of  it  is  seen  and  felt  too 
much  to  expect  to  dishearten  its  friends  by  crying  it  down.  The  illiterate  min- 
ister himself,  who  has  been  useful  in  his  day,  and  the  instrument  of  winning 
many  souls  to  Christ,  weeps  over  his  need,  and  the  exertions  now  making  for 


138  '  EDUCATIONAL. 

the  improvement  of  his  younger  brethren  causes  his  heart  to  leap  for  joy.  The 
want  of  such  qualifications  as  sanctified  learning  furnishes,  could  not  produce 
opposition,  in  a  liberal-minded  man,  to  its  attainment  by  others. 

"  In  the  three  Associations  fully  united  with  us  there  are  about  seventy  or- 
dained and  licensed  preachers  and  11,500  members — a  majority  of  the  denomi- 
nation in  the  State.  If  these  are  active  at  their  several  posts,  much  influence  in 
our  favor  will  be  exerted,  and  co.nsiderable  sums  raised,  to  promote  those  ob- 
jects which  piety  holds  dear.  Besides,  many  ministers  and  very  many  friends, 
belonging  to  other  Associations,  are  our  warm  patrons  and  generous  supporters. 
That  others  may  feel  the  importance  of  our  designs,  and  be  enlisted  with  us  in 
the  cause  of  God,  we  will  still  prefer  the  petition,  which  has  engaged  our  hearts 
for  years,  to  Him  who  sitteth  on  the  throne.  We  will  not  cease  to  pray  for 
them  till  every  Christian  shall  bring,  with  willing  heart,  his  sacrifice  to  the  treas- 
ury of  the  Lord.  The  spirit  of  our  petition  shall  not  cease  till  the  news  of  sal- 
vation shall  have  reached  every  hamlet  and  every  cottage  under  the  whole 
heaven. 

Jesse  Mercer,  Moderator. 

Adiel  Sherwood,  Clerk." 

There  was,  at  that  time,  another  educational  enterprise  to  which  contributions 
were  largely  made  by  the  Baptists  of  Georgia — Columbian  College,  at  Wash- 
ington City.  The  amounts  donated  by  the  liberality  of  Georgia  Baptists  to  that 
institution,  mainly  through  the  advocacy  of  its  agents,  Luther  Rice  and  Abner 
W.  Clopton,  were  about  $20,000. 

A  good  deal  of  money  was  sent  on  to  Washington  City  and  was  acknowledged 
by  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Columbian  College  as  received  from  the  "  Geor- 
gia" and  "Ocmulgee"  Associations,  without  its  being  known  who  the  original 
contributors  were.  Mr.  Mercer,  however,  contributed  largely  to  that  college, 
and,  at  a  meeting  held  June  30th,  1823,  its  Board  of  Trustees,  in  response  to  a 
letter  received  from  William  Walker,  Sr.,  of  Putnam  county,  announcing  his 
intention  to  bestow  $2,500  on  the  funds  of  6he  college,  for  the  purpose  of 
endowing  a  scholarship  in  the  theological  department,  adopted  the  following  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  Board  be  presented  to  William  Walker, 
Sr.,  Esq.,  of  Putnam  county,  Georgia,  for  his  liberal  appropriation  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars  to  endow  a  scholarship  of  the  Columbian  College,  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  to  be  paid  in  two  equal  instalments  of  $1,250  each,  in 
October,  1823  and  1824. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  scholarship  thus  liberally  endowed  by  the  aforesaid 
William  Walker,  Sr.,  Esq.,  be  denominated,  and  the  same  is,  hereby,  denomi- 
nated 'The  Walker  Scholarship,'  in  the  Columbian  College,  of  the  District  of 
Columbia." 

The  treasurer  reported  the  $2,500  paid  in  full,  July  19th,  1824. 

For  several  years  regular  contributions  for  that  college  were  reported  in  the 
financial  accounts  of  the  Georgia  Association ;  and  no  doubt  Dr.  C.  D.  Mallary, 
in  his  Life  of  Jesse  Mercer,  states  but  the  simple  truth  when  he  says,  concerning 
Mr.  Mercer,  "  From  the  first  he  was  much  interested  in  the  efforts  which  were 
made  to  establish  a  college  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  His  name  was  enrolled 
among  the  trustees  of  the  institution ;  in  the  midst  of  its  long  and  distressing 
embarrassments,  he  clung  to  it  with  a  steadfast  affection,  and  contributed  to  its 
support  with  a  bountiful  hand.  Seldom,  if  ever,  was  an  appeal  to  him  for 
assistance  made  in  vain. 

"  And  in  no  small  degree  may  it  be  attributed  to  the  example  and  influence  of 
Mr.  Mercer,  that  such  liberal  contributions  were  raised  in  the  State  of  Georgia, 
in  aid  of  that  college." 

T]his  extract  appears  in  the  Corresponding  Letter  of  the  Georgia  Association, 
for  1827:  "We  have  the  pleasure  of  informing  you  that  the  Association  was 
happily  united  in  their  efforts  to  aid  in  the  relief  of  Columbian  College,  and 
other  important  designs,  calculated  to  disseminate  divine  light  throughout  our 
world." 

Thus,  we  see  that,  from  1825  to  1830,  many  of  the  Georgia  Baptists  were 
rendering  very  material  assistance  towards  maintaining  the  existence  of  Colum- 


EDUCATIONAL.  1 39 

bian  College  ;  the  General  Association  was  seriously  consulting  with  the  brethren 
of  the  South  Carolina  Baptist  Convention  in  regard  to  co-operation  in  the 
establishment  of  a  literary  and  theological  institution  ;  and  the  State  Convention 
was  seeking  to  devise  a  plan  for  the  education  of  pious  young  men  with  the 
ministry  in  view. 

With  reference  to  the  scheme  of  establishing  an  institution  of  learning  in 
conjunction  with  the  South  Carolina  brethren,  it  may  be  briefly  stated  that  it 
was  soon  abandoned ;  for  insurmountable  difficulties  arose,  owing  to  State  local 
partialities,  which  prevented  the  co-operation  necessary  to  its  consummation. 

At  the  session  of  the  General  Association  which  met  at  Washington,  Wilkes 
county,  in  1827,  the  Executive  Committee,  which  had  been  requested  to  prepare 
a  plan  for  providing  a  fund  for  theological  education,  submitted  the  following : 
"  They  recommend  that  each  member  of  this  body,  and  the  several  ministering 
brethren  within  our  bounds,  be  requested  to  use  their  exertions  to  advance  this 
object  by  removing  prejudices  and  showing  the  value  of  education  to  a  pious 
ministry.  There  are  in  the  State  more  than  20,000  members.  Is  there  one  of 
these  who  would  be  deprived  of  the  privilege  of  giving  fifty  cents  for  so  desira- 
ble an  object }  "  This  report  was  accepted,  as  was  also  a  very  animated  and 
hopeful  address  to  the  constituents  of  the  General  Association  and  to  the  other 
bodies  of  Baptists  in  the  State. 

The  address  was  read  before  the  Georgia  Association,  at  its  session  for  1827, 
and  it  was 

"  Resolved,  That  we  congratulate  the  members  of  the  General  Association  at 
their  pleasing  prospects  expressed  in  their  address,  and  we  recommend  that 
body  to  go  forward  in  its  benevolent  designs,  trusting  in  the  Lord." 

In  addition,  the  Georgia  Association  recommended  each  of  its  members,  and 
the  several  ministers  within  its  bounds,  to  use  their  exertions  to  advance  the 
objects  of  the  General  Association  by  removing  prejudices  and  showing  the 
value  of  education  to  a  pious  ministry. 

That  noble  Association  was  never  backward  nor  remiss  in  lifting  the  banner 
of  progress  in  the  work  of  missions,  education  and  religion ;  and,  what  can  be 
said  of  no  other  Baptist  Association  in  Georgia,  may  be  said  of  this — not  a  sin- 
gle one  of  its  churches  became  anti-missionary  in  sentiment,  or  an  opponent  of  the 
benevolent  schemes  of  the  day  for  the  advancement  of  religion,  temperance, 
Sunday-schools,  education  and  missions. 

The  necessity  of  education  among  many  of  the  early  Baptist  ministers  of 
Georgia  was  most  apparent,  and  this  partly  explains  the  persistency  of  our 
fathers  in  their  determination  to  establish  institutions  of  learning.  They  argued 
that  it  was  impossible  for  our  denomination,  as  such,  to  be  elevated  and  become 
even  respectable,  so  as  to  compare  favorably  with  other  denominations  and 
maintain  itself  before  the  world,  without  education  of  a  high  character.  Facil- 
ities and  conveniences  for  acquiring  such  an  education  they  considered  an  abso- 
lute necessity ;  but,  strange  to  say,  the  opponents  of  education  were  more  nu- 
merous than  its  supporters.  One  of  their  strange  arguments  was,  "  If  learning 
is  to  help  the  preacher,  why  not  pray  to  learning  instead  of  to  the  Lord  }  "  Some 
of  them  claimed  to  be  inspired  to  preach,  averring  as  they  rose  in  the  pulpit  that 
they  had  given  their  text  no  consideration  until  that  moment,  when  they  opened 
the  Bible,  and  that  they  intended  to  preach  just  as  the  Lord  "  handed  out  "  the 
message  to  them.  Hence,  the  sermon  by  Sherwood,  preached  before  the  State 
Convention  in  1830,  which  repudiated  the  prevalent  theory  of  inspiration,  was 
made  the  butt  of  ridicule  in  many  a  sermon,  and  was  condemned  as  false  teach- 
ing. It  was  contended  that  the  Convention  itself,  as  tending  to  cultivation  and 
education,  would  corrupt  the  simplicity  of  the  truth  ;  wherefore  many  opposed 
the  Convention. 

A  few  anecdotes  may  be  given  illustrative  of  the  ignorance  of  some  of  the 
ministers  of  that  day.  Humphrey  Posey,  being  invited  to  preach  for  Joel  Colley, 
who  was  for  twenty  years  Moderator  of  the  Yellow  River  Association,  took  for 
his  text  St.  Paul's  assertion,  "  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,"  etc. ; 
and  observed  :  "  If  Paul,  a  learned  man,  brought  up  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel,  was 
not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel,  I  ought  not  to  be."     In  closing  the  services,  Joel 


I40  EDUCATIONAL. 

Colley  corrected  a  supposed  error  of  Mr.  Posey's,  asserting  that  his  Bible  was 
not  like  Posey's  Bible,  for  his  Bible,  instead  of  "brought  up  at  the  feet  of 
Gamaliel,"  read  "brought  up  at  the  foot  of  Gammel  hill" — a  hill  so  poor  it 
wouldn't  sprout  a  pea ;  and,  therefore,  Paul  was  a  poor  man,  unable  to  get  an 
education,  and  had  to  learn  tent-making  to  gain  a  living. 

Another  minister,  preaching  from  the  parable  of  the  "  Pounds,"  in  Luke  19th, 
claimed  that  "an  austere  man,"  in  verse  21,  proved  John  to  be  an  oyster-man, 
who  employed  his  time  fishing  for  oysters.  As  Dr.  Sherwood  says,  "  If  such 
ignorance  was  ever  called  to  preach,  it  brings  to  mind  the  importunity  of  a  good 
Methodist  brother  in  Milledgeville  by  the  name  of  Pierson,  who  averred  that  the 
Lord  called  to  him,  almost  every  night,  'Pierson!  Pierson!  go  preach  my 
gospel ! ' ''  But  his  brethren  refused  to  license  him  because  of  his  destitution  of 
qualifications.  He  importuned,  and  they  finally  informed  him  that  he  mistook 
the  name,  and  that  it  was  Pierce  whom  he  heard  the  Lord  call — alluding  to  Dr. 
Lovick  Pierce. 

Among  this  class  of  our  preachers  spiritualizing  was  exceedingly  common, 
and  many  fanciful  interpretations  were  given  to  Scripture.  They  represented 
Saul's  armor,  which  was  put  on  the  stripling  David,  as  education  ;  while  the 
pebbles,  which  he  slung  at  Goliath,  were  inspiration — the  one  a  hindrance,  the 
other  achieving  success.  Had  there  been  no  such  man  as  Jesse  Mercer  to  stem 
this  tide  of  ignorance  and  fanciful  interpretation,  the  Bible  might  have  been 
regarded  as  a  book  of  enigmas,  and  the  inspired  sermons  of  the  day  better  than 
the  words  of  the  apostles  themselves.  The  files  of  The  Christian  Index 
show  the  continuous  and  sturdy  blows  Mercer  dealt  against  the  views  of  those  who 
opposed  missions  and  education,  and  the  inspiration  theory.  In  1834  he  said, 
in  The  Index  :  "  The  argument  drawn  from  the  gifts  and  promises  of  God  to 
inspired  men  in  favor  of  the  advantages  of  ministers  now  is,  in  our  judgment,  a 
very  deceptive  one,  because  the  analogy  is  not  true.  Will  any  man  pretend  that 
ministers  are  now  itispired,  so  that  their  sermons  may,  with  equal  propriety,  be 
styled  inspired  sermons?  If  so,  then  the  Scriptures  are  not  the  only  rule  of 
faith  and  practice,  but  these  sermons  have  equal  claim."  It  is  not  a  matter  of 
surprise  that  Mercer  was  so  strongly  in  favor  of  education. 

Another  strong  friend  of  education,  in  our  denomination  in  Georgia,  was  Dr. 
Adiel  Sherwood,  who  resided  at  Eatonton,  but  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
churches  at  Eatonton,  Greenesboro  and  Milledgeville.  He  was  also  principal  of 
the  academy  at  Eatonton,  and  taught  a  class  in  theology,  which  was  supported 
by  the  generosity  of  the  Eatonton  church.  Among  his  pupils  were  J.  H. 
Campbell,  J.  R.  Hand  and  others.     This  was  in  1828,  1829  and  1830. 


XIII. 
MERCER  INSTITUTE. 

1829-1839. 


XLIL 

MERCER  INSTITUTE. 


THE  PENFIELD  LEGACY — WHO  HELPED  TO  SECURE  IT — SHERWOOD'S  RESO- 
LUTION— $1,500  RAISED — INSTRUCTIONS  TO  THE  EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE 
— DR.  SHERWOOD'S  MANUAL  LABOR  SCHOOL  NEAR  EATONTON — MERCER 
INSTITUTE  OPENED  JANUARY,  1 833 — PLAN  OF  MERCER  INSTITUTE — B.  M. 
SANDERS  PLACED  AT  ITS  HEAD — A  BAPTIST  COLLEGE  AT  WASHING- 
TON PROPOSED  AND  ABANDONED— MERCER  UNIVERSITY — REPORT  OF 
TRUSTEES  FOR  1838 — ACTS  OF  INCORPORATION,  OF  CONVENTION, 
AND  COLLEGE — THE  FIRST  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES — THEIR  FIRST  RE- 
PORT, SHOWING  THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  COLLEGE  AND  ITS  FINAN- 
CIAL CONDITION — CLASSES  ORGANIZED  IN  JANUARY,  1839 — B.  M.  SANDERS 
THE  FIRST  PRESIDENT  OF  MERCER  UNIVERSITY — HIS  FAREWELL  ADDRESS 
— THE  BLACKS  NOT  FORGOTTEN. 

We  will  now  narrate  the  principal  events  that  led  to  the  establishment  of 
Mercer  Institute  at  Penfield,  in  1833. 

In  the  year  1829,  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  met  at  Milledgeville,  and 
it  was  announced  to  the  body  that  Josiah  Penfield,  of  Savannah,  having  died, 
had  bequeathed  to  the  Convention  the  sum  of  $2,500,  as  a  fund  for  education, 
on  condition  that  an  equal  sum  was  raised  by  the  body  for  the  same  purpose. 
Thomas  Stocks,  Thomas  Cooper,  H.  O.  Wyer  and  j.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  consider  the  matter  and  report  the  follow- 
ing Monday.  In  their  report  they  suggested  that  the  amount  be  subscribed 
immediately.  This  was  promptly  done  and  the  notes  were  given  to  Dr.  Sher- 
wood, the  clerk  and  treasurer,  it  being  understood  that  these  notes  would 
begin  to  draw  interest  whenever  the  legacy  became  available,  and  the  prin- 
cipal should  be  payable  when  called  for  by  the  Convention.  To  obtain  these 
subscriptions  was  the  work  of  fifteen  minutes,  and  as  a  matter  of  historical 
interest,  a  list  is  given  of  the  persons  who  contributed  to  secure  the  sum  required, 
together  with  the  amount  contributed  by  each,  for  which  his  note  was  given  : 
Jesse  Mercer,  $250;  Cullen  Battle,  $200;  James  Shannon,  $100;  Armstead 
Richardson,  $75;  James  Davis,  $50;  H.  O.  Wyer,  $150;  I.  L.  Brooks,  $100; 
James  Boykin,  $125  ;  Barnabas  Strickland,  $30  ;  William  Walker,  $100;  B.  M. 
Sanders,  $150;  Adiel  Sherwood,  $125;  Thomas  Cooper,  $110;  Wm.  Flournoy, 
$100;  James  Armstrong,  $50;  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  $100;  Joshua  Key,  $100; 
Andrew  Battle,  $50 ;  R.  C.  Shorter,  $50  ;  Jonathan  Davis,  $50  ;  Thomas  Stocks, 
$50;  Jabez  P.  Marshall,  $100;  Edmund  Shackelford,  $150;  Robert  C.  Brown, 
$50  ;  Peter  Walton,  $25  ;  J.  Whitefield  (cash)  $10.     Total,  $2,500. 

These  were  the  men  who  secured  the  Penfield  legacy  for  the  denomination, 
thus  fairly  originating  what,  in  the  end,  indirectly,  attained  to  the  dignity  of  an 
endowment  for  Mercer  University;  for  securing  the  Penfield  legacy  resulted  in 
the  purchase  of  the  Redd  property  and  in  the  establishment  of  Mercer  Institute, 
which  was  subsequently  made  a  University  and  for  which  an  endowment  was 
raised. 

Dr.  Sherwood  tells  us,  in  his  manuscripts,  that  he  had  the  resolution  pro- 
posing the  establishment  of  a  manual  labor  school  drawn,  and  ready  to  be 
offered  at  the  Convention  in  1829,  but  that  he  withheld   it  in   deference   to  the 


144  MERCER   INSTITUTE. 

wishes  of  some  of  his  brethren  of  the  Executive  Committee.  For  two  years  he 
had  been  residing  at  Eator.ton,  where  he  was  principal  of  the  academy  and 
pastor  of  the  church,  at  the  same  time  serving  the  churches  at  Greenesborough, 
and  Milledgeville  also.  One  of  the  very  few  Baptist  ministers  in  the  State, 
who  had  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  a  thorough  collegiate  education,  and,  also,  a 
theological  course  at  Andover,  Massachusetts,  he  not  only  taught  in  the  academy 
at  Eatonton,  but  instructed  a  class  of  eight  or  ten  theological  students  during  the 
years  1828,  1829  and  1830.  Among  these  students  who  were  sustained  by  the 
members  of  the  Eatonton  Baptist  church,  were  J.  H.  Campbell  and  J.  R.  Hand. 
In  1831,  at  Buckhead,  Burke  county,  Dr.  Sherwood  offered  the  following  reso- 
lution at  the  State  Convention  : 

"Resolved,  That,  as  soon  as  the  funds  will  justify  it,  this  Convention  will  es- 
tablish in  some  central  part  of  the  State,  a  classical  and  theological  school, 
which  shall  unite  agricultural  labor  with  study,  and  be  opened  for  those  only 
preparing  for  the  ministry." 

The  Executive  Committee  was  requested  to  devise  a  plan  for  raising  $1,500.00 
before  the  first  day  of  the  following  December,  and  if  they  succeeded,  a  school 
was  to  be  opened  as  soon  as  possible.  It  is  rather  a  singular  fact  that  when 
B.  M.  Sanders  was  asked  if  he  would  be  one  of  thirty  to  raise  the  11,500.00,  he 
replied  that  he  would  be  the  thirtieth,  implying  a  want  of  faith  in  its  procure- 
ment. 

At  the  Convention  which  met  at  Poweltonin  1832,  this  resolution  was  altered 
so  as  to  read  thus  : 

"  Resolved,  That,  as  soon  as  the  funds  will  justify  it,  this  Convention  will 
establish  in  some  central  part  of  the  State,  a  literary  and  theological  school, 
which  shall  unite  manual  labor  with  study ;  admitting  others  besides  students 
in  divinity,  under  the  direction  of  the  Executive  Committee." 

At  the  same  session  it  was  reported  that  the  $1,500.00  had  been  subscribed 
and  half  of  it  paid.  It  was  reported  also,  that  several  eligible  sites  in  different 
counties  for  the  proposed  manual-labor  school  had  been  offered  on  favorable 
terms.  The  Executive  Committee  was  directed  by  the  Convention  to  pur- 
chase the  one  seven  miles  north  of  Greenesborough,  offered  by  James  Redd, 
and  to  adopt  the  necessary  measures  for  putting  the  school  in  operation  by 
the  first  of  January,  1833.  Thus  was  adopted  the  site  of  what  proved  to  be  the 
Mecca  of  Georgia  Baptists  for  nearly  half  a  century. 

The  Executive  Committee  that  year  was  composed  of  the  following  breth- 
ren :  Thomas  Stocks,  Jesse  Mercer,  Adiel  Sherwood,  B.  M.  Sanders,  James  Arm- 
strong, J.  Davis  and  John  Lumpkin.  Even  as  late  as  August  of  1832,  these 
brethren  were  not  altogether  convinced  of  the  feasibility  of  such  an  educa- 
tional enterprise ;  for  in  that  month  they  visited  the  manual-labor  school, 
which  Adiel  Sherwood  had  opened  on  a  small  farm  he  had  purchased  for 
the  purpose  near  Eatonton,  and  where  he  was  then  instructing  ten  or  twelve 
pupils.  This  enterprise  he  had  ventured  upon  for  the  express  purpose  of  test- 
ing the  manual-labor  school  theory,  and  it  was  only  after  a  careful  examina- 
tion of  his  school,  in  August,  1832,  that  the  Executive  Committee  became 
thoroughly  convinced  of  the  practicability  of  the  scheme,  and  thenceforth  un- 
hesitatingly proceeded  in  the  establishment  of  Mercer  Institute,  and  even  go- 
ing so  far  as  to  request  Dr.  Sherwood  to  discontinue  his  school,  lest  it  should 
appear  as  an  opposition  to  the  institution  of  the  Convention.  To  this  that 
amiable  person  assented,  of  course,  and  discontinued  his  school,  sending  his 
pupils  to  Mercer  Institute ;  but  it  soon  became  evident  that  the  precaution 
was  unneccessary,  for  the  Institute  was  not  able  to  accommodate  half  the 
applicants  who  sought  admission  as  pupils. 

Shortly  after  the  session  of  the  Convention,  iu  April,  1832,  the  Executive 
Committee  purchased  of  Mr.  Redd,  450  acres  of  land  seven  miles  north  of 
Greenesboro,'  for  ^^1,450.00,  engaged  Rev.  B.  M.  Sanders,  as  principal  and 
steward,  made  all  other  necessary  arrangements,  and  opened  the  school,  with 
thirty  students,  on  the  second  Monday  in  January,  1833.  Many  circumstances 
recommended  the  site  of  the  institution  to  the  favorable  consideration  of  the 
Convention. 


MERCER  INSTITUTE.  145 

Among  others  were  the  following :  Its  beauty  and  healthfulness ;  the  soil 
was  free  and  productive,  and  the  timber  abundant :  it  was  in  a  neighborhood 
noted  for  its  high  moral  character,  and  for  the  liberality  of  its  residents  in  their 
subscriptions  for  the  support  of  the  Institute ;  and  the  situation  was  a  central 
one  to  the  most  active  friends  of  the  contemplated  institution. 

The  plan  adopted  by  the  Executive  Committee,  and  upon  which  the  institution 
was  organized,  is  worthy  of  being  put  on  record  as  a  matter  of  historical  interest ; 
it  was  as  follows  : 

"  The  ultimate  and  conclusive  direction  of  all  the  interests  and  operations  of 
the  institution,  shall  be  in  the  Executive  Committee,  as  agent  for  the  Convention. 

There  shall  be  five  trustees  near  the  institution,  who  shall  be  Baptists  in 
full  fellowship,  not  under  twenty-five  years  of  age,  who  shall  make  by-laws 
for  its  detailed  operations,  supervise  its  interests,  and  decide  on  all  differences 
between  the  teachers  and  steward.  With  their  consent,  the  principal  teacher 
may  expel  from  the  institution  any  student  guilty  of  immoral  conduct  or  diso- 
bedience to  the  by-laws ;  but  in  all  cases  an  appeal  may  lie  from  them  to  the 
Executive  Committee.  They  shall  be  appointed  by  the  committee,  and  shall 
report  the  state  of  the  institution  to  it,  quarterly.  No  debts  shall  be  contracted 
by  the  committee,  or  trustees,  on  the  credit  of  the  institution,  without  funds  in 
hand  to  pay,  otherwise,  in  every  such  case,  it  shall  be  on  their  own  individual 
responsibility. 

"  There  shall  be  a  steward  appointed  by  the  committee,  who  shall  be  a  Bap- 
tist in  full  fellowship,  of  industrious  habits  and  fair  reputation,  who  shall  take 
charge  of  the  farm-tools,  provisions,  stock  and  other  appendages,  and  be 
accountable  for  the  faithful  use  or  return  of  all  that  is  put  into  his  charge.  Ae 
shall  direct  the  pupils  in  their  labor,  shall  labor  himself,  and  devote  his  whole 
time  to  the  interest  of  the  institution,  being  subject,  in  all  his  operations,  to  the 
direction  of  the  trustees. 

"  There  shall  be  a  principal  teacher  appointed  by  the  committee,  who  shall 
be  a  Baptist  minister  of  sound  principles,  according  to  the  generally  received 
views  of  the  Baptists  in  Georgia — a  good  classical  scholar  and  of  energetic 
character — who  shall  have  charge  of  the  literary  and  theological  departments  of 
the  institution.  Assistant  teachers  shall  be  appointed  as  the  committee  may 
deem  advisable.  All  applicants,  of  good  moral  character  shall  be  admitted  as 
students,  till  the  school  shall  be  full.  At  the  opening  of  each  term,  should  there 
be  conflicting  claims  for  admission,  preference  shall  be  given  to  those  who  live 
upon  the  premises.  All  shall  be  required  to  labor  three  hours  each  day ;  the 
time  of  labor  to  be  arranged  between  the  teacher  and  the  steward,  the  teacher 
having  preference." 

The  Executive  Committee  resolved  on  the  following  additional  regulations 
for  the  contemplated  institution  : 

"The  scholastic  year  shall  be  divided  into  two  terms,  xh& first,  of  six  months, 
from  the  second  Monday  in  January  to  the  second  Monday  in  July ;  and  the 
second,  of  five  months,  froni  the  third  Monday  in  July  to  the  third  Monday  in 
December.  The  rates  of  tuition  shall  be  $1.50  per  month,  for  all  students  in 
English  grammar,  geography,  history  and  common  arithmetic;  $2.50  per  month 
for  all  in  the  learned  languages,  criticism,  philosophy,  mathematics  and  other 
higher  English  branches  of  science.  All  over  sixteen  years  of  age  shall  have 
board,  room-rent  and  firewood  for  $4  per  month,  exclusive  of  their  labor  ;  and 
those  under  sixteen  shall  pay  $6  per  month,  and  have  the  value  of  their  labor 
deducted,  as  may  be  estimated  by  the  steward  and  trustees  ;  washing  shall  be 
furnished  for  $8  per  year.  All  of  which  shall  be  required  each  term  in  advance. 
Each  student  shall  furnish  his  own  bedding  and  candles. 

"  No  student  shall  be  received  for  less  than  a  year  ;  but  abatement  may  be 
made  by  the  trustees,  for  the  board  and  washing  of  a  pupil,  for  any  absence 
that  is  rendered  unavoidable  by  an  act  of  Divine  Providence." 

As  the  institution  had  been  designed  principally  for  the  benefit  of  young  men 
engaging  in  the  ministry,  all  such,  that  were  of  good  moral  character,  and 
members  of  some  orderly  Baptist  church,  having  a  license  from  their  church  to 
preach,  and  who  could  furnish  satisfactory  testimonials  of  their  want  of  means 

(10) 


146  MERCER   INSTITUTE. 

to  procure  for  themselves  a  suitable  education,  were  invited  to  participate  in  the 
benefits  of  the  Institute,  and  were,  for  several  years,  supplied  with  common 
clothing,  by  benevolent  societies  of  females.  In  1834,  there  were  seven  young 
men  in  the  institution,  preparing  for  the  ministry. 

The  institution  was  named  Mercer  Institute,  after  Jesse  Mercer,  the  most 
influential  and  distinguished  minister  of  our  denomination  in  the  State,  and  the 
most  liberal  friend  of  the  enterprise.  The  village  which  sprang  up  on  the  site 
of  the  Institute  was  named  Penfield,  in  honor  of  deacon  Penfield,  of  Savannah, 
whose  legacy  of  .-2,500  was  the  immediate  cause  of  the  estabhshment  of  the 
institution. 

At  the  head  of  the  Mercer  Institute  was  placed  Rev.  B.  M.  Sanders,  one  of 
the  few  educated  Baptists  of  the  time,  who  brought  to  his  work  great  energy, 
indefatigable  industry,  and  sincere  devotion  to  duty.  Young  men  flocked  from 
all  parts  of  the  State,  and  the  faithful  educational  work  done  in  the  halls  of  the 
institution  contributed  greatly  to  popularize  education  in  the  minds  of  the  peo- 
ple. But  this  school  was  not  intended  to  impart  a  collegiate  education.  Its  ele- 
vation to  the  character  and  dignity  of  a  college  was  an  after-thought  resulting 
from  an  effort  made  by  the  Presbyterian  denomination,  in  1835,  to  establish  a 
Presbyterian  college  at  Washington,  Georgia,  where  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer  resided. 
This  college,  called  Oglethorpe  University,  was  finally  located  at  Midway,  near 
Milledgeville,  but  the  discussions  had  greatly  impressed  the  mind  of  Mr.  Mercer, 
and  he  immediately  began  measures  to  secure  funds  for  founding  a  Baptist  col- 
lege, at  Washington,  Wilkes  county.  As  he  himself  expressed  it,  "  the  notion 
took  Hke-wild  fire."  Agents  were  put  in  the  field,  and  in  1837,  at  the  end  of 
two  years,  $roo,ooo  were  reported  as  subscribed  to  "The  Southern  Baptist  Col- 
lege," as  it  was  expressed  by  the  charter.  At  that  time,  however,  a  great  finan- 
cial crisis  occurred,  and  this,  coupled  with  some  dissatisfaction  with  the  location, 
led  to  the  surrender  of  the  charter  and  to  the  abandonment  of  the  Washington 
educational  enterprise.  This  event  caused  doubt,  confusion  and  discourage- 
ment in  the  Baptist  mind. 

But  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  had  become  thoroughly  aroused  on  the  subject  of 
a  denominational  college.  The  Central  Association,  a  body  of  liberal  and  intel- 
ligent brethren,  who  had  subscribed  $20,000  to  endow  the  Central  Professorship 
of  Languages  and  Sacred  Literature,  suggested  the  elevation  of  Mercer  Institute 
into  a  college. 

This  solved  the  problem.  The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Convention  took 
the  matter  in  hand,  changed  the  name  of  Mercer  Institute  to  Mercer  Uftiver- 
sity,  procured  the  transfer  of  most  of  the  subscriptions  which  had  been  made 
to  "  The  Southern  Baptist  College  "  and,  in  December,  1837,  obtained  a  charter 
for  the  new  University. 

These  events  will  all  be  comprehended  better  by  extracts  made  from  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  for  the  year  1838.  In  its  report  to 
the  Convention,  in  April  of  that  year,  the  committee  make  the  following  state- 
ments : 

"  On  the  25th  of  last  August,  the  following  resolution,  adopted  by  the  late 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Southern  Baptist  College,  was  laid  before  the  com- 
mittee : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  important  business  of  rearing  and  organizing  a  Southern 
Baptist  College  in  Georgia,  entrusted  to  the  care  of  this  board,  has  been  ma- 
turely examined  and  inquired  into.  They  have  duly  considered  the  means  and 
resources  required  therefor,  and  are  of  opinion  that  it  is  inexpedient  to  under- 
take the  building  of  a  college  under  present  circumstances.  The  reasons  that 
have  brought  the  board  to  this  conclusion  are,  in  part,  the  following :  First,  the 
embarrassment  of  the  times  ;  secondly,  the  different  views  of  brethren  in  regard 
to  the  plan  proposed  ;  lastly,  the  inadequacy  of  the  means  in  hand.  Be  it,  there- 
fore, 

"Resolved,  further.  That  the  whole  subject  be  referred  to  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Baptist  Convention  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  with  the  recorn- 
mendation  of  this  board  that  they  surrender  the  present  charter  and  abandon 
the  enterprise,  or  seek  to  set  on  foot  a  plan  that  will  command  the  resources 
demanded  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  great  undertaking." 


MERCER   INSTITUTE.  14/ 

"  In  regard  to  the  particular  plan  referred  to  in  the  preceding  resolution,  and 
which  the  trustees,  who  have  been  clothed  with  power  for  its  execution,  had 
abandoned,  the  committee  felt  that  they  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  surrender  up 
the  charter  and  the  project  to  the  Convention.  This  they  have  done,  by  express 
resolution.  But  still  an  important  question  urged  itself  on  our  minds  :  Can  no 
plan  be  devised  to  secure,  in  some  form  or  other,  the  great  object  which  had  so 
deeply  enlisted  the  feelings  of  our  brethren,  and  which,  in  its  general  bearing, 
was  just  as  important  and  desirable  as  ever  ? 

"After  mature  and,  we  trust,  prayerful  reflection,  the  committee  resolved  upon 
a  measure  which  they  deemed  the  only  hopeful  alternative,  viz. :  the  connecting 
a  collegiate  department  with  the  Mercer  Institute.  This  they  believed  they  had 
the  power  to  do,  inasmuch  as  '  the  ultimate  and  conclusive  direction  of  all  the 
interests  and  operations  of  the  institution '  had  been  vested  '  in  the  Executive 
Committee,  as  agents  for  the  Convention ; '  and  they  had  been  '  left  at  liberty 
to  alter  or  amend  as  expediency  might  seem  to  require.'  They  were  well  assured, 
from  the  most  authentic  information,  that  no  other  location  would,  to  any  con- 
siderable extent,  harmonize  the  efforts  of  the  denomination  in  the  State.  The 
consideration  that  some  of  the  early  patrons  of  the  school  had  in  view  its  ulti- 
mate advancement  to  a  more  elevated  character,  was  not  without  its  weight,  and 
it  was  evident  to  all  that  the  investments  which  we  had  already  made,  in  lands 
and  buildings,  would  enable  us  to  commence  collegiate  operations  at  much  less 
expense  than  at  any  other  location.  If  anything  was  to  be  done,  prompt  action 
seemed  to  be  necessary.  The  establishment  of  an  elevated  seminary  of  learn- 
ing had  for  some  time  engaged  the  attention  of  our  brethren ;  delay,  we  had 
reason  to  fear,  would  produce  an  unfavorable  reaction  in  their  feelings,  abate 
their  zeal,  increase  discouragement,  and  result  in  failure.  Besides,  there  was  a 
reasonable  prospect  of  being  able  to  secure  a  considerable  portion  of  the  old 
subscription,  should  we  act  with  promptness. 

"  Since  the  adoption  of  the  above  named  plan  for  the  advancernent  of  the 
institution,  the  committee  have  been  cheered  by  many  decided  expressions  of 
approbation  from  their  brethren  in  different  parts  of  the  State.  The  Georgia, 
Central  and  Washington  Associations  have  passed  resolutions  approving  of  the 
arrangement,  and  urging  the  denomination  to  vigorous  and  liberal  co-operation 
in  its  support.  Between  fifty  and  sixty  thousand  dollars  in  new  subscriptions 
have  been  obtained,  with  a  reasonable  prospect  of  a  large  increase,  should 
suitable  exertions  be  made.  About  fifty  thousand  dollars  of  the  subscription 
have  been  taken  up  in  notes.  Nothing  is  necessary  (with  God's  blessing)  but 
energy  and  perseverance  to  secure  an  ample  endowment  for  the  institution. 
This  being  secured,  we  shall  have  the  means  of  sustaining  an  able  faculty,  and 
of  providing  all  other  means  that  may  be  important  to  render  our  seminary  an 
ornament  to  our  country  and  a  blessing  to  the  world. 

"  Early  measures  were  taken  by  the  committee  to  secure  such  an  amendment 
of  the  act  incorporating  the  Convention  as  would  authorize  the  establishment 
of  a  collegiate  institution.  By  this  amendment  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Conven- 
tion is  empowered  to  appoint  a  Board  of  Trustees  for  the  management  of  the 
college ;  this  Board,  we  trust,  will  be  appointed  at  the  present  meeting  of  the 
body,  that  the  committee  may  at  once  transfer  the  interests  of  the  institution  to 
their  hands.  Preparatory  arrangements  are  in  such  a  state  of  forwardness  that, 
with  suitable  exertions,  the  exercises  of  the  entire  collegiate  department  might 
be  commenced  early  next  year. 

"  The  committee  have  determined  to  adopt  a  seven  years'  course  of  study, 
commencing  with  the  common  English  branches,  and  closing  with  the  highest 
branches  taught  in  our  best  colleges.  The  preparatory  department  is  to  embrace 
three  years,  and  the  collegiate  four :  the  whole  course  to  be  under  the  direction 
of  the  same  faculty.  The  plan  of  study  for  the  first  five  years  has  been  arranged, 
subject,  of  course,  to  such  modification  hereafter  as  further  reflection  and 
experience  may  recommend.  The  manual  labor  system  will  be  continued  in 
connection  with  both  departments  of  the  seminary.  The  institution  is  to  be 
known  by  the  name  of  Mercer  University. 

"  Considerable  exertion  has  been  made  by  the  committee  to  secure  the  services 


148  MERCER   INSTITUTE. 

of  suitable  persons  as  professors  in  the  institution.  Brother  Adiel  Sherwood 
has  been  appointed  to  the  professorship  of  Sacred  Literature,  and  brother  Otis 
Smith  has  also  been  invited  to  accept  a  professorship ;  they  have  not  yet  signi- 
fied their  acceptance,  but  there  is  ground  to  hope  that  they  will  yield  to  our 
wishes,  and  to  what  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  are  the  wishes  of  the  friends 
of  the  institution  generally.  Brother  Albert  Williams  and  brother  Palemon  L. 
Janes,  graduates  of  the  Franklin  College,  have  been  appointed  teachers,  with  a 
view  to  their  permanent  connection  with  the  institution.  Brother  Williams  had 
been  previously  appointed  principal  classical  teacher  in  place  of  brother  Cowdry, 
whose  feeble  health  compelled  him  to  resign.  Brother  Janes  is  now  at  the  North 
prosecuting  his  studies  with  a  view  to  his  more  thorough  improvement  in  the 
higher  branches  of  mathematics  and  civil  engineering.  It  is  expected  he  will 
enter  the  institution  as  mathematical  teacher  early  in  next  year.  Brother  B.  M. 
Sanders  has  been'appointed  college  treasurer,  whose  report  is  herewith  presented. 
During  the  last  year  there  has  been  a  decided  improvement  in  the  school,  both 
as  to  its  general  order  and  discipline  and  the  advancement  of  the  young  men  in 
their  literary  pursuits.  Both  teachers  and  pupils,  in  their  respective  spheres, 
have  exhibited  a  degree  of  industry,  punctuality  and  zeal  highly  commendable. 
We  would  record  with  grateful  emotions  the  goodness  of  God  in  again  reviving 
His  work  in  the  institution.  Towards  the  close  of  last  j^ear  the  Lord  was  pleased 
to  pour  out  His  spirit  and  gather  into  His  fold  a  goodly  number  of  precious 
youths.  This  we  regarded  as  a  special  token  of  His  favor,  and  were  greatly 
animated  thereby  in  the  prosecution  of  our  labors  for  the  improvement  of  the 
school.  The  number  of  students  the  last  year  has  varied  from  seventy-five  to 
ninety.  Several  of  our  present  number  are  in  the  Freshman  class.  The  brick 
building  has  been  completed,  and  is  now  in  the  occupancy  of  the  students. 
There  are  now  upon  our  premises  seven  good  buildings,  five  belonging  to  the 
institution,  viz  :  two  large  school  buildings,  a  dining  hall,  two  comfortable  dwell- 
ing houses  and  two  other  buildings  belonging  to  the  Ciceronian  and  Phi  Delta 
Societies,  a  part  of  which  has  generally  been  occupied  by  some  of  the  students 
of  the  school.  Brethren  Conner  and  Mallary,  the  former  college  agents,  were 
appointed  to  collect  funds  for  our  institution,  and  as  their  previous  labors  would 
be  mostly  converted  to  the  benefit  of  the  Mercer  University,  we  agreed  to  as- 
sume the  payment  of  their  salaries  under  their  first  appointment.  Brother  Jona- 
than Davis  has  also  been  appointed  as  one  of  our  agents,  to  labor  mainly  in  the 
western  and  southwestern  sections  of  the  State. 

"  One  of  the  most  important  measures  adopted  by  the  committee,  with  the 
concurrence  of  the  trustees,  with  whom  they  held  a  consultation,  has  been  the 
laying  off  of  town  lots  contiguous  to  the  school  for  the  accomrhodation  of  such 
families  as  might  wish  to  remove  to  the  institution  to  superintend  the  education 
of  their  children.  Lots  to  the  amount  of  nearly  ten  thousand  dollars  have  been 
sold  already,  under  salutary  restrictions,  and  several  families  have  already  re- 
moved to  the  place  and  commenced  their  improvements.  The  town  is  to  be 
known  by  the  name  of  Penfield — a  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the 
late  Mr.  Josiah  Penfield,  of  Savannah,  who  was  known  as  one  of  the  most  liberal 
and  efficient  patrons  of  the  benevolent  plans  of  the  Convention. 

"The  committee,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  trustees,  in  the  exercise  of  the 
authority  granted  them  by  the  last  Convention,  have  resolved  upon  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  respectable  female  seminary  at  Penfield.  A  lot  has  been  reserved 
for  the  institution,  and  three  thousand  dollars  of  money  accruing  from  the  sale 
of  lots,  have  been  voted  to  this  object.  Under  the  direction  of  the  trustees  and 
principal  teacher,  it  is  expected  that  the  building  will  be  completed  by  the  first 
of  January  next,  and  that  the  institution  will  then  be  open  for  the  reception  of 
pupils. 

"  A  school  for  small  children  was  opened  on  the  premises  early  in  the  present 
year,  under  the  direction  of  brother  Smith,  formerly  a  student  in  the  institution. 
This  school  is  in  quite  a  prosperous  condition. 

"Jesse  Mercer,  Chai'nnan. 

"  C.  D.  Mallary,  Assistant  Secretary!' 


MERCER   INSTITUTE.  I49 

The  female  school,  established  as  here  indicated,  flourished  at  Penfield  for 
about  a  dozen  years,  and  then  became  extinct,  the  chief  cause  of  its  demise 
being,  perhaps,  the  existence  of  the  Georgia  Female  College,  at  Madison,  which 
arttracted  the  patronage  of  the  Baptists. 

The  two  legislative  acts,  alluded  to  in  the  Report  of  1838,  are  possessed  of 
value  in  the  eyes  of  Georgia  Baptists,  and  are  here  given  as  a  part  of  our 
denominational  history.  The  first  is  the  Act  incorporating  the  Convention, 
passed  in  December,  1830,  and  the  second  is  an  amendment  of  that  Act,  incor- 
porating Mercer  University,  and  passed  in  December,  1837. 

AN  ACT 
To  i7tcorporate  the  Baptist  Convetttzon  of  the  State  of  Georgia. 

Section  i.  Be  it  ejiacted  by  the  Senate  a7id House  of  Represe7itatives  of  the 
State  of  Georgia,  in  General  Assembly  met,  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the  au- 
thority of  the  same,  That,  from  and  after  the  passing  of  this  Act,  Jesse  Mercer. 
Moderator,  Adiel  Sherwood,  Clerk,  J.  P.  Marshall,  Assistant  Clerk,  James 
Armstrong,  B.  M.  Sanders,  Jonathan  Davis  and  Thomas  Stocks,  who  compose 
the  present  Executive  Committee  of  said  Convention,  and  their  successors  in 
office,  shall  be,  and  they  are  hereby  declared  to  be,  a  body  corporate,  by  the 
name  and  style  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Baptist  Convention  of  the 
State  of  Georgia,  and,  by  the  said  name  and  style,  shall  have  perpetual  succes- 
sion and  power  to  use  a  common  Seal  to  alter  and  amend  the  By-Laws  of  the 
same,  provided  such  By-Laws  be  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  and  Constitution  of 
the  State,  or  of  the  United  States. 

Sec.  2.  Afid  be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That  the 
Executive  Committee  aforesaid,  and  their  successors  in  office,  elected  agreeably 
to  the  Constitution  of  said  Convention,  shall  have  full  power  and  authority,  under 
the  name  and  style  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Baptist  Convention  of  the 
State  of  Georgia,  by  which  name  they  shall  sue  and  be  sued  in  any  court  of 
law  or  equity  in  this  State,  and  to  take,  hold  and  enjoy  any  real  or  personal 
property :  to  sue  for  and  recover  any  sum  or  sums  of  money  now  due,  or  that 
may  hereafter  be  due  to  said  Convention,  at  any  court  of  law  or  equity  in  this 
State,  or  at  any  tribunal  having  jurisdiction  thereof,  and  the  rights  and  privileges  of 
said  Convention  to  defend  in  any  tribunal  whatever  ;  also  to  receive  any  bequests 
or  donations  whatever,  made  to  said  Convention ;  and  they  shall  be  vested  with 
all  powers,  privileges  and  advantages  of  a  society  incorporated ;  any  law,  usage 
or  custom  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

ASBURY  Hull,   Speaker  of  the  Hottse  of  Representatives. 
ThO-AL-^S  Stocks,  President  of  the  Senate. 

Assented  to  December  22d,.i83o. 
George  R.  Gilmer,  Governor. 

AN  act 

To  amend  an  Act  entitled  an  Act  to  Incorporate  the  Baptist  Convention  of 
the  State  of  Georgia. 

Section  i.  Be  it  ejiacted  by  the  Senate  a7id  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
State  of  Georgia,  i7i  General  Asse7nbly  7net,  a7id  it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the 
authority  of  the  sa7ne,  That  if  by  the  Act  entitled  an  Act  to  incorporate  the 
Baptist  Convention  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  said  Convention,  or  their  Executive 
Committee,  are  invested  with  taxing  power,  all  such  power  is  hereby  annulled 
and  made  void. 

Sec.  2.  And  be  it  furthir  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That  the  Exec- 
utive Committee  of  the  Baptist  Convention  of  the  State  of  Georgia  shall  have 
power  to  establish  and  endow  a  collegiate  institution,  to  be  known  by  the  name 
of  the  Mercer  University,  on  the  premises  owned  by  said  Convention,  in 
Greene  county ;  and  said  committee  are  hereby  authorized  to  make  all  neces- 
sary by-laws  and  regulations  for  the  government  of  said  University,  provided 
they  be  not  repugnant  to  the  Constitution  or  laws  of  this  State  or  the  United 
States,  until  a  Board  of  Trustees  shall  be  appointed  by  the  aforesaid  Baptist 
Convention, 


150  MERCER   INSTITUTE. 

Sec.  3.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  Baptist  Convention  of  the  State 
of  Georgia,  may,  at  its  next  meeting,  or  at  any  subsequent  meeting,  elect  a 
Board  of  Trustees  for  the  said  Mercer  University,  consisting  of  not  less  than 
fifteen,  nor  more  than  thirty-one,  in  number,  who  shall,  or  their  successors  in 
office,  be  a  body  politic  and  corporate  by  the  name  of  the  Trustees  of  Mercer 
University,  and  as  such,  they  shall  be  capable  of  and  liable  in  law,  to  sue  and 
be  sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded,  and  shall  be  authorized  to  use  a  common 
seal,  to  hold  all  manner  of  property,  both  real  and  personal,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a  permanent  endowment  of  said  institution,  and  to  raise  funds  for  the 
support  of  the  same,  and  for  the  erection  of  buildings,  or  to  confer  literary 
degrees,  and  to  exercise  such  other  power  not  inconsistent  with  the  laws  of  this 
State  or  of  the  United  States,  as  the  aforesaid  Convention  may  see  fit  to  vest 
in  their  hands. 

Sec.  4.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  aforesaid  Convention  shall  be 
authorized  to  determine  the  manner  in  which  said  Board  of  Trustees  shall  be 
perpetuated,  and  the  character  of  the  individuals  from  whom  they  may  be 
chosen. 

Sec.  5.  And  be  it  ftirther  enacted,  That  upon  the  premises  now  owned  by 
the  Baptist  Convention  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  in  Greene  county,  or  that  may 
Tiereafter  come  into  their  possession,  no  person  shall  by  himself,  servant  or  agent, 
keep,  have,  use  or  maintain  a  gaming  house  or  room  of  any  description,  or  per- 
mit with  his  knowledge  any  house  or  room  occupied  or  owned  by  him,  to  be 
used  by  any  person  whatever  as  a  gaming  place  ;  nor  shall  any  person,  upon 
the  premises  aforesaid  by  himself,  servant  or  agent,  keep,  employ  or  allow, 
with  his  knowledge,  to  be  kept  or  employed  on  the  premises  he  may  occupy, 
any  Faro  Table,  Billiard  Table,  E.  O.  Table,  A,  B.  C.  Table,  or  any  other  table 
of  like  character  ;  nor  shall  any  person,  by  himself,  servant  or  agent,  upon  the 
premises  now  owned  by  the  aforesaid  Convention  in  Greene  county,  or  that 
may,  hereafter  come  into  their  possession,  be  allowed  to  sell  ardent  spirits, 
wine,  cordials,  porter,  or  any  other  intoxicating  drinks  whatever,  nor  permit  the 
same  to  be  done  with  his  or  her  knowledge  or  approbation,  on  the  premises 
which  he  or  she  may  occupy,  provided,  however,  that  the  Trustees  of  the  Mer- 
cer University,  may  have  power  to  authorize  any  individuals  to  sell  ardent 
spirits,  wine,  etc.,  upon  their  premises  for  medical  and  sacramental  purposes. 
Any  person  violating  the  prohibitions  contained  in  this  section,  shall  be  liable  to 
be  indicted  for  a  misdemeanor  before  the  Supreme  Court,  and  on  conviction, 
shall  be  fined  in  a  sum  not  less  than  one  thousand  dollars  for  each  and  every 
offence. 

Sec.  6.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
aforesaid  Convention,  in  executing  titles  for  lots,,  which  they  may  sell  from  time 
time,  shall  have  power  to  insert  such  conditions,  as  may  tend  further  to  defend 
the  premises  aforesaid  from  the  nuisances  specified  in  the  foregoing  section  of 
this  Act.  Joseph  Day,  Speaker  of  the.  House  of  Representatives. 

Robert  M.  Echols,  President  of  the  Senate. 

Assented  to  22d  December,  1837. 
George  R.  Gilmer,  Governor. 

The  Convention  approved  of  the  course  adopted  by  the  Executive  Committee 
in  surrendering  the  charter  of  the  Southern  Baptist  College,  and  in  taking  the 
steps  requisite  for  elevating  Mercer  Institute  to  the  dignity  of  a  college,  with 
the  name  of  Mercer  University.  A  Board  of  Trustees,  consisting  of  the  following 
brethren,  was  elected,  to  whom  was  entrusted  the  management  of  the  college  : 
Jesse  Mercer,  C.  D.  Mallary,  V.  R.  Thornton,  Jonathan  Davis,  John  E.  Dawson, 
Malcolm  Johnston,  W.  D.  Cowdry,  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  J.  H.  Campbell,  S.  G. 
Hillyer,  Absalom  Janes,  R.  Q.  Dickerson,  William  Richards,  Thomas  Stocks,  T. 
G.  Janes,  J.  M.  Porter,  Lemuel  Greene,  James  Davant,  F.  W.  Cheney,  E.  H. 
Macon,  William  Lumpkin,  John  G.  Polhill,  L.  H.  Warren,  Mark  A.  Cooper,  John 
B.  Walker,  I.  T.  Irwin  and  W.  H.  Pope.  And  the  Executive  Committee  was 
instructed  to  petition  the  next  Legislature  to  amend  the  charter,  or  act  of  incor- 
poration of  JVIercer  University,  so  as  to  authorize  the  Convention  to  elect  the 


MERCER   INSTITUTE.  151 

Board  of  Trustees  once  in  three  years,  and  to  require  them  to  make  an  annual 
report  to  the  Convention. 

The  petition  was  made  and  the  desired  Act  of  amendment  was  passed  by 
the  Legislature ;  and,  at  its  session  in  1839,  held  at  Richland,  Twiggs  county, 
the  Convention  elected,  as  a  Board  of  Trustees,  for  three  years,  Jesse  Mercer, 
C.  D.  Mallary,  V.  R.  Thornton,  Jonathan  Davis,  J.  E.Dawson,  W.  D.  Cowdry,  J. 
H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  J.  H.  Campbell,  S.  G.  Hillyer,  Absalom  Janes,  R.  O.  Dickinson, 
Thomas  Stocks,  T.  G.  Janes,  J.  M.  Porter,  L.  Greene,  J.  Davant,  'P'/W.  Cheeney, 
E.  H.  Macon,  W.  Lumpkin,  L.  Warren,  M.  A.  Cooper,  J.  B.  Walker,  W.  H. 
Pope,  B.  M.  Sanders,  A.  Sherwood,  A.  T.  Holmes,  James  Ferryman,  J.  S.  Law, 
W.  B.  Stephens. 

The  report  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  for  the  year  1838,  made  at  the  Convention 
of  1839,  is  appended  as  presenting  an  interesting  statement  of  the  organization 
of  the  college,  and  its  financial  condition  at  the  time  : 

"  At  an  early  period,  after  the  last  session  of  your  body,  the  trustees  elect 
met  at  Penfield,  and,  after  organizing,  proceeded  to  discharge  the  important 
duties  committed  to  their  charge.  The  board  were  not  unmindful  of  the 
responsibilities  of  their  station,  and  of  the  vast  importance  of  a  good  beginning, 
in  an  enterprise  of  such  interest.  They,  therefore,  opened  their  session,  by  im- 
ploring divine  direction,  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  interests  of  the  University. 
It  was  a  deeply  solemn  and  interesting  occasion. 

"  Immediately  after  the  organization  of  the  board,  the  Executive  Committee, 
turned  over  to  us  all  the  funds  belonging  to  the  University  ;  and  the  board,  to 
carry  out  the  views  of  the  Convention,  proceeded  to  the  organization  of  a  faculty, 
at  least  so  far  as  they  thought  expedient  under  the  circumstances.  Rev.  B.  M. 
Sanders  was  elected  President,  which  he  accepted  temporarily,  and  upon  condi- 
tion that  the  office  might  be  vacated  whenever  an  opportunity  presented  of 
filling  it  permanently.  Rev.  A.  Sherwood  was  appointed  professor  of  Ancient 
Literature  and  Moral  Philosophy,  which  he  accepted.  Brother  P.  L.  Janes  was 
elected  prospectively,  professor  of  Mathematics ;  but,  by  an  unexpected  dis- 
pensation of  Providence,  he  was  removed  to  his  final  reward.  We  had  promised 
ourselves  much  from  the  talents  and  attainments  of  brother  Janes ;  but  God, 
who  worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  His  will,  saw  fit  to  take  him  from 
our  midst,  and  to  His  will  it  becomes  us  to  be  resigned.  Brother  S.  P.  Sanford 
and  A.  W.  Ataway,  were  appointed  assistant  professors.  But,  in  consequence 
of  the  imperfect  organization  of  the  faculty,  the  various  duties  were  divided  for 
the  present,  among  all  the  members  of  the  faculty,  so  that  all  are  actually  em- 
ployed. The  collegiate  department  was  more  fully  organized  at  the  beginning 
of  the  present  term,  and  there  are  now,  in  the  Sophomore  class,  seven  young 
gentlemen  prosecuting  their  studies  with  vigor  and  success.  There  is,  also,  a 
Freshman  class,  consisting  of  seven,  to  whom  we  look  with  great  interest.  There 
are  in  all — in  both  departments — about  ninety-five  students  ;  and  we  entertain 
no  doubts  of  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  if  the  friends  will  only  come  up 
liberally  to  the  work. 

"  The  Board  have  had  in  their  employ,  as  agents,  brethren  C.  D.  Mallary  and 
Jonathan  Davis,  at  a  salary  of  $1,000  per  annum.  Brother  Connor  has,  also,  been 
employed  at  $400  per  annum.  Brother  Sherwood  has  also  performed  some 
service  in  this  way. 

"  In  reference  to  the  finances,  the  Board  have  only  to  say  that  they  have  under 
their  control,  in  subscriptions  and  notes  running  to  maturity,  notes  on  demand 
and  cash,  about  $100,000;  of  this  amount  there  is  about  $50,000  on  interest, 
invested  in  good  stock. 

"  The  board  have  adhered  rigidly  to  the  settled  policy  of  the  Convention,  in 
avoiding  all  responsibilities  for  the  meeting  of  which  they  have  not  the  means 
in  hand.  And  they  have  the  satisfaction  to  state  that  the  University  is  entirely 
free  from  debt ;  so  that,  if  we  have  moved  slowly,  we  have  gone  surely.  We 
feel  that  it  is  also  due  to  say  that  all  the  donations  have  been  appropriated  as 
directed  by  the  donors.  Your  board  felt  that  it  was  important,  inasmuch  as  the 
great  design  of  the  institution  was  the  promotion  of  God's  glory,  at  a  suitable 
time  to  dedicate  the  University  to  Him  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  our  past 


152  MERCER   INSTITUTE. 

prosperity,  and  on  whom  we  depend  for  all  future  success.  They  consequently 
appointed  a  meeting  early  in  February  last,  which  continued  several  days,  for 
this  purpose.  Many  of  the  brethren  attended,  several  sermons  were  preached, 
and  all  the  religious  services  had  reference  to  the  prosperity  of  the  University, 
It  was  a  deeply  solemn  season.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  seemed  to  be  poured 
out,  and  many  prayers  were  offered  up  to  God  in  its  behalf,  which  we  hope  will 
be  answered  in  time  to  come. 

"Your  board  feel  justified  in  saying  that  with  patience,  diligence  and  pru- 
dence the  institution  will  not  only  meet  the  expectation  of  its  friends,  but  prove 
a  lasting  blessing  to  the  world."  Jesse  MerCER,  Chairman. 

John  E.  Dawson,  Secretary. 

This  board  held  its  first  meeting  at  Penfield  in  July,  1838,  and  then  assumed 
the  management  of  the  institution  ;  and  this  date  may,  therefore,  be  regarded  as 
the  official  beginning  of  Mercer  University.  The  college  classes  were  not 
organized,  however,  until  January,  1839,  since,  at  that  time,  the  collegiate  year 
corresponded  with  the  civil  year  in  most  American  colleges.  The  members  of 
this  Board  of  Trustees,  all  of  whom  were  re-elected  for  three  years,  were  fair 
representatives  of  the  denomination  in  Georgia  in  piety,  wealth,  intelligence  and 
in  social  and  political  influence.  They  gave  the  University  its  shape  and 
character,  and  to  their  wise  counsels,  in  its  formative  period,  is  due  much  of  its 
past  success.  Thomas  Stocks,  a  layman  of  Greene  county,  who  labored  in 
building  up  the  Institute,  was  the  first  president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and 
was  re-elected  for  about  twenty-five  years,  until  failing  health  unfitted  him  for 
the  duties  of  the  office.  He  also  presided  over  the  Senate  of  Georgia  for  eight 
years,  and  was,  nine  years  in  succession,  president  of  the  Georgia  Baptist 
Convention. 

Thus  we  have  seen  that  Mercer  Institute  was  proposed  in  1831,  and  set  in 
operation  January,  1833.  It  had  no  endowment,  but  was  sustained  by  tuition 
and  voluntary  contributions.  Fellenburg  had  conducted  a  manual  labor  school 
successfully  in  Europe,  and  the  system  found  many  admirers  and  imitators  in 
America,  and  when  Mercer  Institute  was  established,  the  manual  labor  system 
was  incorporated  as  a  part  of  it,  and  was  conducted  for  some  years  without  loss  ; 
but,  when  the  Institute  was  elevated,  the  system  became  unpopular,  onerous  and 
expensive.  The  Board  of  Trustees  accordingly  submitted  the  question  of  its 
suspension  to  the  contributors  of  the  University  fund,  as  far  as  they  could ;  and, 
with  the  concurrence  of  the  contributors,  as  far  as  could  be  ascertained,  manual 
labor  was  suspended  indefinitely  in  December,  1844. 

The  Institute,  as  such,  really  existed  six  years,  as  the  college  classes  were  not 
organized  until  January,  1839.  During  those  six  years,  and  during  1839,  the 
first  year  of  its  collegiate  existence.  Rev,  B.  M.  Sanders  presided  over  the  institu- 
tion with  great  ability,  and  made  it  the  success  it  was,  with  the  aid  of  his  advisers 
and  co-adjutors.  Appropriately,  here,  may  be  given  extracts  from  his  valedictory 
address,  delivered  before  the  trustees,  faculty,  students  and  friends  of  the 
University  December  12th,  1839,  when  he  resigned  the  presidency  of  the  institu- 
tion, and  retired  from  active  official  labor.  These  extracts  present  a  concise 
history  of  the  institution  from  its  inception,  and  a  vivid  statement  of  the  princi- 
ples on  which  it  was  conducted  : 

VALEDICTORY  ADDRESS,  BY  B.  M.  SANDERS. 

"  In  retiring  from  the  charge  of  this  institution,  to  which  I  was  called  in  the 
commencement  of  its  operations,  and  over  which  I  have  presided,  through  its 
various  gradations,  now  seven  years,  I  am  constrained  to  contemplate  with  grat- 
itude the  indications  it  has  experienced  of  the  favor  of  both  God  and  man.  Its 
founders,  being  deeply  impressed  with  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the 
connection  of  manual  labor  with  literary  instruction,  and  especially  by  candi- 
dates for  the  gospel  ministry,  and  the  system  not  having  been  fully  tested  in  the 
Southern  St.ates,  and  not  very  successfully  in  the  Northern,  determined  on 
making  the  experiment,  and  solicited  the  aid  of  my  services  in  carrying  it  into 
effect.  Although  the  system  was  opposed  in  the  beginning  by  numberless'pre- 
dictions  that  it  could  not  be  sustained,  it  has  not  only  been  well  sustained  for 


MERCER   INSTITUTE.  I  53 

seven  years,  but  the  institution,  from  a  feeble  grammar  school,  has  been  elevated, 
by  the  divine  blessing  upon  the  exertions  of  its  friends,  to  a  state  of  high  respec- 
tabiUty.  Notwithstanding  the  objections  some  feel  to  labor,  it  has  this  year 
numbered  its  hundred  students,  and  applications  for  the  next  are  already  swell- 
ing to  such  an  amount  as  to  excite  well-grounded  apprehension  that  all  the  ac- 
commodations that  can  be  provided  will  not  be  sufficient  to  supply  the  demand. 
These  indications  of  public  favor  cannot  but  gratify  the  friends  of  the  institu- 
tion, while  they  afford  satisfactory  evidence  that  it  will  only  require  suitable 
arrangements  with  a  moderate  share  of  industry  and  perseverance  on  the  part 
of  the  officers,  to  ensure  the  success  of  the  system,  and  to  secure  to  the  institu- 
tion its  undoubted  advantages. 

"  The  origin,  the  design  and  the  progress  of  our  institution  to  its  present  state, 
may  be  proper  subjects  of  reflection  on  this  occasion.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Bap- 
tist Convention  of  this  State  in  1829,  it  was  reported  that  a  brother,  Josiah  Pen- 
field,  of  Savannah,  hi^ving  died,  had  left  a  bequest  of  $2,500  to  aid  in  the  educa- 
tion of  poor  young  men  preparing  for  the  ministry,  and  to  be  under  the  direction 
of  that  body  upon  the  condition  of  their  raising  an  equivalent  sum  for  the  same 
object,  the  interest  only  of  which  should  be  used.  The  equivalent  was  at  once 
subscribed  by  the  brethren  and  friends  present,  although  it  was  not  until  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1833  that  the  legacy  was  paid  over  to  the  Convention,  and 
the  equivalent  made  collectable. 

"  In  prospect,  however,  of  realizing  this  amount  in  a  short  time,  and  already 
in  the  possession  of  small  sums  received  from  Associations  and  benevolent  so- 
cieties for  the  same  object,  it  was  thought  expedient  by  the  Convention,  in  1831, 
to  establish  a  school,  theological  and  literary,  connected  with  manual  labor,  at 
as  early  a  period  as  practicable,  in  some  convenient  and  central  part  of  the 
State.  To  effect  this  without  delay,  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Convention, 
whose  province  it  is  to  transact  all  its  business  during  its  recess,  was  directed  to 
procure  subscriptions,  to  examine  locations,  to  receive  propositions  and  to  report 
to  their  next  annual  meeting. 

'At  the  meeting  of  the  Convention  in  1832,  a  subscription  of  $1,500  was 
reported,  and  the  respective  advantages  of  a  variety  of  locations  that  had  been 
examined.  The  one  we  now  occupy  was  selected,  the  purchase  ordered  to  be 
made,  and  the  school  to  be  gotten  into  operation,  if  practicable,  by  the  beginning 
of  a  new  year.  The  committees,  with  whom  it  wds  a  maxim  '  not  to  go  in  debt,' 
speedily  made  the  best  arrangements  the  means  in  hand  would  admit.  These 
arrangements  consisted  of  two  double-cabins,  with  a  garret  to  each,  for  dwell- 
ing, for  dining  and  for  study,  for  both  teachers  and  students.  With  these 
limited  accommodations  and  with  one  assistant.  I  opened  the  institution  in  Jan- 
uary, 1833,  with  thirty-nine  students,  having  thirty-six  of  them  to  board  in  my 
own  family.     Among  those  were  seven  young  men  preparing  for  the  ministry. 

"  I  shall  ever  remember  with  lively  emotions  of  pleasure  the  patience  and 
cheerfulness  with  which  the  students  of  this  year  sustained  the  privations  and 
trials  to  which  they  were  subjected  by  their  cramped  circumstances.  They  may 
be  truly  said  to  have  borne  hardness  like  good  soldiers.  While  living  as  in 
a  camp  in  their  midst,  and  burdened  with  the  charge  and  responsibility  of  the 
literary,  theological,  laboring  and  boarding  departments,  I  found  no  little  sup- 
port in  all  my  cares  and  labors  from  witnessing  that,  while  they  lived  upon  the 
cheapest  fare,  had  no  place  for  study  but  the  common  school-room,  no  place  to 
retire  to  for  rest  but  a  garret  without  fire  in  the  coldest  weather,  and  labored 
diligently  three  hours  every  day,  no  complaint  was  heard,  but  that  the  most  en- 
tire cheerfulness  ran  through  all  their  words  and  actions. 

"  In  a  word,  those  favorable  indications  of  the  success  of  the  enterprise  soon 
began  to  inspire  its  friends  with  confidence,  and  to  animate  their  efforts  for  the 
extension  of  its  advantages.  An  amount  was  soon  raised  to  erect  another  large 
wooden  building  with  eight  comfortable  rooms  for  dormitories,  and  a  brick  base- 
ment for  chapel  and  school-rooms. 

"  The  second  year's  operations  were  commenced  with  increased  accommoda- 
tions,, with  an  additional  teacher  and  eighty  students,  seventy  of  whom  boarded 
in  commons,     During  the  second  and  third  years,  the  building  of  a  larger  and 


154  MERCER  INSTITUTE. 

more  comfortable  dwelling,  a  commodious  dining-room  and  two  society  halls, 
abundantly  increased  both  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  the  institution. 

"  Thus  did  its  interests  advance,  from  year  to  year,  by  the  multiplication  of  its 
friends,  and  the  increase  of  their  bounty,  under  the  superintendence  of  a  com- 
mittee whose  watch-word  was,  'Owe  no  man  anything,'  until  1837,  the  fifth 
year  of  its  operations.  During  this  year  two  circumstances  occurred  to  give  a 
strong  impulse  to  the  advancement  of  its  prosperity.  Just  at  this  period  a 
project  that  had  been  gotten  up  for  a  Baptist  college  to  be  located  at  Washing- 
ton, Wilkes  county,  was  relinquished,  after  nearly  one  hundred  thousand  dollars 
had  been  subscribed  for  its  accomplishment.  This  event  was  promptly  improved 
by  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Baptist  Convention,  charged  with  the  interests 
of  this  institution,  and  a  resolution  was  at  once  passed  by  them  to  elevate  it  by 
the  addition  of  a  collegiate  department.  An  agent  was  appointed  to  obtain,  if 
possible,  a  transfer  to  it  of  the  sums  that  had  been  subscribed  to  the  contemplated 
college  at  Washington.  In  the  execution  of  this  labor,  he  was  peculiarly 
successful,  and  to  the  Convention  of  1838,  he  made  a  report  of  the  transfer  of 
between  fifty  and  sixty  thousand  dollars. 

"  During  this  year,  also,  a  town  was  laid  out  around  the  institution,  and  named 
after  the  donor  of  the  first  contribution,  which  had  laid  the  foundation  for  its 
existence.  Several  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  lots  were  at  once  sold,  with  a 
condition  prohibiting  the  admission  on  them  of  gambling-houses  or  tippling- 
shops,  on  pain  of  forfeiture  of  title.  The  number  of  lots  sold,  as  well  as  the 
prices,  were  abundantly  increased  by  a  judicious  arrangement  of  the  committee 
appropriating  $3,000  of  the  avails  to  build  a  female  academy  in  the  town. 

"  Arrangements  were  now  also  made  to  have  the  male  institution  transferred 
to  a  separate  board  of  trustees,  to  be  appointed  by  the  Convention  once  in  three 
years,  and  required  to  make  annual  reports  of  the  state  of  the  institution.  By 
the  Convention  of  1838,  that  board  was  appointed,  and  shortly  after  met  and 
organized,  and  made  the  necessary  arrangements  for  the  commencement  of  the 
operations  of  the  institution  in  its  elevated  character,  under  the  title  of  the  Mer- 
cer University,  in  the  beginning  of  the  present  year.  That  board  I  now  have 
the  pleasure  to  address.  It  is  well  known  to  many  of  you,  my  brethren,  with 
what  doubtful  apprehensions  of  duty,  and  with  what  consequent  reluctance,  I 
gave  up  the  more  general  and  active  labors  of  the  ministry,  to  take  upon  me  the 
charge  of  this  institution  in  its  infancy.  Yielding,  however,  to  the  strong 
impressions  of  my  brethren  that,  as  its  more  immediate  and  especial  design  was 
for  the  improvement  of  the  ministry,  it  would  afford  one  of  the  best  opportuni- 
ties of  promoting  ministerial  usefulness  ;  and  encouraged,  moreover,  by  my  own 
convictions  of  the  importance  of  early  attention  to  the  religious  sentiments  and 
ideas  of  duty  to  be  entertained  by  young  men  entering  into  the  labors  pf  the 
ministry,  I  eventually  consented  to  take  the  charge  of  it  until  a  suitable  oppor- 
tunity might  be  presented  of  having  the  office  supplied  by  another. 

"  After  laboring  six  years  in  the  complicated,  oppressive  and  responsible  duties 
of  principal  of  all  the  departments  of  the  institution,  and  after  it  had,  in  the 
dispensation  of  Divine  Providence,  been  so  promoted  as  to  justify  the  division  of 
its  several  departments,  and  the  appointment  of  a  separate  officer  to  the  charge 
of  each,  I  supposed  the  occasion  had  occurred  that  would  justify  my  retirement. 
I  consequently  availed  myself  of  it,  and  obtained  your  acceptance  of  my  resigna- 
tion. But,  being  unable  to  procure  the  services  of  the  officer  of  your  choice  to 
preside  over  the  literary  department,  I  was  again  induced  to  consent  to  your 
wishes  in  assuming  that  charge  till  the  office  could  be  otherwise  satisfactorily 
filled. 

"The  desired  arrangements  have  now  been  made.  You  have  been  able,  in  all 
departments,  to  obtain  the  services  of  officers  of  proven  abilities  to  fill  their 
respective  appointments,  and  I  now,  with  pleasure,  again  resign  my  charge  into 
your  hands.  In  retiring  from  your  service  as  an  officer  of  the  institution,  permit 
me  to  assure  you  that  the  testimonies,  which  I  have  received  from  time  to  time, 
of  the  satisfaction  which  my  services  have  given,  have  constituted  no  small  share 
of  the  reward  of  my  labors. 

"Perniit  me  here  to  reqount  some  of  the  principles  upon  which  your  institution 


MERCER   INSTITUTE.  I  55 

was  first  organized,  and  on  which  it  has  since  been  conducted  by  its  founders  ; 
principles  which  have  no  doubt  contributed  eminently  to  its  past  success,  and  in 
favor  of  which  evident  indications  of  divine  approbation  have  been  manifested. 
In  the  first  place,  it  was  a  principle  with  them  to  deliberate  maturely  on  every 
subject  of  investigation,  and  to  examine  well  the  ground  about  to  be  occupied 
before  they  took  their  position.  So  far  from  being  hasty  in  their  conclusions  or 
rash  and  precipitate  in  their  acts,  they  took  care  to  satisfy  themselves  fully  with 
regard  to  the  merits  of  every  subject,  that  presented  its  claims  to  their  attention, 
before  they  put  forth  their  labors  in  its  behalf. 

"Although  since  the  origin  of  this  institution,  there  have  been  but  few  among 
us  entering  the  ministry,  yet  it  has,  no  doubt,  been  the  means  of  abundantly 
enlarging  the  sphere  of  usefulness  of  a  portion  of  that  few,  not  only  from  our 
own  State,  but  also  from  neighboring  States.  It  has  aided  about  twenty  young 
brethren  in  their  preparation  for  their  labors,  and  fifteen  of  them  gratuitously. 
Several  of  these  are  now  engaged  acceptably  and  successfully  in  the  field  of 
labor.  Their  efforts  have  already  been  abundantly  blessed,  in  promoting  revi- 
vals of  religion  in  the  different  sections  of  country  to  which  they  have  been 
called,  as  well  as  in  advancing  the  benign  objects  of  Christian  benevolence. 

"Your  institution  has  also  been  built  upon  the  faith  of  that  divine  principle 
of  truth,  'that  except  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they  labor  in  vain  that  build  it." 
Its  founders  have  not  stopped  in  making  sure  of  a  good  object  and  then  labor- 
ing diligently  for  its  accomplishment.  In  all  their  efforts  they  have  acknowl- 
edged God,  and  sought  his  blessing  in  earnest  prayer.  How  often  and  how 
fervently  have  they,  in  the  language  of  the  pious  Psalmist,  prayed,  'Establish 
thou  the  work  of  our  hands  upon  us,  yea,  the  work  of  our  hands  establish  thou 
it.'  And  the  Lord  hath  graciously  heard  their  prayers,  and  wonderfully 
granted  their  desires,  and  exalted  their  institution  to  an  elevation  of  character 
and  usefulness,  transcending  in  so  short  a  time,  the  most  sanguine  anticipations 
of  its  warmest  friends.  In  retrospecting  its  his::ory  we  are  called  upon  to  recog- 
nize the  hand  of  God,  not  only  in  building  up  the  interests  of  the  institution, 
and  giving  it  favor  in  the  eye  of  the  people,  but  more  particularly  in  the  fre- 
quent revivals  of  religion,  with  which  he  has  been  pleased  to  visit  it ;  and 
these  mostly  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  young  brethren  here  preparing 
for  future  labors  in  the  ministry. 

"It  is  a  heart-cheering  subject  of  contemplation  that,  but  one  year  out  of  seven 
has  passed  away  without  more  or  less  religious  revival  among  the  students ; 
and  that  nearly  one  hundred  of  them  have,  here,  hopefully  been  translated 
from  the  kingdom  of  darkness  to  that  of  light ;  some  of  whom  are  already 
actively  engaged  in  the  labors  of  the  ministry.  Who  can  tell  the  influence  these 
may  have  on  the  destinies  of  the  world,  through  the  instrumentality  of  their 
labors  and  their  prayers .'' 

"Another  principle,  early  laid  down,  and  firmly  adhered  to  by  the 
founders  of  your  institution,  was,  'to  keep  out  of  debt.'  The  Convention  of 
1832  passed  a  resolution,  'that  no  debt,  shall  be  contracted  by  the  committee 
or  trustees  on  the  credit  of  the  institution,  without  funds  in  hand  to  pay,  other- 
wise, in  every  such  case,  it  shall  be  on  their  own  individual  responsibility.' 
The  wisdom  of  this  policy  cannot  be  too  highly  appreciated. 

"Mt.  Enon  in  our  own  State,  and  the  Columbian  College  in  Washington  City, 
were  beacons  of  warning  for  our  denomination  ;  and  well  have  they  improved 
the  melancholy  lessons  of  instruction,  that  had  here  been  taught  them.  Instead 
of  embarrassment,  and  perplexity  and  loan,  and  abatement  of  funds  by  usury, 
you  have  now  before  you  the  free  and  unfettered  use  of  all  the  property  and 
funds  of  your  institution. 

"My  brethren  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Mercer  University,  permit  me 
in  taking  my  leave  of  you  on  the  present  occasion,  pressingly  to  recommend  to 
your  consideration,  the  wisdom  of  the  policy  and  the  sacredness  of  the  obliga- 
tion of  the  holy  injunction  of  the  apostle  'Owe  no  man  anything:  Let  me 
entreat  you,  never  to  forget  the  happy  results  of  the  example  of  your  worthy 
predecessors,  in  their  rigid  adherence  to  it.  It  is  a  principle  commended  by  the 
counsel  of  Heaven,  and  well  reported  of  by  all  who  have  experimented  on  it, 


156  MERCER   INSTITUTE. 

'  You  will  no  doubt  be  told  that  your  library  and  apparatus  are  not  complete, 
that  your  college  buildings  need  enlarging  and  improving,  and  that  you  lack 
separate  professors  of  several  important  branches  of  science.  All  these  things 
are  readily  to  be  admitted,  and  should  stimulate  the  friends  of  mental  and  moral 
improvement  to  bring  in  their  offerings  to  aid  in  the  accomplishment  of  those 
objects  ;  but  none  of  these,  nor  all  combined,  can  be  a  justification  for  running 
into  that  error  which  has  embarrassed  the  operations  of  so  many  other  institu- 
tions of  our  own  day  ;  and  that  has  been  the  ruin  of   so  many  in  days  gone  by. 

"Another  important  principle  with  the  founders  of  your  institution,  was, 
"10  go  more  fo?- substance  than  for  show,  and  more  for  setise  than  sound!  In 
digesting  systems,  in  erecting  buildings,  in  arranging  studies,  in  selecting  teach- 
ers, in  a  word,  in  every  operation  of  the  institution,  this  principle  has  had  its 
influence.  It  was  the  high  consideration  in  which  this  principle  was  held,  that 
recommended  so  strongly  to  them  the  manual  labor  system  of  education.  They 
could  readily  see  that  if  thoroughly  carried  out,  it  was  well  calculated  to  make 
effective  practical  men  ;  men,  not  only  able  to  understand,  but  also  able  to  per- 
form whatever  service  might  be  necessary  to  promote  the  interest  of  their  coun- 
try or  their  own  prosperity.  It  is  on  this  principle,  that  the  instructions  of  the 
teachers  have  been  addressed  to  the  understandmg  of  the  pupils,  and  not  mere- 
ly to  the  memory,  and  that  public  examinations  have  been  required  to  be  thor- 
ough and  undeceptive  ;  and  on  this  principle  it  is  that  more  attention  has  been 
paid  to  the  solid  branches  of  mental  and  moral  improvement  than  to  any  of  the 
forms  of  fashionable  etiquette. 

"  The  result  has  proved  that  honesty  is  the  best  policy ;  that,  however  the 
world  may  labor  to  deceive,  it  is  not  willing  to  be  deceived  ;  and  -that  its  imita- 
tors in  hollow  show  are  not  the  objects  of  its  confidence  and  respect.  While 
on  this  subject,  I  would  remark  that  if  I  have  understood  the  views  of  this 
board,  they  are  in  entire  harmony  with  this  principle ;  that  they  consider  it  a 
matter  of  more  importance  to  have  good  instructors  than  fine  buildings ;  that 
the  elevation  of  the  character  and  usefulness  of  a  college  depends  more  upon 
the  talent  and  learning  and  moral  principle  of  its  faculty  than  on  the  number 
and  splendor  of  its  edifices.  That  you  may  be  enabled  to  improve  upon  the  best 
examples  of  your  predecessors  in  honor  of  this  benign  principle,  permit  me  to 
suggest  for  your  consideration  the  propriety  of  giving  the  study  of  the  Bible  a 
more  conspicuous  place  in  this  institution  than  it  has  ever  heretofore  had.  It  is 
true  that  it  is  read  every  morning  and  evening,  and  a  portion  of  every  Sabbath 
is  devoted  to  Bible-class  exercises  ;  but,  as  it  is  the  only  divinely-inspired  book 
we  have,  and  must  embrace  that  course  of  instruction  that  will  eventually  be 
found  most  essential  to  the  interest  and  happiness  of  man,  is  it  reasonable  that  in 
an  institution,  designed  by  a  religious  people  for  the  instruction  of  youth,  so  much 
respect  should  be  paid  to  the  authorities  of  men,  and  so  little  to  that  of  God  ? 
What  will  human  science  avail  without  morality  ?  and  where  can  we  find  a  sys- 
tem of  morals  to  be  compared  with  that  taught  us  in  the  Bible .''  How  sublime 
its  doctrines  !  how  pure  its  precepts  !  how  solemn  and  imposing  their  sanctions  ! 
They  take  hold  not  only  of  the  external  conduct,  but  control  the  secret  workings 
of  the  heart.     But  with  you,  my  brethren,  the  Bible  needs  no  eulogium." 

The  University  entered  upon  its  career  with  a  liberal  endowment  for  the 
times.  Four  agents,  Posey,  Connor,  Davis  and  Mallary,  were  employed  in 
obtaining  the  subscriptions,  the  last  of  whom  was  engaged  in  the  work  three 
years,  1837,  1838,  1839.  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer  was,  by  far,  the  largest  contributor  ; 
for,  during  his  life  and  by  will,  he  donated  to  the  institution  about  $40,000. 
Among  those  who  contributed  amounts  varying  from  $1,000  to  $5,000,  were 
CuUen  Battle,  R  .  Q.  Dickinson,  W.  H.  Pope,  James  Boykin,  T.  G.  Janes,  Ab- 
salom Janes,  W.  Peek,  Solomon  Graves  and  John  B.  Walker.  Subscriptions 
came  from  seventy  counties,  and  a  few  from  adjacent  States,  all  amounting,  in 
1840,  to  $120,000.' 

While  seeking  to  build  up  its  own  educational  institutions,  the  Georgia  Baptist 
Convention  manifested  a  lively  interest  in  the  success  and  prosperity  of  Furman 
Theological  Institution,  in  South  Carolina ;  by  resolution  promised  such  aid  as 
was  in  our  power  to  bestow,  and  invited  the  agents  of  that  institution  to  visit 
the  State  and  obtain  subscriptions. 


MERCER   INSTITUTE.  I  57 

And,  while  manifesting  so  much  zeal  in  the  education  of  the  whites,  the  Con- 
vention, also,  exhibited  a  strong  interest  in  the  religious  instruction  of  the 
colored  people.     In  1835  the  following  was  adopted  by  the  body  : 

"  Resolved,  That  we  recommend  to  all  our  brethren  a  due  consideration  of 
the  best  method  of  affording  religious  instruction  to  the  black  population  among 
us  ;  and  that  such  facilities  be  afforded  for  this  instruction  as  in  their  best  judg- 
ment may  be  deemed  most  expedient." 

At  its  session  in  1839,  the  Co;fivention  went  further,  and  "  Resolved.,  That  the 
Executive  Committee  be  instructed  to  make  inquiry  respecting  the  practicability 
of  affording  oral  religious  instruction  to  the  colored  people  in  ou'"  State,  and  to 
make  such  arrangements  as  their  means  and  information  will  permit." 

We  have  thus  glanced  at  the  steps  taken  by  the  friends  of  education  in  our 
denomination  within  the  State,  during  the  fourth  decade  of  the  century,  and  the 
second  of  the  Convention's  existence.  We  must  now  consider  the  opposition,  bitter 
and  persistent,  which  was  exhibited  towards  benevolent  institutions,  and  which 
led  to  the  sad  rupture  in  our  denomination  in  Georgia,  in  the  year  1837. 


XIV. 
ANTI-EFFORT  SECESSION. 

1817-1837- 


XIV. 

ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  OPPOSITION— ITS  CAUSES— FIRST  MANIFESTATION  IN  THE 
HEPHZIBAH— THE  MISSION  SPIRIT  IN  THAT  ASSOCIATION  IN  1817,  1818— 
CHARLES  J.  JENKINS— SKETCH  OF  HIS  LIFE— THE  ASSOCIATION  GIVES 
THE  COLD  SHOULDER  TO  MISSIONS  AND  EDUCATION— JORDAN  SMITH 
LEADS  OFF  A  FACTION  IN  1828  —WHICH  FORMS  THE  CANOOCHEE  ASSOCIA- 
TION—RESOLUTION OF  THE  PIEDMONT  ASSOCIATION  IN  1819— ISHAM 
PE4COCK— THE  EBENEZER  ASSOCIATION,  SESSION  OF  1816— ENTERS  UPON 
INDIAN  REFORM  MISSION  IN  1820— ABANDONS  IT  IN  1823— IN  1836  DE- 
CIDES IN  FAVOR  OF  MISSIONS,  ETC.— A  DIVISION  OCCURS— ITS  CIRCULAR 
LETTER  OF  1 836— THE  ANTI-MISSION  SPIRIT  IN  THE  OCMULGEE— IT  DE-  ■ 
CLARES  NON-FELLOWSHIP  WITH  THOSE  FAVORING  BENEVOLENT  SCHEMES 
— TROUBLES  BEGIN — FORMATION  OF  THE  CENTRAL  ASSOCIATION— THE 
SAREPTA  JOINS  THE  CONVENTION— A  DIVISION  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION 
ENSUES— "  PROTEST  "  AND  "ANSWER" — THE  ITCHECONNAH  DIVIDES— 
THE  YELLOW  RIVER  FOLLOWS  SUIT — THE  FLINT  RIVER  KEEPS  THE  BALL 
ROLLING — WHILE  THE  COLUMBUS  AND  WESTERN  FEEL  THE  DOLEFUL 
EFFECTS  OF  THE  ANTI-MISSION  SPIRIT— DIVISION  IS  CONSUMMATED— THE 
GENERAL  FEELING  OF  THE  TIMES,  1833-1837,  ILLUSTRATED  BY  INCIDENTS. 

A  general  view  of  the  denomination  at  the  time  which  we  are  considering, 
from  1820  to  1830,  would  not  be  complete  without  a  more  special  reference  to 
that  spirit  of  opposition  to  missions  and  education  which  finally,  in  1837,  resulted 
in  a  division  of  the  denomination  in  Georgia. 

At  this  day,  it  is  hardly  possible  for  us  to  appreciate  the  bitterness  of  feeling, 
and  rancor  of  speech  which  prevailed,  for  years,  among  many  of  the  churches, 
and  in  most  of  the  early  Associations.  There  is  no  doubt  that  ignorance  and 
prejudice  were  the  true  causes  of  these  denominational  troubles  ;  and,  at  this 
lime  to  say  so  can  justly  wound  no  one's  feelings,  since  allthe  active  participants 
have  ceased  their  earthly  labors  and  gone  to  their  long  home.  A  very  few  only 
can  remember  the  later  stages  of  the  dissension. 

While  there  was  considerable  opposition  to  missions,  and  an  opposition  which 
gradually  augmented,  there  seems  to  have  been  a  more  bitter  opposition  to 
education,  and  to  the  establishment  of  Baptist  colleges.  The  real  ground  of  this 
opposition  to  benevolent  enterprises,  as  they  were  designated,  was  a  conviction 
that  they  were  mere  human  inventions  and  schemes,  and  contrary  to  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  instructions  enunciated  in  the  New  Testament  for  the  spread  of 
the  gospel.  With  some,  influences  of  a  much  lower  nature  had  potency,  how- 
ever. Against  missions  it  was  argued  that  preachers  would  fail  to  obtain  a 
support,  if  mission  collections  were  pressed.  John  Blackstone  used  to  say  that 
once  he  could  go  out  on  a  preaching  tour  among  the  churches,  and  collect  for 
his  services  from  fifty  to  sixtj  dollars  ;  but  that,  since  missions  had  grown  into 
favor  he  could  get  nothing. 

Against  education  it  was,  argued  that  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  inspiration,  instructed 
the  preacher  at  the  moment  of  delivery,  and  that,  hence,  education  was  unneces- 
sary, if  not  indeed  a  violation  of  divine  injunction.  Others  said,  "These  larn'd 
preachers  will  git  all  the  pay,  and  we  must  work  or  starve  !"  j-*  ■  u. 

(II) 


l62  ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION. 

The  long-continued  opposition  to  the  General  Association  was  not  genuine 
merely,  but  even  violent,  and  excites  surprise.  In  the  Ocmulgee  Association 
several  churches  agitated  the  question  of  withdrawal  iox  years,  and,  in  1830, 
a  majority  carried  the  measure.  It  was  urged  that  the  Convention  would  succeed 
best  through  the  co-operation  of  mere  auxiliary  mission  societies,  and  would,  thus, 
be  enabled  to  obtain  more  money.  Even  James  Henderson,  a  violent  opponent, 
promised  his  assistance  to  the  Convention  if  the  Association  would  withdraw 
and  let  the  Convention  be  carried  on  through  the  co-operation  of  mission  socie- 
ties. But,  while  this  opposition  on  the  part  of  many  arose  mostly  from  a 
disinclination  to  co-operate  in  missionary,  educational  and  other  benevolent 
enterprises,  yet,  in  a  great  measure,  it  was  due  to  a  sturdy  spirit  of  independence, 
inherent  in  Baptists,  which  feared  the  formation  of  a  body  that  might  seek  to 
exercise  legislative  or  judicial  prerogatives  unwarranted  by  Scripture,  and  incom- 
patible with  the  genius  of  Baptist  churches. 

It  should  be  recollected  that  the  General  Committee  of  1804,  sought  to 
promote  union  among  all  denominations ;  then  followed  the  attempt  to  procure 
the  adoption  of  a  common  confession  of  faith  by  the  Associations  ;  and  this 
was  succeeded  by  an  endeavor  to  establish  uniformity  in  church  discipline.  The 
sturdy  independence  of  spirit  which  seems  ever  to  have  characterized  the 
Georgia  Baptists,  rendered  all  these  attempts  futile ;  and  we  now  clearly  per- 
ceive their  impracticability.  ' 

But,  perhaps,  one  of  the  most  potent  causes  of  opposition  to  missions  and 
education,  and,  therefore,  one  of  the  most  effective  causes  which  led  to  the  dis- 
ruption of  the  denomination,  was  the  influence  of  such  anti-mission  papers  as 
"The  Signs  of  the  Times,"  and  the  "Primitive  Baptist,"  published  in  other 
States.  In  fact  it  is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that  it  was  the  violent  state  of  feel- 
ing wrought  immediately  by  these  papers  in  1835  and  1836,  which  resulted  in  the 
anti-missionaries  disfellowshipping  the  churches  and  Associations  which  en- 
gaged in  the  benevolent  schemes  of  the  day,  in  the  years  1836  and  1837.  This 
effected  a  rupture.  In  fact,  this  was  itself  disruption  ;  although  the  missionary 
churches  and  Associations  never  declared  non-fellowship  with  the  anti-mission- 
aries. 

We  will  now  devote  a  chapter  to  those  "anti-effort"  proceedings,  and  to  that 
anti-mission  spirit  and  excitement,  which  with  such  a  bold  front,  resisted  the 
endeavors  of  the  Convention  men  to  promote  missions,  education  and  temper- 
ance, and  which,  finally,  resulted  in  that  division  in  our  denomination,  which 
took  place  in  1837.  It  will  be  seen  that  these  sentiments,  though  gradual  in 
their  manifestation,  made  very  rapid  progress. 

Among  the  first  acts  on  record,  which  may  be  considered  hostile  to  benevo- 
lent institutions,  is  that  of  the  Hephzibah  Association  in  18 17,  when  the  Circular 
Letter  for  the  year,  written  by  Charles  J.  Jenkins,  appointed  at  the  preceding  ses- 
sion, was  rejected  because  of  its  strong  missionary  sentiments.  This  action 
was  taken  by  an  Association  which,  in  181 5,  had  appointed  a  missionary  meet- 
ing at  Bark  Camp,  to  be  held  in  February,  1816,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing 
a  missionary  society  ;  and  which,  in  18 16,  returned  the  following  answer  to  the 
letter  sent  by  the  society  formed,  soliciting  the  approbation  and  advice  of  the 
Association  ;  "We  received  your  friendly  communication,  soliciting  our  advice 
and  concurrence,  in  what  we  think  to  be  your  laudable  designs.  All  we  can 
say,  at  present,  is,  dear  brethren,  go  on  in  the  prosecution  of  your  designs — in 
that  way  you  think  may  be  most  conducive  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  pros- 
perity of  Zion  ;  and  may  the  God  of  Israel  grant  you  success  in  the  same,  is  our 
hearty  prayer,"  etc. 

At  the  same  session  in  which  it  rejected  a  missionary  Circular  Letter,  written 
by  Charles  J.  Jenkins,  that  gentleman,  who  was  clerk  of  the  body,  was  appointed 
•corresponding  secretary,  to  communicate  with  the  Baptist  Board  of  Foreighn 
Missions,  at  Philadelphia,  with  witch  the  Association  resolved  to  correspond; 
but  the  body  decided  in  the  negative,  when  a  vote  was  taken  whether  or  not  the 
Association  should  contribute  to  the  funds  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 
All  those  who  were  friendly  to  Foreign  Missions  were  recommended,  however, 
to  meet,  the  following  January,  at  the  Bethel   meeting-house,   near  Louisville, 


ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION.  1 63 

Jefferson  county,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  Foreign  Mission  Society,  distinct 
from  the  Association. 

At  that  time  this  body  was,  in  conjunction  with  the  Hephzibah  Missionary  So- 
ciety, supporting  an  Associational  Missionary,  Rev.  C.  Bateman  ;  and,  at  its  ses- 
sion of  1 818,  the  churches  of  the  Association  were  earnestly  counselled  to  pro- 
mote the  dissemination  of  the  gospel  throughout  the  bounds  of  the  Association 
and  the  adjacent  destitute  parts,  by  sending  up  their  contributions  for  the  pur- 
pose the  following  year.  A  letter  was  received  from  the  Baptist  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions,  and  it  was  agreed  "  that  we  express  our  warm  acknowledgments 
to  the  Board  for  their  very  interesting  communication,  and  our  favorable  dispo- 
sition towards  iAe  ^reai  and  g-ood  wor^  in  which  they  are  engaged;  and  that 
we  wish  them  '  God-speed,'  remaining  hopeful  that  at  a  future  day  (not  far  dis- 
tant, perhaps),  we  shall  add  to  our  prayers  such  contributions  as  may  aid  their 
laudable  designs." 

A  letter  was  also  received  from  the  Kentucky  Missionary  Society,  in  response 
to  which  the  clerk  was  instructed  to  express  the  thanks  of  the  Association,  and 
its  earnest  desires  for  the  prosperity  and  success  of  the  Kentucky  Missionary 
Society.  "  But  contemplating  to  engage,  ourselves,  in  domestic  missions,  as  far 
as  our  ability  will  enable  us,  and  feeding  a  desire,  if  practicable,  to  contribute 
our  mite  towards  the  foreign  missions,  we  cannot  honestly  flatter  our  brethren 
with  any  hopes  of  pecuniary  aid."  These  events  occurred  in  1816,  1817,  and 
1818.  At  that  time  Charles  J.  Jenkins  was  the  clerk  and  treasurer  of  the  Asso- 
ciation, and,  as  such,  held  $226.68  of  Associational  funds.  In  the  two  resolu- 
tions quoted  his  hand  is  plainly  visible,  for  his  influence  in  the  body  was  great, 
but  he  moved  into  the  bounds  of  the  Sarepta  Association  in  181 9,  and  acted  no 
longer  as  a  constituent  member  of  the  Hephzibah.  Henceforth,  for  years,  we 
lind  this  next  to  the  oldest  of  our  Associations  in  opposition  to  missions.  The 
following  is  Dr.  A.  Sherwood's  estimate  of  Charles  J.  Jenkins,  in  his  own  hand- 
v^^riting  :  "  He  was  a  Carolinian  by  birth,  a  man  of  acquirements  and  useful- 
ness. Clerk  many  years  of  the  Hephzibah  Association,  he  took  hold  of  religious 
and  educational  measures  with  a  strong  hand.  He  died  comparatively  a  young 
man,  but  his  memory  is  precious  in  all  that  region."  This  is,  perhaps,  the  proper 
place  to  present  a  few  facts  in  the  life  of  this  notable  member  of  our  denomina- 
tion. 

Charles  J.  Jenkins  was  a  quiet  and  unostentatious  man,  but  very  energetic 
in  all  that  he  undertook.  Kind  and  benevolent  in  disposition,  he  was  a  very 
useful  man,  and,  in  every  neighborhood  where  he  lived,  became  a  sort  of  adviser- 
general  to  the  less  intelligent ;  but  he  was  of  that  temperament  which  never  lets 
the  left  hand  know  what  the  right  hand  does.  During  his  minority  his  parents 
resided  partly  in  South  Carolina  and  partly  in  Georgia,  but  he  was  born  in  Geor- 
gia, in  the  year  1780 — a  fact  for  which  his  own  son,  ex-Governor  Jenkins, 
is  our  authority.  About  1804  he  married  Miss  Susan  Emily  Kenny,  of 
Beaufort  district.  South  Carolina,  in  which  district  he  resided  until  his  wife's 
death,  which  occurred  in  the  spring  of  181 5.  Three  years  previous  to  that  event 
he  and  his  wife  both  became  deeply  interested  in  the  subject  of  religion,  and 
both  had  united  with  the  Euhaw  Baptist  church,  being  baptized  by  Rev.  James 
Sweat.  For  many  years  Mr.  Jenkins  was  successively  the  ordinary  of  Beaufort 
district  and  the  clerk  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and  it  was  his  acquaintance 
with  law,  and  with  legal  forms,  which,  together  with  some  medical  knowledge, 
enabled  him  to  become  useful,  especially  to  the  poor,  as  an  adviser,  a  lawyer  and 
a  physician,  wherever  he  resided.  About  the  beginning  of  the  year  18 16  he 
moved  to  Jefferson  county,  Georgia,  and  united  with  the  Providence  church, 
twelve  miles  west  of  Louisville,  and  at  once  took  an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Hephzibah  Association.  For  a  short  time  he  resided  within  less  than  a  half  mile 
from  Providence  church,  Jefferson  county,  and  not  more  than  three  or  four  miles 
from  Feng's  bridge, 'on  the  Ogeechee,  the  further  end  of  which  rested  on  Wash- 
ington county  soil.  But  in  the  early  part  of  1 819  he  removed  to  Madison  county, 
in  the  Sarepta  Association,  of  which  he  was  elected  clerk,  and  as  such,  in  1820, 
read  Dr.  A.  Sherwood's  resolution  which  led  to  the  formation  of  our  State  Con- 
vention.    While  in  Madison  county,  he  built  a  Baptist  meeting-house  near  his 


164  ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION. 

residence,  and  was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  a  church.  In  1822  he 
was  appointed  United  States  Port  Surveyor  and  Revenue  Collector  of  Apalachi- 
cola,  Florida,  but  owing  chiefiy  to  the  deprivation  of  church  privileges  he  re- 
signed, after  holding  the  appointment  three  years,  and  returned  to  Georgia,  and 
re-purchased  his  old  farm  in  Jefferson  county,  where  he  died  in  July  of  the  year 
1828. 

Mr.  Jenkins  had  enjoyed  fair  educational  advantages,  possessed  excellent 
business  capacities,  and  by  his  zeal,  energy  and  sterling  integrity,  gained  a  con- 
trolling influence  in  whatever  vicinity  he  lived.  He  was  deeply  interested  in  all 
denominational  matters,  and,  outside  of  domestic  life  and  private  business,  all 
his  efforts  were  devoted  to  extending  the  borders  of  our  Baptist  Zion  and  widen- 
ing Baptist  influence  and  usefulness.  In  associational  matters  he  took  a  very- 
decided  and  active  part,  especially  in  advancing  Foreign  Missions  ;  and  when,  in 
1817,  a  Circular  Letter  written  by  him  was  objected  toand  its  adoption  declined,, 
because  of  its  strong  advocacy  of  the  Mission  cause,  he  at  once  secured  the 
adoption  of  a  resolution  recommending  the  formation  of  a  Foreign  Mission  So- 
ciety near  Louisville,  which  existed  for  several  years. 

He  was,  also,  for  years,  an  active  member  in  the  Hephzibah  Baptist  Society 
for  itinerant  and  missionary  exertions,  conducting  its  correspondence  and  pro- 
moting its  usefulness  Plain  and  unostentatious  in  his  manners,  his  piety  was 
constant  and  unaffected,  and  to  every  trust  imposed  upon  him,  whether  as  a 
deacon  or  church  clerk,  associational  clerk  or  treasurer,  or  an  officer  of  public 
trust,  he  was  ever  faithful ;  and  in  every  community  in  which  he  lived,  he  be- 
came a  leading  and  influential  man,  enjoying  the  confidence  of  all.  Of  his  two 
wives,  the  first  was  the  mother  of  his  only  living  child,  Hon.  Charles  J.  Jenkins,. 
ex-Governor  of  Georgia. 

The  following  is  extracted  from  a  letter  from  him  to  Dr.  Sherwood,  dated 
Apalachicola  January  2th,  1823  :  "My  situation  is  a  lamentable  one,  and  claims 
largely  the  commiseration  and  prayers  of  my  brethren.  I  am  in  a  land  of  dark- 
ness and  cruelty,  excluded  from  the  privileges  of  the  sanctuary,  and  from  the 
society  of  Christians  ;  and,  indeed,  1  am  destitute  of  any  society  at  all.  But, 
hitherto,  the  Lord  hath  helped  me  to  be  resigned  to  His  will.  I  sometimes  have 
a  refreshing  from  His  presence,  and  then  my  soul  doth  magnify  His  name  ;  but, 
when  I  am  in  darkness,  it  is  distressing  indeed.  I  beg  you  to  remember  me  at 
a  throne  of  grace.  Pray  the  Lord  that  I  may  possess  my  vessel  in  patience  ; 
and  that  I  may  not  be  permitted  to  do  anything  which  may  cause  a  reproach  on 
the  name  of  the  Saviour  whom  I  have  espoused." 

It  is  plainly  observable  that  just  after  Mr.  Jenkins  left  the  Hephzibah  Associa- 
tion, anti-missionary  influences  began  to  prevail.  At  the  very  next  session, 
that  of  1 81 9,  a  vote  was  taken  to  ascertain,  as  the  Minutes  express  it,  "whether 
this  body  will  take  any  part  in  the  missionary  ;"  and  it  was  negatived.  By 
this  was  meant,  not  the  missionary  cause,  in  general,  but  the  various  benevolent 
enterprises,  and  especially  the  missionary  effort  for  Indian  Reform,  co-operation 
being  invited  by  the  other  Associations,  which  were  becoming  interested  on  that 
subject.  On  motion,  it  was  agreed  "not  to  correspond  with  the  (Baptist)  For- 
eign Mission  Society,"  of  Philadelphia;  and,  two  years  later,  in  1821,  at  the 
Darien  meeting-house,  Washington  county,  Rev.  Elisha  Perryman  presented,  and 
requested  permission  to  read  a  letter  to  the  Association  from  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sion Board  ;  but  a  majority  of  the  brethren  refused  to  have  it  read. 

This  opposition  to  benevolence  extended  to  the  State  General  Association, 
correspondence  with  which  was  rejected,  and,  in  1825,  (as  we  have  stated  else- 
where) a  resolution  was  adopted  declaring  that  the  Association  had  710  right 
to  correspond,  by  letter  or  messenger,  with  any  General  Association  or  Commit- 
tee, Missionary  Society  or  Board;  and  any  brother  who  even  made  a  motion  on 
the  subject  of  such  a  correspondence,  was  to  be  considered  in  disorder  therefor, 
and  to  be  reproved  by  the  Moderator. 

The  most  violent  anti-missionaries  in  the  Association,  at  that  time,  were  John 
Blackstone,  James  Gray,  Jordan  Smith,  James  Granade,  and  Claborn  Bateman,. 
-who,  for  several  years,  had  been  employed  as  an  Association  missionary. 

About  1825  the  anti-missionary  spirit  culminated  in  the  Hephzibah  Associa- 


ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION.  1 65 

tion,  and  a  reaction  gradually  took  place,  although  the  leading  men  opposed  to 
missions,  Bible  societies  and  benevolent  enterprises  continued  to  use  active  and 
violent  meabures  to  nullify  the  spirit  of  missions.  About  1827  Jordan  Smith, 
for  several  years  Moderator  of  the  Association,  re-published  some  resolutions  of 
the  Kehukee  Association,  called  the  "  Reformed  Association,"  of  North  Caro- 
lina, which  declared  non-fellowship  vi^ith  Bible  societies,  missions,  etc.,  thus  put- 
ting in  the  entering  wedge  to  division.  This  was  answered,  soon  after,  by  a 
writer  named  Nehemiah  in  a  pamphlet,  which  had  three  of  four  editions,  and 
put  a  quietus  on  the  misrepresentations  of  the  North  Carolina  mission-haters. 
Nehemiah,  we  have  strong  reason  to  beUeve,  was  Adiel  Sherwood.  Under  the 
•disguise  of  " gr-ievances,"  Jordan  Smith,*  James  Granade,  James  Gray,  and 
others,  at  a  Convention  which  they  called,  inveighed  against  evangelical  enter- 
prises, and  they  sought  boldly  to  antagonize  their  spirit  and  nullify  their  effect 
upon  the  popular  mind  in  the  Association. 

This  anti-Convention  assembled  at  Limestone  meeting-house,  Washington 
■county,  September  27th,  1828,  and  "a  letter  of  grievance,"  with  some  of  the 
articles  adopted  by  the  brethren  in  Convention,  were  read  in  the  session  of  the 
Hephzibah  Association  for  1828,  under  a  suspension  of  the  order  of  business  ; 
but  it  was  decided,  by  vote,  not  even  to  take  up  and  consider  the  letter.  Thus 
proved  abortive  the  efforts  of  the  violent  anti-mission  clique  to  accomplish  their 
endeavor  to  render  the  Association  completely  anti-missionary.  In  consequence, 
the  churches  under  their  control  seceded  from  the  Hephzibah,  formed  a  body 
which  they  called  the  Canoochee  Association,  lying  mostly  in  Bullock,  Washing- 
ton and  Emanuel  counties,  which  was  anti-missionary  in  spirit. 

This  body  formed  by  these  seceders  was  not  at  first  called  an  Association, 
but  a  Conference.  The  name  Canoochee  Baptist  Association .  was  given  to  it 
in  1838  ;  but  it  called  itself  "  an  advisory  council."  The  6th  article  of  the  Consti- 
tution ran  thus  ;  "  As  the  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil,  and  has  produced 
so  much  distress  among  Christians,  and  we  wishing  to  live  in  peace ;  therefore, 
this  Association  shall  not  engage  in,  nor  in  any  wise  encourage,  any  religious 
speculation,  called  the  missionary,  or  by  any  other  name,  under  pretense  of  sup- 
porting the  gospel  of  Christ."  After  the  death  of  Jordan  Smith  the  body  lan- 
guished, and  some  of  the  churches  did  not  represent  themselves,  and  others  re- 
joined the  Hephzibah  Association.  In  1832  it  had  sixteen  churches,  ten  minis- 
ters and  365  members;  in  1838  four  churches  were  received — Lower  Black 
Creek,  Jones'  Meeting-house,  Wade's,  and  Luke — some,  perhaps  all,  from  the 
Hephzibah.  It  then  had  twenty  churches  and  804  members,  of  whom  247  were 
reported  as  baptized  that  year.  This  body  has  never  held  correspondence  with 
any  other  Association. 

The  only  action  of  the  Association,  at  the  time,  with  reference  to  the  churches 
so  withdrawing,  is  contained  in  this  extract  from  the  Minutes  of  1830: 

"  Relative  to  those  churches  which  once  constituted  a  part  of  this  Association, 
we  think  it  our  duty  to  state  to  the  Christian  community  at  large,  that  said 
churches  went  off  from  us  without  having  so  much  as  asked  for  a  dismission  ; 
and  we,  therefore,  leave  it  with  the  churches  of  Christ,  generally,  to  say  whether 
this  was  orderly  conduct  or  not ;  and  also  to  say  in  what  point  of  light  we  are  to 
view  those  churches  who  have  thus  acted  ! " 

Two  years  afterwards,  in  1832,  a  letter,  brought  by  three  messengers,  from 

the  Canoochee  Association,  was  presented.     It  stated  that  the  Canoochee  Asso- 

:  elation  was  not  only  sensible  of  its  disorderly  standing,  but  desired  the  friendly 

interposition  of  the  Hephzibah  Association  to  restore  it,  if  possible,  to  good 

order;  and  it  was 

"  Resolved,  That  the  only  course  which  this  Association  can  pursue,  in  jus- 
tice to  herself,  and  according  to  good  order,  is  to  recommend  to  all  those 

♦Jordan  Smith  resided  in  Washington  county,  and  was  an  uneducated  man  of  large  wealth.  He  was 
■  kind,  genial  and  liberal  of  his  means,  when  he  could  understand  properly  the  circumstances  of  the 
case.'  He  possessed  the  confidence  of  his  brethren  and  of  the  men  of  the  world  as  a  man  of  sincere 
piety.  He  was  specially  noted  for  his  hospitality,  usually  carrying  from  church  on  Sabbath  from 
thirty  to  fifty  of  the  poorer  class  to  dine  wiih  him.  Had  he  been  properly  instructed,  his  position  on 
the  subject  of  missions  would  have  been  different.  When  the  secession  occurred  in  the  Hephzibah 
Association,  he  said  to  the  seceders,  "  Come,  brethren,  let  us  go!     Come  and  go  to  my  house,  all  o£ 


l66  ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION. 

churches  which  wrested  themselves  from  this  body  in  a  disorderly  manner,  as- 
we  conceive,  to  come  back  to  us  at  our  next  Association,  by  letter  and  messen- 
gers, and  make  the  proper  and  necessary  acknowledgements;  and  that,  upon  their 
doing  so,  this  Association  stands  pledged,  not  only  to  receive  them,  but  also  to 
grant  them  letters  of  regular  and  orderly  dismission." 

A  committee  was  appointed  to  visit  the  Canoochee  Association,  confer  with  it 
and  report  in  1834.  But  no  conference  occurred,  no  report  was  made,  nor  was 
any  further  communication  ever  held  between  the  dissevered  bodies. 

It  seems  that  the  Canoochee  brethren  denied  that  they  gave  their  correspon- 
dent, D.  Coleman,  any  authority  to  state,  in  the  letter  to  the  Hephzibah,  that 
they  made  any  "  acknowledgements,"  but  that  they  merely  instructed  him  to 
"  ask  for  letters  of  dismission."  Therefore,  when  the  messengers  of  the  Hephzi- 
bah visited  the  Canoochee  Association,  they  were  not  even  invited  to  seats  ! 
Consequently,  no  official  communication  took  place.  As  usual,  in  his  quaint 
but  expressive  way,  Dr.  Sherwood  says  in  regard  to  this,  "  Ask  letters  of  dis- 
mission from  a  body  whose  messengers  were  unworthy  of  a  seat !  No  doubt 
the  Canoochee  churches  felt  that  they  had  done  wrong  in  breaking  off  so  ab- 
ruptly, and  desired  to  cover  up  their  error  as  much  as  possible  Marriage  after 
a  misstep  does  not  sanctify  or  atone  for  guilty  acts  committed  before  honorable 
wedlock." 

.  It  may  be  well  to  state  that  about  the  period  of  1 819  or  1820  there  was  not  a 
minister  in  the  Hephzibah  Association  who  possessed  an  education  extending 
beyond  the  merest  rudiments  of  learning  ;  and  of  course  where  such  ignorance 
prevailed,  prejudice  and  bigotry  also  presided,  and  we  need  not,  therefore,  be 
much  surprised  at  the  course  taken  by  the  Association. 

In  the  same  year,  1819,  that  the  Hephzibah  voted  "  to  take  no  part  in  the  mis- 
sionary," the  Piedmont  Association  voted  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  missiona- 
ries— meaning  the  missionary  Baptists.  Dr.  Sherwood  says,  in  his  manuscript 
history : 

"  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  this  little  body  was  organized  to  keep  away  from 
the  light  of  missions  and  other  benevolent  associations !  What  a  converse  to- 
the  directions  of  the  Saviour  :  '  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world.'  " 

Rev.  Isham  Peacock,  of  whom  mention  has  already  been  made,  was  the  father 
of  this  body,  and  he  was  not  only  anti-missionary,  but  anti- temperance.  He 
would  argue  strongly  against  temperance  societies,  though  he  was  not  in  the 
habit  of  inebriation.  Dr.  Sherwood,  on  the  authority  of  Rev.  Wilson  Conner, 
states  that  Mr.  Peacock  carried  whiskey  in  his  cane,  and  would  drink  before  his 
congregation,  to  illustrate  his  position  that  he  could  drink  and  not  become  intox- 
icated. "  It  looks  strange,"  says  Mr.  Sherwood,  "to  see  a  minister  nearly  one 
hundred  years  old  using  such  strong  but  dangerous  arguments  to  carry  his 
point !" 

To  such  an  extent  did  Peacock  carry  his  anti-temperance  principles,  that  in 
1833  he  would  not  attend  the  meeting  of  the  Piedmont  Association  because  Mr. 
Westbury,  another  minister  of  the  Association,  had  joined  a  temperance  society. 

In  November,  1816,  Luther  Rice  was  an  attendant  on  the  session  of  the 
Ebenezer  Association,  at  Mount  Horeb,  Pulaski  county.  He  appeared  en  Sab- 
bath morning,  on  which  day  Winder  Hillman,  of  the  Hephzibah,  Dozier  Thorn- 
ton, of  the  Sarepta,  and  Jesse  Mercer,  of  the  Georgia,  were  appointed  to  preach. 
It  was  thought  proper  that  Mr.  Rice  should  have  an  opportunity  to  preach,  and 
Winder  Hillman  politely  gave  way,  that  the  opportunity  might  be  afforded.  It 
is  reported  that  brethren  Rice,  Mercer  and  Thornton  "delivered  interesting  ser- 
mons to  a  numerous  concourse."  As  the  messenger  of  the  Baptist  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,  Luther  Rice  presented  a  letter  requesting  correspondence 
with  the  Board.  The  request  was  acceded  to,  and  Ezekiel  Taylor  was  appointed 
corresponding  secretary,  and  yet  the  correspondence  was  closed  the  following 
year.  The  surplus  money  on  hand  was,  nevertheless,  voted  to  support  itinerant 
preaching  in  the  lower  counties  of  the  State.  Correspondence  with  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board  was  resumed  in  1819,  and  Indian  reform  missionary  work  was 
formally  entered  upon  by  the  appointment  of  a  co-operating  committee.  The 
next  year,  1820,  the  Ocmulgeeplan  for  Indian  Reform  was  acquiesced  in,  and  the 


ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION.  167 

collection  of  funds  was  recommended.  The  following  is  the  action  of  the  Asso- 
ciatiation  :  "Agreed  to  concur  with  the  Ocmulgee  Association  relative  to  a  plan 
for  Indian  Reform,  and  appointed  the  following  brethren  trustees,  to  act  in  concert 
with  those  appointed  by  that  Association  and  any  sister  Associations  that  may 
come  into  the  measures,  to-wit :  Fulgham,  Love,  Ross,  Steighley  and  Tharpe.  It 
is,  therefore,  recommended  that  the  ministering  brethren  explain  to  the  churches 
the  object  of  the  Association,  and  that  such  plans  be  laid  as  shall  be  thought 
most  advisable  to  raise  funds  to  carry  this  laudable  scheme  into  effect." 

For  two  years  the  scheme  received  favor  and  assistance,  but  suddenly,  in  1823, 
interest  in  the  Indian  Reform  Mission  was  abruptly  discontinued,  although  cor- 
respondence with  the  Mission  Board  in  Philadelphia  was  continued.  For 
the  thirteen  years  following  there  was  no  special  manifestation  of  hostility  to 
missions  or  education  in  the  Association  ;  yet  it  had  not  connected  itself  with 
the  State  Convention.  At  the  session  of  1836,  held  at  Beersheba,  Twiggs  county, 
the  following  appears  in  the  Minutes : 

"Whereas,  it  is  inferred  from  the  reading  of  some  of  the  letters  from  the 
churches  that  the  members  of  this  body  which  hold  to  the  benevolent  institu- 
tions of  the  day  have  departed  from  the  Articles  of  Faith  and  the  Constitution 
of  this  Association,  it  was  therefore  ordered,  that  the  said  articles  be  read,  which 
was  unanimously  assented  to,  and  the  following  query  was  received,  to  be  dis- 
cussed to  the  satisfaction  of  the  body  :  '  Are  the  institutions  of  this  day,  such  as 
missions,  temperance,  etc.,  consistent  with  the  Articles  of  Faith  of  this  Asso- 
ciation ?' " 

After  special  prayer  by  C.  D.  Mallary,  the  whole  of  Tuesday,  September  27th, 
was  spent  in  discussing  this  subject,  and  on  the  vote  being  taken,  the  question  was 
decided  in  the  affirmative.  The  delegates  of  seven  churches — Myrtle  Spring, 
Mount  Nebo,  Ramah,  Cool  Spring,  Pleasant  Plains,  Camp  Creek  and  Bulah — 
being  dissatisfied  with  the  result  of  the  discussion,  and  being  also  opposed  to  the 
benevolent  institutions  of  the  day,  left  the  house. 

Upon  which  the  Association  adopted  the  following: 

"Resolved,  That  differences  of  opinion  in  regard  to  the  benevolent  institutions 
of  the  day  should  not  be  the  ground  of  non-fellowship  among  brethren." 

Three  churches — by  name,  Camp  Creek,  Ramah  and  Bulah — having  sent  up 
a  declaration  of  non-fellowship  with  all  the  benevolent  institutions  of  the  day, 
and  the  persons  engaged  in  them,  it  was — 

'•  Resolved,  That  we  regret,  very  much,  this  hasty  act  of  those  churches  ;  and, 
hoping  that  upon  a  reconsideration  of  the  matter  by  them,  they  will  come  to  a 
different  conclusion,  we,  therefore,  most  earnestly  recommend  to  those  churches 
to  reconsider  that  matter  and  report  to  us  upon  the  subject,  at  our  next  session," 

The  Corresponding  Letter  to  the  churches,  for  that  year,  1836,  contained  a 
plain  statement  of  these  facts :  "  It  was  decided  by  our  body,  after  a  lengthy 
discussion,  that  the  benevolent  institutions  of  the  day  are  not  inconsistent  with 
the  articles  of  faith  upon  which  the  Association  was  constituted.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  decision,  the  delegates  from  seven  churches,  being  a  small 
minority  in  the  body,  withdrew,  claiming  to  he  the  true  Ebenezer  Association. 
It  did  not  appear  to  the  body  that,  in  this  proceeding,  these  delegates  acted  upon 
the  authority  of  the  churches  they  represent,  consequently  no  act  of  censure 
was  passed  upon  these  churches ;  and  the  charitable  hope  was  indulged  that, 
when  the  matter  should  be  properly  considered  by  them,  the  difficulty  would  be 
removed.  It  was  decided  by  our  body  that  differences  of  opinion  in  relation  to 
the  benevolent  institutions  of  the  day  should  not  constitute  a  ground  of  non- 
feilowship  among  brethren." 

As  an  actual  part  of  the  history  of  the  times  of  which  we  write,  and  bearm^s: 
intimately  upon  the  "  everlasting  altercation  about  the  institutions  of  the  day," 
as  Dr.  Benedict  expresses  it,  a  copious  extract  from  the  Circular  Letter  of  the 
Ebenezer  Association  for  the  year  1836  is  here  given  : 

"  Great  divisions  have  an  existence  in  our  denomination,  and,  so  far  as  we  are 
able  to  discover,  without  substantial  cause.  Those  divisions  have  for  their 
ostensible  cause  the  friendship  for,  and  support  of,  missionary  and  temperance 
societies  by  some  of  our  brethren.     Though  to  many  it  seems  that  this  affords 


1 68  ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION. 

no  sufficient  cause  for  division,  to  otiiers  it  appears  to  be  abundant  ground  for 
the  declaration  of  non-fellowship  for  churches  and  members  favoring  these 
societies,  and  the  rending  asunder  of  associations  of  long  standing,  composed  of 
brethren  who  have  for  a  long  time  seen  eye  to  eye  and  face  to  face,  and  have 
communed  at  the  same  table  in  commemoration  of  the  death  and  sufferings  of 
our  Lord. 

"  These  being  the  known  consequences  of  the  difference  of  opinion  on  the  sub- 
ect  of  these  societies,  let  us  inquire  what  are  the  opinions  of  each  party.  First,  if 
we  are  not  mistaken,  it  is  the  opinion  of  those  who  oppose  missionary  and  temper- 
ance societies,  that  God  will  cause  the  gospel  to  be  preached  to  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  ;  that  He  will  accomplish  this  in  the  fulness  of  His  own  time  and  by 
the  use  of  His  own  means  ;  that,  to  do  this,  human  plans  are  not  necessary ; 
and  that  the  present  operations  have  not  the  sanction  of  the  Word  of  eternal 
truth. 

"  Those  favoring  these  societies  believe  that  God  will  send  the  gospel  to  all 
nations  of  the  earth,  and  this  in  the  fullness  of  His  own  time  and  by  the  use  of 
His  own  means ;  and,  further,  that  now  is  the  time,  and  that  the  redeemed  of 
the  Lord,  and  all  that  they  can  do  and  that  they  have,  being  the  immediate  gift 
of  God,  are  His  means ;  and  they  trust  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  has  made 
them  willing  to  be  used  for  this  purpose.  They  have  no  doubt  that  the  Scrip- 
tures of  eternal  truth  sanction  the  plans  now  in  operation  for  the  spread  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  They  call  upon  the  opposers  of  these  huma7t  plans,  as  they 
are  called,  to  say  what  other  course  can  be  pursued  for  the  accomplishment  of 
this  purpose.  They  speak  of  the  blessing  of  God  in  favoring  brother  Judson 
with  life,  health,  and  ability  to  translate  the  whole  of  the  Scriptures  into  the 
Burman  language  ;  and  they  consider  the  blessings  of  God  on  the  labors  of  the 
missionaries  sent  to  various  stations  as /r^^  that  God's  own  time  is  now ;  and 
that  His  own  means  are  employed  in  doing  His  own  work — the  spread  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  And  these  things  are  spoken  of  by  our  missionary  brethren 
as  encouraging  them  to  go  on  in  discharge  of  what  they  believe  to  be  their 
duty.  To  our  anti-missionary  brethren  we  repeat  the  words  of  our  Redeemer, 
'  forbid  them  not ;'  they  are  not  against  our  Lord  ;  for  they  cause  the  Scriptures 
to  be  translated  and  published  in  languages  in  which  they  have  not  heretofore 
been  known.  They  cause  the  gospel  to  be  preached  to  the  heathen  and  God 
blesses  the  sermons  to  the  conviction  and  conversion  of  heathen  sinners.  These 
missionary  brethren  are  not  'against'  Jesus,  and,  therefore,  by  the  authority  of 
His  own  word  we  say,  '  forbid  them  not.'  Can  this  be  the  cause  of  non-fellow- 
ship for  these  brethren  ?     O,  Spirit  of  the  Lord  forbid  it !" 

Then  follows  an  exhortation  to  "  let  charity  prevail,"  and  the  conclusion  is  : 
"  Without  taking  part  in  these  divisions,  or  expressing  an  opinion  in  favor  of 
either  party,  we  conclude  this  epistle  by  using  the  exhortation  of  the  apostle  to 
the  Corinthian  church :  '  Be  perfect,  be  of  good  comfort,  be  of  one  mind,  live  in 
peace,  and  the  God  of  love  and  peace  shall  be  with  you.' 

"  C.  A.  Tharp,  Moderator. 

"James  H,  Lofton,  Clerk." 

The  anti-mission  spirit,  when  it  began  to  burn  in  the  Ocmulgee  Association, 
blazed  forth  more  determinedly  than  in  any  other  body,  culminating  in  with- 
drawal from  the  Convention  in  1830,  and  in  a  declaration  of  non-fellowship  in 
1837. 

At  the  remarkable  session  of  that  Association,  held  with  the  Antioch  church, 
in  1827  when  the  great  revival  commenced,  several  churches  petitioned  to  with- 
draw from  the  General  Association ;  but  the  matter  was  postponed  until  the 
succeeding  session,  when  it  was  discussed  and  again  laid  over.  Nor  was  it 
until  1830  that  the  anti-missionary  leaders  in  the  Association  were  able  to  in- 
duce a  majority  of  the  churches  to  send  up  petitionary  letters  to  withdraw  from 
the  General  Convention ;  of  course,  such  being  the  case,  the  withdrawal  was 
effected.  This  took  place  at  Harmony  church,  eight  or  nine  miles  northeast  of 
Eatonton.  That  this  was  the  result  of  opposition  to  benevolent  enterprises, 
rather  than  mere  opposition  to  the  Convention,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in 


ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION.  169 

1836,  the  Association,  by  resolution,  concurred  in  the  action  of  the  Mt.  Gilead 
church,  Putnam  county,  declaring  non-fellowship  with  all  benevolent  societies. 
The  following  year,  1837,  the  Ocmulgee  Association  itself,  as  a  body,  declares 
the  benevolent  institutions  of  the  day  "unscriptural  and  non-fellowship,"  and, 
furthermore,  appoints  a  committee  to  help  constitute  a  small  minority  of  the 
churches  of  the  Sarepta  Association,  which  had  seceded  in  1836,  into  another 
body  which  was  called  the  Oconee  Association. 

These  high-handed  measures  of  the  Ocmulgee  immediately  brought  their 
legitimate  fruits — division  and  disintegration.  Liberty  church,  in  Newton 
county,  withdrew  from  the  Association,  thus  repudiating  the  right  of  the  Asso- 
ciation to  prescribe  what  a  church  shall  or  shall  not  consider  unscriptural.  It 
declared  by  resolution  adopted  in  conference,  that  it  regarded  all  the  benevolent 
institutions  of  the  day  as  human  institutions,  designed  professedly  to  do  good 
in  elevating  the  morals  of  the  community  and  the  standard  of  piety  in  the 
churches,  as  well  as  to  disseminate  useful  and  religious  knowledge,  spread  the 
glorious  gospel  and  circulate  the  Bible  in  the  world.  It  declared,  also,  that  to 
unite  with  or  contribute  to  such  benevolent  societies  was  right,  discretionary 
with  individuals,  and  should  not  be  a  barrier  to  fellowship  or  communion  ;  and 
it  resolved  neither  to  censure  nor  use  harsh  or  compulsory  measures,  to  influence 
one  another  to  act  contrary  to  freedom  of  will,  in  relation  to  missionary  pur- 
poses or  benevolent  institutions.     (See  Index  of  March  29th,  1838.) 

This,  however,  was,  by  no  means  the  first  withdrawal  from  the  Ocmulgee ; 
but  has  been  referred  to  merely  that  the  reasons  on  record  might  be  given.  In 
1834  seven  churches  which  had  seceded  from  the  Ocmulgee  and  Flint  River 
Associations,  impelled  thereto  by  associational  usurpations  and  fierce  opposition 
to  benevolent  institutions,  united  and  formed  the  Central  Association,  at  Indian 
Creek,  February  ist.  Such  men  as  Adiel  Sherwood,  John  E.  Dawson, 
Thomas  Cooper,  J.  H.  Campbell,  Jeremiah  Clark,  James  Fears,  J.  Swanson,  and 
Jesse  Travis  assisted  in  organizing  this  Association,  which  was  constituted  on  a 
basis  which  recognizes  and  approves  of  Sabbath-schools,  missions,  the  educa- 
tion of  ministers,  Bible,  temperance  and  tract  societies,  and  giving  them  all  a 
hearty  co-operation ;  but  averring  that  fellowship  will  not  be  disturbed,  if  a 
member  does  not  feel  it  his  duty  to  contribute  to  these  various  benevolent 
causes.     This  Association  united  with  the  State  Convention  in  1835. 

In  that  same  year  the  Sarepta  Association,  at  its  session  held  with  Falling 
Creek  church,  Elbert  county,  decided  by  a  "  large  majority"  to  become  a  con- 
stituent member  of  the  State  Convention,  and  appointed  delegates  by  whom  she 
was  represented  the  following  year.  One  result  of  this  action  shows  plainly  its 
result  upon  the  churches  of  the  Association— in  1836,  $782.86  were  sent  up 
by  them.  Previously,  about  $200.00  was  the  largest  amount  sent  up,  Another 
result  was  a  schism  in  the  Association.  At  the  session  for  1836,  the  propriety 
of  becoming  a  constituent  of  the  Convention  was  discussed  very  fully,  and  the 
action  of  1835  was  confirmed  by  a  large  majority.  Rev.  George  Lumpkin  and 
others,  representing  Beaver  Dam,  Big  Spring,  Big  Creek,  Skull  Shoals  and  Bethle- 
hem churches,  protested,  and  requested  permission  to  enter  their  protest  against 
this  action  upon  the  Minutes  of  the  Association.  Their  request  was  granted  and 
their  protest  was  entered  ;  but  brethren  A.  Chandler,  J.  Matthews  and  J.  F.  Hill- 
yer  were  appointed  a  committee  to  bring  in  an  answer,  also  to  be  entered  upon 
the  Minutes.     The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  Protest  : 

"We,  the  delegates  from  the  churches  at  Beaver  Dam,  Big  Spring,.  Skull 
Shoals,  and  Bethlehem,,  representing,  as  we  believe,  the  feelings  of  the  above 
churches,  do  enter  this  our  protest  against  the  act  of  a  majority  of  this  Associ- 
ation, for  the  following  reasons  : 

"  ist.  Because  we  think  the  Association  transcended  her  delegated  powers,  in 
constraining  the  opposing  churches  to  become  in  part  constituent  members  of 
the  Baptist  State  Convention  by  said  resolution,  and  thereby  infringed  upon  the 
liberty  and  internarrights  of  the  opposing  churches. 

"  2d.  Because  we  are  unwilling  to  be  governed  by  the  Baptist  State  Conven- 
tion, believing  it  to  be  founded  upon  anti-republican  principles,  and  may,  some 
day,  be  the  overthrow  of  our  denomination. 


170  ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION. 

"  3d.  We  consider  the  lawful  protection,  or  powers  conferred  by  legal  sanc- 
tion, in  the  act  of  incorporation,  one  great  step  towards  the  subversion  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty  in  the  constituents  of  said  Convention. 

"  4th.  That  by  said  resolution  we  are  brought  into  union  and  Christian  cor- 
respondence with  the  Central  Association,  with  which  we  have  no  fellowship,  as 
we  are  among  those  who  have  no  confidence  in  the  flesh. 

"  5th,  and  lastly.  Because  we  are  constrained  to  correspond  with  bodies  of 
professors  against  our  will,  and  [are]  prohibited  from  correspondence  with  such 
as  we  have  fellowship  [for.] 

"  Therefore,  the  above  and  foregoing  reasons  constrain  us  to  say  to  the  Sa- 
repta  Association  that  we  are  no  longer  members  of  your  body. 

"George  Lumpkin,  James  O.K^hi^Y,  Beaver  Dam ;  Mark  Jackson,. 
Matthew  Varner,  Skull  Skoals  ;  John  Lacy,  Thomas  Arms,  Big  Creek  r 
Harris  Thurman,  Vines  Smith,  Big  Spring ;  William  Patman,  David^ 
Patman,  Bethlehem" 

Note. — Mark  Jackson  and  Harris  Thurman,  seeing  the  spirit  and  tendency  of  the  Protest,  had  their 
names  stricken  off. 

The  Answer  to  the  Protest  reads  : 

"  On  the  Jirst  article,  we  observe.  That  we  do  not  conceive  that  constraint  is 
laid  on  any  one,  as  the  Association  is  but  an  advisory  council,  and  her  resolu- 
tions [but]  advice ;  and,  therefore,  no  one  is  constrained  to  give  only  as  he 
chooses.     The  internal  rights  of  the  churches  are  not  affected. 

"  On  the  second,  we  remark,  That  we  cannot  conceive  that  the  Convention  is 
anti-republican  ;  nor  how  it  can  exercise  any  control  over  the  churches.  Its  Con- 
stitution does  not  allow  any  such  construction. 

"  On  the  third,  we  observe,  That  the  act  of  incorporation  of  the  Conventi&n 
confers  upon  it  no  power  to  oppress  the  churches.  The  act  of  incorporation  is, 
merely,  that  it  may  hold  property.  Many  churches  in  the  State  are  also  incorpo- 
rated for  the  same  purpose ;  therefore,  the  apprehensions  of  oppression  are 
wholly  groundless. 

"  On  the  fourth,  we  remark,  We  correspond  with  the  Central  Association,  as 
they  are  of  the  same  faith  and  order  with  us. 

"  On  the  fifth,  we  observe.  That  we  do  not  think  the  act  complained  of  in- 
volves such  consequences  as  are  represented." 

We  have  here  a  fair  presentation  of  the  flimsy  reasons  presented  in  those  days 
for  entertaining  objections  to  the  Convention ;  although  they  may  have  had 
weight  with  some  minds. 

We  now  gather  that  it  was  simply  to  avoid  disturbing  fellowship  which  made 
the  Sarepta  delay  its  union  with  the  Convention.  At  length  the  majority  deter- 
mined that  they  would  no  longer  yield  complaisance  to  the  feelings  of  the  minor- 
ity ;  and  so  they  cut  the  knot  of  difficulty  and  retardation  by  firmly  carrying  out 
the  purpose  to  unite  with  the  Convention.  The  consequence  was  the  formation, 
in  1837,  of  the  Oconee  Association  out  of  the  seceding  churches.  This  Associa- 
tion has  never  united  with  the  State  Convention. 

Another  schism  took  place  in  1837,  on  account  of  a  difference  of  opinion 
touching  the  benevolent  operations  of  the  day,  which  resulted  in  the  formation 
of  the  Rehoboth  Association.  Most  of  the  ten  churches  at  first  composing  this 
Association  seceded  from  the  Itcheconnah  (or  Ichaconna)  Association,  because, 
on  account  of  their  missionary  views,  a  non-fellowship  resolution  passed  against 
them  by  that  Association,  in  1837,  beginning  as  follows: 

"  Resolved,  That  the  systems  of  the  day — benevolent,  so-called — such  as  Bible, 
missionary,  temperance,  tract  societies,  etc.,  are  unscriptural,  unsupported  by- 
divine  revelation,  and,  therefore,  anti-Christian,  etc.,  etc.,"  and  fellowship  is  with- 
drawn from  those  churches  favorable  to  such  societies,  or,  rather,  they  are  de- 
clared to  be  in  disorder,  and  are  cut  off. 

The  Rehoboth  Association  has  proved  itself  to  be  one  of  the  most  efficient 
and  zealous  of  the  Baptist  Associations  of  Georgia.  Acting,  for  a  great  many- 
years,  independently,  of  the  Boards  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  it  has 
sustained  as  missionaries  Rev.  Caesar  Frazer,  in  Africa,  a  native  African  ;   Rev. 


ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION.  I/r 

J.  S.  Dennard  and  wife,  in  Africa,  also,  both  of  whom  died  at  their  post ;  Rev. 
T.  A.  Reid  and  Rev.  J.  H.  Clark,  in  Central  Africa,  both  of  whom  returned 
after  years  of _  useful  service  ;  Rev.  J.  S.  Murrow,  among  the  Indians  of  the 
West,  who  still  remains  at  the  post  of  duty,  laboring  most  faithfully  ;  and  Rev. 
E.  B.  Barret  and  Rev.  B.  F.  Tharp,  among  the  soldiers  of  the  army,  during  the 
war.  This  Association  has,  also,  assisted  in  educating  several  young  men  for 
the  ministry.  Its  moving  spirits  have  been  B.  F.  Tharp,  Jacob  King,  J.  M, 
Wood,  H.  C.  Hornady,  T.  E.  Langley,  J.  S.  Shannon,  A.  J.  Holmes,  Wm.  C. 
Wilkes,  E.  W.  Warren,  C.  D.  Mallary,  S.  Landrum,  B.  L.  Ross  and  J.  R.  Ken- 
drick. 

The  formation  of  the  Rock  Mountain  Association  is  another  case  of  division 
on  account  of  a  difference  of  missionary  sentiments. 

At  her  regular  session  in  1838,  the  Yellow  River  Association  adopted  this 
very  remarkable  non-fellowshipping  resolution  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  institutions  of  the  day,  called  benevolent,  to- wit :  the 
Convention,  Bible  Society,  Tract  Society,  Temperance  Society,  Abolition  Society, 
Sunday-school  Union,  Theological  Seminary,  and  all  other  institutions  tributary 
to  the  missionary  plan,  now  existing  in  the  United  States,  are  unscriptural,  and 
that  we,  as  an  Association,  will  not  correspond  with  any  Association  that  has 
united  with  them  ;  nor  will  we  hold  in  our  communion  or  fellowship  any  church 
that  is  connected  with  them." 

This  resolution,  so  similar  to  that  adopted  by  the  Itcheconnah,  cut  off  and 
caused  the  withdrawal  of  six  churches — Rock  Bridge,  Bay  Creek,  Long  Shoals, 
Cool  Spring,  Macedonia  and  New  Hope.  The  record  from  which  these  facts 
are  drawn  asserts  that  the  words,  "  Abolition  Society,"  were  artfully  incorpo- 
rated in  the  resolution  with  the  benevolent  and  religious  institutions  specified 
for  the  purpose  of  casting  odium  upon  them,  as  it  was  well  known  that  there  was 
not  a  single  Abolition  Society  in  the  State  of  Georgia.  One  of  the  reasons  given 
by  the  Towaliga  Association  why  fellowship  with  Missionary  Baptists  should 
not  be  continued  was,  that  in  the  Northern  section  of  the  United  States,  there  was 
a  connection  between  the  Society  of  System  Baptists  and  the  Abolitionists,  a  state- 
ment which  Benedict  characterizes  as  a  "gross  misrepresentation."  In  the 
discussion  which  followed  the  introduction  of  this  resolution  at  the  Yellow  River 
Association,  several  of  a  respectable  minority  took  part  in  a  firm  and  resolute 
opposition  to  its  adoption,  but  Rev.  Luke  Robinson  was  especially  distinguished 
by  his  able  and  eloquent  advocacy  of  education,  temperance  and  missions.  When 
the  leader  of  the  anti-missionary  party,  a  venerable  old  man  with  hoary  locks, 
raised,  the  rallying  cry,  "  Down  with  education !  down  with  theology  !  down  with 
temperance  societies !  down  with  the  Convention ! "  the  vote  was  taken,  and 
the  resolution  was  adopted.  The  minority  immediately  left  the  house.  They 
agreed  to  meet  on  the  19th  of  July,  1839,  and  form  a  new  Association,  at  Mount 
Zion,  Newton  county.  At  the  appointed  time  delegates  from  ten  churches 
assembled,  among  whom  were  Luke  Robinson,  George  Daniel,  A.  R.  Almond, 
Lewis  Towers,  and  J.  R.  George,  assisted  by  J.  S.  Calloway,  C.  D.  Mallary,  and 
T.  Phillips.  G.  Daniel  was  elected  Moderator,  and  E.  Henderson,  Clerk ;  and 
thus  the  Stone  Mountain  Association  was  formed. 

At  its  session  in  1837  the  Flint  River  Association  had  a  discussion  which 
produced  a  division  of  the  body.  This  was  a  result  of  a  consideration  of  the 
question  which,  the  year  previous,  had  been  referred  to  the  churches— whether 
or  not  non-fellowship  should  be  declared  towards  those  churches  in  favor  of 
"  benevolence,"  as  the  benevolent  institutions  of  the  day  were  designated.  The 
result  was  that,  by  a  vote  of  twenty-three  to  fifteen,  the  Association  decided 
against  non-fellowshipping  the  benevolent  churches.  This  meeting  took  place 
at  the  Holly  Grove  church,  Monroe  county,  Rev.  Joshua  Calloway  being  Mod- 
erator, and  R.  M.  Still,  Clerk. 

The  following  was  passed  : 

"Resolved,  That  we  are  unwilling  to  go  into  any  new  declaration  of  fellow- 
ship or  non-fellowship,  but  feel  disposed  to  continue  in  the  same  old  Baptist 
path  of  faith  and  practice  which  this  Association  has  heretofore  pursued." 

As  soon  as  the  result  was  known,  Rev.  William  Moseley  arose  and  said  : 


172  ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION. 

"  I  am  in  the  minority,  where  I  expected  to  be,  and  it  is  unnecessary  for  me 
to  remain  here  any  longer.  Therefore  I  bid  you  farewell.  We  will  meet  no 
more  as  brethren,  but  as  men  !" 

He  then  requested  all  who  coincided  with  him  in  sentiment  to  meet  him  out 
in  the  woods.  The  delegates  from  fifteen  churches  left  the  building,  held  a  con- 
sultation in  the  woods,  and  agreed  to  meet  in  convention  with  the  County  Line 
church,  in  Pike  county,  in  July,  1838.  They  did  so,  and  constituted  the  Towaliga 
Association.  Its  total  membership  at  that  time  was  1,022,  only  twelve  baptisms 
being  reported. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  Flint,  at  its  session  in  1837,  received  messengers 
from  the  Itcheconnah  Association  by  a  two-thirds  vote,  after  that  Association 
had  passed  its  non-fellowship  resolution. 

Mention  has  been  made,  also,  of  the  discussion  lasting  a  whole  day,  which 
took  place  in  September,  1836,  at  Beersheba,  Twiggs  county,  and  which  resulted 
in  an  affirmative  answer  to  the  question,  "  Are  the  institutions  of  this  day,  such 
as  missions,  temperance,  etc.,  consistent  with  the  Articles  of  Faith  of  this  As- 
sociation ?"  The  result  was  that  the  messengers  of  seven  churches  left  the 
house,  viz :  Myrtle  Spring,  Mount  Nebo,  Ramah,  Cool  Spring,  Pleasant  Plains, 
Camp  Creek  and  Bulah,  "  being  dissatisfied  with  the  institutions  of  the  day  and 
•with  the  course  pursued  by  the  Association."  These  churches  held  a  meeting 
in  the  following  November,  and  published  their  Minutes,  in  which  they  call 
themselves  the  Trtte  Ebenezer  Association,  and  affirm  that  they  had  demanded 
the  records  of  the  body  as  belonging  to  them  by  right.  And  this  reminds  us 
that  William  Moseley  was  deeply  chagrined  because  the  Towaliga  Association 
was  not  called  the  Flitit  River,  as  he  desired.  When  asking  aid  of  the  Ocmulgee 
to  constitute  the  Towaliga  Association,  he  intimated  that  the  name  of  the  new 
Association  would  be  "  Flint  River."  This  was  so  violently  opposed  by  James 
Henderson  that  Mr.  Mosely  declined  to  preach  the  next  day,  which  was  Sunday, 
although  appointed  to  do  so  by  the  Association. 

In  1837  three  churches,  the  Horeb  and  the  Upatoi,  in  Talbot,  and  the  Bethel, 
in  Meriwether  county,  seceded  from  the  Columbus  Association  by  not  sending 
messengers,  foreseeing  the  strong  missionary  spirit  which  was  becoming  preva- 
lent in  that  body,  and  being  themselves  of  an  opposite  disposition.  They  sent 
messengers  to  the  Flint  River  Association  in  that  year,  but  instead  of  presenting 
themselves  as  correspondents  to  the  Association,  they  offered  their  letters  to 
the  Moseley  faction  at  its  meeting  in  the  woods,  and  were  received.  Subsequently 
uniting  with  a  few  other  small  churches,  these  seceders  from  the  Columbus  As- 
sociation formed  the  Apostolic  Baptist  Association. 

In  the  same  year,  1837,  ten  churches  left  the  Western  Association  and  formed 
a  new  union  of  the  same  name.  The  reasons  assigned  by  them  were  that  the 
Association  corresponded  with  those  who  approved  of  missions  and  education, 
and  refused  to  non-fellowship  them. 

Enough  has  been  written  to  show  when  division  took  place  in  the  Baptist 
denomination  in  Georgia,  and  what  the  causes  of  it  were. 

The  causes  of  it  were  the  deep-seated  opposition  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
many  Baptists  to  missions,  education,  temperance,  and  to  the  societies,  or 
schemes,  originated  for  their  support  and  propagation,  and  for  the  dissemination 
of  tracts  and  the  Bible.  That  this  opposition  was  the  result  of  a  want  of 
enlightenment— that  is  to  say,  of  ignorance  and  prejudice — is  but  too  painfully 
apparent.  It  began  to  manifest  itself  openly  in  the  Ocmulgee  Association  in 
1830,  and,  in  1837,  culminated  in  a  general  declaration  of  non-fellowship  with 
Missionary  Baptists,  on  the  part  of  all  opposed  to  the  benevolent  schemes  of 
this  day.  This  was  division,  or  "  schism,"  as  Dr.  Sherwood  calls  it.  He  says  : 
"Prior  to  1835,  the  notion  that  missions,  etc.,  were  new  schemes  was  not  enter- 
tained, except  by  a  few  only ;  but  then,  it  was  proclaimed  that  all  institutions 
of  the  day  were  unscriptural." 

That  was  the  period  when  a  violent  anti-missionary  paper,  "  The  Signs  of 
the  Times"  began  to  be  circulated  in  Georgia;  and,  perhaps,  if  was  thq  influ- 
-ence  of  this  paper,  and  the  "  Fri/nitive  Baptist,"  started  in  North  Carolina,  in 
1836,  which  caused  the  violence  and  bitterness  of  feeling  in  Georgia,  and  thus 


ANTI-EFFORT    SECESSION.  1/3 

really  led  to  the  disruption  of  the  denomination.  For  it  was  an  article  in  the 
former  of  these  papers  that  instigated  the  non-fellowship  resolution  passed  by 
the  Ocmulgee  Association. 

In  the  summer  of  1835  Jason  Greer  and  Rowell  Reese  published  letters  in 
the  Szgfis  of  ike  Times,  suggesting  the  propriety  of  declaring  non-fellowship 
with  those  who  favored  all  the  new  schemes  of  the  day.  In  their  wake  soon 
followed  Joel  Colley,  who,  for  twenty  years,  was  the  Moderator  of  the  Yellow 
River  Association.  To  the  members  of  most  of  the  Associations,  even  of  those 
which  opposed  the  mission  cause,  this  was,  at  first,  astounding. 

The  Primitive  Baptist  came  near  beginning  its  existence  in  Georgia.  It 
seems  that  William  Moseley,  James  Henderson,  and  others,  held  a  Convention 
in  1835,  to  consult  concerning  the  origination  of  a  paper  in  Georgia  to  counteract 
the  influence  of  The  Index.  Rev.  Joshua  Lawrence,  of  North  Carolina,  was 
invited  to  remove  to  Georgia  and  become  its  editor,  as  it  would  be  "  a  money- 
making  business./  Lieutenant  Doct.  Biddle  was,  also,  expected  to  become  its 
editor ;  but  he  decamped  very  suddenly.  On  consultation,  it  was  agreed  that 
the  Primitive  Baptist  should  be  issued  at  Tarboro,  North  Carolina.  For  all 
these  statements  Dr.  Sherwood  is  our  authority. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  state  fairly  the  exceeding  bitterness  of  feeling  and 
expression  excited  by  the  controversy  on  these  matters.  Rev.  A.  T.  Holmes, 
in  a  letter  to  The  Index,  dated  October  21st,  1837,  writes:  "The  Flint  River 
Association  adjourned  on  Tuesday  last,  after  the  most  stormy  and  unpleasant 
session  I  ever  witnessed.  On  Monday,  the  body  presented  the  most  disgraceful 
aspect  that  I  ever  witnessed  in  a  religious  meeting.  It  did  more  harm,  and  I 
have  no  doubthad  a  worse  effect  on  the  community,  than  it  will  ever  do  good. 
Other  denominations  looked  on  with  wonder  and  astonishment,  and  even  regret, 
to  see  the  Baptists  so  much  divided  ;  and  even  the  world  were  pointing  the 
finger  of  scorn  and  saying,  '  See  how  these  professors  hate,  and  are  trying  to 
devour,  each  other.'  " 

The  whole  denomination  was  torn  up  and  disorganized  by  the  dissensions, 
ruptures  and  acrimonious  criminations  and  recriminations,  which  continued 
between  1830  and  1840.  Associations  were  torn  asunder  :  churches  were  divided  ; 
friendships  were  broken,  and  Christian  fellowship  terribly  interrupted.  Indeed, 
it  was  one  of  the  greatest  afflictions  of  Jesse  Mercer's  life,  that  these  differences 
of  opinions  and  violent  dissensions  alienated  some  of  those  brethren  with  whom 
he  had  co-operated  on  terms  of  Christian  affection  and  confidence,  and  caused 
them  to  go  so  far,  even,  as  to  accuse  him  of  departure  from  the  gospel  faith. 

This  state  of  feeling  may  be  illustrated  by  an  authentic  anecdote  in  the  life 
of  that  good  and  useful  man.  Rev.  Jacpb  King,  who  lived  near  Thomaston,  in 
LTpson  county.  Soon  after  the  "  Hard-shells,"  as  the  anti-missionaries  were 
called,  had  withdrawn  from  the  Missionary  Baptists,  old  brother  Nichols,  a 
staunch  Primitive,  came  to  one  of  Jacob  King's  meetings.  As  he  entered  the 
house,  Mr.  King  met  him  and  saluted  him  with  :  "  How  do  you  do,  brother 
Nichols.?"  at  the  same  time  extending  his  hand.  The  extended  hand  was 
refused,  and  the  only  answer  deigned  was  :  "  No  brother  of  your'n  !"  Never- 
theless, the  sermon  proceeded,  and  Mr.  King  could  not  but  perceive  that  Nichols 
was  pleased  with  the  discourse.  This  was  verified  by  the  early  appearance  of 
Nichols  in  attendance  upon  another  of  Jacob  King's  services,  taking  a  seat 
near  the  pulpit.  Mr.  King  preached  on  Christian  Experience  for  some  time,  and 
then  observed  in  his  own  quiet  and  quaint  way :  "  I  don't  know  whether  I  have 
any  brethren  present  that  approve  of  this  kind  of  preaching,"  when,  much  to 
his  gratification  and  the  amusement  of  the  audience,  old  brother  Nichols  lifted 
his  head  up  and  exclaimed,  "  Yes,  you  is !" 

In  1833,  Adiel  Sherwood,  a  messenger  from  the  Georgia  Association  was,  by 
the  Yellow  Association  denied  a  seat,  as  a  messenger  from  the  State  Conven- 
tion. Two  or  three  years  later,  in  the  same  Association,  Rev.  Reuben  Thorn- 
ton, Moderator  of  the  Sarepta  Association,  was  prohibited  from  preaching  in  a 
meeting-house,  on  account  of  his  missionary  sentiments.  About  1833,  Sardis 
church,  in  Pike  county,  refused  the  use  of  its  meeting-house  to  a  Domestic 
Mission  Society,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  its  anniversary,  although  several  of 


174  ANTI-EFFORT   SECESSION. 

the  church  members  and  the  pastor  himself  were  connected  with  the  society. 
And  a  year  later,  New  Hope  church,  (in  Pike  or  Upson  county,)  of  which  John 
Hambrick  was  pastor,  decided  that  it  was  not  "  orthodox  to  receive  into  their 
pulpit,  preachers  who  are  members  of  benevolent  societies." 

In  the  Tugalo  Association,  Jesse  Mercer,  though  invited  to  a  seat  as  a  mes- 
senger from  the  Georgia  Association,  was  refused  a  seat  as  a  messenger  from 
the  General  Association  or  State  Convention,  which  he  represented. 

In  the  Western  Association,  several  churches  divided  because  of  difference 
of  opinion  on  the  subject  of  missions;  and,  in  one,  the  Antioch,  both  parties 
used  the  same  meeting  house.  All  over  the  State,  except  in  the  eastern  part, 
there  was  trouble  and  division  and  disruption  of  fellowship,  because  of  differ- 
ence of  sentiment,  laxness  of  discipline  and  disregard  of  proper  church  order. 

A  notable  difficulty  occurred  between  the  Eatonton  and  New  Salem  churches, 
owing  to  the  disorderly  reception  by  the  latter  of  a  member  of  the  former. 
The  trouble  augmented  and  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  Central  Associa- 
tion, and  for  several  years  disturbed  the  harmony  of  various  Associations  in  the 
State. 

Sharon  church,  in  Henry  county,  asked  the  Flint  River  Association  to  appoint 
and  send  a  committee  to  her  to  act  as  pacificators  or  arbitrators  in  a  difficulty 
among  the  members.  The  committee  appeared  at  the  appointed  time,  and  au- 
thoritatively demanded  the  moderatorship,  as  a  right.  This  claim  the  church  de- 
nied and  withheld.  The  committee  then  withdrew  from  the  church  to  a  grove 
and  sent  word  for  such  of  the  members  as  recognized  their  authority  to  appear  be- 
fore them.  Seven  or  eight  did  so,  and  w^re  recognized  by  the  committee  as  the 
church,  and  were  so  reported  to  the  Association.  At  its  next  session,  thinking 
to  smooth  over  the  matter,  the  Association  voted  to  receive  both  factions  of  the 
church.     The  result  was  the  secession  of  several  churches  from  the  Association. 

Almost  any  number  of  instances  might  be  adduced,  exhibiting  the  exceed- 
ingly deplorable  and  disagreeable  results,  in  the  denomination,  of  that  state  of 
strife  and  dissension,  which  existed  prior  to  1837,  and  which  culminated  in  a 
denominational  separation  in  that  year,  which  has  been  well  marked  ever  since. 
It  was  not  uncommon  for  anti-mission  churches  to  excommunicate  members 
who  entertained  missionary  sentiments,  and  for  Associations  to  withdraw  from 
or  attempt  to  discipline  churches  that  retained  such  members.  James  Hender- 
son, Moderator  of  the  Ocmulgee  Association,  contended  "that  Associations 
have  the  same  power  over  churches,  that  churches  have  over  their  members." 
This  gave  rise  to  a  dissertation  by  Jesse  Mercer,  published  in  the  Minutes  of  the 
State  Convention  for  1833,  on  "The  Resemblances  and  Differences  between 
Association  and  Church  Authority." 

But  about  1836  a  brighter  day  dawned.  Another  chapter,  however,  must  be 
devoted  to  a  still  further  exposition  of  the  state  of  religious  feeling  in  this  dark 
period  of  our  denominational  history. 


XV. 

Pvi:iJGIOUS  HJSTORY. 

1826-1836. 


XV. 

RELIGIOUS  HISTOKY. 


THE  GREAT  REVIVAL  OF  1827 — ACCESSIONS  TO  THE  DIFFERENT  ASSOCIA- 
TIONS— REPORTS  FOR  1 829 — THE  ANTI-INTEMPERATE  SOCIETY — GEORGIA 
ASSOCIATION  OF^l828  AND  1829— THE  SUNBURY  ASSOCIATION — RELTGIOUS 
CONDITION  IN  1830 — DENOMINATIONAL  STATISTICS — RELIGIOUS  CONDI- 
TION FROM  1830  TO  1836 — DESCRIBED  BY  JESSE  MERCER — DR.  C.  D.  MAL- 
LARY'S  STATEMENT— what  A  WRITER  IN  "  THE  INDEX  "  SAID — THE  CON- 
VENTION STILL  PRESSES  FORWARD — REVIVAL  INCIDENTS — THE  CONVEN- 
TION RESOLUTION  OF  1835 — CAMPBELL'S  CALL  FOR  THE  FORSYTH  MEET- 
ING— THE  FORSYTH  MEETING — ITS  PROCEEDINGS — COMMUNICATIONS 
FROM  DR.  HILLYER,  DR.  CAMPBELL  AND  REV.  T.  B.  SLADE — PEACE  DAWNS 
ONCE  MORE — THE  MEETING  AT  COVINGTON. 

There  seems  to  have  been  no  special  religious  interest  manifested  in  the  Bap- 
tist churches  of  our  State  during  the  year  1826.  In  1827  a  remarkable  revival 
commenced  in  July,  at  Eatonton,  then  in  the  Ocmulgee  Association,  under  the 
ministry  of  Adiel  Sherwood.  While  serving  three  churches — Milledgeville, 
Greenesboro  and  Eatonton — he  dwelt  at  the  last  named  place  and  taught  the 
academy  there.  In  September  he  preached  on  Sabbath  in  the  open  air,  at  An- 
tioch  church,  Morgan  county,  during  the  session  of  the  Ocmulgee  Association 
for  that  year.  The  Holy  Spirit  descended  with  mighty  power,  and  at  the  con- 
clusion of  the  sermon  four  thousand  people  sought  the  benefits  of  prayer  in  their 
behalf.  Among  the  first  to  spring  forward  towards  the  stand  was  John  E.  Daw- 
son, then  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  exceedingly  handsome ;  he  had  been, 
even  then,  married  three  years.  He  was  one  of  the  many  whose  conversion  re- 
sulted from  the  descent  of  the  Spirit  that  day  ;  and  for  the  fifteen  following  years 
there  were  converts  joining  Baptist  churches  in  the  neighboring  region  who 
dated  their  first  serious  impressions  from  the  day  they  heard  that  wonderfully 
blessed  sermon  at  Antioch  church.  Brethren  Colley  and  James  Shannon  also 
preached  on  Sabbath,  and  much  excitement  was  produced,  and  thousands  were 
convicted.  In  the  words  of  Dr.  Sherwood  himself,  "  The  oldest  of  God's  min- 
isters were  constrained  to  say  they  never  saw  such  a  wonderful  appearance  of 
the  outpouring  of  God's  Spirit  before."  The  work  spread  throughout  the  State, 
resulting  in  the  baptism,  within  two  years,  of  about  sixteen  thousand  persons. 

Ministers  all  over  the  State,  aroused  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  a  pitch  of  lofty  en- 
thusiasm, went  from  church  to  church,  and  from  neighborhood  to  neighborhood, 
preaching  with  a  most  unusual  and  heaven-blessed  fervor.  Dr.  A.  Sherwood, 
in  his  private  memoranda,  records  that,  in  thirty  counties,  he  "  tried  to  preach  " 
three  hundred  and  thirty-three  times  during  the  year  1828. 

The  Minutes  of  the  Georgia  Association,  in  the  Letter  of  Correspondence,  bear 
witness  to  the  increase  in  itineracy  among  the  ministers.  William  Moseley, 
James  Reeves  and  others,  of  the  Flint  River  Association,  who  had  attended  the 
Ocmulgee  in  that  year,  caught  a  glorious  impulse  for  preaching  Jesus,  and  soon 
communicated  their  enthusiasm  to  others,  and  ere  long  the  whole  Flint  River 
Association  was  ablaze  with  religious  fervor,  and  a  most  powerful  work  was  the 
result  in  all  its  bounds.  Nineteen  hundred  baptisms  were  reported  at  the  session 
of  the  Flint  River  Association  for  1828. 
(12) 


1/3  RELIGIOUS   HISTORY. 

With  but  one  or  two  exceptions  all  the  Associations  of  the  State  felt  the  influ- 
ence of  this  remarkable  revival  in  a  marked  degree.  The  number  of  baptisms 
reported  at  the  Ocmulgee  in  the  year  1828,  for  the  previous  twelve  months,  was 
1,772,  and  in  1829  the  number  of  baptisms  reported  was  810.  In  the  Georgia 
Association  1,761  baptisms  were  reported  in  1828,  and  708  in  1829.  To  the 
Ebenezer  Association  200  baptisms  were  reported  in  1828,  and  270  in  1829.  At 
the  Convention  held  in  May,  1828,  in  Monticello,  the  Committee  on  the  State  of 
Religion  reported  that  it  was  "  more  flattering  in  Georgia  than  it  ever  was  be- 
fore. On  the  Ocmulgee,  Flint  River,  Yellow  River  and  Georgia  Associations 
the  Lord  has  poured  out  His  Spirit  in  rich  profusion,  and  many  have  been  added 
to  the  churches.  From  the  Ebenezer  and  Tugalo  Associations  we  have  nothing 
very  encouraging.  The  spirit  of  opposition  to  missionary  efforts  in  the  Hephzi- 
bih  Association  seems  to  be  giving  way.  From  the  Sunbury  Association,  a 
member  of  this  Convention,  we  have  some  encouraging  prospects.  Nothing 
special  is  heard  either  from  the  Piedmont,  Sarepta  or  Chattahoochee  Associa- 
tion. We  have  great  reason  to  bless  God  that  the  glorious  light  of  Zion  is 
spreading  far  and  wide,  and  will  soon  cover  the  earth."  ^ 

The  following  year,  1829,  the  Convention  met  at  Milledgeville,  and  the  report 
on  the  State  of  Religion  gives  us  a  little  further  insight  into  the  spiritual  condi- 
tion of  the  churches  and  Associations :  "  In  the  bounds  of  those  Associations 
hitherto  unfriendly  to  the  views  and  objects  of  this  Convention,  there  is  a  con- 
siderable change.  Some  partial  revivals  have  taken  place,  family  altars  have 
been  erected,  weekly  prayer-meetings  constantly  kept  up  in  many  churches, 
some  tract,  Bible  and  Sabbath-school  societies  formed,  and  the  missionary  spirit 
considerably  increased.  In  the  bounds  of  those  Associations  which  have  united 
with  this  Convention,  there  have  been  many  Bible,  tract  and  Sunday-school 
societies  formed,  and  a  very  great  accession  of  members  by  experience  and  bap- 
tism. Nearly  eight  thousand  (8,000)  were  baptized  during  the  last  associational 
year  ;  but  it  is  agreed  that  the  revival  is  on  the  decline.  Family  prayer  is  gen- 
erally attended  to,  prayer-meetings  kept  up  in  churches,  and  many  spend  every 
Sabbath  in  the  public  exercises  of  religion.  A  spirit  of  religious  improvement 
■seems  to  prevail." 

The  following,  on  the  subject  of  Temperance,  from  the  same  report,  is  inter- 
esting : 

"  The  Anti-intemperate  Society  for  this  State  is  increasing,  and  it  is  worthy 
of  remark,  that  in  public  assemblies  hitherto  accustomed  to  use  ardent  spirits  to 
great  excess,  not  half  the  quantity  formerly  made  use  of  is  now  consumed. 
Very  few  famihes  use  it  habitually ;  and  it  is  not  now  considered  a  breach  of 
common  politeness  to  neglect  placing  the  dram-bottle  on  the  board.  Public 
labors,  such  as  reaping  the  harvest  fields,  etc.,  are  performed,  frequently,  with- 
out the  use  of  the  inebriating  bowl ;  and  even  at  weddings,  in  respectable  fami- 
lies, there  have  been  many  instance  of  entire  abstinence  from  this  liquid." 

This  extract  gives  us  a  hint  of  the  exceedinr;  great  evil  intemperance  had  be- 
come in  the  State  prior  to  this  time.  The  records  of  the  best  Baptist  Associa- 
tions of  the  State  evince  the  strenuous  and  persistent  efforts  made  by  those 
Associations  to  abate  the  evil  and  dethrone  King  Alcohol.  Year  after  year  the 
churches  and  church  members  are  besought  urgently  to  combat  intemperance, 
and  its  evils  are  deplored  in  the  most  feeling  manner.  Many  church  members 
deemed  it  no  inconsistency  to  drink ;  and  the  anti-missionary  Baptists  were  as 
bitterly  opposed  to  temperance  societies  as  they  were  to  mission,  tract  and  Bible 
societies. 

The  first  temperance  society  in  the  State  of  Georgia  was  organized  at  Eaton- 
ton,  in  the  last  part  of  July,  1827,  at  a  union  meeting  of  the  Baptist  church  ;  and 
the  great  revival  of  that  year  broke  out  before  the  meeting  was  closed.  In  the 
following  spring,  that  of  1828,  the  State  Temperance  Society  was  formed,  at 
Monticello,  at  the  close  of  the  session  for  that  year  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Con- 
vention. The  constitution,  at  the  request  of  A.  Sherwood,  was  written  by  Rev. 
Abner  W.  Clopton,  of  Virginia.  General  Shorter  was  elected  President,  and 
Rev.  Edmund  Shackelford  was  chosen  Secretary.  Dr.  Sherwood  soon  succeeded 
E.  Shackelford  as  Secretary,  and  served  for  five  or  six  years,  until  he  went  to 


RELIGIOUS   HISTORY.  179 

^Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  to  become  a  professor  in  Columbian 
University.  Tliis  State  Temperance  Society  continued  to  ffourish  until  1834, 
holding  its  meetings  at  Milledgeville  during  the  sessions  of  the  Legislature. 
It  had  between  fifty  and  one  hundred  auxiliaries.  The  society  gradually  became 
extinct  after  the  removal  of  the  Secretary  to  Washington  City ;  but  the  cause 
v^^as  not  abandoned  by  the  Baptists.  On  the  contrary,  the  publication  of  a  tem- 
perance paper,  called  the  Temperance  Banner,  was  begun  at  Washington  in  1834, 
by  Mercer  &  Stokes,  and  it  was  the  means  of  doing  much  good  All  these  exer- 
tions resulted  in  a  great  temperance  reformation  in  the  State,  in  effecting  which 
the  Baptists  took  a  most  honorable  part. 

At  its  session,  in  October,  1828,  the  Georgia  Association,  in  its  Corresponding 
Letter  to  the  sister  Associations  affirmed  :  "  We  are  constrained  to  believe  that 
the  God  of  Abraham  has  poured  out,  in  these  latter  days,  the  most  holy  influ- 
ence of  His  Spirit  of  truth,  and  through  its  effectual  teaching,  the  old  and  the 
young,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  bond  and  the  free,  have  flocked  together  to 
the  feet  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  and  "many  of  our  sons  and  daughters  and 
servants  have  rallied  to  the  gospel  trumpet's  joyful  sound  and  waving  banner, 
and  have  become  the  willing  subjects  of  the  Cross  of  Christ."  And,  in  the  reg- 
ular proceedings  for  1828,  we  read  that  "As  the  Lord  is  abundantly  blessing 
the  churches,  and  calling  into  them  many  young  men  : 

"Resolved,  That  we  urge  upon  the  churches  the  importance  of  fostering 
prominent  gifts,  and  of  encouraging  those  who  possess  them  to  exercise  them 
frequently : 

"And,  as  the  Lord  has  been  pleased  to  favor  us  with  a  large  increase  of  pre- 
cious souls  the  past  year,  who  have  been  converted  by  mighty  grace,  and  that 
He  may  abide  with  us,  and  revive  those  churches  unvisited  by  the  showers  of 
mercy,  that  the  residue  of  children,  neighbors  and  servants  perish  not,  and 
that  our  poor  efforts  to  send  the  gospel  to  those  who  are  perishing  for  lack  of 
knowledge,  may  be  more  united  and  successful, 

"Resolved,  That  we  observe  the  13th  day  of  November,  1829,  as  a  day  of 
thanksgiving  and  prayer,  and  release  to  our  domestics,  at  our  respective  places 
of  worship."     It  w^as,  also, 

"Resolved  unanimously,  That  we  encourage  the  formation  of  Sabbath- 
schools,  at  all  our  houses  of  worship."  And,  at  the  same  session,  B.  M.  San- 
ders preached  the  missionary  sermon,  after  which  a  collection,  of  $75-3 1}4'  was 
taken  up. 

In  1829,  the  same  Association  resolved,  "  That  we  consider  it  a  matter  of 
gratitude  to  God,  that  He  disposes  the  churches  in  our  bounds  to  sustain  the 
cause  of  missions  and  education  with  increased  energy,"  and  it  was  agreed  that 
"  The  members  and  friends  of  this  body,  for  themselves  and  friends,  become 
obligated  to  raise  three  thousand  dollars,  (including  one  share  of  $250.00  which 
has  been  subscribed  by  a  benevolent  lady  in  Augusta,)  in  favor  of  the  Colum- 
bian College." 

To  the  Sarepta  Association  five  hundred  and  nine  baptisms  were  reported  in 

1828,  and,  by  it,  the  fourth  of  July  was  appointed  as  a  day  of  thanksgiving.     In 

1829,  the  same  day  was  again  appointed  as  a  day  of  thanksgiving  ;  all  heads  of 
families,  in  Baptist  churches,  were  recommended  to  have  daily  family  worship  ; 
and  several  brethren  were  appointed,  as  missionaries,  to  visit  destitute  neighbor- 
hoods, during  the  ensuing  year  and  preach  the  gospel.  The  churches  were  rec- 
ommended to  make  the  sale  of  ardent  spirits  and  the  frequenting  of  tippling  shops 
a  "matter  of  dealing,"  and,  for  the  first  time,  the  churches  were  recommended 
to  send  up  contributions  in  aid  of  missions.  It  was  resolved  to  take  up  a  col- 
lection, at  each  annual  meeting,  for  the  same  purpose ;  and  the  first  public  col- 
lection for  missions  the  ensuing  year  amounted  to  $50.46.  At  this  session  the 
Sarepta  Association  for  the  first  time  committed  itself  decidedly  as  favorable  to 
the  cause  of  foreign  missions,  several  contributions  being  for  the  Burman  mis- 
sion. 

During  the  years  1827,  1828  and  1829,  the  Sunbury  Association  continued  its 
associational  missions,  strongly  encouraged  the  cause  of  missions  and  Sunday- 
schools,  and   greatly  deplored   the   evils  of   intemperance,  recording  it  as  the 


l8o  RELIGIOUS   HISTORY. 

"  standing  vote  "  of  the  body,  that,  considering  the  demoralizing  effects  arising 
from  the  intemperate  use  of  ardent  spirits  :  "  Resolved,  That  we  feel  it  a  duty 
to  use  our  exertions,  by  every  means,  to  suppress  this  great  and  growing  evil." 
In  its  Corresponding  Letter  for  1829,  this  Association  affirms  that  "the  exhibi- 
tions of  Divine  Mercy  towards  our  churches  have  not  been  as  remarkable  as 
are  experienced  in  some  favored  sections  of  our  country."  Its  Letter  for  1830, 
laments  "  additional  and  deplorable  evidence  that  the  churches  are  in  a  state  of 
spiritual  declension." 

But  a  brief  summary  of  the  general  religious  condition  of  the  denomination 
for  the  year  1830.  is  found  in  the  Minutes  of  the  State  Convention  for  that  year : 

"  In  the  Georgia  Association  708  were  baptized  during  the  last  associational 
year,  and  there  is  cause  of  gratitude  that  there  is  so  much  attention  to  family 
religion  and  other  Christian  duties,  and  so  few  departures  from  the  standard  of 
our  Saviour.  In  this  Association  are  twenty-eight  Sabbath  schools,  containing 
more  than  1,000  pupils;  ten  tract  and  nine  temperance  societies,  besides  other 
benevolent  institutions.  The  churches  are  redoubling  their  exertions  in  the 
cause  of  missions  and  ministerial  education.  Seven  hundred  dollars  were  con- 
tributed for  these  objects,  at  the  last  annual  meeting,  and  nearly  $3,000  were 
subscribed  for  Columbian  College.  Here  we  see  works  and  faith  consistently- 
operating  together  ;  the  churches  evince  by  their  conduct  that  they  are  in  earnest 
when  they  pray  for  more  laborers  to  be  sent  into  the  harvest,  and  for  a  wider 
extension  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom. 

"  With  regard  to  the  Sarepta,  Tugalo  and  Chattahoochee  Associations,  the 
accounts  are  somewhat  favorable,  especially  as  respects  the  first  named.  In 
that  Association  394  were  baptized  during  the  last  year,  and  in  its  bounds  are 
seven  temperance  societies,  eight  tract  societies  and  nine  Sabbath  schools- 
Many  of  the  ministers  have  caught  the  spirit  of  domestic  missions ;  and  that  of 
foreign  missions  is  also  gaining  ground.  In  the  Tugalo  Association  255  were 
baptized,  and  in  the  Chattahoochee  124.  There  are  no  benevolent  societies  in 
either  of  these  two  last-named  Associations ;  but  the  cause  of  missions  is 
advancing.  In  the  Ebenezer  Association  there  has  been  considerable  attention 
to  religion,  especially  in  the  church  at  Rocky  Creek.  The  views  of  many  of  the 
ministers  in  this  body  have  been  turned  favorably  towards  the  Convention.  Op- 
position among  lay  members  is  giving  way.  Several  Sabbath  schools  and 
temperance  societies  are  in  existence. 

"We  regret  to  learn  that  in  the  Ocmulgeeand  Flint  River  Associations  there 
are  divisions  and  contentions ;  and  religion,  of  course,  is  at  a  low  ebb." 

The  Executive  Committee,  at  the  session  of  April,  1830,  reported  four  State 
missionaries  employed,  who  had  performed  much  useful  labor.  Several  churches 
were  reported  as  sustaining  beneficiaries  with  a  view  to  the  ministry ;  and  the 
Convention  itself,  through  its  Executive  Committee,  had  sustained  three,  among 
them  J.  H.  Campbell,  who,  the  Executive  Committe  says,  "  has  been,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Clerk  (Adiel  Sherwood),  pursuing  his  studies,  conducting  a 
Sabbath  school  and  Bible  class,  and  preaching  statedly  in  Eatonton  and  Greenes- 
boro.  The  people  of  the  former  place  have  strongly  solicited  his  residence 
among  them,  and  promise  his  support.  The  Committee  recommend  that  he 
remain,  and  still  be  directed  in  his  studies  by  the  Clerk.  Brother  Thomas 
Cooper,  who  had  boarded  him  last  year,  made  no  charge.  The  Committee 
voted  him  forty  dollars." 

It  is  pleasant  to  record  that  after  more  than  half  a  century  of  .ardent  minis- 
terial labor  this  beloved  brother  still  lingers  on  the  confines  of  Time,  and  still 
as  ardently  continues  to  do  faithful  and  useful  work  as  a  minister  of  Jesus ;. 
while  the  "  Clerk,"  too,  lingered  on  earth  for  a  half  century,  beholding  with  joy 
and  gratitude  the  wonderful  growth  of  the  denomination  he  aided  so  much  in 
years  long  gone  by. 

In  the  year  1829  there  were  sixteen  Associations,  three  hundred  and  titty-six 
churches,  about  two  hundred  ministers  and  twenty-eight  thousand  two  hundred 
and  sixty-eight  members. 

In  the  year  1831,  there  were  seventeen  Baptist  Associations  in  Georgia,  namely,- 
the  Columbus,  Ebenezer,  Flint  River,  Georgia,  Hephzibah,  Houston,  Piedmont,. 


RELIGIOUS    HISTORY.  l8l 

^.. 

Sarepta,  Tugalo,  Washington,  Western,  Chattahoochee,  Canoochee,  Echaconee, 
Oclochonee,  Ocmulg^e  and  Yellow  Riv&r.  In  these  Associations,  there  were 
five  hundred  and  six  churches,  two  hundred  and  seventy-one  ministers,  and 
thirty-seven  thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety  members.  In  that  year  the 
number  of  baptisms  reported  to  these  Associations  was  three  thousand  one 
hundred  and  forty-seven.  These  figures  are  taken  from  The  Christian 
Index  of  Ma-ch  17th,  1832,  and  the  editor  extracts  them  from  the  Baptist 
Tract  Magazine,  and  says  they  were  prepared  by  Rev.  I.  M.  Allen,  agent,  with 
great  labor  and  care.  The  table  appears  to  quote  the  upper  and  lower  Canoo- 
chee as  one  Association. 

In  1835  we  find  four  more  Associations  formed,  namely,  the  Appalachee, 
the  Arbacoocbee,  the  Chastatee  and  Lawrenceville,  thus  making  a  total  of 
twenty-one  Associations,  with  five  hundred  and  eighty-three  churches,  two 
hundred  and  ninety-eight  ministers,  forty-one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ten 
members.  The  growth  of  the  denomination,  therefore,  from  1824  to  1835  may 
be  thus  discerned  : 


CHURCHES. 

MEMBERS. 

MINISTERS.   A 

SSOCIi^ 

1824 

264 

18,108 

145 

10 

1829 

356 

28,268  ■ 

200 

16 

I83I 

506 

37.490 

271 

17 

1835 

583 

41,810 

298 

21 

The  remarkable  fact  becomes  apparent,  here,  that  from  1827  to  1831,  inclu- 
sive, the  additions  to  the  churches  averaged,  at  least  five  thousand  annually ; 
while  the  annual  average  of  the  additions  for  the  four  years  succeeding  1831, 
was  but  little  over  one  thousand.  This  gives  us  a  hint  of  the  spirit  of  strife 
and  dissension  that  was  raging  during  those  years. 

In  1830  the  Ocmulgee,  while  holding  its  session  at  Harmony  church  near 
Eatonton,  withdrew  from  the  State  Convention,  and,  although  the  Sunbury 
Association  never  severed  its  connection  with  the  body,  yet  so  seldom  did  its 
-delegates  attend  that,  for  half  a  dozen  years,  delegates  appeared  from  the  Geor- 
gia Association  only,  as  a  constituent.  The  Convention  was  composed  of  dele- 
gates from  the  Georgia  Association  and  about  fifteen  auxiliary  societies.  Mes- 
sengers appeared,  however,  occasionally  from  a  few  of  the  Associations,  not 
connected  with  the  body.  In  1835  the  Georgia  Association  contained  forty- 
eight  churches  and  six  thousand  communicants,  about  one-third  of  whom  were 
colored. 

In  1835  the  Central  became  connected  with  the  Convention,  and  in  1836  the 
Sarepta  united.  For  a  year  or  two  more  auxiliary  societies  continued  to  unite 
with  the  Convention;  but  when,  in  1838,  the  Appalachee  and  Hephzibah  joined, 
followed  by  the  Columbus  and  Rehoboth  in  1839,  and  the  Washington  in  1840, 
the  auxiliaries  ceased  to  send  delegates,  for  in  rapid  succession  the  Flint  River, 
Western,  Bethel  and  other  Associations  joined  the  Convention  and  the  au.xiliary 
societies  became  extinct. 

The  state  of  religion  in  the  Baptist  churches  of  the  State  from  1830  to  1836, 
was  deplorable.  It  was  a  time  of  chaos  and  confusion  ;  of  bitter  animosity  and 
dissension,  and  of  course  religion  was  at  a  very  low  ebb  in  most  parts  of  the 
State.  In  the  Circular  Letter  of  the  Convention,  wrilten  in  1831,  Jesse  Mercer 
himself  says  :  'That  the  standard  of  Christian  morality  is  deplorably  low  among 
the  ministry  and  churches  of  our  denomination,  is  too  obvious  to  be  concealed. 

"  Are  there  not  many  professors  among  us  whose  spirit,  life  and  conversation 
illy  become  the  gospel  of  Christ— worldly  in  their  views  and  mercenary  in  all 
they  do.  so  that  if  they  were  not  seen  in  the  church  meeting,  or  at  the  Lord's 
table,  they  could  not  be  told  from  mere  worldlings  ?  And  yet  do  they  not  go 
unreproved  ? 

"  Are  there  not  many  who,  to  the  entire  neglect  of  all  family  religion,  seldom 
attend  church  meeting,  and  habitually  live  irreverently,  if  not  immorally  ?  And 
are  they  not  suffered  to  go  undisciplined  ? 

"  And  others  there  are,  who,  in  the  plainest  sense,  are  drunkards,  and  though 
jio  drunkard  hath  any  place  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  Christ,  yet  do  they  not. 


l82  RELIGIOUS   HISTORY. 

by  some  means — by  feigned  repentance  or  empty  and  vain  resolves — continue 
from  youili  to  old  age  in  the  churcli,  frequently,  if  not  habitually,  drunk  ?  And 
are  there  not  many  such  cases  ? 

"  And  more :  is  it  not  common  that  mere  negative  goodness  is  all  that  is 
requisite  to  constitute  a  member  in  good  standing,  and  to  recommend  him,  as 
such,  to  a  sister  church  ? 

"  And,  moreover,  is  there  not  evidently  a  want  of  union  and  concert  among 
both  ministers  and  churches  of  our  denomination  ? 

"  Have  not  instances  occurred  in  which  some  churches  have  disciplined  their 
members  for  what  others  have  winked  at,  or  even  commended,  in  theirs?  And 
have  not  censured,  and  even  excluded  members  of  some,  been  received  and  nur- 
tured by  other  churches  ?  And  have  not  ministers  gotten  into  heated  and  hurt- 
ful controversies  with  one  another,  breathing  towards  each  other  the  most  crude 
asperities  and  cruel  animosities  ?  And  is  it  not  true  that  one  has  preached  what 
another,  in  and  to  the  same  congregation,  has  contradicted  and  exposed  as  un- 
sound and  dangerous,  by  which  questions  which  engender  strife  have  abounded? 
And  has  not  all  this  passed  off,  too,  without  any  effort  to  correct  the  evil  or 
reconcile  these  inconsiderate  brethren  ?" 

Mr.  Mercer  then  proceeds  to  inquire  into  the  causes  of  these  afflictions,  and 
he  comprehends  their  causes  mostly,  if  not  altogether,  in  the  three  following 
particulars : 

1.  A  want  of  carefulness  in  the  admission  of  members. 

2.  The  want  of  a  close  and  godly  discipline. 

3.  An  inefficient  ministry. 

Dr.  C.  D.  Mallary,  in  his  life  of  Jesse  Mercer,  presents  the  following  sombre 
view  of  the  state  of  affairs  which  prevailed  in  our  churches  during  the  fourth  de- 
cade of  the  century : 

"A  disposition  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  Associations  to  interfere,  in  what 
was  considered  an  arbitrary  and  unscriptural  manner,  with  the  affairs  of  the 
churches,  was  one  of  the  most  fruitful  sources  of  the  many  distressing  evils 
which  so  long  afflicted  the  Baptists  of  Georgia.  The  encroachments  of  Associa- 
tions were  met  with  prompt  resistance  on  the  part  of  many  of  the  churches, 
mingled  oftentimes,  no  doubt,  with  a  spirit  not  the  most  lovely  and  conciliating. 
This,  in  some  instances,  was  followed  by  attempts  on  the  part  of  the  Associa- 
tions to  justify  their  previous  course,  and  by  further  acts,  which  the  churches 
deemed  an  unwarrantable  interference  with  their  rights.  The  result  of  these 
proceedings  was,  that  some  of  the  churches  withdrew  from  the  Associations, 
and  some  were  withdrawn  from,  whilst  others  were  sadly  divided  among  them- 
selves and  rent  into  fritgments.  In  many  cases  associational  correspondence 
was  laid  aside,  ministerial  friendship  and  intercourse  were  entirely  suspended,  and 
the  communion  and  fellowship  of  the  churches  broken.  Bitter  jealousies,  evil 
surmisings  and  uncharitable  accusations  were  multiplied,  whilst  the  occasional 
attempts  which  were  made  to  bring  about  a  more  desirable  state  of  things  seemed 
for  a  time  only  to  aggravate  the  disorders  they  were  intended  to  cure. 

"  In  the  meantime  the  anti-missionary  spirit,  which  it  is  supposed  had  been 
secretly  operating  for  years,  burst  forth  in  great  violence,  and  by  its  rending, 
non-fellowship  policy,  increased  still  further  the  work  of  strife  and  confusion." 

There  seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  the  violent  and  long  continued  opposition 
to  ithe  General  Association  and  State  Convention  engendered  a  bad  state  of  feel- 
ing, especially  in  the  central  and  western  portions  of  the  State,  and  more  par- 
ticularly in  the  Ocmulgee,  Flint  and  Yellow  River  Associations  ;  and  this  state 
.of  feeling  manifested  itself  unpleasantly  in  various  ways.  The  assumption  of 
undue  powers  by  some  of  the  Associations  caused  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and 
dissension.  The  opposition  to  education  and  missions,  resulting  in  opposition 
to  the  Convention,  was  exceedingly  strong  and  bitter.  The  opposition  to  Bible 
societies,  tract  societies  and  temperance  societies,  was  bold  and  outspoken. 
Various  questions  pertaining  to  church  order  and  doctrine  were  unsettled,  and 
excited  the  greatest  violence  of  speech  and  manner.  Church  discipline  was  lax, 
and  ignorance  and  prejudice  prevailed  to  a  lamentable  extent.  ■  Criminations  and 
recriminations,  which  resulted  in  much  personal  ill  will  and  bad  feeling,  were  but 


RELIGIOUS   HISTORY.  183 

too  prevalenf.  Churches  were  split ;  Associations  were  divided  ;  harsh,  and  some- 
times unjust  discipline  was  exercised  ;  non-fellowship  was  frequently  declared, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  denomination  was  for  years  in  a  state  of  embroil- 
ment and  dissension  excited  by  feelings  unbecoming  true  Christians. 

It  does  indeed  appear  as  if  the  great  Adversarty  of  Christianity,  jealous  of  the 
prosperity  of  religion  and  of  the  churches  during  the  extraordinary  revival  period 
of  1S27,  1 828  and  1829,  sowed  the  tares  of  strife  and  discord  among  the  churches, 
effecting  a  great  reaction  in  the  zeal  and  piety  of  many  of  the  ministers  and 
members.  Practical  godliness  became  neglected, /(7r  the  means  to  multiply  and 
perpetuate  the  happy  7'esitlts  of  the  revival  were  7ieglected  ;  and  thus  the  efforts 
of  the  great  Adversary  were,  as  Dr.  Mallary  expresses  it,  "  so  sadly  and  exten- 
sively successful." 

A  writer  to  The  Christian  Index,  then  published  at  Philadelphia,  under 
date  of  March  6th,  1832,  states  the  case  plainly  and  without  any  over-wrought 
coloring,  and  his  testimony  may  well  be  admitted,  as  he  evidently  was  an  ad- 
herent of  the  anti-Convention  party.     He  writes  : 

"For  several  years  past  a  controversy  has  been  carried  on  between  us  and  the 
advocates  of  the  Convention  about  the  objects  and  exertions  of  that  body. 
Upon  this  subject  there  have  been  criminations  and  recriminations.  That  breth- 
ren holding  the  same  faith,  and  generally  the  same  discipline,  should  be  thus 
unhappily  arrayed  against  each  other,  is  a  fact  to  be  deplored  most  sincerely. 
It  would  seem  that  matters  ought  not  to  remain  in  their  present  situation,  if  it 
could  possibly  be  avoided.  Many  efforts  have  been  made  already  to  remedy  this 
evil ;  but  hitherto  they  have  been  unavaihng.  And  shall  we  be  contented  that 
matters  remain  in  this  situation  }  Shall  our  contentions  drive  us  farther  and 
farther  asunder  ?  Shall  we  stand  still  and  behold  our  beloved  Zion  lacerated  and 
torn  by  our  contentions,  and  make  no  exertion  to  bring  about  a  better  state  of 
things }     No." 

He  then  proceeds  to  state  the  grounds  taken  by  both  parties  in  the  contro- 
versy, and,  briefly  summed  up,  it  consists,  on  the  part  of  the  Convention  brethren, 
in  "  a  deep  interest  manifested  in  foreign  and  domestic  missions,  for  the_s.;ppoit 
of  which  they  contribute  and  call  upon  the  whole  denomination  for  efficient  aid. 
For  the  attainment  of  thess  ends  they  are  pressing  forward;  but  to  succeed, 
they  well  know  that  an  efficient  ministry  is  indispensable.  Hence  they  are  de- 
sirous to  afford  to  all  their  young  brethren,  not  otherwise  provided  for,  who  are 
coming  into  the  min-stry,  an  opportunity  to  store  their  minds  with  useful  in- 
formation in  view  of  the  arduous  work  before  them.  The  work,  in  their  view,  is 
great,  requirine  the  united  counsels  and  energies  of  the  whole  denomination." 

This  is  a  trulhful  and  plain  statement  of  the  case  :  The  Convention  brethren 
favored  foreign  and  domestic  missions  and  ministerial  education,  and  sought  to 
unite  the  denomination  in  their  support.     Now  hear  the  other  side  : 

"  In  regard  to  ourselves,  brethren,  you  know  we  have  uniformly  contended 
that  there  was  no  need  of  such  an  institution  as  the  State  Convention.  There- 
fore, we  have  opposed  it  at  every  step  of  its  progress.  We  know  that  many 
good  brethren  are  engaged  for  its  promotion ;  but  we  have  hithc-rto  regarded 
them  as  led  on  to  this  more  from  the  novelty  of  the  thing  than  from  any  positive 
proof  of  its  utility.  But,  brethren,  we  may  have  been  all  this  time  in  the  lurong  ; 
and  some  recent  developments  seem  to  favor  this  idea.  It  is  a  fact  which  cannot 
be  dissembled,  that  during  the  last  year,  whilst  the  Lord  was  pouring  out  His 
Spirit  and  reviving  His  work  gloriously  in  many  parts  of  His  earthly  vineyard, 
the  Convention  brethren  were  signally  blessed.  Look,  for  instance,  at  the 
Georgia  Association !  To  many  of  her  churches  hundreds  have  been  added, 
whilst  the  additions  to  our  own  have  been  very  few.  And,  what  is  still  more 
humiliating,  our  churches  are  rent  asunder  by  party  broils  and  dissensions. 
These  facts  ought  to  have  their  influence  in  settling  the  question  as  to  the  pro- 
priety of  a  Convention.  The  question  between  Elijah  and  Baal's  prophets  was 
decided  by  fire  from  heaven  upon  Elijah's  sacrifice  f" 

The  writer  then  goes  on  to  suggest  prayer  for  a  knowledge  of  the  truth,  add- 
ing, "  Perhaps  in  our  debates  on  this  subject  we  have  indulged  too  much  angry 
feeling.     Perhaps,  whilst  with  frowns  on  our  countenances,   we  have  charged 


I  84  RELIGIOUS    HISTORY. 

upon    our   brethren   visionary    projects,    we    have  fought    against    our   best 
interests  /" 

But  the  clouds  of  discord  and  dissension  still  hung  loweringly  over  the  de- 
nomination for  years. 

In  pursuance  of  its  objects,  the  Convention  went  forward  steadily  in  its  mis- 
sionary and  educational  projects.  Its  Minutes  show  liberal  contributions  for 
foreign  and  domestic  missions,  and  for  the  establishment  of  Mercer  Institute. 
In  1833  and  1834  its  missionary,  J.  Reeves,  travelled  1,600  miles  in  the  Cherokee 
country  ;  preached  162  sermons,  and  constituted  five  churches.  The  best  minis- 
ters of  the  Convention  persistently  maintained  their  evangelistic  efforts,  and 
sought  faithfully,  travelling  two  and  two,  to  counteract  the  prevailing  lethargy, 
and  infuse  more  spiritual  life  into  the  churches.  It  was  in  1833,  while  a  leaden 
lethargy  was  settled  on  the  churches,  that  Mercer  and  Sherwood,  in  a  preaching 
tour,  came  to  Walnut  Creek  church,  in  Jones  county,  of  which  the  venerable 
Edmund  Talbot  was  then  pastor.  There  was  a  large  week-day  congregation, 
and  it  was  Sherwood's  lot  to  preach  first.  Mercer  followed,  but  was  not  warm 
in  his  discourse,  yet  there  was  some  feeling  manifested  among  the  older  mem- 
bers, and  especially  by  the  pastor  himself.  When  Mercer  sat  down  he  rose  to 
say  a  few  words,  but  his  feelings  overpowered  his  utterance,  and  he  was  about 
to  take  his  seat  when  Mr.  Mercer  caught  hold  of  him  by  the  breast  of  his  coat, 
near  the  collar,  and  held  him  in  his  position,  saying,  "If  you  can't  talk,  stand 
and  cry  I  That  is  the  loudest  kind  of  preaching  you  can  do  !"  The  aged  man 
tried  again,  but  in  vain.  Utterance  was  choked.  And  he  did  stand  and  weep 
over  his  congregation,  but  not  alone,  for  nearly  all  in  the  house  were  affected  to 
tears,  and  were  weeping  in  sympathy.  The  preachers  descended  from  the  pulpit, 
when  most  of  the  church  members  came  forward,  and  with  tears  in  their  eyes, 
asked  for  prayer  in  their  behalf,  in  which  service  Mr.  Mercer  led,  deeply  affected. 
Those  only  who  have  heard  him  pray  under  such  circumstances  know  how 
deeply  his  heart  was  stirred  and  how  humble  and  impassioned  were  his  petitions  ; 
he  was  the  importunate  beggar  at  the  footstool  of  mercy ;  and  there  were  few 
present  who  did  not  partake  of  his  spirit.  "  If  I  were  about  to  die,"  said  a 
worldly  man,  "  my  first  and  last  request  would  be  for  Jesse  Mercer  to  pray  for 
me." 

In  1833  there  was  a  revival  in  progress  in  Milledgeville.  At  one  of  the  meet- 
ings a  brother  King,  who  lived  in  the  neighborhood,  was  called  on  to  pray.  He 
was  a  most  excellent  man  and  a  great  admirer  of  Jesse  Mercer,  and  when  he 
knelt  in  tears,  perceiving  the  deep  feeling  that  pervaded  the  assembly,  he  began 
thus  :  "  Lord,  we  don't  want  to  make  a  big  Jesse  Mercer  prayer,  but  a  little 
cornfield  prayer,"  etc.,  alluding  to  the  prayers  negroes  sometimes  make,  while 
at  work  in  the  cornfield. 

The  men  who  now  walked  the  stage  of  action  and  controlled  the  destinies  of 
our  denomination  in  Georgia  were  not  the  men  to  put  their  hands  to  the  plough 
and  then  look  back.  They  were  men  who  knew  the  duties  incumbent  upon 
Christians  and  who  appreciated  the  advantages  of  education ;  the  necessity  and 
duty  of  missions  and  temperance  ;  and  they  were  determined  to  "  go  forward." 
They  were  Jesse  Mercer,  A.  Sherwood,  C.  D.  Mallary,  Thomas  Stocks,  B.  M. 
Sanders,  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  John  E.  Dawson,  S.  G.  Hillyer,  J.  H.  Campbell,  H. 
Posey,  V.  R.  Thornton,  A.  T.  Holmes,  James  Carter,  J.  Reeves,  Jacob  King, 
Isaiah  Langley,  Francis  Callaway,  Reuben  Thornton,  George  Cranberry,  W.  H. 
Stokes,  James  Davis,  Thomas  Cooper,  James  Ferryman,  J.  Lumpkin,  Asa 
Chandler,  W.  Conner,  W.  R.  Wellborn. 

At  the  same  time  they  were  men  to  do  what  was  right  and  to  act  justly.  In 
compliance  with  the  desires  of  some — desires,  excited  either  by  apprehensions 
or  prejudices — they,  by  the  following  action  amended  the  Constitution  of  the 
Convention,  in  1835,  so  that  in  articles  5,  10  and  11,  there  might  appear  no. 
semblance  of  control  over  the  churches,  nor  any  right  or  power  to  infringe 
upon  their  sovereignty  and  independence  : 

"  Whereas,  It  has  been  argued  that  this  Convention,  by  a  construction  of 
her  Constitution,  may  assume  an   absolute   control^ over   the   churches   and. 


RELIGIOUS   HISTORY.  185 

thereby,  infringe  on,  or  even  destroy,  their  rights,  independence  and  sovereignty  ; 
therefore, 

"  Resolved,  ^  That  this  Convention  disclaims  all  power  by  which  she  can  exer- 
cise any  dominion  over  the  Faith,  or  control  the  Discipline  of  the  churches,  or 
in  anywise  coerce  them  to  do,  or  contribute,  anything  whatsoever,  contrary  to 
their  own  sense  of  propriety  and  duty." 

Still,  feelings  of  estrangement  and  disagreement  prevailed  to  a  lamentable 
extent  in  the  denomination,  and  the  hearts  of  many  good  brethren  were  pained 
by  this  sad  state  of  affairs.  At  length,  on  the  28th  of  April,  1836,  the  following 
appeared  in  The  Christian  Index,  then  published  in  Washington,  Georgia, 
and  edited  by  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer  and  Wm.  H.  Stokes  : 

To  the  Baptist  Ministers  in  the  State  of  Geo?'gia  : 

Dear  Brethren — The  divided  condition  of  our  denomination,  in  various 
parts  of  the  State,  is  a  matter  of  deep  lamentation  to  all  who  delight  in  the 
prosperity  of  Zion.  There  are  many  neighborhoods  where  ministers  and 
churches  have  no  fellowship,  and  no  pleasant  Christian  intercourse  No  Chris- 
tian, certainly  no  Christian  minister,  can  contemplate  these  divisions  with  any 
other  feelings  than  those  of  anxiety  and  grief.  It  is  an  object  for  which  all 
should  fervently  pray,  that  the  breaches  which  have  been  made  should  be  effect- 
ually healed,  and  that  those  who  are  agreed  in  the  observance  cf  one  important 
and  distinctive  ordinance  of  religion,  should  be  united  together  in  faith  and 
labors  of  love. 

Several  propositions  for  this  purpose,  have  been  submitted  to  our  consideration, 
but  no  serious  and  united  effort  has  been  made  to  carry  them  into  effect. 
Many  have  expressed  a  wish  that  there  might  be  a  meeting  of  the  Baptist 
ministers,  from  all  the  Associations  in  the  State,  for  the  purpose  of  praying  and 
consulting  together,  with  reference  to  the  divided  state  of  our  denomination.  Such 
a  meeting,  conducted  with  prudence  and  in  the  spirit  of  Christian  affection,  would, 
no  doubt,  lead  to  the  most  happy  results.  With  God's  blessing  it  might  be  the 
means  of  binding  together  in  lasting  fellowship  the  hearts  of  many  of  God's 
dear  children,  who  have  been  too  long  estranged  from  each  other,  and  of  usher- 
ing in  a  brighter  day  upon  the  churches  in  Georgia.  Deeply  impressed  with 
the  importance  of  the  subject,  and  anxious  to  be  instrumental  in  promoting,  in 
some  humble  measure,  the  cause  of  righteousness  and  peace,  we,  whose  names 
are  hereunto  affixed,  have  agreed  to  unite  in  earnestly  requesting  our  minister- 
ing brethren  to  attend  such  a  meeting.  The  meeting  will  be  held  at  Forsyth, 
Monroe  county,  commencing  on  Thursday  before  the  second  Lord's  day  in  July 
next.  The  brethren  in  that  place  are  desirous  that  we  should  assemble  there 
and  share  their  hospitalities.  You  are,  therefore,  dear  brethren,  affectionately 
invited  to  attend  the  meeting  at  the  time  and  place  above  specified. 

What  particular  points  will  be  proposed  for  discussion,  or  what  shape  will  be 
given  to  the  meeting,  we  cannot  tell ;  but  union— union  on  Christian  principles, 
is  what  we  need,  for  which  we  trust  all  who  assemble  will  be  willing  to  labor  in 
the  spirit  of  the  gospel.  We  hope  you  will  accept  of  this  invitation,  and 
appear  on  the  day  named,  and  that  you  will  request  your  churches  to  pray  now 
and  during  the  continuance  of  the  meeting,  that  we  may  be  guided  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  ;  that  our  interview  may  be  pleasant  and  profitable  ;  and  that  it  may  be 
the  occasion  of  producing  fraternal  feeling  for  one  another  and  union  amongst 
the  churches,  of  reviving  religion  in  all  our  Zion  and  of  bringing  glory  to  God. 
Should  these  be  the  blessed  results,  you  will  not  regret  the  time  and  trouble  of 
your  journey,  nor  the  inconvenience  which  may  attend  the  absence  from  your 
families.  May  the  Lord  incline  you  to  enlist  as  peace-makers  in  the  momen- 
tous matter  and  give  you  the  peace-maker's  blessing  as  your  reward. 

N.  B.  As  it  would  seem  probable  that  a  considerable  portion  of  the  first  day 
of  the  meeting  would  be  spent  in  special  prayer  for  the  direction  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  we  would  venture  to  request  that  all  the  Baptist  churches  in  the  State 
would  assemble  on  that  day  (namely,  Thursday  before  the  second  Lord's  day 
in  July),  and  unite  in  prayer  for  a  blessing  upon  the  meeting,  and  for  a  general 


I86  RtLlGlOUS    HISTORY. 

and  powerful  revival  of  religion.     It  would  also  be  desirable  that  they  should 
connect  fasting  with  prayer,  on  that  day. 

Signed:  Jesse  Mercer,  Georgia  .Issocintion ;  Reuben  Thorn'ion,  Sa- 
repfa  Association;  Richard  Pace,  Ocmidgee  Association;  C.  A.  Tharp, 
Ebcnezer  Association;  ISAIAH  Lancley,  Flint  River  Association;  EDWIN 
Dyer,  Vello%u  River  Association;  Humphrey  Posey,  Tttgalo  Association; 
J.  P.  LEVERriT,  Washington  Association;  JACOB  KiNG,  Itcheconnaiigh  As- 
sociation; C.  D.  Mallary,  Central  Association;  Obadiah  Echoes,  Mon- 
ticello  church. 

On  the  appointed  day  a  large  number  of  ministers  appeared  as  the  advocates 
of  peace,  and  more  than  fifty  associated  themselves  together,  in  alliance,  for  its 
promotion.  Matters  of  great  moment  were  under  consideration,  and  questions 
were  discussed  which  were  well  calculated  to  produce  fearful  distraction,  had  not 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  been  present.  Brethren  met  upon  ground  heretofore  con- 
sidered almost  forbidden,  and  found,  to  their  mutual  joy,  that  they  were  heirs 
to  the  same  promise,  subjects  of  the  same  faith,  and  children  of  the  same  hea- 
venly Father ;  and  they  became  willing  to  bury  all  animosities. 

From  The  Index  of  July  28th,  1836,  the  proceedings  of  the  meeting  are 
copied  as  a  matter  of  denominational  history  : 

"I.  Pursuant  to  public  notice,  a  large  number  of  Baptist  ministers  met  at 
Forsyth,  Monroe  county,  Georgia,  on  the  7th  of  July,  1836,  for  the  purpose  of 
endeavoring  to  heal  the  unhappy  difficulties  which  have  existed  for  some  years 
in  the  denomination.  The  morning  was  spent  in  prayer  by  those  brethren  who 
arrived  in  season,  and  at  half  past  eleven  o'clock,  at  the  request  of  those  assem- 
bled, brother  Jesse  Mercer  preached  from  Canticles  ii,  15. 

'^1.  At  2  o'clock  P.M.,  the  meeting  was  organized  by  calling  brother  Mercer 
to  the  chair,  and  appointing  brother  I.  Langly,  clerk,  jz^y^f  tempore.  The  names 
of  the  following  ministers  were  enrolled :  Jesse  Mercer,  Wilson  Conner,  Jona- 
than Nichols,  Humphrey  Posey,  James  Steely,  John  Ross,  Benjamin  Bussey, 
John  Milner,  Joseph  R.  Hand,  Jonathan  Davis,  Isaiah  Langly,  C.  D.  Mallary, 
Green  B.  Waldrop,  Davis  Smith,  Joseph  Chipman,  Richard  Pace,  Henry  Collins, 
Francis  Callaway,  A.  T.  Holmes,  William  A.  Callaway,  J.  H.  Campbell,  George 
Granberry,  Benjamin  Roberts,  John  R.  Humphrey,  Isaac  E.  Deavers,  Andrew 
Cumbie,  V.  R,  Thornton,  Reuben  Thornton,  Gideon  Leverett,  William  Hender-. 
son,  James  Reeves,  Jacob  King,  x\llison  Culpepper,  Zed.  R.  Gordon,  James 
Perryman,  Obadiah  Echols,  James  Carter,  William  R.  Wellborn,  John  W. 
Cooper,  William  Maund,  George  B.  Davis,  James  Davis,  Charnick  A.  Tharp, 
Ephraim  Strickland,  Adiel  Sherwood,  S.  G.  Hillyer,  John  Reeves,  Jeremiah 
Reeves.William  Byars,  Albert  G.  Beckham,  Allen  Morris,  Jesse  H.  Davis,  Robert 
Burt. 

"Licentiates — Thomas  Wilkes,  Isaac  Asteen,  John  Hughes,  William  Ross, 
Edward  Parks,  Abisha  Horn,  T.  B.  Slade,  Charles  Stillwell,  William  Tryon. 

"Jesse  Meicer  was  chosen  Moderator,  and  Adiel  Sherwood,  Clerk. 

"  A  letter  was  handed  in  from  Little  River,  Morgan  county,  by  brother  Parnell, 
expressive  of  the  approbation  of  that  church  in  the  design  of  our  meeting,  and 
bespeaking  for  it  the  blessing  of  God. 

"  4.  On  motion,  all  the  lay  brethren  present  were  invited  to  take  part  in  the 
deliberations  of  the  body.  Ministers  of  all  orders,  and  those  not  residing  in 
the  state,  were  also  invited.  Brother  Richards,  of  Baltimore,  and  Rev.  Mr. 
Patterson  took  a  seat.     Voting  to  be  confined  to  the  ministers. 

"  Brother  J.  Davis  moved  that  a  committee  of  seven  be  appointed  to  arrange 
the  business  suitable  to  come  before  the  meeting,  and  brethren  J.  Davis,  Mallary, 
R.  Thornton,  Ross,  Posey  and  Pace,  were  appointed. 

"  6.  Committee  on  Preaching :  Brethren  Langly,  Stevens,  Sandford,  Beall  and 
Edward  Callaway. 

"  7.  Agreed  to  hold  our  deliberations  in  the  Presbyterian  meeting-house, 
which  is  kindly  offered,  so  that  preaching  may  go  on  in  the  Baptist. 

"8  .  On  motion  of  brother  James  Ross,  brother  James  Carter  and  E.  Beall  were 
added  to  the  Committee  on  Business ;  afterwards  the  Moderator  was  added. 


RELIGIOUS    HISTORY.  187 

Agreed  to  adjourn  business  and  spend  the  remainder  of  the  afternoon  in  devo- 
tional exercises.     Adjourned  to  9  o'clock  Friday  morning-. 

"9.  Friday  morning,  brother  John  Milner  was  excused  in  older  to  attend  a 
general  meeting  in  his  own  neighborhood. 

"  10.  Agreed  to  observe  the  ordinary  rules  of  decorum,  for  government  in 
our  deliberations. 

"  II.  Brother  J.  Davis,  from  the  Committee  on  Business,  read  their  report  in 
part,  and  asked  farther  time  to  complete  it;  on  its  reception,  brother  Nichols 
objected  to  some  parts,  and  begged  to  withdraw  his  name  as  one  of  the  meeting. 
Provision  had  been  made  for  such  cases  at  the  commencement  of  the  meeting. 

"  Report  on  Business. — The  Committee  on  the  Arrangement  of  Business  beg 
leave  to  report  in  part,  and  ask  permission  of  the  body  to  sit  again  for  the  con- 
sideration of  other  matters  not  embraced  in  this  report,  which  they  deem  impor- 
tant to  bring  to  the  view  of   this  meeting. 

"  The  Committee  recommend  to  the  meeting  the  adoption  of  the  following 
agreement : 

"  Agreed,  that  we,  as  a  convention  of  ministers,  utterly  disclaim  any  intention 
to  dictate  to  one  another,  or  to  the  Associations  and  churches,  but  that  we  aim 
at  nothing  more  than,  by  friendly  intercourse,  and  consultation,  to  encourage 
fellowship  and  union. 

"  The  Committee  recommend  to  the  meeting  the  consideration  of  the  follow- 
ing queries : 

"  I.  Do  we,  as  a  body,  on  doctrinal  points,  hold  those  sentiments  which  have 
characterized  orthodox  Isaptist  churches  from  time  immemorial,  and  particularly 
as  embodied  and  set  forth  in  the  Articles  of  Faith  adopted  by  the  Georgia, 
Flint  River,  Ocmulgee  and  Yellow  River  Associations  ? 

"  2.  Is  not  a  church,  constituted  on  gospel  principles,  an  independent  body  in 
regard  to  its  government,  and  not  subject  to  any  authority  but  that  of  Christ 
the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  } 

"  3.  Have  Associations  executive  or  disciplinary  power  ? 

"4.  Or  are  they  merely  advisory  councils,  without  authority  to  enforce  their 
advice  } 

"  5.  Does  the  mere  secession  of  a  church  from  an  Association  affect  its  char- 
acter as  an  orderly  body  ? 

"6.  What  are  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  secession  of  a  church 
from  an  Association  which  impair  the  standing  of  that  church  ? 

"  7.  What  circumstances  connected  with  the  withdrawment  of  an  Association 
from  a  church  impair  the  standing  of  that  church  ? 

"  8.  Under  what  circumstances  may  a  minority  of  a  church  be  justified  in 
withdrawing  or  separating  from  the  majority  ? 

"  9.  Is  it  the  sense  of  this  meeting  that  differences  of  opinion  in  the  missionary 
and  such  like  operations  should  affect  the  fellowship  of  brethren  or  churches? 

"  10.  When  a  church  or  churches  have  seceded  from  an  A^ociation,  and  pro- 
duced by  such  secession  a  division  of  the  church  or  churches,  in  what  nYanner 
consistent  with  good  order  and  discipline  can  a  union  be  had  ? 

"II.  Is  it,  in  the  opinion  of  this  meeting,  right  to  re-baptize  any  person  who 
has  been  baptized  on  a  profession  of  failh,  by  a  Baptist  minister  who  is  held 
orderly  in  the  estimation  of  the  church  to  which  he  belongs  ? 

"  12.  Is  it  the  sense  of  this  meeting  that  the  correspondence  of  Associations 
should  cease  on  account  of  difference  of  opinion  between  them  until  all  proper 
means  have  been  exhausted  to  remove  it  ? 

"13.  Is  it  the  opinion  of  this  meeting,  that  Baptist  churches  should  close 
their  doors  against  ministers  without  evidence  of  their  unsoundness  in  faith  or 
immorality  in  practice  ? 

"  14.  Will  this  meeting  appoint  a  committee  to  whom  they  will  confide  the 
business  of  drawing  up  a  Circular  Address  of  a  conciliatory  character  to  the 
denomination  in  the  State,  to  be  reported  to  this  body  for  its  approval  ? 

"Propositions.— I.  Whereas,  it  frequently  happens  that  rumors  unfavorable 
to  the  character  and  standing  of  ministers,  churches  and  private  Christians,  are 
circulated,  and  a  disposition  to  believe  and  encourage  these  reports,  without 


l88  RELIGIOUS   HISTORY. 

sufficient  evidence  of  their  truth,  is  calculated  in  a  very  serious  degree  to  origin- 
ate distance,  alienation  and  strife,  and  to  perpetuate  those  evils  wherever  they 
exist ;  therefore,  we  agree,  as  far  as  in  us  lies,  to  discountenance  in  ourselves 
and  others,  a  spirit  of  evil  surmisings,  and  evil  speaking,  and  to  encourage 
amongst  all  those  with  whom  we  have  intercourse,  that  charity  '  which  is  kind, 
is  not  easily  provoked,  thinketh  no  evil,  hopeth  all  things.' 

"  2.  Inasmuch  as  the  unhappy  divisions  which  exist  amongst  us,  must  be 
attributed  in  a  great  degree  to  the  low  state  of  vital  godliness,  and  believing  that 
one  of  the  most  effectual  remedies  for  all  our  difficulties  is  to  be  found  in  a 
more  elevated  standard  of  piety,  we  do  therefore,  agree  in  humble  reliance 
upon  divine  aid,  to  aim  at  greater  attainments  in  holiness  ourselves,  and  to 
embrace  all  favorable  opportunities  for  urging  the  subject  on  the  minds  of  our 
brethren. 

"  3.  Whereas,  difficulties  of  a  long  standing  and  of  a  complicated  character, 
have  disturbed  the  harmony  of  brethren  and  churches,  and  such  difficulties  as 
it  would  be  impossible  to  adjust,  by  a  minute  investigation  of  every  particular, 
it  is  the  sense  of  this  meeting  that  we  and  our  brethren  generally  throughout 
the  state,  should,  as  far  as  possible,  endeavor  to  forget  all  past  afflictions,  to 
make  aU  those  sacrifices  for  the  sake  of  peace  which  are  consistent  with  gospel 
principle,  and  strive  by  friendly  and  Christian  intercourse,  by  mutual  confes- 
sion, forbearance  and  forgiveness  to  restore  harmony  to  our  denomination. 

"4.  Whereas,  in  matters  of  difficulty  and  difference,  Christians  are  liable  to 
indulge  an  improper  spirit,  and  to  employ  harsh  and  unchristian-like  expres- 
sions, to  the  injury  of  the  cause  of  Christ  and  grief  of  the  brethren;  therefore, 
if  in  time  past,  we  have  in  conversation,  writing,  or  preaching,  evinced  an  im- 
proper spirit,  or  employed  unchristian  expressions,  we  do  most  sincerely  regret 
it,  and  ask  forgiveness  of  one  another  and  of  God,  and  do  most  sincerely  pray 
that  we  may  be  enabled  by  God's  grace,  in  all  our  future  discussions,  to  exercise 
the  utmost  prudence  and  caution,  and  exhibit  to  none  any  just  cause  of  offence. 

"  12;  The  first  article  was  adopted  unanimously  without  discussion.  On  the 
first  query,  after  reading  one  of  the  Articles  named,  a  general  expression  of 
approbation  was  given  by  almost  every  member  present,  except  some  few 
belonging  to  the  United  Association,  who  dissented.  Then  each  name  was 
called  separately,  whether  the  doctrines  of  the  Confession  were  heartily  believed, 
and  all  answered  i'es.  The  members  of  the  United  Association  handed  in 
their  answer  afterwards. 

"The  second  query  was  answered  unanimously  in  the  affirmative. 

"  The  third  unanimously.  No  ;  that  is,  Associations  have  no  disciplinary  power. 

"  Tile  fourth  unanimously,  that  Associations  are  mere  advisory  councils. 

"  The  fifth.  No,  unanimously. 

"  The  sixth  answer  :  Those  circumstances  which  clearly  prove  unsoundness  in 
faith,  or  immorality  in  practice,  the  sister  churches  being  judge. 

"  The  seventh  :  When  the  withdrawal  is  for  unsoundness  in  faith  or  immorality 
in  practice,  the  churches  being  judges. 

"  13.  The  eighth  and  ninth  queries,  after  some  discussion,  were  laid  over  till 
morning. 

"  14.  Saturday  morning.  The  Committee  presented  the  balance  of  their 
report  on  business.     Accepted. 

"  15.  The  eighth  query  was  taken  up  and  postponed  indefinitely. 

"  The  ninth  was  answered  unanimously.  No. 

"  16.  The  members  from  the  United  Association  handed  in  their  answer  in 
writing,  touching  the  Articles  of  Faith  :  '  Nothing  in  the  Articles  of  Faith 
alluded  to,  presents  any  difficulty,  except  a  part  of  the  fourth  Article,  and  some 
connexion  with  it  in  the  sixth,'  signed  E.  Strickland,  John  Reeves,  Andrew 
Cumbie,  William  Byars. 

"  From  this  it  is  seen  clearly  that  they  do  not  agree  with  us  in  faith.  The 
fourth  and  sixth  Articles  alluded  to,  are  those  in  our  Articles  touching  election 
and  effectual  calling. 

"  17.  The  eighth  query  was,  by  vote,  dropped  from  our  list  of  queries,  because 
there  was  considerable  difference  of  opinion,  and  time  would  not  allow  longer 
discussion. 


RELIGIOUS   HISTORY.  1 89 

"  18.  The  tenth  query  was  thus  answered  ;  By  humble  confession  of  faults  of 
all  parties ;  by  fervent  prayer,  a  forbearing  spirit,  friendly  intercourse  and 
abhorrence  of  big  self. 

"  19.  The  eleventh  was  dropped  for  want  of  time  to  discuss  the  subject  fully ; 
most  who  spoke,  however,  were  for  answering  it  No. 

"  20.  The  twelfth  was  answered  No,  by  all  except  two. 

"  The  thirteenth,  unanimously,  No. 

"The  fourteenth.  Yes;  and  brethren  Mallary,  Sherwood,  J.  Davis,  V.  R. 
Thornton,  and  Holmes,  the  committee. 

"The  Address  was  read  afterwards  and  adopted. 

"  21.  The  Propositions  ^N^rt  all  adopted  unanimously.  After  the  adoption  of 
the  fourth  and  last,  most  of  the  ministers  present  made  acknowledgement  of 
faults,  and  begged  of  each  other  forgiveness,  which  was  mutually  granted.  It 
was  a  sight  on  which  angels  could  not  but  look  with  peculiar  delight,  to  see 
those  who,  for  years,  had  been  cold  and  distant,  who  had  thought  and  spoken 
hard  things  against  their  brethren,  and  even  cast  out  their  names  as  evil,  acknowl- 
edging their  errors  with  tears,  and  begging  pardon.  The  readiness  with  which 
it  was  granted  melted  all  in  the  house.  Every  eye  was  wet  and  every  heart/«//. 
The  feelings  of  that  hour  more  than  compensated  for  all  the  toils  and  difficulties 
of  attending  the  meeting.     All  seemed  to  feel,  '  I'm  glad  I  came.' 

"  22.  Voted  that  4,000  copies  of  the  proceedings  be  printed  under  the  super- 
intendence of  the  Moderator ;  and  that  the  editors  of  The  Index,  Primitive 
Baptist,  and  Signs  of  the  Times,  be  requested  to  give  them  an  insertion  in  their 
respective  papers. 

"  The  hymn,  '  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds,'  was  sung  'with  the  spirit  and  the 
understanding,'  while  all  gave  the  parting  hand,  and  brother  Posey  closed  with 
prayer. 

"Preaching  was  kept  up  during  the  meeting,  though  the  interest  in  our  delib- 
erations was  so  strong  that  the  congregations  at  the  Baptist  meeting-house  were 
small  except  at  night — all  desired  to  hear  the  discussions.  Scarcely  an  unkind 
word  escaped  any  lip  ;  the  solicitude  iox  peace  absorbed  every  mind. 

"  24.  On  Sabbath  morning  assembled,  heard  and  adopted  the  Address. 

"25.  Agreed  to  recommend  a  similar  meeting  of  ministers  to  commence  on 
Saturday  before  the  fifth  Sabbath  in  October  next. 

"  26.  Agreed  that  said  meeting  convene  either  in  Morgan,  Walton,  Henry  or 
Newton  county,  to  be  determined  by  a  committee  consisting  of  brethren 
Mercer,  V.  R.  Thornton  and  J.  Davis.  '  The  churches  in  those  counties  which 
desire  it  will  please  apply  to  brother  Mercer,  Washington,  Georgia. 

"  After  a  hymn  and  address  by  the  Moderator,  the  meeting  was  dissolved., 

"Jesse  yi^'KC^v.,  Moderator. 

"  Adiel  Sherwood,  Cter/^. 

"  Brethren  Sherwood,  Mercer,  Mallary  and  Posey  preached  on  the  Sabbath  in 
the  Baptist  meeting-house,  and  brethren  J.  Davis  and  Conner  in  the  Presbyte- 
rian.    Saints  were  evidently  comforted,  and  many  sinners  alarmed." 

The  following  communications,  from  some  of  the  few  survivors  of  this  meet- 
ing, and  written  at  the  request  of  the  author,  will  be  read  with  deep  interest ; 

From  Dr.  S.  G.  Hillyer : 

This  meeting  was  called  by  an  article  in  The  Christian  Index,  at  that  time 
edited  by  Dr.  Mercer,  at  Washington,  Georgia.  The  call  was  made,  I  think,  by 
brother  J.  H.  Campbell.  The  design  of  the  meeting  was,  if  possible,  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding  between  the  discordant  sections  of  the  Baptist  de- 
nomination. There  were  then  three  parties  among  us.  First,  those  who  were 
in  favor  of  what  were  called  the  "benevolent  institutions  of  the  day,"  viz:  Mis- 
sions, Sabbath-schools  and  temperance  societies  ;  secondly,  those  who  were  op- 
posed to  these  institutions,  and  thirdly,  a  party  of  Baptists  calling  themselves 
"  United  Brethren."  These  last,  as  far  as  I  now  remember,  occupied  rather 
neutral  ground  as  to  the  benevolent  institutions  aforesaid,  but  signalized  them- 
selves as  opposed  to  what  they  considered  extreme  views  on  the  subject  of  Cal- 
vinism. 


190  RELIGIOUS   HISTORY. 

Out  of  these  dissensions  had  risen  much  controversy,  accompanied  with  much 
bitterness  of  spirit.  The  evil  was  wide-spread,  and  great  injury  to  our  denomi- 
nation was  the  result.  It  was  hoped  that,  by  getting  the  representative  men  of 
all  parties  together  in  one  fraternal  conclave,  and  by  kindly  talking  over  their 
differences  in  a  spirit  of  candor  and  courtesy,  much  good  might  be  done. 

Well,  the  meeting  was  held.  I  do  not  know  how  many  ministers  were  pres- 
ent, but  it  was  an  imposing  assembly.  I  recall  the  names  of  brethren  Mercer, 
Mallary,  Sherwood,  Echols,  Bussey,  Jonathan  and  James  Davis,  Tharp  (father 
of  our  brother  B.  F.  Tharp),  Holmes  and  J.  H.  Campbell. 

The  meeting  was  organized  by  electing  brother  Mercer  Moderator,  and,  I 
think,  brother  Sherwood,  Clerk.  After  some  of  the  older  brethren  had  indulged 
in  a  sort  of  informal  discussion  of  the  design  of  the  meeting,  and  of  the  best 
method  to  secure  that  design,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  draw  up  a  Confes- 
sion of  Faith,  in  order  that  we  might  test  the  views  of  the  brethren  present 
upon  our  denominational  differences,  hoping  thereby  to  develop  the  harmony  of 
our  faith,  and  thus  to  remove  the  charge  of  alleged  departures  from,  the  faith 
which  had  been,  more  or  less,  urged  against  the  Missionary  Baptists  by  their 
opponents. 

Either  the  same  committee  or  another,  I  do  not  remember  which,  was  instructed 
to  draft  resolutions  which  should  give  the  views  of  the  body  as  to  the  proper 
course  to  be  pursued  by  all  our  people  towards  one  another,  in  order  to  allay 
animosity  and  to  restore  good  will  and  fraternal  feeling.  I  do  not  remember 
which  report  was  taken  up  first,  but  both  were,  in  due  time,  presented. 

The  confession  of  faith  reported  was,  substantially,  the  confession  of  the 
Georgia  Association.  It  underwent  considerable  discussion.  The  design  was 
to  allow  a  free  and  full  expression  of  views.  The  discussion  was  very  interest- 
ing. After  many  brethren  had  spoken,  a  motion  was  made  asking  the  Modera- 
tor to  favor  the  Convention  with  his  views,  especially  upon  that  portion  of  the 
confession  which  refers  to  the  doctrines  of  election  and  predestination.  Hav- 
ing called  upon  some  brother  to  occupy  the  chair,  he  took  his  stand  in  the  aisle, 
about  midway  the  house,  and  delivered  an  elaborate  and  characteristic  address. 
I  wish  I  could  report  it.  I  was  young  then,  knew  nothing  about  theology,  and 
was  eager  to  hear  that  great  man  on  these  profound  subjects.  I  confess  my  own 
mind  had  not  been  clear  in  regard  to  them.  Indeed,  I  had  been  greatly  per- 
plexed. But  as  Dr.  Mercer  proceeded  to  unfold  God's  sovereignty,  man's  de- 
pravity and  utter  helplessness,  his  need  of  divine  assistance  to  exercise  repent- 
ance and  faith,  I  was  enabled  to  see  the  subject  in  a  new  light.  While  I  cannot 
remember  all  his  topics,  or  the  order  in  which  he  presented  them,  yet  the  im- 
pression made  on  my  mind  was  abiding.  One  sentence  I  distinctly  recall.  It 
was  at  the  conclusion  of  one  of  his  most  powerful  paragraphs.  If  I  remember 
right,  he  had  been  speaking  of  God's  electing  love.  Just  as  he  reached  his  con- 
clusion, pausing  for  a  moment,  he  suddenly  exclaimed,  "  This  is  the  ground  of 
all  my  hope .'" 

As  he  spoke,  tears  rolled  down  his  venerable  cheeks.  The  effect  upon  the 
audience  was  subduing.  Evidently  his  meaning  was  just  this  :  Jesse  Mercer 
would  not  have  been  saved  if  God  had  not  called  him  with  a  holy  calling, 
according  to  his  eternal  purpose  and  grace,  given  him  in  Christ  Jesus  before  the 
world  was.  I  could  not  fail  to  see  that  if  this  was  true  of  Jesse  Mercer,  afertiori 
it  was  true  of  me  and  of  everybody  else.  I  have  had  no  trouble  about  the  doc- 
trine of  election  since  that  day. 

But  the  brother's  argument  afforded  me  relief  upon  another  point.  I  had  been 
grievously  perplexed  with  the  fascinations  and  subtleties  of  Campbellism.  I 
had  read  extensively  the  pages  of  the  MiUenial  Harbinger,  and  in  my  inexpe- 
rience I  was  bewildered  with  its  reasonings.  But  to  my  mind  brother  Mercer's 
argument  broke  down  completely  the  fundamental  doctrine  of  Campbellism,  viz : 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  needed  to  bring  a  sinner  to  Christ.  I  saw,  I  think, 
very  clearly,  that  the  condition  of  the  sinner,  in  his  depravity,  is  utterly  helpless  ; 
if  he  is  ever  saved,  it  must  be  by  a  power  other  than  his  own — i.  e.  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Thus,  on  this  point  also,  my  mind  was  greatly  relieved.  That  noble  ex- 
position of  our  doctrines  convinced  me  that  the  denomination  had  not  over- 
estimated the  ability  of  the  great  and  good  man  who  delivered  it. 


RELIGIOUS    HISTORY.  lOI 

It  is  hardly  nenessary  to  add,  that  the  Confession  of  Faith  which  had  called 
forth  the  discussion  was  adopted. 

The  other  report  to  which  I  alluded  was  very  interesting.  I  cannot  recall 
much  of  it  at  this  distant  day,  but  its  design  was  eminently  conciliatory.  It 
deplored,  if  I  remember  right,  the  hard  feelings  and  harsh'  words  which  had 
marred  the  peace  of  our  Zion.  It  recommended  a  more  Christian  spirit  towards 
opponents.  One  of  its  items,  especially,  recommended  that  brethren  should  be 
willing,  if  conscious  of  having  indulged  towards  any  one  improper  words  or 
feelings,  to  make,  as  far  as  they  had  the  opportunity,  the  amende  ho7iorable. 
When  this  item  was  adopted,  I  remember  brother  Sherwood  rose  in  his  place  and 
said  : 

"Brother  Moderator,  I  feel  like  acting  at  once  on  this  suggestion.  I  have  be- 
fore me  a  brother  of  whom  I  have  had  harsh  thoughts.  I  wish  to  acknowledge 
my  fault.  Brother  Echols !  I  have  sometimes  thought  hard  of  you,  and  perhaps 
I  have  said  about  you  more  than  was  right.  I  now  ask  your  forgiveness,  and 
offer  you  my  hand  as  a  token  of  Christian  fellowship  and  love  1" 

Brother  Echols  was  taken  by  surprise.  But  he  promptly  rose,  and  accepted 
in  suitable  terms  the  proffered  overture ;  and,  as  the  brethren  shook  hands  across 
the  Secretary's  table,  deep  emotion  pervaded  the  house.  Old  brother  Tharp 
gave  vent  to  his  feelings  by  exclaiming,  in  audible  words,  "  I  am  glad  I  came  !" 
Other  brethren  followed  Sherwood's  example,  and,  I  trust,  many  unkind  feel- 
ings were  then  and  there  buried. 

It  was  at  that  meeting  that  I  first  saw  brother  C.  D.  Mallary.  He  impressed 
me  most  favorably.  He  was  then  in  the  vigor  of  his  early  but  fully  matured 
manhood.  Thr  closing  service  of  the  occasion  was  a  sermon  from  this  gifted 
and  beloved  brother.  His  text  was  :  "  Ye  seek  Jesus  which  was  crucified.  He 
is  not  here;  for  he  is  risen,  as  he  said.  Come,  see  the  place  where  the  Lord 
lay."  (Matthew,  28 ;  5,  6.)  The  design  of  the  discourse  was  to  show  how 
fundamental  is  the  resurrection  of  Christ  in  the  Christian  system.  And  ably 
■did  he  show  it. 

Thus  closed  the  ministers'  meeting  at  Forsyth.  Nearly  forty-five  years  have 
passed  away.  So  far  as  I  know,  two  only  of  the  ministers  who  were  then  pres- 
ent are  now  living — brother  J.  H.  Campbell  and  myself — and  we  are  on  the  banks 
of  the  Jordan.  We  will  soon  go  over  ;  but,  thank  God,  we  shall  leave  the  glo- 
rious cause  in  the  hands  of  the  Master. 

From  Dr.  J.  H.  Campbell: 

For  several  years,  there  had  been  much  controversy  and  strife  among  the 
Baptists  on  missions,  ministerial  education,  Sunday  Schools,  temperance  and 
kindred  subjects.  Churches  had  been  split  asunder,  associations  divided,  and  a 
general  want  of  confidence  prevailed.  Many  worthy  brethren  were  perplexed, 
and  knew  not  where  to  go  nor  what  to  do.  The  Missionary  Baptists  were  sus- 
pected and  accused  of  heresy,  a  departure  from  the  faith,  Arminianism  and  of 
designing  to  destroy  the  independence  of  the  churches.  Such  was  the  state  of 
things  at  the  commencement  of  the  year  1836.  The  wTiter  was  convinced  that 
the  best  and  only  way  to  remedy  these  evils  was  for  the  ministers  of  the  denom- 
ination to  hold  a  meeting,  and  endeavor  to  come  to  a  better  understanding. 
Having  fully  matured  the  matter  in  his  own  mind,  he  submitted  it  in  writing  to 
several  of  his  brethren — Sherwood,  Mallary  and  others.  An  extra  session  of 
the  Central  Association  was  to  be  held  at  Antioch  church,  Morgan  county,  in 
March,  1836.  It  would  afford  a  good  opportunity  to  submit  the  question  to  the 
brethren.  But  the  condition  of  his  family  seemed  to  forbid  his  leaving  home. 
The  night  preceding  the  meeting,  he  was  anxious  and  restless  for  fear  his  plan 
for  callTng  a  ministers'  meeting,  which  he  had  sent  to  the  brethren  at  the  Asso- 
ciation, would  neither  be  understood  nor  adopted.  His  wife,  having  inquired 
into  the  cause  of  his  anxiety,  insisted  he  should  go.  Mounting  his  horse,  at  day- 
light, he  rode  forty  miles  by  two  o'clock  p.  m.,  got  a  number  of  brethren  together 
at"  Lot  Hearn's — Sherwood,  Mallary,  Dawson,  Thomas  Cooper,  Mark  A.  Cooper, 
etc.,  laid  the  matter  before  them,  and  had  the  satisfaction  to  see  his  views  fully 
endorsed  and  adopted.     A  committee  was  appointed,  with  Mallary  as  chairman. 


1-92  RELIGIOUS    HISTORY. 

to  correspond  with  brethren,  especially  with  the  Moderators  of  Associations,  on 
the  subject  of  the  divisions  and  strifes  prevailing  amonj  us,  and  to  get  them  (or 
a  sufficient  number  of  them),  to  unite  in  an  invitation  to  the  ministers  in  the 
State  to  hold  a  meeting  with  a  view  to  the  restoration  of  harmony  and  peace. 
(It  was  insisted  that  the  writer,  as  the  originator  of  the  project,  should  be  one 
of  that  committee.  Bat  he  declined,  and  insisted  that  his  name  should  not  be 
known  in  the  movement,  feeling  assured  that  his  very  name  would  excite  preju- 
dice against  it.  Though  young,  circumstances  had  brought  him  into  frequent 
and  tierce  conflicts  with  the  anti-missionaries,  for  which  they  had  not  forgiven 
him).  Jesse  Mercer,  then  owner  and  editor  of  The  Christian  Index,  en- 
tered heartily  into  the  movement,  an  invitation,  numerously  signed,  was  soon 
published  in  The  Index,  and  was  circulated  otherwise,  and  Forsyth  was  fixed 
upon  as  the  place. 

"  When  the  time  arrived,  Mallary  came  to  my  house,  at  Clinton,  Jones  county, 
and  spent  a  night  with  me,  and  we  went  on  to  Forsyth  together.  His  object  was 
to  refresh  his  mind  as  to  the  plan  which  I  thought  ought  to  be  adopted  in  the 
conduct  of  the  meeting.  What  number  of  ministers  was  present  I  do  not  now 
remember,  but  I  think  there  were  fifty  or  sixty.  The  most  prominent  among  the 
Hardshells — Henderson,  Moseley,  Colley  and  others — were  not  there  ;  but  the 
number  and  standing  of  those  who  composed  the  meeting  were  such  as  to  give 
their  deliberations  great  weight.  Of  course  Jesse  Mercer  was  elected  Moderator. 
I  think  Sherwood  was  clerk.  Mallary  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  busi- 
ness, and  reported  substantially  the  plan  I  had  submitted  to  him  :  i.  To  agree 
on  a  Confession  of  Faith.  2.  To  declare  that  difference  of  opinion  about  mis- 
sions, Sunday-schools,  Bible  societies  and  other  '  benevolent  institutions,'  should 
not  be  a  ground  of  non-fellowship  ;  and  3.  That  the  independence  of  the  churches 
should  never  be  infringed.  The  report  recommended  that  as  the  Georgia  Asso- 
ciation was  the  oldest  in  the  State,  her  Articles  of  Faith  should  be  used  on  the 
occasion,  and  that  the  members  of  the  meeting  should,  each  for  himself,  sub- 
scribe to  the  same.  Every  minister  present  had  his  name  attached  to  the  Con- 
fession above  named  accordingly.  Resolutions  were  adopted  in  accordance  with 
the  recommendation  of  the  committee  on  business,  and  mutual  confidence  and 
brotherly  love  prevailed  in  the  meeting.  The  effect  throughout  the  State  was 
magical,  and  from  that  day  until  now  the  great  mass  of  the  denomination  have 
striven  together  as  one  man  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  thus  securing  for  Baptist 
principles  a  greater  triumph  in  Georgia  than  in  any  other  country  on  earth." 

From  Rev.  T.  B.  Slade: 

"  It  gives  me  pleasure  to  respond  to  your  request  concerning  the  Forsyth 
meeting  of  1836.  But  I  do  not  think  anything  can  be  added  by  my  recollec- 
tions of  which  you  are  not  already  in  possession. 

"  I  think  the  meeting  was  held  in  the  Methodist  church,  near  the  railroad. 
Though  there  were  a  great  number  of  ministers  present,  I  have  a  distinct  recol- 
lection only  of  Jesse  Mercer,  Vincent  Th«rnton,  Jonathan  Davis  and  Granby 
Hillyer. 

"I  remember  that  Mr.  Mercer  was  Moderator  ;  and  that  he,  Mr.  Davis  and  Mr. 
Thornton,  figured  as  speakers,  and  that  the  meeting  was  occasioned  by  an  un- 
happy feeling  among  some  of  our  denomination.  Arminian  sentiments  were 
gaining  ground,  contrary  to  our  Calvinistic  opinions.  No  doubt  this  assem- 
blage of  ministers  was  productive  of  good,  as  it  led  to  a  better  understanding 
among  the  brethren." 

The  second  Ministers'  Conference  was  held  at  Covington,  Newton  county, 
October  29th,  30th  and  31st,  of  the  same  year.  It  was  attended  by  many  very 
prominent  brethren,  and  was  a  very  important  and  useful  gathering,  as  may  be 
discovered  from  the  proceedings,  taken  from  The  Christian  Index  of  that 
date : 

"  I.  Agreeably  to  a  recommendation  of  the  first  Ministers'  Meeting,  held  at 
Forsyth,  Monroe  county,  in  July  last,  the  following  ministers  named  met  at  Cov- 
ington, and  organized  a  second  meeting  : 

"Jesse    Mercer,    Humphrey  Posey,  Henry  Hardin,   Adiel  Sherwood,   C.  D. 


RELIGIOUS    HISTORY.  I93    ' 

Mallary,  B.  M.  Sanders,  Jeremiah  Reeves,  James  Reeves,  Richard  Philips,  Allen 
Morris,  Joel  CoUey,  Jonathan  Davis.  A.  T.  Holmes,  John  E.  Dawson,  George 
Daniel,  Asa  Chandler,  John  Almand,  William  R.  Wellborn,  William  Byars,  D. 
G.  Daniel,  James  Mathews,  Hartwell  Jackson,  James  Wilson,  John  Harris, 
Thomas  U.  Wilkes,  William  Richards,  Edwin  Dyer,  John  W.  Wilson,  V.  R. 
Thornton,  J   R.  Humphries,  Nathan  Johnson. 

"  A.  B.  Cook,  William  M.  Tryon,  licentiates. 

"Brother  H.  Posey  preached  an  introductory  sermon  from  Romans  6 :  23: 
•The  w^ages  of  sin  is  death.' 

"  2.  Brother  J.  Mercer  was  elected  Moderator,  and  brother  A.  Sherwood,  clerk. 

"3.  The  following  committees  were  appointed: 

"  On  Preaching.—Y..  Dyer,  Johnson,  T.  Cooper,  E.  Henderson  and  George 
Daniel. 

"  On  Business. — J.  Mercer,  Posey,  Wellborn,  D.  G.  Daniel,  Holmes,  Mallary, 
George  Daniel,  Almand,  Dawson,  Byars,  James  Reeves,  Philips  and  Harris. 

"  The  Committee  on  Business  consisted  of  one  minister  from  each  of  the  As- 
sociations, any  of  whose  ministers  attended  and  had  their  names  recorded. 

"  4.  All  ministers  of  the  several  denominations,  and  lay  members  of  our  de- 
nomination, present,  were  invited  to  seats. 

"  5.  Agreed  to  spend  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  devotional  exercises.  Sev- 
eral brethren  spoke  and  prayed ;  others  acknowledged  their  hard  spirit,  and 
asked  forgiveness  for  unkind  feehngs  and  harsh  expressions  which  may  have 
been  indulged.     Adjourned  to  nine  o'clock  Monday  morning. 

"6.  Loras  day. — According  to  arrangement  of  the  committee,  brother  Posey 
preached  at  the  Methodist  meeting-house  in  the  morning,  followed  by  brother 
Sanders  in  exhortation  ;  brother  Thornton  in  the  Baptist  meeting-house,  followed 
by  brother  Jeremiah  Reeves  in  exhortation.  In  the  afternoon  brother  Mercer 
preached  in  the  Methodist  meeting-house,  followed  by  brother  Harris  in  exhor- 
tation, and  brother  Mallary  in  the  Baptist  meeting-house,  followed  by  brother 
James  Reeves  in  exhortation. 

"  The  day  was  rainy  and  the  weather  unpleasant,  but  the  congregations  were 
attentive,  and  saints  were  evidently  comforted,  and  we  trust  edified. 

"  7.  Monday  morning. — Met  according  to  adjournment.  Prayer  by  brother 
Almand. 

"  8.  Called  for  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Business,  which  was  received 
and  made  the  order  of  the  meeting. 

"  9.  Brethren  composing  the  meeting,  who  were  not  present  at  Forsyth,  ex- 
pressed their  hearty  concurrence  in  the  faith  which  was  assented  to  at  that  meet- 
ing. Brother  James  Wilson  remarked  that  he  could  not  go  so  far  on  election  as 
the  others. 

"  10.  Agreed  (as  at  the  meeting  held  at  Forsyth,)  that  we,  as  a  Convention  of 
ministers,  utterly  disclaim  any  intention  to  dictate  to  one  another,  or  the  Asso- 
ciations and  churches ;  but  that  we  aim  at  nothing  more  than,  by  friendly  inter- 
course and  consultation,  to  encourage  fellowship  and  union. 

"II.  The  following  queries  and  propositions  were  discussed  in  a  spirit  of 
Christian  candor  and  affection,  and  answered  and  adopted  as  stated  below : 

"  I.  Recommended,  that  each  important  subject  for  discussion  be  introduced 
by  prayer.     Adopted. 

"  II.  Is  it  proper  to  declare  nonfellowship  with  individuals,  churches  or  Asso- 
ciations, without  making  all  possible  efforts,  according  to  the  spirit  of  the  gospel, 
to  reclaim  them  ?" 

"Answer. — No,  unanimously. 

"  III.  Is  it  proper  to  rebaptize  persons  who  have  been  baptized  by  a  Baptist 
minister,  who  holds  regeneration  and  faith  as  prerequisites,  and  who  is  in  regular 
standing  in  his  own  church  ?  This  query,  after  some  discussion,  was  postponed 
until  to-morrow  morning. 

"  IV.  Is  the  Central  Association,  considered  as  to  its  constitution,  and  the  cir- 
cumstances under  which  it  was  formed,  such  a  body  as  should  be  admitted  into 
the  general  union  }  The  discussion  of  this  query  being  protracted  until  a  late 
hour  without  coming  to  a  decision,  adjourned  till  candle-light,  to  meet  at  the 
Female  Academy.     Prayer  by  brother  George  Daniel.     Met  according  to  ad- 

(13) 


194  RELIGIOUS    HISTORY. 

journment,  when  the  discussion  was  resumed,  after  prayer  by  brother  Choice,  a 
Methodist  minister,  and  decided  by  the  adoption  of  the  following: 

"Answer. — Inasmuch  as  the  churches  of  the  Central  Association  have  come 
together  upon  a  sound  faith,  and  appear  to  be  laboring  for  the  advancement  of 
the  Redeemer's  cause,  in  an  orderly  manner,  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  body  that 
those  early  difficulties,  in  which  some  of  our  brethren  conceive  a  few  of  the 
churches  to  have  been  involved,  should  be  overlooked  in  a  spirit  of  love  and  for- 
bearance, and  that  the  Association  may  be,  consistently,  recognized  as  an  orderly 
body.     Brethren  Colley,  George  Daniel  and  Almand  dissenting. 

"12.  Adjourned  to  meet  at  the  Baptist  church  to-morrow  morning  nine  o'clock. 
Prayer  by  brother  Moderator. 

"  13.  Tuesday  morning. — Met  at  nine  o'clock.  Prayer  by  brother  Richards. 
Brother  Sherwood  being  compelled  to  leave,  brother  Holmes  was  appointed  to 
act  as  clerk  during  the  remainder  of  the  meeting. 

"  14.  The  following  queries  and  propositions  were  discussed  in  the  same  spirit 
which  prevailed  yesterday,  and  answered  and  adopted  according  to  the  subjoined 
statement : 

"  I.  Is  it  expedient  that  the  Baptist  State  Convention  should  continue  in 
its  present  form  of  operations,  under  existing  circumstances  }  After  much  dis- 
cussion, the  following  answer  was  adopted,  brother  Colley  dissenting  : 

"  Answer. — We  see  no  good  reason  why  the  Convention  may  not  continue  in 
its  present  form.  Still,  this  body  would  not  presume  to  say  that  the  Convention 
in  its  organization  is  perfect.  And  we  would  recommend  to  the  brethren 
throughout  the  State  who  think  it  susceptible  of  improvement,  to  submit  their 
views  to  the  next  meeting  of  the  Convention  ;  and  should  this  be  done,  we  would 
respectfully  recommend  to  that  body  to  take  these  suggestions  into  prayerful 
consideration. 

"11.  Is  it  proper  to  rebaptize,  etc.  }  The  discussion  of  this  query  being  re- 
sumed according  to  postponement,  it  was  answered  No — two  dissenting. 

"  III.  W^ould  it  not  be  calculated  to  promote  the  cause  of  peace,  if  all  the  min- 
isters in  the  State  were,  on  some  particular  day,  to  address  their  churches  on  the 
subject  of  harmony  and  brotherly  love  ? 

"  Atiswer. — Yes,  unanimously,  and  ministers  are  recommended  to  preach  on 
this  subject  in  their  respective  churches,  commencing  on  the  first  Sunday  in 
April  next. 

"  IV.  Would  it  not  be  desirable  for  all  those  Associations,  churches  and  indi- 
viduals who  have  been  more  immediately  concerned  in  our  unhappy  divisions,^ 
without  further  delay,  to  discuss  seriously  and  prayerfully  this  question  :  What 
efforts  and  sacrifices  can  we  consistently  make  for  the  sake  of  peace  and  unity  ? 

"Answer. — Yes,  without  exception. 

"  V.  Whereas,  we  have  heard  with  extreme  regret  that  many  of  our  brethren 
have  declared  non-fellowship  with  the  plans  which  are  in  operation  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  with  those  who  are  friendly  to  them,  we 
do  most  earnestly  and  affectionately  recommend  to  our  brethren  to  reconsider 
their  course,  and  prayerfully  inquire  whether  they  have  acted  consistently  with 
the  charity  of  the  gospel.     Adopted  without  exception. 

"VI.  Is  not  the  low  state  of  religion  that  generally  exists  in  the  churches  a 
just  cause  of  sorrow  and  lamentation  ? 

"Answer. — Yes. 

"VII.  What  means  can  be  adopted  to  encourage  a  general  revival  of  practical 
godliness  ?     Answered  by  the  adoption  of  the  following  : 

"  We  recommend  that  the  first  Lord's  day  in  January  be  observed  by  all  the 
churches  in  the  State  as  a  day  of  fasting,  humiliation  and  prayer,  with  reference 
to  the  languishing  state  of  religion  and'  the  unhappy  divisions  which  exist 
among  us. 

"  We  suggest  that  it  would  be,  probably,  attended  with  good,  if  on  the  above 
mentioned  Lord's  day  all  our  ministering  brethren  would  preach  a  discourse  on 
the  causes  of  spiritual  declension,  and  the  means  which,  with  God's  blessing, 
might  be  calculated  to  promote  a  general  revival  of  religion. 

"  We  recommend  that  each  minister  and  lay  brother  throughout  the  State  en- 


RELIGIOUS   HISTORY.  .  I95 

deavor,  as  far  as  possible,  at  least,  during  the  ensuing  year,  to  spend  a  portion 
of  each  day  in  special  prayer  for  a  general  outpouring  of  God's  Spirit  upon  the 
churches. 

"We  suggest  the  importance  of  a  more  strict  and  conscientious  observance  of 
the  Lord's  day. 

"  We  recommend  to  ministers  and  private  Christians  the  more  careful  and 
diligent  perusal  and  study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Cannot  each  brother  and 
sister  read  the  Scriptures  through  once  a  year  ? 

*'  We  recommend  more  family  religion  as  being  of  great  importance. 

"  We  recommend  to  our  ministering  brethren  to  preach  more  on  the  subject 
of  holiness,  and  to  urge  the  importance  of  seeking  high  attainments  in  piety. 

"  We  deem  it  highly  needful  that  all  our  brethren  cultivate  a  meek,  childlike 
and  forgiving  spirit,  and  that  they  ever  hold  themselves  ready  to  make  all  Chris- 
tian efforts  to  remove  stumbling  blocks  and  heal  those  unhappy  divisions  which 
exist. 

"Vin.  Are  the  reception,  dismission,  exclusion  and  restoration  of  members 
and  the  choice  of  pastors  among  the  internal  rights  of  churches  ?  , 

"  Answer. — Yes,  unanimously. 

"  IX.  Can  a  church  consistently  receive  or  dismiss  without  unanimity  ? 

"  Ans2uer. — No,  unanimously. 

"  Should  unreasonable  objections  be  raised,  what  should  be  done  with  persons 
raising  such  objections  ? 

"  Answer. — All  reasonable  efforts  should  be  made  to  remove  those  objections  ; 
but  if  the  persons  persist  in  them  to  the  grief  of  the  church,  we  recommend 
that  they  should  be  dealt  with  as  any  other  offender. 

"  XL  Does  a  church,  in  joining  an  Association,  part  with  any  of  its  internal 
rights  } 

"  A7iswer. — No,  unanimously. 

"  XII.  Is  it  the  sense  of  this  meeting  that  associational  correspondence  should, 
in  all  cases,  necessarily  involve  fellowship  with  churches  and  individuals  .'' 

"Answer. — No,  one  exception. 

"XIII.  Recommended  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  prepare  a  circular 
address  on  the  nature  and  importance  of  Christian  unity,  and  the  best  means  of 
promoting  it ;  (to  be  appended  to  the  Minutes  of  this  meeting,)  and  that  the 
brethren  of  different  Associations  be  requested  to  have  said  address  read  be- 
fore their  respective  bodies  at  their  next  meeting. 

"  Adopted,  and  that  brethren  J.  Mercer,  C.  D.  Mallary  and  A.  T.  Holmes  ap- 
point the  committee  to  prepare  the  address. 

"  N.  B.  The  queries  respecting  the  Central  Association,  and  the  Baptist  State 
Convention,  were  submitted  by  brother  George  Daniel,  on  Monday  morning. 
Brother  Daniel  had  been  prevented  from  attending  the  meetings  of  the  com- 
mittee by  the  inclemency  of  the  weather. 

"15.  Recommended  that  another  meeting  be  held  on  Thursday  before  the 
second  Sunday  in  July  next. 

"16.  Appointed  brethren  Mercer,  V.  R.  Thornton  and  B.  M.  Sanders  a 
committee  to  determine  as  to  the  place  of  holding  said  meeting. 

"  17.  Resolved,  That  the  editors  of  The  Christian  Index  be  requested  to 
publish  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  in  that  paper,  and  to  print  them  in 
pamphlet  form  according  to  the  amount  of  money  given  in  for  that  purpose. 

"  18.  Resolved,  That  the  members  of  this  meeting  are  gratefully  sensible  of 
the  kind  hospitality  extended  to  them  by  the  citizens  of  Covington,  and  that 
they  duly  appreciate  the  politeness  of  the  brethren  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  of  the  Reformed  Church,  in  offering  their  houses  of  worship  for 
their  use  during  the  meeting. 

"  19.  After  singing  and  prayer,  the  meeting  was  dissolved. 

"  A.  T.  Holmes,  Clerk.  Jesse  Mercer.  Moderator." 

That  the  reader  may  see  the  doctrines  that  were  discussed,  and  which  met 
the  general  approval  of  these  meetings,  the  Articles  of  Faith  then  held  by  the 
Georgia  Association  are  given  : 


196  RELIGIOUS   HISTORY. 

"  I.  We  believe  in  one  only  true  and  living  God ;  and  that  there  is  a  trinity  of 
Ipersons  in  the  God-head — the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  yet 
there  are  not  three  Gods,  but  one  God. 

"  2.  We  believe  that  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  l>iew  Testament  are  the 
Xvord  of  God,  and  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 

"  3.  We  believe  in  the  fall  of  Adam,  and  the  imputation  of  his  sin  to  his  pos- 
terity. In  the  corruption  of  human  nature,  and  the  impotency  of  man  to  recover 
■(himself  by  his  own  free  w^ill — ability. 

"4.  We  believe  in  the  everlasting  love  of  God  to  His  people,  and  the  eternal 
"election  of  a  definite  number  of  the  human  race,  to  grace  and  glory :  And  that 
there  was  a  covenant  of  grace  or  redemption  made  between  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  before  the  world  began,  in  which  their  salvation  is  secure,  and  that  they  in 
particular  are  redeemed. 

"  5.  We  believe  that  sinners  are  justified  in  the  sight  of  God  only  by  the 
righteousness  of  Christ  imputed  to  them. 

'■  6.  We  believe  that  all  those  who  were  chosen  in  Christ  will  be  effectually 
called,  regenerated  ,converted,  sanctified,  and  supported  by  the  Spirit  and  power 
of  God,  so  that  they  shall  presevere  in  grace,  and  not  one  of  them  be  finally  lost. 

"  7.  We  believe  that  good  works  are  the  fruits  of  faith,  and  follow  after  justi- 
fication, and  that  they  only  justify  us  in  the  sight  of  men  and  angels,  and  are 
evidences  of  our  gracious  state. 

"  8.  We  believe  that  there  will  be  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  a  general 
judgment ;  and  the  happiness  of  the  righteousness,  and  the  punishment  of  the 
wicked  will  be  eternal. 

"  And  as  for  Gospel  order : 

"  I.  We  believe  that  the  visible  Church  of  Christ  is  a  congregation  of  faithful 
persons,  who  have  gained  Christian  fellowship  with  each  other,  and  have  given 
themselves  up  to  the  Lord,  and  to  one  another,  and  have  agreed  to  keep  up  a 
godly  discipline,  agreeably  to  the  rules  of  the  Gospel. 

"  2.  We  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  great  Head  of  His  Church,  and  only 
Law-giver,  and  that  the  government  is  with  the  body,  and  is  the  privilege  of 
each  individual ;  and  that  the  discipline  of  the  church  is  intended  for  the  re- 
claiming of  those  Christians  who  may  be  disorderly,  either  in  principle  or  prac- 
tice; and  must  be  faithfully  kept  up,  for  God's  glory,  and  the  peace  and  unity 
of  the  churches. 

"  3.  We  believe  that  water  baptism  and  the  Lord's  supper  are  ordinances  of 
the  Lord,  and  are  to  be  continued  till  His  second  coming. 

"  4.  We  believe  that  true  believers  in  Jesus  Christ  are  the  only  subjects  of 
baptism,  and  that  dipping  is  the  mode. 

"  5.  We  believe  that  none  but  regular  baptized  church  members  have  a  right 
to  communion  at  the  Lord's  table. 

"  6.  We  believe  that  it  is  the  duty  of  every  heaven-born  soul  to  become  a 
member  of  the  visible  church,  to  make  a  public  profession  of  his  faith,  to  be 
legally  baptized,  so  as  to  have  a  right  to,  and  to  partake  of,  the  Lord's  supper  at 
every  legal  opportunity,  through  the  whole  course  of  his  life." 


XVI. 

GENERAL  STATE  OF  DENOMINATION. 

1840-184S. 


XVL 

GENERAL  STATE  OF  THE  DENOMINATION. 


THE  CONVENTION  OF  184O — THE  CHRISTIAN  INDEX  REMOVED  TO  GEORGIA 
—  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  PAPER — MERCER  UNIVERSITY  IN  1840— STATE  OF 
RELIGIOUS  FEELING — REPORT  ON  STATE  MISSIONS  FOR  1842 — DEATH  OF 
JESSE  MERCER — REPORT  ON  HIS  DEATH,  BY  C.  D.  MALLARY — HIS  INFLU- 
ENCE— GEORGIA  BAPITST  STATISTICS — REPORT  ON  STATE  MISSIONS  FOR 
1845 — REPORT  OF  BRETHREN  APPOINTED  TO  ATTEND  THE  ORGANIZATION 
OF  THE  SOUTHERN  BAPTIST  CONVENTION — ACCOUNT  OF  THE  ORGANIZA- 
TION OF  THAT  CONVENTION — CAUSES  WHICH  LED  TO  IT — GEORGIANS 
PRESENT — PREVIOUS  COURSE  OF  THE  ABOLITIONISTS — EFFECT  OF  THE 
DIVISION  ON  SOUTHERN  CONTRIBUTIONS — SKETCH  OF  DR.  JOHNSON,  ITS 
FIRST  PRESIDENT — MESSENGERS  TO  THE  OLD  TRIENNIAL  CONVENTION. 

We  have,  thus  far,  brought  our  sketch  rapidly  down  to  1840  ;  have  seen  Mercer 
University  begin  a  long  and  successful  career,  as  an  educational  institution,  in 
1839;  and  find  the  denomination  gradually  rallying  around  the  State  Conven- 
tion. In  1840  the  Convention  met  at  Pentield,  and,  besides  various  missionary 
societies,  eight  Associations  were  constituents  of  the  body  ;  namely  :  the  Geor- 
gia, the  Central,  the  Sarepta,  the  Columbus,  the  Appalachee,  the  Rehoboth,  the 
Hephzibah  and  the  Washington.  The  Convention  was  composed  that  year  of 
a  remarkably  able  body  of  Georgia  Baptists,  as  much  so,  perhaps,  as  ever  as- 
sembled together  at  any  of  our  conventional  meetings.  Jesse  Mercer  was  elected 
president  for  the  nineteenth  time ;  John  E.  Dawson  was  chosen  clerk,  and  C. 
D.  Mallary,  assistant  clerk.  The  members  of  that  Convention  have  all  become 
historical  characters  in  our  denomination,  and  are  men  of  whom  we  may  well 
be  proud.  To  them  we  are  mainly  indebted  for  the  lofty  position  attained  by 
our  denomination  in  the  State.  It  was  at  that  session  that  The  Christian 
Index  was  accepted  as  a  donation  from  Jesse  Mercer.  That  paper  was  origi- 
nally established  at  Washington  City,  in  1822  and  called  the  Columbian  Star, 
It  had  been  published  and  edited  in  Philadelphia,  to  which  place  it  was  re- 
moved by  Dr.  William.  T.  Brantly,  the  elder,  and  had  been  transferred  by  him  to 
Jesse  Mercer  in  July,  1833.  More  than  two  years  previously  the  matter  had 
been  broached  to  Mr.  Mercer  by  Dr.  Brantly.  In  May,  1831,  he  wrote,  "I  have, 
of  late,  thought  much  of  the  state  of  things  in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  in 
reference  to  The  Index.  The  time  has  come  when  a  southern  paper  of  the 
kind  that  I  am  editing,  will  be  required  for  Carolina,  Georgia  and  Alabama. 
As  mine  is  already  (taken )  there,  and  the  difficulties  of  mail  transmission  are  many, 
I  have  thought  it  probable  that  it  would  be  acceptable  to  the  brethren  in  that 
j-egion  to  encourage  the  idea  of  an  entire  removal  of  The  Index  to  some  cen- 
tral point  in  one  ox  the  other  of  the  two  states."  In  the  latter  half  of  1-833  the 
removal  was  effected,  and  Mr.  Mercer  became  the  editor.  He  soon,  however, 
called  to  his  assistance  Rev.  William  H.  Stokes,  who  was  made  assistant  editor, 
and  the  paper  was  published  at  Washington,  Ga.,  until  removed  to  Penfield,  in 
December,  1840. 

,  Through  the  instrumentality  of  this  paper  Mr.  Mercer  exerted  a  great  and 
very  beneficial  influence  upon  the  denomination  in  Georgia.  Coming  to  Georgia, 
as  it  did,  in  the  "troublous  times,"  The  Index  became  a  vehicle  of  much  bitter 


200  GENERAL   STATE   OF   THE   DENOMINATION. 

controversy,  but,  fortunately,  was  the  means  by  which  Mr.  Mercer  cast  much 
light  on  many  subjects,  but  imperfectly  understood  by  the  generality  of  church 
members,  and  he  was  enabled  to  settle  the  churches  in  a  stable  manner  upon 
Scripture  principles.  It  is,  perhaps,  impossible  to  overrate  the  good  influence 
The  Christian  Index  has  exerted  in  the  State,  and  for  this  it  has  ever  been, 
and  still  is,  revered. 

There  were  hfty  thousand  Baptists  in  Georgia  in  1840.  In  February  of  that 
year  Mercer  University  was  opened  with  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  students 
in  the  collegiate  and  academic  departments.  The  i^aculty  were  Rev.  Otis  Smith, 
President  and  Professor  of  Ma' hematics;  Rev.  Adiel  Sherwood,  Professor  of 
Sacred  Literature  and  Moral  Philosophy  ;  Rev.  Robert  Tolifree,  Professor  of 
Chemistry  and  Natural  Philosophy  ;  Rev.  Albert  Williams,  I^rofessor  of  Ancient 
Languages;  S.  P.  Sanford  and  J.  W.  Attaway,  Assistant  Professors.  The  Con- 
vention supported  five  beneficiaries  in  the  inst'tution  ;  sustained  three  domestic 
missionaries,  and  one  missionary  among  the  Cherokee  Indians. 

A  much  better  condition  of  affairs  now  began  to  exi^-t  among  the  churches, 
and  a  stronger  missionary  spirit  and  a  more  benevolent  disposition  began  to  , 
prevail  in  the  Associations.  The  report  made  to  the  Convention  in  1842,  on 
State  Missions  will  enable  us  to  obtain  a  fair  apprehension  of  the  prevalent  state 
of  feeling  among  many  of  the  Associations  with  reference  to  benevolent  opera- 
tions ; 

"  Flint  River  Association.  At  the  request  of  several  of  the  churches,  this 
Association  has  appointed  an  Executive  Committee  to  devise  and  carry  into  effect 
some  plan  by  which  some  of  her  ministers  may  be  employed  to  travel  among 
the  churches  and  labor  in  destitute  neighborhoods,  and  give  themselves  wholly 
to  prayer  and  the  ministry  of  the  Word.  Arrangements  have  been  made  to 
have  two  in  the  field,  laboring  gratuitously,  in  the  bounds  of  the  Association: 
through  the  year. 

"  The  Hephzibah  Association  appointed  last  year,  a  missionary  to  ride  in  her 
bounds,  and  report  at  the  next  Association. 

"  The  Western  Association  has  an  Executive  Committee  for  missions.  It 
paid  %\  15.00  for  domestic  missions  last  year;  had  $183.00  sent  up  by  the  churches 
to  the  last  Association  for  domestic  missions  ;  and  has  appointed  the  preaching 
of  a  mission  sermon  at  their  next  Association,  and  the  taking  of  a  collection  for 
the  same  object. 

"  The  Ebenezer  Associatiofi  has  an  Executive  Committee  for  missions,  who 
report  one  hundred  and  twenty  days  of  mission  service,  one  hundred  and  one 
sermons  preached,  at  an  expense  of  $i2o.co.  After  the  mission  sermon  preached^ 
on  the  Lord's  day  $23.62  were  collected. 

"  7 he  Appalachce  Association  has  an  Executive  Committee  for  missionary 
operations.  It  reported  for  last  year  one  hundred  and  eighteen  days  of  domestic 
mission  service,  for  which  they  paid  Si47-50-  There  were  sent  up  to  the  Asso- 
ciation by  the  churches,  and  collected,  after  the  mission  sermon  on  the  Lord's 
day,  $188.31  for  domestic  missions,  and  five  dollars  for  Texas  missions.  They 
report  one  Sabbath-school  library  containing  one  hundred  and  fifty  volumes. 
Their  circular  to  the  churches  is  on  the  subject  of  the  religious  instruction  of 
children. 

"  The  Coosa  Association  had  received,  at  its  last  meeting,  $71.12  for  domestic 
missions,  and  appointed  an  Executive  Committee  to  disburse  it,  allowing  their 
missionaries  $20.00  per  month  for  their  services.  The  subject  of  the  circular  of 
this  Association  is  :     'The  Importance  of  Sunday-schools.' 

"  The  Sarepta  Association  has  an  Executive  Committee  to  direct  their  mis- 
sionary operations,  who  report  two  hundred  and  seven  days'  labor,  and  two- 
hundred  and  eight  sermons  preached,  for  which  thev  paid  $197.68.  They  recom- 
mend ministers  to  devote  more  of  their  time  and  labor  for  the  edification  of  the 
churches,  and  that  the  deacons  see  that  their  pastors  are  supported. 

'•  The  Bethel  Association  has  an  Executive  Committee  to  search  out  the 
destitute  places  in  the  bounds  of  the  body  and  contiguous  regions,  and  to  employ- 
missionaries  to  labor  therein.  To  sustain  these  missionaries  the  churches  make- 
to  the  body  their  annual  contributions  at  the  annual  meetings  of  the  body.     A. 


GENERAL   STATE   OF   THE   DENOMINATION.  20I 

collection  is  also  taken  up  from  the  congregation.  There  is  also  a  committee  to 
procure  tracts  and  other  valuable  publications  to  circulate  among  the  churches, 
for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  a  taste  for  reading,  and  to  advance  the  intelligence 
of  the  brethren.  Two  depositories  of  these  books  have  been  established,  one 
at  Palmyra  and  one  at  Lumpkin. 

"  The  Chattahoochee  Association  earnestly  recommends  to  the  churches  to 
assemble  every  Sabbath  for  divine  worship,  but,  as  yet,  are  not  engaged  in 
domestic  missions. 

"  The  Ocimilgee  Assocz'atton,  in  its  circular  to  the  churches,  urges  the  duty 
of  ministers  to  devote  the  whole  of  their  time  to  the  gospel  ministry,  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  churches  ought  to  provide  for  their  support. 

*'  Rock  Mountain  Association. — In  this  Association  a  commmittee  reports 
that,  as  far  as  the  views  of  the  churches  have  been  expressed,  they  are  in  favor 
of  the  spread  and  support  of  the  gospel ;  and  the  Association  gives  it  as  her 
advice,  that  all  who  feel  inclined  to  do  so,  should  form  themselves  into  a  society, 
and  make  such  arrangements  as  will  soonest  and  best  carry  out  their  views,  in 
relation  to  missions,  both  foreign  and  domestic.  It,  also,  recommends  the 
churches  to  examine  the  Scriptures  minutely  in  respect  to  their  obligations  to 
hold  religious  meetings  every  Sabbath. 

"  The  Central  Association,  at  its  last  meeting,  reported  $5.86  paid  by  its 
Executive  Committee  for  domestic  missions  during  the  past  year.  It  recom- 
mends, in  most  pressing  terms.  Sabbath-schools  in  every  congregation,  and  has 
appointed  a  special  agent,  in  every  county  in  its  bounds,  to  superintend  Sabbath- 
school  operations  in  its  churches.  It  has,  for  several  years,  urged  the  churches,^ 
to  meet  every  Sabbath  for  religious  worship. 

"  The  Georgia  Association. — This  body  annually  turns  over  all  its  funds,  for 
■  domestic  as  well  as  foreign  missions,  into  the  hands  of  the  Exective  Committee 
of  the  Convention;  but  gratuitous  mission  labor,  in  its  own  bounds,  is  urged  upon 
its  ministers,  almost  at  every  meeting  of  it.  Considerable  labor  is  done  within 
its  borders  in  this  way.  A  new  impulse  has,  lately,  been  experienced  among  its 
churches  in  relation  to  Sabbath-schools  and  weekly  Sabbath  meetings." 

This  report,  prepared  and  offered  by  B.  M.  Sanders,  manifests  a  great  ad- 
vance in  missionary  sentiment  in  the  State,  since  the  division.  While  the  anti- 
missionaries  have  separated  themselves  and  have  performed  no  missionary 
labor,  we  see  that  the  other  Associations  have  organized  for  that  work  and  are 
proceeding  to  collect  money  systematically  for  the  purpose. 

The  session  of  1841,  held  at  Thomaston,  was  made  memorable  by  the  ab- 
sence, for  the  first  time,  of  Jesse  Mercer  who  was  detained  at  home  by  family 
afflictions.  On  the  6th  of  September  following,  he  expired  at  the  residence  of 
Rev.  James  Carter,  near  Indian  Spring;  and  the  Convention  of  1842,  held  at 
LaGrange,  was  called  upon  to  take  action  concerning  his  demise.  As  the  re- 
port adopted,  written  by  Rev.  C.  D.  Mallary,  has,  with  the  characteristic  mod- 
esty of  its  author,  been  omitted  in  his  Life  of  Jesse  Mercer,  it  is  given  here  : 
"  Yourv Committee  deem  it  a  matter  of  special  gratitude  to  God  that  death  has 
made  so  few  inroads  upon  the  ranks  of  our  ministering  brethren,  since  our  last 
session.  Yet  He  has  aimed  at  one  lofty  and  shining  mark,  and  brought 
our  venerated  and  beloved  Mercer  low.  We  deem  it  proper  that  some 
memorial  of  our  sorrow ;  some  brief  tribute  of  our  respect,  should  be  entered 
upon  the  records  of  our  body.  In  speaking  of  brother  Mercer  as  an  eminently 
wise,  pious  and  useful  man,  we  do  not  use  the  language  of  exaggeration.  For 
half  a  century  did  he  occupy  a  high  and  influential  position  among  the  Baptists 
of  Georgia  ;  and  few  men  could  be  named,  on  the  entire  lists  of  the  denomina- 
tion in  our  country,  more  wise  in  counsel,  more  profound  in  the  knowledge  of 
divine  things,  more  unwearied  in  pious  labors,  more  constant  in  appropriations- 
to  the  cause  of  benevolence.  The  influence  which  he  exerted  was  extensive 
and  powerful ;  and,  yet,  with  how  little  alloy  was  it  mingled  !  It  was  as  salu- 
tary as  it  was  extensive,  and  as  pure  as  it  was  powerful.  The  gospel  which  he 
unfolded  with  so  much  skill,  clearness  and  heavenly  unction,  had  exerted  much 
of  its  transforming  power  upon  his  heart,  and  rendered  him,  in  his  character 
and  life,  an  eminent  illustration  of  the  truth  and  purity  of  the  doctrines  which 
lie  proclaimed. 


202  GENERAL   STATE   OF   THE   DENOMINATION. 

"  Long  will  his  useful  counsels  and  labors  in  this  Convention  be  remembered  ! 
Long  shall  we  remember  his  patriarchal  form,  his  meek,  simple  and  condescend- 
ing deportment !  Yes,  thou  man  of  God,  long  will  we  remember  thee  with 
filial  reverence  and  affection  ! 

"  We  feel  that  we  are  a  bereaved  family.  Yet,  whilst  we  mourn  our  loss,  we 
would  express  our  gratitude  to  God  that  he  was  spared  so  long  to  bless  the 
Church,  and  that  he  has  bequeathed  an  example  to  us  so  well  calculated  to  rebuke 
our  follies  and  stimulate  us  to  every  good  word  and  work.  We  are  reminded, 
by  his  death,  that  our  lives  and  labors  are  hastening  to  a  close,  and  that  what- 
ever our  hand  findeth  to  do,  we  should  do  it  with  our  might." 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  no  one  has  ever  exerted  upon  the  Baptist  de- 
nomination in  Georgia  a  more  beneficial,  healthy  and  powerful  influence  than 
Jesse  Mercer ;  no  one  did  more  to  give  a  sound  scriptural  tone  to  its  doctrine 
and  practice ;  no  one  more  zealously  and  persistently  promoted  all  those  benev- 
olent institutions  sanctioned  by  the  gospel,  and  in  accordance  with  Scripture 
principles  ;  nor  has  any  one  in  our  State  been  so  liberal  in  donations  to  denomi- 
national enterprises.  In  the  pulpit,  at  associational  and  conventional  meetings, 
by  circular  addresses,  in  ministerial  conferences,  and  through  The  Christian 
Index,  not  to  speak  of  continuous  and  multitudinous  personal  labors,  he  did 
more  to  elevate  our  denomination  in  the  State,  and  give  shape  to  its  destiny, 
than  any  one  man  who  ever  lived.  Without  the  brilliancy,  eloquence  and  intel- 
lectual power  of  Dr.  Holcombe  ;  or  the  cultivation  and  scholarship  of  the  elder 
Brantly ;  or  the  mental  training  and  collegiate  lore  of  Dr.  Sherwood,  he  never- 
theless possessed  such  characteristics  of  pious  zeal,  such  rugged,  intellectual 
ability,  such  far-seeing  and  practical  wisdom,  all  united  to  a  life  of  unflagging 
exertion  and  continual  study  of  Bible  truth,  and  to  a  liberality  bounded  by  his 
means  only,  that  he  wielded  a  more  powerful  influence,  and  accomplished  results 
more  beneficial,  than  any  other  man.  He  began  his  religious  life  when  there 
were  not  twenty  Baptist  churches  in  the  State  of  Georgia,  and  hardly  fifteen 
hundred  members.  He  lived  to  see  the  time — over  half  a  century  later — when 
thirty-seven  Associations  were  formed,  and  when  there  were  nearly  eight 
hundred  churches,  over  three  hundred  ordained  ministers,  eighty  licentiates,  and 
about  fifty  thousand  church  members. 

Dr.  J.  H.  Campbell,  in  his  "  Georgia  Baptists,"  gives  the  Georgia  statistics  for 
1835  at  21  Associations,  583  churches,  298  ministers,  and  41,810  members.  An 
editorial  in  The  Index,  for  January,  1841,  says  that  there  were  50,000  Baptists 
in  the  State. 

In  The  Index  of  September  29th,  1843,  Dr.  Joseph  S.  Baker  published  a 
Baptist  statistical  table  of  Georgia,  giving  the  statistics  of  thirty-six  Associations. 
But  in  a  private  letter  to  Dr.  D.  Benedict,  dated,  Penfield,  Georgia,  September 
13th,  1843,  which  is  now  before  us,  he  gives  the  names  of  nine  Associations  not 
in  his  table,  and  of  which  he  had  no  Minutes,  nor  any  statistics,  and  adds : 
"  The  probable  number  of  Baptists  in  Georgia,  in  1842,  was  55,000  ;  the  proba- 
ble number  baptized  that  year,  6,000."  This  accords  very  well  with  Campbell's 
statement  in  his  "Georgia  Baptists,"  taken  from  the  Convention  Minutes  of 
1846,  that  in  1845  there  were  46  Associations,  464  ministers,  971  churches,  and 
58,388  communicants  (page  15). 

For  nine  years  Rev.  W.  H.  Stokes,  as  assistant  editor  of  The  Christian 
Index,  was  indefatigable  in  his  la'jors,  and  to  him  much  of  the  good  done  by 
the  paper  should  be  credited.  He  resigned  in  1842,  and  in  January,  1843,  Dr. 
J.  S.  Baker,  being  elected  by  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Convention,  as- 
sumed editorial  control  of  The  Index,  which  influential  position  he  occupied, 
with  great  credit  to  himself  and  usefulness  of  the  denomination,  for  half  a  dozen 
years.  He  was  a  very  clear  and  forcible  writer,  and,  by  his  piety  and  ability, 
wielded  a  strong  influence  for  many  years. 

There  was  reason  for  the  growth  in  the  denomination  which  we  have  chroni- 
cled, for  the  Minutes  of  all  the  Associations,  nearly,  indicate  the  performance 
of  much  State  mission  work ;  and  the  summary,  published  each  year  in  the 
Convention  proceedings,  is  very  gratifying  to  the  student  of  denominational  his- 
tory.    For  the   information  of   those  desirous   of  knowing  something  of  our 


GENERAL  STATE  OF  THE  DENOMINATION.        203 

denominational  activity  in  the  fifth  decade  of  the  century,  we  make  another 
extract  from  the  Convention  Report  on  State  Missions,  made  in  1845.  by  Joseph 
Polhill.  Twelve  Associations  were  then  constituents  of  the  body,  and  the  report 
is  a  condensed  summary  of  associational  work  : 

"  The  Hephzibah  Association  has  twenty-two  churches,  eleven  ordained  min- 
isters, a.nd  an  Executive  Committee.  They  employed  a  missionary  who  rendered 
one  hundred  and  twenty-one  days'  service.  There  are  some  temperance  socie- 
ties, Sabbath-schools  and  regular  monthly  prayer  meetings  in  some  of  the 
churches,  and  special  conferences  for  the  blacks. 

"  The  Appalachee  Association  has  a  missionary  who  travelled  one  hundred 
and  fifty  days,  preached  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  sermons,  aided  in  the 
ordination  of  one  minister  and  the  constitution  of  one  church,  baptized  a  num- 
ber of  persons,  and  visited  many  families.  The  missionary  cause  is  on  the 
advance. 

"  The  Central  Association  conisixns  nineteen  churches,  ten  ordained  ministers, 
and  eight  licentiates.  She  has  three  missionaries  at  present  in  her  employ,  who, 
together,  rendered  about  fifteen  months'  service.  Her  ministers  preach  once  a 
month  to  the  colored  people.  Sabbath-schools  are  most  cordially  approved, 
and  many  are  in  successful  operation.  The  temperance  cause  is  encouraged  by 
ministers  and  the  people  generally. 

"  The  Rehoboth  Association  has  twenty  churches  and  eight  ordained  minis- 
ters, keeps  a  missionary  in  the  field  (for  which  purpose  she  has  a  fund  of  about 
$600),  and  has  a  book  depository  in  the  city  of  Macon.  Sabbath-schools  are 
supported  in  her  bounds.  The  religious  instruction  of  the  blacks  is  carefully 
attended  to  in  some  of  the  churches,  and  particular  attention  is  paid  to  the 
colored  church  in  Macon. 

"  The  Columbus  Association  employs  two  missionaries,  one  engaged  in 
preaching  to  the  destitute  in  her  bounds,  the  other  in  visiting  churches  and 
families,  and  forming  Sabbath-schools.  Both  have  been  very  successful  in  their 
labors.  Most  of  the  churches  have  Sabbath-schools.  Eight  hundred  dollars 
were  collected  for  the  above  objects.  Some  of  the  churches  give  oral  instruction 
to  the  colored  people. 

"  The  Coosa  Association  employs  one  missionary,  and  has  fifteen  or  twenty 
Sabbath-schools,  though  she  finds  great  difficulty  in  procuring  Sunday-school 
books.     The  temperance  cause  has  been  retrograding,  but  is  now  advancing. 

"  The  Fliiit  River  Association  reports  a  domestic  missionary  constantly  in 
her  employment.  A  Sunday-school  Convention  was  held  with  much  interest, 
and  many  of  the  churches  are  zealously  engaged  in  their  support.  The  temper- 
ance cause  is  on  the  advance.  In  some  instances  oral  instruction  is  given  to 
the  colored  people.     There  is  a  flourishing  Bible  Society  in  Butts  county. 

"  The  Georgia  Association  has  thirty  ordained  ministers,  fifteen  or  twenty 
licentiates,  and  twenty-seven  churches.  Efforts  have  been  made  fpr  several 
years  to  induce  the  chunhes  to  have  regular  worship  every  Sabbath.  A  few 
have  adopted  the  measure,  more  have  preaching  thrice  a  month  and  some  are 
in  the  old  order  of  monthly  worship.  Sunday-school  instruction  is  becoming 
more  common,  and  some  efforts  are  made  for  the  oral  instruction  of  the  blacks 
in  Sabbath-schools,  which  promise  well. 

"  The  Sunbury  Association  has  been  and  still  is  engaged  in  the  support  of 
foreign  missions  and  in  giving  the  gospel  to  the  colored  people  within  its  bounds. 
During  the  last  year  it  contributed  $417.57  to  the  former.  For  the  colored 
mission  it.  employs  two  misssionaries — one  for  ihe  Savannah  River,  and  one  for 
the  Altamaha.  They  received  $635.00  for  their  services.  Most  of  the  churches 
have  Sabbath-schools  and  impart  oral  instruction  to  the  blacks. 

"  The  Western  Association  has  an  Executive  Committee  to  whom  is  entrus- 
ted the  management  of  domestic  mii-sions.  They  keep  a  missionary  in  the 
field.  Sabbath-schoois  have  been  established  successfully  in  some  churches 
and  neighborhoods  ;  but  there  is  a  want  of  Sunday-school  books.  No  regular 
system  lor  the  instruction  of  the  colored  people  has  been  practiced  by  this 
bodv. 

'•'The  Sarepta  Association  has  three   missionaries  employed,  who  rendered 


204  GENERAL   STATE   OF   THE   DENOMINATION. 

about  one  hundred  and  thirty  days  service,  preached  about  one  hundred  and 
forty  sermons,  and  rode  upwards  of  a  thousand  miles.  They  now  have  two 
bretliren  who  devote  a  portion  of  their  time  to  domestic  missions.  Sabbath- 
schools  are  at  a  very  low  ebb,  and  no  special  instruction  is  given  to  the  colored 
people. 

"  In  the  Tiigalo  Association  nothing  is  now  doing  in  the  department  of  do- 
mestic missions.     It  is  a  very  destitute  section. 

"  The  Bethel  Association  is  engaged  in  most  of  the  enterprises  of  the  de- 
nomination. She  has  an  Executive  Committee ;  keeps,  generally,  a  domestic 
missionary  employed  ;  encourages  Sunday-schools  and  general  benevolence  in 
her  churches  ;  and,  in  some  churches,  regular  religious  instruction  is  afforded 
the  blacks." 

During  the  years  of  this  decade  the  Convention  takes  very  strong  ground  in 
favor  of  temperance,  in  its  reports  ;  encourages  education  and  Sabbath-schools 
in  the  highest  degree;  and  vigilantly  guards  the  interests  of  Mercer  University. 
A  theological  departmrnt  with  a  three  years'  course,  was  established  in  1844 
and  Dr.  J.  L.  Dagg  was  made  Professor  of  Theology. 

Several  missionaries  were  maintained  in  different  parts  of  the  State,  by  the 
Executive  Committee,  who,  also,  sustained  six  beneficiaries  in  Mercer  Univer- 
sity, three  of  them  in  the  theological  department,   besides  one  at  Cave  Spring. 

Fourteen  Associations  are  now  connected  with  the  Convention,  and  sixteen 
were  represented  at  the  session  of  1S45. 

That  year  forms  an  important  era  in  our  State  denominational  history,  be- 
cause, in  I1S45.  the  Southern  Baptists  severed  their  organic  connection  with  their 
Northern  brethren,  and  formed  Boards  of  their  own,  through  which  to  carry  on 
their  benevolent  operations ;  and  this  was  the  result  of  events  which  occurred 
in  our  own  State. 

The  particular  and  originating  cause  of  this  separation  was  an  application 
made  by  the  Executive  Commit'ee  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  John  L, 
Dagg.  V.  R.  Thornton,  J.  B.  Walker,  Thomas  Stocks  and  B.  M.  Sanders,  to  the 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  of  Boston,  for  the  appointment  of 
Rev.  James  E.  Reeves,  as  a  missionary  within  the  bounds  of  the  Talapoosa 
Assoc  iation.  As  Mr.  Reeves  was  a  slaveholder,  the  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Board  declined  even  to  entenain  the  application,  lest  they  should  appear 
to  sanction  slavery.  The  Executive  Committee  immediately  instructed  the 
treasurer  of  the  Convention,  Absalom  Janes,  not  to  pay  over  any  funds  he  might 
have  in  his  hands  for  that  Board,  until  further  instructions,  and  at  the  same 
time  issued  an  address  to  the  Baptists  of  the  United  States,  reciting  the  conduct 
of  the  Board.  The  State  Convention,  which  met  at  Forsyth,  in  1845,  adopted 
the  following  resolutions,  which  were  brought  in  by  a  special  committee,  con- 
sisting of  Joshua  S.  Calloway,  James  Cranberry,  Jacob  King,  C.  S.  Gaulding, 
and  W.  P.  Burks: 

"  Resolved,  ist.  That  this  body  disapproves  of  the  course  pursued  by  the  Board 
of  the  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  in  refusing  to  appoint,  as  a  missionarj', 
the  brother  recommended  to  their  notice  by  the  Executive  Committee. 

"  Resolved  2d,  That  we  highly  approve  of  the  act  of  the  Executive  Committee, 
in  withholding  said  mission  funds  until  the  present  meeting  of  this  body ;  and 
that  they  be  instructed  to  pay  over  the  same  to  the  Southern  Baptist  Domestic 
Mission  Board  at  Marion,  Alabama." 

At  the  same  Convention  a  special  committee,  composed  of  Albert  Williams, 
Henry  O.  Wyer,  C.  D.  Mallary,  A.  T.  Holmes  and  James  Ferryman,  ap- 
pointed to  consider  the  report  of  the  Executive  Committee,  who  attended  the 
formation  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  in  Augusta,  as  representatives 
of  the  State  Convention,  made  the  following  report,  which  was  adopted : 

"  While  this  body  deeply  regret  the  necessity  of  separating  from  our  Northern 
brethren,  we  hig'.ly  approve  the  action  of  the  late  meeting  in  Augusta,  and 
earnestly  recommend  our  churches  throughout  the  State  to  support  this  Southern 
organization  with  liberal,  benevolent  contributions.     Therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  this  Convention  become  auxiliary  to  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention,  and  proceed  to  elect  five  delegates  to  represent  us  in  the  meeting 


GENERAL    STATE    OF   THE   DENOMINATION.  205 

of  that  body,  to  be  held  Thursday  before  the  second  Lord's  day  in  June,  1846" 
(in  Richmond,  Va.) 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  this  same  Convention  appropriated  one  hundred 
dollars  to  aid  the  American  Indian  Mission  Association  of  Kentucky,  which  was 
an  Association  formed  by  a  convention  of  Western  Baptists,  at  Cincinnati,  in 
1843,  and  whose  Board  was  located  at  Louisville,  Ky.  The  formation  of  this 
Association,  somewhat  like  that  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  grew  out 
of  a  backwardness  in  sustaining  Missions,  among  the  Indians  of  the  West,  by 
the  Northern  Board.  It  continued  until  1855,  when,  almost  overwhelmed  with 
debt,  it  was  merged  into  the  Domestic  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Conven- 
tion, at  Montgomery,  which  thenceforth  became  known  as  the  "  Domestic  and 
Indian  Mission  Board." 

The  mention  of  these  facts,  in  Georgia  Baptist  history,  exhibiting,  as  some 
of  them  do,  the  immediate  causes  of  the  formation  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Con- 
vention, renders  it  pertinent  and  appropriate  to  dwell  somewhat  in  detail  on  the 
organization  of  that  Convention,  and  on  those  relevant  events  which  preceded 
and  led  to  its  formation. 

At  Augusta.  Georgia,  on  Thursday  May  8th,  1 845,  three  hundred  and  ten  dele- 
gates, from  Maryland,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Ala- 
bama, Louisiana,  Kentucky  and  the  District  of  Columbia,  met  in  the  Baptist  house 
of  worship  and  organized  by  the  election  of  Dr.  William  B.  Johnson,  of 
South  Carolina,  as  President,  and  Hon.  Wilson  Lumpkin,  of  Georgia,  and  Rev. 
J.  B.  Taylor,  of  Virginia,  as  Vice-Presidents,  and  Jesse  Hartwell  and  James  C. 
Crane,  as  Secretaries.     The  next  morning  the  following  was  adopted  : 

"Resolved,  That  for  peace  and  harmony,  and  in  order  to  accomplish  the 
greatest  amount  of  good,  and  for  the  maintenance  of  those  scriptural  principles 
on  which  the  General  Missionary  Convention  of  the  Baptist  denomination  of 
the  United  States  was  originally  formed,  it  is  proper  that  this  Convention  at 
once  proceed  to  organize  a  society  for  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel." 

The  reasons  given  for  this  was  a  declaration  of  the  Board  of  the  General 
■Convention,  at  Boston,  that  if  "  any  one  should  offer  himself  as  a  Missionary, 
having  slaves,  and  should  insist  on  retaining  them  as  his  property,  we  could  not 
appoint  him." 

This  innovation  and  departure  from  the  course  previously  pursued  by  the 
Triennial  Convention  was  an  infraction  of  a  resolution  passed  at  the  last  session 
of  that  Convention.  The  rule  of  the  Convention,  defining  who  might  be 
appointed  missionaries,  was  this :  "Such  persons  only  as  are  in  full  communion 
with  some  church  in  our  denomination,  and  who  furnish  satisfactory  evidence 
of  genuine  piety,  good  talents  and  fervent  zeal  for  the  Redeemer's  cause ;"  and 
the  resolution,  of  which  the  declaration  of  the  acting  Board  was  an  infraction, 
was  as  follows : 

"Resolved,  That  in  co-operating  together,  as  members  of  this  Convention,  in  the 
work  of  foreign  missions,  we  disclaim  all  sanction,  either  expressed  or  implied, 
whether  of  slavery  or  anti-slavery  ;  but,  as  individuals,  we  are  free  to  express 
and  to  promote,  elsewhere,  our  views  on  these  subjects,  in  a  Christian  manner 
and  spirit."  In  less  than  six  months  the  Board  of  the  General  Convention  de- 
clared that  it  could  not  appoint  a  slaveholder  to  be  a  missionary,  and  "  could 
never  be  a  party  to  any  arrangement  which  implies  approbation  of  slavery." 

As  many  Southerners  were,  at  that  time,  slaveholders,  self-respect  forced  the 
Southern  Baptists  to  withdraw  from  the  General  Convention. 

The  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Virginia  Foreign  Baptist  Mission  Society,  is- 
sued a  call  to  the  Baptists  of  the  South  to  send  delegates  to  a  convention  to 
meet  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  and  it  was  in  pursuance  of  this  call  that  a  large 
number  of  delegates  met  and  formed  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  Two 
Boards  were  appointed,  one  for  Foreign  Missions,  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  and 
one  for  Home  Missions,  at  Marion,  Alabama,  which  have  now  been  in  useful 
existence  for  thirty-six  years,  and  have  done  much  to  foster  and  develop  the 
missionary  spirit  in  the  South.  It  should  be  a  mdtter  of  congratulation  to  Geor- 
gia Baptists  that  this  organization  had  its  birth  in  their  State,  and  was  incorpo- 
rated by  their  State  Legislature,  the  charter  being  granted  on  the  27th  of  De- 
cember, 1845. 


2o6  GENERAL    STATE    OF    THE    DENOMINATION. 

Many  prominent  Georgia  Baptists  took  part  in  the  formation  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention,  among  whom  were  J.  F.  Hillyer,  J.  H.  Campbell,  H.  Bunn, 
J.Hendricks,  D.  G.  Daniell,  C.  M.  Irwin,  P.  H.  Mell,  I.  L.  Brooks,  T.  J. 
Burney,  P.  W.  Walton,  B.  M.  Sanders,  J.  L.  Dagg,  A.  Janes,  V.  R.  Thornton, 
Thomas  Stocks,  W.  H.  Stokes,  J.  S.  Baker,  L.  Steed,  N.  Polhill,  Wilson 
Lumpkin,  W.  Richards,  A.  M.  Walker,  T.  U.  Wilkes,  S.  G.  Hillyer,  J.  Polhill, 
G.  W.  Evans,  James  Carter,  W.  J.  Harley,  J.  Davis,  M.  N.  McCall,  E.  Ferryman, 
H.  H.  Lumpkin,  E  Calloway,  Asa  Chandler,  J.  B.  Slack,  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  C. 
H.  Stilwell,  C.  D.  Mallary,  B.  Thornton,  M.  Brinson,  T.  C.  Armstrong,  J.  S.  Law, 
W.  O.  Cheeney,  Wm.  H.  Mcintosh,  E.  H.  Bacon,  V.  Sanford,  William  T.  Brantly, 
Jr.,  W.  R.  Gignilliat,  N.  M.  Crawford,  W.  H.  Pope,  W.  F.  Baker,  D.  E.  Butler, 
J.  F.  Dagg,  J.  W.  Stapleton,  P.  Robinson,  E.  R.  Carswell,  J.  S.  Calloway,  H. 
Posey,  John  E.  Dawson,  Benjamin  Brantly,  T.  A.  Gibbs,  R.  Tolefree,  W,  P. 
Steed,  George  Walker,  J.  Huff,  besides  various  others. 

At  the  North  this  separation  was  desired  by  many,  regretted  by  few,  and  ex- 
pected by  all.  In  fact,  the  separation  was  inevitable,  as  a  Free  Mission  Society 
had  been  already  organized,  in  1843,  at  Boston,  in  opposition  to  the  Board  of 
the  Triennial  Convention,  and  upon  the  expressed  basis  of  non-cooperation 
with  Southern  churches.  This  Soc'ety  gained  favor  rapidly,  and,  consequently, 
hastened  the  complete  rupture  between  the  North  and  South,  as  a  measure 
which  effectually  prevented  a  division  of  the  Baptist  churches  at  the  North.  In 
reality,  in  April  1845,  before  the  Convention  met  in  Augusta,  the  Home  Mission 
Society,  at  its  meeting  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  adopted  the  following  Preamble  and 
Resolutions  : 

"Whereas,  The  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  is  composed  of 
contributors,  residing  in  slave-holding  and  non-slave-holding  States ;  and, 
whereas,  the  Constitution  recognizes  no  distinction  among  the  members  of  the 
Society  as  to  eligibility  to  all  the  offices  and  appointments  in  the  gift  of  the  So- 
ciety and  of  the  Board  ;  and,  whereas,  it  has  been  found  that  the  basis  on  which 
the  Society  was  organized  is  one  upon  which  all  the  members  and  friends 
of  the  Society  are  not  now  willing  to  act  ;  therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  in  our  opinion  it  is  expedient  that  the  members  now  form- 
ing the  Society,  should  hereafter  act  in  separate  organizations  at  the  South  and 
at  the  North,  in  promoting  the  objects  which  were  originally  contemplated  by 
the  Society. 

"Resolved.  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  report  a  plan  by  which  the  ob- 
ject contemplated  in  the  preceding  resolution  may  be  accomplished  in  the  best 
way,  and  at  the  earliest  period  of  time,  consistently  with  the  preservation  of 
the  constitutional  rights  of  all  the  members,  and  with  the  least  possible  inter- 
ruption of  the  missionary  work  of  the  Society." 

This  led  to  further  steps,  one  of  which  was  a  recommendation  "that  the  ex- 
isting organization  be  retained  by  the  Northern  and  other  churches,  which  may 
be  willing  to  act  together  upon  the  basis  of  restriction  against  the  appointment 
of  slave  holders." 

The  adoption  of  this,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  left  the  Southern  churches  no  al- 
ternative but  to  withdraw  and  form  a  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  The  effect 
of  this  separation  upon  the  Southern  Baptist  churches  was  to  heighten  their 
sense  of  responsibility  and  develop  their  resources  and  energies,  as  was  evi- 
denced by  their  contributions.  During  the  time  they  had  been  connected  with 
the  Home  Mission  Board — from  1832  to  1845 -their  contributions  amounted  to 
$38,656.  In  the  same  number  of  years,  after  the  separation — from  1864  to  1859 
— their  contributions  to  the  Domestic  Board  at  Marion  amounted  to  $204,614,  be- 
sides $61,614  for  Indian  Missions,  making  a  total  of  $266,356  against  $38,656. 
Certainly  the  separation  was  providential. 

The  following  is  a  brief  sketch  of  the  first  president  of  the  South- 
ern Baptist  Convention  :  "  Rev.  William  BuUein  Johnson,  D.D..  first  pres- 
ident of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  and  for  four  years — from 
i8ii  to  1815— pastor  of  the  Savannah  church,  was  born  on  John's  Is- 
land, near  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  June  13th,  1782.  His  parents  were 
both   Baptists.     In   his   boyhood  he    enjoyed  the   companionship  of  Edmund 


GENERAL  STATE  OF  '1  HE  DENOMINATION.        207 

Bottsford,  and  was,  in  Georgetown,  South  Carolina,  instructed  by  Dr.  William 
Staughton,  afterwards  president  of  Columbian  College.  While  pursuing 
the  study  of  law,  in  Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  he  was  converted  at  the  close  of 
a  remarkable  revival  of  religion,  in  October,  1804,  being  baptized  by  Joseph  B. 
Cook  and  uniting  with  the  Beaufort  church.  He  ascribed  his  conversion  to  the 
labors  of  a  pious  lady,  Miss  Lydia  Turner,  of  London,  who,  together  with  her 
household,  had  been  baptized  in  Savannah,  by  Dr.  Henry  Holcombe.  Licensed 
in  January,  1805,  he  was  ordained  in  January,  1806.  Besides  serving  as  a  pas- 
tor of  the  Euhaw  church,  St.  Luke's  parish,  South  Carolina,  he  acted  in  the 
same  capacity  for  the  Savannah,  Columbia,  Greenville  and  Edgefield  chuiches. 
For  five  years  he  gave  a  general  supervision  of  the  Johnson  Female  Seminary, 
Anderson,  South  Carolina,  which  was  thus  named  in  compliment  to  him,  by  its 
founders,  taking  no  part  in  the  labors  of  instruction,  although  many  years  of 
his  life  were  employed  both  as  a  minister  and  a  teacher  of  young  ladies.  He 
died  October  2d,  1862.  A  man  of  high  and  unquestioned  Christian  integrity,  he 
was  frequently  honored  by  his  brethren  with  positions  of  official  dignity.  For 
many  years  he  was  moderator  of  the  Savannah  River  Association  ;  for  thirty 
years  he  presided  over  the  South  Carolina  Convention  ;  he  was  president  of  the 
Triennnial  Convention  when  it  met  in  Baltimore  ;  and  at  the  first  meeting  of 
the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  in  1845,  at  Augusta,  his  venerable  form  was, 
by  the  suffrage  of  his  brethren,  placed  in  the  chair.  For  such  a  post  he  was  emi- 
nently qualiried  by  his  dignity,  urbanity  and  impartiality.  To  a  clear  intellect 
he  united  eminent  piety,  learning,  fixedness  of  purpose,  promptness  and  punct- 
uality ;  and  to  the  most  transparent  honesty,  he  added  independence  of  thought 
and  a  large  public  spiritedness.  As  the  sun  was  going  down,  in  the  close  of  a 
glorious  autumn  day,  he  sank  to  his  final  rest,  with  the  softness  of  an  infant's 
sleep,  presenting  a  death  scene  of  perfect  tranquillity  and  peace." 

We  will  close  this  chapter  with  a  list  of  Georgia  delegates  to  the  old  Trien- 
nial Convention,  from  its  organization  at  Philadelphia,  in  1814,  to  the  rupture, 
in  184.5.  '  It  will  be  seen  that  long  before  our  General  Association  was  formed. 
Georgia  was  represented  in  that  Convention,  by  delegates  sent  from  her  asso- 
ciational  mission  boards  and  societies.  Indeed,  frequent  mention  is  made  in 
the  denominational  anna's  of  money  appropriated  to  secure  seats  in  that  Con- 
vention. 

In  1814,  W.  B.  Johnson,  then  pastor  at  Savannah,  went  from  a  society  in  the 
Savannah  River  Association.  In  1817,  Jesse  Mercer  attended  as  messenger 
from  the  "  Powelton  Missionary  Society,"  and  as  proxy  from  ihe  "  Ocmulgee 
Missionary  Society."  In  1820,  Je.sse  Mercer  attended  as  messenger  of  the 
"Mission  Board  of  the  Georgia  Association,"  and  Elijah  Mosely,  as  messenger 
of  the  "  Ocmulgee  Mission  Society."  In  1823,  Adiel  Sherwood  represented  the 
"  Mission  Board  of  the  Georgia  Association,"  and  Major  Abner  Davis  repre- 
sented the  "Ocmulgee  Mission  Board."  In  1826,  Jesse  Mercer  attended  as 
messenger  of  tHe  "  Mission  Board  of  the  Georgia  Association  ;"  Abner  Davis, 
of  the  "  Mission  Board  of  the  Ocmulgee  Association;"  William  T.  Brantly,  as 
appointee  of  the  "General  Association"  or  State  Convention.  A.Sherwood 
was  appointed  but  did  not  attend.  In  1829,  A.  Sherwood  attended  as  messen- 
ger of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention.  In  1832,  A.  Sherwood  and  Thomas 
Stocks  represented  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention.  In  1835,  Jesse  Mercer  and 
A.  Sherwood  were  delegates  of  the  State  Convention.  In  1838,  A.  Sherwood 
and  John  E.  Dawson  were  delegates  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention.  In 
1 84 1,  B.  M.  Sanders,  Jonathan  Davis  and  Thomas  Stocks  were  the  State  Con- 
vention delegates.  In  1844,  the  State  Convention  was  represented  for  the  last 
time  in  the  old  Triennial  Convention,  by  Thomas  Stocks,  B.  M.  Sanders,  V.  R. 
Thornton,  John  L.  Dagg  and  Jesse  H.  Campbell. 


XVII, 
DENOMINATIONAL  HISTORY. 


(14) 


XVIL 

DENOMINATIONAL  HISTORY- 


ACTION  OF  THE  STATE  CONVENTION  IN  REGARD  TO  SEPARATION— EFFECTS 
OF  THE  RUPTURE  ON  SOUTHERN  BENEVOLENCE— WASHINGTON  ASSOCIA- 
TION—Vl^ESTERN  ASSOCIATION— REHOBOTH  ASSOCIATION— BETHEL  AND 
COLUMBUS  ASSOCIATIONS— COOSA  AND  TALLAPOOSA  ASSOCIATIONS— THE 
UNITED  BAPTISTS— STATE  OF  RELIGION  IN  1850— THE  HEARN  MANUAL 
LABOR  SCHOOL — NOBLE  MEN  OF  THAT  PERIOD  AND  WHAT  THEY  DID — THE 
CHEROKEE  BAPTIST  CONVENTION— WHY  CONSTITUTED— ITS  FORMATION 
AND  PROGRESS— CHEROKEE  BAPTIST  COLLEGE  AND  WOODLAWN  COLLEGE 
— MISSION  AMONG  THE  CHEROKEES— DAVID  FOREMAN  AND  E.  L.  COMPERE 
— "THE  LANDMARK  BANNER  AND  CHEROKEE  BAPTIST" — THE  NORTH 
GEORGIA  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION — THE  TEN  YEARS  PRECEDING  THE 
WAR — THE  BIBLE  BOARD  AND  COLPORTER  SOCIETY — EXCITING  QUES- 
TIONS— ASSOCIATIONS  IN  THE  GEORGIA  BAPTIST  CONVENTION,  AND 
CHEROKEE  BAPTIST  CONVENTION,  BEFORE  THE  WAR,  AND  THEIR  BENEV- 
OLENT CONTRIBUTIONS. 

The  year  1845  was  an  era  in  our  State  denominational  history,  made  so, 
mainly  by  the  events  narrated  in  our  last  chapter.  Heretofore  the  benevolent 
funds  of  the  State  had  been  disbursed  chiefly  through  the  Mission  Boards  at 
the  North,  for  both  Foreign  and  Domestic  Missions ;  but  anti-slavery  fanaticism 
among  the  Northern  Baptists  rendered  a  separation  necessary,  as  well  as 
expedient.  In  consequence  our  benevolence  took  another  channel,  in  1845,  and 
our  operations  were  brought  under  the  immediate  control  of  Southern  Baptists. 
They  have  continued  so  to  the  present  day,  doubtless  in  accordance  with  a  wise 
ordering  of  Providence.  History  informs  us  that  it  was  the  firm  and  decided 
stand  taken  by  Georgia  Baptists,  which  was  the  immediate  cause  of  that  rupture. 
The  condition  of  public  sentiment  in  our  denomination,  at  that  time,  may  be 
gathered  from  the  action  of  the  State  Convention,  in  1846,  when  the  following 
was  adopted  : 

"  Resolved,  That,  in  the  opinion  of  this  Convention,  it  is  expedient  for  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  to  adopt  such  a  course  at  their  meeting,  in  Rich- 
mond, as  will,  unequivocally,  separate  the  South  from  the  North  in  all  the 
general  organizations  for  Christian  benevolence." 

It  may  also  be  gathered  from  the  action  of  the  Executive  Committee,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1845,  which  was  ratified  by  the  State  Convention,  in  1846.  In  that 
month  the  committee  had  before  it  for  consideration  a  circular  addressed  to 
their  chairman,  B.  M.  Sanders,  from  the  agent  of  the  American  Baptist  Pub- 
lication Society,  inquiring  into  the  expediency  of  sending  an  agent  to  Georgia. 
The  Executive  Committee  passed  the  following  resolutions  : 

"Resolved,  i.  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  committee  that  it  would  not  be 
expedient  for  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society  to  send  an  agent 
among  us. 

"  Resolved  2,  That,  in  our  opinion,  public  sentiment  requires  the  formation 
of  Southern  Boards  for  Bible  and  publication  operations."  In  fact  a  Southern 
Baptist  Publication  Society  was  organized  at  Savannah,  in  1847,  located  at 
Charleston,    South   Carolina,   and    continued   in   existence    until   the  war    of 


212  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

We  may,  by  a  few  facts,  not  only  discover  the  manner  in  which  the  denom- 
inational rupture  was  received  by  the  Georgia  Baptists,  but  we  can  learn  the 
effects  of  that  rupture  upon  the  ben.evolence  of  the  churches  and  Associations. 

At  its  session,  in  1845,  the  Georgia  Association  adopted  the  report  of  its  Ex- 
ecutive Committee,  in  which  the  churches  were  informed  of  the  Convention 
held  in  Augusta,  "  to  devise  ways  and  means  whereby  all  the  benevolent  objects 
contemplated  by  us,  as  a  people,  might  be  more  efficiently  promoted,"  and  the 
churches  were  respectfully  urged  to  adopt  vigorous  measures  to  enable  the 
several  Boards  appointed  by  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  "to  prosecute 
their  praiseworthy  designs."  In  that  year  $1,444.90  were  collected  for  mission 
purposes,  of  which  $1,163.32  were  paid  over  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Georgia 
Baptist  Convention,  for  various  mission  purposes,  and  $281.58  were  sent  to  the 
American  Indian  Mission  Association,  at  Louisville.  The  following  year,  1846, 
$2,647.21  were  reported  as  contributed  to  missions,  during  the  year,  of  which 
$1,554.51  were  sent  up  to  the  Association.  Thus  we  see,  that  in  one  Association 
alone,  mission  contributions  more  than  doubled. 

By  an  examination  of  the  records,  we  find  that  the  amount  sent  up  to  the 
Convention  from  the  Associations,  for  benevolent  purposes,  in  May,  1845,  was 
$1,148.41;  in  1846,  the  amount  was  $5,946.77;  in  1847,  it  was  $9,885.73;  in 
1848,  it  was  $8,714.24;  in  1849,  it  was  $7,392.49,  and  in  1850,  it  was  $10,181.86. 
In  those  six  years  the  number  of  Associations,  in  connection  with  the  Conven- 
tion, had  increased  from  fourteen  to  twenty-two.  Besides  these,  there  were  in 
the  State,  not  connected  with  the  ("onvention,  in  1846,  thirty-one  Associations; 
and  in  1850,  thirty-five  Associations.  The  total  number  of  Associations,  in 
1846,  was  forty-six,  with  a  membership  of  60,000;  and,  in  1850,  it  was  fifty- 
seven,  with  a  membership  of  at  least  70,000 — a  gain  of  2,000  a  year. 

In  the  same  time  the  number  of  ordained  ministers,  in  connection  with  the 
Convention,  increased  from  240  to  365,  and  the  total  number  of  ordained  min- 
isters increased  from  464  to  628.  But  these  figures  are  confessedly  incomplete, 
especially  in  regard  to  the  pecuniary  contributions,  for  they  represent  the  contri- 
butions only  which  were  sent  up  to  the  Convention  annually,  which,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  were  about  one-half  of  the  usual  yearly  benevolent  contributions  of  the 
various  Associations  for  all  purposes.  And,  furthermore,  these  figures  represent 
the  contributions  of  those  churches  and  Associations  only,which  were  in  con- 
nection with  the  State  Convention. 

The  names  of  the  Associations  in  connection  with  the  Convention  in  1846  are 
as  follows  :  Appalachee,  Bethel,  Central,  Columbus,  Coosa,  Ebenezer,  Flint 
River,  Georgia,  Hephzibah,  Rehoboth,  Sarepta,  Sunbury,  Washington,  Western, 
Florida.  This  last  one  had  been  admitted  in  1845,  and  twenty-nine  of  its 
thirty-two  churches  were  in  the  State  of  Florida.  It  became  necessary  to  alter 
the  Constitution  of  the  Convention,  that  its  application  for  union  with  the  Con- 
vention might  be  granted. 

The  Washington  Association  was  formed  in  December,  1828,  at  Sisters' 
Meeting  House,  in  Washington  county.  On  Friday,  December  the  12th,  William 
R.  Stansell,  Job  Thigpen,  and  Jonathan  Huff,  a  presbytery  appointed  by  the 
Hephzibah  Association  the  preceding  October,  met  and  constituted  five  churches 
into  an  Association,  which  was  called  the  Washington.  These  churches  were, 
Darien,  Beulah,  Bethlehem,  Sisters'  and  Jackson's,  and  they  had  all  been  dismissed 
from  the  Hephzibah  Association.  Brother  Thigpen  was  Moderator,  and  gave 
the  charge  ;  Jonathan  Huff  offered  the  benediction  prayer,  while  William  R. 
Stansell  preached  the  sermon  and  pronounced  the  Association  constituted.  He 
was  elected  the  first  Moderator,  and  Lee  Reaves,  Clerk.  The  total  membership 
of  the  churches  was  318,  as  follows  :  Darien,  119  ;  Beulah,  51  ;  Bethlehem,  81  ; 
Sisters,  37  ;  Jackson's  30.  In  1830,  the  Association  had  nine  churches  and  533 
members;  in  1835  it  had  twenty  churches  with  1,239  members;  in  1841  there 
were  seventeen  churches  with  1,227  members  ;  and  in  1846  there  were  eighteen 
churches,  containing  1,278  members  There  seems  to  have  been  no  special 
interest  taken  in  missions  until  1837,  although  it  had  been  customary  to  have  a. 
missionary  sermon  preached  on  Sabbath  morning,  and  a  collection  taken  up. 
D.  G.  Daniel  preached  the  introductory  sermon  at  the  session  of  1837.     On 


DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY.  213 

Sabbath  morning  Rev.  P.  Roberts  preached  the  missionary  sermon,  after  which 
a  collection  was  taken  for  domestic  missions,  and  "in  the  evening  brother  Mallary 
delivered  a  soul-animating  sermon,  in  which  h'e  ably  defended  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions, and  we  believe  that  many  hearts  received  the  truth  in  love,  and  thanked  God 
and  took  courage."  So  say  the  Minutes.  In  that  year  the  objects  of  the  Con- 
vention were  commended,  and  the  elevation  of  Mercer  Institute  to  a  University 
was  approved.  The  following  year,  1838,  the  Association  agreed  to  unite  with 
the  Convention,  formally. 

The  Western  Association  was  formed  at  LaGrange,  by  the  union  of  sixteen 
churches,  on  the  7th  of  November,  1829.  The  constituting  presbytery  was 
composed  of  two  committees,  appointed  by  the  Yellow  River  and  Flint  River 
Associations,  and  consisting  of  J.  CoUey,  R.  Gunn,  G.  Daniel,  J.  Milner,  William 
Moseley,  William  Henderson,  J  Carter  and  J.  Nichols.  Joel  Colley  was  elected 
Moderator,  and  J.  Milner,  Clerk.  J.  Nichols,  William  Moseley  and  A.  Sher- 
wood were  appointed  to  preach  on  Sabbath.  The  first  Moderator  was  James 
Reeves,  and  the  first  Clerk,  John  Wood. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  sixteen  churches  composing  this  Association,  and 
which,  in  1S30,  refused  to  correspond  with  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  were 
gathered  through  the  instrumentality  of  James  Reeves  and  John  Wood,  both  of 
whom  were  missionaries  of  the  Convention.  The  Association,  however,  by  a 
vote  of  forty-two  to  twenty-six,  determined,  in  1836,  that  the  non-felhnvship 
resolution,  with  all  benevolent  institutions,  adopted  by  four  churches,  should 
not  affect  fellowship,  thus  refusing  to  follow  the  example  of  those  four  churches, 
as  they  had  requested  and  desired. 

For  years  this  body  was  harrassed  by  some  churches  which  bitterly  opposed 
all  benevolent  institutions,  and  broke  up  correspondence  with  various  Associa- 
tions. At  length,  in  1837,  some  churches  withdrew,  and  formed  an  anti- 
missionary  Association,  which  they  denominated  "  Western  Association," 
assigning  as  their  reason  for  acting  thus,  that  the  Association  "  had  become 
connected  with  a  variety  of  mstitutions  not  known  in  the  Scriptures,  which 
caused  a  general  contusion  in  the  churches,  by  attempting  to  unite  them  with 
the  world  in  the  spread  of  the  gospel.  Come  out  from  among  them,  be  ye  separate, 
touch  not,  etc.,"  was  the  language  these  seceders  used  to  their  brethren  in  an 
address.  A  better  state  of  things  began  to  exist  immediately.  In  1839,  corres- 
pondence was  opened  with  the  Rehoboth  and  Rock  Mountain  Associations,  and 
was  resumed  with  the  Columbus,  Sarepta,  Georgia  and  Tallapoosa.  At  the 
same  time  a  resolution  was  adopted,  declaring  that  this  was  designed  merely  as 
a  reciprocation  of  Christian  regard  and  courtesy,  and  did  not,  in  anywise,  express 
an  opinion  with  regard  to  the  benevolent  institutions  of  the  day. 

This  Association  applied  for  union  with  the  State  Convention  in  1842,  and 
was  cordially  received. 

The  Rehoboth  Association  was  formed  in  1838,  by  the  union  of  ten  churches, 
principally  from  the  Itchaconnah  Association,  against  which  that  Association  had 
passed  a  non-fellowship  resolution,  thus  virtually  exscinding  them.  These 
churches  were  strongly  missionary  in  their  views  and  designs,  which  they  had 
no  sufficient  opportunity,  or  room  to  expand  in  their  old  connection  ;  hence,  in 
the //^w,  they  took  the  name  of  Rehoboth — room,  space.  Genesis  26:22.  This 
Association  united  with  the  Convention  in  1839,  and  has  continued,  to  the 
present  day,  one  of  the  strongest  missionary  bodies  in  the  State.  Both  in 
Africa  and  the  Indian  Territory,  it  has  maintained  missionaries  without  the 
intervention  of  our  general  Boards  ;  and  this,  no  doubt,  has  served  to  stimulate 
the  churches  to  a  performance  of  duty  to  an  extent  exceeding  that  of  most 
Associations. 

The  Bethel  Association  united  with  the  Convention  in  1843.  This  Associa- 
tion had  been  organized  just  ten  years,  and,  from  the  first,  was  one  of  the 
strongest  in  the  State.  In  1839,  it  took  hold  of  Domestic  Missions  in  earnest, 
and  soon  entered  upon  a  career  of  most  zealous  and  liberal  missionary  effort, 
not  only  at  home,  but  in  Africa  and  among  the  Indians.  For  years  it  supported 
William  H.  Clarke,  in  Africa  and  R.  J.  Hogue,  in  the  Indian  Territory.  Its 
missionary  spirit  has  never  flagged  to  the  present  day ;  and  some  of  the  noblest 


214  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

and  most  liberal  and  devout  men  of  our  denomination  in  the  State,  have  been 
in  its  connection  and  shaped  its  counsels. 

The  Hephzibah  and  Appalachee  Associations  were  admitted  as  constituents  of 
the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  in  1837.  The  latter  Association  was  organized 
in  1835,  with  three  churches  only  and  two  ministers — John  Hendrirks  and  A. 
Hadway ;  but  it  grew  rapidly,  and  was  a  Missionary  Association  from  the  first. 
Its  controlling  spririt  for  years  was  Rev.  John  Hendricks,  of  whom  Dr.  Sher- 
wood says  in  his  manuscripts  :  "  John  Hendricks,  of  Greenesboro',  was  baptized 
by  the  author,  about  1827-28.  He  had  been  a  Methodist  preacher,  but  baptism 
troubled  him,  and  he  would  not  remain  in  uncertainty  on  a  subject  of  so  much 
importance.  He  became  very  useful  in  the  Baptist  churches,  and  removed  to 
the  Cherokee  country.  I  think  a  son  of  his  wears  the  mantle  of  his  departed 
father." 

The  Columbus  Associatioia,  which  became  a  constituent  of  the  Convention 
in  1839,  was  organized  in  November  1829,  by  two  committees,  one  from  the 
Itchaconnah  and  one  from  the  Flint  River,  and  was,  at  first,  disinclined  to  side 
with  the  Missionary  Baptists  ;  but,  gradually,  under  the  influence  of  better  coun- 
sels, it  came  out  boldly  in  favor  of  benevolent  schemes  and  united  with  the  Con- 
vention. It  has  long  been  a  staunch  supporter  of  missions,  education  and  Sab- 
bath schools. 

The  Coosa  united  with  the  Convention  in  1842.  It  has  shown  itself  to  be 
one  of  the  noblest  Associations  in  the  State.  Formed  in  1836,  it  spread  over 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  State,  in  the  counties  of  Floyd,  Chattooga,  Walker, 
Murray,  Cass  and  Paulding,  and  was  very  extensive  in  territory.  It  performed 
a  great  work  in  evangelizing  the  northern  part  of  our  State  and  sustained  mis- 
sionaries within  its  own  bounds  and  among  the  Cherokee  Indians  of  North 
Georgia,  without  the  intervention  of  our  General  Boards,  until  near  the  close  of 
the  war.  This  was  the  first  Association  in  Georgia  to  adopt  the  "  Independent 
plan  "  of  conducting  missions,  which  it  did  by  employing  David  Foreman,  a 
native  Indian,  as  Missionary  to  the  Cherokees.  The  example  was  followed  by 
the  Flint  River,  Rehoboth  and  Western  Associations,  together  with  a  long  train 
of  exciting  circumstances,  all  of  which  grew  out  of  delay  on  the  part  of  a  Gen- 
eral Board  to  appropriate  $100.00,  sent  on  by  the  Coosa  Association.  It  has 
proved  itself  to  be  a  great  friend  of  education,  by  its  support  of  colleges,  for 
both  males  and  for  females. 

In  1842,  the  Flint,  which  had  been  formed  eighteen  years  before,  made  appli- 
cation for  admittance  to  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  and  was  admitted. 
At  first,  and  for  a  number  of  years  after  its  organization,  anti-missionary  senti- 
ments prevailed  in  this  Association,  but,  one  after  another  the  Primitive  churches 
withdrew,  uniting  with  sympathetic  Associations,  and,  at  length  this  noble  As- 
sociation came  out  boldly  on  the  side  of  benevolence,  united  with  the  Conven- 
tion and  has,  down  to  the  present,  maintained  a  consistent  and  faithful  record. 
Although  it  has  not  seen  proper  to  work  through  our  Convention  Boards,  it  has 
nevertheless  performed  a  full  share  in  spreading  and  maintaining  the  Gospel  at 
home  and  abroad. 

In  1850  the  Middle  and  Middle  Cherokee  Associations  were  admitted  to  the 
Convention.  The  former  was  organized  in  1841  and  the  latter  in  1845.  The 
Piedmont  applied  for  admission,  and  was  received  in  1848,  but  no  delegates 
appeared  until  1855.  It  was  the  Association,  formed  in  1817,  as  we  have  sta- 
ted, which  voted  "to  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  missionaries." 

The  Tallapoosa,  formed  in  1838,  was  received  into  the  Convention  in  1848; 
and  the  Hightower  was  constituted,  at  Silver  Spring,  Forsyth  county,  Novem- 
ber 2oth,  1835,  of  ten  churches,  most  of  which  had  been  connected  with  the 
Chattahoochee  Association.  The  presbytery  was  composed  of  Wayne,  Phil- 
ips, Hudson  and  Mears.  At  its  session  in  1836,  held  at  Mount  Zion,  Cherokee 
county,  a  mission  committee  on  Domestic  Missions  was  appointed,  consisting 
of  Compton,  Haynes,  Foster,  Hembree  and  A.  Philips  ;  and  approval  was  ex- 
pressed of  Richard  Philips,  missionary  of  the  State  Convention,  who  was  preach- 
ing in  their  bounds.  It  will,  therefore,  be  seen  that  this  Association  was  mis- 
sionary in  sentiment,  from  its  origin.     The  organization  of  Rock  Mountain  As- 


DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY.  '  2X5 

sociation  (now  called  Stone  Mountain)  in  1839,  has  been  given  ;  it  united  with 
the  Convention  in  1848,  as  did  the  Houston,  also. 

Dr.  Sherwood  says  that,  in  September,  1830,  Big  Creek,  Shalom  and  Mount 
Horeb,  of  Pulaski  county,  Camp  Creek,  of  Dooly,  and  Poplar  Spring,  of  Wash- 
ington, petitioned  for  letters  from  the  Ebenezer  Association,  for  the  purpose  of 
forming  this  Association.  Some  of  the  churches  forming  it  came  from  the  Itch- 
econnah  Association,  and  the  constitution  took  place  at  Beulah  church,  in  Hous- 
ton county.  It  prospered  moderately  until  about  1837,  when  it  split.  Its  eigh- 
teen churches  became  equally  divided  on  the  subject  of  missions,  and  much 
heart-burning  and  confusion  arose  which  gradually  passed  away,  and  in  1848, 
when  it  joined  the  Convention,  it  had  two  missionaries  employed  within  its 
bounds. 

Slight  reference  has  thus  been  made  to  all  the  Associations  which  joined  the 
Convention  prior  to  1850,  at  which  period  there  were,  in  the  State  twenty-three 
anti-missionary  Associations,  with  a  membership  of  12,507  in  416  churches,  and 
ten  Associations,  not  professedly  anti-missionary,  with  a  membership  of  5-225, 
in  123  churchees ;  besides  two  United  Baptist  Associations,  with  twenty-four 
churches  and  816  members. 

The  United  Baptists,  several  Associations  of  whom  still  exist  in  the  State, 
were  originally  "  Whiteites,"  or  the  followers  of  Cyrus  White,  whose  preaching 
was  tinctured  with  Arminianism,  and  who  secured  quite  a  large  following.  They 
were  an  active,  zealous  people,  not  anti-missionary,  and  strongly  "  strict-con- 
structionists "  in  their  Bible  views.  Entirely  different  from  the  Primitive,  or 
"old  school"  Baptists,  they  were  full  of  effort  and  enterprise  for  the  spread  of 
the  gospel  and  the  propagation  of  their  sentiments.  They  composed  the  third 
party  alluded  to  by  Dr.  Hillyer,  in  his  communication  to  the  author,  and  were, 
by  their  opponents,  deemed  heterodox  in  sentiment. 

Of  Cyrus  White  Dr.  Adiel  Sherwood  writes,  in  his  invaluable  historical 
repertory  : 

"  Cyrus  White,  a  laborious  minister,  became  somewhat  erratic  about  1830, 
and  formed  a  small  party  around  him,  of  a  few  churches  and  pastors  of  churches. 
His  views  on  the  atonement  were  regarded  as  rather  Arminian.  Mr.  Mercer 
wrote  ten  letters  to  him,  in  pamphlet  form-;  others  wrote  criticisms  on  his  views ; 
but  he  did  not  live  long."  The  doctor  here,  doubtless,  refers  modestly  to 
himself. 

Between  the  years  1845  and  1850,  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  interested  theni- 
selves  exceedingly  in  all  the  great  schemes  of  Christian  benevolence— domestic 
and  foreign  missions,  education  for  males  arid  females,  Sabbath-schools,  temper- 
ance, Bible  and  tract  societies,  and  assisting  the  Southern  Baptist  Publication 
Society. 

With  reference  to  the  state  of  religion,  the  Convention  adopted,  in  1850,  a 
report,  of  which  a  portion  was  :  "  Religion,  generally,  is  in  rather  a  low  condi- 
tion, but  with  an  upward  tendency,  while  a  number  of  our  churches  have  en- 
joyed refreshing  showers  of  divine  grace.  The  churches  are  steadfast  in  the 
faith  of  the  gospel,  and  in  peace  and  harmony  among  themselves,  being  dis- 
turbed by  but  very  few  cases  of  disorder  requiring  the  exercise  of  church  dis- 
cipline. They  are,  doubtless,  increasing  in  liberality  of  sentiment  and  feeling 
upon  the  long  neglected  subject  of  pastoral  support,  while  there  is  a  great  in- 
crease of  the  true  missionary,  or  apostolic  spirit  becoming  so  settled,  firm  and 
abiding  as  to  promise  (under  God's  blessing)  great  results  in  the  future ;  in 
short,  there  is  a  firmness  and  union  in  the  churches,  an  'abounding  in  the  work 
of  the  Lord,'  in  all  the  diversified  aspects  of  Christian  benevolence,  which  con- 
stitute a  firm  ground  of  hope  for  the  future,  and  should  urge  us  forward  in  the 
greater  diligence  and  zeal  in  the  prosecution  of  the  great  objects  of  our  high 
vocation." 

One  of  the  objects  frequently  alluded  to  is  the  "  Hearn  Manual  Labor 
School."  This  was  an  institution  begun  by  the  Baptists  of  North  Georgia,  in 
1839,  at  Cave  Spring,  where  a  Baptist  church  had  been  constituted.  September 
20th,  1836.  In  1839  Humphrey  Posey  became  the  agent  for  this  school, 
obtained  for  it  an  act  of  incorporation,  and  succeeded  in  having  it  turned  over  to 


2l6  ■  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

the  State  Convention,  in  1844,  and  a  board  of  trustees  was  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  it.  Its  title,  Hcarn  School,  was  given  to  it  in  honor  of  Lott  Hearn, 
cf  Putnam  county,  who  pledged  himself  to  endow  the  school  with  $12,500  at 
his  death.  The  following  account  of  this  school  is  taken  from  "  Campbell's 
Georgia  Baptists :  " 

"In  1846,  it  is  mentioned,  in  the  Minutes  of  the  Convention,  that  Mr.  Lott 
Hearn  had  died,  and  the  treasurer  had  commenced  suit  against  his  executor  for 
a  portion  of  his  bequest  to  the  institution,  then  due.  It  was  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  Mr.  Alfred  J.  King  and  Mr.  Oliver  P.  Fannin.  It  had  opened  a  depart- 
ment for  the  indigent  deaf  and  dumb,  under  State  patronage,  and  six  ^r  eight  of 
this  unfortunate  class  had  been  removed  thither  from  Hartford,  Connecticut.* 
Mr.  O.  P.  Fannin,  for  many  years  principal  of  the  State  Asylum  for  the  Deaf 
and  Dumb  established  at  this  place,  was  their  first  teacher. 

"  The  school  was  in  a  highly  prosperous  condition  in  1848,  with  sixty  students 
in  attendance ;  $5,412.00,  in  part  of  the  Hearn  legacy  of  twelve  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars,  had  been  paid.  The  year  following,  the  school  was  still  in  a 
flourishing  condition,  though  the  principal  teacher,  owing  to  some  unhappy  diffi- 
culties in  the  community,  had  resigned.  About  seven  thousand  dollars,  besides  . 
its  landed  interests,  etc.,  were  in  hand. 

"  In  1850,  some  of  the  members  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Convention 
visited  Cave  Spring  '  to  aid  in  healing  the  dissensions  that  had,  for  so  long  a 
time,  existed  am&ngst  brethren '  there.  What  success,  if  any,  attended  their 
errand  of  love,  does  not  appear.  Mr.  J.  S.  Ingraham  had  been  secured  as  the 
principal,  and  the  school  was  in  a  '  highly  prosperous  state.' 

"For  a  series  of  years  the  institution  continued  in  a  prosperous  condition  under 
Mr.  Ingraham,  generally  varying  from  fifty  to  sixty  pupils,  notwithstanding  the 
persistent  opposition  arrayed  against  it  by  the  'restless  spirits '  already  alluded 
to.  Its  income  more  than  met  all  its  expenses,  and  its  trustees  were  enabled  to 
take  an  interest,  for  the  accommodation  of  its  pupils,  in  a  brick  meeting-house, 
built  by  the  Baptist  church,  and  also  to  provide  a  comfortable  residence,  lot,  etc., 
for  the  use  of  its  excellent  principal  and  his  family. 

"  In  1855  the  school  was  under  Mr.  Ingraham,  and  was  doing  well  in  all 
respects.  Sixty-six  pupils  had  been  received  during  the  year,  among  whom 
were  two  young  preachers,  beneficiaries  of  the  Convention.  It  was  clear  of 
debt,  and  its  income  exceeded  its  expenses,  enabling  its  managers  to  add,  by 
purchase,  another  lot  of  ground,  so  that,  in  all,  the  school  owned  about  forty- 
five  acres.  The  buildings  and  premises  were  in  good  repair.  The  report  of 
the  following  year  is  but  a  repetition'  of  this. 

"  Mr.  Ingraham  continued  at  the  head  of  the  school  until  the  close  of  1857, 
when  Mr.  A.  J.  King,  its  former  principal,  was  again  called  to  the  charge  of  it, 
under  whom  prosperity^still  attended  it,  both  in  its  patronage  and  finances. 
The  number  of  pupils  admitted  was  eighty-four,  its  endowment  had  increased, 
and  '  various  additions  and  improvements  in  apparatus  and  school  furniture  had 
been  made.' 

"  Mr.  King  resigned  again  at  the  close  of  his  second  year,  and  Mr.  James 
Courtney  Browne,  a  young  man  of  unusual  ability,  and  a  graduate  of  Mercer 
University,  was  called  to  the  charge  of  the  institution  in  the  beginning  of  i860. 
His  administration  gave  entire  satisfaction;  but,  in  the  spring  of  1862,  he  and 
most  of  his  older  pupils  having  joined  the  army  of  the  Confederate  States,  the 
exercises  of  the  school  were  suspended,  and  the  remaining  pupils  turned  over  to 
the  Cave  Spring  Female  School. 

"  In  1863  the  Hearn  School  and  the  female  school  at  Cave  Spring  were  united 
temporarily  under  Rev.  S.  G.  Hillyer,  D.  D.  There  were  thirty-five  pupils  in 
the  male  department,  and  the  smiles  of  Providence,  as  heretofore,  seemed  to 
rest  upon  the  enterprise.  That  fall,  however,  it  became  necessary  again  to 
suspend  the  exercises,  in  consequence  of  the  proximity  of  the  contending 
armies.  This  suspension  is  supposed  to  have  lasted  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
The  buildings  were  much  injured  and  the  library  and  apparatus  destroyed  by 

*This  Asylum  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  was  originated  by  the  author,  then  State  Agent  for  this 
class. 


DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY.  21/ 

the  enemy.  The  funds  of  the  school,  in  the  hands  of  the  trustees,  were  invested 
in  Confederate  securities,  and  are  thus  lost.  The  amount  lost  was  about  four 
thousand  dollars.  The  school,  however,  still  has  $12,000  of  the  Hearn  legacy 
in  charge  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  and  its  landed  estate,  amounting 
to  forty  or  fifty  acres. 

"The  history  of  this  school  should  prompt  men  of  wealth  to  bequeath  a 
portion  of  their  estates,  at  least,  in  such  manner  as  may  be  productive  of  good 
after  they  are  gone,  and  as  may  perpetuate  their  memory  in  the  earth." 

N9  nobler  men,  no  men  more  pious,  able  and  zealous  have  graced  our  denom- 
inational history  than  those  who  guided  Baptist  affairs  in  the  fifth  decade  of  the 
century.  Among  them  were  Thomas  Stocks,  B.  M.  Sanders,  J.  L.  Dagg,  C.  D. 
Mallary,  John  E.  Dawson,  J.  H.  Campbell,  N.  M.  Crawford,  P.  H.  Mell,  J.  Hen- 
dricks, Thomas  Muse,  T.  J.  Burney,  John  B.  Walker,  H.  Bunn,  J.  S.  Callaway, 
V.  R.  Thornton,  Absalom  Janes,  W.  H.  Stokes,  C.  M.  Irwin,  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick, 
William  T.  Brantly,  Jr.,  G.  W.  Evans,  William  H.  Turpin,  Eli  Warren,  Lott 
Warren,  M.  A.  Cooper,  J.  M.  Wood,  B.  F.  Tharpe,  E.  G.  Cabiniss,  A.  T.  Holmes, 
S.  Landrum,  J.  S.  Law,  A.  Williams,  William  H.  Mcintosh,  R.  Fleming,  J.  S. 
Baker,  C.  W.  Stevens,  H.  Posey,  J.  King,  J.  R.  Kendrick,  V.  Sanford,  S.  G. 
Hillyer,  T.  U.  Wilkes,  T.  B.  Slade,  W.  D.  Cowdry,  Juriah  Harris,  Enoch  Calla- 
way, D.  G.  Daniel,  J.  O.  Screven,  B.  Langford,  C.  H.  Stillwell,  T.  J.  Beck,  J.  O. 
West,  Wilson  Lumpkin,  Z.  H.  Gordon,  Lott  Hearn,  C.  C.  Willis,  J.  Ferryman, 
S.  W.  Durham,  J.  Carter,  J.  Polhill,  E.  H.  Bacon,  I.  L.  Brooks,  N.  G.  Foster,  E. 
W.  Warren,  and  very  many  others. 

All  these  pressed  forward  in  the  march  of  progress  and  usefulness,  and 
labored  earnestly,  not  only  to  build  up  the  Baptist  cause  in  Georgia,  but  to  pro- 
mote every  good  word  and  work  in  which  Christians  engage.  They  established 
schools  and  colleges  in  all  parts  of  the  State,  notably :  at  Madison,  LaGrange, 
Perry,  Rome,  Cuthbert,  Columbus,  Cave  Spring,  Cassville,  Cedartown,  Griffin, 
and  Forsyth,  besides  maintaining  Mercer  University  and  a  school  for  young 
women,  at  Penfield.  They  organized  a  Bible  Board,  at  LaGrange,  in  1852,  as 
auxiliary  to  the  Bible  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  They  con- 
tinued earnestly  to  support  foreign  and  domestic  missions,  and  missions  among 
the  Indians.  From  $10,181.86,  in  1850,  the  contributions  for  missions,  in 
1851,  were  $15,000.  In  1851  the  number  of  Associations  in  connection  with  the 
Convention  was  twenty-two,  with  669  churches,  55,714  members  and  341 
ordained  ministers.  The  total  number  of  Associations  was  fifty-seven,  with 
1,183  churches,  about  75,000  members,  and  over  600  ordained  ministers.  Ten 
years  afterward,  in  1861,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  there  were  sixty-five  Asso- 
ciations, 1,435  churches,  about  100,000  members,  and  757  ordained  ministers. 
In  one  year  6,678  had  been  baptized,  according  to  the  Convention  Minutes  of 
1861. 

We  must  now  sketch  the  history  of  that  efficient  body,  the 

CHEROKEE  BAPTIST   CONVENTION. 

On  the  23d  of  November,  1854,  delegates  from  the  Middle  Cherokee  and 
Coosa  Associations  met  at  Cassville  to  form  an  organization  to  take  charge  of 
the  Cherokee  Baptist  College,  at  Cassville.  John  W.  Lewis  was  elected  Mod- 
erator and  C.  H.  Stillwell,  Clerk.  There  were  present  from  the  Middle  Cherokee 
Association  :  Elders  John  Crawford,  J.  W.  Lewis,  A.  W.  Buford,  A.  R.  Wright, 
and  Mr.  Z.  Edwards.  The  Coosa  Association  was  represented  by  E.  Dyer,  W. 
Newton,  J.  M.  Wood,  C.  H.  Stillwell  and  S.  W.  Cochran.  G.  W.  Tumlin,  from 
the  Tallapoosa  Association,  was  present,  and  among  the  ministers  present,  who 
accepted  seats,  were  Dr.  N.  M.  Crawford,  J.  S.  Murray,  William  Martin,  J.  D.- 
CoUins,  T.  G.  Barron,  J.  H.  Rice,  H.  S.  Crawford,  and  M.  J.  Crawford.  A  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  draft  a  Constitution,  which  was  adopted  on  the  after- 
noon of  Friday,  the  24th,  and  the  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention  was  constituted 
by  the  election  of  regular  officers  :  Rev.  J.  W.  Lewis,  President ;  Rev.  E.  Dyer, 
Vice-President;  C.  H.  Stillwell,  Clerk;  J.  H.  Rice,  Assistant  Clerk ;  and  A.  W. 
Buford,  Treasurer.     An  Executive  Committee  was  also  appointed. 

The  tenth  article  of  the  Constitution  gives  the  specific  objects  of  the  body : 


2l8  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

"I.  To  unite  the  friends  of  education,  anc  to  combine  their  efforts  for  the  estab- 
lishment and  promotion  of  institutions  of  learning,  where  the  young  of  both 
sexes  may  be  thoroughly  educated  on  the  cheapest  practical  terms.  2.  To  foster 
and  cherish  the  spirit  of  missions,  and  to  facilitate  missionary  operations  in  any, 
or  every,  laudable  way." 

These  objects  were  afterwards  enlarged,  and  were  made  to  include  the  distri- 
bution of  the  Bible  and  other  good  books,  and  the  education  of  indigent  young 
ministers  and  orphans.  Societies  approving  and  co-operating  might  send  repre- 
sentatives, there  being  no  money  basis  to  the  representation. 

The  main  reason  for  the  formation  of  this  Convention  was  that  there  was  no 
other  feasible  plan,  apparently,  for  promoting  the  Baptist  educational  and  mis- 
sionary interests  in  that  section  of  our  State.  And  it  was  hoped  that  this 
formation  of  a  Convention  would  promote  the  piety  and  efficiency  of  the 
denomination  in  North  Georgia,  by  securing  union  and  co-operation. 

The  body  met  at  Cassville,  in  1855,  in  October,  and  at  Cedar  Town,  May, 
1856.  At  that  session,  1856,  the  Cherokee  Baptist  College,  which  commenced 
in  1854,  and  which  had  hitherto  been  under  the  control  and  direction  of  trustees 
appointed  by  the  Middle  Cherokee  Baptist  Association,  was  received  into  the 
care  of  the  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention,  and  placed  under  the  direction  of 
trustees  chosen  by  the  Convention.  This  was  in  accordance  with  the  plan 
originally  contemplated,  when  the  college  was  established  and  incorporated,  and 
a  transfer  of  all  papers  and  property  was  made  from  one  set  of  trustees  to  the 
other.  On  the  night  of  January  4th,  1856,  the  main  building  of  the  college 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  but  was  magnificently  rebuilt,  only  to  be  ruthlessly 
destroyed  by  Sherman's  army  in  1864,  with  all  its  valuable  apparatus,  library 
and  other  contents.  This  obliterated  the  institution,  for  it  has  never  been 
revived. 

In  May,  1856,  the  Convention  adjourned  to  meet  in  July  of  the  same  year. 
C.  W.  Sparks  was  chosen  President,  as  Dr.  Lewis  was  absent.  A  formal  tender 
of  the  supervision  of  Woodland  College,  for  young  ladies,  at  Cedar  Town,  was 
received  from  its  trustees.  The  trust  was  accepted  on  certain  conditions,  and 
the  Convention  thus  became  the  virtual  supervisor  and  controller  of  two  colleges, 
one  for  young  men  and  the  other  for  young  women,  trustees  for  both  of  which 
had  been  elected  the  preceding  May. 

A  resolution  adopted  May  20th,  1856,  shows  how  much  in  earnest  the  brethren 
of  this  Convention  were  in  the  cause  of  education  ;  "  Resolved,  That  our  churches 
and  the  brethren  in  the  ministry  be  earnestly  requested  to  send  up,  annually, 
through  our  Associations,  funds  for  educational  purposes,  to  be  equally  divided 
between  Woodland  Female  College  and  Cherokee  Baptist  College,  or,  as  the 
donors  may  desire ;  and  that  these  objects  be  considered  paramount  in  the  liber- 
ality of  our  brethren  till  these  colleges  be  endowed." 

While  neither  of  the  institutions  became  endowed,  yet  they  maintained  an 
honorable  and  useful  existence,  until  the  storm  of  war  burst  upon  the  land. 
Under  the  Presidency  of  Dr.  T.  Rambaut,  the  Cherokee  Baptist  College  attained 
a  very  respectable  position  and  accomplished  much  good,  even  under  great 
financial  difficulties.  The  Woodland  College,  Cedar  Town,  was  so  named  in 
honor  of  Rev.  J.  M.  Wood,  its  founder.  It  was  originated  in  1851,  and  was,  at 
first,  called  The  Cedar  Town  High  School.  A  charter  for  it,  as  a  college,  was 
obtained  in  1853,  and  Rev.  J,  M.  Wood  was  elected  Presiddht.  The  property 
was  bought  by  the  Coosa  Association,  and  placed  under  the  care  of  the  Cherokee 
Baptist  Convention,  as  already  stated.  Before  its  extinction  by  the  exigencies  of 
war,  it  educated  a  large  number  of  young  ladies. 

.  The  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention  met  at  Petit's  Creek,  Cass  county,  in  1857, 
its  constituents  then  being  the  Middle  Cherokee,  Coosa,  Arbacoochee,  EUijay 
and  State  Line  Associations.  G.  W.  Selvidge  was  elected  President,  and  W. 
A.  Mercer,  Secretary.  It  met  in  Rome  in  1858  and  Jesse  M.  Wood  was  elected 
President,  G.  W.  Selvidge,  Vice-President,  W.  A.  Mercer,  Secretary,  and  A.  B. 
Ross,  Assistant  Secretary.  J.  H.  Campbell  was  received  as  the  agent  of  the 
Foreign  Mission  Board.  M.  A.  Cooper,  J.  R.  Graves,  S.  G.  Hillyer,  T.  Ram- 
baut, A.  S.  Worrell,  J.  McBryde,  C,  H.  Stillwell  and  John  H.  Rice  were  present. 


DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY.  219 

J.  R.  Graves  preached  on  Sunday  to  a  "crowded  house."  J.  M.  Wood 
preached  on  education  at  night ;  J.  H.  Campbell,  at  the  Presbyterian,  and  Dr. 
Rambaut  at  the  Methodist  house  of  worship,  preached  on  Sabbath.  The 
reports  all  show  great  zeal  and  earnestness  in  every  good  cause — especially 
education,  missions  and  Sunday-schools. 

The  Convention  met  at  Dalton  in  1859,  J.  M.  Wood,  President.  W.  A.  Mercer, 
Secretary.  The  Noonday  Association  had  joined,  and  a  very  large  and  respect- 
able delegation  were  present.  A.  C.  Dayton  preached  Sunday  night.  There 
were  present  as  messengers  and  representatives  of  various  benevolent  causes, 
A.  E.  Vandivere,  of  Alabama,  T.  S.  Montgomery  and  J.  M.  Bennett,  of  Ken- 
tucky, J.  M.  Pendleton,  of  Tennessee,  M.  T.  Sumner,  of  the  Domestic  Mission 
Board,  Alabama,  D.  G.  Daniel,  Agent  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board,  F.  M. 
Haygood,  General  Agent  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Bible  and  Colporter  Society, 
at  Macon,  and  W.  W.  Odum,  Agent  and  Colporter  of  the  Southwestern  Pub- 
lishing House,  Nashville. 

Considering  the  claims  represented  by  all  these  persons  and  the  special  ob- 
jects of  the  Convention,  likewise,  we  may  form  some  idea  of  the  important 
subjects  brought  forward  and  discussed  by  this  body  ;  for  all  agents  were  per- 
mitted to  present  and  press  their  claims. 

It  was  at  this  session  that  the  Convention  instructed  its  Executive  Committee 
to  procure  a  missionary  to  labor  among  the  Cherokee  Indians.  Among  those  In- 
dians the  Coosa  Association  already  had  a  missionary  at  work — David  M.  Fore- 
man, a  half-blood  by  birth,  second  Chief  of  the  Nation,  the  clerk  of  its  Court,  a 
gentleman  in  manners  and  a  man  of  tolerably  good  education.  His  appointment 
occurred  as  a  result  of  the  following  circumstances  :  In  1855,  the  Coosa  Associa- 
tion met  at  Pleasant  Grove,  Chattooga  county,  Ed.  Dyer  was  elected  Moderator, 
C.  H.  Stillwell,  Clerk,  and  C.  W.  Sparks,  Treasurer.  In  sight  of  the  meeting 
house  were  the  mounds,  formed  of  loose  rocks,  which  marked  the  graves  of 
the  Cherokee  Indians.  Evan  Powell,  a  deacon  of  the  Waterville  church. 
Walker  county,  an  humble,  pious  Christian,  and  beloved  by  the  whole  Associa- 
tion, presented  a  resolution  that  a  mission  be  established  among  the  Cherokee 
Indians.  His  earnest  pleading  for  the  perishing,  whose  lands  the  Association 
was  then  occupying,  among  whose  very  graves,  (so  much  beloved  by  them,) 
the  Association  was  then  serving  God,  while  the  Indians  were  dying  in  ignor- 
ance of  the  Saviour,  thrilled  the  whole  body  and  excited  an  intense  missionary 
enthusiasm.  Four  hundred  dollars  were  raised,  and  the  Executive  Committee 
was  requested  to  seek  for  and  appoint  a  proper  man  to  be  a  missionary  of  the 
Association  among  the  Cherokees.  The  committee  was  fortunately  successful 
in  procuring  as  their  missionary,  David  Foreman,  who  accomplished  much 
good  among  those  Indians. 

At  that  time,  1858,  the  Coosa,  Middle  Cherokee  and  Tallapoosa  Associations, 
each  had  a  home  missionary  at  work  within  their  own  bounds.  Although  Rev. 
J.  R.  Chambers  and  Rev.  V.  A.  Bell,  were  appointed  by  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention,  as  missionaries  to  the  Cherokees, 
they  both  declined,  and  it  was  not  until  1861  that  a  suitable  man  was  secured, 
in  the  person  of  Rev.  E.  L.  Compere,  son  of  Rev.  Lee  Compere,  whom  the 
Executive  Committee  was,  by  formal  resolution,  instructed  to  appoint  and  send 
to  the  field.     He  entered  into  the  service  and  was  so  engaged  for  several  years. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  state  the  origin  of  another  enterprise  of  this  Conven- 
tion. At  the  session  of  1859,  in  Dalton,  a  mass  meeting  was  held  to  consider 
the  question  of  publishing  a  Baptist  weekly  paper,  and  it  was  not  only  decided 
to  do  so,  but  Rev,  J.  M.  Wood  was  elected  its  editor.  The  first  number  of  the 
paper  appeared  at  Rome,  in  October,  1859,  and  was  designated  the  "Landmark 
Banner  and  Cherokee  Baptist."  It  was  afterwards  moved  to  Atlanta  and  Rev. 
H.  C.  Hornady  became  associate  editor.  At  that  time  the  denomination  in 
Georgia  was  greatly  excited  in  regard  to  "the  Board  Question,"  "the  plan  of 
conducting  missions,"  and  other  matters,  and,  in  order  the  more  fully  to  venti- 
late these  and  other  matters,  such  as  "church  independence,"  "Young  Men's 
Christian  Associations,"  "the  rights  of  minorities,"  "theological  education," 
"church  discipUne,"  "the  pulpit  and  communion  issues,"  this  paper  was  origina- 


220  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

ted,  and,  was  in  truth,  a  lively  and  spicy  sheet,  until  the  devastations  of  war 
and  the  bad  management  of  a  business  member  of  the  firm  blasted  the  enter- 
prise. 

Nearly  until  the  conclusion  of  the  war  of  secession  did  the  Cherokee  Baptist 
Convention  continue  in  vigorous  and  useful  existence,  composed  of,  and  mainly 
conducted  by,  earnest  and  zealous  Christians,  many  of  whom  still  take  an  active 
part  in  the  drama  of  life.  The  losses,  calamities  and  devastations  caused  by 
the  war,  and  resulting  in  poverty  and  ruin,  ended  not  only  its  existence,  but 
that  of  all  its  benevolent  enterprises. 

It  is  proper  to  say  here  that  the  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention  has  had  a  suc- 
cessor, especially,  as  respects  its  work  in  the  missionary  department.  We  out- 
line the  history  oif  the  new  body,  the  North  Georgia  Baptist  General  Missionary 
Association.  ' 

The  hearts  of  many  brethren  in  North  Georgia  have  yearned  for  more  con- 
cert of  action  in  fulfilling  the  commission  for  the  evangelization  of  the  world 
which  our  Lord  on  the  eve  of  his  ascension  gave,  not  exclusively  to  the  apostles, 
nor  yet  to  the  churches  exclusively,  but  through  them  to  all  disciples.  These 
brethren  saw  that  thousands  of  Baptists  in  the  Piedmont  section  of  the  Com- 
monwealth were  doing  almost  nothing  for  missions.  They  realized  the  diffi- 
culty, if  not  the  impossibility  of  uniting  the  Associations  of  Upper  Georgia  with 
the  Baptist  State  Convention.  The  Chattahoochee  Association,  therefore,  at  its 
session  in  October,  1877,  invited  any  and  all  Baptist  Associations  in  good  stand- 
ing, to  meet  with  her,  by  delegates  from  Associations  and  churches,  at  Hope- 
well church,  in  Hall  county,  on  Friday  before  the  fourth  Sunday  in  July,  1878, 
to  consider  the  propriety  of  organizing  for  mission  work.  On  the  day  appointed, 
between  forty  and  fifty  churches  from  a  number  of  Associations  were 
represented  by  delegates.  By  special  request.  Rev.  W.  C.  Wilkes  preached  an 
impromptu  introductory  sermon,  well  suited  to  the  occasion,  from  HI  John,  8 
verse:  "That  we  might  be  fellow-helpers  to  the  truth."  The  body  was  organ- 
ized by  electing  Elder  J.  E.  Reeves,  Moderator,  Elder  W.  C.  Wilkes,  Assistant 
Moderator,  Elder  D.  S.  McCurry,  Secretary,  and  Berian  H.  Brown,  Treasurer. 
The  Constitution  opened  with  this  preamble  :  "Whereas,  the  Lord's  people  are 
commanded  to  'go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,' 
and  to  'work  while  it  is  called  to-day  ;'  and,  whereas,  the  New  Testament  clearly 
teaches  that  the  church  is  the  Lord's  instrumentality  for  evangelizing  the  world." 
The  objects  to  be  pursued  by  the  Association  were  thus  stated  :  "To  unite  the 
labors  of  Baptists  in  preaching  the  gospel  everywhere,  to  assist  weak  churches 
in  our  bounds,  and  to  aid  worthy  young  men  in  preparing  for  the  ministry." 
The  meeting  was  a  gracious  one,  and  the  three  annual  sessions  since  have  been 
marked  by  harmony  of  feeling  and  by  brotherly  love. 

This  Association  has  shown  itself  to  be  both  a  working  and  a  growing  body. 
It  has  given  comfort  to  two  aged,  worn-out  soldiers  of  the  cross.  It  is  sustain- 
ing a  native  Chinese  preacher  in  a  city  of  700,000  inhabitants  in  a  province  of 
the  empire  of  "the  Anglo-Saxons  of  the  East."  It  has  an  Indian  preacher, 
O-las-se  Chub-be,  laboring  successfully  among  the  red  men  of  the  West.  It 
assists  in  the  education  of  young  brother  Pruitt,  a  student  in  the  Southern  Bap- 
tist Theological  Seminary.  These,  we  are  persuaded,  are  but  the  beginnings 
of  its  works  of  faith  and  labors  of  love.  May  the  blessing  of  Heaven  and  the 
Spirit  of  all  grace  abide  on  it. 

During  the  ten  years  immediately  preceding  the  war,  the  host  of  mighty 
Baptists  comprising  tha  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  were  actively  engaged  in 
every  good  word  and  work,  "  and  there  were  giants  in  those  days." 

In  1857,  Thomas  Stocks  was  succeeded  as  President  of  the  Convention,  by 
P.  H.  Mell,  who,  for  ten  years,  had  been  its  clerk,  and  who  inaugurated  and 
established  the  full  and  admirable  statistical  tables  which  have  been  so  excel- 
lently maintained  by  succeeding  clerks  down  to  the  present  time,  especially  by 
its  present  admirable  clerk,  Rev.  G.  R.  McCall. 

The  Christian  Index,  donated  to  the  Convention  in  1840,  was  moved  to 
Macon  in  1857,  and  Joseph  Walker  was  elected  editor. 


DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY.  221 

In  the  same  year,  at  the  session  of  the  Convention  held  in  Augusta,  the  Bible 
Board  and  Colporter  Society  was  formed  on  the  25th  of  April,  in  the  lecture- 
room  of  the  Baptist  house  of  worship,  H.  C.  Hornady,  Chairman,  and  J.  H. 
Kilpatrick,  Secretary.  A.  C.  Dayton,  S.  Landrum  and  T.  J.  Perry  were  appointed 
a  committee  to  draft  a  Constitution,  which  was  submitted  and  adopted.  The 
officers  elected  were  J.  H.  DeVotie,  President ;  J.  F.  Swanson,  Corresponding 
Secretary;  S.  Landrum,  Recording  Secretary;  and  J.  DeLoache,  Treasurer. 
A  Board  of  Managers,  composed  of  Macon  brethren,  were  elected,  and  the 
society  was  located  in  that  city.  Six  hundred  dollars  in  cash  and  contributions 
were  raised. 

On  the  30th,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Managers  in  Macon,  W.  N.  Chau- 
doin  was  elected  in  the  place  of  J.  F.  Swanson,  resigned ;  but  he  served  one 
month  only,  when  J.  DeLoache  was  elected  Corresponding  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer. His  first  report,  in  April,  1858,  showed  $2,241.26  collected,  and  $2,149.09 
expended.  At  its  session  in  Americus,  its  auxiliary  relationship  with  the  Bible 
Board  at  Nashville  was  discontinued,  and  the  society  was  made  to  occupy  an 
independent  position. 

The  main  object  of  this  society  was  "  to  aid  in  the  circulation  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures  and  other  religious  books  in  our  own  and  other  lands."  It  had  a 
large  depository  of  books  in  Macon,  and  with  successive  depository  agents,  S. 
Boykin,  James  D.  Cubbedge  and  F.  M.  Haygood,  its  Board  of  Managers  kept 
it  in  useful  operation  until  the  end  of  the  war,  when  it  went  out  of  existence 
with  so  many  other  Southern  enterprises  of  a  similar  character. 

The  years  immediately  preceding  the  war,  were  years,  not  only  of  great 
activity  in  our  denomination,  but  of  great  commotion.  Exciting  questions  were 
agitating  the  denomination,  and  a  "split,"  or  division,  appeared  threateningly 
imminent,  there  being,  as  already  chronicled,  two  Conventions  in  the  State. 

"Board"  and  "Anti-Board,"  "  Landmark  "  and  "Anti-Landmark,"  "  Mission 
Plan,"  "Independent  Action,"  "Rights  of  Minorities,"  and  many  other  similar 
expressions  became  painfully  common  in  the  newspapers,  and,  it  is  feared,  that 
too  much  actual  bitterness  of  feeling  prevailed,  although  brethen  maintained 
friendly  relations  toward  each  other,  personally.  One  good  result  of  the  war 
was  to  annihilate  those  little  discussions  and  unite  our  denomination  in  the  State 
more  firmly  into  a  large  band  of  loving  brothers. 

Previous  to  the  war  there  were  sixty-five  Associations  formed  in  Georgia,  and 
of  these  there  were  in  connection  with  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  in  1861, 
twenty-two,  the  names  of  which  are,  Appalachee,  Bethel,  Central,  Clarkesville, 
Columbus,  Ebenezer,  Flint  River,  Friendship,  Georgia,  Hephzibah,  Houston, 
Mount  Vernon,  Piedmont,  Rehoboth,  Stone  Mountain,  Sarepta,  State  Line,  Sun- 
bury,  Southern,  Tugalo,  Washington,  Western.  Their  reported  contributions 
for  missions,  in  1859,  amounted  to  $19,487.02;  in  i860,  they  amounted  to 
$20,329.97;  and,  in  1861,  to  $21,180.89. 

A  very  small  portion  of  these  amounts  was  contributed  by  those  Associations 
which  were  connected  with  the  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention,  in  Northern 
Georgia,  which  conducted  missions  on  the  independent  plan,  and,  besides,  con- 
tributing to  the  home  and  foreign  missions  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention, 
maintained  a  Cherokee  Indian  mission  of  its  own. 

There  were,  in  connection  with  the  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention,  in  1861, 
seven  Associations,  namely  :  Coosa,  Middle  Cherokee,  Tallapoosa,  Hightower, 
EUijay,  Noonday  and  Arbacoochie.  At  the  Convention  of  i860,  which  met  at 
Marietta,  May  i8th,  $720.69  were  reported  sent  up  for  various  benevolent 
objects,  while  during  the  year,  ending  May  i8th,  the  sum  of  $881.72  had  been 
contributed  for  the  Cherokee  Indian  mission  alone.  The  session  of  1861  was 
held  at  Calhoun,  when  $545.25  were  reported  received  by  the  finance  committee; 
while  $961  had  been  contributed  for  the  Cherokee  Indian  mission  during  the 
preceding  year. 

It  is,  perhaps,  unnecessary  to  state  that  it  was  the  Associa::ions  connected 
with  these  two  Conventions,  which,  previous  to  the  war,  made  Georgia  Baptist 
history,  contributed  almost   entirely  the  funds  donated  by  the  Georgia  Baptists 


222  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

to  the  g-reat  causes  of  missions,  education  and  the  distribution  of  the  Bible,  and 
carried  forward  the  great  benevolent  and  educational  plans  of  the  denomination. 
There  were  other  and  good  Associations ;  but  to  present  more  in  detail  their 
history  is  not  possible  in  a  brief  chronicle  of  Georgia  Baptist  annals,  such  as 
this  historical  sketch  presumes  only  to  be. 


XVIII. 
DENOMINATIONAL  HISTORY. 

1861-1881. 


XVIII. 

DENOMINATIONAL    HISTORY. 


THE  SECESSION  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  STATES — ACTION  OF  THE  SOUTHERN 
BAPTIST  CONVENTION,  AT  SAVANNAH — OF  THE  GEORGIA  BAPTIST  CON- 
VENTION, AT  ATHENS — OF  THE  CHEROKEE  BAPTIST  CONVENTION,  AT 
CALHOUN — THE  CHRISTIAN  INDEX;  ITS  HISTORY  FROM  1833 — THE  PRO- 
PERTY OF  JESSE  MERCER  UNTIL  1 839 — OF  THE  BAPTIST  STATE  CONVEN- 
TION UNTIL  1861  — OF  S.  BOYKIN  UNTIL  1865 — OF  J.  J.  TOON  UNTIL  1873 — 
OF  J,  P.  HARRISON  &  CO.  TO  THE  PRESENT  DATE — EVANGELISTIC  LABOR 
IN  THE  ARMY— STATE  OF  RELIGION  AFTER  THE  RETURN  OF  PEACE — COL- 
ORED BAPTISTS  ;  THEIR  ASSOCIATIONS  AND  CONVENTIONS — ATLANTA 
BAPTIST  SEMINARY;  DRS.  ROBERT  AND  SHAVER — STATISTICS  OF  THE  DE- 
NOMINATION IN  THE  STATE  POR  1881  —  FIFTY  YEARS  AGO  AND  NOW. 

In  i860,  by  a  minority  both  of  the  electoral  and  popular  votes,  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, the  Republican  candidate,  was  elected  President — a  "  sectional  President," 
as  he  was  called ;  and  this  was  deemed  the  signal  for  action  by  those  in  the 
South  who  recognized  the  right  of  secession.  The  union  of  the  States  they  be- 
lieved to  be  merely  a  voluntary  bond,  that  could  be  dissolved  at  will  by  those 
States  which  might  choose  such  a  dissolution,  whenever  a  sufficient  inciting 
cause  should  occur  to  justify  it.  The  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  the  Abolition  can- 
didate was,  by  the  Southern  leaders  who  favored  secession  and  believed  it  con- 
stitutional, considered  a  sufficient  reason  for  severing  the  Federal  compact. 
This  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  reserved  rights  of  the  States,  a  fair  and  logical 
consequence  of  the  doctrine  of  State  sovereignty,  then  maintained  at  the  South. 
This  doctrine  was  advocated  by  nearly  all  the  most  prominent  politicians  in 
Georgia,  even  by  the  Hon.  A.  H.  Stephens  himself,  who  nevertheless  opposed 
secession  as  an  impolitic  and  unwise  measure  that  would  prove  disastrous. 
South  Carolina  took  the  lead  in  secession  from  the  Union,  and,  in  a  called  State 
Convention,  passed  an  ordinance  of  secession,  on  the  24th  of  December,  i860. 
In  rapid  succession  her  example  was  followed  by  six  other  States — Mississippi 
on  the  9th  of  January,  Florida  and  Alabama  on  the  nth  of  January,  Georgia  on 
the  19th,  Louisiana  on  the  26th,  and  Texas  on  the  ist  of  February.  The  Seces- 
ion  Convention  of  Georgia  met  at  Milledgeville,  the  Capital,  and  the  secession 
ordinance,  written  by  Hon.  Eugenius  A.  Nisbet,  of  Macon,  was  adopted,  over- 
whelmingly. Delegates  from  the  seceded  States  met  at  Montgomery,  Alabama, 
on  the  4th  of  February,  and  on  the  8th  Jefferson  Davis  was  elected  Provisional 
President,  and  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  Vice-President. 

A  new  government  was  thus  formed,  under  the  name  of  The  Confederate 
States  of  America.  It  is  but  right  and  proper  to  say  that  the  Southern 
States  firmly  believed  that  they  had  a  right  to  secede  from  the  Union,  and  it 
was  a  prevalent  opinion,  and  one  expressed  by  President  Buchanan  himself, 
that  no  coercive  measures  would  be  employed  to  keep  such  States  in  the  Union 
as,  in  their  sovereign  capacity,  might  decide  to  go  out  of  it.  Of  course  Southern 
Baptists  held  generally  to  these  views,  and  sustained  the  political  action  of  their 
States  and  section. 

In  May,  1861,  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  met  in  Savannah,  and  Dr. 
Fuller,  of  Baltimore,  was  elected  President.  On  motion  of  William  H.  Mcin- 
tosh, of  Alabama,  a  committee,  composed  of  R.  Fuller,  of  Maryland,  B.  Manly, 

('5' 


226  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

Sr.,  of  Alabama;  P.  H.  Mell,  of  Georgia;  R.  B.  C.  Howell,  of  Tennessee;  J.  B 
Taylor,  of  Virginia ;  E.  T.  Winkler,  of  South  Carolina ;  L.  W.  Allen,  of  Ken- 
tucky ;  Wm.  C.  Crane,  of  Louisiana  ;  G.  H.  Martin,  of  Mississippi;  J.  E.  Broome, 
of  Florida ;  J.  L.  Prichard,  of  North  Carolina,  was  instructed  to  report  on  the 
"State  of  the  Country."  The  following  is  the  report,  which  was  unanimously 
adopted,  and  it  should  be  remembered  that  about  one-lialf  of  the  delegates 
were  Georgians. 

Dr.  Richard  Fuller,  of  Maryland,  made  the  report : 

"  We  hold  this  truth  to  be  self-evident,  that  governments  are  established  for 
the  security,  prosperity  and  happiness  of  the  people.  When,  therefore,  any 
government  is  perverted  from  its  proper  design,  becomes  oppressive  and  abuses 
its  power,  the  people  have  a  right  to  change  it. 

"  As  to  the  States  once  combined  upon  this  continent,  it  is  now  manifest  that 
they  can  no  longer  live  together  as  one  confederacy. 

"  The  Union,  constituted  by  our  forefathers,  was  one  of  co-equal  sovereign 
States.  The  fanatical  spirit  of  the  North  has  long  been  seeking  to  deprive  us 
of  rights  and  franchises  guaranteed  by  the  Constitution  ;  and,  after  years  of 
persistent  aggression,  they  have,  at  last,  accomplished  their  purpose. 

"  In  vindication  of  their  sacred  rights  and  honor,  in  self-defence,  and  for  the 
protection  of  all  which  is  dear  to  man,  the  Southern  States  have,  practically,  as- 
serted a  right  of  seceding  from  a  Union  so  degenerated  from  that  established 
by  the  Constitution  ;.and  they  have  framed  for  themselves  a  government  based 
upon  the  principles  of  the  original  compact — adopting  a  character  which  secures 
to  each  State  its  sovereign  rights  and  privileges. 

"  This  new  government,  in  thus  dissolving  former  political  connections,  seeks 
to  cultivate  relations  of  amity  and  good  will  with  its  late  confederates,  and  with 
all  the  world  ;  and  they  have  thrice  sent  special  commissioners  to  Washington, 
with  overtures  for  peace,  and  for  a  fair,  amicable  adjustment  of  all  difficul:ies. 
The  government  at  Washington  has  insultingly  repelled  these  reasonable  pro- 
posals, and  now  insists  upon  devastating  our  land  with  fire  and  sword ;  upon 
letting  loose  hordes  of  armed  soldiers  to  pillage  and  desolate  the  entire  South, 
for  the  purpose  of  forcing  the  seceded  States  back  into  unnatural  union,  or  of 
subjugating  them,  and  holding  them  as  conquered  provinces. 

"  While  the  two  sections  of  the  land  are  thus  arrayed  against  each  other,  it 
might  naturally  have  been  hoped  that,  at  least,  the  churches  of  the  North  would 
interpose  and  protest  against  this  appeal  to  the  sword — this  invoking  of  civil 
war — this  deluging  the  country  in  fratricidal  blood ;  but,  with  astonishment  and 
grief,  we  find  churches  and  pastors  of  the  North  breathing  out  slaughter,  and 
clamoring  for  sanguinary  hostilities  with  a  fierceness  which  we  would  have 
supposed  impossible  among  the  disciples  of  the  Prince  of  Peace.  In  view  of 
such  premises,  this  Convention  cannot  keep  silence.  Recognizing  the  necessity 
that  the  whole  moral  influence  of  the  people,  in  whatever  capacity  or  organiza- 
tion, should  be  enlisted  in  aid  of  the  rulers,  who,  by  their  suffrages,  have  been 
called  to  defend  the  endangered  interests  of  person  and  property,  of  honor  and 
liberty,  it  is  bound  to  utter  its  voice  distinctly,  decidedly,  emphatically,  and  your 
committee  recommend,  therefore,  the  subjoined  resolutions  : 

"Resolved,  i.  That  impartial  history  cannot  charge  upon  the  South  the  disso- 
lution of  the  Union.  She  was  foremost  in  advocating  and  cementing  that  Union. 
To  that  Union  she  clung,  through  long  years  of  calumny,  injury  and  insult. 
She  has  never  ceased  to  raise  her  warning  appeals  against  the  fanaticism  which 
has  obstinately  and  incessantly  warred  against  that  Union. 

"Resolved,  2.  That  we  most  cordially  approve  of  the  formation  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Confederate  States  of  America,  and  admire  and  applaud  the 
noble  course  of  that  government  up  to  the  present  time. 

"  Resolved,  J.  That  we  will  assiduously  invoke  the  divine  direction  and  favor 
in  behalf  of  those  who  bear  rule  among  us,  that  they  may  still  exercise  the  same 
wise,  prompt,  elevated  statesmanship,  which  has  hitherto  characterized  their 
measures  ;  that  their  enterprises  may  be  attended  with  success ;  and  that  they 
may  attain  great  reward,  not  only  in  seeing  these  Confederate  States  prosper 
under  their  administration,  but  in  contributing  to  the  progress  of  the  transcend- 
,€nt  kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY.  22/ 

"  Resolved^'4.  That  we  most  cordially  tender  to  the  President  of  the  Confederate 
States,  to  his  Cabinet,  and  to  the  members  of  the  Congress  now  convened  at 
Montgomery,  the  assurances  of  our  sympathy  and  entire  confidence.  With 
them  are  our  hearts  and  our  hearty  co-operation. 

"  Resolved,  j.  That  the  lawless  reign  of  terror  at  the  North,  the  violence  com- 
mitted upon  unoffending  citizens,  above  all,  the  threats  to  wage  upon  the  South 
a  warfare  of  savage  barbarity,  to  devastate  our  homes  and  hearths  with  hosts  of 
ruffians  and  felons,  burning  with  lust  and  rapine,  ought  to  excite  the  horror  of 
all  civilized  people.  God  forbid  that  we  should  so  far  forget  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
as  to  suffer  malice  and  vindictiveness  to  insinuate  themselves  into  our  hearts ; 
but,  every  principle  of  religion,  of  patriotism  and  of  humanity,  calls  upon  us  to 
pledge  our  fortunes  and  lives  in  the  good  work  of  repelling  an  invasion  designed 
to  desfoy  whatever  is  dear  in  our  heroic  traditions — whatever  is  sweet  in  domes- 
tic hopes  and  enjoyments — whatever  is  essential  to  our  institutions  and  our  very 
manhood — whatever  is  worth  living  or  dying  for. 

"  Resolved,  6.  That  we  do  now  engage  in  prayer  for  our  friends,  brothers, 
fathers,  sons  and  citizen-soldiers,  who  have  left  their  homes  to  go  forth  for  the 
defence  of  their  families  and  friends,  and  all  which  is  dearest  to  the  human 
heart ;  and  we  commend  to  the  churches  represented  in  this  body,  that  they 
constantly  invoke  a  holy  and  merciful  God  to  cover  their  heads  in  the  day  of 
battle,  and  give  victory  to  their  arms. 

"  Resolved,  7.  That  we  will  pray  for  our  enemies  in  the  spirit  of  the  Divine 
Master,  who,  "when  he  was  reviled  reviled  not  again,"  trusting  that  their  pitiless 
purposes  may  be  frustrated ;  that  God  will  grant  to  them  a  more  politic,  a 
more  considerate,  and  a  more  Christian  mind,  that  the  fratricidal  strife  which 
they  have  decided  upon,  notwithstanding  all  our  commissions  and  pleas  for 
peace,  may  be  arrested  by  that  Supreme  Power  who  maketh  the  wrath  of  man 
to  praise  Him  ;  and  that  thus,  through  the  divine  blessing,  the  prosperity  of  these 
sovereign  and  once  allied  States  may  be  restored  under  the  two  governments  to 
which  they  now  and  henceforth,  respectively  belong. 

"  Resolved,  S.  We  do  recommend  the  churches  of  the  Baptist  denomination 
in  the  Southern  States,  to  observe  the  first  and  second  days  of  June,  as  days  of 
humiliation,  fasting,  and  prayer  to  Almighty  God,  that  He  may  avert  any  calam- 
ities due  to  our  sins  as  a  people,  and  may  look  with  mercy  and  favor  upon  us. 

"  Resolved,  g.  That,  whatever  calamities  may  come  upon  us,  our  firm  trust 
and  hope  are  in  God,  through  the  atonement  of  His  Son,  and  we  earnestly 
beseech  the  churches  represented  in  this  body  (a  constituency  of  six  or  seven 
hundred  thousand  Christians),  that  they  be  prompt  and  importunate  in  prayer, 
not  only  for  the  country,  but  for  the  enterprises  of  the  gospel  which  have  been 
committed  to  our  care.  In  the  war  of  181 2,  the  Baptists  bated  not  a  jot  of 
heart  or  hope  for  the  Redeemer's  cause.  Their  zeal  and  liberality  abounded  in 
their  deep  afflictions.  We  beseech  the  churches  to  cherish  the  spirit,  and  imitate 
the  example  of  this  noble  army  of  saints  and  heroes  ;  to  be  followers  of  them 
who,  through  faith  and  patience,  inherit  the  promises  ;  to  be  steadfast,  unmova- 
ble,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  forasmuch  as  they  know  that 
their  labor  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord. 

"  Resolved,  10.  That  these  resolutions  be  communicated  to  the  Congress  of 
the  '  Confederate  States,'  at  Montgomery,  with  the  signatures  of  the  President 
.and  Secretaries  of  the  Convention. 

"P.  H.  Mell, 
"James  E.  Broome, 
"G.  H.  Martin. 
"W.  Carey  Crane, 
"  R.  Fuller, 
"  [AMES  B.  Taylor, 
"R.  B.  C.  Howell, 
"L.  W.  Allen, 
"J.  L.  Prichard, 
"E.  T.  Winkler, 
"B.  Manly,  Sr." 


228  '    DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

This  report  was  adopted  May  13th,  1861. 

On  the  27th  of  April  preceding,  a  committee,  composed  of  N.  M.  Crawford, 
chairman,  Junius  Hillyer,  Thomas  Stocks,  S.  Sisk  and  J.  H.  Stockton,  submitted 
the  following  report  on  the  Political  Crisis,  which  was  adopted  by  the  Georgia 
Baptist  Convention,  assembled  at  Athens  : 

"  Whereas,  The  State  of  Georgia,  in  the  legitimate  exercise  of  her  sover- 
eignty, has  withdrawn  from  the  confederacy  known  as  the  United  States  of 
America  ;  and,  for  the  better  maintenance  of  her  rights,  honor  and  independence, 
has  united  with  other  States  in  a  new  confederacy,  under  the  name  of  Confed- 
erate States  of  America;  and, 

"Whereas,  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  President  of  the  United  States,  is  attempt- 
ing by  force  of  arms  to  subjugate  these  States,  in  violation  of  the  fundamental 
principles  of  American  liberty ;  therefore, 

''Resolved,  i.  By  the  members  of  the  Baptist  Convention  of  the  State  of 
Georgia,  that  we  consider  it  to  be  at  once  a  pleasure  and  a  duty  to  avow  that, 
both  in  feeling  and  in  principle,  we  approve,  endorse  and  support  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Confederate  States  of  America. 

"  Resolved,  2.  That,  while  this  Convention  disclaims  ail  authority,  whether 
ecclesiastical  or  civil,  yet,  as  citizens,  we  deem  it  but  a  duty  to  urge  the  union  of 
all  the  people  of  the  ::-outh  in  defence  of  the  common  cause;  and  to  express 
the  confident  belief  that,  in  whatever  conflict  the  madness  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and 
his  government  may  force  upon  us,  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  will  not  be  behind 
any  class  of  our  fellow  citizens  in  maintaining  the  independence  of  the  South 
by  any  sacrifice  of  treasure  or  of  blood. 

''Resolved,  j.  That  we  acknowledge,  with  devout  thankfulness  to  Almighty 
God,  the  signal  favor  with  which,  up  to  this  time,  He  has  blessed  our  arms  and 
our  policy  ;  and  that  the  Baptist  churches  of  this  State  be  requested  to  observe 
the  first  and  second  days  of  June  next,  as  days  of  fasting  and  prayer,  that  God 
will  deliver  us  from  all  the  power  of  our  enemies,  and  restore  peace  to  our 
country. 

"  Resolved  4,  That  the  Confederate  Government  be  requested  to  invite  the 
churches  of  all  denominations,  within  the  Confederacy,  to  unite  in  observing 
said  days  of  fasting  and  prayer. 

"Resolved,  j.  That  copies  of  these  resolutions  be  sent  to  President  Davis,  the 
Confederate  Congress,  and  the  Governor  of  Georgia. 

N.  M.  Crawford,  Chairman. 

On  its  adoption  the  President,  Dr.  Mell,  by  request,  invited  the  entire  congre- 
gation to  express  their  opinion  on  the  sentiments  of  this  report,  and  in  testimony 
of  their  unanimous  approval  the  entire  assembly  rose  to  their  feet  simul- 
taneously. On  motion  of  J.  H.  Campbell,  the  President  then  called  upon  Dr. 
C.  D.  Mallary  to  lead  in  prayer.  It  was  an  interesting,  solemn  and  devotional 
time. 

On  the  17th  of  May  the  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention  met  at  Calhoun,. 
Georgia,  and  Mark  A.  Cooper  was  elected  President,  with  W.  A.  Mercer,  Secre- 
tary, and  T.  H.  Stout,  Assistant  Secretary.  The  same  day,  on  motion,  the 
regular  order  of  business  was  suspended  and  the  following  resolution,  offered  by 
J.  M.  Wood,  was  unanimously  adopted : 

"  Resolved,  That  a  special  committee  be  appointed  to  draft  resolutions  in 
reference  to  the  affairs  of  our  beloved  country,  the  Southern  Confederate  States 
of  America,  and  that  the  Moderator  act  as  chairman  of  said  committee."  A 
committee  of  seven  was  agreed  upon,  and  that  the  President  appoint  the  other 
six.  He  appointed  J.  M.  Wood,  R.  M.  Young,  J.  H.  B.  Shackelford,  William 
Newton,  D.  B.  Hamilton  and  A.  B.  Ross. 

On  Monday,  the  20th,  the  following  repoit  was  presented  by  Mark  A.  Cooper, 
who  addressed  the  Convention  in  a  clear  and  forcible  manner  on  the  subject  of 
the  report.  He  was  followed  by  J.  M.  Wood,  and  afterwards  the  report  was 
unanimously  adopted — the  whole  congregation  voting. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  adopt  and  sustain  the  views  and  opinions  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention,  recently  held  in  Savannah,  Georgia,  as  set  forth  in  the  report 
of  a   special  committee,  made  by  Rev.  Dr.  Richard  Fuller,,  chairman.     Also, 


DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY.  229 

that  we  adopt  and  sustain  the  opinions  expressed  by  the  Georgia  Baptist  Con- 
vention at  its  late  session  in  Athens,  Georgia,  as  contained  in  the  report  of  a 
committee,  made  by  Rev.  Dr.  N.  M.  Crawford. 

''Resolved,  That  on  occasions  of  great  pubUc  concern,  in  which  millions  of  our 
people  find  their  rights,  their  liberties  and  homes  invaded,  it  is  proper  that  the 
opinions  of  organized  Christian  communities  should  be  made  known.  The 
condition  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America  is  such  an  occasion. 

"Resolved,  therefore.  That  the  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention  of  Georgia,  do 
declare,  as  just  and  true  the  following  facts  and  opinions,  to-wit : 

"  I.  The  contest  waging  between  the  Northern  United  States  and  Southern 
Confederate  States,  is  one  of  right  and  wrong,  in  which  the  North  claims  the  right 
(the  powers  granted  by  their  Federal  Constitution  being  the  pretext)  to  tax  the 
South  at  pleasure  and  against  its  will,  to  sell  us  what  they  make  at  their  own 
prices,  denying  us  the  right  to  buy  elsewhere,  at  cheaper  rates.  This  takes 
from  us,  against  our  will,  the  profits  of  our  labor  to  aid  their  private  enterprises, 
and  enable  their  capitalists  to  employ  their  labor  and  make  good  their  profits. 

"  2.  Connected  with  and  incidental  to  this,  is  the  power  claimed  and  exercised 
by  the  North  to  dictate  to  the  South  what  kind  of  labor  it  shall  use,  and  where 
it  should  be  employed,  restricting  us  in  the  use  of  our  property,  rendering  it 
unprofitable  and  valueless,  and  denying  to  us  equal  rights  in  a  common  terri- 
tory for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  tenure  of  our  property  and  depriving  us 
■of  it. 

"  3.  If  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  of  America  is  what  our  fathers 
made  it,  and  true  Republicans  have  ever  thought  it  to  be,  there  is  no  power 
granted  to  do  this.  Doing  it  is  an  assumption  of  power  unjust  and  oppressive. 
Northern  capital,  combined  with  hired  labor,  impelled  by  a  spirit  of  fanaticism, 
has  controlled  the  majority  interest,  has  perverted  the  Constitution,  and  estab- 
lished at  Washington  a  government  with  practically  unlimited  power. 

"  4.  We  of  the  South  have  resisted  in  the  only  peaceable  and  rightful  way 
.known  to  us.  As  free  and  independent  States  we  have  formed  that  Union  for 
purposes  expressed  in  the  Constitution,  to  be  carried  out  by  powers  defined  and 
-limited.  For  reasons  assigned  and  deemed  sufficient,  as  sovereign  and  inde- 
pendent States,  we  have  dissolved  and  withdrawn  from  it.  As  such,  we  have 
formed  a  union  of  Confederate  States.  We  adopted  the  Constitution  of  our 
fathers  with  all  its  good  features,  reforming  its  defects. 

"  5.  All  this  has  been  done  with  notice  to  all  the  States  with  whom  we  were 
heretofore  united.  This  we  had  a  right  to  do.  Independence  as  States,  free- 
dom and  equality  as  a  people,  we  were  entitled  to  and  will  have,  or  will  take  the 
alternative  not  to  be. 

"  6.  We  thank  the  wise  Disposer  of  human  events  that  in  this  there  is  but  one 
purpose  with  our  people.  We  seek  peace,  and  do  not  desire  war.  We  do  not 
intend  to  trespass  on  or  invade  the  rights  of  others.  We  do  intend  that  others 
shall  not  put  hostile  feet  on  our  territory.  For  this  we  shall  meet  the  invader  at 
the  line,  and  with  our  lives  and  fortunes  defend  our  country,  every  inch  of 
ground,  trusting  to  God  and  our  cause. 

"7.  War  is  forced  upon  us.  The  government  at  Washington  city  is  now  a 
consolidation  of  arbitrary  persons  ;  is  a  military  despotism,  ruled  by  the  spirit 
of  a  mob,  moved  by  fanaticism,  and  guided  by  peculiar,  sectional,  pecuniary  in- 
terests. 

"  8.  It  calls  us  'rebels  '  and  'traitors.'  To  make  good  this  charge  it  assumes 
that  our  union  with  the  States  it  represents  still  exists.  And  yet,  so  grand  and 
imposing  is  our  movement  by  our  States  and  government,  that,  assuming  us  to 
be  foreign  powers  at  war  with  the  powers  at  Washington  city,  it  treats  us  as  a 
belligerent  nation  ! 

"  9.  It  summons,  at  the  will  of  a  man  styled  President,  without  the  authority 
'of  Congress,  the  army  and  navy  to  fight  us.  Finding  this  too  weak,  without 
form  of  law,  the  same  man  calls  on  the  several  States  for  contributions  of  troops 
■to  subdue  us.  These  being  too  slow  and  inefficient,  the  same  man  levies  troops 
indefinitely  as  to  number  and  time  of  service,  without  law  or  authority,  to  ravage 
and  lay  waste  our  country,  destroy  our  property,  and  make  us  subject  to  a 
willful  and  aggressive  majority. 


230  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

■'  10.  They  seek  to  conquer  us  : 

"  First,  By  dividing  us.  To  this  end  they  tamper  with  our  people  and  buy- 
up  whom  they  can,  teaching  them  that  one  of  our  counties  is  to  the  State  what 
a  State  was  to  the  Union. 

"  Second,  They  seek  to  conqi.:er  us  by  destroying  our  commerce,  having  power 
only  to  '  regulate  '  it.  To  this  end  they  have  established,  or  declared,  a  regular 
blockade  of  all  our  ports  and  public  avenues  of  approach,  quartering  their 
armies  and  planting  their  navy  to  interrupt  our  trade.  They  hope,  thereby  to 
starve  us  out  and  deprive  us  of  the  means  and  power  of  self-defence. 

"  This  hope  is  vain  and  delusive.  If  it  must  be  so,  let  them  cherish  it.  They 
are  as  false  to  themselves  as  they  have  been  to  us.  '  They  are  given  up  to 
believe  a  lie.' 

•'II.  The  blockade  is  doing  for  us  that  which  we  could  not  do  for  ourselves. 
They  will  remove  it  or  destroy  themselves.  If  it  stands  it  will  put  them  right 
and  open  their  eyes  to  truth.  It  will  restore  peace  to  us  sooner  than  the  Minnie- 
musket  or  the  Mississippi  rifle.  It  will  give  us  a  victory  more  bloodless  than 
the  capture  of  Sumter. 

"12.  Brethren,  let  us  abide  and  sustain  it.  Their  bacon  and  flour  let  them 
keep  and  consume.  Their  hardware,  plantation  tools,  house  and  kitchen  furni- 
ture, men's  and  women's  clothing,  let  them  take  to  another  market.  Let  us  live 
without  them.  As  for  powder  and  lead  and  arms,  they  will  find  we  have  more 
than  Christians  should  force  us  to  use — enough  for  the  occasion.  Whilst  we 
pray  that  God  will  rule  them  and  us,  and  spare  us  their  use,  if  it  is  His  will  let 
us  use  them  ;  we  will  do  it  with  all  our  might. 

"  13.  Brethren,  let  their  blockade  be  enforced  if  it  can  be,  in  its  rigor.  If  we 
can't  do  without  them  it  is  wrong  to  quit  them.  If  right  to  quit  them,  we 
should  now  demonstrate  virtue  enough  to  cut  loose  from  them,  cost  what  it 
may.  We  should  hate  to  look  at  anything  (tempted  by  a  dollar),  they  would 
smuggle  to  us. 

"Resolved,  That  we  have  confidence  in  our  rulers,  the  President  and  Cabinet 
and  Congress.  With  these  views  and  purposes,  trusting  in  the  Almighty  and 
the  justice  of  our  cause,  we  have  nothing  to  fear.  Let  those  who  would  wrong 
and  oppress,  move  on,  until  time  and  events,  their  own  interest,  or  the  will  of 
our  Heavenly  Father,  shall  turn  their  course. 

"  Mark  A.  Cooper, 
"J.  M.  Wood, 


R. 

M, 

.  Young, 

A. 

B. 

Ross, 

J. 

H. 

B.  Shackelford, 

W 

.  Newton, 

D. 

B. 

Hamilton." 

the  christian  index. 

At  the  session  for  1861,  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  instructed  its  "  Index 
Committee  "  to  effect  a  sale  of  The  Index,  with  as  little  delay  as  possible  ;  and 
it,  therefore,  seems  proper  that  a  brief  history  of  this  useful  adjunct  of  Georgia 
Baptist  History  should  be  inserted  here. 

In  December,  1839,  Jesse  Mercer  laid  before  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Convention  a  proposition  to  transfer  The  Christian  Index  to  the  Convention, 
giving,  with  The  Index,  the  house,  presses  and  type,  belonging  to  his  printing 
establishment.  He  proposed  to  furnish  the  office  with  $500.00  worth  of  new 
type.  The  Committee  recommended  the  Convention  to  accept  the  donation, 
which  it  did  in  May,  1840,  and  the  paper  was  moved  to  Pentield,  January  ist, 
1841,  Rev.  William  H.  Stokes  having  been  retained  as  editor. 

The  paper  had  been  transferred  to  Georgia  from  Philadelphia,  in  the  latter  half 
of  1833,  and  edited  by  Jesse  Mercer,  assisted  v^ery  ably,  most  of  the  time,  by 
William  H.  Stokes.  Mr.  Stokes  continued  to  edit  the  paper,  with  credit  to 
himself,  until  January,  1843,  when  he  resigned.  Dr.  J.  S.  Baker  was  then  elected 
editor,  a  position  which  he  tilled  with  marked  ability,  until  January,  1849.  He 
then  tendered  his  resignation,  when  B.  M.  Sanders,  chairman  of  the   Executive; 


^  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY.  23 1 

Committee  conducted  the  paper  until  January  of  the  foUov/ing  year,  at  which 
time  John  F.  Dagg  assumed  editorial  control.  Under  his  management  the 
paper  prospered  ;  and  in  1854,  it  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the  Convention  $463.35. 
The  following  year  it  paid  into  the  treasury  $276.59. 

During  all  these  years  the  paper  had  been  the  organ  of  the  Georgia  Baptists, 
and  had  exerted  a  powerful  influence  for  good.  Its  bane,  however,  was  the 
credit  system,  which  prevented  it  from  ever  becoming  a  financial  success,  and 
gave  rise,  in  a  large  degree,  to  those  circumstances  which  finally  resulted  in  its 
sale.  J.  F.  Dagg  was  succeeded  by  T.  D.  Martin,  in  December,  1855,  and  at 
the  next  session  of  the  Convention,  in  1856,  the  sale  of  the  paper  was  strongly 
recommended  by  the  Executive  Committee,  but  they  were  instructed  to  remove 
it  "to  some  one  of  the  principal  cities  of  the  State." 

In  July,  1856,  it  was  decided  to  move  the  paper  to  Macon,  and  an  Index 
Committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  E.  G.  Cabaniss,  B.  F.  Tharp,  H.  Bunn, 
S.  Landrum,  J.  DeLoache,  J.  Collins,  William  L.  A.  Ellis.  The  Convention  of 
1857  adopted  the  following  resolutions  : 

"  I.  The  energy,  efficiency  and  business  tact,  apparent  in  everything  pertaining 
to  The  Index,  are  worthy  of  all  praise. 

"  2.  The  diligence,  devotion  and  ability  of  the  editor  are  also  manifest ;  and 
the  success  with  which  he  is  known  to  have  acquitted  himself,  in  various  other 
arduous  pursuits,  may  well  have  directed  the  attention  of  the  Committee  to 
that  brother." 

Rev.  Joseph  Walker  was  the  new  editor,  assuming  his  position  in  January, 
1857.  He  proved  to  be  a  strong  and  spicy  writer  and  gave  great  life  to  the 
paper,  which,  under  his  care,  succeeded  financially.  The  editor's  salary  of 
$1,500.00,  besides  a  surplus  paid  into  the  treasury,  were  the  nett  proceeds  of 
the  paper.  As  already  intimated,  Rev.  S.  Landrum,  chairman  of  The  Index 
Committee,  edited  the  paper  very  successfully  for  two  months,  when  Rev.  E. 
W.  Warren  being  elected  to  the  position,  became  editor  August  the  25th,  1859, 
and  so  continuing  until  MaVch,  i860,  when  he  resigned,  to  become  pastor  of  the 
Macon  church.  S.  Boykin  was  then  elected  editor,  and  held  the  position  until 
he  purchased  the  paper  in  1861. 

The  sale  of  the  paper  had  been  agitated  for  many  years.  As  early  as  1849 
the  Convention  recommended  its  sale,  but  it  could  not  be  effected  with  pro- 
priety. In  1856  the  Executive  Committee  presented  an  argument  in  favor  of 
sale,  but  the  Convention  declined,  lest  the  paper  might  cease  to  be  a  Baptist 
paper,  and  thus  be  lost  to  the  denomination  ;  and  for  fear  that  its  sale  might 
injure  the  circulation  of  the  paper,  and  impair  its  usefulness  to  the  denomina- 
tion. The  Executive  Committee  stated  in  1856,  "The  management  of  The 
Christian  Index  from  1840,  when  it  was  transferred  to  the  Convention  by 
Rev.  Jesse  Mercer,  has  been  a  source  of  more  perplexity  to  the  Committee 
than  all  other  matters  trusted  to  their  charge." 

In  i86t  circumstances  so  favorable  to  a  sale  supervened  that  the  measure 
passed  the  Convention  without  much  opposition,  and  the  paper  continued  its 
career  of  usefulness,  until  General  Wilson's  conquering  legions  entered  the  city 
of  Macon.  The  .last  issue  was  mailed  when  the  enemy  were  in  rapid  advance 
upon  Macon,  having  captured  Columbus.  It  had  then  a  larger  circulation  than 
it  had  ever  attained  previously. 

Soon  after  the  war,  it  was  sold  by  S.  Boykin,  to  J.  J.  Toon,  of  Atlanta,  for 
the  sum  of  $2,000  cash,  and  Mr.  Toon,  the  proprietor,  of  the  Franklin  Printing 
House  of  Atlanta,  in  November,  1865,  started  it  upon  a  widely  extended 
career  of  usefulness,  under  the  editorship  of  Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker.  At'the  end  of 
six  months  Dr.  Tucker  assumed  the  Presidency  of  Mercer  University,  and  after 
six  months  more,  during  which  Dr.  W.  T.  Brantly  wielded  the  editorial  baton, 
Dr.  D.  Shaver,  of  Virginia,  was  employed,  January,  1867.  to  edit  the  paper.  He 
retired  in  September,  1874.  Under  his  able  and  scholarly  care  the  paper  pros- 
pered, became  a  strong  Baptist  power  and  exerted  a  commanding  influence. 

The  Baptist  State  Convention  at  its  session  in  Rome,  April,  1873,  "learning 
from  brother  Toon  that  it  was  his  purpose  to  sell  The  Index,  pledged  its  con- 
tinued and  active  support  in  circulating  the  paper  in  the  hands  of  any  proper 


232  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

purchasers."  It  also  expressed  the  opinion  that  "  it  would  be  highly  gratifying 
to  the  Baptists  of  Georgia,  if  some  satisfactory  arrangement  could  be  made,  by 
which  Dr.  Shaver's  services  could  be  retained  as  editor  of  the  denominational 
organ."  This  action  was  taken  by  the  adoption  of  a  report  from  a  committee, 
including  one  from  each  Association  represented  in  the  body,  which  had  been 
raised  to  consider  the  interests  of  the  paper.  In  pursuance  of  the  policy  thus 
marked  out,  a  sub-committee  held  a  conference  in  Atlanta  with  Dr.  J.  S.  Law- 
ton  and  Mr.  J.  P.  Harrison,  (who  organized  the  tirm  of  J.  P.  Harrison  &  Co.,) 
and  the  wish  of  the  Convention  was  consummated  by  the  transfer  of  The  In- 
dex to  this  firm  in  June,  1873.  The  new  proprietors,  in  the  first  issue  under 
their  management,  said  : 

"  The  undersigned  are  conscious  of  the  fact  that  success  can  be  obtained  only 
by  the  cordial  and  active  co-operation  of  the  denomination  whose  tenets  it  is 
designed  to  expound.  This  co-operation  they  anticipate,  as  well  from  their 
knowledge  of  the  liberal  impulses  of  the  churches  as  from  the  pledges  of  their 
representative  men ;  and  with  confidence  in  this  support,  they  engage  most 
heartily  and  hopefully  in  the  new  duties  before  them." 

On  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Shaver,  Rev.  D.  E.  Butler  became  managing  editor, 
and  held  that  position  until  Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker  was  employed  in  October,  1878. 
From  1833  to  the  present  time  the  paper  has  remained  the  staunch  supporter 
of  Georgia  Baptist  affairs,  and  the  regular  organ  of  the  denomination  in  the 
State,  maintaining  always  a  large  circulation. 

At  the  last  session  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  in  188;,  in  Athens, 
the  following  resolutions  were  adopted,  concerning  this  time-honored  paper  : 

Whereas,  This  Convention  at  its  session  in  LaGrange  in  1878,  adopted  the 
following  preamble  and  resolution,  to-wit : 

"  Recognizing  The  Chrisi  ian  Index  as  the  organ  of  our  denomination 
in  this  State,  and  appreciating  its  importance  in  every  field  of  denominational 
labor,  whether  as  the  exponent  and  defender  of  our  doctrines,  interests  and  pol- 
icy, the  medium  of  communication  between  the  churches,  or  as  an  invaluable 
companion  in  Baptist  homes — we  cordially  and  earnestly  resolve  : 

"I.  That  The  Christian  Index  is  worthy  of,  and  should  receive,  the 
support  of  every  Baptist  in  Georgia. 

"  2.  That,  as  the  denominational  organ,  it  has  evinced  a  degree  of  ability, 
fidelity  and  watchfulness  over  the  varied  interests  of  the  denomination,  which 
merits  recognition  by  this  Convention. 

■'  3.  That  the  enterprise,  liberality  and  zeal  which  have  distinguished  the  pro- 
prietors in  their  conduct  of  The  Index,  commend  them  to  the  confidence  and 
support  of  all  Georgia  Baptists,  and  give  assurance  of  unabated  efforts,  on  their 
part,  to  increase  the  usefulness  of  this  denominational  auxiliary. 

"  4.  That  all  Baptist  ministers  in  Georgia — keeping  in  view  the  importance  of 
The  Index  as  the  organ  of  our  denomination,  and  as  a  means  of  advancing 
vital  Christianity — should  regard  it  as  a  ministerial  duty  to  urge  the  members 
of  their  respsctive  congregations  to  give  it  their  support ;  and  we  invoke  the 
prompt  and  conscientious  performance  of  this  obligation." 

And  Whereas,  resolutions  of  the  same  tone  and  intent  have  been  repeat- 
edly adopted  from  time  to  time  by  this  body  for  many  years  past,  and  were,  in 
substance,  reaffirmed  by  the  Convention  last  year  during  its  session  in  Savannah, 
in  the  following  words,  to-wit : 

"  We  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging  the  excellence,  ability  and  soundness  of 
the  time-honored  Index  under  its  present  management,  and  commend  it  hear- 
tily to  all  Georgia  Baptists." 

And  W'hereas,  The  present  managers  of  The  Christian  Index  have 
increased  the  editorial  force  to  a  larger  degree  than  ever  before,  at  considerable 
expense  to  themselves,  therefore 

Resolved,  That  we  renew  all  our  former  indorsements  of  the  "  excellence, 
ability  and  soundness  of  the  time-honored  Index,"  and  re-affirm  our  commen- 
dation of  it  to  the  hearty  support  of  every  Baptist  in  Georgia. 

To  quote  the  words  of  C.  D.  Mallary,  in  a  report  to  the  Convention  in  1S60  : 
"  The  Christian  Index  has  had  an  honorable  and  useful  history.     For  nearly 


DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY.  233 

orty  years  fnow,  nearly  sixty  years),  it  has  been  circulating  among  our  churches, 
mparting  valuable  instruction  to  thousands  in  relation  to  the  doctrines  and 
commands  of  our  exalted  Saviour,  and  advancing,  ably  and  earnestly,  wise  and 
udicious  plans  for  the  furtherance  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  among  men. 
In  the  hands  of  Knowles  and  Brantly  and  Mercer,  (long  since  entered  into  their 
heavenly  rest),  it  accomplished  a  noble  work ;  and  in  the  hands  of  beloved  and 
precious  brethren  still  living,  it  continued  its  wholesome  and  wide-spread  min- 
strations.  We  pray  God  that  it  may  live  for  a  long  time  to  come,  and  that  its 
ife  may  be  one  of  constantly  increasing  usefulness." 

DURING   THE   WAR. 

The  four  years  of  war  that  ensued  very  soon,  caused  a  discontinuance  of 
actual  participation  in  'Foreign  and  Indian  missions  work,  by  the  Southern  Bap- 
tists, although  contributions  for  those  objects  continued  to  be  made  by  the 
Georgia  Baptists,  all  during  the  war.  Missions  among  the  Indians,  in  the  Indian 
Territory,  were  completely  broken  up,  the  country  ravaged  and  pillaged,  and  the 
tribes  scattered,  as  soon  as  the  dogs  of  war  were  fairly  let  loose.  The  warlike 
nature  of  the  Indian  tribes  was  greatly  aroused,  and  the  Choctaws,  Creeks, 
-and  a  portion  of  the  Cherokees  unhesitatingly  dissolved  their  connection  with 
the  United  States  government,  and  not  only  cast  in  their  fortunes  with  the 
Southern  Confederacy,  but  took  up  arms  and  enlisted  in  the  cause  of  the  young 
republic.  The  same  was  true  of  the  Seminoles  and  Chickasaws.  To  all  these 
tribes  the  sacrifice  made,  in  thus  uniting  with  the  South,  was  tremendous,  put- 
ting even  their  national  existence  in  peril.  Among  these  tribes  several  Georgia 
Baptist  Associations  had  maintained  missionaries — for  instance,  the  Bethel,  the 
Rehoboth,  the  Ebenezer  and  the  Western — but,  of  course,  their  mission  work 
ceased,  as  the  missionaries  either  joined  the  army,  fled,  or  became  government 
officers.  Invasion  destroyed  the  mission  of  the  Baptists  of  North  Georgia 
among  the  Cherokees  in  that  region,  also.  Gradually,  even  the  scope  of  Do- 
mestic missions  became  greatly  circumscribed,  and  the  benevolent  contributions, 
thus  diverted  from  their  usual  channels,  were  appropriated  to  the  sustenance  of 
missionaries  in  the  armies  and  providing  Bibles  and  religious  reading  for  the 
soldiers.  The  war,  entered  into  so  hastily  and  with  such  a  gallant  ebullition  of 
spirits,  proved  to  be  a  far  more  serious  and  momentous  affair  than  was  expected, 
and  the  South,  at  length,  realized  that  it  had  taken  an  awful  step  in  attempting 
secession.  The  Mission  Report,  of  1862,  written  by  William  T.  Brantly,  the 
younger,  for  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  contained  these  words :  "  The 
Committee  on  Missions  report  the  satisfaction  which  they  have  experienced  in 
finding  that  the  churches  continue  to  make  to  the  mission  cause  contributions 
which,  under  the  circumstances,  must  be  regarded  as  liberal  The  fact  shows 
the  deep  hold  which  this  cause  possesses  on  the  affections  of  the  churches.  We 
are  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the  most  desolating  wars  with  which  it  has  ever 
pleased  God  to  visit  any  nation.  Our  resources  have  been  taxed  well  nigh  to 
exhaustion,  in  making  provision  for  the  brave  and  patriotic  men  who  have  taken 
the  field  to  repel  the  invader ;  while  the  price  of  living  has  augmented  in  an 
enormous  ratio,  the  ordinary  income  of  the  great  mass  of  the  people  has  been 
greatly  abridged ;  and  yet,  under  all  these  disadvantages,  more  than  four 
thousand  dollars  have  been  paid  over  during  the  present  session  of  the  Conven- 
tion, by  churches  and  by  individuals,  to  the  different  objects  of  benevolence 
under  the  patronage  of  our  denomination.  Such  contributions,  under  such 
circumstances,  indicate  a  noble  spirit  of  self-denial  for  Jesus.  They  afford  a 
grateful  verdure  amid  a  barren  desert— a  shining  light  amid  surrounding  gloom. 
*  *  *  *  We  are  happy  to  learn  that  our  Board  at  Richmond  have  been 
able,  under  a  flag  of  truce,  to  send  to  our  missionaries  in  foreign  fields  the  funds 
requisite  for  their  support.  We  are  also  pleased  to  know  that  the  recipients  of 
our  benefactions,  among  the  Indian  tribes,  are  in  cordial  and  active  sympathy 
with  us,  in  the  revolution  which  is  now  in  progress.  Our  brethren  are  also 
engaged  in  some  systematic  effort  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  soldiers  in  our 
camps." 

At  the  same  session  the  virtual  suspension  of  Mercer  University  is  recorded, 


234  DENOMINATIONAL    HISTORY. 

which  was  followed  by  the  suspension  of  exercises  in  our  various  colleges  for 
young-  ladies,  in  the  State,  the  buildings  of  which  institutions  were  made  avail- 
able for  hospital  purposes,  by  the  Confederate  government. 

The  report  on  missions,  in  1863,  at  Griffin,  informs  us  plainly  of  the  course 
taken  by  benevolence  at  that  time  :  "  The  liberal  contributions  we  have  received 
[at  the  present  session]  from  various  sources,  a'liounting  to  about  seven  thous- 
and dollars,  shows  that  our  people  are  in  possession  of  an  intelligent  appreciation 
of  the  position  in  support  of  the  divine  plan  for  the  speedy  accomplishment  of 
this  great  end — [shedding  gospel  light  upon  all  nations].  For  the  time  being, 
the  Foreign  Board  is  but  imperfectly  accomplishing  its  work,  through  the  agency 
of  sympathising  friends  in  Baltimore. 

"  Our  Domestic  Mission  Board,  aided  by  Bible  and  colportage  societies,  is 
accomplishing  a  great  work  throughout  the  bounds  of  its  legitimate  fields.  Its 
attention  is  chiefly  directed  to  the  army.  Ministering  brethren  are  sent  among 
the  brave  and  noble  defenders  of  our  country,  who  have  gratuitously  distributed 
to  them  thousands  of  Testaments,  and  millions  of  pages  of  religious  reading 
matter,  in  tracts  and  religious  papers." 

It  is  most  true  that  hundreds  of  our  Georgia  Baptists  ministers  attended  the 
armies  of  the  Confederacy,  during  the  war,  and  labored  faithfully  as  missiona- 
ries, evangelists  or  chaplains,  and  the  beneficial  results  of  their  devoted  and  self- 
sacrificing  labors  will  be  revealed  by  the  light  of  eternity  only.  Many  of  them 
served  as  army  missionaries,  in  the  employ  of  our  Boards  or  Associations,  but 
others  were  voluntary  evangelists,  declining  to  receive  any  compensation  what- 
ever. The  well-known  opposition  to  State  patronage  mainiaiaed  by  our  de- 
nomination, was  strongly  exhibited  by  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  of  1864, 
held  in  Atlanta,  which  also  manifested  the  intensity  of  the  Baptist  desire  to 
minister  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  soldiers  in  service. 

Governor  Joseph  E.  Brown  offered  the  following,  which  was  adopted  at  that 
session  of  the  Convention  : 

"  Whereas,  there  is  great  need  of  missionaries  in  the  army,  and  of  ministers 
to_ supply  destitute  churches  at  home;  and,  whereas,  there  are  many  ordained 
ministers  of  the  gospel  now  in  the  Confederate  armies  whose  services  are  de- 
sired by  regiments,  battalions  and  churches;  therefore,  be  it 

"  Resolved  by  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  That  a  committee  of  three  be 
appointed  by  the  president  of  this  Convention  to  correspond  with  his  Excellency, 
the  President  of  the  Confederate  States,  and  request  him  to  pass  an  order  di- 
recting the  discharge  from  military  service  of  any  ordained  minister  of  the  • 
gospel  whose  services  are  asked  by  any  regiment  or  separate  battalion  in  service, 
or  by  any  church  as  a  pastor. 

"  Resolved,  fuyther.  That  this  Convention  does  not  approve  of  the  principle 
of  appointing  chaplains  for  the  army,  to  be  paid  out  of  the  public  treasury,  and 
we  pledge  ourselves,  as  a  denomination,  to  do  all  in  our  power  to  support  all 
ministers  of  our  denomination  discharged  and  permitted  to  attend,  as  missiona- 
ries, upon  regiments  or  battalions,  which  may  petition  for  their  services." 

The  committee  appointed  were  D.  A.  Vason,  E.  Steadman  and  J.  I.  Whitaker. 
And  the  truth  of  history  requires  the  record  to  be  made  that  the  Baptists  of 
Georgia  poured  out  their  treasures  that  the  soldiers  in  the  armies  of  the  Con- 
federacy, during  the  civil  war  of  i86i-'65,  might  be  supplied  with  Testaments, 
religious  literature,  and  the  preached  Word.  Both  ministry  and  laymen  among 
them  bore  their  full  share  in  the  toils,  hardships  and  dangers  of  the  contest, 
freely  venturing  life  and  health  on  the  battle-field  and  in  ministerial  service, 
making  sacrifice  of  personal  comfort  of  pecuniary  treasure,  and  even  of  life 
itself,  when  the  exigencies  of  the  service  demanded  either. 

It  is  a  matter  of  special  record  that  of  the  $130,000  contributed  to  the  Domes- 
tic Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  for  army  missions  during  the  year 
from  April,  i86^„  to  April,  1864,  $50,000  were  contributed  by  the  Baptists  of 
Georgia.  And  our  denominational  records  also  bear  testimony  that  their  faith 
and  devotion  never  wavered. 

The  resolutions  on  the  State  of  the  Country  for  1862,  offered  by  J.  H.  Campbell, 
may  testify  on  that  point : 


DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY,  235 

''Resolved,  That  the  Convention  heartily,  solemnly  and  unanimously  re- 
asserts the  sentiments,  as  far  as  applicable  to  the  present  circumstances,  of  the 
resolutions  on  the  State  of  the  Country  passed  at  the  last  session  of  this  body. 

''Resolved,  That  while  profoundly  feeling  that  our  cause  is  just,  we  never- 
theless have  great  reason  to  humble  ourselves  before  Almighty  God,  and  to 
acknowledge  his  chastening  hand  in  our  late  reverses. 

"Resolved,  That  we  find  in  the  present  circumstances  of  the  co'jintry  no 
cause  for  discouragement ;  that  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  often  chastens  most 
promptly  tl.ose  whom  he  most  loves  ;  and  that  trusting  in  him  with  the  whole 
heart,  we  are  more  and  more  determined,  by  his  blessing,  to  oppose  the  invader 
of  our  soil  by  every  means  placed  in  our  power,  and  to  the  last  extremity." 

To  this  may  be  added  a  similar  report  made  by  A.  T.  Holmes,  chairman,  two 
years  later,  in  1864,  at  Atlanta: 

"  After  three  years'  experience  of  the  hardships  and  horrors  of  the  desolating 
war  waged  against  us  by  our  unnatural  foe,  we  find  ourselves  unchanged  in  our 
feelings  and  principles,  as  respects  the  indorsement  and  support  of  the  Confed- 
erate States  of  America.  While  we  recognize  the  hand  of  God  in  the  reverses 
of  the  past  year,  and  acknowledge  that  the  chastisement  was  justly  adminis- 
tered, we  take  courage  from  the  fact  that,  to  some  good  extent,  these  judgments 
have  been  fanctified,  and  that  the  spirit  of  prayer  and  dependence  upon  the 
divine  assistance  is  more  than  ever  manifest. 

"In  the  present  condition  of  our  country  we  find  occasion  for  thankfulness  to 
Him  who  guides  the  destinies  of  nations.  From  every  point  the  indications  are 
cheering,  and  hope  and  confidence  swell  our  bosoms  as  we  contemplate  the  final 
result.  The  gracious  influence  of  divine  truth  upon  our  army  as  reported  from 
various  sources,  is  full  of  encouragement  as  respects  the  Divine  purpose  in 
regard  to  our  struggling  country. 

"In  view  of  the  past  and  present,  we  would  call  upon  our  brethren  to  act  with 
reference  to  the  declaration  of  the  man  of  God,  that  it  is  better  to  trust  in  the 
Lord  than  to  put  confidence  in  princes.  England  and  France  may  continue  to 
deny  us  their  countenance  and  help  in  our  great  extremity,  and  the  nations  of 
the  earth  may  regard  with  indifference  the  tremendous  struggle  that  involves 
our  very  existence  as  a  nation ;  but  if  the  God  of  Heaven  shall  recognize  us, 
all  will  be  well." 

It  cannot  be  said,  either,  that  the  denomination  had  not  fully  realized  the 
terrible  results  of  warfare;  for  in  1863  a  committee  composed  of  J.  H.  Camp- 
bell, M.  J.  Welborn,  Thomas  Stocks,  N.  M.  Crawford,  and  B.  F.  Tharp  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  memorialize  the  State  Legislature  in  favor  of  the 
education  of  soldiers'  orphans  ;  and,  as  their  memorial  effected  no  result,  the 
same  committee  was  continued  in  1864,  and  were  unanimously  requested  to 
renew  their  memorial  to  that  body  ;  but  as  no  law  to  effect  the  desired  result 
was  passed,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Convention,  naught  was  left  but  the  estab- 
lishment of  an  Orphan's  Home  by  the  Baptists  themselves,  and  it  was  done  ; 
and  for  fifteen  years  it  proved  a  necessary  and  useful  institution. 

An  examination  of  the  Minutes  of  our  various  Associations  makes  it  evident 
that  the  Baptists  of  the  State  were  all  intensely  interested  in  the  war,  thoroughly 
loyal  to  the  Confederate  cause,  hopeful  even  unto  the  end  of  1864,  all  ardently 
enlisted  in  the  cause  of  army  missions,  actively  engaged  in  caring  for  the  orphans 
of  deceased  soldiers,  and  abundant  in  prayers  for  the  success  of  the  Confederate 
cause. 

In  the  summer  of  1864,  July  31st,  died,  C.  D.  Mallary,  who,  by  abundant  labors 
and  a  saintly  life,  had  wielded  a  most  exalted  influence  over  our  denomination  in 
Georgia  for  more  than  thirty  years.  The  report  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
Mercer  University  for  1866,  alluded  to  his  decease  in  the  following  terms  :  "  Since 
our  last  report,*  death  has  created  a  vacancy  in  our  Board,  of  no  ordinary  character. 
We  allude  to  the  decease  of  our  much  loved  and  revered  brother,  Charles  Button 
Mallary,  D.  D.  Whether  as  pastor  in  Columbia,  S.  C,  at  Augusta,  Ga.,  at  Mill- 
edgeville,  at  LaGrange,  or  elsewhere  ;  as  missionary  of  the  Central  Association, 

*The  subjugation  of  Georgia  in  April,  1865  prevented  a  session  of  the  Geoigia  Baptist  Convention  ia 
that  year. 


236  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

as  a  member  of  the  Convention  or  the  Board  of  Trustees,  who  can  ever  forget 
his  abundant  labors  and  saintly  bearing?  The  years  of  1837-38  and  '39  he 
devoted  to  the  interest  of  Mercer  University,  as  agent  for  its  endowment.  In 
1838  his  name  stands  next  to  Mercer's  on  the  Minutes  of  the  first  Board  of 
Trustees,  a  position  which  he  occupied  with  untiring  fidelity,  and  pre-eminent 
usefulness  to  the  day  of  his  death.  He  was  the  peace-maker ;  the  man  of 
devout  spirit  at  all  times ;  distinguished  for  his  piety.  He  was  greatly  good. 
His  place  cannot  be  filled,  either  by  the  Board  or  the  Convention.  The  fathers 
are  passing  away ;  may  their  mantles  fall  upon  their  younger  brethren  !" 

The  report  on  deceased  ministers  for  that  same  session  of  the  Convention, 
written  by  Dr.  S.  G.  Hillyer,  pays  the  following  graceful  and  just  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  one  of  the  best  men  the  host  of  Georgia  Baptists  has  ever  boasted  : 
"  As  a  man,  brother  Mallary  had  no  enemy.  Among  all  classes  he  was  regarded 
with  profound  respect.  Even  the  wicked  paid  to  his  worth  spontaneous  homage  ; 
while  the  virtuous  and  the  good  honored  and  loved  him.  As  a  laborer  he  was 
indefatigable.  He  was  familiar  with  almost  every  neighborhood  within  the 
wide  bounds  of  this  Convention.  Our  cities,  towns  and  villages,  and  our  country 
churches  knew  him  well.  He  went  about,  like  his  Divine  Master,  doing  good. 
He  was  the  friend  of  the  widow  and  the  orphan.  With  his  kind  words  he 
soothed  their  sorrows,  and  with  his  open  hand  he  often  relieved  their  wants. 
He  was  a  laborer  in  the  cause  of  temperance.  We  can  never  forget  his  earnest 
zeal  in  that  cause.  To  his  last  hour  he  was  faithful  to  the  principles  which  he 
had  so  faithfully  advocated.  He  was  a  laborer  in  the  cause  of  learning.  The 
Convention  has  already  heard  how  he  toiled  for  our  University.  Your  com- 
mittee deem  it  unnecessary  to  enlarge  upon  this  topic ;  but  his  interest  in  the 
educational  enterprise  of  our  denomination  was  not  limited  to  Mercer  University. 
While  he  exhibited  such  profound  solicitude  for  the  proper  culture  of  our  sons, 
"he  was  not  unmindful  of  the  wants  of  our  daughters.  LaGrange  and  Cuthbert, 
in  their  efforts  in  behalf  of  female  education,  felt  and  enjoyed  the  beneficence 
of  his  good  will,  and  the  effect  of  his  material  aid.  His  labors  were  abundant 
and  they  were  useful ;  but  after  all,  they  were  only  secondary.  His  great  labor 
— that  to  which  all  else  was  subordinate — was  the  work  of  the  ministry.  While 
health  und  strength  sustained  him,  /le  lived  to  preach.  He  was  the  sinner's 
friend.  Who  can  forget  his  mellow  tones,  as  he  poured  forth  his  stirring  appeals 
to  the  unconverted  !  How  his  soul  yearned  for  their  salvation  !  When  he  saw 
the  tear  of  penitence,  or  heard  the  sigh  of  contrition,  what  sympathy  overflowed' 
his  loving  heart  !  He  delighted  to  pour  into  the  wounded  spirit  the  consolation 
of  redeeming  love,  and  then  to  rejoice  in  the  new-born  hope  of  the  young  con- 
vert. 

"As  a  preacher,  brother  Mallary  stood  as  an  equal  among  our  most  gifted  men. 
His  scholarship  was  ripe ;  his  theology  was  sound  ;  his  style  was  perspicuous 
and  forcible,  sometimes  ornate,  rising  under  the  impulse  of  a  chaste  but  bold 
imagination,  even  to  the  heights  of  sublimity ;  while  his  manner  was  earnest, 
impressive  and  persuasive  Verily,  he  was  a  great  and  a  good  man  I  But  he 
is  gone.  In  the  summer  of  1864  his  health  rapidly  declined.  He  saw  his  end 
approaching.  Freely  and  even  pleasantly  he  talked  of  his  death  as  the  hour  of 
his  deliverance.  Calm,  resigned  and  happy,  he  committed  himself  to  the 
Saviour  whom  he  loved,  and  patiently  waited  His  summons.  Often  his  counte- 
nance seemed  to  light  up  with  heavenly  joy.  His  last  words  testified  to  those 
about  him  his  perfect  peace.  Without  a  struggle,  without  a  groan,  and  appa- 
rently without  a  pang,  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus." 

AFTER   THE    WAR. 

It  has  been  said  that  Georgia  was  subjugated  in  April,  1865.  Yes,  in  that 
month  there  was  a  sudden  collapse  !  The  Confederate  flag  went  down.  Over- 
whelming force  triumphed,  Secession  proved  a  failure,  and  the  banner  of  the 
stars  and  bars  was  furled  forever.  The  greatest  confusion  and  demoralization 
prevailed,  and  the  whole  denomination  was  virtually  paralyzed  for  awhile.  The 
Georgia  Baptist  Convention  should  have  conveneil  at  Columbus,  in  1865,  but 
owing  to  the  occupation  of  that  city  by  the  enemy,  as  well  as  to  the  disastrous 


DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY.  237 

termination  of  the  war,  no  session  could  be  held  in  the  city  of  Columbus.  In 
fact,  that  devoted  city  was  plundered  and  partly  burned,  wantonly,  by  the  ruthless 
and  unscrupulous  invaders  ;  and,  as  no  measures  had  been  provided  previous 
to  that  time  to  secure  a  Convention  in  case  of  failure  to  meet  at  the  appointed 
time,  there  was  no  session  at  all  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  in  1865. 

Making  Macon  his  headquarters,  the  subjugator  ruled  the  State,  which  cowered 
before  his  power.  He  arrested  Governor  Joseph  E.  Brown  and  sent  him  to 
Washington  City.  His  cavalry  captured  President  Davis  at  night,  a  few  miles 
south  of  Macon,  on  his  way  to  the  coast,  and  brought  him  to  Macon,  where  he 
lodged  at  the  Lanier  House,  until  President  Johnson  ordered  him  to  be  sent  to 
Fortress  Monroe.  On  the  morning  of  his  departure  a  large  concourse  was 
assembled  in  front  of  the  hotel,  where  two  lines  of  soldiers  in  blue,  with  muskets, 
stretched  from  the  ladies'  entrance  to  a  carriage  in  the  street.  Mrs.  Davis  appeared 
and  entered  the  carriage.  Shortly  afterwards  the  President  stepped  down 
between  the  two  rows  of  muskets  and  took  his  seat  beside  his  wife,  an  inex- 
pressible sadness  resting  upon  the  countenance  of  each,  notwithstanding  the 
dignified  bravery  with  which  they  bore  themselves  under  the  circumstances. 
The  Federal  officers  politely  touched  their  caps  to  the  departing  prisoner,  who 
responded  in  similar  manner.  The  carriage  door  was  shut  amid  the  melancholy 
silence  of  a  motionless  crowd  assembled.  Suddenly  one  man,  and  one  only, 
had  the  boldness  or  thoughtfulness  to  step  within  the  line  of  guards  to  the 
carriage  door  and  offer  his  hand  to  the  fallen  chief,  with  the  words  :  "  Good- 
bye, President  Davis  !  God  bless  you  ! "  Mr.  Davis  took  the  offered  hand, 
with  a  faint  smile,  and  was  then  driven  to  the  railroad  depot  surrounded 
by  an  armed  guard.  The  hand  which  President  Davis  shook,  that  April  day,  is 
the  one  which  pens  these  lines. 

Afterwards  Gen.  Wilson  was  so  lacking  in  generosity  as  to  taunt  the  citizens 
of  Macon  with  letting  their  Ex-president  depart  into  a  gloomy  captivity,  with- 
out one  single  line  or  word  of  sympathy,  comfort  or  cheer,  appearing  in  the 
daily  paper  of  the  city,  to  follow  him  on  his  way  and  solace  his  broken  heart ; 
while  it  is  true,  that  the  same  hand  which  shook  his  in  front  of  Lanier  House, 
wrote  a  stirring  article  expressing  love,  admiration  and  sympathy,  and  sending 
the  good  wishes  of  the  Georgia  Confederates  after  the  captive,  seeking  thus  to 
cheer  and  comfort  him.  But  the  editor  of  the  paper  refused  to  let  the  article 
appear,  professing  to  fear  the  commanding  general's  anger. 

Sad  and  gloomv  were  the  years  that  followed.  An  awful  pall  settled  down 
upon  the  State.  The  slaves  were  all  suddenly  freed,  and  many  acted  in  an  out- 
rageous manner,  though  by  no  means  to  the  extent  one  would  have  supposed. 
The  great  misfortune,  accompanied  by  loss  of  so  much  property,  broke  many  a 
noble  Southern  heart,  and,  here  and  there,  all  over  the  State,  aged  men  were 
gathered  to  their  fathers,  unable-  to  bear  up  under  the  impending  calamities. 

The  Minutes  of  our  Associations  and  of  the  State  Convention,  for  years,  bear 
evidence  to  the  demoralization  caused  by  the  sad  results  of  the  war  in  the 
churches  and  among  Christians.  Without  attempting  anything  like  an  extensive 
expose  we  will  but  lay  before  the  reader  a  few  extracts  to  show  the  state  of  our 
denomination  in  Georgia,  in  the  years  succeeding  the  war  of  Secession. 

The  following  is  taken  from  the  Report  rendered  by  the  Committee  on  the 
State  of  the  Churches  for  1868,  in  the  Ebenezer  Association,  one  of  our  best, 
most  liberal  and  efficient  bodies  : 

"  The  war  and  its  results,  have  largely  demoralized  many  of  our  church  mem- 
bers, and,  as  such,  there  is  too  much  intemperance,  profanity,  neglect  of  church 
duties,  heresies,  dissensions  and  general  unchristian  conduct  tolerated  by  the 
followers  of  Jesus.  Many,  perhaps  all,  of  our  churches  need  purifying,  and 
the  only  way  to  secure  the  strength  and  efficiency  of  the  churches  is  to  keep 
them  pure." 

In  1865  the  Georgia  Association  adopted  the  following  : 

"  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  there  is  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  many  of  the 
members  of  the  churches  to  engage  in,  or  give  their  approbation  to,  practices 
of  doubtful  propriety,  such  as  the  iimoccnt  amusements,  (as  they  are  called) 
of  parties,   the    distillation  of  ardent   spirits,  directly  or  indirectly,    and  other 


238  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

things  of  like  import.  Others  engage  in  practices  not  of  doubtful  propriety, 
but  plainly  condemned  in  the  word  of  God,  namely :  the  making,  selling  and 
drinking  of  ardent  spirits  as  a  beverage  ;  fiddling  and  dancing  ;  entertaining  in  our 
hearts  against  Christian  brethren,  envy,  malice,  or  unkind  feelings  ;  and  other 
sinful  practices,  consequent  upon  yielding  to  the  temptations,  by  which  we  are 
surrounded  in  the  present  state  of  the  country;"  and  the  Association  appointed 
a  day  of  fasting,  humiliation  and  prayer. 

In  the  following  year,  1866,  the  same  noble  old  Association  in  its  Report  on 
the  State  of  Religion  adopted  these  sentiments  : 

"  We  are  painfully  impressed  with  the  fact,  that  there  does  not  exist  among 
our  church  members,  generally,  that  profound,  earnest  zeal,  in  matters  of  reli- 
gion, which  would  fit  them  for  aggressive  movements  on  the  world.  We  have, 
still,  to  lament  that  many  are  addicted  to  fashionable  amusements  of  doubtful 
propriety,  to  say  the  least,  and  that  many  others  are  engrossed  in  schemes  of 
money-making  or  worldly  ambition — the  propriety  of  which  is  not  at  all  doubtful. 
We  fear  that  very  many  whose  names  are  enrolled  on  our  church  books,  are 
too  little  mindful  of  the  solemn  vows  which  they  have  taken  upon  themselves." 

We  can  now  more  readily  comprehend  why  the  State  Convention  adopted 
the  following  resolution  in  1866: 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  testifies  its  entire  disappro- 
bation of  church  members  dancing,  playing  cards,  even  for  amusement,  visiting 
theatres  and  circuses  and  drinking  spirituous  liquors  as  a  beverage." 

An  extract  is  now  made  from  the  Report  on  the  State  of  the  Churches,  made 
to  the  New  Sunbury  Association,  in  1869: 

"  The  great  body  of  the  membership  is  not  sufficiently  active ;  there  is  too 
much  worldtiness,  too  little  family  prayer,  too  little  effort  to  secure  and  sustain 
the  ministry.  *  *  *  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  manifest  improvement  in 
the  condition  of  our  churches.  Some  most  gracious  revivals  have  occurred  ; 
general  attention  is  paid  to  Sunday  Schools,  and  an  increasing  benevolence- is 
appearing." 

The  New  Sunbury  is  the  successor  of  the  Sunbury  Association.  On  the  24th 
of  November,  1866,  in  accordance  with  an  invitation  issued  by  Rev.  S.  Lan- 
drum,  Moderator  of  the  Sunbury  Association,  six  churches  of  that  body  con- 
vened at  Jones'  Creek  church,  and,  after  consultation,  dissolved  the  Sunbury 
Association,  which  had  existed  for  very  nearly  "fifty  years.  This  was  the  result 
of  action  taken  at  a  regular  Conference  of  the  Salem  Baptist  church,  in  Liberty 
county,  when  it  was  decided  that  it  would  be  advantageous  to  form  a  new  Asso- 
ciation by  the  union  of  churches  from  the  Sunbury,  Piedmont  and  LInion  Asso- 
ciations. A  Convention  of  churches  lying  between  the  Savannah  and  Altamaha 
rivers,  within  a  territory  extending  seventy-five  miles  from  the  coast,  was  invi- 
ted to  assemble  at  Salem  church,  on  the  27th  and  28th  of  April,  1 866.  At  the  ap- 
pointed time  delegates  from  Gum  Branch,  Philadelphia,  Tom's  Creek,  Anlioch 
and  Salem,  of  the  Union  Association,  and  Jones'  Creek  and  Elim,  of  the  Pied- 
mont Association,  convened  and  organized  by  the  election  of  Rev.  Lewis  Price, 
Moderator,  and  J.  L.  Shaw,  Clerk.  After  due  deliberation  it  was  decided  to 
form  a  new  Association,  the  meeting  at  Jones'  Creek,  on  the  24th  of  November, 
was  appointed  to  be  held,  for  the  purpose,  and  notice  was  transmitted  by  a 
committee  to  the  Sunbury  Association. 

A  sufficient  reason  for  this  action  was  found  in  the  fact  that  the  ravages  of 
war  had  so  reduced  the  strength  of  the  Sunbury,  as  to  preclude  all  hope  of  fu- 
ture efficiency,  unless  other  churches  were  willing  to  unite  with  it  in  forming  a 
new  body. 

Delegates  from  the  three  Associations  met,  Rev  L.  Price  presided,  and  J.  L. 
Shaw  acted  as  Clerk,  and  as  a  platform  upon  which  to  constitute,  the  Constitu- 
tion and  By-Laws  of  the  Georgia  Association  were  adopted.  It  was  determined 
to  call  the  new  Association  The  New  Sunbury.  The  Convention  was  then 
declared  closed,  the  same  members  convened  and  were  enrolled  as  delegates 
to  the  New  Sunbury  Association,  and  organized  by  the  election  of  Rev.  S. 
Landrum,  Moderator,  and  Lewis  Price,  Clerk.  The  ministers  present  and  taking 
part  in  the  proceedings,  were  F.  R.  Sweat,  J.  Baker,  W.  F.  Willis,  J.  N.  Tatum, 


DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY.  239 

A.  Williams,  S.  Landrum,  H.  Padgett,  William  Cooper,  T.  B.  Cooper,  S.  B. 
Sweat  and  W.  O.  Darsey.  There  is  no  use  in  concealing  or  disguising  the  fact 
that  the  real  cause  of  the  organization  of  this  new  Association  was  the  ravages 
and  desolations  committed  by  General  Sherman's  army,  in  1865,  which  wantonly 
and  maliciously  burnt  down  the  houses  of  worship  in  much  of  this  territory, 
the  people  thus  desolated  being  rendered  too  destitute  to  rebuild  their  meeting 
houses.  In  consequence  some  churches  were  entirely  disbanded,  and  this  sin- 
gular, yet  excusable,  action  was  taken  by  the  Sunbury  Association  when  it  dis- 
solved itself. 

"  Resolved,  That  sister  Baptist  churches  be  requested  to  receive  members, 
who  are  in  good  standing,  of  churches  not  represented  in  this  body,  because  of 
a  disorganized  condition,  which  precludes  the  holding  of  meetings  and  pro- 
ceeding in  a  regular  manner ;  and  that  we  approve  of  the  action  already  had 
in  such  special  cases." 

The  first  corresponding  letter  of  the  New  Sunbury  Association,  contains 
these  words  :  "  We  are  now  in  a  very  weakly  condition,  having,  but  a  little 
time  since,  been  overrun  by  the  enemy,  who  laid  waste  our  country,  stripped 
our  churches  and  destroyed  some  of  our  houses  of  worship." 

But,  perhaps,  the  best  general  view  of  the  state  of  religion  and  of  the  religious 
destitution  in  the  State,  will  be  obtained  from  the  report  of  Rev.  S.  Landrum, 
made  to  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  in  1869,  as  chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Religious  Destitution  and  State  of  Religion  : 

"  In  Northeastern  Georgia,  east  and  north  of  Athens,  there  is  not  a  minister 
who  is  supported  while  preaching  the  gospel.  There  are  those  who  hold  anti- 
mission  sentiments,  and  those  who  are  called  Whiteites.  The  benevolence  of 
the  churches  is  low,  but  improving.  Most  of  the  churches  have  supplies  ;  a 
few  are  destitute. 

"  In  what  is  called  Cherokee  Georgia,  there  is  a  most  interesting  and  promis- 
ing field  for  missionary  labor.  The  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention  is  dissolved  ; 
the  Cassville  college  gone,  and  the  building  burned.  Could  the  brethren  of  this 
section  be  persuaded  to  identify  themselves  with  this  Convention  and  with 
Mercer  University,  your  committee  are  of  opinion  that  mutual  good  would  re- 
sult. In  this  portion  of  the  State  there  is  a  general  deficiency  in  the  supply  of 
preaching  and  Sunday-schools.  One  minister,  for  instance,  is  supplying  six 
churches.  There  is  a  low  state  of  spirituality,  and  a  far  too  general  use  of  in- 
toxicating drinks.     Kingston,  it  is  believed,  is  now  destitute. 

"  In  Middle  Georgia  a  district  has  been  brought  to  our  attention,  having 
Knoxville  for  a  centre,  with  a  distance  of  forty  miles  around,  of  most  deplora- 
ble destitution — churches  without  preaching  and  general  demoralization. 

"  From  the  neighborhood  of  Newnan,  there  is  a  report  of  a  dearth  of  religious 
revivals — the  letting  down  of  social  morals  and  the  existence  of  intemperance. 

'•  In  Southwestern  Georgia,  Starkville  is  destitute.  In  some  limited  sections, 
there  are  not  many  Sunday-schools ;  they  go  into  winter-quarters,  and  some- 
times fail  to  come  out  in  spring. 

"  In  the  vicinity  of  Crawfordville  all  the  churches,  it  is  believed,  are  supplied. 
It  is  said  that  there  is  more  general  wickedness  than  formerly,  while  there  are  no 
general  revivals. 

"  In  the  Stone  Mountain  Association  there  is  quite  a  range  of  distressing 
destitution. 

"  Above  Augusta  for  twenty  miles,  there  is  much  need  of  preaching.  Belair 
and  Groves'  churches  are  unprovided  for.  The  colored  people  of  Augusta  and 
vicinity  are  accessible  to  to  the  ministry  of  white  men.  The  KoUock  street 
Baptist  church,  of  Augusta,  is  in  need  of  a  larger  building  to  accommodate  the 
people  in  its  vicinity,  and  the  pastor  is  seeking  means  to  accomplish   the  object. 

'•  Burke  county,  perhaps,  possesses  the  best  Baptist  meeting  houses  of  any 
county  in  the  State ;  but  there  is  much  reason  to  fear  that  they  will  soon  be  de- 
serted, without  some  better  means  of  supply. 

"  Most  of  the  city  churches  have  m  ssion  stations  and  Sunday-schools,  to 
reach  those  who  do  not  attend  the  regular  services.  In  these  larger  towns 
there  is  much  complaint  of  theatre-going,  balls,  worldliness,  and  also  want  of 
integrity,  in  reference  to  promises  and  commercial  honor. 


240  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

"  On  the  coast  of  Southern  Georgia,  the  destitution  is  well  nigh  universal. 
IVIany  church  buildings  were  burned ;  there  is  no  ability  to  rebuild ;  quite  a 
number  of  churches  are  dissolved.  There  are  no  pastors  to  gather  the  poor, 
scattered  flocks.  There  is  no  supply  from  Savannah  to  Florida  but  the' few 
points  which  brother  Daniel  is  able  to  supply,  monthly,  as  a  missionary.  At 
Brunswick  we  have  a  house  and  Sunday-school,  but  no  preaching.  At  this 
place,  for  more  than  a  year,  a  few  brethren  have  been  beseeching  the  denomina- 
tion to  send  them  a  minister.  The  town  is  growing ;  the  Episcopalians  and 
Methodists  are  doing  well.  There  is  no  house  or  preaching  at  St.  Mary's,  Da- 
rien,  or  Waynesville ;  no  preaching  at  several  churches  in  Liberty,  Bryan  and 
Chatham  counties.  There  is  a  very  large  negro  population  in  this  part  of  the 
State,  and,  for  sometime  past,  they  have  manifested  much  more  interest  in  hear- 
ing our  preachers,  where  there  has  been  any  one  to  hear.  Here  are  the 
heathen  at  our  doors  ;  heathen,  too,  who  have  been  declared  citizens  and  vo- 
ters. 

"  The  flourishing  town  of  Thomasville  is  without  a  pastor,  and  the  church 
is  able  to  support  a  young  man. 

"  We  close  the  report  with  the  following  remarks  :  ist.  That  fiddling  and 
dancing,  drinking  and  social  irregularities,  have  characterized  our  church  mem- 
bers, of  late — more  than  at  any  time  within  the  last  twenty  years.  This,  how- 
ever, is  not  confined  to  Baptists,  but  the  like  state  of  things  exists  with  other 
denominations.  2nd.  That  the  spirituality  of  our  people  is  low  in  its  manifes- 
tations, and  there  is  a  sad  Laodicean  spirit  generally  prevailing.  3rd.  That 
there  is  a  great  want  of  ministerial  consecration  and  ministerial  support.  4th. 
That  there  is  much  destitution  among  the  churches,  and  many  neighborhoods 
are  unprovided  with  the  preached  Word.  5th.  That  there  is  a  Sunday-school 
revival  in  the  State,  and  that  many  new  schools  have  been  formed  recently. 
6th.  That  the  state  of  religion  and  religious  destitution  calls  lor  prayer  and 
self-denial,  and  for  the  cessation  of  putting  forward  the  war  and  poverty  as 
pleas  for  the  love  of  the  world  and  the  idolatry  of  covetousness.  7th.  That  our 
churches  should  rely  more  upon  frequent  collections  of  small  amounts  than  upon 
the  annual  subscription  of  large  amounts.  A  church  of  one  hundred  members 
can  pay  her  pastor  four  hundred  and  eighty  dollars  a  year,  by  simply  collecting 
ten  cents  every  Lord's  day  from  each  member.  How  easily  done  !  This  is  the 
true  system — lay  by  every  Lord's  day,  as  the  Lord  hath  prospered." 

Of  course  such  a  state  of  affairs  in  the  churches  as  this  report  details,  did 
not  continue  many  years.  Gradually  a  better  order  of  things  prevailed, 
although  not  even  yet  is  the  state  of  our  denomination  in  Georgia  satisfactory. 

After  the  war  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  did  not  adopt  any  series  of  resolutions 
expressive  of  their  opinion  concerning  the  result  of  the  war.  In  truth  there 
was  nothing  to  be  said  except  to  acknowledge  defeat,  and  profess  resignation  to 
the  will  of  Him  who  reigns  in  heaven  and  over  the  armies  of  men. 

The  most  important  matter  pertaining  to  affairs  outside  of  Georgia  that 
occurred,  at  the  period  just  succeeding  the  war,  was  the  passage,  by  a  unani- 
mous vote,  of  these  resolutions,  by  the  Georgia  Association,  in  1865  : 

''Resolved,  i.  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  Association,  and  its  earnest  wish, 
that  the  Southern  organizations  of  our  denomination  remain  intact ;  and  we, 
hereby,  pledge  ourselves  to  sustain  them  by  our  prayers  and  substance,  accord- 
ing to  the  ability  left  us,  after  four  years  of  desolating  war,  and  as  a  merciful 
God  shall  afford  us  ability  hereafter. 

•'  Resolved.  2.  That  in  carrying  out  the  foregoing  resolution,  we  sincerely  believe 
that  we  shall  be  using  the  best  means  of  promoting  the  true  interests  and  pros- 
perity of  our  Redeemer's  kingdom. 

"  Resolved,  J.  That  from  all  we  can  learn  of  the  light  in  which  Northern  and 
Southern  Baptists  look  upon  each  other,  any  attempt  on  their  part  or  ours, 
towards  united  effort,  at  this  time,  would  be  productive  of  trouble  and  confu- 
sion, and  not  of  good. 

•'  Resolved,  4.  That  it  is  the  duty  of  all  good  men  to  pray  that  every  cause  of 
evil  and  root  of  bitterness  be  taken  out  of  the  hearts  of  all  God's  people  in  a'.l 
our  country. 


Denominational  history.  241 

''  Resolved, §.  That  our  Domestic  Mission  Board  be  invited  to  occupy  our  Asso- 
ciational  bounds,  in  its  operations  amongst  the  negroes,  and  that  its  agents  are 
invited  to  visit  our  churches  to  advocate  the  claims  of  the  Board." 

On  the  27th  of  October,  1871,  another  of  the  great  men  of  our  denomination 
departed  this  life — Dr.  N.  M.  Crawford.  The  Convention  of  1872  honored  his 
memory  by  the  adoption  of  the  following  brief  memorial  tribute,  presented  by 
Rev.  G.  A.  Nunnally,  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Deceased  Ministers  : 
"  Born  of  distinguished  parentage,  graduated  with  the  first  honor  of  the  State 
University,  gifted  beyond  his  compeers,  he  consecrated  his  life,  with  child-like 
simplicity,  to  the  unfaltering  service  of  his  Redeemer.  Laden  then  with  the 
highest  offices  to  which  the  suffrages  of  his  brethren  could  call  him,  he  still 
remained  the  humble,  devout  servant  of  God.  He  was,  in  early  life,  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  until  his  convictions  of  duty  led  him  to  unite  himself 
with  his  Baptist  brethren.  He  was  long  President  of  Mercer  University,  and 
of  Georgetown  College,  Kentucky.  Guileless  in  life,  ardent  and  constant  in  his 
affections,  and  simple  and  childlike  in  his  habits  and  tastes,  he  has  left,  in  the 
hearts  of  the  living,  memories  tender,  strong,  abiding  and  precious." 

In  1877,  the  Convention,  by  special  resolution,  honored  the  memory  of  two 
of  its  oldest  members  and  most  useful  servants — T.  J.  Burney  and  Thomas 
Stocks — both  of'  whom  had  recently  deceased.  To  the  former,  for  many  years 
its  faithful  and  efficient  Treasurer,  the  Convention  was  indebted  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  much  of  its  funds  during  the  war,  by  his  wise  and  judicious  management, 
and  thus  was  most  of  the  endowment  of  Mercer  University  retained,  amid  the 
general  wreck  that  accompanied  the  subjugation  of  the  Confederacy. 

The  return  of  peace  beheld  the  re-establishment  of  various  colleges  for  young 
ladies,  by  the  Baptists  of  Georgia,  the  more  prominent  ones  being  at  Madison, 
LaGrange,  Forsyth,  Gainesville  and  Rome.  That  at  Rome,  designated  The 
Shorter  College,  is  a  monument  of  the  munificent  liberality  of  Colonel  Alfred 
Shorter,  a  wealthy  Baptist  residing  in  Rome,  who  generously  devoted  more 
than  $100,000  of  his  fortune  to  purchasing  the  "Cherokee  Baptist  Female  Col- 
lege "  and  erecting  for  it  magnificent  buildings,  beautifying  the  grounds,  and 
providing  for  it  excellent  chemical,  philosophical  and  astronomical  apparatus. 

Another  generous  deed  of  a  Georgia  Baptist  deserves  record  in  these  annals 
namely,  the  donation  by  Ex-Governor  Joseph  E.  Brown,  of  Atlanta,  of  $50,000, 
in  cash  and  bonds,  to  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  at  Louisville, 
Kentucky. 

These  noble  instances  of  individual  liberality,  in  the  cause  of  education, 
deserve  to  be  recorded  side  by  side  with  the  generous  deed  of  Jesse  Mercer,  in 
endowing  Mercer  University  ;  and  they  secure  for  the  two  donors  the  admira- 
tion and  gratitude  of  their  fellow-Baptists. 

All  over  the  State  there  was  an  immense  number  of  colored  Baptists,  many 
of  whom  were  organized  into  churches,  in  the  cities,  under  the  supervision  of 
the  whites,  while  in  the  country,  they  were,  generally,  members  of  the  white 
churches.  It  soon  became  apparent  that  it  was  best  to  separate,  and  the  white 
brethren  advised  the  colored  ones  to  make  a  formal  application  for  letters  ot 
dismission,  which  were  willingly  granted.  The  whites  invariably  assisted  their 
colored  brethren  in  organizing  their  churches,  and  also,  in  building  their  houses 
of  worship.  They  even  went  farther :  they  advised  and  aided  them  in  organi- 
zing into  Associations  and  in  forming  a  State  Convention,  after  the  models  fur- 
nished by  the  white  organizations.  The  consequence  is  that  a  good  state  of 
feeling  between  the  white  and  colored  Baptists  of  Georgia  has  continued  to  ex- 
ist down  to  the  present  day. 

The  present  number  of  colored  Baptists  in  the  State,  as  far  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained, is  twenty-eight  Associations,  9,000  churches,  and  110,000  members. 
About  one-half  of  the  colored  churches  maintain  Sunday-schools.  Delegates 
from  the  colored  Associations  have  formed  a  State  Convention,  the  main  object 
of  which  is  to  establish  churches  and  Sunday-schools  throughout  the  State  and 
promote  theological  education,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  Constitution,  which  says 
its  objects  shall  be  : 

"I.  To  employ  missionaries  to  travel  through  the  waste  places  of  our  State, 

(16) 


242  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

and  gather  the  people  and  preach  the  gospel  to  them,  and  aid  them  in  every 
way  possible,  and  especially  in  organizing  both  churches  and  Sunday-schools. 

2.  To  establish  a  Theological  Institute,  for  the  purpose  of  educating  young 
men  and  those  who  are  preaching  the  gospel  and  have  the  ministry  in  view,  or 
any  of  our  brethren's  sons  that  ."^ustain  a  good  moral  character,  and  to  procure, 
immediately,  some  central  place  in  Georgia,  for  the  establishment  of  the  same." 

Auxiliary  to,  and  a  part  of  this  State  Convention,  is  the  colored  Missionary 
Baptist  Sunday-school  Convention,  which,  though  a  separate  body,  is  composed 
of  the  same  members  as  the  State  Convention.  It  is  an  efficient  body  and  does 
good  work  in  establishing  Sunday-schools ;  its  last  Report  embracing  200  schools, 
nearly  1,000  teachers,  and  14,000  scholars. 

The  Northern  Home  Mission  Society  established  a  Seminary  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  colored  preachers  and  teachers,  at  Augusta,  in  1865,  which  struggled 
with  many  difficulties  until  1871.  At  that  time  an  infamous  man,  by  the  name 
of  Seigfried,  who  was  at  its  head,  was  dismissed ;  and  the  Institution  was  or- 
ganized in  a  more  effective  form  by  the  present  Principal,  Rev.  J.  T.  Robert, 
LL.D.,  a  Southern  man  by  birth,  but  long  a  resident  in  Ohio  and  Iowa,  who  had 
been  strongly  recommended  to  the  Society  by  white  Southern  Baptist  ministers 
as  a  suitable  man  for  the  conduct  of  the  enterprise.  Eight  years  of  prosperity  and 
progress  followed,  and.  in  1879,  it  was  transferred  to  the  capital  of  the  State, 
and  now  bears  the  name  of  "Atlanta  Baptist  Seminary."  In  the  fall  of  1878, 
Rev.  D.  Shaver,  D.  D.,  was  associated  with  Dr.  Robert,  and  still  holds  a  position 
in  the  Institution.  Since  Dr.  Robert's  connection  with  the  Institution,  instruc- 
tion has  been  given  to  371  students,  of  whom  142  had  teaching  and  229  had  the 
ministry  in  view.  Of  this  latter  number,  one  was  a  missionary  in  Africa  until 
his  recent  death,  and  another  is  editor  of  the  Georgia  Baptist,  the  organ  of  the 
colored  Baptists  in  the  State,  published  at  Augusta  ;  while  four  have  been  in  the 
employ  of  our  own  State  Mission  Board.  At  present  (1881)  it  has  eighty  stu- 
dents, of  whom  fifty  or  more  are  pastors  or  candidates  for  the  ministry.  The 
Georgia  Missionary  Baptist  Convention  of  "  our  brethren  in  black  "  cooperates 
with  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  in  supporting  the  Seminary. 

That  body  has  also  evinced  a  profound  interest  in  female  education  among 
its  constituency.  It  feels  the  force  of  the  maxim,  that  those  who  educate  the 
women  of  a  race  win  and  hold  the  race  itself.  Anxious  to  win  and  hold  the 
race  for  Christ,  and  for  the  truth  as  Baptists  teach  it  in  His  name,  a  movement 
is  in  progress  as  our  History  goes  to  press  to  secure  from  churches,  missionary 
societies  and  Sunday-schools,  the  sum  of  $5,000  for  the  erection  of  suitable 
buildings.  There  is  a  flattering  prospect  of  early  success ;  and,  with  that 
amount  in  hand,  the  Home  Mission  Society  will  at  once  proceed  to  consummate 
this  cherished  purpose  of  the  leading  brethren  in  the  Convention  ;  using  for  that 
end  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  a  lot  in  the  city  of  Atlanta  originally  purchased  by 
this  body  as  the  site  of  an  institution  for  the  education  of  ministers,  and  transferred 
to  the  Society  when  the  present  Seminary  was  built.  This  movement,  together 
with  the  liberal  patronage  extended  to  the  students  of  the  Seminary  as  teachers 
of  schools  during  the  annual  vacations,  shows  that  our  colored  brethren  are  not 
dupes  of  the  .  Romish  idea  that  *' ignorance  is  the  mother  of  devotion."  "The 
divine  thirst  to  know  "  has  been  awakened  in  them,  and  we  would  fain  indulge 
the  hope  that  they  may  not  seek  to  slake  it,  except  at  the  spring  of  "  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  To  assist  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  best 
possible  issue,  amid  many  difficulties,  embarrassments  and  hazards,  is  a  duty 
not  to  be  disregarded  and  a  privilege  not  to  be  undervalued. 

We  close  this  chapter  by  presenting  a  table  of  statistics  kindly  prepared,  at 
the  special  request  of  the  author,  by  Rev,  G.  R.  McCall,  Clerk,  for  many  years, 
of  the  State  Convention.  It  presents  as  complete  and  as  correct  statistics  of 
our  denomination  in  the  State  as  it  is  possible  to  obtain,  from  the  year  1845  to 
1881. 


DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 


243 


The  table  gives  the  number  of  Associations,  churches,  ordained  and  licensed 
ministers,  and  numbers  of  the  Missionary,  anti-missionary  and  colored  Baptists 
in  the  State  of  Georgia  : 


tn 

V 

52 

C 

1   S2 

C 

en 

<L) 

•is 

V  a 

tn  • - 

S2 

<u 

s 

2 
'0 
0 

to 

t/i 

-^1 

(U  C 

Si 

S 

.2 

0 

<u 

x: 

)-, 

,y 

<D 

1/1 

<u 

J3 

u. 

CJ 

OJ 

in 

> 

U 

0 

kJ 

S 

< 

>" 

u 

0 

J 

§ 

< 

1845 

971 

464 

142 

58,388 

46 

1862 

t 

1846 

1,004 

505 

166 

59-467 

50 

1863 

t 

1847 

1,060 

549 

204 

63,097 

54 

1864 

+ 

+ 

1848 

1,105 

583 

292 

67,098 

56 

1866 

1,435 

757 

229 

99,149 

65§ 

1849 

1,132 

628 

'7? 

69,869 

57 

1867 

i,454j  800 

211 

97,345 

66 

1850 

1,183 

615 

296 

71,879 

57 

1868 

1,218   760 

194 

115,198 

69I 

I85I 

1,213 

674 

192 

75,540 

58 

1869 

1    1 

1852 

1,242 

681 

200 

77,962 

60 

1870 

1,745   836 

259 

131,642 

72 

1853 

1,252 

709 

208 

8 1 ,043 

61 

1872 

1,973  1,056 

210 

146,407 

86 

1854 

1,240 

706 

206 

82,307 

59 

1873 

2,001]   902 

241 

164,292 

87** 

1855 

1,333 

711  220 

86,701 

60 

1874 

2,201    811 

216 

183,435 

107 

1856 

1,373 

710 

209 

89.989 

63 

1875 

2,307    956 

292 

193,662 

107 

1857 

1,350 

689 

177 

85,113 

63* 

1876 

2,3921   725 

236 

202,356 

107 

1858 

i,4c6 

769 

211 

93,447 

64 

1877 

2,532]   762 

279 

209,790 

I07-H- 

1859 

1,429 

737 

211 

95-727 

65 

1878 

2,636j  694 

217 

2 1 9,000 

107 

i860 

1,435 

757 

229 

99-149 

65 

1879 

2,636  762 

219 

210,900 

107 

1 861 

1,015 

540 

I4it 

1880 

2,680  809 

_27_8 

217,041 

iioU 

*  Minutes  of  several  Associations  not  reported— hence  the  loss. 
+  The  war  made  the  Minutes  hard  to  get  and  imperfect. 
%  Reports  unsatisfactory, 
§  As  estimated,  but  not  known. 
^Colored  Associations  begin  to  be  formed. 
II  Wanting — not  printed,  by  mistake. 

**  Only  191  ministers  colored.     Mmutes  fail  to  give  names  or  number. 

•H'  The  number  of  ordained  ministers,  all  white  but  ten  ;  licentiates,  but  five.     As  many  or  more  col- 
ored ministers  than  whites. 
%X  There  are  more  Associations,  but  I  have  failed  to  get  Mmutes. 

These  figures  are  taken  from  the  regular  Minutes  of  the  Georgia  Baptist 
Convention ;  but  it  is,  perhaps,  no  more  than  proper,  in  a  historical  work,  to 
give  the  figures  presented  by  the  Baptist  Year  Book,  for  1881.  On  some 
accounts  these  figures  may  be  more  correct  than  those  of  Rev.  G.  R.  McCall, 
who  admits  that  he  has  not  been  able  to  secure  the  Minutes  of  all  the  Associa- 
tions in  the  State :  Year  1881,  2,755  churches  ;  1,630  ordained  ministers  ;  12,933 
additions  by  baptism  ;  235,381  members;  118  Associations. 

This  includes,  of  course,  white  and  colored  members.  Missionary,  Anti- 
missionary  and  United  Baptists,  and  is,  really,  the  statistics  for  the  year  1880. 

The  Year  Book  for  1881  reports,  also,  the  population  of  Georgia  as  1,538,983; 
number  of  Baptist  Sunday-schools,  1,475  ;  officers  and  teachers  in  them,  6,630; 
number  of  Sunday-school  scholars,  44,150;  benevolent  contributions  for  all 
purposes,  in  1880,  $32,402.90. 

In  connection  with  the  striking  contrast  between  these  numbers  and  the 
statistics  of  the  denomination  in  the  earlier  pages  of  our  History,  there  is  some- 
thing of  interest  and  instruction  in  other  points  of  difference  between  half  a 
century  ago  and  the  present  time,  as  brought  out  in  the  following  article  con- 
tributed by  Dr.  J.  H.  Campbell  to  The  Index  of  July  14th,  1881  : 

"  Fifty  years  ago,  protracted  meetings,  as  now  appointed,  were  unknown  in 
this  State  and  in  this  country  as  well,  so  far  as  I  am  informed.  They  were  not 
originally  appointed,  or  decided  upon,  beforehand,  but  were  the'  result  of  revi- 
vals already  existing.  Revivals  in  those  days  were  the  result  of  the  ordinary 
means  of  grace,  and  were  carried  on  by  those  means  alone.     Happily,  there 


244  DENOMINATIONAL   HISTORY. 

were  no  professional  revivalists,  and  such  meetings  were  conducted  by  the 
pastor,  aided  by  such  ministers  as  he  might  call  to  his  assistance. 

•'  Fifty  years  ago,  there  were  not  half  a  dozen  Baptist  ministers  in  Georgia, 
who  were  college  graduates,  and  the  denomination  did  not  exceed  thirty  thou- 
sand members,  though  there  had  been  an  accession  of  about  ten  thousand  during 
the  great  revival  of  1827-28,  just  passed. 

"  Fifty  years  ago,  mstrumental  music  was  practiced  in  only  two  Baptist 
churches  in  the  State  that  I  knew  of  (Savannah  and  Augusta),  and  in  very  few 
of  other  denominations.  A  majority  of  our  people  had  no  fellowship  with  the 
practice,  and  many  are  of  the  same  opinion  still. 

"  Fifty  years  ago,  the  almost  invariable  custom,  in  social  and  public  worship, 
was  to  sit  during  singing,  and  to  kneel  during  prayer.  The  irreverent  habit  of 
sitting  in  time  of  prayer  had  not  then  been  introduced,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  it  has  become  so  common  in  our  town  and  city  congregations.  I  trust  our 
country  churches  will  continue  steadfastly  to  adhere  to  the  old  and  more  scriptu- 
ral way.  Who  would  think  of  making  a  practice  of  sitting  in  secret  and  family 
prayer  ?     Ought  not  the  habit  complained  of  to  be  corrected  ? 

"Fifty  years  ago,  there  was  only  one  college  in  the  State — Franklin  College, 
at  Athens,  (the  A  in  Athens  was  pronounced  sharp,)  then  the  State  College, 
now  the  State  University.  It  was  controlled  almost  exclusively  by  the  Presby- 
terians. There  were  only  two  or  three  female  schools,  one  of  the  most  popular 
being  at  '  Cherokee  Corner,'  on  the  stage  road  from  Washington  to  Athens. 

"  Fifty  years  ago,  there  was  not  a  steam-engine,  nor  a  telegraph  pole,  nor  a 
mile  of  railroad  in  the  State.  The  people,  male  and  female,  travelled  on  horse- 
back. If  they  went  on  wheels,  it  was  in  sulkies  or  gigs,  or  in  the  old-fashioned 
four-wheeled  family  carriage.  Buggies  had  not  come  into  use  then.  In  the 
latter  part  of  his  life,  Jesse  Mercer  always  travelled  in  his  four-wheeled  carriage — 
not  from  pride,  but  because  he  was  an  unwieldly  person  and  the  subject  of 
many  infirmities.  The  only  public  conveyance  was  the  lumbering  stage-coach, 
a  vehicle  admirably  fitted  for  killing  horses,  and  for  testing  the  patience  and 
piety  of  passengers. 

"  Fifty  years  ago,  there  was  not  a  religious  paper  published  in  the  State.  A 
small  sheet  was  issued  for  a  short  time  at  Mount  Zion,  Hancock  county^  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Gildersleeve,  a  Presbyterian,  but  it  had  been  tra,ns.ferred  to  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  and  was  published  in  that  city  as  the  Citristian  Obsej'ver.  I 
doubt  if  there  were  ten  secular  papers  in  the  State  at  that  time. 

"  Fifty  years  ago,  the  question,  whether  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  would  be 
missionary  or  anti-missionary  had  not  been  decided.  The  Anties  were  in  a 
decided  majority,  and  the  conflict  then  raging  was  no  child's  play.  1  have  lived 
to  see  my  fellow-soldiers,  who  stood  in  the  fore-front  of  the  battle,  fall  one  after 
another  until  the  whole  line  melted  away.  But,  as  the  fathers  fell,  their  sons 
took  their  places,  and  the  victory  is  now  complete. 

*'  Fifty  years  ago,  the  cause  of  foreign  missions  was  in  its  incipiency.  Its 
friends  were  few  and  feeble,  its  enemies  defiant,  formalists  indifferent,  infidelity 
sneering,  Satan  raging.  In  view  of  what  has  been  accomplished,  may  we  not 
exclaim,  '  What  hath  God  wrought !'  And  may  we  not  go  further,  and  hope 
and  expect  that  in  the  next  fifty  years  such  Scriptures  as  the  following  will  be 
fulfilled :  '  The  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  as  the  waters 
cover  the  sea.'  '  The  north  shall  give  up,  and  the  south  keep  not  back.  He 
will  bring  his  sons  from  far,  and  his  daughters  from  the  ends  of  the  earth.' 
'  The  people  shall  praise  thee,  O  God,  all  the  people  shall  praise  thee.'  And 
that  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue  and  people  under  the  whole  heaven 
shall  be  shouting,  '  Alleluia,  for  the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth.'  " 


XIX. 

HISTORY  OF  MERCER  UNIVERSITY. 

1813-1881. 


XIX. 

HISTORY  OF  MERCER  UNIVERSITY. 


A  BRIEF  RETROSPECT— ORIGIN  OF  THE  ANTI-MISSION  BAPTISTS,  CALLED 
"OLD  SCHOOL  BAPTISTS" — SOMETHING  OF  THEIR  CREED  AND  POLICY — 
THE  REGULAR  BAPTISTS  SLIGHTLY  COMPARED — WAS  THE  TENDENCY  OF 
THE  CONVENTION  EVIL? — MERGER'S  REPLY — EARLY  BENEFICIARIES  OF 
THE  CONVENTION — MERCER  INSTITUTE,  UNDER  SANDERS'  MANAGE- 
MENT— MANUAL  LABOR  SUSPENDED  IN  THE  UNIVERSITY  IN  1844 — 
FIRST  GRADUATES  OF  MERCER — THEOLOGICAL  DEPARTMENT,  WHY  DIS- 
CONTINUED— CLASSICAL  DEPARTMENT — -LAW  SCHOOL — HOW  THE  WAR 
AFFECTED  MERCER — REMOVAL  OF  MERCER  UNIVERSITY — FUTURE  OF 
THE  COLLEGE — PRESIDENTS  AND  PROFESSORS — THE  SEVERAL  ADMIN- 
ISTRATIONS— SOME  OF  ITS  PROFESSORS — MERCER  THE  RALLYING  POINT 
OF   THE   DENOMINATION. 

We  have  endeavored  briefly  to  trace  the  various  methods  adopted  by  the  Bap- 
tists of  Georgia  for  promoting  education,  missions,  temperance  and  for  develop- 
ing and  cultivating  the  spirit  of  union  and  cooperation  among  the  churches  of 
the  State.  With  very  few  exceptions  we  have  found  the  ministers  of  our  de- 
nomination in  the  State  sadly  deficient  in  education,  during  nearly  the  entire 
first  half  of  this  century.  On  that  account  there  was  some  difficulty  in  obtain- 
ing thoroughly  competent  professors  for  Mercer  University,  during  the  earliest 
years  of  that  institution.  We  have  seen  that  many  in  the  denomination  opposed 
an  institution  that  afforded  learning  to  ministers,  and  many  also  opposed  the 
formation  of  the  State  Convention,  and,  for  many  years,  resisted  its  progress. 
We  have  seen  that  a  still  greater  number  maintained  a  bitter  opposition  to  mis- 
sions and  to  the  use  of  special  liuman  effort  for  the  promotion  of  benevolent 
objects.  These  were  what  are  now  called  the  anti-mission,  or  Primitive  Bap- 
tists, who  are  opposed  to  the  academical  or  theological  education  of  their 
ministry,  and  to  Bible,  Missionary,  Publication  Societies,  and  to  all  other  volun- 
tary societies  of  a  like  nature.  These  they  regard  as  of  mere  human  invention, 
and  different  from  that  simplicity  of  order  instituted  by  Christ,  and  declared  in 
the  New  Testament  as  the  law  of  His  kingdom,  and  by  which  He  would  keep 
His  people  constantly  mindful  that,  in  the  building  up  of  His  Church,  through 
pastors  and  teachers  who  gather  in  His  elect,  "  the  excellency  of  the  power  is 
of  God,  and  not  of "  men. 

When,  in  181 3,  missionary  and  other  kindred  institutions  were  introduced  into 
the  Baptist  denomination  of  the  United  States,  chiefly  through  the  conversion 
to  Baptist  principles  of  Judson  and  Rice,  and  through  the  influence  exerted  by 
them,  a  spirit  of  discontent  and  opposition  arose,  in  some  churches  and  Asso- 
ciations. This  continued  to  manifest  itself  more  and  more  decidedly  until  1832, 
when  the  dissatisfied  churches  and  Associations  determined  to  withdraw  and 
form  a  separate  organization.  Therefore,  in  that  year  they  issued  an  address  to 
the  churches,  setting  forth  that  they  could  no  longer  fellowship  brethren  _who 
countenanced  the  mass  of  humanly  devised  institutions  that  had  been  foisted 
upon  the  denomination;  the  pure  doctrines  of  which  they  corrupted,  the 
peace  of  which  they  disturbed  and  whose  scriptural  simplicity  they  subverted. 
All,  they  said,  who  loved  the  truth  in  its  integrity  and,  like  themselves,  had 


248  HISTORY    OF   MERCER   UNIVERSITY. 

g;roan«i  under  the  burden  of  human  inventions,  were  invited  to  communicate 
with  them.  Numbers  of  churches  and  Associations  promptly  responded.  A 
general  correspondence  was  opened,  a  meeting  was  held  and  an  organization 
was  formed  under  the  distinguishing  appellation  of  Old  School  Baptists,  which 
name  they  considered  as  specially  appropriate  to  themselves,  not  only  as  going 
back  to  the  ancient  order  of  Baptists,  but  from  its  having  been  given  to  such  as 
adhered  to  the  old  doctrines  of  predestination  and  particular  atonement. 

They  received  the  Holy  Scriptures  alone  as  their  rule  of  faith  and  practice — 
professed  to  have  no  confidence  in  human  effort,  nor  in  human  schemes  for  re- 
form. They  opposed  theological  schools  and  would  not  tolerate  scholastic 
preachers.  For  removing  abuses  of  all  and  every  nature  ;  for  enlightening  the 
human  mind,  and  for  leading  men  to  faith  and  salvation  in  Christ,  they  relied 
wholly  and  exclusively  upon  the  sure  Word  of  God  and  His  Holy  Spirit.  In 
church  polity  they  did  not  differ  from  the  regular  Missionary  Baptists.  In 
Georgia  their  non-fellowship  article,  was  declared  about  1836,  and  culminated 
in  a  general  denominational  separation,  or  division,  in  1839,  after  many  years  of 
strife  and  dissension.  The  Abstract  of  Principles  adopted  by  them,  and  which 
still  composes  the  Articles  of  Faith  held  by  some  of  the  Primitive  Associations 
in  this  State,  consisted  of  twelve  articles,  which  were  "held  by  the  Baptists  in 
general,  agreeable  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  adopted  by  upwards  of  one  hun- 
dred congregations  in  England,  published  in  Philadelphia  in  1742,  which  is  a 
standard  for  the  Baptists."  Such  was  their  general  heading,  and  they  were  as 
follows  : 

'•ist.  We  believe  in  one  only  true  and  living  God,  and  that  there  are  three  per- 
sons in  the  God-head,  namely :  The  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost. 

"2d.  We  believe  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  are  the  word 
of  God,  and  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 

'•3d.  We  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  eternal  and  particular  election. 

•'4th.  We  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  original  sin. 

"5th.  We  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  man's  impotency  to  recover  himself  from 
the  fallen  state  he  is  in  by  nature,  of  his  own  free  will  and  ability. 

"6th.  We  believe  that  sinners  are  justified  in  the  sight  of  God  only  by  the  im- 
puted righteousness  of  Christ. 

"7th.  We  believe  that  God's  elect  shall  be  called,  converted  and  sanctified  by 
the  Holy  Spirit, 

•*8th.  We  believe  that  the  Saints  shall  persevere  in  grace,  and  shall  never 
finally  fall. 

"9th.  We  believe  that  baptism,  the  Lord's  supper,  and  washing  of  the  saints' 
feet  are  ordinances  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  true  believers  are  the  only  subjects 
of  those  ordinances,  and  that  the  true  mode  of  baptism  is  by  immersinn. 

"loth.  We  believe  in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  a  general  judgment. 

"nth.  We  believe  that  the  punishment  of  the  wicked  will  be  everlasting,  and 
the  joys  of  the  righteous  will  be  eternal. 

"1 2th.  We  believe  that  no  minister  has  a  right  to  the  administration  of  the 
ordinances  of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  supper,  only  such  as  are  regularly  called, 
and  come  under  the  imposition  of  hands  by  a  regularly  authorized  Presbytery." 

That  which  led  immediately  to  separation  was  the  adoption  of  the  "13th 
article,"  as  it  was  called  by  those  bodies  in  which  the  anti-mission  element  pre- 
vailed. 

The  following  is  the  substance  of  that  article,  the  wording  of  which  varied  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  institutions  of  the  day,  called  Benevolent,  to-wit :  Con- 
vention, Bible  Society,  Tract  Society,  Temperance  Society,  Abolition  Society, 
Sunday-school  Union  Society,  Theological  Seminary,  and  all  other  institutions 
tributary  to  the  missionary  plan  now  existing  in  the  United  States,  are  unscrip- 
tural ;  and  that  we,  as  an  Association,  will  not  correspond  with  any  Association 
that  is  connected  with  them,  nor  will  we  hold  in  our  union,  or  fellowship,  any 
church  that  is  connected  with  them." 

Of  course  the  passage  of  this  resolution  separated  those  who  adopted  it  from 
their  Missionary  brethren,  and,  with  regard  to  an  actual  schism  or  division  from 
them,  required  no  action  on  their  part.    They  have,  ever,  fairly  asserted,  there- 


HISTORY    OF   MERCER   UNIVERSITY.  249 

fore,  that  they  did  not  non-fellowship  their  Anti-Misr^ion  brethren,  and  pro- 
duce divisiori ;  but  the  rupture  was  effected  by  those  opposed  to  benevolent 
schemes,  which  was  indeed  true.  Undoubtedly  the  ablest,  most  pious,  most 
cultivated  and  influential  ministers  and  members  were  found  in  the  ranks  of  the 
regular  Baptists,  who  strongly  favored  missions  and  education,  and  who 
founded  Mercer  Institute,  which,  in  a  few  years,  developed  into  Mercer  Uni- 
versity, and  has  proved  beneficial,  in  an  incalculable  degree,  to  the  Baptists  of 
Georgia. 

They  were  those  who  formed  and  maintained  the  State  Convention,  which, 
perhaps,  more  than  any  other  human  cause,  by  uniting  the  Baptists  of  the  State, 
effectuated  their  elevation  and  advancement,  as  a  denomination.  Yet  the  Anti- 
missionaries  charged  that  it  was  the  State  Convention  which  caused  the  de- 
struction of  fellowship,  resulting  in  the  division  of  the  denomination. 

To  this,  Jesse  Mercer  replied  :  "Before  any  acts  can  be  considered  'fellowship- 
destroying,'  they  must  be  ascertained  to  be  either  immoral  in  themselves,  or  evil 
in  their  tendency.  But  what  immorality  or  evil  tendency  was  there  in  the  ob- 
jects of  the  General  Association  ?  For  instance,  what  immorality  can  there  be 
in  an  effort  to  unite  the  influence  and  pious  intelligence  of  Georgia  Baptists,  so 
as,  thereby,  to  facilitate  their  union  and  co-operation  ?  Or,  what  evil  can  there  be 
in  forming  and  encouraging  plans  for  the  revival  of  experimental  and  practical 
religion  1  Or,  can  there  be  any  sin  in  giving  effect  to  the  useful  plans  of  the 
several  Associations  ?  Or,  can  it  be  thought  a  bad  thing  to  furnish  the  means 
for  the  education  of  young,  pious  and  indigent  men,  who  are  approved  by  their 
churches,  as  called  of  God  to  the  Baptist  ministry  ?  Or,  can  it  be  regarded  by 
any  as  an  immoral  thing  to  promote  pious  and  useful  education  in  the  Baptist 
denomination  ?  We  cannot  conclude  that  any  man  whose  mind  has  been  in  any 
wise  imbued  by  that  wisdom  which  is  necessary  to  direct,  will  pretend  that 
there  is  any  cause  in  any  of  these  objects  to  break  the  union  of  the  churches." 

It  is  a  fact  that,  before  the  establishment  of  Mercer  Institute,  the  Convention 
sustained  several  young  men,  with  the  ministry  in  prospect,  in  different  institu- 
tions of  learning;  and  in  the  Minutes  for  1 826-7-8-9-30-1-2,  we  peruse  regu- 
lar reports  concerning  these  beneficiaries.  In  1832,  eight  beneficiaries  were 
receiving  instruction,  sustained  by  the  Convention.  At  length,  in  1833,  Mercer 
Institute  was  established,  and  for  six  years  was  conducted  most  successfully 
and  prosperously  by  B.  M.  Sanders  and  his  coadjutors,  Ira  O.  McDaniel,  J.  F. 
Hillyer,  J.  W.  Attaway,  W.  D.  Cowdry,  A.  Williams  and  S.  P.  Sanford.  The 
attendance  on  the  school  was  limited  only  by  its  capacity  to  furnish  board  and 
lodgings  for  the  students.  The  number  of  students  the  first  year  was  thirty- 
nine,  and  the  average  attendance  during  the  succeeding  five  years  was  ninety- 
one.  The  young  men,  members  of  the  most  substantial  and  respectable  families 
in  the  State,  engaged  in  the  manual  labor  required  with  cheerfulness  and  indus- 
try, and,  at  the  same  time,  they  pursued  their  studies  with  earnestness  and  per- 
severance. For  several  hours  each  day  they  performed  the  usual  manual  labor 
of  a  farm,  receiving  for  pay  six  cents  an  hour.  They  also  pursued  a  course  of 
study  that  was  full  and  exacting.  The  discipline  of  the  Institute,  under  B.  M. 
Sanders,  was  firm,  vigilant  and  comprehensive,  and  the  school  was  recognized 
as  one  of  the  very  best  in  the  State.  Its  excellence  was  due  mostly  to  the  capa- 
bilities and  exertions  of  B.  M.  Sanders,  who  had  been  educated  at  Columbia, 
South  Carolina,  and  who  was  a  man  of  great  energy,  strict  integrity,  good 
judgment  and  excellent  business  tact.  He  was  ordained  at' Williams  Creek 
church,  in  Warren  county,  January  5th,  1825,  in  the  thirty-sixth  year  of  his 
age,  by  Jesse  Mercer,  Malachi  Reeves,  Joseph  Roberts,  John  H.  Walker  and 
Jabez  P.  Marshall  officiating  as  a  presbytery.  He  was  a  well  educated  man,  and 
his  practical  knowledge  acquired  in  farming  adapted  him  admirably  to  his  posi- 
sion,  united  as  it  was  to  his  wonderful  energy  and  administrative  abilities. 
Doubtless  the  total  lack  of  some  of  these  requisites,  on  the  part  of  his  successors, 
was  one  reason  of  the  disgust  which  soon  attached  to  the  manual  labor  system. 
The  Institute  was  deservedly  very  dear  to  the  heart  of  the  denomination,  and 
did  much  to  unite  it  and  concentrate  its  exertions.  In  regard  to  manual  labor, 
it  is  certain  that  B.  M.  Sanders  favored  it  strongly,  and  so  did  Ira  O.  McDaniel, 


250  HISTORY    OF   MERCER   UNIVERSITY. 

who  for  six  years  witnessed  its  practical  exemplification.  It  seems,  however,  to 
have  become  irksome  and  burdensome,  after  the  Institute  was  elevated  to  a 
college,  and  was  discontinued  after  a  few  years.  In  December,  1844,  the  Board 
of  Trustees  suspended  this  department  of  the  Institution  by  the  following  ac- 
tion : 

"Whereas,  the  Manual  Labor  Department  of  Mercer  University  has  been 
sustained  at  a  heavy  expense — an  expense  which  the  present  state  of  our  fund 
will  not  justify,  and  has,  in  our  judgment,  materially  retarded  the  growth  of  our 
institution,  after  as  favorable  experiment  as  we  have  been  able  to  make  of  the 
scheme ,  and,  whereas,  the  contributors  of  the  University  fund  have,  so  far  as 
they  have  been  called  upon,  expressed  themselves,  with  almost  entire  unanimity, 
ready  to  concur  in  any  measure  in  reference  to  the  system  which  the  Board  of 
Trustees  may  deem  essential  to  the  prosperity  of  the  institution ;  and,  whereas, 
the  Board  of  Trustees  have  found  themselves,  under  all  circumstances,  unable 
to  accomplish,  to  any  desirable  extent,  the  important  and  benevolent  designs  for 
which  it  was  originally  organized  ;  be  it,  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  this  department  be,  and  is  hereby,  indefanitely  suspended." 

This  action  was  acceded  to  by  the  Convention  of  1845,  which  met  at  Forsyth. 

The  history  of  Mercer  University  and  its  officers,  must  be  summed  up  very 
briefly.  As  has  been  stated,  the  college  classes  were  organized  in  January,  1839. 
The  first  graduating  class  of  three,  received  the  first  diplomas  of  the  University 
in  1 841  ;  they  were  Richard  M.  Johnston,  still  living  and  an  eminent  instructor 
in  Maryland ;  Benjamin  F.  Tharpe,  also  still  living  and  an  eminent  divine,  with 
his  residence  at  Perry,  Georgia,  on  whom  his  alma  mater  has  conferred  the 
honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity;  and  A.  R.  Wellborn,  Doctor  of  Med- 
icine, .still  living  and  residing  in  Atlanta. 

With  the  exception  of  seven  years,  there  has  been  a  regular  succession  of 
graduating  classes  since  1841.  The  denomination  had  then  a  small  number, 
only  of  educated  men,  from  whom  to  elect  professors,  and  for  several  years 
there  were  frequent  changes  in  the  faculty  ;  consequently  an  efficient  faculty  was 
enrolled  gradually.  But  before  the  close  of  the  first  decade,  its  organization 
began  to  attain  stability.  One  of  the  faculty.  Prof.  S.  P.  Sanford,  entered  the 
Institute  as  a  teacher,  in  1838,  and  has  served  continuously  through  the  whole 
existence  of  the  University  to  the  present  time,  a  period  of  forty-three  years. 
Another,  Prof.  J.  E.  Willet,  an  alumnus  of  1846,  who  was  elected  Professor  in 
1847,  has  served  continuously  for  thirty-four  years.  As  instructors  they  have 
proved  themselves  unsurpassed  in  their  departments. 

The  education  of  young  ministers  was  the  primary  intention  of  the  founders 
of  Mercer  Institute.  Theological  education  in  the  University  was  specifically 
provided  for,  in  some  of  the  legacies  and  subscriptions.  Very  appropriately,  in 
1840,  Rev.  Adiel  Sherwood  was  elected  the  first  Theological  Professor — a  man 
who  had  received  excellent  classical  and  theological  training.  Since  making 
Georgia  his  permanent  home,  in  1818,  he  had  been  an  active  minister,  had  or- 
ganized several  churches,  had  preached  very  extensively,  had  taught  a  number 
of  young  ministers  at  his  own  house,  and  had  been  foremost  in  all  measures 
for  the  progress  of  the  denomination  in  the  State.  The  actual  originator  of  the 
Convention  and  of  Mercer  Institute — it  was  desired  that  he  should  develop  the 
Theological  Department  of  the  University,  which  had  grown,  in  a  great  measure, 
from  his  earnest  advocacy  of  liberal  education.  But  he  remained  a  Professor 
three  years  only,  accepting  a  call  to  the  Presidency  of  Shurtliff  College,  in  Illi- 
nois, in  1843.  In  1845  the  Theological  Department  of  Mercer  University  was 
more  fully  organized,  and  was  continued  until  1862.  In  that  time  seven  classes, 
numbering  twelve  members,  graduated  with  the  degree  of  B.  D.  The  course 
was  quite  extensive  and  thorough,  embracing  Greek,  Hebrew,  Systematic  and 
Practical  Theology,  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Biblical  Literature.  Two  Pro- 
fessors usually  gave  most  of  their  time  to  instruction  in  this  department,  and 
the  course  of  study  extended  through  three  years.  The  exigencies  of  the  civil 
war  caused  a  suspension  of  the  Theological  Department,  at  that  time  not  much 
regretted,  as  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  had  organized  the  Southern  Bap- 
tist Theological  Seminary,  at  Greenville,  South  Carolina.     A  concentration  of 


HISTORY   OE   MERCER   UNIVERSITY.  25 1 

money  and  patronage  on  that  enterprise,  in  order  to  build  up  a  first  class  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  the  South,  was  deemed  advisable  by  the  Southern  Baptists 
generally,  in  consequence  of  which  the  Theological  Department  of  Mercer 
University  has  never  been  re-opened.  Indeed,  one  of  the  Theological  Profess- 
ors of  Mercer,  Dr.  William  Williams,  left  in  1859,  to  join  the  Faculty  at  Green- 
ville, being  elected  to  that  position. 

Within  a  few  years  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary  has  been  re- 
moved to  Louisville,  Keiitucky,  and  in  consequence  of  its  distance  from  Geor- 
gia, and  by  reason  of  the  specific  purpose  of  part  of  the  endowment  of  Mercer 
University,  the  re-opening  of  the  Theological  Department  at  an  early  day,  is 
canvassed ;  but,  in  case  of  its  resurrection,  the  course  of  instruction  may  be 
more  elementary  and  less  regular,  than  in  the  Seminary. 

Most  of  the  graduates  in  this  department  had  not  received  previous  training 
in  a  literary  college,  and,  therefore,  have  not  impressed  themselves  on  the  de- 
nomination to  the  same  extent  that  some  students  did  who  graduated  in  the 
Collegiate  Department,  but  who  did  not  take  a  theological  course  afterwards. 
This  evinces  that  nothing  can  take  the  place  of  thorough  literary  training  to  one 
who  is  to  move  men  by  writing,  speaking  and  teaching. 

The  curriculum  of  the  Classical  department  of  Mercer  University  has  been  a 
close  one,  embracing  the  studies  usually  taught  in  colleges  of  a  respectable 
grade.     The  regular  course  embraces  four  years,  and  leads  to  the  degree  of  A.B. 

A  scientific  course,  including  all  of  the  regular  course,  except  ancient  languages, 
is  completed  in  three  years,  and  leads  to  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science — 
B.S.;  but  the  great  m.ajority  of  students  pursue  the  regular  course.  The  aim 
of  the  trustees  and  faculty,  from  the  beginning,  has  been  to  maintain  as  elevated 
a  standard  of  scholarship  as  the  preparatory  schools  and  the  condition  of  the 
country  would  justify;  and  this  has  made  the  position  which  Mercer  University 
has  held,  among  the  educational  institutions,  eminently  respectable. 

The  number  of  graduates  in  the  Classical  department  has  been  (to  1880)  440, 
in  the  regular  course,  and  seven  in  the  scientific  course.  Of  these  graduates 
seventy-seven  have  been  ministers  of  the  gospel.  Adding  to  these  the  twelve 
theological  graduates  and  seventy-five  or  eighty  who  have  taken  a  partial  course 
in  the  Institute  and  University,  and  who  have  become  ministers  of  the  gospel, 
and  we  have  a  total  of  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  Baptist  ministers,  who 
have  received  their  education  in  this  "  classical  and  theological  school,"  insti- 
tuted by  our  Baptist  fathers,  nearly  half  a  century  ago.  And,  although  the 
Theological  department  has  been  maintained  through  about  one-third,  only,  of 
the  existence  of  the  institution,  yet  the  primary  thought  of  the  founders — edu- 
cation of  ministers, — has,  as  we  see,  been  largely  reaUzed. 

The  law  school  was  organized  in  1873,  with  three  professors  and  sixteen 
students,  and  its  course  extends  through  one  year.  Twenty-four  graduates, 
with  the  degree  of  B.L.,  have  completed  the  studies  of  this  school. 

The  civil  war  affected  the  interests  of  Mercer  University  in  more  ways  than 
one. 

During  the  spring  of  1861  and  1862,  the  senior  classes  of  those  years  joined 
the  army  almost  in  a  body.  The  senior  class  of  1861,  the  largest  ever  gradu- 
ated, lost  nine  of  its  thirty-one  members  in  military  service.  During  the  contin- 
uance of  the  war,  a  skeleton,  merely,  of  college  organization  was  preserved,  for 
the  reason  that  the  material  for  classes  was  almost  entirely  absorbed  by  the 
demands  of  the  service ;  and,  with  the  close  of  the  war  ,came  temporary  con- 
fusion and  demoralization.  The  railroads  of  the  State  had  been  torn  up,  postal 
facilities  were  interrupted,  civil  authority  was  suspended ;  investments  m  stocks, 
bonds  and  personal  loans  became  unproductive  if  not  useless  ;  general  confusion 
and  derangement  in  social  and  political  affairs  prevailed,  and  it  seemed  but  the 
dictate  of  reason  and  common  sense,  to  suspend  the  exercises  of  the  institution. 
Indeed,  in  this  state  of  things  the  University  virtually  dissolved  itself  in  May, 
1865.  The  Board  of  Trustees  could  not  have  a  meeting,  and  the  faculty  reluct- 
antly closed  the  doors  of  the  college.  The  two  senior  members  of  the  faculty- 
Professors  Sanford  and  Willet— however,  opened  a  school  in  the  college  build- 
ings, held  a  quasi  commencement  in  July,  and,  as  well  as  they  could,  under  the 


3-52  HISTORY   OF   MERCER   UNIVERSITY. 

circumstances,  carried  on  the  mixed  studies  of  preparatory  and  college  classes, 
until  the  close  of  the  year.  The  trustees  succeeded  in  holding  a  meeting  in 
December  of  1865,  and  began  the  rehabilitation  of  the  University  and  the 
reorganization  of  the  faculty.  Three  officers  were  appointed  who  conducted 
the  school  until  July,  1866,  when  two  more  were  elected,  one  of  whom  entered 
on  his  duties  immediately  and  the  other  did  so  at  the  beginning  of  1867.  The 
classes  of  the  period  succeeding  the  war  were  noted  for  orderly  conduct  and 
great  application  to  study ;  for  they  appeared  to  realize  that  the  issue  of  the 
war  had  wrought  a  revolution  in  the  fortunes,  industries  and  employments  of 
the  Southern  people,  and  that,  afterwards,  the  success  of  young  men  was  to 
depend  on  personal  effort,  in  which  education  entered  as  an  important  factor. 
Hence,  with  great  earnestness  of  purpose,  they  bent  all  their  energies  to  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge. 

The  war  affected  the  college  in  another  and  unexpected  manner — in  regard  to 
its  location;  and  the  result  was  its  removal  from  Penfield  to  Macon.  In  1850, 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Convention  at  Marietta,  a  feeble  effort  was  made  to  move 
the  college  to  Griffin.  In  1857  a  more  determined  effort  at  removal  was  made 
in  the  Convention  which  met  at  Augusta,  but  it  experienced  a  most  decided  re- 
pulse. But  the  war,  and  especially  the  redundant  currency  it  set  afloat,  made 
men  and  communities  more  adventurous  and  speculative,  and  under  thi&ififiu- 
ence  the  project  of  moving  the  University  assumed  a  new  phase.  Several  cities, 
appreciating  the  advantages  of  an  endowed  college  owned  by  a  large  denomin- 
ation, offered  valuable  pecuniary  inducements  to  the  friends  of  Mercer  Univer- 
sity, to  secure  its  removal.  Consequently  the  question  of  removal  was  re- 
opened and  fully  discussed  in  the  Convention  which  assembled  at  Newnan  in 
April,  1870.  By  a  vote  of  71  to  16,  it  was  resolved  to  move  the  University 
from  Penfield ;  and,  at  a  subsequent  conference  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  and 
a  Committee  of  the  Convention,  the  city  of  Macon  was  adopted  as  the  location 
of  the  college.  In  consideration  of  free  tuition  to  a  certain  number  of  scholars 
to  be  selected  by  that  city,  Macon  gave  the  University  $125,000  in  bonds,  and 
seven  acres  of  land  on  Tatnall  Square.  The  removal,  however,  necessitated  a 
change  in  the  charter  by  the  State  Legislature,  pending  which  the  University 
was  suspended  during  the  spring  of  1 871,  and  a  collegiate  school  was  conducted 
by  the  Faculty,  in  the  city  of  Macon.  The  new  charter  having  been  perfected, 
Mercer  University  was  again  formally  opened  in  October,  1871,  at  Macon. 
The  Trustees  proceeded  to  the  erection  of  a  large  and  handsome  four-story 
brick  building,  containing  over  thirty  rooms,  to  contain  the  library  and  appa- 
ratus and  rooms  for  the  purposes  of  recitation.  They  erected,  also,  a  brick 
building  as  a  dormitory  and  dining-hall  for  students.  A  chapel  and  a  building 
to  contain  the  museurn  and  to  furnish  lecture  rooms  were  in  contemplation, 
but  the  financial  panic  of  1873  caused  a  suspension  of  further  proceedings. 

Macon,  the  new  home  of  the  University,  is  a  central,  healthy  city,  which  is 
becoming  an  educational  centre.  The  site,  or  campus,  of  seven  acres,  looking 
out  upon  Tatnall  Square,  is  capable  of  great  ornamentation,  and  will  become  as 
dear  to  the  newer  graduates  as  the  beautiful  oak-embowered  campus  of  Pen- 
field  was  to  the  older  classes. 

The  future  of  this  institution  depends  upon  an  exhibition  of  generous  liber- 
ality, akin  to  that  put  forth  by  our  Baptist  fathers,  when  the  denomination  in 
the  State  numbered  not  more  than  50,000  members.  For  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  century  the  endowment  contributed  by  them  was  managed  by  T.  J.  Bur- 
ney,  of  Madison,  treasurer  of  the  Convention  and  of  the  University,  of  whom 
Dr.  J.  H.  Campbell,  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  says 
truthfully,  in  his  "  Georgia  Baptists :"  A  more  faithful  and  efficient  officer,  per- 
haps, never  lived.  The  Trustees  adopted  his  views  on  all  subjects  affecting 
their  finances,  and  he  was  authorized  to  carry  them  out  at  his  own  discretion. 
And  it  was,  unquestionably,  owing  to  his  wisdom  and  foresight  that  a  large  pro- 
portion of  these  funds  were  saved  during  the  late  war,  while  other  institutions 
became  bankrupt. 

The  presidents  and  the  professors  in  the  various  departments  have  been  as 
follows: 


HISTORY   OF   MERCER   UNIVERSITY,  253 

PRESIDENTS. 

Rev.  Billington  M.  Sanders,  1839;  Rev.  Otis  Smith,  i84o-'43;  Rev.  Jchn  L. 
Dagg,  D.D.,  1844-54;  Rev.  Nathaniel  M.Crawford,  D.D.,  1855-56,  and  1858- 
'65;  Rev.  Henry  Holcombe  Tucker,  D.D.,  i866-'7i  ;  and  Rev.  Archibald  J. 
Battle,  D.D.,  1872  to  the  present  date,  i88i. 

THEOLOGICAL    DEPARTMENT — PROFESSORS. 

Sacred  Lzterattcre  and  Moral  Philosophy. — Rev.  Adiel  Sherwood,  D.D., 
i84o-'4i  ;  Rev.  William  J.  Hard,  i84i-'42:  and  Rev.  J.  L.  Revnolds,  D.D., 
i845-'46. 

Systetnatzc  a?id  Pastoral  Theology. — Rev.  John  L.  Dagg,  D.D.,  1 844-' 5  5  ; 
Rev.  William  Williams,  D.D.,  i856-'59;  and  Rev.  Shaler  G.  Hillyer,  D.D., 
i859-'62. 

Ecclesiastical  History  and  Biblical  Literature. — Rev.  Nathaniel  M.  Craw- 
ford, D.D.,  1846-56 ;  and  i858-'65. 

COLLEGIATE   DEPARTMENT — PROFESSORS. 

Mathematics. — Shelton  P.  Sanford,   LL.D.,  1838  to  the  present  time,  1881. 

Ancient  Languages. — Rev.  Albert  Williams,  1840- '41  ;  Rev.  Patrick  H.  Mell, 
D.D.,  1841-55;  Uriah  W.  Wise,  i856-'62;  William  G.  Woodfin,  i856-'62, 
and  1866-78;  and  Rev.  Epenetus  A.  Steed,  1872  to  the  present  time,  1881. 

Belles  Letters.— Ktv.  S.  G.  Hillyer,  D.D.,  i845-'55  ;  Rev.  H.  H.  Tucker,  D.D., 
LL.D.,    i856-'62  :  Rev.  John  J.  Brantly,  D.D.,   1867  to  the  present  time,  1881. 

Natural  Philosophy,  Chemistry  and  Geology. — Robert  Tolefree,  M.D.,  1840- 
'41  ;  Benjamin  Osgood  Pierce.  i84i-'47,  and  i848-'49;  and  Joseph  E.  Willet, 
1847  to  the  present  time,  1881. 

Modern  Langicages. — William  G.  Woodfin,  i856-'72,  and  1866;  and  Rev. 
John  J.  Brantly,  D.D.,  1867  to  the  present  time,  1881. 

Adjunct  Professors  and  Tutors. — IraO.  McDaniel,  1839;  Rev.  John  W.  At- 
taway,  i839-'4i  ;  Rev.  William  J.  Hard,  i84i-'42;  W.  K.  Posey,  1841  ;  R.J. 
Miller,  1842;  Rev.  Thomas  D.  Martin,  1843-55;  Thomas  A.  Seals,  1856;  J. 
Lumpkin  Andrews,  1857  ;  Tohn  T.  McGinty,  1857,  and  Adrian  S.  Morgan,  1858. 

LAW   DEPARTMENT — PROFESSORS. 

Equity,  Jurisprudence,  Pleading  and  Practice.  —  Hon.  Carlton  B.  Cole, 
i873-'75  ;  and  John  C.  Rutherford,  A.M.,  1875  to  the  present  time,  1881. 

Ifiternational  and  Constitutional  Law. — Hon.  CHfford  Anderson,  1873  to 
the  present  time,  1881. 

Commo7i  and  Statute  Law. — Walter  B.  Hill,  A.M..  B.L.,  1873  to  the  present 
time,  1881. 

THE   SEVERAL    ADMINISTRATIONS. 

Rev.  B.  M.  Sanders,  who  had  been  the  central  figure  in  the  Institute,  con- 
sented to  remain  one  year  as  President  of  the  University.  It  was,  indeed,  fit- 
ting that  he  should  launch  upon  its  new  career  of  usefulness,  the  bark  which  he 
had  guided  so  successfully  through  the  six  years  of  its  preceding  existence. 

Rev.  Otis  Smith,  the  second  President,  remained  three  years,  and  gave  diplo- 
mas to  the  first  two  graduating  classes. 

Rev.  Dr.  Dagg,  succeeded  in  1844,  to  a  Presidency  of  ten  years.  With  very 
superior  mental  endowments,  varied  and  solid  scholarship,  venerable  presence, 
affable  manners,  aptness  in  teaching  and  steadiness  in  discipline,  he  commanded 
the  love  and  reverence  of  the  whole  institution.  He  gave  dignity  and  character 
to  the  new  college,  and  enabled  it  deservedly  to  take  high  rank  among  the  col- 
leges of  the  State. 

Rev.  Dr.  Crawford,  inherited  much  of  the  massive  intellect  of  his  father,  Hon. 
William  H.  Crawford.  His  mind  mastered,  with  equal  ease,  almost  every  de- 
partment of  thought,  and  in  almost  every  branch  of  science  he  was  learned. 
Modest,  sincere,  sagacious,  companionable,  independent,  and  with  great  clear- 
ness and  coolness  of  judgment,  he  won  the  respect  and  admiration  of  his  stu- 
dents, and  was  beloved  as  a  wise  counsellor  in  the  assemblies  of  his  brethren. 
During  his  presidency,  the  rigidity  of  discipline  which  American  colleges  had 
inherited  from  the  European,  was  greatly  relaxed. 


254  HISTORY   OF   MERCER   UNIVERSITY. 

Rev.  Dr.  Tucker,  the  next  President,  was  possessed  of  remarkable  acuteness, 
originality  and  readiness  of  intellect :  clear,  brilliant,  magnetic,  he  excited  such 
enthusiasm  as  few  instructors  have  the  power  to  do.  "  You  are  gentlemen,  and 
the  sons  of  gentlemen,"  was  the  key-note  of  a  discipline  which  banished  from 
college  all  silly  tricks  and  pranks,  and  begat  true  manliness  of  character.  In 
fact,  the  fresh  vitahty  of  his  administration  is  still  felt  in  the  institution. 

Rev.  Dr.  Battle  came  to  the  University  shortly  after  its  settlement  in  its  new 
home  at  Macon.  Dr.  Cullen  Battle,  his  father,  a  prominent  Baptist  of  Georgia, 
had  been  a  liberal  donor  to  the  University,  but  had  removed  to  Alabama,  thus 
carrying  his  son  Archibald  to  another  State,  where,  on  arriving  at  manhood,  he 
occupied  positions  of  distinction  and  influence.  On  his  return  to  his  native 
State,  Dr.  Battle  was  received  with  a  warm  welcome,  and  found  friends  in  all. 
As  an  educator  and  a  college  president,  he  has  proved  to  be  not  only  a  superior 
scholar,  but  prudent  and  firm  in  administration,  and  more  than  equal  to  the 
demands  of  his  position.  While  his  career  as  an  educator  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful, he  has  produced  some  original  thought  in  a  work  on  the  Human  Will, 
which  has  been  very  highly  commended.  By  his  courteous  demeanor  and  high 
Christian  character,  he  has  attached  to  the  College  the  community  which  had 
contributed  so  liberally  to  its  endowment.  Under  his  administration  the  College 
has  prospered,  and  students  have  sustained  a  high  reputation  for  good  order 
and  studiousness. 

Some  of  the  professors  of  Mercer  University  have  been  men  of  commanding 
influence  and  abilities.  One  of  these  was  Dr.  P.  H.  Mell,  who  for  fourteen 
years  greatly  benefitted  the  College  by  his  services,  and  acquired  a  reputation 
that  obtained  for  him  a  professorship  in  the  State  University,  which  he  retained 
till  two  years  ago,  when  he  was  elevated  to  the  high  and  honorable  position  of 
Chancellor  of  that  institution.  As  clerk  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  he 
served  ten  years,  the  same  number  of  years  that  Adiel  Sherwood  served ;  and 
as  President,  he  has  served  nineteen  years,  the  same  number  of  years  that  Jesse 
Mercer  served,  and  much  of  the  efficiency  of  the  Convention  may  be  attributed 
to  him.  For  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  been  Moderator  of  the  Georgia 
Association,  and  in  all  these  situations  his  influence  in  regard  to  Baptist  doctrine 
and  usage  has  been  salutary  and  conservative.  He  has  exerted  an  influence  in 
the  denomination  second  to  that  of  no  other.  With,  perhaps,  no  superior  as  a 
disciplinarian,  he  has  few,  if  any,  equals  as  an  acute  dialectician.  From  the  year 
1846,  when  he  first  became  clerk  of  the  Convention,  down  to  the  present  time, 
he  has  exerted  a  strong  influence  for  good  in  the  denomination,  and  the  faithful 
labor  of  ten  years  in  the  institution,  places  Mercer  University  deeply  in  his  debt. 

Dr.  J.  J.  Brantly  is  one  of  the  most  polished  and  scholarly  professors  who  has 
ever  been  connected  with  the  institution.  Professor  W.  G.  Woodfin,  for  many 
years  Professor  of  Ancient  Languages,  was  an  accomplished  and  most  valuable 
instructor  while  connected  with  the  institution.  He,  too,  is  now  a  professor  in 
the  State  University.  Rev.  E.  A.  Steed  has  been  excelled  by  no  instructor  in 
the  ancient  languages  who  has  ever  been  connected  with  the  University,  nor 
perhaps  by  any  in  any  other  institution  of  learning.  Dr.  S.  G.  Hillyer,  for  many 
years  connected  with  the  College,  and  now  pastor  at  Washington,  Georgia,  was 
a  sound  theologian  and  eloquent  preacher,  and  exerted  a  good  influence  when 
a  professor.  Professors  Willet  and  Sanford  are  unsurpassed  in  their  depart- 
ments, and,  by  their  long  and  faithful  services,  have  greatly  endeared  themselves 
to  the  denomination. 

The  reader  now  has  a  fair  idea  of  the  inception,  the  growth  and  the  establish- 
ment of  Mercer  University.  It  sprung  from  a  desire  for  an  educated  ministry, 
but  this  intention  enlarged  into  the  broader  purpose  of  the  higher  education  of 
Baptist  sons,  and  in  this  great  work  the  minds  and  hearts  of  those  Georgia 
Baptists  who  are  connected  with  the  Convention  have,  been  enhsted.  They 
have  brought  to  it  their  offerings  of  time,  money  and  wisdom,  and,  when  neces- 
essary,  have  sacrificed  for  it  their  preferences  for  locations  and  measures.  This 
fusion  of  mind  and  heart  has  unified  and  consolidated  the  regular  denomination 
in  the  State,  and  has  girded  it  for  the  great  religious  work  it  has  wrought.  The 
University,  thus  founded  in  the  prayers,  sacrifices  and  best  purposes  of  the 


HISTORY    OF   MERCER    UNIVERSITY.  255 

Georgia  Baptists,  and  becoming  the  centre  of  its  intellectual  culture,  has  ever 
been  the  rallying  point  of  the  denomination.  With  the  return  of  stability  and 
prosperity  to  the  country,  the  institution  should  enter  on  a  new  era  of  enlight- 
ened progress.  New  buildings,  a  more  numerous  faculty  and  increased  appli- 
ances ot  all  kmds  are  required  by  the  larger  numbers  and  greater  intelligence 
of  the  denomination ;  and  it  is  hoped  and  believed  that  the  Baptists  of  the  State 
are  ripe  for  an  enlargement  of  the  aims  and  works  of  their  beloved  University 

P°ul  I  J  Baptists  of  Georgia  Mercer  has  this  undoubted  claim,  that  it  was 
estabhshed  for  grand  and  useful  purposes  by  the  fathers  of  the  denomination, 
and  has  been  transmitted  to  us  as  a  sacred  trust.  It  is.  therefore,  in  a  peculiar 
sense,  our  own  heritage,  and  demands  from  us  unremitting  care  and  devotion  • 
and  right  worthy  is  it  of  all  our  jealous  and  watchful  solicitude.  It  has  con- 
tributed, in  a  high  degree,  to  the  solid  growth,  the  exalted  character  and  the 
commanding  influence  of  the  denomination.  It  has  added  largely  to  the  intelli- 
gent and  influential  element  of  our  Baptist  brotherhood.  It  has  been  a  potent 
factor  in  the  progress  of  our  principles.  It  has  done  much  to  exalt  the  character 
of  our  ministry,  and,  by  its  fruitful  career  and  its  honorable  position,  has  given 
a  noble  prestige  to  the  Christian  community  which  it  represents. 

In  view  of  what  it  has  accomplished,  we  cannot  afford  to  dispense  with  so 
powerful  an  agency  for  good ;  and  to  suffer  it  to  languish,  would  reduce  us  to 
inferiority  and  insignificance. 

But,  if  the  University  is  to  go  on  achieving  results  in  proportion  to  the  ad- 
vancing intelligence  of  the  age  and  to  the  demands  of  Christian  scholarship, 
and  if  It  IS  to  hold  its  position  abreast  of  the  progressive  institutions  of  the 
country,  it  must  possess  the  needful  appliances.  In  order  that  no  material 
equipment  nor  any  instructional  facility  may  be  wanting ;  in  order  that  build- 
ings, apparatus,  library,  and  the  courses  and  methods  of  instruction  may  be 
such  as  the  times  and  circumstances  require,  its  endowment  must  be  increased. 

Let  us  hope  that  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  may  awake  to  a  deeper  solicitude, 
and  a  more  active  zeal,  and  to  an  abounding  liberality  towards  this  noble  legacy 
of  their  fathers — Mercer  University. 


XX. 

POSITION  ON  VARIOUS  MATTERS. 


1794-1881. 


(17) 


XX. 

POSITION  ON  VARIOUS  MATTERS 


THE  GEORGIA   BAPTISTS   AND   PATRIOTISM— "  GOOD  WILL  TOMAN" — MAR- 
^     ITAL    RIGHTS    OF   SLAVES— TEMPERANCE — THE   BAPTISTS   NEVER  LIKELY 
TO    FORM   A  PARTY — THE   ACT   OF    1785    TO    SUPPORT    MINISTERS    OUT   OF 
1^-,  THE   PUBLIC   TREASURY— REMONSTRANCE  OF   THE   GEORGIA    BAPTISTS — 
<^    THE   BAPTISTS    AND     RELIGIOUS     LIBERTY — MERCER   WRITES    THAT    SEC- 
ll^TION     IN     THE     STATE    CONSTITUTION — A    STRONG    BAPTIST     PROTEST — 
51     EDUCATION     OF     COLORED     MINISTERS — PULPIT     AFFILIATON     IN     THE 
,     OLDEN   TIME — NO    OPEN    COMMUNION    AMONG    THE    EARLY    BAPTISTS   OF 
^    GEORGIA— PULPIT  COURTESIES  ALLOWED   TO    PEDOBAPTISTS,  BUT  THEIR 
'  OFFICIAL   ACTS   NOT    RECOGNIZED— THE   CONSTITUTION    OF    THE    RICH- 
LAND    CHURCH — THE    CASE    OF    MR.    HUTCHINSON — JESSE    MERCER    ON 
NOT     RECOGNIZING     PEDOBAPTIST    IMMERSION — EXTRACTS     FROM    SHER- 
WOOD'S  MANUSCRIPTS. 

A  very  interesting  cliapter  might  be  written  concerning  the  bold  stand  ever 
taken  by  the  Georgia  Baptists  in  favor  of  political  and  religious  liberty.  Wash- 
ington himself  praised  the  Baptists  for  their  patriotism  and  for  the  courage  they 
exhibited  during  the  glorious  struggle  for  liberty  in  the  war  of  Independence. 
The  same  spirit  was  manifested  in  the  war  of  1812.  As  we  have  seen,  the 
Georgia  Baptists  exhibited  an  ardent  attachment  to  country  at  that  crisis  ;  the 
Associations  adopted  patriotic  resolutions  and  appointed  days  of  fasting  and 
prayer  for  the  success  of  our  arms  ;  while  the  ministers  incited  the  community 
to  support  the  cause  of  the  country. 

But  underneath  the  sentiment  of  patriotism  is  the  feeling  oi  good  will  to  man, 
which  takes  a  higher  and  broader  range  than  mere  patriotism,  because  it  is  a 
higher  and  nobler  sentiment.  It  was  this  solicitude  for  the  benefit  and  rights 
of  others  that  led  our  Baptist  fathers  to  proclaim  the  gospel  in  all  parts  of  the 
State,  with  and  without  reward,  and  which  induced  them  to  expend  their  money 
in  the  erection  of  meeting  houses,  in  contributions  for  schools,  colleges,  and 
academies,  in  missions  among  their  red  neighbors,  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees, 
and  in  sending  the  good  news  of  salvation  to  the  heathen  of  the  old  world.  It 
was  this  sentiment  that  led  the  Georgia  Association,  in  1794,  to  memorialize 
the  State  Legislature  by  making  a  law  to  prevent  the  operations  of  the  African 
slave  trade,  as  far  as  Georgia  was  concerned  ;  which  memorial  Henry  Graybill 
and  James  Sims  were  instructed  to  present  to  the  General  Assembly,  at  its  next 
session.*  This  same  feeling  has  led  the  Georgia  Baptists,  in  all  their  existence, 
to  manifest  a  lively  interest  in  the  mental  and  moral  elevation  of  the  negro 
race,  causing  them  repeatedly,  in  their  Associations  and  Conventions,  not  only 
to  urge  the  instruction  of  the  colored  race,  but  to  contribute  its  money  freely 
for  its  evangelization  and  moral  and  religious  training.  The  truth  of  this  is 
evinced  by  the  existence  of  thousands  of  colored  Baptists,  all  over  Georgia,  who 
formed  themselves  into  churches  immediately  after  the  war,  and  whose  good 

*The  following  extract  from  the  Minutes  of  the  Georgia  Association  for  1794,  from  the  only  copy 
known  to  be  in  existence,  is  the  action  of  that  body  to  which  reference  is  made  :  "  A  memorial  moving 
to  the  Legislature  that  a  law  be  made  to  prevent  the  future  importation  of  slaves,  was  presented,  read 
and  approved,  and  ordered  to  be  signed  by  the  Moderator  and  Clerk.  Also,  Henry  Graybill  and 
James  Sims  were  appointed  to  present  the  same  to  the  next  session  of  the  General  Assembly." 


26o  POSITION   ON   VARIOUS   MATTERS. 

order,  sobriety  and  religious  training  was  a  matter  of  surprise  to  Northern  visi- 
tors, to  whom  it  never  occurred  that  credit  should  be  given  to  the  white  Baptists 
of  the  State  for  such  a  favorable  state  of  affairs. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  quote  here  the  action  of  the  Georgia  Association  in 
1864,  relative  to  the  marital  relation  among  slaves,  as  exhibiting  the  sacredness 
which  the  Baptists  attach  to  that  relation.  The  following  resolution,  drawn  up 
and  offered  by  Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker,  on  the  8th  of  October,  1864,  at  the  session 
which  met  at  Pine  Grove,  Columbia  county,  was  unanimously  adopted : 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  the  firm  belief  and  conviction  of  this  body  that  the  in- 
stitution of  marriage  was  ordained  by  Almighty  God  for  the  benefit  of  the 
whole  human  race,  without  respect  to  color ;  that  it  ought  to  be  maintained  in 
its  original  purity  among  all  classes  of  people,  in  all  countries  and  in  all  ages, 
till  the  end  of  time  ;  and  that,  consequently,  the  law  of  Georgia,  in  its  failure  to 
recognize  and  protect  this  relationship  between  our  slaves,  is  essentially  defec- 
tive, and  ought  to  be  amended." 

Mere  legal  sanction  possesses  no  sacredness  in  Baptist  opinion,  when  contrary 
to  their  prevailing  sentiment  of  good  will  to  man. 

The  same  feeling  extended  itself  towards  the  young  in  the  establishment  of 
Sunday-schools,  and  towards  all  classes  and  ages  in  the  formation  of  temper- 
ance societies.  The  Baptists  formed  and  mainly  carried  on  the  first  temperance 
society  in  the  State,  and  were  greatly  instrumental  in  the  successes  achieved  by 
the  great  temperance  crusade  in  the  State  between  1825  and  1835,  which 
aided  so  materially  in  casting  odium  upon  liquor-drinking,  and  upon  the  custom 
of  keeping  hquor  and  offering  it  to  the  household  guest,  and  using  it  on  festive 
occasions. 

The  first  temperance  paper  ever  published  in  the  State  was  originated  and, 
for  some  years,  published  at  a  pecuniary  loss,  by  a  Baptist — Jesse  Mercer^and 
was  called  The  Temperance  Banner. 

RELIGIOUS    LIBERTY. 

In  regard  to  religious  liberty  and  the  rights  of  conscience,  the  records  show 
that  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  have,  in  no  degree,  been  behind  their  brethren  of 
Rhode  Island  and  Virginia  in  fidelity  to  that  great  distinguishing  trait  of  our 
denomination.  The  rnost  preposterous  utterance  ever  made  in  the  Georgia 
Legislature,  was  that  which  gave  for  one  reason  why  a  charter  should  not  be 
granted  to  Mount  Enon  College  that  the  numbers  and  influence  of  the  Baptists 
ought  not  to  be  augmented,  lest  the  religious  liberties  of  the  State  be  endangered, 
because  the  denomination  being  then  largely  in  the  preponderance  in  the  State, 
everything  would  eventually  be  under  Baptist  control  and  direction. 

It  is  a  historical  fact  that,  though  highly  respected  by  his  Baptist  brethren, 
and  though  extensively  known  as  belonging  to  the  Baptist  denomination,  yet  the 
Hon.  Wilson  Lumpkin,  when  a  candidate  for  Governor,  was  not  generally 
supported  by  his  denomination.  Although  elected,  he  received  but  a  small  vote 
from  his  Baptist  friends.  This  simply  shows  that  Baptists  need  never  be 
expected  to  unite  in  forming  a  political  party,  or  to  gain  political  power.  This 
was  exemplified  in  the  strongest  possible  manner  in  1785  when  the  State  Legis- 
lature enacted  the  following  law,  to  provide  lor  the  establishment  and  support 
of  the  public  duties  of  religion : 

"  An  Xct  for  the  Establishment  and  Support  of  the  Public  Duties  of  Religion. 

'•  As  the  knowledge  and  practice  of  the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion 
tends  greatly  to  make  good  members  of  society,  as  well  as  good  men,  and  is  no 
less  necessary  to  present  than  to  future  happiness,  its  regular  establishment  and 
support  is  among  the  most  important  objects  of  legislative  determination  ;  and 
that  the  minds  of  the  citizens  of  this  State  may  be  properly  informed  and 
impressed  by  the  great  principles  of  moral  obligation,  and  thus  be  induced  by 
inclination,  furnished  with  opportunity,  and  favored  by  law,  to  render  public 
religious  honors  to  the  Supreme  Being  : 


POSITION   ON   VARIOUS   MATTERS.  26 1 

"  Be  it  enacted  by  the  representatives  of  the  freemeti  of  the  State  of  Georgia 
in  General  Assembly  met,  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the  authority  of  the  same. 
That  in  each  county  of  this  State  which  contains  thirty  heads  of  families,  there 
be  duly  chosen  and  appointed  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  who  shall  on  every 
Sunday  publicly  explain  and  inculcate  the  great  doctrines  and  precepts  of  the 
Christian  religion,  as  opportunity  shall  offer,  at  such  place  or  places  as  the  heads 
of  families,  or  a  majority  of  them,  shall  -think  best  suited  to  advance  the  cause 
of  religion  and  the  good  of  the  people  within  said  county. 

"  And  for  the  encouragement  of  persons  of  known  and  approved  piety  and 
learning  to  devote  themselves  wholly  to  so  sacred  an  employment : 

"  Be  it  further  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,.  That  of  the  public  tax 
from  time  to  time  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the  State,  there  be  deducted  at  the 
rate  of  four  pence  on  every  hundred  pounds  valuation  of  property,  and  in  the 
same  proportion  for  all  other  taxable  property,  which  shall  be  appropriated  and 
set  apart  for  the  county  from  which  it  was  received  by  the  treasurer  for  the 
support  of  religion  within  such  county. 

"The  mode  of  choosing  the  minister  shall  be  by  subscription  of  not  less  than 
thirty  heads  of  families,  which  shall  be  certified  by  an  assistant  judge,  and  two 
justices  of  the  peace,  within  the  county,  on  which  the  Governor  shall  give  an 
order  to  the  treasurer  to  pay  out  of  the  money  appropriated  to  the  support  of 
religion  in  said  county,  to  the  person  so  chosen  as  their  minister,  according  to 
the  valuation  of  the  property  of  such  subscribers  in  the  return  of  the  county. 
A  certificate  from  the  justices  aforesaid,  with  an  order  from  the  Governor,  shall 
be  the  mode  of  obtaining  each  yearly  payment ;  and,  unless  it  is  drawn  out  of 
the  treasury  in  manner  aforesaid,  within  one  year  after  it  is  so  received  by  the 
treasurer,  it  shall  revert  to  the  common  funds  of  the  State  for  the  customary 
expenditures  of  government. 

"  Whenever  the  number  of  inhabitants  in  any  county  is  so  much  increased 
as  to  dispose  them  to  bear  a  greater  expense  for  their  better  accommodation, 
and  they  are  desirous  of  being  made  separate  and  distinct  congregations,  the 
sam^e  shall  be  set  forth  by  a  petition  of  not  less  than  twenty  heads  of  families 
to  the  General  Assembly,  and,  on  their  being  set  off  as  a  separate  parish,  they 
shall  be  entitled  to  a  dividend  of  the  money  of  the  said  county,  in  proportion  to 
the  valuation  of  their  property,  in  the  return  of  such  county,  such  proportion  to 
be  drawn  out  of  the  treasury  in  the  manner  before  pointed  out. 

"And  be  it  further  etiacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That  all  the  different 
sects  and  denominations  of  the  Christian  relieion  shall  have  free  and  equal 
liberty  and  toleration  in  the  exercise  of  their  religion  within  this  State. 

"  Provided  always.  That  nothing  in  this  Act  shall  extend  or  be  construed  to 
extend  to,  effect,  or  in  anywise  injure  any  of  the  funds,  subscriptions  or  any 
public  moneys  which  have  been  or  may  hereafter  be  appropriated  for  the  sup- 
port of  any  religious  societies  whatever  within  this  State.  And  _  all  religious 
societies  heretofore  formed  are  hereby  confirmed  and  established  in  all  usages, 
rights,  immunities  and  privileges  they  usually  had,  held  or  enjoyed. 

"  Signed  by  order  of  the  House  of  Assembly  at  Savannah,  the  twenty-first 
day  of  February,  1785.  "Joseph  Habersham,  Speaker." 

It  was  against  this  Act  that  the  Georgia  Baptist  Association  remonstrated  ; 
which  Remonstrance  w^'i  presented  in  the  fall  of  1785.  by  Silas  Mercer  and 
Peter  Smith,  under  appointment  of  the  Association.  A  copy  of  that  remon- 
strance was  procured  by  Adiel  Sherwood,  from  the  Marshall  family,  though  in 
an  incomplete  condition,  and  is  here  given  publicity  for  the  first  time  : 

It  was  found  by  the  author  among  Dr.  Sherwood's  papers,  left  with  the  Bap- 
tist Historical  Society  of  Philadelphia  by  Dr.  Benedict,  and  is  in  Dr.  Sherwood's 
own  handwriting,  copied  by  him  from  the  original  document : 

"  To  the  Honorable,  the  Speaker  and  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Geor- 
gia, the  Remonstrance  of  the  Baptist  Association,  met  at  the  Kiokee  meet- 
ing-house, the  i6th  of  May,  1783,  sheweth : 
That,  according  to  the  observation  of  Solomon,  oppression  maketh  a  wise 

man  mad,  and  that  religious  oppression  is,  of  all  others,  the  most  intolerable. 


262  POSITION   ON   VARIOUS   MATTERS. 

and,  therefore,  laws  which  best  secure  the  Hberty  of  the  subjects,  and  especially 
those  which  preserve  religious  liberty  inviolate,  will  tend  most  to  attach  the 
minds  of  the  citizens  to  the  State,  and  best  promote  concord  among  themselves ; 

"  That  your  remonstrants  conceive  the  late  Act  for  the  regular  establishment 
and  support  of  religion  will  be  so  far  from  subserving  the  interests  of  the  Church 
or  State,  as  perhaps,  the  framers  might  design  that  it  will,  if  carried  into  execu- 
tion, be  injurious  to  both  ; 

"  That  civil  and  religious  government  ought  not  to  be  blended  together,  as 
each  of  them  stands  on  a  different  basis :  civil  government  originates  with 
the  people,  and  every  freeman  has  a  right  to  a  share  in  that  to  which  he 
is  subjected  ;  religious  government  does  not  belong  to  the  people  at  large, 
but  the  admission  and  exclusion  of  the  members  thereof  are  to  be  regulated  by 
the  qualifications  laid  down  in  the  word  of  God ; 

"  That  churches  are  voluntary  societies,  who  consider  Christ  as  their  King 
and  Lawgiver,  and  who  acknowledge  no  other  Master  but  Him  in  things  per- 
taining to  the  conscience.  The  Holy  Scriptures  they  receive  as  their  statute 
book,  and,  as  church  members,  they  belong  to  a  kingdom  which  is  not  of  this 
world,  and,  therefore,  the  sanctions  of  the  laws  they  are  under  are  spiritual. 
All  the  punishments  which  church  rulers  have  a  right  to  inflict  by  Christ's 
authority  are  excommunication,  or  an  exclusion  of  an  unworthy  member  from 
society ; 

"  That  religious  societies,  or  churches,  are  not,  as  many  conceive,  to  be  formed 
by  the  Legislature,  according  to  the  plan  of  civil  government  where  Christianity 
happens  to  be  professed  :  religion  does  not  need  such  carnal  weapons  as  acts  of 
assembly  and  civil  sanctions,  nor  can  they  be  applied  to  it  without  destroying 
it:  Christians  know  they  are  bound  to  obey  magistrates,  to  pay  them  tribute,  to  pray 
for  them,  to  fight  for  them  and  to  defend  them,  but  to  give  them  the  honor  due 
to  Christ  would  be  the  readiest  way  to  ruin  them  :  Christ  is  the  King  and  Lord  of 
the  conscience,  and  it  is  an  encroachment  upon  his  prerogative  for  civil  rulers 
to  interfere  in  matters  pertaining  thereto ; 

"  That  when  legislators,  who  were  chosen  to  make  laws  for  the  government 
of  the  State,  presume  to  make  laws  for  the  church,  they  are  acting  quite  out  of 
their  province,  and  by  the  same  authority  [that]  they  make  one  regulation  they 
[may]  make  others  ;  your  remonstrants,  therefore,  look  on  the  legislators  assum- 
ing the  headship  of  the  Church  and  making  provision  for  its  support,  as  a  step- 
ping stone  to  the  establishment  of  a^jarticular  denomination  in  preference  and 
at  the  expense  of  the  rest ; 

"  That  your  remonstrants  sincerely  believe  that  nothing  of  this  kind  was  in- 
tended by  the  honorable,  the  General  Assembly,  when  they  passed  the  late  Act, 
but  it  is,  evidently,  a  first  link  which  draws  after  it,  a  chain  of  baneful  conse- 
quences ;  for,  those  who  are  employed  by  the  legislature  to  act  in  any  post, 
must  expect  to  have  their  conduct  regulated  thereby,  and  to  be  accountable 
thereto,  for  the  discharge  of  the  trust ;  and  it  will,  probably,  by  degrees,  issue 
in  determining  who  shall  preach,  where  they  shall  preach,  what  they  shall  preach. 
When  religion  is  turned  into  a  policy  and  made  subservient  to  private  interest, 
it  will  ever  bring  tyranny  along  with  it  and  should,  therefore,  be  opposed  in  its 
first  appearances.  The  Three  Penny  Act  on  tea  was  a  trifle  in  itself,  but  a 
badge  of  slavery,  and  a  precedent  [for]  more  destructive  measures. 

"  That,  whatever  rites  and  ceremonies  are  established  as  the  religion  of  any 
country,  some  will  be  found,  who,  like  Eli's  posterity,  M'ill  crouch  to  the  Rulers 
and  say  :  '  Put  me,  I  pray  thee,  into  the  priest's  office,  that  I  may  eat  a  piece  of 
bread.'  Such  time-servers  will  eye  the  emolument  more  than  the  purity  of  re- 
ligion, and  be  swayed  more  by  interest  \ha.npri7iciple.  These,  while  they  plead 
for  national  churches  and  the  authority  of  the  State  in  matters  of  religion,  will 
stand  prepared  to  follow  it  for  the  loaves,  under  whatever  form  it  may  assume, 
and,  having  prostituted  their  own  consciences  to  mercenary  purposes,  they  will 
be  the  first  to  insist  on  the  necessity  of  uniformity,  and  to  urge  the  State  to  en- 
force it,  that  power  and  numbers  may  keep  them  in  countenance. 

"  That  your  remonstrants  acknowledge  that  morality  is  essential  to  good  gov- 
ernment, and  as  rulers  should  be  a  terror  to  evil-doers  and  a  praise  to  them 
that  do  well,  laws  should  be  made  for  the  punishment  of  vice,  without  regard 


POSITION   ON   VARIOUS   MATTERS.  263 

to  any  religious  denomination,  and  protection  should  be  offered  to  each  in  their 
just  rights,  but  statesmen  derive  no  authority  from  God  or  men,  to  judge  heresy 
and  establish  systems  of  religious  opinions  or  modes  of  religious  worship. 
Fines,  imprisonments,  tortures  and  deaths  of  various  kinds,  on  a  religious  ac- 
count, are  the  genuine  but  diabolical  offspring  of  ecclesiastical  establishments. 
It  is  evident  that  none  of  these  can  take  place  in  a  State  where  all  are  left  free 
to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences,  unbribed  and 
unmolested.  That  the  general  commission  given  by  Christ  to  his  ministers  en- 
joined them  to  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature, 
that  is,  as  far  as  they  have  opportunity ;  but  the  Act  referred  to,  by  your  re- 
monstrants, enacts  that  the  minister  shall,  on  every  Sunday,  publicly  explain 
the  great  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion  at  such  place  or  places  as  the  heads 
of  families,  or  a  majority  of  them,  shall  think  best  suited  to  the  people  within 
said  county.  Your  remonstrants  conceive  that  here  are  large  strides  towards 
taking  the  "  — 

Unfortunately  the  remaining  page  or  pages  of  the  Remonstrance  were  lost ; 
but  the  foregoing  gives  a  fair  idea  of  the  document,  which  was  written,  doubt- 
less, by  Silas  Mercer.  It  is  a  noble  production,  and  was  worthy  of  even  such  a 
man.  The  doctor  seems  doubtful  whether  Sanders  Walker  or  Peter  Smith 
was  the  companion  of  Mercer  in  the  presentation  of  the  document,  but  appears 
to  favor  the  latter.  He  says  the  obnoxious  act  was  repealed  in  the  fall  of  1785, 
after  the  presentation  of  this  Remonstrance. 

Surely  it  was  preposterous  to  assume  that  the  Baptists  of  that  day  were  in 
any  way  likely  to  be  dangerous  to  the  religious  liberties  of  the  people. 

The  presentation  of  their  remonstrance  to  the  Legislature  of  our  State,  insist- 
ing, as  it  does,  upon  full  religious  liberty,  strikingly  evinced  one  great,  and  it 
might  be  added  distinguishing,  peculiarity  of  our  denomination — its  attachment 
to  religious  liberty.  Theirs  was  the  most  numerous  denomination  in  the  State, 
and  the  Baptists  might  have  formed  and  supported  their  churches  over  the  entire 
State,  under  the  law  giving  "thirty  famihes  the  right  to  choose  a  minister,"  who 
was  to  be  supported  from  the  State  treasury  ;  but,  according  to  their  principles, 
the  gospel  should  be  supported  by  those  who  hear  it,  and  not  by  "  four  pence  on 
every  hundred  pounds  paid  into  the  treasury."  They  insist  upon  perfect  freedom 
in  worship,  and  are  unwilling  that  the  State  shall  be  taxed  to  support  or  maintain 
religious  worship  in  any  way.  In  other  words,  they  believe  in  an  entire  sepa- 
ration of  "  Church  "  and  "  State."  So  strongly  was  this  feeling  manifested  during 
the  late  war,  that  many  Baptist  ministers  scrupled  to  serve  as  army  chaplains 
in  pay  of  the  government,  and  some  served  independently  as  such  through  a 
part  or  the  whole  of  the  war  without  pay,  rather  than  infringe  on  a  principle 
ingrained  in  Baptist  faith.  It  is  well  known  that  in  the  first  Georgia  Constitu- 
tion, adopted  m  1777,  the  sixty-second  article  made  clergymen  ineligible  to  seats 
in  the  Legislature.  The  State  had  but  few  inhabitants  then,  and  there  was  no 
Baptist  influence  in  the  State  worth  regarding.  But  in  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1789,  at  Augusta,  there  were  at  least  two  Baptists— Abraham  Mar- 
shall and  Jeremiah  Walker— and  then  the  article  excluding  ministers  was 
rescinded.  In  the  Amending  Convention  of  1795,  there  were  Benjamin  Davis, 
Thomas  Polhill  and  Silas  Mercer,  Baptist  ministers ;  and  in  the  Convention  of 
1798,  which,  while  it  took  for  its  basis  the  Constitution  of  1789,  as  amended  m 
1795,  yet  formed  an  mdependent  structure,  the  following  Baptists  were  mem- 
bers:  George  Franklin,  Benjamin  Davis,  Thomas  Polhill,  Benjamm  Mosely, 
Thomas  Gilbert,  Jesse  Mercer,  ministers,  and  Matthew  Rabun  and  others,  lay- 
men. Among  the  "principal  actors"  in  this  Convention,  Dr.  William  Bacon 
Stevens,  in  his  History  of  Georgia,  numbers  Jesse  Mercer,  and  says  that  the 
section  of  the  Constitution  "securing  liberty  of  conscience  in  matters  of  religion 
was  written  by  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer." 

Such  Baptists  as  those  named  above  could  not  act  otherwise  than  discounte- 
nance every  measure  which  might  infringe  upon  inalienable  rights— the  rights 
of  conscience ;  for  every  Baptist  church  is,  in  itself,  a  republic  in  miniature. 
"  The  government  is  with  the  body,"  is  a  sentiment  dear  to  every  member  of 
the   Baptist  denomination;    they  rejoice  that  it  is   not  committed  to  church 


264        •  POSITION   ON   VARIOUS   MATTERS. 

wardens,  to  the  preacher  in  charge,  to  the  bishop,  to  the  ruling  elders,  to  pres- 
byteries, conferences,  associations,  conventions,  nor  to  any  other  body  or  set  of 
oflficers,  but  to  the  church  itself.  With  them  "the  church  is  the  highest  ecclesi- 
astical authority  on  earth,"  and  they  do  not  admit  that  the  civil  courts  have  any 
power  or  right  to  prescribe  regulations  regarding  worship,  or  dictate  who  shall 
or  shall  not  take  part  in  or  conduct  divine  worship. 

This  has  been  exemplified,  even  in  our  day,  as  late  as  1863,  when  a  number  of 
Baptists  of  Georgia  sent  to  the  State  Legislature  a  protest  against  an  enactment 
in  the  Code  of  Georgia,  which  made  it  unlawful  to  license  a  negro  to  preach, 
whether  free  or  a  slave.  This  protest,  written  by  Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker,  assisted  in 
procuring  the  repeal  of  the  obnoxious  law,  and,  in  a  most  able  and  pointed 
manner,  declares  the  position  of  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  with  reference  to  the 
principle  of  religious  liberty,  and  as  such  it  deserves  to  be  put  permanently  on 
record  in  a  history  of  our  people. 

The  following  petition  was  drawn  up  by  Rev.  H.  H.  Tucker,  formerly  Pro- 
fessor in  Mercer  University,  and  was  presented  to  the  Legislature  just  prior  to 
its  repeal  of  the  section  of  the  New  Code,  to  which  allusion  is  made.  The  Leg- 
islature, however,  left  in  full  force  the  old  law  requiring  permission  to  be  ob- 
tained from  the  Inferior  Court  before  a  slave  can  be  licensed  to  preach  : 

"  To  the  Honorable  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  of 
Georgia  : 

"  The  petition  of  the  undersigned  members  of  Baptist  churches,  and  citizens 
of  Georgia,  respectfully  sheweth,  that  whereas.  His  Excellency  the  Governor, 
in  his  recent  message  to.  your  Honorable  Body,  did  recommend  the  repeal  of 
Section  1376  of  the  New  Code  which  section  reads  as  follows,  to- wit : 

"  It  shall  be  unlawful  for  any  church,  society  or  other  body,  or  any  persons, 
to  grant  any  license  or  other  authority  to  any  slave  or  free  person  of  color  to 
preach,  or  exhort,  or  otherwise  officiate  in  church  matters." 

"  And  whereas  the  objections  to  said  section  are  of  the  gravest  possible  char- 
acter, to-wit : 

"  It  is  objectionable  in  the  first  place,  because  it  virtually  unites  Church  and 
State.  Its  very  phraseology  shows  that  the  legislation  embodied  therein,  has 
reference  to  '  Church  matters,'  and  these  are  matters  over  which  no  human  tri- 
bunal has  any  jurisdiction.  However  inexpedient,  unwise  and  improper,  it  may 
be  for  churches  to  authorize  unsuitable  persons,  whether  white  or  black,  to 
preach,  it  is  still  more  inexpedient,  unwise  and  improper  for  civil  authorities  to 
take  cognizance  of  matters  purely  ecclesiastical.  As  Baptists,  we  desire  to  put 
on  record  our  solemn  protest  against  this  encroachment  of  the  kingdom  of  this 
world  upon  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  We  quote  the  language  Of  our  Baptist 
ancestors,  put  on  record  in  the  city  of  London,  in  the  year  1646,  when  we  say 
that, 

"  '  Concerning  the  worship  of  God,'  (and  the  licensing  of  a  preacher  being  a 
part  of  the  service  of  God  is  equivalent  to  an  act  of  worship.)  'there  is  but  one 
lawgiver  which  is  able  to  save  and  to  destroy,  which  is  Jesus  Christ  who  hath 
given  laws  and  rules  sufficient  in  his  word  for  his  worship  ;  and  for  any  to  make 
more  were  to  charge  Christ  with  want  of  wisdom  or  faithfulness,  or  both,  in  not 
making  laws  enough  or  not  good  enough  for  his  house  ;  surely  it  is  our  wisdom, 
duty  and  privilege  to  observe  Christ's  laws  only.' 

"  Section  1376  of  the  new  Code  of  Georgia  is  an  attempt  to  improve  upon  the 
laws  which  Christ  has  given  to  his  people  ;  it  is  a  usurpation  of  ecclesiastical 
power  by  civil  authorities ;  it  is  a  seizure  by  force  of  the  things  that  are  God's, 
and  a  rendering  of  them  unto  Caesar ;  it  is  a  consolidation  under  one  govern- 
ment, of  things  which  belong  to  two  separate  and  distinct  tribunals.  What 
would  be  the  outcry  if  a  Baptist  or  any  other  church  were  to  attempt  to  prescribe 
the  length  of  the  Governor's  term  of  office,  or  to  say  of  how  many  members 
the  Legislature  shall  consist,  or  to  prescribe  the  qualifications  of  Legislators  or  , 
of  voters,  or  to  regulate  the  taxes,  or  to  make  laws  for  the  collection  of  debts, 
or  for  the  punishment  of  crimes  ;  or  in  any  other  way  to  trespass  upon  the  au- 


POSITION   ON   VARIOUS    MATTERS.  265 

thority  of  civil  government  ?  Yet  a  church  has  as  much  right  to  dictate  to  the 
Legislature  on  these  matters,  as  the  Legislature  has  to  dictate  to  a  church  v,-hom 
it  shall  authorize  to  preach.  The  truth  is,  the  two  jurisdictions  are  world- 
wide apart,  and  any  attempt  to  force  them  into  union  is  as  unwise  as  it  is  un- 
hallowed. _  In  too  many  instances  already,  the  Church  has  committed  whoredom 
with  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  result  has  been  disastrous. 

"  The  section  in  question  is  objectionable,  in  the  second  place,  because  it  tres- 
passes upon  the  rights  of  conscience,  and  is  a  violation  of  religious  liberty.  To 
say  nothing  of  the  sacred  right  of  the  black,  to  preach,  exhort  or  pray,  if  God 
has  called  and  commanded  him  to  do  either,  cases  might  arise,  in  which  we 
might  feel  it  our  duty  as  Baptists  to  license  a  man  of  color  to  preach  or  other- 
wise officiate  in  church  matters.  To  grant  such  license,  would  then  be  a  part 
of  our  religion  ;  but  the  Code  of  Georgia  forbids  our  acting  according  to  the 
dictates  of  our  own  consciences,  in  this  particular,  and  in  prescribing  what  our 
religion  shall  not  be,  virtually  prescribes  what  it  shall  be.  We  protest  against 
this  attempt  to  bind  our  consciences.  Our  religion  is  a  matter  between  us  and 
our  God  ;  with  which  no  power  on  earth  has  a  right  to  interfere.  Soul-liberty 
is  the  rightful  heritage  of  all  God's  moral  creatures.  Not  even  over  the  reli- 
gion of  the  slave  has  civil  authority  any  power,  nor  yet  has  it  over  that  of  the 
citizen. 

"  Involved  in  this  objectionable  feature,  and  forming  perhaps  a  part  of  it,  is 
another.  There  are  in  the  State  of  Georgia,  not  far  from  one  hundred  thousand 
Baptist  communicants,  to  say  nothing  of  adherents  and  friends.  If  the  spirit 
of  the  section  be  carried  out,  the  whole  of  this  vast  proportion  of  the  popula- 
tion, will  be  forced  to  the  unhappy  alternative,  of  deciding  whether  they  will 
obey  the  law  of  Georgia  or  the  law  of  God.  If  the  law  were  enforced  by  ex- 
treme penalties,  we  must  either  violate  our  consciences  or  become  martyrs. 
Doubtless  some  who  are  among  us  would  forsake  their  principles  in  the  day  of 
trial ;  but  others,  the  better  part,  we  hope  the  great  majority,  the  upright,  the 
conscientious,  the  pure  and  the  true,  would  stand  by  their  religion  to  the  last, 
and  say  with  apostolic  boldness :  '  Whether  it  is  right  in  the  sight  of  God  to 
hearken  unto  you  more  than  unto  God.  judge  ye.'  Thus  a  large  proportion  of 
the  best  part  of  the  population  of  the  State,  would  be  arrayed  in  hostility  to  its 
laws.  The  rebels  would  consist,  not  of  the  profane  and  the  lawless,  but  of 
those  whose  nature  and  whose  religion  prompt  them  to  be  peaceable,  quiet,  loyal 
and  law-abiding.  Facts  have  indeed  already  transpired  which,  to  some  extent, 
corroborate  what  has  been  said.  The  Baptist  church  in  Columbus,  Georgia, 
with  the  new  Code  spread  open  before  their  eyes,  and  with  a  full  knowledge 
and  understanding  of  the  intent  and  meaning  of  section  1376,  and  after  a  thor- 
ough discussion  of  its  provisions,  deliberately  violated  the  same,  and  ordained 
two  negroes  to  officiate  in  church  matters  in  the  office  of  Deacon.  Should  the 
same  intolerant,  bigoted  and  persecuting  spirit  which  prompted  the  making  of 
the  law,  be  let  loose  to  enforce  it,  we  doubt  not,  that  the  Baptists  of  Columbus 
would  be  ready  for  the  gibbet  or  the  stake  rather  than  recede  from  their  princi- 
ples, and  as  thousands  of  Baptists  in  centuries  past,  have  done,  would  seal  their 
testimony  with  their  blood. 

"  It  is,  however,  a  remarkable  fact,  in  regard  to  the  law  in  question,  that  it  has 
no  penalty ;  and  this  we  regard  as  another  objectionable  feature.  If  we  ai:e 
forbidden  to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  our  own  consciences,  (for 
as  already  said,  the' licensing  of  a  preacher  is  an  act  of  worship,)  we  want  to 
know  what  penalty  we  incur.  If  it  be  a  fine,  it  will  not  be  the  first  time  that  we 
have  been  robbed  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus.  If  it  be  imprisonment,  we  at 
least  have  this  consolation,  that  the  incarceration  of  our  bodies  will  be  easier 
to  endure  than  the  fetters  of  despotism  on  our  consciences.  If  it  be  death,  our 
history  for  eighteen  centuries  has  made  us  familiar  with  it.  As  the  matter  now 
stands,  we  are  merely  liable  to  be  dispersed  by  a  mob  without  redress.  It  would 
seem  that  the  civil  authority,  either  afraid  or  ashamed  to  enforce  its  own  laws, 
■turns  over  the  execution  of  them  to  the  rabble.  Virtuous  and  unoffending  cit- 
izens quietly  worshipping  God,  are  to  be  made  the  sport  of  the  profligate  amd 
the  base.     The  assembly  of  the  saints  of  Jesus  Christ  is  liable  to  be  broken  up 


266  POSITION   ON  VARIOUS   MATTERS. 

by  a  mob,  just  such  as  that  which  in  Jerusalem  cried  out  '  Crucify  him  !  crucify 
him  !'  and  the  Code  of  Georgia  provides  no  remedy  but  encourages  the  act. 
We  protest  against  the  execution  of  laws  by  the  lawless.  If  we  must  be  ar- 
rested and  arraigned  let  it  be  done  not  by  drunkards  and  ruffians,  (for  no  others 
would  molest  us,)  but  let  it  be  done  by  the  sheriff.  Let  not  the  State  shrink 
from  the  execution  of  its  own  enactments ;  but  let  the  constable  come  with  his 
tip-staff  and  arrest  the  proceedings  of  the  people  of  God. 

"  But  while  the  law  in  question  is  in  the  highest  degree  objectionable  at  any 
time,  it  is  especially  so  at  this  time.  Since  we  have  cut  loose  from  our  connex- 
ion with  that  peculiar  people  whose  territory  lies  North  of  ours,  and  since  we 
have  been  from  under  their  pernicious  and  unhallowed  influence,  there  has  been 
a  very  general  and  a  very  rapid  spread  of  a  sentiment  among  all  our  people  in 
favor  of  ameliorating  as  far  as  possible  the  physical,  mental,  and  above  all  the 
moral  condition  of  our  slaves.  Indeed  it  is  well  known  among  us,  that  this 
sentiment  would  long  since  have  accomplished  its  benevolent  plans,  had  it  not 
been  restrained  and  held  in  by  Northern  fanaticism.  But  now  that  that  horrid 
incubus  is  removed,  the  feeUng  long  pent  up,  has  broken  out,  and  there  is  a 
loud  and  universal  demand  for  reform.  Aside  from  the  wicked  interference  of 
abolitionists,  which  while  we  were  united  to  them,  made  reform  impossible,  our 
minds  have  heretofore  been  so  absorbed  with  the  defence  of  our  institutions, 
that  we  have  neglected  to  cherish  and  develop  them  as  we  desired  to  do.  Now, 
the  barrier  to  progress  is  broken  down  ;  now,  we  have  the  leisure,  as  we  have 
long  since  had  the  disposition,  to  improve  the  condition  of  our  slaves.  Just  at 
this  crisis  the  new  Ct)de  steps  in  and  commands  the  voice  of  reform  to  be  silent ; 
nay  it  puts  back  the  sun  many  degrees  on  the  dial ;  it  reverses  the  wheels  of 
progress,  and  puts  us  back  to  the  days  of  Puritan  bigotry  and  Popish  intoler- 
ance ;  it  puts  us  back  and  puts  us  down  to  a  point  where  we  have  never  been ;  it 
reduces  us  to  a  level  with  the  legislators  of  early  New  England.  If  just  at  this 
point  of  time  we  do  worse  instead  of  doing  better,  it  would  seem  that  Northern 
influence,  instead  of  restraining  us  from  good  as  it  has  done,  has  actually  re- 
strained us  from  evil.  We  trust  that  the  speedy  correction  of  the  egregious 
blunder  of  the  Code,  will  prevent  this  false  impression  from  going  forth  to  the 
world. 

"  But  aside  from  local  or  temporary  objections,  and  aside  from  its  attempted 
despotism  over  the  consciences  of  men,  the  most  objectionable  feature  of  all,  in. 
the  obnoxious  section,  is  its  heaven-daring  impiety.  It  trespasses  not  only  on 
the  rights  of  men,  but  on  the  rights  of  God.  It  dictates  to  the  Almighty  of 
what  color  his  preachers  shall  be. 

"  The  great  majority  of  the  human  race  are  of  dark  complexion.  If  one  of 
these  among  us  is  called  by  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  to  minister  in  holy 
things,  the  Code  of  Georgia  forbids  obedience ;  it  stops  the  preaching  of  the 
everlasting  gospel  on  the  ground  of  a  police  regulation  ;  it  says  to  Omnipotence, 
'Thus  far  shalt  thou  go,  and  no  farther;'  it  allows  Jehovah  to  have  minis- 
ters of  a  certain  complexion  and  no  other,  and  so  exacting  and  rigid  are  these 
regulations  imposed  on  the  Almighty,  that  they  not  only  forbid  his  having 
preachers  such  as  he  may  choose,  but  also  prescribe  that  none  shall  even  exhort, 
or  in  any  way  whatever  '  officiate  in  church  matters,'  unless  they  be  approved 
by  this  self-exalted  and  heaven-defying  tribunal.  Nor  is  there  any  reason  to 
suppose  that  the  spirit  which  prompted  the  act  now  under  protest  .would  stop, 
if  unchecked,  at  its  present  point  of  audacity.  Having  prescribed  color  as 
one  qualification  for  the  pulpit  to-day,  it  might  prescribe  another  qualification 
to-morrow.  Quite  likely  a  certain  amount  of  learning  might  be  called  for 
next,  and  a  multitude  of  Baptist  preachers,  and  of  the  most  useful  men  who 
ever  lived,  would  be  suspended  from  their  sacred  calling.  Next,  the  dress  of 
the  clergyman  might  be  prescribed  ;  the  surplice  and  gown  might  be  made 
obligatory,  and  the  uncouth  limbs  of  our  rustic  brethren  be  enveloped  in  silken 
canonicals.  Next,  the  ordinances  of  the  church  might  come  under  legislative 
review,  and  Baptists  be  forced  to  sprinkle  candidates  for  Baptism,  which,  in  their 
view,  is  no  baptism  at  all ;  or  they  might  be  forced  to  perform  some  ceremony 
over  their  children  which  they  believe  to  be  unscriptural  in  origin  and  pernicious 


POSITION   ON   VARIOUS   MATTERS.  267 

in  influence.  Next,  the  question  in  dispute  between  the  Calvinist  and  the 
Arminian  might  be  the  subject  of  the  legislative  investigation  and  decision. 
Next,  we  might  have  iire  and  faggot. 

"  In  short,  all  history  shows,  that  when  the  civil  power  begins  to  encroach  upon 
'  church  matters,"  (to  use  the  phraseology  of  section  1376,)  it  never  ceases  until 
it  attains  to  the  triple  crown  and  the  keys.  Nor  does  it  usually  make  bold 
beginnings.  Like  the  little  section  slipped  into  the  new  Code,  it  begins  furtively 
and  claims  only  one  thing  at  a  time.  Insidious  in  its  approaches,  it  is  the  more 
important  that  we  should  be  ever  on  the  alert  and  crush  it  at  its  very  inception. 

"  It  is  worthy  of  special  mention,  and  ought,  for  the  credit  of  the  State  to  be 
put  on  permanent  and  public  record,  that  until  the  adoption  of  the  new  Code, 
the  section  under  protest  never  was  a  part  of  the  law  of  Georgia.  It  is  indeed 
a  question  whether  it  is  a  law  now,  violative  as  it  is  of  constitutional  rights, 
adopted  as  it  was  in  an  unconstitutional  manner,  and  inserted,  as  it  was,  into  the 
Code  surreptitiously.  Three  persons  were  appointed  by  the  Legislature  to  codify 
existing  laws.  Their  duties  extended  thus  far  and  no  farther.  It  was  never 
dreamed  that  they  would  make  laws.  Indeed,  the  Legislature,  even  if  it  had 
the  disposition,  had  not  the  power  thus  to  delegate  its  legislative  authority.  The 
committee  of  both  Houses,  who  reported  on  the  Code,  affirm  that  they  were  the 
more  ready  to  recommend  its  adoption  because  no  graft  had  been  made  upon 
the  old  stock,  no  new  feature  had  been  introduced,  and,  above  all,  no  new  prin- 
ciples brought  to  bear.  Persuaded  of  this,  the  joint  committee  recommended 
the  adoption  of  the  new  Code.  Believing  this,  the  Legislature  did  adopt  it ;  and 
now,  to  our  astonishment,  we  find  that  a  new  principle  has  been  introduced — a 
principle  which  is  radical  and  fundamental,  and  one,  too,  which  is  in  direct 
antagonism  to  the  spirit  and  genius  of  all  American  institutions.  How  such  a 
thing  could  have  occurred  is  unknown  to  us.  It  may  have  been  an  accident. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  it  is  to  the  credit  of  the  Legislature  that  this  act  was  never 
read  in  the  hearing  of  its  members  three  times,  as  all  laws  are  ;  nay  they  never 
heard  it  once :  nor  is  it  probable  that  at  the  time  of  its  adoption,  a  solitary 
member  of  either  House  was  aware  of  its  existence, 

"  Now,  therefore,  we,  the  undersigned,  in  view  of  the  above  objectionable 
features  of  section  1 376,  of  the  new  Code,  do  most  earnestly  add  to  the  recom- 
mendation of  His  Excellency,  the  Governor,  our  prayer  to  your  honorable  body 
that  said  section  be  repealed. 

"  And  whereas,  furthermore,  before  the  adoption  of  the  new  Code,  it  was  the 

law  of  Georgia,   enacted and  to  be  found, that  negroes  should 

not  be  allowed  to  preach  except  on  a  permit,  to  be  granted  be  the  Inferior  Court, 
and,  whereas,  said  law  is  obnoxious  to  the  very  same  objections  thav  have  been 
urged  against  section  1376,  of  the  new  Code,  and  is,  in  point  of  fact,  just  as  real, 
if  not  as  great  a  usurpation  of  ecclesiastical  power  by  civil  authority,  and  is  just 
as  insidious  in  its  nature,  and  as  unhappy  in  its  natural  results  ;  we  therefore, 
do  most  respectfully  but  most  earnestly  petition  that  said  law  be  also  repealed, 
or  so  amended  as  not  to  infringe  upon  the  rights  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

"  We  have  heretofore  submitted  to  this  law,  not  because  we  acquiesced  in  its 
spirit,  but  because  the  inconvenience  to  which  it  puts  us  was  not  very  great,  and 
because  we  were  not  disposed  to  make  an  ado  about  what  seemed  to  be  a  small 
matter.  But  we  are  now  convinced  that  we  ought  to  have  protested  at  the 
beginning.  The  first  step  in  violation  of  our  religious  liberties,  just  as  we  might 
have  expected,  has  been  followed  by  a  second  ;  and  the  long  standing  of  the 
first  without  rebuke,  may  now  be  urged  as  an  argument  against  its  repeal.  We 
are  now,  therefore,  the  more  in  haste  to  enter  our  protest  against  both,  lest  the 
same  argument  be  urged  in  favor  of  both,  and  the  way  prepared  for  still  further 
encroachment  upon  the  rights  of  conscience.  We  maintain  in  this,  as  in  the 
former  case,  that  the  Church  of  Christ  and  the  Inferior  Court  are  two  separate 
organizations,  having  each  a  distinct  jurisdiction.  The  preachers  of  the  gospel 
are  the  officers  of  the  church  ;  and  the  Inferior  Court  has  no  more  right  to  say 
who  shall  be  the  officers  of  the  church  than  the  church  has  to  say  who  shall  be 
the  officers  of  the  Inferior  Court.  We  have  to  confess  that  we  are  to  blame  for 
not  having  protested  against  this  law  before ;  but  now  repenting  of  this  our 


268  POSITION   ON  VARIOUS   MATTERS. 

fault,  especially  since  we  have  seen  the  consequences  of  our  negligence,  we 
hereby  declare  that  we  cannot  conscientiously  submit  to  its  provisions  :  and  as 
we  desire,  above  all  things,  to  be  a  law-abiding  people,  we  earnestly  pray  for  its 
repeal,  and  for  the  repeal  of  any  other  law  which  may  infringe,  in  the  slighest 
degree,  on  the  religious  rights  of  any  one. 

"  In  this  petition  we  have  spoken  of  ourselves  exclusively  as  Baptists.  We  do 
not,  by  this,  mean  to  intimate  that  we  are  the  only  people  who  object  to  the  laws 
in  question.  On  the  contrary,  we  believe  that  now  that  the  bearing  of  these  laws 
has  been  brought  to  light  which  heretofore  was  not  observed,  the  whole  popula- 
tion of  the  State  would  unanimously  join  v\iih  us  in  the  petition  ;  and  if  there 
be  but  few  signatures  hereunto  annexed,  it  is  only  because  in  our  haste  to  get 
the  matter  before  your  honorable  body,  we  have  not  taken  the  time  to  secure 
a  larger  number. 

"  And  now  respectfully  but  earnestly  urging  upon  you  this,  our  petition,  and 
praying  the  blessing  of  God  upon  you  individually  and  collectively,  upon  the 
State  and  upon  the  Confederate  States, 

"  We  have  the  honor  to  be  your  fellow-citizens, 

D.  E.  Butler,  N.  M.  Crawford, 

Thomas  Stocks,  T.  R.  Thornton, 

T.  J.  BURNEY,  J.  L.  BLITCH, 

J.  R.  Sanders,  S.  P.  Sanford, 

N.  HoBBS,        •  H.  C.  Peek, 

John  E.  Jackson,  James  Burk, 

Thomas  Mosley,  John  B.  Shields, 

J.  R.  Kendrick,  W.  S.  Stokes, 

A.  B.  Sharp,  William  E.  Woodfin, 

J.  E.  Willet,  p.  Robinson, 

H.  H.  Tucker,  W.  B.  Crawford, 

E.E.Jones,  John  B.  Walker, 

Isaac  L.  Gary,  L.  M.  Willson, 

William  Hearn. 

education  of  colored  ministers. 

Since  the  emancipation  of  the  colored  race,  and  the  constitution  of  Baptists 
among  them  into  churches  separate  from  the  whites,  the  question  as  to  the 
education  of  their  ministers  has  assumed  momentous  proportions.  On  that 
question,  our  people  at  the  South  at  large,  and  in  this  State,  have  expressed 
decided  views.  The  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  in  its  session  at  Charleston, 
1875,  said:  "  In  the  impoverished  condition  of  the  South,  and  with  the  need  of 
strengthening  the  special  work  which  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  is  com- 
mitted to  prosecute,  there  is  no  probability  of  an  early  endowment  of  schools 
under  our  charge  for  the  better  education  of  a  colored  ministry.  The  Conven- 
tion has  adopted  the  policy  of  sustaining  students  at  the  seminaries  controlled 
by  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society.  It  is  much  to  be  desired  that 
larger  contributions  for  this  purpose  may  be  secured  from  both  white  and 
colored  Baptists."  And  with  regard  to  this  work  as  prosecuted  in  our  own 
State  under  the  auspices  of  the  Home  Mission  Society,  the  Georgia  Baptist 
Convention  said,  in  1875  :  "The  Institute  for  colored  ministers,  under  the  care 
and  mstruction  of  our  esteemed  brother,  J.  T.  Robert,  is  doing  a  noble  work 
for  our  colored  population.  We  trust  that  many  will  avail  themselves  of  the 
excellent  course  of  instruction  there,  and  that  the  school  may  prove  an  incalcu- 
lable blessing  in  evangelizing  and  elevating  the  race."  In  1876,  it  said :  "We 
are  pleased  to  observe  that  the  enterprise  of  educating  colored  Baptist  ministers, 
at  Augusta,  Georgia,  is  in  successful  operation,"  and  bespoke  "the  confidence 
of  the  brethren  for  the  enterprise."  It  said,  in  1877;  "We  recommend  the 
school  to  the  patronage  of  our  people."  In  1878,  it  said:  "We  recommend 
our  brethren  to  aid  in  sending  pious  and  promising  young  men  who  have  the 
ministry  in  view  "  to  this  school ;  a  recommendation  which  was  "  urged  in  view 
of  the  fact,  among  other  facts,  that  Romanists  are  making  strenuous  efforts  to 


POSITION   ON   VARIOUS   MATTERS.  269 

control  our  colored  people,  by  giving  them  cheap  or  gratuitous  education."  It 
said,  in  1879:  "The  institution  deserves  our  sympathy  and  most  cordial  co- 
operation. It  is  doing  a  most  important  work,  and  is  indispensable  as  an 
educator  of  this  most  needy  class  of  our  population."  Some  may  doubt  whether 
it  is  not  yet  too  soon  to  anticipate  the  verdict  of  history  in  this  matter ;  but 
may  we  not  with  reasonable  confidence  persuade  ourselves  that  posterity  will 
recognize  in  these  views  of  the  two  Conventions,  '  the  sound  wisdom  which  the 
Lord  layeth  up  for  the  righteous  ?'  Beyond  all  question,  at  least,  ignorance  is 
not  the  mother  of  devotion ;  and  not  to  educate  the  ministry  of  a  race  would 
be  to  doom  its  churches  to  extinction,  or  to  a  corruption  worse  than  extinction. 

PEDOBAPTIST   MINISTERS   AND    IMMERSIONS. 

It  is  rather  difficult  for  us,  at  the  present  day,  to  realize  the  extent  to  which, 
what  we  are  accustomed  to  designate  pulpit  "affiliation,"  was  carried  by 
some  of  the  most  eminent  ministers  of  our  denomination  at  the  close  of  the 
last  century,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  one.  Of  course  there  existed 
a  corresponding  inclination  to  "Christian  union,"  which  the  well-defined  de- 
nominational lines,  of  the  present  day,  render  almost  incomprehensible  to  us. 
A  few  extracts  from  some  hitherto  unpublished  manuscripts  of  Dr.  Adiel  Sher- 
wood's, bearing  on  this  point,  will  be  given,  to  enable  us  to  obtain  an  idea  of 
the  sentiment  existing  at  the  time  of  which  our  record  treats.  He  writes  : 
"Landmarkism  was  not  developed  among  Missionary  Baptists,  in  Mercer's  day. 
He  admitted  Pedobaptist  ministers  into  his  pulpit,  especially  agents  that  were 
pleading  the  cause  of  benevolence.  His  father  before  him,  Silas  Mercer,  used 
frequently  to  make  tours  of  preaching  with  the  Rev.  William  Springer,  one  of 
Jesse's  instructors  in  the  learned  languages.  He  was  a  learned  Presbyterian, 
and  the  first  minister  of  that  order  ordained  in  the  up-country.  Ministers  of  all 
denominations  were  invited  to  seats  in  both  the  Georgia  Association  and  State 
Convention,  when  Mercer  was  Moderator."  See  Minutes  of  the  Georgia  Asso- 
ciation and  State  Convention  for  1824,  1833,  1834 — "ministers  of  our  own  and 
other  denominations,  not  of  this  body,  were  cordially  invited  to  sit  with  us." 
So,  by  the  Convention  in  1826,  1827,  1828,  1829,  1830,  1832,  1833 — "ministers 
of  all  denominations."  Messrs.  Davis  and  Kennedy,  in  1826;  Webster,  in 
1828;  and  Reed,  in  1832,  took  seats.  Both  Silas  and  Jesse  Mercer  frequently 
preached  with  Mr.  Springer,  a  Presbyterian.  Between  1820  and  1830,  Dr.  Cum- 
mins preached  regularly  a  year,  once  a  month  at  Shiloh,  Greene  county,  in  his 
trips  into  Oglethorpe  or  Clarke.  At  the  close,  the  church  offered  him  one  hun- 
dred dollars  for  his  services,  which  he  declined,  observing  that  it  was  in  his 
route,  and  hence  no  trouble. 

It  was  well  known  that,  for  two  years.  Dr.  Holcombe  was  the  regular  pastor 
of  a  congregation  composed  of  different  denominations,  in  Savannah — 1800  and 
1 801  ;  but,  if  any  one  supposes  him  to  have  been  an  open-communionist,  he 
has  but  to  read  the  following  from  the  Analytical  Repository  of  September  and 
October,  1802,  in  a  published  letter  on  mixed-communion  : 

"I  perfectly  agree  with  you  that,  desirable  as  union  among  Christians  is,  it 
must  never  be  sought  at  the  expense  of  integrity ;  but  an  object  so  important, 
you  will  readily  admit,  ought  to  be  promoted  by  all  means  in  our  power,  con- 
sistent with  the  word  of  God  and  a  good  conscience.  Be  assured,  my  brother, 
that  it  is  only  on  the  ground  and  principles  of  eternal  truth  that  I  seek  union. 
My  public  expressions,  you  will  find,  admit  of  no  other  construction.  God  for- 
bid that  I  should  ever,  intentionally,  deviate  a  hair's  breadth,  from  rectitude,  or, 
which  is  the  same  thing — the  rules  of  the  gospel. 

"Among  other  important  object  which,  as  a  writer,  I  have  in  view,  I  wish  to 
show  to  the  world  that  the  Baptists  hold  no  illiberal  sentiments,  and  are  not  only 
willing,  but  desirous  to  meet  their  brethren  of  other  persuasions,  on  any  fair 
grounds,  with  a  view  to  a  scriptural  accommodation  of  existing  differences,  as 
far  as  these  may  be  inimical  to  peace  and  our  success  against  the  common 
enemy." 

Jesse  Mercer's  sentiments  on  this  subject  may  be  learned  in  an  extract  from 


2/0  POSITION   ON  VARIOUS   MATTERS. 

a  Circular  Letter  of  the  Georgia  Association,  written  by  him  in  182 1.  He  pre- 
sents briefly  the  reasons  why  Baptists  "cannot  reasonably  hold  communion  at 
the  Lord's  table  with  those  who,  in  Christian  profession,  differ  in  faith  and  prac- 
tice, to-wit :  I .  Because  the  union  is  broken  and  the  dependence  lost  between 
you  and  them,  so  that  union  would  be  a  shadow  without  any  proper  substance — 
too  pretensional  for  sacred  and  sincere  Christianity.  2.  Because  there  is  no  disci- 
pline instituted  among  the  denominations,  the  influence  of  which  can  preserve 
such  an  attempt  at  communion  from  the  grossest  impositions  and  wildest  dis- 
orders ;  and,  of  consequence,  must  be  absurd,  until  some  regulation  be  estab- 
lished among  the  parties  and  they  all  agree  'to  walk  by  the  same  rule,'  and  'to 
speak  the  same  thing.'  3.  Because  you  and  they  are  not,  and,  in  the  present 
state  of  religious  affairs,  cannot  become  members  together  of  the  same  body ; 
whice  is  a  capital  requisition  in  the  gospel  to  a  meet  communion.  And  4.  Be- 
cause the  principles  and  practices  which  first  produced  and  still  prolong  the 
difference  of  denominational  character  among  professed  Christians,  are  so  het- 
erodox and  discordant,  that  the  maintaining  of  the  one  is,  of  necessary  conse- 
quence, the  destruction  of  the  other.  To  attempt  communion  in  such  a  state  of 
things,  would  be  to  form  a  religious  chaos,  and  to  promote  envy  and  strife,  as 
the  legitimate  tendency.  This  may  be  exemplified  immediately,  by  reference 
to  the  ordinance  of  baptism  ;  if  the  Pedobaptists  establish  their  baptism  as  true, 
yours  is  absurd  ;  but  if  yours  be  maintained  as  the  gospel  ordinance,  then  theirs 
is  no  baptism  at  all.  It  must,  then,  be  improper  and  disloyal  to  attempt  com- 
munion until  these  discordant  principles  are  done  away,  and  the  parties  concil- 
iated in  Christian  love  and  unison  ;  yet,  dear  brethren,  we  exhort  and  admonish 
you  to  carry  yourselves  towards  them  as  Christian  professors  ;  engage  with 
them  and  invite  them  to  engage  with  you  in  exercises  of  devotion  and  enterpri- 
ses of  usefulness  ;  go  with  them  freely  as  far  as  you  can  preserve  a  good  con- 
science and  the  fellowship  of  your  brethren,  and  stop  where  you  must,  accor- 
ding to  the  Scriptures." 

While  courtesies  were  extended  to  Pedobaptist  ministers  as  preachers  by 
our  denomination  in  the  early  years  of  the  century,  it  is  certain  that  their  official 
acts,  as  ministers,  were  not  recognized  as  valid  by  the  denomination.  In  181 1, 
the  Ocmulgee  Association  rejected  the  application  for  membership  of  the  Rich- 
land Creek  church,  m  Twiggs  county,  deeming  ils  constitution  invalid,  because 
the  ordination  of  Elijah  Hammack,  one  of  the  two  ministers  forming  the  pres- 
bytery, was  invalid,  and  because  one  mimsier  alone,  Rev.  Isaiah  Shire,  could 
not  form  a  presbytery.  The  ordination  of  Elijah  Hammack  was  invalid,  be- 
cause he  "  was  ordained  by  William  Lord,  whose  ordination  was  considered  in- 
valid ;"  and  his  ordination  was  considered  invalid  because  "  he  was  ordained  by 
a  presbytery  not  of  our  faith  and  order  " — that  is,  by  Pedobaptist  ministers. 
The  defect  in  the  constitution  of  the  Richland  Creek  church  was  remedied,  for 
we  find  it  and  four  others  "found  sound  and  orthodox,  and  cordially  received," 
in  1812. 

The  denomination  had  been  much  agitated  about  twenty  years  previous  to 
this  strict  action  of  the  Ocmulgee  Association  by  a  little  remissness  on  the  part 
of  the  Georgia  Association  itself,  and  had  gained  wisdom  by  experience.  It 
happened  thus:  In  1788,  at  Clark's  Station,  the  Association  admitted  as  a 
"  help  "  James  Hutchi7ison,  who  had  formerly  been  a  Methodist  preacher,  and 
who,  on  a  profession  of  his  faith,  was  "  baptized  by  immersion,"  (as  the  Minutes 
of  that  year  express  it,)  by  Mr.  Thomas  Humphries,  a  Methodist  minister.  Mr. 
Hutchinson  was  received  into  the  Clark's  Station  church  on  his  Pedobaptist 
immersion,  "  having  declined  the  Methodist  discipline  and  communion,"  and 
having  made  a  public  declaration  of  his  experience.  Jesse  Mercer  himself  was 
present  at  that  session  of  the  Georgia  Association,  and  was,  with  Alexander 
Scott,  Jacob  Gibson,  Thomas  Mercer,  Ezekiel  Campbell,  and  others,  admitted 
as  a  "  help."  Writing  mostly  from  memory  of  this  matter,  Mr.  Mercer  says,  in 
his  history  of  the  Georgia  Association,  that  Mr.  Hutchinson  appeared  at  the 
Association  and,  after  requesting  it,  was  permitted  to  relate  his  experience  with 
a  view  to  uniting  with  the  Clark  Station  church.  His  relation  being  satisfac- 
tory, he  was  received  into  membership.     "  But  although  he  gave  up  the  Meth- 


POSITION   ON   VARIOUS   MATTERS.  27 1 

odist  discipline  and  doctrines  and  embraced  fully  those  of  the  Baptist  denomina- 
tion, he  did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  give  up  his  baptism,  having  been  immersed 
upon  a  profession  of  his  faith  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Humphries,  a  regular  minister 
of  .the  Methodist  connection." 

This  was  made  a  question  for  the  Association  to  consider,  and  it  decided  to 
admit  Mr.  Hutchinson  on  his  Pedobaptist  immersion,  though  many  were  opposed 
to  it.  Eloquent  and  truly  fervent  in  spirit,  Mr.  Hutchinson  conciliated  many, 
and  did  much  good  as  a  minister.  He  went  to  Virginia  on  a  visit  to  his  rela- 
tions, and  continued  his  ministrations  there  with  great  success,  receiving  and 
baptizing  about  one  hundred  persons,  as  the  fruit  of  his  labors,  and  organizing 
them  into  a  church,  but  when  the  church  applied  for  admission  into  an  Associa- 
tion, it  was  rejected  on  account  of  the  invalidity  of  their  baptism. 

Thus  was  practically  shown  how  invalid  are  the  official  acts  of  ministers  not 
of  our  faith  and  order — in  plain  terms,  of  unbaptized  ministers.  Mr.  Hutchin- 
son afterwards  submitted  to  valid  baptism,  and  all  his  people,  but  two  or  three, 
followed  his  example.  "  Thus,"  Mr.  Mercer  says,  "  terminated  a  most  fierce 
and  distressing  controversy." 

In  the  very  year,  1 811,  that  the  Ocmulgee  Association  rejected  Pedobaptist 
immersion,  the  Georgia,  having  by  experience  and  instruction  grown  wiser  in 
church  order,  "  Resolved,  That  the  subject  of  the  next  Circular  Letter  be  our 
reasons  for  rejecting  Methodist  or  Pedobaptist  baptism  by  immersion  as  invalid, 
and  that  brother  Mercer  write  the  same."  The  Circular  Letter  was  written  and 
unanimously  adopted  at  the  session  of  181 2,  having  previously  been  examined 
by  Abraham  Marshall  and  E.  Shackelford,  at  Mr.  Mercer's  own  request.  It  is 
here  given  in  full : 
"  The  Elders  and  brethren  of  the  Georgia  Association  to  the  brethren  they 

represent — Greeting  : 

"  Beloved  in  Christ — From  our  earliest  connection,  we  have  studiously  selected 
for  the  subjects  of  our  addresses  to  you,  those  doctrines  and  duties  which 
seemed  the  best  suited  to  confirm  and  increase  your  faith  in  Christ ;  to  edify 
and  comfort  your  hearts,  being  knit  together  in  love ;  and  to  lead  you  on  to 
that  Ught  and  perfection  which  would  honor  and  commend  the  cause  in  which 
you  have  embarked,  and  reflect  the  highest  praise  and  glory  of  God  who  has 
called  you  into  his  marvellous  light.  But  while  you  have  endeavored  to  keep 
yourselves  unmixed  with,  and  unspotted  from,  the  world  as  a  chaste  virgiti  to 
Christ,  you  have  excited  some  unpleasantness  among  the  religious  denomina- 
tions around  you,  because  you  have  not  found  it  consistent  to  admit  theifi  and 
their  ad7ninistrations  as  orderly  and  valid.  We  therefore  propose  as  the 
subject  of  this  letter,  the  reasons,  briefly,  which  lead  us  to  deem  Pedobaptist 
administrations,  though  in  the  proper  mode,  invalid.  That  this  subject  may 
be  as  clear  as  our  epistolary  limits  will  admit,  we  propose  to  lay  down  a_  few 
scriptural  propositions,  whose  legitimate  inferences  will,  we  trust,  bring  into, 
though  a  concise,  yet  sufficiently,  clear  view,  the  reasons  in  question. 

"I.  The  APOSTOLIC  CHURCH  continued  throtigh  all  ages  to  the  end  of  the 
world,  is  the  only  TRUE  GOSPEL  CHURCH. 

"  The  truth  of  this  proposition  is  not  only  frequently  intimated,  but  strongly 
affirmed  by  the  prophets.  They  speak  of  a  glorious  state  of  religious  affairs  to 
take  place  on  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  which  they  say  shall  continue  or 
endure,  as  the  sun,  or  days  of  heaven— Psalm  Ixxxix,  29,  36,  37  ;  shall  never  be 
cut  off— Isaiah  Iv,  14;  and  shall  stand  forever — Daniel  ii,  44.  Christ  affirms 
nothing  shall  prevail  against  His  church,  no,  not  the  gates  of  hell— Matthew  xiv, 
18.  But  John  puts  this  point  beyond  all  contradiction  in  his  prophetic  history 
of  the  Church,  in  which,  though  he  admits  of  various  outward  modifications,  he 
maintains  an  uninterrupted  succession  from  the  apostolic  age,  till  the  world 
shall  end. 

"  II.  Of  this  Church  CHRIST  is  the  only  head,  and  true  source  of  all  eccleszas- 

tzcal  (tfttltOTitv  m 

"  Although  the  Scriptures  are  illumined  by  this  truth,  yet  it  may  not  be  imperti- 
nent to  cite  a  few  passages  in  point.  To  me,  says  Christ,  is  authority  given- 
John  V,  22,  27.     And  knowing  the  love  of  power,  and  the  strong  propensity  to 


2/2  POSITION   ON   VARIOUS   MATTERS. 

rule,  in  the  human  heart,  He  frequently  and  emphatically  declares  Himself,  to 
His  apostles,  to  be  their  only  Lord  and  Master — Matthew  xxiii,  8,  lo.  The 
apostles  concur  in  ascribing  this  honor  to  Him ;  and  transmit  it  to  all  after  ages 
of  the  Chu''ch — Acts  ii,  36;  Ephesians  i,  22,  and  v,  23;  Collossians  ii,  10.  But 
the  commission  of  the  apostles,  the  matter,  manner,  and  majesty  of  which  are 
enough  to  make  a  saint  triumph,  an  angel  rejoice,  and  a  devil  tremble,  caps  the 
whole — Matthew  xxviii,  18,  19. 

"III.  Gospel  ministers  are  servaiits  in  the  Church,  are  all  equal,  and  have 
no  power  to  lord  it  over  the  heritage  of  their  Lord. 

"  By  the  examples  of  a  little  child  in  the  midst,  and  the  exercise  of  dominion 
over  the  Gentiles  by  their  princes,  our  Lord  teaches  humility,  and  denies  to  His 
apostles  the  exercise  of  lordship  over  His  Church — -Matthew  xviii,  2,  6 ;  xx,  25,  26. 
He  calls  them  brethren,  and  directs  that  they  should  not  be  called  masters,  but 
servants— Matthew  xxii,  8,  11.  The  Acts  and  Epistles  of  the  apostles  show 
their  observance  of  their  Lord's  commands.  Here  we  see  them  the  messen- 
gers AND  SERVANTS  of  the  churches,  which  proves  the  power  to  be  in  the 
churches  and  not  in  them — Acts  vi,  5  ;  xv,  4,  22  ;  2  Corinthians  viii,  23  ;  Philip- 
pians  ii,  25  ;  2  Corinthians  iv,  5.  Timothy  is  instructed  how  to  behave  himself 
in  the  church,  which  is  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth ;  but  if  the  power 
had  been  constituted  in  him,  the  advice  should  have  been  given  the  church, 
that  she  might  have  known  how  to  behave  herself  in  the  presence  of  her 
BISHOP — I  Timothy  iii,  15,  compared  with  Matthew  xviii,  17. 

"  IV.  All  things  are  to  be  done  iii  FAITH,  according  to  the,  gospel  pattern. 

"  Faith  is  made  capital  in  the  Scriptures,  and  the  want  of  it  equals  unbelief. 
The  house  of  Israel  is  often  complained  of  for  the  lack  of  it ;  the  apostles  are 
admonished  to  have  it,  and  upbraided  for  their  unbelief — Deuteronomy  xxxii, 
22 ;  Mark  xi,  22 ;  xvi,  14.  The  apostle  Paul  declares,  without  it  it  is  im- 
possible to  please  God,  and  that  he  that  doubts  of  what  he  does  is  damned 
in  doing  it  because  he  acts  without  faith — i  Corinthians  iv,  13  ;  Hebrews  xi,  6; 
Romans  xiv,  23. 

"  From  these  propositions,  thus  established,  we  draw  the  following  inferences, 
as  clear  and  certain  truths  : 

"I.  That  all  churches  and  ministers  who  originated  since  the  apostles,  and  not 
successively  to  them,  are  not  in  gospel  order ;  and  therefore  cannot  be  acknowl- 
edged as  such. 

"II.  That  all  who  have  been  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  without 
the  knowledge  and  call  of  the  Church,  by  popes,  councils,  etc.,  are  the  creatures 
of  those  who  constituted  them,  and  not  the  servants  of  Christ,  or  His  Church, 
and  therefore  have  no  right  to  administer  for  them. 

"  III.  That  those  who  have  set  aside  the  discipline  of  the  gospel,  and  have 
given  law  to,  and  exercised  dominion  over,  the  Church,  are  usurpers  over  the 
place  and  oilce  of  Christ,  are  against  Him  ;  and  therefore  may  not  be  accepted 
m  their  offices. 

"  IV.  That  they  who  administer  contrary  to  their  own,  or  the  faith  of  the 
gospel,  cannot  administer  for  God  ;  since  without  the  gospel  faith  He  has  nothing 
to  minister ;  and  without  their  own  He  accepts  no  service ;  therefore  the  admin- 
istrations of  such  are  unwarrantable  impositions  in  any  way. 

"  Our  reasons,  therefore,  for  rejecting  baptism  by  immersion,  when  adminis- 
tered by  Pedobaptist  ministers,  are  : 

"  I.  That  they  are  connected  with  churches  clearly  out  of  the  apostolic 
succession,  and  therefore  clearly  out  of  the  apostolic  commission. 

"  II.  That  they  have  derived  their  authority,  by  ordination,  from  the  bishops 
of  Rome,  or  from  individuals,  who  have  taken  it  on  themselves  to  give  it. 

"  III.  That  they  hold  a  higher  rank  in  the  churches  than  the  apostles  did,  are 
not  accountable  to,  and  of  consequence  not  triable  by,  the  Church ;  but  are 
amenable  only  to  or  among  themselves. 

"  IV.  That  they  all,  as  we  think,  admini^r  contrary  to  the  pattern  of  the 
gospel,  and  some,  when  occasion  requires,  will  act  contrary  to  their  own  pro- 
fessed faith.  Now  as  we  know  of  none  implicated  in  this  case,  but  are  in  some 
or  all  of  the  above  defects,  either  of  which  we  deem  sufficient  to  disqualify  for 
meet  gospel  administration,  therefore  we  hold  their  administrations  invalid. 


POSITION   ON   VARIOUS    MATTERS.  2/3 

"  But  if  it  should  be  said  that  the  apostolic  succession  cannot  be  ascertained, 
and  then  it  is  proper  to  act  without  it ;  we  say,  that  the  loss  of  the  succession 
can  never  prove  it  futile,  nor  justify  any  one  out  of  it.  The  Pedobaptists,  by 
their  own  histories,  admit  they  are  not  of  it ;  but  we  do  not,  and  shall  think 
ourselves  entitled  to  the  claim  until  the  reverse  be  clearly  shown.  And  should 
any  think  authority  derived  from  the  mother  of  harlots  sufficient  to  qualify 
to  administer  a  gospel  ordinance,  they  will  be  so  charitable  as  not  to  condemn 
us  for  preferring  that  derived  from  Christ.  And  should  any  still  more  absurdly 
plead  that  ordination  received  from  an  individual  is  sufficient ;  we  leave  them  to 
show  what  is  the  use  of  ordination,  and  why  it  exists.  If  any  think  an  admin- 
istration will  suffice  which  has  no  pattern  in  the  gospel,  they  will  suffer  us  to 
act  according  to  the  divine  order  with  impunity.  And  if  it  should  be  said  that 
faith  in  the  subject  is  all  that  is  necessary,  we  beg  leave  to  require  it  where  the 
Scriptures  do,  that  is,  everyzvhere.  But  we  must  close.  We  beseech  you,  breth- 
ren, while  you  hold  fast  the  form  of  your  profession,  be  ready  to  unite  with 
those  from  whom  you  differ,  as  far  as  the  principles  of  eternal  truth  will  justify. 
And  while  you  firmly  oppose  that  shadowy  union  so  often  urged,  be  instant  in 
prayer,  and  exert  yourselves  to  bring  about  that  which  is  in  heart,  and  after 
godliness.      Which  the  Lord  hasten  in  its  season.     Amen,  and  Amen  ! 

"  A.  Marshall,  Moderator. 

"Jesse  Mercer,  Clerk." 

EXTRACTS    FROM    DR.    SHERWOOD'S    MANUSCRIPTS. 

For  many  years  Dr.  Adiel  Sherwood  was  engaged  in  collecting  materials  for 
his  Gazetteer  and  for  a  history  of  the  Baptists  of  Georgia..  From  the  material 
left  by  him  we  have  made  a  few  extracts  on  different  subjects  from  his  manu- 
scripts, which  were  written  about  the  year  1840. 

"  Sabbath-schools. — These  were  encouraged  by  the  resolutions  of  Associa- 
tions, and  established  in  every  church  in  some  counties,  but  were  neglected  in 
others.  The  author  commenced  one  at  Trail  Creek  meeting-house,  near 
Athens,  in  July,  18 19.  The  Anties  opposed  them,  and  excluded  some  persons 
for  attending  and  allowing  their  children  to  attend ;  but  the  denomination,  gen- 
erally, have  approved  them,  and  have  used  untiring  efforts  to  circulate  knowl- 
edge among  all  classes." 

••  Perusal  of  the  Scriptures. — This  has  been  frequently  enjoined  from  the 
pulpit  and  by  Associations.  In  1834,  the  Central  Association  recommended 
that  each  church  member  read  the  Bible  through  during  the  year.  This  was 
complied  with  by  several.  Other  Associations  followed  in  this  recommendation, 
the  practice  became  quite  general,  and  the  Bible  was  perused  more  than  ordina- 
rily. If  the  religion  of  Protestants  is  founded  on  the  Bible,  surely  they  ought 
to  peruse  its  sacred  and  enlightening  pages  ! 

"  It  is  not  to  be  inferred  from  these  remarks  that  the  Bible  was  not  frequently 
read  through  by  many  persons  prior  to  this  recommendation,  but  only  that  this 
increased  the  amount  of  reading,  and  probably  swelled  greatly  the  number  of 
readers." 

"  Sanctity  of  the  Sabbath.— On  this  subject  the  Associations  have  expressed 
themselves  freely— that  the  Sabbath  ought  to  be  religiously  observed  by  abstain- 
ing from  all  amusements  and  all  labor,  works  of  mercy  and  necessity  excepted. 
Yet  there  are  many  violations  by  members  of  the  church,  such  as  visiting,  trav- 
elling, etc.  The  following  clause  is  found  in  the  Circular  of  the  Georgia  Asso- 
ciation, 1832 : 

" '  While  we  admit  that  there  are  some  professing  Christians  who  suppose 
that  keeping  the  Sabbath  constitutes  the  very  essence  of  piety,  we  maintain  that 
he  who  makes  no  difference  between  it  and  other  days  is  far  from  the  true 
faith,'  " 

"  5/^2/6^/.— Similar,sentiments  to  those  manifested  in  the  following  have  been 
expressed  by  a  large  number  of  Associations  : 

"  '  Resolved,  That  we  understand  the  Scriptures  fully  to  recognize  the  relation 
of  Christian  master  and  Christian  servant,  without  the  shadow  of  censure  on 


274  POSITION   ON   VARIOUS   MATTERS. 

the  existence  of  such  relation,  but  that  they  give  full  directions  how  each  party- 
should  fulfill  the  duties  of  such  relation.'  Minutes  of  the  Georgia  Association 
for  1835." 

"  Treatment  of  Slaves. — A  query  on  this  subject  is  answered  by  the  Ocmul- 
gee  Association  in  1 8 19:  '  They  should  treat  them  with  humanity  and  justice 
(Eph.  6 :  9;  Col.  4:  i),  and  we  recommend  the  members  to  watch  over  each 
other,  and  if  any  should  treat  them  otherwise,  that  they  should  be  dealt  with 
as  transgressors.' 

"Some  churches  think  that  when  a  slave,  a  member  of  the  church,  diso- 
beys his  master,  that  he  should  first  be  cited  to  the  church,  and,  without  satis- 
faction being  given,  should  be  excluded  :  then  the  master  is  at  liberty  to  chas- 
tise.    But  that  slaves  ought  to  be  cited  for  disobedience  is  not  avowed  by  many. 

"  Slaves  generally  attend  worship  every  Sabbath,  and  frequently  constitute  the 
larger  part  of  the  congregation.  The  religious  ones  commune  at  the  same 
table  with  their  masters.  Prior  to  1829  there  was  no  law  to  prevent  their  being 
taught  to  read.  In  the  fall  of  that  year,  an  inflammatory  pamphlet,  by  Walker, 
v^2i%  found  in  Savannah,  by  the  pastor  of  the  African  Church,  (an  aged  and 
pious  African,  whose  good  conduct  had  purchased  his  freedom,)  and  mmedi- 
ately  carried  to  the  Mayor ;  he  forwarded  it  post-haste  to  the  Legislature  ;  and 
the  law  referred  to  was  passed. 

"  The  Scriptures  are  read,  however,  to  their  servants,  by  many  families  statedly, 
and  by  most  pious  families  occasionally.  Missionaries,  among  the  Methodists, 
especially,  go  around  to  preach  exclusively  to  the  blacks  ;  much  oral  instruction  is 
given,  in  many  counties  systematically ;  and  many  servants  know  a  great  deal 
about  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible. 

"  Twenty  years  ago  there  were  dozens  of  ordained  negroes  who  used  to  preach 
every  Sabbath  to  those  of  their  own  color ;  but  the  churches  have  not  ordained 
any  lately,  though  many  are  licensed,  and  preach  as  occasion  and  convenience 
may  require. 

_"  The  African  churches  in  Augusta  and  Savannah  have  regularly  ordained 
ministers  of  their  own  color — men  generally  of  excellent  character,  capable  of 
reading  the  Scriptures  and  expounding  their  meaning. 

"  The  owner  who  treats  his  slaves  cruelly,  or  feeds  and  clothes  them  scantily, 
is  sure  to  be  looked  upon  with  suspicion  and  contempt ;  yet  there  are  many,  no 
doubt,  who  do  not  act  the  good  master's  part." 

"Rough  Esthnate  of  Labor  Performed. — The  missionaries  have  performed 
about  fifteen  years'  labor  in  destitute  parts  of  the  State,  i.  e. :  their  labors  have 
been  equal  to  the  services  of  one  man  constantly  for  that  number  of  years. 
This  is  a  low  estimate :  probably  twenty-two  years  would  be  nearer  the  truth. 
They  established  the  first  churches  in  the  bounds  of  the  Western  Association — 
in  Troup  and  contiguous  counties — out  of  which  the  body  was  formed,  in 
November,  1829.  The  principal  missionaries  [in  that  section]  were  James 
Reeves  and  John  Wood. 

"  The  first  churches,  too,  in  the  Cherokee  country  were  organized  by  the 
missionaries  of  this  body — Jeremiah  Reeves,  Philips  and  Pearson.  Several  of 
those  churches  which  are  in  Randolph,  Lee  and  other  counties,  in  the  Bethel 
Association,  were  gathered  by  the  labors  of  Travis  Everett. 

"  The  missionaries  of  the  Convention  have  circulated,  too,  Bibles  and  other 
good  books,  besides  thousands  of  tracts  on  religious  subjects  designed  to  amend 
the  heart  and  life.  Volunteer  missions,  also,  have  been  made  by  the  friends  of 
the  institution  into  various  parts  of  the  State,  in  order  to  remove  prejudice  and 
stir  up  the  churches  to  practical  duties. 

"  Thousands  of  volumes  of  standard  books  have  been  given  to  ministers  for 
their  improvement,  about  twenty  of  whom  have  been  sustained  at  schools  and 
academies  for  a  longer  or  shorter  period. 

"About  $25,000  have  been  contributed  to  foreign  missions. 

"The  benefits  of  the  Manual  Labor  School  began  in  1833.  B.  M.  Sanders, 
Principal,  will  never  be  fully  known  till  the  light  of  etfernity  shines  upon  us. 
Various  revivals  have  been  experienced — one  commencing  in  1827,  one  in  1834, 
another  in  1837,  others  in  1839  and  1840." 


APPENDIX. 


BOUNDARIES    OF    GEORGIA. 

The  boundaries  of  Georgia,  by  the  charter  of  the  Province,  included  all  the 
territory  "which  lies  from  the  most  northern  part  of  a  stream,  or  river  there, 
commonly  called  the  Savannah,  all  along  the  sea  coast  to  the  southward,  to  the 
southern  stream  of  a  certain  other  great  water  or  river,  called  the  Altamaha, 
and  westwardly  from  the  heads  of  the  said  rivers,  respectively,  in  direct  lines  to 
the  south  seas  ;  and  all  that  share,  circuit  and  precinct  of  land,  within  the  said 
boundaries,  with  the  islands  on  the  sea,  lying  opposite  the  eastern  coast  of  the 
said  lands,  within  twenty  leagues  of  the  same,  which  are  not  inhabited  already, 
or  settled  by  any  authority  derived  from  the  crown  of  Great  Britain,"  etc.  By 
the  "south  seas"  here  was  meant  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Practically,  the  claim  un- 
der this  charter  never  extended  west  of  the  Mississippi  river,  as  we  learn  by  the 
fourth  article  of  the  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  Spain,  dated  October 
27th,  1795.  "It  is,  likewise  agreed  that  the  western  boundary  of  the  United 
States,  which  separates  them  from  the  Spanish  Colony  of  Louisiana,  is  in  the 
middle  of  the  channel  or  bed  of  the  river  Mississippi,  from  the  northern  bound- 
ary of  the  said  States  to  the  completion  of  the  thirty-first  degree  of  latitude 
north  of  the  equator."  By  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  adopted 
May  30th,  1798,  the  boundaries  of  the  State  are  described  as  extending  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Savannah  to  the  northern  boundary  line  of  South  Carolina, 
thence  west  to  the  Mississippi ;  down  the  middle  of  that  river  to  the 
thirty-first  degree  north  latitude ;  thence  to  the  middle  of  the  Apalach- 
icola,  or  Chattahoochee,  river ;  thence  along  the  middle  thereof  to  the 
junction  of  the  Flint  river ;  and  thence  along  the  middle  of  St.  Mary's  river  to 
the  Atlantic  coast,  and  so  back  to  the  mouth  of  the  Savannah  river.  All  this, 
Georgia  claimed  as  eminent  domain ;  but  it  was  the  Indian  titles  to  this  land 
which  was  purchased  in  Augusta,  and  it  was  this  purchase,  by  treaty,  from 
them,  which  gave  Georgia  her  real  title  to  all  that  land. 


^  AND 

PORTRAIT   GALLERY. 


I    will    give  you    pastors   according    to    mine 
heart,  which  shall  feed  you  with  knowledge 

and  understanding." 

— Jeremiah  3:15. 


Errata. 

Page  7,  for  "  Elijah  Moon  Amos,"  read  "  Elijah  Moore  Amos." 

Page  65,  2oth  line  from  bottom,  for  "  following  autumn,"  read  "  meantime." 

Page  6s,  19th  line  from  bottom,  for  "  about  this  time,"  read  "  when  about  sixteen. 

Page  6s,  17th  line  from  bottom,  after  "determined,"  insert  "when  nineteen." 

Page  66,  7th  line  from  bottom,  for  1869,"  read  "  1868." 

Page  67,  2d  line  from  bottom,  for  "Pickens,"  read  "Anderson." 

Page  82,  for  "  Joel  W.  Butts,"  read  "  John  W.  Bitts." 


AND 

PORTRAIT  GALLERY. 


ALEXANDER  POPE  ABELL. 

"  Star  differs  from  star  in  glory,"  we  are  told  by  an 
apostle.  _  A  like  difference  obtains,  doubtless,  among  the 
lives  which  find  reverent,  loving  record  in  this  volume. 
But  the  mass  of  those  who  scan  the  '-midnight  pomp" 
of  the  heavens,  can  never  know  how  far  the  greater  or 
less  brightness  of  the  stars  is  inherent  in  themselves, 
and  how  far  it  depends  on  accidental  circumstances — 
such,  for  example,  as  distance  in  space.  Beyond  all  ques- 
tion, indeed,  there  are  orbs  twinkling  so  faintly  in  the 
remote  depths  of  the  firmament  as  not  to  catch  the  heed- 
less glance,  which,  if  brought  as  near  to  the  earth  as  our 
sun,  would  pour  on  the  vision,  in  comparison  with  that  luminary,  a  seven-fold 
blaze  of  intolerable  splendor.  And  so,  as  regards  these  lives,  who  shall  venture 
to  say  which  was  really  most  lustrous  with  that  only  glory  of  the  soul — the 
righteousness,  knowledge  and  "hohness  of  truth  "which  constitute  the  divine 
image  ?  Who  shall  take  the  ro/e  of  the  prophet,  and  tell  us  which  of  them  is 
destined  to  glow  with  surpassing  brightness,  when  the  obscuring  mists  of 
human  misapprehension  clear  away,  and  that  light  of  God  which  alone  makes 
manifest,  shines  through  and  through  them  all  ?  We  at  least  put  from  us  every 
thought  of  presumption  like  this,  and  proceed  to  trace,  lovingly  and  reverently, 
such  record  of  each  as  lies  within  the  range  of  our  humble  capabilities. 

The  arrangement  of  the  sketches  in  alphabetical  order  requires  us  to  begin 
with  Alexander  Pope  Abell,  a  man  who  never  sought  the  first  place  in  his 
life,  but  has  often  been  constrained  to  accept  it  by  the  confidence  and  affection 
of  his  Christian  brethren.  Born  on  the  23d  of  July,  1817,  four  miles  west  of 
Charlottesville,  Albemarle  county  Virginia,  the  eldest  of  three  brothers,  sons 
of  Rev.  John  S.  and  Lydia  B.  Abell,  Alexander  Pope  Abell  has  made  an  im- 
press on  the  Southern  Baptist  work,  almost  unique  in  character  and  results.  He 
has  spent  a  busy  life  in  works  of  love.  His  first  impressions  were  made  by 
the  teachings  of  his  father,  an  honored  minister  of  the  Baptist  denomination.  Al- 
though he  was  not  baptized  until  1833,  yet,  when  but  fifteen  years  of  age,  he 
undertook  the  management  of  a  Sunday-school  in  the  mountains  near  his  home. 
He  was  baptized  by  Rev.  R.  L.  Coleman  and  joined  the  Baptist  church  in  Char- 
lottesville. His  first  Christian  experience  amid  his  native  mountains,  fashioned 
in  the  stern  school  of  the  early  Virginia  Baptists,  was  followed  by  a  tender  long- 
ing to  be  useful  in  the  Master's  cause  as  a  private  member  of  the  church.  He 
entered  into  the  Sunday-school  work  on  a  broader,  higher  plane  than  was 
known  in  that  day.  The  rough  experience  of  his  early  life  well  fitted  him  for 
the  toils,  the  tears,  the  triumphs  which  should  follow  in  after  years,  when  as  an 
intelligent  Christian  he  should  labor  for  souls. 


4  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

As  a  business  man  he  has  had  an  extended  experience.  Earnest,  honest,  faith- 
ful in  all  things,  his  promotion  was  rapid  and  success  secured.  Clerk,  partner, 
head  of  firm,  cashier  of  banl<,  secretary  and  manager  of  a  large  insurance 
company,  vice-president  of  a  national  bank,  president,  manager  of  a  firm  doing 
a  large  home  and  foreign  business  in  Savannah,  his  business  hours  have  been 
fully  occupied.  Millions  of  wealth  have  passed  through  his  hands  and  every 
dollar  has  been  accounted  for ;  and  all  for  whom  he  labored  have  given  the  cer- 
tificate— "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant.  " 

At  an  early  period  of  his  religious  life,  the  brethren  of  his  church  desired  to 
have  him  set  apart  for  the  ministry.  As  an  earnest,  ready,  impressive  speaker, 
he  had  awakened  a  strong  persuasion  in  those  around  him  as  to  his  qualification 
in  this  respect.  Perhaps  few  of  our  best  scholars  have  so  extended  a  vocab- 
ulary of  pure  English  or  use  such  elegant  language.  He  has  paid  great  attention 
not  only  to  the  pronunciation  but  to  the  exact  meaning  of  words ;  consequently, 
whatever  he  may  say,  is  couched  in  simple,  strong  terms,  and  necessarily  makes 
a  due  impression.  He  decided  not  to  allow  himself  to  be  ordained,  believing 
that  he  was  called  to    labor  as  a   private  member. 

His  work  was  commenced  among  the  lowly.  He  started  an  afternoon 
'Sunday-school  five  miles  from  Charlottesville,  which  for  several  years  he  kept 
up  as  an  "  Evergreen  School, "  in  the  face  of  the  prediction  that  a  country 
school  could  not  be  maintained  through  the  winter  in  that  part  of  Virginia. 
At  the  same  time  he  also  had  charge  of  the  Baptist  school  in  town.  His  health 
failing  he  removed  to  Staunton,  Virginia,  where  he  worked  up  a  fine  school. 
Previous  to  this  school,  the  denomination  had  little  or  no  representation  in  that 
town.  The  church  organized  from  this  school  is  to-day  one  of  the  strongest  in 
Virginia,  outside  of  Richmond. 

Wherever  he  has  lived,  he  has  been  called  to  the  head  of  a  Sunday-school ; 
in  Charlottesville,  Staunton,  Virginia,  Savannah,  Georgia,  Greenville,  South  Car- 
olina, where  he  is  in  charge  of  a  flourishing  mission  school.  He  was  elected 
deacon  of  the  Charlottesville  church,  also  in  Staunton,  Savannah,  and  Green- 
ville. In  August,  1840,  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  Albemarle  Baptist  Asso- 
ciation, and  held  this  office  until  1872,  when  he  was  elected  Moderator.  He 
removed  to  Savannah,  Georgia,  that  year,  and  was  elected  clerk  of  the  New  Sun- 
bury  Association.  He  was  secretary  of  the  General  Baptist  Association  of  Vir- 
ginia eighteen  years,  and  secretary  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  at 
several  of  its  sessions. 

He  has  passed  through  all  the  offices  of  the  different  temperance  organiza- 
tions, taking  an  active  part  in  this  work. 

Previous  to  the  war  he  was  actively  engaged  in  the  religious  instruction  of  the 
colored  people.  Every  Sunday  he  met  with  them  for  Bible  reading,  singing 
and  prayer.  It  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  colored  Baptists  have  two  fine 
churches,  one  of  them,  the  handsomest  church-building  in  Charlottesville.  So 
well  grounded  are  these  brethren  in  the  faith  and  practice  of  our  denomination, 
that  no  other  denomination  has  been  able  to  establish  a  church  among  the 
colored  people — at  least  so  far  as  this  writer  knows. 

Mr.  Abell  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  religious  welfare  of 
young  men.  Especially  has  this  been  the  case  since  the  loss  of  his  only  son, 
who,  a  boy  in  years,  gave  his  life  for  his  country  in  1864.  This  blow  was  crush- 
ing to  the  loving  parents.  God  mercifully  sustained  them  and  the  love  which 
the  father  had  given  the  son  was  not  buried  in  the  grave,  but,  hallowed  and 
purified,  it  was  consecrated  to  the  service  of  the  Master  in  efforts  to  save  the 
young  men  around  him.  His  labor  has  not  been  fruitless.  Young  men  all 
over  our  southern  land  speak  lovingly  of  the  tender  words  which  this  good 
man  spake  while  urging  the  claims  of  God  on  their  hearts  and  lives.  Hun- 
dreds of  young  men  who  have  studied  at  the  University  of  Virginia  look  upon 
Mr.  Abell  as  their  spiritual  leader. 

He  has,  for  a  number  of  years,  advocated  the  earnest  consecration  of  all  Chris- 
tians to  active  service  "  in  the  Lord."  Through  his  efforts,  many  blessed 
meetings  have  been  held  by  the  private  members  during  the  sessions  of  the 
various  Associations  in  Virginia  and  Georgia. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


5 


Mr.  Abell  ie  a  man  of  strong  convictions,  unyielding  in  the  line  of  duty,  ready 
to  confess  his  faults  and  mistakes ;  of  a  warm,  tender,  charitable  disposition, 
always  looking  for  the  good  points  of  those  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact ; 
courtly  in  his  manners,  having  all  the  graceful  affability  belonging  to  the  old-tirne 
Virginia  gentlemen,  he  makes  friends  wherever  he  goes  and  his  presence  in 
every  family  is  hailed  with  delight  by  old  and  young. 

Married  at  twenty  years  of  age  to  Miss  Ann  McLeod,  a  Scotch  lady,  whose 
ancestors  figured  largely  in  the  history  of  their  fatherland,  his  wife  has  proved 
a  helpmeet  indeed.  The  raven-locked  young  man  and  the  fair-haired  lass  have 
travelled,  side  by  side,  forty-three  years,  sharing  sorrows  and  joys,  helping  and 
encouraging  each  other — and  now  that  the  hair  is  bleaching  and  the  body  bend- 
ing in  the  long  years,  the  same  loving,  tender  smile,  the  same  pleasant,  encour- 
aging words,  greet  friends  and  neighbors  from  the  man  and  wife,  and  people 
feel  that  it  is  good  for  them  to  meet  this  Christian  couple.  Mr.  Abell  has  his 
only  child,  Mrs.  R.  S.  Morgan,  living  with  him.  His  home-life  is  very  beautiful. 
Romping  with  his  four  grand-children,  he  the  merriest  and  noisiest,  the  little 
ones  know  the  friend,  the  sympathizer — the    father. 


THOMAS    JEFFERSON    ADAMS. 

"The  kingdom  of  God  came  not  with 
observation ; "  and  its  history  through 
every  age  attests  that  the  men  whose  ca- 
reer is  most  free  from  outward  show  are 
not  always  the  least  effective  workers  in 
that  kingdom.  A  life  passed  in  a  narrow 
sphere,  apart  from  the  great  centres  of 
society,  and  attracting  little  notice  or  ap- 
plause from  the  world  at  large,  may  yet 
be  luminous  with  the  illustration  of  high 
principles,  and  rich  with  the  harvest  of 
abundant  and  abiding  usefulness.  This 
truth,  too  precious  to  humble  souls  ever  to 
grow  trite,  is  exemplified  in  the  work  of 
T.  J.  Adams  as  a  preacher  and  a  teacher. 

He  was  born  in  1831,  graduated  in  1850, 
entered  immediately  on  teaching  as  a  pro- 
fession in  his  native  county,   Washington, 

and  has  pursued  it  ever  since.   There  is  a  ,  .        ,      o  u     1 

point  of  view,  and  that  not  the  least  philosophical,  from  which  the  School- 
master shows  as  almost  the  central  figure  of  our  century ;  and  the  labors  of 
Mr.  Adams  in  this  department  for  thirty  years  have  purchased  to  him  a  good 
degree  among  educators.  Under  the  light  of  his  own  experience  he  has  struck 
out  new  and  striking  methods  of  tuition.  In  the  "Practical  School  "  now  con- 
ducted by  him  at  Linton,  Hancock  county,  he  instructs,  not  by  text-books 
only  or  chiefly,  but  by  lectures,  illlistrations,  ocular  demonstrations,  with  experi- 
ments, objects,  etc.  This  is  a  wide  and  important  departure  from  the  cus- 
tomary reliance  on  mere  theoretical  routine ;  but  he  has  advanced  further  and 
higher.  On  commencing  his  profession  he  found  that  he  learned  more  the  first 
year  he  taught  than  ever  before,  and  was  thus  brought  face  to  face  with  the 
principle,  that  the  attempt  to  impart  knowledge  is  a  potent  agency  in  acquiring 
it.  To  secure  the  benefit  of  this  principle  for  the  youth  entrusted  to  his  care,  he 
decided  to  make  his  pupils  in  some  sort  teachers.  Each  pupil  is  required  to 
consult  his  text-book  on  a  particular  subject,  and  then,  without  the  book,  tp 
lecture  on  that  subject,  after  Mr.  Adams,  giving  illustrations,  making  experi- 
ments etc      In  this  way  not  simply  the  faculty  of  memory  is  cultivated,  but 


6  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

power  of  expression,  ability  to  pursue  consecutive  trains  of  thought,  and 
skill  in  reducing  knowledge  from  .shadowy  forms  of  theory  to  practical  and 
profitable  applications.  As  the  result  of  long  trial,  he  pronounces  these  meth- 
ods wonderfully  effective  in  the  self-development  of  students. 

On  his  conversion  he  became  a  Baptist,  after  a  prayerful  personal  investiga- 
tion of  the  New  Testament — -that  only  teacher  in  the  true  school  of  theology, 
Acting  here,  too,  on  the  principle  of  acquiring  knowledge  by  attempting  to 
impart  it,  and  obeying  the  voice  of  "  the  Spirit  and  the  Bride  "  which  called  him 
to  the  work  of  saving  souls,  he  became  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  For  more 
than  twenty  years  he  has,  like  John  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  pointed  men 
to  "  the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world; "  serving  the 
Sandersville,  Island  Creek,  Darien,  Ohoope,  Union,  Bethlehem  and  other 
churches  in  Washington  and  Hancock  counties.  He  is  highly  esteemed  by 
his  churches  as  a  good  preacher  and  a  fine  pastor.  As  fond  of  preaching  as  of 
teaching,  he  frequently  says,  "  They  are  the  two  highest  callings  in  the  world." 
During  his  ministry  he  has  baptized  many  believers  in  Christ.  He  is  Mod- 
erator of  the  Washington  Association,  and  exerts  a  very  great  influence  in  that 
body,  in  the  churches,  and  in  society.  It  is  the  verdict  of  "  the  jury  of  the 
vicinage,"  which  has  known  his  manner  of  life  from  his  youth,  that  he  is  a 
noble,  generous,  unostentatious,  high-minded  Christian  gentleman. 


AARON  ADKINS. 

Aaron  Adkins  was  born  in  Warren  county,  Georgia,  August  24th,  1794. 
As  his  parents  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  State  and  comparatively  poor, 
he  possessed,  when  young,  very  limited  opportunities  for  mental  development. 
But  as  soon  after  his  marriage  as  his  worldly  circumstances  allowed  him  to 
spare  the  time  from  personal  labor,  he  went  to  school  with  three  of  his  own 
children,  to  repair  this  lack  of  early  education,  and  manifested  through  life  a 
force  and  balance  of  intellect  that  would  have  won  success  in  almost  any 
undertaking  on  which  he  might  have  concentrated  his  energies. 

He  was  baptized  by  Elder  James  Grenade  and  united  with  Little  Brier  Creek 
church,  March,  1821  ;  became  its  clerk,  January,  1827;  was  licensed  to  preach, 
1830;  and  was  admitted  to  full  ministerial  functions,  March,  1836,  by  ordination 
at  the  hands  of  Elders  Huff  and  Ferryman.  The  year  following  began  his 
pastorate  of  Brier  Creek  church,  which  was  to  continue,  with  the  exception  of 
two  years,  until  his  death.  During  a  little  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  he 
baptized  into  its  fellowship  265  whites,  besides  a  large  number  of  colored 
persons.  He  was  pastor  of  Friendship  church  also,  and  gathered  a  goodly 
band  into  that. 

While  he  benefited  by  the  improvement  in  manners  consequent  on  the  in- 
crease of  wealth  and  learning  in  the  country,  he  never  attained  to  a  very  polite 
carriage  in  private  intercourse  with  society,  or  to  a  graceful  manner  in  the 
pulpit. 

He  was  somewhat  above  the  ordinary  stature,  of  striking  personal  appearance, 
with  a  countenance  expressive  of  meekness,  kindness  and  reverence.  Trans- 
parent in  character,  seeking  worthy  ends  openly,  holding  his  passions  under  firm 
control,  he  possessed  "the  ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,"  and  yet  was 
not  lacking  in  courage  or  disposed  to  withhold  an  expression  of  opinion  in  the 
face  of  opposition.  His  domestic  life  was  exemplary,  and  family  worship 
was  maintained  by  him,  with  the  requirement  of  attendance  on  the  part 
of  all  its  members.  His  judgment  in  the  management  of  his  pecuniary 
affairs  was  excellent,  and  secured  him  a  large  estate,  though  he  started  in 
life  with  nothing  or  next  to  nothing.     But  he  withstood  the  seductions  of    cov- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


7 


etousness — that  vice  which  Dr.  Wayland  used  to  say  would  destroy  the  souls 
of  more  professed  ("hristians  than  any  other,  and  for  many  years  before  his 
death  was  content  if  his  possessions  yielded  a  support  to  himself,  his  family 
and  his  servants.  He  did  not  read  extensively,  but  spared  no  pains  to  secure  a 
knowedge  of  ecclesiastical  history,  and  made  the  Bible  "the  book  of  books." 
His  sermons  were  chiefly  doctrinal,  but  not  without  a  constant  reference  to  prac- 
tice ;  and  while  he  made  no  pretension  to  the  graces  of  oratory,  he  had  that 
"unction  from  the  Holy  One,"  which,  if  it  entertains  the  hearers  less,  more 
powerfully  and  permanently  affects  them. 


ELIJAH- MOON  AMOS. 


Elijah  Moon  Amos,  was  born  in  Montgomery  county, 
Alabama,  November  27th,  181 8.  He  was  the  only  son  of 
Captain  Charles  and  Phalba  Amos :  the  former  having 
been  Captain  in  the  American  army  of  18 12  and  18 14. 
Both  his  maternal  and  paternal  grandfathers  were  Cap- 
tains in  the  war  of  American  Independence.  By  the  death 
of  his  parents  he  was  left  a  destitute  orphan  in  his  ninth 
year,  dependent  on  his  mother's  relatives,  with  whom  he 
remained  four  years.  He  was  then  carried  to  Knoxville, 
Georgia,  by  his  uncle  Elijah  Moon  Amos,  after  whom  he 
was  named,  and  by  whom  he  was  reared  and  partially  edu- 
cated. In  youth  he  was,  for  five  or  six  years,  disabled  and  tortured  by  an 
attack  of  white  swelling,  which  interfered  with  his  education  but  enabled  him 
to  devote  much  time  to  reading  works  in  history,  biography,  romance  and 
poetry.  When  sufficiently  restored  he  became  a  salesman  in  his  uncle's  store, 
and  so  remained  until  his  twenty-second  year,  when  he  was  taken  into  part- 
nership. 

In  the  year  1841,  (December  21st.),  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucinda 
Ansley,  the  result  of  which  union  was  the  birth  of  eight  children — four  sons  and 
four  daughters. 

In  the  summer  of  1842,  he  was  converted  to  God,  and  after  due  reflection 
and  investigation  connected  himself,  in  the  same  year,  with  the  Knoxville  Bap- 
tist church,  by  experience  and  baptism,  although  his  pious  mother  was  a  Meth- 
odist and  he  was  brought  up  under  the  influence  of  that  denomination.  By  the 
Knoxville  church  he  was  made  a  deacon  in  1844.  In  1853  he  was  licensed,  and 
in  1855  ordained  by  the  same  church.  In  neither  instance  however,  did  he 
seek  such  action  on  the  part  of  the  church,  but  discouraged  it.  He  served  the 
Knoxville  church,  as  pastor  during  the  year  1856,  in  the  latter  part  of  which 
year  he  moved  to  Cherokee  Georgia  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Whitfield  county, 
remaining  there  six  years,  and  part  of  the  time  serving  two  churches.  In 
1862,  he  removed  to  Middle  Georgia,  and  settled  in  Forsyth,  Monroe  county, 
where  he  has  resided  ever  since. 

After  the  war,  the  necessities  of  a  large  and  dependent  family  compelled 
him  to  return  to  his  former  secular  vocation,  mercantile  business,  in  which 
he  is  still  engaged,  preaching  occasionally  when  his  health  permits. 

For  fifteen  years  he  was  treasurer  of  the  Rehoboth  Baptist  Association, 
the  disabilities  of  age,  only,  forcing  him  to  refuse  a  re-election.  In  1864  he 
was  chosen  by  Judge  E.  G.  Cabaniss,  chief  collector  of  Confederate  taxes  in 
Georgia,  to  act  as  book-keeper  and  auditor  of  tax-returns,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  has  acted  as  alderman  of  the  town  of 
Forsyth,  and  for  the  last  four  years  has  served  the  county  of  Monroe  as  a  mem- 


8  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

ber  of  the  board  of  commissioners  of  roads,  revenues  etc.,  which  offices,  though 
accepted,  were  not  solicited. 

He  has  always  been  a  man  of  much  natural  timidity  and  being,  also,  for  many 
years,  a  great  sufferer  from  dyspepsia,  he  has  been,  at  times,  subject  to  such  de- 
jection of  mind  and  spirits  that,  to  some  extent,  his  usefulness  was  impaired. 
Still,  he  is  a  man  very  highly  respected  and  trusted  by  those  who  know  him, 
who  has  led  a  useful  life,  and  raised  and  educated  a  large  family  of  children. 

He  has  been  called  upon  to  endure  many  afflictions,  but  the  most  crushing 
blow  was  the  loss  of  his  wife  in  1 873,  beneath  which  stroke  both  body  and  brain 
reeled.  God,  however,  sustained  him  and  sanctified  the  affliction  to  him,  spoke 
a  calm  to  his  sea  of  sorrow,  and  in  the  bestowal  of  peace  and  serenity  enabled 
him  to  realize  how  much  the  night  of  sorrow  is  surpassed  by  the  morning  of 
rejoicing.  This  happy  frame  of  mind  is  due,  perhaps,  partly  to  prayer  and  trust, 
and  partly  to  study  and  meditation  on  the  Psalms,  and  other  devotional  portions 
of  the  Scriptures. 

He  never  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  systematic  theological  study,  nor  of  any 
special  instruction  in  the  preparation  and  delivery  of  sermons.  He  simply 
studied  the  doctrines  and  duties  contained  in  a  text  prayerfully,  and  then,  with 
his  mind  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  subject,  sought  to  deliver  his  message 
without  note  or  manuscript,  other  than  such  division  of  the  subject  as  he  may 
have  made,  and  depending  upon  the  Holy  Spirit  for  divine  help.  Though 
modest,  he  is  yet  ambitious ;  and  though  timid,  is  yet  sensitive  to  slight  or 
neglect,  and  while  compelled  to  follow  a  secular  employment,  would  have  pre- 
ferred an  active  ministerial  life. 


ANSELM  ANTHONY. 

Anselm  Anthony  was  born  on  the  9th  of  June  1778. 
in  Campbell  county,  Virginia.  He  was  the  son  of  Joseph 
Anthony  and  his  wife,  Ann  Clark,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Clark,  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Shortly  after 
that  war  Joseph  Anthony  moved  to  Georgia,  and  settled 
in  Wilkes  county.  Here  Anselm  obtained  such  educa- 
tional advantages  only  as  were  afforded  by  country 
schools ;  but,  being  fond  of  books,  he  devoted  all  his 
leisure  hours  to  reading,  and  amassed  a  great  fund  of 
information.  Even  at  that  age,  he  was  calm  and  dignified 
in  his  deportment,  and  gentle  and  courteous  towards  his 
associates. 

He  began  to  preach  about  18 10  or  181 2,  and  was  licensed  by  the  Fishing 
Creek  church,  Wilkes  county,  Georgia,  in  18 14,  and  for  a  while,  had  charge  of 
that  church.  Then  he  became  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Madison, Georgia, 
and  for  several  years  resided  in  that  place,  serving,  also,  other  churches  in 
Morgan  county.  In  1824,  he  moved  to  Gwinnett  county,  where  he  served 
various  churches.  He  was  married  in  1806  to  Sarah  Menzies,  of  North  Car- 
olina, who  died  in  1830.  Eight  children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters,  wer© 
the  result  of  this  union.  After  remaining  a  widower  five  years,  he  was  united 
in  matrimony  to  Miss  Catharine  Blakely,  of  Wilkes  county,  Georgia.  About 
six  years  after  his  second  marriage,  a  stroke  of  paralysis,  which  affected  one 
entire  side  of  his  frame,  and  from  which  he  never  fully  recovered,  put  an  end  to 
his  ministerial  work. 

In  1843  his  second  wife  died,  and  he  lived  alone  until  1858,  when  he  was  in- 
duced to  break  up  house-keeping  and  reside  with  his  son,  in  Meriwether  county. 
While  on  a  visit  to  his  daughter  in  Polk  county,  in  January  1859,  he  became 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  9 

helpless  and  remained  so  until  January  1868,  when  he  died,  in  the  eighty-ninth 
year  of  his  age.  When  informed  that  his  departure  was  near  at  hand,  he 
said,  "  I  know  it ;  but  I  feel  that  the  Lord  is  with  me,  and  that  he  will  never 
leave  me  nor  forsake  me."  Calm  and  peaceful  was  his  departure  from  earth. 
Never  did  evening  set  more  softly  and  gently,  than  this  way-worn  pilgrim  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus.  Without  a  struggle,  without  a  sigh,  he  closed  his  eyes  in 
death — 

"  Like  one  who  draws  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
.         About  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 

His  body  was  taken  to  Gwinnett  county,  and  rests  in  the  grave-yard  at  old 
Bethabara  church,  beside  the  remains  of  his  wives  and  daughters. 

Mr.  Anthony  was  a  hard  student,  and,  with  him  the  Bible  was  the  book  of 
books.  For  its  study  he  set  apart  a  portion  of  each  day,  and  permitted  neither 
business  nor  friends  to  cause  neglect  of  this  duty.  As  a  preacher  he  was  plain 
and  pointed,  ever  reproving  sin  regardless  of  praise  or  censure ;  and,  as  long 
as  he  could  converse,  he  admonished  all  to  holiness  of  life,  and  to  earnestness 
in  the  performance  of  Christian  duty.  He  would,  sometimes,  tell  how  a  couple 
of  sisters  encouraged  him,  on  the  day  of  his  baptism,  saying  "  I  was  sorely 
tempted  by  the  devil,  and  almost  ready  to  yield,  when  they  came  to  me  and 
exhorted  me  to  be  faithful.  They  did  much  to  strengthen  me.  Sisters,"  he 
would  say,  "  go  and  do  likewise.  You  may  encourage  and  strengthen  many 
who  are  weak  and  ready  to  faint." 

To  the  last  he  was  deeply  concerned  for  the  interests  of  Zion  ;  and  even  when 
memory  failed  to  such  an  extent  that  he  did  not  recognize  the  members  of  his 
own  family,  he  never  forgot  the  name  of  Christ,  nor  that  of  Christ's  Church. 
He  would  inquire  of  all  he  saw  how  the  cause  of  the  Saviour  was  progressing, 
and  how  Zion  was  prospering.  As  a  man,  and  as  a  minister,  he  was  slow  to 
form  an  opinion,  and  give  expression  to  his  sentiments,  in  regard  to  either  men 
or  measures  ;  but  when  his  opinions  were  settled  and  his  judgment  formed,  he 
remained  firm  and  unyielding. 

He  was  a  man  of  large,  muscular  proportions,  weighing  two  hundred  and 
forty  pounds,  with  raven  hair,  and  large,  black  eyes,  but  with  a  weak  voice,  for 
a  man  of  his  frame.  Nevertheless,  while  slow  and  soft-spoken,  he  commanded 
the  respect  and  attention  of  his  audiences.  Without  doubt  he  did  much  good 
by  the  wholesome  advice  he  was  in  the  habit  of  bestowing  on  the  young, 
many  of  whom,  even  in  old  age,  remembered  and  often  repeated  the  judicious 
instructions  received  in  youth  from  him.  Upon  more  than  one  boy's  mind  was 
a  lasting  impression  made,  by  this  saying  of  his :  "  When  angry,  bottle  up  thy 
thunder  and  lightning,  lest  they  kill  some  one  !  " 

As  a  minister  he  was,  in  the  hands  of  God,  an  instrument  for  turning  many 
from  the  evil  of  their  ways,  to  the  path  of  righteousness  and  peace,  and,  no 
doubt,  in  the  last  great  day,  many  will  call  him  blessed.  As  a  Baptist  he 
was  sound  in  faith  and  practice,  and  strong  in  his  doctrinal  convictions,  and 
did  much  to  establish  wavering  brethren. 


JAMES  ARMSTRONG. 

Among  the  early  Baptists  of  Georgia,  one  of  the  most  usefuj  was  Rev. 
•James  Armstrong,  who  was  born  March  20th,  1776,  in  Rockland  county, 
New  York.  When  quite  young  he  was  left  an  orphan,  his  father  being  one  of 
twenty  three  men  who  were  massacred  by  Indians,  when  assembled  for  divine 
worship.  Raised  by  Mr.  Joseph  Barber,  a  Presbyterian,  young  James  Arm- 
strong was  educated  for  the  Presbyterian  ministry,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Brinklehoff, 
of  that  denomination. 

At  an  early  age  he  embraced  religion  and  united  with  the  Presbyterians  in  his 
native  county.  On  attaining  manhood  he  moved  to  Savannah,  Georgia,  main- 
taining his  Presbyterian  relations,    and  teaching  the   Male    Academy  in  that 


lO  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

city.  After  a  while  he  accepted  the  position  of  cashier  in  a  bank,  acquitting 
himself  satisfactorily,  and  gaining  great  credit  for  fidelity  and  business  capacity. 
On  the  27th,  of  February,  1808,  he  was  elected  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Savannah,  but  becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  views  of  the  sect  on 
baptism,  he  investigated  the  subject  for  himself,  and  the  result  was  his  baptism 
by  Dr.  Henry  Holcombe,  on  the  15th  of  May  1810,  and  his  union  with  the 
Baptist  church  of  Savannah.  When  the  war  of  181 2  came  on,  he  moved  to 
Wilkes  county,  Georgia,  and  settled  near  Fishing  Creek  meeting-house,  where 
he  brought  up  a  family  in  the  ways  of  piety  and  godliness. 

He  was  ordained  a  deacon  July  6th,  1816,  having  been  licensed  two  years  pre- 
viously to  preach.  His  ordination  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry  occurred 
October  nth,  1821.  Becoming  pastor  of  Fishing  Creek  church,  he  held  this 
relation  for  fourteen  years,  more  than  two  hundred  being  gathered  into  Christ's 
kingdom,  as  the  result  of  his  labors  in  this  and  other  pastorates.  He  was  pas- 
tor, also,  of  Greenwood,  Goshen,  and  Lincolnton  churches,  serving  them  some 
eight  or  nine  years.  He  worked,  side  by  side  with  Mercer  and  his  compeers, 
in  the  first  efforts  to  establish  a  seat  of  learning  at  Penfield,  and  especially  to 
aid  in  the  education  of  young  brethren  looking  to  the  ministry.  With  Jesse 
Mercer,  B.  M.  Sanders,  Thomas  Stocks,  John  B.  Walker,  and  perhaps  Absa- 
lom Janes,  he  acted  on  the  committee  which  selected  Penfield  as  the  site  of  the 
institution  which  was  then  styled  Mercer  Institute,  and  which,  in  its  inception, 
was  a  manual  labor  school.  And  not  long  after,  resigning  his  pastoral  charges, 
he  gave  his  whole  time  to  the  collection  of  funds  to  render  the  Institute  perma- 
nent, to  erect  suitable  buildings  and  to  sustain  the  faculty  and  beneficiaries. 

As  a  minister  he  was  interesting  and  instructive,  possessing  a  voice  of  sin- 
gular tenderness  and  pathos,  and  frequently  melting  his  audience  to  tears.  He 
prepared  his  sermons  ( which  were  sound  and  clear  in  doctrine,)  carefully,  deliv- 
ered them  faithfully  and  affectionately,  and  left  the  fruit  to  be  brought  forth 
by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

To  a  naturally  good  understanding,  he  united  a  cheerfulness  of  heart  and 
sweetness  of  disposition,  that  endeared  him  to  all  and  rendered  him  a  very 
agreeable  companion.  He  neither  offended  by  a  forbidding  stiffness  on  the  one 
hand,  nor  by  a  boyish  frivolity  on  the  other ;  but  possessed  a  vivacious-  humor 
that  sparkled  with  a  pleasantness  which  produced  a  smile,  while  it  was  chas- 
tened by  a  mixture  of  piety,  which  excited  the  heart's  emotions.  The  at- 
tachment felt  for  him  by  the  young  was  peculiarly  strong ;  for — as  one  now 
among  the  veteran  fathers  in  the  ministry  still  remembers — he  let  no  opportunity 
pass  unimproved  when  he  could  with  propriety,  speak,  in  his  mild,  gentle,  per- 
suasive manner,  a  word  which  might  lead  them  to  Christ. 

He  was  a  man  of  prayer,  and  rose  early  that  he  might  perform  his  own  and 
family  devotions,  an  observance  which  he  maintained  with  pious  assiduity. 
It  was  a  remark  of  his  that  "  no  church  could  prosper  whose  members  did  not 
observe  family  religious  worship."  In  his  day,  Sunday  visiting  was  even  more 
popular  in  the  country  than  at  present,  and  he  was  sometimes  annoyed  by 
it.  When  asked  to  return  a  visit  the  following  Sunday,  he  would  reply,  "  Would 
not  a  week-day  do  as  well  ?  " 

Emphatically  a  worker,  he  was  industrious  and  punctual,  no  ordinary  obstacle 
being  allowed  to  prevent  his  filling  an  appointment.  Neither  rains  nor  storms, 
neither  swollen  streams,  deep  snow  nor  severe  cold,  could  keep  him  from  the 
house  of  God  at  the  hour  set  apart  for  worship.  Indeed,  it  was  this  faith- 
fulness that  cost  him  his  life.  Notwithstanding  the  intense  cold  which  was 
experienced  in  the  winter  of  i834-'35,  he  prosecuted  with  ardor  his  labors 
as  general  agent  for  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  in  securing  the  endow- 
ment fund  for  Mercer  Institute.  The  result  was  an  affection  of  his  teeth 
and  jaws,  caused  by  the  cold,  which  communicated  itself  to  his  whole  system 
and  finally  terminated  his  earthly  existence,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1835.  He 
died  as  a  Christian  should  die,  in  the  exercise  of  a  bright  and  firm  hope  of  a 
blessed  immortality  beyond  the  grave.  Though  prostrated  by  his  singular  dis- 
ease and  suffering  pain  in  his  whole  body,  no  complaint  ever  escaped  his  lips. 
All  classes  loved  him  while  living,  and  mourned  him  wh-en  he  died. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  il 

For  several  years  previous  to  his  death,  he  was  the  Treasurer  of  the  Georgia 
Baptist  Convention,  the  duties  of  which  position  he  discharged  to  the  satis- 
faction of  his  brethren  without  fee  or  reward,  save  the  approbation  of  his  own 
conscience  In  the  Minutes  of  the  Convention  for  1836,  we  find  this  tribute  to 
his  memory,  over  the  signature  of  "Jesse  Mercer,  by  order  of  the  Convention  :" 

"  Our  indefatigable  brother,  James  Armstrong,  while  engaged  arduously  and 
successfully,  as  general  agent  for  the  Convention,  was  stricken  with  a  painful 
disease,  with  which  he  contended  long  and  struggled  hard  with  unexampled 
energy,  till  he  was  prostrated  on  a  bed  of  woe,  where  he  languished  for  several 
weeks  under  excruciating  pain ;  but  was  comforted  in  all  his  afflictions  by 
lively  views  of  the  glorious  prospect  which  lay  before  him.  Having  previ- 
ously given  his  living,  he  now  was  enabled  to  give  his  dying,  testimony  to  the 
soundness  of  the  doctrine  he  had  preached,  and  the  excellency  of  that  hope 
which  is  full  of  immortality.  Thus,  while  the  Convention  mourns  the  loss  of 
these  beloved  brethren,  ( James  Armstrong  and  Rev.  Travis  Everitt,  a  domestic 
missionary,  in  the  employ  of  that  body,)  she  rejoices  in  that  they  died  at  their 
post— -fell  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  their  high  calling,  and  have  left  an 
imperishable  meed  of  praise  to  the  grace  of  God  behind  them." 


H.  J.ARNETT 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born,  December  30th,  1848, 
in  Screven  county  Georgia.  His  forefathers  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers  of  the  State.  His  mother  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Solomon  Zeigler,  who  came  from  the  colony  of  Saltz- 
burgers  that  settled  in  Effingham  county,  in  1734.  The 
parents  of  H.  J.  Arnett  were  both  Baptists.  His  father 
moved  and  settled  on  Vernon  river,  an  arm  of  the  sea  some 
ten  miles  from  the  city  of  Savannah.  Here  the  family 
remained  till  near  the  close  of  the  war,  and  here  he  spent 
some  of  his  happiest  days,  though  they  were  days. of  labor 
and  hardship.  In  January,  1864,  while  hauling  wood  to  be  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  salt,  he  picked  up  a  bombshell  which  had  fallen  among  the  trees 
without  explosion.  He  attempted  to  open  it  and  although  aware  of  the  danger 
and  using  great  caution,  it  exploded,  tearing  off  his  left  hand  and  left  foot, 
besides  inflicting  other  injuries  of  less  serious  nature.  By  the  skilful  manage- 
ment of  Drs.  Brewster  and  Houston,  surgeons  in  the  Confederate  Army,  who 
were  near  at  hand,  and  amputated  the  torn  limbs,  the  wounds  healed  rapidly, 
and  recovery  was  the  happy  result. 

.  His  educational  advantages  have  been  fair.  He  had  access  to  good 
academic  instruction  in  the  schools  of  his  section,  and  for  nearly  two  years  en- 
joyed the  thorough  training  of  the  able  faculty  of  Mercer  University.  In 
August  1865  he  united  with  the  Baptist  church  at  Little  Horse  Creek,  Screven 
county.  Up  to  1873,  when  not  at  school,  he  engaged  alternately  in  teaching  and 
performing  the  duties  of  receiver  of  tax-returns  for  Screven  county,  to  which 
office  he  was  elected  in  1870,  and  which  he  still  holds.  After  the  misfor- 
tune referred  to,  he  had  determined  to  devote  himself  to  book-keeping,  and 
had  shaped  his  education  to  that  end,  but  the  Lord  otherwise  ordained.  He 
became  deeply  impressed  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  gospel  and  warn 
sinners  of  their  danger.  He  felt  that  God  who  had  been  so  wonderfully  gra- 
cious to  him,  was  calling  him  to  engage  in  that  service.  He  cheerfully  yielded, 
submitting  himself  to  the  divine  will.  In  September,  1873,  he  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  Double  Heads  church.  In  September,  1875,  he  was  called  to  ordina- 
tion by  this  church,  and  was  afterwards  its  pastor,  as  well  as  of  two  other 


12  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

churches  which  he  has  served  ever  since.  "His  pastorates  have  been  a  success. 
Over  one  hundred  have  been  added  to  these  churches  since  he  became  their 
pastor.  He  is  a  zealous  and  v^arm-hearted  young  minister,  and  has  before  him 
a  future  of   usefulness  in  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord. 

On  the  28th  of  October,  1875,  he  was  united  by  marriage  to  Miss  Georgia  A. 
Dixon,  of  Screven  county,  a  most  estimable  lady.  Two  bright  little  girls  have 
been  given  them  by  the  Lord,  as  golden  Hnks  in  the  chain  that  binds  their 
hearts  and  lives  in  one. 


JOHN  HERGEN  ASH. 

John  Hergen  Ash  was  born  in  Savannah,  Georgia, 
November  17th,  1843.  He  was  the  only  son  of  George  A. 
and  Sarah  Ash,  by  a  second  marriage  on  both  sides.  He 
was  deeply  impressed  by  the  death  of  an  only  sister,  at 
the  age  of  three  years.  Though  he  was  very  young,  this 
bereavement  caused  him  to  reflect  most  seriously  about 
his  responsibility  to  God,  and  "the  vast  concerns"  of 
eternity.  He  was  fortunate  in  having  a  mother  of  deep 
piety,  who  communed  much  with  God,  and  the  remem- 
brance of  her  fervent  prayers  for  him  still  lingers  in  his 
bosom.  She  often  took  her  boy  by  the  hand  to  lead  him  to  the  place  where  she 
daily  knelt  in  secret  prayer  to  pour  out  her  soul  to  God,  and  with  sweet,  gentle 
voice  invited  him  to  go  with  her.  At  other  times  he  would  hear  the  voice  of 
prayer,  and,  tracing  out  the  sound,  would  be  made  an  auditor  to  his  mother's 
pleadings  before  the  throne  of  grace.  This  devoted  mother  gave  her  son  to  the 
Lord,  asking  that  he  might  be  called  into  the  ministry.  Her  prayers  have  been 
answered,  though  she  did  not  live  to  see  it. 

He  received  his  education  in  Savannah,  being  sent  to  the  private  schools  and 
academies  of  that  city  until  the  war  between  the  States.  He  never  forgot  the 
early  religious  impressions  stamped  on  his  mind  and  heart,  but  like  many  others 
who  make  vows  to  the  Lord  and  fail  to  keep  them,  he  delayed  repentance  until 
April,  1857,  when,  during  a  revival  season,  under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  D.  G. 
Daniel,  he  united  with  the  church,  and  was  baptized. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  left  school,  and  though  only  about  seven- 
teen years  old,  entered  the  Confederate  service,  among  the  early  volunteer  troops 
who  occupied  Fort  Pulaski,  near  his  native  city.  Four  years  of  the  spring-time 
of  his  life  were  passed  in  camp.  He  was  impressed,  as  he  had  been  before, 
with  a  sense  of  his  duty  to  give  himself  to  the  ministry ;  but  as  he  had  enlisted 
for  the  war,  he  determined,  in  view  of  the  need  of  men  in  the  army,  to  remain 
until  hostilities  ceased,  or  Providence  opened  the  way  for  his  discharge.  With 
resources  shattered  and  prospects  blighted,  he  returned  from  the  army  and 
began  the  business  of  life.  Settling  in  Effingham  county,  he  was  ordained 
deacon  of  Cowpen  Branch  church  in  1 867  ;  licensed  to  preach  by  Elim  church 
in  1871  ;  and,  at  the  request  of  the  latter,  ordained  during  the  session  of  the 
Middle  Association,  with  Turkey  Branch  church,  September,  1873,  by  Revs.  G. 
L.  Jackson,  J.  C.  Edwards  and  H.  E.  Cassidey. 

He  has  never  been  a  regular  pastor,  but  has  been  active  in  aiding  other 
ministers  in  protracted  meetings,  and  tilling  appointments,  as  occasion  presented. 
He  is  a  lover  of  Sunday-school  work,  and  for  thirteen  years  has  put  all  his 
energies  into  it.  For  a  considerable  time  he  acted  as  superintendent  of  two 
Sunday-schools,  nine  miles  apart,  meeting  them  promptly  each  Lord's  day.  God 
has  blessed  him  in  this  work,  and  many  of  the  scholars,  under  his  instruction, 
have  been  brought  to  Christ.  He  is  an  earnest,  extemporaneous  speaker,  rather 
diffident,  but  heard  with  not  a  little  interest. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS 


13 


He  has  been  married  three  times.  His  present  wife,  who  was  Miss  E.  T. 
Foy,  of  Efitingham  county,  has  borne  him  one  son,  his  only  Uving  child..  As  a 
husband  and  father,  he  is  affectionate  ;  as  a  citizen,  public-spirited,  with  the 
confidence  of  all.  He  is  fond  of  the  private  life  of  the  farm,  and  enters  into  all 
the  details  of  his  business  with  great  interest  and  success. 


WILLIAM  DAWKINS  ATKINSON. 


William  Dawkins  Atkinson  was  born 
in  Greene  county,  Georgia,  on  the  17th  of 
November,  1818.  He  was  the  third  child  of 
Lazarus  and  Mary  E.  Atkinson.  His  paternal 
grandfather  was  a  North  Carolinian  by  birth,  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  a  farmer  by 
vocation ;  he  settled  in  Greene  county  at  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  father 
was  a  good  citizen,  and  (abating  some  imper- 
fections) was  a  sincere  lover  of  the  Saviour. 
His  materral  grandfather,  William  D.  Lane, 
was  a  man  of  superior  intellectual  endowments 
and  possessed  of  a  liberal  education  for  his 
day.  He  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  and 
settled  in  Putnam  county,  Georgia,  the  latter 
part  of  the  last  century.  His  vocation  was 
that  of  a  school  teacher,  but  he  was  also  a 
minister  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Baptist  denomi- 
nation, and  was  said  to  be  an  eloquent  and  persuasive  preacher.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Georgia  Senate  from  Putnam  county  for  nearly  twenty  years,  be- 
ing an  able  debater  and  wise  legislator.  William  D.  Atkinson's  mother  inher- 
ited many  of  the  intellectual  qualities  of  her  father.  Mr.  Atkinson  himself  did 
not  enjoy  the  advantages  of  an  early  education,  for  his  father's  means  were 
limited ;  yet  when  he  had  arranged  to  send  his  son  to  Penfield,  the  Indian  war 
broke  out,  and  on  the  i6th  of  June,  1836,  young  Atkinson  enlisted  in  a  com- 
pany commanded  by  Hon.  William  C.  Dawson,  as  Captain.  The  company 
passed  through  several  skirmishes,  but  all  returned  to  their  homes  in  safety. 

The  winter  following  Mr.  Atkinson  moved  with  his  parents  to  Chambers 
county,  Alabama,  a  new,  wild  and  romantic  region.  The  Indians  had  not  all 
left  the  country ;  the  fierce  howl  of  wolves  was  nightly  heard  around  the  dwel- 
lings, and  in  the  day  deer  were  frequently  chased  by  the  dogs  through  the  yards 
of  the  settlers.  Young  Atkinson  assisted  his  father  and  his  hands  in  clearing  a 
farm,  and  erecting  suitable  buildings  for  the  comfort  of  the  family.  These 
labors  were  singularly  useful  in  developing  his  manhood,  and  preparing  him  for 
the  life  of  toil  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  which  lay  before  him.  The  family 
had  scarcely  become  settled  in  their  new  home  before  his  father  was  called  to 
another  world.  The  care  of  his  mother  and  younger  brothers  and  sisters,  in  a 
measure,  devolved  upon  him.  For  two  more  years,  therefore,  he  was  kept  out 
of  school.  In  the  year  1840  he  left  home  to  enter  the  Licka  Academy,  in 
Chambers  county,  near  West  Point,  Georgia.  Here,  in  his  twenty-second  year, 
he  obtained  his  first  knowledge  of  the  rudiments  of  English  and  Latin  gram- 
mar. He  continued  his  studies  in  Whitesville,  Georgia,  and  in  Dudleyville,  Ala- 
bama. In  the  spring  of  1844  he  completed  his  preparation  for  college  in  the 
preparatory  school  of  Mercer  University,  then  located  in  Penfield,  Georgia. 
Thus  his  long  cherished  hope  was  realized,  in  returning  to  his  native  State  and 
entering  Mercer  University.  The  following  autumn  he  entered  the  Freshman 
class,  and  graduated  in  1848. 


14  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

We  retrace  our  steps  a  little,  and  return  to  the  wild  scenes  of  the  new  settle- 
ments in  Alabama.  The  early  settlers  and  those  who  lived  among  the  Indians 
were  illiterate,  wild  and  frolicsome ;  the  Sabbath  day  was  given  up  to  dissipa- 
tion, hunting,  fishing  and  dancing.  It  was  not  uncommon  for  the  Saturday 
night  dance  to  continue  until  Sunday  morning,  to  be  resumed  on  Sunday  even- 
ing. These  were  the  moral  influences  surrounding  young  Atkinson  at  that  time, 
and  it  is  not  strange  that  he  was  led  into  the  same  sports  and  Sabbath  desecra- 
tion. This  state  of  things  did  not  continue  long.  Religious  families  from  the 
older  States  moved  in,  and  soon  began  to  exert  a  salutary  influence  ;  earnest  and 
zealous  ministers  came,  who  labored  day  and  night,  and  the  word  took  effect ; 
revivals  spread  over  the  country,  and  hundreds  were  converted.  Mr.  Atkinson 
was  soon  made  a  subject  of  the  work,  and  in  the  fall  of  1839  was  converted  and 
baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  Shiloh  Baptist  church,  by  Rev.  John  Wood,  and 
soon  commenced  exercising  in  public  ;  was  licensed  by  the  church,  and  after  his 
graduation,  at  Mercer  University,  was  ordained  in  Monticello,  Georgia,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1848,  by  a  presbytery,  consisting  of  C.  M.  Irwin,  James  Carter,  William 
Byars,  Jesse  Carter  and  J.  M.  Bledsoe.  For  thirty  years  he  devoted  himself  to 
the  work  of  winning  souls  to  Christ. 

He  served  various  churches  in  Monroe,  Jasper,  Harris,  Talbot,  Macon,  Walton, 
Rockdale,  Greene,  Glynn,  Pierce  and  Tatnall  counties. 

He  has  never  held  any  office  of  trust  in  the  denomination,  but  the  position  of 
an  humble  missionary  of  the  State  Board.  He  has  never  held  any  civil  office, 
uniformly  eschewing  politics.  He  was  thrice  married.  His  first  marriage  was 
to  Miss  Eliza  Jane  Loyall,  of  Monticello,  Georgia ;  the  second  to  Mrs.  Mildred 
E.  Crook,  of  Hamilton,  Georgia,  and  the  third  to  Mrs.  Lydia  Gignilliat,  of 
Marietta.  These  were  all  women  of  intelligence  and  culture,  eminently  qualified 
for  the  useful  position  they  occupied.  The  last  still  survives,  and  shared  with 
her  husband  the  labor  and  suffering  in  the  cause  of  the  Master  in  Southern 
Georgia.     He  left  six  children,  two  by  each  marriage. 

As  a  pastor  he  was  distinguished  for  industry  and  energy,  was  enthusiastically 
devoted  to  the  interest  of  his  churches,  at  all  times  sympathizing  with  the 
afiflicted  of  his  flock.  As  a  minister  he  had  a  quality  akin  to  one  possessed  by 
his  Master,  that  "the  common  people  heard  him  gladly."  As  a  speaker  he  was 
earnest  and  forcible  ;  he  moved  his  audience  more  by  the  presentation  of  truth 
unadorned  than  by  any  of  the  arts  of  rhetoric. 

The  chief  features  of  his  character  were  integrity,  truthfulness  and  honor.  If 
an  opinion  was  sought,  a  candid  answer  was  given.  He  had  no  training  in  the 
school  of  flattery,  and  despised  dissimulation.  He  was  independent  in  his  bear- 
ing and  outspoken  in  his  manner,  which  some  construed  as  bluntness,  and  took 
offence  when  none  was  intended.  Mr.  Atkinson  was  much  above  the  medium 
size,  his  weight  ranging  from  210  to  230  pounds.  His  appearance  was  some- 
what stiff  and  martial,  and  some  mistook  this  for  haughtiness,  yet  on  a  mature 
acquaintance  these  erroneous  views  disappeared.  He  was  a  successful  instructor 
of  youth,  seemed  eminently  fitted  for  this  occupation,  and  could  have  attained 
eminence  in  it  had  he  not  preferred  to  devote  his  entire  time  to  preaching  the 
Gospel.  As  a  pastor  he  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  good  discipline  in  his 
churches,  and  was  singularly  successful  in  enforcing  it.  He  was  a  zealous  advo- 
cate of  the  temperance  cause,  and  achieved  success  in  this  field  of  labor.  In  the 
peculiar  field  of  the  pastorate  he  was  successful  in  turning  hundreds  to  the 
standard  of  the  cross.  During  the  last  thirty  years  he  doubtless  baptized  not 
less  than  a  thousand  subjects.  Certainly,  if  success  in  any  enterprise  is  an  evi- 
dence of  efificiency  and  ability,  there  is  not  wanting  evidence  of  success.  In 
erecting  houses  of  worship,  in  building  up  weak  churches,  and  putting  church 
members  to  work  generally,  he  has  shown  himself  a  master  workman  that  need 
not  be  ashamed. 

Rev.  W.  D.  Atkinson  died  in  Blackshear,  Georgia,  on  the  17th  of  October, 
1879,  in  his  6 1  St  year.  His  last  public  exercise  was  to  make  the  closing  prayer 
in  the  New  Sunbury  Association,  that  convened  at  Walthourville.  This  he  did 
even  while  suffering  great  pain,  from  the  huge  carbuncle,  which  finally  ended 
his  life.     For  three  weeks  he  suffered  fearfully,  but  bore  his  excruciating  agony 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  I  5 

without  a  murmur,  never  giving  up  his  work  until  he  was  no  longer  able  to  walk. 
Once  when  he  could  not  find  an  easy  position,  he  said,  "  I  want  the  saint's  rest." 
At  another  time  he  remarked,  "  Leave  me  alone  to  my  thoughts  and  meditations 
on  the  30th  Psalm."  The  disease  finally  attacked  his  brain,  and  for  a  day  and 
a  half  he  recognized  no  one.  He  passed  away  peacefully  and  quietly,  thus 
falling  asleep  in  Jesus.  The  Masonic  fraternity,  of  which  he  was  a  member, 
buried  him,  after  funeral  services  in  the  Blackshear  Baptist  church.  The  reli- 
gious services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  Mr.  Morehouse,  a  Methodist  minister, 
before  a  large  and  sad  audience,  who  followed  him  to  his  last  resting  place.  His 
death  produced  a  profound  sensation  in  Southern  Georgia,  and  the  people  ex- 
claimed :  "  His  place  can  never  be  filled."  His  work  :'was  'well  done,  Sand  he 
rests  from  his  labors. 


ROBERT  BABER. 

Robert  Baber,  the  youngest  in  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren, was  born  June  5th,  1824,  in  Rutherford  county,  N.  C. 
When  but  ten  years  old  he  lost  his  father,  but  enjoyed  the 
counsels  of  a  mother  who  feared  the  Lord,  until  his  twenty- 
third  year.  At  that  age  he  left  her  roof  to  seek  a  home  in 
Marietta,  Ga.  He  reached  that  place  penniless,  was  un- 
fortunate in  the  choice  of  his  associates,  and  spent  four 
years  unprofitably.  But  the  parting  face  of  his  mother, 
beaming  with  love  and  bedewed  with  tears,  was  ever  be- 
fore him ;  he  could  not  forget  her  earnest  prayer  that  the 
Lord  would  be  his  guide  and  protector;  in  his  ears  still 
rang  her  tender  admonition,  "Be  a  good  boy,  and  remember  your  mother." 
At  last  the  good  seed  bore  fruit.  In  1850,  shortly  after  the  formation  of  a  happy 
marriage  connection  with  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Harris  Jackson,  he  turned  from  the 
error  of  his  way,  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Elijah  Northcut  and  received  into  the 
Marietta  church. 

At  an  early  stage  of  his  Christian  experience,  he  began  to  be  impressed  with 
the  conviction  that  the  Lord  intended  to  make  him  a  laborer  in  his  vineyard. 
But  his  natural  timidity  and  his  conscious  want  of  education,  led  him  to  fight 
against  the  sense  of  duty.  About  the  year  1856  the  church  passed  a  resolution 
granting  him  the  privilege  to  "  exercise  his  gifts  "  as  he  might  have  opportunity. 
He  drew  back,  however,  hearkening  rather  to  his  own  inclination  than  to  the  voice 
of  God.  Then  the  rod  of  affliction  smote  him.  A  son  died — a  second  son — a 
third ;  the  last,  only  a  few  days  after  returning  home,  on  the  completion  of  his 
education.  These  repeated  strokes  brought  him  nearer  to  the  Saviour ;  broke 
the  strong  attraction  with  which  the  business  of  the  world,  as  with  a  chain,  had 
bound  him ;  inspired  him  with  a  willingness  to  put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God, 
go  forth  in  the  name  of  the  Master,  and  contend  earnestly  for  the  faith.  From 
that  time  he  has  given  himself  fully  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  For  the  past 
twelve  years  he  has  resided  at  Powder  Springs,  pastor  of  the  church. there,  and 
of  three  other  churches  in  that  region. 

No  one  claims  for  him  extraordinary  gifts  as  a  preacher ;  but  all  bear  testi- 
mony to  his  fervency  of  spirit  and  his  fidelity.  His  sermons  are  adapted  as  well 
to  move  the  sensibilities  of  the  heart  as  to  convey  instruction  to  the  mind. 
Though  sometimes  feeble  in  health,  he  never  fails,  where  it  is  possible,  to  meet 
his  appointments.  He  is  a  friend  to  the  poor,  ever  ready  to  share  with  them 
his  scanty  supplies.  Great  blessings  attend  his  ministry ;  additions  are  made  to 
the  churches,  and  the  churches  grow  more  efficient.  He  is  living  in  a  commu- 
nity where  he  is  well  known  and  where  his  labors  are  fully  appreciated ;  and 
cheered  by  the  love  of  his  wife  and  of  four  children,  has  before  him  the  prospect 
of  years  of  usefulness  in  the  service  of  Christ. 


i6 


BIOGI^APHICAL   SKETCHES 


NAPOLEON    ALEXANDER    BAILEY. 


In  the  summer  of  1836,  a  man  and  his  wife 
stood  on  an  eminence  overlooking  a  large  assem- 
bly, gathered  to  witness  the  baptism  of  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  converts  in  Town  Creek,  Lawrence 
county,  Alabama.  By  their  side  stood  a  little 
boy  of  three,  who  was  deeply  impressed  by  the 
ceremony,  on  which  he  gazed  in  wonder.  So 
indelible  was  the  impression  made  on  his  infant- 
ile mind  that  it  never  faded  away,  and  greatly 
influenced  his  actions  in  after  life.  The  child 
grew  to  the  age  of  nine,  when  he  was  received 
into  the  membership  of  a  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  a  little  water  was  sprinkled  on  him, 
which  was  called  baptism  ;  but  the  ceremony 
did  not  correspond  with  the  scene  on  which 
he  had  looked  six  years  before.  When  he 
studied  the  Bible,  he  failed  to  find  there  a 
ceremony  corresponding  to  the  one  to  which 
he  had  submitted ;  but,  in  reading  the  account  of  multitudes  baptized  by  John 
in  the  river  Jordan,  he  recognized  the  counterpart  of  the  baptismal  scene  he 
had  witnessed  in  his.  early  childhood.  His  boyhood  rolled  by,  and  his  doubts 
and  scruples  were  satisfied  and  ended  when  at  seventeen,  he  received  immer- 
sion, at  the  hands  of  Rev.  Jackson  Gunn,  in  July,  1850,  and  was  admitted 
into  the  fellowship  of  the  Liberty  Baptist  church,  Lawrence  county,  Alabama. 
The  young  man  was  Napoleon  Alexander  Bailey,  who  was  born  in 
Lawrence  county,  Alabama,  September  5th,  1833.  His  father  was  John  W. 
Bailey,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  his  mother  was  Mary  E.  Florence,  from  Mary- 
land. They  were  married  in  North  Alabama,  to  which  their  parents  had 
removed.  The  husband  died  in  1840.  The  wife  departed  this  life  in  1870,  leav- 
ing this  son  the  only  surviving  member  of  the  family,  three  other  children — two 
brothers  and  a  sister — having  all  died  previously. 

Three  years  after  his  connection  with  the  church,  Mr.  Bailey  was  licensed  to 
preach;  and,  in  September,  1854,  entered  Union  University,  Murfreesboro,  Ten- 
nessee, where,  for  three  years,  he  diligently  pursued  his  studies,  graduating  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.,  in  1857.  He  was  inducted  into  the  ministry,  by  ordination, 
in  November  of  that  year,  in  Murfreesboro,  Dr.  J.  M.  Pendleton,  the  pastor,  and 
Dr.  J.  H.  Eaton,  President  of  the  University,  taking  part  in  the  ceremony.  The 
sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  Pendleton. 

Mr.  Bailey  began  his  ministerial  life  by  taking  charge,  January  i,  1858,  of  the 
church  which  authorized  his  baptism — Liberty  church,  Lawrence  county,  Ala- 
bama— at  the  same  time  serving  another  church,  six  miles  distant.  He  married 
Miss  A.  B.  Hester,  of  Fayetteville,  Tennessee,  on  the  i8th  of  January,  1858, 
a  union  by  which  he  secured  a  most  intelligent  and  zealous  helper  in  his  work. 
A  cough  and  cold,  contracted  by  preaching  at  revival  meetings  during  inclem- 
ent weather,  in  Tennessee,  rendered  it  expedient  for  him  to  seek  a  milder  cli- 
mate, and  he  moved  to  Florida,  and  took  charge  of  the  church  at  Monticello, 
January  ist,  i860.  Four  years  were  spent  delightfully  in  Monticello  working 
for  the  Master,  and  the  strength  and  tone  of  his  voice  and  lungs  were  fully 
restored,  but  apprehensions,  on  account  of  Federal  incursions  from  the  coast, 
during  the  war,  led  to  his  removal  to  Georgia  in  1863.  He  settled  in  Perry, 
Houston  county,  accepted  the  Presidency  of  the  Houston  Female  College,  and 
preached  to  several  country  churches,  for  about  two  years,  when  he  became  pas- 
tor of  the  church  at  Milledgeville,  the  capital  of  the  State.  From  Milledgeville 
he  moved  to  Albany,  where  he  remained  three  years,  as  pastor  of  the  church.  A 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  1^ 

call  then  led  him  to  Dalton,  Georgia,  whence  he  moved  to  California,  in  the 
spring  of  1873,  and  took  pastoral  charge  of  the  Baptist  churches  at  Santa  Rosa 
and  Healdsburg. 

Contrary  to  his  expectation  and  hope,  California  became  his  residence  for  two 
years  and  a  half  only,  for  the  climate  disagreed  with  the  health  of  JVIrs.  Bailey, 
and  a  return  to  North  Alabama,  the  home  of  his  relatives,  was  deemed  provi- 
dentially necessary.  There  a  field  of  employment  and  usefulness  was  immedi- 
ately opened  to  him,  in  supplying  the  pulpit  of  the  Talladega  church,  while  its 
talented  pastor.  Dr.  J.  J.  D.  Renfroe,  was  travelling  in  the  interest  of  Howard  Col- 
lege. He  remained  in  Talladega  ten  months,  when  he  received  and  accepted  a 
call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Quitman,  Georgia,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  reside,  doing  good  service  in  the  cause  of  Christ,  from  June,  1876,  to 
December  31st,  1879. 

As  a  pastor  Mr.  Bailey  is  faithful  and  zealous,  with  perhaps,  few  superiors. 
To  his  praise  it  may  be  said  that  the  poor  and  rich  share  equally  his  visits.  As 
a  preacher  he  is  very  strong,  and  his  sermons  are,  for  the  most  part,  didactic,  and 
find  general  acceptance.  In  his  manner  he  is  earnest,  and  sometimes  vehement. 
He  is  sound  in  the  faith,  and  in  his  early  ministry  indulged  in  "pulpit polemics," 
but  of  late  years,  though  holding  with  equal  tenacity  to  the  great  cardinal  doc- 
trines of  our  denomination,  he  seldom  preaches  strictly  controversial  discourses. 
His  preaching  is  extemporaneous,  and  his  method  of  sermonizing  is  textual ; 
occasionally  he  reads  a  discourse.  Generous  by  nature,  he  has  been  a  liberal 
giver,  exemplifying  the  precepts  he  has  laid  down  respecting  systematic  benevo- 
lence. Candor,  sincerity  and  a  firm  adherence  to  his  convictions  of  right,  are 
prominent  traits  in  his  character.  Though  sensitive  to  wrong,  he  is  quick  to 
forgive,  and,.in  general,  puts  the  most  charitable  construction  upon  the  conduct 
of  others.  Gentleness  and  self-sacrifice  have  been  happily  blended  with  forti- 
tude and  courage  in  his  Ufe,  while  considerable  vivacity  of  spirit  has  evidenced 
the  cheerfulness  of  his  disposition ;  and  his  devotion  to  duty  and  hearty  co- 
operation in  all  the  leading  enterprises  of  the  denomination  have  manifested 
his  conscientious  piety. 

For  four  years  in  succession,  he  filled  creditably  the  position  of  assistant  sec- 
retary of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention. 


SAMUEL  S.  BAILEY. 

S.  S.  Bailey  was  born  June  25,  1811,  in  Rutherford 
county.  North  Carolina.  His  parents  were  members  of  po- 
sition and  influence  in  the  Baptist  church,  to  which  they 
belonged,  his  father  holding  the  offices  of  clerk  and  of  deacon. 
His  opportunities  for  mental  training  were  very  limited,  but 
the  energy,  which  has  been  one  of  his  prominent  characteris- 
tics through  life,  has  measurably  supplied  this  early  deficiency. 
When  a  youth  he  was  placed  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Reed,  to 
study  medicine.  Here,  while  attending  at  the  same  time  to 
the  drug-store,  he  applied  himself  so  untiringly  as  to  cause 
one  of  the  professors,  at  his  final  examination,  to  remark  that  "  he  had  exam- 
ined many  students,  but  had  never  heard  such  answers  as  chad  been  rendered  by 
that  beardless  boy."  He  obtained  his  diploma,  and  at  once  entered  on  a  prac- 
tice covering  many  miles  in  extent. 

When  twenty-four  years  of  age  he  formed  a  most  happy  marriage  union  with 
Miss  Julia  Thomson  ;  and,  profoundly  impressed  with  the  importance  of  educa- 
tion, has  given  special  attention  to  the  mental  culture  of  his  children. 

He  has  lived,  at  different  times,  in  Habersham,  Whitfield,  Cobb  and  Walker 
counties,  and  everywhere  has  carried  his  indomitable  resolution  and  persever- 
ance into  all  departments  of  business  engaging  his  attention.     When  a  citizen 


1 8  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

of  Habersham  he  was  elected  to  important  civil  offices  in  the  county,  and  then 
as  its  representative  in  the  State  Legislature.  After  his  removal  to  Whitfield, 
(then  Murray)  county,  he  was  advanced  to  a  seat  in  the  Senate,  and  his  energy 
had  much  to  do  with  the  passage,  in  1854,  of  the  charter  for  the  Selma,  Rome 
&  Dalton  Railroad.  He  was  made  President  of  that  road  two  years  later. 
Growing  weary  of  public  life,  and  desiring  a  more  retired  home,  he  settled  on  a 
farni  near  Summerville,  but  was  broken  up  and  impoverished  by  the  war.  Re- 
moving to  Cobb,  he  very  soon  began  to  repair  his  losses,  and  to  gather  around 
him  a  competency  for  himself  and  family. 

In  all  his  business  he  did  not  forget  his  highest  duties — -iiis  obligations  to  God. 
Although  he  had  professed  conversion,  he  did  not  unite  with  the  church  until 
after  his  removal  to  Habersham  county.  While  attending  a  Baptist  camp 
meeting,  at  Concord,  Forsyth  county,  in  September,  1844,  he  was  baptized  into 
the  fellowship  of  that  church,  and,  taking  his  certificate  of  membership,  united 
with  the  church  near  his  home.  He  was  elected  deacon  of  the  church,  and 
threw  his  energy  into  the  prayer-meeting  and  the  Sunday-school.  So  did  he  at 
Dalton,  also,  and  was  instrumental  in  organizing  the  church  in  that  now  grow- 
ing city.  It  was  not  until  1 874,  when  he  had  reached  his  sixty-third  year,  that 
he  yielded  to  the  repeated  entreaties  of  his  brethren,  and  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry.  A  year  or  two  after  he  settled  in  Norcross,  preaching  to  churches  in 
that  vicinity,  on  the  Air-Line  Railroad.  Compelled,  for  the  support  of  his 
family,  to  practice  his  profession,  he  is  an  earnest,  active  worker  in  advancing 
the  kingdom  of  Christ. 


JOSEPH  S.  BAKER, 


Joseph  S.  Baker  was  born 
in  Liberty  county,  Georgia,  on 
the  17th  of  August,  1798.  He 
was  the  only  son  of  his  mother, 
although  he  had  several  half- 
brothers,  children  of  his  father 
by  a  former  marriage.  One  of 
these.  Rev.  Daniel  Baker,  D.  D., 
was  a  distinguished  Presbyterian 
preacher,  and  a  great  revivalist, 
having  wonderful  success  in  pro- 
tracted meetings,  held  in  nearly 
all  the  Southern  States,  from 
Virginia  to  Texas.  When  a  boy. 
Dr.  Jos.  S.  Baker  was  sent  to  the 
best  schools  in  Liberty  county, 
and  even  at  that  time  this  county 
was  celebrated  for  its  educational 
advantages.  His  mother  died 
before  he  was  grown,  and  from 
her  and  his  grandmother  he  in- 
herited considerable  property. 
Having  ample  means  he  went  to 
Yale  College,  where  he  remained 
a  year  or  two,  but  from  some 
cause  becoming  dissatisfied,  he 
transferred  his  sphere  of  study 
to  Hampden  Sidney  in  Virginia,  at  which  place  he  finished  his  collegiate  course. 
When  young  he  joined  the  Presbyterian  Church,  having  been  reared  in  that 
faith.     After  leaving  college  he  studied  medicine,  attended  the  prescribed  course 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  19 

of  lectures  and  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.     He  located  in  Virginia,  where  he 
commenced  the  practice  of  medicine,  and  there  married  Miss  McRobert. 

Although  nominally  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  he  seems  to  have 
given  very  little  attention  to  religion.  While  engaged,  however,  in  his  profession, 
he  became  greatly  troubled  about  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  having  entertained 
serious  doubts  as  to  whether  he  had  ever  been  converted.  He  at  last  found 
peace.  He  appears  then  to  have  had  strong  impressions  towards  the  ministry, 
and  while  studying  his  Bible  with  the  view  of  preparing  for  it,  he  became  satis- 
fied that  he  had  never  been  baptized.  No  sooner  was  he  convinced  of  this  than 
he  determined  to  obey  the  divine  command  and  to  put  on  Christ  by  baptism.  It 
was  a  sore  trial  to  leave  the  I^resbyterian  Church  and  join  the  Baptists.  It  was 
the  Church  of  all  his  kindred,  endeared  to  him  by  many  tender  recollections.  In 
addition  to  that,  he  was  doing  a  large  practice  in  medicine,  and  in  the  community 
where  he  lived  the  Baptist  denomination  was  weak,  many  of  its  members  poor 
and  ignorant,  and  an  alliance  with  them  could  have  no  tendency  to  promote  his 
worldly  prospects.  In  fact,  some  of  his  friends  endeavored  to  dissuade  him  on 
that  ground,  urging  that  it  would  injure  his  business.  But  he  "  counselled  not 
with  flesh  and  blood,"  but  in  obedience  to  his  conscience,  and  what  .he  be- 
lieved to  be  the  command  of  God,  he  was  baptized  and  duly  admitted  to  Baptist 
fellowship.  He  immediately  commenced  to  take  an  active  part  in  religious  mat- 
ters, and  not  very  long  after  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry. 

When  a  young  man.  Dr.  Baker  possessed  considerable  property,  but  he  was 
no  financier,  and  before  he  became  a  Baptist,  he  had  lost  the  most,  if  not  all,  of 
his  patrimony.  Impressed  that  it  was  his  duty  to  proclaim  to  others  the  glori- 
ous gospel,  which  had  been  the  means  of  his  own  salvation,  urged  by  his  brethren 
to  give  himself  wholly  to  the  ministry,  and  knowing  at  the  same  time  that  he  had 
a  growing  family  almost  entirely  dependent  on  his  labor  for  a  support,  he  was 
greatly  perplexed  as  to  what  course  he  should  pursue.  He  finally  concluded  to 
give  up  all  for  Christ,  and  to  trust  God  to  take  care  of  him  in  this  world,  as  well 
as  in  the  world  to  come.  The  result  proved  that  his  confidence  was  well  founded. 
He  often  remarked,  that  when  he  could  exercise  implicit  faith,  God  had  always 
taken  care  of  him,  but  when  he  took  things  in  his  own  hands,  and  tried  to  man- 
age for  himself,  he  generally  failed. 

The  history  of  his  life  demonstrates  this  to  a  remarkable  degree.  He  acted 
as  missionary,  or  evangelist,  for  a  while  in  Virginia,  for  which  he  received  but 
small  pay.  He  was  also  pastor  of  several  churches  there,  the  last  of  Avhich  was 
the  church  at  Norfolk.  Several  remarkable  interpositions  of  Providence  could 
be  related ;  but  one  or  two  only  are  given.  While  preaching  at  a  certain  town 
in  Virginia  his  health  failed  him,  and  his  physicians  told  him  it  was  absolutely 
necessary  for  him  to  travel  in  the  mountains.  But  how  could  he  go  ?  he  was 
poor,  without  money  or  means  of  travelling.  As  it  seemed  a  case  of  life  and 
death,  he  finally  succeeded  in  getting  a  horse  and  buggy,  a  few  religious  books, 
which  he  proposed  to  sell,  and  a  small  sum  of  money,  all  together  hardly  enough 
to  pay  ordinary  travelling  expenses  for  more  than  a  week.  Scarcely  able  to  sit  up 
in  his  buggy,  and  with  this  gloomy  prospect  before  him,  he  started  out  on  a  jour- 
ney of  hundreds  of  miles.  He  resolved  to  preach  wherever  he  could,  at  private 
houses  or  elsewhere,  and  to  sell  his  books,  but  never  to  beg  or  "sponge."  No 
man  was  ever  more  independent  than  he  in  this  respect.  During  his  journey  he 
sometimes  had  not  a  dollar,  but  always  called  for  his  bills  where  he  stopped,  and  it 
always  so  happened  that  when  he  needed  money  he  had  it,  and  when  he  did  not 
have  it  he  was  not  charged,  and  that,  too,  without  any  intimation  as  to  his  con- 
dition from  him. 

Once  he  staid  all  night  at  an  old  lady's  house,  and  in  the  morning  when  about 
to  start  she  fancied  a  book  he  had,  the  price  of  which  was  $1.50.  She  concluded 
to  take  it  and  handed  him  a  ten  dollar  bill  in  payment.  He  quietly  remarked 
that  he  could  not  make  the  change  (the  truth  was  that  he  djd  not  have  a  dollar). 
The  lady  replied  that  she  did  not  want  any  change,  but  proposed  to  make  him  a 
present  of  the  balance  of  the  bill.  He  thanked  her  and  put  it  in  his  pocket. 
That  day  one  of  his  buggy  wheels  broke  to  pieces,  and  he  had  to  pay  five  dollars 
to  get  it  repaired.     But  he  had  the  money. 


20  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

At  another  time  when  he  was  without  money  he  had  staid  all  night  with  a 
wealthy  widow  lady,  who  was  a  Baptist.  In  the  morning  when  he  went  to  start, 
he  inquired  about  the  road  to  a  certain  place.  Her  son,  who  was  just  grown, 
and  was  considered  quite  wild,  after  explaining  the  route  to  him,  said  it  was  hard 
to  find  and  he  would  ride  a  mile  or  two  and  show  him  the  way.  He  had  his 
horse  caught,  and  after  riding  two  or  three  miles,  until  he  had  passed  all  the  dif- 
ticulties  of  the  way,  he  bade  him  good-bye  and  slipped  a  five  dollar  bill  into  his 
hand.  Now,  during  all  their  conversation,  not  a  word  was  said  about  money  or 
the  necessities  of  l3r.  Baker.  That  day  his  horse  was  taken  sick  near  a  little 
town,  where  he  had  to  stop  at  the  hotel  and  have  him  doctored.  It  cost  him 
three  dollars,  which  he  would  not  have  been  able  to  pay  had  not  the  y6ung  man 
given  him  the  five  dollars  in  the  morning.  He  travelled  thus  about  six  weeks  in 
the  mountains,  sold  some  books  and  preached  many  sermons,  at  times  to  people 
who  then  rarely  heard  the  gospel,  was  entirely  restored  to  health,  never  had  to 
tell  his  pecuniary  condition  to  any  one,  and  paid  out  his  last  quarter  of  a  dollar 
to  the  t.jrryman  who  put  him  across  the  river  on  which  the  place  of  his  residence 
was  situated. 

On  account  of  his  wife's  health.  Dr.  Baker  left  Norfolk  with  the  view  of  com- 
ing South,  and  while  on  his  way  to  Alabama  to  visit  some  relations,  received  a 
call  to  the  church  in  Columbus,  Georgia,  which  he  accepted  and  located  in  that 
city  the  first  of  the  year  1840.  About  the  middle  of  the  year  his  wife  died,  leav- 
ing him  two  sons,  both  of  whom  preceded  him  to  the  grave 

In  1842  he  married  Mrs.  Sarah  R.  Bennett,  of  Liberty  county,  Georgia,  who 
survives  him.  In  1843  he  left  Columbus,  moved  to  Penfield  and  took  charge  of 
The  Christian  Index,  then  belonging  to  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  and 
published  at  that  place.  He  continued  to  edit  The  Index  until  the  year  1849. 
As  editor  he  had  many  admirers,  as  an  independent  thinker  and  a  bold,  forcible 
writer.  Some  thought  he  was  too  fond  of  controversy,  and  occasionally  his  edi- 
torials were  rather  caustic.  The  truth  is,  that  his  disposition  was  much  more 
kind  and  generous  than  those  who  did  not  know  him  personally  would  have  sup- 
posed, judging  only  by  his  writings. 

He  left  Penfield  in  January,  1849,  and  removed  to  Atlanta.  The  year  before, 
he  had  bought  a  press  and  type,  and  started  in  Atlanta,  then  a  very  small  town, 
a  newspaper  called  the  "Atlanta  Luminary,"  and,  afterwards,  the  "Atlanta  Intel- 
ligencer " — the  first  newspaper  ever  published  in  the  Gate  City.  Dr.  Baker  even^ 
then  contended  that  Atlanta  would  one  day  become  a  large  city.  At  one  time 
he  owned  considerable  property  in  and  near  that  place,  but  in  accordance  with 
his  usual  financial  management,  sold  it  all  at  the  wrong  time,  so  as  to  profit  him 
nothing. 

In  December,  1850,  he  left  Atlanta  and  settled  in  Jacksonville,  Florida,  where 
his  eldest  son,  Jos.  McRobert  Baker,  a  lawyer  of  talent,  then  resided.  He  bought  a 
farm  almost  in  the  edge  of  town  and  engaged  in  farming  and  gardening.  There 
was  a  very  small  and  weak  Baptist  church  there,  and  he  became  the  pastor  of  it ; 
but  on  account  of  the  poverty  of  the  members.  Dr.  Baker  was  almost  entirely 
dependent  on  his  personal  exertion  for  a  support.  Sometime  in  the  year  1852, 
he  received  a  joint  call  from  the  churches  at  Albany  and  Palmyra,  Georgia,  which 
he  accepted.  After  serving  them  four  years  he  returned  to  his  farm  near  Jack- 
sonville, where  he  continued  to  reside  until  the  commencement  of  the  war  in 
1 86 1.  For  a  year  or  two  before  the  war  he  spent  most  of  his  time  as  an  evan- 
gelist, or  missionary,  in  Florida  and  South  Georgia,  the  churches  in  southern 
Georgia  being  then  members  of  the  Florida  Association.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  war  he  moved  to  Thomasville  and  for  a  while  made  that  his  home,  and 
employed  himself  in  preaching  to  the  Confederate  soldiers  stationed  along  the 
coast  of  Georgia  and  Florida.  Although  then  old  and  infirm,  he  frequently 
walked  miles  to  the  different  camps,  carrying  heavy  loads  of  Testaments,  hymn 
books  and  tracts  for  distribution.  He  found,  however,  that  he  was  physically 
unable  to  perform  such  labors,  and  in  1863,  having  received  a  call  from  the 
.church  at  Monticello,  Florida,  he  removed  there  and  served  them  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  That  was  his  last  pastorate.  In  1865  he  moved  to  Quitman,  Geor- 
gia, where  his  wife's  son  lived,  and  continued  to  reside  in  or  near  that  place  until 
his  death,  on  the  23d  day   of  July,  1877. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  21 

Though  Dr.  Baker  had  disposed  of  most  of  the  plantation  he  had  purchased 
near  Jacksonville,  Florida,  he  had  reserved  some  thirty  or  forty  acres,  most  eligi- 
bly situated,  immediately  on  the  edge  of  the  city.  After  the  war  he  sold  it  all  to  a 
stranger,  whom  he  had  never  seen  before,  for  $1,200,  on  credit,  without  security, 
and  made  him  a  full  title  to  it.  He  was  urged  to  go  down  and  look  after  it,  and 
see  its  true  value,  but  he  contended  he  could  afford  to  take  $1,200.  To  the  as- 
tonishment of  his  friends,  the  purchaser,  after  some  delay,  paid  him  the  money, 
but  it  is  said  the  same  property  cannot  to-day  be  purchased  for  $50,000. 

This  sketch  does  not  pretend  to  give  a  full  account  of  the  labors  of  Dr.  Baker. 
When  editor  of  The  Index,  and  when  not  regularly  employed  as  pastor  at 
other  times,  he  preached  frequently,  being  always  ready  to  do  all  in  his  power  to 
spread  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation.  He  was  willing  to  preach  with  or  without 
pay,  to  large  or  small  congregations,  if  there  was  any  prospect  of  doing  good. 
He  put  a  very  moderate  estimate  on  himself  as  a  preacher.  He  was  earnest 
and  practical,  but  not  eloquent,  and  his  sermons  were  not  always  systematic.  He 
displayed  much  more  ability  as  a  writer  than  as  a  preacher. 

Dr.  Baker  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  acquirements.  Having  received 
a  classical  education,  he  had  the  advantage  at  the  start  of  most  preachers  of  his 
day.  He  was  partially  deaf  from  his  youth,  and  as  he  grew  older  it  became  more 
and  more  difficult  for  him  to  hear.  He  was  naturally  very  fond  of  reading. 
Being  to  a  great  extent  deprived  of  the  pleasures  of  conversation  on  account  of 
his  defective  hearing,  he  had  a  good  excuse  for  indulging  his  desire  to  read. 
Hence,  he  became  a  great  bookworm,  and  having  an  excellent  memory,  he  ac- 
quired vast  stores  of  information,  especially  on  church  history,  denominational 
tenets,  etc.  His  knowledge  of  church  matters  was  by  no  means  confined  to  the 
Baptist  denomination.  He  was  quite  familiar  with  the  writings  of  the  leading 
men  of  the  Presbyterian,  Methodist,  Episcopal,  Campbellite  and  other  Churches. 
He  wrote  a  great  deal  for  the  press.  When  not  editor  himself,  he  generally  was 
a  contributor  to  two  or  three  religious  papers  edited  by  others.  He  also  pub- 
lished several  small  books  and  periodicals.  The  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was 
conferred  on  him  by  Georgetown  College,  Kentucky,  while  Dr.  N.  M.  Crawford 
was  president  of  that  institution,  and  though  always  opposed  to  this  title  and 
the  use  made  of  it,  yet  on  account  of  his  great  respect  for  Dr.  Crawford  (for 
whom  he  always  entertained  the  highest  admiration  and  strongest  friendship)  he 
did  not  decline  it. 

Dr.  Baker  was  diffident,  but  perfectly  fearless  in  maintaining  what  he  believed 
to  be  right,  at  any  cost.  He  was  a  man  of  no  policy,  and  never  tried  to  concili- 
ate a  foe,  nor  pandered  to  please  a  friend.  He  never  flattered  those  in  high  po- 
sition. 

He  was  entirely  unsuspicious,  and  hence  was  easily  imposed  upon.  Candid 
and  truthful  himself,  he  was  ready  to  accept  the  statements  of  others,  even  if 
they  were  strangers ;  and  this  he  sometimes  did  at  no  little  cost  to  himself. 

He  was  also  unselfish  in  his  disposition,  and  took  more  interest  in  promoting 
others  to  positions  of  honor  or  profit  than  in  obtaining  them  for  himself. 

He  was  a  poor  manager  so  far  as  this  world  is  concerned,  but  he  was  scrupu- 
lously honest.  He  would  never  take  a  cent  that  did  not  rightly  belong  to  him, 
and  would  pay  his  debts  at  any  sacrifice.  He  has  been  known  to  refuse  an  offer 
for  a  horse  he  had  to  sell  because  it  was  too  much.  Most  people  think  preachers 
always  accept  the  highest  salary.  ^  Dr.  Baker  once  resigned  a  salary  of  $800  to 
accept  one  of  $300. 

He  was  a  very  industrious  man,  fond  of  gardening,  of  flowers,  and  fruits.  At 
home,  when  not  reading  or  writing,  he  was  generally  engaged  in  working  his 
garden,  or  his  flowers,  or  with  his  fruit  trees  and  vines. 

Dr.  Baker  never  made  any  pretensions  to  perfection.  He  always  acknowl- 
edged that  he  was  sinful,  and  that  his  natural  disposition  and  wicked  heart  made 
it  difficult  for  him  to  do  right.  Like  Paul,  there  was  in  him  a  constant  conflict 
between  the  flesh  and  the  spirit.  Still  he  had  strong  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  He 
entirely  repudiated  all  merit  in  himself,  but  had  entire  confidence  in  the  merits  of 
Christ.  It  was  all  of  grace,  and  his  hope  resting  on  this  firm  foundation  was 
unshaken  in  his  dying  hour. 


22  t  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

During  his  last  sickness  he  was  enabled  to  exercise  strong  faith  in  his  Saviour- 
and  frequently  quoted  that  passage  from  Paul's  Epistle  to  Timothy :  "  I  know 
whom  I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I 
have  committed  to  him  against  that  day."  He  talked  much  on  the  subject  of  re- 
ligion, and  frequently  recommended  Jesus  Christ  to  his  visitors.  He  often  ex- 
pressed his  desire  to  depart,  and  when  his  brethren  would  visit  him  and  pray 
with  him  he  would  ask  them  to  pray  that  he  might  have  grace  and  resignation 
to  the  will  of  God,  not  that  he  might  live  longer  or  be  restored  to  health. 

He  died  poor,  but  the  Lord  raised  up  friends  for  him,  and  although  confined 
to  his  bed  for  six  months,  he  never  lacked  for  anything.  He  never  paraded  his 
necessities  before  the  public,  and  was  always  opposed  to  his  friends  doing  so, 
saying  that  everything  of  the  sort  looked  as  though  he  distrusted  the  providen- 
tial care  of  God.  Yet,  during  his  long  sickness,  friends  and  brethren,  abroad 
and  at  home,  contributed,  unasked,  to  his  support,  so  that  he  actually  fared  bet- 
ter when  helpless  and  dependent  than  when  in  health  and  able  to  work.  His 
burial  was  in  a  manner  suitable  to  his  standing  and  position,  and  even  that  had 
been  provided  for,  months  before,  by  friends  and  brethren  without  the  knowledge 
of  Dr.  Baker  or  any  of  his  family.  He  died  respected  and  lamented  by  the  en- 
tire community,  professors  of  religion  and  non-professors,  and  was  followed  to 
the  grave  by  one  of  the  largest  concourses  of  citizens  ever  seen  in  the  town  on 
a  funeral  occasion. 


EDWARD  BENJAMIN  BARRETT. 

Among  the  younger  Baptist  ministers  of  Georgia  is  the 
Rev.  Edward  Benjamin  Barrett,  who  is  a  South 
Carolinian  by  birth,  being  born  in  Sumter,  South  Caro- 
lina, January  i8th,  1834.     His  father  moved  to  Athens  in 

185 1,  where  he  lived  till  he  died  in   1876,  and  there,  in 

1852,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  converted,  and  bap- 
tized by  Dr.  William  T.  Brantly,  then  pastor  of  the 
church,  and  professor  in  the  State  University.  Feeling, 
overwhelmingly,  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel, he  passed  through  a  theological  course  at  Pen- 
field.  In  January,  1859,  he  left  Mercer  and  took  charge  of  a  school  in  Spald- 
ing, Macon  county,  and  in  the  same  year  he  was  ordained  at  Travellers'  Rest 
church,  in  pursuance  of  a  call  from  the  Irwinton  church.  For  several  years 
he  served  the  churches  at  Irwinton  and  Providence  with  encouraging  success. 
The  war  coming  on,  he  went  to  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia,  as  a  missionary 
for  the  Rehoboth  Association,  but  speedily  accepted  a  chaplaincy  in  the  45th 
Georgia  Regiment,  at  the  invitation  of  the  regiment  itself.  His  labors  among 
the  soldiers  were  very  successful.  On  the  death  of  Gen.  "  Stonewall "  Jackson, 
he  and  his  regiment  were  placed  in  the  corps  of  Gen.  A.  P.  Hill,  and  so 
remained  until  the  surrender  of  the  army  at  Appomattox.  After  the  war  he 
accepted  a  call  of  the  Dublin  Georgia  Baptfsts,  and  served  them  as  pastor  four 
years,  teaching  as  principal  in  the  Academy  there,  two  of  those  years. 

He  afterwards  served  the  greater  part  of  two  sessions  in  the  Georgia  Legis- 
lature, and  then  went  to  Brunswick,  Georgia,  where,  as  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church,  he  remained  and  labored  successfully  for  three  years.  But  the  feeble 
health  of  his  family  compelled  his  removal  to  a  higher  latitude,  and  he  is  now 
engaged  in  teaching  and  farming  in  the  western  part  of  the  State,  near  Frank- 
lin, Heard  county.  He  is  a  man  of  agreeable  presence,  good  education  and 
excellent  heart,  and  has  been  a  hard-working,  efficient  minister  of  the  Gospel. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  *  23 


JAMES    LEGH    RICHMOND    BARRETT. 

James  Legh  Richmond  Barrett  was  born  in  Sum- 
ter county,  South  Carolina,  but  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
has  been  passed  in  Georgia,  as,  when  he  was  quite  small, 
his  father,  William  G.  Barrett,  removed  to  Clarke  county, 
and  settled  near  Athens.  His  pious  and  intelligent  pa- 
rents instructed  him  not  only  in  the  principles  of  individual 
and  social  ethics,  but  also  in  the  higher  duties  growing 
out  of  our  relation  to  God  and  to  eternity.  Among  the 
first  and  deepest  impressions  written  on  his  mind  and 
heart  were  the  supreme  importance  of  the  salvation  of  the 
soul,  and  the  wisdom  of  securing  it  by  "  remembrance  of  the  Creator  in  the 
days  of  his  youth."  He  was  reared  in  the  Sunday-school,  attending  regularly 
from  infancy.  Grace  wrought  together  with  parental  fidelity  in  this  case,  and 
he  "found  Christ,  or  rather  was  found  of  Him,"  at  so  tender  an  age  that  when 
he  was  called  on  to  lead  in  prayer,  shortly  after  his  baptism,  the  congregation 
was  melted  to  tears  by  the  simple,  earnest  pleadings  of  one  so  young. 

He  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Athens  church,  by  Rev.  L.  R.  L. 
Jennings.  _  A  right  beginning,  on  the  part  of  young  converts,  is  usually  the 
result  of  right  training  on  the  part  of  those  "who  were  in  Christ  before,"  and 
this  training  was  not  wanting  here,  even  apart  from  pastoral  counsel.  His 
father  urged  on  him  the  truth  that  if  he  would  wear  the  crown  of  the  Christian, 
he  must  bear  the  Christian's  cross,  and  that  he  could  "  let  his  light  shine  "  only 
by  yielding  obedience  to  any  convictions  of  duty  with  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
impressed  him.  Under  the  light  of  these  teachings,  immediately  after  his  con- 
version, he  organized  and  conducted  a  Sunday-school  at  Buena  Vista  church, 
near  his  father's  residence.  This  labor  of  love,  prompted  by  a  sense  of  the 
necessity  of  training  the  young  to  know  and  love  Jesus,  was  "  not  in  vain  in  the 
Lord."  At  the  annual  meetings  of  this  church,  tor  several  years  past,  many 
have  professed  conversion,  ascribing  their  first  convictions  to  the  lessons  taught 
in  that  school. 

To  pray  in  public  when  but  "a  babe  in  Christ,"  was  a  cross.  It  was  a  heavier 
cross  afterward  to  attempt  a  word  of  exhortation,  from  time  to  time.  But  the 
cross  heaviest  of  all  was  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  When  moved  to  this 
work,  because  his  heart  made  it  pleasant  and  his  conscience  made  it  binding,  a 
sense  of  unworthiness  cost  him  a  long,  sore  trouble ;  but  grace  prevailed  over 
nature,  and  he  decided  fully  to  enter  on  the  "calling  from  on  high."  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  the  Buena  Vista  church,  to  which  his  membership  had 
been  transferred,  and  received  instruction  in  theology  from  Dr.  P.  H.  Mell,  of 
Athens,  until  an  opportunity  presented  itself  of  attending  the  Southern  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary.  He  passed  through  two  sessions  at  this  institution,  and 
his  standing  in  his  classes  was  good,  but  feeble  health  prevented  his  remaining 
longer. 

On  leaving  the  Seminary,  he  acted  for  several  months  as  city  missionary  of 
the  Second  Baptist  church,  Atlanta.  In  this  field  be  labored  hard,  -  and  was 
instrumental  in  building  up  the  McDonough  street  and  West  Hunter  street 
missions,  the  latter  of  which  is  now  the  Sixth  Baptist  church.  Unanimously 
called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Lawrenceville  church,  in  1 874,  he  was  ordained,  at 
its  request,  by  Revs.  W.  T.  Thornton  and  T.  E.  Kennerly.  He  served  accept- 
ably several  churches  in  Gwinnett  county ;  married  Miss  Mattie  S.  Adair,  an 
estimable  and  pious  young  lady  of  Gainesville,  Georgia,  and  accepted  the  pas- 
torate of  the  church  at  Maysville,  Jackson  county,  a  flourishing  little  town  on 
the  Northeastern  Railroad. 

He  has  more  energy  of  character  than  vigor  of  constitution,  and  his  dili- 
gence in  labor  deserves  the  higher  commendation  because  he  bears  through  it 


24 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


all  the  weight  of  impaired  or  imperfect  health.  He  is  of  a  retiring  spirit,  not 
through  pride,  or  vanity,  or  want  of  warm  social  feelings,  but  by  reason  of  the 
high  estimate  he  places  on  others,  and  the  low  estimate  he  places  on  himself. 
He  is  plain,  unaffected  and  forcible  in  his  style  of  preaching,  and  faithful  in 
discharging  pastoral  duties,  especially  in  visiting  the  poor  and  sick  of  the  flock. 
He  takes  a  uniform  interest  in  the  maintenance  of  prayer-meetings,  and  never 
fails  to  get  up  and  carry  on  Sunday-schools  in  his  churches,  and  where  commu- 
nities have  had  none.  Little  things  he  performs  because  he  feels  that  they  are 
for  Christ ;  and  great  things  he  attempts  because  he  trusts  that  Christ  will  help 
him  in  them. 


JAMES  BARROW. 


He  first  saw  the  light  in  Washington  county,  Georgia, 
on  the  25th  of  December,  1801.  His  father,  Moses  Bar- 
row, died  when  he  was  only  three  days  old,  and  his  mother 
afterwards  married  Charles  Thompson.  At  ten  he  lost 
his  mother,  whose  last  words  made  a  salutary  impression 
on  his  heart.  She  gave  him  this  excellent  advice :  "  Fol- 
low the  people  of  God,  and  at  the  end  of  that  race  you 
will  find  your  mother." 

Mr.  Barrow  was  married  in  1825  to  Lucy  Bivins,  of 
Baldwin  county,  and  settled  in  Upson  county,  where  he 
united  with  the  church  at  Antioch,  on  the  third  Sabbath  in 
April,  1827,  being  baptized  by  Rev.  Jacob  King.  He  moved  to  Talbot  county 
in  1833,  residing  there  nine  years,  laboring  as  a  mechanic,  and  preaching  as  he 
had  opportunity.  He  settled  in  Carroll  county  in  1842,  and  was  ordained  at 
the  Carrolton  church  in  1850.  For  twelve  ensuing  years  he  labored  as  a  mis- 
sionary for  the  Marion  Board,  in  Western  Georgia  and  Eastern  Alabama,  doing 
faithful  service  in  the  Master's  cause.  He  then  labored  for  four  years  as  mis- 
sionary for  the  Liberty  Association,  Alabama,  and  one  year  for  the  Arbacoochee 
Association.  Since  1866  he  has  been  travelling  as  "a  volunteer  soldier"  f  o  j 
Christ,  preaching  wherever  he  has  an  opportunity,  and  supported  by  the  voluntarx 
contributions  of  his  brethren. 

He  is  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season,  ready  to  comfort  the  brethren,  warn 
sinners,  and  persuade  the  young.  His  style  of  preaching  is  hortatory,  and  is 
characterized  by  an  earnest  desire  to  instil  the  principles  of  pure  and  undefiled 
religion  into  the  minds  of  all.  A  prominent  trait  in  him  is  the  desire  to  win 
souls  for  Jesus ;  and  he  has  by  his  success  in  doing  so  made  full  proof  of  his 
ministry. 

His  ardent  love  for  the  house  of  God  is  well  known ;  and  to  him  no  place  is  so 
sweet  as  the  assembly  of  the  saints.  Like  David,  his  heart  is  "  glad  when  they 
say,  let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord."  For  four  years  after  the  death  of  his 
wife,  who  was  fatally  burned  in  1 873,  he  was  absent  from  the  house  of  worship  four 
Sabbaths  only. 

This  venerable  servant  of  God  is  now  seventy  nine  years  old.  He  has  five 
children — two  sons  and  three  daughters — -and  about  fifty  grandchildren.  He  has 
long  been  grievously  afflicted  in  his  arms  and  limbs,  and  is  totally  unable  to  walk 
without  crutches.  His  afflictions  and  his  life  of  faithful  service  to  the  cause  of 
Christ  have  endeared  him  to  his  brethren,  appealing  strongly  and  tenderly  to 
their  sympathies. 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


25 


ARCHIBALD  J.  BATTLE. 


The  President  of  Mercer  University,  Ma- 
con, Georgia,  is  Dr.  Archibald  J.  Battle,. 
a  native  of  Georgia,  but  reared  in  Alabama. 
Six  feet  in  height,  with  an  erect  and  graceful 
carriage,  he  is  prepossessing  in  personal  appear- 
ance ;  with  a  countenance  indicative  of  modesty 
and  manliness,  and  with  a  demeanor  in  the  high- 
est degree  refined  and  affable,  he  is  instinctively 
recognized  as  a  cultivated  Christian  gentleman. 
Still  in  the  vigor  of  matured  manhood,  w^ith  a 
piety  which  pervades  his  life,  with  a  nature 
sympathetic  and  affectionate,  with  a  scholarship 
varied  and  extensive,  with  a  dignity  and  strength 
of  mind  which  command  respect,  and  with  a 
courtesy  and  delicacy  which  win  esteem,  he  is 
admirably  adapted  to  the  position  he  occupies, 
and,  if  his  life  is  spared,  bids  fair  to  increase  his 
usefulness  with  his  years,  and  to  attain  yet 
greater  distinction  in  the  chosen  field  of  his  labors. 

He  is  now  in  his  55th  year,  having  been  born  in  Powelton,  Hancock''"\:ounty 
Georgia,  September  loth,  1826.  At  that  time  the  social,  educational  and  reli- 
gious privileges  of  Powelton  were  the  equal  of  any  in  the  State,  and  the  first 
ten  years  of  his  life  were,  therefore,  blessed  with  those  highest  and  best  influ- 
ences which  go  towards  moulding  character.  His  mother,  a  woman  of  great 
piety,  mildness  and  gentleness,  by  whom  his  character  was,  to  a  great  extent, 
formed,  is  still  living  in  a  serene  and  happy  old  age.  His  father,  the  late  Dr.  Cul- 
len  Battle,  of  honored  memory,  a  wealthy  planter,  originally  from  North  Caro- 
lina, removed  to  Alabama  in  1836,  settling  in  Eufaula,  then  known  as  Irwinton. 
There,  amid  the  social  and  religious  influences  of  a  cultured  Christian  family, 
Archibald  J.  Battle  grew  up  to  manhood.  He  professed  religion,  and  was  bap- 
tized in  his  thirteenth  year.  Both  there  and  at  Powelton  he  enjoyed  excellent 
school  facilities,  to  which  were  added  all  the  advantages  of  the  University  of 
"Alabama,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  year  1846,  under  the  administration  of 
that  distinguished  educator  and  godly  man,  the  late  Rev.  Basil  Manly,  D.  D. 
During  the  following  year,  1847,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Guild,  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  James  Guild,  of  Tuscaloosa,  Alabama,  a  lady  of  rare  personal 
beauty  and  accomplishments,  and  distinguished  for  the  loveliness  of  her  charac- 
ter. Shortly  afterwards  he  was  induced  to  take  charge  of  the  Eufaula  Academy, 
at  the  urgent  solicitations  of  a  number  of  citizens  of  that  place,  but  somewhat 
contrary  to  his  own  predilections,  which  were  for  the  legal  profession.  There 
his  career  as  an  educator  began.  He  was  elected  tutor  of  ancient  languages, 
in  the  University  of  Alabama,  in  1850,  and  accepted  the  position,  but  retained 
it  one  year  only,  as  in  1852  he  was  made  a  professor  in  the  East  Alabama  Fe- 
male College.  The  same  year  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the.Tuskegee 
church,  and  in  1853  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry,  the  Presbytery  con- 
sisting of  Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker,  Dr.  Wro.  H.  Mcintosh,  Dr.  S.  Henderson  and 
Rev.  L.  Eubanks.  Two  years  afterwards,  in  1855,  he  became  pastor  of  the 
Tuscaloosa  Baptist  church,  and  his  pastorate  there  was  blessed  by  a  revival,  the 
gracious  influences  of  which  pervaded  the  entire  community,  and  brought  large 
and  valuable  accessions  to  the  church.  He  remained  in  the  pastorate  but  one 
year,  having  been,  in  July,  1856,  elected  professor  of  the  Greek  language  and 
literature  in  the  University  of  Alabama,  a  position  he  deemed  it  his  duty  to 
accept.  He  continued  in  the  successful  discharge  of  the  duties  of  this  office 
until  July,  i860,  when  he  resigned,  to  take  the  Presidency  of  the  Alabama  Gen- 


26  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

tral  Female  College,  an  institution  originated  and  founded  by  himself.  He  had 
been  chosen  its  first  President  at  its  inception,  in  1858,  but  decUned  to  leave  his 
position  in  the  State  University.  Being  subsequently  pressed  by  the  trustees 
and  friends  of  the  College,  he  yielded  his  personal  inclinations,  and  assumed 
charge  of  the  institution  in  i860.  His  first  year  was  successful  beyond  the 
most  sanguine  expectations  of  its  friends,  but  the  war-cloud  in  1862  hung  darkly 
over  Northern  Alabama,  threatening  the  existence  of  institutions  of  learning, 
and  his  father's  large  business  requiring,  at  that  time,  his  assistance,  he  removed 
to  Tuskegee  in  the  spring  of  that  year.  There  he  remained,  having  charge,  as 
President,  of  the  East  Alabama  Female  College,  until  1865,  when  he  was  unan- 
imously elected  by  the  trustees.  President  of  Judson  Female  Institute,  Marion, 
Alabama.  At  no  period  during  the  forty  years  existence  of  this  well-known 
institution  has  it  maintained  a  higher  reputation,  or  exerted  a  wider  influence  as 
an  educational  power,  than  while  under  his  administration.  But  a  position  still 
more  honorable  in  general  estimation,  was  accorded  to  him  when,  in  1871,  he 
was  called  to  the  Presidency  of  Mercer  University,  in  Georgia,  and  in  July, 
1872,  was  inaugurated  as  its  chief  officer.  That  honorable  and  responsible  po- 
sition he  has  ever  since  filled  with  a  signal  ability  and  usefulness,  and  under  his 
care  the  University  has  flourished,  maintaining  its  high  rank  as  an  educational 
institution.  While  holding  this  office,  in  1879,  he  was  chosen  pastor,  pro  tern., 
of  the  First  Baptist  church  in  Macon,  the  seat  of  the  University,  during  the  in- 
terim between  the  retirement  of  Dr.  T.  E.  Skinner  and  the  settlement  of  Dr.  E. 
W.  Warren,  as  pastor  of  that  church.  The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was 
conferred  on  him  by  three  institutions  of  learning  :  Howard  College,  Alabama, 
in  1872,  Columbian  University,  Washington,  D.  C,  in  the  same  year,  and  the 
University  of  Georgia,  in  1873.  As  ^.belles  lettres  scholar  Dr.  Battle  has  long 
been  recognized  as  among  the  foremost,  and  our  section  of  the  country  has  few, 
if  any,  educators  who  outrank  him ;  the  demand  for  his  services  in  positions  for 
which  the  strong  only  are  sought,  abundantly  attests  this. 

As  a  thinker  he  is  original  and  independent.  Always  deferential  to  the  opin- 
ions of  others,  he  is  bold  in  the  assertion  of  his  own,  and  able  in  maintaining 
them.  His  book  on  the  Human  Will,  a  work  which  has  elicited  the  highest 
commendation  from  some  of  the  finest  minds  in  the  country,  develops,  in  a 
high  degree,  the  attributes  of  the  acute  metaphysician,  and  manifests  strikingly 
his  superior  grade  of  mental  capability. 

As  a  preacher  he  is  earnest  in  manner,  elevated  in  thought,  and  polished  in 
expression ;  and  his  sermons,  in  literary  merit,  are  models  of  English  composi- 
tion. In  the  presentation  of  Divine  truth  they  are  pointed,  clear,  conclusive, 
evangelical  and  practical.  Judging  from  the  results  of  his  rather  brief  labors 
in  the  pastoral  sphere,  he  would  have  been  eminently  successful  had  he  devoted 
his  life  to  the  ministry.  His  engaging  manners,  pervasive  piety,  affection- 
ate nature,  decorous  demeanor,  combined  with  that  nice  perception,  which 
instinctively  comprehends  the  situation,  and  adjusts  itself  to  all  surroundings,  fit 
him,  in  a  high  degree,  for  that  responsible  office.  Taken  altogether.  Dr.  Battle 
is  a  model  of  the  cultivated  Christian  gentleman,  one  who  wields  a  potent  and 
healthy  influence  over  the  young  gentlemen  who  come  under  his  administration, 
and  he  may  be  safely  trusted  as  the  guardian  of  their  mental  and  moral  devel- 
opment. Should  Providence  remove  him  from  his  present  position,  it  would  be 
very  difficult  to  find  any  one  capable  of  filling  it  so  satisfactorily. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


27 


JESSE  BROWN  BATTLE 


Jesse  Brown  Battle  was 
born  in  Hancock  county,  Geor- 
gia, September  3d,  1788.  His 
father  was  William  Lamar  Bat- 
tle, a  good  soldier  in  the  War  of 
Independence.  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Sarah  White- 
head. His  paternal  grandmother 
was  Sarah  Warren,  of  the  family 
of  Gen.  Warren,  of  revolutionary 
fame.  He  died  Deember  2d, 
1869,  in  the  82d  year  of  his  age. 

When  the  scroll  on'  which 
Heaven  registers  the  names  of 
the  good  and  useful,  through 
every  age,  shall  be  unrolled  for 
the  inspection  of  men  and  an- 
gels, high  on  the  list  will  be 
found  the  name  of  him  whose 
virtues  these  lines  are  designed 
to  commemorate.  There  is  an 
ancient  heathen  maxim,  founded 
alike  in  wisdom  and  propriety, 
which  bids  us  "say  nothing  of  the 
dead  but  what  is  good."  This 
injunction,  in  the  present  in- 
stance, can  be  obeyed  without  a  shadow  of  violence  to  truth,  for  Jesse  Battle 
was  a  good  husband,  father,  citizen,  and  more  than  all,  a  faithful  minister  of 
Jesus  Christ.  He  was  one  of  those  men  who  almost  seem  to  have  been  born  to 
piety  and  good  works,  no  part  of  his  life,  even  before  conversion,  having  been 
given  to  dissolute  courses,  such  as  too  often  characterize  the  young  men  of 
every  generation.  He  professed  faith  in  the  Saviour  when  only  sixteen  years  of 
age,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer  into  the  Powelton  church,  of  which 
he  was  pastor,  in  1804.  From  that  period  until  the  day  of  his  death  he  was  one 
"  whose  doctrine  and  whose  life,  coincident,  gave  lucid  proof  that  he  was  hon- 
est in  the  sacred  cause."  He  surely  deserved  the  high  encomium  paid  to  Barnabas, 
"  He  was  a  good  man,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  of  faith." 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  Rabun,  oldest  daughter  of  Governor  Rabun, 
February  23d,  181 5.  She  was  one  of  the  loveliest  and  most  amiable  of  her  sex. 
Religion  was  her  guiding  star.  It  has  often  been  remarked  of  her  that,  with  the 
same  opportunities,  she  would  have  equalled  Ann  Hasseltine  Judson.  It  can  truly 
be  said  of  this  Christian  couple  that  "  they  walked  together  in  all  the  command- 
ments and  ordinances  of  the  Lord  blameless."  He  brought  up  his  children  in 
the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  No  better  evidence  of  the  care  and 
love  bestowed  on  them  do  we  need  than  that  they  loved  him  devotedly  while  liv- 
ing, and  now  mourn  for  him  that  he  is  removed.  He  was  the  father  of  nine  chil- 
dren, and,  except  one  who  died  in  infancy,  they  were  a  baptized  household.  Only 
four  sons  survive  him. 

He  was  a  good  citizen,  although  he  did  not  leave  his  ministry  to  take  part  in 
politics,  as  so  many  of  his  contemporaries  did,  in  the  times  of  party  excitement, 
in  which  his  last  days  were  passed  :  his  great  influence  was  ever  thrown  on  the 
side  of  law  and  order.  While  rendering  to  God  the  things  that  are  God's,  he 
never  forgot  to  render  t@  Cassar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's. 


2g  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

He  was  especially  a  good  minister.  His  ordination  to  the  Baptist  ministry 
occurred  in  1818.  The  Presbytery  was  composed  of  no  ordinary  men,  for 
among  them  we  find  the  names  of  Revs.  Jesse  Mercer  and  B.  M.  Sanders.  Those 
revered  fathers  on  that  solemn  occasion,  laid  their  hands  on  one  whose  labors 
would  entitle  him  to  a  place  with  themselves  in  the  catalogue  of  "  the  excellent 
of  the  earth,"  for  hundreds  have  been  saved  through  his  instrumentality,  and  he 
exerted  an  influence  for  good  in  our  denomination  which  eternity  alone  can  fully 
reveal.  His  first  pastorate  was  with  the  church  at  Mount  Zion,  Hancock 
county,  in  which  county  he  labored  the  most  of  his  life.  For  about  twenty  years 
he  was  pastor  of  our  churches  at  Island  Creek,  Bethel,  Darien  and  Beulah.  As 
a  pastor  he  was  eminently  successful.  Hundreds  were  baptized  by  him  and 
built  up  in  the  faith  of  the  Gospel.  The  churches  under  his  charge  grew  and 
flourished,  and  were  noted  for  zeal,  purity  and  benevolence.  He  was  remarka- 
bly cautious  in  the  examination  of  candidates  for  baptism,  and  none  were 
admitted  without  satisfactory  evidence  of  genuine  conversion.  As  a  preacher 
he  was  lucid,  impressive  and  interesting.  His  thoughts  often  came  too  fast  for 
utterance,  which  occasionally  gave  him  the  appearance  of  being  hurried.  His 
personal  appearance  was  fine.  About  five  feet  eleven  inches  in  height,  and 
with  well  formed  features,  and  a  countenance  ever  beaming  with  kindness,  he 
would  attract  notice  in  any  group.  His  advantages  for  education  in  early  life 
were  limited,  but  with  a  strong,  vigorous  mind  and  close  application,  he  attained 
sufficient  proficiency  to  render  him  a  good  minister  of  Jesus  Christ ;  for  he  made 
the  Bible  "the  man  of  his  counsel,"  and  was  a  pure  Gospel  preacher.  He  taught 
the  doctrines  as  laid  down  in  Scripture,  and  followed  no  cunningly  devised  fables. 
He  was  emphatically  a  Baptist.  From  the  lips  of  such  a  man  no  wonder  that 
"truth  prevailed  with  powerful  sway." 

He  was  for  many  years  Moderator  of  the  Washington  Association,  and  pre- 
sided always  with  intelligence  and  dignity.  The  influence  which  he  exerted  in  that 
body,  for  missions  and  every  benevolent  enterprise,  will  long  be  felt  and  grate- 
fully remembered.  He  was  a  hospitable  man  in  the  full  sense  of  the  word.  His 
large,  well  managed,  comfortable  house  was  ever  open  to  his  friends,  neighbors 
and  brethren.  His  charities  were  ample  and  well  ordered.  He  was  devoted, 
too,  to  the  cause  of  education,  and  gave  his  children  the  best  advantages. 

He  died  at  a  very  advanced  age,  at  the  house  of  his  son,  John  R.  Battle,  a 
planter  in  Sumter  county,  Georgia,  having  survived  his  noble  wife  for  many 
years.  His  fellow-laborers  were  Revs.  R.  Gunn,  Wm.  H.  Stokes,  Benjamin 
Roberts  and  Asa  Duggan.  With  these  well  beloved  brethren  he  toiled  long  and 
arduously,  with  eminent  success.  His  labors  on  earth  are  ended  ;  he  has  passed 
to  his  reward.  As  we  behold  his  godly  example,  let  us  obey  the  Scriptural  in- 
junction, and  "  be  followers  of  those  who,  through  faith  and  patience,  inherit 
the  promises."  How  pleasant  t5he  thought  that  his  mantle  has  fallen  on  his 
grandson,  Rev.  Andrew  J.  Beck,  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Milledgeville,  Georgia. 


CULLEN  BATTLE. 

Dr.  Cullen  Battle,  a  pious  and  useful  deacon,  for 
many  years  prominently  identified  with  the  history  of 
Georgia  Baptists,  was  born  in  Edgecombe  county.  North 
Carohna,  March  nth,  1785.  His  ancestors  were  among 
the  most  honored  and  esteemed  citizens  of  his  native  State. 
In  his  early  manhood  he  was  a  physician,  but  after  a  few 
years  of  successful  practice,  he  retired  from  his  profession  to 
give  attention  to  his  large  and  increasing  planting  interests. 

In  1 818  he  removed  to  Georgia  and  settled  in  Hancock 
county,  where  he  had  purchased  a  large  landed  property. 
In  the  little  village  of  Powelton,  "where  he  resided,  much 
interest  was  taken  in  education.     Here  sprang  up  and  flourished  some  of  the 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  29 

finest  schools  of  that  day  in  the  State;  and  around  them  clustered  a  small  but 
intelligent  and  enterprising  community.  Dr.  Battle  was  among  the  foremost  in 
fostering  these  schools  and  in  promoting,  by  his  wealth,  the  cause  of  education. 

In  1827  he  professed  faith  in  Christ,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer 
into  the  fellowship  of  the  Powelton  church.  He  became  at  once  distinguished 
for  his  Christian  zeal  and  benevolence,  as  an  active  and  liberal  promoter  of  all 
religious  and  patriotic  enterprises. 

In  1836  he  removed  to  Alabama,  and  settled  in  Irwinton  (now  Eufaula),  where 
he  spent  seventeen  of  the  most  useful  years  of  his  long  Hfe.  He  was  mainly  in- 
strumental in  the  organization  of  the  First  Baptist  church  in  that  city,  which 
rapidly  grew  and  prospered,  until  it  is  now  reckoned  among  the  most  influential 
churches  of  Alabama.  The  wealthiest  citizen  of  the  county  at  that  time,  he  was 
also  equally  liberal,  enterprising  and  benevolent.  In  1853  he  removed  to  Tus- 
kegee,  where  he  lived  through  another  seventeen  years  of  active  effort  in  the 
various  departments  of  Christian  beneficence.  In  1870  he  returned  to  Eufaula, 
and  in  1879  died  full  of  years  and  usefulness,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-four. 
He  died  as  he  had  lived,  a  Christian,  in  the  full  possession  of  unshaken  faith  in 
his  Saviour,  and  in  full  hope  of  the  bliss  of  Heaven.  Dr.  Samuel  Henderson, 
the  distinguished  Alabama  editor  of  the  Christian  Index,  who  was  his  pastor 
for  twenty  years,  writes  of  him  as  follows : 

"  That  such  a  man  as  Dr.  Cullen  Battle  should  pass  away  and  be  dismissed, 
especially  by  the  religious  press,  with  a  bare  notice  of  the  fact  that  he  died  on 
such  a  date,  in  the  city  of  Eufaula,  Alabama,  would  be  an  impropriety,  if  not  a 
wrong  too  painful  to  be  tolerated.  That  the  Baptist  denomination  should  have 
shared  the  eminent  services,  the  piety,  the  good  name  of  so  worthy  a  Christian 
and  deacon,  for  perhaps  three-score  years,  and  allow  him  to  die  without  some 
humble  tribute  to  his  worth,  would  indicate  a  recreancy  to  a  sacred  trust  too 
glaring  to  be  thought  of.  As  his  pastor  for  many  years,  we  propose  to  make  a 
modest  offering  to  the  memory  of  one  whose  name  lingers  in  our  heart  of  hearts 
with  all  the  fragrance  that  piety  and  manly  worth  can  inspire.  Our  youngest 
son  bears  his  honored  name,  and  we  only  hope  he  will  never  dishonor  it ;  so  that 
our  little  domestic  circle  is  a  perpetual  reminder  of  those  happy  days  when  he 
was  to  us  all  that  Christian  kindness,  generous  friendship  and  wise  counsel 
could  be. 

"  Dr.  Battle,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  settled  in  Georgia  in  early  life,  where 
he  lived  for  many  years.  He  was  on  terms  of  great  intimacy  with  that  noble  band 
of  men  who  did  so  much  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  enlarged  and  enlarging 
prosperity  of  Georgia  Baptists — Mercer,  Sanders,  Mallory,  Dawson  and  others. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  and  most  liberal  contributors  to  Mercer  University,  giv- 
ing to  it  several  thousand  dollars,  and  continued  to  cherish  for  it  the  most  lively 
interest  after  he  left  the  State.  He  lived  to  see  an  honored  and  worthy  son,  Dr. 
A.  J.  Battle,  fill  the  position  of  President  of  an  institution,  around  the  cradle  of 
which  he  and  his  confreres  stood  more  than  half  a  century  ago ;  and  not  one  of 
all  that  number,  we  venture  to  say,  Jesse  Mercer  only  excepted,  watched  its 
progress  from  its  early  struggles  to  its  present  commanding  position,  with  more 
of  a  parental  solicitude  than  Cullen  Battle. 

'•  Between  forty  and  fifty  years  ago,  he  removed  from  Georgia  and  settled  in 
Eufaula,  purchased  a  plantation  near  that  place,  and  two  bodies  of  land  on  what 
are  called  the  Cowikees,  and  prosecuted  his  farming  interests  with  great  success 
up  to  the  close  of  the  war,  for  he  owned  several  hundred  servants.  In  the  year 
1853  he  left  Eufaula  and  settled  in  Tuskegee,  the  site  of  the  then  flourishing 
East  Alabama  Female  College,  to  the  erection  of  which  he  must  have  contrib- 
uted, first  and  last,  not  less  than  five  thousand  dollars.  Dr.  A.  J.  Battle  was  one 
of  its  first  professors,  and  subsequently  its  President  for  some  years.  He  (Dr. 
B.)  was  also  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  endowment  fund  of  Howard  College, 
which,  alas,  was  so  completely  wrecked  by  the  war.  *         -^        '■^'        '■^-        * 

"  He  was  one  of  the  wisest,  kindest,  most  sympathizing  deacons  with  whom  we 
were  ever  connected.  A  child  in  simplicity,  a  man  in  every  virtue— he  presented 
that  type  of  piety  referred  to  by  our  Lord  in  the  expression,  '  Behold  an  Israel- 
ite, indeed,  in  whom  there  is  no  guile.'     Never  do  we  see  the  solid  granite  of 


30 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


Christian  manhood  combined  with  those  gentler,  amiable  graces,  which  one  has 
called  '  the  perfect  womanhood  of  the  soul,'  more  completely  than  in  our  dear, 
sainted  brother.  At  first  sight,  one  would  say  he  was  all  granite,  but  as  subse- 
quent acquaintance  evolved  the  broad,  deep  sympathies  which  lay  behind  those 
rigid  features,  he  would  love  the  spirit  no  less  than  he  would  admire  the  princely 
form  of  the  godly  man.  *         =i;         *         *         * 

"  In  hospitality — we  mean  all  that  the  word  can  import — we  have  never  known 
him  surpassed.  Every  house  he  ever  built  was  constructed  and  furnished  with 
that  view.  *****  f^jg  benefactions  to  the  poor  were  on  the  like  scale. 
***=!=*  Yle  never  grew  weary  of  frequent  calls  for  donations  for  worthy 
objects,  but  always  hailed  them  with  joy.     *         *         * 

"  Whether  we  consider  him  as  a  citizen,  a  Christian  or  a  deacon  ;  whether  as  a 
master,  while  he  owned  servants,  a  husband  or  a  father ;  whether  as  possessing 
those  stern  qualities  which  constitute  that  style  of  manhood  which  never  com- 
promises principle  to  policy,  or  those  amiable  virtues  that  attract  and  charm  with 
their  loveliness ;  whether  as  a  rigid  Baptist,  who  held  the  faith  and  practice  of 
his  denomination  with  unyielding  fidelity,  or  as  possessing  those  broad  sympa-  • 
thies  that  embraced  all  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity.  Dr.  Battle 
possessed  just  that  clear-cut,  round  and  finished  character  on  which  one  loves  to 
dwell,  and  which,  when  we  begin  to  delineate,  we  know  not  when  or  where  to 
stop.  This  equipoise  of  all  that  was  manly  and  noble  and  Christlike,  impressed 
one  with  the  conviction  that  if  any  man  ever  deserved  the  portraiture  presented 
in  Holy  Writ,  '  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold  the  upright,  for  the  end  of  that 
man  is  peace,'  it  is  our  now  sainted  brother,  CuUen  Battle." 


THOMAS  J.  BECK,  Sr. 


Thomas  J.  Beck,  Sr.,  who  first  saw 
the  light  December  7th,  1805,  in  Bun-, 
combe  county.  North  Carolina,  was  a 
man  of  humble  origin  and  talents,  and 
almost  entirely  uneducated,  yet  it 
pleased  God  to  use  him  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  great  and  good  ends.  In 
building  up  and  strengthening  churches, 
and  in  winning  souls  to  Christ,  he  was 
very  successful.  As  was  said  of  Bar- 
nabas, so  might  it  be  said  of  him  ;  '■  He 
was  a  good  man  and  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  of  faith,  and  much  people 
was  added  unto  the  Lord ;"  for  his 
work  is  following  him  in  the  conse- 
crated lives  of  hundreds  converted 
through  his  instrumentality. 

His  parents,  James  and  Nancy  Beck, 
were  plain,  pious  people,  who  were  able 
to  afford  him  but  the  most  meagre  edu- 
cational advantages. 

On  attaining  his  majority,  he  moved 
from  North  Carolina  to  Wilkes  county, 
Georgia,  where  he  was  converted,  baptized  by  Rev.  Enoch  Calloway  and  received 
into  the  Rehoboth  church  in  1833.  He  was  ordained  at  the  call  of  New  Provi- 
dence church,  Warren  county,  in  1835,  when  thirty  years  old.  From  that  period 
until  his  death,  a  term  of  twenty-seven  years,  he  was  a  most  earnest  and  dili- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  3 1 

gent  minister,  serving  various  churches  in  Greene,  Taliaferro,  Warren,  Wilke^ 
and  Columbia  counties,  being  remarkably  successful  in  building  them  up,  and  in 
establishing  and  utilizing  the  membership.  Always  avoiding  extremes,  he  was 
conservative  in  spirit,  yet  sound  in  his  doctrinal  views,  sparing  neither  time  nor 
pains  to  ascertain  the  truth.  From  his  entrance  on  the  ministry,  almost  without 
any  education,  he  became  a  hard  student  of  God's  word,  devoting  all  his  time 
and  talents  to  the  acquisition  of  a  correct  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures.  With 
very  little  of  that  polish  of  diction  and  oratorical  grace,  on  which  the  world  lays 
so  much  stress,  he  was,  nevertheless,  a  very  effective  speaker ;  for  he  delivered 
what  he  had  to  say  in  an  earnest,  hearty,  straightforward  manner  that  seldom 
failed  to  produce  a  good  impression.  He  was  not  what  is  called  a  talented  man, 
and  owed  little  of  his  success  and  usefulness  to  natural  gifts ;  his  prevailing  qual- 
ities being  good  common  sense  and  sound  discretion.  In  himself  he  saw  nothing 
trustworthy.  He  put  his  whole  dependence  upon  God,  never  appearing  to  think 
of  himself  while  working  for  his  Master,  but  hiding  behind  the  cross  of  Christ, 
and  esteeming  himself  as  nothing  and  as  able  of  himself  to  do  nothing.  He 
gave  his  Heavenly  Father  an  undivided  faith  and  trust,  and  always  appeared  be- 
fore his  congregations  as  though  he  had  just  come  from  the  presence  of  God ; 
consequently  they  heard  him  gladly  and  many  were  converted.  He  preached  by 
example,  too ;  he  shared  the  honorable  distinction  of  Chaucer's  parson, 

"  That  first  he  wrought  and  afterward  he  taught." 

In  his  life  we  have  a  striking  illustration  of  the  truth  that  in  obedience  to  God. 
and  in  dependence  on  Him,  not  in  superior  natural  endowments,  lies  the  secret  of 
ministerial  success  and  usefulness. 

In  person  he  was  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  well  proportioned,  and 
always  wore  a  neat  black  suit.  His  eyes  were  blue,  with  an  expression  of  kind- 
ness, good  nature  and  intelligence.  He  had  classic  features,  and  his  hair,  which 
was  nearly  white  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  always  combed  straight  back. 

His  chief  traits  of  character  were  firmness,  boldness,  modesty,  humility,  sin- 
cerity and  kindness,  and  upon  any  occasion  which  called  for  their  exercise  they 
came  prominently  into  view.  He  was  free  from  envy,  and  never  mentioned  the 
faults  of  others,  while  praising  their  worthy  deeds  and  superior  talents.  In  his  na- 
ture was  nothing  mean  or  selfish,  and  he  was  honest  in  the  Scripture  sense  of  the 
term.  Very  prudent  and  cautious  he  never  acted  without  a  full  comprehension 
of  the  possible  result  of  his  course,  yet  his  faith  was  strong,  bringing  him,  at  all 
time,  into  direct,  sensible  dependence  upon  God.  He  was  a  true  Baptist,  and 
was  in  most  earnest  and  hearty  sympathy  with  the  great  principles  and  doc- 
trines which  constitute  the  distinctive  features  of  our  denomination.  He  endeav- 
ored to  instruct  his  people  aright,  and  always  left  his  churches  in  a  better  condition 
than  when  he  took  charge  of  them ;  for  the  work  of  the  Master  prospered  in  his 
hands.  Nor  were  his  labors  always  confined  to  the  people  of  his  charge ;  he 
made  frequent  tours  among  the  churches  and  destitute  communities  in  different 
portions  of  this  and  of  other  States,  preaching  the  word  with  power  and  suc- 
cess. As  a  pastor,  as  a  Christian,  as  a  neighbor  and  as  a  man,  he  was  greatly 
beloved.  In  every  relation  which  he  sustained  his  life  was  a  blessing,  and  there 
are  thousands  who  cherish  his  memory  with  a  lively  appreciation  of  his  noble 
character  and  devoted  life. 

He  married  Miss  Nancy  Burdett.  of  Wilkes  county,  in  183 1,  and  had  six  chil- 
dren. It  was  in  the  midst  of  his  own  family  that  his  Christian  life  shone  most 
brightly,  and  there  his  walk  with  God  appeared  most  intimate.  Perhaps  in  all 
the  experiences  of  home-life,  no  one  ever  preserved  a  more  uniform  and  exem- 
plary Christian  character.  He  was  exceedingly  solicitous  for  the  salvation  of 
his  children  ;  and,  before  his  death,  had  the  pleasure  of  baptizing  them  a]l,_ ex- 
cept the  youngest,  who  was  then  ten  years  old,  and  that  one  also  was  baptized 
at  the  age  of  fourteen.  Though  very  kind  and  affectionate,  with  broad  and  ten- 
der sympathies,  he  was  "  one  that  ruled  well  his  own  house,  having  his  children 
in  subjection  with  all  gravity."  Never  was  he  known  to  do  or  say  anything  that 
compromised  his  dignity,  or,  in  the  least,  lowered  him  in  the  estimation  of  his 
family. 


32 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


He  died  of  typhoid  fever,  (contracted  in  Virginia,  while  caring  for  his  sick  and 
wounded  sons  in  the  army),  in  Warren  county,  September  2d,  1862,  at  the  age 
of  lifty-six.  During  a  long  illness,  he  bore  his  great  sufferings  in  the  most  meek 
and  patient  manner.  All  who  were  present  at  his  death  witnessed  a  remarka- 
ble display  of  triumphant  faith.  When  fully  conscious  that  his  end  was  at 
hand,  he  called  together  the  members  of  his  family,  and  took  a  very  affectionate 
leave  of  each,  giving  to  every  one  appropriate  words  of  counsel,  comfort  and 
encouragement.  A  heavenly  unction  seemed  to  attend  every  word  that  he 
uttered  ;  and,  when  he  had  concluded,  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 


ANDREW  J.  BECK. 


Andrew  J.  Beck  was  born  in  Hancock  county,  Geor- 
gia, August  6th,  1850,  and  was  educated  at  Mercer  Uni- 
versity, graduating  with  the  highest  honors  of  his  class. 
For  a  few  years  after  his  graduation  he  was  engaged  in 
teaching,  being  President  of  Houston  Female  College,  at 
Perry,  Georgia.  Although  distinguished  as  a  teacher,  and 
with  a  lucrative  position,  he  decided  to  give  himself 
entirely  to  the  ministry.  Relinquishing,  therefore,  the 
Presidency  of  Houston  Female  College,  he  became  pas- 
tor of  the  Baptist  church  at  Marietta,  Georgia,  a  church 
not  strong  in  numbers,  but  remarkable  for  the  piety  and 
culture  of  its  members.  To  this  church  he  much  endeared  himself  by  his  faith- 
ful and  suceessful  labors,  but  ill  health  led  to  a  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  con- 
nection. For  two  years  he  sought,  by  active  secular  pursuits,  to  restore  his 
health,  which  he  regained  to  an  extent  that  permitted  him  to  assume  charge  of 
the  Central  Baptist  church,  of  Atlanta,  in  1876.  He  was  at  the  time  employed  in 
the  clerical  department  of  The  Christian  Index,  and  an  occasional  contrib- 
utor to  its  pages ;  his  writings  being  admired  for  their  heartiness  and  vigor. 
But  the  ministry  again  summoned  him  to  its  congenial  labors,  and  he  entered,  in 
January,  1 878,  upon  a  useful  pastorate  over  the  church  at  Milledgeville,  the  former 
Capital  of  Georgia. 

Mr.  Beck  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance  and  unaffected  manners. 
Deep-toned  in  piety,  his  preaching  is  quiet,  yet  not  without  animation.  He 
reasons  clearly,  and,  in  all  his  sermons,  there  is  much  force  of  thought.  His 
culture  is  correct,  enabling  him  to  speak  and  write  with  ease  and  elegance. 

He  was  elected  a  trustee  for  Mercer  University,  by  the  Georgia  Baptist  Con- 
vention, at  its  session  of  1875,  and  was  also  appointed  chairman  of  the  Board 
for  the  support  of  aged,  indigent  ministers. 

He  has  been  married  twice,  his  first  wife  being  Miss  Octavia  Warren,  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  E.  W.  Warren,  and  his  second,  Miss  Edith  M.  Ailing,  to  whom  he 
was  married  August  5th,  1879. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


33 


W.    B.    BENNET. 


Liberty  county,  Georgia,  famed  in  former  years  as  the 
seat  of  much  refinement  and  sterling  piety,  numbers 
among  its  sons  W.  B.  Bennet,  who  was  born  October 
19th,  1827.  His  father  died  in  1829,  from  which  time  he 
was  under  the  care  of  his  mother  alone  until  1842,  the 
date  of  her  marriage  with  Rev.  Joseph  S.  Baker,  D.  D.  A 
few  years  after,  he  entered  Mercer  University,  completing 
his  college  course  in  1848.  Having  adopted  teaching  as 
his  profession,  he  went  to  Lumpkin,  where  he  formed  the 
acquaintance  of  Miss  M.  J.  Campbell,  a  pupil  of  Wes- 
leyan  Female  College,  Macon,  and  only  daughter  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Campbell,  D.D., 
pastor  at  that  time  of  the  Lumpkin  church.  This  acquaintance  ripened  into  an 
attachment,  w^ich  led  to  the  marriage  of  the  two,  in  1851.  Just  before  his  mar- 
riage, while  yet  in  the  school-room,  he  began  the  study  of  the  law,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  session  entered  the  office  of  Capt.  C.  S.  Gauldin,  then  practicing  the 
legal  profession  in  Lumpkin.  Here  he  completed  his  preparation  for  admission 
to  the  bar,  which  took  place  in  April,  1851.  He  moved  first  to  Thomasville, 
and,  after  some  years,  to  Troupville,  which  was  at  that  time  the  county-site  of 
Lowndes. 

At  Troupville,  in  1857,  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  W.  Goldwire.  In  his  early 
Christian  experience  he  manifested  the  traits  which  ultimately  brought  about  his 
ordination.  Mr.  Goldwire  made  only  monthly  visits  to  the  town  for  the  purpose 
of  preaching ;  the  population  generally  was  of  a  character  to  discourage  a 
young  disciple ;  and  there  was  but  one  man  among  his  fellow-citizens  who  was  a 
member  of  the  church.  Yet  Mr.  Bennet,  with  the  counsel  and  approval  of 
some  of  the  pious  women  in  the  place,  endeavored,  for  a  time,  to  maintain  a 
weekly  prayer  meeting  in  the  various  residences  to  which  they  found  access. 
The  probability  is,  that  if  the  circumstances  surrounding  him  at  this  time  had 
been  more  favorable  to  the  development  of  the  nascent  convictions  of  his  mind, 
if  the  proper  care  had  been  taken  to  nourish  the  flame  of  Divine  love  which 
had  been  kindled  within  him,  and  if  the  first  indications  of  his  impressions  to- 
ward the  ministry  had  not  been  neglected,  his  ordination  would  have  followed 
quickly  after  his  baptism.  But  it  was  otherwise.  Seventeen  years  were  to  wear 
away  before  this  result  was  reached,  though  during  their  course,  at  various 
times,  being  urged  by  brethren  to  a  full  consecration  of  himself  to  the  ministry, 
he  yielded  to  these  persuasions  far  enough  to  make  appointments  irregularly 
and  address  the  people  on  the  subject  of  religion.  Meanwhile  he  had  removed 
to  Quitman,  at  the  time  of  the  formation  of  Brooks  county,  and  the  establish- 
ment of  Quitman  as  the  county-site,  and,  with  seven  others,  four  whites  and 
three  blac'ks,  had  entered  into  the  constitution  of  our  church  there  about  the 
year  1859.  He  was  ordained  at  Quitman  in  1874,  by  a  Presbytery  consisting  of 
Revs.  J.  H.  Campbell,  D.  D.,  J.  L.  Underwood,  E.  B.  Carroll,  and  the  pastor,  C. 
D.  Campbell. 

After  his  ordination  a  number  of  churches  sought  his  services,  for  his  name 
had  become  quite  distinguished  throughout  Southern  Georgia  in  the  legal  pro- 
fession. Of  these  he  has,  at  different  times,  had  charge  of  Stockton,  Bain- 
bridge,  Thomasville  and  Corinth  churches.  He  so  quickly  commanded  the 
entire  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  brethren,  as  a  minister,  that  he  was  elected 
Moderator  of  the  Mercer  Association,  and  has  been  retained  in  that  position  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  presides  with  dignity  and  ease.  As  a  preacher  he  is 
intellectual,  rather  than  emotional,  fitted  more  to  enlighten  the  judgment  than 
to  move  the  feelings.  His  sermons  are  sound  in  doctrine,  systematic  and  con- 
secutive in  arrangement,  clear  and  pointed  in  expression. 

In  the  vocations  to  which  he  has  given  attention  he  has  enjoyed  a  reasonable 


34 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


measure  of  success.  At  the  law  he  was  Solicitor-General  of  his  circuit  for  two 
terms ;  and  while  engaged  in  that  profession  represented  Brooks  county  in  the 
Legislature.  As  a  teacher  he  was  called,  shortly  after  his  ordination,  to  a  Pro- 
fessorship at  Young  Female  College,  in  Thomasville,  which  position  he  filled 
with  satisfaction  to  the  Trustees  for  two  years,  and  from  which  he  retired  only 
because  the  financial  condition  of  the  country  rendered  the  collection  of  tuition 
dues  very  difficult. 

He  is,  in  certain  respects,  a  peculiar  man,  and  this,  in  some  degree,  hinders  an 
analysis  of  his  character.  Only  a  personal  acquaintance,  of  considerable  inti- 
macy, could  enable  one  fully  to  appreciate  it.  Perhaps  its  greatest  virtue  is 
incorruptible  integrity,  "  as  far  from  fraud  as  earth  from  Heaven ;  "  its  greatest 
defect,  perhaps,  the  want  of  self-assertion.  Many  a  man  with  less  merit  has 
wielded  more  widespread  influence  ;  many  attained  higher  distinction  by  greater 
forwardness.  But  of  no  one  can  it  be  said  that  the  distinction  attained,  or  the 
influence  wielded,  was  based  on  a  more  certain  foundation  of  sincere  respect 
and  genuine  esteem.  As  a  criminal  lawyer  he  won  the  special  honor  of  having 
convicted  probably  a  larger  number  of  offenders  against  the  peace  and  quiet  of 
society,  during  his  incumbency  of  the  Solicitor-Generalship,  than  any  other  sim- 
ilar officer  in  the  State.  Before  the  Supreme  Court  he  commanded  the  highest 
attention,  and  called  forth  the  most  flattering  encomiums  of  the  judges  on  va- 
rious occasions.  In  social  intercourse  he  is  frank,  sometimes  to  the  verge  of 
bluntness,  and  with  a  vein  of  humor,  which  never  mistakes  railing  for  railery, 
or  tinges  satire  with  the  slightest  bitterness.  Indeed  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
venom  in  his  composition,  the  very  feeling  of  anger,  or  of  indignation  being 
marked  much  more  distinctly  by  a  sense  of  the  -wrong  which  excited  it,  than  by 
any  consciousness  of  personal  injury,  or  any  desire  of  personal  revenge. 


JAMES  EDGAR  BLACK. 


James  Edgar  Black  was  born  January  29th,  1844, 
in  Screven  county,  Georgia.  He  is  the  oldest  child  of 
J.  J.  and  J.  C.  Black,  both  of  them  zealous  and  devoted 
members  of  a  Baptist  church.  His  parents  let  no  op- 
portunity pass  to  train  their  son  in  the  way  he  should 
go,  and  his  usefulness  in  the  ministry  is  one  of  the  re- 
sults of  this  pious  culture,  and  an  answer  to  the  prayers 
of  his  godly  parents.  Home  influences  were  divinely 
used  in  moulding  his  character,  preparatory  to  the 
work  into  which  his  Lord  designed  to  call  him.  His 
education  was  obtained  principally  in  Screven  county 
and  the  city  of  Brunswick,  Georgia.  He  is  quite  advanced  in  the  English 
branches,  and,  for  one  of  his  parts  and  opportunities,  is  unusually  well  read. 

He  was  converted  in  1858,  and  baptized  in  February,  1859,  by  Rev.  William 
Spear  into  the  fellowship  of  North  Newington  church.  In  1872  he  was  or- 
dained, at  Turkey  Branch  church,  in  Effingham  county,  Georgia,  by  Revs.  Jas. 
Middleton,  William  W.  Lee  and  John  Edwards.  Before  his  ordination  he  filled 
the  office  of  deacon  in  this  church.  He  has  occupied  the  pulpit  of  the  church 
at  Jessup,  Wayne  county,  and  of  Steam  Mill  church,  in  Appling  county.  In 
this  field  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  work  of  the  Lord  prospering  in  his 
hands,  and  wherever  he  has  gone  preaching  the  Gospel  in  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina,  success  has  crowned  his  labors.  As  a  pastor  he  has  been  devoted  to 
his  churches,  and  punctual  to  fill  his  engagements. 

One  who  knows  him  well  says  :  "  His  methods  of  study  are  close  application 
to  his  Bible,  and  such  helps  as  are  within  his  reach.     As  a  minister  he  is  prom- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  35 

ising,  and  as  a  public  speaker  is  fluent  and  impetuous.  He  never  fails  to  impress 
his  audience  with  the  importance  of  his  mission,  and  could  he  be  freed  from  the 
labors  and  cares  of  this  world,  he  would  rise  to  distinction  in  the  ministry." 

He  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Burns,  of  Screven  county.  'Of  si.x 
children,  the  fruit  of  this  marriage,  only  three  are  living.  In  his  private  rela- 
tions he  is  kind  and  considerate,  an  ardent  husband,  an  affectionate  father,  a  fast 
friend. 

He  is  now,  in  the  spirit  of  Paul,  supporting  his  family  bv  personal  labor,  but 
preaching,  when  he  can,  to  destitute  neighborhoods  in  the  vicinity  of  Jessup, 
Georgia. 


B.  A.  BLAKEY. 


He  was  born  in  Wilkes  county,  Georgia,  May  25th, 
1826.  His  father  died  when  he  was  quite  a  boy,  but  he 
was  blessed  with  a  pious  mother,  to  whose  intfuence  is 
largely  due  the  formation  of  his  fine  moral  character,  and 
the  high  measure  of  usefulness  to  which  he  has  attained 
in  the  church.  He  was  converted  in  August,  1843,  united 
with  the  New  Ford  church,  Wilkes  county,  in  September, 
1843,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  I.  N.  Bolton.  After 
marriage,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Jackson,  in  1848,  he  moved  to 
the  county  of  Gwinnett,  and  in  1852  was  ordained  a  dea- 
con of  Hebron  church,  in  that  county.  The  office  of  deacon  he  has  used  well, 
and  gained  a  good  reputation  by  his  fidelity  in  office. 

He  is  beloved  and  honored  by  his  brethren.  More  than  once  he  has  been 
called  to  preside  over  the  Appalachee  Association,  of  which  his  church  is  a 
member.  But  few  excel  him  in  promptness  and  skilful  management  of  the 
business  of  a  deliberative  assembly.  A  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  with 
other  important  elements  in  a  presiding  officer,  partial  to  none,  and  courteous  to 
all,  you  are  impressed  that  a  Christian  gentleman  fills  the  chair. 

With  his  other  Christian  duties,  he  has  devoted  himself,  for  many  years,  to 
Sunday-school  work,  and  is  now  Superintendentof  the  school  at  his  church.  His 
heart  is  in  his  Master's  work,  and  this  is  illustrated  by  his  generous  giving  to 
sustain  his  own  pastor,  to  relieve  the  poor  of  his  neighborhood,  and  to  further 
every  department  of  Christian  work.  Not  only  has  he  been  successful  in  the 
management  of  his  own  business,  but  his  fellow-citizens  have  frequently  called 
him  to  fill  important  positions  of  trust  and  honor  in  his  State  and  county. 
Elected  time  and  again  by  his  county  to  represent  it  in  the  State  Legislature,  he 
has  filled  also,  in  his  county,  the  offices  of  Commissioner  and  Judge  of  the  In- 
ferior Court. 

It  would  be  w^ell  if  the  suffrages  of  the  people  were  more  frequently  given  to 
such  men.  Is  not  this,  indeed,  an  imperative  Christian  duty  ?  In  his  private 
relations  he  is  devoted  as  a  husband,  affectionate  to  his  children,  and  abundant 
in  generous  hospitality.  The  five  children  with  whom  God  has  blessed  him, 
are  now  grown,  and  members  of  Baptist  churches. 

It  would  be  unjust  to  the  subject  of  this  sketch  not  to  say  that  while  he  is 
active  in  business,  he  takes  time  to  read  and  keep  himself  informed  of  what  is 
occurring  both  in  the  political  and  religious  world.  This  may  play  no  little  part 
toward  securing  his  success  in  business,  and  his  continued  activity  in  matters  of 
religion. 

He  is  still  living  in  Gwinnett  county,  in  fine  health,  enjoying  the  confidence 
and  affection  of  his  brethren  and  fellow-citizens. 

A 


36 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


F.  M.  BLALOCK. 


The  oldest  son  of  Henry  and  Nancy  Blalock,  F.  M. 
Blalock  was  born  October  29th,  1845,  in  Crawford  county, 
Georgia,  two  miles  north  of  Knoxville.  His  father  is  a 
South  Carolinian  by  birth,  and  moved  with  his  father 
from  that  State  in  1832,  and  settled  in  Crawford  county' 
where  he  married  Nancy  Matthews,  a  native  of  that 
county. 

Mr.  Blalock  professed  religion,  and  joined  Benevolence 
church,  in  Crawford  county,  in  1863.  In  1864  he  en- 
tered the  Confederate  army,  and  served  faithfully  until 
the  close  of  the  war  between  the  States,  when  he  returned 
to  the  home  of  his  parents  and  engaged  in  farming.  Becoming  impressed  that 
it  was  his  duty  to  preach,  and  his  fitness  for  the  ministry  becoming  apparent  to 
his  church,  he  was  licensed  in  1867,  and  prosecuted  his  studies  through  one 
terrh  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary.  As  a  licentiate,  he  did 
good  and  assiduous  service  until  his  own  church  called  him  to  ordination,  in 
November,  1873,  when  he  was  set  apart  to  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  by  the 
imposition  of  hands.  Revs.  J.  H.  Campbell,  D.  D.,  B.  L.  Ross  and  D.  H. 
Moore  composing  the  presbytery.  The  year  following  he  became  pastor  of 
Benevolence  church,  and  so  continued  for  four  years;  and,  in  1875,  he  took 
charge  of  the  Houston  Factory  and  Friendship  churches,  in  Houston  count}', 
serving  the  former  four,  and  the  latter  two  years.  At  present  he  is  pastor  of  the 
Horeb  church,  Talbot  county,  having  assumed  the  pastorship  in  1878. 

When  barely  twenty-one,  Mr.  Blalock  married  Miss  A.  F.  Wilkinson,  of  Mon- 
roe county,  who  has  proved  a  faithful  and  effective  furtherer  of  his  ministerial 
work. 

Mr.  Blalock,  as  a  minister,  has  had  the  pleasure  of  welcoming  into  the 
church  nearly  every  member  of  his  family,  and  the  first  convert  whom  he  led 
down  into  the  water  was  a  sister  of  his  wife.  The  eldest  of  three  sons,  he  as- 
sisted in  ordaining  one  of  his  brothers  to  the  office  of  deacon,  and  the  other 
and  youngest,  to  the  full  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry,  in  both  cases  preaching 
the  ordination  sermon. 


WILLIAM  J.  BLEWETT. 


It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  so  little  can  be  learned  re- 
specting the'  life  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was 
born  in  Anson  county.  North  Carolina,  March  12th,  181 2. 
He,  with  his  parents,  emigrated  to  Decatur  county,  Geor- 
gia, in  1833.  In  April,  1834,  he  united  with  the  Rich- 
land Creek  church,  and  was  baptized  by  Elder  A.  Bel- 
cher. In  1835  he  was  licensed  by  that  church  to  preach 
the  Gospel.  Sometime  after  this,  at  the  solicitation  of 
the  Cotton  Hill  church,  in  Randolph  county,  he  was 
ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry,  Elders  A.  and 
J.  O.  Cumbie  officiating. 

In  Florida  he  identified  himself  with  the  cause  of  missions,  and,  perhaps,  had 
an  important  agency  in  the  introduction  of  the  present  Articles  of  Faith  of  the 
Florida  Association.     He  preached  along  the  Florida  and  Georgia  line,  beloved 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS. 


J7 


by  the  people  as  an  earnest,  faithful  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  was  instru- 
mental in  doing  great  good. 

In  1840  or  1 841  he  married  Miss  Malcolm,  daughter  of  Dr.  Malcolm,  of 
Gadsden  count)',  Florida,  who  died  soon  after.  In  1850  or  1851  he  married 
Mrs.  Everett,  settled  near  Thomasville,  and  gave  his  time  to  the  service  of 
churches  in  the  country.  Here  he  labored,  the  Lord  blessing  his  labors,  until 
1 870  or  187 1 ,  he  removed  to  Cadwell  county,  Texas,  where  he'  closed  his  work 
on  earth  in  1874,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  sons  to  mourn  his  loss. 


BENJAMIN    BLITCH. 

Southern  Georgia  is  "  highly  favored  of  .the  Lord"  in 
the  gift  of  many  laborious  ministers,  who  prosecute  their 
work  under  all  the  disadvantages  and  hardships  incidental 
to  a  sparsely  settled  country.  Among  this  number  Ben- 
jamin Blitch  stands  eminent,  perhaps  pre-eminent.  A 
native  of  Efhngham  county,  Georgia,  he  was  born  in 
November,  181 1;  and  the  active  service  he  renders  to  the 
cause  of  the  Master  is  not  rela.xed  on  the  plea  that  the 
weight  of  almost  three-score  years  and  ten  rests  upon  his 
outward  man.  Laboring  through  the  week  on  a  farm,  for 
the  support  of  his  family,  and  filling  Sabbath  appoint- 
ments, very  often  at  a  great  distance  from  home,  he  many  times  travels  from 
early  dawn  until  late  at  night,  "  bearing  the  precious  seed"  of  divine  truth,  in 
the  hope  that  when  the  great  ingathering  comes,  he  may  return  to  the  Lord  of 
the  harvest,  "  bringing  his  sheaves  with  him."  An  example,  surely,  which  might 
well  be  followed  by  not  a  few  of  our  young  men. 

In  the  summer  of  1832,  when  he  had  nearly  completed  his  twenty-first  year, 
he  was  led  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  exercise  of  faith  in  Christ,  and  connected 
himself  with  Cowpen  Branch  church;  in  his  native  county.  The  activity  and 
usefulness  manifested  in  that  season  of  "first  love,"  induced  his  brethren  to 
call  him,  the  year  after,  to  the  office  of  deacon.  In  1835  he  removed  to  Florida, 
and  resided  in  that  State  for  a  period  of  some  twelve  years,  as  a  "  tiller  of  the 
ground,"  discharging  faithfully,  meanwhile,  the  duties  of  his  diaconate.  "  A 
mind  to  work  "  grew  within  him,  and  a  sense  of  his  capabilities  increasingly 
impressed  the  brotherhood,  until,  in  1846,  he  received  license  to  preach.  With 
this  enlargement  of  his  sphere  of  labor  came  the  desire  to  bear  witness  for 
Christ  in  the  section  where  his  early  years  were  passed.  He  accordingly  re- 
turned to  Georgia,  and  united  with  Little  Ogechee  church,  Screven  county. 

His  zeal  and  acceptabihty  as  a  preacher  occasioned  his  ordination,  in  1853,  at 
the  age  of  forty-two  years,  by  a  presbytery  composed  of  M.  N.  McCall,  J. 
Wheeler,  W.  S.  Moore,  L.  M.  Brown  and  W.' Cooper.  For  two  years  from  this 
date  he  served  Calvary  church  as  pastor,  and  then,  moved  by  the  sacred  irn- 
pulse  to  carry  the  Gospel  into  "the  regions  beyond,"  he  made  his  home  in 
Ware  county.  There,  for  twenty-four  years,  he  labored  to  supply  the  destitu- 
tion prevailing  through  that  county.  Pierce,  Appling  and  others — a  work  the 
record  of  which  is  on  high. 

He  transferred  his  abode  and  his  ministry  to  Tatnall  county,  where  he  now 
lives,  in  1879,  on  the  death  of  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Miss  Harriet 
Wilson,  and  to  whom  he  had  been  married  in  1832.  This  lady,  the  companion 
of  his  youth,  the  sharer  of  all  his  toils  and  hardships,  bore  him  fourteen  chil- 
dren ;  and,  of  her  eight  sons,  four,  like  the  father,  are  ministers   of  the  Gospel, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


S.  E.  BLITCH. 


His  parents,  at  the  time  of  his  birth,  the  9th  of  August, 
1847,  were  living  in  Effingham  county,  Georgia.  When 
he  was  about  twelve  years  of  age  they  changed  their  res- 
idence to  Ware  county.  While  his  educational  advan- 
tages in  early  life  were  limited,  he  had  the  privilege  of 
faithful  Sunday-school  instruction,  in  addition  to  the 
Christian  counsel  of  his  parents.  He  was  called  into 
military  service  as  a  private  soldier  in  1864,  and  suffered 
much  from  his  severe  duties,  and  especially  from  confine- 
ment in  prison,  the  effects  of  which  are  still  felt.  The 
family  were  greatly  impoverished  by  the  results  of  the 
war,  and  left  almost  without  any  means  of  subsistence. 

He  was  married,  in  April,  1867,  to  Miss  Nannie  A.  Carter,  of  Brooks  county, 
Georgia,  who  became  the  mother  of  four  sons.  He  professed  conversion  in 
1869,  but  not  until  1874  was  he  baptized,  by  Rev.  J.  D.  Evans,  then  missionary 
of  the  Mercer  Association.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1875,  and  his  labors 
as  a  minister  being  required,  he  was  ordained,  at  the  request  of  the  Pleasant 
Hill  church,  Colquitt  county,  Georgia,  by  Elders  T.  A.  White  and  J.  B.  Arring- 
ton.  After  serving  this  and  other  churches  some  three  years,  he  was  appointed, 
by  the  Executive  Committee  of  Mercer  Association,  as  the  missionary  of  that 
body.  That  position-  he  holds  at  the  date  of  this  sketch.  The  Lord  has  put  the 
crown  of  blessing  on  his  work  ;  destitute  neighborhoods  have  been  visited,  and 
the  Gospel  preached  to  them,  and  feeble  churches  have  been  greatly  strength- 
ened in  efficiency  and  numbers. 

He  is  rather  a  modest,  retiring  man,  but  bold  to  express  and  firm  to  main- 
tain his  views,  when  he  believes  he  is  right.  The  field  in  which  he  has  been 
called  to  serve  the  Master  needs  efficient  Gospel  laborers,  and  he  is  adapted  to 
it;  for,  like  the  builders  of  tlae  walls  of  Jerusalem,  in  the  days  of  Nehemiah,  he 
has  "a mind  to  work,"  and  the  Lord  works  with  him,  as  He  does  with  all  the 
"  called,  and  chosen,  and  faithful." 


JOSEPH  L.  BLITCH. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  now  in  the  prime  of  life,  a 
zealous,  earnest  and  successful  minister  of  the  Gospel.  He 
was  born  in  Duval  county,  Florida,  March  3d,  1839.  His 
father,  Rev.  Benjamin  Blitch,  is  a  Baptist  minister,  full  of 
years  and  good  fruits. 

Joseph  L.  Blitch  professed  conversion  when  quite 
young,  but  was  not  baptized  for  some  two  years  afterward. 
From  the  date  of  his  conversion,  and  especially  after  his 
baptism,  he  began  to  speak  for  Jesus  whenever  an  opportunity  presented  itself. 
In  order  to  prepare  himself  for  greater  usefulness  in  the  ministry,  he  sought  the 
educational  advantages  of  Mercer  LIniversity,  and  in  1863  graduated,  having 
preached  to  some  country  churches  during  his  college  course.  He  was  ordained, 
at  the  request  of  Macedonia  church,  in  i860.  After  preaching  to  several 
churches  for  a  few  years,  he  removed  to  Macon,  Georgia,  and  aided  in  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  Second  Baptist  church  of  that  city.  He  served  that  church 
as  its  pastor  for  some  two  years,  and  then  removed  to  Little  Rock,  Arkansas. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


39 


From  this  place  he  went  to  Texas,  preaching  a  year  or  two  to  each  of  the  fol- 
lowing churches  of  that  State  :  Marshall  and  Boonville.  He  next  served  as 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Lee  Summit,  Missouri.  In  1873  he  served  the  church 
at  Dixon  for  some  six  years.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  Washington  Territory, 
and  has  been  the  instrument  of  organizing  an  efficient  church  in  Walla  Walla. 
Wherever  he  has  gone  he  has  aroused  the  people  to  the  importance  of  educa- 
tion, and  enforced  upon  the  churches  their  obligations  to  give  the  Gospel  to  the 
nations.  Few  have  been  more  successful  in  winning  souls  to  Christ.  The 
writer  would  be  glad  to  give  the  date  of  his  marriage,  etc.,  but  has  not  the 
facts  before  him.. 


J^ 

\ 

p?  is^ 

.^ 

^N^W^^ 

% 

JAMES  PETIGRU  BOYCE. 

James  Petigru  Boyce  is  a  native  of  Charleston, 
South  Carolina.  He  was  born  on  the  nth  of  January, 
1827.  His  father,  Hon.  Ker  Boyce,  was  a  native  of  New- 
berry District,  South  Carolina.  In  1877  he  moved  to 
Charleston,  where  he  was  known,  until  his  death,  as  a 
successful  cotton  factor  and  a  wealthy  banker.  He  was 
twice  elected  to  the  State  Senate.  The  mother  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  sister  of  Hon.  Job  John- 
ston, Chancellor  of  the  Court  of  Equity  of  South  Caro- 
lina. Both  the  paternal  and  maternal  grand-parents  of 
James  P.  Boyce  were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  He  was 
named  for  James  L.  Petigru,  Esq.,  a  distinguished  lawyer  of  Charleston,  and  a 
particular  friend  of  his  father's. 

Mr.  Ker  Boyce  greatly  desired  that  his  son  should  study  law,  but  the  Lord 
determined  otherwise,  and  in  the  choice  of  a  profession  by  the  son  the  father 
gladly  acquiesced.  He  entered  Charleston  College  in  the  spring  of  1843,  and  in 
1845  went  to  Brown  University,  Rhode  Island,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1847. 
During  a  vacation  in  April,  1846,  he  visited  his  home,  where  Dr.  Fuller,  then  of 
Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  was  preaching  with  great  power.  Mr.  Boyce  was 
converted,  and  baptized  by  Dr.  Fuller.  The  next  year  he  was  licensed  to  preach 
by  the  First  Baptist  church  of  Charleston.  In  1848  circumstances  having 
barred  his  entrance  into  Madison  University,  New  York,  he  went  to  Prince- 
ton, New  Jersey,  and  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  that  place,  where  he 
continued  an  appreciative  and  laborious  student  until  1851.  Returning  to 
South  Carolina,  he  was  ordained  for  the  Gospel  ministry  in  December  of  that 
year,  having  accepted  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Baptist  church  of  Columbia, 
South  Carolina.  When  asked  by  the  chairman  of  the  presbytery.  Dr.  William 
Curtis,  Sr.,  whether  he  proposed  to  devote  his  whole  life  to  preaching,  Mr. 
Boyce  replied  :  "  Provided  I  don't  become  a  professor  of  theology.'"  This  re- 
ply made  the  distinguished  divine  hesitate  as  to  the  propriety  of  the  ordination 
of  the  youthful  aspirant  for  theological  honors  and  tribulations,  but  it  clearly  indi- 
cated ^/le  bent  of  his  mind.  For  six  months  prior  to  May,  1 849,  and  before  his 
studies  at  Princeton,  he  was  the  editor  of  the  "  Southern  Baptist,"  published  in 
Charleston,  South  Carolina. 

In  1854  Mr.  Boyce's  father  passed  away,  leaving  his  son  with  Judge  Belton 
O'Neal,  of  South  Carolina,  Arthur  G.  Rose,  Esq.,  now  of  England,  and  James 
A.  Whiteside,  of  Tennessee,  the  executors  of  his  large  estate.  This  trust  might 
have  seemed  enough  for  his  talents  and  energies,  but  they  were  not  abated  m 
the  least  from  his  ministerial  labors,  and  his  incessant  planning  in  reference  to  a 
Theological  Seminary  for  the  South. 

In  1854,  at  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  which  met  in  Washington,  Geor- 
gia, Mr.  Boyce  participated  with  deep  interest  in  the  discussion  with  regard  to 


40  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

the  formation  of  a  theological  school  for  the  South.  In  1855  he  resigned  his 
charge  in  Columbia  to  acccept  the  professorship  of  theology  in  Furman  Univer- 
sity. This  position  he  held  until  he  was  elected,  in  February,  1858,  professor 
in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  then  located  in  Greenville,  South 
Carolina,  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  in  October,  1859.  In  July, 
1856,  when  Professor  of  Furman  University,  he  delivered  an  address  entitled 
Three  Changes  in  Theological  Education.  This  foreshadowed  the  peculiar 
features  of  the  course  of  study  in  our  Seminary.  The  address  received  the  high 
commendation  of  Dr.  Francis  Wayland,  of  Brown  University.  The  following 
is  taken  from  a  published  sketch  of  Mr.  Boyce,  by  a  pen  unknown  to  the  present 
writer : 

"  After  serving  as  chaplain  in  the  army  for  six  months,  during  a  practical  sus- 
pension of  the  Seminary,  Mr.  Boyce  was  elected  to  the  South  Carolina  State 
Legislature  in  1862,  and  re-elected  in  1864,  serving  to  the  end  of  the  war.  It 
may  be  stated  that,  in  1863,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Confederate  government 
special  commissioner  to  secure  the  adoption,  by  the  States,  of  a  plan  for  the 
relief  of  the  Confederate  debt,  which  he  had  himself  brought'  forward  in  the 
South  Carolina  Legislature  in  1862.  Since  the  *vi^ar  he  has  eschewed  politics 
entirely,  and  has  devoted  himself  to  resuscitating  and  establishing  the  Southern 
Baptist  Theological  Seminary.  It  may  safely  be  averred  that  to  him  the  South- 
ern Baptists  are  indebted  for  the  foundation  and  preservation,  under  the  most 
adverse  circumstances,  of  their  Theological  Seminary.  For  it  he  has  labored 
unremittingly  and  most  self-sacrificingly  for  years,  repeatedly  refusing  tempting 
offers  of  great  emolument,  that  he  might  secure  to  the  Baptists  this  school  of 
the  prophets ;  and,  gladly  be  it  said,  with  almost  certain  hopes  of  success." 

Mr.  Boyce  has  received  two  honorary  degrees — that  of  D.  D.,  from  Colum- 
bia College,  District  of  Columbia,  and  that  of  LLD.,  conferred  by  Union 
University,  Tennessee,  in  1872.  The  same  year  he  was  elected  President  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention,  which  office  he  held  with  eminent  success,  as  a 
presiding  officer,  until  1880,  when  he  declined  re-election. 

In  1875  the  ensuing  notice  (to  which  reference  has  been  made  above),  ap- 
peared in  the  "  News  and  Courier,"  of  Charleston,  South  C^olina,  where  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  was  assembled.  The  author  will  pardon  a  few 
verbal  changes,  for  the  sake  of  greater  accuracy : 

"  One  of  the  foremost  men  of  the  Southern  Baptist  denomination  is  Dr. . 
James  P.  Boyce.  As  President  of  the  Convention,  he  has  filled  the  position  with 
conspicuous  dignity  and  ability.  Possessed  of  commanding  person,  and  dig- 
nified and  polished  manners,  he  attracts  attention  whenever  he  appears.  He  is 
a  man  of  eminent  business  qualifications,  a  good  platform  speaker,  and  a  scholar 
of  varied  attainments.  Connected  with  a  family  of  wealth  and  of  position,  he 
has  had  thrown  into  his  hands  the  management  of  a  large  estate.  This  and  the 
financial  conduct  of  the  Southern  Theological  Seminary,  compelled  him  to 
bring  into  exercise  all  the  business  qualifications  and  financial  skill  for  which  he 
is  distinguished.  This  has  brought  him  much  in  contact  with  the  world  and  its 
business  affairs,  but  it  has  not  made  him  a  less  sincere,  devout  and  humble- 
minded  Christian — one  whose  every-day  deportment  and  daily  conversation  re- 
commend the  religion  he  professes,  and  whose  principles  it  is  his  duty  to  teach. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  find  one  whose  life,  manners,  conversations  and  teach- 
ings are  better  suited  favorably  to  impress  the  young  with  the  principles  and 
proprieties  of  religion.  As  a  theologian,  he  is  sound ;  as  a  professor  and 
preacher,  his  excellence  is  acknowledged  ;  and  he,  as  a  pastor,  would  be  unexcelled. 
He  is  a  man  of  large  culture,  noble,  generous  nature,  and  liberal  propensities. 
His  mental  abilities  are  of  high  order,  and  place  him  in  the  front  rank  of  South- 
ern Baptists.  His  accomplishments,  intelligence  and  personal  qualifications, 
make  him  one  of  those  full-rounded  characters  whom  we  contemplate  with 
pleasure,  and  to  whom  we  are  obliged  to  award  the  meed  of  excellence,  no 
matter  in  what  aspect  viewed — for,  as  a  speaker,  a  preacher,  a  professor,  a  pre- 
siding officer,  a  business  man,  a  Christian,  and  a  thoroughly  cultivated  gentle- 
man, he  is  one  who  must  be  regarded  with  pleasure  and  admiration." 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  4I 

Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary. 

As  the  life  of  Dr.  Boyce,  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  has  been  ideniitied 
so  completely  with  this  institution,  the  following  sketch,  copied  from  a  religious 
journal  of  March  25th,  1880,  may  be  appropriately  incorporated  in  his  biography  : 

"  Up  to  the  year  1859,  the  Baptists  of  the  South  had  no  well-equipped  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  At  Georgetown  College,  and  also  at  Bethel  College,  both  in 
Kentucky,  there  was  a  theological  department,  with  a  single  professor.  The 
same  was  true  of  Union  University,  Tennessee,  and  Mercer  University,  Georgia  ; 
while  Furman  Institute,  of  South  Carolina,  was  exclusively  a  theological  school, 
with  three  professors,  and  had  long  enjoyed  a  good  reputation. 

"  For  many  years  Dr.  R.  B.  C.  Howell,  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  Dr. 
Basil  Manly,  of  Alabama,  both  natives  of  North  Carolina,  had  earnestly  advo- 
cated the  establishment  of  a  general  Theological  Seminary  for  the  whole  South. 
After  a  time  Dr.  A.  M.  Poindexter,  also  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  though  then 
residing  in  Virginia,  gave  the  weight  of  his  great  influence  in  favor  of  the  enter- 
prise, and  at  the  session  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  held  in  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  in  1857,  the  Seminary  took  shape. 

"The  location  of  the  Seminary  was  left  to  be  determined,  in  some  measure, 
by  the  liberality  of  the  States  contributing  to  its  endowment ;  and,  as  South  Car- 
olina proposed  to  give  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  provided  the  other  Southern 
States  would  give  as  much,  it  was  located  in  the  beautiful  upland  town  of 
Greenville,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  South  Carolina,  near  to  the  States  of 
North  Carolina,  Tennessee  and  Georgia.  The  contribution  of  five  thousand 
dollars  by  any  State,  entitled  it  to  one  member  in  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Seminary. 

"  Great  pains  were  taken  in  adopting  a  plan  for  the  Seminary ;  and  its  friends 
claim  that  some  of  its  pecliar  features  more  fully  adapt  it  to  the  w'ants  of  our 
denomination  than  any  other  institution  in  the  country.  The  design  of  the  Sem- 
inary may  be  seen  from  the  following  extract,  clipped  from  the  Catalogue : 

'  The  theory  of  our  churches  has  always  been,  and  will  doubtless  continue  to 
be,  that  the  ministry  must  not  be  confined  to  such  as  have  enjoyed  superior 
advantages  for  mental  culture  ;  but  that  every  one  who  proposes  to  be  a  preacher 
shall  be  encouraged  to  gain  the  most  thorough  education  in  his  power,  while 
all,  whatever  general  cultivation  they  may  possess,  are  urged  to  a  diligent  study 
of  religious  truth,  and  are  examined  as  to  their  acquaintance  with  this,  before 
they  can  be  ordained.  Our  ministry  thus  contains  men  of  every  grade  of  cul- 
ture. To  meet  its  wants,  then,  a  Theological  Seminary  must  furnish  to  college 
graduates  ample  facilities  for  studying  the  Scriptures  in  the  original,  and  for 
pursuing  all  the  branches  of  a  complete  theological  education  ;  and  at  the  same 
time  it  must  afford  to  such  as  have  only  a  good  English  education,  the  oppor- 
tunity of  studying  the  Scriptures  in  the  English  version,  and  full  theological 
instruction  in  all  other  respects.' 

"In  1858,  Drs.  [.  P.  Boyce,  of  South  Carolina,  Basil  Manly,  of  Virginia,  John 
A.  Broadus,  of  Virginia,  and  Dr.  William  Williams,  of  Georgia,  were  chosen  as 
professors  of  our  new  Seminary;  and  in  1859  the  institution  began  a  career 
of  great  usefulness. 

"  During  the  latter  part  of  the  late  war  it  suspended  operations,  as  did  all  the 
colleges  of  the  South  ;  and  the  bankruptcy  of  the  whole  country  carried  with  it 
the  endowment  of  our  Seminary.  But  the  work  of  this  institution  had  been  too 
great  and  too  useful  for  it  to  be  idle  long,  and  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war, 
under  the  leadership  of  Dr.  Boyce,  as  financial  manager,  and  depending  on  the 
voluntary  support  of  the  churches,  it  resumed  operations,  and  with  varying  for- 
tunes has  continued  to  bless  the  denomination  it  represents. 

"  There  have  been  many  exhibitions  of  heroic  fortitude  and  patient  suffering 
under  trial  in  the  South  within  the  past  few  years,  but  there  has  been  no  finer 
illustration  of  these  noble  virtues,  than  that  furnished  by  the  Faculty  of  the 
Seminary  in  faithfully  adhering  to  its  interests.  When  they  were  offered  sala- 
ries four  or  five  times  as  large  elsewhere,  and  when  the  meagre  sums  promised 
were  paid  so  slowly  as  to  cause  them  embarrassment  and  even  distress,  these 
men  of  God  persisted  in  remaining  at  their  posts,  because  they  believed  the 
Seminary  was  necessary  to  the  best  interests  of  the  denomination. 


42  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

"  The  effort  of  the  trustees  was  to  keep  the  institution  going  by  special  con- 
tributions till  the  country  had  so  far  recuperated  as  to  endow  it  again  ;  but  as 
South  Carolina  had  suffered  so  much  by  the  war,  and  also  by  bad  legislation  and 
official  corruption  after  the  war,  it  was  deemed  wise  to  remove  the  Seminary  to 
some  State  in  a  better  financial  condition.  Therefore,  at  the  Convention  of 
1872,  held  in  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  a  committee  of  trustees  was  appointed  to 
secure  a  location  for  the  Seminary.  This  committee  consisted  of  Dr.  J.  B. 
Jeter,  President  of  the  Board  representing  Virginia,  Dr.  S.  L.  Helm,  of  Ken- 
tucky, T.  P.  Smith.  Esq.,  of  South  Carohna,  Dr.  Henderson,  of  Alabama,  Dr. 
Matthew  Hillman,  of  Tenn.,  and  Dr.  T.  P.  Pritchard.of  North  Carolina.  Before 
the  committee  met,  Dr.  Jeter  was  sent  to  Italy  to  look  after  the  interests  of  our 
missions  there,  and  Dr.  J.  L.  Burrows  was  chosen  in  his  place  to  represent  Vir- 
ginia. Dr.  J.  P.  Boyce  joined  the  committee  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  August  ist, 
and  after  visiting  Chattanooga,  Nashville  and  Louisville,  as  well  as  Atlanta,  the 
committee  selected  Louisville  as  the  future  home  of  the  Seminary.  Chattanooga 
made  a  definite  proposition,  offering  about  $137,000  in  money  and  lands  for  the 
location  of  the  Seminary,  Atlanta  and  Nashville  did  not  say  precisely  what 
they  would  give,  but  it  was  understood  that  the  former  might  be  relied  on,  with 
the  help  of  the  State,  for  $150,000,  and  the  latter  for,  perhaps,  $100,000;  but 
Kentucky  offered  $300,000  for  the  location  of  the  Seminary  in  Louisville,  pro- 
vided $200,000  more  were  realized  from  all  the  Southern  States.  After  sur^^ey- 
ing  the  ground  and  looking  at  the  question  as  wisely  as  they  could,  the  committee 
selected  Louisville  as  the  best  location  for  the  institution.  When  the  recom- 
mendation had  been  adopted  by  the  session  of  the  Convention,  which  met  in 
Mobile,  Alabama,  May,  1873,  Dr.  Boyce  entered  upon  a  vigorous  campaign  in 
Kentucky,  to  secure  her  promised  proportion  of  the  endowment,  and  agents 
were  appointed  to  prosecute  the  work  in  a  few  of  the  other  Southern  States. 
Unfortunately  the  great  financial  distress  of  1873,  which  has  continued  ever 
since,  till  within  a  few  months  past,  seriously  interfered  with  the  work  of  en- 
dowment. Georgia  has  given  her  quota,  and  North  Carolina  has  contributed 
her  proportion  to  within  a  few  thousand  dollars  ;  but  for  special  reasons  the 
enterprise  has  not  been  pushed  with  vigor  in  the  other  States.  Kentucky  has 
nearly  completed  her  subscription  of  $300,000 ;  and  relying  upon  her  liberality, 
the  Seminary  was  removed  to  Louisville  about  three  years  ago. 

"  In  order  to  keep  the  Seminary  in  operation.  Dr.  Boyce  was  obliged  to  bor- 
row, on  his  individual  responsibility,  a  very  considerable  amount  of  money  ;  and, 
as  only  a  comparatively  small  part  of  the  endowment  has  been  collected — by 
reason  of  the  stringency  of  the  times — and  we  cannot  touch  the  principal  of 
the  endowment,  the  present  status  of  the  Seminary  is  one  of  extreme  financial 
distress,  if  not  peril. 

"At  the  session  of  our  Convention  in  Atlanta,  in  1879,  it  was  resolved  to 
make  another  effort,  by  an  earnest  appeal  to  the  churches,  for  the  support  of 
the  Seminary  until  the  endowment  could  be  collected.  This  effort  has  met  with 
only  partial  success,  and  grave  fears  are  entertained  lest  the  Seminary  should  be 
obliged  to  suspend,  which  would  be  a  most  signal  calamity. 

"Our  Seminary  has  nearly  a  hundred  students,a  larger  number  than  can  be  found 
at  any  other  Baptist  theological  seminary  in  the  world  ;  it  represents  a  larger 
constituency  than  any  other  similar  institution  of  any  denomination ;  it  has  a 
most  admirable  Faculty  ;  it  has  done  great  good  in  the  past,  and  is  destined  to 
accomplish  still  greater  things  for  God  and  humanity ;  and  the  fervent  prayer  of 
my  heart  is  that  God  may  give  it  the  prayers  and  sympathy  and  support  of  his 
people  everywhere." 

The  day  that  the  above  article  appeared  in  print,  the  good  news  was  spread 
with  lightning  speed  over  the  land  that  Hon.  Joseph  E.  Brown,  of  Georgia,  had 
given  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  the  Seminary.  This  infuses  new  life  into  the 
endowment  enterprise,  and  imparts  unspeakable  joy  to  all  the  friends  of  theo- 
logical education  in  the  South,  but  to  none  more  than  to  Dr.  Boyce,  who,  with 
the  completion  of  the  endowment  of  the  Seminary,  which  is  the  monument  of 
his  energy  and  liberality,  and  self-sacrificing  spirit,  would  be  ready  to  say : 
"  Now,  Lord,  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace." 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


43 


JAMES    E.    BLITCH. 


/**^ 

i: 

M 

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^tf 

Hb^'^^h 

^fe' 

^ 

H' » 

^ 

■*■ 

V  tV    fi% 

Two  years  after- 
In  1857  he   removed  to  Ware  county,  and 


How  much  good  this  humble  man  of  God  accom- 
pHshed  in  the  twenty-one  years  of  his  ministerial  life, 
will  never  be  known  until  the  Lord  comes  to  make  up  his 
jewels.  James  E.  Blitch  was  born  in  Effingham  county, 
Georgia,  July  28th,  1823.  James  E.  Blitch  lived  foe  many 
years  without  hope  and  without  God  in  the  world,  sur- 
rounded by  wickedness,  and  in  a  region  almost  destitute 
of  a  knowledge  of  the  Saviour.  But  his  Heavenly  Father 
had  a  work*  for  him  in  his  vineyard,  and  in  due  time 
called  him  from  the  darkness  of  nature  into  the  "  marvel- 
ous light  "  of  the  Gospel.  He  conferred  not  with  flesh 
and  blood,  but  at  once  united  with  Calvary  Baptist  church 
ward  he  preached  his  first  sermon, 
there  married  Miss  Nancy  Brewton. 

He  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  response  to  a  call  from  the 
Hopewell  church,  September  30th,  i860.  He  became  pastor  of  this  church  in 
connection  with  three  others  in  adjoining  counties,  and  served  them  with  good 
results  for  several  years.  The  Piedmont  Association,  seeing  his  fitness  for  mis- 
sionary labor,  appointed  him  as  evangelist  to  the  destitute  portions  of  its  terri- 
tory. There  he  labored,  travelling  and  preaching,  exposed  to  many  privations, 
which  at  length  affected  his  health,  so  that  he  became  a  great  sufferer  from 
rheumatism,  and  was  laid  aside  from  ministerial  work.  He  was  persuaded  at 
last  to  visit  Florida,  for  the  benefit  of  its  climate ;  but  alas !  death  had  marked 
him  for  his  own.  In  February,  1876,  he  departed  this  life,  and  was  buried  at 
Lake  Baptist  church,  Hillsborough  county,  Florida.  His  last  words  on  earth 
were  an  assurance  that  he  was  about  to  enter  the  mansion  prepared  for  him. 
Who  shall  say  what  were  his  first  words  in  Heaven  ?  Shall  we  meet  him  there, 
and  hear  them  from  his  own  lips  ? 


SAMUEL    BOYKIN. 


Samuel  Boykin  was  descended  from  Ed- 
ward Boykin,  who  emigrated  from  Caernarvon- 
shire, Wales,  and  settled  in  Isle  of  Wight 
county,  Virginia.  The  records  of  the  Register's 
office  at  Richmond,  show  a  grant  to  him  of  525 
acres  of  land,  under  date  April  20th,  1685,  by 
Francis  Lord  Howard,  Governor  of  that  prov- 
ince, in  consideration  of  the  transportation  of 
eleven  persons  into  that  colony,  who,  doubtless, 
came  with  him.  Eight  other  grants  are  recorded 
from  1 71 3  to  1753,  to  members  of  the  same 
family.  Edward  Boykin  had  a  son  named  Wil- 
liam, who  died  in  1731,  leaving  a  son  also  named 
William,  who  moved  to  South  Carolina  in  1755 
or  1756,  and  settled  in  Kershaw  county,  six 
miles  south  of  Camden.  The  third  son  of  the 
last  mentioned,  Francis  Boykin,  was  a  heutenant 
of  cavalry  in  the  army  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  had  been  promoted  to  a  captaincy  at  the  battle  of  Fort 


44  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Moultrie,  in  which  he  took  part,  and  was  commended  for  meritorious  conduct, 
in  a  letter  by  Major  Wise,  dated  June  27th,  1776.  He  participated  in  most  of 
the  battles  of  the  State,  and  was  made  major  in  the  infantry.  His  per- 
sonal appearance  was  fine,  and  when  in  uniform  he  was  said  to  be  one  of  the 
handsomest  men  in  the  army.  He  moved  to  Baldwin  county,  Georgia  in  1800, 
and  died  in  1821,  leaving  two  sons  and  a  daughter.  Dr.  Samuel  Boykin  was 
his  eldest  son,  and  James  Eoykin,  a  deacon  of  the  Milledgeville  church,  his 
youngest.  His  daughter,  Eliza,  married  the  father  of  Professor  Williams  Ruth- 
erford, of  Athens,  Georgia. 

Dr.  S.  Boykin,  the  father  of  Samuel  Boykin,  graduated  at  the  University  of 
Georgia,  1807,  and  then  attended  lectures  at  the  Pennsylvania  Medical  College, 
Philadelphia.  He  was  an  active,  popular  and  successful  practitioner  in  Mil- 
ledgeville, and  in  a  few  years  accumulated  quite  a  large  property.  In  1836  he 
moved  his  planting  interest  to  Alabama,  and  settled  his  family  in  Columbus, 
Georgia.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable  scientific  attainments  and  reputation, 
and  was  the  discoverer  of  several  species  of  flowers  and  shells,  which  bear  his 
name.  The  celebrated  English  botanist,  Lyell,  visited  him  in  Columbus,  and 
makes  mention  of  him  in  one  of  his  works.  He  died  in  March,  1848.  The 
mother  of  Samuel  was  Narcissa  Cooper,  daughter  of  Thomas  Cooper,  well  and 
favorably  known  in  Middle  Georgia  as  a  deacon  of  great  piety  and  influence. 
He  was  contemporary  with  Jesse  Mercer,  and  was  an  earnest  and  active  partic- 
ipant in  all  the  denominational  enterprises  of  his  day.  He  died  in  Eatonton, 
Georgia,  in  1843.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Boykin  had  eight  children,  four  girls  and  four 
boys.  All  of  them,  who  lived  to  years  of  maturity,  became  members  of  Bap- 
tist churches.  The  three  living  sons,  Samuel,  Thomas  and  LeRoy,  are  all  min- 
isters of  the  Gospel.     The  two  surviving  daughters  live  in  Alabama. 

Samuel  was  born  in  Milledgeville,  November  24th,  1829.  He  attended  school 
in  Columbus,  and  also  at  Westchester,  Pennsylvania,  and  at  Bridgeport,  Con- 
necticut. He  was  converted  in  1847,  at  a  meeting  conducted  by  Rev.  Albert 
Williams,  then  pastor  at  Columbus,  and  John  E.  Dawson,  but  formed  no  eccle- 
siastical relations  until  two  years  later,  while  a  student  at  Athens,  where  he 
joined  the  church,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  S.  Landrum,  the  pastor.  He  grad- 
uated at  the  State  University  in  1851,  after  which  he  took  a  trip  to  Europe, 
where  he  travelled  for  six  months.  His  early  life  was  marked  by  upright  con- 
duct and  correct  deportment,  and  he  was  never  addicted  to  the  use  of  spirits,  or 
tobacco,  in  any  form.  He  was  never  the  associate  of  wild  and  rude  boys,  but 
seemed  rather  to  enjoy  the  company  of  those  who  possessed  piety  and  culture. 
In  college  he  was  diligent  and  studious,  and  ranked  among  the  best  scholars  in 
his  class,  being  a  favorite  with  both  teachers  and  pupils. 

On  his  return  from  Europe  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Alabama  and  Florida, 
until  the  beginning  of  the  war,  when  he  settled  in  Macon,  Georgia. 

He  was  married  May  loth,  1863,  to  Miss  Laura  J.  Nisbet,  of  Macon,  Geor- 
gia.    He  has  two  children,  both  daughters. 

Being  of  studious  habits,  and  with  a  great  fondness  for  books,  he  has  never 
ceased  to  maintain  his  acquaintance  with  ancient  and  modern  literature.  The 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  on  him,  by  the  State  L^niversity,  in  1854. 
In  i860  he  was  elected  editor  of  The  Christian  Index,  then  owned  by  the 
Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  and  published  at  Macon.  In  1862  he  bought  the 
paper,  and  issued  it  regularly,  with  great  acceptability  to  the  denomination, 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  sold  it  to  J.  J.  Toon,  of  Atlanta.  As  an 
editor  he  made  quite  a  reputation  as  a  writer  of  great  versatility,  and  the  Index 
was  never  more  popular  than  when  under  his  management.  His  articles  were 
marked  by  strength,  clearness  and  vivacity.  Thoroughly  informed  as  to  the 
doctrines  held  by  his  denomination,  he  was  sound  in  their  exposition,  and  able 
in  their  defence.  While  earnest  in  the  advocacy  of  his  own  faith,  and  the 
peculiar  views  and  practice  of  his  own  denomination,  there  was  no.  manifestation 
of  bitterness  or  uncharitableness  toward  those  who  differed  from  him.  He 
wrote  the  truth  in  love.  W^ith  a  due  appreciation  of  the  duties  of  an  editor,  and 
the  character  of  a  religious  newspaper,  his  columns  abounded  in  judicious  selec- 


OF    PROMINENT    15AP'ITSTS.  45 

tions,  condensed    notes  of  general  news,  and  sprightly,  spicy  original  artichs 
from  other  authors. 

Shortly  after  the  war  he  began  the  publication  of  a  Sunday-school  paper 
called  "Child's  Delight."  This  paper  was  sold  in  1870  to  the  Sunday-school 
Board,  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  and  merged  into  the  Convention 
paper,  "  Kind  Words."  He  was  elected  editor,  in  1871,  and  has  remained  in 
this  position  ever  since.  He  was  for  one  year,  1870,  pastor  of  the  Second  Bap- 
tist church,  Macon,  but  resigned,  to  take  charge  of  the  Sunday-school  paper 
then  published  in  Memphis,  Tennessee.  To  this  field  of  labor  his  talents  seem 
peculiarly  adapted.  Under  his  management  "  Kind  Words  "  has  maintained  a 
character  equal  to  any  paper  of  its  kind,  North  or  South.  Its  circulation 
speedily  reached  75,000,  and  as  a  Sunday-school  paper,  it  has,  in  a  manner,  uni- 
fied the  Baptist  schools  of  the  South.  Its  teachings  are  decidedly  baptistic  and 
evangelical,  and  of  a  strong  missionary  cast.  When  the  Sunday-school  Board 
was  abolished,  and  "  Kind  Words  "  was  turned  over  to  the  Marion  Board,  the 
paper  was  let  out  to  the  lowest  bidder,  by  contract,  and  has  been  published  since 
at  Macon,  the  home  of  the  editor. 

Mr.  Boykin  seems  to  keep  himself  in  thorough  sympathy  with  the  children, 
and  to  know  the  avenues  through  which  most  readily  to  reach  their  minds  and 
hearts.  His  expositions  of  the  International  Lessons  are  brief,  clear,  sound  and 
suggestive.  It  is  doubtful  whether  any  editor  of  any  Sunday-school  paper  has 
shown  more  marked  abihty,  or  has  so  fully  met  all  the  demands  made  upon 
him.  He  appears  to  have  an  intuitive  perception  of  what  the  children  need 
and  understands  how  to  meet  their  wants.  Physical  incapacity,  (deafness)  has 
prevented  his  undertaking  pastorates,  and  literary  work  being  adapted  to  his 
education  and  turn  of  mind,  Mr.  Boykin  has  continued  to, seek  and  occupy 
editorial  position,  for  which  he  is  eminently  qualified.  In  addition  to  his  work 
as  editor  of  the  Index  and  "  Kind  Words,"  he  has  written  and  published  nu- 
merous serial  stories  and  articles  upon  various  subjects,  for  magazines  and 
newspapers.  He  is  also  the  author  of  Memoirs  of  Hon.  Howell  Cobb,  a  work 
of  great  value,  alike  creditable  to  the  head  and  heart  of  the  author,  and  worthy 
of  the  high  character  of  the  subject. 

Mr.  Boykin  was,  by  request  of  the  Macon  church,  ordained  to  the  Gospel 
ministry  at  Fort  Valley,  Georgia,  October,  1862,  by  a  presbytery,  appointed  by 
the  Rehoboth  Association,  and  consisting  of  Jacob  King,  B.  F.  Tharpe,  Wm. 
C.  Wilkes,  T.  E.  Langley,  J.  H.  Clarke  and  J.  H.  Weaver,  As  a  preacher,  his 
chief  excellence  consists  in  his  ability  as  an  expounder  of  the  Scriptures.  His 
mental  type  and  his  habits  of  study  seem  to  have  well  fitted  him  for  expository 
preaching.  His  written  sermons  would  doubtless  show  method,  clearness  and 
a  range  of  research  that  would  bring  instruction  and  edification  to  the  reader. 
His  manner  in  the  pulpit  is  earnest,  forcible  and  impressive,  in  an  uncommon 
degree.  With  no  pretension  to  oratory,  he  still  holds  his  audience,  by  clearness 
of  thought  and  force  of  expression.  If  he  had  been  fully  given  to  the  ministry, 
he  would  certainly  have  developed  into  one  of  our  best  preachers,  and  ranked 
among  the  highest. 

In  his  disposition  Mr.  Boykin  is,  though  quick  and  impulsive,  sometimes  even 
to  abruptness,  yet  warm-hearted  and  generous  to  a  fault.  With  open  heart 
and  hand,  his  highest  pleasure  consists  in  making  others  happy.  Always  ready 
to  deny  himself,  he  is  often  found  making  sacrifices  of  his  own  comfort,  to 
administer  to  the  welfare  of  any  who  may  need  assistance,  or  consolation  in  the 
hour  of  trouble.  In  his  family  he  is  exceedingly  affectionate,  considerate  and 
thoughtful.  He  is  a  man  of  decided  convictions ;  of  firm  purpose  and  resolute 
in  action,  while  at  the  same  time  he  has  that  true  simplicity  of  character  which 
worldly  associations  have  never  impaired.  While  his  whole  nature  is  softened 
by  religion,  it  is  brightened  by  a  coloring  of  humor,  that  makes  him  the  life  of 
the  social  circle.  His  wit  and  repartee  give  zest  to  his  conversation,  without 
any  admixture  of  coarse  or  vulgar  elements. 

In  person  Mr.  Boykin  is  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  and  weighs  1 50  pounds.  He 
has  auburn  hair  and  beard,  with  a  sprinkling  of  gray,  a  ruddy  complexion,  and 
clear,  blue  eyes.     His  movements  are  quick  and  nervous,  indicating  an  unusual 


46  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

measure  of  energy.  He  can  perform  an  amount  of  menial  labor,  which  would 
be  a  sheer  impossibility  to  most  men,  and  which  is  a  standing  matter  of  sur- 
prise to  his  family  and  friends.  He  has  just  reached  life's  meridian,  and  with  so 
much  physical  and  mental  vigor,  with  so  great  a  capacity  for  usefulness,  it  is 
hoped  he  may  be  spared  many  years,  to  labor  in  the  Master's  cause,  and  for  the 
benefit  of  his  fellow-men. 


THOMAS  CO(3PER  BOYKIN. 

Thomas  Cooper  Boykin  was  born  in  Bald- 
win county,  Georgia,  January  ist,  1836,  and 
was  the  fourth  child  of  Dr.  Samuel  Boykin, 
and  Narcissa  Cooper.  His  grandfather,  (for 
whom  he  was  named),  was  Thomas  Cooper,  a 
contemporary  of  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer,  and  for 
many  years  a  deacon  of  the  Eatonton  church  ; 
well  known  and  beloved  in  his  day  as  an  ex- 
emplary and  devoted  Christian.  The  father  of 
Thomas  Boykin  moved  to  Columbus  during 
the  first  year  of  his  son's  life,  and  it  was  here 
that  the  son  received  his  academical  culture, 
under  the  tuition  chiefly  of  Benjamin  Shivers, 
John  Isham  and  J.  G.  Ryals,  all  well  known 
and  successful  educators. 

In  his  fourteenth  year,  while  on  a  visit  to  his 
aunt,  Mrs.  Dr.  Joel  Branham,  of  Eatonton,  he 
made  a  profession  of  religion.  About  this  time 
he  was  a  pupil  of  Rev.  William  C.  Wilkes.  He  united  with  the  Columbus  Bap- 
tist church  June  19th,  1851,  and  was  baptized  on  the  22d  of  the  same  month,  by 
Dr.  John  E.  DawsOn,  being  then  in  his  sixteenth  year.  The  year  1853  he  spent 
at  Mercer  University.  His  life  at  Mercer  was  exemplary,  studious  and  honorable. 
He  then  went  to  the  University  of  South  Carolina,  at  Columbia,  where  he  gradu- 
ated in  1856.  He  had  determined  to  adopt  the  law  as  his  profession,  but  farm- 
ing interests  so  completely  occupied  his  time  and  attention  that  this  purpose  was 
abandoned.  ' 

On  the  13th  of  April,  1858,  he  was  married,  in  Huntsville,  Alabama,  to  Miss 
Belle  Alexander.  For  nearly  ten  years  they  lived  on  the  farm  in  Russell  county. 
In  the  winter  of  1867-8,  he  moved  to  Shelby  county,  Alabama,  eleven  miles 
north  of  Montevallo.  He  lived  two  years  in  Columbiana,  and  one  in  the  village 
of  Montevallo,  securing  for  himself  and  family  some  of  the  most  devoted  at- 
tachments possible  to  human  life.  At  the  call  of  Mount  Lebanon  church. 
Russell  county,  Alabama,  he  had  been  ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry,  April 
9th,  1855,  by  Revs.  J.  H.  DeVotie,  S.  Boykin  and  J.  W.  P.  Brown.  Into  this 
church  he  baptized,  in  three  years  pastorate,  seventy-tM^o  members.  He  was 
pastor,  also,  at  Montevallo,  Columbiana  and  Union  churches,  in  Shelby  county, 
and  at  Canaan  church,  in  Jefferson  county.  During  this  period  our  brother 
manifested  that  unusual  talent  for  progressive  Sunday-school  work,  which 
secured  for  him  the  Presidency  of  the  Sunday-school  Board  of  Alabama,  in 
which  he  was  succeeded  soon  by  Rev.  J.  J.  D.  Renfroe,  while  he  himself  entered 
a  more  arduous  work,  as  Sunday-school  evangelist  for  the  Baptists  of  Alabama. 
While  successfully  prosecuting  this  work  through  its  third  year,  he  was  recalled 
to  Georgia,  his  native  State,  by  the  Sunday-school  Board  of  Georgia.  Under 
appointment  of  this  Board  and  its  successor,  the  Board  of  Missions  of  the  State 
of  Georgia,  he  began,  as  Sunday-school  evangelist,  a  systematic  canvass  of  the 
whole  State,  and  has  prosecuted  this  work  until  the  present  time,  with  unflag- 
ging zeal  and  assured  success.  Within  eight  years,  he  has  organized,  in  the  two 
States,  not  less  than  7???^ /z?^«^r^^  Sunday-schools.     Other  schools  ready  to  die 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


47 


Board,  the  following  words,  wherein  is  contained  a  kind,  true  tribute  to  the  piety 
and  helpfulness  of  his  devoted  wife  : 

"  Brother  Boykin  and  the  writer  were  college-mates  at  Mercer  University, 
twenty-four  years  ago.  At  that  time  he  was  pure  in  heart,  elevated  in  the  aims 
of  life,  fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord.  He  has  given  the  best  years  of  his 
life  to  the  Sunday-school  work,  with  every  part,  and  phase,  and  bearing  of  which 
he  is  perfectly  familiar.  As  an  organizer  and  up-builder,  he  has  laid  in  Alabama 
the  foundation  of  a  work  which,  for  generations,  will  be  steadily  advancing.  His 
success  there  was  the  cause  of  his  recall  to  his  native  State.  For  three  years 
he  has  labored  here  with  unremitting  zeal.  By  night  and  day,  through  heat  and 
cold,  he  has  pressed  on,  pushing  difficulties  from  his  path,  until  he  has  made  his 
name  a  household  word.  From  the  beginning  of  his  work  till  now,  never  has  a 
word  intimated  his  unfitness  for  his  vocation,  or  the  desire  of  a  single  brother 
for  a  change. 

"  It  would  be  wrong  to  close  this  imperfect  tribute  to  his  worth  and  usefulness, 
without  adding  some  word  of  praise  to  one  who  has  largely  aided  him  and 
strengthened  his  heart ;  who  has  continually  cheered  him  on  when  the  days  were 
dark  and  the  rain-drops  fell ;  who,  in  her  pious  household,  unmurmuringly  en- 
dured, when  the  ravens  seemed  to  be  forgetful  of  the  duty  of  their  daily  com- 
ing ;  of  one  to  whose  patient  submission  to  duty  and  affectionate  cheerfulness 
of  spirit,  we  owe,  in  a  good  part,  the  success  of  our  worthy  Sunday-school 
Evangelist,  but  his  Heavenly  Father  has  taken  to  Himself  the  devoted  wife  of 
his  youth.  Her  body  rests  in  the  cemetery  in  the  city  of  Atlanta.  He  has  been 
the  subject  of  deep  affliction.  Besides  the  death  of  the  partner  of  his  bosom, 
the  Lord  has  taken  a  lovely  daughter  and  son,  both  of  whom  had  consecrated 
themselves  to  Jesus,  and  no  doubt  are  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  blessed  immortality 


ISHAM  RICHERSON  BRANHAM. 


Rev.  L  R.  Branham  was  born  in  Eatonton, 
Putnam  county,  Georgia,  December  23d,  1825. 
His  parents  were  Dr.  Joel  Branham,  a  distin- 
guished physician,  and  Emily  Cooper,  daughter  , 
of  Thomas  Cooper,  the  devoted  Baptist  deacon 
of  Eatonton,  Georgia.  In  the  year  1838,  when 
quite  young,  he  went  to  Penfield,  Georgia,  and 
entered  Mercer  Institute,  remaining  there  three 
years ;  and  when  the  Institute  was  organized  as 
a  college,  in  1838,  he  was  a  member  of  the  first 
Freshman  class.  After  leaving  Penfield,  he  at- 
tended the  Eatonton  male  school  until  admitted 
as  a  student  to  Emory  College  in  1843,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1847.  He 
was  converted  while  at  Penfield,  in  the  year  1838, 
and  united  with  the  Baptist  church  there,  being 
baptized  by  Rev.  Adiel  Sherwood,  then  Professor 
in  Mercer  Institute.  He  was  ordained  to  the 
full  work  of  the  gospel  ministry  in  1866,  at  Madison,  Georgia,  and  immediately 
accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Madison  Baptist  church,  which  he  served  regularly 
for  two  and  a  half  years,  at  the  same  time  occupying  the  position  of  President 
of  the  Georgia  Female  College. 

In  1868  he  accepted  the  Presidency  of  the  Brownsville  Female  College,  at  that 
time  the  leading  Baptist  institution  of  West  Tennessee,  and  remained  in  this 
position  until  the  summer  of  1874,  when  failing  health  caused  his  return  to  his 
native  State.  While  residing  in  Tennessee,  he  incidentally  served  the  churches 
at  Brownsville,  Humboldt  and  Staunton.     On  his  return  to  Georgia,  in  1874,  he 


48  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Marietta  Baptist  church,  and  accepted  the 
charge,  at  the  same  time  preaching  monthly  to  the  neighboring  church  at  Noon- 
day. But  an  invitation  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Female  Institute  at  Eatonton, 
Georgia,  and  also  to  the  charge  of  the  Baptist  church,  induced  a  removal  to  that 
place  in  1877.  In  addition  to  his  other  labors,  he  accepted  a  call  to  preach  once 
a  month  to  the  Harmony  church,  and  also  for  the  last  two  years  he  has  been 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Monticello,  in  Jasper  county. 

He  was  elected  one  of  the  Trustees  of  Mercer  University  by  the  Georgia 
Baptist  Convention  in  1878.  Having,  nearly  all  his  life,  been  occupied  in  the 
school-room,  and  holding  responsible  positions  as  principal  and  president  of 
female  institutions  of  learning  at  Eatonton,  Lumpkin,  Macon  and  Madison,  Geor- 
gia, and  also  at  Brownsville,  Tennessee,  Dr.  Branham  has  become  a  thoroughly- 
educated  and  highly-cultivated  man,  in  all  branches  of  learning.  His  good 
influence  as  a  Christian  instructor,  during  a  period  of  thirty  years,  extends  over 
the  lives  of  thousands  of  ladies  whom  he  has  educated.  He  was  married  to 
Miss  Julia  Iverson,  oldest  daughter  of  Hon.  Alfred  Iverson,  of  Columbus,  Geor- 
gia, in  1847,  and  has  six  children — three  sons  and  three  daughters. 

Of  very  superior  mental  ability,  as  well  as  culture,  he  is  a  man  of  most  decided 
convictions  and  of  clear  conceptions,  always  presenting  a  truth  or  idea  in  the 
most  lucid  and  forcible  manner.  Reared  by  a  pious  mother,  regenerated  early 
by  the  Spirit,  he  became  a  man  of  sincere  piety  and  unaffected  manners — unos- 
tentatious, both  in  spirit  and  deportment,  but  laboriously  faithful  and  conscien- 
tiously high-toned  in  the  performance  of  duty,  whether  as  president  of  a  college 
or  Dastor  of  a  church.  In  consequence,  he  has  baptized  converts  into  almost 
evciy  church  to  which  he  has  preached,  besides  conferring  the  boon  of  a  good 
education  and  Christian  training  on  thousands  of  young  ladies. 

As  a  preacher  he  has  few  equals  and  fewer  superiors  in  the  State.  His  ser- 
mons are  thoroughly  prepared,  being  the  fruit  of  much  study  and  of  earnest 
prayer.  By  a  careful  analysis  of  his  text ;  by  earnest  meditation  on  every  point ; 
by  close  attention  to  the  immediate  connection  ;  and  by  an  exhaustive  compari- 
son of  scripture  with  scripture,  he  obtains  a  distinct  conception  and  full  appre- 
hension of  his  subject,  and  is  therefore  enabled  clearly  to  state  and  forcibly  to 
present  the  doctrine  to  be  discussed,  or  the  object  to  be  accomplished  by  his 
discourse.  All  this,  sustained  by  very  superior  intellectual  gifts,  and  by  the 
resources  of  thorough  education  and  culture,  gives  him  a  complete  mastery  of 
the  theme  of  his  discourses,  makes  him  unvaryingly  able  and  strong  in  the  pulpit, 
and  qualifies  him  always  to  interest  and  instruct  his  audience.  His  hearers  are 
regaled  with  the  solemn  truths  of  God's  oracles.  From  an  intensely  earnest 
brain,  as  from  a  laboratory,  expositions  of  these  truths  are  evolved  which  are 
fresh,  striking  and  practical.  In  his  sermons  there  is  very  little  of  theory,  very 
little  of  science,  very  little  of  anything  save  the  doctrines  of  revelation.  Meth- 
odical and  thoroughly  logical,  he  distributes  his  subject  into  natural,  and  not 
forced  or  fanciful,  divisions,  and  this  imparts  to  them  a  simplicity  transparent  to 
even  the  dullest  intellects.  His  reasoning  is  clear,  close  and  connected,  each 
thought  seeming  to  beget  its  successor  to  the  end  of  a  compact  and  infrangible 
argument.  His  illustrations  are  apt,  though  simple,  and  are  usually  drawn  from 
the  Bible.  ■  The  mental  labor  being  thus  wholly  performed  by  the  preacher,  the 
hearer  needs  but  to  be  receptive  to  insure  a  large  measure  of  wholesome  instruc- 
tion and  information.  His  diction  is  perspicuous  and  strong ;  his  style  suffi- 
ciently ornate,  but  not  affected.  While  not  eloquent,  he  is  jtist  not  eloquent. 
More  engaged  in  weaving  the  woof  and  warp  of  profound  thought  into  suitable 
and  solid  texture  than  in  the  tasteful  arrangement  of  the  mere  embroidery  of 
imagination,  his  sermons  have  none  of  those  eloquent  bursts  of  passion  or  flights 
of  fancy  which  startle  and  astound;  but  there  is  in  them  a  constant,  even  and 
rhythmical  flow  of  sentiment  and  expression,  enlivening  attention  more  and  more, 
and  stimulating  the  mental  glow  and  the  emotions  of  his  hearers  higher  and 
higher,  down  to  the  final  period.  When  the  conclusion  is  reached,  the  listener 
neither  experiences  the  painful  reaction  occasioned  by  a  work  overwrought,  nor 
the  restless  consciousness  of  something — some  thought,  some  word,  or  some 
connecting  link — omitted. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS, 


49 


In  person,  Dr.  Branham  is  rather  below  the  medium  size,  of  fair  complexion, 
blue  eyes,  and  with  auburn  hair,  inclined  to  be  dark.  He  is  very  active,  graceful 
and  vigorous  in  his  motions,  and  has  all  through  life  (with  little  exception) 
enjoyed  unusual  good  health.  In  disposition  he  is  kind  and  forbearing ;  in 
manners,  gentle,  affable  and  courteous,  with  great  good  sense,  tact  and  knowl- 
edge of  human  nature.  He  has  decided  musical  talent,  being  a  sweet  singer 
and  a  performer  on  several  musical  instruments.  In  the  full  maturity  of  life, 
he  resides,  after  various  mutations,  in  the  town  where  he  was  born  and  reared, 
loved  and  respected  by  all. 


WILLIAM   THEOPHILUS   BRANTLY,  Sen. 


W.  T.  Brantly  was 
born  in  Chatham  county, 
North  Carolina,  on  the  23d 
day  of  January,  1787.  He 
was  the  eldest  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  A.  Brantly, 
who  were  both  members 
of  a  Baptist  church.  His 
father  was  a  plain,  respec- 
table farmer,  with  no  pre- 
tensions to  superiority, 
either  in  natural  endow- 
ments or  education.  His 
mother  was  a  woman  of 
decided  talents  and  piety, 
and  it  was  to  her  judicious 
guidance  in  early  life  that 
the  son  ascribed,  under 
God,  much  of  the  useful- 
ness which  marked  his 
subsequent  history.  He 
was  one  of  a  numerous 
family;  and  as  those 
charged  with  making  pro- 
vision for  their  support 
were  but  scantily  supplied 
with  worldly  roods,  the 
children  were  under  the 
necessity  of  assisting  them 
by  working  on  the  farm 
so  soon  as  they  were  able  to  handle  the  spade  or  the  plough. 

Early  in  the  present  century  powerful  revivals  of  religion  occurred  in  Chatham 
and  adjacent  counties  in  North  Carolina,  under  the  labors  of  Rev.  George  Pope. 
It  is  estimated  that  at  the  period  referred  to,  fully  ten  thousand  persons  were 
converted  under  his  ministrations,  five  thousand  of  whom  joined  the  Baptist 
churches  in  that  region.  On  several  occasions  hundreds  were  immersed  at  one 
time.  It  was  under  the  preaching  of  this  extraordinary  evangelist  that  young 
Brantly  was  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ.  Referring  thirty  years  after- 
wards to  this  good  man  and  his  great  work,  he  said  : 

"  It  was  in  vain  to  think  of  finding  houses  large  enough  to  contain  the  people 
who  in  1802  came  from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  hear  him.  The  well-shaded 
corner  of  the  great,  solitary  forest  was  usually  selected,  and  the  crowds  sealed 
themselves  on  the  grass  or  the  fallen  leaves  of  the  trees,  and  listened  with  deep 


50  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 

attention  to  the  melting  rhetoric  of  the  holy  man.  In  this  situation  they  have 
remained  in  perfect  order,  sitting  or  standing,  whilst  the  rain  poured  down  in 
torrents  upon  them,  and  they  seemed  almost  regardless  of  the  inclement 
elements." 

The  terrors  of  the  law  were  preached  with  awakening  power  by  this  pioneer 
evangelist.  Under  one  of  these  graphic  exhibitions  of  coming  wrath  the  youth- 
ful Brantly  was  brought  to  cry  out,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  He  was 
soon  able  to  exercise  trust  in  Christ,  and  when  he  submitted  to  the  ordinance  of 
baptism  he  enjoyed  a  manifestation  of  the  divine  presence  so  luminous  and 
striking  as  to  be  matter  of  remembrance  and  remark  to  him  many  years  after. 
Converted  to  God,  he  seems  to  have  had  no  other  purpose  in  life  but  that  of 
devoting  himself  to  the  ministry  of  the  word.  The  fire  was  in  him,  and  it  could 
not  be  repressed.  Young  as  he  was,  and  with  but  limited  knowledge  and  educa- 
tion, he  began  to  exhort  people  to  repentance  whenever  an  opportunity  offered. 
Not  unfrequently  he  would  beg  the  congregation,  after  the  regular  services  had 
been  concluded,  to  hear  him  for  a  few  minutes ;  and  the  "  boy  who  spoke  after 
the  minister  was  done  "was  subsequently  referred  to  by  those  who  did  not 
know  him  as  having  been  the  instrument  of  their  conversion. 

Shortly  after  his  baptism  he  was  assisted  by  a  wealthy  friend  to  enter  upon  a 
course  of  study  preparatory  for  admission  to  college.  Subsequently,  aided  fur- 
ther by  some  pious  friends  in  South  Carolina,  he  entered  the  University  of  that 
State  in  1806.  The  institution  was  then  under  the  supervision  of  Jonathan  Maxcy, 
at  the  time  probably  the  most  distingui-_hed  Baptist  minister  in  the  United  States. 
At  twenty-four  years  of  age  Dr.  Maxcy  was  President  of  Brown  University. 
Subsequently  he  was  President  of  Union  College,  New  York.  From  this  impor- 
tant post  he  was  invited  to  take  charge  of  the  South  Carolina  College,  being 
its  first  President.  His  instructions  gave  an  impulse  to  the  mind  of  his  pupil 
which  was  recognized  through  his  whole  subsequent  life.  Speaking  many  years 
afterwards  of  Dr.  Maxcy,  he  said:  "When,  in  1804,  the  Trustees  of  the  South 
Carolina  College  needed  a  President,  they  determined  to  have  the  most  able  and 
learned  man  the  country  could  afford,  and  their  suffrages  were  bestowed  on  Dr. 
Maxcy.  Could  we  furnish  a  faithful  picture  of  his  intellectual  and  moral  worth, 
we  would  perform  a  service  which  refined  genius  and  elevated  piety  might  view 
with  instruction  and  delight.  We  should  in  such  a  case  set  forth  to  theviewof 
our  readers  the  accomplished  scholar,  the  powerful  advocate  of  gospel  truth, 
the  preacher  of  inimitable  eloquence,  the  amiable  and  successful  President, 
whose  deep  erudition  and  abundant  resources  in  every  liberal  attainment  imparted 
character  and  respectability  to  three  colleges  which  continue  to  hold  a  high  rank 
among  the  institutions  of  our  country.  Dr.  Maxcy's  preaching  possessed  a 
power  and  a  charm  which  we  have  never  witnessed  to  the  same  extent  in  any 
other  man."  Under  such  wise  training,  by  a  President  so  much  admired  and 
loved,  the  best  qualities,  both  of  the  intellect  and  the  heart,  were  developed  and 
fitted  for  noble  service  in  after  life. 

The  year  after  his  graduation  (1809),  we  find  Mr.  Brantly,  at  22  years  of  age, 
settled  in  Augusta,  Georgia,  as  Rector  of  the  Richmond  Academy.  That  an 
institution  so  handsomely  endowed  by  the  State,  and  able  to  command  the  best 
talent  in  the  country,  should  invite  to  the  rectorship  a  youth  fresh  from  college 
is  a  tribute  to  the  worth  of  the  incumbent  of  no  mean  value.  There  was  at  the 
time  no  Baptist  church  in  Augusta,  and  it  was  doubtless  the  purpose  of  the 
young  graduate  in  accepting  this  position  to  organize,  if  possible,  a  church  of  his 
own  faith  in  the  town.  In  the  year  which  witnessed  his  removal  to  Augusta  we 
learn  that  he  was  solemnly  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry — the 
presbytery  consisting  of  Rev.  Abraham  Marshall  and  Rev.  Henry  Holcombe, 
D.D.  In  the  same  year  he  married  Mrs.  Anna  McDonald  Martin,  a  young 
widow  who,  though  several  years  his  senior,  so  powerfully  allured  him  (as  he 
often  remarked  afterwards)  by  the  charms  of  her  intellect  that  she  was  quite 
irresistible.     She  was  the  sister  of  Governor  McDonald. 

Dr.  Brantley  remained  in  Augusta  until  181 1,  giving  his  time  during  the  week 
to  the  duties  of  the  rectorship  in  the  Academy,  and  preaching  every  Sabbath, 
either  in  the  town,  as  it  was  then  called,  or  in  the  vicinity.     There  w^as  at  the 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  5  I 

time  but  one  church  (Methodist)  in  the  place,  but  the  Academy  owned  a  building 
which  was  used  as  a  sort  of  union  meeting-house.  Here  the  young  rector 
preached  usually  on  alternate  Sabbaths,  the  intervening  day  being  occupied  by 
the  Presbyterians.  After  two  years  in  Augusta  he  received  an  invitation  from 
the  Baptist  church  in  Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  to  take  the  pastoral  charge  of 
their  interests.  They  promised  him  no  salary,  but  merely  said,  "  If  you  will 
come  and  minister  to  us  in  spiritual  things,  we  will  minister  to  you  in  temporal 
things."  As  Dr.  Brantly  was  anxious  to  devote  his  life  to  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel,  he  accepted  the  call  to  Beaufort,  though  in  doing  so  he  relinquished  a 
large  and  certain  salary  for  a  support  which  could  not  be  so  liberal,  and  which 
must  be  taken  altogether  on  faith. 

The  church  in  Beaufort  was  composed  at  this  time  of  members  of  marked 
piety,  intelligence  and  high  social  standing.  With  such  a  people  the  new  pastor 
soon  found  himself  very  happily  at  work,  and  for  eight  years  the  connection 
continued  with  a  constantly  growing  interest.  As  the  salary  offered  by  the 
church  was  small  and  his  family  became  more  expensive,  it  became  necessary  to 
increase  his  income.  For  this  purpose  he  accepted  the  Presidency  of  Beaufort 
College,  as  it  was  termed,  though  in  reality  but  a  classical  school,  having  a  prin- 
cipal and  several  assistants,  dignified  as  professors.  As  in  Augusta,  he  was  now 
working  all  the  week  and  preaching  every  Lord's  day,  attending  in  addition  such 
services  during  the  week  as  had  been  customary  with  the  church.  Notwith- 
standing his  manifold  engagements  he  was  a  constant  student ;  and  as  a  preacher 
he  was  ever  growing  in  the  regards  of  his  intelligent  congregation. 

Dr.  Manly  mentions  that  the  venerable  mother  of  Dr.  Richard  Fuller  said  to 
him,  when  on  a  certain  occasion  he  was  going  in  company  with  her  to  church  in 
Beaufort :  "  How  pleasant  it  is  to  have  a  pastor  in  whom  we  can  thoroughly 
confide.  I  can  go  to  church  under  any  circumstances  and  carry  any  friend  with 
me,  and  whatever  turns  up  I  never  feel  any  anxiety  or  uneasiness  about  what 
Mr.  Brantly  is  going  to  say  or  do."  During  his  residence  in  Beaufort  the  dis- 
tinguished ministers  just  mentioned  (the  late  Drs.  Manly  and  Fuller)  were  among 
his  pupils.  Referring  to  this  fact  in  subsequent  life,  the  former  wrote  to  his 
preceptor,  saying :  "  To  you,  more  than  to  any  other  man  I  owe,  under  God, 
whatever  I  am  or  have  done  in  the  world."  The  latter,  in  speaking  of  his  teacher 
after  his  decease,  wrote  :  "  My  early  intercourse  with  Dr.  Brantly  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  an  esteem,  veneration  and  love,  which  nothing  afterwards  could  ever' 
shake." 

It  was  in  Beaufort  that  Dr.  B.  suffered  that  greatest  of  all  bereavements,  the 
death  of  a  good  wife.  Mrs.  Brantly  died  in  October,  1818,  leaving  four  young 
children.  In  the  next  year  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Margaretta  Joyner,  a  lady  of 
striking  presence  and  of  loving  heart,  with  whom  he  lived  most  happily  until  the 
day  of  his  death.  The  eldest  son  by  each  of  these  marriages  became  a  minister 
of  the  Gospel.  While  living  in  Beaufort,  Dr.  Brantly  made  a  visit  to  his  home  in 
North  Carolina.  When  he  began  his  ministry  in  that  State  there  was  another 
William  Brantly  in  the  county  who  was  a  preacher.  To  distinguish  them, my  father, 
who  was  the  junior,  was  familiarly  called  "  Greenhorn  Billy."  After  preaching 
on  the  occasion  of  the  visit  just  mentioned  to  a  large  congregation,  which  was 
deeply  moved  under  the  discourse,  many  of  those  who  knew  him  by  that  soub- 
riquet came  out  of  the  house  wiping  their  eyes,  and  saying  to  each  other,  "He's 
no  greenhonn  now." 

After  a  residence  of  eight  years  in  Beaufort,  the  rectorship  of  the  Richmond 
Academy,  in  Augusta,  being  vacant,  the  attention  of  the  trustees  was  called  to 
the  youth  who  some  years  previously  had  retired  from  the  position,  after  tilling 
it  successfully  for  a  brief  period.  He  was  invited  to  resume  the  place.  The 
offer  was  tempting.  The  salary(including  the  fees  from  tuitionjwas  fully  $3,000.00 
per  annum,  together  with  a  house — a  very  extraordinary  salary  for  those  days. 
In  addition,  Augusta  was  a  growing  town,  and  as  there  was  no  Baptist  church, 
or  virtually  none,  in  the  place,  my  father  hoped  that  he  might  do  something  for 
the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  town,  then  becoming  important  in  Georgia.  The 
offer  was  accepted,  and  he  entered  on  his  duties  in  the  latter  part  of  181 9.  His 
first  care  was  to  look  up  the  Baptists  in  the  town  and  neighborhood.     A  white 


52  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Baptist  church  had  been  constituted  a  few  years  previously,  but  they  never  had  a 
pastor  nor  a  house  of  worship,  nor  any  stated  place  for  meeting.  At  this  time 
the  organization  was  almost  extinct.  After  diligent  search  he  found  some  eigh- 
teen or  nineteen  persons,  mostly  poor  people,  who  were  induced  to  sign  a 
covenant  entering  into  church  relations.  With  the  consent  of  the  trustees  he 
convened  them  in  the  chapel  of  the  Academy,  and  preached  to  them  every  Sab- 
bath. The  room,  which  would  hold  some  two  hundred  people,  was  soon  filled 
with  an  intelligent  congregation.  It  was  not  long  before  some  conversions 
occurred,  among  them  persons  of  wealth  and  standing.  And  now  the  matter  of 
building  a  house  of  worship  was  agitated.  All  admitted  the  necessity  ;  but  the 
Baptists  were  few  and  still  feeble.  Under  their  energetic  leader,  however,  they 
resolved  on  undertaking  the  enterprise.  A  lot  was  offered  them  gratuitously  ; 
but  as  the  location  was  ineligible  it  was  declined,  and  the  present  lot  was  pur- 
chased by  Dr.  B.,  who,  besides  being  preacher,  had  the  direction  of  the  whole 
enterprise.  How  wisely  the  lot  was  chosen  appears  from  the  fact  that  for  sixty 
years  there  has  been  no  more  desirable  location  for  a  church  in  the  entire  city. 

Dr.  Brantly  always  insisted  on  the  best  in  everything,  and  though  the  means 
of  the  infant  church  were  small,  he  would  be  satisfied  with  nothing  less  than  a 
house  which  would  compare  favorably  with  any  church  edifice  then  existing  in 
the  town.  A  building  costing  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  was  agreed 
upon.  To  raise  this  sum  the  expedient  was  adopted  of  selling  the  pews  at  prices 
ranging  from  $500.00,  each,  downward,  and  further  of  soliciting  subscrip- 
tions from  the  friends  of  the  cause  in  various  portions  of  the  State.  Being  very 
popular  with  the  Presbyterians,  who  were  more  numerous  and  wealthy  in  Au- 
gusta, many  of  whom  were  the  patrons  of  the  Academy,  he  succeeded  in 
obtaining  from  them,  in  the  manner  just  mentioned,  fully  ten  thousand  dollars. 
This  sum  was  increased  by  contributions  from  the  members  of  the  church,  and 
from  the  friends  of  the  cause  throughout  the  State.  The  result  was,  that  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years  the  house  was  fully  paid  for.  It  was  dedicated  to  the 
worship  of  Almighty  God  May  6th,  1821.  From  the  dedication  sermon  the  fol- 
lowing brief  extract  may  be  interesting  as  illustrating  both  the  style  of  the 
preacher  and  some  of  the  facts  to  which  allusion  has  been  made.  The  text  was 
taken  from  Psalms,  90:17,  and  the  theme  discussed  was  the  "  Beauty  and  stabil- 
ity of  Gospel  institutions."  Whilst  presenting  the  point  that  there  could  be  no 
beauty  nor  permanence  without  a  common  bond  of  union,  the  speaker  remarked  : 

"  A  system  which  effects  this  must  have  some  ground  of  harmony,  some 
common  point  of  union  for  all  its  members.  This  we  find  in  the  Mediator  of 
the  New  Covenant.  There  Christ  is  all  and  in  all.  In  his  bitter  passion  and 
ignominious  death  are  the  grand  atonement,  the  illustrious  reconciliation,  by 
which  all  the  justice  and  all  the  mercy  of  Heaven  can  operate  in  man's  deliver- 
ance. Without  Christ  the  work  of  our  hands  in  building  houses  of  worship  is 
ostentation  and  pride.  Without  Christ,  the  God,  all  our  preaching  would  be 
bellowing  to  the  wind,  and  the  vaporing  of  idle  declaimers.  Christ  must  live  in 
all  our  work,  otherwise  it  will  be  deformed  and  incongruous ;  not  an  undeified 
Christ,  but  he  who  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God ;  not  the  Christ 
to  be  found  in  the  bold  fictions  of  modern  innovators,  but  the  God  manifest  in 
the  flesh,  who  forms  the  prominent  theme  in  all  the  writings  of  the  Apostles. 
This  is  the  name  that  beautifies  our  temples.  Obliterate  this  name,  and  you 
pull  down  the  whole  edifice ;  you  take  from  it  at  once  all  that  gives  it  firmness 
and  elegance ;  all  that  consolidates  its  parts  and  insures  its  perpetuity. 

Being  sustained  as  to  temporal  support  by  his  salary  as  Rector  of  the  Acad- 
emy, Dr.  B.  was  able  to  dispense  with  any  salary  from  the  church,  thus  enabling 
him  to  devote  all  the  money  which  was  raised  during  his  entire  pastorate  to  the 
liquidation  of  the  debt  of  the  church  and  the  incidental  expenses  of  worship. 
After  opening  the  house,  a  good  congregation  was  at  once  in  attendance.  On 
Sabbath  nights  the  house  was  usually  filled,  as  the  Presbyterians  having  no  ser- 
vice at  that  hour,  repaired  in  great  numbers  to  the  Baptist  church.  Conversions 
soon  occurred,  many  of  them  among  prominent  citizens.  The  church  acquired 
such  strength  that  in  1826,  when  Dr.  Brantly  resigned,  they  invited  Rev.  James 
Shannon  to  succeed  him,  offering  him  a  salary  of  twelve  hundred  dollars  per 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  53 

annum — being  at  the  time  probably  the  largest  salary  paid  to  any  minister  in  the 
State. 

When  the  late  Henry  Holcombe,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  church, 
Philadelphia,  was  on  his  death-bed,  some  members  of  his  church,  anxious  to 
have  a  suitable  minister  to  succeed  him,  desired  him  to  name  a  pastor  who,  in 
his  view,  the  church  would  do  well  to  call.  He  named  Dr.  Brantly  ;  and  though 
it  is  probable  that  many  of  them  had  never  even  heard  his  name  before,  yet  such 
was  their  confidence  in  Dr.  Holcombe  that,  after  his  death,  they  promptly  made 
out  a  call  to  the  teacher  and  preacher  at  Augusta  to  take  the  position.  The 
church  in  Philadelphia  was  then,  as  now,  one  of  the  most  important  in  the  whole 
country ;  and  in  the  hope  of  extending  his  usefulness  as  a  minister  of  Christ,  the 
call  was  accepted.  The  salary  offered  by  the  church  in  Philadelphia  (sixteen 
hundred  dollars  per  annum,)  though  larger  than  that  paid  at  the  time  by  any 
other  Baptist  church  in  that  city,  was  less  than  one  half  of  what  he  was  receiv- 
ing from  the  Academy  in  Augusta,  and  quite  insufificient  for  the  support  of  a 
large  family  in  an  expensive  city.  But  such  was  his  estimate  of  the  importance 
of  the  field  that  he  thought  it  his  duty  to  accept  the  call.  Never  was  the  sepa- 
ration of  pastor  and  people  more  painful  than  that  which,  in  consequence, 
occurred  in  Augusta.  The  church  had  greatly  increased,  and  nearly  all  the  mem- 
bers had  been  converted  under  the  ministry  of  their  first  and  only  pastor  ;  and 
as  he  had  been  organizer  and  builder,  as  well  as  pastor,  the  connection  was 
sundered  amid  many  tears. 

In  April,  1826,  Dr.  Brantly  removed  to  Philadelphia  and  entered  immediately 
on  his  work  as  pastor.  The  church  at  that  time  had  suffered  a  considerable 
reduction,  owing  to  the  exclusion  of  a  number  of  its  prominent  members  who 
had  made  themselves  offensive  on  account  of  their  schismatic  tempers.  But 
the  house  was  soon  filled.  Without  being  required  to  pass  through  any  proba- 
tionary trial,  Dr.  Brantly  took  rank  at  once  among  the  most  powerful  preachers 
of  the  great  city.  Not  only  did  large  congregations  wait  on  his  ministry,  but 
his  preaching  was  blessed  to  many  souls.  The  additions  by  baptism  were  large, 
and  the  church  in  a  short  time  was  more  numerous  than  at  any  previous  period 
of  its  history.  Besides  work  at  home,  he  made  occasional  visits  to  the  neigh- 
boring country,  preaching  with  great  effect.  In  company  with  some  others  he 
visited  Norristown,  and  as  there  was  no  Baptist  church  in  the  place,  he  preached 
in  the  court-house,  which  had  been  granted  for  the  purpose.  A  revival  of 
religion  followed,  and  he  administered  the  ordinance  of  baptism  in  the  Schuylkill 
river  at  that  place,  being  the  first  time  it  had  ever  been  witnessed  in  that  com- 
munity. Soon  a  church  was  organized,  which  is  yet  flourishing.  On  another 
occasion  he  preached  a  sermon  near  the  Yellow  Springs,  some  thirty  miles  from 
Philadelphia,  to  which  fifty  persons,  who  were  afterwards  baptized,  ascribed, 
under  God,  their  convictions  for  sin. 

The  Columbian  Star,  a  weekly  newspaper  published  under  the  patronage  of  the 
Triennial  Convention,  was  removed  to  Philadelphia  in  1827,  and  Dr.  Brantly  was 
requested  to  take  the  editorial  supervision.  He  had  previously  found  it  neces- 
sary, for  the  support  of  his  family,  to  add  to  the  salary  received  from  the  church 
by  opening  a  classical  school.  Thus  in  a  short  time  we  find  him  doing  the  work 
of  three  men  in  his  northern  home  ;  and  he  did  all  well — how  well,  the  unbroken 
prosperity  of  the  church  under  his  care  attests,  while  the  scholars  trained  by 
him  illustrated  his  capacity  as  a  teacher ;  and  the  papers  which  are  yet  extant 
indicate  the  ability  of  the  mind  which  then  directed  them.  This  was  hard  work, 
but  he  loved  it.  It  was  his  custom  to  rise  early,  when  editorials  were  prepared 
and  articles  selected  for  the  paper.  From  five  to  six  hours  of  the  day  were  then 
spent  in  the  school-room.  Often  the  recess  from  noon  to  the  afternoon  hour 
was  given  to  visiting,  leaving  the  evening  for  study  and  church-work.  When 
called  from  the  school  to  discharge  pastoral  duties,  his  place  was  filled  by  an 
assistant.  The  Columbian  Star  was  called,  after  being  removed  to  Philadelphia 
and  published  there  for  some  years.  The  Christian  Index — this  name  having 
been  substituted  by  Dr.  Brantly  as  more  appropriate  to  the  cliaracter  of  a  relig- 
ious journal, 

When    the  late  Basil  Manly,   D.  D.,  resigned  the   First   Baptist   church  of 


54  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  1837,  to  take  charge  of  the  University  of  Ala- 
bama, Dr.  Brantly  was  invited  to  succeed  him.  As  his  health  had  become 
seriously  impaired  by  the  severity  of  a  Northern  climate  to  such  an  extent  as 
seriously  to  interfere  with  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  he  entertained,  and  finally 
accepted,  the  call  from  Charleston  in  the  hope  that  his  labors  might  be  more 
successfully  prosecuted  in  a  milder  climate.  To  this  place  he  removed  at  the 
close  of  the  year  1837.  True  to  his  passion  for  work,  we  find  him,  soon  after 
his  removal  to  Charleston,  elected  to  the  Presidency  of  Charleston  College,  and 
continuing  in  the  double  work  of  President  and  pastor  to  the  close  of  life.  But 
these  labors,  which  he  had  sustained  in  the  vigor  of  youth,  proved  too  exacting 
for  a  constitution  undermined  by  disease,  and  now  beginning  to  feel  the  weight 
of  years.  On  the  i8th  day  of  July,  1844,  as  he  was  about  to  hear  the  recitation 
of  the  Senior  class  of  the  College,  he  was  smitten  with  paralysis,  from  the  effects 
of  which  he  died  March  28th,  1845,  in  the  house  of  his  eldest  son  in  Augusta, 
the  place  which  had  been  the  scene  of  his  early  and  successful  labors,  and  amid 
the  devoted  friends  of  his  youthful  years.  It  would  have  been  gratifying  to 
hear  the  dying  testimony  of  this  servant  of  Christ ;  but  his  speech  was  so  much 
affected  by  his  disease  that  he  could  speak  but  in  monosyllables.  These,  how- 
ever, were  sufficient  to  indicate  his  full  preparation  for  the  great  change.  His 
last  discourses  were  delivered  with  such  emotion  as  deeply  to  effect  the  congre- 
gation, and  to  leave  on  their  minds  the  impression  of  a  man  who  spoke  from 
the  very  verge  of  heaven.  At  the  time  of  the  attack  which  terminated  his  life, 
the  church  was  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  work  of  grace  deep  and  extensive.  Thus 
was  his  sun  brightest  at  the  very  setting,  going  down  with  a  glory  which  was 
doubtless  the  harbinger  of  an  unclouded  rising  in  the  heavenly  world. 

When  speaking  of  the  qualities  of  Dr.  Brantly's  intellect,  the  late  Dr.  Manly 
observed  that  "his  mind  was  strikingly  elevated  and  even  majestic,  whilst  at  the 
same  time  it  was  well  balanced."  In  his  funeral  sermon,  Dr.  Richard  Fuller 
said,  "  that  as  an  intellectual  man  he  had  very  few  superiors  in  this  country. 
The  peculiar  characteristic  of  his  mind  was  grandeur."  There  was  about  him 
nothing  commonplace.  No  matter  how  familiar  might  be  the  topic,  he  pre- 
sented it  in  some  new  light  which  would  not  have  occurred  to  an  ordinary 
thinker.  Being,  as  we  have  seen,  a  man  of  action,  he  published  but  little.  One 
volume  of  sermons,  an  occasional  article  for  some  Review,  with  the  editorial  arti- 
cles contributed  to  The  Index  when  under  his  management,  comprise  all  that  is 
extant  from  his  pen.  But  these  show  the  originality  and  force  of  his  intellect  in 
almost  every  line.  A  Boston  reviewer,  speaking  of  the  first  sermon  he  ever 
published,  being  then  a  young  man  unknown  to  fame,  remarked  :  "  This  sermon 
is  evidently  the  production  of  a  man  of  genius." 

As  a  scholar.  Dr.  Brantly's  attainments  were  profound  and  varied.  His  con- 
stant engagements  left  him  little  leisure  for  the  acquisition  of  general  knowledge. 
But  he  had  such  a  passion  for  learning  and  acquired  so  rapidly,  that  he  made 
constant  progress  even  in  the  fractions  of  time  which  could  be  used  for  this 
purpose.  He  read  the  Latin  and  Greek  classics  with  ease,  and  took  great  delight 
in  expounding  their  meaning  to  his  pupils.  In  English,  Milton  was  his  favorite 
author  ;  and  he  had  at  command,  for  use  in  speaking,  many  of  the  striking  pas- 
sages of  this  sublime  poet.  His  fine  taste  in  Belles  Lettres  studies  made  him  an 
invaluable  critic.  Shortly  after  his  entrance  on  the  ministry,  his  oldest  son  was 
preaching  in  his  father's  pulpit  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  During  the 
discourse  the  father  sat  in  the  pulpit  behind  him  taking  notes.  On  the  following 
morning  the  preacher  was  furnished  with  these  notes,  which  were  in  the  shape 
of  criticisms  on  the  performance.  The  benefit  derived  from  the  observations 
have  remained  with  him  to  this  day.  What  an  invaluable  professor  he  would 
have  been  in  a  theological  seminary ! 

But  the  pulpit  was  the  place  in  which  Dr.  Brantly  was  seen  most  favorably. 
He  was  a  born  orator.  His  fine  presence,  his  animated  face  and  sparkling  eye, 
his  deep,  sonorous  voice,  all  contributed  to  his  power  as  a  speaker.  He  could  not 
be  called  a  graceful  man,  though  he  was  at  no  time  awkward.  His  fluency  was 
not  remarkable — not  equal  to  what  is  often  noticed  in  ordinary  men — but  he 
was  uniformly  forcible,  and  would  express  truth  in  such  a  way  as  to  lodge  it 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  55 

firmly  in  the  mind.  At  times,  however,  he  spoke  with  a  rapidity  and  powei" 
almost  overwhelming.  On  one  occasion  he  was  sent  as  a  messenger  from  the 
Georgia  Association  to  an  anti-mission  body,  proposing  co-operation  in  some 
good  work.  The  latter  refused  to  receive  him  and  his  fellow-delegates  ;  but  the 
anxiety  to  hear  him  preach  on  the  following  day  (Sunday)  was  so  great  that  he 
was  invited  to  occupy  the  stand.  A  large  congregation  was  present.  He  selected 
as  his  text.  Job,  36:2  :  "  Suffer  me  a  little,  and  1  will  show  thee  that  I  have  yet  to 
speak  on  God's  behalf."  "From  this  starting  point,"  says  one  acquainted  with 
the  facts,  "  he  poured  forth  the  divine  message  of  grace  to  guilty  men  in  a  strain  so 
grand,  subduing  and  attractive  that,  though  no  visible  manifestation  of  Deity 
was  given,  and  the  Almighty  answered  not  out  of  the  whirlwind,  the  multitude 
could  scarcely  have  been  more  stricken  and  overwhelmed  had  such  really  been 
the  case.  While  he  was  yet  speaking,  he  came  down  from  the  platform,  and 
nearly  the  whole  assembly  rushed  forward  involuntarily  to  meet  him.  They  fell 
upon  their  knees,  many  at  once,  asking  him  to  pray  for  them,  while  the  big  tears 
coursed  in  profusion  down  his  own  manly  face.  Such  was  the  sequel  of  prayer 
and  love  which  followed  his  rejection  the  day  before."  This  was  an  unusual 
occasion.  But  his  sermons  were  uniformly  characterized  by  a  force  of  argu- 
ment and  richness  of  thought,  together  with  such  melting  pathos,  that  whilst  the 
intellects  of  the  most  gifted  were  entertained,  the  hearts  of  all  were  touched. 

In  preparing  for  the  pulpit  he  made  very  little  use  of  the  pen.  Most  of  his 
discourses  were  delivered  without  a  note  before  him.  He  would  choose  a  text 
and  study  it  out  as  he  walked  along  the  streets  or  visited  his  parishioners.  Fre- 
quently the  sermon  was  composed  on  his  way  from  his  house  to  the  church. 
He  seemed  to  see  at  a  glance  every  important  point  in  a  text.  He  was,  in  the 
strictest  sense  of  the  word,  an  extempore  speaker.  Going,  on  one  occasion,  to 
his  pulpit  before  a  large  audience  in  Philadelphia,  when  a  visiting  minister  had 
been  expected  to  preach,  the  brother  who  was  looked  for  failed,  for  some  reason, 
to  be  present.  Turning  to  a  portion  of  Scripture,  he  spoke  with  such  power  that 
one  of  his  most  intelligent  hearers  remarked  that  he  had  rarely  heard  him  with 
such  interest.  This  reliance  on  the  excitement  of  the  moment  cannot  be  recom- 
mended to  all  ministers.  It  was  a  peculiar  gift ;  and  a  life  pressed  with  manifold 
labors  had  constrained  him  to  depend  on  the  interest  awakened  by  the  occasion, 
both  for  thought  and  language,  to  a  degree  far  greater  than  was  desirable  even 
in  his  own  judgment. 

This  sketch  has  been  already  too  protracted  ;  but  it  would  be  strikingly  incom- 
plete if  the  writer  failed  to  say  that  the  Christian  character  of  Dr.  Brantly  was 
a  beautiful  illustration  of  the  truths  he  professed.  Love  to  Christ  and  to  the 
souls  of  men  was  the  ruling  principle  of  his  life.  His  piety  was  of  the  grave 
and  serious  rather  than  of  the  more  cheerful  type.  Not  that  his  faith  in  Christ 
did  not  bring  true  peace  of  mind.  He  rested  sweetly  on  the  divine  promises, 
and  had  no  apprehensions  for  the  future.  At  the  same  time  his  temper  was  so 
habitually  meditative  and  dignified  that  triflers  were  rebuked  by  his  very  pres- 
ence, and  some  who  knew  him  but  superficially  deemed  him  austere.  But  no 
pastor  was  ever  more  welcome  in  the  house  of  mourning  than  he,  whilst  his 
ministrations  at  the  bedside  of  the  sick  were  peculiarly  precious  and  comforting. 
It  was  their  estimate  of  his  Christian  character  which  inspired  the  confidence 
which  he  invariably  awakened  in  the  members  of  churches  committed  to  his 
care,  and  made  the  sundering  of  the  pastoral  tie  in  each  instance  an  occasion  of 
grief  long  to  be  remembered.  "Whose  mind,"  asks  Dr.  Richard  Fuller  in  the 
article  from  which  we  have  already  quoted,  "  was  more  vigorous  or  richly  im- 
pregnated with  knowledge  ?  Whose  judgment  more  ripe  ?  Whose  views  more 
just  and  profound  ?  Who  ever  consecrated  all  his  powers  more  energetically  to 
the  great  battle  of  life  ?  In  whose  breast  was  piety  a  more  deep,  pervading  and 
fruitful  sentiment  ?  Whose  heart  was  more  open  to  melting  charity  ?  Whose 
spirit  came  forth  from  communion  with  the  Word  more  girt  for  the  Master's 
will  ?  Dr.  Brantly  was  indeed,  in  all,  a  noble  specimen  of  a  man  and  a  Christian 
minister." 


56 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


WILLIAM  T.  BRANTLY,  Jr. 


The  lives  of  some  ministers  are  instances  of 
such  unvaried  success,  that  to  chronicle  the  in- 
cidents of  their  history  is  a  grateful  task.  And 
vi^hen  these  ministers  are,  themselves,  individ- 
uals in  whom  are  blended  traits  and  accom- 
plishments most  admirahle,  and  who  are,  in  every 
sense,  praiseworthy,  the  duty  becomes  doubly 
pleasant.  Among  such  undoubtedly  must  be 
classed  Rev.  William  T.  Brantly,  D.D., 
pastor,  now,  of  the  Seventh  Baptist  church, 
Baltimore,  but  who,  for  many  years,  resided  in 
Georgia. 

His  mother  was  Miss  Anna  McDonald,  a 
sister  of  the  Hon.  Charles  J.  McDonald,  Gov- 
ernor of  Georgia  from  1839  to  1843,  whom  the 
late  Dr.  Manly  pronounced  "  a  lady  of  such 
talents,  piety  and  accomplishments  as  are  rarely 
found  combined  in  one  person." 
His  father,  Dr.  William  T.  Brantly,  the  elder,  nomen  clarem  et  venerabile,  by 
birth  a  North  Carolinian,  was  a  distinguished  scholar  and  preacher,  who,  during 
a  residence  of  many  years  in  Augusta,  firmly  established  the  Baptist  cause  in 
that  city,  and  so  materially  aided  Baptist  organization  and  growth  in  Georgia, 
that  his  excellent  influence  was  felt  throughout  the  State,  and  a  salutary  impres- 
sion of  his  judicious  labors  and  extensive  usefulness  is  still  widely  felt  and 
acknowledged. 

Dr.  William  T.  Brantly,  the  younger,  was  born  May  18,  18 16,  in  Beaufort, 
South  Carolina,  while  his  father  was  pastor  of  the  church  in  that  centre  of 
wealth  and  refinement.  In  1824,  when  the  lamented  Dr.  H'  nry  Holcombe, 
pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  church  in  Philadelphia,  went  to  his  heavenly  home. 
Dr.  Brantly,  the  elder,  was  called  to  succeed  him,  having  been  warmly  recom- 
mended by  him.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  William  T.  Brantly,  the  younger, 
was  reared  and  educated  at  the  North,  with  the  exception  of  the  first  eight  years 
of  his  life.  Perhaps  this  was  fortunate,  as  it  gave  him  most  excellent  educa- 
tional advantages,  of  which  he  availed  himself  to  such  an  extent  that  fullness  of 
preparation  allowed  him  two  years  in  which  to  engage  in  mercantile  business  in 
Philadelphia,  before  entering  Brown  University.  This  business  training,  which 
has  proved  of  great  practical  benefit  to  him  throughout  life,  developed  such  re- 
markable business  capacities  in  him,  that  he  received  many  flattering  proposals 
to  enter  upon  a  mercantile  life,  which  he  declined,  believing  himself  called 
of  God  to  the  Gospel  ministry.  Mr.  Francis  M.  Drexel,  head  of  the  house  now 
famous  for  wealth  and  commercial  influence,  offered  him  a  partnership  in  the 
banking  and  brokerage  business ;  but  the  offer  was  declined  from  conscientious 
motives.  God  had  other  and  better  work  for  Mr.  Brantly's  talents  and  abilities. 
After  a  full  course,  both  literary  and  theological.  Dr.  Brantly  was  graduated, 
with  high  honors,  at  Brown  University,  when  in  its  prime,  under  the  presidency 
of  the  distinguished  Dr.  Francis  Wayland.  In  the  same  year,  1840,  he  was 
called  to  the  charge  of  the  Greene  Street  Baptist  church,  at  Augusta,  Georgia, 
and  on  the  27th  of  December,  ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry,  thus  becoming 
one  of  the  successors  of  his  own  honored  father.  Few  have  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  life  so  well  prepared  by  thorough  mental  training  and  a  finished  edu- 
dution,  united  to  those  graces  of  person  and  manner  which  render  a  man  uni- 
versally acceptable.  He  shared  his  father's  distinguished  traits  of  exquisite 
taste,  genuine  personal  piety,  great  elegance  and  felicity  of  expression,  and  a 
person  more  than  ordinarily  handsome.     To  these  may  be  added  excellence  of 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  57 

judgment,  an  intuitive  knowledge  of  men,  wit  and  humor,  and  a  strong  business 
turn  of  mind.  During  liis  pastorate  of  eight  years,  the  Augusta  church  doubled 
its  membership,  and  became  what  it  has  ever  since  remained,  one  of  the  largest, 
strongest  and  most  important  of  our  churches  in  the  State.  It  was  in  the  city 
of  Augusta  that  he  married,  in  1841,  Miss  Mary  Ann  Turpin,  daughter  of  Dr. 
W.  H.  Turpin,  a  lady  whose  rare  endowments  of  mind,  heart  and  person  are 
seldom,  if  ever,  equalled,  and  whose  memory  will  ever  remain  fragrant  in  the 
recollection  of  those  who  knew  her. 

In  the  year  1848,  Dr.  Brantly  moved  to  Athens,  Georgia,  having  accepted  the 
Professorship  of  Belles  Lettres,  History,  Oratory,  and  Evidences  of  Christianity,  to 
which  he  had  been  elected  by  the  Trustees  of  the  University  of  Georgia — the 
institution  which  afterward  conferred  on  him  the  title  of  D.  D.  He  filled  his 
chair,  with  distinction  to  himself  and  with  honor  to  the  University,  for  eight 
years,  most  of  that  time  acting  as  pastor  also  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Athens,  as 
successor  to  Rev.  S.  Landrum,  who  had  been  called  to  Macon  in  1849.  During 
the  years  of  his  professorship,  he  received  many  solicitations,  from  various  im- 
portant churches,  to  enter  again  upon  the  pastoral  work.  At  length,  in  1856,  he 
felt  it  his  duty  to  accept  the  call  of  the  Tabernacle  Baptist  church,  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  moved  to  that  city.  The  church  was  a  very  large  one,  and  owned  a 
splendid  house  of  worship,  and  the  Doctor  found  that  the  lines  had  fallen  to  him 
in  pleasant  places.  Five  happy  and  useful  years  sped  by  fleetly,  during  which 
many  were  added  to  the  church,  and  a  church  debt  of  $25,000  was  reduced  by 
$10,000  through  the  Doctor's  skillful  management.  But  the  mutterings  of  war 
were  heard  close  by,  and  Dr.  Brantly  felt  it  his  duty  to  return  South.  He  re- 
signed in  1 86 1,  and,  returning  to  Georgia,  became,  at  once,  pastor  of  the  Second 
Baptist  church  of  Atlanta.  Here  he  remained  during  the  war,  and  afterwards 
until  1 87 1 — ten  years.  Although  during  Sherman's  occupancy  the  city  was  de- 
stroyed, his  flock  utterly  dispersed,  and  he  himself  forced  to  become  a  refugee 
in  Augusta,  yet  no  sooner  did  war's  wild  alarms  subside  than  he  returned  to  his 
post,  gathered  his  members  around  him  once  more,  and  built  up  perhaps  the 
largest  and  strongest  church  in  Georgia  ;  and,  even  during  the  exceedingly 
stringent  and  trying  times  that  immediately  succeeded  the  war  of  secession,  at  a 
cost  of  $20,000  he  caused  additions  and  improvements  to  be  made  to  the  church 
building,  which  render  it  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  commodious  houses  of 
worship  in  the  entire  State. 

Dr.  Brantly's  pastorate  in  Atlanta,  as  in  Augusta,  was  in  every  sense  success- 
ful, and  in  the  former,  as  in  the  latter  city,  he  gained  the  confidence  and  affec- 
tion of  his  people,  and  the  highest  esteem  of  the  pubHc,  by  his  courteous  and 
considerate  deportment,  piety,  usefulness,  refined  culture  and'  superior  pulpit 
ability.  But  a  great  sorrow  overshadowed  his  hfe  in  1866.  This  was  the  loss 
of  his  wife,  who  left  two  children,  William  Theophtlus,  at  present  a  practicing 
attorney  at  law  in  Baltimore,  and  Louisa  D.,  now  the  wife  of  Colonel  J.  L.  More- 
head,  of  North  Carolina,  a  sou  of  ex-Governor  Morehead. 

When  the  late  Dr.  Richard  Fuller  resigned  the  pastorate  of  the  Seventh 
Ba  otist  church,  of  Baltimore,  and  took  charge  of  the  Eutaw  Place  church.  Dr. 
Brantly  was  called  to  succeed  him,  and  moved  to  Baltimore  in  1871.  To  be- 
come the  successor  of  such  a  man  as  Dr.  Fuller,  is,  no  doubt,  trying ;  but  Dr. 
Brantly  has  shown  himself  fully  equal  to  the  position,  justifying  the  judgment  of 
the  church  in  his  selection.  There,  too,  as  in  Atlanta,  valuable  improvements 
in  the  church-building  attest  his  presence  and  progressive  spirit.  Since  his  con- 
nection with  the  church  a  handsome  parsonage  has  been  purchased  and  paid  for, 
at  a  cost  of  nearly  $14,000,  and  in  it  he  resides  again  the  happy  head  of  a  family, 
having  married  Mrs.  Mattie  Marston,  the  wadowed  daughter  of  Colonel  John  B. 
Walker,  of  Madison,  Georgia,  a  lady  of  unusual  beauty  and  accomplishments. 
They  have  two  daughters.  Dr.  Brantly  commands,  as  he  deserves,  the  highest 
public  esteem  in  the  city  of  Baltimore.  The  purity  and  polls',  of  his  diction, 
the  earnestness  and  gracefulness  of  his  style  and  delivery,  together  with  the 
cultured  thought  and  logical  reasoning  of  his  sermons,  attract  large  conpreo-a- 
tions.     The  membership  of  his  church  is  large ;  and,  although  he  has  always 


58  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

been  useful  and  successful  in  every  position  assigned  him,  perhaps  it  can  be  said 
of  him  that  his  last  days  are  his  best. 

When  in  Atlanta,  Georgia,  he  was  for  a  time  the  editor  of  The  Christian 
Index,  and  after  he  went  to  Baltimore  he  became,  on  the  lamented  death  of 
Dr.  Richard  Fuller,  his  successor  as  associate  editor  of  the  Religious  Herald,  of 
Richmond.  Virginia,  as  he  had  already  become  his  successor  in  pastoral  relations. 

There  is  no  more  polished  writer  in  the  South  than  Dr.  William  T.  Brantly. 
Sentences  full  of  pious  thought,  or  of  genial  pleasantry,  or  of  exquisite  descrip- 
tion, glide  from  his  pen  with  the  utmost  perspicuity  and  felicity  of  expression. 
And  any  subject  upon  which  he  chooses  to  write,  or  concerning  which  he 
chooses  to  speak,  has  an  additional  charm  thrown  around  it  by  the  grace  of  his 
style  and  the  elegance  of  his  diction. 

Dr.  Brantly  is  one  of  the  best  classical  scholars  and  most  charming  preachers 
of  his  denomination ;  and  so  pure  and  faultless  is  his  diction,  that  his  sermons 
are  models  of  composition  and  style.  In  Belles  Lettres  accomplishments  he  is 
equal  with  the  first.  He  never  aims  at  the  highest  logical  and  oratorical  effect 
in  the  pulpit,  and  yet  his  discourses  abound  in  elements  of  excellence  far  tran- 
scending all  the  boasted  arts  of  mere  logic  and  oratory  ;  they  are  thoroughly  per- 
vaded with  the  principles  of  the  Gospel,  and  richly  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the 
divine  Master.  He  is  an  evangelical  divine  in  the  truest  sense  of  the  term.  Whilst 
always  true  to  his  denomination,  there  is,  notwithstanding,  a  noted  catholicity 
in  his  manner  and  ministrations,  which  render  him  popular  and  effective  among 
people  of  all  persuasions.  His  oratory  resembles  the  beautiful  stream,  spark- 
ling in  the  golden  sunlight,  and  flowing  along  its  graceful  course  in  gentle  mur- 
murs, rather  than  the  mighty  torrent,  thundering  in  its  majesty  and  strength, 
and  sweeping  down  every  obstacle  in  its  rapid  and  resistless    course. 

As  a  pastor,  the  Doctor  has  been  eminently  successful  in  the  several  important 
fields  he  has  been  called  to  cultivate.  He  succeeds  admirably  in  the  work  of 
making  a  proper  division  of  his  time  between  his  people  and  his  study,  and  in 
rendering  the  fruits  of  pastoral  visitation  available  for  public  teaching  and 
exhortation. 

Always  dignified  and  courteous  in  his  bearing,  he  has  remarkable  power  of 
adaptation  to  the  circumstances  and  condition  of  individuals  and  families.  Ever 
ready  to  converse  on  current  topics,  he  never  fails  to  speak  a  word  in  season  to 
those  who  need  spiritual  instruction  and  comfort.  His  family  influence,  abun- 
dant means,  and  cultivated  manners,  have  placed  him  in  the  first  class  of  society, 
and  yet  no  one  has  better  obeyed  the  apostolic  injunction,  "condescend  to  men 
of  low  estate."  While  he  is  on  intimate  terms  with  many  of  the  leading  men  of 
the  day,  he  never,  in  all  his  intercourse  with  these  celebrities,  loses  sight  of  the 
dignity  which  pertains  to  his  sacred  office. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  this  rare  combination  of  gifts  and  graces  should  have 
promoted  him  to  the  first  pulpits  of  our  denomination ;  nor  can  any  mind 
measure  the  extent  of  the  influence  which  he  has  exerted  in  the  varied  and  im- 
portant spheres  he  has  occupied. 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


59 


JOHN  JOYNER  BRANTLY. 


Rev.  J.  J.  Brantly,  the  polished  and 
learned  Professor  of  Belles  Lettres  in  Mercer 
University,  was  born  in  Augusta,  Georgia,  De- 
cember 29th,  1 82 1.  When  about  five  years  old 
his  father.  Dr.  William  T.  Brantly,  the  elder, 
moved  to  Philadelphia,  and  there  he  spent  the 
next  twelve  years  of  his  life,  enjoying  the  best 
educational  advantages  of  the  city.  He  re- 
moved with  his  father  to  Charleston  in  1838, 
where  he  entered  the  Sophomore  class  of 
Charleston  College,  of  which  institution  Dr. 
Brantly,  Sr.,  became  President  at  that  time. 
Before  the  completion  of  his  college  course,  and 
while  on  a  visit  to  relatives  living  at  Scottsboro, 
near  Milledgeville,  Georgia,  in  the  summer  of 
1839,  he  professed  conversion  in  the  progress  of 
a  revival  in  the  Milledgeville  church,  of  which 
Rev.  S.  G.  Hillyer  was  pastor.  He  was  bap- 
tized by  his  own  father,  in  the  Oconee  river,  not  far  from  Milledgeville,  and 
joined  the  church  in  that  city. 

Graduating  in  1841,  he  taught  for  four  years,  part  of  the  time  as  an  assistant 
of  his  half  brother,  Dr.  William  T.  Brantly,  the  younger,  in  the  Richmond  Ac- 
ademy, Augusta,  Georgia,  and  part  of  the  time  as  Principal  of  the  Male  Academy 
at  Pittsboro,  Chatham  county,  North  Carolina. 

On  a  visit  to  his  father,  who  was  stricken  down  with  paralysis  in  the  year 
1844,  in  the  city  of  Charleston,  he  decided  a  point  which  had  long  agitated  his 
mind,  and  resolved  to  enter  the  ministry.  The  First  Baptist  church  of  Charles- 
ton licensed  him  to  preach,  and  the  last  official  act  of  his  father  was,,  as  pastor 
of  the  church,  to  sign  his  certificate  of  licensure.  Returning  to  North  Carolina, 
he  remained  in  Pittsboro  until  November,  1845,  when  he  moved  to  Fayetteville, 
North  Carolina,  and  there  married.  Soon  afterwards  he  was  called  to  the  pas- 
toral charge  of  the  church  in  Fayetteville,  and  was  ordained  by  a  Presbytery  con- 
sisting of  Rev.  Thomas  Meredith  and  Rev.  James  Finch.  In  the  spring  of  1850 
he  moved  to  Newberry,  South  Carolina,  and  became  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church  there,  sustaining  that  relation  most  pleasantly  for  himself  and  most 
profitably  for  the  church,  until  January,  1867,  when  he  removed  to  Penfield, 
Georgia,  to  take  the  chair  of  English  in  Mercer  University,  to  which  he  had  been 
elected  the  preceding  summer. 

For  fourteen  years  he  has  now  filled  his  chair  with  an  ability  to  which  no 
exception  can  be  taken.  Painstaking  and  faithful,  he  is  rigid  in  exacting  a  full 
discharge  of  duty  on  the  part  of  his  pupils.  Gifted  with  a  superior  mind,  and 
having  been  a  life-long  student,  it  is  needless  to  say  that  he  does  honor  to  the 
U.iiversity,  and  would  do  honor  to  any  literary  institution  in  the  country.  Soon 
after  the  removal  of  the  University  to  Macon,  Dr.  E.  W.  Warren  having 
resigned  the  pastoral  care  of  the  First  church,  he  was  invited  to  serve  as  tem- 
porary pastor,  and  held  the  position  for  several  months,  much  to  the  satisfac- 
tion and  edification  of  the  church. 

Dr.  Brantly  is  not  what  might  be  called  a  popular  preacher ;  for  his  style  of 
delivery  is  unimpassioned,  perhaps  even  cold ;  his  utterance  and  elocution  are 
not  such  as  catch  the  ear  of  the  multitude ;  but  his  sermons  are  full  of  thought, 
well  matured  and  elegantly  expressed.  Through  all  his  thinking  runs  a  semi- 
poetic  vein,  which,  to  minds  of  a  more  refined  order,  is  very  attractive.  To  an 
audience  of  literateurs,  he  would  always  prove  a  most  acceptable  preacher,  and 
had  he  lived  and  preached  in  a  community  of  highly  cultivated  taste,  he  would 
have  attained  to  distinguished  eminence. 


6o  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Quiet,  retiring,  and  exceedingly  modest  in  his  disposition,  he  loves  the  seclu- 
sion of  his  study.  With  an  insatiable  appetite  for  books,  he  is  never  so  happy  as 
when  closeted  with  them.  Especially  is  he  fond  of  the  ancient  classics,  and  has 
probably  read  a  portion  of  them,  in  the  original  Latin  or  Greek,  almost  every  day  of 
his  life  since  he  left  college.  He  is  also  fond  of  patristic  literature,  and  has  read 
it  largely.  He  studies  constantly,  and  yet  he  studies  not  as  the  means  to  an 
end — the  study  itself  is  the  end  ;  he  studies  for  the  mere  love  of  study,  and  for 
nothing  else.  In  his  retirement  and  mostly  without  a  teacher,  he  has  mastered 
the  French,  German  and  Spanish  languages,  so  far  as  these  languages  can  be 
learned  from  books,  and  would  be  at  home,  in  that  regard,  at  Paris,  Berlin,  or 
Madrid.  While  his  scholarship  is  broad,  it  is  also  peculiarly  exact ;  for  his  mind 
is  of  the  critical  cast,  and  his  habits  of  thought  are  precise  and  accurate.  His 
style  of  composition  is  surpassingly  elegant,  and  his  productions  evince  an  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with  English  literature — with  the  characteristics  of  its  best 
authors,  among  whom,  if  he  had  sought  it,  he  might  have  won  a  niche  for  him- 
self. He  ranks  among  our  ablest  theologians  in  this  State ;  with  a  culture  too 
thorough  and  an  intellect  too  well-balanced  to  be  visionary  or  extreme ;  while 
purity  of  feeling  and  depth  of  experience  make  him  conspicuously  evangelical  in 
doctrine  and  spirit.  If  he  had  more  self-assertion,  in  the  better  sense  of  that 
term,  no  member  of  the  distinguished  family  to  which  he  belongs  would  wear 
the  laurels  of  a  higher  distinction,  as  none  are  worthier — perhaps,  in  compass  of 
mental  gifts  and  scholarly  attainments  none  as  worthy  of  it. 


W.  M.  BRIDGES. 

This  young  and  influential  minister  of  the  Gospel  is  by 
nativity  a  South  Carolinian,  having  been  born  in  Green- 
ville, on  the  24th  of  October,  1842.  When  he  was  but  a 
child,  his  parents  settled  in  Whitfield  county,  not  far  from 
Dalton,  Georgia.  At  the  age  of  eleven  years,  he  was  left 
an  orphan.  Family  influences  were  changed,  but  not  for 
the  better ;  and  for  a  time  he  seemed  to  forget  the  pious 
teachings  of  his  mother,  which  had,  before  her  death, 
made  a  deep  impression  on  his  mind.  Hearing  an  earnest 
and  instructive  sermon  from  a  servant  of  the  Lord,  when 
he  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  his  heart  was  again  moved  to  seek  after  the 
things  that  pertain  to  the  kingdom  of  God.  He  found  peace  in  believing  in 
Jesus,  and  was  baptized,  August,  i860,  by  Elder  J.  A.  R.  Hanks,  into  the  fellow- 
ship of  Antioch  church.  In  March,  1868,  Dug  Gap  church,  of  which  he  was 
then  a  member,  licensed  him  to  preach,  and  in  October,  of  that  year,  by  the  call 
of  the  same  church,  he  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Since  his 
ordination  he  has  preached  to  different  churches  ;  but  for  the  past  eight  years 
has  served  Sugar  Valley  and  West  Union  churches,  in  Gordon  county,  Georgia. 
The  estimation  in  which  he  is  held  as  a  sound,  faithful,  instructive,  and  zealous 
minister  of  the  Gospel,  is  evinced  by  the  strong  hold  he  has  on  his  churches. 
While  a  member  of  the  North  Georgia  Association,  he  was  its  clerk  and  treas- 
urer, and  during  his  connection  with  the  Oostanaula  Association,  was  its  clerk. 
He  is  a  man  with  rather  more  than  ordinary  education.  In  early  life  he  had 
fair  school  advantages  in  the  country,  and  afterwards  was  sent  to  the  public 
Academy  in  Dalton,  where  he  studied  some  of  the  higher  branches  of  education 
with  commendable  diligence.  But  as  was  true  of  many  others,  his  education 
was  for  the  time  cut  short  by  the  war.  He  -was  called  to  bear  arms  in  defence 
of  his  countrv.  After  serving  as  a  soldier  for  four  years,  he  returned  to  Dalton 
Academy,  and  devoted  himself  to  his  Dojks  for  two.     Then,  for  the  ten  years 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  6 1 

following  he  was  a  teacher,  and  during  this  time  was  accustomed  to  task  him- 
self to  accomplish  a  determinate  amount  of  private  study  each  day.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Georgia  A.  Everett,  of  Floyd  county,  December  23d,  1869. 
They  have  had  five  children,  two  of  whom  are  dead. 

As  a  preacher,  he  is  well  received  by  the  people,  sound  in  doctrine  and 
beloved  by  his  churches.  He  is  a  good  sermonizer,  analyzes  his  subject  well, 
and  presents  his  points  with  clearness  and  force.  He  speaks  with  perhaps  too 
great  rapidity,  but  attracts  and  holds  the  attention  of  his  audience.  He  is  above 
the  ordinary  stature  ;  of  fine  person  and  modest  demeanor  ;  always  cheerful  and 
hopeful.  He  has  now  the  care  of  large,  prosperous  churches,  and  if  he  con- 
tinues to  make  progress  in  mental  and  spiritual  culture,  with  the  divine 
blessing,  he  must  increasingly  illustrate,  in  his  person  and  career,  th^;  character- 
istics of  "a good  minister  of  Jesus  Christ." 


JABEZ  MARSHALL  BRITTAIN. 

George  Brittain  moved  from  Virginia  to  Georgia  in  1797, 
and  settled  a  farm  in  Oglethorpe  county.  He  had  a  son 
Henry  who,  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  was 
clerk  of  the  court  of  ordinary  in  that  county,  and  who 
was  a  soldier  in  the  army  General  Floyd  led  against  the 
Indians  in  1 8 14.  The  same  patriotic  spirit  was  manifested 
by  Jabez  Marshall,  the  son  of  Henry  Brittain,  for, 
when  the  tocsin  of  war  was  sounded  in  the  year  1861,  he 
volunteered,  and  was  mustered  into  the  Confederate  ser- 
vice on  the  29th  of  September.  He  joined  what  was  first 
known  as  Wright's  Legion,  but  which  was  afterwards  designated  as  the  38th 
Georgia  Regiment.  The  command  was  ordered  to  Savannah,  where  it  became 
a  part  of  Lawton's  Brigade,  and  where  it  remained  until  the  following  June, 
when  it  was  transferred  to  Virginia  and  attached  to  the  army  commanded  by 
the  great  chieftain,  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson. 

The  young  soldier,  Jabez  M.  Brittain,  was  a  professed  Christian,  just  twenty 
years  old,  when  he  entered  upon  the  bloody  battle-grounds  of  Virginia ;  for  he 
was  born  Ma-  4th,  1842.  His  early  life  passed  under  the  careful  nurture  of  an 
intelligent,  godly  mother.  He  had  been  prepared  for  college  by  Prof.  _T.  B.  Moss, 
at  Mison  Academy,  Lexington,  and  he  entered  Franklin  College  in  January, 
1859,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  summer  of  1861.  Four  years  pre- 
viously— in  the  summer  of  1857 — he  had  experienced  a  hope  in  Christ,  and  in 
the  fall  of  that  year  had  joined  the  church  at  Antioch,  Oglethorpe  county,  being 
baptized  by  P.  H.  Mell,  D.D.  He  afterwards  moved  his  membership  to  Lexing- 
ton church,  by  which  he  was  licensed  to  preach. 

After  taking  part  in  several  of  the  bloody  battles  of  1862-3,  in  Virginia,  he 
was  appointed  chaplain  to  the  38th  Georgia  Regiment,  and  returned  on  furlough 
to  Georgia,  where  he  was  ordained  at  the  call  of  Lexington  church — N.  M. 
Crawford,  B.  M.  Callaway,  James  N.  Coile  and  L.  R.  L.  Jennings,  officiating  as 
presbytery.  His  first  candidate  was  baptized  in  a  small  stream  near  Martins- 
burg,  Va.;  but  for  many  others  he  rendered  the  same  service,  for  he  took  an 
active  part  in  the  great  revival  which  spread  so  extensively  in  the  army  of  North- 
ern Virginia. 

He  continued  with  the  army,  sharing  all  its  hardships  and  dangers,  in  field 
and  camp,  until  August,  1864,  when  he  obtained  a  final  exemption,  and  returned 
home,  to  care  for  an  aged  and  helpless,  because  paralyzed,  father,  and  to  repair 
the  fortunes  of  the  family,  almost  wrecked  for  want  of  attention. 

In  January,  1 86 5,  he  married  Ida  Callaway,  daughter  of  Wm.  R.  Callaway, 


6-2 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


and  grand-daughter  of  that  veteran  minister,  Rev.  Enoch  Callaway.  Five  chil- 
dren gladden  his  home  circle. 

The  first  three  years  after  the  war  he  spent  in  farming  ;  since  then  he  has  been 
engaged  in  pastoral  work  and  teaching.  Successively  he  has  been  the  presiding 
officer  of  the  following  institutions :  The  Dalton  Academy,  Acworth  High 
School,  Pine  Log  Masonic  Institute,  Conyers  Female  College,  Conyers  High 
School ;  and  he  is  now  Principal  of  Covington  Male  Institute.  He  has  been 
pastor  of  various  churches  in  Whitfield,  Gordon  and  Bartow  counties,  and  is 
now  pastor  of  three — the  First  church,  Conyers,  the  Salem  church,  (Rockdale 
county,)  and  the  Covington  church. 

He  has  respectably  filled  the  office  of  Moderator  of  the  Stone  Mountain  Asso- 
ciation. Close  confinement  to  the  school-room  has  prevented  his  habits  of 
ministerial  study  and  pastoral  visitation  from  being  strictly  systematic.  Sermons 
prepared  chiefly  after  the  fatigue  and  worry  of  the  day,  and  often  at  late  hours 
of  the  night,  while  the  household  rests  in  slumber,  must  lack  the  perfecting 
which  more  auspicious  circumstances  would  give  them  ;  but  the  constant  una- 
nimity with  which  he  has  been  called  to  his  various  charges,  and  the  constant 
tokens  of  affection  he  receives  from  their  members,  show  how  his  work  has 
been  appreciated.  His  greatest  ambition  is  to  do  good  service  in  winning  and 
training  souls  for  Christ,  and  the  many  outbursts  of  revival  feeling  in  the  churches 
to  which  he  has  ministered,  prove  that  he  has  not  labored  in  vain. 


IVERSON    LEWIS    BROOKS. 


One  of  the  most  prominent  and  able  men  of 
all  the  Baptists  who  have  lived  and  labored  in 
Georgia,  was  Rev.  Iverson  Lewis  Brooks, 
who  was  born  in  Rockingham  county.  North 
CaroHna,  in  1793.  Three  generations  prior  to, 
his  birth,  his  father's  ancestors  emigrated  from 
England  and  settled  in  Virginia.  His  father,  Jona- 
than Brooks,  married  Miss  Annie  Lewis,  of  Spot- 
sylvania county,  Virginia,  a  lady  whose  ancestry 
were  French  Huguenots,  who,  at  the  re  i  ocation 
of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  1685,  fled  from  France, 
(with  four  hundred  thousand  of  their  brethren 
in  faith)  finding  refuge  in  Brennocshire,  Wales, 
and  removing,  subsequently,  to  Virginia,  where 
many  of  their  descendants  still  reside. 

At  sixteen  years  of  age  Jonathan  Brooks  en- 
tered the  Revolutionary  army,  and  it  was  not 
until  after  the  Revolutionary  war  that  he  married 
Miss  Lewis,  moved  to  North  Carolina,  and  settled  in  Rockingham  county.  His 
son,  Iverson  L.  Brooks,  was  the  eldest  of  five  brothers. 

He  attended  school  in  a  neighborhood  Academy  until  he  was  nineteen  years 
of  age,  when,  imitating  his  father,  he  entered  the  army  in  the  war  of  181 2,  and 
served  as  a  Lieutenant.  After  returning  home  he  matriculated  at  the  State 
University,  Chapel  Hill,  and  graduated  in  1817.  He  took  a  high  stand  in  college, 
intellectually  and  morally,  and  was  the  college-mate  of  Hon.  Thomas  H.  Benton, 
and  of  President  James  K.  Polk,  with  the  latter  of  whom  he  was  specially 
friendly,  and  their  intimacy,  beginning  at  Chapel  Hill,  continued  through  life. 

About  1818,  he  was  ordained  at  Georgetown,  South  Carolina,  which  was  his 
first  pastorate.  Subsequently  he  moved  to  Georgia,  and  became  pastor  of  the 
Eatonton  church  in  1820,  and,  afterwards,  for  years,  served  the  Monticello  and 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  63 

Clinton  churches  as  pastor.  He  resided  four  years  at  Penfield,  Georgia,  during 
which  time  he  was  pastor  of  the  churches  at  Antioch  and  Bairdstown,  in  Ogle- 
thorpe county,  in  which  pastorates  Dr.  P.  H.  Mell  became  his  successor. 

But  most  of  his  life  in  Georgia  was  spent  on  his  farms,  in  Greene  and  Jasper 
counties,  as  he  was  a  wealthy  planter,  fond  of  a  planter's  life,  and  not  dependent 
on  pastoral  labor  for  a  support,  though  always  having  one  or  more  churches  in 
charge.  At  different  periods  in  his  life  he  was  a  teacher,  and,  for  a  time,  was 
Principal  of  the  Female  Institute,  established  in  Penfield  about  1840,  but  which 
existed  for  a  short  time  only.  The  last  twenty  years  of  his  life,  after  his  third 
marriage,  were  spent  on  his  farm  in  .South  Carolina,  and  his  ministry  was  trans- 
ferred from  Georgia  to  that  State,  in  which  he  served  several  churches  in  Edgefield 
and  Barnwell  districts. 

As  a  pastor,  he  was  greatly  beloved  by  all  his  churches,  and  highly  esteemed 
for  his  earnestness,  clearness,  intellectual  ability,  fine  culture,  and  for  the  promul- 
gation of  sound  doctrine  in  a  forcible,  tluent,  and  attractive  manner.  Extremely 
modest  and  retiring,  by  nature,  he  sought  to  make  no  display  in  the  pulpit  ;  in 
fact,  he  was  not  what  is  considered  an  orator,  for  he  made  but  few  gestures. 
His  utterance  was  distinct  and  emphatic,  never  vociferous.  He  insisted  on  strict 
discipline  in  his  churches,  and  on  piety  among  his  church  members,  and,  like  all 
true  Lalvinists,  preached  the  whole  duty  of  man. 

In  middle  life,  however,  much  of  his  ministry  was  evangelistic,  and  the  scope 
of  his  labors  embraced  all  the  region  between  the  Potomac  and  Chattahoochee 
rivers,  extending  through  the  States  of  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina, 
and  Georgia. 

His  chief  characteristics  were  mildness  and  amiability,  never  returning  a  harsh 
reply,  even  under  provocation,  but  ever  ready  to  forgive ;  yet,  on  a  point  of  duty 
he  was  firm  and  inflexible.  Reticent  by  nature,  he  wa;  modest  and  retiring  in 
habit,  and,  though  apparently  reserved,  yet,  when  drawn  out,  was  social,  pleasant 
in  conversation,  and  always  instructive.  A  strong  patriot,  and  willing,  ever,  to 
assume  responsibility  and  danger,  when  necessary,  he  took  up  arms  in  the  war 
of  1 81 2,  was  appointed  to  a  position  of  trust,  as  a  Minute  Man,  by  Governor 
Hamilton,  of  South  Carolina,  in  1832,  and  promptly  offered  his  services  for 
military  duty  to  Governor  Pickens,  in  1861,  upon  the  secession  of  South  Carolina. 
Faithful  and  truthful  himself,  lie  was  rigid  in  regard  to  dereliction  to  duty  in 
others  ;  yet,  when  proper,  he  was  mild  and  forgiving,  though  sometimes  imposed 
upon  on  account  of  his  credulousness.  His  own  integrity  and  purity  gave  him 
too  much  confidence  in  his  fellow-man,  and  thus  left  him  exposed  to  the  craft  of 
the  designing,  or  to  the  imposition  of  the  dishonorable.  This  was  the  failing  of 
a  noble  mind,  however,  and  one  which  "leaned  to  virtue's  side." 

For  fifty  years  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  he  was  a  thoroughly  consistent 
Christian,  a  generous  giver  to  denominational  purposes,  and  liberal  in  his  dona- 
tions to  educational  and  benevolent  enterprises.  A  conservator  of  rectitude  and 
Christian  faith,  he  was  a  life-time  laborer  for  his  Master,  a  strong  defender  of 
his  denomination  and  religious  faith,  and  an  unceasing  advocate  for  improvement 
in  mind  and  morals  for  the  world  at  large.  Mr.  Brooks  was  a  close  thinker, 
exceedingly  clear-headed,  a  searching  student,  and  through  life  maintained  his 
habit  of  study.  He  was  proficient  in  the  classics,  a  perfect  English  grammarian, 
and  familiar  with  all  branches  of  English  literature  and  with  some  of  the  modern 
scieni-es.  For  the  papers,  religious  and  secular,  he  wrote  frequently,  and,  at  the 
request  of  Governor  Hammond,  of  South  Carolina,  afterwards  United  States 
Senator,  he  published  a  political  pamphlet  in  reply  to  Clay's  emancipation  scherne, 
and,  subsequently,  an  ethical  argument  in  support  of  slavery,  in  which  its  Scrip- 
ture authority  was  presented. 

Mr.  Brook's  physique  was  commanding.  He  weighed  225  pounds,  was  six 
feet  and  two  inches  in  height,  and  perfectly  proportioned.  To  such  a  command- 
ing figure  were  added  a  face  equally  striking,  and  an  intellectual  brow,  a  ruddy 
complexion,  and  a  pleasant  voice.  His  manners  were  easy  and  affable,  and  yet 
they  were  ever  accompanied  by  a  marked  dignity  of  deportment  and  stateliness 
of  demeanor. 

He  was  particularly  temperate  in  his  habits.     A  teetotaler  as  to  ardent  spirits 


64 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


and  tobacco,  he  seldom  used  either  tea  or  coffee,  and,  at  one  period  in  his  life, 
abstained  entirely  from  meat  for  two  years ;  and,  although  the  demand  on  him 
for  mental  and  physical  labor  was  very  great,  he  maintained  his  robust  health 
and  fattened  under  the  regimen,  averring,  at  the  same  time,  that  his  mental 
faculties  were  more  than  usually  active  and  discriminating. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  he  should  have  enjoyed  robust  health  to  the  advanced 
age  of  seventy-two,  when  he  gently  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  in  the  midst  of  his 
family,  after  a  short  illness,  at  his  residence,  Woodville,  Aiken  county.  South 
Carolina,  ten  days  previous  to  the  surrender  of  General  Lee,  in  March,  1865. 
He  had  always  desired  to  die  when  asleep,  and,  after  a  long  and  useful  life, 
abounding  in  labors  for  the  cause  of  God  and  the  good  of  mar  kind,  and  in  the 
full  enjoyment  of  robust  health  until  within  a  few  days  of  his  death,  his  desire 
was  granted  him,  as  God  often  grants  the  desire  of  his  people  respecting  the 
manner  of  their  departure.  He,  "  painless  attained  the  end  of  pain — smiling 
slept,  and  waked  no  more."  His  remains  lie  buried  in  the  family  lot  in  the 
Augusta  cemetery.  Constitutionally  Mr.  Brooks  was  hopeful,  and  he  had  a 
strong  and  abiding  faith  in  the  success  of  the  Confederate  cause  ;  death,  by  his 
timely  removal,  spared  him  a  bitter  disappointment.  Mr.  Brooks  was  a  great 
man.  He  was  the  companion  and  contemporary  of  such  men  as  Drs.  B.  Manly, 
Sr.,  Furman,  Dagg,  Boyce,  Baker  and  Mell,  Alfred  Shorter,  Mark  A.  Cooper, 
John  B.  Walker  and  Luther  Rice.  Dr>  Basil  Manly,  Sr.,  and  Luther  Rice,  were 
both  life-long  friends  of  his,  and  intimate  correspondents ;  he  baptized  the  former, 
and  wrote  the  epitaph  of  the  latter.  His  education  and  abilities  were  such  that 
he  would  have  attained  distinction  in  any  of  the  walks  of  life,  and  nothing  but 
his  exceeding  modesty  and  low  estimate  of  earthly  honors  prevented  his  rising 
to  a  dazzling  height  of  eminence. 


W.   A.    BROOKS. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  eldest  son  of  Larkin 
and  Parmelia  J.  Brooks  (whose  maiden  name  was  Clem- 
ents), was  born  in  Morgan  county,  ten  miles  north  of 
Madison,  July  i6th,  1838.  When  seven  years  old  his 
parents  moved  to  a  residence  three  and  a-half  miles  from 
Madison,  where  he  lived  until  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
and  where,  under  several  good  teachers,  he  obtained  a 
fair  education. 

In  his  nineteenth  year  he  was  pungently  convicted  of 
sin,  and  was  enabled  to  exercise  saving  faith  in  Jesus.  He 
united  with  the  Baptist  church  at  Sugar  Creek,  Morgan 
county,  in  November,  1858,  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  by  a  presbytery 
called  by  the  church  at  Sandy  Creek,  February  26th,  1871.  Since  then  he  has 
served  Sandy  Creek,  Bethlehem  and  Brownwood  churches,  in  Morgan  county, 
Ebenezer,  in  Walton  county,  and  Freeman's  Creek  church,  in  Oconee  county. 

At  the  opening  of  the  late  civil  war  he  joined  the  ranks  as  a  soldier,  in  the 
Third  Georgia  regiment  of  volunteers,  and  served  through  the  entire  war,  from 
1 86 1  to  1865,  being  with  his  command  on  that  memorable  morning  when,  at 
Appomatox,  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia  surrendered  to  the  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Northern  forces.  Shielded  by  a  kind  Providence,  he  passed  through 
many  hard-contested  battles,  and  was  permitted  to  return  safely  to  his  home  in 
Morgan  county,  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  pastor  of  several  churches  in  the 
Appalachee  Association,  and  is  held  in  honor  by  them  for  his  faithfulness  in 
doctrine  and  in  discipline. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


65 


JOSEPH   EMERSON  BROWN. 


The  distinguished  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born  in  Pickens 
District,  South  Carolina,  on  the 
15th  day  of  April,  1821.  His 
father,  Mackey  Brown,  was  the 
son  of  Joseph  Brown,  a  zealous 
and  gallant  whig  in  the  old  revo- 
lutionary war,  who  emigrated  to 
this  country  from  Londonderry, 
Ireland,  in  1745,  and  settled  in 
Virginia.  The  war  spirit  broke 
out  again  in  the  son,  Mackey, 
who  fought  in  the  celebrated  bat- 
tle of  New  Orleans,  under  Gen- 
eral Jackson.  '  The  mother  of 
Joseph  E.,  nee  Sally  Rice,  also 
descended  from  the  early  settlers 
of  the  Old  Dominion,  and  was  also 
of  the  Scotch-Irish  stock.  The 
Browns  and  the  Rices  removed 
from  Virginia  to  Tennessee,  and 
it  was  in  the  latter  State  that 
Mackey  Brown  and  Sally  Rice, 
the  father  and  mother  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  were  united  in 
marriage.  They  afterwards  re- 
moved to  Pickens  District,  South 
Carolina,  and  soon  after  their  arrival  at  their  new  home,  their  son,  Joseph 
Emerson,  was  born.  The  territory  once  belonged  to  Georgia,  and  was  ceded 
to  South  Carolina  by  the  treaty  of  Beaufort,  in  1787,  and  on  this  ground  the 
admirers  of  Governor  Brown,  in  Georgia,  sometimes  playfully  claim  him  as  a 
native  of  their  State, 

At  the  age  of  eight  years,  Joseph  began  to  labor  on  his  father's  farm,  and  was 
steadily  thus  employed  until  he  was  nineteen  years  old.  In  the  following 
autumn  he  attended  a  neighborhood  school,  where  he  acquired  the  rudiments  of 
English  education.  About  this  time  his  father  removed  to  Union  county,  Geor- 
gia, and  Joseph,  being  anxious  to  further  his  education,  and  having  no  facilities 
for  that  purpose  near  home,  determined  to  attend  the  school  of  Wesley  Leverett, 
a  celebrated  educator,  who  taught  in  Anderson  District,'  South  Carolina. 

Clad  in  homespun  made  by  his  mother  and  sisters,  he  set  out  on  foot  with  a 
pair  of  young  oxen,  given  him  by  his  father  as  his  patrimony,  and  in  nine  days 
arrived  at  the  end  of  his  journey,  having  travelled  in  this  humble  way  a  distance 
of  135  miles.  He  contracted  with  a  farmer  in  the  neighborhood  for  eight 
months'  board,  giving  his  pair  of  oxen  in  payment.  Mr.  Leverett,  the  principal 
of  Calhoun  Academy,  agreed  to  give  him  tuition  on  credit,  and  thus  the  lion- 
hearted  young  fellow  began  to  gird  himself  for  the  battle  of  life. 

He  made  rapid  progress  in  study,.and  at  the  end  of  his  eight  months  in  school, 
having  exhausted  his  means,  he  himself  opened  a  school,  and  in  three 
months,  having  accumulated  a  small  sum,  enough  to  pay  for  his  tuition  for  the 
previous  year,  he  again,  in  January,  1842,  entered  Calhoun  Academy,  drawing 
on  his  credit  for  the  payment  of  the  expense  about  to  be  incurred  for  tuition  and 
board.  In  two  years  he  was  prepared  to  enter  an  advanced  class  in  college. 
But  having  no  means,  and  being  in  debt  for  the  expenses  of  two  years,  he  was 
obliged  to  deny  himself  this  coveted  privilege,  and  again  resorted  to  the  business 


66  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

of  teaching.  Returning  to  Georgia,  he  opened  a  school  in  Canton,  Cherokee 
county,  and  at  the  end  of  a  year  he  found  himself  in  condition  to  pay  the  debt 
he  had  incurred  while  obtaining  his  education.  He  paid  the  last  farthing  of  it, 
with  interest. 

While  engaged  in  teaching,  he  had  devoted  his  spare  time  to  the  study  of  law, 
but  now  abandoning  his  school,  he  engaged  himself  as  a  private  teacher  in  the 
family  of  Dr.  John  W.  Lewis,  a  worthy  citizen  of  Canton  ;  he  paid  his  board  by 
teaching  the  Doctor's  children  a  short  time  each  day,  and  devoted  the  remainder 
of  his  time  to  the  study  of  his  profession.  In  August,  1845,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  after  a  most  thorough  and  searching  examination,  which  he  passed 
with  great  credit,  calling  forth  extraordinary  encomiums  from  the  bar  and  from 
the  bench.  At  the  same  term  of  the  court,  he  made  his  maiden  speech  and  won 
his  first  laurels. 

Unusual  as  his  attainments  were  for  a  young  lawyer,  he  was  not  satisfied  with 
them,  and  encouraged  and  aided  by  his  friend,  Dr.  Lewis,  he  determined  to 
attend  the  law  school  of  Yale  College,  and  entered  that  institution  in  October, 
1845.  Keeping  fully  up  with  his  classmates  in  the  law  department,  and  that, 
too,  with  great  ease,  he  still  found  time  to  attend  lectures  in  other  departments, 
and  thus  received  the  benefit  of  instruction  from  distinguished  professors,  in 
metaphysics,  and  in  several  of  the  natural  sciences.  Early  in  the  summer  of 
1 846  he  passed  his  final  examination,  and  was  awarded  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Laws,  at  the  following  commencement. 

On  his  return  home  to  Canton,  he  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, and  after  a  short  but  trying  novitiate,  he  found  himself  sustained  by 
many  clients. 

In  1849,  being  only  twenty-eight  years  old,  he  was  nominated  by  the  Demo- 
cratic party  as  a  candidate  for  the  State  Senate  of  Georgia.  It  was  the  custom, 
at  that  time,  for  candidates  to  make  very  free  use  of  intoxicating  drink  among 
their  friends  and  others  for  electioneering  purposes.  This  Mr.  Brown  refused 
to  do,  and  his  defeat  was  predicted  as  the  result ;  nevertheless,  he  was  elected 
by  a  handsome  majority. 

In  1852  he  was  placed,  by  his  party,  in  the  field  as  a  candidate  for  Presidential 
Elector  in  the  contest  which  resulted  in  the  election  of  Mr.  Pierce,  Georgia  voting 
for  the  successful  candidate.  Mr.  Brown  was  the  youngest  man  on  the  ticket, 
but  was  elected  by  a  larger  vote  than  any  of  his  colleagues. 

In  1855  he  was  elected  by  the  people  Judge  of  the  Superior  Courts  of  the  Blue 
Ridge  Circuit ;  and  though  young  in  years,  and  only  nine  years  old  in  his  pro- 
fession, he  sustained  himself  admirably,  and  added  largely  to  his  reputation. 

In  1857  he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  Governor  of  Georgia  by  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  and  was  elected  by  10,000  majority.  In  1859  he  was  re-elected  by 
a  majority  of  20,000;  in  1861  he  was  elected  for  the  third  time,  and  in  1863  for 
the  fourth  time.  During  his  first  candidacy  he  made  speeches  in  various  parts 
of  the  State,  meeting  his  opponent  on  the  rostrum  and  debating  with  him  the 
issues  of  the  day.  But  in  the  second,  third  and  fourth  campaigns  he  never 
made  a  speech.  "  The  record  of  my  administration  is  before  the  people,"  said 
he,  "  if  they  choose  to  indorse  it  by  voting  for  me,  I  shall  be  glad ;  but  if  not, 
their  remedy  is  to  vote  for  my  opponent,  and  if  they  elect  him  I  shall  not  com- 
plain." But  never  was  Joseph  E.  Brown  defeated  when  he  was  a  candidate 
before  the  people. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  between  the  States,  Governor  Brown  being  still  in  the 
Executive  chair,  was  placed  under  arrest  by  the  United  States  authorities,  and 
was  confined  in  the  Old  Capitol  prison  for  two  weeks,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  was  released  on  parole. 

In  1869  he  was  appointed  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Georgia, 
which  position  he  filled  with  distinguished  ability  for  about  two  years,  when  he 
resigned  his  office  ten  years  before  the  expiration  of  his  term.  Soon  after  this 
he  became  President  of  the  Western  and  Atlantic  Railroad  Company,  which 
position  he  still  retains. 

In  the  summer  of  1880,  General  John  B.  Gordon  having  resigned  his  seat  as 
United  States  Senator  from  Georgia,  Governor  Brown  was  appointed  to  fill  the 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  6/ 

vacancy.  The  Senate  remained  in  session  only  a  few  days  after  his  appointment, 
but  in  that  brief  period  he  made  several  speeches,  which  put  him  at  once  in  the 
front  rank  of  American  statesmen. 

Governor  Brown  is  not  what  is  called  an  orator.  He  makes  no  attempt  at 
display,  nor  is  he  specially  gifted  with  imagination  or  fancy.  His  style  of  speak- 
ing is  calm  and  unimpassioned ;  his  object  seems  to  be  to  convey  the  greatest 
possible  amount  of  thought  in  the  smallest  possible  number  of  words,  and  this 
he  does  with  great  clearness  and  great  force.  He  makes  no  preliminaries,  and 
closes  with  no  peroration  ;  he  goes  straight  to  the  subject ;  exhausts  it,  and  then 
stops,  wasting  no  breath.  He  never  quotes  poetry,  seldom  quotes  anything, 
deals  lightly  with  illustrations,  but  largely  with  facts,  and  these  he  handles  with 
great  ingenuity  and  power.  It  is  risking  but  little  to  say  that  he  never  made  a 
speech  that  failed  to  accomplish  its  object.     Really,  he  is  an  orator. 

He  possesses  in  wonderful  degree  that  gift  so  strangely  named  and  so.  hard 
to  define,  called  common  sense.  Never  brilliant,  he  is  always  discriminating  ; 
never  originating  new  conceits,  he  is  always  well-balanced  and  judicious ;  never 
misled  by  sophistry,  and  almost  never  by  erroneous  information,  he  has  the  luck, 
as  people  call  it,  of  being  almost  always  in  the  right.  He  indulges  in  no  specu- 
lative inquiries  ;  his  mind  is  purely  practical  in  its  turn,  and  in  all  the  affairs  of 
this  matter  of  fact  world,  he  is  one  of  the  most  sagacious  of  men. 

In  illustration  of  what  has  been  said,  we  present  an  extract,  from  one  of  the 
daily  papers  published  in  Atlanta,  under  the  heading : 

•  THE   WISEST    MAN. 

" Who  is  the  wisest  man  in  Georgia?  The  moment  this  question  is  asked 
the  minds  of  all  intelligent  men  in  the  State  will  be  turned  in  one  direction  and 
towards  one  person.  He  is  so  well  known  to  the  people  of  Georgia,  he  is  so 
conspicuous  for  his  clear-headedness  and  level-headedness,  that  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  name  him.  His  name  has  already  suggested  itself  to  the  mind  of  the 
reader.  Some  think  of  him  with  dislike.  Some,  on  reading  these  lines,  will 
indulge  in  severe  animadversions,  and  will  have  harsh  things  to  say  of  him  ; 
some  may  even  use  terms  that  are  denunciatory ;  but  the  very  fact  that  they 
know  who  is  meant  when  the  wisest  man  in  the  State  is  spoken  of  without  being 
named,  is  proof  that  whatever  their  feelings  may  be,  they  pay  intellectual  hom- 
age to  a  great  mind,  and  their  very  protest  against  this  article  is  their  endorse- 
ment of  it.  No  two  names  will  suggest  themselves  to  the  mind  of  any  intelligent 
Georgian  in  answer  to  the  question,  '  Who  is  the  wisest  man  in  the  State  Y  The 
man  stands,  in  this  respect  at  least,  peerless  and  unrivalled ;  there  will  be  no 
debate  in  one's  own  mind,  nor  with  his  neighbor,  as  to  who  this  man  is ;  nor 
will  there  be  a  dissenting  voice ;  everybody  knows  who  is  meant,  as  well  as  if 
his  name  were  announced.  Now,  so  long  as  this  man  is  alive,  can  we  afford  to 
do  without  him  }  " 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  every  reader  of  the  above  extract  was  instantly 
reminded  of  Joseph  E.  Brown. 

On  the  13th  day  of  September,  1842,  when  in  his  twenty-second  year,  and 
while  at  the  Calhoun  Academy,  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Charles  P.  Dean,  on  a 
profession  of  his  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Shady  Grove 
Baptist  church  in  Pickens  District,  South  Carolina.  From  that  day  to  the  present 
his  connection  with  the  church  has  been  uninterrupted.  Beset  with  extraordinary 
temptations,  he  has  nevertheless  maintained  his  consistency  to  a  degree  which 
few  men  under  the  same  circumstances  could  approach.  Through  life  he  has 
been  a  most  liberal  giver  ;  yet  his  charities  have  been  so  unostentatious,  that 
few  if  any  are  aware  of  their  extent.  Some  of  his  donations  have  necessarily 
been  public,  and  a  few  of  them  it  may  be  well  to  mention. 

He  contributed  $800  to  the  building  of  the  Sixth  Baptist  church  of  Atlanta  ; 
$1,000  to  the  Georgia  Baptist  Orphans'  Home;  $1,000  to  IVIercer  University; 
$500  to  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  ;  $500  for  an  organ  for  the  Second 
Baptist  church  of  Atlanta ;  $3,000  for  repairs  and  additions  to  the  same  church  ; 
$500  (some  years  ago)  to  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  and 
8 


68 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


recently  (1880)  $50,00010  the  same  institution;  and  last  year  he  contributed 
$800  towards  the  payment  of  his  pastor's  salary.  His  smaller  charities,  from 
one  hundred  dollars,  and  downwards,  have  been  simply  innumerable. 

Although  he  has  been  a  man  of  war  from  his  youth,  in  private  life  he  is 
amiable  and  gentle.  He  stands  by  his  friends  ;  is  patient  and  forbearing  with 
his  enemies;  and  kindly  disposed  towards  all.  In  his  domestic  relations  he  is 
exceedingly  affectionate ;  and  when  at  home,  he  throws  off  the  politician  and 
the  statesman,  and  the  lawyer,  and  the  man  of  business,  and  is  simply  a  man  ; 
a  man  of  warm  and  tender  heart,  beloved  by  all  who  are  about  him. 

It  is  almost  impossible  that  a  man  who  has  led  such  a  life  as  his  should  be 
pre-eminently  spiritually-minded  ;  yet  Governor  Brown  has  always  been  a  dili- 
gent reader  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  and  an  earnest  and  sometimes  a  tearful 
hstener  to  the  preached  Gospel. 

A  fuller  account  of  his  political  life  may  be  found  in  Appleton's  American 
Cyclopedia. 

Since  the  above  was  written  an  important  event  has  occurred  in  the  life  of 
Governor  Brown.  In  November,  1880,  it  became  necessary  for  the  Legislature 
of  Georgia  to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the  United  States  Senate,  made  by  the 
resignation  of  General  John  B.  Gordon,  and  to  which  position  Governor  Brown 
had  been  temporarily  appointed.  Governor  Brown  was  elected  to  fill  the  unex- 
pired term,  (about  four  years  of  it  remaining),  by  a  majority  of  more  than  two  to 
one  over  his  opponent,  an  able  lawyer  and  a  man  of  great  distinction  and  influ- 
ence ;  the  rival  candidates  both  being  members  of  the  same  political  party.  At 
the  date  of  this  writing  (January,'  1881),  Governor  Brown  is  occupying  his  seat 
in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 


D.  A.  BROWN. 


He  is  a  man  of  middle  age,  qualified  to  be  useful  in  the 
cause  of  religion,  and  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  brethren. 
He  has  supplied  Mount  "Vernon,  Mount  Zion,  and  other 
churches  of  the  Fairburn  and  Flint  River  Associations, 
and  under  his  administration  they  have  increased  in  mem- 
bership and  efficiency. 

He  was  born  in  Harris  county,  in  May,  1834.  When 
five  years  old,  he  was  taken  to  "Walton  county,  where  he 
was  reared,  receiving  a  very  limited  education.  He 
united  with  the  Bethabara  Baptist  church,  Clarke  county, 
1849.  After  his  marriage  to  Miss  Lucy  J.  Matthis,  in 
1853,  he  moved  to  Monroe,  Walton  county,  and  remained  there  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  In  1866  he  settled  in  Fayette  county,  where  he  now  resides,  and 
united  with  the  Bethesda  church.  In  October  of  that  year  he  was  licensed  to 
preach,  and  after  a  service  of  four  years  in  this  capacity,  he  was  regularly  or- 
dained at  his  church  in  July,  1870,  by  Revs.  J.  S.  Dodd,  W.  N.  Chaudoin  and  G. 
B.  Davis. 

Though  not  a  learned  or  profound  man,  he  is  a  useful,  good  man,  and  with 
the  Lord's  blessing,  the  ministry,  of  which  he  has  accomplished  but  a  single  de- 
cade, may  grow  more  and  more  fruitful  of  benign  results.  He  is  grave,  seeing 
the  serious  side  of  things  ;  conscientious,  seeing  all  things  in  their  relation  to 
God ;  earnest-minded,  seeing  earthly  things  in  their  vanity  and  eternal  things  in 
their  supreme  importance ;  faithful  and  zealous,  seeing  the  things  of  Christ  as 
the  only  ground  of  hope  for  souls  lost  in  sin.  Preaching  with  such  views  and 
feehngs,  without  affectation  and  in  all  simplicity,  he  is  heard  with  pleasure  and 
profit  by  those  who  hunger  after  the  bread  of  life,  and  thirst  after  the  water  of 
life. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  69 


JAMES    COURTNEY    BROWNE. 

Rev.  James  Courtney  Browne,  A.  M.,  the  youngest 
of  thirteen  children,  whose  parents  were  Elijah  and  Lucy 
Green  Browne,  was  born  in  Clarke  (now  Oconee)  county, 
Georgia,  May  loth,  1836.  He  was  brought  to  the  saving- 
knowledge  of  Christ  when  about  sixteen  years  of  age  and  was 
baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Big  Spring  church,  in 
his  native  county,  by  the  pastor,  Rev.  J.  M.  Stillwell.  On 
the  death  of  both  his  parents  within  a  few  months  of  each 
other,  he  removed,  in  his  eighteenth  year,  to  Newnan, 
Georgia,  the  home  of  an  older  brother,  to  complete  his  prep- 
aration for  college.  He  entered  Mercer  University,  January, 
1 8 57,  and  vtas  graduated  with  the  highest  honors  of  the  class,  July,  1 8 59.  He  then 
became  Principal  of  the  Hearn  School,  at  Cave  Spring,  Georgia,  and  remained 
in  that  position  until  May,  1861,  the  date  of  his  enlistment  in  the  Confederate 
service  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  Cherokee  Artillery.  At  the  assault  on  Jack- 
son, Mississippi,  June,  1863,  he  was  severely  wounded,  but  was  enabled  to  reach 
home,  and,  after  a  rapid  recovery,  was  married  August  nth,  to  Miss  Eva  Lila 
Culbertson,  of  Cave  Spring,  a  union  crowned  with  nine  children,  seven  daughters 
and  two  sons.  Returning  to  his  command,  he  shared  its  fortunes  until  captured 
by  General  Stoneman  at  Salisbury,  North  Carolina,  April,  12th,  1865,  and  sent 
as  a  prisoner  of  war  to  Camp  Chase,  Ohio.  Released  in  June,  he  took  charge 
of  the  female  school  at  Cave  Spring  for  the  rest  of  that  year. 

In  his  •'  first  love,"  Mr.  Browne  was  not  without  impressions  that  he  ought  to 
take  an  active  part  in  religious  exercises,  and  speak  for  Jesus  ;  but  as  there  were 
no  Sunday. schools  nor  prayer-meetings  in  the  churches  of  the  county,  he  did 
little  more  for  some  years  than  simply  to  pray  in  public  during  annual  protracted 
meetings.  At  Newnan  he  experienced  sOme  spiritual  quickening,  and  assisted 
Rev.  W.  C.  Boone,  a  schoolmate,  in  his  labors  among  the  blacks.  He  was  much 
troubled  in  the  close  of  his  college  life  on  the  subject  of  giving  himself  wholly 
to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  but  finally  concluded  to  teach  school,  and  reserve 
that  question  for  more  mature  consideration.  His  new  profession  absorbed  his 
interest,  and,  though  acting  as  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath-school  at  Cave 
Spring,  he  was  farther  than  ever  from  a  decision  as  to  the  ministry  when  he  en- 
tered the  army.  In  the  early  months  of  the  service,  having  much  time  for 
reading,  and  being  almost  necessarily  confined  to  his  Bible,  he  grew  better  ac- 
quainted with  that  precious  word  ;  his  soul  fed  with  delight  on  its  truths,  and  he 
became  an  active  leader  in  all  the  prayer-meetings  among  the  soldiers.  He  had 
now  decided  that  it  was  his  duty  to  make  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  his  life- 
work,  when  the  war  should  be  over,  and  he  should  be  among  friends  and 
brethren,  supporting  his  weakness  by  their  prayers  and  sympathies.  In  this 
frame  of  mind  he  was  detailed  for  special  service,  and  surrounded  for  nine 
months  by  a  body  of  men  surpassingly  wicked  and  blasphemous.  When  restored 
to  his  old  company,  he  felt  as  though  he  were  then  at  home  among  Christian 
brethren ;  and  from  that  time  onward,  as  opportunity  arose,  he  began  to  take 
texts  and  expound  Scripture  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  Possessing  the  confidence 
of  his  fellow-soldiers,  the  commanding  officer  of  the  battalion  proposed  to  have 
him  appointed  chaplain,  but  he  preferred  to  remain  in  the  ranks. 

In  1865,  Mr.  Browne  was  ordained  to  the  ministry,  at  Cave  Spring;  in  1866, 
he  served  the  Rome  church  as  pastor ;  in  1867,  he  taught  school  at  Cave  Spring, 
and  preached  to  some  country  churches  ;  from  1868  to  1874,  he  was  pastor  at 
Cave  Spring  and  Cedartown  ;  in  January,  1875,  he  became  pastor  of  the  Beech 
Island  church.  South  Carolina,  and  in  December  of  that  year  settled  as  pastor  at 
Aiken,  where  he  still  resides.  On  the  death  of  the  School  Commissioner  for  the 
county,  he  was  placed  in  that  position  by  executive  appointment,  and  afterwards 
elected  to  it  by  the  people;  but  early  in  1880  the  Aiken  church  doubled  his 
salary,  to  relieve  him  from  secular  engagements  and  to  secure  his  whole  time. 


70  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Mr.  Browne  possesses  a  well-balanced  mind,  with  respectable  scholarship, 
supreme  devotion  to  truth,  habits  of  patient  thought,  and  the  courage  of  his  con- 
victions. With  that  sense  of  honor  which  is  at  once  an  instinct  and  a  principle, 
■he  is  conscientious,  pains-taking,  diligent  in  duty,  upright  in  life.  In  the  forma- 
tion of  opinions,  he  brings  everything  to  the  test  of  Scripture,  and  in  the  ministra- 
tions of  the  pulpit,  he  recognizes  Scripture  as  the  armory  from  which  must  be 
drawn  the  weapons  of  warfare  against  error  and  sin.  His  sermons  are  charac- 
terized by  the  sound  judgment  which  is  better  than  mere  brilliancy,  and  breathe 
the  spiritual  influence  in  comparison  with  which  mere  popular  oratory  shrivels 
into  impotence.  He  has  never  lacked  the  respect,  confidence  and  love  of  his 
brethren  ;  and  they  bear  testimony  that,  while  there  have  been  no  large  ingather- 
ings under  his  ministry,  it  has  proved  a  blessing  to  the  churches.  His  great 
modesty  has,  in  some  measure,  hindered  a  due  appreciation  of  his  sterling  quali- 
ties in  mind  and  heart ;  but  he  is  still  a  growing  man,  and  under  the  blessing  of 
God,  there  is  a  future  before  him,  in  which  he  will  be  better  known,  and  there- 
fore honored  both  more  widely  and  more  highly. 


JOHN  ALBERT  BROADUS. 

Many  years  ago  there  came  to  this  country,  and  settled 
in  Culpeper  county,  Virginia,  a  family  by  the  name  of 
Broadhurst.  The  name  is  evidently  English,  and  means 
"  broadwood,"  or  "  broadgrove,"  and,  therefore,  we  may 
conclude  that  the  family  came,  originally,  from  England. 
In  trying  to  shorten  their  name,  as  EngUsh  folks  often  do, 
the  family  condensed  Broadhurst  by  omitting,  first  the  /, 
and  then  the  r,  which  left  Broadhus.  Next  they  left  out 
the  //,  and  then  a  difficulty  arose.  Some  of  the  family 
thought  there  ought  to  be  another  d  in  the  name  to  make 
up  for  the  h,  and  they  wrote  it  Broaddtts  ;  others  of  the  family  having  but  little 
respect  for  the  h,  which,  indeed,  is  hardly  a  sound  at  all,  let  it  go  without  notice, 
and  wrote  Broadus.  To  this  day  the  family  have  never  been  able  to  agree  about 
the  way  of  writing  the  name,  some  spelling  it  with  one  d  and  some  with  two. 
The  family  in  Culpeper  preferred  the  shorter  way.  Of  that  faniily,  and  in  that 
county,  John  Albert  Broadus  was  born,  January  24th,  1827.  Like  other 
boys,  he  went  to  school,  and  learned  to  read,  write  and  cipher.  When  he  found 
out  that  the  earth  turned  around,  he  became  much  excited,  and  told  the  wonder- 
ful news  to  a  little  colored  play-mate ;  but  he  never  could  convince  the  boy  that 
this  was  true.  "It  could'nt  be  so,"  he  said,  "for  then  all  the  water  would  be  spilled 
out  of  the  well."  So  true  it  is,  that  the  hardest  thing  in  the  world  to  deal  with 
is  ignorance.  Reason  with  it  all  your  life,  and  you  cannot  make  it  comprehend. 
Besides  the  advantage  of  good  schools,  John  A.  Broadus  had  the  blessing  of 
pious  and  educated  parents.  For  many  years  his  father  was  a  member  of  the 
"  House  of  Delegates  of  Virginia,"  and  was  remarkable  for  his  business  qualities 
and  good  common  sense.  In  due  course  of  time  he  became  a  student  at  the 
University  of  Virginia,  and  took  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  in  1850.  During 
the  same  year  he  was  married,  the  first  time,  and  was,  also,  ordained  to  the 
gospel  ministry.  In  1851  he  received  the  appointment  of  Adjunct  Professor  of 
Ancient  Languages  in  the  University,  and,  also,  became  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church  in  Charlottesville.  His  professorship  continued  only  two  years,  but  he 
remained  pastor  of  the  Charlottesville  church  for  eight  years,  during  two  of 
which,  1855  and  1856,  he  was  Chaplain  of  the  University.  In  1859,  while  still 
pastor  at  Charlottesville,  he  was  elected  Professor  in  the  Theological  Seminary, 
about  to  be  established  at  Greenville,  South  Carolina,  and,  in  the  same  year,  he 
married  his  second  wife,  Miss  Charlotte  E.  Sinclair.     After  mature  reflection,  he 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  7 1 

accepted  the  theological  professorship,  which,  at  the  cost  of  no  mean  sacrifice, 
and  at  times  even  of  privation,  he  has  retained  ever  since  ;  and  as  useful  as  he 
might  have  been  near  the  University  of  Virginia,  it  is  doubtful  if  he  would  any- 
where have  been  as  useful  as  in  his  present  position.  Shortly  after  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Seminary,  our  civil  war  came  on,  and  there  were  few  students  at  the 
Seminary,  as  nearly  all  able-bodied  young  men  entered  the  army.  During  one 
session  there  was  a  single  student,  only,  present,  and  he  had  but  a  single  arm  ; 
yet  the  Professors  lectured  to  him  faithfully  for  some  months.  It  was  at  that 
time — during  the  dark  days  of  fratricidal  strife — that  Drs.  John  A.  Broadus  and 
Basil  Manly,  Jr.,  and  others,  as  the  Sunday-school  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention,  started  Kind  Words,  the  Sunday-school  paper  of  the  Convention ; 
and  one  cannot  help  regarding  with  interest  the  little,  dingy,  yellowish  sheet  they 
were  obliged  to  issue  at  first,  for  want  of  better  and  prettier  paper.  At  that 
time,  and  from  1863  to  1866,  Dr.  Broadus  was  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the 
Sunday-school  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  He  was,  also,  at 
different  times,  pastor  to  five  or  six  country  churches  in  the  vicinity  of  Green- 
ville, South  Carolina.  Soon  after  the  war,  he  took  a  trip  to  Europe,  and  travelled 
through  the  Holy  Land. 

In  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  he  teaches  the  interpretation  of 
the  New  Testament,  and  the  preparation  and  delivery  of  sermons ;  he  has 
charge,  also,  of  the  funds  contributed  for  supporting,  at  the  Seminary,  those 
students  whose  pecuniary  means  are  small. 

His  treatise  on  Preaching  was  pubUshed  in  1870,  and  has  had  a  wider  circu- 
lation than  any  other  work  on  homiletics,  two  rival  editions  of  it  having  been 
published  in  England.  Himself  a  master  of  the  art  of  preaching,  he  is  thoroughly 
capable  of  writing  a  work  on  the  subject ;  and  it  is  a  pity  that  the  labors  incum- 
bent upon  him  for  the  personal  benefit  of  others,  leave  him  so  little  leisure  to  write 
other  works  that  would  be  of  great  value.  As  a  regular  contributor  to  the  Religious 
Herald,  he  has  shown  himself  a  master  of  pure  English,  and  of  an  unaffected 
and  graceful  style  of  composition. 

It  is  doubtful  if  there  is  a  more  learned  or  better  read  man  m  the  South  than 
John  A.  Broadus;  certainly  there  is  none  better  adapted  to  the  position  he  oc- 
cupies. As  a  preacher,  he  is  almost  unsurpassed.  While  apparentlv  plain  and 
simple,  it  is  the  plainness  of  a  perfect  mastery  of  the  subject-matter,  and  the  sim- 
plicity which  is  the  perfection  of  art. 

Personally,  he  is  amiable,  affable,  unaffected  and  gentle,  but  plain-spoken. 
Gifted  with  remarkable  tact,  business  capacity  and  good  judgment,  he  is  pos- 
sessed of  a  wonderful  knowledge  of  human  nature  and  strong  common  sense  ; 
and  these  qualities,  united  to  his  industry  and  untiring  energy,  have  enabled  him 
to  succeed  in  whatever  he  has  undertaken.  While  his  learning  is  great,  his 
penetration  is  keen  and  discriminating,  and  his  power  of  analysis  remarkable. 
In  the  pulpit  he  unites  simplicity  of  manner  with  clearness  of  expression  and 
great  pathos.  To  his  sermons  he  devotes  careful  preparation,  and  yet,  when 
delivered,  they  are  the  outbursts  of  a  full  heart.  He  is  a  good  man,  and  his 
piety  is  of  that  sincere  and  unostentatious  kind  that  makes  him  a  safe  guide  and 
counsellor  for  the  young.  He  is  a  laborious  worker  ;  he  believes  in  work ;  and 
he  frequently  teaches  that  nothing  will  take  its  place — himself  sparing  no  labor 
to  perform,  as  well  as  possible,  what  he  undertakes. 

As  ripe  a  scholar,  perhaps,  as  there  is  among  Southern  Baptists,  he  possesses 
t'.ie  unusual  ability  to  bring  his  vast  stores  of  knowledge  down  to  the  capacity  of 
the  humblest.  As  a  Greek  scholar  he  is  accurate  and  thorough,  and  by  his  deep 
piety,  sound  judgment  and  breadth  of  view,  is  rendered  a  master  in  New  Testa- 
ment exegesis.  His  acquaintance  with  Latin,  Hebrew,  German  and  French,  is 
also  wide,  aiding  to  fit  him  well  for  the  chair  he  occupies  ;  yet  it  is  difficult  to  say 
whether  he  is  a  better  preacher  or  professor. 

In  private  he  is  a  most  entertaining,  instructive  and  lovable  man  ;  a  warm- 
hearted friend  and  a  pleasant  companion.  His  writings,  noted  for  their  ease  and 
grace,  for  their  common  sense  and  width  and  grasp  of  intellect,  have  earned  a 
popularity  limited  neither  to  his  denomination  nor  his  country.  Taken  altogether, 
he  is  a  man  in  whom  the  churches  should  feel  a  pride,  and  who,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  will 
long  be  spared  to  teach  young  men  and  preach  the  gospel  doctrines  he  so  well  loves. 


72 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


THOMAS  J.  BURNEY. 


One  of  the  best  known  and  most 
highly  honored  and  esteemed  of  Geor- 
gia Baptists  was  Thomas  J.  Burney, 
a  deacon  of  the  church  at  Madison. 
He  was  a  man  whose  piety  was  seen  in 
every-day  hfe,  with  whom  all  other 
duties  were  made  subordinate  to  relig- 
ious duties,  and  whose  religious  duties 
were  never  neglected.  In  his  conduct 
and  character,  the  choicest  Christian 
graces  shone  brightly ;  consequently 
he  was  respected  and  honored  by  the 
public,  and  loved  and  reverenced  by 
his  denomination.  For  thirty  years  he 
filled  a  prominent  place  among  Georgia 
Baptists,  as  Treasurer  of  the  State 
Convention  and  of  Mercer  University ; 
and  much  of  the  prosperity  of  that  in- 
stitution is  due  to  his  good  judgment, 
business  talent  and  unflinching  integ- 
rity. 

He  was  born  in  Greene  county, 
Georgia,  April  29th,  1801,  and  died  Jure  22d,  1876,  aged  seventy-five,  at  Madi- 
son. His  parents  were  John  W.  and  Elizabeth  Burney,  who  were  married  in 
1794,  and  moved  from  Greene  county  and  settled  on  Indian  creek,  Morgan 
county,  in  1805.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Daniel  Burney,  resided  in  Washing- 
ton, Georgia,  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  his  maternal  grandfather,  Syl- 
vanus  Walker,  a  man  of  wealth  and  great  benevolence,  lived  in  Greene  county. 
He  was  at  one  time  offered  $10,000.00  for  his  stock  of  cattle  by  the  famous 
Creek  Indian  Chief,  General  Mcintosh. 

T.  J.  Burney  was  one  of  ten  children,  five  males  and  five  females.  His  father, 
an  industrious  and  thrifty  farmer,  maintained  an  unspotted  reputation,  and  was 
highly  respected  as  a  citizen  ;  he  died  in  1822.  His  mother,  a  most  exemplary 
woman,  died  in  18 14.  Both  are  buried  in  Morgan  county.  Of  course,  in  his 
boyhood,  T.  J.  Burney  attended  the  "old-field  "  school  of  those  times,  the  pre- 
ceptor, Louis  McClain,  wielding  the  birch  vigorously  during  the  week,  but  sub- 
mitting gracefully,  sometimes,  to  be  "turned  out"  on  Friday  afternoon,  when 
seventy  or  eighty  scholars  determined  to  take  holiday.  Such  a  school  he  at- 
tended from  his  seventh  to  his  twelfth  year.  In  his  thirteenth  year  he  enjoyed 
the  benefit  of  a  grammar  school  in  Monticello,  but  at  fourteen  returned  home 
and  engaged  in  farm  work  for  two  years. 

His  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  years  were  usefully  spent  in  the  office  of  John 
Nisbet,  first  Clerk  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Morgan  county.  In  1818,  he  re- 
moved to  Cahaba,  Alabama,  where  he  remained  four  years,  acting  as  clerk  in 
the  office  of  General  John  Taylor,  receiver  of  money  in  the  Government  Land 
Department.  He  then  went  to  Mobile,  and  was  for  two  years  engaged  as  a 
commission  merchant.  Returning  to  Georgia,  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  a 
brother,  at  Monticello,  and  in  1826  went  to  Winchester,  Virginia,  where  he  at- 
tended a  course  of  lectures  in  the  law  school  of  Judge  Henry  St.  George  Tucker. 
Purchasing  a  fine  law  library  in  New  York,  he  returned  to  Georgia,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar,  and,  entering  into  partnership  with  his  brother  John,  began  the  prac- 
tice of  law  at  Monticello.  In  1829,  he  married  Miss  Cornelia  Walker,  gave  up 
the  practice  of  law,  and  settled  permanently  in  Madison,  being  then  28  years  old. 
His  conversion  took  place  in  1834,  when  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Adiel  Sher- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  73 

wood,  joining  Indian  Creek  church,  Morgan  county.  He  afterwards  helped  to 
constitute  the  Madison  Baptist  church,  of  which  he  was  ordained  deacon  in  1841. 
The  positions  of  trust  occupied  and  ably  filled  by  him  may  be  briefly  summed 
up  as  follows  :  For  many  years  Justice  of  the  Inferior  Court  of  Morgan  county  ; 
Mayor  of  the  city  of  Madison ;  deacon  of  the  Madison  church  ;  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Mercer  University;  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
the  Georgia  Female  College ;  Treasurer  and  Clerk  of  the  Madison  church ; 
Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Georgia  Female  College ;  Secretary  and  Treasurer 
of  Mercer  University ;  Treasurer  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention.  He  also 
acted  as  Moderator  of  the  Central  Association,  and  was  a  Director  of  the  Georgia 
Railroad. 

In  all  the  relations  of  life,  Mr.  Burney  was  unimpeachable.  As  a  father,  he 
was  loving  yet  firm  and  decided.  By  both  example  and  precept  he  instructed 
his  children  in  the  ways  of  righteousness,  never  neglecting  family  prayer,  nor 
permitting  neglect  of  public  worship.  To  his  slaves  he  was  kind  and  indulgent, 
providing  Gospel  preaching  for  them,  and  encouraging  them  to  attend  ;  he  him- 
self would  often  attend  the  preaching  he  provided  for  the  blacks  on  his  own 
plantation  and  elsewhere.  He  was  most  faithful  to  his  own  religious  duties, 
both  public  and  private ;  the  services  of  the  church  he  never  failed  to  attend 
when  possible ;  private  devotions  he  never  omitted.  Arriving  at  home  from  a 
journey  in  the  night,  no  matter  how  tired  he  might  be,  no  matter  how  late,  or 
hot,  or  cold  it  was,  he  first,  invariably,  sought  his  closet  to  pray  in  secret.  Just 
before  he  died  he  gave  utterance  to  the  following : 

"  From  early  boyhood  I  have  had  strong  religious  convictions.  I  remember 
well  the  deep  feelings  I  experienced  when,  at  the  age  of  ten  or  twelve,  I  wit- 
nessed the  baptism  of  my  father.  When  I  grew  up  and  became  engaged  and 
interested  in  the  affairs  of  the  world,  these  impressions  became  less  and  less 
sensible,  though  they  never  passed  away  entirely.  At  mtervals  they  would  re- 
turn, and  I  would  be  induced  to  pray  and  read  the  Scriptures.  These  alterna- 
tions continued  until  1834,  when  the  Spirit  of  God,  I  trust,  brought  me  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  I  joined  the  church  in  November  of 
that  year,  and  never  since  have  I  ever  doubted  the  reality  of  religion,  or  my  own 
acceptance  in  Christ  Jesus.  More  or  less  my  life  has  been  a  wayward  one,  and 
I  have  often  wandered  from  the  straight  and  narrow  way;  but  just  as  often  has 
the  Spirit  of  God  brought  me  back,  and  to-day  I  can  truly  affirm  that  all  the 
world  could  not  purchase  the  hope  of  salvation  which  is  vouchsafed  to  me  in 
Christ  Jesus.  From  a  somewhat  careful  examination  of  the  Scriptures,  I  am 
thoroughly  convinced  that  salvation  is  all  of  grace  ;  that  sinners  are  saved  by  the 
faith  which  comes  from  God  through  Christ,  and  that  the  blood  of  Christ  is  the 
only  sure  reliance  for  eternal  life." 

In  his  old  age,  being  unable  to  read,  he  often  quoted  the  Scriptures  from  mem- 
ory. One  passage  seemed  precious  to  him,  and  he  often  quoted  it  in  tender  tones, 
with  a  tremulous  voice,  "The  days  of  our  years  are  threescore  years  and  ten  ;  and 
if  by  reason  of  strength  they  be  fourscore  years,  yet  is  their  strength  labor  and 
sorrow ;  for  it  is  soon  cut  off  and  we  fly  away."  And  after  he  had  reached 
seventy  he  said  :  "  I  feel  that  I  am  living  on  borrowed  time."  He  rapidly  de- 
clined in  health  during  the  last  year  of  his  life,  but  was  confined  to  his  bed  two 
weeks  only.  As  his  end  drew  near,  many  friends  called  to  see  him,  to  all  of 
whom  he  bore  testimony  similar  to  that  quoted  above.  To  his  son  who  in- 
formed him  that  he  could  not  survive  many  days,  and  who  asked,  "  Are  you 
ready  for  the  summons?"  he  replied,  "Oh,  yes ;  I  attended  to  this  matter  many 
years  ago."  On  another  occasion  being  asked,  "  Do  you  feel  that  the  Lord  is 
with  you  ?"  "  Oh,  yes  !"  he  promptly  replied.  Just  before  he  died  he  was  asked 
how  he  felt.  Pointing  his  hand  upward,  he  said  with  some  effort,  but  in  a  clear 
and  emphatic  voice,  "  I  am  nearly  up  yonder."  Quietly,  in  the  midst  of  his  fam- 
ily, he  breathed  out  his  life  and  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 

Toward  the  close  of  life  he  said  :  "  My  greatest  desire  is  to  live  so  as  to  serve 
and  honor  that  Saviour  who  has  done  so  much  for  me."  Again  :  "  About  fifteen 
years  ago  I  determined  to  transact  all  my  business  on  the  cash  principle,  since 
which  time  I  have  owed  no  man  anything  ;  and  I  would  recommend  my  children 


74 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


to  follow  my  example  in  this  respect."  And  again  :  "  In  raising  my  children,  I 
have  endeavored  to  impress  two  things  on  them:  ist.  Never  to  tell  a  falsehood: 
2d.  Never  to  do  anything  of  which  they  ought  to  be  ashamed.  My  experience," 
he  observed,  "  has  taught  me  that  it  is  best  not  to  become  engaged  in  politics ; 
never  to  be  a  partisan :  but  to  read  and  inform  myself  as  tu  the  affairs  of  gov- 
ernment, and  then  to  pursue  such  a  course  as  in  my  judgment  tends  most  to 
promote  the  interests  of  the  country." 

In  his  habits  he  was  systematic,  punctual  and  faithful.  As  a  financier  he  was 
unexcelled.  Through  peace  and  war  he  managed  the  finances  of  the  University 
and  of  the  Convention  most  admirably.  When  the  assets  of  the  Convention 
were  turned  over  to  his  successc-r,  everything  was  found  in  perfect  order  ;  nor 
would  the  duty  of  auditing  his  accounts  have  been  easier  had  he  been  living. 

By  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  he  was  regarded  as  one  of  their  wisest  counsellors, 
and  for  many  years  was  a  regular  attendant  on  their  annual  meetings.  He  sel- 
dom spoke  in  the  Convention,  but  when  he  did,  it  was  in  a  calm,  clear,  strong 
and  pointed  manner,  which  commanded  universal  attention.  In  his  own  family 
he  talked  but  little,  being  a  great  reader ;  but  in  his  last  years,  when  unable  to 
read,  he  indulged  more  in  conversation.  Towards  the  last  of  life  he  stooped  a 
little  ;  but  formerly  he  was  about  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  with  piercing 
gray  eyes,  and  a  firm,  determined  countenance.  In  all  things  that  he  undertook 
he  was  an  earnest  man,  and  to  the  very  last  was  a  friend  to  every  good  cause, 
and  dying  left  to  all  a  noble  example  of  self-denial  and  consecration  to  the  ser- 
vice of  God. 


DAVID    EDWARD  BUTLER. 


For  many  years  David  Edward  Butler 
has  stood  forth  prominently  among  Georgia 
Baptists,  his  zeal,  eloquence,  ability  and  warm 
heart  giving  him  no  little  influence. 

His  grandfather,  Edward  Butler,  moved  with 
a  large  family  from  Hanover  county,  Virginia,  in 
1796,  and  settled  in  Wilkes  county,  Georgia.  His 
father,  David  Butler,  the  youngest  son  of  Ed- 
ward Butler,  married  Miss  Frances  W.  Shackle- 
ford.  He  died  in  1822  on  his  family  plantation, 
near  Washington,  Georgia,  when  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  four  years  old,  having  been  born 
March  9th,  181 8.  His  widow,  with  three  chil- 
dren, a  son  and  two  daughters,  moved  to  the 
town  of  Washington  in  1825,  where  she  died, 
August,  1827.  Thus  early  left  an  orphan,  David 
Edward  was  almost  entirely  dependent  after- 
wards upon  the  kindness  of  others.  For  a  time 
he  resided  with  one  of  his  father's  sisters,  a  widow,  whose  maternal  affection 
and  Christian  care  gave  tone  and  shape  to  his  character.  In  the  beginning  of 
1829  he  was  sent  to  make  his  home  with  Mr.  Charles  Wingfield,  who  had  mar- 
ried his  mother's  sister,  and  in  that  family,  near  Washington,  Georgia,  he  lived 
until  1 834,  going  to  school  in  Washington.  It  was  during  that  time,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1832,  that  he  made  a  profession  of  religion,  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Jesse 
Mercer,  and  joined  the  Washington  church.  He  was  sent,  February,  1834,  to 
Mercer  Institute,  at  Penfield,  then  a  manual  labor  school,  enjoying  the  instruc- 
tions there  of  the  Principal,  Rev.  B.  M.  Sanders.  Here  was  laid  the  foundation 
of  all  the  knowledge  he  afterwards  acquired,  and  here  upon  his  mind  and  heart 
was  made  a  lasting  impress  for  good  by  that  great  man,  Billington  M.  Sanders. 


OF  PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  75 

It  was  during  his  stay  at  this  manual  labor  school  that  a  singular  episode  in  his 
life  occurred.  The  Creek  Indian  war  of  1836  was  in  progress,  and  he,  with  four 
or  five  other  students,  joined  the  Fouchi  Volunteers,  commanded  by  Captain 
William  C.  Dawson,  afterwards  Senator  in  Congress,  was  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service,  under  General  Winfield  Scott,  at  Columbus,  Georgia,  and 
served  in  a  three  months'  campaign  against  the  Creek  Indians.  In  the  follow- 
ing August  he  returned  to  Penfield,  was  kindly  received  by  Mr.  Sanders,  and 
resumed  his  studies.  Most  of  the  year  1 837  he  spent  at  school  in  Washington, 
which  was  followed  by  two  sessions  in  the  law  school  of  the  University  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  six  months  of  study  and  instruction  under  Judge  Garnett  Andrews, 
of  Washington,  Georgia.  He  was  then,  in  March,  1 840,  admitted  to  the  practice 
of  law.  For  ten  years  he  practiced  law  with  reasonable  success,  during  which 
time  he  acted  as  clerk  for  the  Baptist  church  at  Washington,  and  was  one  of  its 
most  active  members.  During  the  same  period  two  noteworthy  incidents  in  his 
life  occurred  :  the  first  was,  writing  the  will  of  Jesse  Mercer ;  and  the  second, 
getting  the  consent  of  donors  to  the  abolition  of  the  working  system  in  Mercer 
Institute,  while  acting  as  collecting  agent  for  the  institution.  This  took  place 
in  1843,  after  which  the  Institute  ceased  to  be  a  manual  labor  school. 

Having  become  dissatisfied  with  the  law,  as  a  profession,  he  went  to  Augusta 
in  1850  and  became  a  member  of  a  mercantile  firm,  of  which  he  remained  a 
partner  until  1852,  when  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Madison,  Morgan  county, 
having,  in  the  mean  time,  been  married  to  Miss  Virginia  Walton. 

Oratorically,  Rev.  D.  E.  Butler  is  a  gifted  man,  possessing  an  unusual  flow  of 
felicitous  language,  sparkling  often  with  innocent  humor,  and  frequently  infused 
with  happy  poetic  fancies.  Mirth  and  unfailing  good  humor  are  his  attendants, 
and  his  pleasant  social  qualities  make  him  a  most  agreeable  companion.  When 
to  these  are  added  a  warm-hearted  piety,  a  dauntless  spirit  and  an  ardent  zeal, 
one  is  surprised  that  when  newly  married  he  should,  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven, 
bury  himself  for  five  years  on  a  plantation  in  Southern  Georgia,  near  the  Florida 
line;  yet,  on  a  plantatiou  in  Lowndes,  he  spent  much  of  his  time  from  1855  to 
i860;  and  it  was  there  that  he  first  yielded  to  life-long  impressions  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel,  being  drawn  out  by  the  spiritual  destitution  of 
that  section.  Without  his  knowledge,  the  church  at  Madison,  in  1856  or '57, 
authorized  him  to  exercise  as  a  licentiate,  and  in  i860  called  him  to  ordination. 
He  was  ordained  January,  1861,  and  entered  on  the  pastorate  of  the  Madison 
.church. 

Then  the  war  came  on,  its  first  fury  falling  upon  the  devoted  seaports  of  South 
Carolina.  In  consequence,  many  fled  for  refuge  to  more  peaceful  sections, 
among  whom  was  Dr.  J.  R.  Kendrick,  the  able  and  eloquent  pastor  of  the  Cita- 
del Square  church,  Charleston,  who  had  previously  been  a  resident  of  Georgia. 
With  magnanimity,  Mr.  Butler  resigned  his  charge  of  the  Madison  church  in 
favor  of  Dr.  Kendrick,  in  1862,  himself  preaching  to  country  churches  near  his 
plantation  in  Morgan  county,  where  he  resided  during  the  war.  After  the  war, 
he  was  elected  to  the  Georgia  Legislature  as  State  Senator,  but,  with  Governor 
Jenkins  and  other  patriots,  was  deprived  of  his  office,  when  the  reconstruction 
measures  were  enforced  by  military  power,  and  returned  to  private  life. 

It  is  impossible,  however,  for  such  a  man  to  remain  within  the  seclusion  of 
home-life,  as  is  shown  by  the  multifarious  calls  for  his  services  by  the  denomina- 
tion and  by  the  community  at  large.  Some  of  his  engagements  may  be  briefly 
stated:  He  preached  for  the  Milledgeville  church  from  1868  to  1877  ;  he  was 
President  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  from  1872  to  1877,  the  highest 
honor  his  Georgia  Brethren  could  bestow;  ever  since  18  54  he  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  and  also  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  for  Mercer  University,  of  which  Board  he  was 
made  President  in  1866,  a  position  he  still  occupies;  from  1870  to  1878  he  was 
one  of  the  Directors  of  the  Georgia  Railroad  and  Banking  Company ;  for  four 
years  he  was  managing  and  associate  editor  of  The  Christian  Index  and 
Southwestern  Baptist  ;  he  is  now  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  for  the 
Georgia  Baptist  Female  College  at  Gainesville,  Georgia,  and  since  1854  has 
been  a  Trustee  for  the  Southern  Masonic  Female  College,  at  Covington,  Georgia, 


76  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

and  has,  perhaps,  done  more  for  that  institution  than  any  man  living.     The 
property  belongs  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Masons  in  Georgia,  of  which  body  Mr. 
Butler  has  been  a  member  since  1850.     Since  that  time  he  has  held  many  im 
portant  offices  in  the  Grand  Lodge,  and  four  times  has  been  made  Grand  Mas- 
ter, positively  declining  a  re-election  in  1877. 

We  thus  see  the  orphan  boy  of  1827,  fifty  years  after  universally  beloved  and 
respected,  enjoying  lofty  positions  of  trust  and  confidence,  and  sustaining  himself 
in  all  with  such  ability  as  to  command  general  esteem. 

To  have  written  the  will,  been  the  intimate  friend,  companion  and  executor  of 
Jesse  Mercer ;  to  have  won  and  retained  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  such  men 
as  Thomas  Stocks,  T.  J.  Burney  and  Charles  Wingfield,  and  to  obtain  and  pre- 
serve the  love  and  confidence  of  all  his  brethren,  show  the  possession  of  more 
than  ordinary  qualities  of  mind  and  heart.  Indeed,  he  has  unusual  energy  and 
force  of  character.  He  is  kind-hearted  and  warm-hearted ;  a  man  of  genial 
temper  and  pleasing  address  ;  gentlemanly  in  his  instincts  and  manners,  and,  of 
course,  a  general  favorite.  All  these  qualities  have  placed  him  at  the  head  of 
rnany  enterprises.  He  cannot  be  said  to  have  been  a  student,  in  the  more  pre- 
cise and  rigid  sense  of  the  word,  nor  yet  a  profound  and  subtle  thinker ;  still,  on 
ordinary  occasions,  he  sustains  himself  well,  showing  rare  mastery  of  the  essen- 
tial principles  and  practical  aspects  of  his  themes.  He  is  a  remarkably  fluent 
speaker,  always  ready  to  make  a  bold,  dashing,  off-hand  speech  on  short  notice, 
or  on  no  notice  ;  and  his  personal  magnetism  is  great.  On  the  platform  he  is  a 
good  debater  ;  on  the  hustings  he  is  a  decided  success.  As  a  preacher  he  is 
fervid,  eloquent  and  effective,  with  a  style  more  hortatory  than  didactic.  With 
our  best  and  ablest  theologians  it  would  not  be  fair  to  compare  him ;  but  for 
immediate  effect  and  good  effect,  there  are  few  speakers  in  the  pulpit,  or  out  of 
it,  who  excel  him ;  and  as  an  in-case-of-failure  man,  he  has  no  equal  in  Georgia. 
He  possesses  such  readiness,  such  versatility  of  talents,  such  ability  to  meet 
emergencies,  that  he  often  surprises  his  most  intimate  acquaintances,  and  gains 
enhanced  credit  for  himself.  An  extempore  man,  he  seldom  meditates  on  what 
he  is  going  to  say,  and  his  speeches  which  catch  their  inspiration  from  immediate 
surroundings  are  usually  his  best.  He  has  no  specialty,  excelling  in  no  particu- 
lar department  of  intellectual  culture,  and  has  no  hobby ;  but  is  talented,  grace- 
ful, and  at  times  eloquent,  and  enters  with  all  his  will  and  energy  into  every  en- 
terprise, religious,  educational  or  philanthropic,  which  promises  mental  culture 
or  moral  elevation.  He  is  a  pious  man,  full  of  tender  sympathies  and  generous  " 
impulses.  From  an  ardent,  melting  heart,  and  from  a  true  Christian  spirit,  he ' 
weeps  with  those  who  weep,  and  rejoices  with  those  who  rejoice,  gaining  your 
esteem  and  winning  your  affections.  You  cannot  keep  him  out  of  your  heart. 
His  brethren  all  love  him,  and  have  been  pleased  to  put  him  in  positions  of  honor 
and  responsibility. 


JACOB  BUFFINGTON. 

A  plain,  practical  and  unassuming  man,  whose  great  aim 
has  been  to  preach  Jesus  as  the  Redeemer,  and  induce  sin- 
ners to  believe  unto  salvation,  Rev.  Jacob  Buffington 
has  for  thirty-nine  years  pursued  the  even  tenor  of  his  way 
as  a  Georgia  Baptist  minister.  Much  of  his  time  has  been 
occupied  in  tilling  the  ground  for  a  living,  owing  to  his 
limited  circumstances  ;  and  he  has  been  compelled  to  make 
his  pulpit  preparations  mostly  in  the  intervals  of  manual 
labor.  But  he  has  been  a  useful  minister,  and  is  recog- 
nized as  one  opposed  to  all  irregularities,  in  life  and  con- 
duct, among  church  members,  and  as  one  whose  aim  has  been  to  enforce 
Gospel  discipline  on  his  churches,  when  circumstances  required  it.     Godly  him- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


n 


self,  he  is  convinced  that  all  Christians,  as  a  matter  of  principle  and  duty  to  their 
Master,  should  maintain  godly  lives.     Hence  his  influence  has  been  salutary. 

He  was  ordained  in  1841,  at  Friendship  church,  Pike  county,  by  Joshua  Cal- 
laway, Spencer  Stamper,  George  B.  Davis  and  John  H.  Milner.  Since  then, 
among  other  churches,  he  has  served,  as  pastor,  Mount  Olive,  Hebron,  Zebulon, 
Hephzibah,  Bethel,  Shiloh  and  Fairview,  and  has  not  only  wrought,  in  his  own 
sphere,  to  the  extent  of  his  ability,  but,  from  his  limited  pecuniary  means,  has 
been  liberal  in  assisting  to  spread  the  Gospel  on  earth. 

He  was  born  November  14th,  1808,  in  Chester  District,  South  Carolina;  was 
converted  in  July,  1 831,  and  ordained  ten  years  after.  His  educational  advan- 
tages were  few,  being  limited  to  common  country  schools ;  and  he  has  had  to 
S'  ^jply  the  deficiency  by  such  personal  application  as  lay  within  his  power,  under 
circumstances  of  disadvantage. 

He  was  married  to  Lavicia  Wadsworth,  in  Pike  county,  Georgia,  June  5,  1834, 
and  of  eight  children,  three  only  are  living  at  present. 


A.  W.  BUFORD. 


A  pioneer  preacher  of  Cherokee,  Georgia,  is  Rev.  A. 
W.  BUFORD,  in  person  tall,  spare  and  erect,  with  grey 
eyes  and  dark  complexion  and  hair,  the  latter  sprinkled 
with  gray.  In  his  section  he  has  done  much  for  the  de- 
nomination, and  still  has  a  broad  field  of  labor  open  before 
him,  assisting,  effectively,  in  the  organization  of  churches, 
the  ordination  of  ministers,  the  establishment  of  schools 
and  colleges,  and  in  preaching  to  three  or  four  country 
churches.  At  one  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  for  Cherokee  Baptist  College,  and  for  a  number 
of  years,  was  Moderator  of  the  Middle  Cherokee  Association. 

As  a  pastor,  he  has  ever  been  prompt  and  regular,  conscientiously  discharging 
the  duties  of  his  position.  His  religious  studies,  generally  speaking,  have  been 
pursued  in  the  family,  having  raised  a  large  group  of  children,  seven  of  whom — 
three  sons  and  four  daughters — are  still  living. 

He  was  born  in  Garrard  county,  Kentucky,  in  1809,  and,  being  converted, 
joined  the  Presbyterians  at  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  was  educated  with  a 
view  to  the  ministry,  at  Centre  College,  Danville.  The  ioea  of  preaching  becom- 
ing repugnant  to  him,  under  a  sense  of  unworthiness,  he  left  home  and  family, 
in  1835,  and  came  to  Georgia,  being  recommended  as  a  teacher  by  Hon.  R.  P. 
Letcher,  member  of  Congress  from  Kentucky.  F^r  a  number  of  years  he  had 
charge  of  Prospect  Academy,  near  Lexington,  Oglethorpe  county,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lexington  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  the  late  N.  M.  Crawford  was 
also  a  member  at  that  time.  Though  living  in  a  Baptist  community,  he  re- 
mained true  to  his  Presbyterian  views,  until  in  the  Sunday-school,  of  which  he 
was  superintendent,  the  baptismal  question  was  discussed.  He  entered  into  a 
written  controversy  on  the  subject  with  Mr.  Hay  P.  Landrum,  and.  became  con- 
vinced, after  carefully  examining  the  New  Testament  in  both  English  and  Greek, 
that  he  had  never  been  baptized.  He  was  immersed  by  Rev.  Neville  Lumpkin, 
and  attached  himself  to  the  church  at  Baird's.  In  1839,  he  married  Miss  S.  E. 
Jackson,  and  the  same  year  moved  to  Polk  county,  Tennessee,  where  he  joined 
the  Baptist  church  at  Friendship.  The  question  of  personal  duty  as  to  the 
ministry  again  occupied  his  serious  attention,  and  he  simply  waited  for  the  Lord 
to  make  his  way  clear  before  him,  submitting  to  the  divine  guidance.  He  was 
ordained  in  1840,  from  which  time  until  the  close  of  1877  he  had  charge  of  three 
or  four  churches  constantly.  From  East  Tennessee  he  removed  to  Bartow 
county,  Georgia,  where  he  still  resides,  the  infirmities  of  age  having,  at  length, 
compelled  him  to  cease  active  pulpit  efforts. 


78 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


PETER  PATRICK  BUTLER. 


Peter  Patrick  Butler  was 
a  native  of  Elbert  county,  Geor- 
gia, and  was  born  February  8th, 
1 807.  Little  is  known  of  his  early 
years ;  but  it  is  believed  that  he 
was  the  subject  of  serious  im- 
pressions in  the  morning  of  life, 
as  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Falling  Creek  Baptist  church  in 
his  twenty-second  year.  Eight 
months  later,  in  October,  1829,  he 
was  ordained  to  the  office  of  dea- 
con in  that  church.  He  soon  be- 
gan to  speak  publicly  and  forcibly, 
exhorting  his  fellow-men  to  "flee 
from  the  wrath  to  come."  In  Jan- 
uary, 1832,  he  was  licensed  to 
preach.  In  the  fall  of  that  year, 
the  church  at  Dove's  Creek,  El- 
bert county,  made  choice  of  him 
as  pastor,  and  on  its  petition. 
Falling  Creek  church  authorized 
his  ordination,  which  was  per- 
formed March  6th,  1833,  by 
Revs.  James  Mathews,  James 
Davis  and  Phillip  Mathews. 
He  was  of  medium  size,  well  set,  with  fair  complexion,  light  brown  hair  and 
beard,  and  "ruddy,  youthful  features,  even  when  past  the  meridian  of  life.  His 
educational  advantages  were  quite  limited  ;  but  being  possessed  of  strong  mental 
faculties,  and  a  love  of  books,  he  amassed  a  considerable  store  of  useful,  practical 
knowledge.  His  views  of  Bible  truth  were  sound.  In  the  delivery  of  his  ser- 
mons, he  was  usually  slow  and  deliberate,  manifesting  a  want  of  systematic 
arrangement,  but,  nevertheless,  often  presenting  strong  points  strongly.  In  the 
conclusion  of  his  discourses,  his  musical  voice  seemed  to  float  on  the  air  in 
rythmical  modulations,  and  waft  to  the  ear  pathetic,  earnest  appeals,  well  calcu- 
lated to  secure  the  closest  attention  and  touch  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.  His 
labors  were  abundantly  instrumental  in  the  awakening  and  conversion  of  souls. 
With  Dove's  Creek  church,  hfe  first  pastoral  charge,  he  labored  nine  years,  and 
fifty-two  were  added  to  it  by  baptism.  He  served  Millstone  church,  Oglethorpe 
county,  about  nine  years,  baptizing  104  persons.  He  served  Bethany  church, 
first  and  last,  more  than  twenty  years,  and  during  the  time  the  additions  by  bap- 
tism were  very  large ;  as  they  were  also  at  Salem,  where  he  was  pastor  ten  or 
twelve  years.  He  succeeded  Rev.  Francis  Callaway  as  pastor  of  Cloud  Creek 
church,  Oglethorpe  county,  about  the  year  1835,  and  continued  in  office  through 
twenty  successive  years,  the  accessions  by  baptism  amounting  to  345.  The  clerk 
of  this  church  during  the  greater  portion  of  brother  Butler's  pastorate,  writes  of 
him  :  "  He  was  a  remarkable  minister  of  the  Gospel,  in  point  of  visiting  his  flock 
and  conversing  with  them  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  also  with  all  other 
persons  he  met,  preaching  as  he  went.  He  was  particularly  fond  of  talking  with 
children,  and  instructing  them  in  the  Scriptures  and  on  religious  subjects.  He 
was  eminently  efficient  in  building  up  the  churches  wherever  he  labored,  and  an 
able  defender  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible." 

He  was  naturally  of  an  impulsive  and  excitable  temperament.     When  engaged 
in  any  business,  either  secular  or  religious,  he  seemed,  for  the  time,  to  throw  all 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  79 

his  powers,  mental  and  physical,  into  the  work.  He  was  considered  a  good 
business  man,  and  a  successful  farmer.  The  churches  he  served,  though  com- 
posed, in  fair  proportion,  of  worthy,  substantial,  kind-hearted  brethren,  had 
never  formed  any  systematic  plan  of  giving  to  secure  an  adequate  support  to 
their  pastor,  and  thus  enable  him  to  relinquish  all  other  employments  and  de- 
vote himself  wholly  to  the  ministry.  Hence,  like  other  ministers  of  that  day, 
because  of  the  comparatively  small  amount  paid  for  his  services,  he  had  to  look 
mainly  to  secular  employments  for  the  maintenance  of  his  family.  This  being 
so,  sometimes  his  worldly  business  would  so  absorb  his  mind  that  he  appeared 
oblivious  for  a  season  of  his  preaching  appointments,  arriving  after  the  hour  had 
passed,  and  occasionally  failing  entirely  to  fill  them.  But  when  once  lie  tore 
himself  loose  from  these  temporal  concerns,  and  had  his  spirit  stirred  within  him, 
he  would  forget  that  he  had  any  interests  to  serve  on  earth  other  than  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  warn  sinners,  guide  inquirers,  and  thus  abound  in  the  delightful 
service  of  his  Heavenly  Master. 

He  was  liberal  in  contributing  of  his  own  substance  to  sustain  all  the  benevo- 
lent enterprises  of  the  times  ;  a  warm  advocate  of  education,  he  made  lauda- 
ble efforts  to  secure  its  benefits  for  his  own  children,  and  rendered  generous  aid 
to  indigent  young  ministers  m  their  pursuit  of  knowledge.  He  was  a  man  of 
delicate  feelings,  and  keenly  alive  to  any  attempt  to  injure  his  good  name,  or  to 
call  the  purity  of  his  motives  in  question.  No  doubt  he  M^as  at  times  persecuted. 
This  he  could  bear  with  evenness  of  mind  from  the  world  ;  but  if  it  came  from 
his  brethren,  of  whom  he  expected  protection  and  vindication,  it  was  wounding 
to  his  sensitive  nature.  In  his  straits  and  troubles,  if  he  saw  in  them  the  least 
evidence  of  injustice,  or  even  of  indifference  to  the  wrongs  he  endured,  it  gave 
sharper  edge  to  his  distress.  How  far  circumstances  of  this  kind  may  have 
induced  him  to  relinquish  the  pastorship,  it  is  difficult  to  determine ;  but  he 
gradually  gave  up  his  churches  from  1848  to  1855.  He  vigorously  pursued  his 
farming  interests  on  his  plantation,  liberally  contributing  a  portion  of  his  income 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  preached  occasionally  with  zeal  and  fervor,  and  in  pro- 
tracted meetings  would  display  much  of  his  former  activity  as  a  worker  for  the 
good  of  souls.  During  his  latter  years,  he  was  the  subject  of  painful  bodily 
afflictions,  but  was  in  his  usual  health  until  less  than  one  hour  before  his  spirit 
was  called  away  from  earth.  Being  suddenly  seized  with  difficulty  of  breathing, 
he  remarked  to  his  wife  that  he  should  die.  All  efforts  to  relieve  him  were  in 
vain.  He  requested  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  He  down  and  die  easily, 
which,  to  all  appearance,  he  did.  A  son  (Rev.  Joseph  B.  Butler),  now  living  in 
Tennessee,  is  esteemed  an  able  and  efficient  minister  of  the  Gospel. 

He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Miss  Millie  Bell,  of  Elbert  county,  was 
the  mother  of  all  his  children,  an  honor  to  her  Christian  profession,  a  devoted 
wife,  and  an  affectionate,  tender  mother.  All  the  children  are  consistent  mem- 
bers of  Baptist  churches.  His  second  wife,  Miss  Rebecca  Glenn,  of  Ogle- 
thorpe, was  remarkable  for  her  gentleness  of  disposition,  kindness  of  heart  and 
exemplary  piety.  The  Sarepta  Association,  in  1870,  in  its  report  on  deceased  min- 
isters, said : 

"  Our  beloved  and  faithful  brother.  Rev.  P.  P.  Butler,  for  about  thirty-nine  years 
was  engaged  as  an  efficient,  zealous  and  laborious  minister  in  our  bounds.  Let 
us  all  endeavor  to  emulate  his  virtues,  and  while  sorrowing  over  his  departure, 
let  us  not  forget  to  thank  God  for  the  good  he  has  accomplished,  and  to  pray  earn- 
estly for  the  raising  up  of  more  laborers  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Sarepta  Association  during  his  whole  ministerial  and  Christian  life. 
In  1845,  when  its  session  was  held  at  Moriah,  Madison  county,  he  served  as 
Moderator  of  the  body." 

He  departed  this  life  at  his  residence,  in  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia,  on  the 
30th  of  April,  1870,  aged  sixty-three  years. 


8o 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


HENRY  BUNN. 


One  of  those  staunch,  reliable,  sensi- 
ble, honorable  and  godly  men  who  are 
always  popular  and  highly  esteemed, 
was  Rev.  Henry  Bunn.  Long  known 
in  Southwestern  Georgia  as  a  wealthy 
and  liberal  Baptist,  he  was  held  in  uni- 
versal honor.  Born  in  Nash  county, 
North  Carolina,  December  i8th,  1795, 
he  was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age, 
and  received  but  a  limited  education. 
He  married  Nancy  Tharpe,  and  of 
eleven  children  five  only  survived  him. 
In  18 17  he  moved  to  Twiggs  county, 
Georgia,  where,  by  steady  industry  and 
prudent  management,  he  accumulated 
a  good  estate,  from  which  he  made  lib- 
eral donations  to  all  benevolent  insti- 
tutions. Selfishness  was  no  part  of  his 
nature.  He  frequently  held  the  posi- 
tions of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  Judge 
of  the  County  Court,  and  member  of  the 
Legislature  from  his  county. 
He  made  a  public  profession  of  religion  in  1837,  and  united  with  the  Richland 
church,  being  baptized  by  Rev.  J,  H.  Campbell,  then  pastor.  It  is  thought,  from 
the  singular  blamelessness  of  his  life,  and  from  his  constant  habit  of  private 
prayer,  that  he  had  been  regenerated  many  years  before.  He  was  called  to  the 
Gospel  ministry  and  ordained  in  1 851,  by  the  Richland  church,  and  he  promptly 
obeyed  the  apostohc  injunction,  "  Study  to  show  thyself  approved  unto  God — a 
workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth."  As 
all  had  implicit  confidence  in  him,  wherever  he  went  preaching  the  glorious  Gospel, 
he  was  welcomed  by  his  brethren  and  well  received  by  the  irreligious.  For 
several  years  he  was  pastor  of  the  Richland  church,  then  noted  for  its  numbers, 
intelligence  and  piety,  and  continued  so  until  he  himself  urged  the  church  to 
obtain  a  young,  active  and  strong  man  to  lead  them  as  their  under-shepherd. 

His  piety,  zeal,  liberality  and  sound  judgment  brought  him  mto  prominence 
in  the  counsels  of  the  churches  and  institutions  of  the  denomination  to  which  he 
belonged.  For  many  years  he  was  the  Moderator  of  the  Ebenezer  Association, 
and  for  even  a  greater  number  of  years  he  was  a  Trustee  of  Mercer  Uni- 
versity and  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Con- 
vention. Not  even  the  infirmities  of  age,  including  deafness,  could,  for  a  long 
time,  materially  interfere  with  his  usefulness  in  these  positions ;  and  when  at 
length  he  felt  compelled  to  offer  his  resignation  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  out  of  deference  to  his  faithfulness  and  standing,  it  was  declined,  and 
no  one  was  appointed  in  his  place  prior  to  his  death. 

Profane  language  never  issued  from  his  lips ;  tobacco  never  polluted  his 
mouth,  and  only  as  a  medicine  did  he  ever  use  spirituous  liquors.  In  fact,  he 
espoused  the  temperance  cause  from  its  inception,  in  our  State,  and  ever  sought  its 
promotion.  A  man  of  versatile  talents,  improved  by  much  general  reading,  he 
possessed  fine  conversational  powers.  In  all  his  transactions  he  was  scrupu- 
lously honest,  fair  and  liberal ;  many  widows  and  orphans  found  in  him  a  friend 
and  a  wise  counsellor  ;  and  by  his  influence  and  prudent  counsels  many  disputes 
and  troubles,  among  neighbors  and  churches,  were  settled  or  prevented,  for  he 
was  eminently  a  peace-maker. 

In  all  the  relations  of  life— as  husband,   father,  citizen,  church  member  and 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  51 

minister  —lie  illustrated  the  characteristics  of  the  genuine  Christian ;  and  indeed 
in  all  the  elements  of  a  noble  and  useful  life,  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  his  peer. 
So  far  as  is  known,  not  a  single  blot  attaches  to  his  fair  fame;  yet,  in  looking 
heavenward,  he  felt  the  power  of  sin,  and  the  ruin  it  had  wrought,  and  he  trusted 
in  Jesus  only  for  salvation  and  eternal  life.     Noble  example  ! 

After  a  most  happy  married  life,  he  lost  the  wife  of  his  youth  and  prime  in 
1853.  His  second  marriage,  in  1858,  was,  also,  a  happy  one  ;  and  no  one,  in  the 
decline  of  life,  could  receive  more  attention  and  better  nursing  than  he,  and  he 
fully  appreciated  them.  Though  fine-looking,  and  apparently  robust,  even  in 
the  decline  of  life,  he  was,  for  many  years,  subject  to  severe  attacks  of  conges- 
tion, vertigo  and  difficulty  of  breathing,  which  caused  him  great  suffering.  In 
one  of  these  characteristic  attacks,  which  seemed  less  severe  than  many  others, 
he  passed  away  peacefully,  on  the  23d  of  September,  1878,  in  the  eighty-third 
year  of  his  age,  and  in  the  sixt^^-tirst  year  of  his  residence  in  Twiggs  county, 
Georgia. 


HENRY  FRANKLIN  BUCHANAN. 


^ 

\ 

y 

i 

1 

Henry  Franklin  Buchanan,  son  of  James  B.  and 
Theresa  (Clay)  Buchanan,  was  born  in  Jasper  county, 
Georgia,  June  29th,  1823.  He  was  educated,  to  use  his 
own  expression,  "  by  a  pine-knot  fire,"  except  that  during 
the  year  1853,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Baptist  State 
Convention,  he  attended  a  school  taught  by  Dv.  Griggs, 
in  Atlanta.  He  was  converted  November,  1841,  and 
baptized  the  next  month  by  A.  R.  Almand,  at  Cool  Spring 
church,  DeKalb  county.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in 
1852,  by  the  First  Baptist  church,  Atlanta,  and  was  or- 
dained November,  1854,  at  Dallas,  Paulding  county,  by 
Revs.  Thornton  Burke,  James  Reeves  and  James  Peek. 

His  first  pastorates  were  with  Raccoon  Creek  and  Poplar  Springs  churches, 
which,  under  the  old  '•  non-fellowship  resolution,"  had  stood  aloof  from  all  As- 
sociations. He  induced  the  former  to  unite  with  the  Middle  Cherokee,  and  the 
latter  with  the  Tallapoosa  Association.  A  new  era  of  prosperity  came  to  both  ; 
Raccoon  Creek  growing,  during  his  four  years'  service  from  twenty  to  nearly 
ninety  members. 

For  five  years  he  was  pastor  of  the  church  at  Calhoun,  serving  also  New 
Providence,  Macedonia  and  Swamp  Creek  churches.  He  was  pastor  for  five 
years  of  New  Hope  church,  Bartow  county,  and  at  one  meeting  there  baptized 
forty-five  persons.  After  the  war,  he  ministered  to  Tanner's,  Stone  Mountain, 
Indian  Creek  and  Decatur  churches ;  then,  for  three  years,  served  the  Third 
church,  Atlanta,  as  its  first  pastor ;  after  that,  residing  in  Newton  county, 
preached  for  Zion,  Rockdale,  County  Line  and  Salem  churches ;  and  at 
present,  with  his  home  in  Jonesboro,  holds  charge  of  Liberty  Hill,  Mount  Ebal 
and  Tirzah  churches. 

With  a  library  not  large  but  select,  he  is  a  man  who  thinks  for  himself,  and 
thinks  to  good  purpose,  avoiding  all  ultra  opinions,  espousing  no  "hobbies," 
taking  in  the  whole  range  of  Gospel  truth  in  his  ministry,  and  presenting  its 
doctrines  in  a  manner  remarkably  systematic  and  clear  for  one  denied  the  mental 
discipline  of  early  education.  A  decided  Baptist,  and  thoroughly  imbued  with 
missionary  principles,  he  is  a  well-informed  and  effective  Gospel  preacher,  and 
has  exerted  a  wholesome  influence  as  a  man  and  a  minister.  He  has  never  hes- 
itated to  supplement  an  inadequate  salary  and  to  avoid  debt — that  burden  worse 
than  Sinbad's  "man  of  the  sea"  to  many  a  minister — by  industry  in  labor,  or  by 
enterprise,  tact  and  integrity  in  business. 

He  was  married  December,  1844,  to  Miss  Frances  Abbott,  of  DeKalb  county, 
and  has  had  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom  are  living. 


82 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


JOHN  W.  BUTTS. 


John  W.  Butts  was  born  in  July,  1850,  and  was,  until 
his  fifteenth  year,  addicted  to  the  ordinary  worldly  habits 
of  the  young.  At  that  age,  however,  he  became  deeply 
convicted  of  sin,  experienced  the  new  birth,  professed  con- 
version during  the  month  of  September,  1 868,  and  was 
received  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Bethlehem  Baptist 
church,  in  Morgan  county,  in  October  of  that  year.  He 
was  baptized  by  Rev.  N.  G.  Foster.  The  change  was  , 
indeed,  a  radical  one ;  for  the  wild  youth  felt  himself 
called  to  preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  In 
order  to  obviate  the  disadvantages  of  his  limited  education,  which  had  been 
greatly  interrupted  by  the  war,  he  entered  Mercer  University  in  1872,  and  pur- 
sued his  studies  for  three  years,  graduating  in  1875.  Having  been  licensed  in 
1870,  he  was  ordained  in  June,  1875,  having  been  preaching  to  the  Elim  church, 
in  Jones  county,  during  two  years  of  his  college  course.  In  the  fall  of  1875  he 
married  Miss  Mary  E.  Juhan,  of  Jones  county,  and  at  the  same  time  entered 
earnestly  on  pastoral  labor,  accepting  the  call  of  Bethel,  Centre  Hill  and  Ebenezer 
churches,  in  Walton  county.  In  1876  he  was  chosen  pastor  of  the  Bethabara 
church,  in  Oconee  county ;  and  in  the  spring  of  1878  he  also  took  charge  of  the 
church  at  Rutledge,  of  which  two  churches  he  is  still  pastor.  As  pastor,  he  is 
an  earnest  and  faithful  worker,  devoted  to  the  cause  of  his  Master,  and  untiring 
in  his  efforts  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his  churches.  A  missionary  in  spirit  as 
well  as  in  profession,  his  work  has  been  blessed  of  the  Lord  most  graciously. 
For  three  years  he  has  been  clerk  of  the  Appalachee  Association.  His  father  is 
of  Dutch,  and  his  mother  of  Irish  descent,  but  his  more  immediate  ancestors 
came  to  Georgia  from  Virginia. 


THORNTON  BURK. 


Thornton  Burk,  son  of  Robert  and 
Sarah  Burk,  was  born  in  Elbert  county, 
Georgia,  December  ist,  1794.  In  his 
twenty-ninth  year,  he  removed  to  Monroe 
county,  and  was  married,  shortly  after,  to 
Miss  Malinda  Bankston,  daughter  of  Abner 
and  Elizabeth  Bankston.  He  united  with 
Rocky  Creek  church  in  1828,  and  was  bap- 
tized by  Rev.  John  M.  Gray.  After  serv- 
ing that  church  as  deacon  for  three  years, 
and  exercising  his  gifts  under  a  license  tor 
two  years,  he  was  ordained,  in  1833,  at 
Shoal  Creek  church.  Pike  county,  by  Revs. 
William  Moseley  and  Spencer  Stamper. 
During  the  five  years  preceding  his  removal, 
in  1838,  to  Cobb  county,  then  a  new  and 
sparsely  settled  section  of  country,  he  ren- 
dered pastoral  service  to  churches  in  Pike, 
Fayette,  Henry  and  Monroe  counties  ;  and 
during  the  ten  years  subsequent  to  that  event,  the  counties  of  Cobb,  Campbell, 
and  Paulding  supplied  his  sphere  of  pastoral  labor.     In  1848  he  removed  to  Van 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  83 

Wert,  Polk  county,  prosecuting  his  ministerial  work  in  the  region  round  about 
for  two  years,  when  he  settled  near  Villa  Rica,  Carroll  county,  where  he  made 
his  home  for  twenty  years.  Early  in  this  period  he  was  mainly  instrumental, 
with  the  assistance  of  Rev.  James  Reeves,  in  the  constitution,  near  his  residence, 
of  Pleasant  Grove  church,  now  a  large  and  flourishing  body.  The  whole  of 
this  period  was  devoted  to  the  assiduous  discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  minister, 
either  as  pastor,  or  as  evangelist  and  colporteur,  within  the  bounds  of  the  Tal- 
lapoosa Association.  In  1871  he  became  a  second  time  a  citizen  of  Cobb 
county,  settling  near  Powder  Springs,  at  his  present  home,  and  keeping  up  his 
activities  in  the  proclamation  of  the  Gospel,  though,  for  some  five  years  or  more, 
age  and  bodily  infirmities  have  restricted  his  sphere  of  labor.  The  ministry  thus 
briefly  sketched  covers  a  space  of  forty-four  years  and  over,  in  the  course  of 
which  he  baptized  between  two  and  three  thousand  persons.  Much  of  his  toil 
has  been  given  to  destitute  places,  among  the  poor,  with  little  compensation,  not 
by  appointment  simply,  but  often  voluntarily,  and  has  led  to  the  organizatino 
and  establishment  of  more  churches,  probably,  in  Cobb,  Campbell,  Paulding  and 
Carroll  counties,  than  that  of  any  other  minister  in  his  section.  Through  all  this 
long  and  arduous  career  he  has  maintained  an  unsullied  character  as  a  Christian 
and  a  minister.  All  who  are  acquainted  with  him  have  the  utmost  confidence  in 
the  genuineness  of  his  piety.     He  is  universally  revered  as  a  man  of  God. 

He  was  elected  Moderator  of  the  Tallapoosa  Association  in  1841,  and  served 
the  body  in  that  capacity  for  ten  successive  sessions — occupying  the  chair  when 
the  schism  on  the  mission  question  occurred,  and  taking  a  decided  stand  with 
the  friends  of  the  missionary  cause,  while  its  opponents  were  headed  by  the 
former  Moderator,  Rev.  Henry  Haynes.  This  honor  was  rightly  paid  him  by 
his  brethren  in  view  of  his  fidelity  to  truth,  his  zeal  and  his  abundance  in  labor. 
And  now,  amid  the  weakness  of  his  eighty-sixth  year,  reduced  to  destitute  cir- 
cumstances by  the  issues  of  the  war,  he  lingers,  after  the  snows  of  twenty  winters 
have  rested  on  the  grave  of  his  wife,  to  illustrate  the  power  of  divine  grace  in 
supporting  those  who  trust  it  under  the  burden  of  old  age,  and  to  rejoice  in  hope 
of  re-union  with  the  loved  ones  who  are  "  not  lost,  but  gone  before." 


SAMUEL  A.  BURNEY. 

Samuel  A.  Burney,  son  of  Thomas  J.  Burney,  was 
born  in  Madison,  Georgia,  April  26th,  1840.  He  received 
his  early  education,  principally,  from  John  G.  Clark,  who 
was  a  teacher  of  high  rank.  In  i860  he  graduated  at 
Mercer  University,  and  in  November  of  the  same  year  was 
married  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Shepherd.  While  engaged  in 
teaching  in  Madison,  in  1861,  the  war  between  the  States 
was  inaugurated,  and  he  was  soon  an  active  participant  in 
the  stirring  scenes  of  that  memorable  epoch.  He  had  ac- 
cepted a  position  on  the  staff  of  the  lamented  Thomas  R. 
R.  Cobb  a  few  days  before  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  in  which  battle  General 
Cobb  lost  his  life.  At  the  subsequent  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  May  3d,  1863, 
he  received  a  wound,  causing  the  loss  of  an  eye,  and  very  nearly  resulting  in 
death.     He  continued  in  the  Confederate  service  to  the  close  of  the  war. 

While  at  Mercer  University,  in  1859,  he  was  converted  in  the  great  revival  of 
that  year,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  N.  M.  Crawford,  into  the  membership  of 
the  church  at  Penfield.  Army  life  was  a  sudden  and  extreme  transition  from 
the  peaceful  and  hallowed  recollections  of  the  University,  and  from  dear  domestic 
bliss  in  the  bosom  of  the  family ;  and  nothing  so  prepared  him  for  this  change, 
nothing  so  panoplied  him  for  conflict  with  the  vice  and  wickedness  consequent 
upon  it,  as  the  religion  of  Jesus. 


84  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Since  the  war  he  has  employed  himself  in  teaching,  farming  and  merchan- 
dising. While  a  member  of  the  church  at  Antioch,  Morgan  county,  he  was  or- 
dained a  deacon,  in  1868,  and  in  1869  was  Hcensed  to  preach.  He  has  never 
been  ordained  to  the  ministry,  but  it  has  been  a  very  great  pleasure  to  him  to 
visit  churches  in  the  country  and  preach  to  them  the  blessed  Gospel.  For 
several  years  he  supplied  the  pulpit  of  Sugar  Creek  church,  Morgan  county,  until 
a  pastor  was  secured.  He  was  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath-school  at  Antioch, 
and  has  occupied  a  like  position  for  several  years  in  the  Madison  church.  In 
1876,  on  the  death  of  his  father,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  to  fill  the  vacancy  thus  occasioned  in  the 
office  of  Treasurer  of  the  Convention ;  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  succes- 
sively elected  by  the  Convention  to  that  position. 

Six  children  have  blessed  his  marriage — three  of  whom,  only,  survive.  A 
crushing  sorrow  fell  on  him  and  his  companion,  in  the  sudden  death  of  their  first- 
born— a  promising  son  of  fourteen  years^ — from  accidental  gunshot  while  sport- 
ing. The  loss  of  two  other  precious  ones  has  made  him  no  stranger  to  affliction  ; 
and  it  is  believed  that  the  afflictions  he  has  endured  have  had  a  sanctifying  influ- 
ence on  his  heart  and  life. 

From  early  childhood  he  had  strong  religious  impressions,  but  like  many 
others,  he  "  hardened  his  neck  "  against  those  impressions  for  several  years. 
He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  great  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  as  Baptists  understand 
them,  and  his  convictions  of  divine  truth  grow  with  advancing  years.  No  Scrip- 
ture more  aptly  represents  to  his  mind  the  helplessness  of  the  sinner  and  the 
work  which  is  done  for  the  child  of  God  than  that  recorded  in  the  Psalms  :  "  He 
brought  me  up  out  of  a  horrible  pit,  out  of  the  miry  clay,  and  set  my  feet  upon  a 
rock."  Realizing  that  the  sinner  is  lost  without  the  benefit  of  Christ's  atone- 
ment, his  trust  is  in  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant,  for  acceptance  in  the 
sight  of  God.  But  while  he  believes  that  salvation  is  all  of  grace,  he  yet  clings 
to  the  healthy  doctrine  of  the  Gospel,  that  w^orks  must  evidence  to  the  child  of 
God  his  new  and  heavenly  birth.  His  study  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  his  ex-' 
perience  of  grace,  lead  him  to  believe  that  the  Holy  Spirit  will  have  in  his 
keeping  all  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord,  and  that  every  child  will  see  the  face  of 
his  Father  in  peace  and  glory. 


MOSES   POWELL   CAIN. 

Moses  Powell  Cain  was  born  in  Jefferson  county, 
Georgia,  August  7th,  1836.  His  father  was  James  Cain, 
a  man  of  wealth  and  of  most  excellent  character  as  a 
Christian,  who  acceptably  and  worthily  served  Providence 
church  as  deacon  for  nearly  forty  years.  He  afforded  his 
son  good  educational  advantages,  and  sent  him  to  Mercer 
University,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1856;  afterwards 
teaching  school  for  a  while  near  his  father's  residence  in 
Jefferson  county.  He  was  married  to  Miss  A.  W.  Cog- 
burn,  daughter  of  deacon  John  A.  Cogburn,  of  Putnam 
county,  on  the  8th  of  January,  1857.  She  was  a  woman 
of  cultivation  and  refinement,  and  made  a  true  and  loving  wife.  By  her  energy 
and  perseverance,  as  well  as  by  her  hearty  co-operation  and  noble  womanly 
qualities,  she  not  only  contributed  greatly  to  the  success  of  her  husband,  but 
left  her  impress  on  her  children  and  on  society.  She  died  September  20th,  1878, 
leaving  eight  children — six  girls  and  two  boys. 

Mr.  Cain  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry  in  1859,  by  a  presbytery  com- 
posed of  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  E.  J.  Pannal  and  W.  T.  Holmes.  Since  that  time 
he  has  served  various  churches  in  the  counties  of  Jefferson,  Burke,  Richmond 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


85 


and  Washington.  He  is  a  very  acceptable  preacher,  cultivated  in  style,  clear 
and  forcible  in  manner,  orthodox  in  doctrine  and  evangelical  in  spirit.  The 
greater  part  of  his  life  since  graduation  has,  however,  been  spent  in  the  school- 
room, and  he  has  occupied  several  very  responsible  positions.  In  turn  he  has 
had  charge  of  Bethany,  Stapleton's  and  Hudsonia  Academies,  and  of  the  Stella- 
ville  High  School — -all  in  Jefferson  county.  In  all  these  positions,  as  well  as  in 
those  years  when  he  taught  school  at  his  own  home,  in  Jefferson  county,  he 
proved  himself  to  be  an  able,  faithful  and  painstaking  preceptor,  whose  instruc- 
tions have  inured  to  the  advantage  of  hundreds  of  the  young  of  both  sexes. 

He  now  resides  on  the  old  family  homestead  in  JefTerson  county,  farming, 
preaching  to  neighboring  churches,  and  exerting  a  good  influence  on  society. 
The  confinement  incident  to  his  profession  through  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury has  told  somewhat  on  his  bodily  health  and  his  elasticity  of  spirit,  and 
strangers  may  hastily  suspect  him  of  being  reserved  or  even  phlegmatic  ;  but  he 
has  an  intellect  alive  to  all  the  varying  phases  of  his  surroundings,  and  a  heart 
warm  in  its  attachments,  tender  in  its  sympathies,  and  steadfast  in  its  friendship 
and  love.  No  good  cause  is  alien  from  his  affection  or  deprived  of  his  support. 
He  belongs  to  that  better  class  of  quiet  men  who,  if  not  demonstrative,  are  at 
least  resolved,  and  know  how  to  make  "  a  word  in  season  "  do  the  work  which 
others  have  failed  by  much  speech  to  accomplish.  He  builds  his  life  without 
show,  but  substantially ;  and  its  memorial  will  endure  when  many  more  preten- 
tious fabrics  crumble  and  perish. 


ENOCH  CALLAWAY.    ' 


Enoch  Callaway  was  one 
of  the  most  useful  Baptist  min- 
isters that  ever  lived  in  Georgia, 
and  he  owed  his  usefulness  and 
influence  to  a  sincere  piety  and 
a  godly  walk,  united  to  great 
industry,  zeal,  earnestness, 
promptness  and  tender  sympa- 
thy of  nature.  His  decided  char- 
acter and  determined  energy 
made  him  a  great  worker ;  and 
the  general  confidence  in  his 
integrity  and  veracity  gave  suc- 
cess to  his  work.  Few  have 
accomplished  so  much  in  their 
field  of  labor  as  he  in  building 
up  and  establishing  the  Re- 
deemer's cause  ;  and  yet  he  was 
a  man  of  but  little  culture,  the 
common  old-field  schools  of  his 
day  furnishing  his  only  means 
of  education,  aside  from  his  own 
individual  efforts.  In  religion 
the  Bible  was  his  sole  text- 
book, and  to  it  he  gave  diligent 
daily  study,  comparing  Scrip- 
ture with  Scripture  in  order  to 
ascertain  its  import,  and,  on  his  knees,  imploring  the  enlightenment  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  As  a  pastor  he  was  most  faithful ;  as  a  minister  he  was  humble  and  un- 
ostentatious ;  as  a  preacher  he  excelled  in  exhortation,  his  sermons  being  usually 


86 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


extemporaneous,  combining  the  doctrinal,  practical  and  experimental.  As  a 
speaker  he  was  slow  and  unattractive,  especially  in  the  beginning ;  but  as  he 
advanced,  his  interest  would  increase,  want  of  fervor  would  gradually  diminish, 
and  finally  disappear,  a  hallowed  zeal  and  earnestness  would  take  possession  of 
him,  and  real  eloquence  would  close  the  sermon  begun  with  hesitation  and  seem- 
ing coldness. 

In  principle  and  practice  he  was  a  decided  missionary,  the  true  secret  of  his 
success  consisting  in  godliness  of  life,  abundance  of  labor  and  consecration  of 
spirit.  In  doctrine  he  was  a  thorough-going  Baptist,  leaving  his  impress  as  such 
wherever  he  labored ;  and  among  nearly  three  hundred  of  his  descendants  now 
living,  it  is  said  that  all  are  Baptists  who  are  professors  of  religion. 

Rev.  Enoch  Callaway,  it  will  be  seen,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  Baptists  of 
Georgia,  who  accomplished  a  great  and  glorious  work.  He  was  born  in  Wilkes 
county,  Georgia,  September  14th,  1792,  was  converted  and  baptized  in  Decem- 
ber, 1808,  and  united  with  Sardis  church,  at  the  call  of  which  he  was  ordained 
November  7th,  1823.  He  was  pastor  of  Sardis,  Rehoboth,  County  Line  and 
Beaverdam  churches  in  Wilkes  county,  and  of  Baird's  and  Millstown  churches 
in  Oglethorpe  county.  His  pastorship  of  Sardis  church  continued  for  about 
thirty-two  years ;  and  his  connection,  in  the  same  relation,  with  Rehoboth  for 
twenty-five.  Of  course  the  results  of  his  labors  are  not  accurately  known,  but 
thousands  were  baptized  by  him,  and  to  his  instrumentality  fully  as  many  owe 
their  conversion. 

He  was  united  in  matrimony  to  Miss  Martha  Reeves,  December  5th,  181 1, 
and  had  fourteen  children,  four  of  whom  died  in  childhood.  He,  himself,  de- 
parted this  life  September  12th,  1859,  at  the  age  of  67.  For  four  years  he 
endured  an  affliction  which  was  at  times  inexpressibly  severe,  yet  his  resignation, 
patience  and  humility  were  so  great  that  he  was  never  heard  to  murmur  at  the 
bitterness  of  the  cup  mingled  for  his  lips.  To  him  death  had  no  terrors,  and 
proved  Jut  a  welcome  messenger  to  bid  him  enter  on  the  possession  of  an- in- 
corruptible and  unfading  inheritance. 


BRANTLY  MERCER  CALLAWAY. 


Among  the  many  worthy  and  efficient  ser- 
vants of  the  Lord  Jesus  now  laboring  in  the 
bounds  of  the  old  Georgia  Association,  Rev. 
Brantly  Mercer  Callaway  desei-ves  no 
obscure  place. 

He  was  born  in  Wilkes  county,  Georgia,  No- 
vember 24th,  1838,  and  is  the  youngest  son  of 
Rev.  Enoch  Callaway.  His  pious  parents  felt  a 
deep  interest  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  their 
large  household,  and  adopted  the  course  which 
would  lead  them  in  early  life  to  the  contemplation 
of  eternal  things.  His  mother,  who  survived  her 
husband  several  years,  lived  with  this  son  and 
watched  with  intense  interest  his  entrance  on  the 
work  of  the  ministry  and  his  progress  in  it.  When 
very  young  his  heart  was  impressed  with  the  ex- 
ceeding sinfulness  of  sin ;  and,  conscious  of  his 
state  by  nature, lost  in  sin  and  alienated  from  God, 
he  cast  himself  with  all  his  guilt  on  divine  mercy,  and  was  enabled,  through 
pardoning  love,  to  rejoice  in  Christ  as  the  Saviour.  This  occurred  when  he  was 
about  twelve  years  of  age,  and  very  soon  after,  on  a  profession  of  faith,  he  was 
baptized  by  his  father  into  the  fellowship  of  Sardis  church,  Wilkes  county,  near 


QF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


87 


where  his  father  then  resided,  and  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  now  resides. 
His  father  was  at  that  time  pastor  of  the  church. 

His  early  school  advantages  were  favorable,  as  he  was,  most  of  the  time,  un- 
der the  tutorship  of  that  most  excellent  instructor,  Rev.  Thomas  N.  Rhodes,  until 
prepared  to  enter  the  Junior  class  of  Mercer  University,  at  Penfield,  in  1856. 
After  pursuing-  the  studies  of  the  Junior  year,  he  spent  two  years  in  teaching 
school.  In  1859  he  formed  the  marriage  relation  with  Miss  Lucy  B.  Howard,  of 
Meriwether  county,  Georgia,  a  most  devotedly  pious  woman,  by  whom  he  has 
several  interesting  children.  In  1858,  Sardis  church,  with  which  he  first  united, 
licensed  him  to  preach  the  Gospel ;  and  after  exercising  his  gift  for  more  than  a 
year,  at  the  request  of  Clark's  Station  church,  Sardis  church  called  him  to  ordi- 
nation, which  ceremony  was  performed  by  Revs.  P.  P.  Butler  and  J.  B.  Butler. 
His  connection  with  Clark's  Station  church  began  in  i860,  and  has  continued 
without  intermission  to  this  date. 

He  has  been  pastor  of  Bethany  church,  Oglethorpe  county,  for  eighteen  years, 
of  Sardis  church  for  ten  years,  and  of  Cloud's  Creek  church  for  three,  and  is 
now  supplying  these  churches.  He  supplied  the  church  at  Fishing  Creek  in 
1 860- 1,  and  Lincolnton  church  in  1867-8-9. 

Since  his  ordination  he  has  unremittingly  given  himself  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry.  He  is  a  successful  planter,  and  manages  all  his  temporal  affairs  with 
wisdom,  but  none  of  ihese  things  are  ever  allowed  to  interfere  with  his  regular 
ministerial  engagements.  He  enforces  on  his  churches  the  Scriptural  obligation 
to  sustain  the  ministry,  and  the  responsibility  binding  each  member  to  give  of 
his  substance  to  sustain  the  cause  of  Christ  at  home  and  in  heathen  lands. 

He  is  held  in  highest  esteem  by  his  churches  for  his  fidelity,  his  soundness  in 
doctrine,  the  ability  with  which  he  enforces  the  teachings  of  the  Bible,  and  the 
bold  and  fearless  manner  with  which  he  urges  the  practical  duties  of  the  Gospel. 
At  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  as  well  as  the  Georgia  Association,  of  which 
he  is  generally  a  member,  he  is  ever  ready  to  give  his  vote  and  personal  influ- 
ence to  any  proposition  that  will  advance  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer. 


ABNER   R.    CALLAWAY. 

Abner  R.  Callaway  was  born  in  Wilkes 
county,  Georgia,  near  Sardis  church,  on  the  6th 
of  February,  1832.  His  parents  were  Rev. 
Enoch  Callaway  and  Martha  Callaway — the 
former  a  vigorous  and  active  worker  in  the  cause 
of  religion,  and  distinguished  as  a  disciplinarian, 
both  in  the  church  and  in  his  family. 

At  the  early  age  of  ten  he  was  converted  and 
joiaed  Sardis  church,  being  baptized  by  his  own 
father  ;  and  at  sixteen,  feeling  it  to  be  his  duty,  he 
first  began  to  exercise  his  ministerial  gifts  in  pub- 
lic. One  of  his  earhest  public  efforts,  however, 
in  his  19th  year, was  a  most  mortifying  failure.  He 
had  accepted  an  invitation  to  preach,  had  writ- 
ten out  his  sermon  and  committed  it  to  memory, 
and  had  ascended  the  pulpit,  accompanied  by 
his  father,  but  during  the  delivery  of  his  sermon 
memory  failed  him ;  words  and  ideas  all  van- 
ished. Turning  to  his  father,  who  sat  behind  in  the  pulpit,  he  said  :  "  Father, 
you  must  preach— I  can't."  Rising  slowly  from  his  seat,  the  venerable  man  of 
God  took  the  text  on  which  his  college  boy  had  attempted  to  preach,  and  delivered 
a  most  edifying  sermon.     Deeply  mortified,  the  son  immediately  decided  that  he 


88  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

had  mistaken  his  vocation,  and  the  very  next  day  began  reading  medicine. 
Some  months  afterwards  he  returned  home,  while  a  revival  was  in  progress,  and 
as  the  deacons  insisted  that  he  should  preach,  he  finally  consented,  taking  for 
his  text  2  Timothy,  i:  lo.  The  result  of  that  sermon  was  the  conversion  of  six 
souls,  the  return  of  the  young  preacher  to  his  first  love,  and,  consequently,  his 
ordination  in  1853. 

He  had  excellent  educational  opportunities  at  Centreville  and  Washington, 
Georgia,  and  at  Mercer  University,  which  institution  he  attended  three  years, 
1 850-1-2.  Settling  in  the  western  part  of  the  State,  he,  during  a  long  series  of  years, 
as  pastor  served  various  churches,  including  those  at  Greenville,  Rocky  Mount, 
Friendship,  Antioch,  Bethlehem,  County  Line,  Hebron,  Wehadkee,  West  Point, 
Hogansville  and  Long  Cane,  and  gradually  rose  to  distinction  among  his  breth- 
ren. As  Moderator  o^  the  Western  Association  he  presided  with  dignity  and 
ability,  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all.  In  1875  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Nat- 
ural Science  and  Belles  Lettres,  in  the  Southern  Female  College  at  LaGrange, 
Georgia,  a  position  he  fills  with  great  ability. 

He  has  been  married  twice — the  first  time  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Howard,  of  Lex- 
ington, Georgia,  in  1852  ;  and  the  second  time  to  Miss  Mary  W.  Ely,  of  Atlanta, 
Georgia,  in  1879.     By  the  former  marriage  he  had  five,  children. 

His  personal  appearance  is  athletic  and  commanding.  He  has  a  full,  vigorous 
form  ;  an  open,  manly  face ;  broad,  high  brow,  with  blue  eyes  and  dark  hair  and 
beard.  He  is  cordial  and  candid  in  his  social  habits  ;  possesses  an  affable  and 
urbane  address  ;  has  a  flow  of  spirits  which  sometimes  borders  on  levity :  is 
polite,  kind  and  generous  ;  and  his  hospitality  is  so  noted  that  his  well-appointed 
home  is  called  "  The  Baptist  Hotel."  In  the  management  of  his  large  planting 
interests  he  has  been  unusually  successful,  and  in  business  qualifications  he.  has 
few  superiors. 

As  a  minister  of  Christ  he  has  labored  diligently,  and  many  souls  have  been 
given  him  for  his  hire.  As  a  Baptist  he  has  sustained  well  the  reputation  of  a 
distinguished  family ;  and  the  records  of  our  denominational  assemblies,  from 
General  Meetings  to  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  bear  witness  to  the  cred- 
itable performance  of  his  duty,  wherever  the  suffrages  of  his  brethren  have  sent 
him.  For  several  years  the  church  at  Long  Cane  was,  in  point  of  benevolence 
in  its  own  work  and  in  the  general  enterprises  of  the  denomination,  the  banner 
church  of  the  Western  Association,  a  result  secured  by  his  labors  as  pastor,  in 
co-operation  with  two  of  the  best  deacons  in  Georgia — M.  H.  Hart  and  B.  T. 
Cameron.  By  intense  study  and  application,  by  drinking  deeply  at  the  fount  of 
inspiration,  and  by  unremitting  personal  labors,  Mr.  Callaway  has  laid  the  foun- 
dations of  his  life-work  broad  and  deep.  The  past  and  present  both  attest  his 
great  worth  as  a  man,  an  educator  and  a  Christian ;  and,  doubtless,  the  future 
will  crown  his  efforts .  to  disseminate  natural  and  revealed  truth  with  eminent 
success. 


JOHN  SANDERS  CALLAWAY. 


John  Sanders  Callaway,  son  of  W.  R.  Callaway 
by  his  first  wife  (Miss  R.  A.  Cheney),  and  grandson  of 
Rev.  Enoch  Callaway,  of  blessed  memory,  was  born  in 
Wilkes  county,  Georgia,  January  6th,  1839.  At  the  early 
age  of  twelve  years  he  was  hopefully  converted,  and  soon 
afterwards  was  baptized  by  his  grandfather,  and  received 
into  the  fellowship  of  Sardis  church,  in  his  native  county. 
Before  reaching  manhood,  young  Callaway  had  strong 
impressions  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel. 
These  impressions,  however,  were  resisted,  under  various 
natural  pleas,  until  the  war  between  the  States  broke  out 
in  1 86 1.  At  this  time,  his  country  having  made  an  imperative  demand  upon 
him  for  his  services,  he  solemnly  promised  his  Maker  that  if  he  should  spare  his 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  89 

life  through  the  war,  he  would  then  serve  him  as  a  preacher,  as  best  he  could. 
This  promise  seemed  to  satisfy  his  conscience  for  the  time,  and  accordingly,  in 
June,  1 86 1,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier  in  Company  A,  of  the  15th  Georgia 
Regiment.  Faithfully  discharging  his  duties,  he  was  gradually  promoted  until 
he  became  captain  of  his  company,  which  office  he  filled  until  disabled  by 
wounds  received  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 

The  war  being  over  and  his  life  having  been  spared,  his  impressions  with  re- 
gard to  the  ministry  returned  upon  him  stronger  than  ever,  and  ceased  not  until 
finally,  in  1868,  he  tremblingly  began  the  long-delayed  work.  For  the  next  two 
or  three  years  he  exercised  his  gift  from  time  to  time,  according  to  the  strength 
of  his  convictions,  and  the  openings  of  God's  providence.  Early  in  the  year  1872 
his  ordination  was  requested  by  the  Baird's  church,  Oglethorpe  county,  this  church 
having  previously  chosen  him  as  a  supply  during  the  affliction  of  their  pastor, 
Dr.  P.  H.  Mell.  Accordingly,  the  church  at  Friendship,  Wilkes  county,  of  which 
he  was  a  member,  called  a  presbytery,  consisting  of  A.  Chandler,  L.  W.  Stephens, 
B.  M.  Callaway,  J.  H.  Fortson,  J.  W.  Jones  and  James  Bramlet,  by  whom  he 
was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry,  March  ist,  1872. 

Since  this  time,  Mr.  Callaway  has  been  largely  occupied  in  ministerial  labors. 
At  Baird's,  New  Hope  and  Union  Point  churches,  and  at  Oakland,  Stonewall, 
and  perhaps  other  places,  he  has  regularly  preached  for  longer  or  shorter  periods  ; 
and  at  this  writing  he  is  the  pastor  of  the  churches  at  Shiloh,  Penfield  and  Beth- 
esda.  His  longest  pastorate  has  been  with  Bethesda  church,  to  which  he 
preaches  twice  a  month.  Though  comparatively  young  in  the  ministry,  he  has 
already  obtained  a  strong  hold  on  the  hearts  of  his  brethren,  and  is  daily  grow- 
ing in  power  and  usefulness,  after  the  old  and  honored  Callaway  pattern. 

So  far  as  secular  pursuits  are  concerned,  Mr.  Callaway  has  devoted  himself 
mainly  to  teaching,  and  has  established  a  high  reputation  as  a  faithful  and  suc- 
cessful teacher.     At  present  he  is  Principal  of  the  Bairdstown  Academy. 

In  person,  Mr.  Callaway  is  quite  stout,  being  nearly,  or  quite,  six  feet  high,  and 
weighing  apparently  above  two  hundred  pounds.  He  has  a  fine,  open  face, 
beaming  with  amiability  and  candor,  and  to  this  face  answers  a  warm,  kind  and 
generous  heart. 

Previously  to  his  entering  the  ministry — January  i8th,  1865 — he  was  married 
to  Miss  S.  E.  Wootten,  of  Wilkes  county.  This  estimable  woman,  by  whom  he 
has  had  several  children,  has  been  the  true  and  faithful  partner  of  a  true  and 
faithful  man. 


PITT    MILNER   CALLAWAY. 

Pitt  Milner  Callaway  was  born  October  12th, 
1812,  and  was  the  eldest  son  of  Joshua  S.  and  Mary  Calla- 
way. He  received  a  common  academic  education,  and 
was  married  to  Miss  E.  W.  Jordan,  December  loth,  1833, 
in  Talbot  county,  Georgia.  In  1834  he  began  to  give  very 
serious  attention  to  the  interests  of  his  soul,  mainly  through 
the  instrumentality  of  his  wife,  who  was  that  year  con- 
verted in  a  revival  meeting.  Returning  from  the  field  to 
the  house  one  day,  he  found  his  wife  on  her  knees  pray- 
ing, and  prostrated  himself  by  her  side,  crying  for  mercy. 
He  was  there  brought  to  feel  himself  a  lost  sinner,  and  to  recognize  Jesus  as  the 
one  who  came  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost,  and  was  enabled  by  faith  to  rejoice 
in  the  hope  of  eternal  life  through  Christ.  He,  however,  moved  to  South-East 
Alabama  in  1838,  without  having  connected  himself  with  any  church. 

About  1840  he  paid  a  visit  to  his  relatives  in  Henry  county,  Georgia,  having, 
in  the  meantime,  made  Eufaula,  Alabama,  his  place  of  residence.  During  that 
visit  he  was  received  for  baptism  by  Philadelphia  church,  of  which  his  own  father 
was  pastor.     The  circumstances  are  singular  and  worth  narrating.     He  attended 


go  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

a  conference  meeting,  and,  against  the  strivings  of  conscience,  resisted  an  incli- 
nation to  present  his  case  to  the  church  until  the  benediction  was  about  to  be 
pronounced.  He  rose  from  his  seat  in  the  back  part  of  the  house,  and  begged 
to  be  heard.  He  then  related  something  of  his  spiritual  condition,  requested  an 
interest  in  the  prayers  of  the  church,  apologized  for  interrupting  the  exercises, 
and  sat  down.  Some  of  the  older  members  exclaimed  :  "  Go  on,  and  tell  us  all 
about  it !  "  He  then  related  his  Cihristian  experience  fully,  stating  the  mental 
conflicts  through  which  he  had  passed.  "  Have  you  ever  felt  desirous  of  being 
baptized  ?  "  asked  an  aged  deacon.  "  Nothing  would  afford  me  more  pleasure, 
could  I  be  assured  that  I  am  a  proper  subject."  His  own  father  then  remarked  : 
"  The  mind  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  him.  These  old  servants  of  his 
have  heard  you ;  now,  shall  the  responsibility  of  this  matter  be  thrown  upon 
them  ?  "  A  motion  was  then  made  and  carried  that  he  be  received  for  baptism. 
Others  then  arose  and  asked  for  the  prayers  of  the  church,  among  them  his 
brother-in-law,  James  L.  Head.  A  ten-days'  meeting  was  the  consequence,  which 
resulted  in  the  baptism  of  more  than  forty.  As  he  was  setting  out  for  this  visit 
from  Alabama,  Rev.  Willis  B.  Jones  had  said  to  him  :  "  Pitt,  when  you  get  there, 
tell  uncle  Joshua  to  baptize  you,  and  then  come  home  and  go  to  work  for  the 
Lord." 

On  his  return  to  Eufaula  he  was  soon  chosen  church  clerk,  and  shortly  after- 
wards was  ordained  deacon,  at  the  same  time  and  by  the  same  presbytery  with 
Hon.  John  Gill  Shorter.  For  thirteen  years  he  labored  earnestly  as  a  Christian, 
representing  his  church  every  year  in  ihe  Associational  meeting.  He  was  licensed 
by  the  Eufaula  church  in  1854,  but,  owing  to  timidity,  never  preached  until  he 
was  ordained,  December  12th,  1857.  His  first  sermon  was  to  the  Cowigee  church, 
and  he  made,  as  he  thought,  a  lamentable  failure,  but  was  comforted  by"  the 
remark  of  a  deacon  to  whom  he  was  expressing  his  great  chagrin :  "  I  am  as- 
tonished at  you,  brother  Pitt.  Nobody  was  disappointed,  for  nobody  expected 
much."  .  At  his  next  effort  he  spoke  more  humbly,  and  excited  much  feeling;  a 
revival  occurred,  and  forty  were  added  to  the  church.  He  was  called  that  year 
to  the  care  of  Mount  Zion,  Perote  and  Mount  Moriah  churches,  and  was  em- 
ployed by  Dr.  CuUen  Battle  to  preach  on  his  Cowigee  plantation. 

He  removed  to  Newton,  Dale  county,  in  1 862,  and  was  partly  instrumental  in 
organizing  the  Eufaula  Association,  of  which  he  was  for  several  years  clerk,  and 
then  Moderator.  He  was  afterwards  for  a  number  of  years  successively  elected 
Moderator  of  the  Judson  and  Newton  Associations.  During  1866-7  he  was  an 
evangelist  for  South-East  Alabama,  under  the  Domestic  Mission  Board  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention,  and  effected  the  organization  of  a  General  Associ- 
ation for  that  section  of  the  State,  of  which  body  he  was  the  presiding  officer 
until  its  last  session  at  Brundige. 

Though  opposed  to  secession,  he  heartily  supported  the  Confederacy  after 
secession  occurred.  He  was  one  of  the  "immortal  nine"  who  fired  into  the 
raiders  who  intended  to  burn  the  town  of  Newton,  and  repelled  them. 

For  two  years  he  represented  his  county  in  the  Legislature  after  the  war,  and 
was  also  a  member  of  the  last  State  Constitutional  Convention  of  Alabama. 

He  has  been  a  man  of  energy  and  enterprise,  and  generally  successful.  He 
saved  enough  from  the  ravages  of  the  late  war  to  make  his  declining  years  com- 
fortable, and  has  been  allowed  to  see  all  his  children — seven  daughters  and  one 
son — become  educated  Baptists,  and  well  settled  in  life.  His  old  age  has  been 
saddened  by  the  death  of  a  wife,  who,  for  forty-five  years,  had  soothed  and  mit- 
igated the  trials  and  cares  of  life  by  the  daily  exercise  of  all  those  lovely  traits  of 
character  which  adorn  the  hightest  type  of  the  Christian  wife  and  mother. 

The  cause  of  education  has  had  his  warm  support.  He  is  a  strong  advocate 
of  missions.  "  Christ  for  the  world,  and  the  world  for  Christ,"  is  his  motto. 
His  sermons  are  always  extemporaneous.  His  style  in  the  pulpit  is  earnest  and 
pathetic  :  earnest,  for  he  gives  his  heart  to  it ;  pathetic,  for  his  heart  yearns  over 
the  perishing.  In  his  case,  perhaps,  it  is  rather  the  preacher  that  commends  the 
preaching,  than  the  preaching  that  commends  the  preacher ;  and  to  say  ^/lat  is 
only  saying  in  other  words  what  every  herald  of  the  cross  might  well  rejoice  to 
have  said  of  him — that  the  messenger  is  loved,  and  therefore  the  message  is- 
heard  and  accepted. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


91 


JOSHUA   S.   CALLAWAY. 


Joshua  S.  Callaway 
was  born  in  Wilkes  coun- 
ty,  Georgia,    May    30th, 
1789,  and  in  his  nth  year 
was  hopefully  converted 
to  God,  but  through  the 
prejudice    felt     by    the 
churches   of  that    day 
against  early  professions 
of  religion,  was  not  bap- 
tized   till    his    twentieth 
year,  when  the  ordinance 
was  administered  by  Rev. 
Jesse  Mercer.      He    was 
ordained  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry  at  Sardis 
church,  in  Jones  county, 
Georgia,  in  1820,  and  was 
Moderator   of   the    Flint 
River   Association    for 
more  than  twenty  years. 
In   the    troublous    times 
when  the  missionary  and 
anti-missionary  elements 
of 'our  denomination  sep- 
arated  from  each  other. 
Elder   Callaway  at    first 
inclined  to  take  the  side 
of  the  latter,  but  on  ma- 
ture reflection  he  decided 
to  unite  with  the  missionary  element,  and  if  he  lost  any  time  while  in  a  state  of 
doubt,  he  amply  made  up  for  it  by  extraordinary  zeal  and  diligence  afterwards. 
The  first  ten  years  of  his  ministerial  life  were  spent  in  Jones  county ;  at  the 
end  of  this  period  he  removed  to  Henry  county,  and  there  and  in  the  neighbor- 
ing counties   expended    most  of  his  labors  during  the  rest  of  his  life.     His 
ministry  was  very  successful.     In  its  earlier  years  he  kept  an  account  of  those 
baptized  by  him,  but  when  the  number  reached  fourteen  hundred,  he  conceived 
the  idea  that  there  might  be  something  wrong  in  keeping  this  account,  and  he 
therefore  discontinued  it.     It  is  probable  that  several  thousand  persons  received 
baptism  at  his  hands.     He  excelled  greatly  as  a  disciplinarian,  and  was_ vigilant 
and  rigid  in  keeping  the  churches  under  his  care  in  good,  orderly  condition.  _   In 
doctrine  he  was  very  decidedly  Calvinistic,  and  he  sustained  his  theological  views 
with  ingenunity  and  with  great  power.    Yet  he  was  tender  and  sympathetic  in 
m inner;  his  appeals  were  addressed  equally  to  the  understanding  and  to  the 
feelings,  and  while  they  were  always  effective,  were  sometimes  remarkably  so. 
His  talents  were  of  superior  order,  and  his  culture  much  above  the  average, 
though  he  went  to  school  only  eight  months  of  a  single  year.     He  was  a  man  of 
very  strong  and  decided  convictions,  inclined  somewhat,  perhaps,  to  extremes, 
and  when  he  espoused  a  cause  he  did  it  with  energy  and  enthusiasm.     He  was 
sure  to  take  one  side  or  the  other  of  every  question  that  came  before  him,  and 
he  took  it  for  better  and  for  worse ;  he  was  not  given  to  compromises  when  he 
thought  that  principle  was  involved ;  was  inflexible,  stern,  and  sometimes  was 
thought  to  be  a  little  overbearing,  but  considering  his  remarkable  force  of  char- 
acter, this  is  not  surprising. 


92  BIOGAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

As  might  be  expected,  he  had  strong  friends  and  strong  opponents.  But  none 
questioned  his  high  integrity,  the  purity  of  his  motives,  nor  the  genuineness  and 
earnestness  of  his  piety.  He  was  devoted  to  his  work  and  faithful  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties,  and  continued  to  preach  until  his  last  illness,  and  on  his 
sick  and  dying  bed  continued  to  speak  to  those  around  him  of  the  great  salva- 
vation  until  death  sealed  his  lips  in  silence. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  a  man  of  such  character  as  that  just  described  had 
high  position  among  his  brethren,  and  was  universally  recognized  as  one  of  the 
the  strong  forces  of  the  denomination.  Outside  of  his  ministerial  gifts,  he  was 
blest  with  others  which  would  have  made  him  eminent  as  a  citizen  if  he  had  not 
been  a  minister.  Among  these  was  a  remarkable  talent  for  mathematics — a 
science  in  whose  intricacies  he  took  great  delight,  and  in  which  he  was  perfectly 
at  home.  He  never  sought  official  position  of  any  kind,  but  was  once  appointed 
surveyor  of  Walton  county,  and  his  returns  are  said  to  have  been  the  most  com- 
plete and  perfect  ever  received  by  the  Surveyor-General. 

Elder  Callaway  was  three  times  married.  First,  in  i8i  i,  to  Miss  Mary  Milner, 
daughter  of  deacon  Pitt  Milner.  This  lady  died  in  1826,  leaving  six  children, 
the  youngest  a  babe,  and  the  eldest  thirteen  years  old.  On  her  deathbed  she 
gave  them  all  hopefully  to  God,  and  now,  with  the  exception  of  the  second  son, 
James  Madison,  who  died  a  Christian  in  1848,  they  are  all  living,  and  all  worthy 
and  efficient  members  of  Baptist  churches.  The  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Smith,  whose  maiden  name  was  Shivers,  a  daughter  of  Willis  Shivers.  Mrs. 
Smith  had  three  children  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  with  Elder  Callaway,  and 
two  were  given  to  her  afterwards.  The  eleven  children  of  three  different  sets, 
nine  of  them  being  boys,  were  all  raised  under  the  same  roof,  and  educated  at 
the  same  school.  With  such  varied  elements  there  was  room  for  discord,  but 
under  the  godly  influence  of  their  pious  parents,  they  lived  together  in  harmony, 
peace  and  love.  Elder  C.  was  married  the  third  time  to  Miss  Mary  McCoy, 
daughter  of  Abner  McCoy.  This  estimable  lady  survives  her  husband,  and  is 
now  living  in  the  town  of  Jonesboro,  near  the  spot  where  his  mortal  remains  are 
entombed.  By  this  last  marriage  there  were  seven  children,  making  eighteen  in 
all  who  composed  the  family.  Fourteen  of  these  are  now  living,  and  are  all 
worthy  representatives  of  him  under  whose  wise,  kind  and  pious  tutelage  they 
were  brought  up. 

Elder  C.  was  a  man  of  rather  spare  habit,  but  of  fine  personal  appearance  and 
impressive  presence.  He  died  in  Jonesboro,  Georgia,  May  29th,  1 854,  lacking  one 
day  of  being  65  years  of  age.  The  writer  of  this  memoir  never  saw  the  subject 
of  it,  but  he  takes  pleasure  in  recording  the  fact  that  men  of  the  generation 
now  beginning  to  pass  away,  and  who  knew  Elder  Callaway,  are  unanimous  in 
speaking  of  him  in  the  strongest  terms  as  one  of  the  purest  and  best  men,  and 
as  one  of  the  ablest  ministers  ever  known  to  the  Baptist  denomination  of  Georgia. 


JESSE  MERCER  CALLAWAY. 

Jesse  Mercer  Callaway,  son  of  Rev.  Wm.  A.  and 
Mrs.  Martha  Callaway,  was  born  in  McDonough,  Henry 
county,  Georgia,  November  4th,  1830.  His  father  moved 
from  Henry  to  Meriwether,  and  thence  to  Troup  county, 
and  lived  in  and  near  LaGrange  until  Mercer  grew  up  to 
manhood.  Although  he  did  not  receive  a  collegiate  edu- 
cation, he  had  the  advantage  of  the  High  School  of 
LaGrange  at  a  period  when  school-life  was  most  benefi- 
cial to  him,  and  when  that  school  was  most  prosperous. 
About  the  time  he  attained  his  majority,  he  moved  to 
Harris  county,  where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  S.  Huling,  February 
26,  1852.     In  1856  he  was  bereft  of  his  wife  and  an  infant  daughter.     A  little 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


93 


son,  three  years  old,  was  left  to  him.     He  was  married  again,  in  1857,  to  Miss 
Victoria  Hill,  of  LaGrange.     He  has  eight  children  from  his  second  marriage. 

He  entered  the  Confederate  army  in  1 862,  as  first  lieutenant  of  cavalry ;  was 
soon  prornoted  to  the  captaincy,  which  office  he  held  until  he  resigned  on  ac- 
count of  failing  health.  He  served  the  government  during  the  remainder  of  the 
war  as  agent  in  procuring  supplies. 

He  united  with  the  Baptist  church  at  Shady  Grove,  Harris  county,  in  1852; 
was  ordained  deacon  the  following  year,  and  served  the  church  faithfully  in  that 
office  until  January,  1866,  when  he  was  set  apart  to  the  Gospel  ministry.  He 
was  immediately  chosen  pastor  of  Shady  Grove  church,  and  served  it  for  eight 
years,  consecutively.  In  a  few  years  he  was  chosen  pastor  of  Antioch  church, 
in  the  same  county.  The  churches  prospered  under  his  ministry,  as  was  evi- 
denced by  the  membership  being  largely  increased,  and  zealously  performing 
their  duties.  During  this  time  he  served  other  churches,  both  in  Georgia  and 
in  the  eastern  portion  of  Alabama. 

He  moved  to  West  Point  in  the  fall  of  1872,  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business.  For  four  years  he  did  not  have  the  care  of  any  church,  but  in  1878  he 
was  again  unanimously  chosen  to  the  pastoral  care  of  Shady  Grove  and  Antioch 
churches.  He  accepted  these  calls,  and  is  still  serving  them  very  acceptably, 
and  we  trust  with  great  benefit  to  himself  and  membership,  and  the  building  up 
of  the  Lord's  kingdom  on  earth.  Although  he  is  now  in  his  fiftieth  year,  and 
began  the  work  of  the  ministry  late  in  life,  and  is  by  nature  very  timid,  we  be- 
lieve he  will  do  much  labor  in  the  Lord's  vineyard  yet,  before  he  is  called  to  the 
rest  that  remaineth  to  the  people  of  God.  A  plain  man,  but  a  solid  one ;  inca- 
pable by  nature  of  mere  display,  but  competent  to  do  substantial  work ;  not 
profound  in  thought,  nor  thorough  in  research,  but  finding  guidance  in  familiar- 
ity with  the  Scriptures,  the  impulses  of  a  renewed  heart  and  prayer  for  the^ 
leadings  of  the  providence  and  Spirit  of  God,  he  fills,  though  not  brilliantly,  yet 
faithfully  and  usefully,  the  sphere  of  father  in  his  family  and  of  pastor  in  his 
churches. 


SAMUEL  POPE  CALLAWAY. 


Samuel  Pope,  son  of  Rev.  William  A. 
Callaway  and  Martha  Pope,  his  wife,  was 
born  August  12th,  1842,  near  McDonough, 
Henry  county,  Georgia.  A  few  years  after 
his  birth,  the  family  removed  to  LaGrange, 
and  here  at  Brownwood,  eminent  at  that  time 
for  its  thorough  and  high  grade  of  educa- 
tion, his  first  years  of  pupilage  were  passed, 
under  the  tuition,  successively,  of  Professors 
Smith,  Shannon  and  Johns.  His  applica- 
tion to  study  and  his  progress  in  knowledge 
at  this  school  evinced  an  intellect  of  no  or- 
dinary type ;  and  the  impression  made  in 
that  narrower  sphere  was  confirmed  and 
deepened  by  his  student-life  at  Mercer  Uni- 
versity, in  the  year  i860,  as  appears  from 
the  fact  that,  though  he  took  but  a  partial 
course  ,  in  this  institution,  it  conferred  on 
him,  nine  years  later,  the  honorary  degree 
of  A.  M.  His  youthful  attempts  at  oratory  and  his  original  essays  rarely  failed 
to  elicit  laudatory  remarks ;  and  on  one  occasion,  after  the  delivery  of  a  speech 
of  his  own  composition,  a  distinguished  visitor  in  the  audience  said :  "  The  world 
will  hear  from  that  boy  some  day." 

His  mind,  with  all  its  brilliant  properties,  early  received  a  bent  toward  religion. 


94  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

He  was  taught  at  his  mother's  knee  to  love  the  Saviour.  His  beliefs,  however, 
were  not  simply  hereditary.  He  did  not  accept  even  the  truth  blindly,  but  made 
the  Bible  a  daily  study,  and  sought  to  draw  his  creed  from  that  one  only  "  lamp 
to  our  feet  and  light  to  our  path."  All  its  precious  doctrines — the  fall  and  re- 
covery of  man,  the  atonement,  justification  by  faith,  the  election  of  grace  and  the 
ordinances  of  the  church — were  satisfactorily  solved  in  his  own  spiritual  renew- 
ing and  his  connection  with  the  Baptist  church,  June,  1 864,  under  the  pastorate 
of  Rev.  E.  B.  Teague.  His  attainment  in  divine  things  was  so  marked  and  so 
manifest  that  within  a  year  after  his  baptism  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry, 
and  on  the  resignation  of  the  pastor  in  1865,  was  chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

This  was  his  home  church,  where  he  had  lived  as  a  boy,  and  a  church  which 
had  been  favored  with  a  succession  of  distinguished  pastors,  and  yet  we  find 
him,  while  still  but  a  boy,  counted  worthy,  by  those  who  had  known  all  the  man- 
ner of  his  life,  to  stand  in  the  place  which  these  predecessors  had  illustrated  by 
their  graces  and  their  talents.  Nothing  could  more  strikingly  attest  that  his 
walk  had  been  pure,  that  his  character  had  reached  an  early  maturity,  and  that 
his  gifts  were  of  high  order. 

In  June,  1866,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  Rebecca  Pattillo,  of  Harris  county, 
Georgia,  and  three  children,  all  of  whom  are  living,  have  been  the  "  heritage  of 
the  Lord  "  to  them. 

For  two  years,  from  1867  to  1869,  he  served  the  church  at  Albany  as  pastor, 
succeeding  well  and  securing  the  universal  admiration  and  love  of  his  flock.  In 
1869  he  went  to  West  Point,  took  charge  of  the  Female  College,  and  became 
pastor  of  the  Baptist  church.  This  latter  office,  by  calls  repeated  after  several 
resignations,  he  has  filled,  with  short  intervals  during  which  others  occupied  it, 
down  to  the  present  time.  He  has  been  debarred  from  larger  and  more  prom- 
inent spheres  of  pastoral  service  by  the  deafness  which  cripples  his  fine  conver- 
sational powers,  and  renders  communication  with  him  by  speech  a  matter  of 
much  difficulty.  It  is  this  physical  disability  alone  which  holds  him  back  from 
the  best  positions  within  the  gift  of  his  brethren. 

To  complement  an  inadequate  salary,  he  established  a  weekly  paper,  the  State 
Line  Press,  six  years  ago  or  more,  and  has  maintained  it  ever  since.  His  pol- 
ished, vigorous  style,  his  pure  taste,  his  sympathy  with  every  good  cause,  his 
high  moral  and  Christian  tone,  have  all  stamped  their  impress  on  it,  and  made  it 
worthy  of  the  popularity  which  it  has  achieved. 

His  watchful,  tender  guardianship  of  his  churches,  and  his  loving  sympathy 
with  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  the  members,  have  wrought  a  deep,  enthusiastic 
affection  in  the  hearts  of  all  to  whom  he  has  ministered.  He  has  been  called  at 
times  to  preach  on  occasions  demanding  the  best  talent  of  the  denomination, 
and  these  efforts  have  won  the  highest  encomiums  for  rare  literary  merit  and 
graceful  oratory.  Often  has  he  been  summoned  to  pass  through  the  furnace  of 
affliction,  and  as  often  come  forth  refined  as  gold  from  the  crucible.  In  native 
power,  in  culture,  in  depth  of  piety,  in  fidelity  under  all  the  relations  of  life,  he 
is  worthy  of  his  family  name,  and  the  peer  of  our  foremost  ministers. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


95 


JESSE  H.  CAMPBELL. 


One  of  the  most  highly  honored  and 
esteemed  of  all  Georgia  Baptist  minis- 
ters, on  account  of  his  life-long  ser- 
vices, his  excellence,  ability  and  zeal,  is 
Dr.  J.  H.  Campbell.  Now  inhis  75th 
year,  he  has  stood  for  half  a  century  in 
the  front  rank  of  our  denomination  in 
the  State  as  a  preacher  and  revivalist. 
The  following  noble  qualities  have 
been  displayed  in  his  ministry :  First, 
an  undivided  consecration  to  his  work. 
Through  life  he  has  made  everything 
else  subordinate  to  the  duties  of  his 
holy  calling,  and  few  men  have  been 
more  completely  devoted  to  the  min- 
istry. This  consecration  is  founded 
on  his  unwavering  faith  in  the  truth  of 
the  Gospel,  his  love  for  the  Saviour 
whom  it  reveals,  and  his  ardent  desire 
for  the  salvation  of  his  fellow-men. 
Secondly,  a  firm  adherence  to  what  he 
believes  to  be  right,  is  conspicuous  in 
his  character.  No  trimmer,  he  judges 
for  himself,  and  follows  to  the  end  the  line  of  his  convictions.  Thirdly,  in  him 
firmness  of  purpose  is  combined  with  tenderness  of  heart ;  he  yearns  ovsr  the 
people  of  his  charge,  and  with  melting  sympathy  seeks  to  lead  them  to  Christ. 
Fourthly,  he  utters  no  uncertain  sound  in  preaching,  but  proclaims  the  pure  and 
simple  Gospel  which  the  Apostles  preached ;  and  in  his  views  of  religous  truth 
he  is  clear  and  orthodox.  His  style  is  marked  by  perspicuity  and  force,  and 
often  abounds  with  a  pathos  that  powerfully  affects  the  hearts  of  his  hearers, 
and  makes  his  discourses  most  solemnly  and  feelingly  impressive. 

These  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  have  made  Dr.  Campbell  a  prominent  and 
useful  laborer  in  the  Master's  vineyard.  Into  all  the  benevolent  enterprises  of 
our  people  he  has  entered  with  zeal,  being,  all  through  life,  a  devoted  friend  of 
Mercer  University,  and  an  earnest  advocate  of  missions,  both  at  home  and  in 
foreign  fields.  To  the  institution  he  loved  he  gave  his  patronage  by  educating 
his  sons  in  it ;  and  to  secure  its  endowment  he  devoted  a  large  amount  of 
personal  labor  and  means.  In  fine,  whenever  and  wherever  there  was  work  to 
do  for  the  glory  of  God  or  the  good  of  man,  that  work  has  found  a  friend  and 
advocate  in  Dr.  Jesse  H.  Campbell. 

On  the  loth  of  February,  1807,  he  first  saw  the  light,  in  Mcintosh  county, 
Georgia.  His  father,  Jesse  Campbell,  belonged,  by  descent,  to  the  Scottish  clan 
of  that  name.  His  mother  was  the  daughter  of  John  Dunham,  who  with  his  wife, 
Sarah  Clancy,  came  to  this  country  as  an  emigrant  in  the  same  ship  with  Gen.  C)gle- 
thorpe.  Mr.  Campbell  was  fortunate  in  being  educated  until  his  eighteenth  year 
chiefly  at  Sunbury,  Liberty  county,  by  Rev.  James  Shannon,  who  subsequently 
filled  in  our  State  University  the  chair  of  Ancient  Languages,  and  was  President 
of  Missouri  State  University.  This  was  all  the  more  a  cause  of  congratulation, 
as  his  college  course  at  Athens  was  suddenh  terminated,  after  a  few  months,  in 
1825  by  the  death  of  his  father,  which  necessitated  his  return  to  the  old  home- 
stead on  the  coast,  for  the  protection  and  support  oi  his  three  orphan  sisters,  he 
being  the  only  surviving  son.  Though  but  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  adminis- 
tered on  his  father's  estate,  and  occupied  for  three  years  the  position  of  head  of 
the  family. 


96  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

His  father  had  never  made  a  profession  of  religion,  but  Dr.  C.  was  blessed 
with  a  devotedly  pious  mother,  whose  example  and  prayers  were  sanctified  to  his 
conversion  in  his  sixteenth  year.  He  was  baptized  at  Sunbury,  Liberty  county, 
in  November,  1822,  by  Rev.  C.  O.  Screven.  Previous  to  his  conversion  the  de- 
pravity of  his  nature  manifested  itself  in  the  habit  of  profane  swearing,  to  which 
he  was  much  addicted  ;  but  immediately  after  his  conversion  he,  by  the  advice  of 
his  mother,  and  with  the  consent  of  his  father,  began  to  conduct  family  worship, 
which  practice  he  maintained  until  the  death  of  both  his  parents.  There  is  rea- 
son to  hope  that  the  change  in  the  ungodly  son  was  sanctified  to  the  salvation  of 
the  father,  although  he  never  made  a  profession  of  religion.  Before  he  reached 
his  seventeenth  year  he  was  in  the  habit  of  exhorting  and  praying  publicly,  and  in 
this  way  he  became  known  as  "'the  boy  preacher"  in  the  coast  counties  of 
Georgia. 

On  the  marriage  of  his  sisters,  being  left  free  to  act  for  himself,  he  repaired  to 
Eatonton,  Georgia,  where  he  pursued  a  course  of  theological  study,  under  the 
direction  of  Rev.  A.  Sherwood,  D.D.,  then  pastor  of  that  church.  He  was  or- 
dained at  Sunbury  in  1830,  and  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Macon  in  1831. 
The  connection  continued,  however,  but  one  year.  He  then  settled  in  Clinton, 
Jones  county,  where  he  resided  eleven  years,  preaching  in  the  village  and  the 
surrounding  country.  At  that  period  he  labored  much  in  conjunction  with  C. 
D.  Mallary  and  John  E.  Dawson,  and  hundreds  were  brought  into  the  fold  of 
Christ ;  and  from  then  until  the  present  time  his  whole  life  has  been  devoted  to 
the  active  duties  of  his  sacred  calling,  giving  but  little  attention  to  anything  else. 
Besides  Macon  and  Clinton,  his  chief  places  of  residence  have  been  McDonough, 
Twiggs  county,  Lumpkin,  Griffin,  Thomasville  and  Perry ;  and  through  his  in- 
strumentality thousands  have  been  won  to  that  service  of  God  which  alone  is 
true  liberty. 

For  four  years,  during  the  administration  of  Gov.  George  W.  Crawford,  he  was 
State  Agent  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  and  at  his  instance  the  Legislature  estab- 
lished at  Cave  Spring  the  Asylum  for  that  afflicted  class.  For  five  years  he  was 
a  vely  successful  agent  of  our  Foreign  Mission  Board  at  Richmond,  Virginia, 
for  the  collection  of  funds  in  Georgia. 

Upon  resigning  that  agency  he  entered  on  the  work  of  an  evangelist  for  the  State 
at  large ;  was  cordially  endorsed  by  the  Baptist  Convention,  was  liberally  sus- 
tained by  the  churches,  and  was  eminently  successful  in  labor.  While  thus 
engaged,  sectional  differences  culminated  in  war.  Hostilities  commenced  in 
1 86 1,  and  relinquishing  all  other  ministerial  work,  he  promptly  entered  the  army 
as  a  volunteer  evangelist,  in  which  capacity  he  persevered  until  the  war  closed. 
The  five  or  six  years  which  succeeded  the  war  he  spent  at  Quitman  and  at 
Thomasville,  preaching  the  Gospel.  He  then  took  charge  of  the  church  at  Perry, 
Houston  county,  but  in  1876  moved  to  Columbus,  where  he  resides  with  his  son. 
Rev.  A.  B.  Campbell,  and  is  devoting  the  evening  of  his  days  to  active  and  suc- 
cessful labors  among  the  poor  and  otherwise  destitute  of  the  city  and  suburbs. 

Mr.  Campbell  has  been  an  active  participant  in  all  our  benevolent  and  educa- 
tional enterprises  for  the  past  half  century.  He  was  on  the  first  Board  of 
Trustees  of  Mercer  University,  and  continued  on  that  Board  for  more  than  thirty 
years.  While  residing  at  Lumpkin  he  originated  the  Masonic  Female  College  at 
that  place,  and  the  Baptist  Female  College  at  Cuthbert ;  and  of  his  compara- 
tively limited  means,  he  has  given  liberally  to  the  endowment  of  our  Georgia 
Baptist  institutions  of  learning.  He  is  the  author  of  the  only  published  history 
of  our  denomination  in  the  State — a  historical  and  biographical  work  of  500 
duodecimo  pages,  which  will  be  of  great  interest  and  value  long  after  ha  has 
ceased  from  his  earthly  labors. 

While  not  robust,  he  is  tall,  well  proportioned,  graceful  in  movement,  with 
decision  of  character  marked  in  every  action  of  his  body.  The  expression  of  his 
face  is  gentle,  his  features  being  smooth,  symmetrical  and  woman-like.  With  his 
keen,  yet  softly-piercing  eye,  he'  sees  his  audience,  scans  each  face,  and  readily 
discerns  the  effect  his  discourse  is  having  on  his  hearers.  His  mouth  is  large, 
and  when  closed,  has  the  expression  of  determination ;  yet,  when  speaking,  it  is 
wreathed  with  the  genial  smile  of  kindness  and  good  feeling.     He  has  a  clear. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  97 

ringing  voice,  very  distinct  in  articulation,  and  well  suited  to  out-door  speaking, 
in  which  he  delights ;  but  controlled,  as  he  knows  full  well  how  to  control  it,  it 
is  pleasant  indoors  ;  and  when  his  soul  is  all  on  fire  with  his  subject  and  burning 
with  intense  desire  for  the  sinner's  salvation,  he  is  truly  eloquent.  His  powers 
of  oratory  are  of  a  high  order,  for  the  whole  man  speaks.  His  sweeping  gestic- 
ulations emphasize  his  fervid  utterances;  his  keen  eye  watches  each  thought 
home  to  the  hearer's  heart,  impelled,  as  that  thought  is,  by  tones  of  Isaiah-like 
earnestness  and  sublimity :  and  his  commanding  appearance,  with  the  force  of 
an  ingenuous  authority,  seems  to  require  that  his  hearers  accept  and  believe  his 
statements.  His  apprehension  of  the  truth  is  sharply  defined,  and  in  presenting 
it  he  is  forcible,  logical  and  convincing.  In  general,  his  delivery  is  pleasant  and 
his  tone  is  persuasive  ;  but,  aside  from  the  divince  presence  and  influence,  much  of 
his  success  is  due  to  the  fact  that,  feeling  the  power  of  the  truth  in  his  own 
heart,  he  speaks  as  one  having  authority.  Knowing  that  his  commission  to 
plead  with  men  bears  the  seal  of  God,  his  speech  is  bold  and  his  sentiments  are 
fearless.  While  respectful  to  those  who  hold  a  different  creed,  he  is  not  at  all 
timid  in  defending  "the  faith  delivered,  once  for  all,  to  the  saints." 

His  policy  is  always  candid  and  well  mapped  out,  and  his  adhesion  to  princi- 
ple is  strong  and  ardent ;  his  appreciation  of  sentiment  is  warm  and  generous, 
and  his  convictions  of  duty  are  always  deep,  the  promptings  of  a  sensitive  con- 
science. He  is  a  born  defender  of  the  truth  as  he  sees  the  truth,  and  he  is  an 
untiring  advocate  of  the  policy  and  plan  which,  in  his  judgment,  are  best  suited 
to  maintain  right  principle.  Men  are  forgotten  in  his  advocacy  of  a  cause,  and 
this  has  made  some  think  him  rude  or  wanting  in  respect ;  but,  whenever  oppor- 
tunity'J)resents  itself,  he  is  found  as  tender  as  a  woman  in  his  personal  regard 
for  those  from  whom  he  dissents.  While  he  is  not  indifferent  to  exhortation, 
nor  insensible  to  the  appeal  of  sympathy,  yet,  to  gain  his  support  and  secure  his 
approval,  recourse  must  be  had  to  argument.  He  will  not  be  led  by  transient 
emotions,  nor  controlled  by  personal  considerations,  yet,  for  the  sake  of  peace, 
and  with  the  hope  that  time  and  the  information  which  time  will  bring  to  his 
brethren  shall  enable  them  to  agree  with  him.  he  can  repress  his  ardent  desires, 
abide  calmly  in  his  deep  convictions,  and  in  silence  wait,  even  for  years,  to  re- 
joice over  the  success  of  his  proposed  measures.  His  mind  is  analytical  in  its 
mould.  He  examines  a  subject  closely,  and  considers  it  in  all  its  bearings.  With 
his  wide  reading,  retentive  memory  and  searching  habits  of  thought,  his  prepa- 
ration is  generally  complete  and  quite  conclusive  to  himself,  and  his  facility  of 
utterance  enables  him  to  impress  his  convictions  on  his  hearers  with  remarkable 
success. 

Socially,  he  naturally  feels  bound  especially  to  those  of  his  own  age  and  gen- 
eration, and  he  finds  great  pleasure  in  their  company,  rehearsing  the  trials  and 
successes,  the  labors  and  harvests  of  by-gone  years ;  but  the  elasticity  of  his 
nature  and  the  kindness  of  his  heart  have  identified  him  with  the  younger  ser- 
vants of  the  Master.  By  his  kind  words  he  has  won  their  confidence,  and  by 
hopeful  expressions,  encouraging  their  ability  and  cheering  their  ardor,  he  has 
kindled  in  many  of  them  a  holy  aspiration  to  be  useful  to  the  church  and  faithful 
to  the  cause  of  truth.  Though  advanced  in  years  and  "abundant  in  labors,"  he 
is  still  a  man  of  power.  Physically,  he  has  the  capacity  for  performing  work 
and  enduring  fatigue  possessed,  perhaps,  by  none  of  his  age,  and  by  very  few 
who  are  younger.  Mentally,  his  perceptions  are  as  clear,  his  vision  as  unclouded 
and  his  ability  to  grapple  with  great  subjects,  as  masterful  as  ever.  "Morally,  he 
preserves  the  vigor  and  tenderness  of  a  young  Christian  heart ;  while  in  the  full- 
ness of  his  love,  in  the  growth  of  his  faith,  and  in  the  development  of  all  the 
Christian  graces,  we  can  but  feel  assured  that  he  is  approaching  the  stature  of  a 
full  grown  man  in  Christ  Jesus. 

His  piety  is  unaffected,  and,  perhaps,  its  deepest  exercises  are  in  his  secret 
devotions.  Nothing  less  than  a  serious  providential  occurrence  is  allowed  to 
prevent  the  performance  of  these  duties,  when  the  hours  roll  round  for  daily 
meditation,  prayer  and  reading  the  Scriptures ;  nor  are  these  duties  performed 
in  a  cold  and  formal  manner.  On  coming  from  secret  worship,  his  very  air  is 
that  of  one  who  is  just  withdrawing  from  awful  and  solemn  communion  with  Jeho- 


98  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

vah,  and  none  encountering  him  then  could  escape  the  conviction  that  his  whole 
soul  has  been  deeply  and  powerfully  engaged  in  wrestling  with  the  Angel  of  the 
Covenant.  While  never  referring  in  conversation  to  the  intensity  of  these  exer- 
cises, it  is  unquestionably  true  that  it  is  this  frequent  converse  with  his  heavenly 
Father  which  keeps  his  heart  ever  animated  with  unquenchable  zeal  for  the 
salvation  of  mankind.  As  in  all  other  things,  he  is  decided  and  pronounced  in 
his  theological  and  ecclesiastical  opinions,  without,  however,  being  an  extremist 
in  these  respects.  Though  a  decided  Calvinist,  he  is  not  a  hyper-Calvinist,  but  is 
rather  in  accord  with  the  views  of  Andrew  Fuller,  holding  to  a  general  atone- 
ment, with  a  special  application  of  its  benefits.  While  a  very  pronounced 
Baptist,  he  does  not  refuse  to  worship  and  labor  with  Christians  of  every  evan- 
gelical creed  ;  but  in  all  matters  that  belong  exclusively  to  the  church  in  its 
organized  capacity,  he  insists  on  its  entire  separation  from  every  other  organ- 
ization known  among  men. 

In  the  division  which  occurred  among  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  about  forty 
years  ago  on  the  question  of  benevolent  enterprises,  Mr.  Campbell  was,  from 
the  beginning,  an  unwavering  advocate  of  education,  temperance,  Sunday-schools 
and  home  and  foreign  missions,  even  though  the  maintenance  of  these  enter- 
prises should  involve  a  final  separation  between  supporters  and  opponents. 
With  characteristic  zeal  he  visited  many  different  sections  of  the  State  to  advo- 
cate the  measures  and  opinions  he  believed  to  be  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  and 
design  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  So  long  as  his  opponents  pursued  an  honorable 
and  high-minded  course,  he  esteemed  them  none  the  less  highly  for  opposing 
his  convictions  ;  for  he  is  a  man  of  great  magnanimity  of  spirit,  never  allowing 
controversies  to  interrupt  his  personal  attachments.  " 

Although  usually  reticent  on  the  subject  of  politics,  he  was,  until  the  fall  of 
1 860,  an  uncompromising  Unionist,  and  in  the  presidential  election  of  that  year 
he  voted  the  Bell  and  Everett  ticket.  After  the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  when 
the  secession  excitement  was  running  higher  and  higher,  Mr.  Campbell,  at  the 
solicitation  of  many  prominent  citizens,  delivered  the  first  political  speech  of  his 
life.  The  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  which  was  then  in  session,  announced 
the  speech  from  the  bench,  and  the  entire  Court  remained  in  the  house  after  ad- 
journment, to  hear  the  counsels  of  the  man  of  God  concerning  the  crisis  which 
had  come  on  the  country.  A  crowded  audience,  composed  of  men  of  every  shade 
of  character  and  opinion,  heard  the  address  with  seriousness  and  respect.  The 
speaker  assumed  the  right  of  secession,  but  seriously  questioned  the  expediency 
of  such  a  step,  and  especially  counselled  prudence  and  moderation ;  and  many 
were  the  tears  that  flowed  from  the  eyes  of  the  listening  multitude  as  his  trum- 
pet-like voice  dwelt  on  the  ardent  attachment  of  our  people  for  the  Union  of  their 
fathers.  But  while  he  thus  leaned  towards  conciliatory  measures,  no  one  was 
more  fully  persuaded  than  himself  that  it  was  a  right  of  the  State,  in  convention 
assembled,  to  adopt  whatever  course  of  action  she  might  deem  expedient.  He 
insisted,  however,  on  co-operation  between  the  States,  whose  interests  were  sim- 
ilarly imperiled,  and  commended  dauntless  courage  in  whatever  course  might  be 
adopted.  When  secession  became  a  fact,  he  lent  all  the  ardor  of  his  nature  to- 
wards assisting  in  establishing  the  independence  of  the  Confederate  States. 

But  sensibly  as  the  influence  of  this  heroic  man  has  been  felt  in  his  public 
labors,  nowhere  does  his  character  appear  to  so  great  advantage  as  in  the  domes- 
tic circle.  As  a  husband,  his  devotion  and  tenderness  could  not  be  excelled. 
As  a  father,  while  anxious  to  preserve  a  wholesome  discipline  over  his  children, 
he  never  seemed  happier  than  when  able  to  devote  an  evening  to  their  compan- 
ionship, and  give  free  vent  to  his  paternal  love,  in  gambols  with  his  little  ones. 
As  a  master,  he  cared  diligently  for  those  subject  to  him,  and  sought,  conscien- 
tiously, to  make  their  lot  as  pleasant  as  possible.  They  were  always  expected 
to  be  present  at  family  worship  and  participate  in  its  exercises  ;  they  were  required 
to  attend  public  worship  at  least  once  on  each  Lord's  day ;  while  the  younger 
ones  were  regularly  gathered  in  the  house  after  tea  to  be  taught  spelling  and 
reading  by  the  members  of  the  family.  When  the  war  closed,  he  notified  them 
of  their  liberty,  but  not  one  was  willing  to  leave  his  service.  Some  of  them  wept 
violently  at  the  prospect  of  separation,  and  to  this  day  have  continued  to  appeal 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


99 


to  him  for  direction  and  advice  in  all  the  affairs  of  life ;  nor  has  he  ever  failed  to 
respond  to  their  appeals  with  the  eagerness  that  a  man  ever  bestows  on  personal 
friends,  when  in  need  of  his  services  and  assistance.  In  his  social  and  public 
supplications  at  the  throne  of  grace,  the  entire  negro  population  of  the  South 
often  occupies  a  prominent  place. 


WILLIAM  ANDERSON  CALLAWAY. 


William  Anderson  Callaway 
was  the  son  of  Isaac  Callaway  fand 
Mary  Barrett,  and  was  born  in  Wilkes 
county,  Georgia,  October  4th,  1804. 
His  parents  were  pious  Baptists,  who, 
doubtless,  consecrated  their  children  to 
the  service  of  God  from  their  birth. 
One  event,  occurring  on  the  very  day 
of  the  father's  death,  sets  his  piety  in  a 
touching  light.  At  the  morning  hour 
of  family  worship,  his  children  and  ser- 
vants were  called  together.  Propped  up 
in  bed,  emaciated  by  disease,  speaking, 
and  even  breathing  with  difficulty,  he 
read  the  Scriptures,  poured  his  soul  out 
in  prayer  for  them,  and  addressed  to 
each  a  few  parting  words  of  saintly 
counsel.  No  wonder  that  this  scene 
often  came  back  to  the  son  in  years  of 
thoughtlessness,  and  restrained  his  feet 
from  the  worst  extremes  of  sin.  Wil- 
liam grew  up  a  moral  youth,  but  fond 
of  gay  society.  But  it  pleased  Him 
whose  mercy  is  from  everlasting  to  arrest  him  in  a  rather  heedless  career  by  the 
sword  of  the  Spirit,  in  early  manhood.  So  deeply  and  painfully  did  that  sword 
pierce  his  conscience  that,  like  Paul  under  a  similar  conviction,  he  began  to  pray  ; 
in  the  still  hours  of  the  night  arising  and  retiring  from  the  house.  He  who  saw 
Nathaniel  under  the  fig-tree  heard  his  appeals  for  mercy,  and,  ere  the  dawn,  met 
him  there.  So  joyous  was  his  conversion — so  strong  was  he  in  the  belief  of  the 
change  which  had  been  wrought — that  he  mounted  his  horse  in  the  morning  and 
rode  a  day's  journey  to  carry  the  news  to  a  beloved  brother.  The  earnestness 
of  his  nature,  as  well  as  the  reality  of  the  spiritual  transformation,  was  mani- 
fested on  the  occasion  of  his  baptism,  when  he  made  a  remark  expressing  his  de- 
termination to  follow  the  Master  whithersoever  he  led.  This  important  event  in 
his  history  occurred  soon  after  his  first  marriage  (May  25,  1825)  to  Miss  Martha 
Pope,  who  was  baptized  at  the  same  time,  and  who  lived  with  him  in  the  com- 
munion of  Christian  and  wedded  love  until  June  ist,  1850,  when  the  devoted 
wife  and  mother  was  called  up  higher.  During  the  next  year  his  second  mar- 
riage occurred.  A  large  family  of  children  were  the  issue  of  the  first  union — 
two  of  the  sons.  Revs.  J.  M.  and  S.  P.  Callaway,  being  ministers  of  the  gospel. 
Several  have  joined  their  parents  in  heaven.  Not  long  after  uniting  with  the 
church,  Mr.  Callaway  began  to  preach.  He  was  ordained  in  1833,  by  Revs.  J. 
H.  Campbell  and  B.  H.  Wilson,  a  presbytery  summoned  by  the  church  at 
McDonough,  whither  he  had  removed.  His  pastoral  relations  with  this  people 
continued  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years.  We  have  no  statistics  at  hand  to  indi- 
cate the  numerical  increase  of  the  church  during  this  time ;  but  the  blessing  of 
God  rested  on  the  zealous  pastor's  labors,  and  his  long  retention  shows  the  esteem 

10 


lOO  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

in  which  he  was  held.  His  services  were  in  request  by  surrounding  churches, 
far  and  near,  in  Henry.  Monroe,  Newton  and  Pike  counties.  Great  numbers  of 
"  the  saved  "  were  added  to  these.  Indeed,  this  was  a  period  of  ingathering 
throughout  the  State.  God  was  pouring  out  His  Spirit  on  those  ministers  who 
bore  aloft  the  banner  of  missions,  and  who  defended  the  independency  of  the 
churches  amid  obloquy  and  reproach.  Able  but  misguided  brethren  had 
awakened  a  controversial  spirit  and  created  schism.  It  was  the  rock  upon  which 
our  Baptist  Zion  in  Georgia  miglit  have  gone  to  pieces,  but  for  this  baptism  of 
fire  and  these  pentecostal  results.  Mr.  Callaway,  though  youthful,  modest, 
and  hating  strife,  boldly  avowed  his  convictions.  His  firmness  and  fortitude 
helped  to  save  the  day.  He  was  both  courageous  and  prudent,  manful  and  mild. 
The  gentleness  of  Christ  tempered  a  naturally  high  spirit  and  conciliated  the 
good  will  of  even  his  opponents.  With  Mercer,  Mallary,  Sherwood  and  others, 
he  stood  in  line,  earnestly  contending  for  the  faith,  until  the  storm  was  overpast 
and  the  ark  of  the  covenant  saved.  Often,  in  later  years,  the  veteran  was  heard 
to  fight  his  battles  over  again. 

In  1843  Mr.  Callaway  settled  on  a  plantation  near  the  White  Sulphur  Springs, 
Meriwether  county,  and,  while  providing  amply  for  the  wants  of  a  growing 
family,  ministered  to  the  churches  within  his  reach.  Greenville,  Bethlehem, 
(Harris  county).  County  Line  and  others  shared  his  labors  during  his  four  years' 
residence  in  that  community.  Prompted  by  a  desire  for  better  educational 
facilities,  in  1847  he  changed  his  residence  to  LaGrange,  where  he  immediately 
identified  himself  with  the  work  of  the  Master  at  Antioch  and  Long  Cane ;  serv- 
ing, also,  at  later  periods,  Shiloh,  Pleasant  Grove  (Troup),  Mountain  Creek 
(Harris),  and  Bethel  (Heard).  His  efficient  aid  was  sought  by  the  contempo- 
rary pastors,  at  LaGrange,  by  both  of  whom  (Mallary  and  Teague)  he  was 
greatly  loved  and  honored.  In  1864,  wearied  with  the  din  of  arms  and  hopeless 
of  the  Southern  cause,  he  retired  to  a  quiet  neighborhood  in  Harris  county, 
where  he  devoted  himself  to  his  farm  and  the  spiritual  welfare  of  his  humble 
neighbo  rs.  As  God  commanded  Moses  to  go  up  into  the  mount  to  die,  so  He 
evident  'y  called  his  servant  into  this  retirement  that  He  might  prepare  him,  by 
a  clearer  spiritual  vision,  for  his  translation.  These  last  days  of  his  earthly 
sojourn  were  days  of  almost  ecstatic  peace.  His  "joy  in  God"  was  well-nigh 
unbounded ;  his  love  for  his  brethren  overflowed ;  his  anticipations  of  heaven 
were  sweet  and  inspiring.  He  passed  away  "in  holy  triumph,"  June  13th, 
1865  ;  his  sick  chamber  having  been,  at  times,  a  very  Bethel — a  house  of  God 
and  gate  of  heaven. 

In  summing  up  his  qualities  as  a  man,  we  recallhis  sincerity,  his  good  judg- 
ment and  his  contempt  for  deceit  and  hypocrisy.  He  was  incapable  of  acting 
insincerely,  and  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  one  whom  he  suspected  of  so 
acting.  This  trait  was  exhibited  in  his  ministry.  A  conviction  that  a  co-laborer 
was  seeking  selfish  honors  instead  of  souls,  unfitted  him  for  further  co-operation 
with  that  person.  His  sole  aim,  in  his  ministerial  labors,  was  to  do  good.  No 
thought  of  self  ever  entered  his  mind  in  the  pulpit,  or,  if  the  Adversary  made 
such  a  suggestion,  it  was  instantly  put  behind  him.  His  motives  were  trans- 
parent, and  hence  confidence  was  unlimited.  If  cold,  he  could  scarcely  be 
induced  to  preach ;  if  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit,  his  pulpit  exercises  were, 
in  the  highest  degree,  fervid  and  effective.  When  thus  aroused,  his  earnest  and 
persistent  appeals — nringing,  as  they  did,  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come  to 
bear  upon  his  hearers — hardly  ever  failed  to  win  some  to  Christ.  A  sanctified 
energy  and  a  holy,  tender  boldness,  were  distinguishing  characteristics  of  his 
best  efforts.  Great  success  crowned  the  period  of  his  active  ministry  ;  hundreds 
were  baptized  by  his  own  hands,  of  whom  great  numbers  already  shine  as  stars 
in  his  crown  of  rejoicing,  having  passed  up  to  join,  with  him,  the  Church 
triumphant. 

"  Part  of  the  host  have  crossed  the  flood, 
And  part  are  crossing-  now." 

He  knew  the  human  heart,  and  touched  with  wise  and  loving  hand  its  ten- 
derest  strings.  He  was  practical,  earnest,  untiring  and  sincere,  and  aimed  at 
immediate  results. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


lOI 


In  person,  Mr.  Callaway  was  tall  and  commanding ;  in  manner,  grave  and 
dignified.  In  preaching,  his  voice  and  manner  were  irppressive  and  winning.  His 
intellect  was  solid,  rather  than  brilliant ;  practical,  rather  than  imaginative.  At 
his  own  fireside,  and  among  his  intimate  friends,  his  gravity  was  often  relieved 
by  a  quiet,  playful  humor.  He  could  discuss  the  most  exciting  questions  of 
Church  or  State  with  the  most  inflammable  persons,  and  never  kindle  the  slightest 
flame  of  anger.  He  was  ever  self-possessed,  conciliatory  and  courteous.  His 
gifts  of  mind  and  heart  and  person  were  all  so  blended  as  to  form  a  true  gentleman 
and  a  natural  preacher  ;  it  was  often  said  of  him  that  he  was  "  in  preacher 
shape."  With  the  aid  of  early  culture  to  develop  his  native  abilities,  he  would 
have  been  great. 

He  was  diligent  and  careful  in  the  management  of  his  temporal  affairs,  giving 
his  children  the  educational  advantages  of  the  day,  and  rearing  them  in  comfort. 
Before  his  determined  energy  obstacles  melted  away.  He  was  known  as  one  of 
the  most  successful  planters  of  his  section,  and  his  mercantile  interests  were  at 
times  important.  With  these  necessary  responsibilities  weighing  upon  him,  he 
would  go  to  his  appointments  and  preach  with  great  fervor  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ.  He  was  not  a  perfect,  but  he  was  still  a  Christ-like  man,  and 
he  followed  after.     May  we  follow  him  as  he  did  the  Saviour. 


ABNER   B.    CAMPBELL  and  CHARLES  D.   CAMPBELL. 


Under  the  Mosaic  economy  the  son  of  a  priest  was,  by  mere  descent,  himself 
a  priest.  But  there  is  no  such  entail  of* official  rank  in  the  Christian  Church. 
How  could  the  ministry  be  transmitted  "by  blood,"  when  even  the  lower  privi- 
lege of  membership  is  not  ?  There  are  cases,  however,  in  which  the  faithful 
herald  of  the  cross  has  the  high  honor  of  seeing  his  own  children  divinely 
stationed  as  watchmen  on  the  walls  of  Zion.  The  present  is  such  a  case,  as 
Abner  B.  and  Charles  D.  are  sons  of  the  venerable  Dr.  J.  H.  Campbell. 

They  were  both  born  in  Clinton,  Jones  county,  Georgia — the  former  in  1840, 
the  latter  in  1842.  Their  father  baptized  both  of  them — the  younger  in  Griffin, 
the  older  in  Penfield.  They  commenced  preaching  about  the  time  they  gradu- 
ated, in  the  same  class,  from  Mercer  University  in  i860,  Abner  being  twenty 
years  of  age,  and  Charles  eighteen.  They  were  both  chaplains  in  the  army, 
maintaining  unblemished  reputations  through  the  scenes  that  tried  (and  in  many 
instances  wrecked)  men's  souls,  and  exercising  not  merely  an  acceptable  but  a 


102  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

faithful  ministry  among  the  soldiers.  They  were  ordained  in  Grififin,  where  their 
parents  then  resided,  on  the  same  day  in  1863,  and  by  the  same  presbytery, 
Rev.  N.  M.  Crawford,  D.D.,  preaching  the  ordination  sermon.  Their  marriages 
occurred  near  the  same  time — Abner  performing  the  ceremony  for  Charles,  and 
then  Charles  in  his  turn  rendering  that  service  to  Abner. 

The  first  pastorate  of  A.  B.  Campbell  was  at  Thomasville,  Georgia,  where  he 
was  quite  successful,  and  where  he  remained  several  years.  A  like  efficiency 
marked  his  subsequent  pastorates,  at  Cuthbert  and  Americus.  For  three  years 
and  upwards  he  has  been  pastor  of  the  First  church  in  Columbus.  He  found 
this  church  in  a  sadly  demoralized  condition,  the  congregation  scattered,  and  the 
prospect  exceedingly  gloomy.  But  he  has  succeeded  in  welding  again  the  broken 
hnks  of  concord  in  the  church,  in  gathering  around  him  the  largest  congregation 
of  the  city,  and  in  greatly  improving  the  outlook  for  the  future.  He  has  been, 
for  several  years,  a  trustee  of  Mercer  University. 

Charles  D.  Campbell  resided  for  years  on  his  farm  near  Quincy,  Florida,  en- 
gaging in  agriculture  and  following  the  plough  daily.  During  this  time  he  preached 
in  Quincy  and  to  neighborinp-  country  churches.  His  first  regular  pastorate 
was  at  Quitman,  Georgia,  and  the  church  there  flourished  greatly  under  his 
ministry  for  several  years.  He  was  also  instrumental  in  organizing  several  new 
churches,  and  in  drawing  out  several  brethren  — Rushin,  Bennet,  Carroll,  White 
— into  the  sacred  calling.  A  portion  of  his  time  was  devoted  to  the  church  at 
Valdosta,  where  equal  success  attended  his  labors.  In  the  midst  of  'this  career 
he  received  a  call  to  the  pastorship  of  the  Athens  church,  though,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker,  Chancellor  of  the  State  University,  none  of  the 
members  were  acquainted  with  him  or  had  ever  heard  him  preach.  He  visited 
the  place,  preached  to  the  people,  and,  as  all  seemed  satisfied,  accepted  the  po- 
sition. He  has  now  filled  it  for  several  years,  to  the  increasing  satisfaction  of 
the  church  and  the  community. 

These  worthy  sons  of  a  worthy  sire  are  among  the  most  popular  and  promi- 
nent pastors  of  their  age  in  the  State,  and  bid  fair  to  increase  in  usefulness  as 
they  advance  in  years.  Ranking  with  the  foremost  and  most  influential  of  the 
younger  ministers  of  our  denomination  in  Georgia,  they  maintain  their  position 
by  virtue  of  intellectual  ability,  earnest  piety  and  enlightened  zeal.  By  diligent 
study  they  ripen  in  personal  culture  and  in  pulpit  power ;  while  their  pastoral 
efficiency  grows  through  the  faithful  performance  of  duty,  and  the  years  that  have 
been  "  forecast  the  fashion  "  of  the  years  that  shall  be,  giving  us  assurance  that 
there  is  to  come  "  even  a  better  '  Then  '  than  '  Now.'  " 


GIBSON  MATTHEWS  CAMPBELL. 

Among  the  diligent  and  faithful  laborers  of  the  Sarepta  As- 
sociation, is  Gibson  Matthews  Campbell.  He  was  born 
in  Elbert  county,Georgia,  November  31st,  1831.  His  father, 
William  D.  Campbell,  now  full  of  years  and  ripe  for  heaven, 
is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  the  people,  and  is  an  hon- 
ored and  beloved  deacon  of  Falling  Creek  church.  Such 
was  this  father's  admiration  for  those  devoted  ministers  of 
the  gospel,  Sylvanus  Gibson  and  James  Matthews,  long 
since  passed  over  the  river  to  their  eternal  reward,  that  he 
named  this,  his  fourth  and  youngest  son,  for  them.  His 
early  educational  advantages  were  only  such  as  he  could  receive  in  the  common 
country  schools,  at  those  times  of  the  year  when  the  labor  on  the  farm  did  not 
require  his  services.  But  he  had  an  innate  fondness  for  learning,  which  never 
allowed  him  to  sit  down  in  a  leisure  hour  without  a  book.  He  professed  con- 
version in  1850,  but  did  not  openly  put  on  Christ  until  1852,  having,  during 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


103 


these  two  years,  struggled  with  many  doubts  and  fears  as  to  his  fitness  to  unite 
with  God's  people.  How  many  have  been  thus  troubled,  when  prompt  obedi- 
ence at  once  scatters  every  doubt  and  the  soul  realizes  that 

"  All  the  fitness  He  requires 
Is  to  feel  your  need  of  Him." 

He  united  with  Falling  Creek  church.  His  mind  became  deeply  impressed 
with  a  desire  to  preach  Jesus  to  the  people,  and  his  father,  knowing  that  his  edu- 
cation should  be  completed  to  fit.  him  for  such  work,  entered  him  in  Mercer 
University,  then  at  Penfield.  There,  for  three  sessions,  he  enjoyed  the  instruc- 
tions of  its  able  faculty,  when  his  college  course  was  abruptly  closed  by  the  war 
between  the  States. 

In  November,  1862,  he  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  by  Falling 
Creek  church,  and  at  once  entered  into  active  service.  The  Executive  Commit- 
tee of  the  Sarepta  Association  sent  him  as  an  evangelist  to  the  Western  army. 
He  was  indefatigable  in  toil  and  zealously  preached  Jesus  to  the  soldiers  when 
suitable  occasions  were  offered ;  visited  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  spoke  words 
of  comfort  and  promise  to  the  suffering,  and  dying. 

When  the  war  closed,  and  his  work  of  love  and  mercy  was  accomplished,  he 
returned  home  and  soon  entered  on  pastoral  labors  with  Rockbranch  and  Bethel 
churches,  in  his  native  county.  He  has  also  served  Dove's  Creek,  Deep  Creek, 
Elberton,  Falling  Creek,  Vance  Creek  and  Harmony  churches. 

No  man  ever  occupied  a  warmer  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  people ;  and  it  is 
only  by  his  charges  that  he  is  known  for  all  he  is  worth.  He  has  a  large  and 
growing  family,  and  is  compelled  to  supplement  his  meagre  pastoral  salary  by 
labor  on  his  farm,  which,  of  course,  prevents  his  devoting  as  much  time  to  pre- 
paration for  the  pulpit,  and  to  visiting  the  people  under  his  care,  as  he  desires. 
Yet  he  ever  shov/s  great  tact,  or  rather  spiritual  insight,  in  selecting  themes 
especially  suited  to  their  wants.  He  seldom  fails  to  hold  the  attention  of  his 
audience  to  the  close  of  his  sermon.     Thus  lives  and  labors  Rev.  G.  M.  Campbell. 


CRAVEN  CARPENTER. 


Craven  Carpenter  was  born  in  Burke  county,  Geor- 
gia, January,  ist,  1820.  His  parents  were  Bailey  and 
Amelia  Carpenter.  His  education  was  limited  to  the 
facilities  afforded  by  country  schools,  though  he  after- 
wards improved  himself  to  some  extent  through  the 
perusal  of  useful  and  instructive  works  by  good  authors. 
When  he  was  less  than  one  year  old  his  mother  died, 
offering  on  her  death-bed  a  special  prayer  for  his  conver- 
sion. This  fact  being  communicated  to  him  in  his  early 
years,  so  impressed  him  that  his  life,  during  youth  and 
dawning  manhood,  was  quite  orderly.  But  the  full  an- 
swer to  the  prayer  was  delayed,  and  he  did  not  make  a  profession  of  religion 
until  he  was  twenty- four  years  of  age,  in  1844.  He  was  then  baptized  by  Rev. 
Joseph  Polhill,  at  Rocky  Creek  church  in  Burke  county.  As  clerk  and  as 
deacon,  he  faithfully  served  his  church  for  a  number  of  years,  exercising  in  public 
occasionally  in  such  a  manner  that  the  church  deemed  it  not  only  proper  but 
expedient  to  call  him  to  ordination.  This  was  done,  and  he  was  ordained  at 
Rocky  Creek  church  in  1871,  and  subsequently  became  pastor  of  McBean  and 
Piney  Grove  churches. 

Mr.  Carpenter  died  January  14th,  1878,  at  the  home  of  his  daughter  in 
Augusta,  to  which  city  he  went  for  the  purpose  of  securing  medical  attention. 
He  bore  his  bodily  affliction  with  Christian  resignation,  and  died  in  the  triumphs 


I04 


BIOGRAI'IIK  Al,   SKETCHES 


ol  line  (  liiisli.in  I'.iitli.  I  lis  inoiniiiciil  iharadc.ristics  were,  fixedness  of  jnirposc 
and  pinky  of  inlenlion.  IJclow  medium  size,,  willi  fair  complexion,  li^lu  hair 
and  l)lu("  eyes,  lie  was  j^eniai  in  liis  disposition  and  kind  to  all  aronnd  him.  He 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  iJuke,  an<l  was  the  falhcr  of  leii  chihhcn,  ihree  of 
whom  preeeded  liini  to  llie  grave. 


E.   H.  CAKKOl.I.. 


II 

the 


v..  H.  Caukom.  was  horn  in  K(:nansville,  North  Caro- 
lina, on  the  3d  of  Mareli,  1841.  Ills  i)arents  were  both 
Baptists  his  father  an  a<;tive  deacon  and  his  mother  a  con- 
sistent CIn-istian  woman.  Tiiey  ("uue  to  Cleorgia  when 
lie  was  eight  years  old,  and  settled  at  a  place  now  known 
,is  Milltown,  in  Hcrrien  coiuity.  The  early  years  of  his 
life,  up  to  seventeen,  were  spent  on  the  farm,  sometimes 
atteiKling-  school  and  .at  other  times  tilling  t,he  ground. 
At  that  age  his  f.ilher  sent  him  to  Marsh.all  College,  in 
'  (irinin,  ("leorgi.a,  then  conducted  by  Dr.  Adiel  Sherwood, 
eiileicd  I  he  prepar.atory  department,  but  in  the  autumn  was  admittetl  into 
college  proper.  When  he  ii.id  linishe.d  his  {''reshman  .studies,  he  determined 
to  g.'iin  a  ye.ir.  This  he  succciuled  in  doing,  carrying  on  the  course  of  both  the 
Sophomore  ;md  Junior  classes  :it  the  s.imc  time.  At  the  o|)ening  of  the  sprinjj 
term  ol  the  So])hoinore  year,  it  was  ;innoun(-cd  by  tlu'  faculty  that  he  was  a  reg- 
ul;u"  mcmlxir  of  the  Junior  class.  He  made  this  effort,  not  because  his  necessi- 
ties forced  him  to  it,"  but  because  lu-  wished  to  do  it  .and  felt  th.il  he  could.  The 
year  ih.il  lu-  entered  college,  iSgcS,  ;i  reviv.al  wave  swept  over  .almost  the  whole 
country.  In  (Iriflir.  ihert-  wen;  numbers  .added  to  , all  the  churches  to  the  Ha|)tist 
nearly  one  hundred  and  he  w.as  among  them.  Dr.  Sherwood,  as  |)astor,  of  the 
t'hureh,  bapli/cd  him.  The  nigiil  .after  his  b.aptism,  during.anearnestpr.ayer  offered 
by  Dr.  Jesse  II.  (  .impbcll,  he  felt  iini)rcssed  with  a  strong  desire  to  |)reach  the" 
( iospel.  Tlu;  struggle  between  this  desire  and  a  sense  of  his  own  uniitness  was 
lieree,  .and  resulted  in  his  putting  the  work  .iw.ay  from  him.  To  use  his  own 
l.ingu.agi',  he  "/iwi,'///' against  "  this  impression  for  fourteen  years,  and  is  now 
in  the  work  bec-ause  he  feels  that  he  canilot  help  it,  .and  the  cry  of  his  sou!  is, 
"  Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  gosju-l !"'  In  i8()o  he  entcreil  the  Junior  class  in 
Mercer  Dniv<isity.  .and  pursued  his  studies  there  until  M.ay,  1861,  when  he 
rctnrned  hoine,  ,ind,  (hough  only  twenty  years  old,  joined  a  regiment  "for  the 
\v;ir,"  then  |ust  beginning.  I  le  entered  the  ranks  as  a  private,  but  afterwards, 
h.aving  served  .is  si'cond  lieuten.ant.  then  as  tirst.  was  promoted  to  the  captaincy, 
which  position  he  held  until  the  close  of  hostilities.  These  r.ajiid  promotions 
show  the.ippreci.ation  .accorded  him  .as  a  soldier.  I  U'  w.as  st.alioned  in  Savaimah 
and  on  the  b.alteries  below  the  city  for  the  gre.iter  |).art  of  the  war;  but  entered 
active  si'ivicc  .at  D.ilton,  C.corgia.  and  took  i)ait  in  the  terrible  scries  of  engage- 
menls  from  that  pl.ice  to  Atlant.a.  In  the  battle  of  July  32(1,  near  Atlani.i.  he 
was  ca|)lurcd,  .and,  in  comp.any  with  about  si.xty  other  ollieers  and  i,otx)  men, 
w.as  .sent  to  the  military  prison  on  Johnson's  Island,  Lake  I'-rie.  When  the  w.ar 
ciKh'd,  .and  he  ri'lnrned  home,  he  could  iind  lu)  employment  but  teacliing,  in 
which  he  h.as  l)een  engaged  .almost  every  year  since.  The  church  at  Stockton, 
(Icorgi.i,  where  he  w.as  teaching,  gave  him.  unsought,  a  license  to  preach,  .and  in 
1 8C)S  he  w.as  ordained  .at  Macedoni.a  church,  without  having  rcciuested  it,  by  a 
piH-sbytcry  consisting  of  Revs.  James  Williamson  and  R.S.  Harvey.  He  does 
not  seem  to  hiwc  laijoyed  preaching  much,  how'ever,  until  1873.  He  often  madc 
f.aihircs,  .as  lu-  ihought  at  times  not  speaking  more  than  five  minutes  before  he 
would  t.akc  his  .seat.  He  has  .alw.ays  felt  it  a  cro.ss,  but  one  that  he  »ius/  take 
up.     His  first  pastorate  w.as  in   1873,  at  Ocapilco.     'J'he  same  year  he  accepted 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


'05 


a  call  to  Hickory  Head,  of  which  he  has  ever  since  been  pastor.  I'^or  two  years 
he  preached  two  Sabbaths  in  the  month  for  the  church  at  Madiscm,  I'"loriua,  and 
for  the  same  len,i(tli  of  time  at  Valdosta,  Ganr^'ni.  He  is  nf)W  (r88o)  pastor  of 
Hickory  Head  and  Quitman  churches.  In  these  seven  veaKs  he  has  hapt:i7,(;d 
about  200  persons. 

In  1876  or  1877  the  lioard  of  Trustees  of  Mercer  University  ccjiifcrred  on  him 
the  dej:jree  of  A.  iVI.  In  1874  he  was  tendered  a  profes.sorship  in  liie  Youn)>j 
Female  Collei^e,  Thomasville,  Gecjrgia,  but  declined  for  fear  he  could  not  fill  it 
satisfactorily,  thus  modestly  distrusting^  his  own  abilities.  In  October,  1865,  he 
was  married  to  Mrs.  Julia  E.  Hayes,  of  Thomasville,  Oeortjia.  She  is  all  that  a 
preacher's  wife  should  be.  They  have  six  brijrht,  interestin)^  children.  He  is  a 
cousin  of  Rtv.  15.  H.  Carroll,  of  Wacf),  Texas,  and  of  Kev.  J.  L.  Carroll,  of 
Virj^inia. 

He  is  now  livinj^  on  his  farm,  in  IJrooks  county,  Geori^ia,  [jrcacliirii^  lo  his  two 
churches  and  superinlendin.ir  his  plantinj^  interests,  quiet  and  contented.  He  is 
ever  full  of  praise  and  i^ratitude  to  the  (liver  of  all  .tfood,  and  .seems  to  desire 
only  the  privilci^c  of  living;  to  the  j^lory  of  God  ,-uid  the  i^Dod  rjf  his  fcllow-mcn. 


E.   K.  CARSWELL 


E.  R.  Carswkli,,  Sr.,  was  born  in  liurkc 
county,  Georj^ia,  October  22d,  1822,  and  resided 
in  that  county  until  1868,  when  he  removed  to 
his  present  home  in  Richmond  county.  His 
father,  Matthew  Carswell,  was  a  man  of  sterling 
worth,  and  an  orderly  member  of  the  Methodist 
church.  His  mother  was  a  pronounced  IJaptist, 
and  correct  in  all  her  deportment,  but  died  too 
soon  to  leave  her  impress  on  her  only  .son.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was,  when  younj(,  full  ftf 
life  and,  perhaps,  even  of  mischief;  and  while  at 
school,  durinj^  that  period,  was  almost  rej^arded 
by  both  teacher  and  fellow-pupils  as  a  standinj^ 
refutation  of  Solomon's  views  in  rej^ard  to  the 
good  resulting  from  the  use  of  the  rod.  (Prov. 
22:15).  ^^^^'  when  approaching  manhood,  he 
became  quite  orderly,  and  devoted  himself  to 
his  books  with  assiduity.  His  academic  train- 
ing was  largely  intrusted  to  Rev.  Otis  Smith,  who  was  in  his  day  considered 
a  very  prince  among  teachers.  Several  years  of  his  life,  devoted  to  more  ad- 
vanced studies,  were  spent  partly  at  I.aGrange,  Georgia,  and  partly  at  Penfield, 
where  he  studied  in  1837,  1840  and  1841,  the  first  of  these  years  being  when  the 
college  was  known  as  Mercer  In.stitute,  and  the  other  two  after  it  had  attained 
the  dignity  of  a  University.  During  the  former  period,  in  compliment  to  his 
studiousness  and  good  behavif^r,  he  was  allowed  to  study  in  his  room  during  the 
day,  instead  of  being  compelled,  with  others  under  sixteen,  to  study  in  the  old 
chapel.  A  feeble  constitution,  coupled  with  a  peculiar  nervou.sness,  rendered 
constant  applif;ation  to  study  im,;o.ssibl(;,  the  result  being  a  course  of  literary 
instruction  irregular  and  incomplete.  This  deficiency,  however,  was  remedied, 
in  a  good  degree,  by  applicatif^n  at  home,  and  by  an  extensive  course  of  general 
reading  after  he  left  college,  so  that  Mr.  Carswell  would  compare  favorably  with 
the  majority  of  graduates. 

In  the  spring  of   1840  our  brother  was  baptized,  while  a  student  at  Mercer, 
Penfield,   by  Rev.   Adiel  .Sherwood.    His  conversion  he  ever  attriijuted  to  the 


io6 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


twilight  prayer-meetings  of  the  college.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Bushy 
Creek  church,  near  his  own  home,  December  12th,  1846,  and  was  ordained  at 
the  same  place  in  1853 — W.  L.  Tucker,  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  Jonathan  Huff  and 
W.  L.  Kilpatrick,  constituting  the  presbytery. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Carswell  was  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine, 
and  did  not  actually  become  a  pastor  until  1857,  when  he  took  charge  of  Ways 
church.  Since  that  time  he  has  also  served  the  following  churches :  Hopeful, 
Duharts,  Hephzibah,  Louisville,  Bushy  Creek,  Buckhead,  Bark  Camp,  and  Sar- 
dis,  occasionally  serving  two  at  a  time,  and  preaching  two  Sabbaths  in  the  month. 
His  peculiar  temperament  unfits  him  for  a  very  long  pastorate,  but  of  the  first, 
and  also  of  the  last  two  mentioned  churches,  he  retained  the  care  for  several 
years  in  succession. 

While  not  uniform  as  a  preacher.  Dr.  Carswell  is  usually  quite  forcible,  and, 
when  specially  aroused,  he  grows  thrillingly  eloquent.  His  sermons  partake 
largely  of  a  controversial  character,  and  he  fails  to  avail  himself  of  few  opportu- 
nities for  exposing  what  he  deems  the  errors  of  other  denominations.  In  truth, 
for  many  years  he  has  been  considered  the  champion  of  Baptist  principles  for 
his  section,  and  has  nobly  sustained  the  Baptist  cause  in  his  eloquent  efforts,  not, 
however,  with  exemption  from  the  consequences  usually  attendant  on  such  a 
course.  As  an  eloquent  pleader  for  the  cause  of  Sunday-schools,  and  as  an 
earnest,  unflinching  opponent  of  intemperance,  he  has  taken  a  lofty  stand  and 
accomplished  great  good.  In  reality,  though  powerful  in  the  pulpit,  as  already 
intimated  the  platform  before  a  promiscuous  assembly  seems  best  to  suit  his 
taste  as  well  as  his  style  of  oratory.  Nature  has  not  altogether  adapted  him  to 
that  which  may  be  regarded  as  the  drudgery  of  ministerial  life,  while  she  has 
fitted  him  admirably  for  a  platform  speaker,  debater  and  upholder  of  denomi- 
national principles.  His  labors  have  been  almost  altogether  confined  to  the 
Hephzibah  Association,  and  he  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  all  the  interests  of 
that  body.  He  has  been  its  Moderator  at  different  times  ;  has  repeatedly  written 
the  circular  letter  to  the  churches,  and  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Hephzibah  High 
School,  from  its  organization  to  the  present  time. 

Dr.  Carswell  was  married  November  2d,  1847,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Prior,  of  his 
native  county,  and  three  sons  and  three  daughters  have  been  the  result  of  the 
union.  All  of  these  children  are  now  members  of  Baptist  churches,  and  two  of 
them — E.  R.  Carswell,  Jr.,  and  M.  L.  Carswell — are  ordained  and  well-educated 
Baptist  ministers. 

In  personal  appearance  he  is  of  medium  height,  with  black  hair  and  eyes, 
rather  dark  in  complexion,  of  a  nervous  temperament,  social,  kindly  and  hospi- 
table in  disposition,  and  a  very  agreeable  companion. 


E.  R.  CARSWELL,  Jr. 


E.  R.  Carswell,  Jr.,  son  of  Rev.  E.  R.  Carswell,  was 
born  in  Burke  county,  Georgia,  June  3d,  1850.  After  an 
academic  training  under  Professor  V.  T.  Sanford,  at  Heph- 
zibah High  School,  he  graduated  at  Mercer  University,  in 
1869.  He  took  charge,  the  same  year,  of  a  small  school 
in  Putnam  county,  which,  under  his  management,  soon 
grew  into  Harmony  High  School.  He  was  baptized,  June, 
1 87 1,  by  Rev.;A.  M.  Marshall.  At  this  time  he  was  read- 
ing law  under  Colonel  Thomas  Lawson,  of  Eatonton ; 
but  being  fully  impressed  with  the  duty  of  abandoning  the 
legal  profession  for  the  more  responsible  work  of  the  ministry,  he  attended  one 
session  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  beginning  September, 
1 87 1.    After  an  interval  devoted  to  pastoral  labor  in  Alabama,  first  at  La  Place, 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  lO/ 

then  at  Tuskegee,  and  marked  by  his  marriage  to  Miss  H.  E.  Milford,  of  Green- 
ville, South  Carolina,  he  returned  to  the  Seminary,  September,  1873.  At  the 
close  of  this  session  the  vacation  was  spent  in  continual  preaching,  resulting  in 
some  fifty  baptisms.  Under  severe  application  to  his  studies  at  the  Seminary  in 
the  fall  of  1 874,  just  on  the  heels  of  the  intense  mental  and  physical  efforts  _  of 
the  vacation,  his  health  failed,  a  few  months  before  full  graduation,  in  the  spring 
of  1875.  Four  years  were  then  passed  in  unremitting  labor  in  building  up  a 
high  school  in  Anderson  county,  South  Carolina,  and  in  preaching  to  a  number 
of  churches  in  the  Saluda  Association.  About  one  hundred  persons  were 
baptized  in  each  of  these  years.  His  strict  views  of  church  purity  and  church 
discipline,  at  this  time,  led  to  a  number  of  exclusions  and  to  no  small  degree  of 
personal  hostility,  through  all  of  which  he.  bore  himself  humbly,  yet  manfully  and 
triumphantly.  A  rigid  advocate  of  temperance,  grog-shops  and  distilleries  went 
down  under  his  influence  wherever  he  labored.  Early  in  1879  he  took  charge 
of  Stellaville  High  School,  Jefferson  county,  Georgia,  and  retained  this  position, 
preaching  to  four  churches  in  the  Hephzibah  Association,  until  the  spring  of  1880, 
when  congestion  of  the  left  lung  constrained  him,  under  medical  advice,  to 
relinquish  teaching.  After  partial  recovery,  he  gave  himself  fully  to  pastoral 
labor,  serving  Wadley,  Bethel  and  Pleasant  Grove  churches,  in  the  Hephzibah, 
and  the  Thomson  church  in  the  Georgia  Association,  until  his  acceptance  of  the 
First  Ward  church,  Augusta,  in  the  fall  of  1880. 

Under  medium  size,  with  a  strong  muscular  development,  and  a  countenance 
wearing  an  honest,  open,  self-reliant  expression,  he  is  a  great  lover  of  his  fellow- 
men,  and  while  never  stooping  to  flattery,  is  kind  and  affable  in  his  intercourse 
with  others.  Like  his  father,  he  has  decided  views  and  profound  convictions, 
and  is  an  independent  thinker,  taking  nothing  for  granted,  and  yielding  to  doc- 
trines and  usages  hoary  with  age  only  as  they  bear  the  touch  of  Ithuriel's  spear — 
the  sanction  of  God's  word.  So  far  as  circumstances  would  permit,  he  has  been 
a  hard  student,  and  for  one  of  his  age  is  remarkably  well  versed  in  theological 
systems,  Biblical  criticism  and  church  history.  While  his  ability  as  a  preacher 
is  pronounced,  his  throne  is  the  pulpit,  where,  thoroughly  impressed  with  the 
worth  of  immortal  souls,  he  preaches  extemporaneously  his  well-digested  ser- 
mons, with  an  unction  that  attracts  crowds  of  all  classes.  He  has  been  _  known 
to  preach  sixty-one  times  in  thirty-one  days,  with  increasing  interest  and  increas- 
ing congregations  to  the  last.  In  the  course  of  his  protracted  meetings  he  de- 
livers discourses  intensely  "  Baptistic  "  in  sentiment,  and  fearlessly,  yet  affection- 
ately, exposing  the  errors  of  Pedobaptists  ;  and  not  without  effect,  for  he  has  in 
the  last  four  years  baptized  more  Pedobaptists  than  perhaps  any  pastor  of 
country  churches  throughout  the  three  States  in  which  he  has  labored.  He  has 
been  elected  to  the  presidency  of  two  of  the  first  female  colleges  and  to  the  pas- 
torate of  some  half-dozen  of  the  foremost  city  churches  in  the  South ;  but  he  has 
declined  these  positions,  preferring  a  more  retired  sphere  of  labor,  where  he  may 
devote  himself  to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  and  develop  his  capabilities  as  an 
extemporaneous  speaker.  Rev.  W.  W.  Landrum,  who  was  associated  with  him 
in  college,  and  at  the  Theological.  Seminary,  says  :  "  If  his  health  holds  out,  there 
is  a  prospect  of  his  being  a  power  in  the  land." 


io8 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


JAMES    HAMILTON    CARSWELL. 


James  Hamilton  Carswell,  third  son  of  Mr.  John 
F.  Carswell  and  Mary  J.  Kilpatrick,  daughter  of  Rev.  J. 
H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  was  born  in  Burke  county,  Georgia,  Jan- 
uary 2 1  St,  1849.  Ir^  boyhood  he  was  quiet  and  orderly,  a 
hasty  or  improper  expression  never  escaping  his  lips.  Also 
reticent  in  the  extreme  then,  he  is  by  no  means  given  to 
volubility  in  manhood. 

His  early  education  was  obtained  chiefly  at  the  Hephzi- 
bah  High  School,  in  Richmond  county,  but  his  collegiate 
training  was  received  at  Mercer  University,  in  Penfield, 
where  he  graduated  in  1870.  As  a  student,  both  before  and  after  entering  col- 
lege, he  was  bright  and  quick  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  always  maintaining 
a  high  position  among  his  fellow-students. 

In  addition  to  the  usual  academic  and  collegiate  courses,  Mr.  Carswell  spent 
one  session  of  eight  months  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  at 
Greenville,  South  Carolina,  during  the  years  1875-6,  graduating  in  four  of  the 
thirteen  schools  of  that  institution. 

Almost  with  the  dawn  of  intellect  and  of  the  feeling  of  responsibility,  religious 
impressions  existed  in  his  mind,  received  principally  through  the  instructions  of 
his  pious  mother — a  mother  who,  by  God's  blessing,  was  instrumental  in  making 
impressions  for  good  on  the  hearts  of  her  sons,  more  lasting  and  powerful,  per- 
haps, than  the  combined  influence  of  the  Sunday-school,  the  pulpit  and  the 
press.  It  was  while  attending  the  students'  twilight  prayer-meeting,  at  Penfield 
in  1869,  that  Mr.  Carswell  experienced  and  first  professed  conversion;  and 
during  August  of  the  following  vacation  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  William  H. 
Davis,  uniting  with  the  Hopeful  church,  Burke  county.  He  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  1874,  and  was  ordained  at  this  same  church  in  1876.  Since  his  ordination  he 
has  continued  to  preach  to  the  churches  in  that  vicinity,  at  present  being  in 
charge  of  McBean  and  Hephzibah  churches. 

As  a  minister,  Mr.  Carswell  bids  fair  to  occupy  an  enviable  position  in  the 
Hephzibah  Association,  his  piety,  ability  and  mental  training  forming  influential 
adjuncts  to  the  feelings  of  confidence  and  respect  entertained  by  all  towards  him. 
He  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  M.  Janes,  daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas  P.  Janes, 
of  Greene  county,  on  the  15th  of  December,  1871,  and  is  now  residing  in  his 
native  county,  at  the  former  home  of  his  father,  grandfather  and  great-grand- 
father. 


MIRABEAU  LAMAR  CARSWELL. 


middle  of 
compelled 


Mirabeau  Lamar  Carswell,  the  third  and  youngest 
son  of  Rev.  E.  R.  Carswell,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Burke  county, 
Georgia,  April  20th,  1855.  He  received  his  academic 
education  principally  at  the  Hephzibah  High  School,  Rich- 
mond county,  and  the  Harmony  High  School,  Putnam 
county.  During  a  revival  meeting  at  Harmony  church, 
he  experienced  the  work  of  grace,  and  united  with  that 
body  in  August,  1872,  receiving  baptism  at  the  hands  of 
Rev.  A.  M.  Marshall.  He  entered  the  Junior  class  at 
Mercer  University  in  the  fall  term  of  1873,  and  main- 
tained a  very  high  stand  in  his  studies  until  about  the 
March,  1875,  when,  from  a  severe  attack  of  spinal  meningitis,  he  was 
,  within  three  months  of  graduation,  to  abandon  his  collegiate  course. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


109 


He  took  charge  of  a  school  near  Hephzibah,  in  the  fall  of  1875,  but  continued 
nervous  suffering  constrained  him  to  retire  from  active  duties  until  the  year  1878. 
At  that  time  he  began  to  preach  regularly  to  two  small  churches  in  the  Hephzi- 
bah Association.  He  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry,  June,  1879,  at  Heph- 
zibah church,  in  which  he  held  membership  at  the  time.  Revs.  W.  L.  Kilpatrick, 
W.  H.  Davis,  E.  R.  Carswell,  Sr.,  and  E.  R.  Carswell,  Jr.,  constituted  the 
presbytery.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1880,  he  was  called  to  the  pastoral  care  of 
the  First  Ward  Baptist  church,  Augusta,  Georgia,  and  early  won  the  confidence 
of  all  who  knew  him,  and  made  a  reputation  as  a  preacher  remarkable  for  one 
of  his  years.  He  possesses  fine  qualities  of  head  and  heart,  and  is  recognized  as 
a  close  thinker,  an  eloquent  speaker  and  a  fervent  Christian.  In  the  latter  part 
of  the  same  year  he  resigned  and  removed  to  Louisiana. 


W.  B.  CARSON. 


W.  B.  Carson  was  born  in  Pickens 
county,  South  Carolina,  December  14th, 
1 82 1.  His  parents,  at  the  time  of  his  birth, 
were  in  affluent  circumstances ;  but  in  the 
course  of  his  childhood,  a  disregard  for  the 
adage  of  Solomon,  "  He  that  hateth  sure- 
tyship is  sure,"  reduced  them  to  abject  pov- 
erty. After  this  reverse  of  fortune,  they 
removed,  first  to  Decatur,  Georgia,  and 
thence  to  Wetumpka,  Alabama,  when  he 
was  about  twelve  years  of  age.  He  was 
there  educated  in  a  school  only  a  grade 
lower  than  a  college,  and  prosecuted  his 
studies  diligently  for  several  years  after  his 
withdrawal  from  the  academy,  taking  an  ex- 
tensive course  in  Latin,  intellectual  philoso- 
phy and  logic.  The  two  latter  have  been 
his  specialties  through  life,  and  there  are  few 
among  us  with  whom  he  need  fear  to  measures  lances  on  the  questions  involved 
in  these  departments  of  knowledge.  For  his  education  he  paid  by  his  own  per- 
sonal exertions,  showing  that  he  possesses  that  nobler  nature  which  rebounds 
from  a  fall,  and  which,  when  wealth  has  flown,  can  extort  from  poverty  itself  the 
prize  of  culture. 

He  was  converted  in  his  eighteenth  year,  and  connected  himself  with  the  Pres- 
byterian church.  In  1849  he  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  of  that  denomi- 
nation in  Columbia,  South  Carolina.  Here  he  was  called,  of  course,  to  examine 
the  baptismal  controversy,  and  gave  to  the  investigation  the  thoroughness,  con- 
scientiousness and  independence  which  characterize  all  his  mental  habitudes. 
The  result  was  his  baptism  at  the  close  of  the  second  session,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Boyce, 
who,  at  that  time,  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Columbia.  He  remained 
at  the  Seminary  another  session  to  complete  his  course  of  study,  and  was  grad- 
uated with  honor. 

His  first  pastorate  was  at  Gillisonville,  Beaufort  district,  where  he  labored  with 
acceptance  and  fruitage  for  six  years.  He  then  became  the  editor  of  The  South- 
ern Baptist,  published  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  held  that  position 
until  the  war  suspended  the  paper.  During  the  fifteen  months  of  his  incum- 
bency of  the  editorial  chair,  the  subscription  list  advanced  from  1,800  to  2,600 — 
a  satisfactory  proof  that  he  worthily  supplied  the  place  of  the  gifted  men  who 
had  been  his  predecessors.  Comparisons  are  held  to  be  odious ;  but  it  is  onlv 
fair  to  say  that  he  made  a  nearer  approach  to  the  versatility  of  Mr.  Tustin  than 


no 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


was  made  by  Dr.  Boyce,  and  a  nearer  approach  to  the  profundity  of  Dr.  Boyce 
than  was  made  by  Mr.  Tustin ;  being  better  fitted,  perhaps,  than  either  for  the 
conduct  of  a  weekly  religious  journal. 

When  hostilities  broke  out,  he  volunteered  in  the  Confederate  army  as  a  pri- 
vate soldier,  but  was  soon  advanced  to  the  post  of  chaplain.  He  earned  the  title 
of  "the  fighting  chaplain  "  by  his  heroism  in  battle,  and  was  one  of  the  fifty-six 
who  attempted  to  rescue  our  3,500  officers,  detained  as  prisoners  of  war  on 
Johnson's  Island,  Lake  Erie.  He  followed  the  .flag  of  his  country  to  the  last, 
and  was  with  General  Lee  at  Appomattox. 

Since  the  return  of  peace  he  has  done  effective  work  as  a  teacher,  a  pastor  and 
a  writer.  He  was  principal  of  the  Reidville  Male  Academy,  Spartanburg,  South 
Carolina,  in  1866-67,  and  of  Gowensville  Male  and  Female  Seminary  in  1872-73. 
In  1874-75-76,  he  was  pastor  of  Concord  church,  in  Barnwell  county.  South 
Carolina,  and  he  is  now  in  the  fourth  year  of  his  pastorate  at  Smyrna  church,  in 
that  county.  He  is  associate  editor  of  the  "  Baptist  Encyclopedia,"  a  work  in 
course  of  publication  under  the  auspices  of  the  American  Baptist  Historical 
Society,  located  at  Philadelphia.  His  "  Essays,  Theological  and  Philosophical," 
will  probably  issue  from  the  press  in  the  progress  of  the  year  1881  ;  and  this 
volume  will  contain  an  original  attempt  to  reconcile  divine  sovereignty  and  hu- 
man freedom — an  attempt  which  the  late  Dr.  William  Williams  pronounced 
successful. 

Furman  University  conferred  on  Mr.  Carson,  in  1873,  the  honorary  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity. 

He  was  married,  December  20th,  i860,  to  Miss  Mary  Griffith,  a  lady  of  rare 
talents  and  accomphshments.  She  rested  from  her  labors  June  14th,  1877,  leav- 
ing her  husband  and  four  children  "to  sorrow,"  though  "not  as  those  without 
hope."  One  child  had  "passed  into  the  skies  "  before  her.  We  trust  that  many 
years  of  useful  service  to  the  Master  and  the  Master's  cause  await  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  ere  the  sundered  links  of  this  happy  union  are  knit  together  again 
on  high,  to  be  broken  no  more  forever.  His  force  and  weight  of  character, 
intellectual,  moral  and  spiritual,  justify  large  expectations  in  that  regard ;  and 
he  will  not  disappoint  them. 


CHARLES  M.  CARSWELL. 


The  Carswell  family  is  a  large  and  influential  one,  and 
has  given  some  of  its  most  gifted  members  to  the  sacred 
calling.  Not  the  least  promising  of  these  is  Charles  M. 
Carswell.  of  whose  life  we  are  now  to  make  too  brief  a 
record.  The  second  son  in  a  family  of  eight  children, 
whose  parents  were  John  F.  and  Mary  J.  Carswell,  he  was 
born  in  Augusta,  Georgia,  May,  1 846.  His  academic  edu- 
cation was  obtained  in  that  deservedly  popular  institution, 
the  Hephzibah  High  School,  Richmond  county,  which  is  a 
guaranty  of  its  thoroughness  in  the  case  of  a  youth  pos- 
sessing his  parts  and  application. 
At  the  early  age  of  thirteen  years  he  was  converted,  uniting  with  the  Hope- 
ful church,  Burke  county,  and  receiving  baptism  at  the  hands  of  the  late,lamented 
Rev.  W.  H.  Davis.  When  prepared  for  college,  he  entered  Mercer  University, 
and  pursued  successfully  the  usual  course  of  study  there,  graduating  with  the 
class  of  1 869.  For  some  time  he  seems  to  have  had  no  particular,  or,  at  least, 
to  have  had  no  constraining  impressions  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach,  and  de- 
voted himself  for  a  series  of  years  to  the  business  of  an  educator  in  Burke  and 
Jefferson  counties.  But  the  purpose  of  God  had  "  separated  him  unto  the  gos- 
pel," and^this  purpose  at  length  was  disclosed  to  him  by  theHoly  Spirit  with  an 


OF  PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


Ill 


evidence  and  power  which  he  could  not  resist.  To  complete  his  training  for  a 
work  so  solemn  in  obligation  and  so  glorious  in  privilege,  he  attended  the  South- 
ern Baptist  Theological  Seminary  for  two  sessions;  and  in  1878,  his  brethren, 
recognizing  the  divine  call,  requested  his  ordination.  This  investiture  with  the 
ministerial  office  took  place  in  connection  with  Buckhead  church,  of  which  he 
became  pastor.  That  position  he  continues  to  occupy,  and  is  much  beloved  by 
his  flock.  The  hope  is  indulged,  and  not  without  reason,  that  he  will  accomplish 
a  good  (and  therefore  great)  work  for  his  Lord.  A  quiet,  thoughtful  man,  of 
pleasant  address  and  gentle  manners,  he  wins  favor,  not  because  he  seeks  but 
because  he  deserves  it;  and  his  influence,  gradually  widening  anddeejiening, 
is  consecrated  to  ends  befitting  "  the  messenger  of  truth,  the  legate  of  the  skies." 
He  was  married  in  1877  to  Miss  Leila  Bullard,  of  Burke  county;  and  the  Lord 
has  given  them  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  to  train  up  in  his  nurture 
and  admonition. 


JOSEPH   A.  CARTER. 


This  aged  servant  of  God,  now  in  his  seventy-eighth 
year,  and  having  completed  almost  a  half  century  in  the 
ministry,  is  still  in  the  pastoral  work,  preaching  regularly 
to  the  County  Line  church,  near  where  the  counties  of 
Oglethorpe,  Wilkes  and  Taliaferro  join.  He  united  with 
the  Fishing  Creek  church,  Wilkes  county,  and  was  bap- 
tized October  21st,  1825.  Very  soon  after  this  event  he 
was  placed  by  his  brethren  of  that  church  in  the  office  of 
deacon.  In  1831,  at  the  request  of  the  same  church,  he 
was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  by  Revs.  Jesse  Mercer,  Wyche  Jack- 
son, Dozier  Thornton  and  James  Armstrong. 

A  new  life  of  usefulness  now  opened  before  him.  He  was  at  once  called  into 
active  pastoral  service  by  the  Hephzibah  church,  Lincoln  county,  which  relation- 
ship continued  for  more  than  thirty  years.  His  long  career  of  usefulness  has 
been  for  the  most  part,  if  not  entirely,  within  the  bounds  of  the  Georgia  Asso- 
ciation, supplying  churches  belonging  to  that  body. 

He  was  born  on  the  21st  of  June,  1802,  in  Wilkes  county,  Georgia,  a  short 
distance  from  the  town  of  Washington.  He  has  been  married  three  times ;  first, 
to  Miss  Sarah  W.  Hilliard,  in  1821  ;  after  her  death  in  1851,  to  Miss  Emily  W. 
Con  in  1859;  and  after  her  death,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  T.  Lunceford— a  maiden 
lady  of  fine  head  and  heart,  and  fitted  to  make  his  home  in  his  declining  years 
pleasant  and  happy. 

As  a  minister  he  is  sound  in  doctrine,  imbibing  the  orthodox  and  scriptural 
views  held  and  preached  by  Jesse  Mercer,  Vincent  Thornton  and  the  ministry  of 
the  Georgia  Association.  He  is  earnest  in  manner,  his  appeals  full  of  tender- 
ness and  pathos,  as  well  as  fraught  with  lessons  of  instruction.  The  churches 
to  which  he  preached  increased,  not  in  numerical  strength  merely,  but  in  spiritual 
growth  and  power. 

This  aged  servant  of  the  Lord  is  now,  as  ever  before,  devoted  to  the  cause  of 
Jesus,  and  in  diligent  discharge  of  all  the  duties  enjoined  by  the  blessed  Gospel, 
which  he  has  so  long  loved  to  trust  and  tried  to  preach. 


I  12 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


JAMES  CARTER. 


An  aged,  pious,  faithful,  and,  during 
a  long  ministry,  an  eminently  laborious 
and  successful  worker  in  the  Master's 
vineyard,  entered  on  his  heavenly  re- 
ward at  Indian  Spring,  Butts  county, 
Georgia,  August  25th,  1858.  Baptized 
and  partly  trained  and  instructed  by 
Jesse  Mercer,  he  zealously  and  pathet- 
ically preached  the  Gospel  for  thirty- 
one  years,  baptizing  with  his  own 
hands,  as  he  himself  said,  about  two 
thousand  persons.  He  was  a  great  re- 
vivalist ;  and,  though  not  blessed  with 
a  collegiate  education,  the  sermons  he 
used  to  pour  forth  with  such  godly 
zeal  and  rapturous  emotions  made  a 
deep  and  lasting  impression  on  the 
hearts  of  his  hearers.  All  his  leisure 
was  devoted  to  Bible  study,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  seems  to  have  imbued  his 
heart  with  the  principles  and  zeal  of 
Paul,  for  few  men  have  contended 
more  earnestly  for  that  type  of  the  Christian  doctrine  commonly  styled  Pau- 
line, or  labored  with  more  interest  or  greater  ardor  in  the  cause  of  Christ. 
Prompt,  upright  and  candid  in  all  his  dealings,  he  was  remarkable  for  the 
prudence  and  cautiousness  of  his  conduct,  the  sincerity  of  his  piety  never 
being  for  a  moment  suspected.  To  the  last  he  forsook  not  for  any  other  occu- 
pation the  sacred  duties  of  his  calling,  nor  compromised  in  the  least  his  character 
as  a  minister  and  a  Christian.  Having  set  his  house  in  order,  he  had  but,  with  the  ■ 
failing  of  his  powers,to  await  complacently  the  summons  to  cross  the  river  of  death; 
and  when  it  came,  he  said:  "It  is  now  nearly  fifty-eight  years  since  I  accepted  Christ 
as  a  sin-offering  to  the  Father  for  me,  and  I  have  had  lately  a  fresh  manifesta- 
tion of  my  acceptance  with  him.  I  am  now  ready  to  go  up  yonder,  where  all 
his  children  will  meet,  and  where  parting  will  be  no  more."  And  he  died  as  the 
good  man  dies,  who  trusts  in  his  Redeemer  alone,  calmly  and  quietly.  In  the 
church-yard,  within  a  few  paces  of  the  pulpit  he  first  entered,  and  in  which  he 
had  preached  with  such  pathos  and  success  for  thirty  years,  his  body  was  placed 
in  hope  of  the  resurrection  morn. 

Rev.  James  Carter  was  born  in  Warren  county,  Georgia,  April  3d,  1792.  He 
was  the  son  of  Josiah  Carter  and  Mary  Anthony,  a  remarkably  pious  woman, 
who  led  him  early  into  wisdom's  ways,  and  taught  him  a  reverential  fear  of  God. 
The  foundation  of  his  education  was  laid  in  the  ordinary  schools  of  Warren  and 
Hancock  counties.  What  he  learned  afterwards  was  by  his  own  efforts,  though 
he  always  confessed  that  great  assistance  had  been  rendered  him  by  Jesse  Mer- 
cer, whom  he  ever  regarded  as  his  spiritual  guide  and  adviser.  In  youth  he  was 
noted  for  personal  purity,  and  for  dutifulness  to  his  parents.  At  seventeen  he 
was  converted,  under  the  ministration  of  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer,  by  whom  he  was 
baptized  and  received  into  the  church  at  Powelton,  Hancock  county.  He  was 
ordained  August  22d,  1829,  at  the  Sardis  church,  Butts  county,  Georgia,  and  re- 
ceived his  first  call  from  the  Macedonia  church,  in  that  county,  over  which  he 
presided  as  pastor  for  thirty  years.  He  also  served  as  pastor  the  Indian  Spring 
and  Towaliga  churches  in  Butts  county,  and  Holly  Grove  and  Mount  Zion 
churches  in  Monroe  county,  and  also  other  churches  in  Jasper,  Newton,  Henry 
and  Pike  counties.  He  held  various  offices  of  trust  and  honor  among  his  brethren, 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


113 


which  he  discharged  creditably,  and  was  for  several  years  Moderator  of  the  Flint 
River  Association. 

As  a  preacher  he  was  sound,  earnest,  pathetic  and  practical,  but  not  brilliant. 
His  personal  circumspection  was  so  great  that,  once,  after  riding  fifteen  miles  to 
fill  an  appointment  at  Monticello,  when  he  discovered  a  pack  of  cards  in  the 
pocket  of  the  overcoat  he  wore,  he  wheeled  his  horse  round,  though  within  one 
mile  of  his  destination,  and  rode  back  home  to  learn  how  the  cards  came  to  be  there. 
He  felt  mortified  and  humiliated,  and  said  he  would  never  again  enter  the  pulpit 
until  his  hands  were  washed  of  the  mystery  and  pollution  of  that  pack  of  cards. 
It  appeared  that  some  member  of  the  family  had,  by  chance,  obtained  possession 
of  a  pack  of  cards,  and  had  hidden  it  in  the  pocket  of  an  old  overcoat  which  had 
long  hung  unused  on  the  garret  wall.  By  chance,  this  very  overcoat  was 
unexpectedly  put  in  requisition,  on  account  of  rain,  and  thus  the  discovery  was 
made.     Confession  followed,  and  the  conscientious  man's  scruples  were  relieved. 

Another  incident  m  ihe  life  of  brother  Carter  was  the  death,  under  his  roof, 
of  Jesse  Mercer.  In  1841  Dr.  Mercer  repaired  to  the  Indian  Spring  for  his 
health,  and,  as  an  honored  visitor,  was  the  guest  of  Mr.  Carter,  his  old  friend 
and  brother,  eight  miles  north  of  the  Spring.  There  he  died  on  the  6th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1841,  and  at  the  request  of  Macedonia  church,  brother  Carter  preached 
an  appropriate  sermon  the  following  week,  which  resulted  in  a  gracious  outpour- 
ing of  the  Spirit,  and  many  conversions. 


HUGH   EMMET  CASSIDEY. 


Immediately  after  the  war  of  181 2,  Hugh  Cassidey,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  came  to  this  country  from  Great  Britain. 
He  settled  in  Savannah,  and  married  a  Christian  lady  of 
Baptist  faith,  by  the  name  of  Hudson,  of  Screven  county. 
Mr.  Cassidy  was  noted  for  his  integrity,  patient  industry 
and  indomitable  energy  ;  and,  for  many  years,  was  engaged 
in  an  honorable  and  successful  business  in  the  city  of 
Savannah.  His  love  for  his  adopted  country,  his  benevolent 
nature  and  his  generous  hospitality  won  him  many  true 
friends,  who  acknowledged  his  worth  and  held  him  in 
the  highest  esteem.  His  wife  was  a  most  excellent  and 
praiseworthy  lady,  who  faithfully  performed  her  duty  as  a  Christian  mother. 
When  called  to  her  home  above,  she  left  two  children,  both  of  tender  ao-e — the 
son,  Hugh  Emmet  Cassidey,  being  only  four  years  old ;  yet  the  memory  of  her 
tender  care,  wise  instructions  and  pious  life  had  no  small  share  in  forming  his 
character,  and,  eventually,  in  leading  him  to  become  a  faithful  follower  of  Jesus, 
and  a  useful  minister  of  the  Gospel. 

When  a  boy  he  studied  the  elementary  branches  of  education  at  the  academy 
in  Savannah,  afterwards  being  prepared  for  college  under  the  instruction  of 
William  Faye,  of  Springfield,  Effingham  county.  He  entered  the  State  Uni- 
versity at  Athens,  where  the  correctness  of  his  deportment,  the  amiability  of 
his  character,  and  his  ardent  devotion  to  his  studies  won  for  him  the  friend- 
ship of  the  students  and  the  respect  of  the  teachers.  His  progress  in  all 
branches  of  a  liberal  education  was  rapid,  and  be  acquired  and  maintained 
a  high  rank  in  his  classes ;  but  he  was  not  graduated  from  the  classic  halls 
of  the  State  University.  He  remained  there  only  till  his  Junior  year  was 
half  completed,  when,  in  1848,  in  his  twenty-fourth  year,  he  went  to  Boston  and 
matriculated  in  Harvard  College,  Cambridge,  as  a  law  student — an  unexpected 
opportunity  to  do  so  being  offered  him,  which  he  could  not  reject,  as  the  law 
had  ever  been  his  chosen  occupation.  In  all  his  educational  course,  incited  by 
ambition  as  well  as  by  a  natural  desire  for  knowledge,  he  made  fair  attainments ; 


114  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

but  in  his  youthful  days,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  state,  the  rod  was  a  far  more 
common  and  potest  factor  in  education  than  it  is  nowadays.  Thus,  the  fear 
of  punishment  and  the  hope  of  reward,  shining  afar  in  fame's  proud  temple,  both 
aided  in  leading  him  to  more  than  an  average  attainment  in  knowledge  and  ac- 
complishments. While  at  Harvard  Mr.  Cassidey  availed  himself  fully  of  his 
many  advantageous  opportunities,  and  pursued  his  legal  studies  with  great 
diligence. 

On  his  return  to  Georgia,  after  studying  a  few  months  under  Judge  William 
Law,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  entered  on  the  practice  of  law  in  the 
spring  of  1844.  He  evinced  a  decided  talent  for  the  profession,  never  failing  to 
make  a  favorable  impression  on  a  jury  through  sheer  force  of  native  ability. 
But  in  a  few  years  his  father  died,  leaving  him  in  possession  of  a  valuable  and 
extensive  property,  the  management  of  which  required  all  his  time,  and  he  aban- 
doned the  practice  of  law,  and  devoted  his  constant  attention  to  his  private 
affairs,  being  independent  of  his  profession. 

In  the  year  1854  he  was  converted  and  joined  Providence  church,  at  Guyton. 
In  the  year  following  he  was  ordained,  Rev.  J.  C.  Edwards  and  Rev.  William 
Spier  acting  as  the  presbytery.  He  then  began  a  useful  ministerial  life,  and 
served  various  churches,  among  which  were  the  churches  at  Walthourville,  Bruns- 
wick, Corinth,  Middle  Ground,  Newington,  Salem,  Fellowship,  Wades,  Spring- 
field, Providence,  Sunbury  and  Guyton,  in  the  southeastern  counties  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Cassidey  was  a  strong,  earnest,  efficient,  faithful  and  successful  preacher, 
seeking  to  convince  rather  than  to  please,  and  inclined  to  be  argumentative 
rather  than  rhetorical.  The  strongest  and  most  influential  preacher  in  his  sec- 
tion, and  one  of  the  most  earnest  and  devoted,  he  held  many  protracted  meet- 
ings, and  was  the  means  of  bringing  multitudes  into  the  fold  of  Christ. 

He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions  and  great  independence  of  character,  who 
never  hesitated  to  assume  responsibility  when  necessary;  nor  was  he  ever 
deterred  by  opposition  from  the  faithful  discharge  of  duty.  He  had  learned  to 
think  and  act  for  himself,  and  according  to  his  own  judgment ;  and,  whether 
addressing  a  jury  at  court,  or  a  religious  congregation  in  church,  always  made  a 
good  impression,  for  he  never  allowed  himself  to  undertake  such  a  duty  without 
full  and  accurate  preparation ;  and,  being  a  man  of  decided  culture  and  great 
system,  his  preparation,  both  as  to  matter  and  method,  was  perfectly  adequate 
to  the  occasion.  In  person  he  was  nearly  six  feet  tall,  with  brown  hair,  blue 
eyes,  dark  complexion,  with  every  indication  of  firmness  and  fearlessness.  He 
weighed  145  pounds.  Near  the  close  of  1850  he  married  Miss  Eliza  Beurquine, 
of  Springfield,  Effingham  county;  one  child  only — a  daughter — Mary  Moselle, 
now  just  growing  into  womanhood,  being  the  fruit  of  this  union.  Mr.  Cassidey 
served  his  Association,  the  Middle,  as  clerk  for  several  years,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Georgia  Legislature  during  the  term  for  the  years  1876  and  1877.  During 
the  war  he  was  chaplain  to  a  regiment,  and  faithfully  performed  the  duties  of 
his  position.  After  the  war  he  continued  his  ministerial  labors  among  the 
churches,  at  times  working  on  his  farm,  with  that  spirit  of  independence  which 
ever  characterized  him,  and  it  is  thought  that  he  thus  overtaxed  his  strength  and 
broke  down  his  constitution.  At  the  age  of  fifty-five,  on  the  23d  day  of  Novem- 
ber, 1879,  he  expired,  the  fell  monster,  consumption,  hastening  the  fatal  catas- 
trophe. He  lies  buried  in  Laurel  Grove  cemetery.  Savannah,  after  laboring 
faithfully  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  for  twenty-four  years. 

Preaching  was  a  passion  with  Mr.  Cassidey.  He  seemed  ever  to  be  thinking 
out  discourses,  and  was  always  ready  to  preach.  Some  of  his  best  sermons 
were  delivered  on  the  shortest  notice.  His  voice  was  strong,  and,  while  his  ser- 
mons were  soUd  and  argumentative,  he  possessed  enough  fancy  to  render  them 
attractive  and  memorable.  He  has  left  a  deep  impression  of  his  power  as  a 
minister  on  those  who  were  most  constantly  under  his  ministrations.  When 
aroused  by  some  grand  theme,  the  emotions  of  his  soul  would  make  his  face 
glow;  his  eyes  would  flash  under  the  influence  of  lofty  thought;  every  gesture 
would  be  impressive ;  and  the  tide  of  eloquence  flowing  from  his  lips,  would 
enchain  the  attention  of  his  auditory,  and  impress  deep  and  lasting  conviction  on 
their  hearts. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


115 


J.  H.  CAWOOD. 


J.  H.  Cawood  is  a  very  effective  preacher, 
always  engaging  the  attention  of  his  hearers 
by  his  dignified,  impressive,  earnest  and  pa- 
thetic enunciation  of  instructive  and  edifying 
truths.  In  the  analysis  of  a  subject  he  is  accu- 
rate ;  and  he  preaches  from  brief  notes,  which 
are  the  result  of  careful  preparation.  System- 
atic in  study,  as  far  as  possible,  he  begins  the 
day  with  thoughtful  reading  of  the  Scriptures, 
so  as  to  elucidate  his  text,  and,  afterwards, 
reads  such  books  as  will  aid  him  in  the  elabo- 
ration of  his  sermon,  and  add  to  his  general 
stock  of  knowledge.  Well  informed  as  to  the 
principles  and  practices  of  Baptists,  he  is  al- 
ways prepared  to  advise  wisely  and  well  on 
points  of  doctrine  and  discipline.  So  faithfully 
does  he  instruct  and  warn  his  churches  that 
members  are  rarely  excluded,  and  in  conse- 
quence, his  churches  are  marked  by  a  sturdy 
growth  ;  and  with  such  thoroughness  has  he  taught  them  the  duty  of  evangel- 
izing the  world  that  they  voluntarily  make  liberal  contributions  to  the  mission 
cause.  Perhaps  there  is  no  more  useful  pastor  in  his  Association,  certainly  none 
more  beloved  by  their  churches ;  for  his  sincere  piety  and  devotion  to  duty  have 
gained  him  the  confidence  and  affection  of  all,  as  is  evinced  by  the  length  of  his 
pastorates. 

Mr.  Cawood  is  a  Tennessean  by  birth,  having  been  born  in  Sullivan  county, 
of  that  State,  May  8th,  1825.  At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  moved  to  Bradley 
county,  Tennessee,  where  he  was  married  to  Miss  Hattie  J.  Price,  and  where 
he  resided  till  the  fall  of  1863,  when,  like  many  others  of  strong  Southern  pro- 
clivities, he  sought  a  more  congenial  locality,  and  took  refuge  in  southwestern  Geor- 
gia. In  the  fall  of  1864  he  settled  near  Preston,  Webster  county,  where  he  lived 
about  ten  years.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  and  he  was  raised  in  the  country  ; 
hence  his  education  was  that  of  country  schools.  But  he  supplemented  this 
imperfect  training  by  private  study  and  reading,  and  a  portion  of  his  life  was 
spent  in  teaching  school  in  the  neighborhood  cf  his  father's  farm. 

He  was  baptized  in  December,  1844,  and  "'united  with  the  Macedonia  church, 
in  Bradley  county,  Tennessee.  Ordained  in  October,  1849,  at  New  Friendship 
church,  in  Bradley  county,  he  preached  in  that  county  and  in  Catoosa  and  Whit- 
field counties,  Georgia,  until  1863,  when  he  emigrated.  For  a  while  he  was  a 
missionary  of  the  General  Association  of  East  Tennessee,  and  acquired  marked 
influence  as  an  acceptable  and  useful  preacher,  and  did  much  to  overcome  the 
anti-mission  spirit  in  those  localities  where  he  labored,  so  ardently  was  the  mis- 
sionary sentiment  developed  in  his  own  bosom. 

After  his  arrival  in  southwestern  Georgia,  he  soon  took  a  prominent  position  in 
the  Friendship  Association,  where  he  has  been  pastor  of  various  churches,  but 
for  the  last  thirteen  years  he  has  devoted  his  time  to  Lebanon  and  Friendship 
churches,  Sumter  county,  and,  for  six  years,  to  the  church  at  Smithville,  where 
he  now  resides.  Pleasant  to  him  and  profitable  to  his  congregation,  has  been  his 
connection  with  these  churches  ;  for,  while  no  differences  have  arisen,  and  while 
he  has  been  beloved  and  honored,  he  has  preached  with  great  power,  and,  at 
times,  with  real  eloquence. 

For  three  years  Mr.  Cawood  was  clerk  of  the  State  Line  Association,  in  Ten- 
nessee ;  for  the  same  period  he  was  clerk  of  the  Friendship  Association,  in 
Georgia,  and  for  five  consecutive  sessions,  including  that  of  1879,  he  was  Mod- 


Il6  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

erator  of  the  body,  while  he  has  been  a  member  of  its  Executive  Committee 
almost  since  his  first  connection  with  the  Association. 

Mr.  Cawood  was  clerk  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Webster  county  for  seven 
years,  and  would  have  been  elected  to  the  State  Legislature  had  he  not  declined 
to  suspend  his  ministerial  functions  for  the  sake  of  political  preferment. 

In  person,  Mr.  Cawood  is  five  feet  eight  inches  high,  weighs  about  170  pounds, 
with  light,  sandy  hair,  and  is  yet  quite  healthy,  active  and  strong,  physically. 

In  his  family  he  is  a  most  considerate  husband,  a  kind  and  thoughtful  father, 
a  discreet  and  consistent  Christian,  and,  in  all  the  walks  of  fife,  an  exemplar  of 
rectitude  and  integrity. 


Q 

w^ 

SAMUEL  HOUSTON  GATE. 

Samuel  Houston  Cate  was  born  in  Meigs  county, 
Tennessee,  May  28th,  1839.  His  parents,  Daniel  and  Avy 
Cate,  had  eighteen  children,  thirteen  of  whom  grew  up 
and  became  Baptists,  like  themselves.  Samuel  was  their 
thirteenth  child  and  tenth  son.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained in  country  schools,  with  the  exception  of  ten 
months,  when  he  attended  the  academy  at  Decatur,  Ten- 
nessee. He  professed  faith  in  Christ  in  September,  1852, 
and  was  baptized  in  October  by  Elder  Ezekiel  Ward,  at 
Goodfield  church  in  his  native  county.  Though  not  yet 
fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  united  with  the  church,  he  had  from  the  begin- 
ning a  conviction  that  he  ought  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  often  found  himself 
unable  to  restrain  his  feelmgs,  exhorting  sinners  to  repentance  in  the  most 
touching  manner.  He  was  a  devoted  student  of  the  Scriptures  from  his  conver- 
sion, but  labored  under  much  embarrassment  on  account  of  his  lack  of  education, 
and  strove  against  this  conviction.  Continuing  faithful  in  duty  and  instant  in 
prayer,  he  finally  surmounted  his  difficulties,  and  decided  that  he  would  be  no 
longer  "  disobedient  to  the  heavenly  vision."  The  Goodfield  church,  therefore, 
licensed  him  to  preach  in  July,  1861,  and  called  him  to  ordination  in  November, 
1864.     The  presbytery  consisted  of  Elders  Z.  Rose  and  R.  T.  Howard. 

His  labors  have  been  abundantly  blessed  in  the  conversion  of  sinners  and  the 
upbuilding  of  the  churches.  As  a  pastor,  it  seems  to  be  his  meat  and  his  drink 
to  lead  sinners  to  Christ,  and  to  prqpiote  the  harmony  and  efficiency  of  believers. 
His  untiring  study  of  the  Inspired  Word,  and  his  growing  acquaintance  with 
religious  literature,  have  tended  to  foster  a  holy  benevolence,  and  to  give  him 
enlarged  ideas  of  his  duty  to  the  world.  Hence,  his  churches,  more  and  more, 
enter  warmly  into  the  furtherance  of  every  enterprise  looking  to  the  supremacy  of 
Christ  over  the  nations.  As  the  missionary  of  the  Association  to  which  he  belonged, 
his  labors  were  abundant,  and  crowned  with  many  seasons  of  revival.  He  has 
always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  Sunday-school,  and  is  known  in  his  old  fields 
as  emphatically  "the  children's  preacher."  He  has  maintained  an  unblemished 
reputation  in  the  ministry,  and  few  men  of  his  age  in  his  own  section  have  done 
more  for  the  Baptist  cause. 

He  was  married,  December,  i860,  to  Miss  Martha  A.  McKenzie,  of  McMinn 
county,  Tennessee.  Six  children  have  been  given  them  as  "a heritage  of  the 
Lord." 

Six  feet  in  height,  with  dark  skin,  and  black  hair  and  eyes,  standing  erect,  he 
is  easy  and  graceful  in  the  pulpit,  commanding  in  presence  and  forcible  in  ad- 
dress. Charitable  toward  all  denominations,  he  is  yet  steadfast  in  principle, 
holding  Calvinistic  doctrines,  and  observing  the  landmark  practice. 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


117 


JOHN  ALEXANDER  CHAMBLISS. 

John  Alexan-der  Chambliss  was  born 
at  Athens,  Georgia,  on  the  30th  of  August, 
1840.  His  parents  were  Rev.  A.  W.  Cham- 
bliss,  D.D.,  and  Rebecca  Ann  Ellerbe,  both 
natives  of  South  Carolina. 

His  college  course  was  first  at  George- 
town, Kentucky,  and  afterwards  at  Howard 
College,  Alabama,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  1 8 59,  with  the  first  honor  of  his  class.  He 
then  attended  the  Southern  Baptist  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  at  Greenville,  South-  Caro- 
lina, graduating  in  186 1.  He  was  baptized 
at  Marion,  Alabama,  in  1852,  (being  then 
only  twelve  years  of  age)  by  Rev.  J.  H. 
DeVotie,  D.D.,  and  united  with  the  church 
in  that  town ;  was  ordained  at  Sumter, 
South  Carolina,  in  June,  1861,  Rev.  William 
Williams,  D.D.,  preaching  the  ordination 
sermon. 

His  first  pastorate  was  at  Sumter,  South  Carolina,  beginning  in  June,  1861, 
where  he  served  constantly,  save  while  engaged  at  intervals  as  chaplain  in  the 
Confederate  army  with  the  troops  in  the  field,  until  called,  in  January,  1866,  to 
the  charge  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Aiken,  South  Carolina,  whence  he  was  called  to 
the  Second  Baptist  church  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  June,  1867. 

His  fourth  and  present  pastorate  began  with  the  Citadel  Square  Baptist  church 
of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  October,  1872. 

He  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  Furman  University,  of  South  Carolina,  and  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  and  the  degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  Bethel  College,  Kentucky,  in  1875.  He  is  now  the  editor-in-chief  of 
the  Baptist  Courier,  the  organ  of  the  denomination  in  South  Carolina,  and,  wield- 
ing the  pen  of  a  ready  writer  as  he  does,  he  has  contributed  in  no  small  degree 
in  placing  it  in  the  front  rank  of  religious  periodicals. 

He  was  married  October  17th,  1861,  to  Miss  Mary  Mauldin,  of  Greenville, 
South  Carolina,  and  has  five  children  living — three  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Dr.  Chambliss  is  a  close  student,  and  retains  his  taste  and  fondness  for  classi- 
cal literature — has  frequently  been  urged  by  those  familiar  with  his  classical  and 
literary  scholarship  to  devote  attention  to  authorship,  but  has  prefered  the  repu- 
tation of  a  loved  and  useful  pastor  among  his  own  flock  to  the  more  ambitious 
prominence  of  an  author.  He  has,  however,  for  his  own  amusement  and  the 
gratification  of  a  few  of  his  friends,  written  admirable  translations  of  the  Stabat 
Mater  and  the  Dies  Ircz;  of  the  former  of  which  Rev.  John  A.  Broadus,  D.D., 
himself  a  finished  classical  scholar,  says  : 

"  Dr.  Chambliss'  translation  of  the  Stabat  Mater  appears  to  me  distinctly 
superior  to  all  the  others  I  have  seen.  Taking  the  three  given  in  '  The  Seven 
Great  Hymns  of  the  Mediaeval  Church,'  I  think  it  a  more  exact  rendering  than 
that  of  General  Dix,  and  more  melodious  and  poetical  in  diction  than  that  of  Dr. 
Coles ;  while  Lord  Lindsay's  translation,  however  excellent  in  some  respects, 
fails  to  reproduce  the  metre  of  the  original.  In  such  a  translation  the  stanzas 
cannot  all  be  equally  felicitous,  but,  as  a  whole,  the  careful  critic  will  probably 
consider  this  quite  successful,  and  the  general  reader  will  find  it  agreeable  and 
impressive." 

Dr.  Chambliss  is  a  singularly  gifted  man  ;  uniting  a  handsome  person,  pierc- 
ing though  gentle  eye,  melodious  voice,  graceful  gesture,  finished  oratory  and 
brilliant  talents,  with  a  heart  as  tender  as  a  woman's.     Forgetful  of  self,  and  full 


ii8 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


of  love  for  Christ  and  the  souls  of  his  fellow-men,  he  cannot  fail  to  be  a  man  of 
mark  in  his  own  denomination,  as  well  as  in  any  community  in  which  he  may 
have  occasion  to  preach,  or  to  deliver  a  public  address.  In  private  life  he  is  very 
much  beloved.  His  warm  pressure  of  the  hand  and  genial  smile  make  it  a 
pleasure  to  meet  him  which  a  stranger  never  forgets,  and  win  for  him  the  ten- 
derest  affection  of  his  people.  Old  enough  to  enjoy  the  friendship  of  the  elders, 
he  is  young  enough  to  be  able  to  enter  into  all  the  joys  and  sorrows,  and  to  win 
the  confidences  of  the  youth,  while  the  children  run  to  meet  htm  with  shouts  of 
gladness. 

In  his  pulpit  preparations,  he  carefully  writes  out  his  sermons,  which  are 
faultless  in  style,  and  though  mostly  read,  are  delivered  with  animation,  and  with 
the  ease  and  grace  of  a  polished  orator.  He  possesses  the  somewhat  rare  quality 
of  brevity,  his  sermons  seldom  exceeding  thirty  minutes  in  delivery;  but  the 
crowning  excellence  of  all  his  pulpit  efforts,  either  written  or  oral,  is  the  deep 
tone  of  piety  which  pervades  them.  He  makes  all  else  subservient  to  the  great 
doctrine  of  "Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  Crucified,"  never  delivering  a  mere  intel- 
lectual essay  from  the  pulpit — his  chief  aim  being  to  do  good  to  the  souls  of  his 
hearers,  and  to  glorify  the  Master.  Blessed  with  a  strong  and  vigorous  consti- 
tution, he  has  the  promise  of  long  years  of  continued  usefulness  and  honor 
opening  before  him  in  the  future. 


ASA  CHANDLER. 


In  the  graveyard  of  the  Bap- 
tist church  at  Elberton,  Georgia, 
stands  an  Italian  marble  tomb- 
stone, on  which  a  hand  is  carved 
with  the  index  finger  pointing 
heavenward.  It  is  the  monument 
in  memory  of  Rev.  Asa  Chand- 
ler, erected  by  the  ladies  of  Fall- 
ing Creek  church,  with  the  aid  of 
contributions  from  the  other 
churches  of  the  Sarepta  Associa- 
tion. Thus  was  manifested  the 
respect  and  esteem  in  which  Mr. 
Chandler  was  held,  by  those 
among  whom  he  had  lived  and 
labored  as  a  Christian  minister 
for  nearly  forty  years.  Indeed,  he 
was  a  man  who  had  a  firm,  fast 
hold  on  the  confidence  and  love  of 
those  who  best  knew  him  ;  for  to 
great  meekness  and  self-denying 
zeal,  he  united  a  most  exemplary 
Christian  walk  in  life.  In  all 
earthly  social  relations,  whether 
as  friend,  pastor,  father  or  hus- 
band, he  never  allowed  his  sym- 
pathies, or  any  views  of  poUcy,  to  control  his  judgment  in  the  discharge  of  duty ; 
but  went  straight  forward,  with  the  utmost  faithfulness,  in  the  line  of  his  consci- 
entious convictions. 

It  is  said  of  him  that  in  knowledge  of  the  Bible  and  in  the  true  spirit  of  its 
teachings,  he  was  not  one  whit  behind  the  foremost  preachers  of  Georgia ;  yet, 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  1 19 

at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  when  he  had  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Van's 
Creek  church,  in  Elbert  county,  that  church,  to  supply  his  lack  of  education, 
gave  him  one  year's  instruction  under  Mr.  Willis  Jones,  a  fine  classical  teacher. 
In  the  end  he  obtained  a  splendid  English  education,  and  a  less  perfect  one 
in  the  dead  languages.  But  the  result,  in  regard  to  Mr.  Jones,  was  remark- 
able :  at  that  time  he  was  an  infidel ;  but  afterwards  he  became  a  convert,  and 
studied  theology  under  the  very  man  he  had  instructed — Rev.  Asa  Chandler. 

Of  the  Scriptures,  Mr.  Chandler  was  an  unintermitting  student,  occupying  all 
his  time  not  engrossed  by  pastoral  labors,  in  studying  God's  word,  and  the  best 
expository  and  theological  authors.  He  was  never  at  a  loss  for  an  appropriate 
Scripture  quotation,  to  prove  a  doctrine  or  expose  an  error.  As  a  preacher  he 
was  very  popular  Once,  after  a  long  and  severe  spell  of  fever,  he  became  im- 
potent in  his  feet  and  unable  to  stand;  yet,  in  this  condition,  he  made  a  preach- 
ing tour,  and  was  welcomed  joyously  everywhere  by  crowds  who  assembled  to 
hear  him  preach  in  a  sitting  posture. 

He  laid  no  claim  to  eloquence,  as  an  orator,  but  he  was  one  of  the  most  im- 
pressive of  preachers,  and  at  times  thrilling  passages  fell  from  his  lips.  Self- 
distrust  and  diffidence  were  prominent  traits  in  his  character,  and  he  often  fell 
short  of  a  full  measure  of  success  because  of  these  qualities  ;  but  when  the  truth 
was  clear  and  the  path  of  duty  plain  before  him,  he  was  as  bold  as  a  lion.  Once 
he  preached  a  sermon  which  he  supposed  was  an  utter  failure,  and  he  imagined 
that  he  had,  by  such  a  failure,  destroyed  the  interest  of  the  protracted  meeting 
then  in  progress.  The  fact  was,  that  six  persons  afterwards  joined  the  church, 
who  professed  to  have  been  convicted  or  converted  under  that  sermon. 

Rev.  Asa  Chandler  was  born  on  the  22d  of  August,  1808,  in  Franklin  county, 
Georgia.  He  made  a  public  profession  of  faith  in  Christ  in  his  14th  year,  and 
joined  the  Poplar  Spring  church,  in  his  native  county.  He  was  ordained  in  his 
2[st  year,  and  in  1834  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Van's  Creek  church,  in 
Elbert  county,  and  moved  to  Ruckersville.  He  served  that  church  as  pastor  for 
the  long  period  of  thirty-seven  years,  and  was  its  pastor  when  he  died.  Other 
churches  also  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  his  ministerial  services,  especially  the  Fall- 
ing Creek  church,  of  which  he  was  pastor  for  more  than  twenty  years.  The 
Sarepta  Association,  by  repeatedly  electing  him  its  Moderator,  manifested  a  just 
appreciation  of  his  character  and  efficiency.  On  all  questions  of  missions,  pas- 
toral support  and  systematic  benevolence,  he  was  far  in  advance  of  his  immedi- 
ate coadjutors,  maintaining  t  at  every  member  should  support  church  enter- 
prises according  as  God  had  prospered  him,  and  that  delinquents  in  these  mat- 
ters should  be  held  amenable  to  discipline.  In  truth,  Mr.  Chandler,  as  a  preacher 
and  as  a  Christian,  stood  very  high  among  his  brethren.  His  modesty  was  great, 
for,  though  wielding  a  good  influence  in  our  public  assemblies,  he  rarely  spoke  ; 
but  when  he  did,  his  pleasant  manner  and  voice,  and  his  good  sense  and  pious 
sincerity  always  gained  him  a  most  respectful  hearing. 

Above  the  medium  size,  he  had  blue  eyes,  an  open,  cheerful  countenance,  and 
a  very  pleasant  smile.  In  manners  he  was  gentle,  affable  and  Christian-like,  and 
in  disposition  he  was  kind,  affectionate,  mild  and  retiring.  He  was  married  three 
times,  his  last  wife  and  seven  children — four  sons  and  three  daughters — surviv- 
ing him. 

He  died  June  6th,  1874,  in  his  66th  year.  His  life  was  a  success,  and  his 
death  the  end  of  a  long  and  arduous  Christian  career.  The  words  used  as  the 
tj.it  of  the  sermon Ipreached  at  his  funeral  may  be  considered  a  fitting  epitaph 
for  him:  "  He  was  a  good  man." 


120 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


W.  N.  CHAUDOIN. 


One  of  the  most  useful  and  most  highly 
esteemed  of  the  Baptist  ministerial  brotherhood 
of  Georgia  is  Rev.  W.  N.  CHAUDOiN,a  gentle- 
man of  Huguenot  descent,  who  was  born  about 
twenty  miles  north  of  Nashville,  Tennessee.  He 
is  a  man  whose  piety,  fervor  of  spirit  and  zeal, 
have  made  him  to  be  praised  in  all  the  churches; 
as  he  has  for  years  been  acting  as  a  State  Mission- 
ary, or  as  Missionary  Agent  for  the  Home 
Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Conven- 
tion. Perhaps  no  one  of  our  ministers  has 
warmer  feelings,  or  a  more  devout  spirit  when 
pleading  for  his  divine  Master  in  the  pulpit ;  in 
consequence,  he  is  always  welcomed  ;  yet  he  is 
not,  by  any  means,  a  man  of  learning  or  of  extra- 
ordinary parts.  He  has  the  unction  of  the  Spirit, 
and  gifts,  however,  which  rank  him  among  the 
very  best  of  our  preachers.  With  no  great  hom- 
iletic  skill,  with  no  special  knowledge  of  rhetoric  or  logic,  and  not  profound  in 
theology,  he  is,  nevertheless,  a  good  preacher,  and  anybody  can  listen  to  him 
with  profit.  His  evident  sincerity,  and  his  warm,  genial,  earnest  and  affection- 
ate manner,  disarm  criticism,  and  incline  every  one  to  give  him  a  favorable 
hearing.  He  gets  right  at  the  heart,  and  no  man  can  hear  him  without  being 
deeply  impressed.  Although  his  early  opportunities  were  so  limited,  he  still 
may  be  said  to  hold  a  better  position  in  the  pulpit  than  multitudes  of  those  who 
have  enjoyed  the  best  advantages.  He  is  a  plain,  unaffected,  humble  man, 
making  no  high  pretensions  of  any  kind  ;  yet  there  is  many  a  high-born,  high- 
bred and  highly-taught  ecclesiastic,  who,  with  all  his  polish  and  all  his  distinction, 
would  be  greatly  promoted  by  exchanging  places  with  him.  Doubtless  this  is 
due  to  divine  power  bestowed,  and  to  that  unction  which  is  from  on  high. 

His  father,  John  Mims  Chaudoin,  having  removed  from  Virginia,  settled  in 
Middle  Tennessee,  where  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Calthorp.  He  was  unable  to 
give  his  son  a  better  education  than  such  as  common  country  schools  supplied ; 
but  this  was  afterwards  improved  by  the  study  and  training  involved  in  teach- 
ing, to  which  profession  the  son  resorted  for  a  living. 

Born  August  loth,  1829,  W.  N.  Chaudoin  was  converted  before  he  was  sixteen, 
and  precisely  two  years  after  his  conversion  he  took  a  text  and  preached  his  first 
sermon,  in  the  same  house  where  he  was  convicted  and  converted ;  and,  some- 
time afterwards  the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member  licensed  him  "to  exercise 
his  gifts  in  public." 

He  married  Miss  Caroline  A.  Frensley,  on  the  6th  of  May,  1850,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  ordained  at  the  call  of  Charity  church,  fifteen  miles  from 
Nashville.  After  preaching  to  that  church  for  a  few  years,  he  went  to  Nashville 
and  took  charge  of  the  Second  Baptist  church,  where  he  contracted  the  pulmo- 
nary complaint  from  which  he  has  never  been  free  since.  About  1856  or  1857 
he  was  appointed  Agent  for  the  Bible  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention, 
and  for  a  year  worked  in  Middle  Tennessee  and  North  Alabama,  and  then  was 
sent  to  Georgia  and  Florida,  where  he  labored  another  year.  At  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Bible  and  Colporteur  Society,  which  existed  for  six 
or  seven  years,  he  was  elected  its  first  Secretary  and  Agent,  and  moved  to  the 
State  in  1857.  But  he  was  soon  elected  Principal  of  the  Georgia  Academy  for 
the  Blind,  a  State  institution  at  Macon,  which  position  he  retained  for  one  year. 
He  then  accepted  the  pastorate  of  several  churches  in  Southwestern  Georgia, 
where  he  remained  preaching,  with  great  acceptability,  from  1858  to  1870.    Then. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


121 


being  commissioned,  he  entered  upon  an  active  agency  in  Georgia  for  the  Home 
Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention — an  office  he  filled  with  such  satis- 
faction to  the  Board  that  in  1871  he  was  made  its  District  Secretary  for  Georgia, 
Alabama  and  Florida.  This  position  he  retained  until  1879,  when,  owing  to 
measures  regarding  agencies,  adopted  by  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  he 
severed  his  connection  with  the  Home  Board  and  became  a  general  missionary 
for  the  State  of  Georgia,  under  a  commission  from  the  State  Board  of  its  Bap- 
tist Convention.  His  health  for  some  \  ears  has  required  him  to  spend  his 
winters  in  the  milder  climate  of  Florida.  There  his  influence  has  been  only  and 
remarkably  for  good ;  and  he  has  done  excellent  service  to  the  denomination  as 
editor  of  the  Florida  department  of  The  Christian  Index.  In  1880,  he 
served  as  Moderator  of  the  Florida  Baptist  State  Convention,  and  was  elected 
Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Missions  established  by  the  Conven- 
tion at  that  session. 


FRANKLIN  W.  CHENEY. 


Franklin  W. — son  of  Thomas  B.  Cheney, 
whose  father  came  from  England,  and  of  his 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Middlebrooks — 
was  born  October  29th,  1808,  in  Oglethorpe 
county,  Georgia,  but  reared,  from  his  first  to  his 
sixteenth  year,  in  Morgan  county.  When  eight 
years  of  age  he  began  to  work  on  the  farm,  and, 
with  the  aid  of  a  younger  brother,  supported  the 
family  by  his  labor  for  the  next  eight  years,  as 
his  father  was  straitened  in  circumstances,  and 
in  health  incurably  broken.  Meanwhile,  he  at- 
tended school  less  than  two  years  in  all,  and  that 
only  in  detached  periods,  never  exceeding  three 
months  at  a  time.  But  "the  divine  thirst  to 
know"  had  been  awakened  in  his  bosom,  and 
every  means  of  acquiring  information  was  im- 
proved by  private  study  in  leisure  hours  and  on 
days  unfit  for  out-door  toil,  with  such  assiduity 
that  his  seventeenth  year  found  him  prepared  for  the  position  of  teacher  in  the 
Various  branches  of  an  Enghsh  education.  This  position  he  filled  for  three  years, 
conducting  a  school  in  Newton  county  so  acceptably  and  successfully  as  to  clear 
about  a  thousand  dollars.  With  that  sum  he  determined  to  qualify  himself  for 
the  practice  of  medicine ;  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  A.  B.  Linton  in  1828,  having 
previously  read  through  again  and  again  the  text-books  commonly  used  in  the 
profession;  attended  medical  lectures  at  Transylvania  University,  Lexington, 
Kentu  -ky,  in  the  winter  of  that  year,  and  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  the  win- 
ter ensuing,  and  was  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1830.  Locating  near  the  corner  of 
Wilkes,  Greene  and  Oglethorpe  counties,  he  succeeded  in  establishing  a  large 
and  lucrative  practice,  which  he  maintained  at  that  point  for  eight  years,  near 
I'enfield  (whither  he  removed  for  the  education  of  his  children)  for  fifteen,  and  at 
Dirt  Town  (to  which  he  was  attracted  as  lying  within  a  more  healthy  section)  for 
two — -making  a  continuous  period  of  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Through  all  this 
practice  he  combined  with  the  fruits  of  thorough  study  in  the  past  and  careful 
attention  in  the  present  a  sense  of  entire  dependence  on  God,  often  praying  fer- 
vently for  his  patients,  and  sometimes  feeling  that  his  prayers  were  answered. 

He  was  under  salutary  and  potent  religious  influences  from  the  dawn  of  life. 
His  maternal  grandmother  was  a  woman  of  unusual  fervor  and  zeal — like  Anna, 
the  prophetess.  His  father  and  mother  were  Baptists,  of  the  more  evangelical 
and  earnest  type.     The  conversation  with  visitors  in  that  household  was  "  with 


122  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

grace,  seasoned  with  salt; "  an  interchange  of  views  on  the  meaning  of  Scripture 
passages,  and  on  the  unvarying  element  s  and  varying  phases  of  Christian  experi- 
ence. In  this  way  he  was  lead  to  read  the  Bible  habitually  in  his  youth,  and  to 
think  much  on  the  subject  of  religion.  He  felt  for  years  more  or  less  concern 
about  his  own  salvation;  and,  in  1827,  the  earnest  appeals  of  a  Christian  friend 
on  his  death-bed  awoke  him  to  a  conviction  for  sin  so  pungent,  and  to  a  desire 
after  conscious  pardon  for  sin  so  strong,  that  he  could  no  longer  rest  without 
"  the  joy  and  peace  in  believing  "  which  attends  the  new  birth.  To  this,  in  the 
course  of  several  months,  marked  by  severe  spiritual  conflicts,  he  attained,  but 
made  no  disclosure  of  his  experience  to  others.  But  "  the  Lord  has  no  dumb 
children,"  and  the  time  came  when  he  could  no  longer  keep  silence.  A 
fe\v  miles  from  Dr.  Linton's  stood  Bethesda  church,  in  the  pastoral  care  of 
which  Jesse  Mercer,  after  a  service  of  twenty-five  years,  was  succeeded  by  Jona- 
than Davis,  January,  1828.  A  visit  to  that  church  in  the  early  spring  by  Dr, 
Abner  W.  Clopton,  famed  as  a  preacher,  and  John  Hubbard,  no  less  famed  as 
an  exhorter,  was  followed  by  a  revival  in  which  from  fifty  to  sixty  joined  the 
church  at  its  monthly  meetings  until  two  hundred  and  seventy-seven  were  added. 
Mr.  Cheney  was  of  this  number,  being  baptized  April,  1828.  With  a  wisdom 
which  young  converts  would  do  well  to  emulate,  when  he  left  home  to  attend 
medical  lectures,  he  carried  with  him  a  letter  of  commendation  from  his  church, 
and  placed  himself  under  the  "  watch-care  "  of  the  churches  in  Lexington  and 
Charleston.  On  his  removal  to  the  vicinity  of  Penfield,  he  transferred  his  mem- 
bership to  Baird's  church,  then  under  the  pastorate  of  Jack  Lumpkin,  and  during 
a  revival  season,  in  1838,  crowned  with  an  ingathering  of  some  two  hundred,  "  the 
first  protracted  meeting  he  had  ever  heard  of,"  he  was  much  revived  in  spirit, 
and  felt  more  than  ever  before  that  his  life  belonged  to  Christ — an  impression 
deepened  subsequently  by  the  revival  of  1848,  and  by  the  discipline  of  sore 
household  bereavements.  At  Dirt  Town  he  connected  himself  with  Armuchee 
church,  and  after  relinquishing  his  profession,  gave  renewed  attendance  to  reading 
in  the  Scriptures  and  theology  ;  reaching  the  conviction  that  he  ought  to  engage 
in  the  ministry  of  the  Word,  but  forbearing  to  act  on  that  conviction,  because  he 
felt  that  those  whom  the  Lord  calls  are  called  through  the  church,  and  the 
church  had  not  spoken.  In  the  fall  of  1 863,  however,  he  took  refuge  from  in- 
vading armies  in  Southwest  Georgia,  settling  in  elalhoun  county,  near  Morgan. 
There  the  intelligence  and  fervor  evinced  by  his  instruction  of  the  Bible  class 
and  his  lectures  to  the  Sunday-school  were  crowned  with  a  season  of  refreshing, 
and  induced  the  Morgan  church  to  speak.  He  was  ordained,  at  its  request,  by 
a  presbytery  consisting  of  Elders  B.*  F.  King  and  Perry.  After  his  return  to 
Dirt  Town,  in  1866,  he  devoted  himself,  with  much  acceptance,  to  pastoral  labor,  . 
serving,  at  different  times,  nine  churches  in  Floyd,  Chattooga  and  Walker  coun- 
ties, until  failing  health  and  loss  of  voice  compelled  him,  in  1876,  to  cease  from 
that  form  of  work.  During  this  term  of  service  he  secured  the  erection  of  four 
houses  of  worship.  Having  acted,  for  several  years  before  the  war,  as  clerk 
of  Oostanaula  Association,  he  has  acted,  for  several  years  since  the  war,  as  its 
Moderator,  discharging  the  duties  of  both  offices  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  brethren. 

Mr.  Cheney  has  been  twice  married.  His  union  with  his  first  wife,  Miss  Mar- 
tha Anne  Faver,  of  Wilkes  county,  was  formed  January,  1831,  crowned  with 
six  children,  of  whom  two,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  are  still  living,  and  closed  by  her 
triumphant  death,  April,  1849.  In  April,  185 1,  he  married  Miss  M.  Louisa  West, 
of  Monroe  county,  who  has  borne  him  six  sons  and  three  daughters — a  band  as 
yet  unbroken  by  a  death,  one  of  whom  "the  Lord  has  put  into  the  ministry." 
Both  of  these  wives  proved  greatly  helpful  to  him,  alike  in  temporal  and  in 
spiritual  things. 

When  Mr.  Cheney  began  his  business  life,  he  determined  to  be  controlled  by 
a  few  special  rules — fidelity,  punctuality,  energy,  industry,  economy ;  and  these 
have  left  their  imprint  conspicuously  upon  his  whole  career.  One  fact  tells  the 
sto.  y  of  the  resolute  spirit  which  has  achieved  his  successes.  When  the  time  came 
for  attendance  upon  the  second  course  of  medical  lectures,  he  was  so  feeble  from 
the  effects  of  fever,  that  he  had  to  be  carried  to  Augusta  on  a  bed  placed  on  a 
load  of  round  bales  of  cotton  ;  and  from  that  point  he  made  his  way  to  Charlestoa 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  1 23 

by  stage,  though  he  needed  the  assistance  of  the  passengers  to  get  into  the  vehicle 
and  to  get  out  of  it.  He  has  been  a  warm  advocate  of  temperance,  of  educa- 
tion, of  Sunday-schools,  and  of  missions — of  every  cause  and  organization  whose 
object  is  the  benefit  of  the  race  and  the  glory  of  God.  Decided  in  judgment, 
inflexible  in  principle,  liberal  in  benefaction,  abundant  in  hospitality,  he  nears  the 
close  of  life  with  unwavering  faith  in  the  merits  and  the  promises  of  his  Saviour, 
fully  persuaded  that  when  called  hence  he  will  be  welcomed  where  that  Sa- 
viour is. 

Not  the  least  marked  of  his  characteristics  has  been  the  purpose  to  give  all 
his  children  what  he  lacked  in  early  life — a  thorough  education;  a  purpose  which 
has  been  as  a  mainspring  to  his  business  activities.  The  course  pursued  with 
his  sons  is  worthy  of  mention.  He  has  sent  them  regularly  to  school,  if  possi- 
ble to  classical  teachers,  from  the  age  of  six  years  to  the  age  of  twelve.  Then  he 
has  put  them  to  work  for  five  years,  securing  a  fine  development  of  physical  consti- 
tution, and  watching  carefully  over  the  formation  of  right  moral  habits  on  their 
part.  At  the  close  of  this  second  period,  he  has  had  them  prepared  for  entering 
the  Sophomore  class  as  early  as  practicable — which  has  usually  required  some 
two  years ;  and  they  have  been  graduated  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  or  therea- 
bouts. No  one  method,  of  course,  can  apply  in  all  cases ;  but  it  is  unquestiona- 
bly wise  to  combine  as  perfectly  as  possible  the  education  of  the  body  and  of  the 
heart  with  that  of  the  intellect. 


ADONIRAM   JUDSON   CHEVES. 

A  Huguenot  family,  fleeing  from  persecution  in  France, 
came  to  this  country  and  settled  in  the  Carolinas,  where 
many  of  their  descendants  yet  remain,  and  where  several  of 
their  number  attained  considerable  distinction,  occupied  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  honor,  and  became  famous,  not  only  in 
those  States,  but  throughout  the  land. 

Early  in  the  present  century  Grief  Cheves  came  to  Georgia, 
and  taught  school  awhile  in  Greene  and  Putnam  counties. 
After  his  marriage  he  adopted  agriculture  as  his  calling,  in 
which  he  enjoyed  more  than  ordinary  success.  In  early 
manhood  he  joined  a  Baptist  church,  and  was  soon  set  apart  to  the  office  of 
deacon,  which  he  honorably  and  faithfully  filled  to  the  end  of  his  life. 

His  son,  Isaac  Green  Cheves,  was  born  in  181 1.  In  1834  he  married  Ann 
Elizabeth  McCowan,  and  soon  after  moved  to  Macon  county,  near  Fort  Valley, 
Georgia,  where,  on  the  5th  of  July,  1839,  Adoniram  Judson  Cheves 
was  born  to  them.  He,  with  their  other  children,  received  careful,  pains-taking 
moral  and  religious  training.  Being  of  delicate  constitution,  he  was  much  of 
his  time  with  his  mother — was  "  a  real  mother's  boy ; "  and  his  mother  was  like 
Timothy's — she  taught  him  the  Scriptures  from  his  childhood. 

In  his  nineteenth  year  he  put  on  Christ  by  baptism,  and  united  with  the  Bap- 
tist church  at  Fort  Valley.  He  matriculated  at  Mercer  University  in  1858,  and 
was  graduated  in  1862.  Instead  of  entering  on  the  profession  which  he  has 
since  chosen,  he  was  called  at  once  to  enter  the  ranks  of  the  Confederate  army 
as  a  private  soldier,  and  suffered  all  the  hardships  and  vicissitudes  of  a  soldier's 
life  until  the  close  of  that  fearful  struggle.  Returning  home  in  1865,  he  evinced 
his  determination  to  devote  his  time  and  talents  to  his  Master's  cause,  by  at  once 
entering  on  his  studies  in  the  theological  department  of  Mercer  University,  and 
remained  there  the  balance  of  that  year. 

In  1863  he  rriarried  the  only  daughter  of  Professor  S.  P.  Sanford,  LL.  D., 
of  Mercer  University,  and  in  1866  he  settled  on  a  farm.  He  pursued  the  occu- 
pation, which  has  come  down  from  the  second  son  of  Adam,  until  1875,  when, 


124 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


no  longer  able  to  resist  his  own  inclinations  or  the  wishes  of  his  brethren,  he 
was  called  to  ordination  by  the  church  at  Traveller's  Rest.  He  has  continued  to 
serve  them  since  that  time.  He  lives  still  on  his  farm,  but  has  the  care  of  sev- 
eral churches,  and  is  devoting-  almost  his  entire  time  to  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  as  the  great  object  of  life.  He  is  faithful  in  the  performance  of  every 
duty.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  sense  and  gentlemanly  bearing ;  a  preacher  sound  in 
the  faith  and  forcible  in  its  statement  and  defence,  and  has  made  an  efficient  and 
popular  clerk  of  the  Rehoboth  Association.  The  discipline  of  early  training,-  of 
study,  of  war,  of  agricultural  life,  and  of  pastoral  experience,  has  promoted  ma- 
turity of  intellect,  vigor  of  gracious  principle,  and  consistency  of  walk  and 
conversation ;  and  he  stands  among  his  brethren  in  Christ,  a  brother  beloved. 


JAMES  MADISON  CHILES. 

During  the  year  1862,  after  the  second 
battle  of  Manassas,  Rev.  James  Madi- 
son Chiles,  then  residing  in  Mitchell 
county,  Georgia,  went  to  Warrenton, 
Virginia,  to  render  such  services  as  might 
be  necessary  to  his  oldest  son,  James, 
who  had  been  severely  wounded  in  that 
battle.  There  he  contracted  a  disease 
which  terminated  his  own  life  at  the  age 
of  53,  while  sojourning  with  the  hospit- 
able family  which  was  tenderly  caring 
for  the  wounded  son.  Rev.  A.  H.  Spill 
man,  who  sat  up  with  him  the  night 
previous  to  his  death,  wrote  as  follows 
concerning  him :  "  He  talked  much  of 
Jesus  and  his  glory,  and  the  glory  to  be 
anticipated  with  him.  Once  or  twice 
during  the  night  he  said :  '  I  see  my 
Saviour,  and  shall  soon  be  with  him. 
Glory !  glory !  glory !  Blessed  be  his 
name ! '  "  A  gentleman  from  Georgia, 
who  was  then  in  Warrenton,  among 
other  things,  wrote  :  "His  mind  seemed 
to  be  absorbed  in  contemplating  the  all-sufficiency,  glory  and  grandeur  of  the 
plan  of  salvation,  and  his  spirit  seemed  to  go  out  with  earnest  and  ardent  long- 
ings toward  its  Supreme  Author.  His  intellect  was  clear;  not  a  doubt  disturbed 
the  peace  of  his  soul.  He  said  he  had  attempted  to  serve  Jesus  for  a  longtime, 
'  but  none  too  much,  or  too  long.  He  suffered  but  little,  sank  gradually,  and 
breathed  his  last  without  a  struggle." 

He  died  on  the  28th  of  October,  1862,  aged  53  years  and  three  weeks,  having 
been  born  October  7th,  1809,  in  Abbeville  district.  South  Carolina.  He  belonged 
to  a  Virginia  family  which,  being  persecuted  on  account  of  their  faith  and  prac- 
tice as  Baptists,  preached  religious  liberty  behind  prison  bars.  His  paternal 
grandfather  came  from  Spotsylvania  county,  Virginia,  and  settled  in  Abbeville, 
South  Carolina,  about  the  year  1793,  and  his  home,  which  was  quite  a  public 
place  became,  and  still  is  known  as  "  Chiles'  Cross  Roads."  It  yet  remains  in 
possession  of  the  family.  Four  sons  settled  and  improved  homes  near  their 
parents,  one  of  whom.  Major  John  Chiles,  was  the  father  of  James  Madison 
Chiles.  On  account  of  his  piety,  wealth,  social  position  and  strong  character. 
Major  Chiles  was  a  prominent  man  in  his  district,  and,  with  commendable  fidel- 
ity, filled  the  office  of  deacon  for  many  years,  first  in  Bethany  church,  Edgefield 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  1 2$ 

district,  and  afterwards  in  Horeb  church,  Abbeville  district.  Of  nine  children 
borne  by  his  first  wife,  all  were  daughters  but  one,  and  he  (James  Madison)  be- 
came, therefore,  the  pet  and  idol  of  the  family  ;  but  fortunately  he  was  too  gentle 
and  sensible  to  be  spoiled  by  indulgence.  Later  in  life,  other  children  were  born 
to  Major  Chiles,  by  a  second  marriage,  one  of  whom — a  son — now  owns  and 
occupies  the  old  family  homestead. 

James  M.  Chiles  grew  to  manhood,  noted  all  the  while  for  truthfulness,  strict 
integrity  and  unblemished  morals,  which,  with  a  genial,  pleasant  manner,  made 
him  a  favorite  with  old  and  young,  and  gave  him  a  strong  moral  influence.  He 
was  converted  while  at  school  in  the  village  of  Edgefield,  was  baptized  in  April, 
1826,  and,  led  by  a  sense  of  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel,  at  once  entered  the 
Theological  Institution  at  the  High.  Shoals  of  Santee,  Sumter  district,  then  under 
the  charge  of  Drs.  Jesse  B.  Hartwell  and  Samuel  Furman.  This  course  he 
afterwards  regretted,  as  it  confined  his  literary  education  to  the  academic  school- 
ing of  his  boyhood,  which,  though  under  such  instructors  as  Dr.  John  T.  Pressley, 
of  Union  Academy,  Mr.  Baker,  of  Abbeville,  and  Mr.  Warne,  of  Edgefield,  he 
ever  felt  was  insufficient  for  the  demands  of  his  life.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in 
1830,  and  was  ordained  in  1832 — Dr.  W.  B.  Johnson,  Luther  Rice,  Richard  Todd 
and  Washington  Belcher,  taking  part  in  the  ordination.  Immediately  he  began 
a  most  active  and  laborious  ministerial  career  in  South  Carolina,  which  he  main- 
tained almost  uninterruptedly  for  twenty-seven  years,  allowing  himself  for  study, 
for  most  of  the  time,  only  the  early  hours  of  morning,  or  the  hours  of  journeying 
in  his  buggy  to  and  from  his  numerous  appointments.  But,  in  the  course  of 
years  he  amassed  a  good  library,  read  much,  and  thus  managed  by  continued 
personal  effort  to  secure  for  himself  all  the  requisites  and  elements  of  a  fair  edu- 
cation. 

For  many  years  he  was  Moderator  of  the  Edgefield  Association,  and  had 
control  of  the  colportage  of  that  body.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  Furman  University ;  was  a  member  of  the  Convention  that  organized 
the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  and  was  also  one  of  its  Trustees, 
with  a  seat  on  the  Executive  Board.  As  an  assistant  of  Dr.  James  P.  Boyce  in 
securing  the  money  required  to  commence  the  operations  of  the  Seminary,  he 
raised  the  first  ten  thousand  dollars  contributed  for  that  purpose.  In  the  wel- 
fare of  that  institution  he  ever  felt  a  strong  solicitude,  and  himself  gave  largely 
towards  the  formation  of  its  library.  His  influence  in  South  Carolina  was  excel- 
lent and  was  widely  felt,  and  the  various  churches  he  served  in  that  State  were 
greatly  benefitted  by  his  ministrations ;  but  in  1859  he  felt  compelled,  on  account 
of  the  health  of  his  family,  to  change  his  residence,  and  moved  to  southwest- 
ern Georgia,  where  he  settled  in  Mitchell  county.  There,  to  the  period  of  his 
death,  his  time  was  fully  occupied  in  preaching  the  Gospel. 

He  first  married  Sarah  Elizabeth  Ayer,  daughter  of  L.  M.  Ayer,  Sr.,  and  sister 
of  Hon.  L.  M.  Ayer,  member  of  the  Confederate  Congress,  and  now  a  distin- 
guished Baptist  minister.  She  died  early,  leaving  one  son,  who,  to  his  father's 
great  grief,  never  reached  manhood.  Mr.  Chiles'  second  wife  was  Miss  Frances 
A.  Butler,  of  Washington,  Georgia,  sister  of  Rev.  D.  E.  Butler,  of  Madison, 
Georgia.     She,  with  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  is  still  living. 

Those  who  knew  Mr.  Chiles  best  possessed  a  high  admiration  of  his  charac- 
ter, and  entertained  an  exalted  opinion  of  his  excellence  as  a  man  in  all  the 
relations  of  life.  Faithful,  true,  just  and  upright  in  all  transactions,  he  was 
distinf^uished  for  those  admirable  traits  which  dignify  and  ennoble  character. 
As  a  Christian  he  was  remarkable  for  integrity  and  firmness,  combined  with  gen- 
tleness and  simplicity.  Independent  in  thought,  transparent  in  heart  and  life,  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  express  his  honest  convictions  without  reserve  or  concealment, 
yet  with  marked  respect  for  the  opinions  of  others.  Keeping  back  nothing,  he 
consecrated  his  whole  Christian  life  to  the  cause  of  the  Master  and  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  his  kingdom  on  earth.  He  was  full  of  love  and  good  works. 
Christ-like  in  temper  and  character,  he  was  an  honored  agent  in  awakening  the 
unconverted,  and  in  building  up  the  cause  of  Christ. 

As  a  minister  he  was  faithful,  active,  zealous,  persevering  and  eminently  use- 
ful.    With  too  much  self-respect  to  lower  the  dignity  of  his  sacred  calling  by 


126  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

levity,  either  in  the  pulpit  or  out  of  it,  he  ever  conducted  himself  with  becoming 
gravity  and  self-control.  Far  removed  from  everything  little,  as  from  everything 
low,  he  moved  among  his  acquaintances  without  vanity,  aware  rather  of  what 
he  owed  himself  than  of  what  others  owed  him,  and  undesignedly  challenging 
and  winning  esteem  and  tokens  of  esteem  from  all.  At  the  same  time  his  heart 
was  the  abode  of  deep  and  tender  sympathies  ;  his  bosom  glowed  with  a  genuine 
philanthropy  ;  and  this  led  him,  while  possessed  of  the  advantages  of  patrimony, 
social  position,  vigorous  health,  education  and  mental  energy,  by  which  the  way 
was  open  before  him  to  the  acquisition  of  wealth  and  its  attendant  honors,  to 
turn  his  back  on  chem  all,  and,  by  preaching  salvation  through  Christ,  to  indulge 
that  holy  passion — love  for  the  souls  of  men.  He  was  gifted  with  that  inesti- 
mable attribute,  common  sense.  No  one  could  form  his  acquaintance  without 
perceiving  that  he  had  come  in  contact  with  a  man  of  solid  judgment — a  man 
qualified  to  make  a  selection  of  proper  ends,  and  to  adapt  suitable  means  to  the 
accomplishment  of  those  ends ;  and  also  capable  of  adapting  himself  to  individ- 
uals of  every  class  and  character. 

As  a  son,  his  filial  dutifulness  was  conspicuous.  As  a  brother,  he  was  gener- 
ous, affectionate,  sympathizing.  As  a  parent,  his  manner  was  beautifully 
affectionate,  and  he  taught  his  children  to  respect  themselves  by  the  respect  he 
paid  to  them.  As  a  husband,  his  conduct  was  most  considerate  and  delicate, 
never  for  a  moment  forgetful  or  neglectful  of  conjugal  duties  and  affection.  As 
a  friend,  he  was  frank,  cordial,  pure  and  confiding.  His  most  prominent  religious 
traits  were  great  conscientiousness,  habitual  devoutness,  and  that  unction  of 
spirit  which  gave  earnestness  and  power  to  his  preaching ;  nor  was  there  ever  a 
minister  more  deeply  and  constantly  devoted  to  Christian  labor. 

He  was  calm  and  self-possessed,  but  not  cold  and  phlegmatic.  He  was  bold 
without  presumption  ;  decided,  but  not  obstinate.  With  no  tinge  of  servility  or 
sycophancy,  he  was  humble ;  he  was  gentle,  tender  and  sympathising,  but  not 
effeminate.  So  guileless  was  he  that  he  abhorred  all  artifice  and  pretence,  and  yet 
the  confiding  generosity  of  his  nature  made  him  really  slow  to  detect  guile  in 
others.  Exactly  and  scrupulously  truthful,  he  did  not  make  candor  a  cover 
for  bitterness,  but  spoke  painful  truths  only  when  necessary.  He  did  not  act  on 
impulse,  and  yet  the  man  of  feeling  was  seen  in  all  he  did. 

The  following  brief  but  comprehensive  summary  of  his  character  and  abilities 
was  part  of  a  report  adopted  by  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  in  1 860 :  "  He 
was  amiable  in  character,  urbane  in  deportment,  able  in  preaching,  and  highly 
cultivated  in  intellect.  As  a  divine,  few  could  rank  higher ;  as  an  instructive 
minister,  he  was  rarely  excelled ;  and  as  a  citizen,  he  commanded  the  love  and 
esteem  of  all  his  acquaintances." 


WILLIAM  MOORE  CLARKE. 

Rev.  William  Moore  Clarke  has  "  fought  the  good  fight,  kept  the  faith,  and 
finished  his  course."  He  breathed  his  last  on  earth,  and  made  a  happy  exchange 
of  a  world  of  sin  and  pain  and  sorrow  for  the  "  rest  that  remains  for  the  people 
of  God,"  at  his  home  near  Holly  Grove  church,  Monroe  county,  Georgia,  Sab- 
bath evening,  February  23d,  1879. 

He  was  born  in  Jones  county,  Georgia,  May  8th,  1817.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried. His  first  wife  was  Lizzie  Callaway,  daughter  of  Ned  Callaway,  one  of  the 
founders,  and,  for  many  years  the  leading  spirit  and  efficient  deacon,  of  Holly 
Grove  church.  This  marriage  occurred  i6th  April,  1845.  By  his  first  wife  he 
had  no  living  children.  On  September  23d,  1855,  he  was  married  to  Sarah 
LeSeuer,  oldest  daughter  of  Major  Meade  LeSeuer,  a  wealthy  planter  and  prom- 
inent citizen  of  Monroe  county,  and  for  many  years  an  active  and  influential  dea- 
con of  Mount  Zion  church.  Of  this  marriage  there  were  nine  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  1 27 

In  his  early  married  life  he  moved  to  the  State  of  Alabama.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  that  State  he  professed  faith  in  Christ,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Jona- 
than Davis.  In  that  State  he  buried  his  first  wife,  and  soon  afterwards  returned 
to  Georgia,  and  settled  permanently  where  he  died. 

He  was  a  man,  when  in  the  prime  of  life  and  in  good  health,  of  fine  appear- 
ance, a  pleasant  face,  and  genial,  cheerful  temper.  Before  the  war  he  was  quite 
wealthy,  and  was  one  of  the  few  rich  men  whose  liberality  keeps  pace  with  their 
ability.  He  was  a  man  of  warm  feelings,  deep  and  ardent  sympathies,  and  none 
ever  appealed  to  him  in  vain  when  he  was  able  to  help.  And,  perhaps,  no  man 
was  ever  more  universally  popular  throughout  the  Hmits  of  his  acquaintance. 
He  was  twice  elected  to  represent  his  county  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  is  said 
to  have  received  the  largest  vote  ever  cast  for  one  man  in  the  county.  He  filled 
well  every  position  to  which  he  was  called  by  his  fellow-citizens,  and  guarded  with 
vigilance  and  fidelity  the  trusts  committed  to  him.  He  was  a  man  of  unblem- 
ished honor  and  sterling  integrity.  After  the  war  he  became  very  much  embar- 
rassed financially,  and  had  a  large,  growing  family;  and  though  advised  by  his 
friends  to  avail  himself  of  the  benefits  of  the  homestead,  or  bankrupt  law,  and 
thereby  relieve  himself  of  the  pressure  upon  him,  he  would  not  do  it,  but  suf- 
fered his  property  to  go  to  the  block  until  his  creditors  were  fully  satisfied.  He 
was  heard  frequently  to  remark  that  he  would  give  up  everything  in  the  world 
he  had,  even  to  the  hat  on  his  head,  rather  than  evade,  or  create  the  suspicion 
that  he  was  trying  to  evade,  his  just  debts. 

He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  church  at  Holly  Grove  in  the  spring  of  i860. 
In  the  fall  of  1875  he  was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  gospel  ministry.  He 
had  a  very  humble  opinion  of  himself,  and  was  reserved  and  timid  to  a  fault. 
Owing  to  this  excessive  timidity,  together  with  failing  health,  he  refrained  from 
travelling  much  abroa.d  and  extending  his  acquaintance  as  a  preacher,  though 
frequently  invited  and  urged  by  surrounding  churches,  as  well  as  his  own  breth- 
ren at  home,  to  do  so.  Consequently  his  abilities  as  a  preacher  were  but  little 
known,  except  by  those  of  his  own  church.  He  was  an  animated  speaker,  able 
in  prayer  and  exhortation.  The  play  and  brilliancy  of  his  countenance,  and  flash- 
ing, sparkling  eyes,  when  warm  in  his  theme,  were  wondprful  to  see,  and  will 
never  be  forgotten  by  those  wlio  were  in  the  habit  of  hearing  him  at  such  times. 
He  felt  a  deep  interest  in  his  church.  Nothing  in  this  world  was  a  greater  source 
of  delight  to  him  than  its  steady  growth  and  increasing  influence  and  power  for 
good.  When  Rev.  A.  L.  Moncrief  took  pastoral  charge  of  the  church  twenty 
two  years  ago,  there  were  but  two  male  members  besides  himself,  with  some 
half  dozen  females.  There  has  been  a  steady  growth  of  the  church  through  all 
these  years,  until  now,  in  point  of  numbers,  talent,  wealth  and  general  efficiency, 
it  is  one  of  the  best  country  churches  in  the  State.  Of  this  growth  and  prosper- 
ity of  the  church  he  often  spoke  with  evident  gratification  and  joy,  and  much  of 
it  is  attributable,  under  God,  to  his  labor. 

Brother  Clarke  had  been  in  failing  health  for  several  years.  While  serving  as 
a  soldier  in  the  Indian  war  in  Florida,  he  contracted  a  complaint  which  became 
chronic,  and  caused  him  much  trouble  and  suffering  the  balance  of  his  life.  The 
immediate  cause  of  his  death,  however,  was  cancer  in  the  hand,  from  which  he 
suffered,  and  at  times  most  intensely,  for  over  a  year.  During  his  afflictions  he 
spent  much  time  in  meditation  and  prayer^re-examining  the  foundation  of  his 
faith,  and  the  reason  of  the  hope  that  was  in  him — and  as  his  end  approached,  felt 
that  Jesus  was  increasingly  precious.  On  one  occasion  he  remarked  that  God  had 
taken  away  his  property  and  his  health,  but  he  was  taking  him  to  glory,  and  fre- 
quently expressed  his  perfect  resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  and  was  ready  and 
waiting  to  go  to  rest.  When  death  came,  he  met  him  with  a  degree  of  compo- 
sure very  rarely  witnessed.  In  full  possession  of  consciousness  to  the  last,  strong 
in  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  and  sweetly  resting  on  the  divine  promises,  he  closed 
his  eyes  and  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  "  Blessed  sleep,  from  which  none  ever  wake 
to  weep." 


128 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


JOHN  T.  CLARKE. 

Rev.  John  T.  Clarke,  now  a  prominent  law- 
yer in  southwestern  Georgia, was  born  in  Putnam 
county,  January  12th,  1834.  His  father  was 
James  Clarke,  a  prominent  and  wealthy  Bap- 
tist lawyer  and  planter,  who  married  Miss  Per- 
melia  T.  Wellborn,  sister  of  Hon.  M.  J.  Well- 
born. She  was  a  most  pious  mother,  and,  from 
early  childhood,  trained  up  her  son  so  religiously 
that  his  disposition  and  conduct  were  always 
such  as  characterize  a  child  of  God,  and  his  con- 
version must  have  occurred  very  early  in  life. 
His  parents  moved  to  Lumpkin  in  1837,  when 
he  was  three  years  old,  and  where,  at  five,  he 
began  to  attend  school  regularly,  each  morning 
reading  a  chapter  of  the  Bible  at  his  mother's 
knee  before  setting  out  from  home.  He  attended 
school  at  Lumpkin  until  he  was  fifteen,  when, 
during  a  revival  meeting,  in  1849,  he  publicly 
professed  conversion,  joined  the  church  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Carlos  W. 
Stevens,  in  a  mill-pond,  on  a  cold  January  morning ;  not,  however,  until  by  per- 
sonal investigation  of  Scripture  he  had  been  led  to  adopt  Baptist  views.  From 
that  date  he  has  been  an  active  member  of  the  church,  of  uninterrupted  good 
standing  and  usefulness. 

In  the  winter  of  1849  and  1850  he  was  a  student  in  Columbian  college,  Wash- 
ington City.  Honorably  discharged  from  that  institution,  he  entered  the  Sopho- 
more class  of  Mercer  University,  Penfield,  in  1850,  graduating  in  1853,  and 
sharing  the  first  honor  with  J.  H.  Kilpatrick  and  Henry  T.  Wimberly. 

He  studied  law  in  Columbus  under  his  uncle,  Marshall  J.  Wellborn,  who  had 
been  a  distinguished  judge  and  member  of  Congress,  but  who  has  since  died, 
after  becoming  an  honored  and  universally  respected  Baptist  minister. 

In  February,  1854,  Mr.  Clarke  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  to  a  full  partnership 
with  his  uncle.  He  was  married  on  the  2d  of  May  1855,  to  Miss  Laura  T.  Fort, 
of  Stewart  county,  and  in  1856  entered  into  a  law  partnership  with  his  father,  at 
Lumpkin,  which  he  maintained  with  very  flattering  success  until  the  fall  of  1858, 
when,  yielding  to  an  impression  which  had  accompanied  him  from  childhood, 
that  he  must  preach,  he  was  ordained.  His  ordination  took  place  August  8th, 
1858,  at  the  the  call  of  the  Lumpkin  church  ;  the  presbytery  being  composed  of 
Revs.  A.  Van  Hoose,  C.  S.  Gaulden,  E.  W.  Warren  and  W.  L.  Mansfield.  The 
law  was  immediately  abandoned  by  him,  at  a  great  pecuniary  sacrifice,  and,  in 
January,  1859,  he  took  charge  of  the  Second  Baptist  church  of  Atlanta.  This 
was  his  first  and  only  pastorate. 

He  entered  on  his  duties  with  the  first  Sabbath  of  the  year,  and,  for  three  years 
labored  with  great  zeal  and  ability,  much  to  the  edification  and  increase  of  the 
church,  when,  from  throat  disease,  his  voice  entirely  failed,  and,  being  peremp- 
torily forbidden  by  his  physician  to  engage  in  public  speaking,  he  resigned  his 
charge  and  preached  his  farewell  sermon  on  the  last  Sabbath  in  1861.  Pro- 
foundly oppressed  with  the  prospect  of  a  life  of  infirmity  and  of  inactivity  in  his 
chosen  and  beloved  vocation,  he  retired  to  the  farm  of  his  mother-in-law,  in 
Stewart  county,  and  led  a  country  life  until  January,  1863.  In  the  meantime  he 
conducted  a  country  Sabbath-school,  and  voluntarily  preached  occasionally  when 
his  services  were  needed. 

Appointed  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  the  Pataula  circuit  by  Governor 
Brown,  in  January,  1863,  he  was  elected  his  own  successor  by  the  people  in  1867, 
for  a  new  term  of  four  years. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  1 29 

During  the  military  administration  of  General  Pope  and  General  Meade  in 
Georgia,  various  orders  were  issued  by  them  interfering  with  the  organization, 
conduct  and  functions  of  the  civil  courts,  and  among  other  thmgs  it  was  ordered  • 
that  no  one  should  be  allowed  to  sit  upon  any  jury  without  first  making  and  filing 
an  affidavit  that  he  had  duly  registered  as  a  voter  under  the  reconstruction  acts  of 
Congress,  and  that  the  jury-boxes  should  be  revised  by  throwing  out  the  names  of 
all  unregistered  voters,  and  putting  in  all  the  names  of  registered  voters.  By  this 
order  a  large  portion  of  our  best  citizens  would  have  been  disqualified  from  jury 
duty,  and  all  freedmen,  "ignorant  through  their  previous  condition  of  servitude," 
and  corrupt  through  the  malign  influence  exerted  over  them  by  Northern  adven- 
turers, would  have  been  put  upon  the  juries.  Most  of  the  judges  in  the  State 
complied  with  this  order ;  but  Judge  Clarke  continued  to  draw  his  juries  from 
the  old  jury-boxes,  and,  in  every  court,  openly  refused  to  allow  the  registration 
or  non-registration  of  a  juror  to  be  brought  before  him.  Other  orders  were 
made  directing  what  the  courts  should  enforce  as  law.  Judge  Clarke  refused  to 
obey  those  orders,  and,  in  a  case  before  him,  decided  that  such  orders  were  of 
no  legal  effect.  The  obnoxiousness  of  General  Meade's  order  No.  t,j,  consisted 
mainly  in  endeavoring  to  enforce  the  provisions  of  a  new  State  constitution 
which  the  State  convention  had  submitted  to  the  people  for  ratification, 
but  which  had  not  been  ratified.  '  )f  course  Judge  Clarke  continued  to 
obey  the  old  constitution.  In  one  case,  where  an  ordinance  of  the  con- 
vention of  1868  had  forbidden  the  levy  of  fi.  fas.  and  sales  under  them, 
he  held  that  such  prohibition  was — i.  Void,  because  contrary  to  the  United 
Stares  constitution  against  "  impairing  the  obligation  of  contracts."  2.  Of  no 
force,  because  not  ratified  by  the  people.  3.  That  the  convention  itself,  called, 
not  by  any  civil  authority,  but  assembled  by  military  command,  and  composed 
of  such  material  as  the  military  indicated,  (excluding  nearly  all  of  our  best  citi- 
zens from  voting  at  the  election,  and  from  membership  in  the  convention,)  was 
not  a  legal  assembly,  but  an  unlawful  one,  having  no  more  right  to  make  laws 
than  a  mob.  4.  That  the  military  order  requiring  courts  to  enforce  such  ordi- 
nances was  a  usurpation.  In  every  respect  his  courts  were  held  in  strict  ac- 
cordance with  the  constitution  and  laws  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  altogether  unaf- 
fected in  their  judgments  or  modes  of  proceeding,  by  any  of  the  military  orders. 
When  the  agents  of  the  freedmen's  bureau,  under  military  orders,  seized  the  per- 
son and  property  of  citizens,  he  issued  possessory  warrants  and  writs  of  habeas 
corpus  and  enforced  them,  and  thus  he  put  a  very  considerable  check  upon  the 
high-handed  proceedings  of  military  underlings  in  his  circuit.  General  Meade 
sent  a  lieutenant-colonel  to  warn  Judge  Clarke  of  the  consequences  of  his  course, 
and  to  persuade  him  to  be  more  acquiescent.  He  replied  that  as  long  as  he  acted 
in  that  capacity  he  should  be  a  Georgia  judge,  and  enforce  or  recognize  as  law 
nothing  but  the  valid  law  of  the  land ;  and  that  in  deciding  what  was  the  law, 
he  should  act  freely.  Finally  General  Meade  issued  an  order,  in  March,  1868, 
declaring  that  any  civil  officer  -^ho  should  fail  or  refuse  to  recognize  and  enforce 
any  order  of  his  respecting  the  official  functions  of  such  officer,  should  be  seized, 
tried  before  a  military  commission,  and  punished  by  "  fine  or  imprisonment,  or 
both,"  at  their  discretion.  Judge  Clarke  then  addressed  General  Meade  a  letter, 
in  which  he  stated  that,  as  judge,  he  had  sworn  to  support  the  constitution  of 
Georgia  and  of  the  United  States,  and  inquiring  whether  he  was  to  understand 
from  the  military  orders  that  judges  were  to  declare  as  law,  not  what  they  hon- 
estly believed  to  be  the  law,  but  whatever  General  Meade  should  order.  No 
response  was  vouchsafed,  save  the  transmission,  by  mail,  of  a  printed  copy  of 
the  obnoxious  military  order  No.  37.  Judge  Clarke  then  passed  an  order  ad- 
journing Early  and  Miller  courts  on  the  ground  that  the  "  illegal,  unconstitu- 
tional, oppressive  and  dangerous  "  orders  of  General  Meade  deprived  the  court 
of  the  freedom  to  act  according  to  t'.e  judge's  conviction  of  the  laws  affecting 
the  rights  of  parties.  This  order  found  its  way  into  the  public  prints,  and 
General  Meade  issued  a  special  order,  dated  April  21st,  1868,  which  was  for- 
warded to  Judge  Clarke  a  few  days  later,  removing  him  from  office.  Yielding  to 
lawless  and  overpowering  violence,  the  judge  desisted  from  the  exercise  of  his 
official  functions  without,  however,  resigning  his  position. 


I30  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Judge  Clarke's  fearless  devotion  to  duty,  and  his  faithful  use  of  his  official 
power  to  protect  the  rights  of  the  oppressed  people  of  his  section,  will  not  soon 
be  forgotten  by  those  who  passed  through  the  trying  times  of  reconstruction. 

Resuming  the  practice  of  law  in  Cuthbert,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since. 
Judge  Clarke  canvassed  the  State  for  Seymour  and  Blair  in  1868,  as  one  of  the  two 
presidential  electors  for  the  State  at  large,  General  J.  B.  Gordon  being  the  other. 
His  practice  has  been  very  extensive,  consisting  largely  of  cases  in  the  Supreme 
Court.  As  a  lawyer,  he  is  not  more  known  for  his  ability  and  zeal  as  an  advo- 
cate, than  for  the  entire  candor  of  his  counsels.  He  is  evidently  actuated  by  an 
earnest  desire  to  promote  peace  and  good  order  in  society,  and  has,  by  his  pri- 
vate advice  to  contestants  to  abandon  unjust  and  fruitless  controversies,  pre- 
vented much  litigation. 

He  was  appointed  aide-de-camp,  with  the  rank  of  colonel,  by  Governor  Joseph 
E.  Brown,  when  he  occupied  the  executive  chair,  in  February,  1858;  has  been, 
for  many  years,  a  trustee  of  the  Bethel  Female  college,  and  also  of  Mercer  Uni- 
versity ;  and  took  a  leading  part  in  securing  the  removal  of  the  latter  from  Pen- 
field  to  Macon.  He  is  now  president  of  the  trustees  of  the  Southwestern  Georgia 
Agricultural  College,  at  Cuthbert,  for  the  establishment  and  brilliant  prospects 
of  which  institution  the  people  of  his  section  are  mainly  indebted  to  his  exertion 
and  influence.  At  the  regular  and  extra  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
Georgia  for  1878  and  1879,  he  represented  the  eleventh  senatorial  district,  and 
took  an  important  part  in  its  transactions.  To  that  position  he  was  nominated 
and  elected  without  opposition,  and  without  solicitation  on  his  part,  and  his 
thorough  knowledge  of  parliamentary  law,  and  his  familiarity  with  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  State  and  of  the  Federal  Government,  gave  him  great  advantages  in 
debate,  and  made  his  counsels  on  all  questions  very  weighty. 

Mr.  Clarke  is  well  read  in  polite  literature  ;  is  a  good  Latin,  Greek  and  French 
scholar,  and  has  some  knowledge  of  Hebrew,  German  and  Italian.  Naturally, 
as  well  as  by  culture,  he  is  a  fine  speaker,  and  possesses  a  ready  command  of 
choice  language.  In  speaking,  he  is  varied,  animated  and  graceful,  and  his  de- 
livery often  glows  with  true  eloquence  in  those  mental  heats  and  throes  which 
come  on  when  one  is  earnestly  rushing  along  towards  an  important  objective 
point  in  his  discourse.  Quick,  clear,  discriminating  and  logical  in  intellect  to  a 
degree  rarely  equalled  and  still  more  rarely  surpassed ;  reliable,  trustworthy  and 
candid  in  disposition,  he  is  self-reliant,  self-poised,  systematic  and  resolute.  As 
a  business  man  he  is  distinguished  for  energy,  accuracy  and  integrity. 

Judge  Clarke  is  still  embarrassed  with  the  disease  which  drove  him  from  the 
pastorate,  and  suffers  from  it  greatly  at  times  ;  but,  while  deeming  himself  thus  dis- 
qualified from  the  regular  labors  of  ministerial  life,  he  has  not  ceased  to  be  a 
preacher.  When  oh  the  bench  he  frequently  preached  in  the  towns  where  he 
was  holding  court,  and  often  aided  in  country  meetings.  He  still  preaches  upon 
occasions  away  from  home,  and  at  home  supplies,  when  necessary,  the  place  of 
the  absent  pastor. 

For  many  years  he  has  been  superintendenfc  of  the  Sabbath-school  in  his 
church,  and  at  all  periods  of  his  connection  with  the  church,  has  been  an  active, 
liberal  and  leading  member.  His  love  of  truth,  his  moral  courage,  and  his  energy 
of  character,  make  his  course,  in  any  matter,  significant  and  forcible. 


OF  PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  I3I 


JOHN  A.  CLEMENTS. 

In  October  of  the  year  1839,  there  occurred,  in  the  Flint 
River,  near  New  Providence  church,  Talbot  county,  the 
baptism  of  a  boy  who  was  so  very  small  that,  after  his 
immersion,  the  minister  took  him  up  in  his  arms  and  car- 
ried him  to  the  shore,  exclaiming,  "  Out  of  the  mouth  of 
babes  and  sucklings  thou  hast  perfected  praise."  When 
the  right  hand  of  fellowship  was  given  him,  the  little  fel- 
low stood  on  the  table  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  being  placed 
there  because  of  his  diminutive  size.  The  minister,  who 
is  yet  living,  was  Rev.  Zachariah  H.  Gordon,  father  of 
General  John  B.  Gordon,  and  the  boy  was  John  A. 
Clements,  then  just  thirteen  years  old.  That  httle  boy  has  grown  to  be  a  man 
who  occupies  a  high  and  useful  position  in  society,  and  who  exerts  a  wide  and 
wholesome  influence.  The  promise  of  his  childhood  has  been  fulfilled  in  his 
manhood. 

He  was  born  near  Vineville,  in  Bibb  county,  on  the  15th  of  October,  1826,  but 
was  raised  in  Talbot  county,  where  he  received  a  fine  academic  education.  His 
home  training  was  excellent.  A  good  Christian  father  was  his  ;  and  for  mother 
he  had  one  of  the  best  of  godly  women,  whose  influence  has  been  to  her  chil- 
dren not  only  a  source  of  pure  moral  instruction,  but  a  wall  of  defence. 
The  father's  name  was  Matthew  Clements  ;  and  the  maiden  name  of  the  mother 
was  Jeales  N.  Douglass,  one  of  those  women  who  are  an  honor  to  the  sex,  on 
account  of  their  piety,  intelligence  and  exalted  moral  character.  They  reared 
eight  daughters  and  two  sons,  who  rise  up  and  call  them  blessed. 

John  A.  Clements  was  a  pious  youth,  wielding  a  salutary  influence  over  the 
associates  of  his  boyhood,  and  taking  such  a  part  in  the  prayer-meetings  of  the 
church  that  some  predicted  for  him  a  brilliant  career  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel. 
He  has,  however,  never  entered  the  ministry,  but  has  been  a  constant  and 
efficient  lay-worker  in  the  field  of  religious  labor — a  class  of  men  just  as  greatly 
needed  in  the  church  as  ministers  themselves.  By  his  orderly  Christian  walk 
and  upright  conduct  he  commends  himself  and  the  truth  to  the  world ;  and  as  a 
faithful  and  zealous  worker  in  both  church  and  Sunday-school,  and  as  an  instruc- 
tor in  the  Bible,  he  has  few  superiors  among  the  laity.  He  is  warmly  a  Baptist, 
and  uncompromising  in  regard  to  the  follies  of  the  world,  having  his  face  ever 
turned  Zionward  and  his  heart  "fixed,"  trusting  in  the  Lord. 

Several  prominent  and  useful  positions  have  been  occupied  by  him,  all  of 
which  he  has  filled  with  ability  and  success.  He  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  several  years,  in  Twiggs  county ;  was  clerk  of  the  Inferior  Court  for 
three  years ;  assisted  in  gathering  the  census  and  in  the  collection  of  an  extra 
tax  for  the  relief  of  soldiers'  families ;  and  during  the  war,  was  secretary  of  the 
"  Central  Soldiers'  Relief  Society,"  and  in  many  ways  aided  to  relieve  those  who 
bore  arms  in  the  field  and  their  families  at  home. 

He  is  now  an  active  trustee  of  the  LeVert  Female  college,  in  Talbotton ;  has 
been,  for  several  years,  Sunday-school  superintendent,  treasurer  and  clerk  of  the 
Talbotton  Baptist  church ;  has  acted  as  clerk  of  the  Columbus  Association  for 
five  years,  and  is  now  also  the  efficient  president  of  the  Sunday-school  Conven- 
tion of  that  Association.  His  chief  occupation  has  been  farming,  though  he  has 
taught  school  for  several  years,  and  is  now  teaching  at  Collinsworth  Academy,  in 
Talbot  county.  He  is  a  very  acceptable  teacher,  and  as  such  has  done  and  is 
doing  much  good  in  the  intellectual,  moral  and  religious  training  of  the  young. 
With  but  little  experience  in  public  speaking,  he  is  an  excellent  essay  writer. 
Upright,  candid  and  sociable  in  all  his  relations,  he  is  regarded  by  every  one 
as  a  faithful  and  consistent  Christian,  in  whom  the  utmost  confidence  may  be 
reposed,  and  on  whose  benevolence,  generosity  and  kindness  of  heart  all  may 
rely. 

12 


132  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

In  person  he  is  of  medium  size,  robust  in  health  and  active  in  movement,  and 
has  an  agreeable  and  pleasant  countenance. 

He  married  Miss  Julia  Ann  Asbell,  daughter  of  Elisha  Asbell,  of  Twiggs 
county,  December  6th,  1849,  and  they  have  six  sons  and  one  daughter  living, 
and  nine  little  ones  in  heaven. 

In  Mr.  Clements  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  have  a  most  intelligent,  zealous,  con- 
scientious and  faithful  lay-worker,  whose  example  and  influence  are  beneficial 
to  the  church,  to  the  Sunday-school,  and  to  society  at  large. 


J.  C  CLEMENTS. 

Hon.  J.  C.  Clements,  though  not  a  minister,  is  entitled 
to  a  place  on  these  pages  by  individual  worth  and  official 
position.  Of  fine  personal  appearance,  nearly  six  feet  in 
stature,  well  proportioned,  with  easy  carriage,  and  without 
any  tokens  of  carelessness  in  dress  or  deportment,  his 
outward  man  is  a  fit  casket  for  a  soul  endowed  with  high 
moral  principles  and  instinct  with  a  spirit  of  genuine, 
earnest  piety.  These  qualities  have  won  for  him  "  a  good 
degree  "  among  "  the  called  and  chosen  and  faithful,"  as 
deacon  of  his  church,  and  as  clerk  both  of  his  Associa- 
tion and  its  Sunday-school  Convention.  His  character 
and  career  may  well  be  adduced  in  illustration  of  the  truth,  that  the  heritage  of 
usefulness  belongs  to  all  Christians,  even  though  Providence  should  not  sum- 
mon them  from  "the  common  walks  of  life  "  to  ministerial  labor. 

He  was  born  of  respectable  Christian  parentage,  in  Walker  county,  Georgia, 
February  12th,  1846.  He  had  fair  school  advantages  in  his  earlier  years,  though 
the  convulsions  which  shook  the  land  when  his  youth  was  ripening  into  man- 
hood denied  him  the  privilege  of  a  collegiate  course.  At  the  age  of  eighteen, 
through  strong  attachment  to  his  country,  he  enlisted  in  the  war  between  the 
States,  and  from  January,  1864,  though  wounded  in  the  memorable  struggle 
around  Atlanta,  lived  the  life  of  a  soldier  in  active  service  until  peace  was  re- 
stored. Choosing  the  law  as  his  profession,  he  prepared  himself  for  it  by  a 
course  of  study  at  Cumberland  University,  Lebanon,  Tennessee,  and  has  ever 
since  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  it.  His  thorough  qualification  is  shown 
in  the  office  and  the  court-room,  by  familiarity  with  the  books  of  his  profession, 
and  by  a  style  of  pleading  which,  while  concise,  drives  straight  to  the  mark, 
avoids  trivial  questions,  and  brings  out  the  strong  points  of  his  cases. 

He  was  converted  in  1859,  when  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  baptized  into  the 
Macedonia  church  by  Rev.  H.  F.  Buchanan.  After  the  lapse  of  ten  years,  his 
membership  was  transferred  to  the  church  in  LaFayette,  where  he  settled  in 
1869,  and  where  he  was  ordained  to  the  office  of  deacon  in  1872.  He  has  been 
useful  in  his  relations  to  the  church,  taking  great  interest  in  its  affairs,  securing 
the  fullest  confidence  of  his  brethren,  and  proving  himself  intelligent,  active  and 
liberal,  in  whatever  promotes  the  cause  of  Christ. 

His  reading  has  not  been  simply  professional,  but  has  extended  to  general 
literature,  while  religious  works  have  held  a  prominent  place  in  it.  Not  elo- 
quent as  a  public  speaker,  but  attractive  and  always  commanding  attention, 
he  has  shown  marked  firmness  in  his  opinions  on  all  questions,  whether  ecclesi- 
astical or  political,  combined  with  courtesy  and  liberality  toward  those  who 
maintain  opposite  views.  As  might  be  anticipated,  the  people  have  honored 
him  with  their  favor,  electing  him  in  1872  and  1874  to  represent  his  native  county 
in  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature — a  position  from  which  he  was  afterward 
promoted  to  a  seat  in  the  higher  by  the  voters  of  the  Forty-fourth  Senatorial 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  I33 

district  of  the  State.  In  1880,  he  was  elected  to  the  United  States  House  ot 
Representatives,  from  the  Seventh  Congressional  district ;  defeating  an  opponent 
who  had  been  probably  the  most  popular  man  in  the  district,  and  whose  adher- 
ents regarded  him  as  invincible. 

He  was  married  in  July,  1874,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Wardlaw,  of  LaFayette  ;  an 
amiable  and  highly  esteemed  lady,  whose  death  dissolved  this  happy  union  in 
April,  1875. 


GEORGE  HILLMAN  CLIETT. 

Among  the  useful  ministers  of  Georgia  may  be  classed 
Rev.  George  Hillman  Cliett,  who  was  born  in  Co- 
lumbia county  on  the  1 5th  of  February,  1826.  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Mary  Dillard,  and  she  was  the  fourth 
wife  of  Jonathan  Cliett,  a  worthy  and  wealthy  Baptist  of 
Columbia  county,  who  contributed  liberally  toward  the  es- 
tablishment of  Mercer  Institute.  He  died  when  his  son 
George  was  only  thirteen  years  old,  bequeathing  a  large  es- 
tate, but  its  distribution  among  a  number  of  legatees  left  to 
this,  his  youngest  living  son,  a  portion  sufficient  only  to  se- 
cure a  fair  English  education.  His  early  training,  however, 
was  of  the  most  pious  character,  as  his  father  was  a  devout  man,  and  his  mother  a 
woman  of  great  personal  piety,  often  kneeling  by  his  side  and  praying  for  his 
salvation,  until  unbidden  tears  would  gush  from  his  eyes,  i regularly  she  took 
him  to  the  Sabbath-school  and  to  the  house  of  worship,  and  gave  him  such  care- 
ful training  in  morals  that  he  has  never  sworn  an  oath  nor  imbibed  ardent 
spirits  ;  has  never  learned  to  know  one  card  from  another,  nor  to  this  day  has  he 
ever  witnessed  a  dance. 

He  was  converted  and  baptized  in  his  fourteenth  year,  joining  Grove  church, 
in  Columbia  county,  which  then  worshipped  in  a  building  near  the  banks  of 
Uchee  creek,  but  which  has  since  built  another  house  of  worship  not  far  from  the 
Georgia  Railroad.  The  same  church  called  him  to  ordination,  which  event  took 
place  on  the  i8th  of  April,  1848,  when  he  was  twenty-two  years  old;  I  evs. 
Juriah  Harris,  T.  J.  Beck  and  Elisha  Ferryman,  composing  the  presbytery.  He 
entered  at  once  on  the  pastoral  charge  of  Friendship  church,  near  Richmond 
Bath,  and  soon  after  of  Mount  Lebanon,  better  known  as  Sweet  Water  church, 
in  Edgefield  district,  South  CaroHna.  From  that  period  he  lived  and  labored 
diligently  in  Columbia  county  until  the  latter  part  of  1863,  when  he  moved  to 
Decatur  county,  near  Bainbridge.  Besides  the  churches  mentioned,  he  served 
twelve  other  churches  in  Columbia  and  Richmond  counties,  and  was  instrumen- 
tal in  organizing  the  church  at  Belair,  near  Augusta,  which  he  served  as  pastor 
until  his  removal.  He  still  resides  in  Decatur  county,  in  which  he  has  been 
abundant  in  labors,  having  as  pastor  served  about  a  dozen  churches  in  that  and 
Mitchell  county,  besides  preaching  much  in  destitute  places,  without  compensa- 
tion, and  organizing  two  new  churches.  He  is  an  earnest-minded,  devout  man 
and  preacher,  devoted  to  his  ministerial  work,  and  seeking  to  promote  his  Mas- 
ter's kingdom  by  constant  and  self-sacrificing  efforts. 

He  married  Miss  Laura  Virginia  Green,  of  Edgefield  district.  South  Carolina, 
in  1848,  by  whom  he  has  had  four  children,  three  of  whom  are  grown,  and  are 
faithful,  working  Christians  and  members  of  Baptist  churches. 

Previous  to  his  removal  to  southwestern  Georgia,  Mr.  Cliett  was  elected  a 
Trustee  of  Hephzibah  High  School,  Richmond  county. 


134 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


WILLIAM  C.  CLEVELAND. 


Dr.  Cleveland  is  the  son  of  Carter 
Cleveland,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Dal- 
las county,  Alabama,  who  was  a  deacon 
of  Shiloh  church,  to  which  he  belonged  most 
of  his  religious  life,  honored,  trusted  and 
respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  His  princely 
estate  gave  him  the  means,  and  divine  grace 
gave  him  the  will,  to  be  one  of  the  most 
liberal  contributors  to  all  worthy  objects 
fostered  by  the  denomination.  If  any  dea- 
con ever  earned  a  more  enviable  reputation 
than  he,  I  have  never  known  him.  Withal, 
he  was  a  man  of  as  broad  views  and  with 
as  much  practical  sagacity,  as  we  had  in 
Alabama.  Of  course  such  a  man  would 
leave  nothing  undone  in  the  way  of  edu- 
cating his  children  at  our  best  institutions 
of  learning,  fitting  them  for  any  sphere  of 
usefulness,  and  any  position  in  society  to  which  they  might  be  called. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Dallas  county,  Alabama,  June  22d, 
1834;  united  with  the  Shiloh  Baptist  church  at  twelve  years  of  age;  graduated 
at  the  University  of  Alabama  in  1855,  under  the  Presidency  of  that  great  and 
good  man.  Dr.  Manly ;  and  then  graduated  in  medicine  in  New  York,  New  Or- 
leans and  Charleston.  After  practicing  medicine  some  years,  he  yielded  to  his 
convictions  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  was  ordained  to  the  work,  October  loth, 
1868.  .Since  his  ordination  he  has  had  two  pastorates — one,  jointly  at  Carlow- 
ville  and  Snow  Hill,  in  the  neighborhood  where  he  was  raised ;  the  other,  the 
position  he  now  fills  in  Selma,  seven  or  eight  miles  from  the  old  homestead. 
This  may  indicate  something  of  his  standing  where  he  is  best  known.  It  is  also 
due  to  say  that  this  is  the  fifth  year  of  his  pastorate  in  Selma,  and  that  his  rep- 
utation for  ability,  industry  and  efficiency  has  grown  steadily  from  the  first. 
Perhaps  no  pastor  in  the  State  maintains  a  firmer  hold  upon  the  affections  and 
confidence  of  his  church  and  congregation.  In  consideration  of  his  scholarship 
and  proficiency  in  the  ministry,  Howard  College  conferred  on  him,  in  June, 
1875,  the  honorary  degree  of  D.D. 

Gifted  by  nature  with  an  ardent  temperament,  as  well  as  a  high  order  of  men- 
tal capacities,  and  enjoying  the  best  advantages  in  his  early  training,  together 
with  speaking  powers  that  are  seldom  surpassed,  it  may  well  be  supposed  that 
Dr.  Cleveland  on  entering  the  ministry  took  at  once  a  high  stand  among  his 
brethren.  Much  was  expected  of  him,  and  nobly  has  he  answered  these  expec- 
tations. For,  high  as  was  the  rank  his  brethren  assigned  him  when  he  commenced 
preaching,  he  has  steadily  advanced  from  that  time  till  now,  and  to-day  no  min- 
ister in  the  State  occupies  a  more  enviable  position,  not,  to  be  sure,  for  those 
occasional  brilliant  performances  which  rather  dazzle  than  edify,  but  for  those 
solid,  earnest,  effective  ministrations  which  must  ever  constitute  our  best  preach- 
ing talent.  Of  all  his  rare  gifts,  that  is  the  rarest  with  which  he  adapts  his  sermons 
to  the  demands  of  his  field.  1  believe  it  is  conceded  that  his  church  in  Selma  is 
the  best  organized  body  of  the  kind  in  the  State,  although  in  this  respect  some- 
thing is  due  his  predecessor,  Dr.  Teague,  a  man,  by  the  way,  whom  it  would  be 
a  credit  for  any  minister  to  follow  and  sustain  himself  creditably. 

As  a  preacher,  Dr.  Cleveland  is  lucid,  earnest,  sometimes  impassioned  and 
always  edifying.  His  sermons  are  well  thought  out,  compact,  closely  written, 
and  abound  in  Gospel  truth.  When  he  resorts  to  illustration,  (a  habit  he  would 
do  well  to  cultivate  more,)  he  is  quite  happy  in  adorning  as  well  as  enforcing  the 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  1 35 

point  he  is  discussing.  An  aptness  to  discern  analogies  is  one  of  the  most  use- 
ful and  commanding  qualities  a  minister  can  acquire.  As  a  Gospel  preacher — 
I  mean  a  preacher  who  confines  himself  to  the  Book — who  never  takes  time  to 
follow  the  ignns  fatuns  of  "advanced  thought,"  or  mingle  in  the  speculations 
of  the  "  modern  spirit,"  and  as  a  laborious  pastor,  he  stands  among  the  first  of 
his  State.  What  he  does  not  introduce  in  his  pulpit  ministrations,  his  people  can 
well  afford  to  live  and  die  without  knowing.  When  a  minister  wishes  to  discuss 
a  given  subject  before  his  people,  it  is  always  best  for  him  to  select  a  text  (if  he 
take  a  text  at  all)  in  which  that  subject  is  plainly  taught ;  not  one  which  very 
remotely  implies  it,  and  which  will  give  him  the  opportunity  of  showing  his  skill 
to  evolve.  And  this  is  just  what  Dr.  Cleveland  does.  When  he  announces  his 
text,  one  knows  what  he  aims  to  do.  In  a  few  sentences  he  marshals  his 
thoughts  and  presents  the  analysis  clearly  and  tersely,  so  that  his  audience  finds 
no  difficulty  in  following  him  to  the  close.  In  one  sentence,  his  ministry  is 
adapted  to  develop  the  faith  and  piety  of  Christians,  rather  than  to  gratify  the 
popular  thirst  for  "something  new." 

As  a  writer,  (for  Dr.  Cleveland  occasionally  writes  for  his  State  organ,  the 
Alabama  Baptist,)  he  always  has  something  to  say.  He  is  quite  happy  in  taking 
off  certain  popular  views,  amusements,  usages  and  customs,  which  do  not  ex- 
actly square  with  his  views  of  Christian  propriety.  A  rich  vein  of  good  natured 
irony  from  his  pen  impales  some  of  these  amusements  and  customs  far  more 
effectually  than  a  serious  argument  could  do.  Ridicule  is  often  the  most  effec- 
tive weapon  to  use  against  questionable  amusements  and  foolish  customs,  and 
nobody  knows  this  better  than  Dr.  Cleveland.  Most  generally  he  uses  some 
nom  de plume  for  his  lucubrations;  but  this  is  unnecessary,  for  his  friends  all 
know,  on  reading  the  first  few  lines,  that  if  it  is  "  the  hand  of  Esau  "  that  wields 
the  pen,  it  is  "  the  voice  of  Jacob  "  that  speaks.  The  truth  is,  he  is  one  of  the  men 
whose  transparent  simplicity,  candor  and  straightforwardness  will  always  betray 
him,  however  masked  in  a  "  nomitiis  tanbra." 

Let  me  only  add,  that  Dr.  Cleveland  is  rapidly  acquiring  a  broad  reputation 
for  all  the  elements  of  comanding  usefulness.  He  is  the  only  sGccessor  of  that 
incomparable  man.  Dr.  DeVotie,  now  of  Georgia,  who  so  long  swayed  so  un- 
bounded an  influence  over  the  Baptists  of  Alabama,  in  calling  out  their  benefac- 
tions for  our  benevolent  enterprises.  That  is  a  happy  art  that  can  collect  the 
largest  amount  of  money  for  a  noble  purpose  which  a  given  congregation  can 
contribute,  and  yet  leave  every  man  in  the  best  humor,  feeling  that  he  has  only 
done  his  duty. 


JAMES  NICHOLAS  COILE. 

James  Nicholas  Coile  was  born  in  Oglethorpe  county, 
Georgia,  in  the  year  1828.  His  father  died  while  he  was 
quite  young,  but  a  godly  mother  taught  him  "  the  way  of 
the  righteous."  In  his  nineteenth  year  he  was  brought  to 
the  knowledge  of  Christ,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  I.  H. 
Goss  at  Fork  Broad  River  church,  Madison  county.  In 
his  twenty-first  year  he  married  Miss  Susan  McCurdy,  of 
Paoli,  who  became  the  mother  of  seven  children.  His  con- 
viction that  he  ought  to  preach  the  Gospel  grew  so  strong 
that  he  sold  his  only  property,  a  fine  plantation  in  Madison 
county,  and  removed  to  Lexington,  Georgia,  to  educate  himself  and  his  children. 
The  war  thwarted  this  purpose  in  part,  but  he  sufficiently  educated  himself  to 
secure  great  acceptability  in  his  chosen  profession,  and  was  ordained  at  Cloud's 
Creek,  Oglethorpe  county,  December  12th,  1862,  in  his  thirty-fifth  year. 

During  a  ministry  of  fifteen  years  he  made  the  Bible  his  text-book  and  creed  ; 
proved  himself  humble  and  unassuming,  but  faithful ;  repaired  or  built  houses  of 


136 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


worship  wherever  he  served  as  pastor ;  and  organized  Sunday-schools  to  com- 
plete the  work  which  his  diligent  labors  commenced.  He  was  a  thorough 
business  man,  and  never  relied  on  his  profession  for  a  support,  but  gave  himself 
to  the  energetic  and  honorable  prosecution  of  his  secular  pursuits  for  the 
maintenance  and  education  of  his  household.  While  thus  engaged  his  right  arm 
was  accidentally  lacerated  in  a  cotton-gin,  which  caused  a  hemorrhage,  resulting, 
after  six  days  of  severe  suffering,  in  his  death,  near  Winterville,  Georgia,  Octo- 
ber 24th,  1878. 

Those  who  had  the  most  intimate  acquaintance  with  him,  testify  that  he  was 
one  of  the  best  men  whom  they  ever  knew.  He  was  governed  in  all  his  actions 
by  a  principle  of  right,  decided  in  his  convictions,  and  unflinching  in  his  devo- 
tion to  truth.  Still,  he  was  willing,  not  only  to  co-operate  with  his  brethren,  but 
to  sit  at  their  feet  and  learn  of  them.  He  regarded  ignorance  as  more  than  a 
misfortune — as  a  sin ;  and  the  excellent  academy  permanently  located  in  his 
community,  was,  to  a  large  degree,  called  into  existence  and  crowned  with  effi- 
ciency by  his  own  untiring  energy.  He  contemned  everything  mean  and  low, 
never  stooped  to  a  subterfuge  in  his  life,  and  always  moved  on  the  plane  of  high 
and  generous  motives. 


AARON   E.  CLOUD. 


Rev.  Aaron  E.  Cloud,  born  May  8th,  1828, 
near  McDonough,  Georgia,  is  the  son  of  Levi 
Cloud  and  Elizabeth  Brown,  the  latter  of  whom 
died  when  he  was  only  four  years  old.  He 
professed  conversion  and  joined  the  Baptist 
church  at  McDonough,  September  21st,  1847, 
After  a  full  collegiate  course,  he  was  graduated 
at  Mercer  University,  Penfield,  in  June,  1852, 
and  on  the  28th  of  the  following  November, 
was  ordained  at  McDonough.  His  first  pasto- 
rate was  that  of  the  Monticello  church,  in  Jas- 
per count)',  of  which,  as  well  as  of  the  Blounts- 
ville  church,  in  Jones  county,  he  'took  charge 
in  the  fall  of  1853.  Toward  the  close  of  1859 
he  was  called  by  the  Jonesboro  church,  and 
moved  to  that  village,  where  he  still  continues 
to  reside,  all  the  while  serving  that  church  as 
pastor,  and  preaching  in  various  other  places 
as  opportunity  permitted. 
He  has  been  a  useful  minister  of  the  Gospel,  as  the  divine  blessing  on  his 
labors  demonstrates.  His  brethren  have  honored  him  by  electing  him  Modera- 
tor of  the  Flint  River  Association;  and  his  fellow-citizens  have  manifested  their 
esteem  and  confidence  by  twice  spontaneously  choosing  him  to  represent  them 
in  the  State  Legislature.  He  has  done  good  service,  also,  for  a  number  of  years, 
as  editor  of  the  county  paper,  maintaining  in  its  columns  a  wholesome  moral 
tone,  which  many  conductors  of  the  secular  press  fail,  alas !  to  do. 

Above  the  average  height,  he  has  dark  hair  and  eyes,  is  amiable  in  disposition, 
and  in  manners  mild  and  courteous.  He  thinks  clearly,  speaks  openly,  acts  up- 
rightly ;  and  if  his  energy  equalled  his  ability  and  worth,  he  would  fill,  and  fill 
well,  a  much  larger  space  in  the  eye  of  his  brethren. 

He  married  Miss  E.  L.  Callaway,  daughter  of  Rev.  J.  S.  Callaway,  on  the  5th 
of  November,  1853,  and  nine  children  have  been  born  to  them,  seven  of  whom 
are  living. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


137 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON    COLQUITT. 


George  Washington  Colquitt,  only  son  of  Wm. 
T.  and  Ann  Colquitt,  was  born  in  Russell  county,  Ala- 
bama, on  the  i6th  of  August,  1841.  The  early  part  of 
his  life  was  spent  on  the  farm  and  in  school,  his  parents 
being  careful  to  give  their  children  the  benefit  of  the  best 
facihties  offered  at  that  time  within  their  means. 

Surrounded  by  a  large  family  of  children,  whose  educa- 
tion depended  on  their  limited  resources,  his  parents  found 
it  necessary  to  seek  some  locality  affording  better  advant- 
ages for  this  purpose,  and  they  accordingly  removed  to 
Carroll  county,  Georgia,  in  the  fall  of  1858,  when  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  entered  "  Bowdon  College,"  in  his  seventeenth  year.  With 
his  love  of  books  and  thirst  for  knowledge,  he  readily  availed  himself  of  the 
opportunities  given  at  this  institution.  Flattering  prospects  were  before  him,  and 
plans  were  already  maturing  to  bring  to  perfection  the  hopes  of  his  young  heart, 
when  it  pleased  God  to  awaken  him  to  a  consciousness  of  his  wretched  condi- 
tion as  a  sinner.  Although  he  was  a  constant  reader  of  the  Bible  and  had  good 
instructions  from  a  pious  mother  from  youth,  he  was  not  convinced  that  an 
honest  purpose  to  live  uprightly  availed  nothing,  till  a  sister  (the  only  one  of  the 
nine  that  rests  from  her  labors)  joined  the  church.  Upon  hearing  that  she  was 
to  be  baptized,  he  laid  aside  his  books  and  sought  peace  with  God  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord,  which  he  hopes  to  have  realized  on  the  25th  of  August, 
1859.  On  the  same  day  he  was  received  into  fellowship  with  Eden  church,  and 
the  day  following  was  baptized  by  Rev.  George  W.  Burson. 

Full  of  joy  and  peace,  he  longed  to  tell  others  of  the  goodness  of  God, 
scarcely  realizing  that  this  was  an  impression  of  the  great  work  of  the  ministry. 
Several  years  passed,  during  which  there  was  a  struggle  amounting  almost  to 
agony  ;  a  conviction  of  duty  and  a  disposition  of  the  flesh  never  to  yield.  Finally, 
in  1863,  the  regiment  (7th  Georgia  Infantry)  of  which  he  was  a  member,  peti- 
tioned the  church  to  grant  him  license  to  preach,  with  a  view  to  his  appointment 
as  chaplain.  The  license  was  granted,  but  the  War  Department  did  not  see 
proper  to  make  the  appomiment.  On  his  return  home  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
he  was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry  in  Eden  church,  June  1 5th, 
1867.  The  presbytery  consisted  of  Revs.  George  W.  Burson,  George  W.  Tumlin, 
James  Barrow,  W.  S.  Tweedell,  and  M.  D.  Robison. 

He  took  charge  of  the  church  at  Indian  Creek,  immediately  after  ordination 
and  remained  as  pastor  till  the  close  of  the  following  year.  With  no  resources 
except  his  own  labor,  he  taught  school  in  connection  with  pastoral  service  two  or 
three  years;  but  failing  health  and  a  conviction  that  a  minister  should  give  him- 
self "wholly  to  the  work,"  induced  him  to  abandon  the  school-room.  After 
four  years'  connection  with  the  churches  at  Bowdon  and  Carrollton,  commencing 
in  1869,  he  removed  to  Heard  county,  Georgia,  and  was  pastor  of  Bethel  and 
Western  churches,  in  Heard,  and  of  Antioch,  in  Troup  county ;  six  years  at 
Bethel  and  five  years  at  each  of  the  others. 

In  1877,  he  received  a  call  from  the  church  at  Ramah,  Campbell  county,  and 
in  the  hope  that  the  change  in  location  would  be  an  advantage  to  his 'health,  he 
came  to  Palmetto  in  December,  1877,  and  is  at  present,  preaching  to  three 
churches  in  Campbell  county,  and  one  in  Coweta  county. 

He  was  married  on  the  8th  of  March,  1864,  to  Miss  Mary  F.  Word,  who  has 
shared  with  him  the  trials  and  comforts  of  a  minister's  life. 

Brother  Colquitt's  ministry  was,  at  the  beginning,  unpromising,  and  therefore 
somewhat  discouraging;  and  although  it  has  not  been  marked  by  a  large  increase 
of  members,  yet  it  is  not  without  evidence  of  success.  He  has  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  brethren ;  his  piety  and  exemplary  life  exert  an  influence 


138 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


which   greater  talent  sometimes  fails  to  command.     He  is  firm  in  his  convic- 
tions, simple  and  earnest  in  his  manner. 

It  has  been  his  aim  to  commend  the  truth  to  every  man's  conscience,  and  to 
show  the  beauty  and  efficacy  of  divine  grace  in  an  humble  life,  consecrated  to 
the  glory  of  God  in  the  salvation  of  souls. 


MARK  ANTHONY  COOPER. 


Hon.  Mark  Anthony  Cooper  was  born 
in  Hancock  county,  Georgia,  April  20th,  1800. 
His  parents,  on  both  sides,  were  Virginians, 
whose  ancestors  emigrated  from  England 
and  Holland  to  the  colony  of  Virginia.  His 
father  and  his  paternal  grandfather  were 
both  named  Thomas.  The  grandfather  mar- 
ried Sally  Anthony,  the  daughter  of  Mark 
Anthony,  who  came  from  Holland.  The 
father  married  Judith  Harvey,  daughter  of 
James  and  Sarah  Harvey,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Clark,  and  who  was  sister  to  the 
grandfather  of  the  late  James  Clark,  Esq., 
of  Atlanta.  These  families  all  came  from 
Virginia  to  Georgia ;  the  Anthony  family  set- 
tling in  Wilkes  county,  the  Harveys,  Clarks 
and  Coopers  in  Hancock  county,  on  the 
waters  of  Beaverdam  creek,  about  three 
miles  above  Powelton. 
He  was  schooled  at  Mt.  Zion  Academy  under  Nathan  S.  S.  Beman,  and  at 
Powelton  Academy  under  Ira  Ingraham.  At  seventeen  years  old  he  entered 
Franklin  College,  at  Athens,  Georgia.  On  the  death  of  Dr.  Finley,  the  Presi- 
dent, he  went  to  South  Carolina  College,  at  Columbia,  Dr.  Maxcy,  President.  He 
was  graduated  there  in  1819,  with  William  House  Taylor,  C.  G.  Meminger, 
Franklin  H.  Elmore,  John  K.  Campbell,  William  K.  Clowney,  Joseph  T. 
Simms,  and  others,  as  classmates.  Returning  to  Georgia  he  chose  law  for  his 
profession,  settled  in  Eatonton,  Putnam  county,  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
Judge  C.  B.  Strong,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1821,  began  the  practice  of  law 
in  Eatonton,  with  the  late  James  Clark,  of  Atlanta,  for  a  partner.  He  subse- 
quently had  Sampson  W.  Harris  for  a  partner. 

He  joined  the  Baptist  church  in  Eatonton  in  1821,  and  was  baptized  by  the 
pastor.  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer. 

About  the  year  1825  or  '26,  Governor  Troup  called  for  volunteers  to  go  to  the 
Florida  line  and  protect  the  border,  now  Thomas  county,  against  the  Seminole 
Indians.  A  regiment  was  formed  under  the  command  of  Col.  Evrard  Hamil- 
ton. He  joined  that  regiment  and  served  throughout  the  campaign.  He  was 
appointed  paymaster  to  the  regiment  at  its  close,  and  paid  off  the  soldiers.  He 
was  elected  by  the  Legislature  Solicitor-General  of  the  Ocmulgee  circuit,  succes- 
sor of  Colonel  Gibson  Clark ;  served  a  term  of  three  years ;  was  afterwards  nom- 
inated by  the  Troup  party  of  the  Georgia  Legislature,  and  ran  as  their  candidate 
for  Judge  of  the  Ocmulgee  circuit,  merely  to  concentrate  a  party  vote.  This  he 
received,  but  the  party  being  in  the  minority,  he  was  of  course  not  elected.  He 
practiced  law  successfully  in  the  Ocmulgee  circuit,  under  Judges  Strong,  Cobb, 
Longstreet  and  Kf'.nnan.  He  was  nominated  for  Congress  on  the  first  ticket  of 
the  States-rights  party  of  Georgia,  in  company  with  Julius  C.  Alford,  Edward  J. 
Black,  Walter  T.  Colquitt,  W^illiam  C.  Dawson,  Richard  W.  Habersham,  Thomas 
Butler  King,  E.  A.  Nesbit  and  Lot  Warren.   This  delegation  split  after  taking  their 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  1 39 

seats  :  six  voted  against  Mr.  Van  Buren  and  the  Democratic  party  in  Congress, 
and  joined  Mr.  Clay  and  the  Whig  party  ;  three  of  them,  to-wit :  Black,  Colquitt 
and  Cooper,  voted  with  the  Democrats  in  Congress,  and  in  opposition  to  Mr.  Clay 
and  the  Whig  party.  This  brought  about  a  state  of  affairs  in  Congress  by  which 
the  three  above  named  representatives  from  Georgia  held  the  balance  of  power 
in  the  House  of  Representatives.  The  six,  in  electing  the  Speaker  to  organize  the 
House,  voted  for  the  candidate  of  the  Whig  party ;  the  three  declined  to  do  so. 
They  also  declined  to  vote  for  the  candidate  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  chose 
to  vote  for  a  States-rights  man  of  their  own.  The  vote  of  the  Whig  and  Dem- 
ocratic parties  being  equal,  the  power  of  deciding  was  left  in  the  hands  of  the  three 
Georgia  delegates.  Many  days  were  consumed  in  voting,  and  no  Speaker  was 
elected.  An  arrangement  between  Henry  A.  Wise,  of  Virginia,  and  Mark  A. 
Cooper,  of  Georgia,  was  made,  by  which  R.  M.  T.  Hunter,  of  Virginia,  a  States- 
rights  man  and  a  friend  of  Mr.  Calhoun,  was  nominated.  The  Democratic 
party  concentrated  upon  this  nomination,  voting  for  Mr.  Hunter  with  Mr. 
Wise  and  the  three  Georgia  delegates,  and  Mr.  Hunter  was  elected  Speaker, 
and  the  House  was  organized. 

Mr.  Cooper  was  elected  for  two  terms  to  Congress.  Before  he  entered  on  the 
second  term,  he  was  nominated  by  the  Democratic  party  of  Georgia  as  their 
candidate  for  Governor.  He  accepted  the  nomination,  and  thereupon  resigned 
his  seat  in  Congress.  His  opponent  for  Governor  was  George  W.  Crawford, 
a  schoolmate  of  his,  and  a  party  associate  at  all  times  prior  to  this.  Mr.  Craw- 
ford was  elected. 

This  was  about  the  year  1842.  Thenceforward  Mr.  Cooper  retired  from  polit- 
ical life.  He  never  asked  for  any  official  station  that  he  did  not  get,  except  that 
of  Superintendent  of  the  Western  and  Atlantic  Railroad  after  the  war.  He  was 
superseded  in  this  by  a  good  man  from  East  Tennessee,  who  refugeed  to  Geor- 
gia during  the  war. 

He  was  never  defeated  for  any  office,  except  when  put  forward  and  called  out 
by  his  party.  He  was  never  tendered,  and  never  occupied,  a  lucrative  office,  or 
one  that  was  sought  on  account  of  the  money  it  yielded.  In  the  year  1877,  the 
people  of  his  district  complimented  him  with  a  seat  in  the  Legislature  of  Geor- 
gia, as  Senator,  to  fill  a  vacancy,  which  he  accepted,  and  served  his  term  out. 

About  the  year  1 836,  the  United  States  government  called  on  Georgia  for 
volunteers  to  go  to  Florida  and  suppress  the  war  waged  by  the  Seminole  In- 
dians. Five  companies  volunteered  in  Middle  Georgia,  and  were  organized  into 
a  battalion.  Mr.  Cooper  was  called  on  to  command  them,  and  elected  Major. 
The  battalion  marched  to  Florida  and  served  through  General  Scott's  campaign. 

While  at  Eatonton,  he,  in  connection  with  Charles  P.  Gordon,  called  a  public 
meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Putnam  county  to  consider  the  policy  of  building  a 
railroad  from  Augusta  to  Eatonton,  etc.  At  this  meeting,  Mr.  Gordon  in  the 
chair,  Mr.  Cooper  was  called  on  to  explain  the  object  of  the  meeting.  He 
addressed  the  meeting  accordingly,  this  being  the  first  meeting  called  and  the 
first  address  made  in  Georgia  on  that  subject.  Before  any  charter  was  granted, 
a  line  surveyed,  or  a  shovel-full  of  earth  thrown  for  the  construction  of  a  rail- 
road, Mr.  Gordon  and  Mr.  Cooper  were  sent  to  the  Legislature  from  Putnam. 
During  that  seSsion  the  first  charter  for  the  Georgia  Railroad,  drawn  by  William 
Williams,  then  of  Eatonton,  at  the  instance  of  the  Senator  and  Represen- 
tatives from  Putnam,  was  granted  and  enacted  by  the  Legislature. 

He  followed  up  this  subject  until  the  Georgia  Railroad  was  built  to  Athens, 
to  Madison,  Covington,  Decatur,  Atlanta,  and  afterwards,  by  the  State,  thence 
to  Chattanooga. 

He  built  with  his  own  means  a  branch  railroad  from  the  State  road  up  the 
Etowah  river  to  Etowah.  He  was  mainly  instrumental,  as  president  of  the  road, 
in  negotiating  for  the  successful  building  of  the  Van  Wert,  now  Cherokee,  rail- 
road to  the  place  now  called  Rockmart.  He  drew  and  procured  the  passage  of 
the  act  which  changed  the  name  from  Van  Wert  to  Cherokee  Railroad, 
giving  to  the  corporators  the  privilege  of  extending  it  eastward  from  Car- 
tersville  to  make  a  connection  with  a  road  to  Washington  City  and  New  York, 
making  thereby  the  nearest  approximation  to  an  air-line,  and  the  shortest  route 
from  New  York  to  New  Orleans. 


I40  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

While  in  Putnam  county,  he  organized  a  company  and  furnished  a  plan  for  a 
cotton  mill,  one  of  the  first  in  Georgia,  called  the  Eatonton  Factory.  After  this, 
having  converted  all  his  means  into  cash,  and  having  procured  a  charter,  he 
established  a  bank  at  Columbus,  Georgia,  with  a  capital  of  $250,000,  with  a  select 
company  of  choice  stockholders.  He  controlled  and  directed  this  institution  for 
four  or  five  years,  in  the  midst  of  the  bank  suspensions  of  1837-38-39,  without 
loss  to  the  stockholders,  paying  them  a  dividend  annually  of  sixteen  per  cent., 
leaving  a  bonus  of  sixteen  per  cent,  to  be  divided.  He  closed  the  business,  and 
paid  to  each  one  the  money  paid  in  for  stock.  Having  selected  Cherokee,  Geor- 
gia, as  his  home  for  life,  he  built  up  the  Etowah  Iron  Works  and  Flour  Mill, 
with  a  capital  of  $500,000.  The  iron  works  consisted  of  two  blast  furnaces,  a 
foundry  for  hollow  ware  and  machinery,  a  rolling  mill  for  merchant  iron,  and 
nail  factory;  a  merchant  flouring  mill,  with  a  capacity  of  250  barrels  of  fiour 
per  day,  being  the  first  establishment  of  the  kind  in  the  State  of  Georgia. 

He  was  the  first  to  open  the  coal  mines  in  Dade  county  and  on  the  Tennessee 
river,  for  shipment  for  manufacturing  purposes  in  Georgia.  What  he  did  in  the 
course  of  manufacturing  is  before  the  country.  He  organized  and  founded  the 
State  Agricultural  Society,  the  objects  and  ends  of  which  are  set  forth  in  its 
primary  constitution  drawn  by  himself.  He  presided  over  its  affairs  for  a  series 
of  years,  during  which  it  was  successfully  conducted.  He  has  been  for  nearly 
forty-five  years  trustee  of  the  University  of  Georgia,  and  was  a  trustee  of  Mercer 
University  at  its  organization. 

Throughout  this  long,  useful  and  distinguished  career,  Mr.  Cooper  has 
retained  his  connection  with  the  Baptist  denomination,  belonging  successively 
to  the  churches  at  Eatonton,  Columbus,  Gainesville,  Etowah,  and  Cartersville, 
at  which  latter  point  his  membership  now  is.  He  has  at  all  times  been  an  advo- 
cate of  the  temperance  cause,  and  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  first  societies  for 
its  promotion  in  Georgia,  organized  fifty  years  ago,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Sherwood.  He 
has  been  a  uniform  supporter  of  missions,  at  home  and  abroad,  and  became  a 
life  member  of  the  American  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  so  ably  advocated  in 
Georgia,  half  a  century  since,  by  Rev.  Dr.  McClay.  Through  life  he  has  been 
an  active  and  zealous  friend  of  Sunday-schools,  organizing,  teaching,  superin- 
tending, whenever  needed .  He  has  contributed  freely  to  the  support  and  advance- 
ment of  Christianity,  by  aiding  to  maintain  the  ministry,  organize  churches  and 
build  houses  of  worship.  At  Etowah  he  found  the  responsibility  resting  mainly 
on  himself,  procured  the  organization  of  the  church,  located  it  at  a  cost  of 
$1,000,  built  a  house  for  it  with  room  for  a  day-school,  and  paid  the  preachers, 
with  but  little  help.  This  church  prospered  until  the  Federal  army  dissolved 
it ;  not,  however,  until  it  was  blessed  by  the  promise  of  a  useful,  talented  and 
devoted  Christian  minister.  Rev.  Zephaniah  D.  Roby,  of  Alabama,  then  a  clerk 
at  Etowah,  whose  gifts  were  manifest  to  the  brethren.  He  has  repeatedly  been 
called  to  serve  the  churches  as  Moderator,  and  to  represent  them  in  Associa- 
tions and  Conventions. 


W.    H.   COOPER. 

An  Englishman,  by  the  name  of  George  W.  Cooper, 
came  to  America  about  1835,  and  lived  successively  in 
Philadelphia,  New  York,  Baltimore,  Raleigh,  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  and  Augusta,  Georgia.  From  Augusta 
he  moved  to  Hancock  county,  where  he  married  Miss 
Charity  Reynolds.  Afterwards,  in  1840,  he  moved  to  Lee 
county,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  in  1875.  A  skilful 
mechanic,  he  possessed  an  inventive  genius  and  a  remark- 
able memory :  he  could  repeat  poetry  by  the  hour,  and 
was  especially  fond  of  Burns.  His  conversational  gifts 
were  extraordinary ;  hence,  his  company  was  much  sought  after,  and,  as  he  had 
travelled  nearly  all  over  the  world,  and  delighted  to  narrate  his  experiences, 
whenever    he  engaged  in  conversation  a  crowd  gathered  to  listen. 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


141 


This  gentleman  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
Rev.  W.  H.  Cooper,  who  was  born  in  Lee  county,  January  1 5th,  1842.  He  was 
taught  in  the  ordinary  schools  of  the  country  until  i860,  when  he  entered  Mercer 
University,  at  Penfield,  remaining  nearly  two  years.  Suffering  caused  by  the 
amputation  of  an  arm  compelled  him  to  abandon  his  studies  and  retire  from  col- 
lege. However,  he  returned  afterwards  and  spent  a  short  time  in  studying 
theology,  under  the  instruction  of  Dr.  N.  M.  Crawford,  after  which  he  taught 
school  in  different  localities  for  ten  years.  In  1859  he  had  publicly  professed  his 
faith  in  Christ,  and  joined  the  visible  church  at  Palmyra,  but  recollects  no  partic- 
ular time  as  the  date  of  his  conversion.  From  childhood  he  was  reared  under 
the  influence  of  a  good  Sunday-school,  and  as  far  back  as  his  memory  reaches, 
felt  love  for  the  Saviour  and  distaste  for  sin.  As  he  grew  older,  he  became 
addicted  to  no  bad  habits,  and  always  wanted  to  serve  the  Saviour.  He  was 
blessed  with  a  faithful  Sunday-school  teacher,  whose  daily  prayer  was  that  he 
might  become  a  minister  of  the  Gospel ;  and  when,  in  the  course  of  tirne  he  did 
so,  and  preached  his  first  serm'^n,  that  teacher  came  forward  at  its  close,  and 
with  thankfulness  tearfully  acknowledged  the  answer  to  his  prayers. 

He  was  ordained  in  September,  1865,  and  since  that  period  has  been  pastor  of 
various  churches  in  southwestern  Georgia,  including  Pine  Bluff  church,  in  Dough- 
erty county.  Palmyra  and  Bethany  churches,  in  Lee  county,  Mount  Enon,  in 
Mitchell,  Bethel  in  Baker  county,  and  also  at  Cuthbert  and  Fort  Gaines.  Cuth- 
bert  is  now  his  place  of  residence,  he  having  moved  there  in  1880. 

For  three  years  he  was  the  public  school  commissioner  for  Dougherty  county. 
For  several  years  past  he  has  been  clerk  of  the  Fowl  Town  (colored)  Baptist 
Association,  at  the  earnest  request  of  both  ministers  and  laymen,  and  wields  a 
strong  and  healthy  influence  among  the  colored  Baptist  churches  of  his  region. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  Bethel  Sunday-school  Association,  he  has  been 
its  active  and  efficient  President,  and  under  his  leadership  the  Sunday-school 
work  of  that  Association  has  progressed  favorably  and  rapidly. 

He  has  been  twice  married;  the  first  time  to  Miss  Lizzie  A.  Ryals,  on  the  ist 
of  August,  1862  ;  and  the  second  time  to  Miss  Rebecca  A.  Reynolds,  on  the  14th 
of  January,  1868.     By  the  latter  marriage  he  has  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Mr.  Cooper  is  a  good  preacher,  is  pleasant  and  affable  in  his  manners,  and 
sociable  in  his  disposition.  He  is  of  medium  height,  with  a  light  complexion, 
hazel  eyes,  and  dark  hair  and  beard,  with  a  heart  devoted  to  the  service  of  Jesus, 
endeavoring  to  make  himself  as  useful  as  possible  in  the  Master's  cause. 


T.   B.    COOPER. 


Born,  reared  and  educated  in  Georgia,  Rev.  T.  B. 
Cooper  has  led  a  life  of  usefulness  and  Christian  dignity. 
As  a  writer,  preacher,  college  professor,  college  president, 
and  an  agent  for  missions,  he  has  sustained  himself  well, 
and  is  universally  respected  for  his  qualities  of  head  and 
heart.  He  was  born  December  26th,  1824,  in  Montgomery 
county,  and  in  boyhood  had  the  advantage  of  tuition  under 
such  instructors  as  P.  H.  Mell,  Milton  E.  Bacon  and  Wilson 
C.  Cooper.  He  took  regular  courses  in  the  literary  and  theo- 
logical departments  of  Mercer  University,  and  received  the 
customary  degrees  in  both ;  in  the  first  in  1 849,  and  in  the 
last  in  1851.  Converted  and  baptized  at  Wade's  church  in  1845,  he  was  ordained 
at  Savannah,  February  9th,  1852,  and  since  then,  together  with  employment  in 
various  other  departments  of  useful  labor,  he  has  served  as  pastor  the  Waynes- 
ville,  Brunswick  (where  he  organized  the  church  and  secured  the  building  of  the 
house  of  worship),  Wade's  and  Little  Ogeechee  churches,  in  this  State.     He 


142 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


filled  the  chair  of  Belles  Lettres  in  the  Georgia  Female  College,  at  Madison,  from 
1857  until  his  relinquishment  of  that  position  in  i860,  to  become  President  and 
proprietor  of  the  Marietta  Female  College;  and  in  1863  was  made  Professor  in 
the  female  department  of  the  Washington  Association  High  School,  at  Linton, 
Georgia. 

Being  solicited  to  assume  the  agency  for  Foreign  Missions  in  Georgia,  he  did 
so,  and  from  1866  to  1871  performed  effective  work  in  the  interest  of  our  Pich- 
mond  Board.  He  is  now  pastor  of  the  Little  Ogeechee  church,  Screven  county, 
of  which  he  took  charge  January,  1876,  and  frequently  sends  an  able  article  to 
one  or  the  other  of  our  religious  papers.  He  is  a  strong  and  weighty  writer,  and 
deals  telling  blows  when  battling  for  truth  and  uprightness,  against  error  and 
evil. 

In  personal  appearance  he  is  of  medium  size,  light  complexion,  gray  eyes  and 
hair,  with  a  dignified  and  reserved  manner.  He  married  on  the  20th  of  May, 
1856,  at  Penfield,  Georgia,  Miss  Carrie  A.  Stow,  but  his  only  two  children — both 
boys — died  within  one  week,  in  Athens,  Georgia,  1862,  at  the  ages  of  three  and 
five  years,  of  diptheria. 


GEORGE  F.  COOPER. 


Rev.  George  F.  Cooper  was  born  July 
31st,  1825,  in  Wilkes  county,  Georgia.  In 
1828  his  parents  removed  to  Harris  county,  of 
which  his  father  was  one  of  the  first  settlers. 
Here  he  grew  up,  receiving  only  such  an  im- 
perfect academic  education  as  was  attainable 
in  that  part  of  the  country  in  those  days. 
Here  he  studied  medicine  with  one  or  two 
physicians,  and  then  went  to  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky, for  his  first  regular  course.  He  was 
graduated  in  Philadelphia,  at  the  Medical  Col- 
lege, in  1845.  After  his  graduation  he  re- 
turned to  Georgia  and  commenced  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  Perry,  Houston  county, 
and  in  July,  1846,  was  married,  near  Perry,  to 
Miss  Cornelia  I.  Staley.  In  the  winter  of  1847- 
48,  Dr.  Cooper  returned  to  Philadelphia  for  a 
supplementary  course  in  medicine.  He  spent 
the  winter  of  1850-51  in  New  Orleans,  in  the  great  Charity  Hospital  of  that  city. 
Subsequently  he  returned  to  Perry,  where  he  practiced  a  few  years,  when  he 
moved  to  Savannah.  A  year  or  two  later  he  moved  to  Americus,  Sumter 
county,  Georgia,  where  he  continued  in  the  practice  of  his  medical  profession 
until  he  commenced  preaching  in  1856.  He  was  called  by  the  church  at  Leb- 
anon, ten  miles  from  Americus,  and  was  ordained  in  Americus,  the  presbytery 
consisting  of  Revs.  B.  F.  Tharp,  H.  C.  Hornady,  who  was  at  that  time  pastor 
of  the  Americus  church,  and  W.  T.  Brantly,  D.D.,  of  Atlanta,  who  preached 
the  ordination  sermon.  He  served  this  church  one  year,  and  the  following  year 
had  charge  of  the  church  at  Fort  Valley. 

In  1859  he  was  called  to  Dalton,  Georgia,  where  he  remained  two  years.  He 
was  chosen  as  pastor  by  the  church  in  Americus  in  1861,  but  preached  for  a 
few  months  only,  when  he  entered  the  Confederate  service  as  senior  surgeon  of 
Lawton's  (afterwards  Gordon's)  brigade,  which  position  he  filled  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  In  1865  he  served  the  church  in  Albany,  Georgia,  but  was  recalled 
to  the  Americus  church  the  next  year.  From  that  time  he  preached  for  this 
church  nine  years  consecutively,  never,  however,  entirely  relinquishing  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


143 


In  1874  he  resigned  the  pastorate,  and  for  two  years  devoted  himself  wholly 
to  his  medical  profession,  but  being  recalled  to  the  church  in  1876,  he  served  it 
again  for  two  years. 

On  the  14th  of  March,  1878,  he  was  married,  for  the  second  time,  in  Rochester, 
New  York,  to  Miss  Carrie  M.  Kendrick,  a  daughter  of  Professor  A.  C.  Kendrick, 
D.D.,  of  Rochester  University. 

In  1879  he  once  more  resigned  the  pastorate  of  the  Americus  church,  and 
from  that  date  until  the  present  has  given  all  his  time  to  the  practice  of  medicine. 

As  a  preacher  he  is  doctrinal,  being  pre-eminently  a  man  of  one  book — the 
Bible — of  which  he  has  not  only  studied  the  letter  but  imbibed  the  spirit.  He 
is  an  easy,  fluent  and  graceful  speaker,  and  when  fully  aroused  he  preaches  in 
demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of  power.  He  is  a  man  of  clinging  faith,  honesty 
of  purpose,  faithful  to  his  convictions,  and  contains  in  himself  much  of  the  stuff 
of  which  martyrs  are  made.  He  could  die  for  the  truth,  and  rejoice  in  the 
dying.  His  unblemished  character  for  probity  as  a  man  and  purity  as  a  Chris- 
tian, and  the  vigor  and  poise  of  his  intellect,  make  him  one  of  the  strong  men  of 
our  Baptist  brotherhood.  He  is  incapable  of  anything  small,  being  a  man  put 
up,  in  every  sense,  on  a  grand  scale  ;  and  whatever  he  is,  he  is  to  the  core. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  gifts  so  shining,  and  at  the  same  time  so  solid, 
should-be,  in  part,  lost  to  the  denomination,  for  he  is  a  positive  force  anywhere 
you  may  place  him.  He  is,  in  one  respect  a  child,  that  is,  in  malice,  while  in 
understanding  he  is  a  full  grown  man. 

Few  men  have  made  more  impression  on  those  with  whom  he  has  been  asso- 
ciated than  George  F.  Cooper ;  and  it  may  almost  be  truthfully  said  of  him, 
"none  know  him  but  to  love  him,  and  none  name  him  but  to  praise." 

He  wields  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer,  and  his  contributions  to  the  religious 
press  show  him  to  be  a  man  of  decided  opinions,  holding  no  views  which  he  has 
not  thought  out  for  himself  with  manly  independence  of  mind,  and  utterly  devoid 
of  all  the  elements  which  go  to  make  up  the  Trimmer,  while  richly  endowed  with 
those  that  enter  into  the  composition  of  the  Reformer.  Whether  by  speech  or 
by  pen,  he  deals  fearless  and  telling  blows  against  what  he  holds  to  be  error ; 
and  yet  such  is  his  transparent  sincerity  and  his  kindliness  of  spirit,  that  many  of 
his  most  attached  friends  are  found  among  those  from  whose  theological  creed 
and  ecclesiastical  system  he  dissents  with  most  emphasis.  He  is  a  man  to  wish 
for  as  a  foe — for  he  will  be  an  honorable  one,  or  as  a  friend — for  he  will  be  a 
steadfast  one  ;  and  he  is  neither  friend  nor  foe,  except  at  the  behest  of  truth  and 
right. 


ALFRED    CORN. 


In  the  early  part  of  this  century,  in  the  State  of  North 
Carolina,  a  child  used  to  preach,  in  a  childish  way,  from  a 
childish  pulpit  to  a  childish  audience  beneath  the  shade  of 
a  plum-tree.  As  serious  as  deacons  sat  the  juvenile  audi- 
ence ;  as  solemn  as  an  old  divine  the  speaker  demeaned 
himself.  In  after  years  he  became  a  preacher  in  reahty,  by 
whom  hundreds  have  been  baptized,  and  through  whose  in- 
strumentality thousands  have  been  converted.  His  name 
is  Alfred  Corn,  and  he  was  born  January  19th,  181 7, 
in  what  was  originally  Buncombe  county.  North  Carolina. 
It  was  not  until  his  19th  year  that  he  became  a  subject  of  regenerating  grace  : 
even  the  day  and  place  are  known.  It  occurred  on  the  22d  of  June.  1837,  at 
Waynesville,  North  Carolina.  In  September,  1841,  he  and  his  brother  John 
joined  the  Baptist  church  at  Macedonia,  Towns  county,  Georgia,  and  were  bap- 
tized by  their  own  father,  Rev.  Adam  Corn,  whose  ministry  extended  through  a 


144 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


period  of  seventy  years.  Of  that  church  the  elder  son,  John,  was  afterwards 
pastor,  becoming  a  preacher  of  great  power  and  success,  and  rising  to  such  a 
height  in  the  esteem  of  his  brethren  and  fellow-citizens  that,  before  his  death, 
he  was  elected  Moderator  of  the  Hiwassee  Association,  and  a  member  of  the 
Georgia  Legislature. 

The  younger  son,  Alfred,  was  ordained  at  Antioch  church,  Union  county, 
Georgia,  in  October,  1850;  in  the  meantime  having  married  Nancy  T.  Cook,  who 
for  more  than  thirty  years  has  proved  herself  a  pious  and  devoted  co-worker 
with  her  husband. 

During  twenty-two  years  of  his  ministerial  life  Rev.  Alfred  Corn  was  a  faith- 
ful and  laborious  missionary,  under  the  appointment,  first,  of  the  Hiwassee 
Baptist  Association,  Georgia,  then,  of  the  Domestic  and  Indian  Mission  Board 
(now  the  Home  Mission  Board),  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  and,  lastly, 
of  the  State  Board  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention.  A  large  part  of  his  mis- 
sionary labor  was  expended  among  the  Cherokee  Indians  in  western  North 
Carolina,  to  whom  he  preached  through  an  interpreter,  and  many  of  whom  were 
converted.  In  addition  to  his  work  in  this  department,  he  has  served  various 
churches  in  North  Carolina  and  Georgia,  as  pastor  in  one  of  which,  the  Union 
church.  Towns  county,  Georgia,  he  has  toiled  successfully  for  twenty-seven 
years. 

As  a  pastor,  he  has  been  single-hearted  and  true ;  as  a  minister,  kind  and  sympa- 
thetic ;  and  as  a  speaker,  able  to  satisfy  the  majority  of  intelligent  people.  He  has 
an  honorable  record  as  a  peace-maker,  and  his  standing  among  his  brethren  is 
such  that  he  has  been  twice  elected  Moderator  of  the  Hiwassee  Association. 
Home,  Foreign  and  Indian  missions,  and  the  Sunday-school,  all  are  ardently 
promoted  by  him,  and  of  late  he  has  been  wielding  a  happy  influence  in  holding 
ministerial  institutes,  under  the  direction  of  the  Hiwassee  Association,  for  ad- 
vancement in  knowledge  and  in  grace  for  the  work  of  the  ministry. 

His  life  has  been  usefully  spent  in  preaching  the  Gospel,  in  building  up  and 
establishing  churches,  and  in  extending  and  perpetuating  the  Redeemer's  cause 
and  kingdom  in  the  world. 


J.  H.  CORLEY. 


Of  Welch  descent,  on  his  father's  side,  and  of 
Irish  on  his  mother's.  Rev.  J.  H.  Corley  was 
born  m  Edgefield  district.  South  Carolina,  Octo- 
ber 2d,  1824.  At  seven  or  eight  years  of  age  he 
moved,  with  his  father,  to  Augusta,  Georgia, 
where  he  attended  school  for  three  or  four  years. 
His  father  then  moved  to  Macon,  Georgia,  audit 
was  during  his  residence  there  that  he  obtained 
hope  in  Christ  as  his  Saviour.  The  great  mete- 
oric shower  in  1833  spread  general  gloom  over 
the  inhabitants  of  the  city  and  country,  and  seri- 
ously impressed  him  in  reference  to  the  salvation 
of  his  soul.  After  remaining  for  weeks  under 
the  dark  cloud  of  conviction  and  contrition,  de- 
liverance came,  and  he  found  peace  and  joy  in 
believing.  Soon  after  this  experience  of  divine 
mercy,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  his  father's 
wagons  and  teams,  and  for  many  months  en- 
in    hauling  freight  from  one  point  of  the 


State  to  another,  being,  in  consequence,  introduced  to  the  companionship  of  a 
very  vulgar  and  profane  class  of  society.  The  result,  however,  was,  that  he  be- 
came thoroughly  disgusted  with  profanity  and  vulgarity,  instead  of  acquiring 
the  pernicious  habits  of  his  associates. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  14$ 

About  1835  or  1836  his  father  settled  in  the  country,  between  Jonesboro 
and  Atlanta.  There  he  resided  ten  or  twelve  years,  joined  the  church  at  Tan- 
ner's, by  baptism,  was  married,  and  commenced  preaching.  His  marriage  to 
Miss  Julia  A.  Youngblood  occurred  on  the  28th  of  January,  1844,  and  he  was 
licensed  two  days  afterwards.  For  nearly  two  years  he  suffered  great  distress 
of  mind  because,  while  feeling  it  his  duty  to  enter  on  this  great  work,  he  knew 
himself  to  be  unprepared  for  it.  Providentially,  near  the  close  of  1845,  Elder  L. 
Towers  offered  to  educate  him,  either  at  Mercer  University,  Cave  Spring,  or  his 
own  private  school,  Eusebia  Institute.  The  last  place  was  selected,  and  the 
three  following  years  were  spent  at  school,  he  being  then  a  married  man  and 
over  twenty  years  of  age.  In  1848  he  moved  with  his  little  family  to  Coweta 
county,  and  took  charge  of  a  small  academic  school,  at  the  same  time  preaching 
to  a  number  of  churches  in  the  country  around.  He  was  called  to  ordination  by 
the  Moriah  church,  in  Coweta  county,  and  was  ordained  on  the  28th  of  May, 
1848,  by  Elders  Joshua  S.  Callaway,  George  B.  Davis,  Trustin  Phillips  and  Joel 
C.  Tommy.  His  ministry  was  quite  successful,  and  he  baptized  many  converts, 
the  Lord  blessing  him  in  his  official  labors  and  in  his  secular  affairs.  Here  he 
spent  several  happy  and  prosperous  years,  both  in  his  home,  on  a  little  farm  on 
Key  creek,  and  in  his  churches  roundabout.  In  an  evil  hour  for  himself  he 
bought  a  farm  on  FHnt  river  and  moved  to  it  in  the  winter  of  1852-53.  The 
result  was  disastrous  in  the  extreme,  for  within  a  year  he  lost  his  two  children 
by  sickness,  and  his  home,  besides  being  involved  in  debt  to  the  amount  of  two 
or  three  thousand  dollars.  For  him  those  were  dark  and  dismal  days.  Remov- 
ing to  McDonough,  he  entered  into  a  law  partnership  with  Colonel  L.  T.  Doyal, 
and,  had  conscience  permitted  an  abandonment  of  the  ministry,  might  have 
retrieved  his  fortunes ;  but  he  could  not  feel  content  outside  of  the  sacred  duties 
to  which  he  had  dedicated  himself.  So  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  Forsyth 
church  and  two  neighboring  country  churches,  and,  in  that  beautiful  and  refined 
village,  spent  two  years  pleasantly,  and,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  profitably. 

An  invitation  by  the  church  at  Eatonton,  Putnam  county,  caused  him  to  leave 
Forsyth  and  take  charge  of  that  church  m  1856.  Four  years  were  very  agreear 
bly  passed  by  him  in  Eatonton,  preaching,  besides,  to  two  country  churches ; 
but  his  health  failed  ;  it  being  supposed  by  his  friends  that  he  was  the  victim  of 
rapid  consumption.  Parti}'  in  the  hope  of  being  benefited  by  travel,  and 
partly  to  visit  a  brother,  he  undertook  a  trip  to  Texas,  where  he  remained  some 
time,  returning  in  the  summer  of  i860.  When  the  war  came  on  he  entered  the 
army  and  remained  over  a  year.  We  find  him  in  the  winter  of  1862-63  settled 
on  a  small  farm  ten  miles  west  of  Buena  Vista,  but  preaching  every  Sabbath  in 
the  month  to  some  one  of  the  various  churches  near.  Those  were  stirring  times. 
Most  of  our  able-bodied  men  were  in  the  army.  Food  was  scarce ;  the  com- 
forts, and  even  the  very  necessaries  of  life  were  hard  to  obtain ;  and  they  who 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  useful  and  necessary  articles  were  not  only  public 
benefactors,  but  found  it  a  sure  means  of  support.  Reading  aright  the  stern 
lesson  of  the  hour,  that  it  was  incumbent  on  men  to  put  forth  every  energy  in 
almost  every  direction,  to  make  a  living,  Mr.  Corley  conducted  a  tan-yard,  and 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  shoes  on  his  farm,  Glenalta. 

His  life  was  without  further  change  during  and  after  the  war,  for  about  ten 
years,  when,  in  the  winter  of  1871-72,  he  moved  to  Dawson,  on  the  Southwest- 
ern railroad,  and  took  charge  of  the  church  there,  at  the  same  time,  preaching  to 
the  church  at  Fort  Gaines.  During  the  five  years  in  which  he  thus  preached, 
many  valuable  members  were  added  to  the  membership  of  both  churches.  He 
withdrew  from  their  pastorate  in  1877,  that  he  might  enter  on  mission  work 
among  the  freedmen,  in  which  he  is  still  actively  and  usefully  engaged,  though 
he  is  preaching  again,  at  the  present  time,  to  the  Fort  Gaines  church. 

We  have  thus  rapidly  followed  his  ministerial  course  for  thirty  years,  in  which 
he  has  proved  himself  an  able,  sound  and  successful  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  in 
acuteness  and  profundity  below  none  of  his  brethren,  and  as  staunch  a  Land- 
marker  as  can  b  j  found  anywhere.  During  these  years  he  has  baptized  about 
3,500  persons  as  the  result  of  his  labors.  His  preaching  is  characterized  by  a 
rare   commingling  of  marked  imaginative  and  logical  power,  the  one  giving 


146  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

solidity  to  his  trains  of  thought,  and  the  other  clothing  them  with  beauty ;  while 
both  are  instinct  with  the  sensibilities  of  a  heart  kindled  to  ardor  by  the  sublinie 
truths  of  revelation,  and  melting  in  tenderness  over  the  spectacle  of  human  guilt 
and  wretchedness.  The  lines  of  partition  between  the  man  and  the  orator, 
which  are  recognized  with  pain  wherever  they  force  themselves  on  the  attention, 
largely  fade  out  in  his  case  ;  and,  if  by  neglecting  "  the  rhetorician's  rules  "  he 
has  lost  somewhat  of  distinction,  he  has  gained  abundantly  in  the  better  quality 
of  effectiveness. 


WILLIAM  DRAYTON  COWDRY. 

On  the  night  of  Wednesday,  March  15th,  1864,  near 
Blakely,  Georgia,  Rev.  William  Drayton  Cowdry, 
at  the  age  of  61,  without  a  groan  or  gasping  breath, 
yielded  up  his  spirit  to  God. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Cowdry  was  a  pious,  laborious 
and  successful  preacher  and  educator  in  Georgia,  having 
moved  here  from  South  Carolina,  just  after  his  gradua- 
tion from  the  State  University  at  Columbia. 

He  was  born  April  ist,  1803,  in  Edgefield  district, 
South  Carolina,  and  was  the  second  son,  the  fourth  and 
youngest  child,  of  John  and  Ann  Cowdry.  His  mother 
was  formerly  Miss  Ann  Moore,  whose  father,  a  revolutionary  soldier,  was,  in  a 
most  dastardly  manner,  shot  down  in  his  own  yard  by  tories,  when  on  a  visit 
home  from  the  army.  His  grandfather.  Savage  B.  Cowdry,  came  over  from  the 
British  Isles  with  an  only  brother,  in  Colonial  times,  settled  near  Boston,  shared 
in  the  troubles  and  privations  of  the  country  previous  to  the  Revolution,  and 
participated  in  the  eventful  act  of  casting  the  tea  overboard  in  Boston  harbor. 
After  the  lapse  of  years,  when  peace  again  blessed  the  land,  the  families  of  the 
two  revolutionary  patriots  moved  southward,  the  one  to  Virginia  and  the  other 
to  South  Carolina,  Mr.  John  Cowdry  finally  settling  in  Edgefield  district,  South 
Carolina,  and  dymg  when  his  son,  William  Drayton,  was  two  years  old.  The 
widow  afterwards  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  John  Mason,  but  continued  to  reside 
at  the  same  place,  bringing  up  two  families  of  children  and  educating  them  at 
the  village  school. 

In  youth  William  was  of  a  lively,  genial  disposition,  always  polite  and  ever 
manifesting  a  special  regard  for  older  persons,  and  a  peculiar  kindness  for  the 
afflicted.  Though  fond  of  pleasure  and  amusements,  especially  of  dancing,  he 
was  a  constant  attendant  on  divine  worship,  and  under  the  influence  of  a  Christ- 
ian mother's  love,  he  was  by  the  grace  of  God  led  to  "  the  fountain  for  sin  and 
for  uncleanness,"  in  which  guilt  loses  all  its  stains.  It  was  during  a  revival 
period,  when  God's  Spirit  seemed  to  be  poured  out  generally  on  the  churches  in 
that  section.  He  had  become  thoroughly  awakened  and  penitent,  and  at  length 
found  the  peace  of  forgiveness,  which  never  afterwards  forsook  him.  Solemnly 
determined  to  break  the  subtle  bonds  in  which  the  love  of  pleasure  had  enchained 
his  soul,  he  surrendered  himself  unreservedly  to  God,  trusting  in  the  grand,  dear 
truth  that  "there  is  life  for  a  look  at  the  Crucified  One."  He  was  baptized,  and 
united  with  the  church  at  Edgefield.  This  was  previous  to  1820,  when,  at 
seventeen,  he  entered  the  State  University,  whence  he  was  graduated  with  hon- 
ors, receiving  two  diplomas,  one  for  his  y^eneral  course,  and  one  for  excellence 
in  the  languages. 

After  graduation,  he  selected  teaching  as  his  profession,  and  choosing  Geor- 
gia for  his  field  of  labor,  opened  a  male  school  in  Greene  county.  There  he 
remained  for  two  years,  marrying  Miss  Selah  G.  Janes,  daughter  of  William  and 
Selah  Janes,  of  that  county,  in  April,  1832. 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  1 47 

Becoming  convinced  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel,  he  pursued  a 
theological  course  at  Mercer  University,  on  completing  which  he  was  licensed 
and  duly  ordained,  in  1834  or  1835.  He  next  resided  for  two  years  at  Crawford- 
ville,  preaching  to  two  churches,  and  then  moved  to  northwest  Georgia,  where, 
for  two  years,  he  dwelt  at  Cedartown,  and  then  settled  permanently  at  Cave  Spring . 
There  he  spent  sixteen  or  eighteen  of  the  happiest,  most  useful,  and  by  far  most 
laborious  years  of  his  life,  between  the  ages  of  35  and  55.  He  made  for  him- 
self there  a  home  where  he  ever  gave  a  hearty  welcome  to  friend  and  stran- 
ger ;  where,  on  the  poor,  the  orphan  and  the  afflicted,  he  bestowed  the  cheerful 
hospitalities  and  kindly  charities  their  cases  might  demand  ;  and  where,  to  inex- 
perienced youth  and  unprotected  age,  he  gladly  rendered  all  necessary  service. 
There  for  him  many  hopes  dawned  brightly,  and  attained  the  effulgence  of  noon- 
tide glory,  but  faded  away  amid  the  sombre  shades  of  disappointment,  and  set 
in  night.  Of  thirteen  children  whose  coming  gladdened  his  heart,  seven  were 
cut  down  in  infancy  by  the  sickle  of  death,  while  one  fell  on  the  murderous 
slopes  of  Gettysburg ;  yet,  believing  that  God  had  bound  them  all  in  his  own 
golden  sheaves,  he  murmured  not,  but  resigned  them  uncomplainingly  to  the 
Wisdom  and  Sovereignty  which  are  Love. 

During  the  years  in  which  he  lived  at  Cedartown,  and  Cave  Spring,  Mr.  Cow- 
dry  was  actively  engaged  in  his  two-fold  vocation  of  instruction.  As  pastor  of  the 
Cave  Spring  church,  principal  and  trustee  of  the  "  Hearn  School,"  and  also  prin- 
cipal of  the  "Female  High  School,"  he  occupied  very  responsible  positions.  In 
these  positions  he  sustained  himself  successfully,  acquiring  an  exalted  reputation 
as  an  educator.  He  taught  for  ten  years,  but  overtaxed  energies  yielded,  his 
health  failed,  and  he  reluctantly  felt  compelled  to  close  his  school.  Independent 
of  other  occupation  his  farm  afforded  him  a  competency,  and  he  was  therefore 
enabled,  during  his  stay  in  northern  Georgia,  to  preach  gratuitously  to  two  or 
more  churches  all  the  while,  besides  bestowing  the  most  of  his  income  from 
teaching  on  religious,  educational  or  charitable  purposes.  This  was  done,  how- 
ever, modestly  and  with  humility,  through  a  sincere  desire  to  do  good,  and  not 
for  vain-glorious  ends. 

A  year  or  two  after  he  had  retired  from  the  school-room,  becoming  alarmed 
on  account  of  his  wife's  health,  he  spent  a  winter  in  Early  county,  Georgia,  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  James  Shackelford.  This  led  to  his  settlement  in  Early 
county,  nine  miles  southwest  of  Blakely,  the  following  winter,  December,  1856. 
Though  deeply  pained  to  leave  his  old  home,  with  all  its  dear  ties  and  associations, 
yet  he  soon  found  he  had  come  into  a  field  where  opportunities  for  usefulness 
opened  in  all  directions,  inviting  him  to  new  vigor,  to  unceasing  occupation  and 
to  bountiful  harvests.  Uniting  with  the  Macedonia  church  at  Blakely,  he  entered 
at  once  heartily  into  the  service  of  Zion,  and  soon  organized  a  church,  near  by,  of 
which  he  remained  pastor  until  his  death,  at  the  same  time  conducting  the  edu- 
cation of  his  children.  When  the  war  came  on,  he  gave  to  the  Confederate 
cause  two  sons,  the  younger  not  yet  twenty-one,  and  regretted  that  age  and  ill 
health  robbed  him  of  the  privilege  of  serving  as  chaplain.  It  is  but  just  to 
record,  however,  that  he  did  not  favor  secession  until  all  hope  of  reconciliation 
was  gone ;  then,  believing  his  to  be  the  injured  and  offended  section,  he  was 
ready  to  sacrifice  all  in  its  defence.  During  the  war  to  the  time  of  his  death,  he 
did  everything  in  his  power  to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  our  soldiers  in  the  field, 
and  of  their  families  at  home :  counting  the  gain  of  this  world  naught,  he  was 
rich  in  the  blessings  of  the  widow  and  the  orphan. 

Towards  the  end  of  1863,  his  health  began  to  fail  rapidly.  Still  he  ceased 
not  to  preach,  sometimes  taking  long  rides  in  the  week  to  do  so,  and  returning 
to  fill  his  own  pulpit  at  Zion  on  Sabbath,  although  so  feeble  as  to  require  assist- 
ance to  and  from  his  carriage.  When  prevented  from  meeting  his  last  appoint- 
ment at  one  of  his  churches,  about  a  week  before  his  happy  release  from  suffer- 
ing, he  remarked  to  his  wife,  "  I  feel  that  my  work  on  earth  is  ended,  and  1  am 
becoming  anxious  to  go.  But  I  try  not  to  be  impatient,  for  I  want  to  be  resigned 
to  the  will  of  the  Lord."  He  evinced  neither  fear  nor  regret,  except  on  account 
of  leaving  his  family  without  any  immediate  earthly  protection,  having  lost  one 
son  in  the  war,  and  the  other  being  still  exposed  to  its  dangers  and  horrors, 

13 


148  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

while  communication  was  almost  impossible.  But  the  anchor  of  his  hope 
proved  sure  and  steadfast ;  he  did  not  distrust  an  allwise  and  beneficent  God. 

On  the  night  of  his  release  he  was  sitting  beside  his  wife  before  the  fire,  con- 
versing, when,  after  a  moment's  silence,  his  head,  with  its  silvery  coronal,  sud- 
denly drooped  on  his  pulseless  breast,  and  he  sat  as  one  dead.  Being  placed  in 
bed  and  restored  to  consciousness,  he  conversed  rationally  about  his  swoon  and 
the  possibility  of  its  return.  "  If,"  said  he,  "  it  should  prove  but  a  temporary  sus- 
pension of  the  vital  faculties,  and  God  saw  lit  to  restore  me  to  my  family,  I  would 
give  thanks  for  his  great  goodness,  and  still  trust  his  wisdom  and  power ;  but  if 
it  should  be  death,  then  1  would  praise  Him  for  the  sweet  security  I  enjoy  by 
faith  in  Christ,  and  for  the  perfect  happiness  I  anticipate  on  my  release  from 
mortality."  Thus  he  talked  for  half  an  hour ;  then  suddenly  assuming  a  sitting 
posture,  he  exclaimed,  "  I  feel  it  coming  on  again !"  With  these  words,  he 
quietly  and  sweetly  "fell  asleep  in  Jesus."  Thus  ended  the  earthly  life  of  one 
of  the  most  earnest,  devoted,  humble  and  constant  Christian  ministers  who  have 
adorned  the  annals  of  Georgia  Baptists. 

Mr.  Cowdry's  distinction  rested  chiefly  on  his  highly  creditable  abilities  as  an 
educator.  His  preaching  was  always  sound  and  good,  full  of  the  marrow  of  the 
Gospel,  and  fragrant  with  its  love :  but,  as  he  preached  to  do  good  rather  than 
to  make  a  display,  or  to  exhibit  the  learning  he  possessed,  his  sermons  were 
quiet,  plam,  unostentatious,  imbued  with  intelligence  and  with  a  gentle,  glowing 
spirit,  and  devoid  of  all  rant  and  vehemence.  He  was  a  preacher  that  every- 
body loved,  because  of  his  Christ-like  spirit,  unassuming  manners  and  sincerely 
humble  piety  ;  and  as  he  readily  adapted  himself  to  the  capacities  and  require- 
ments of  his  hearers,  his  sermons  were  usually  heard  gladly  and  with  profit.  As 
a  speaker  he  possessed  an  agreeable  voice  and  delivery,  with  a  happy  facility  of 
expression.  His  style  was  clear  and  pointed,  sometimes  adorned  with  illustra- 
tions, but  never  encumbered  by  too  much  minuteness.  As  a  minister  he 
devoted  no  little  time  to  careful  and  earnest  study,  that  he  might  be  able  rightly 
to  divide  the  word  of  truth,  which  he  endeavored  to  do  conscientiously,  with 
candor,  gentleness,  love  and  humility. 

In  his  family  he  ever  maintained  the  mild  but  powerful  rule  of  love,  which 
was  never  robbed  of  its  force  and  dignity  by  any  affectation  of  either  authority 
or  affection.  His  whole  life  was  but  a  happy  illustration  of  the  Christian  graces 
in  combination  and  balance,  no  characteristics  assuming  undue  prominence, 
unless,  perhaps,  humility  and  generosity.  In  personal  appearance  he  was  neat, 
dressing  simply,  with  no  article  of  adornment.  His  figure  was  of  medium  height, 
erect  and  symmetrical,  and  his  movements  were  naturally  graceful,  but  energetic. 
He  had  a  well-formed  head,  a  face  slightly  oval,  broad,  high  forehead,  with 
brows  well-marked  and  gently  arched,  and  a  Roman  nose.  His  mouth  was 
finely  cut,  expressing  firmness  united  with  tenderness.  His  eyes  were  not  large 
but  well-formed  and  of  a  steel-gray  color,  with  an  expression  almost  stern, 
when  he  was  absorbed  in  serious  thought,  but  soft  and  bright  when  he  dis- 
coursed on  a  subject  calculated  to  awaken  any  tender  emotion.  His  complexion 
was  fair,  and  his  hair,  which  was  originally  nearly  black,  and  always  soft  and 
curling  about  the  neck  and  temples,  became  gray  before  he  was  forty,  and  gave 
him  the  appearance  of  being  much  older  than  he  was. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


14^ 


WILLIAM  CAREY  CRANE. 


WiLTJAM  Carey  Crane,  D.D.,  LL.  D., 
was  born  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  March  17, 
1 8 1 6.  Of  his  father  the  "Biographical  Cyclo- 
pedia of  :'.epresentative  Men  of  Maryland 
and  District  of  Columbia"  gives  the  follow- 
ing account :  "  William  Crane,  a  well  known 
merchant  of  Baltimore  for  thirty-two  years, 
was  born  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  Ma;-' 
6th,  1790.  His  parents  were  Rufus  and 
Charity  (nee  Campbell)  Crane.  He  was  a 
direct  descendant  of  at  least  three  of  the 
small  band  who  came  from  Connecticut  in 
1666,  and  began  the  settlement  of  Newark. 
One  of  these,  Jasper  Crane,  was  the  first 
magistrate  of  the  town ;  and  another  was 
Captain  Robert  Treat,  who  went  back  to 
Connecticut  and  became  Govei-nor  of  the 
Colony.  Captain  Treat  distinguished  him- 
self in  the  Indian  war,  and  presided  in  that 
celebrated  assembly  in  which,  the  lights  being  blown  out,  the  charter  of  the  Col- 
ony was  spirited  away  and  hidden  in  the  '  Charter  Oak,'  frustrating  the  schemes 
of  Edmund  Andrus  and  King  James  H,  to  take  it  from  them.  Mary  Treat,  the 
daughter  of  Captain  Treat,  married  Azariah,  the  son  of  Jasper  Crane.  She  in- 
herited her  father's  land  in  New  Jersey,  and  on  this  land  William  Crane  lived  in 
early  life.  During  the  Revolutionary  war,  while  Rufus  Crane  was  fighting  for 
his  country,  his  house  in  Newark  was  burned  by  the  Tories,  and  he  was  after- 
wards unsuccessful  in  business."  The  mother  of  William  Carey  Crane  was 
Lydia  Dorsett,  of  a  family  connected  with  the  Walls  and  Stilwells,  of  New 
Jersey,  tracing  their  lineage  far  back  to  an  honorable  ancestry  in  England. 

His  early  teachers  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  were  Henry  Keeling,  Thomas  H. 
Fox,  William  Burke  and  Rowland  Reynolds.  His  earliest  recollections  of 
preachers  are  connected  with  Andrew  Broaddus,  John  Kerr,  John  Courtney, 
Robert  B.  Semple  and  Jeremiah  B.  Jeter.  _It  was  his  lot  to  have  heard  m  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1829-30,  B'enjamin  Watkins  Leigh,  John  Ran- 
dolph, John  Tyler,  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  James  Monroe  and  James  Madison. 
Before  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age  he  had  committed  to  memory  all  the  essen- 
tial parts  of  Ruddiman's  Latin  Grammar,  and  translated  the  Colloquies  of 
Corderius,  Latin  selections  from  the  Old  Testament,  Caesar,  Ovid  and  Sallust's 
Catiline  and  Jugurtha.  At  fifteen  years  of  age  he  was  sent  to  Mount  Pleasant 
Classical  Institution,  Amherst,  Massachusetts,  with  his  brother.  A.  Judson  Crane. 
Among  his  classmates  at  Amherst  were  James  Roosevelt  Bayley,  late  Arch- 
bishop of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  Baltimore,  and  Henry  John  Van  Lennep, 
missionary  of  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  to  Constantinople. 

He  connected  himself  with  the  Second  Baptist  church,  Richmond,  Virginia, 
July  27th,  1832,  undef  the  ministry  of  James  B.  Taylor,  D.D.  In  October,  1832, 
he  was  one  of  the  first  fourteen  students  of  the  Virginia  Baptist  Seminary  (now 
Richmond  College),  at  the  opening  of  its  first  session.  In  this  connection  he 
remained  for  more  than  a  year,  under  the  instruction  of  Rev.  Robert  Ryland,  D. 
D.,  and  earnestly  pursued  the  course  of  classical  studies  which  he  had  com- 
menced in  the  Richmond  academies  and  seminaries.  For  two  years  he  was  a 
student  of  Columbian  College,  Washington  City,  District  of  Columbia,  receiving 
his  A.B.  and  A.M.  from  that  institution.  He  pursued  literary  and  theological 
studies  for  three  years  and  a  half  in  Madison  University  and  the  Theological 
Seminary,  Hamilton,  New  Yor^.     Thomas  J.  Conant,  Asahel  C.  Kendrick  and 


I50  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Barnas  Sears  were  his  instructors.  He  ranked  with  the  foremost  in  collegiate  and 
theological  studies,  although  among  the  youngest  students  at  Richmond,  Wash- 
ing City  and  Amherst.  At  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  was  elected  a  Professor 
in  Richmond  College  (then  Virginia  Baptist  Seminary),  but  preferred  a  position 
in  Talbotton,  Georgia,  where  he  was  associated  with  Robert  Fleming  in  a  class- 
ical school,  from  November,  1837,  to  February,  1839.  During  this  time  he 
became  acquainted  with  the  principal  ministers  of  Georgia,  and  was  appointed 
to  preach  in  the  chapel  of  Mercer  University  at  the  December  examination,  1837, 
and  before  the  Georgia  Ministers'  Meeting  at  Macon.  He  preached  occasionally 
at  Thomaston,  Greenville,  and  various  country  churches.  He  was  Ucensed  to 
preach  by  the  Second  Baptist  church,  Richmond,  Virginia,  November,  1834,  and 
was  ordained  by  a  presbytery  called  by  Calvert  Street  Baptist  church,  Baltimore, 
September,  1838.  In  June,  1838,  at  Rochester,  New  York,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Aleeta  Flora  Galusha,  daughter  of  Martin  Galusha,  and  grand- daughter 
of  Jones  Galusha — for  nine  years  Governor  of  Vermont,  grand-niece  of  Martin 
Chittenden — for  two  years  Governor,  and  great-granddaughter  of  Thomas 
Chittenden — first,  and  for  nineteen  years.  Governor  of  Vermont.  Mrs.  Crane 
lived  one  week  over  two  years.  She  was  well  educated,  gifted,  witty,  vivacious, 
and  in  thorough  sympathy  with  her  husband.  A  granite  obeUsk  in  Mount  Hope 
cemetery.  New  York,  marks  the  spot  where  her  mortal  remains  await  the  resur- 
rection. 

On  his  23d  birth-day  (March  17th,  1839),  W.  C.  Crane  became  pastor  of  the 
First  Baptist  church,  Montgomery,  Alabama.  His  ministry  was  remarkably 
po^jular,  and  soon  placed  him  among  the  first  Southern  Baptist  pulpit  orators. 
The  church  nearly  tripled  its  membership  between  March,  1839,  and  March, 
1842,  when,  on  account  of  loss  of  voice,  he  left  Alabama  and  returned  to  Vir- 
ginia. For  two  years  he  travelled,  mainly  on  horseback,  in  Virginia  and  District 
of  Columbia,  as  general  agent  of  the  American  Tract  Society,  collecting  funds 
and  superintending  the  work  of  colportage.  In  August,  1841,  he  was  married  at 
Rome,  New  York,  to  Miss  Jane  Louisa  Wright,  a  young  lady  of  rare  accom- 
plishments, and  a  worthy  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Death  closed 
this  happy  connection  at  Richmond,  December  26th,  1842.  For  a  few  months, 
in  1 844,  he  was  a  Professor  and  Financial  Agent  in  Union  University,  Murfrees- 
boro,  '1  ennessee,  and  associated  with  R.  B.  C.  Howell,  D.D.,  at  Nashville,  in 
conducting  The  Baptist,  continuing  for  nearly  two  years  as  co-editor  of 
that  journal.  He  visited  Columbus,  Mississippi,  in  December,  1843,  and  in  July, 
1844,  became  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  that  flourishing  city.  This  position 
was  commanding.  The  community  was  intelligent,  and  reflected  the  best  influ- 
ences of  the  society  then  controlling  public  sentmient  in  the  Southern  States. 
When  he  closed  this  pastorate,  the  church  had  increased  nearly  three-fold  under 
his  ministrations.  While  in  Columbus  he  married,  at  Mobile,  Alabama,  Miss 
Catharine  Jane  Shepherd,  his  present  wife,  a  native  of  Richmond  county,  Vir- 
ginia, remarkable  for  beauty,  fascinating  manners  and  fine  endowments,  and 
connected  with  some  of  the  best  families  of  Virginia  and  Alabama. 

For  two  years  he  served  the  Vicksburg  church,  and  two  years  more  the  Yazoo 
City  church  as  pastor — both  very  hard  fields,  but  increasing  his  reputation  for 
ability,  fidelity  and  success  in  the  cause  of  Christianity.  For  a  year  and  a  half 
he  conducted  the  Yazoo  Classical  Hall,  and  from  January,  1851,  to  January, 
1857,  was  President  of  the  Mississippi  Female  College,  Hernando.  The  last- 
named  institution  commenced  its  existence  under  his  care.  Over  two  hundred 
and  fifty  young  ladies  were  here  educated  under  his  Presidency.  At  the  same 
time  he  was  pastor  of  the  Hernando  church,  to  which  there  were  large  accessions 
during  his  six  years'  pastorate,  it  is  remarkable  that  after  the  origin  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Mississippi,  the  first  three  anniversary  orators  were  Henry  Stuart  Foote, 
William  Carey  Crane,  and  Jefferson  Davis.  From  1859  to  i860  he  was  President 
of  Semple  Broaddus  College,  Centre  Hill,  Mississippi.  He  gathered  a  large 
number  of  students  from  three  or  four  States,  and  as  agent  secured  about  sixty 
thousand  dollars  for  its  endowment.  Railroad  facilities  enabled  him  to  discharge 
college  duties,  and  also  to  meet  regular  ministerial  appointments  at  Centre  Hill, 
Cold  Water  and  Oxford,  Mississippi,  and  New  Connah,  Tennessee. 


OF   PROMINENT    BAPTISTS.  15  I 

For  nearly  seventeen  years  he  resided  in  Mississippi,  and  besides  his  active 
duties  as  president  and  pastor,  was  co-editor  of  the  Mississi-ppi  Baptist  for  two 
years  ;  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Mississippi  State  Convention  six  years ; 
President  of  the  Convention  two  years  ;  and  Moderator  of  the  Cold  Water  Asso- 
ciation two  years.  Between  1840  and  1880 'he  was  tendered  pastorates  in  New 
York,  Tennessee,  Alabama,  Virginia,  Georgia,  Louisiana  and  Texas,  and  the  Presi- 
dency of  six  colleges  and  six  female  seminaries.  From  February,  i860,  to  May, 
1863,  he  was  President  of  Mount  Lebanon  University,  Louisiana,  which  from 
ninety,  increased  to  one  hundred  and  seventy  during  his  administration.  He  was 
also  pastor  of  Mount  Lebanon  church,  giving  it  two  Sundays'  labors,  and  other 
churches  the  remaining  Sundays.  During  the  same  period  he  was  co-editor  of 
the  Louisiana  Baptist,  Moderator  of  the  Red  River  Association,  and  President 
of  the  Louisiana  Baptist  State  Convention.  In  July,  1863,  declining  a  call  to 
Houston  Baptist  church,  he  accepted  the  Presidency  of  Baylor  University,  and 
the  pastorate  of  Independence  church. 

He  has  formed  friendships  in  his  pastorates  as  tenacious  as  life ;  has  preached 
nearly  four  thousand  sermons,  delivered  at  least  fifteen  hundred  addresses  and 
lectures,  and  been  the  means  of  bringing  over  one  thousand  persons  into  the 
church,  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  of  whom  he  baptized  in  1879.  When 
he  assumed  the  Presidency  of  Baylor  University,  the  majority  of  the  Baptists  in 
Texas  regarded  the  institution  as  dead.  Public  feeling  was  in  large  measure 
alienated  from  it.  Where  decided  opposition  did  not  prevent  its  success,  apathy 
chilled  the  ardor  of  those  who  should  have  been  its  friends.  In  dismantled  build- 
ings, without  sash  or  glass,  without  doors,  without  floors,  without  fences  and 
without  money,  William  Carey  Crane  undertook  to  put  Baylor  University  on  a 
firm  footing,  expending  a  large  portion  of  his  patrimony,  and  obtaining  means 
sometimes  by  writing  for  periodicals,  and  by  lectures,  and  using  his  ministerial 
salary  to  keep  the  institution  above  water.  It  has  required  nerves  of  steel  and 
indomitable  will,  imperturbable  patience  and  heroic  self-sacrifice  to  maintain  a 
footing.  The  institution  has  gradually  and  surely  regained  the  confidence  and 
love  of  the  people,  numbering  among  its  alumni  some  of  the  first  minds  of  Texas, 
occupying  high  positions  in  Church  and  State. 

Dr.  Crane  was  Secretary  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  from  185 1  to 
1863,  and  has  been  elected  a  Vice-President  four  times,  and  Vice-President  of 
one  of  the  Boards  nearly  the  whole  period  of  the  existence  of  the  Convention. 
He  was  Vice-President  of  the  Texas  Baptist  State  Convention  from  1864  to 
1 87 1,  and  from  1871  to  this  time  he  has  been  President.  He  is  an  officer  of  a 
number  of  State  and  National  benevolent  and  educational  societies,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Historical  Societies  of  Wisconsin  and  Mississippi,  and  of  the  American 
Philological  Association.  Since  1835  he  has  contributed  to  the  leading  Baptist 
journals,  and  various  literary  periodicals.  His  published  addresses  and  sermons 
would  fill  half  a  dfzen  good-sized  volumes.  He  has  occupied  the  highest  offices 
among  Masons,  Odd  Fellows  and  Friends  of  Temperance.  He  delivered  an 
address  before  the  Mississippi  Legislature  at  Jackson,  November,  1859,  and  be- 
fore the  Texas  Legislature  in  Austin,  September,  1866.  He  delivered  the 
memorial  address  on  the  death  of  General  R.  E.  Lee,  and  a  Centennial  address 
in  1S76,  by  request  of  the  people  of  Washington  county,  Texas.  Morell's 
"  Flowers  and  Fruits  in  the  Wilderness  "  says  :  "  His  conversation,  addresses  and 
sermons  all  show  that  he  is  a  profound  scholar,  has  always  been  a  student,  and 
is  a  student  still,"  exhibiting  mental  discipline  of  the  most  rigid  kind.  He  is  in 
the  zenith  of  power  and  usefulness. 


152 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


JOHN    CRAWFORD. 


This  faithful  minister  of  Christ  was  born 
in  Greenville  district.  South  Carolina,  April 
1 2th,  1788,  and  died  in  Bartow  (formerly 
Cass)  county,  Georgia,  August  12th,  1873. 
Of  this  long  life,  a  little  over  forty-seven 
years  were  passed  in  his  native,  and  a  little 
over  thirty-eight  years  in  his  adopted,  State  ; 
and  he  left  behind  him  in  both  that  memory 
which  "  smells  sweet  and  blossoms  in  the 
dust." 

He  gave  in  early  boyhood  conspicuous 
projf  "of  what  metal  he  was  made."  His 
father  being  a  very  poor  man  with  a  large 
family,  the  son,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years, 
determined  by  vigorous  effort  to  raise  the 
family  to  circumstances  of  greater  comfort. 
This  commendable  purpose  he  pursued 
unffaggingly  for  eleven  years,  and  was  re- 
warded with  success.  Here  was  that  com- 
bination of  generous  aims  and  persevering  energy  which  he  carried  with  him, 
later,  into  the  service  of  his  Heavenly  Father.  Diligence  and  liberality,  under 
the  divine  favor,  made  him  a  man  of  means ;  and  his  example  strikingly  illus- 
trates the  truth,  that  "  he  who  sows  with  blessings  shall  also  reap  with  blessings." 
In  1814,  when  twentj^-six  years  old,  he  volunteered  for  service  in  the  Creek 
war,  and  bore  arms  through  a  campaign  of  six  months.  On  his  return  from 
camp  he  settled  on  a  farm  in  Laurens  district,  South  Carolina,  and  shortly  after 
married  Miss  Martha  Clore,  who  walked  the  way  of  life  by  his  side  until  death 
called  him  away,  leaving  her,  with  six  children,  to  "  follow  after." 

He  made  a  profession  of  faith  in  Christ  in  1819,  and  began  a  Christian  career 
of  more  than  half  a  century,  by  connecting  himself  with  Rocky  Mount  church, 
Laurens  district.  In  the  glow  of  his  early  experience  he  felt  that  those  who  are 
receivers  should  be  givers  also,  and  heard  and  obeyed  the  Voice  which  says,  "  Ye 
are  my  witnesses."  He  began  immediately  to  proclaim  "the  Gospel  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,"  and  was  soon  ordained  to  the  ministry. 

In  January.  1836.  he  removed  to  Georgia,  making  his  home  within  a  mile  of 
Cassville.  and  joining  the  church  in  that  town,  which  was  then  named  Beulah. 
He  devoted  the  year  to  evangelistic  labor  in  Cherokee  Georgia,  without  fee  or 
reward  from  man,  but  not  without  tokens  of  blessing  from  on  high.  The  ne.xt 
two  years  he  held  the  pastorate  of  Beulah  church  on  those  annual  calls,  which 
certainly  have  no  precedent  in  the  letter  of  Scripture,  and  which  (to  say  the  least) 
seem  contrary  to  its  spirit.  But  in  1839  the  church  called  him  without  limit  of 
time,  and  he  served  it  for  twenty-one  consecutive  years.  It  was  during  this 
term  of  service  that  the  denomination  in  the  State  was  rent  in  twain  by  the  Anti- 
mission  Schism  ;  and  though,  when  that  unhappy  agitation  began,  there  were 
members  of  the  church  warmly  in  favor  of  "the  non-fellowship  resolution,"  and 
of  division,  his  influence  availed  to  preserve  harmony  and  peace. 

The  labors  of  Mr.  Crawford  were  not  confined  to  Beulah  church.  He  minis- 
tered to  other  churches,  far  and  near,  and  did  much  preaching  at  intermediate 
points,  in  private  houses  or  in  groves — wherever,  in  fact,  he  could  gather  a  con- 
gregation of  his  fellow-mortals  about  him.  Such  service,  not  unnecessary  now, 
was  far  more  needful  then ;  for  that  was  the  period  of  the  early  settlement  of 
Cherokee  Georgia,  and,  amid  the  usual  and  unavoidable  roughnesses  of  fron- 
tier life,  there  was  great  destitution  of  the  means  of  grace,  and  a  sore  "  famine 
of  the  word  of  the  Lord."     These  things  "  stirred  his  spirit  in  him,"  and  the 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


153 


desert  blossomed  as  the  rose  under  his  hand.  He  had  a  pointed,  concise  style 
and  deeply  earnest  spirit,  when  bringing  the  truth  of  God  and  the  soul  of  man 
together.  Not  a  district  in  that  section  but  has  to-day  many  witnesses  to  the 
faithfulness  and  effectiveness  with  which  he  toiled  as  a  herald  of  the  Cross. 
Not  a  church  scarcely,  unless  of  more  recent  origin,  but  will  remember  his  ardent 
zeal  and  unflinching  courage  in  her  service ;  full  surely  not  Cassville,  nor 
Petit's  Creek  (now  Cartersville),  nor  Rome,  nor  New  Bethel,  nor  Enon,  nor 
Raccoon  Creek,  nor  many  others 

Mr.  Crawford  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  organization  of  the  Middle 
Cherokee  Association,  and  of  the  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention.  He  was  the 
largest  contributor  to  the  Cherokee  Baptist  College,  located  at  Cassville  ;  and 
was  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  that  institution  from  its  foundation  to 
the  burnmg  of  its  buildings  by  United  States  troops  in  1864. 

When  old  age  "burdened  its  burden  on  him,"  he  grew,  of  necessity,  less  active 
in  the  ministry,  but  he  abated  nothing  of  his  interest  in  the  cause  for  which  he 
had  so  long  wrought  and  wept.  At  last,  when  no  longer  able  to  preach  himself, 
it  was  his  wont  to  call  his  neighbors  together  in  his  own  house,  and  have  some 
one  else  preach  to  them  there.  In  his  last  illness,  the  preaching,  at  his  re- 
quest, was  in  his  own  room ;  and,  as  he  listened  to  the  precious  truths  of  the 
Gospel,  his  soul  feasted,  his  heart  rejoiced,  and  his  eyes  overflowed  with  "  the 
comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  So  death  came  to  him,  less  as  "the  last  enemy," 
than  in  the  form  of  an  angel  fresh  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  bringing 
something  ot  the  splendor  of  that  presence  with  it.  In  what  the  poet  pictures 
as  "the  Arch  Fear,"  he  saw  rather  "the  Gateway  to  Glory,"  and  stepped  gladly 
through  to  be  forever  with  the  Lord. 


W.  B.  CRAWFORD. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born 
in  the  District  of  Columbia,  on  the  14th 
of  September,  1821.  His  father  was  the 
distinguished  William  H.  Crawford,  of 
our  State,  who  represented  Georgia  in  the 
United  States  Senate,  for  many  years 
represented  the  United  States  as  Minis- 
ter to  France,  and  was  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  during  President  Monroe's  ad- 
ministration. 

In  1825,  in  his  fourth  year,  Mr.  Craw- 
ford returned  to  Georgia.  His  literary 
education  was  received  at  Oglethorpe 
Univ.'rsity,  Georgia,  and  his  medical 
education  at  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and 
Augusta,  Georgia.  He  attended  lec- 
tures in  the  former  city  in  1841  and  '42, 
and  in  the  latter  in  1842  and  '43.  In 
1846  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  Chem- 
istry in  Mercer  University.  In  1854,  he 
took  charge  of  Woodland  Female  Col- 
lege, in  Cedartown,  Polk  county,  Georgia, 
where  he  remained  until  April,  1855. 

He  was  baptized  by  Rev.  C.  M.  Irwin,  and  received  into  the  membership  of 
the  Madison  church,  in  1848,  at  the  same  time  with  N.  G.  Foster  and  J.  F. 
Swanson ;  and,  what  is  something  remarkable,  each  of  the  three  afterwards 
served  the  Madison  church  as  pastor. 


154 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


Dr.  Crawford  was  called  to  ordination  by  the  Madison  Baptist  church  in 
December,  1 874,  at  which  time  he  became  the  pastor,  and  since  then  has  performed 
the  duties  of  his  position  most  acceptably. 

In  the  pulpit  he  excels  particularly  in  expository  preaching,  being  ever  ex- 
tremely careful  to  teach  nothing  but  what  is  authorized  by  the  word  of  God,  and 
most  particular  in  all  his  statements  of  Bible  facts.  He  never  preaches  without 
careful  preparation,  and  therefore  never  preaches  without  properly  feeding  the 
flock  of  God.  Like  his  brother,  Dr.  N.  M.  Crawford,  he  was  once  a  Presbyte- 
rian, but  the  same  careful  study  of  God's  word,  and  the  same  desire  to  be  gov- 
erned by  its  teachings  which  controlled  his  lamented  brother,  led  him  to  the  adop- 
tion of  Baptist  views,  and  to  a  connection  with  the  Baptist  denomination. 

As  a  man,  he  is  clear  of  head  and  pure  of  heart ;  he  is  kind,  gentle  and  unso- 
phisticated ;  friendly  and  companionable ;  easily  approached  when  his  friendship 
is  cultivated,  but  by  nature  inclined  to  be  somewhat  distant  in  manner.  He  is  a 
good  man,  and,  like  all  his  family,  an  able  man.  For  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
he  has  been  an  active  practitioner  of  medicme,  practising  in  Madison,  Georgia, 
where  he  has  chiefly  lived,  and  in  that  vocation  he  has  attained  the  front  rank. 


NATHANIEL  MACON   CRAWFORD. 


One  of  the  most  remarkable 
men  our  denomination  has  pro- 
duced, in  this  generation  at  least, 
was  Rev.  Nathaniel  Macon 
Crawford,  D.D.  On  the  pater- 
nal side  he  was  of  the  Scotch-Irish 
stock,  and  his  mother,  tiee  Su- 
sannah Gerdine,  was  of  French 
Huguenot  descent.  His  father, 
Hon.  William  H.  Crawford,  was 
a  distinguished  statesman,  and 
for  many  years  held  high  posi- 
tions of  honor  and  trust.  He 
was  United  States  Senator  from 
Georgia  from  1807  to  181 3;  Sec- 
retary of  the  Treasury  under 
President  Monroe,  and  United 
States  Minister  to  France  in 
1 81 3.  In  1824  he  was  a  candi- 
date for  the  office  of  President  of 
the  United  States,  and  received 
forty-one  electoral  votes.  His 
competitors  were  Andrew  Jack- 
son, John  Quincy  Adams  and 
Henry  Clay.  No  one  of  these 
received  a  majority  of  the  votes, 
and,  consequently,  the  election 
was  thrown  into  the  House  of  Representatives.  It  became  evident  that  Mr. 
Clay's  election  was  impossible ;  but  it  was  also  evident  that  the  influence  of  Mr. 
Clay  and  his  friends  could  elect  either  of  the  other  candidates.  Mr.  Clay's  pref- 
erence was  for  Mr.  Crawford,  but  the  latter  had  recently  suffered  a  stroke  of 
paralysis,  and  was  thus  unfitted  for  the  high  office,  so  nearly  within  his  reach. 
Mr.  Clay  gave  his  influence  to  John  Quincy  Adams,  who  was  elected. 

On  the  death  of  Vice-President  DeWitt  Clinton,  in  181 2,  Mr.  Crawford  was 
chosen  President  j«5r<?  tern,  of  the  United  States  Senate,  so  that  if  the  President 
also  had  died,  Mr.  Crawford  would  have  been  his  successor. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  155 

Nathaniel  Macon  Crawford,  so  named  in  honor  of  Judge  Macon,  of  North 
Carolina,  was  born  at  the  old  homestead  of  the  family,  called  Woodlawn,  in 
Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia,  March  22d,  1811.  Until  his  fourteenth  year,  most 
of  his  time  was  spent  in  Washington  city,  where  his  father  was  called  by  his 
public  duties.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  the  Sophomore  class  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Georgia.  Though  so  young,  he  took  the  lead  in  his  class,  and  without 
making  special  effort,  retained  this  position  to  the  end  of  his  college  course,  and 
graduated  with  the  highest  honors  in  1829.  His  was  a  remarkable  class  ;  among 
its  members  were  Rev.  George  F.  Pierce,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  South,  Rev.  Thomas  F.  Scott,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  Rev.  John  N.  Waddell,  D.D.,  Chancellor  of  the  University  of  Mississippi, 
Rev.  Shaler  G.  Hillyer,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Belles  Lettres  in  Mercer  University, 
John  M.  Cuyler,  M.  D.,  Surgeon  of  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point,  and  others  who  have  become  distinguished  in  life.  Notwithstanding  such 
competition  as  this,  Mr.  Crawford's  claims  to  the  highest  distinction  were  undis- 
puted, nor  is  it  surprising  ;  for  Dr.  Church,  who  was  President  of  the  University, 
for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  under  whom  Mr.  Crawford  graduated,  was  heard 
to  declare  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  that  he  had  never  seen  a  student  who 
possessed  such  remarkable  powers  for  the  acquisition  of  knowledge. 

On  leaving  college,  Mr.  Crawford  studied  law  in  his  father's  office,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  but  never  practised  the  legal  profession.  From  1837  to 
1 841  he  was  Professor  of  Mathematics  in  Oglethorpe  University,  Georgia,  and 
in  1844  he  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry.  He  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church  in  Washington,  Georgia,  in  1845,  and  of  the  First  Baptist  church  in 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  1846.  From  1847  to  1854  he  filled  the  chair  of 
Biblical  Literature  in  Mercer  University,  and  in  1854  he  was  elected  President  of 
that  Institution.  Resigning  this  office  in  1856,  he  accepted  the  chair  of  Mental 
and  Moral  Philosophy  in  the  University  of  Mississippi ;  this  he  retained  until 
September,  1857,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  Professorship  of  Systematic 
Theology  in  the  Baptist  Seminary  at  Georgetown,  Kentucky.  In  July,  1858,  he 
was  recalled  to  the  Presidency  of  Mercer  University,  and,  moved  by  the  earnest 
solicitation  of  the  friends  of  the  institution,  he  returned  to  Georgia  and  took 
the  position  assigned  him.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  in  1865,  having  been  called 
to  the  Presidency  of  Georgetown  College,  Kentucky,  he  accepted  the  office,  and 
held  it  until  the  spring  of  1871,  when  failing  health  compelled  him  to  resign. 
He  then  returned  to  Georgia,  and  resided  on  his  farm  near  Tunnel  Hill  until  his 
death  in  October  of  the  same  year. 

From  the  above  outline  of  his  history,  it  will  be  seen  that  he  made  many 
removals  from  place  to  place.  In  each  case  there  were  good  reasons  for  his 
course — reasons  which  it  is  needless  to  set  forth  here — but  it  is  worthy  of  remark 
that  his  removal  was  always  regretted  by  those  whom  he  left,  and  that  he  was 
repeatedly  recalled  to  positions  which  he  had  resigned,  showing  that  his  services 
were  highly  appreciated  by  those  who  had  the  best  opportunity  to  judge  of  their 
merits. 

Dr.  Crawford  was  a  life-long  student.  His  perceptions  were  quick,  his  grasp 
of  principles  masterly,  his  memory  retentive,  and  his  thirst  for  knowledge  un- 
bounded. With  such  qualities  as  these,  it  is  not  surprising  that  in  more  than 
half  a  century  of  application  he  made  vast  attainments.  In  Latin,  Greek  and 
Hebrew,  and  in  one  or  two  of  the  modern  languages,  he  was  proficient;  in 
mathematics  he  was  pre-eminent ;  with  the  natural  sciences  he  was  familiar, 
and  kept  pace  with  the  discoveries  of  the  day  ;  in  history  he  was  well  versed  ;  in 
metaphysics  he  was  a  master  ;  he  was  well  read  in  poetry ;  he  was  a  good  con- 
stititutional  lawyer  ;  he  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  politics  of  the 
country  from  the  beginning ;  in  theology  he  was  at  home,  and  he  was  mighty  in 
the  Scriptures.  It  is  seldom  that  onp  is  accurate  whose  attainments  are  so  exten- 
sive ;  and  those  who  are  accurate  are  apt  to  be  narrow  ;  but  this  man  of  marvellous 
learning  combined  qualities  seldom  found  together;  his  scholarship  was  as 
remarkable  for  its  accuracy  as  for  its  extensiveness. 

Few  persons  were  aware  how  extraordinary  a  man  he  was.  There  was  no 
demand  in  the  country  for  the  exercise  of  his  gifts ;  the  sphere  which  he  occu- 
pied did  not  call  out  his  powers ;  a  man  with  a  tithe  of  his  ability  could  have 


156  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

filled  it  just  as  acceptably,  and  the  difference  would  never  have  been  known  ;  he 
overspread  his  position  with  a  large  margin  ;  he  was  not  inclined  to  unnecessary 
display,  and  hence,  while  he  was  recognized  in  a  general  way  as  a  man  of  power, 
the  people  had  no  idea  of  the  extent  of  that  power. 

In  seeming  contradiction  of  these  statements  is  the  surprising  and  unaccount- 
able fact,  that  neither  the  productions  of  his  pen,  nor  his  discourses  from  the 
pulpit  were  equal  to  what  would  be  expected  from  a  man  such  as  has  been  de- 
scribed. His  writings  and  his  sermons  (never  written)  however  excellent,  were 
not  specimens  of  the  man.  Dr.  Crawford's  only  published  work  of  importance  is 
a  volume  called  "Christian  Paradoxes."  It  is  instructive  and  valuable;  and  to 
most  men  it  would  do  great  credit ;  but  a  book  that  would  do  credit  to  him, 
would  be  a  rare  book  indeed.     He  was  greater  than  any  of  his  works. 

As  for  his  personal  qualities,  they  cannot  be  better  described  than  in  the  lan- 
guage of  Dr.  Shaver,  editor,  at  the  time  of  Dr.  Crawford's  death,  of  The  Chris- 
tian Index : 

"  Among  the  highest  privileges  of  our  latter  years,"  says  Dr.  Shaver,  "  we 
reckon  the  hours  spent  with  him.  The  chief  charm  of  our  intercourse  was,  not 
his  singular  balance  and  poise  of  intellect,  nor  the  thorough  learning  that  gave 
him  the  tread  of  a  master  in  every  field  of  inquiry,  nor  the  strong,  ripe  judgment 
which  had  wrestled  prevailingly  with  all  problems  of  ethics  and  theology — it  was 
the  equable  temper,  the  dispassionate  spirit,  the  transparent  sincerity,  the  stain- 
less sense  of  honor,  the  gentle  affectionateness  breathing  through  his  utterances 
from  first  to  last.  More  than  almost  any  person  whom  we  have  ever  known,  he 
withheld  no  word  which  Christian  candor  demanded,  and  spoke  no  word  which 
Christian  charity  forbade.  Like  that  queenliest  of  graces,  true  greatness  'vaunteth 
not  itself ;'  and  he  was  clothed  upon  with  humility,  with  freedom  from  preten- 
sion, with  childlikeness,  as  with  a  garment." 

The  same  sentiments,  in  somewhat  different  form,  were  expressed  by  the 
writer  of  this  sketch,  in  a  letter  written  while  in  Europe,  on  hearing  of  Dr.  Craw- 
ford's death.    It  is  copied  from  The  Christian  Index  of  February  8,  1872  : 

REV.  N.  M.  CRAWFORD,  D.D. 

Very  pleasant  hast  thou  been  unto  me. — II  Sam.,  i:26. 

"Long  before  these  lines  will  reach  the  eye  of  the  reader,  much  will  doubtless  have 
been  said  in  regard  to  the  character  and  death  of  the  extraordinary  man  whose 
name  is  at  the  head  of  this  article.  It  is  not  for  me,  situated  as  I  am,  and  at 
this  distance,  and  in  ignorance  of  what  has  already  been  done,  to  assume  the 
task  of  preparing  a  proper  tribute  to  his  memory.  Anything  that  I  could  say 
might  be  only  a  repetition  of  what  has  already  been  said.  Still,  I  wish  my 
brethren  in  Georgia  to  be  assured  that,  although  an  ocean  rolls  between  us,  we 
are  not  divided  in  our  sympathies.  If  I  am  for  the  present  a  wanderer  from 
home,  I  am  not  an  alien  ;  nor  has  the  change  of  sky  and  scene  wrought  any 
change  in  my  feelings  ;  I  love  what  I  always  loved ;  and  my  heart  was  touched 
as  tenderly  in  this  far  country  when  I  heard  the  sad  news  of  our  brother's  death 
as  if  I  had  been  in  the  midst  of  the  mourners  at  home.  Several  times  before 
this  have  I  attempted  to  write  a  few  lines  on  the  subject  to  The  Index  and 
Baptist,  but  in  each  case  I  have  been  obliged  to  succumb  to  my  feelings  and  lay 
aside  my  pen ;  and  even  now,  after  weeks  of  delay,  it  is  only  by  a  strong  effort 
that  I  bring  myself  to  the  task. 

"  For  fifteen  years  I  enjoyed  an  intimacy  with  Dr.  Crawford  such  as  few  other 
men  ever  did — -perhaps  none  other.  Peculiar  circumstances  brought  us  into  a 
closer  relationship  than  is  ordinarily  possible  between  men.  As  those  who  were 
closest  to  him  knew  him  best,  as  those  who  knew  him  best  loved  him  most,  I 
may  be  pardoned  for  believing  that,  among  all  his  admirers  and  lovers  there 
were  none  more  sincere  than  myself,  and  few,  if  any,  so  ardent.  If  the  w  hole 
Baptist  family  has  been  bereaved,  /  peculiarly.  I  learned  wisdom  from  him, 
and  caught  inspiration  from  him,  and  was  warmed  into  spiritual  fervor  by  him, 
every  day  for  years.  In  my  profoundest  studies,  often  needing  a  counsellor,  I 
always  went  to  him,  and  never  in  vain.  Many  times  have  I  presented  to  him 
the  darkest  an  i  most  complicated  questions  known  to  metaphysical  science,  but 
never  without  receiving  light.     When  my  scholarship  was  at  fault,  he  was  the 


OF  PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  1 57 

living  cyclopedia  who  never  failed  to  supply  me  with  information.  In  my  sor- 
rows, he  was  my  sympathiser  ;  in  my  despondency,  he  was  my  comforter.  When 
my  hopes  of  heaven  failed,  it  was  he  who  cheered  my  spirit  by  bringing  me 
nearer  to  Jesus  than  any  other  man  could  bring  me.  In  some  great  emergencies 
of  my  life,  when  none  but  he  knew  my  secret,  he  nerved  me  up  to  a  manhood, 
which,  but  for  him,  I  should  never  have  shown  or  known.  While  gentle  as  a 
child,  he  was  as  brave  a  man  as  I  ever  saw.  The  lion  and  the  lamb  lay  down 
together  in  his  breast,  and  he  possessed  in  strange  and  happy  combination  the 
qualities  of  both.  Perhaps  his  greatest  grace  was  humility,  which  he  possessed 
in  a  degree  charming  to  behold  ;  and  yet  one  of  his  strongest  points  was  self- 
reliance.  His  sensibilities  were  tender  and  delicate,  yet  he  was  not  swayed  by 
them  ;  he  was  always  so  controlled  by  his  moral  sense  that  his  poise  was  like  a 
planet's.  His  whole  character  was  a  wonderful  blending  of  the  strongest  an- 
titheses of  grace. 

"  But  I  must  restrain  my  pen,  or  I  shall  do  what  I  promised  my  readers  and 
myself  that  I  would  not  do.  I  indulge  myself  in  only  a  few  lines  more.  My 
brethren  of  the  Baptist  family  at  home  may  be  surprised  to  learn  that  my  first 
emotions  on  hearing  of  our  sad  bereavement  ^N&r&not  those  of  sorrow.  Instead 
of  feeling  as  if  a  great  burden  of  grief  had  been  suddenly  cast  upon  me,  I  expe- 
rienced a  sense  of  relief,  and  of  strange  and  sweet  complacency.  I  thought  not 
of  our  bereavement,  but  of  his  joy.  I  followed  his  spirit  to  the  skies  ;  and,  for- 
getting that  there  was  such  a  thing  as  earth,  I  thought  only  of  him  as  in  heaven, 
and  as  realizing  what  Christ  meant  when  He  said :  '  Blessed  are  the  pure  in 
heart,  for  they  shall  see  God.'  It  was  as  when  l-.lisha  saw  Elijah  caught  up  to 
heaven  in  the  chariot  of  fire ;  forgetting  himself  and  his  loss  he  looked  only  iip, 
and  exclaimed,  '  My  father  !  my  father  !  the  chariots  of  Israel  ajid  the  horse- 
men thereof  r  His  amazement  and  his  ecstacy  overcame  and  excluded  his 
grief.  And  thus  I,  so  long  as  my  views  of  the  heavenly  glory  kept  me  looking 
up,  experienced  no  sorrow.  It  was  only  when  my  eyes  fell  to  earth,  that  my 
anguish  came  upon  me.  When  I  remembered  that  if  he  was  exalted,  I  was  still 
left  to  struggle  with  the  world  and  with  temptation  and  sin,  and  that,  too,  with- 
out the  strength  and  comfort  that  his  sympathy  gave,  then  grief  came  to  my 
soul,  so  poignant  that  it  was  tearless.  I  thank  God  that  it  is  not  so  now  ;  and 
that,  having  recovered  from  this  paralysis,  I  enjoy,  as  I  write,  the  relief  which 
kind  nature  has  provided,  in  tears,  for  her  sorrowing  children. 

"  Has  our  brother  taken  his  mantle  with  him  }  Certainly  we  have  none  left 
like  him.  But  God  is  able  to  raise  up  others  ;  and  even  he,  '  being  dead,  yet 
speaketh.'  When  we  remember  the  purity  of  his  life,  the  depth  of  his  piety,  the 
fervor  of  his  faith,  the  ardor  of  his  zeal,  his  meekness,  his  boldness,  his "  gentle- 
ness, his  generosity,  the  beauty  of  his  humility,  and  the  completeness  of  his  con- 
secration to  God,  let  us  unite  in  the  prayer,  that  a  double  portion  of  his  spirit 
may  be  upon  us.  ■       "  H.  H.  Tucker. 

''Paris,  France,  January  lo,  i8j2." 

The  brief  outline  of  Dr.  Crawford's  character  embodied  in  the  above  letter  was 
pronounced  by  Dr.  Joseph  S.  Baker,  himself  a  man  of  mark,  and  who  knew  him 
well,  to  be  truthful  to  the  letter ;  and  such  would  be  the  testimony  of  all  who  knew 
him  equally  well. 

Dr.  Crawford  was  brought  up  under  Presbyterian  influences,  and  in  early  life 
became  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  birth  of  his  first  child,  while 
he  was  professor  at  Oglethorpe,  induced  him  to  examine  the  subject  of  infant 
baptism.  With  all  his  predilections  in  favor  of  his  ancestral  creed,  he  became 
convinced  that  there  is  no  warrant  for  that  practice  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures ; 
pushing  his  inquiries  farther,  he  became  convinced  that  nothing  is  baptism  (to 
use  an  expression  of  Dr.  W.  T.  Brantly)  "  but  the  thing  itself." 

Disrupting  the  ties  that  bound  him  to  his  brethren,  and  to  the  Church  of  his 
fathers,  he  announced  his  convictions  and  publicly  put  on  Christ  by  baptism. 
While  never  disputatious,  and  always  courteous  and  charitable,  he  main- 
tained his  denominational  views  with  steadfastness  and  zeal,  and  of  course,  with 
characteristic  ability.     There  never  was  a  sounder  Baptist. 

He  died  peacefully  on  Friday,  October  27th,  1871,  at  half-past  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon — and  then  was  fallen  a  great  man  in  Israel. 


158  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


WILLIAM  LEWIS  CRAWFORD. 

Rev.  William  Lewis  Crawford  was  born  in  Columbia  county,  Georgia, 
on  the  22d  of  February,  1802,  and  had  no  educational  opportunities  except  such 
as  were  afforded  by  old-field  schools.  He  was  baptized  by  Rev.  James  Matthews, 
and  joined  the  church  at  Benevolence,  Randolph  county,  Georgia,  in  July,  1842; 
and  was  ordained  at  the  same  place  in  April,  1846,  at  the  request  of  the  Reho- 
both  church,  in  that  county. 

During  his  ministerial  career  he  served  the  Baptist  churches  at  Cuthbert,  Fort 
Gaines,  Georgetown,  Vienna,  and  various  other  places,  and  generally  with  great 
acceptability  and  usefulness.  He  was  Moderator  of  the  Bethel  Association  for 
ten  successive  years. 

At  Associations  and  Conventions,  he  would  take  his  seat  in  some  remote  part 
of  the  assembly,  and  say  little  or  nothing.  When  remonstrated  with  on  this 
account,  he  replied,  "  There  are  so  many  who  love  to  talk,  and  who  can  talk  so 
much  better  than  I  can.  that  I  think  it  best  to  hold  my  tongue.  But  if  you  think 
I  am  doing  wrong,  I  will  try  to  do  better  in  the  future." 

While  thus  a  meek  and  humble  disciple,  he  was  a  bold  and  zealous  Christian ; 
while  modest  and  retiring  in  disposition,  he  was  earnest  in  spirit,  strong  in  intel- 
lect, firm  in  conviction,  wise  in  counsel,  and  judicious  in  action.  All  this  gave 
him  influence,  which  he  used  to  good  purpose  in  sustaining  and  giving  character 
to  the  noble  aims  and  objects  of  the  Bethel  Association,  of  which  body  he  acted 
as  Moderator  fourteen  years  in  succession. 

He  was  a  man  of  large  frame ;  a  sincere  and  devoted  Christian,  of  deep  and 
strong  beliefs,  ■  e  was  hence  free  from  fluctuations  in  opinion  and  vacillation  in 
conduct.  His  Bible  was  his  text-book,  its  teachings  were  his  law,  and  their  ob- 
servance became  as  well  his  highest  privilege  as  bounden  duty.  Thus  acting, 
his  life  assimilated  the  instructions  of  the  Master,  and  his  spiritual  nature  devel- 
oped into  a  vigorous  Christianhood.  In  his  moral  being,  the  precepts  of  religion 
crystalized ;  for  this  was  the  whole  desire  of  his  soul,  as  "  Nearer,  my  God,  to 
thee,  "  was  his  constant  prayer.  > 

Previous  to  conversion  he  was  a  considerable  politician,  had  encountered  the 
follies  and  vices  of  youth,  and  in  early  manhood  had  become  aware  of  all  the 
pit-falls  in  the  pathway  of  life.  To  him  the  snares  of  Satan  and  the  seductions  of 
the  world  were  a  conscious  recollection,  and  he  had  learned  and  felt  that  all  was 
vanity :  hence  he  was  free  from  these  harmful  influences  in  his  ministerial  life, 
and  fully  capable  of  warning  others  against  the  dangers  of  worldliness.  He 
began  to  preach  about  three  years  after  his  baptism,  and  soon  became  a  strong 
and  zealous  preacher,  and  a  powerful  exhorter.  As  a  preacher,  he  was  beloved 
by  those  to  whom  he  was  best  known,  and  universally  popular,  although  to  the 
day  of  his  death  an  "  Old  Landmark  "  man  and  a  high-toned  Calvinist.  He  pos- 
sessed a  fine  mind,  a  good  understanding,  and  a  most  retentive  memory,  never 
forgetting  persons,  faces  or  names.  Resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  forbearance 
and  Christian  patience  were  marked  characteristics  of  his,  while  he  was,  at  the 
same  time,  truly  a  peace-maker,  often  putting  himself  to  much  trouble  and  labor- 
ing diligently  and  earnestly  to  settle  difficulties  between  his  brethren  in  Christ. 
His  social  qualities  were  unsurpassed.  Full  of  life,  cheerful,  and  sometimes 
pleasantly  mirthful,  he  was  a  most  conversable  man  and  a  most  desirable  trav- 
elling companion.  Devout  and  earnest  in  spirit,  warm  and  confiding  in  disposi- 
tion, and  zealous  of  good  works,  he  was  an  attractive  co-laborer,  a  constant  and 
lovable  friend. 

He  married  Miss  Artemisia  L.  Zachary.  of  Columbia  county,  Georgia,  March 
30tli,  1824;  and  on  the  12th  of  January,  1878,  was  transported  to  the  Christian's 
home  in  glory. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


159 


ANDREW  CUMBIE. 


Rev.  Andrew  Cumbie  was'born  in  South  Carolina,  but 
moved  to  Georgia  when  very  young.  When  he  united  with 
the  church.and  when  he  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  is  not  certainly  known.  During  the  year  1835,  then 
a  resident  of  Pike  county,  Georgia,  he  was  a  travelling 
missionary,  his  field  of  labor  extending  down  the  Chatta- 
hoochee river  as  far  as  Early  county.  In  1836  he  settled 
in  Stewart  county,  and  after  living  in  that  coiyity  for  sev- 
eral years,  went  to  Alabama.  From  that  State  he  returned 
to  Georgia,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  known  as  Mitchell 
county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  He  died  at  an 
advanced  age,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Mount  Pleasant  church,  where 
he  held  his  membership,  and  where  he  had  preached  for  many  years. 

Andrew  Cumbie  was  not  an  educated  man,  but  was  by  nature  endowed  with 
surpassing  gifts.  One  who  knew  him  as  a  preacher  in  his  latter  days,  says  of 
him :  "  He  was  a  man  of  great  natural  abilities,  and  his  sermons  were  full  of 
originality  and  power.  He  had  few  equals,  and  few  men  of  his  age  planted  the 
standard  of  the  cross  in  more  destitute  sections,  and  baptized  more  true  believers 
than  this  able  divine."  We  regret  that  we  could  not  learn  more  of  the  life  of 
this  extraordinary  man. 


JAMES  M.  CROSS. 


Left  an  orphan  at  a  tender  age,  without  brother  or  sis- 
ter, Rev.  James  M.  Cross  has  undergone  those  vicissi- 
tudes of  life  which  develop  pluck,  perseverance  and  energy, 
if  they  exist  in  a  man.  Having  studied  law  in  the  office 
of  Thomas  H.  Polhill,  in  Louisville,  Georgia,  he  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  April,  1854;  married  Julia  J.  Polhill, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Joseph  Polhill.  November  22d,  1855,  and, 
for  a  few  years,  in  co-partnership  with  Thomas  H.  Polhill, 
practised  his  profession  in  Louisville,  Georgia.  He  was 
baptized  and  joined  the  Louisville  Baptist  church  in  1856. 

On  account  of  failing  health,  he  retired  from  the  practice  of  law  in  1858, 
and  moved  to  a  farm  in  Burke  county,  near  Hopeful  church,  which  licensed  him 
to  preach,  the  same  year.  January,  1863,  he  was  ordained  at  Bark  Camp  church. 
Revs.  W.  L.  Kilpatrick,  W.  J.  Hard  and  William  H.  Davis  composing  the  pres- 
bytery. He  engaged  in  active  Christian  labors  till  the  end  of  the  late  war,  when, 
by  emancipation  and  by  the  devastations  of  Sherman's  army,  he  lost  all  -his  prop- 
erty. He  then  moved  to  Bethany,  Jefferson  county,  where  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  secular  business  in  order  to  support  his  family,  and  resumed  his  old 
profession  of  law.  At  the  same  time  he  rendered  efficient  ministerial  service  at 
various  points,  whenever  an  opportunity  was  presented.  In  the  years  1867, 
1869  and  1870,  he  took  charge  of  several  country  churches,  having,  in  the  mean- 
time, bought  a  farm  near  Bethany  entirely  on  credit.  Though  receiving  com- 
paratively little  from  his  churches,  he  managed,  through  the  help  of  a  good  wife 
and  his  own  indomitable  will  and  energy,  to  pay  for  his  farm  and  erect  a  com- 
fortable residence  by  the  year  1876,  when  his  health  again  failed.  Still  he  con- 
tinued active  in  his  ministerial  labors,  and  is  at  present  pastor  of  four  churches. 


i6o 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


Of  course  these  are  churches  which  have  monthly  preaching.  He  is  now  forty- 
six  years  of  age,  an  excellent  pastor  and  preacher,  punctual  to  his  engagements, 
and  discharging  his  duties  faithfully.  In  1869  he  organized  a  Baptist  church  in 
Bethany,  which  grew  and  prospered,  against  the  force  of  adverse  circumstances, 
under  his  care  and  management,.  He  continued  its  pastor  until  1876.  It  is 
known  as  the  Wadley  church,  and  has  built  a  beautiful  house  of  worship  in  the 
village  of  that  name  on  the  Central  railroad.  In  September,  1873,  he  consti- 
tuted another  Baptist  church  at  Old  Bethel  six  miles  distant,  which  he  served 
as  pastor  for  four  years,  increasing  its  membership  from  thirty  to  ninety-one. 

Mr.  Cross  was  born  in  Burke  county,  September  9th,  1834.  He  lost  his 
father  when  he  was  eighteen  months  old,  and  his  mother  when  he  was  eight 
years  old.  He  was  then  taken  in  charge  by  his  guardian,  Alexander  E.  Cross. 
His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Delana  Haysless,  a  woman  of  rare  beauty,  and 
possessing  many  excellent  traits  of  character,  which  acted  on  others  as  an  im- 
pulse to  like  excellence.  The  son  received  early  lessons  of  piety  from  the  loving 
lips  of  this  devout  mother,  and  her  wise  counsels  and  affectionate  instructions 
were  heeded  and  never  forgotton.     "  Though  dead,  she  yet  speaketh." 


THOMAS  J.  GUMMING. 


"Be  honest!"  was  the  precept,  short  and  pregnant,  of 
Mr.  Eli  Cumming  to  his  children,  when  living,  though  he 
was  not  a  professor  of  religion.  He  died  in  i860.  His 
wife,  Mary  Cumming,  taught  them  religious  principles  by 
the  power  of  a  religious  life.  She  was,  and  still  is,  a  mem- 
ber of  a  Baptist  church.  Under  these  influences  their  son, 
Thomas  J.  Cumming,  born  May  8th,  1834,  experienced  a 
gradual  change  in  his  feelings  and  life  previous  to  his  i8th 
year,  convincing  him  that  he  was  "  born  again,"  and  when 
twenty-two  years  of  age  he  connected  himself  by  experience 
and  baptism  with  the  church  at  Bethel,  Hancock  county,  in  the  year  1856.  An 
imperative  call  to  the  ministry  led  to  his  ordination  at  Bethlehem  in  July,  1866 
though  he  had  already  entered  on  active  service  in  his  religious  life,  for  he  was 
at  that  time  preaching  to  two  churches  while  awaitmg  ordination.  He  has  since 
that  event  faithfully  attended  to  the  duties  of  his  sacred  calling.  He  has  had 
charge  at  different  times  of  various  churches,  including  those  at  Sandersville, 
Ohoopee,  Louisville,  Pleasant  Grove,  Mount  Horeb.  Always  has  he  contended 
earnestly  for  the  faith,  being  an  uncompromising  advocate  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus,  somewhat  on  the  Landmark  principle.  His  labors  have  been  blessed  by 
the  Lord,  the  seal  He  has  set  on  them. 

He  is  a  man,  modest  and  of  a  cheerful  and  genial  disposition,  with  a  strong 
faith  in  the  wise  overrulings  of  Providence,  preserving  his  hopefulness  amid  the 
trials  of  life,  and  endeavoring,  alike  in  adversity  and  prosperity,  to  maintam  a 
Christian  equanimity.  His  occupation  as  a  teacher  and  a  farmer  has  promoted 
the  preparation  of  his  sermons,  by  facilitating  study  and  meditation.  He  has 
proved  very  acceptable  as  an  occupant  of  the  pulpit.  He  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, and  has  known  affliction  in  its  severest  forms,  in  the  loss  of  wife  and 
children,  but  has  born  it  with  pious  resignation.  A  good  preacher,  a  useful  man, 
beloved  and  greatly  respected,  he  stands  high  in  both  church  and  community. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


i6i 


JABEZ  LAMAR  MONROE  CURRY. 

We  purpose  to  present  to  our  readers  a 
sketch — necessarily  meagre  and  imperfect — 
of  tlie  leading  features  in  the  busy  and 
crowded  life  of  the  distinguished  Georgian 
whose  name  heads  this  article.  Dr.  CURRY 
has  filled  so  many  important  offices,  and  all 
with  equal  ease,  ability  and  success,  and 
holds  by  so  many  titles  the  confidence  and 
admiration  of  his  friends  and  the  public,  that 
we  are  really  embarrassed  by  the  very  afflu- 
ence of  the  subject  we  have  taken  in  hand. 
And  yet  the  offices  which  he  has  filled  are 
few  in  comparison  with  those  which  he  has 
declined.  Many  of  the  latter,  too,  were,  to 
the  popular  apprehension,  far  more  glitter- 
ing as  prizes  of  ambition,  and  withal  decid- 
edly more  lucrative  than  the  positions  which 
he  has  accepted  and  held  from  a  sense  of 
public  duty.  A  man  who  has  so  well  acquit- 
ted himself  of  the  mnay  trusts  which  the  public  confidence  has  imposed  upon 
him ;  whose  demeanor,  even  amidst  the  fierce  conflicts  of  party  strife  wrought 
to  its  utmost  frenzy,  has  been  so  frank  and  ingenuous,  so  modest  and  chival- 
rous, so  chastened  and  regulated  by  a  sense  of  obligation  to  God  and  man,  that 
not  even  his  bitterest  opponents  have  ever  ascribed  to  him  a  low  or  unworthy 
motive,  ought  to  be  held  up  to  the  admiration  and  imitation  of  his  countrymen. 

Jabez  Lamar  Monroe  Curry,  son  of  William  Curry  and  Susan  Curry,  his 
wife,  iiee  Winn,  was  born  June  5,  1825,  in  Lincoln  county,  Georgia.  His  father 
was  a  large  and  successful  planter  in  that  county,  but  removed  to  Alabama, 
when  the  son  was  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  his  age.  Upon  his  father's  estate 
he  grew  up  to  manhood,  when  he  became  himself  the  owner  of  a  cotton  plan- 
taiton,  which  he  successfully  managed  until  the  disastrous  issue  of  the  war  led 
him  to  engage  in  other  pursuits. 

He  graduated  at  the  University  of  Georgia  in  1843,  and  at  Harvard  Law  School 
in  1845.  At  Harvard  he  was  the  class-mate  of  President  Rutherford  B.  Hayes, 
of  whose  character  he  speaks  in  terms  of  highest  praise.  He  represented  Tal- 
ladega county  in  the  Legislature  or  Alabama  in  1847,  1853  and  1855.  In  this 
capacity  he  advocated  internal  improvements  and,  as  he  has  since  done  with 
signal  ability,  public  education.  He  drew  up  a  report  in  favor  of  a  geological 
survey  of  the  State,  and  by  his  influence  a  bill  having  this  object  was  passed 
through  the  House.  In  1855,  he  fought  that  proscriptive  organization,  the 
Know-Nothing  party,  with  all  his  zeal,  carrying  his  county,  which  was  the  battle- 
ground of  the  contending  parties  in  the  State,  by  255  votes.  In  1856,  he  was  a 
presidential  elector  on  the  Buchanan  ticket,  and  in  1857, -and  again  in  1859,  was 
elected  to  Congress,  serving  through  the  XXXV  and  XXXVI  Congress.  His 
term  of  service  embraced,  therefore,  the  four  years  immediately  preceding  the 
war.  C.  F.  Adams,  Conkling,  Sherman,  Fenton,  Logan,  Corvvin,  Stephens, 
Lamar,  Cox,  Orr,  Bocock,  etc.,  were  in  Congress  at  the  same  time. 

Mr.  Curry  carried  into  Congress  decided  and  positive  views.  From  feeling 
and  from  conviction  he  was  a  State-rights,  Calhoun  Democrat.  In  Congress 
he  was  in  his  fit  element.  The  study  of  government  had  been  the  study  of  his 
life.  He  had  explored  history,  ancient  and  modern,  not  merely  as  a  matter  of 
culture  or  of  pleasure,  but  to  force  its  light  on  this  focal  point.  The  history  of 
the  formation  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  the  limitations  of  that  instrument 
upon  the  powers  of  the  government  created  by  it,  the  reserved  rights,  the  inde- 


1 62  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

feasible  sovereignty  of  the  States,  had  been  his  life-long  study,  and  were  all  at 
his  fingers'  ends.  -^^ 

He  was  just  turned  of  thirty,  of  splendid  'physique,  with  a  cast  of  features 
and  an  expression  of  countenance  so  marked  by  manly  ingenuousness  and  honor, 
yet  indicative  of  conscious  strength  and  self-reliance,  that  even  his  political  ene- 
mies were  conciliated  and  disposed  to  hear  him  with  favor.  Moreover,  his  fame 
as  an  orator  and  as  a  statesman  was  not  unknown  in  Congress  when,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1857,  he  took  his  seat  as  the  representative  of  the  Seventh  Congressional 
District  of  Alabama. 

He  had  then,  as  he  has  now,  a  voice  full,  clear,  and  of  wonderful  compass, 
enabling  him  to  enunciate  with  perfect  distinctness  every  syllable  that  falls  from 
his  lips.  Quick  in  perception  and  accurate  in  discrimination ;  fluent,  choice, 
and  classic  in  his  language ;  in  manner  deliberate  and  self-possessed,  j^et  fervid 
and  impassioned  in  his  feelings  and  impulses ;  trained  in  the  severe  methods 
of  the  schools,  and  specially  equipped  for  the  great  duties  that  lay  before  him ; 
loving  the  whole  country,  but  his  State  and  section  with  a  warmth  not  far  short 
of  Eastern  idolatry,  he  was  full  ready,  we  may  easily  believe,  to  spring  at  a  bound 
into  the  very  front  rank  as  a  champion  of  the  South.  Nor  was  the  public  expec- 
tation disappointed.  His  first  speech,  delivered  23d  of  February,  1858,  on  the 
admission  of  Kansas,  at  once  gave  him  high  rank  as  an  orator. and  as  a  states- 
man. The  New  York  Tribune  promptly  recognized  him  as  "  a  powerful  addi- 
tion to  the  pro-slavery  side  of  the  House,"  but  attributed  his  gentlemanly  bearing 
and  scholarly  language  and  argumentation  to  the  training  received,  to  the  polish 
acquired,  at  Harvard.  Mr.  Curry  was,  by  general  consent,  one  of  the  most  elo- 
quent and  influential  leaders  of  the  Democratic  party  in  the  fierce  conflict  of 
that  exciting  time.  He  made  speeches  during  this  and  the  succeeding  Congress 
against  squatter  sovereignty,  on  retrenchment,  the  tariff,  on  the  progress  of  anti- 
slavery,  the  Republican  party,  and  a  speech,  which  may  be  regarded  as  the 
ablest  and  most  statesman-like  of  his  congressional  efforts,  against  the  bill 
granting  pensions  to  the  soldiers  of  1812.  We  have  recently  read  this  speech, 
and  admired  with  fresh  interest  its  forcible  and  eloquent  enunciation  of  those 
great  principles  which  everywhere  and  at  all  times  afford  the  only  basis  of  good 
government,  and  a  recurrence  to  which  is  the  imperative  demand  of  the  present 
hour.  Taxation,  he  said,  should  be  limited  by  the  public  necessity ;  the  protec- 
tion of  individuals  in  their  rights  of  property  and  person  is  the  chief  function  of 
government.  It  is  not  an  almoner,  dispensing  with  lavish  hand  to  thankless  ■ 
beneficiaries,  huge  charities  wrung  from  the  rightful  owners  of  property.  Indi- 
viduals, protected  by  equal  and  just  laws,  must  look  to  the  exercise  of  their  own 
faculties  for  their  material  comfort  and  for  their  advancement  in  Hfe.  Govern- 
ment transcends  its  just  powers  and  proper  functions,  emasculates  the  energies 
and  corrupts  the  morals  of  its  subjects,  when  it. undertakes  to  provide  for  them 
food  and  clothing,  to  build  their  houses,  to  regulate  their  appetites,  and  to  take 
charge  of  their  morals.  These  sound  sentiments,  so  ably  enforced,  turned  back 
the  tide  of  public  opinion  and  secured  the  defeat  of  the  bill. 

In  i860,  Mr.  Curry  supported  Breckenridge  for  the  Presidency,  and  in  1861 
favored  the  secession  of  Alabama,  not  as  desiring  disunion  per  se,  but  because 
he  believed  the  formation  of  a  new  government  had  become  necessary  to  pre- 
serve the  integrity,  to  maintain  the  autonomy,  of  the  States. 

On  the  19th  January,  1861,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Convention  of  Alabama 
a  deputy  to  the  Southern  Convention,  which  met  in  Montgomery  on  the  first 
Monday  in  February.  In  July  following,  this  Convention,  acting  both  a:i  a  Con- 
vention and  as  a  provisional  Congress,  removed  to  Richmond,  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment having  been  transferred  to  the  latter  city  in  consequence  of  the  over- 
whelming importance  of  military  events  pending  in  the  northern  part  of  Vir- 
ginia. 

In  August,  1 86 1,  Mr.  Curry  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  first  permanent 
Congress  of  the  Confederate  States  from  the  Fourth  Congressional  District  of 
Alabama.  He  was  made  chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Commerce,  and  for  a 
time,  by  election,  was  Speaker  of  the  House.  The  thrilling  address  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  Confederate  States,  signed  perhaps  by  every  member  of  Congress, 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  1 63 

was  the  production  of  his  pen.  This  paper,  so  eloquent,  so  chaste  and  schol- 
arly, so  full  of  patriotic  fervor  and  practical  wisdom,  deserves  to  rank  among 
the  ablest  documents  of  revolutionary  times.  Upon  the  adjournment  of  Con- 
gress, Mr.  Curry  proved  his  faith  by  his  works  by  joining  the  army  under  General 
Joseph  E.  Johnston,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  For  several  months 
he  was — as  Lieutenant  Colonel — in  command  of  the  Fifth  Alabama  Cavalry. 
He  surrendered  on  parole  May  13th,  1865. 

In  1846,  when  just  21  years  of  age,  Mr.  Curry  was  baptized  into  the  fellow- 
ship of  Lebanon  church,  Coosa  River  Association,  by  Rev.  Samuel  Hender- 
son, D.D.  The  ardent  religious  convictions  which  began  in  boyhood,  which  led 
him  in  early  manhood  to  make  a  public  profession  of  his  faith  in  Christ,  and 
which  never  for  a  moment  succumbed  to  the  temptations  of  public  life,  were  evi- 
dently deepened  by  the  results  of  the  war.  He  had,  in  his  way,  been  for  years 
a  "lay  preacher,"  and  now  his  efforts  were  so  rich  in  fruit  that  his  brethren 
believed  he  ought  to  give  himself  to  the  ministry.  He  was  induced  to  accept 
ordination,  and  was  accordingly  ordained,  in  Marion,  Alabama,  January  28th, 
1866,  Rev.  S.  Henderson,  D.D.,  Rev.  W.  H.  Mcintosh,  D.D.,  Rev.  S.  Freeman, 
D.D.,  Rev.  A.  J.  Battle,  D.D.,  Rev.  R.  Holman  and  Rev.  T.  W.  Tobey,  acting 
as  the  presbytery ;  but  he  has  for  a  long  time  regarded  his  formal  induction  into 
the  office  of  a  minister  as  a  mistake.  He  loves  to  preach — believes  there  ought 
to  be  a  hundred  preachers  for  one  we  now  have,  but  as  he  could  not  consent  to 
be,  and  has  never  been,  a  pastor,  he  regrets  that  he  consented  to  be  ordained. 
Still,  while  he  has  invariably  declined  the  many  flattering  calls  to  the  pastorate 
that  have  been  extended  him,  his  work  abounds,  and  the  large  crowds  who  gather 
when  it  is  announced  he  will  speak,  attest  his  high  excellence  and  deserved  rep- 
utation as  a  pulpit  orator.  In  1865,  Mr.  Curry  was  made  President  of  Howard 
College,  Alabama,  and  in  1868  was  elected  Professor  of  English  in  Richmond 
College,  Virginia.  Subsequently,  and  in  connection  with  this  professorship,  he 
filled  the  chair  of  Philosophy  in  the  same  College  for  a  series  of  years,  and  also 
for  two  years,  during  the  same  period,  was  Professor  of  Constitutional  and  Inter- 
national Law.  His  success  in  the  professorship  was  eminent.  Besides  plant- 
ing in  the  minds  of  hundreds  of  young  men  the  principles  of  a  sound  and  Chris- 
tian philosophy,  he  gave  great  impetus  to  the  study  of  English,  and  raised  to 
the  highest  dignity  in  collegiate  studies  our  mother-tongue.  As  a  teacher,  he 
was  as  pains-taking  and  didactic  as  he  was  brilliant  in  the  forum  and  on  the 
hustings. 

Of  captivating  manners,  of  warm  and  confiding  nature,  it  is  not  strange  that 
his  popularity  at  Richmond  College,  among  the  students,  faculty  and  friends  of 
the  institution,  was  unchecked  and  unbroken  from  the  day  of  his  inauguration 
to  his  resignation  on  the  7th  of  February,  1881.  For  the  past  ten  years  Dr. 
Curry  has  exerted  in  Virginia,  his  adopted  State,  and  throughout  the  country, 
great  influence  by  his  speeches,  lectures  and  addresses  on  educational,  literary 
and  religious  subjects.  His  successful  efforts  to  enlarge  the  endowment  of 
Richmond  College,  his  magnificent  memorial  address  in  1873,  his  great  speech 
before  the  Evangelical  Alliance  demanding  and  defending  the  complete  separa- 
tion between  Church  and  State  (reprinted  and  distributed  over  two  continents), 
are  too  fresh  in  the  public  recollection  to  need  recapitulation.  The  degree  of 
LL.D.,  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Mercer  University  in  1867,  and  the  degree  of 
D.D.  by  Rochester  University  in  1870. 

He  has  made  three  extended  tours  through  Europe,  and  one  through  Egypt 
and  Palestine,  thereby  increasing  his  varied  store  of  experience  and  learning, 
and  delighting  the  great  reading  public  by  letters  of  surpassing  excellence.  Dr. 
Curry  has  proved  himself  a  practical  and  devoted  worker  in  all  the  enterprises 
of  a  denominational  as  well  as  of  a  general  Christian  character.  He  is  a  man 
of  true  and  unostentatious  piety,  and  loves  the  cause  of  Christ  with  sincere 
devotion.  While  in  political  life,  whether  in  Washington  or  Richmond,  he  was 
always  found  in  the  Sunday-school,  the  prayer-meeting,  the  missionary  society. 
He  accepted  every  call  to  aid  religious  work.  Much  more,  under  wider  oppor- 
tunities, does  he  prove  his  keen  interest  in  everything  that  pertains  to  the  eleva- 
tion of  his  race  and  the  evangelization  of  the  world.     He  is  always  found  in  the 

14 


164 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


front  rank  of  Christian  service,  not  for  the  sake  of  notoriety,  but  because  he 
loves  the  Master  and  has  an  intrepid  spirit.  He  can  lead  the  host,  or  serve  out 
of  sight,  with  equal  grace. 

Dr.  Curry  is  an  ardent  Baptist,  esteeming  of  priceless  value  the  distinctive 
features  of  the  faith  of  his  people,  but  he  is  a  man  of  broad  views  and  catholic 
spirit.  His  rare  gifts_  as  a  parliamentarian  and  his  skill  in  blending  with  the 
laws  of  deliberative  bodies  the  spirit  of  Christian  worship,  have  been  constantly 
recognized.  He  was  the  Moderator  of  the  Coosa  River  Association,  in  Ala- 
bama. He  was  the  President  of  the  Alabama  Baptist  State  Convention.  For 
years  together  he  presided  over  the  Baptist  General  Association  of  Virginia.  He 
is  President  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention. 
He  was  President  of  the  National  Sunday-school  Convention  in  Cincinnati. 

Dr.  Curry  has  been  married  twice.  His  first  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Chancel- 
lor Bowie,  of  Alabama.  His  present  wife  is  a  native  of  Richmond,  and  the 
daughter  of  James  Thomas,  Jr.,  whose  success  in  business,  large  charities  and 
sincere  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christian  education  are  widely  known.  Mrs. 
Curry  is  an  accomplished  woman  and  a  sincere  and  useful  Christian,  well  befit- 
ting the  companionship  of  one  whose  life  has  been  consecrated  to  noble  aims, 
and  whose  successes  have  been  unstained  by  a  single  impurity. 

On  the  3d  of  February,  1881,  the  Trustees  of  the  Peabody  Fund  unanimously 
tendered  to  Dr.  Curry  the  General  Agency  rendered  vacant  by  the  death  of  Dr. 
Barnas  Sears.  He  accepted  the  position,  and  at  once  entered  upon  the  adminis- 
tration of  this  magnificent  gift  to  Southern  education.  He  thus  once  more 
comes  before  the  country,  and  in  a  work  to  which  he  has  always  been  devoted. 
The  flattering  terms  of  his  appointment,  the  cordiality  with  which  his  election  is 
everwhere  received,  the  wide  field  the  work  offers  to  his  versatile  talents,  the 
opportunity  it  affords  to  labor  for  the  land  he  so  warmly  loves  in  a  direction  so 
congenial  to  his  tastes  and  so  helpful  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  all  combine  to  fore- 
shadow an  administration  of  the  beneficent  trust  in  a  manner  worthy  of  this  dis- 
tinguished son  of  our  honored  State. 


W.  L.  CURRY. 


While  a  minister,  about  thirty-five  years  of  age,  of  pre- 
possessing appearance,  was  once  earnestly  delivering  the 
Gospel  message  to  his  pastoral  charge  at  Evergreen  church, 
in  Mitchell  county,  Georgia,  a  note  was  handed  him.  He 
read  it,  and  then  proceeded  with  his  discourse  until  it  was 
finished.  The  note  announced  the  sudden  death  of  his  father, 
whom,  the  day  before,  he  had  left  in  good  health  in  the 
adjoining  county  of  Baker.  The  preacher's  name  was  W. 
L.  Curry,  by  birth  a  South  Carolinian,  who  made  Geor- 
gia his  home  by  adoption,  at  the  close  of  our  late  civil  war. 
A  graduate  of  Furman  University,  an  attendant,  during  three  years,  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Theological  Seminary  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  and,  during  two 
years,  of  the  Baptist  Theological  Seminary  at  Greenville,  South  Carolina,  he  has 
had  a  fine  education,  and,  after  the  war,  settled  in  Dougherty  county,  Georgia, 
where  he  preached  and  taught  school.  He  afterwards  moved  to  Baker  county, 
and  was  called  to  take  charge  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Milford,  which  he  has 
served  ever  since,  except  one  year  spent  in  Randolph  county.  He  preached  one 
year  for  the  Blakely  church,  two  for  the  Morgan  church,  three  for  the  Evergreen 
church,  and  also  served  the  Notchaway  church,  of  which  he  is  still  pastor. 
About  five  feet  ten  inches  high,  he  is  a  man  of  slight  build,  with  light  hair,  blue 
eyes,  a  florid  complexion  and  weighs  130  or  135  pounds.  You  can  see  energy 
and  fixedness  of  purpose  in  his  appearance,  while  depth  of  piety  and  earnestness 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  1 65 

of  spirit,  and  devotion  to  his  calling,  impress  themselves  upon  you,  after  forming 
his  acquaintance.  He  is  now  forty-four  years  old,  having  been  born  December 
20th,  1836,  in  Edgefield  district,  South  Carolina,  his  parents  being  Joel  and 
Elizabeth  Curry.  In  his  sixteenth  year  he  professed  religion,  and  joined  the 
Big  Stephens  Creek  church.  South  Carolina.  In  i860  he  was  ordained,  I.  L. 
Brooks,  E.  T.  Whatley,  Dr.  Richard  Furman  and  D.  D.  Brunson  constituting 
the  presbytery.  For  a- time  he  preached  for  the  Old  Pendleton  church,  Pickens 
district.  South  Carolina,  after  which  he  established  his  first  pastoral  relations 
with  the  Abbeville  Baptist  church,  which  he  was  serving  when  the  war  between 
the  States  began  in  1861.  The  year  previous,  in  i860,  he  became  deeply  im- 
pressed with  the  conviction  that  it  was  his  duty  to  labor  in  the  foreign  field  as 
a  missionary,  and  offered  himself  to  our  Foreign  Mission  Board.  Upon  invita- 
tion, he  repaired  to  Richmond,  Virginia,  and  submitted  to  a  preliminary  exam- 
ination, which  was  thorough  and  satisfactory,  but  he  was  pronounced  by  the 
examining  surgeon,  in  the  employ  of  the  Board,  physically  unfitted  for  mission- 
ary work  in  a  foreign  field,  and  was  consequently  rejected.  It  was  during  this 
visit  to  Richmond  that  he  met  her  who  was  destined  to  become  his  life-partner. 
Miss  Emily  E.  Toy,  of  Norfolk,  Virginia,  daughter  of  Deacon  Thomas  D.  Toy, 
and  sister  of  Dr.  C.  H.  Toy,  late  Professor  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological 
Seminary.     He  was  married  May  2d,  1861. 

Then  sounded  the  tocsin  of  war  !  As  a  private  he  joined  a  company  in  the 
fifteenth  South  Carolina  regiment,  and  was  at  Charleston  and  heard  the  first  gun 
of  the  war  fired,  at  half-past  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  of  April, 
1 861.  He  was,  however,  soon  after,  and  without  solicitation  on  his  part,  ap- 
pointed chaplain  of  a  regiment  of  Semme's  Georgia  brigade,  an  oifice  he  filled 
for  three  years ;  and,  as  there  was  no  other  chaplain  in  the  command  for  a  great 
part  of  the  time,  he  was  really  chaplain  for  the  entire  brigade,  rather  than  for  his 
own  regiment.  As  a  chaplain,  he  was  faithful,  and  during  the  three  years  of  his 
service  baptized  more  persons  than  during  all  the  rest  of  his  life,  before  and 
since. 

It  was  a  remarkable  providence  which  led  him,  after  the  war,  to  settle  in  south- 
western Georgia,  among  the  survivors  of  the  very  brigade  with  which  he  had 
labored  so  much  during  the  war,  without  in  the  slightest  degree  anticipating  the 
reunion  when  he  came  to  the  State.  There,  among  his  old  companions  in  arms, 
and  among  the  many  new  friends  he  has  made,  he  labors  as  a  minister,  without 
reproach,  among  white  and  colored  alike,  standing  high  in  the  community  both 
as  a  man  and  a  neighbor. 

Gifted  with  a  large  share  of  common  sense  and  tact,  supplemented  by  a  liberal 
education  and  personal  piety,  with  earnestness  and  pathos  in  the  pulpit,  devotion 
to  his  flock  and  a  remarkable  caution  with  regard  to  the  reception  of  candidates 
for  baptism,  he  is  well  prepared  for  the  sphere  he  now  fills. 

There  are  more  attractive  orators,  and  men  who  add  more  members  to  a 
church,  yet,  when  we  consider  the  melting  pathos  of  his  sermons,  and  the  un- 
doubted genuineness  of  the  conversion  professed  by  those  who  have  joined  his 
churches,  in  true  success  as  a  preacher  and  pastor,  he  may  be  rated  as  high  as 
those  who  enjoy  more  reputation  for  eloquence  and  oratory. 

He  is  fond  of  books,  and  has  a  fine  private  library,  but,  owing  to  indigestion 
superinduced  by  hard  study  when  young,  and  the  cares  incident  to  having  a  large 
family  of  children,  besides  the  necessity,  at  times,  of  personally  overlooking  his 
farming  interests,  he  has  not  been  able  to  adopt  those  habits  of  study  to  which 
his  predilections  incline  him.  Nevertheless,  in  addition  to  his  regular  educa- 
tional training,  he  has  been  able  to  secure  a  good  stock  of  historical  knowledge, 
both  sacred  and  profane.  He  is  still  a  growing  man,  and  the  sun  of  his  influence 
and  usefulness  has  hardly  yet  reached  its  zenith. 


1 66 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


JOHN  LEADLEY  DAGG. 

Rev.JOHN  Leadley  Dagg,  D. 
D.,  was  born  in  Middleburg,  Vir- 
ginia, on  the  13th  of  February, 
1 794.  By  reason  of  the  death  of 
his  father  and  mother,  he  was 
thrown  upon  the  world  at  the 
early  age  of  fifteen,  with  the  care 
of  the  family  they  had  left,  and 
at  that  early  age  he  began  teach- 
ing. He  obtained  a  hope  in 
Christ  on  the  1 3th  of  February, 
1809  (his  birth-day),  and  was 
baptized  in  the  spring  of  1812, 
by  Elder  William  Fristoe.  He 
bore  arms  as  a  private  in  the 
United  States  army  when  the 
British  attacked  Washington 
and  Baltimore,  and  during  the 
night,  made  memorable  in  song, 
when  the  British  fleet  were  bom- 
barding Fort  McHenry,  he  was 
among  those  who  were  anxiously 
waching  for  the  dawn  to  dis- 
cover whether  the  flag  still 
waved.  In  December,  1816,  he 
preached  his  first  sermon,  and 
in  November,  1817,  he  was  called 
to  ordination.  While  he  was  preaching  at  Dumfries  in  181 9,  he  was  rendered 
lame  by  leaping  from  a  window,  the  floor  having  given  way. 

The  following  extract  from  "  The  Recollections  of  a  Long  Life,"  published  in 
the  Religions  Herald  by  its  late  eminent  senior  editor.  Dr.  J.  B.  Jeter,  illustrates 
the  style  of  his  preaching  during  his  early  ministry  in  Virginia : 

"In  December,  1824,  if  I  mistake  not,  I  attended  the  annual  meeting  of  a 
missionary  society  in  this  city.  The  sermon  before  the  society  was  preached 
by  brother  Dagg.  It  was  his  first  appearance  in  Richmond.  He  came,  by  in- 
vitation, from  the  county  of  Loudoun.  He  was  twenty-eight  years  old ;  was  a 
cripple  from  a  recent  fall,  and  walked  on  a  crutch  ;  was  partially  blind,  and  wore 
shades  over  his  eyes ;  and  his  raiment  was  plain  and  rustic,  like  that  of  country 
ministers  generally.  He  was  rather  tall  and  spare,  and,  had  he  been  free  from 
his  infirmities,  his  appearance  would  have  been  quite  commanding.  The  service 
was  held  on  a  week  day  morning,  in  the  old  Second  Baptist  church,  where  the 
General  Association  was  organized  the  year  before.  The  house  was  pretty  well 
filled,  with  an  intelligent  audience.  In  what  degree  their  expectation  was  ex- 
cited, I  did  not  know,  or,  at  least,  do  not  now  remember.  After  the  preliminary 
services  were  over,  the  preacher  took  for  his  text,  Romans  1:14:  'I  am  debtor 
both  to  the  Greeks  and  to  the  barbarians ;  both  to  the  wise  and  to  the  unwise.' 
His  manner  was  calm  and  slow ;  his  voice  was  distinct  and  solemn  ;  his  style 
was  pure,  condensed  and  vigorous  ;  his  gestures  were  sparing  but  appropriate  ; 
and  his  thoughts  were  pertinent,  weighty  and  impressive.  He  aimed  to  prove 
that  Paul  was  a  debtor  to  the  Greeks  and  barbarians,  etc.,  not  because  of  any  kind- 
ness they  had  shown  him,  or  any  benefits  which  they  had  conferred  on  the  world  ; 
but  because  a  dispensation  of  the  Gospel  had  been  committed  unto  him.  Among 
his  hearers  was  the  ex-Governor  of  the  State,  Thomas  M.  Randolph.  He  stood 
not  far  from  the  pulpit,  on  the  right  hand  of  the  speaker,  with  his  shoulder 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.       •  1 6/ 

turned  towards  him,  and  his  eyes  directed  to  the  floor  or  the  entrance  to  the 
church.  Why  he  stood,  I  know  not,  as  doubtless  a  seat  was  offered  him  ;  but 
stand  he  did,  almost  as  motionless  as  a  statue.  Near  the  close  of  his  sermon, 
Dagg,  with  his  face  turned  to  the  wall,  drew  an  imaginary  and  most  graphic  pic- 
ture of  a  Druid  priest,  closing  the  description  with  the  words  :  '  This  man  is  our 
father.'  The  imperturbable  Governor  suddenly  turned  his  head,  and  gazed  on 
the  wall,  as  if  to  see  the  picture  which  had  been  so  vividly  drawn.  The  audience 
were  spell-bound  by  the  sermon.  They  thought  but  little  of  the  preacher,  but 
much  of  the  momentous  truths  which  he  had  so  clearly  presented  to  their  minds. 
I  have  rarely  been  so  deeply  impressed  with  a  sermon.  Some  allowance  must 
be  made  for  my  limited  knowledge  of  preachers  and  of  sermons  ;  but  I  deemed 
it  in  style  and  manner  the  most  unexceptionable  of  all  the  sermons  which  I  had 
then  heard.  It  was  not  impassioned,  not  powerful ;  but  it  was  in  good  taste, 
and  a  most  solemn  and  instructive  discourse.  Of  all  the  discourses  to  which  I 
was  permitted  to  listen,  it  exerted  the  greatest  influence  over  my  own  manner  of 
preaching.  I  fell  into  an  unconscious  and  unavoidable  imitation  of  its  style, 
which,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  never  gave  any  just  conception  of  the  original. 

"  Dagg  preached  again  on  Sunday  night,  in  the  old  First  Baptist  church,  on 
the  conversion  of  the  thief  on  the  cross.  It  was  an  admirable  discourse,  designed 
to  illustrate  and  prove  the  sovereignty  of  God  in  the  conversion  of  sinners.  It 
was,  perhaps,  as  well  adapted  to  do  good,  but  not  so  polished  and  graceful  a 
sermon,  as  his  first.  The  two  sermons  established  the  reputation  of  the  preacher 
in  Richmond. 

"  Of  Dr.  Dagg  I  need  add  but  little.  His  brilliant  career,  amid  bodily  infirm- 
ities and  sufferings,  is  well  known  to  the  public.  He  has  been  equally  distinguished 
by  the  clearness  of  his  intellect,  the  purity  of  his  taste,  the  extent  of  his  knowl- 
edge, the  value  of  his  theological  works,  and  his  shrinking  modesty.  He  still 
lingers  on  the  shore  of  mortality,  having. passed  his  four-score  years,  waiting  the 
call  to  cross  the  river  and  receive  his  crown." 

Mr.  Dagg  was  called  simultaneously  to  churches  in  Richmond  and  Philadel- 
phia. He  accepted  the  latter  in  January,  1825,  and  removed  to  that  city  in  May. 
He  preached  in  Philadelphia  till  1834,  when  his  voiced  failed  him.  He  had 
charge  of  Haddington  College,  near  Philadelphia,  till  the  summer  of  1836.  What 
was  his  standing  as  a  preacher  in  Philadelphia  may  be  learned  from  the  following 
letter  of  Rev.  W.  T.  Brantly,  D.D.,  to  Rev.  J.  F.  Dagg,  dated  Baltimore,  March 
25th,  1880: 

"  The  recollections  which  you  ask  from  me  of  your  esteemed  father  as  a 
preacher,  must  be  those  of  a  boy  from  eleven  to  seventeen  years  of  age,  as  it  was 
only  during  this  period  that  I  saw  your  father  in  the  pulpit,  and  then  but  occa- 
sionally. Before  I  had  completed  a  score  of  years,  his  throat  was  so  severely 
affected  by  disease  that  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  public  speaking.  When 
my  father  became  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  church  in  Philadelphia,  he  made 
the  acquaintance  of  your  father,  who  at  the  time  was  in  charge  of  the  Fifth  Bap- 
tist church  in  the  same  city,  known,  also,  as  the  Sansom  Street  Baptist  church. 
Very  cordial  relations  between  the  two  pastors  were  soon  established ;  aad  it 
mav  be  expected  that  my  impression  of  your  father  as  a  preacher  has  been  ob- 
tained quite  as  much  from  expressions  heard  from  my  father,  as  from  listening 
to  him  directly. 

"  My  recollection  of  your  father  as  a  preacher  is  better  defined  as  to  his  man- 
ner than  as  to  his  matter,  although  the  impression  made  by  the  latter  is  by  no 
means  wholly  effaced  from  memory.  What  struck  me  was  his  great  deliberation 
in  the  pulpit,  accompanied  by  a  solemnity  and  earnestness  which  convinced  every 
hearer  of  the  perfect  sincerity  of  the  speaker.  Owing  to  his  lameness  he  us".ally 
occupied  an  elevated  seat  while  preaching — much,  I  presume,  as  our  Lord  did 
on  the  mountain ;  or  as  the  Apostle  did  when,  by  the  river  side,  he  '  sat  down  ' 
and  discoursed  to  the  company  there  assembled.  But  a  voice,  rich,  sweet,  sym- 
pathetic, and  a  countenance  singularly  mild  and  engaging,  fully  compensated  for 
the  absence  of  other  physical  requisites.  One  of  the  last  sermons  I  remember 
to  have  heard  from  him  was  in  my  father's  pulpit,  which  he  was  supplying  on  a 
particular  occasion.     It  was  from  the  text,  'There  is  a  friend  which  sticketh 


l68  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

closer  than  a  brother.'  More  than  forty  years  have  passed  since  that  sermon 
was  preached,  but  you  see  the  text  is  recalled,  and  I  remember  as  well  the  ten- 
der terms  in  which  he  spoke  of  Jesus,  the  melodious  voice  in  which  the  thoughts 
were  uttered,  and  the  great  gratification  with  which  he  was  heard  by  all.  Pre- 
vious to  that,  when  a  small  boy,  I  heard  him  at  the  funeral  of  one  of  his  members, 
when  he  delivered  an  address  (according  to  the  custom  of  those  days)  at  the 
grave,  marked  by  a  solemnity  and  pathos  which  must  have  impressed  every  heart. 

"  But  whilst  your  father's  pulpit  delivery  was  recommended  by  the  qualities  of 
which  I  have  spoken,  it  was  the  thought,  rather  than  the  utterance,  the  matter, 
more  than  the  manner,  which  gave  him  a  position  among  the  very  first  preachers  of 
that  day.  His  conceptions  of  truth  were  so  clear,  so  striking,  and  oftentimes  so 
original,  that  his  hearers  always  had  something  worthy  of  their  attention.  Whilst 
his  manner  was  not  declamatory,  nor  his  style  at  all  rhetorical,  his  thoughts 
were  so  weighty,  and  expressed  in  terms  so  intelligible  as  to  command  the  atten- 
tion of  the  largest  congregations,  composed  though  they  might  be  of  every  grade 
of  intellect.  It  was  customary,  whilst  he  was  i  astor  in  Philadelphia,  for  differ- 
ent ministers  to  address  sermons  to  young  men  on  Sunday  evenings,  at  the 
request  of  a  Young  Men's  Institute  then  in  operation  in  the  city.  I  was  present 
at  the  Sansom  Street  church  when  it  became  the  duty  of  your  father  to  deliver 
one  of  these  discourses.  I  was  quite  too  young  to  appreciate  what  was  said, 
but  not  too  voung  to  observe  the  dignity  and  solemnity  which  marked  the 
preacher  as  he  sat  and  spoke  to  the  large  audience  which  crowded  the  church  in 
every  part,  their  close  attention  being  the  best  tribute  they  could  pay  to  the 
precious  counsel  to  which  they  were  listening. 

"  I  should  be  pleased  to  have  some  account  of  Dr.  Dagg  as  a  preacher  from 
some  contemporary  minister  who  had  the  opportunity  of  hearing  him.  But  since 
this  may  not  be,  you  must  allow  me  to  say  that  my  father,  who  was  a  fellow- 
pastor  with  him  in  Philadelphia,  and  who  was  a  judge  of  preaching  of  no  com- 
mon order,  regarded  him  as  one  of  the  very  best  preachers  and  expositors  of  the 
Word  within  his  knowledge.  My  father  had  other  gifted  ministerial  associates 
in  the  great  city  ;  but  I  remember  his  saying  more  than  once  :  '  I  take  more 
pleasure  in  Dagg  than  in  any  other.'  It  was  his  intellect  and  piety  which 
aitracted  and  delighted  him.  He  always  heard  him  with  delight  in  the  pulpit, 
and  was  glad  to  welcome  contributions  to  The  Index,  of  which  he  was  then 
editor,  from  his  gifted  pen.  Your  father  was  a  powerful  preacher  in  his  daily 
walk.  '  His  doctrine  and  his  life  coincident '  gave  such  convincing  proof  that  he 
was  honest  in  the  sacred  cause,  that  his  words  in  public  carried  additional  weight 
in  view  of  this  fact. 

"  The  immediate  predecessor  of  Dr.  Dagg  in  the  Philadelphia  church,  was 
Rev.  William  Staughton,  D.D.  Dr.  Staughton,  in  his  day,  was  probably  the 
most  popular  Baptist  minister  in  the  United  States.  For  years  he  commanded 
the  largest  congregation  in  the  great  city  where  he  preached.  It  was  no  easy 
task  to  follow  one  so  popular.  But  his  successor,  though  a  very  different  kind 
of  a  preacher,  fully  sustained  himself  in  the  position.  Dr.  Staughton,  in  his 
palmy  days,  .ad  a  vigorous  physique,  capable  of  enduring  great  fatigue.  Dr. 
Dagg's  frame  was  comparatively  feeble,  and  was  embarrassed  by  a  lameness, 
which  often  required  the  use  of  crutches.  In  Dr.  Staughton's  preaching  the 
imaginative  element  predominated,  causing  his  discourses  to  abound  in  tropes 
and  comparisons.  Dr.  Dagg  was  more  remarkable  for  his  reasoning  powers. 
The  former  was  the  better  rhetorician,  the  latter  excelled  as  a  logician.  Staugh- 
ton was  given  to  hyperbole  and  those  exaggerations  which  spring  from  a  vivid 
imagination.  Dagg  presented  the  truth,  simple  and  unvarnished,  depending  for 
its  power  on  its  native  majesty.  Staughton  was  declamatory ;  Dr.  Dagg  was 
persuasive.  The  former  delighted  the  masses  ;  the  latter  was  more  acceptable 
to  the  thoughtful  and  the  serious.  Staughton  was  sometimes  pompous,  and 
even  affected  ;  Dr.  Dagg  was  always  unostentatious  and  natural.  Both,  emphati- 
cally, were  preachers  of  the  Gospel  in  its  purity  ;  but  whilst  Staughton  drew 
largely  upon  his  imagination  to  give  effect  to  his  appeals,  Dr.  Dagg  depended 
more  upon  a  'right  division  of  the  word  of  truth.'  In  manner,  one  was  vehe- 
ment and  full  of  action,  whilst  the  other,  from  physical  necessity,  was  colloquial 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  1 69 

and  quiet.  Staug-hton  did  a  grand  work  in  his  day,  but  Dr.  Dagg,  though  early 
compelled  to  relinquish  the  pulpit,  has  been  preaching  with  his  pen  on  such 
grand  themes  that  he  must  continue  to  speak  long  after  his  tongue  is  silent  " 

When  Mr.  Dagg  found  himself  compelled  to  give  up  preaching  on  account  of 
the  failure  of  his  voice,  his  desire  was  to  instruct  young  men  who  were  preparing 
for  the  ministry.  It  was  with  this  prospect  before  him,  thai  he  took  charge  of 
Haddington  College.  Pennsylvania  Baptists  had  not,  however,  at  that  time,  be- 
come sufficiently  aroused  as  to  the  importance  of  a  denominational  school,  and 
the  Haddington  enterprise  was  abandoned.  About  that  time  the  Baptists  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  capital  of  Alabama  were  starting  a  female  school  of  a  high  order. 
This  may  be  considered  as  the  pioneer  movement  of  Southern  Baptists  in  that 
department  of  labor.  They  called  Mr.  Dagg  to  take  charge  of  the  new  institu- 
tion, known  as  the  Alabama  Female  Atheuccum.  He  removed  to  Tuscaloosa  in 
August,  1836,  and  was  successfully  employed  in  the  instruction  of  young  ladies, 
until  he  accepted  a  call  from  Mercer  University,  Penfield,  Georgia,  in  the  early 
part  of  1844.  The  present  Chancellor  of  the  University  of  Georgia,  Dr.  P.  H. 
Mell,  who  was  associated  with  him  in  the  faculty  during  his  connection  with 
Mercer  University,  has  favored  us  with  his  opinions  as  to  Dr.  Dagg's  work  in  that 
institution : 

"  Dr.  Dagg  was  for  about  eleven  years  President  of  Mercer  University.  During 
all  that  time  I,  as  a  professor,  was  intimately  associated  with  him.  I  never 
knew  a  better  or  more  successful  college  president.  His  learning  and  ability 
his  simplicity  of  character,  and  unselfishness  and  disinterestedness,  his  gen- 
tleness and  courtesy,  conciliated  to  him  the  cordial  co-operation  of  his  col- 
leagues, and  commanded  their  confidence  and  love.  I  cannot  recall  to  memory 
an  instance,  from  the  time  of  his  entrance  on  office  to  the  time  of  his  first  resig- 
nation, in  which  any  of  his  colleagues  showed  any  disposition  to  resist  him  in  his 
plans,  or  yielded  a  reluctant  support  to  any  of  his  measures.  But  the  Doctor's 
measures  were  always  like  his  own  nature — gentle,  conservative  and  firm. 
Everybody  knew  that  they  were  wise,  and  that  there  would  be  no  vacillation  in 
the  execution.  With  no  ostentation  or  noisy  self-assertion,  he  was  endowed  with 
a  firmness  as  settled  as  the  hills,  and  with  an  unconscious  influence  and  a  per- 
sonal magnetism  that  impressed  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him.  The  stu- 
dents all  venerated  him.  and  looked  up  to  him  as  to  a  father.  I  cannot  recall 
an  instance  of  a  college  trick  played  upon  him,  or  of  any  disrespectful  manifesta- 
tion by  a  student.  The  Doctor  accepted  the  presidency  when  the  University 
was  in  a  state  of  depression ;  but  he  left  it  in  a  high  state  of  prosperity. 

"  During  the  time  of  his  presidency  were  educated  nearly  all  the  distinguished 
ministers  who  now,  in  middle  age,  are  wielding  such  an  extensive  and  benignant 
influence  in  Georgia.  These  will  all  unite  with  me  in  the  statement  that,  under 
God,  Dr.  Dagg's  instructions  were  the  most  potent  influence  to  equip  them  for 
their  usefulness  and  success  in  life. 

"  An  affection  of  the  throat  prevented  him  from  appearing  often  before  audi- 
ences as  a  preacher  or  other  public  speaker.  My  impression  is  that  he  never 
preached  a  set  sermon  during  all  his  life  at  Penfield.  But  who  that  heard  them 
can  forget  his  inimitable  and  touching  baccalaureate  addresses  on  commence- 
ment occasions  ?  He  used  no  manuscripts,  and  dealt  in  no  common-places, 
ponderosities,  or  platitudes.  Taking  some  salient  point,  perhaps,  in-  the  history 
of  the  class,  or  some  incident  connected  with  it,  he  caused  to  cluster  around  the 
point  or  incident  remarks  and  illustrations  full  of  freshness,  instruction  and  pathos, 
that  informed  the  judgment,  warmed  the  heart,  and  filled  all  eyes  with  tears.  I 
never  knew  any  one  who,  on  any  occasion,  so  successfully  unsealed  the  fountain 
of  tears  as  Dr.  Dagg  always  did  on  these  occasions.  It  is  the  lot  generally  of  the 
college  president  in  deliverance  of  the  baccalaureate  address,  to  demoralize  and 
disperse  the  commencement  crowd.  Dr.  Dagg's  genius  always  hushed  to  silence, 
and  drew  their  bodies  towards  him  with  breathless  and  emotional  attention." 

During  his  connection  with  Mercer  University,  Dr.  Dagg  performed  much 
literary  labor.  His  teaching  thelogical  branches  brought  under  review  the  cur- 
rent systems  of  theology,  and  developed  the  need  of  a  manual  for  students  and 
pastors.     After  much  careful  study  of  authors,  much  independent  thinking,  and 


I/O  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

other  labor,  he  published  his  "  Manual  of  Theology."  This  work,  supplemented 
by  his  "  Manual  of  Church  Order,"  was  most  favorably  received,  and  at  once 
took  rank  with  standard  works.  It  is  still  esteemed  by  our  ministers  and  churches 
as  a  faithful,  luminous  and  scientific  exposition  of  revealed  truth. 

This  invaluable  work  was  produced  in  spite  of  a  stupendous  disadvantage, 
which  would  have  disqualified  most  men  for  all  scholarly  pursuit  and  usefulness. 
When  quite  young  his  eyes  had  failed  because  of  intense  study,  especially  of 
Greek  by  night.  Though  his  sight  remained  keen,  and  is  so  even  to  this  day, 
his  eyes  could  endure  no  task.  For  fifty  years  he  has  not  used  them  to  read  or 
to  write  a  page.  His  extensive  research  and  writings  were  all  accomplished 
through  amanuenses.  Let  it  be  gratefully  remembered  by  us  that  his  wife  and 
eldest  daughter  spent  months  and  years  in  patient  and  faithful  reading  to  him, 
and  in  writing  under  his  oral  dictation.  The  history  of  letters  is  not  without  ex- 
amples of  men  whose  want  of  eyesight  has  been  compensated  by  a  higher 
intellectual  vision.  Here  we  have  one  who,  actually  blind  in  all  scholarly  work, 
has,  nevertheless,  built  himself  a  scholarly  monument ;  who,  reduced  to  whispers 
by  a  failure  of  voice,  ceased  not  to  proclaim  truth,  and,  though  dumb,  speaks  to 
wider  audience ;  who,  halting  on  crutches,  has  served  his  time  with  unhalting 
activity ;  who,  frail  of  constitution,  and  always  in  depressed  health,  has  outlived 
two  generations,  and  is  gratefully  honored  of  their  children. 

Besides  the  "  Manual  of  Theology,"  Dr.  Dagg  also  published,  while  President 
of  the  college,  a  work  on  ethics,  entitled  "  Elements  of  Moral  Science,"  which 
largely  superseded  Wayland  as  a  text-book  in  our  schools.  But  of  this  and 
other  works  we  have  not  space  here  to  speak  particularly.  Rev.  S.  G.  Hillyer, 
D.D.,  of  Forsyth,  Georgia,  who  was  associated  with  Dr.  Dagg  in  Mercer  Uni- 
versity as  Professor  of  Belles  Lettres,  and  who  is  widely  known  as  one  of  our 
ablest  and  most  cultivated  ministers,  has  kindly  furnished  his  opinion  of  Dr. 
Dagg's  qualities  and  rank  as  an  author.     He  writes  as  follows  : 

"  It  is  hardly  possible  to  do  justice  to  Dr.  Dagg  as  an  author  in  so  few  words 
as  these  must  be.  To  do  him  justice  would  require  a  review  of  each  one  of  his 
valuable  works.  The  most  important  of  these  are  a  '  Manual  of  Theology,'  a 
treatise  on  'Church  Order,'  one  on  '  Moral  Science,'  and  another  on  '  Evidences 
of  Christianity.'  Besides  these  volumes,  he  has  through  his  long  life  been  a  con- 
tributor to  our  religious  journals  of  many  valuable  essays  upon  important  subjects, 
and  has  also  published  several  tracts  elucidating  interesting  portions  of  revealed 
truth.  These  miscellaneous  works,  if  collected  and  published,  would  make  an- 
other volume  perhaps  intrinsically  as  valuable  as  any  that  he  has  written. 

"  All  these  works  illustrate,  in  an  eminent  degree,  those  qualities  of  mind 
which  mark  the  able  writer.  Among  these  qualities  we  may  mention  a  few 
which  are  manifest  in  Dr.  Dagg's  works.  The  intelligent  reader  cannot  fail  to 
be  impressed  with  his  love  of  truth.  While  he  discusses  subjects  of  the  most 
profound  importance,  but  upon  which  the  learned  have  widely  differed,  he  never 
betrays  the  feelings  of  the  partisan.  His  aim  is  to  discover  and  to  vindicate  the 
truth.  This  all-absorbing  love  of  truth  develops  in  him  another  quality  of  mind 
which  is  essential  to  the  success  of  the  didactic  writer,  viz :  great  caution  in 
for7niiig  his  opinions.  The  reader  will  everywhere  see  that  Dr.  Dagg  reaches 
his  conclusions  by  steps  most  carefully  taken.  He  will  find  also  that  this  pro- 
found love  of  truth,  and  this  carefulness  in  forming  his  opinions,  is  fully  supported 
by  the  vigor  and  accuracy  of  the  author's  logic.  When  he  has  finished  an 
argument,  his  conclusion  is  seen  to  be  the  legitimate  result  of  his  premises. 
These  qualities  are  still  further  supported  by  a  broad  and  comprehensive  range 
of  learning.  He  is  an  able  linguist,  a  profound  mathematician,  and  an  acute 
metaphysician.  But  it  is  in  the  broad  field  of  religious  opinions  that  his  learn- 
ing is  most  conspicuous.  He  knows  what  men  have  thought  about  the  great 
doctrines  of  religious  truth,  from  the  days  of  the  Apostles  down  to  the  present 
time.  Hence,  it  is  not  wonderful  that,  with  such  qualities  of  mind  and  such 
stores  of  knowledge  as  he  possesses,  he  should  become  almost  an  oracle  among 
the  people  to  whom  he  belongs.  His  ipse  dixit  to-day  has,  perhaps,  more 
weight  with  those  who  know  him  than  that  of  any  living  man. 

"  As  a  metaphysician,  Dr.  Dagg  knows  the  limits  of  human  thought.     Hence, 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  I /I 

in  his  discussions  he  does  not  transcend  those  limits.  In  dealing  with  the  pro- 
found principles  of  theology,  he  admits  that  there  are  depths  which  the  human 
intellect  cannot  fathom.  In  regard  to  such  principles  as  these  he  is  content  to 
accept  the  utterances  of  revelation  with  child-like  faith.  Hence,  he  gives  us  no 
vague  theories,  or  unsatisfying  speculations,  but  chooses  rather  to  be  wise,  not 
above  but  according  to  what  is  written. 

"  This  brief  sketch  of  Dr.  Dagg  as  an  author  should  include  some  allusion  to 
his  style.  It  is  cnaracterized  by  the  three  primary  qualities  of  correct  style,  viz  : 
precision,  purity  and  propriety.  He  does  not  affect  ornament  for  its  own  sake ; 
yet,  when  his  subject  calls  for  it,  he  can  clothe  his  thoughts  in  language  befit- 
ting their  importance  and  their  grandeur.  Indeed,  the  relation  between  his 
thoughts  and  his  language  is  so  well  adjusted,  that  the  one  seems  to  be  exactly 
what  the  other  demands.  Of  course  such  a  style  will  be  found  to  be  perspicu- 
ous, always  chaste,  often  elegant,  and  sometimes  sublime." 

Dr.  Dagg,  now  in  his  eighty-seventh  year,  is  residing  with  a  younger  daughter, 
Mrs.  S.  J.  Rugeley,  at  Hayneville,  Alabama.  In  silence  and  retirement  her  gen- 
tle, faithful  hands  have  been  for  years  ministering  to  the  wants  and  supporting 
the  declining  steps  of  the  aged  patriarch.  He  is  calmly  waiting  on  the  Master, 
who  casts  not  oft  in  time  of  old  age,  who  forsakes  not  his  saints  when  their 
strength  faileth. 


JOHN  FRANCIS  DAGG. 

Rev.  John  Francis  DACG.son  of  Rev.  J.L.  Dagg,  D.D., 
was  born  in  Fauquier  county,  Virginia,  in  the  year  1 823.  He 
spent  most  of  his  early  days  in  his  native  State,  in  Phila 
delphia,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  Tuscaloosa,  Alabama.  Aftei 
graduation  at  the  University  of  Alabama,  under  the 
senior  Dr.  Basil  Manly,  he  graduated  in  1847  in  the  theo- 
logical school  of  Mercer  University,  under  his  father.  He 
was  soon  called  to  the  charge  of  the  Milledgeville  church, 
and  served  it  until  January,  1850,  when  he  became  editor 
of  The  Christian  Index.  This  position  he  tilled  for 
six  \  ears,  and  filled  it  so  well  as  to  make  his  retirement  a  matter  of  general 
regret  to  the  patrons  of  the  paper.  The  year  1856  he  passed  in  Atlanta,  teach- 
ing a  select  school,  and,  after  the  resignation  of  Rev.  C.  M.  Irwin,  preaching  to 
the  Second  Baptist  church.  He  then  removed  to  southwestern  Georgia,  where 
he  remained  for  ten  years,  for  some  time  as  pastor  of  the  church  at  Cuthbert, 
and  for  several  years  as  President  of  the  Female  College  in  that  place.  He 
resided  next  in  Hopkinsville,  Kentucky,  acting  as  President  of  Bethel  Female 
College  until,  at  the  close  of  six  years,  his  health  had  been  so  seriously  impaired 
by  the  damp  and  cold  climate  as  to  compel  a  change.  He  went  southward,  and 
for  four  years  labored  in  Alabama  as  preacher  and  as  teacher.  In  1878  he  became 
Professor  of  Mathematics  in  the  Albemarle  Female  Institute,  Charlottesville,  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  remained  until  May,  1880,  at  which  time  he  entered  into  pastoral 
relations  with  the  church  at  Gadsden,  Alabama.  He  has  wrought  a  good  work 
as  an  educator,  but  prefers  the  ministry,  and  would  have  given  himself  wholly 
to  it  had  he  not  feared  that  his  throat  and  lungs  would  not  bear  the  strain  of 
constant  preaching.  He  is  a  pure  man,  modest  even  to  a  fault,  of  fine  scholar- 
ship, not  brilliant  but  sensible,  with  a  balanced  intellect  and  a  large  heart. 


172 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


FRANCIS  MARION  DANIEL. 


Francis  Marion  Daniel  was  born  Sep- 
tember 1 6th,  1834,  in  Butler  county,  Alabama. 
He  was  the  seventh  son  of  Francis  and  Delana 
T.  Daniel,  who  had  also  three  daughters.  His 
early  years  were  passed  amid  the  healthful  influ- 
ences of  farm-life,  with  no  incident  of  special 
moment  beyond  the  death  of  his  mother  when  he 
was  but  nine.  The  straitened  circumstances  of 
the  family  largely  precluded  education,  and  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  could  scarcely  read.  But  he 
was  endowed  with  the  type  of  mind  which  by 
inward  impulse  struggles  through  external  hin- 
drances into  the  light ;  and  at  this  stage  he  en- 
tered the  academy  in  his  immediate  neighbor- 
hood. He  prosecuted  his  studies  there  for  two 
years,  defraying  all  expenses  by  teaching  vocal 
music,  for  which  he  possessed  both  fondness 
and  talent.  At  the  close  of  the  second  year,  he 
took  charge  of  a  school  in  Dallas  county,  Alabama,  and  held  that  position  with 
acceptance  for  three  years.  During  their  progress  he  made  a  public  profession 
of  the  "good  hope  through  grace"  obtained  some  seven  years  before,  and  was 
baptized  at  Town  Creek  church  by  Dr.  Peeples. 

Shortly  after  his  connection  with  the  church,  Mr.  Daniel  decided  to  conse- 
crate his  life  to  the  Christian  ministry,  not  without  much  meditation,  frequent 
prayer  for  divine  guidance,  and  sore  conflict  with  his  predilection  for  another 
profession.  To  furnish  himself  thoroughly  for  the  sacred  office,  he  spent  three 
years,  with  denominational  aid,  at  Howard  College,  and  two  years,  through  the 
benevolent  assistance  of  Mr.  Thomas  Bonner,  of  Pickens  county,  Alabama,  at 
the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Greenville,  South  Carolina.  He 
was  ordained  at  Unity  church,  Pickens  county,  Alabama,  November  23d,  1862, 
having  reached  his  twenty-ninth  year. 

For  fifteen  months  Mr.  Daniel  confronted  "  grim-visaged  war,"  in  the  Con- 
federate army,  performing  duty  as  a  chaplain  and  yet  serving  as  a  private  in  the 
ranks.  He  was  then  transferred,  as  chaplain,  to  the  hospital  at  Newnan,  Geor- 
gia, and  ministered  to  the.  sick  and  dying  in  this  sphere  until  December,  1864, 
when  he  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Baptist  church  in  that  town.  It  was 
while  he  held  a  post  so  vital  both  to  humanity  and  to  piety,  that  he  was  married. 
May  26th,  1864,  to  Miss  Mattie  C,  daughter  of  Major  U.  B.  Wilkinson,  of 
Newnan. 

Mr.  Daniel  labored  successfully  in  his  first  charge  until  November,  1869.  He 
then  became  pastor  of  Cuthbert  church  ;  but  before  the  completion  of  his  second 
year,  the  necessity  for  medical  treatment  for  the  eyes  of  his  wife  compelled  him, 
late  in  1871,  to  move  to  Atlanta.  Here,  by  invitation,  he  preached  regularly  in 
"  James'  Chapel,"  (a  brick  building  erected  for  public  worship  by  the  munifi- 
cence of  Hon.  John  H.  James,)  and  within  three  months  the  Fourth  Baptist 
church  was  constituted  at  that  point,  and  he  became  its  pastor.  At  the  close 
of  1875,  he  assumed  pastoral  care  of  the  church  at  Dalton,  Georgia,  but  remained 
only  one  year,  the  ill  health  of  his  wife  requiring  a  return  to  her  native  air. 
Settled  again  in  Newnan,  he  preached  in  1877  to  the  Sharpsburg  church,  and 
in  1878  to  that  church,  with  the  Fairburn,  Decatur  and  Indian  Creek  churches. 
In  October,  1878,  he  made  his  home  a  second  time  in  Atlanta,  and  became  pas- 
tor, in  addition  to  Indian  Creek  church,  of  the  Central  Baptist  church,  of  that 
city.  BefoVe  the  opening  of  the  next  year,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  this 
church  established  in  its  own  house  of  worship,  on  a  lot  purchased  expressly  for 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


173 


it  in  1875  by  Major  Wilkinson,  and  by  iiim  presented  to  it.  In  January,  1880, 
the  church  voted  him  a  salary  sufficient  for  his  support,  and  with  characteristic 
energy  he  now  devotes  his  whole  time  to  its  interests. 

This  brief  sketch  shows  that  Mr.  Daniel,  while  singularly  free  from  a  self- 
exalting  spirit,  has  risen  out  of  the  depths  of  obscurity  to  an  honorable  rank 
among  men  of  ability  and  usefulness.  The  indomitable  energy  and  persever- 
ance with  which  even  in  boyhood  he  applied  himself  to  whatever  he  undertook, 
and  which  runs  as  a  thread  of  gold  through  the  warp  and  woof  of  his  whole 
life,  has  been  an  important  factor  in  the  accomplishment  of  this  result.  But 
other  qualities  have  conspired  to  effect  it :  his  honesty  and  fair-dealing  in  business, 
his  sympathy  with  the  suffering,  his  generosity  to  the  destitute  and  the  stran- 
ger, his  fidelity  to  friends,  his  forbearance  toward  opponents,  his  self-control 
under  excitement,  his  steadfast  adhesion  to  the  sense  of  right  and  duty.  With 
a  mind  in  no  common  measure  logical,  and  with  diligent  application  to  study, 
he  has  made  himself  an  able  defender  of  "the  doctrines  of  grace,"  and  of  the 
views  held  by  strict  Baptists.  He  prepares  his  sermons  with  great  care,  not  to 
secure  graces  of  style,  for  he  has  learned  that  divine  truth  "  needs  not  the  for- 
eign aid  of  ornament,"  but  to  get  at  and  get  out  the  mind  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
text,  and  to  marshal  weighty  arguments  and  decisive  statements  of  Scripture  in 
its  support.  He  preaches  to  the  understanding  and  the  conscience  with  that 
earnestness  of  appeal  which  is  the  soul  of  all  true'  eloquence.  As  a  pastor,  he 
is  attentive  alike  to  the  spiritual  and  the  secular  interests  of  the  church,  firm  in 
discipline,  faithful  in  reproof,  gentle  toward  the  penitent,  and  laborious,  by  fre- 
quent visits,  fraternal  admonitions  and  kind  encouragements,  to  keep  the  mem- 
bership aroused  to  a  keen  sense  of  duty  and  unusual  activity  in  its  performance. 
As  to  his  private  life,  let  it  suffice  to  lift  the  veil  far  enough  to  say  that  he  is  a 
considerate  and  affectionate  husband,  and  a  father  who,  while  touched  with  a 
feeling  of  childhood's  joys  and  griefs,  brings  up  his  daughter  and  son  in  the 
nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord. 


DAVID  G.  DANIELL. 


Rev.  David  G.  Daniell  was  born  in 
Onslow  county.  North  Carolina,  May 
14th,  1808.  Through  his  father,  George 
W.  Daniell,  he  is  a  descendant  both  of 
Robert  Daniell,  Colonial  Governor  of 
South  Carolina,  and  of  General  Robert 
Howe,  of  revolutionary  fame,  being  third 
in  the  Hne  of  descent  from  these  ances- 
tors. His  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Gonto.  During  the  first  year  of 
his  life  his  parents  removed  to  Laurens 
county,  Georgia,  where  he  lived  until  he 
attained  his  majority.  During  his  boy- 
hood he  attended  such  schools  as  the 
neighborhood  afforded,  when  not  en- 
gaged in  work  on  the  farm.  His  advan- 
tages were,  of  course,  very  meagre,  but 
he  used  them  with  the  greatest  diligence, 
and  obtained  a  good,  plain  English  edu- 
cation. After  his  removal  to  Savannah, 
in  1829,  he  became  a  member  of  the  city 
police,  in  which  capacity  he  did  his  whole 
duty,  though,  of  course,  the  business  was  distasteful  to  a  man  of  his  refined  char- 
acter and  disposition. 


1/4  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

In  July  of  the  same  year  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Bettison,  with  whom 
he  is  still  living,  a  most  excellent  woman.  Five  children  were  born  to  them,  but 
only  three  are  living,  one  of  whom  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  M.  N.  McCall,  Jr.  Mr. 
Daniell  and  his  wife  were  baptized  together  by  Rev.  H.  O.  Wyer,  then  pastor  of 
the  Savannah  Baptist  church,  January,  1833.  Shortly  after  his  baptism,  he  be- 
came impressed  that  he  had  a  work  to  do  in  the  ministry  of  reconciliation,  but 
that  Savannah  was  not  his  field  of  labor.  Two  years  after,  he  was  ordained  at 
Bethany  church,  in  Washington  county,  by  a  presbytery  consisting  of  Revs. 
Isaac  Smith  and  Henry  Messer.  He  ^vas  chosen  pastor  of  Buckeye  church,  in 
Laurens  county,  to  which  was  soon  added  the  care  of  Jordan's,  in  Washington 
county,  and  Bethlehem,  in  Laurens.  About  this  time  he  settled  in  Dublin,  and 
the  care  of  that  church  was  given  to  him.  He  was  now  pastor  of  four  churches, 
and  as  they  were  far  apart,  he  was  compelled  to  travel  many  weary  miles  to  fill 
his  appointments,  which  he  did  cheerfully  as  unto  the  Lord.  He  loved  his  work, 
and  his  strong  faith  sustained  him  in  all  the  sacrifices  he  was  called  to  make,  not 
only  in  the  early  years  of  his  ministry,  but  throughout  his  long  and  useful  life. 
The  churches  were  poor,  and  unable  to  give  him  much  pecuniary  aid,  and,  of 
course,  he  was  compelled  to  supplement  his  meagre  salary  by  hard  labor  on  the 
farm  during  the  week,  and  had  few  opportunities  for  study,  and  access  to  very 
few  books  ;  but  his  Bible  was  his  constant  companion.  In  the  autumn  of  1839 
he  attended  a  ministers'  meeting  held  with  the  Powelton  church,  Hancock  county. 
He  was  a  stranger,  and  in  the  afternoon  of  the  Sabbath  he  was  appointed  to 
preach.  The  church  was,  at  that  time,  without  a  pastor,  and  very  anxious  to 
have  one.  No  sooner  was  his  sermon  delivered  than  many  of  the  prominent 
members  of  that  large  and  flourishing  body  said  to  each  other,  "  We  must  have 
him."  All  were  charmed  with  his  manners  and  appearance,  which  were  both 
fine,  as  he  was  then  about  thirty  years  of  age,  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  with 
deep  blue  eyes,  gentle  and  thoughtful  in  expression,  easy  and  unaffected  in  man- 
ner,' and,  above  all,  sound  in  doctrine.  His  style  is  persuasive,  rather  than 
eloquent,  and  his  deep-toned  piety  gives  force  to  the  sublime  truths  he  so  boldly 
utters.  At  the  next  conference  of  the  Powelton  church  Mr.  Daniell  was  unan- 
imously chosen  pastor.  The  church  at  Mount  Zion,  six  miles  distant,  also 
desired  his  services.  When  the  committee  from  the  two  churches  bore  this 
message  to  him,  so  unexpected,  and,  of  course,  gratifying,  they  found  him  ready 
to  say  :  "  Is  it  my  duty  to  remain  and  plough,  or  go  where  I  can  be  sustained  and 
devote  myself  entirely  to  the  ministry.?" 

He  was  deeply  moved  by  this  token  of  appreciation,  but  did  not  accept  with- 
out due  deliberation  and  prayer.  Finally  he  promised  to  visit  them,  and  when 
he  did,  visiting  their  families  and  developing  all  the  traits  so  necessary  in  a  pastor, 
they  felt,  "  We  cannot  let  you  go,"  and  a  promise  was  secured  that  he  would' 
come  and  settle  in  Powelton  with  his  family,  and  preach  two  Sabbaths  there,  one 
at  Mount  Zion,  so  that,  as  the  church  at  Shoulderbone,  Greene  county,  had 
already  been  enjoying  the  sermons  and  pastoral  labors  of  the  young,  zealous, 
faithful  preacher,  his  whole  time  would  be  occupied.  Very  soon  he  was  com- 
fortably settled  in  this  healthy  village,  where  his  children  could  enjoy  the  advan- 
tages of  the  best  schools  in  the  country,  and  now,  instead  of  all  these  weary 
miles  when  located  in  the  low  country,  he  was  borne  pleasantly  to  these  two 
churches,  only  a  few  miles  distant,  by  his  faithful  old  white  horse,  "  Corbon." 
Owing  to  his  system  and  energy,  he  was  enabled  to  attend  to  all  these  duties, 
and  devote  much  time  to  study.  In  the  course  of  a  year  or  two,  with  the  assis- 
tance of  Rev.  J.  S.  Ingraham,  then  teacher  in  the  academy,  he  studied  the  Greek 
language,  and  obtained  a  good  knowledge  of  it.  Oh,  how  he  enjoyed  those 
hours  of  study !  His  improvement  was  wonderful.  He  felt  it,  and  his  people 
felt  it.  The  churches  increased  in  numbers  and  efficiency,  his  people  loved  and 
trusted  him.  After  a  most  successful  pastorate  of  six  years,  he  became  deeply 
interested  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  destitute  in  southeastern  Georgia,  and 
accepted  the  position  of  missionary  to  those  sitting  in  darkness.  He  travelled 
principally  in  Montgomery  county,  leaving  his  family  at  their  home  in  Powelton, 
so  that  his  children  could  continue  at  school.  In  1847  he  was  transferred  by  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  to  Atlanta,  as  this  city 
was  then  just  rising  to  importa,nce,  numbering  about  one  thousand  inhabitants. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


175 


He  entered  on  this  new  enterprise  with  his  usual  zeal  and  energy,  soon  purchased 
the  lot  on  which  the  First  Baptist  church  now  stands,  and  organized  the  earliest 
Baptist  church  in  that  city,  where  now  there  are  seven.  In  1851,  having  com- 
pleted the  payment  for  the  house,  he  became  agent  for  the  Southern  Baptist 
Publication  Society,  and  removed  to  Penfield.  But  again  he  was  impressed  with 
his  duty  to  become  a  pastor,  and  m  1851  accepted  a  call  to  Thomasville,  Georgia, 
where  he  labored  successfully  for  four  years.  He  was  then  induced  to  accept 
the  important  position  of  agent  for  the  Foreign  Mission  Board,  and  removed  to 
Savannah  in  1 860,  continuing  in  this  noble  work,  so  near  his  Christian  heart, 
until  it  was  interrupted  by  the  war,  when  he  was  appointed  chaplain  of  the 
Twenty-ninth  Georgia  regiment.  Subsequently  he  became  missionary  to  the 
soldiers  around  Savannah,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Domestic  Mission  Board. 
He  labored  faithfully  in  this  tield,  and  collected  a  good  library  of  religious  literature 
for  their  benefit.  The  close  of  the  war  found  him  a  refugee  in  Augusta,  but  in 
October,  1865,  he  took  charge  of  the  Kollock  Street  church,  in  that  city.  At 
the  expiration  of  two  3'ears,  he  returned  to  Savannah,  and  became  the  missionary 
of  the  New  Sunbury  Association,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Domestic  Mission 
Board.  He  settled,  in  1869,  in  Walthourville,  Liberty  county,  and  since  that 
time  has  been  laboring  in  the  bounds  of  the  New  Sunbury  Association.  He  is 
now  in  his  seventy-third  year,  strong  and  well,  always  cheerful  and  trusting. 
His  piety  is  deep  and  unselfish.  His  love  for  his  brethren  is  touching  ;  his  devo- 
tion to  his  family  lovely.  He  is  gentle  as  a  woman,  but  strong  and  ready  to 
battle  for  the  truth.  His  appearance  now  is  venerable,  with  his  snowy  locks  and 
beard. 


JAMES    DAVIS. 


No  history  of  the  Western  As- 
sociation or  of  the  Baptist  churches 
in  Coweta,  Troup,  Heard,  Meri- 
wether and  adjacent  counties, 
would  be  complete  with  the  name 
and  record  of  Rev.  James  Davis 
omitted.  Like  many  others  of 
the  Baptist  ministers  of  Georgia, 
he  was  born  in  Wilkes  county.  The 
day  of  his  birth  was  January  22d, 
1805.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Orange  county,  Virginia,  and  was 
when  quite  young  a  volunteer  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  serving 
under  General  LaFayette,  and 
witnessing  the  surrender  of  Lord 
Cornwallis  at  Yorktown.  He 
afterwards  became  a  preacher, 
and  moved  to  Georgia,  where  he 
was  ordained  in  1793,  at  the  age 
of28.  He  was  a  bold,  energetic 
man,  with  a  corresponding  style 
of  oratory,  with  an  unblemished 
character  and  reputation,  and  with 
a  high  order  of  personal  piety. 
Three  of  his  twelve  children  be- 
came Baptist  preachers,  Jonathan, 
James  and  Jesse.  Sketches  of  the  first  and  last  of  these,  as  well  as  of 
may  be  seen  in  Campbell's  "  Georgia  Baptists."     Two  other  of  his  sons. 


himself, 
Jephtha 


176  '  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

and  William,  were  well-known  Baptist  deacons  in  Georgia.  He  died  on  the 
31st  of  October,  1831,  his  last  act  being,  with  uplifted  arms,  to  shout,  "  Victory ! 
Victory  !  Victory  !  " 

His  son  James  was  married  on  the  31st  of  July,  1823,  when  18  years  old,  and 
it  is  supposed  that  he  was  baptized  a  year  or  two  previous  by  his  own  father,  at 
Clark's  Station,  in  Wilkes  county.  In  1826  he  moved  from  Elbert  to  Jasper 
county,  and  settled  on  Murder  Creek,  where  he  was  licensed  in  1827,  and  or- 
dained on  the  19th  of  December  of  that  year.  Returning  from  Jasper  to  Elbert 
county  in  1828,  he  lived  for  a  number  of  years  near  Falling  Creek  meeting-house, 
and  preached  to  that  and  a  number  of  surrounding  churches.  Gradually  his 
pulpit  powers  became  fairly  developed,  and  his  influence  more  and  more  extended, 
and  many  new-born  souls  were  permitted,  under  God's  providence,  to  claim  him 
as  their  spiritual  father. 

But  another  and  a  more  difficult  field  was  destined  to  be  the  arena  in  which 
this  man  was  to  battle  for  the  truth,  and  assist  in  laying,  deep  and  firm,  the 
foundation  on  which  the  Baptist  Zion  of  Georgia  has  been  erected.  Difficult, 
indeed,  is  it  to  estimate  the  real  value  of  those  sturdy,  pious  and  zealous  pioneer 
Baptist  fathers  in  our  State,  who  occupied  the  position  of  foundation-builders 
for  our  great  denomination.  With  strong  and  warm  hearts,  full  of  faith  and 
earnestness,  zealous  and  energetic,  with  the  word  of  God  for  their  sword,  they 
labored  with  an  honest  and  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  the  cause  of  God,  which 
did  much  that  was  potent  for  moral  good  in  the  State,  and  for  the  advancement 
and  prosperity  of  Baptist  principles.  Not  the  least  among  these  influential  men 
of  the  earlier  days  in  the  history  of  our  State  was  Rev.  James  Davis. 

Strong  m  native  intellect,  vigorous  in  constitution,  and  during  most  of  his  life 
robust  physically,  he  was  untiring  in  his  energy,  and,  impelled  by  the  single  mo- 
tive, to  preach  Christ  crucified,  he  struggled  nobly  and  with  Christian  earnestness 
to  disseminate  Gospel  principles,  and  those  doctrines  which  are  upheld  by 
Baptists.  Pointing  to  him  one  day  as  he,  with  the  aid  of  two  sticks,  hobbled 
along  the  streets  of  Newnan,  lame  and  with  health  shattered  by  a  serious  fall 
which  occurred  to  him  during  one  of  his  preaching  tours,  the  Hon.  Ebenezer 
McKinley  said  :  "  Talk  of  your  great  men  !  There  goes  one  who  has  done  as 
much  as  any  man  to  give  a  good  moral  tone  to  all  this  country."  This  testimony 
is  the  more  valuable  as  Mr.  McKinley  was  attached  to  a  different  religious  de- 
nomination, and  it  was  true  testimony. 

Mr.  Davis  left  his  impress  on  the  whole  section  of  country  in  which  he  lived, 
embracing  Heard,  Troup,  Coweta,  Meriwether  and  adjacent  counties.  He 
removed  to  that  section  from  Elbert  county  in  1 830,  and  settled  on  the  Chatta- 
hoochee river,  near  the  line  of  Heard  and  Coweta  counties ;  and,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  years  spent  in  Mississippi,  the  remainder  of  his  useful  life  was 
passed  in  that  region.  He  felt  that  his  vocation  was  to  preach  the  Gospel  and 
build  up  Baptist  church"S,  and  in  truth  he  aided  in  constituting  most  of  the  Bap- 
tist churches  in  that  entire  section,  and  largely  shaping  them  after  the  fashion  of 
his  own  earnest,  vigorous,  liberal-hearted  piety  and  sound  principles.  He  assisted 
— if  no  mistake  is  made — in  the  constitution  of  the  LaGrange  church ;  not  so, 
however,  with  that  at  Newnan,  which  was  already  in  existence  when  he  settled 
in  that  section.  It  was  also  so  strongly  infected  with  the  anti-mission  spirit  that 
this  legend  was  emblazoned  in  large  chalk  letters  across  the  panels  of  its  door : 
"That  man  Davis  can't  preach  here!"  Yet  Mr.  Davis  served  that  very 
church  afterwards  as  pastor  for  many  years.  He  was  not  only  a  strong  mission- 
ary in  spirit,  but  was  also  a  great  friend  to  education,  often  saying  to  his  children: 
"  If  I  cannot  leave  you  money,  I  want  to  give  you  that  which  is  of  far  mure  value 
— a  good  education." 

This  useful  man  died  as  he  had  lived,  in  the  faith  of  Jesus.  His  death 
occurred  in  September,  1859,  at  his  own  home  in  Heard  county;  and  to  his  only 
absent  son.  Rev.  William  H.  Davis,  of  Hephzibah,  Georgia,  he  sent  this  simple 
message :  "  Strive,  my  son,  to  be  a  good  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  meet  me  in 
glory."  Twenty  years  after,  that  message  was  answered  in  person.  The  father 
and  the  son  "  met  in  glory,"  in  September,  1879. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


177 


JESSE  M.  DAVIS 


Rev.  William  Davis,  from  Virginia, 
who  served  under  the  immediate  com- 
mand of  LaFayette,  and  was  at  the  sur- 
render of  Lord  Cornwallis,  at  York- 
town,  was  the  father  of  twelve  children, 
of  whom  three  were  distinguished  Bap- 
tist ministers  in  Georgia.  Of  these 
three  ministers — Jonathan,  James  and 
Jesse — Rev.  Jesse  M.  Davis  was  the 
youngest,  and  his  youngest  son  also.  He 
was  born  in  Wilkes  county,  Georgia, 
January  25th,  1807,  and  during  boy- 
hood labored,  with  his  brothers,  on  his 
father's  farm.  He  possessed  a  very 
superior  mind,  was  ambitious  and  stu- 
dious, and  so  availed  himself  of  eighteen 
months  only  of  schooling  that  he  laid 
the  solid  foundation  of  an  education 
that  was  very  respectable,  and  which 
he,  by  application,  continued  to  im- 
prove throughout  his  life.  He  was  an 
earnest  and  beautiful  speaker,  with  a 
mind  both  logical  and  philosophical, 
and  in  conversation  was  brilliant  and  interesting.  His  voice  was  musical  and 
fascinating ;  his  manners  were  genial  and  captivating,  while  his  personal  appear- 
'ance  was  handsome  and  imposing.  He  commenced  the  practice  of  law  at  Elber- 
ton,  Georgia,  in  his  eighteenth  year,  but  in  his  twenty-first  year  he  was  converted 
and  baptized,  and  soon  after  abandoned  his  profession  to  preach  the  Gospel, 
for,  like  Paul,  he  felt  "  Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  Gospel !"  The  same  year 
in  which  he  joined  the  church  he  married  Miss  Sophia  Burton,  a  young  lady  of 
rare  attainments,  whose  Christian  virtues  and  brilliant  mind  added  much  to  her 
husband's  advancement.  He  was  ordained  about  the  year  1830,  and  in  1835 
moved  from  Elbert  to  Lee  county,  then  a  frontier  of  the  State  and  infested  by 
Indians.  At  one  time  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  his  home  and  send  his 
family  to  Twiggs  county  for  safety,  but  he  himself  remained  and  joined  the  com- 
pany organized  to  pursue  and  combat  the  Indians.  As  soon  as  peace  and  quiet 
were  restored,  his  family  returned,  and  he  then  built,  upon  his  own  land  and 
at  his  own  expense,  a  Baptist  house  of  worship,  which  he  named  Hebron.  He 
there  built  up  a  church  to  which  he  preached  for  twenty-three  years  without  re- 
muneration. For  the  same  number  of  years  he  dwelt  in  Lee  county,  and,  by'plant- 
ing,  accumulated  a  large  property,  the  doors  of  his  home  known  as  "  Pleasant 
Level,"  being  ever  thrown  open  for  rich  and  poor  alike,  and  its  numerous  visitors 
cordially  welcomed  with  a  true  Christian  hospitality. 

He  always  had,  the  care  of  three  or  four  different  churches,  but  never,  until  the 
war,  in  its  sad  results,  swept  away  his  ample  fortune,  did  he  accept  any  compen- 
sation for  his  pastoral  labors.  In  1858  he  removed  to  Decatur  county,  where  he 
resided  during  the  war.  Although  opposed  to  secession,  he  quietly  acquiesced 
in  the  action  of  his  State,  and,  at  his  own  expense,  armed  and  equipped  a  com- 
pany for  military  service. 

While  the  war  lasted,  he  Vv^as  a  true  friend  to  the  families  of  our  soldiers  who 
were  in  the  service,  sparing  neither  time  nor  money  to  supply  their  necessities  ; 
and  yet  so  unostentatious  was  his  generosity,  that  none  outside  of  his  own  family 
were  aware  of  its  extent. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  called  to  the  care  of  the  church  at  Blakely, 
Georgia,  where,  after  four  months  of  grievous  suffering  on  the  bed  of  languish- 
ing, which  he  bore  with  the  utmost  Christian  fortitude,  he  died  on  the  14th  of 


178 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


August,  1868.  His  remains  lie  buried  in  Blakely.  During  all  the  weary  months 
of  confinement,  he  was  never  known,  by  word  or  act,  to  manifest  the  least  im- 
patience or  want  of  submission.  His  death-bed  witnessed  scenes  of  exalted 
Christian  resignation  and  triumph  which  proved  the  reality  of  his  religion.  "  I 
would  not  exchange  the  peace  of  mind  which  I  now  have,  to  be  at  ease  and  dwell 
in  all  the  splendors  of  earth !"  was  his  pious  exclamation  after  obtaining  relief 
from  one  of  his  fearful  paroxysms  of  suffering. 

The  day  preceding  his  death,  he  repeated  over  and  over  again,  the  lines — 

"  Farewell  vain  world,  I'm  going  home, 
My  Saviour  calls  and  bids  me  come." 

The  following  day  death  fell  on  him  suddenly,  and  he  passed  away  almost 
instantaneously,  without  a  spasm  or  contortion,  according  to  his  own  frequent 
prayer,  to  which  God  granted  this  gracious  answer. 

In  character  Mr.  Davis  was  one  of  the  most  amiable  and  benevolent  of  men, 
delighting  in  doing  good  and  making  others  happy,  and  stinting  neither  time, 
money  nor  measures  to  accomplish  his  object.  Large-souled  as  well  as  large- 
bodied,  he  was  above  anything  that  approached  to  littleness  or  meanness,  and, 
for  scores  of  years,  preached  with  that  fascinating  persuasiveness  that  attracted 
so  many  to  the  fount  of  everlasting  life.  His  oratory  was  in  the  highest  sense 
winning,  and  his  delivery  was  most  varied,  pleasing  and  fascinating.  While  he 
denounced  sin,  he  loved  the  sinner,  and  drew  him  with  melting  tenderness  to 
embrace  the  terms  of  the  Gospel.  A  beautiful  speaker,  with  a  well  trained  mind 
and  fine  imaginative  powers,  he  was,  withal,  imbued  with  an  impressive  earnest- 
ness which  gave  solemnity  and  power  to  his  preaching.  No  disturbance,  in  the 
church  or  out  of  it,  ever  marred  the  even  tenor  of  his  charitable.  Christian  life, 
for  he  invariably  retained  the  good  will  and  friendly  regards  of  all,  so  guiding  his 
life  as  to  avoid  all  personal  as  well  as  sectarian  controversies.  While  a  strong 
Baptist  and  sound  in  the  faith,  he  was  beloved  by  Christians  of  every  name,  and 
highly  respected  by  all  classes  of  the  community. 

He  was  married  three  times.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  five  children,  two  of 
whom  are  still  living.  By  his  second  wife,  who  was  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Gilbert,  he 
had  four  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  now  living.  His  third  wife  was  Mrs 
McGooldrick,  but  of  this  marriage  there  was  no  issue. 


WILLIAM  HUDSON  DAVIS. 

Rev.  William  Hudson  Davis  was  born 
in  Jasper  county,  Georgia,  August  iSth,  1826, 
and  died  at  his  residence  in  Hephzibah,  Georgia, 
September  i8th,  1879.  His  father.  Rev.  James 
Davis,  was  a  Baptist  minister  of  honorable  posi- 
tion ;  so  likewise  was  his  grandfather.  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Davis.  The  maiden  name  of  his  mother 
was  Louisa  Hudson — hence  his  own  middle 
name. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  in  early  life 
surrounded  by  all  the  religious  influences  of 
pious  parentage,  and  when  but  a  boy  was 
seriously  impressed  with  reference  to  his  spirit- 
ual interests.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was 
baptized  by  his  father  at  Franklin  church,  Heard 
county,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Enon 
Grove  church,  of  that  county,  in  1847.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  became  a  student  of  Mercer 
University,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Georgia 
Baptist  Convention.     As  a  student,  he  commanded  the  respect  of  his  teachers. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  1 79 

and  secured  the  love  of  his  associates.     He  graduated  with  the  second  honors 
of  his  class  in  1853. 

In  November  of  the  same  year,  Mr.  Davis  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel  minis- 
try, and  for  one  year  preached  to  some  of  the  country  churches  in  Coweta 
county.  In  the  following  year,  1854,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  A.  Kilpatrick, 
youngest  daughter  of  Rev.  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  who,  with  three  daughters  and 
one  son,  survived  him  at  his  death. 

In  1855,  be  was  called  to  the  care  of  the  Baptist  church  in  the  town  of  New- 
nan.  The  pulpit  here  had  been  filled  by  John  E.  Dawson,  Robert  Fleming  and 
Jesse  H.  Campbell,  men  of  note,  but  the  character  of  its  services  did  not  suffer 
in  the  hands  of  this  new  incumbent.  His  success  was  beyond  the  expectations 
of  his  most  sanguine  friends. 

In  December,  1858,  Mr.  Davis  moved  to  his  farm  in  Burke  county,  chiefly 
with  the  view  of  living  near  his  wife's  relatives.  His  talents  at  once  gave  him 
an  enviable  position  as  a  minister  in  the  Hephzibah  Association.  Quite  a  num- 
ber of  the  churches  connected  with  this  body  have  enjoyed  his  pastoral  services; 
but  Bark  Camp,  Hopeful,  Rocky  Creek  and  Bottsford,  have  been  favored  in  this 
respect  beyond  the  others. 

While  residing  in  Newnan,  Mr.  Davis,  for  a  number  of  years,  was  connected 
with  the  male  academy  of  that  town.  From  1868  to  1875,  inclusive,  he  was  co- 
principal  of  the  Hephzibah  High  School ;  he  was  a  trustee  of  this  school  from 
its  origin  to  the  day  of  his  death,  except  when  serving  as  teacher ;  he  was,  from 
1877,  a  trustee  of  Mercer  University ;  he  was  often  called  upon  to  preside  over 
the  deliberations  of  the  Hephzibah  Association  as  its  Moderator.  The  duties 
appertaining  to  all  these  positions  were  discharged  with  faithfulness  and  effi- 
ciency. 

In  personal  appearance,  Mr.  Davis  was  noble  and  commanding.  About 
medium  height,  his  weight  was  over  two  hundred  pounds  ;  he  was  of  dark  com- 
plexion, rather  heavy  eye-brows,  raven  black  hair,  of  kind  and  genial  expression 
of  face.  A  stranger  would  at  once  respect  him,  and  soon  love  him.  The  inner 
man  was  shadowed  forth  by  the  outer  man.  He  was  massive  in  intellect,  with 
broad,  comprehensive  views.     His  heart  was  kind,  and  warm  and  tender. 

In  all  the  relations  of  life,  William  H.  Davis  measured  up  to  the  obligations 
which  rested  upon  him.  Within  his  own  household,  he  was  gentle  and  confid- 
ing ;  in  the  social  circle,  he  was  genial  and  true.  As  a  pastor,  he  was  punctual 
and  faithful ;  as  a  preacher,  he  had  but  few  equals  in  pulpit  power ;  he  was  lucid 
in  the  exposition  and  forcible  in  the  presentation  of  Gospel  truths  ;  but  especially 
was  he  tender  and  pathetic  in  all  his  appeals  to  the  heart.  As  might  be  reason- 
ably expected,  he  was  admired  by  those  who  saw  him  and  heard  him,  but  he 
was  loved,  deeply  loved,  by  those  who  knew  him. 

Mr.  Davis,  on  the  day  of  his  death,  had  preached  with  his  accustomed  ability 
at  Brushy  Creek  church ;  and,  after  the  services,  had  driven  sixteen  miles  to  his 
home  ;  had  spent  the  evening  in  cheerful  conversation  with  his  family ;  had  re- 
tired to  rest  in  usual  health  at  9  o'clock — and  in  two  hours  time  he  was  num- 
bered with  the  dead.  A  stroke  of  apoplexy  allowed  only  a  few  moments  of 
consciousness,  and  then  did  its  work  of  death. 

At  its  session  in  October,  1879,  the  Hephzibah  Association  unanimously 
adopted  the  following : 

"  It  is  with  unfeigned  sorrow  that  we  chronicle  the  death  of  our  much  be- 
loved brother.  Rev.  William  H.  Davis.  After  thirty  years  of  faithful  labor  in 
the  Master's  vineyard,  and  after  having  attained  an  eminence  in  the  ministry 
which  genuine  piety  and  real  ability  only  can  give,  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  on  the 
night  of  September  i8th,  1879. 

"  We  bow  in  submission  to  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  in  thus  depriving 
us  of  the  presence,  the  influence  and  the  labors  of  our  brother ;  and  while  we 
mingle  our  tears  of  sorrow  because  of  his  death,  we  unite  in  praising  God  for 
the  inspiring  example  of  his  life. 

"  Resolved,  i .  That  in  the  death  of  brother  W.  H.  Davis,  the  Hephzibah  Asso- 
ciation has  sustained  a  great  and  irreparable  loss ; 

15 


i8o 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


"  2.  That  the  sincere  Christian  and  fraternal  sympathy  of  the  Association  be, 
and  is  hereby,  tendered  to  the  beloved  family  of  our  deceased  brother ; 

"  3.  That  a  blank  page  in  our  Minutes,  to  be  known  as  the  "  Memorial  Page," 
be  inscribed  to  the  memory  of  brother  Davis,  as  follows  : 

To  THE  Memory  of 

Rev.  WILLIAM  H.  DAVIS. 

Born  August  18,  1826;  Died  September,  18,  1879. 

"  And  he  was  a  good  man,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost 

and  of  faith  ;  and  much  people  were 

added  to  the  Lord." 


J.  B.  S.  DAVIS. 

The  name  of  Davis  stands  very  promi- 
nently on  the  list  of  Baptist  ministers  in 
Georgia.  It  has  been  borne  by  men  of  good 
ability  and  much  zeal,  who  have  all  gone  to 
their  reward,  leaving  J.  B.  S.  Davis  their  sole 
representative  in  the  sacred  office,  though 
there  are  many  worthy  and  gifted  men  of 
the  name  in  other  professions.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch,  the  second  son  of  Jephtha  V. 
Davis,  and  grandson  of  Rev.  Wm.  Davis, 
was  born  in  Greene  county,  Georgia,  January, 
1833.  The  influences  of  religion  were 
around  him  from  his  cradle,  and  seem  to 
have  had  their  wonted  power,  since  we  find 
that  in  1845,  at  the  early  age  of  twelve 
years,  professing  conversion,  he  was  baptized 
into  Bethel  church.  Heard  county,  by  Rev. 
Robert  Fleming.  In  September,  1852,  he 
entered  Mercer  University,  and  remained 
there  two  years,  when  he  repaired  to  the  State  University,  Athens,  graduating 
from  that  institution  in  1856. 

In  November  of  that  year  he  was  married  to  the  youngest  daughter  of  Gen. 
D.  M.  Burns,  of  Jackson  county.  He  appears  up  to  this  time  and  for  years  after, 
to  have  have  had  no  inclination  to  preach,  but  was  engaged  in  literary  pursuits 
together  with  the  study  of  law.  In  1857  we  find  him  occupying  the  chair  of 
Belles  Lettres  in  Cherokee  Baptist  College,  at  Cassville,  Georgia.  In  1858,  he 
studied  law  with  Hon.  Hugh  Buchanan,  of  Newnan,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  the  same  year.  He  seems,  however,  at  that  period,  to  have  continued  the 
practice  of  law  for  but  two  years,  as  he  became  Principal  of  Martin  Institute, 
Jackson  county,  in  1860-61,  and  was  elected  Principal  of  the  Newnan  Male 
Seminary,  1862-63.  Teaching  was  his  favorite  work,  and  was  renounced  only 
on  account  of  failing  health.  He  has  been  practising  law  for  a  number  of  years 
with  great  success,  and  has  been  employed  in  some  important  criminal  cases, 
winning  laurels  in  not  a  few.  His  success  as  a  teacher  made  it  very  difficult  for 
him  to  leave  the  profession,  and  he  has  had  flattering  proposals  from  many  col- 
leges and  high  schools  in  his  own  and  other  Southern  States.  But  the  Spirit  of 
God  was  at  work  on  his  heart  and  his  ears  were  open  to  the  Macedonian  cry, 
"  Come  over  and  help  us." 

In  September,  1863,  he  was  ordained  by  the  Baptist  church  at  Newnan  to  the 
full  work  of   the   ministry,  Dr.  Jesse  M.  Wood,  pastor.     The  ordination  ser- 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


i8i 


mon  was  preached  by'^  Mr.  E.  B.  Teague,  and  was  filled  with  good  advice. 
One  special  warning  was,  "  Keep  out  of  debt.  His  first  pastorate  was  with  the 
Lawrenceville  church,  commencing  November,  1863.  He  was  elected  from 
Jackson  county  to  the  Constitutional  Convention,  in  1868. 

Since  the  war,  he  has  felt  compelled  to  resort  to  the  practice  of  law  for  a  liv- 
ing, but  preaches  on  Sabbath  to  one  or  more  churches.  He  has  done  much 
preaching  by  filling  appointments  for  other  ministers  who  have  been  pre- 
vented from  attendance  by  providential  causes,  not  only  in  his  own,  but  in  other 
denominations.  He  is  now  serving  two  churches,  Grantville  and  Ebenezer, 
Coweta  county.  As  a  minister  he  is  very  popular,  drawing  full  houses,  and 
always  securing  the  attention  of  his  hearers.  His  sermons  have  been  highly 
complim.ented  by  local  editors,  and  he  has  been  styled  "  Newnan's  Lawyer- 
Preacher." 


JOHN  EDMONDS  DAWSON. 


A  prince  among  men  was  John 
Edmonds  Dawson.  Handsome 
and  commanding  in  form  and  feat- 
ure ;  easy,  graceful  and  courteous 
in  manner ;  genial,  magnetic  and 
warm-hearted  in  disposition,  he 
captivated  and  then  held  in  the 
bonds  of  love  and  admiration. 
His  nobility,  constancy  and  ten- 
derness of  nature  made  him  the 
best  and  most  faithful  of  friends, 
the  kindest  and  most  indulgent  of 
fathers,  and  the  most  loving  and 
devoted  of  husbands.  His  piety 
was  beyond  suspicion  ;  in  his  daily 
walk  it  shone  as  lustre  gleams 
from  the  purest  diamond.  In 
natural  ability,  and  as  a  pulpit  ora- 
tor he  rose  above  those  who  them- 
selves rose  above  the  masses,  as 
Mont  Blanc  towers  and  leaves 
surrounding  Alps  beneath  it.  Un- 
fortunately, he  had  not  the  advan- 
tages of  a  collegiate  education ; 
but,  possessing  an  excellent  mem- 
ory and  a  mind  of  uncommon 
vigor,  he  acquired  an  amount  of 
knowledge  which  compensated,  to  a  great  extent,  for  his  want  of  regular  train- 
ing in  the  schools.  He  was  a  man  of  close  and  minute  observation  ;  he  saw  and 
heard  everything.  Hence  he  was  distinguished  for  excellence  of  judgment  and 
for  sound,  practical  views  on  almost  every  subject.  Endowed  by  nature  with  a 
pure  and  correct  taste,  he  most  carefully  observed  in  the  pulpit  all  the  proprieties 
of  manner  and  speech,  yet  there  was  no  appearance  of  effort,  no  trace  of  affecta- 
tion. While  in  social  life  he  relished  and  sometimes  indulged  the  pleasantries  of 
wit  and  humor,  yet,  in  his  sermons  he  was  never  known  to  excite  a  smile ;  ab- 
sorption in  the  solemn  themes  of  the  Gospel,  when  in  the  pulpit,  allowed  no 
place  for  levity,  no  time  for  mirth.  He  felt  too  deeply  the  responsibilities  of  his 
work  to  "  court  a  grin  when  he  should  woo  a  soul."  Dr.  Dawson  rode  no  hob- 
bies ;  he  was  not  a  man  of  "  one  idea ;"  nevertheless,  there  were  certain  grand 


— =^=-=- . 

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1 82  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

thoughts  which  his  mind  grasped  very  strongly,  and  on  which  it  habitually  dwelt. 
These  were:  i.  The  heinousness  of  sin,  2.  "The  beauty  of  holiness,"  3.  The 
love  of  God  manifest  in  the  Gospel,  and  4.  The  responsibilities  of  each  individual 
man  to  God,  to  himself  and  to  his  fellow-men.  Out  of  these  he  shaped  and 
pointed  the  arrows  which  filled  his  quiver ;  and,  as  he  stood  in  the  sacred  desk, 
he  hurled  these  arrows  with  almost  electric  force  straight  to  the  hearts  and  con- 
sciences of  his  hearers.  Every  feature  of  his  face,  every  flash  of  his  eye,  every 
movement  of  his  form,  and  every  intonation  of  his  wonderful  voice,  evinced  his 
soul-subduing  earnestness.  With  tones  at  times  melting  as  the  mourning  of  a 
mother  over  the  death  of  her  first-born  babe,  or  as  melancholy  as  the  sighing  of 
autumn  winds  among  the  pines,  or  as  triumphant  as  the  warrior's  clarion  blast 
of  exultation  in  the  hour  of  victory,  or  as  overwhelming  as  the  rushing  cataract 
or  the  resistless  tornado,  he  could  sway  an  audience  at  his  will. 

If  his  aim  was  to  make  vice  odious,  his  powerful  word-painting  would  expose 
the  monster  in  all  its  deformity,  until  the  man  mastered  by  its  spell  would  be 
overwhelmed  with  disgust  and  shame  at  the  hideousness  of  his  own  depravity  ; 
and  yet,  all  the  while  it  was  not  the  MAN  that  was  the  object  of  his  invective. 
No  !  The  tnan  he  claimed  as  his  brother ;  the  tnan  he  pitied  and  loved  ;  to  the 
man  he  uttered  words  of  tenderness  and  sympathy.  It  was  the  I^'ICE  which  he 
pictured  as  abhorrent ;  and  it  was  the  vice  which  he  made  the  man  abhor,  until 
he  longed  to  break  its  bands  and  escape  its  pollution. 

If  his  aim  was  to  present  the  beauties  of  holiness,  or  to  show  the  love  of  God, 
as  manifested  in  the  Gospel,  then  his  soul  seemed  to  be  a  fount  of  feeling.  Grace 
abounding  to  the  chief  of  sinners  always  melted  him  to  tears,  and  drew  from  him 
the  tenderest  words  of  pathos,  or  stirred  in  his  bosom  those  chords  of  sensibility 
whose  vibration  aroused  the  sympathetic  ardor  of  his  nature,  and  caused  him  to 
pour  forth  powerful  strains  of  eloquence  that  never  failed  to  thrill  his  audience 
with  intense  emotion. 

But  it  was  when  he  aimed  to  expound  the  responsibilities  of  the  present  life 
that  he  could  call  into  action  his  utmost  strength  ;  then  he  soared  into  the  regions 
of  sublimity.  As  he  dwelt  on  man's  accountability,  or  on  the  shortness  of  our 
earthly  being,  or  on  the  impossibility  of  retrieving  errors  and  winning  back  wasted 
opportunities,  and  on  the  eternal  consequences,  for  weal  or  for  woe,  which  must 
follow  the  employment  of  time,  he  would  pile  up  pyramids  of  thought  that  made 
the  mind  of  the  hearer  trem.ble  under  a  sense  of  its  momentous  obligations. 

In  his  sermons  he  quoted  but  little  poetry.  He  seemed  not  to  need  that  kind 
of  embellishment.  Out  of  his  own  imagination  he  drew  the  imagery  which  he 
used  to  illustrate  and  enforce  truth.  Beyond  the  occasional  repetition  of  stanzas 
from  familiar  hymns,  he  never  passed,  and  his  audience  never  wished  him  to  pass. 
In  eloquence  and  oratorical  power  he  was  unequalled  in  the  State,  and  had  his 
habits  been  as  studious  as  his  mind  was  brilliant,  his  power  and  success  in  the 
pulpit  would  have  been  altogether  phenomenal ;  as  it  was,  he  was  a  grand  man, 
even  among  grand  men.  As  may  be  presumed,  his  sermons  were  not  uniform. 
There  were  times  when  they  would  form  the  grandest  display  of  oratorical  power 
md  intellectual  greatness,  while  at  other  times  he  would  retire  from  the  pulpit 
ander  a  humiliating  sense  of  failure.  Perhaps  he  could  not  be  classed  among  the 
most  successful  pastors  of  Georgia,  for  his  active  mind  preferred  a  diversity  of 
pursuits  to  the  one  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel  and  prosecuting  arduous  pas- 
toral labors  ;  and  this  division  of  intellectual  strength  hindered,  somewhat,  that 
Eulminating  success  to  which  he  was  entitled  by  his  great  talents  and  abilities. 

When  the  afflicting  hand  of  Providence  removed  him  from  the  pulpit,  he  took 
up  the  pen,  and  wielded  it  with  a  power  that  delighted  while  it  astonished  his 
friends,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  he  did  not,  all  through  his  Ufe,  exert  the 
literary  powers  he  displayed  toward  its  end. 

John  Edmonds  Dawson  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Georgia,  March  7th, 
1805.  His  father,  Major  John  E.  Dawson,  a  wealthy  and  intelligent  farmer, 
came  from  Virginia  to  Washington,  and  afterwards  removed  to  Morgan  county, 
where  this,  his  second  son,  was  reared,  attending  school  in  Madison  and  at  Mount 
Zion,  Hancock  county.  Of  noble  mien  and  fine  intellect,  he  was  distinguished, 
even  in  youth,  for  his  oratorical  powers.     When  only  nineteen,  he  married  Miss 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  1 83 

Eliza  Walker,  daughter  of  John  Walker,  of  Morgan  county,  and  followed  the 
occupation  of  farming.  He  was  converted  at  Antioch  church,  Morgan  county, 
in  1827,  at  a  revival  meeting,  during  the  session  of  the  Ocmulgee  Association, 
under  a  sermon  preached  by  Dr.  Adiel  Sherwood,  and  was  baptized  on  the  22d 
of  September  of  that  year.  He  became  at  once  an  active  church  member,  but 
did  not  begin  to  preach  until  1834. 

In  1834  the  providence  of  God  chastened  him  by  the  death  of  his  devoted  wife, 
to  which  sad  event  Mrs.  Hill,  the  sister  of  Mr.  Dawson,  refers  in  the  following 
touching  language : 

"After  a  protracted  illness,  Mrs.  Eliza  Dawson  died  April  12th,  1834,  leaving 
four  children.  Her  brother.  Colonel  J.  B.  Walker,  writes  :  '  I  was  a  witness  of 
her  expiring  agonies.  Her  faith  and  hope  in  the  Saviour  had  been  strong 
through  all  her  sickness ;  she  had  been  calm  and  resigned.  Her  dear  husband 
went  down  with  her  to  the  dark  valley  as  far  as  it  was  permitted  to  human  love, 
cheering  her  with  the  sweetest,  tenderest  words  of  comfort  and  love,  until,  we 
trust,  angel  arms  from  the  other  side  enfolded  her  in  their  embrace,  and  bore  her 
to  that  better  land.' " 

After  this  sad  bereavement,  Mr.  Dawson  seemed  to  take  little  interest  in  the 
business  of  the  world,  but  gave  himself  to  the  work  of  the  Saviour,  to  which  he 
felt  he  had  been  called  soon  after  his  conversion. 

He  was  licensed  by  the  Indian  Creek  church,  Morgan  county,  on  the  i8th  of 
October,  1834.  He  was  set  apart  to  the  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry  at  the 
request  of  that  church,  January,  1835,  by  a  presbytery  composed  of  Revs.  Mal- 
colm Johnson,  V.  R.  Thornton  and  the  pastor,  Dr.  Adiel  Sherwood. 

His  first  pastoral  call  was  from  the  church  in  Eatonton,  to  which  place  he 
removed  January  30th,  1835.  He  served  this  church  during  the  year,  and  it  was 
blessed  with  a  gracious  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  and  with  a  number  of  additions 
to  its  membership.  About  this  time  Mr.  Dawson  decided  to  marry  again,  and 
made  a  happy  selection  in  the  intelligent  and  devoted  Mis?  ^lary  Sanford.  Never 
did  this  Christian  woman  interfere  with  any  of  his  duties  as  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel.  Air  who  knew  her  will  long  remember  her  happy,  buoyant  disposition, 
her  kind  and  obliging  manner,  how  she  made  home  sunshine  for  her  husband, 
his  children  and  friends.  She  had  no  children  of  her  own,  but  completely  filled 
the  place  of  mother  to  her  husband's  children,  and  -.vcn  froni  them  an  attach- 
ment and  love  so  strong  that  it  was  truly  wonderful.  '  ^e  was  also  a  woman  of 
marked  piety.  Fond  of  society,  and  taking  great  plcc;  ;re  in  the  gatherings  of 
her  friends,  she  most  of  all  delighted  in  visiting  the  hcries  of  the  poor,  helping 
to  relieve  their  wants,  pointing  them,  on  their  sick-beds,  to  a  saffering  Saviour, 
and  repeating  for  their  cheer  the  sweet  words  of  promise  that  fell  from  His 
precious  lips.  Thus,  for  twenty-five  years,  sharing  the  toils  and  labors  f)f  her 
husband,  at  the  last  it  was  touchingly  beautiful  to  see  her  tender,  untiring  minis- 
trations to  him  during  his  protracted  illness. 

Mr.  Dawson  served  the  Eatonton  church  only  one  year,  and  accepted  a  call  to 
the  church  in  Columbus,  removing  thither  in  January,  1836.  The  Creek  Indians 
.  at  that  time  occupied  the  portion  of  Alabama  opposite  Columbus,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Chattahoochee  river.  Mr.  Dawson,  with  his  brother-in-law.  Judge 
Hill,  had  settled  a  large  plantation  in  what  was  then  called  the  Indian  Nation. 
But  owing  to  the  depredations  committed  by  the  Indians,  the  loss  of  crops,  etc.. 
and  uncertainty  as  to  the  continuance  of  the  war  then  in  progress,  Mr.  Dawson 
decided  to  return  to  middle  Georgia.  In  January,  1837,  he  was  called  to  serve 
the  Indian  Creek  church  one  Sunday  in  each  month,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year 
to  preach  to  the  church  in  Eatonton.  Giving  them  only  a  part  of  his  time,  he 
was  enabled  to  supply  the  pulpits  monthly  in  Monticello  and  Forsyth,  and  per- 
haps Monroe,  Walton  county.  In  1841  he  again  changed  his  residence  from 
Eatonton,  settled  in  Madison,  and  conducted  a  female  academy,  where  he  taught 
successfully  until  his  removal  to  LaGrange  in  1842,  in  answer  to  a  unanimous 
call  of  the  Baptist  church.  With  a  family  to  support,  and  having  experienced 
■heavy  pecuniary  losses,  he  went  into  the  school  room  as  Principal  of  the  Female 
Academy,  that  he  might  avoid,  as  much  as  possible,  becoming  burdensome  to 
the  church,  a  point  on  which,  as  all  who  knew  him  will  remember,  he  was  ex- 


1 84  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

ceedingly  sensitive,  even  to  a  fault.  Not  taking  special  pleasure  in  the  school- 
room, and  preferring  above  everything  else  to  preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ,  when  a  suitable  man  could  be  found,  he  gladly  turned  the  school  over  to 
him.  Mr.  Milton  E.  Bacon,  who  was  his  associate  for  a  short  time,  became  Princi- 
pal of  the  Academy,  which  was  afterwards  raised  to  the  dignity  of  a  Female 
College,  and  was  for  years  the  pride  of  LaGrange,  and  contributed  largely  to  its 
prosperity.  After  a  most  successful  pastorate  in  LaGrange,  he  was  again  called 
to  the  Columbus  church  in  1847,  which  he  supplied  two  Sundays  in  the  month 
until  1848,  when  he  once  more  made  his  home  in  that  city.  While  pastor  of 
this  church,  the  Home  Mission  Board,  Marion,  Alabama,  by  special  arrange- 
ment, sent  Mr.  Dawson,  in  February,  1853,  to  New  Orleans,  to  examine  into  the 
religious  necessities  of  that  large,  growing  city.  After  some  six  weeks  of  inces- 
sant, successful  labor,  his  health  failed,  and  he  was  compelled  to  return  to  his 
home  in  Columbus,  where  he  resumed  his  pastoral  work  until  1856,  when  he 
felt  it  his  duty  to  retire  from  it  on  account  of  physical  inability  to  perform  its 
necessary  duties.  No  pastor  ever  had  a  stronger  hold  upon  the  affections  of  his 
people  than  he  did. 

In  1858  he  acted  temporarily  as  agent  of  Mercer  University.  The  thrilling 
appeals  he  made  for  the  education  of  our  sons,  and  the  soul-stirring  sermons  he 
preached  wherever  he  went,  cannot  be  forgotten. 

In  1859  Dr.  Dawson  accepted  the  chair  editorial  of  the  Southwestern  Baptist, 
as  successor  to  Dr.  S.  Henderson,  and  removed  to  Tuskegee,  Alabama,  where 
the  paper  was  published.  His  editorial  career,  though  brief,  was  a  brilliant 
success.  In  every  department  of  Christian  labor,  he  met  fully  the  expectations 
of  his  brethrien,  and  in  none  more  than  as  editor  of  a  Christian  journal.  One 
writer  says  : 

"  Dr.  Dawson's  editorial  career  surprised  us  all.  We  expected,  of  course, 
that  he  would  do  his  work  well,  but  we  could  not  bring  ourselves  up  to  the  ex- 
pectation that  so  great  a  preacher  could  be  a  writer  also.  It  was  too  much  to 
look  for  in  one  man.  Besides,  every  one  knew  that  his  eloquence  was  of  a  kind 
that  could  not  be  successfully  written ;  but  it  turned  out  that  he  wrote  with 
great  vigor  and  versatility,  showing  a  logical  acumen  above  his  ordinary  pulpit 
efforts,  and  a  power  of  analysis  and  discrimination  quite  remarkable,  with  a  style 
luminous,  tasteful  and  spirited." 

When  he  entered  on  the  editorship  of  the  Southwestern  Baptist,  he  was  a 
confirmed  consumptive.  Most  men  would  have  relinquished  all  business, 
recognizing  disease  as  a  sufficient  excuse  for  inactivity.  Not  so  with  the  ener- 
getic nature  of  Dr.  Dawson.  In  weakness  and  great  bodily  suffering,  he  did  his 
Master's  work.  Like  a  faithful  sentinel,  he  watched  every  attack,  open  or  covert, 
on  what  he  considered  the  cause  of  truth,  and  gave  all  the  powers  of  his  great 
mind  to  aid  the  organization  of  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  and  of  the  South.  His 
convictions  of  truth  were  clear  and  strong,  and  he  urged  them  with  great  bold- 
ness. This  gave  rise  to  the  opinion  that  he  was  fond  of  controversy ;  but  never 
was  there  a  greater  mistake.  He  discussed  Gospel  principles,  not  for  the  sake 
of  controversy,  or  to  keep  up  discord,  but  to  defend  truth.  He  cared  not  who 
triumphed,  so  truth  was  vindicated.  One  who  knew  him  most  intimately  said : 
"  No  man  could  have  been  freer  from  the  spirit  of  controversy.  His  nature  was 
incapable  of  cherishing  this  feeling." 

At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  many  friends,  Dr.  Dawson  laid  aside  his  edito- 
rial duties,  and,  accompanied  by  his  devoted  wife,  made  a  visit  to  the  Virginia 
Springs ;  but  finding  his  disease  beyond  the  reach  of  remedies,  and  anxious  to 
die  at  home,  he  at  once  returned  to  Tuskegee,  the  guest  of  Dr.  CuUen  Battle,  to 
close  his  earthly  business  and  prepare  for  his  departure.  How  calm  were  his 
last  days  !  How  manifest  was  the  presence  of  Jesus !  How  confident  was  he 
of  his  glorious  reward  in  heaven !  In  reply  to  a  letter  from  his  sister,  urging 
him  to  come  to  her  house  in  LaGrange  and  spend  his  last  days  with  her,  he  said 
to  his  wife,  as  he  was  not  able  himself  to  write,  "  Tell  my  sister  my  room  is  the 
very  gate  of  heaven  I"  Unwavering  in  his  faith,  he  died  exclaiming :  "  I  am  not 
alone  ;  the  Lord  encampeth  round  about  me."  He  died  in  Tuskegee,  Alabama, 
4t  the  house  of  Dr.  Cullen  Battle,  November  iSth,   i860.     His  remains  were 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


185 


carried  to  Columbus,  and  rest  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  of  that  city.  His  wife 
did  not  long  survive  him,  and  rests  by  his  side.  The  church  in  Columbus 
erected  a  beautiful  monument  to  their  memory.  On  a  neat  tablet  are  the  words, 
in  small  capitals,  "  Our  Pastor."  On  the  same  side,  in  raised  letters,  on  a 
rustic  ground,  is,  "  John  E.  Dawson,  D.D.,  the  eloquent  and  faithful  pastor — the 
Christian  gentleman.  He  adorned  the  doctrines  which  he  taught.  Died  in  i860, 
aged  56."  On  the  opposite  side,  in  similar  characters,  is  the  following  inscrip- 
tion :  "  Mary  E.  Dawson,  the  pastor's  wife — the  true  and  faithful  woman.  Her's 
was  the  meek  and  quiet  spirit  which,  in  the  sight  of  God,  is  of  great  price."  In 
the  smooth  surface  of  the  south  side  of  the  same  square,  are  these  lines : 

"  They  sleep  in  Jesus  and  are  blest; 
How  sweet  their  slumbers  are." 


WILLIAM  H.  DEAN. 


William  H.,  son  of  Lemuel  Dean,  was  the 
eldest  of  ten  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  dead 
except  himself  and  his  youngest  brother.  He  was 
born  in  Covington,  Georgia,  but  reared  chiefly  in 
DeKalb  county,  to  which,  shortly  after  his  birth, 
his  father  removed.  He  enjoyed  only  such  edu- 
cational advantages  as  the  county  supplied  in  its 
early  settlement,  but  obtained  a  fair  classical  edu- 
cation at  Stone  Mountain  Academy,  at  Decatur, 
and  at  an  academy  near  Indian  Creek  church, 
then  under  the  charge  of  that  estimable  man, 
Rev.  Lewis  Towers.  For  some  two  years  he 
prosecuted  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Hayden 
Coe,  near  Lithonia,  attended  a  course  of  medical 
lectures  in  the  New  York  University,  and  gradu- 
ated at  the  Medical  College  of  Georgia,  Augusta. 
He  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Oak 
Hill,  Newton  county,  remained  there  one  year, 
and  then  moved  to  Cherokee  county.  With  the  exception  of  a  brief  residence 
in  Atlanta,  in  1867,  he  has  been  living  at  Woodstock,  his  present  home,  for  more 
than  thirty  years.  During  most  of  this  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  a  heavy 
country  practice,  and  has  probably  travelled  some  two  hundred  thousand  miles 
on  horseback,  or  far  enough  to  have  carried  him  eight  times  around  the  globe. 
And  in  all  that  distance,  by  day  and  night,  amid  rains,  sleets  and  snows,  over 
bad  roads,  broken  bridges  and  swollen  streams,  he  has  never  received  a  serious 
injury,  and  never  been  disabled  from  business.  Nor  has  he  ever  been  sick 
enough  in  all  his  professional  life  to  call  in  a  physician.  Prompt  in  his  engage- 
ments, careful  in  his  prescriptions,  honest  in  his  expressions  of  opinion  to  pa- 
tients, and  reasonable  in  his  charges,  he  has  never  had  a  law-suit  and  never  been 
entangled  in  a  quarrel.  He  has  been  a  man  of  industry,  an  early  riser,  a  hard 
student,  and  an  almost  constant  reader,  living,  one  might  say,  among  his  books 
and  papers.  He  has  been  withal  unobtrusive,  distrustful  of  his  own  powers, 
even  timid,  which  has  caused  some,  on  first  acquaintance,  to  regard  him  as  dis- 
tant and  cold.  The  practice  of  medicine  has  been  his  great  life-work,  and  he 
has  made  everything  bend  to  that — doubtless  restricting,  in  a  measure,  his  use- 
fulness in  the  ministry,  since  that  high  calling,  as  Csesar  could  bear  no  rival 
near  the  throne,  challenges  to  itself  the  whole  man  and  the  man's  whole  life. 

He  married  Emma,  daughter  of  John  B.  Benson,  of  Cobb  county,  Georgia, 
and  has  had  two  children — a  daughter,  Lula,  the  wife  of  W.  H.  Perkinson, 
Acworth,  Georgia,  and  a  son,  W.  L.,  a  graduate  of  Atlanta  Medical  College, 
and  now  practicing  with  his  father. 


1 86  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

Very  early  in  life  he  had  religious  impressions,  and  tried  to  satisfy  his  con- 
science by  a  better  walk,  but  failed  again  and  again.  Driven  at  last  from  all 
trust  in  himself,  he  was  brought  to  Christ  when  about  eighteen  years  old,  and 
felt  that  his  sins  were  all  pardoned  and  he  was  "  accepted  in  the  Beloved."  He 
united  with  the  Indian  Creek  church,  DeKalb  county.  When  about  thirty-five 
years  of  age,  he  was  ordained  a  deacon  in  Enon  church  ;  and  three  years  later, 
in  1862,  when  thirty-eight,  was  called  to  the  pastorate  by  that  church  and 
ordained  to  the  ministry.  He  served  it  for  many  years,  and  has  also  served 
Carmel,  Sandy  Plains,  Salem,  New  Hope,  New  Bethel,  Noonday  and  Canton 
churches.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  his  has  been  a  faithful  and  effect- 
ive service,  for  his  unflinching  integrity  as  a  man  has  wrought  together  with  his 
zeal  as  a  minister  to  make  his  labor  "  mighty  through  God."  He  was  in  the 
constitution  of  Noonday  Association,  and  for  a  number  of  years  past  has  been 
its  Moderator ;  his  closing  addresses  attracting  the  admiration  of  visiting  minis- 
ters by  their  pre-eminent  excellence  among  performances  of  that  class.  After 
a  long,  hard  struggle,  that  body  finally  entered  into  connection  with  the  Baptist 
State  Convention,  though  for  a  season  standing  alone  among  adjoining  Associa- 
tions, with  the  exception  of  Middle  Cherokee.  It  is  steadily  increasing  in  effi- 
ciency and  becoming  more  fully  enlisted  in  the  great  enterprises  of  Christian 
benevolence  prosecuted  by  our  denomination.  In  the  accomplishment  of  these 
results,  the  influence  and  efforts  of  Dr.  Dean  have  been  an  important  and  potent 
factor.  He  has  done"'good  ministerial  Vv^ork  in  the  nineteen  years  since  his  ordi- 
nation ;  but  if,  as  is  expected,  he  should  retire  from  the  practice  of  medicine,  and 
give  himself  wholly  to  pastoral  labors,  we  may  well  expect  his  last  days  to  be 
his  best. 


JAMES   MARTIN   DeFOOR. 

Rev.  James  Martin  DeFoor,  son  of  Sidney  and  An- 
nie DeFoor,  was  born  August  7th,  1845,  in  Fulton  county, 
Georgia.  His  grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  served  under  General  LaFayette.  He 
himself,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  entered  the  Confederate 
army  and  was  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Atlanta,  and 
sent  to  Camp  Chase,  where  he  remained  until  the  war 
ended,  when  he  returned  home  and  went  to  work  man- 
fully on  his  father's  farm  in  Gordon  county.  His  parents 
were  Methodists,  and  his  early  training  was,  therefore,not  in 
—  accordance  with  Baptist  belief  and  practice.  While  attend- 
ing a  meeting  conducted  by  the  Methodists  in  Gordon  county,  in  the  fall  of  1 866,  he 
was  enabled  to  realize  his  own  sinful  and  lost  condition,  and  to  behold  in  Christ  Je- 
sus the  Lamb  of  God  who  could  take  away  his  sin.  Through  faith  he  was  enabled 
to  hope,  also,  and  to  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  eternal  glory.  But,  although  he 
made  then  a  profession  of  religion,  he  identified  himself  with  no  denomination, 
on  account  of  doubts  upon  the  subject'of  baptism.  He  continued  in  this  state 
until  the  summer  of  1868,  when  his  views  were  confirmed  by  the  preaching  of 
Rev.  E.  M.  Lowry,  who,  after  conducting  a  revival  meeting  in  a  school-house 
in  Gordon  county,  constituted  the  Mount  Zion  Baptist  church,  of  which,  after 
baptism,  Mr.  DeFoor  became  a  constituent  member.  At  the  same  meeting  a 
brother  and  sister  were  also  converted  and  baptized.  In  connection  with  their 
baptism,  a  circumstance  rather  unusual  occurred.  While  they  were  making 
their  preparations  for  the  ceremony,  their  father  said : 

"  Wife,  I  believe  I  will  go  with  the  children.     Have  I  no  clothes  in  which  to 
be  baptized  ?  " 

"Yes,"  she  replied;  "and  so  have  I !" 

The  consequence  was  that  the  whole  family  went  down  into  the  water,  mani- 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


187 


fested  to  the  world  their  faith  in  a  buried  and  risen  Saviour,  and  all  became 
members  of  the  new  Mount  Zion  church.  The  elder  DeFoor,  who  had  been  a 
Methodist  for  twenty-seven  years,  was  elected  a  deacon  of  the  Mount  Zion 
church,  which  office  he  faithfully  held  ten  years,  dying  triumphantly  in  the  faith, 
May  nth,  1878. 

As  may  well  be  conceived,  James  M.  DeFoor's  education  was  very  limited, 
yet  his  zeal  was  so  commendable  that  his  church  Hcensed  him  in  October,  1868, 
and  in  August,  1870,  being  called  to  ordination  by  the  Tilton  church,  he  was  set 
apart  to  the  full  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry  by  a  presbytery  composed  of  Elders 
J.  J.  R.  Hanks,  of  Dalton,  and  J.  M.  Stansbury,  of  Ringgold.  On  the  i6th  of 
November,  1869,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Huie,  of  Clayton,  Georgia, 
and  in  1871  settled  in  Fannin  county,  where  he  still  remains,  preaching  to  poor 
churches  in  the  neighborhood,  and  sustaining  himself  and  family  by  farming. 


JAMES  H.  DeVOTIE. 

Among  Georgians,  Dr.  J.  H.  DeVotie  has 
long  stood  as  a  leader.  Even  among  the 
Baptists  of  the  entire  South,  he  ranks  with 
the  first  in  ability,  influence  and  usefulness. 
Distinguished  for  his  natural  mental  powers, 
for  pulpit  ability,  for  eloquence,  pathos  and 
strong  common  sense,  he  is  a  man  of  sin- 
cere piety,  exquisite  tact,  great  liberality  and 
abounding  humor. 

He  was  born  in  Oneida  county.  New  York, 
on  the  24th  of  September,  1 8 1 4.  His  parents 
were  Presbyterians,  and  his  mother  was  a 
woman  of  singular  piety  and  godliness,  who 
sought  faithfully  to  rear  him  in  the  fear  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord.  Becoming  a  widow, 
his  mother  moved  West,  late  in  life,  and  died 
on  the  28th  of  January,  1848,  at  Canal  Dover, 
^Ohio,  at  the  residence  of  her  son,  Duane 
DeVotie.  Carefully  nurtured  and  instructed 
by  his  pious  mother  until  his  ninth  year,  James  H.  DeVotie  bade  fair  to  become 
a  godly  youth ;  but  her  health  failed ;  he  was  sent  to  the  public  schools,  and 
thus  thrown  among  wicked  companions ;  and,  owing  to  these  causes,  until 
fifteen  years  of  age  he  led  an  ungodly  and  profane  life,  becoming  a  leader  in 
mischief  and  wickedness.  Still  the  impressions  made  by  a  mother's  prayers, 
instructions  and  admonitions,  were  not  entirely  effaced,  and  frequently  they 
brought  him  to  sober  reflection.  When  sixteen  years  old  he  was  converted  while 
on  his  knees  at  an  evening  prayer  meeting,  having  asked  the  prayers  of  the  com- 
pany in  his  behalf.  At  seventeen  he  sailed  from  New  York  for  Savannah,  Geor- 
gia, with  an  uncle,  who  was  a  merchant,  and  entered  into  business  in  that  city. 
His  uncle  was  a  Baptist :  this  led  to  attendance  at  the  Baptist  church,  and  to  an 
investigation  of  the  New  Testament  on  the  subject  of  baptism  ;  and  the  conse- 
quence was  that  J.  H.  DeVotie,  though  raised  a  Presbyterian,  joined  the  Baptist 
church  at  Savannah,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  H.O.Wyer,  on  the  2d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1 83 1,  in  his  19th  year. 

The  strong  conviction  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  led,  in  a  few  weeks,  to 
his  departure  for  Furman  Theological  Seminary,  in  South  Carolina,  where  he 
successfully  pursued  the  prescribed  course  of  study  in  divinity.  On  the  21st  of 
October,  1832,  he  was  licensed  to  preach.  During  the  greater  portion  of  the 
time  he  spent  at  the  Seminary,  he  preached  weekly  at  Camden,  going  on  Satur- 


l88  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

day  and  returning,  eighteen  miles,  on  horseback,  after  service,  Sunday  night ; 
and  when  he  left  the  Seminary  he  took  charge  of  the  Camden  church,  as  pastor, 
his  ordination  occurring  in  March,  1833.  The  connection  was  a  happy  one,  and 
continued,  altogether,  two  years,  when  he  resigned  and  moved  to  Alabama,  and 
settled  in  Montgomery.  He  was  soon  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Baptist 
church  in  that  city.  There,  on  the  29th  of  January,  1835,  he  married  Miss  C.  M. 
Noble,  with  whom,  for  thirty-eight  years,  he  travelled  life's  journey — years  in 
which  much  of  sorrow  was  mingled  with  ten  thousand  blessings  of  tenderness 
and  love.  She  bore  him  five  children,  of  whom  one  only  survives,  Jewett,  editor 
of  the  Enquirer  and  Times,  of  Columbus,  Georgia.  Noble,  his  eldest  son,  and 
a  promising  young  minister,  educated  at  Princeton,  was  accidentally  drowned  at 
Mobile,  during  the  first  year  of  the  war ;  Howard,  a  young  and  accomplished 
physician,  died  during  the  war  while  in  the  army ;  and  Lizzie,  a  sweet  and  noble 
young  lady,  died  at  24  years  of  age,  in  Griffin,  Georgia. 

Mr.  DeVotie's  connection  with  the  church  at  Montgomery,  Alabama,  lasted 
one  year  only.  A  unanimous  call  by  the  church  at  Tuscaloosa,  then  the  capital 
of  the  State,  was  accepted,  and  he  commenced  his  labors  there  on  the  first  of 
January,  1836.  The  church  was  in  a  feeble  condition,  numerically,  financially 
and  spiritually ;  but,  at  the  end  of  a  four  years'  pastorate,  the  church  was  much 
strengthened  every  way,  and  was  one  of  the  most  influential  in  the  State,  owing 
in  part  to  the  presence  and  assistance  of  Dr.  John  L.  Dagg,  President  of  the 
Alabama  Female  Athenaeum,  and  of  Dr.  Basil  Manly,  President  of  the  State 
University. 

Mr.  DeVotie's  next  charge  was  at  Marion,  Alabama,  to  which  place  he  moved  on 
the  1st  of  January,  1840,  when  in  the  prime  of  manhood  and  in  perfect  health. 
Some  of  the  best  work  of  Mr.  DeVotie's  life  was  done  during  the  fourteen  years 
that  he  remained  pastor  of  the  church  at  Marion,  Alabama.  Notable  was  the 
aid  he  rendered  in  establishing  and  endowing  Howard  College,  for  which  insti- 
tution he  obtained,  during  a  three  years'  agency,  and  while  pastor  of  the  Marion 
church,  over  one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

He  was  also  largely  instrumental  in  establishing,  in  1843,  and  for  several  years 
maintaining.  The  Alabama  Baptist,  a  religious  weekly  newspaper  published  in 
Marion,  but  afterwards  changed  to  the  Southwestern  Baptist,  and  finally  merged 
into  The  Christian  Index,  of  Atlanta,  Georgia. 

In  1854,  Mr.  DeVotie  resigned  the  charge  of  the  Marion  church,  which,  during 
his  pastorate,  increased  in  membership  from  285,  in  1840,  to  676,  in  1854,  and 
built  a  new  and  handsome  brick  edifice,  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  During  1854  and 
1855,  he  served  the  Hopewell  Baptist  church,  five  miles  from  Marion,  for  one  year, 
and  acted  as  Secretary  of  the  Domestic  and  Indian  Mission  Board  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention  for  six  months.  He  then  accepted  a  call  from  the  Baptist 
church  at  Columbus,  Georgia,  and  moved  to  that  city  in  1856.  While  residing 
in  Alabama,  he  filled  many  important  official  positions,  evincing  the  esteem  in 
which  he  was  held  and  the  confidence  reposed  in  him;  for  many  years  he  was 
President  of  the  Domestic  and  Indian  Mission  Board,  and  also  of  the  Alabama 
Baptist  Bible  Society ;  he  was  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Female 
Athenseum,  at  Tuscaloosa,  for  three  years.  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  Howard  Co/lege  for  two  years,  and  a  trustee  of  the  same  institution  for  fifteen 
years. 

We  have  seen  how  the  poor  young  graduate  entered  Alabama,  alone,  in  1834. 
Twenty-two  years  later  he  leaves  the  State,  having  reached  a  lofty  position  and 
been  greatly  and  grandly  useful  to  his  denomination  and  to  the  cause  of  Jesus. 
The  following,  written  by  Rev.  John  E.  Dawson,  D.D.,  editor  of  the  Southwest- 
ern Baptist,  states  briefly  and  forcibly  the  position  attained  by  Mr.  DeVotie  in 
Alabama  by  his  eminent  abilities  and  force  of  character :  "  DeVotie  is,  in  Ala- 
bama, a  household  word,  linked  indissolubly  with  every  noble  enterprise  con- 
nected with  our  Baptist  history,  and  embalmed  in  the  hearts  of  thousands." 

The  pastorate  to  which  he  had  been  called  in  Columbus,  Georgia,  was  a  diffi- 
cult and  onerous  one.  The  lamented  and  powerful  John  E.  Dawson  had  filled 
that  pulpit  for  ten  years,  to  follow  whom  as  a  preacher  required  extraordinary 
nerve  as  well  as  ability.    The  church  itself  was  divided  in  feeling  and  difficult  to 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  1 89 

satisfy.  But  Mr.  DeVotie  entered  courag-eously  on  his  duties  as  pastor,  in 
August,  1856,  and  sustained  himself  ably  in  every  respect.  For  fourteen  years 
he  labored  in  Columbus  with  such  zeal,  energy,  unction,  and  broad  benevolence, 
that  not  only  was  his  pastorate  eminently  successful,  but  he  became  endeared 
to  the  entire  community.  He  was  at  that  time  in  the  zenith  of  his  powers  as  a 
preacher,  forty-three  years  of  age,  strong  and  robust,  physically,  and  possessed 
of  all  those  natural  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  which  make  failure  impossible. 

It  1858  a  most  remarkable  revival  of  religion  occurred  in  Columbus,  among  all 
denominations,  and  about  one  hundred  new  white  members  were  added  to  the 
Baptist  church.  Shortly  afterwards  Mr.  DeVotie  proposed  to  the  church  the 
erection  of  a  new  and  larger  house  of  worship.  Twenty  thousand  dollars  were 
promptly  raised,  and  the  present  splendid  church  edifice  in  Columbus  was  com- 
pleted and  paid  for,  early  in  i860,  at  a  total  cost  of  $28,000. 

At  the  same  time  a  mission  church  was  built  near  the  factories,  and  also  a 
house  of  worship  for  the  colored  people,  at  a  cost  of  $1,200.  Afterwards  another 
house  was  erected  in  the  northern  suburbs,  for  the  second  colored  Baptist  church. 

The  war  now  came  on,  with  its  years  of  trial,  suffering  and  heroic  intrepidity. 
Mr.  DeVotie  served  for  a  while  on  the  coast,  as  chaplain  for  the  Second  Regi- 
ment of  Georgia  Volunteers,  but  returned  home  when  that  regiment  was  ordered 
to  Virginia,  and  all  during  the  war  aided  greatly,  as  public  almoner,  in  supplying 
the  wants  of  the  poor  and  destitute  in  the  city,  large  benefactions  for  the  pur- 
pose being  entrusted  to  his  hands  by  the  generous  of  all  denominations.  Even 
after  the  war,  when  so  many  were  left  in  destitute  circumstances,  and  until  his 
departure  from  Columbus,  he  continued  the  work  of  "charity  thrice  blessed,"  ap- 
pealing to  the  public  for  the  funds  so  much  needed,  and  by  him  judiciously 
expended,  mostly  for  the  benefit  of  soldiers'  widows  and  orphans. 

Another  important  post  filled  by  Mr.  (now,  through  the  action  of  Howard 
College,  Dr.)  DeVotie,  was  "  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Columbus 
Public  Schools."  The  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  as  such,  and  the  benefits 
accruing  from  his  efforts,  are  shown  by  an  extract  from  the  resolutions  adopted 
by  the  Board  when  he  resigned  the  Presidency :  "  From  the  inception  of  the 
movement  which  led  to  the  establishing  of  our  system  of  schools,  he  has  been 
the  hard-working,  able  and  devoted  President  of  the  Board ;  and,  under  the 
providence  of  God,  we  believe  the  success  of  the  schools,  of  which  we  and  the 
community  are  so  justly  proud,  is  largely  due  to  him.  Under  him  they  have 
flourished  and  acquired  an  importance  and  usefulness  the  knowledge  of  which 
must  be  to  him  a  source  of  continued  satisfaction,  carrying  with  it,  wherever  he 
may  go,  its  own  reward — the  consciousness  of  having  done  his  fellow-man 
good," 

Near  the  close  of  his  fourteenth  year  in  Columbus,  events  occurred  which  led 
to  Dr.  DeVotie's  resignation  as  pastor  of  the  church  in  that  city,  and  his  removal 
to  Griffin,  Georgia.  This  caused  exhibitions  of  sorrow,  regret  and  affection, 
which  were  at  the  same  time  peculiarly  gratifying,  and,  in  these  days,  extraor- 
dinary. The  Session  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Columbus,  the  Third 
Quarterly  Conference  of  St.  Luke's  Methodist  church,  and  the  Baptist  church 
itself,  all  passed  resolutions  of  love  and  sorrow  at  his  departure.  The  Board  of 
Trustees  of  Public  Schools  did  the  same ;  and  a  number  of  citizens,  embracing 
members  of  all  denominations,  and  some  not  connected  with  any  church,  pre- 
sented him  with  a  handsome  gold  watch  as  a  testimonial  of  regard  and  admira- 
tion, while  others  made  up  a  purse  of  two  hundred  dollars,  and  placed  it  in  his 
hands,  as  a  token  of  sympathy  and  affection.  Under  these  circumstances  he  left 
Columbus  on  the  first  of  July,  1870,  and  took  charge  of  the  Baptist  church  at 
Griflfin,  Georgia.  He  maintained  himself  in  this  charge  for  seven  years,  with  his 
customary  ability,  securing  for  himself  the  love  and  confidence  of  the  church, 
and  the  respect  of  the  entire  community.  There,  on  the  21st  day  of  October, 
1872,  he  lost  the  wife  who,  for  nearly  38  years,  had  been  the  sharer  of  his  joys 
and  sorrows.  In  the  death  of  Mrs.  C.  M.  DeVotie,  one  of  the  loveliest  spirits 
and  most  devoted  of  Christians,  and  most  faithful  of  wives  and  mothers,  passed 
away. 

On  the  23d  day  of  December,  1873,  Dr.  DeVotie  married  Mrs.  Georgia  L. 


1 90  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

Amoss,  a  lady  alike  beautiful  in  person  and  charming  in  manners,  who  has  cast 
a  halo  of  happiness  around  a  life  over  which  various  sorrows  had  cast  many  a 
shadow. 

In  1877,  Dr.  DeVotie  resigned  the  pastorate  of  the  Grifhn  church,  and 
accepted  a  General  Agency  for  the  Home  Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention,  in  which  work  he  succeeded  admirably,  but  severed  his  connection 
with  that  Board  in  a  short  while,  and  on  the  15th  of  July,  in  the  same  year,  ac- 
cepted the  Secretaryship  of  the  Georgia  Mission  Board,  which  office  he  still 
retains.  For  this  position  he  possesses  the  highest  qualifications.  Besides  enjoy- 
ing the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all  his  brethren,  and  second  to  none  in 
intellectual  and  oratorical  powers,  he  has  always  been  eminently  successful  in 
his  appeals  for  missions.  Under  his  management  the  conduct  of  mission  mat- 
ters within  the  State  has  been  successful  and  prosperous. 

Dr.  DeVotie  is  a  man  of  noble  characteristics.  Warm  and  tenacious  in  his  attach- 
ments,firm  in  principle,ardent  and  enthusiastic  in  temperament,  generous  and  mag- 
nanimous in  disposition,  by  nature  tender,  affectionate,  exceptionally  endowed 
intellectually,  and  eminently  conscientious  and  thoughtful  of  others,  he  exhibits  in 
a  high  degree  those  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  which,  combined  with  affability  of 
manners,  always  win  for  the  possessor  great  personal  popularity.  Wise  in  counsel, 
prompt  in  action,  and  fertile  in  resources,  his  career  has  been  distinguished  for  the 
multiplicity  and  usefulness  of  his  labors.  As  an  Agent,  in  which  capacity  he  has  re- 
peatedly served  his  denomination  in  behalf  of  missions  and  other  benevolent  enter- 
prises, he  has  scarcely  an  equal.  Gifted  with  a  pleasing  address,  a  fluent  utterance, 
and  with  a  heart  running  over  with  the  tenderest  sensibilities,  when  he  rises  to 
address  an  audience  on  the  subject  of  missions,  or  any  other  benevolent  cause, 
his  passionate  appeals,  seconded  by  his  imaginative  powers,  are  sure  to  arouse 
enthusiasm  and  secure  large  contributions.  He  possesses  a  wonderful  capacity 
for  appropriating  with  facility  a  passing  incident  to  his  object,  when  pleading  for 
the  cause  of  benevolence  before  a  popular  assembly.  During  the  session  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  in  St.  Louis  a  few  years  ago,  he  was  invited,  with 
other  speakers,  to  address  a  general  Sunday-school  meeting  on  Sunday  afternoon, 
in  the  house  where  the  Convention  assembled.  The  speakers  were  limited  to 
five  or  ten  minutes  each.  Warming  with  his  theme.  Dr.  DeVotie  unconsciously 
exceeded  this  limitation,  when  a  handsome  gold  watch  was  laid  on  the  table  be- 
fore him,  to  indicate  that  his  time  had  expired.  With  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  and  a 
profound  bow  to  the  owner  of  the  watch,  he  thanked  him  for  his  "  contribution 
to  the  Sunday-school  cause,"  and,  holding  up  the  watch,  asked  who  would  fol- 
low with  another  gift.  The  gentleman  who  owned  the  watch  asked  the  privilege 
of  redeeming  it  with  ten  dollars,  when  the  orator  retired  triumphantly  from  the 
platform. 

Dr.  DeVotie  is  endowed  with  fine  powers  of  discrimination  and  analysis,  and 
with  a  fervid  but  chastened  Imagination.  Like  all  men  possessed  of  an  ardent 
temperament,  he  is  sensitive  and  quick  to  resent  an  affront ;  yet  these  natural 
characteristics  are  held  under  the  restraints  of  divine  grace,  and  serve  to  stimu- 
late the  energy  for  which  he  is  remarkable. 

As  a  preacher  he  is  earnest,  tender  and  forcible,  addressing  the  heart  and  con- 
science often  with  thrilling  effect ;  and  the  highest  commendation  which  can  be 
bestowed  on  mortal  man  may  truthfully  be  bestowed  on  him,  that  he  has  faith- 
fully preached  Christ  crucified  as  the  only  ground  of  hope  and  salvation  for 
sinners.  In  the  relation  of  pastor,  to  which  most  of  his  life  has  been  devoted, 
and  for  which  he  is  by  nature  and  culture  eminently  qualified,  he  has  ever  been 
habitually  attentive  to  the  wants  of  his  charge,  faithful  in  warning,  assiduous  in 
seeking  to  win  the  erring,  while  to  the  poor  and  afflicted  he  has  always  been  gen- 
erous and  sympathizing. 

Besides  his  services  in  the  cause  of  education  in  Alabama,  he  has  for  twenty- 
two  years  served  his  denomination  in  Georgia  as  a  Trustee  of  Mercer  University, 
and  is  fairly  entitled  to  be  regarded  with  honor  for  his  labors  in  the  advancement 
of  education  among  our  people.  And  now,  as  the  Corresponding  Secretary  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Missions  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  he  is 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  I9I 

prosecuting  the  work  of  collecting  funds  for  the  Foreign  and  Home  Mission 
Boards  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  and  for  State  Missions,  with  his 
accustomed  zeal  and  ability,  and  with  his  usual  success.  May  years  of  increas- 
ing usefulness  await  him  and  crown  his  life  with  the  glory  of  having  "  served  his 
generation  "  well ! 


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NOBLE  LESLIE  DeVOTIE. 

Rev.  Noble  Leslie  DeVotie,  eldest  son  of  Dr.  J.  H. 
DeVotie  and  Margaret  Noble  DeVotie,  was  born  in  Tus- 
caloosa, Alabama,  on  the  24th  of  January,  1838.  The 
child  of  prayer,  and  reared  by  parents  eminent  for  per- 
sonal piety,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  he  should  have  given 
his  heart  to  God  at  the  early  age  of  eleven  years  and  six 
months.  Previous  to  that  time  he  was  of  active  and  cheer- 
ful habits,  but  thoughful  and  studious ;  afterwards,  even 
until  his  sudden  and  lamentable  death,  his  entire  course 
in  life  was  most  consistent  and  pious ;  and  no  one  ever 
had  any  reason  to  doubt  the  genuineness  of  his  early 
conversion.  That  event,  so  important  for  him,  occurred 
in  Marion,  Alabama,  during  a  protracted  meeting  in  which  all  denominations 
united.  He  made  then,  at  that  early  age,  a  public  profession  of  his  faith  in  Jesus, 
and  was  baptized  by  his  own  father,  uniting  with  the  Siloam  church,  of  which 
his  father  was  pastor.  Henceforth  his  life  was  like  the  sun  which  shines  more 
and  more  unto  the  perfect  day.  Gradually  he  ripened  into  one  of  those  almost 
perfect  characters  which,  seeming  almost  too  good  for  earth,  are  speedily 
removed  to  a  better  world.  Possessed  of  great  firmness  of  purpose  and  moral 
courage,  he  was  enabled  so  completely  to  resist  the  follies  and  foibles  of  early 
manhood,  that,  after  his  graduation  from  the  University  of  Alabama,  Dr.  B. 
Manly,  Sr.,  alluding  to  his  Christian  standing  and  deportment,  said :  "  I  have 
never  seen  or  heard  anything  of  Noble,  during  his  entire  college  course,  which 
I  could  condemn," 

His  studies  were  prosecuted  at  Howard  College,  Marion,  Alabama,  until  he 
had  completed  his  Sophomore  year,  when  it  was  decided  by  his  parents  that  he 
should  finish  his  course  at  the  University  of  Alabama,  under  Dr.  Manly,  Presi- 
dent of  that  institution.  His  course  was  thorough,  and  so  assiduously  did  he 
pursue  his  studies  that,  when  graduating,  before  his  twentieth  year,  he  took  the 
first  honor  of  his  class.  It  was  during  his  Junior  year  in  the  University  that  a 
general  rebellion  occurred  in  college,  in  which  he  was  most  earnestly  solicited  to 
join  by  his  fellow-students.  He  firmly  declined,  and  was  one  of  five  only  who 
refused  to  take  part  and  sign  the  paper,  in  conflict  with  the  faculty.  When  it 
was  represented  to  him  that  he  would  be  ruined  forever  if  he  did  not  take  his 
stand  with  his  class  and  comrades,  and  when  one  of  them  laid  hold  of  him  and 
exclaimed,  "  You  must  sign,"  he  replied,  "  I  will  suffer  my  right  hand  to  be  cut 
off,  rather  than  put  my  name  to  that  paper  before  I  consult  my  father."  Many 
of  those  who  signed  the  paper  were  expelled  from  the  institution,  and  the  very 
students  who  averred  that  he  would  ruin  himself  by  not  signing,  in  the  end  were 
foremost  in  expressing  their  admiration  of  his  firmness  and  his  adhesion  to  the 
right  under  such  trying  circumstances. 

He  graduated  from  the  University  of  Alabama  about  the  year  1856,  ardently 
beloved  by  all — both  students  and  faculty.  Dr.  Garland,  who  was  President 
during  the  Senior  year  of  his  course,  praised  his  conduct  and  character  in  the 
highest  terms. 

For  a  number  of  years  his  mind  had  been  inclined  toward  the  Christian  min- 
istry, and  when,  after  his  graduation,  the  church  at  Tuscaloosa,  of  which  he  was 
a  member,  offered  him  a  license  to  preach,  he  accepted  it,  and  decided  to  enter 


192  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

at  once  on  a  course  of  theological  study.  But  the  complete  course  which  he 
desired  to  pursue  was  not  then  afforded  by  our  Southern  Theological  Seminary, 
and  as  the  Northern  Baptist  theological  seminaries  were  made  extremely  un- 
pleasant to  Southern  students  by  the  bitter  anti-slavery  fanaticism  which  per- 
vaded them  all,  he  concluded  to  enter  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary,  at 
Princeton,  New  Jersey.  After  a  full  course  of  three  years,  he  graduated  and 
returned  home  to  Columbus,  Georgia,  his  father  having  moved  to  that  city  and 
assumed  pastoral  charge  of  the  Baptist  church.  Before  a  great  while  had  elapsed, 
he' received  two  invitations  to  the  pastorate — one  from  Eufaula,  Alabama,  and 
one  from  Selma,  Alabama.  He  decided  in  favor  of  Selma,  after  making  the 
matter  a  subject  of  prayer  and  weighing  well  the  inducements  offered  by  both 
places. 

His  ordination  took  place  at  Selma,  on  the  20th  of  November,  1859,  his  father, 
Dr.  B.  Manly,  Sr.,  and  Rev.  A.  G.  McCraw  composing  the  presbytery.  He 
entered  on  his  pastoral  work  with  great  energy  and  devotion,  creating  a  fine 
impression  in  the  community,  and  enjoying  the  heartiest  sympathy  and  warmest 
Christian  affection  of  his  congregation  and  people.  Thus  were  the  prayers  and 
sacrifices  of  an  affectionate  father  fully  answered,  and  the  way  was  most  auspi- 
ciously opened  for  a  life  of  honor  and  usefulness ;  two  instead  of  one,  in  the 
family,  were  now  permitted  to  labor  for  Jesus,  and  the  desires  and  hopes  of 
many  years  were  at  length  fully  and  joyfully  realized. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  Noble's  journal,  written  on  the  day  of  his 
ordination : 

"  The  candidate  and  council  then  knelt  down,  and  Brother  McCraw  offered 
the  ordaining  prayer.  The  solemnity  and  emotions  of  my  soul  at  this  moment 
no  language  can  describe.  I  was  thus  being  recognized  as  a  messenger  of  the 
Lord  Jesus — a  post  of  distinction  to  which  an  angel  m'ight  aspire.  I  thus  pub- 
licly took  the  vows  of  an  ambassador  of  Christ  upon  me.  The  surrender  thus 
made,  and  the  obligations  and  honor  thus  placed  upon  me,  I  pray  may  ever  be 
regarded  in  the  light  in  which  they  ought  to  be  viewed.  I  will,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  never  regret  the  first,  shrink  from  the  second,  or  undervalue  the  third. 

"  Help  me,  my  heavenly  Father !  and  thou,  my  dear  Saviour !  and  thou,  O, 
Holy  Spirit,  help  me  to  pay  the  vows  thus  made !" 

Time  passed  rapidly  with  the  young  pastor,  and  a  year  soon  rolled  round. 
The  tocsin  of  war  sounded,  and  the  young  men  of  Selma,  and  especially  of  his 
congregation,  were  among  the  first  to  fly  to  arms  for  the  defence,  as  all  beUeved, 
of  a  righteous  cause.  Moved  by  the  same  enthusiasm  and  patriotism,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  wishes  of  his  young  friends  that  he  should  accompany  them,  at  least 
for  a  time.  Noble  went  as  chaplain  of  one  of  the  Selma  companies,  to  Fort  Mor- 
gan, below  Mobile.  His  influence  and  example  were  beneficial  to  the  young 
men,  and  the  blessed  effects  of  his  ministry  on  them  were  manifest  long  after- 
wards. Love  and  admiration  for  him  extended,  and  he  was  soon  invited  by  the 
commander  to  act  as  chaplain  to  the  garrison  of  the  fort ;  but  his  work  on  earth, 
though  short  and  seemingly  incomplete,  was  accomplished,  and  the  Angel  of  the 
Covenant  came  for  him  at  a  moment  most  unexpected.  On  the  night  of  Febru- 
ary 1 2th,  1 86 1,  at  Fort  Morgan,  he  went  down  to  the  steamboat,  at  the  wharf, 
to  bid  some  friends  farewell  who  were  returning  to  the  city.  After  he  had  left  the 
boat  to  return  to  the  fort,  he  stepped  off  the  wharf,  in  the  darkness,  and  was 
swept  out  to  sea  by  the  swiftly  running  tide,  and  drowned.  Thus  perished,  at 
twenty-three,  as  noble  a  Christian  young  man  as  the  South  ever  produced — one 
in  whom  all  the  loftiest  attributes  which  adorn  the  human  character  shone  with 
singular  lustre — one  in  whom  sincere  and  earnest  piety,  united  with  a  fine  intel- 
lect, a  sweet  disposition,  filial  devotion,  the  utmost  purity,  and  a  burning  zeal  for 
the  cause  of  Christ.  Possessed  of  a  superior  intellect,  cultivated  in  a  high  degree, 
with  a  soul  animated  by  generous  aspirations  and  purified  by  divine  grace,  he 
crowned  an  ardent  zeal  in  the  cause  of  religion  with  a  pure  and  spotless  life. 
To  pronounced  yet  unobtrusive  piety,  he  added  preaching  talents  of  the  first 
order,  and  secured  a  wonderful  hold  on  the  confidence  and  affections  of  all  who 
knew  him.  By  nature  he  was  modest  and  unassuming,  utterly  wanting  in  egot- 
ism, yet  possessed  of  a  sufficient  degree  of  self-respect.     His  kind  and  loving 


OF  PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


193 


disposition  in  the  family  circle,  and  especially  his  tender,  affectionate  and  dutiful 
conduct  towards  his  parents,  were  most  beautiful  traits  in  his  symmetrical  and 
lovely  character,  and  made  his  death  all  the  more  heart-rending  to  those  who 
survived  him. 

The  following  is  a  part  of  the  report  adopted  in  honor  of  his  memory  by  the 
"  Independent  Blues,"  and  "  Governor's  Guards,"  the  two  Selma  companies  with 
which  he  went  as  chaplain  to  Mobile : 

"  He  was  pliant  in  his  disposition  and  large  of  heart.  Instructed  in  the  great 
truths  of  morality  by  pious  parents,  he,  in  boyhood,  took  the  Bible  for  his 
standard,  and  acknowledged  Jesus  Christ  as  his  Master  and  Lord.  Possessed  of 
those  kindlier  feelings  which  religion  always  bestows,  he  had  the  good  wishes  of 
all  who  knew  him.  Always  mindful  of  the  great  commandment  and  the  one 
like  unto  it,  he  called  no  man  enemy,  but  stamped  upon  the  hearts  of  all  some 
of  the  great  principles  which  governed  his  own  actions.  Cheerful  of  disposition, 
slow  to  condemn,  quick  to  forgive,  well  balanced  in  temper,  cherishing  no  evil — 
the  good  and  the  bad  alike  loved  him." 

Crushing  was  the  blow  of  his  death  to  his  loving  and  warm-hearted  father, 
utterly  unprepared  as  he  was  for  this  mysterious  providence,  and  nothing  but 
divine  grace  enabled  him  to  bear  up  under  it,  especially  as  the  body  had  been 
swept  out  to  sea  and  not  recovered.  He  earnestly  prayed  that  God  would  at 
least  bestow  on  him  the  lifeless  form  of  his  beloved  boy.  God  heard  his  prayer. 
A  terrific  storm,  eighty  hours  after  the  young  man's  death,  blew  his  lifeless 
corpse  up  from  the  sea,  unmarred  and  not  discolored,  and  cast  it  on  the  sands 
near  the  fort,  where  it  was  discovered.  Eight  days  after  his  decease,  his  body 
arrived  at  Columbus,  Georgia,  escorted  by  a  large  detail  from  his  regiment.  Dr. 
Manly  preached  his  funeral  sermon  to  an  overflowing  congregation,  speaking  of 
him  in  exalted  terms  as  one  who  "  was  noble  by  name,  and  noble  by  nature." 
A  vast  concourse  attended  his  remains  to  the  cemetery,  where  they  were  laid 
away  amid  many  tears,  to  await  the  resurrection  morn. 


JOHN    S.   DODD. 

For  thirty-eight  years  Elder  John 
S.  DoDD  has  been  laboring  earnestly 
and  effectively  as  a  faithful  minister  of 
the  Gospel,  in  the  western  portion  of 
the  State,  standing  high  with  his  breth- 
ren, and  greatly  building  up  the 
churches  of  which  he  has  had  the 
oversight. 

He  is  a  man  of  remarkable  qualities. 
Himself  and  wife  settled  a  small  farm 
in  Fayette  county  fifty-one  years  ago, 
which  farm  they  purchased  with  the 
one  single  horse  they  had,  their  only 
property.  Going  into  the  woods,  they 
began  to  clear  their  land.  Fortunately, 
both  were  strong  and  healthy.  In  the 
day  they  cleared  land ;  at  night  they 
would  card  and  spin  the  cotton  and 
wool  with  which  to  make  their  own 
clothing.  Their  diligence  God  blessed, 
and,  in  the  course  of  time,  from  the 
"  stubborn  glebe  "  they  won  a  compe- 
tence. Children  grew  up  around  them, 
and  at  the  end  of  half  a  century  they  are  surrounded  with  every  comfort ;  eleven 
out  of  thirteen  children  are  living,  whose  offspring  ntmiber  ninety-four. 


194  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

Mr.  Dodd  is  now  seventy-one  years  old,  having  been  bom  August  3d,  1809, 
in  Union  district,  South  Carolina.  What  early  human  education  he  received 
came  from  an  old-field  school ;  but  when  God  has  work  for  a  man,  he  educates 
him  to  suit  Himself.  Such  an  education  he  gave  this  workman  of  his.  In  his 
19th  year  he  married  Elizabeth  H.  Word,  and  they  moved  to  Georgia  and  settled 
in  Fayette  county,  within  two  miles  of  where  they  now  live,  relying  solely  on 
their  own  stout  hearts  and  strong  arms. 

She  was  converted  in  1830,  and  he  in  May,  1832,  and  then  they  both  joined 
the  Bethsaida  church  close  by,  she  having  waited  two  years  to  be  baptized  at  the 
same  time  with  her  husband.  In  1841  that  church  licensed  him  to  preach  ;  and 
in  1842  it  had  him  ordained  to  the  ministry,  and  called  him  as  pastor.  Of  that 
same  church  he  is  pastor  yet,  a  period  of  thirty-eight  years.  From  his  ordina- 
tion until  within  five  years  of  the  present  time,  he  has  never  served  less  than  four 
churches  at  a  time,  and  some  of  his  pastorates  have  been  remarkaby  long.  That 
with  the  Bethsaida  church  has  been  mentioned.  He  supplied  Ramah  church, 
near  Palmetto,  26  years;  Antioch  church,  21  years;  Bethlehem,  in  Fayette 
county,  1 3  years ;  Fairburn,  1 5  years ;  Ebenezer,  in  Coweta  county,  8  years ; 
Bethlehem,  in  Campbell  county,  6  years.  All  these,  and  other  churches,  have 
been  built  up  and  established  by  his  useful  and  continuous  labors  ;  nearly  three 
thousand  souls  have  been  added  to  them  by  baptism,  as  the  result  of  his  labors ; 
and  what  is  remarkable,  not  one  of  his  churches  has  ever  had  a  serious  difficulty, 
and,  considering  their  numbers,  very  few  members  have  ever  been  expelled  from 
them,  although  he  is  a  very  rigid  disciplinarian. 

When  the  Fairburn  Association  was  organized  in  1868,  twelve  years  ago,  he 
was  elected  its  Moderator,  and  each  succeeding  year  has  seen  him  re-elected  to 
that  office.  About  four  years  agu  his  health  began  to  fail  from  hard  labor  in  the 
pulpit  and  on  the  farm,  and  he  resigned  the  charge  of  all  his  churches  but  the 
Bethsaida,  into  whose  communion  he  was  received  forty-eight  years  ago,  of 
which  he  has  been  pastor  thirty-eight  years,  and  to  whose  membership  he  has  in 
that  time  received  by  baptism  750  members. 

He  is  a  man  of  wonderful  firmness,  yet  evenness  of  temper,  of  strong  common 
sense  and  conscientiousness,  and  of  remarkable  personal  magnetism.  A  good 
revival  preacher,  he  is  very  sound  in  doctrine ;  full  of  kindness  and  exceedingly 
hospitable,  he  is  cordial  in  manner,  frank  in  disposition,  and  yet  unsparing  in  his 
denunciation  of  sin.  With  delinquent  church-members  he  deals  strictly,  yet 
kindly ;  and  in  all  his  neighborhood  is  the  most  popular  of  preachers.  Stout  in 
person,  ruddy  in  countenance,  and  good-humored  by  nature,  he  is  ardently  be- 
loved for  his  excellent  qualities,  highly  esteemed  for  his  piety  and  usefulness, 
and  universally  regarded  as  the  grand  pillar  of  the  denomination  in  his  section. 


J.  M.  DONALDSON. 

Rev.  J.  M.  Donaldson  was  born  in  Screven  county, 
March,  1816.  Not  long  after  his  birth  the  family  settled 
in  Jefferson  county.  His  father  died  a  few  years  subse- 
quent to  this  removal,  leaving  the  mother  and  children  com- 
paratively poor,  so  that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  had  to 
devote  most  of  his  time  to  labor  on  the  farm,  and  possessed 
but  limited  school  advantages.  Left  without  a  father,  his 
Christian  mother  became  the  guide  of  his  )^outh,  and  suc- 
cessfully impressed  him  with  the  necessity  of  moral  worth. 
He  was  held  in  high  esteem  as  a  good  boy,  and  secured 
the  confidence  of  all  for  strict  morality.  He  began  at  that  time  to  feel  that  he 
was  better  than  others,  and  that  his  adherence  to  truth  and  morality  was  all  that 
he  needed.  But,  in  1837,  while  hearing  a  most  searching  discourse,  his  under- 
standing was  opened  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  he  was  brought  to  realize  that  he 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


195 


was  a  lost  sinner,  and  that  all  his  morality  was  but  "as  filthy  rags."  He  ceased 
to  trust  in  himself,  and  throwing  himself  upon  the  mercy  of  God,  with  the  cry 
of  the  publican,  "God  be  merciful  to  me  the  sinner,"  he  experienced  the  peace 
that  passeth  understanding.  Owing  to  circumstances  that  seemed  beyond  his 
control,  he  did  not  unite  with  the  church  until  1845,  when  he  was  baptized  into 
the  fellowship  of  New  Bethel  church,  by  Rev.  Isaac  Smith. 

After  his  marriage  to  Miss  S.  E.  Fort,  of  Washington  county,  and  soon  after 
his  baptism,  he  moved  to  Laurens  county,  and  himself  and  wife  joined  Shady 
Grove  church.  By  this  church  he  was  called  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry, 
Rev.  L.  J.  Harrison  conducting  the  ordination  services.  He  was  invited  to  take 
the  pastoral  care  of  the  church,  and  has  preached,  and  still  preaches,  to  churches 
in  Laurens,  Johnson  and  contiguous  counties.  The  Lord  has  added  many  to 
the  churches  through  his  instrumentality. 

J.  M.  Donaldson  is  held  in  affectionate  regard  by  his  brethren,  and  has  fre- 
quent evidences  of  their  confidence.  For  many  years  he  was  Clerk  of  Mt.  Ver- 
non Association,  and  is  now  its  Moderator.  He  has  the  prospect  of  many  years 
of  usefulness  in  his  Master's  work. 


DAVID    LANEY   DUFFEY. 


Rev.  David  Laney  Duffey,  now  in  his  71st  year,  was 
born  in  Mecklenburg  county,  North  Carolina,  December 
29th,  1809.  His  father  and  mother  were  John  and  Nancy 
Duffey,  Methodists  in  religion,  and  thoroughly  pious  people 
in  heart  and  life.  They  gave  their  son  the  benefit  of  such 
schools  only  as  their  neighborhood  afforded ;  in  conse- 
quence, his  education,  except  such  as  he  acquired  by  self- 
application,  has  been  extremely  limited.  His  parents, 
however,  did  not  neglect  his  moral  culture,  and  brought 
him  up  in  the  practice  of  many  good  habits,  at  the  same 
time  teaching  him  to  avoid  the  common  vices  of  boyhood. 

In  his  young  days  he  was  regarded  as  a  very  moral  young  man.  In  1828, 
when  he  was  nineteen  years  old,  his  parents  moved  to  Georgia,  and  settled  in 
Henry  county,  where  David  Laney  frequently  heard  the  sermons  of  Rev.  James 
Carter.  After  a  season  of  deep  conviction,  he  felt,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two, 
that  God  had,  for  Christ's  sake,  pardoned  his  sins,  and  he  was  enabled  to  rejoice 
in  the  hope  of  eternal  glory.  The  matter  of  church  relations  then  presented 
itself,  and  caused  him  much  anxiety,  for  his  friends  were  all  Methodists,  and  he 
had  been  sprinkled  when  a  small  boy.  With  that  substitute  for  baptism  he  was 
by  no  means  satisfied,  though  he  sought  earnestly  to  convince  himself  that  it  was 
sufficient ;  but  the  more  he  read  the  Scriptures  and  studied  the  subject  of  bap- 
tism, the  more  dissatisfied  he  became,  and  the  conviction  gradually  fastened  itself 
on  his  mind  that  he  had  really  never  been  baptized.  At  this  time  he  was  severely 
lectured  by  his  friends  for  leaning  toward  the  Baptists  ;  but  after  mature  delib- 
eration, he  followed  the  convictions  of  his  mind,  and  joined  the  Towaliga  Baptist 
church,  in  Butts  county.  This  done,  his  relatives  ceased  all  opposition,  and  re- 
ceived him  as  more  than  a  brother.  The  battle  had  been  fought  and  the  victory 
won.  He  was  baptized  by  Rev.  James  Carter,  in  August,  1832  ;  was  licensed  to 
preach  about  1844,  and  at  a  General  Meeting  held  at  the  Towaliga  church,  May 
30th,  1847,  was  ordained  at  the  same  time  with  J.  T.  Kimbell,  by  a  presbytery 
consisting  of  eight  ministers.  These  two  newly  ordained  brethren  were  sent  out 
as  missionaries  to  the  destitute  portions  of  the  Flint  River  Association. 

Without  specifying  his  labors  more  particularly,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  state 
that  Mr.  Duffey  has  been  the  pastor  of  the  following  churches :  Philippi,  Beth- 
16 


196 


Biographical  sketches 


any,  Sharon,  Liberty  and  Liberty  Hill,  in  Henry  county;  Zion,  Carmei  and 
County  Line,  in  Newton  county ;  Union,  in  Morgan,  New  Providence,  in  Rock- 
dale, Fairburn,  in  Campbell,  Mount  Zion,  in  Clayton,  and  Fayetteville,  in  Fayette 
county.  For  two  years  he  has  held  the  office  of  tax-collector ;  represented  Henry 
county  in  the  Convention  at  Milledgeville  in  1850;  and  has  been  a  delegate  to 
the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  for  a  great  many  years. 

He  has  always  been  exceedingly  fond  of  reading  good  books,  and  has  received 
much  benefit  from  them  ;  but  the  main  value  of  his  preaching  has  been  derived 
from  his  earnest  and  devout  spirit,  consuming  zeal  when  aroused,  an  ardent 
desire  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  his  sincere  efforts,  in  dependence  on  the 
Holy  Spirit,  to  win  men  to  Jesus.  He  was  always  a  faithful  pastor,  punctual  in 
his  appointments,  and  unwearied  in  his  efforts  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his 
churches.  As  a  minister  he  has  been  zealous,  proclaiming  the  truth  with  great 
fervency  and  earnestness.  Though  not  a  polished  speaker,  what  he  said  has 
been  full  of  good  sense,  and  it  has  been  so  delivered  that  his  hearers  were  made 
to  feel  it.  He  is  a  man  of  a  great  deal  of  energy,  prosecuting  every  undertaking 
with  that  diligence  which  is  ever  rewarded  by  success. 

Spare-made  and  of  medium  height,  with  a  constitution  naturally  weak,  and 
health  delicate  for  many  years,  he  has,  nevertheless,  been  an  efficient  laborer  in 
the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  through  his  ministrations  many  have  been  added  to 
the  churches.  For  a  long  time  he  has  been  a  warm  advocate  of  the  missionary 
cause,  and  has  contributed  liberally  of  his  own  substance  for  its  advancement,  as 
well  as  for  the  promotion  of  temperance. 

His  moral  character  is  without  reproach,  and  in  his  old  age  he  enjoys,  in  an 
enviable  degree,  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  his  brethren,  and  of  the  public 
at  large.  He  is  a  man  "given  to  hospitality,"  always  taking  great  pleasure  in 
the  companionship  of  the  good  and  of  those  who  are  agreeable  in  manners.  He 
is  still  living  in  Clayton  county,  about  four  miles  from  Jonesboro,  in  his  71st 
year,  having  retired  from  pastoral  duties ;  and  though  very  infirm,  and  feeble  in 
health,  he  is  a  regular  attendant  on  the  services  of  the  sanctuary,  and  always 
manifests  a  lively  interest  in  the  welfare  of  Zion,  and  in  the  salvation  of  souls. 
He  is  now  living  with  his  second  wife,  who  was  Miss  Martha  E.  Murphy,  of 
Fayette  county,  Georgia.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Mary  R.  Maddox,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Maddox,  of  Monroe  county.  Each  of  his  wives  was  the  mother  of 
four  children,  nearly  all  of  whom  are  members  of  Baptist  churches. 


IVY  W.  DUGGAN. 


Ivy  W.  Duggan,  A.M.,  son  of  Archelaus  and  Eliza- 
beth Duggan,  was  born  near  Warthen,  Washington 
county,  Georgia,  December  22d,  1831.  He  is  emphati- 
cally a  self-made  man.  His  early  educational  advantages 
were  inferior,  but  after  attaining  majority,  by  his  own 
exertions  he  acquired  an  excellent  education.  For  twenty- 
five  years  (excepting  four  years  spent  under  General  Lee 
in  Virginia),  he  has  taught,  most  successfully,  in  his 
native  State.  For  the  last  eight  years  he  has  been  Prin- 
cipal of  the  Sandersville  High  School,  an  institution  which, 
in  popularity  and  numbers,  has  few  equals  in  Georgia. 

In  1 876  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Mercer  University  conferred  on  him  the  honorary 

degree  of  Master  of  Arts. 

In  1855  he  married  Miss  Susan  F.  Reynolds,  who  died  in  1869.     In  1872  he 

married  Miss  Sallie  Cone,  his  present  wife. 

In  early  manhood  he  was  baptized  by  Elder  Benjamin  Roberts  into  Bethlehem 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


197 


church,  Washington  county,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  a  regular  and  active 
member  of  the  Washington  Baptist  Association.  Since  the  death  of  Elder  Ben- 
jamin Roberts,  in  1876,  he  has  been  Clerk  of  the  Association.  He  is  an  active 
worker,  possesses  much  influence,  and  an  energy  that  seldom  fails  to  accom- 
plish whatever  he  undertakes.  That  he  is  a  fine  writer  has  been  shown  by 
many  productions  of  his  pen ;  and  especially  by  his  "  Letters  from  the  Army," 
and  by  a  number  of  Essays  read  by  him,  and  published  by  request  of  his  brethren. 


ASA  DUGGAN. 


Rev.  Asa  Duggan  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Georgia,  January  25th,  1806.  His  pa- 
rents were  John  and  Mary  Duggan.  He  was  one 
of  the  most  influential  men  of  our  denomina- 
tion in  southern  Georgia,  and  for  many  years 
was  Moderator  of  the  Washington  Association. 
In  person  he  was  tall  and  commanding.  He  had 
but  a  limited  education,  and  yet,  by  strong  na- 
tive sense  and  good  judgment,  united  with  en- 
ergy and  perseverance,  reached  a  position  as  a 
preacher  to  be  valued  highly  ;  succeeded  won- 
derfully in  a  financial  point  of  view,  and  made 
a  decided  impression  on  the  generation  with 
which  he  lived.  His  influence  and  abilities 
were  always  exerted  for  good,  and  in  his  denom- 
ination were  felt  as  a  power.  All  those  qualities 
which  go  to  make  a  good  Baptist,  an  excellent 
citizen,  a  Christian,  and  an  admirable  father  and 
husband,  were  united  in  him. 

He  was  baptized  in  September,  1825  ;  was  ordained  a  deacon  in  November, 
1826;  and  ordained  a  minister  in  February,  1837.  Most  of  his  time,  until  1853, 
was  taken  up  in  the  service  of  the  Bethlehem  church,  which  called  him  to  ordina- 
tion. Since  then  he  has  served  many  other  churches,  one  of  the  most  efficient 
years  of  his  life  being  that  which  he  spent  as  a  missionary  and  colporteur, 
preaching  to  those  destitute  of  Gospel  privileges  in  southern  Georgia.  His  labors 
there  were  very  successful. 

He  was  married  in  Washington,  Georgia,  November  18th,  1824,  to  Elizabeth 
Lord,  who  died  a  few  years  ago.     Of  ten  children,  three  only  are  now  living. 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  earnest  and  zealous  ;  as  a  pastor,  faithful  and  devout ;  as 
a  public  speaker,  impressive ;  and  as  a  man  and  friend,  staunch  and  true. 

He  was  a  delegate  from  Bethlehem  when  the  Association  was  constituted  at 
Sisters,  in  December,  1828.  He  was  the  last  one  of  those  delegates  to  die,  and 
was  the  last  living  link  that  connected  the  constitution  of  the  Association  with 
the  present  time.  He  attended  nearly  every  session  of  the  body,  and  was  ever 
one  of  its  most  active  and  useful  members.  He  was  first  elected  Moderator  in 
1847,  and  served  in  that  capacity  very  frequently,  having  been  re-elected  for 
many  successive  years,  until  the  session  at  Long  Creek,  in  1879,  when,  bur- 
dened with  age  and  afflictions,  he  begged  his  brethren  to  relieve  him  and  to  elect 
another  Moderator.  For  several  years  he  had  felt  that  each  meeting  would 
perhaps  be  his  last ;  and  with  tears  he  exhorted  all  to  meet  him  in  heaven. 

Many  now  living  are  witnesses  to  the  success  of  his  faithful  labors — seals  of 
his  ministry — crowns  of  his  rejoicing — sheaves  gathered  into  the  garner  through 
his  instrumentality.  He  entered  the  vineyard  early,  remained  beyond  the  allot- 
ted three-score  years  and  ten,  was  universally  honored  and  beloved ;  and  when 


198 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


he  passed  quietly  away,  all  thanked  God  for  having  given  them  such  a  father  in 
Israel. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1879,  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  He  was  buried  at  the 
old  homestead,  beside  the  mother  of  his  children,  who  had  cheered  and  assisted 
him  in  the  labors  of  half  a  century,  and  who  went  before  him  to  the  Better  Land. 

The  following  just  tribute  to  his  memory  is  from  the  Warrenton  Clipper,  a 
respectable  and  worthy  secular  journal  published  in  his  vicinity : 

"  Father  Duggan  was  one  of  the  brightest  lights  that  has  ever  shone  in  the 
history  of  the  Washington  Association.  He  did  more  to  build  up  the  Baptist 
cause  throughout  the  area  of  that  working  body  than  perhaps  any  other  man 
that  has  ever  lived  in  its  bounds.  He  was  its  home  missionary  in  his  palmiest 
days,  and  has  served  as  pastor  in  a  large  number  of  its  churches,  most  of  his 
life  ;  has  been  Moderator  twice  during  that  time,  each  time  covering  a  period  of 
several  years.  He  was  Moderator  up  to  this  year's  session,  at  Long  Creek 
church,  in  this  county.  Age  and  the  sudden  illness  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Ghees- 
ling,  forced  him  to  withdraw  voluntarily  from  that  service. 

"  He  was  greatly  beloved,  and  has  always  been  an  acceptable  and  faithful 
preacher  of  the  Gospel.  His  relatives  and  friends  are  numerous,  and  many  hearts 
will  bleed  and  many  tears  fall  under  the  stroke  of  grief  frorh  the  sad  news  of 
his  decease.  He  was  only  waiting,  and  told  the  brethren  at  every  session  of  the 
Association  that  he  never  expected  to  see  them  again.  Our  heart  goes  out  in 
prayerful  sympathy  to  the  immediately  bereaved  family." 


E.   DUMAS. 


Rev.  E.  Dumas,  the  Ordinary  of  Monroe  county,  Geor- 
gia, is  now  in  his  70th  year,  and  yet  preaches,  at  times  with 
youthful  fervor.  Converted  and  baptized  by  Rev.  James 
Carter,  in  1834,  he  joined  the  church  at  Holly  Grove,  Mon- 
roe county,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1837.  At  first, 
from  a  sense  of  unworthiness,  he  refused  to  preach,  but 
afterwards  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  with  great 
zeal,  travelling  on  horseback  and  in  buggies  more  than  one 
hundred  thousand  miles,  preaching  thousands  of  sermons, 
and  baptizing  hundreds  as  the  fruit  of  his  labors.  For 
more  than  forty  years  he  has  thus  labored  in  the  ministry,  but  his  fellow-citizens 
have  manifested  their  confidence  in  him  by  demanding  his  services  in  various 
ways  in  a  civil  capacity.  For  eight  years  he  served  his  district  as  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace ;  for  four  years  he  served  as  a  Judge  of  the  Inferior  Court ;  for  four  years 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State ;  and  now  he  is  acting  in  the 
capacity  of  Judge  of  Ordinary  for  the  county,  which  position  he  has  held  for 
five  years.  All  this  shows  the  regard  in  which  he  is  held  by  the  people  among 
whom  he  has  resided  for  fifty-six  years.  In  his  ecclesiastical  relations  he  has 
been  honored  also,  having  been  continuously  elected  Moderator  of  the  Towaliga 
Association  for  ten  years.  He  is  now  the  pastor  of  two  churches,  and  frequently 
says,  "  I  love  Jesus  and  I  love  to  preach." 

Mr.  Dumas  was  born  in  Richmond  county.  North  Carolina,  February  1 5th, 
1 8 10.  When  he  was  quite  a  small  boy,  in  18 14,  his  father  moved  to  Putnam 
county,  Georgia.  Benjamin  Dumas,  his  father,  was  of  French  origin,  and  many 
of  the  family  took  part  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  serving  immediately  under 
Generals  Washington  and  Green,  and  suffering  wounds  and  death  for  the  cause 
of  liberty.  In  181 8,  when  in  his  eighth  year,  he  saw  his  mother  baptized  by  Rev. 
Eden  Taylor,  in  Little  River.  "Mother,  did  uncle  Taylor  try  to  drown  you?" 
he  asked.  "No,  my  child,"  was  the  reply.  Then  the  good  woman  took  the 
boy  into  a  room,  closed  the  door,  and  told  him  how  she,  a  poor  sinner,  had  ob- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


199 


tained  a  hope  in  Christ ;  how  she  loved  Jesus  and  wished  to  obey  and  serve 
him ;  and  that  he,  too,  was  a  poor  little  sinner,  to  be  saved  by  grace,  if  saved  at 
all.  And  then  she  put  him  on  his  knees,  and  kneeling  beside  him,  with  tears  in 
her  eyes  prayed  to  the  God  of  heaven  for  the  salvation  of  her  little  boy.  Then 
she  raised  him  up  and  said,  "  Now,  go  to  school  and  learn  all  you  can,  so  that 
you  may  be  able  to  read  the  Bible  to  your  poor  mother,  who  cannot  read  it. 
Try  to  be  a  good  boy,  and  pray  to  God  that  you  may  be  born  again  and  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  With  his  little  basket  in  hand  he  set  out  for  school, 
and  on  the  way,  turned  aside  to  pray,  as  his  mother  had  instructed  him  ;  and 
ever  after,  amid  the  frivolities  of  youth  and  the  gayeties  of  life,  he  could  hear 
ringing  in  his  ears  the  pious  instruction  of  his  mother,  "  Prepare  to  meet  thy 
God  ! "  From  that  incident  in  early  youth  he  dates  the  serious  impressions  which 
followed  him  with  a  restraining  influence  throughout  life,  and,  by  divine  grace, 
led,  sixteen  years  later,  to  his  conversion  and  salvation. 

He  married  Miss  Isabel  M.  Gibson,  on  the  24th  of  November,  1830,  and  has 
had  thirteen  children  born  to  him,  all  of  whom  are  grown,  and  but  two  of  whom 
are  dead,  both  believers  in  Christ ;  one  fell  upon  the  fatal  field  of  Gettysburg,  and 
the  other  died  shouting  the  praises  of  Jesus.  Of  the  thirteen  children,  all  but 
three  are  members  of  Baptist  churches.  Who  can  tell  the  results  of  one  faith- 
ful prayer  by  a  pious  mother  !  His  noble  wife  is  yet  living,  a  mother  in  Israel ; 
and  he  himself,  now  near  his  heavenly  home,  lingers  on  the  borders  of  the  heav- 
enly Canaan,  expecting  soon  to  pass  the  Jordan  of  death  and  enter  into  everlast- 
ing rest. 


THOMAS   W.   DUPREE. 


The  birth-place  of  Thomas  W.  Dupree  was  Jefferson 
county,  Georgia,  and  his  birth-day,  June  6th,  181 2.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  mother  was  Cynthia  McDonald.  In 
1 8 16  his  parents  settled  in  Wilkinson  county,  and  during 
that  year  God  saw  fit  to  remove  his  father  by  death,  and 
leave  his  mother  to  provide  for  nine  children,  the  eldest  a 
girl  twelve  years  of  age.  His  mother,  with  her  large  fam- 
ily of  little  children,  moved  to  Laurens  county,  remaining 
there  until  she  had  raised  them,  except  two  sons  that  died 
when  quite  young.  Thus  early  deprived  of  the  support 
and  counsel  of  her  husband,  she  used  every  means  to  train 
her  children  in  the  way  they  should  go.  She  always  manifested  the  deepest  and 
tenderest  interest  in  their  spiritual  welfare,  and  taught  them,  both  by  precept 
and  example,  the  truths  of  the  Gospel.  '  He  remembers,  even  till  now,  her  pious 
instructions  and  earnest  prayers,  and  feels  he  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  God 
for  the  gift  of  such  a  Christian  mother. 

As  mi::fht  be  expected,  his  impressions  on  the  subject  of  religion  took  their 
rise  in  early  life.  When  only  about  five  years  old  he  felt  the  necessity  of  living 
the  life  of  a  Christian,  and,  tliough  oppressed  by  no  deep  conviction  for  sin,  en- 
deavored to  refrain  from  all  gross  immoralities  and  open  transgressions,  and  live 
a  life  of  unsullied  morality.  His  desires  were  often  so  strong  that  he  would 
engage  in  what  he  supposed  were  the  duties  of  a  Christian,  such  as  reading  the 
Scriptures,  secret  prayer,  attending  the  Sunday-school  and  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel.  He  felt  that  he  could  adopt  the  language  of  the  young  man,  and  say, 
"  All  these  things  have  I  kept  from  my  youth  up."  As  he  increased  in  years  he 
began  to  realize  that  there  was  in  him  a  corrupt  nature,  which  drew  him  to  the 
world  and  its  sinful  follies  and  amusements.  When  about  eighteen  years  old, 
the  light  of  divine  grace  shone  in  his  heart,  and  for  the  first  time  he. rightly  real- 
ized that  he  was  a  sinner  in  the  sight  of  God ;  that  it  was  God's  law  he  had 
transgressed,  and  that  he  deserved  to  suffer  its  righteous  penalties.     For  a  time, 


200 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


bowed  down  under  the  weight  of  his  sinful  and  miserable  condition,  and  over- 
whelmed with  the  thought  that  there  was  and  had  been  all  the  while  in  his  heart 
enmity  to  God,  who  had  been  so  good  to  him,  he  unceasingly  besought  the  Lord 
to  be  merciful  to  him,  a  sinner.  It  seemed  difficult  for  him  to  accept  of  Christ ; 
hard  for  him  to  believe.  Long  did  he  struggle  in  this  way  without  a  gleam  of 
hope ;  but  at  length  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  reveal  himself  to  him  in  mercy,  and 
he  was  enabled  to  rejoice  because  he  saw  God,  against  whom  he  had  sinned, 
reconciled  through  the  atoning  blood  of  Christ.  He  then  united  with  the  Baptist 
church  at  Poplar  Springs,  Laurens  county,  in  August,  1832.  Afterwards  moving  to 
Wilkinson  county,  he  connected  himself  with  the  Big  Sandy  church  in  1834,  and 
holds  his  membership  in  that  church  to  the  present  time. 

For  thirty  years  he  was  a  most  active  deacon  in  his  church,  filling  that  office 
with  great  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  brethren.  From  the  time  he 
united  with  the  church  he  was  impressed  with  the  importance  of  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  but  did  not  fully  yield  to  his  impressions  until  he  was  sixty-three  years 
old.  In  1836-7,  when  the  subject  of  missions  was  under  discussion  in  our 
churches  and  Associations,  he  took  sides  with  those  who  felt  the  obligation  to 
do  what  the  great  Leader  of  his  people  had  commanded,  and  identified  himself 
with  those  familiarly  called  "  Missionary  Baptists."  His  deep  sense  of  the  vast 
and  responsible  work  of  the  ministry,  and  of  his  own  want  of  qualification,  de- 
terred him  from  undertaking  it.  He  resisted  his  convictions  of  duty,  and  they 
in  a  great  degree  left  him,  until  in  1873  he  was  more  powerfully  moved  than 
ever  before  to  give  his  remaining  days  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  In  1 876  he 
entered  upon  that  work,  and  in  the  discharge  of  its  duties,  though  late  in  Hfe, 
feels  a  comfort  and  peace  and  joy  that  he  never  felt  before,  and  gives  as  his  ex- 
perience that  diligence,  and  activity  in  obedience,  is  the  only  way  to  obtain  the 
full  assurance  of  God's  love. 


PARKER   EASON. 


Judge  Parker  Eason  was  of  North 
Carolina  parentage,  but  was  born  in  Wilkes 
county,  Georgia,  in  the  year  1798,  on  the 
22d  of  February — the  natal  day  of  Wash- 
ington, "whom,"  said  a  distinguished  judi- 
cial officer  of  this  State,  "in  person  and 
manners  he  greatly  resembled." 

He  was  married  November  i8th,  1818,  to 
Miss  Penelope  Milner.  This  lady  was  de- 
scended from  a  family  whose  names  have 
adorned  the  annals  of  the  Baptist  denomi- 
nation for  the  past  century.  She  still 
survives  him  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty 
years,  beloved  by  all  who  know  her  for  the 
virtues  and  graces  which  mark  the  true 
woman  and  the  eminent  Christian. 

He  removed,  in  the  fall  of  1823,  to  Henry 
county,  Georgia,  then  almost  a  wilderness, 
and  continued  to  reside  there  until  his  death, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  years,  when  he  made  his  home  in  Griffin  to  educate 
the  children  of  an  only  daughter,  deprived  of  both  parents  when  of  a  very  tender 
age. 

Shortly  after  settling  in  Henry  county,  he,  with  his  wife,  joined  the  Primitive 
Baptist  church  at  Lebanon.  When  the  great  schism  in  the  denomination  took 
place  he  espoused  the  Missionary  cause,  and  became  a  member  of  Old  Phila- 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  20I 

delphia.  Here  he  was  soon  ordained  a  deacon,  and  elected  clerk,  filling  these 
offices  for  many  years  with  acceptance  and  efficiency.  Afterwards,  in  connection 
with  his  son-in-law,  the  late  William  Gaines  Brown,  Henry  Varner  and  others, 
he  organized  the  church  at  Tirzah,  which  soon  took  rank  among  the  most  useful 
and  prosperous  churches  of  the  Association  to  which  it  belonged.  He  served 
the  new  organization  as  deacon  and  clerk  until  about  the  year  1853  or  1854,  when 
it  was  rent  asunder  by  an  unhappy  division  of  opinion  as  to  the  orthodoxy  of 
certain  doctrines  broached  by  the  pastor,  Rev.  Willis  Jarrell.  The  adherents  of 
the  pastor  were  in  possession  of  the  church-building,  and  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  with  a  large  majority  of  the  members,  held  meetings  in  a  school-house 
near  by.  A  lawsuit  over  the  property  followed,  and  after  a  final  hearing  in  our 
State  Supreme  Court,  a  decision  was  rendered,  placing  it  in  the  hands  of  the 
Eason- Varner  party.  The  strife,  however,  sealed  the  fate  of  the  church.  The 
adherents  of  the  pastor  withdrew  ;  most  of  the  leading  members  of  the  majority 
removed,  and  the  organization  was  disbanded.  Recently  it  has  been  reorganized 
by  some  of  the  old  members,  and  others  uniting  with  them,  and  gives  promise 
of  regaining  much  of  its  former  usefulness. 

In  1850,  before  these  troubles  came,  Tirzah  church  licensed  him  to  preach. 
Being  of  a  retiring  disposition,  he  never  exercised  his  gifts  in  this  public  way, 
though,  through  nearly  half  a  century  spent  in  the  sincere  and  faithful  service 
of  the  Master,  he  showed  himself  ever  ready  to  advance  his  cause  by  word  and 
deed.  For  several  sessions  he  acted  as  clerk  of  the  Flint  River  Association,  and 
during  his  residence  in  Griffin,  served  the  church  there  as  deacon.  In  these,  as 
in  all  other  positions,  he  manifested  ability,  fidelity  and  zeal. 

During  the  greater  part  of  his  married  life  he  and  his  noble  wife  had  charge 
of  helpless  old  persons  and  unfriended  orphans,  many  of  them  strangers  to  his 
blood,  but  none  of  them  strangers  to  his  heart.  He  was  able  at  all  times  to  care 
for  them  tenderly,  by  reason  of  the  ample  means  with  which  God  had  blessed 
him,  and  that  better  gift  from  above — the  charity  which  feels  "all  human  sorrow 
and  smart "  as  though  they  were  its  own,  and  which  for  their  relief  "  gives  as  the 
morning  that  flows  out  of  heaven.'  His  heart  and  purse  were  ever  open  to  the  needy 
and  distressed  ;  his  benefactions  abundant,  but  not  ostentatious.  His  donations  to 
schools  of  learning  were  numerous  and  large  ;  and  to  the  Griffin  Marshall  Col- 
lege— a  flourishing  male  Baptist  institution  up  to  the  war—  they  were  munificent. 

His  educational  advantages  in  early  life  were  limited ;  but  he  possessed  the 
quenchless  thirst  for  knowledge  which  characterizes  minds  of  the  higher 
type,  and  devoted  all  his  spare  moments  to  the  study  of  the  best  text-books,  the 
standard  histories,  and  the  classics  of  our  language  in  poetry  and  general  litera- 
ture. Few  men  had  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  vdth  them.  With  such  tastes 
he  naturally  shrank  from  the  political  arena,  and  could  never  be  induced  to  enter 
it.  He  held  but  one  civic  office,  that  of  Judge  of  the  Inferior  Court,  then  a  trib- 
unal of  large  powers,  and  he  held  that  because  he  felt  that  it  afforded  a  sphere 
of  substantial  usefulness  to  the  community,  especially  to  the  widow  and  the 
orphan,  of  whom  he  was  always  a  watchful,  unwearying  friend. 

His  home  was  the  seat  of  a  generous  hospitality,  where  the  old  and  the  young, 
attracted  by  the  sympathies  from  which  no  age  was  barred,  assembled  to  enjoy 
his  society  and  the  objects  of  interest  which  he  had  gathered  about  him.  In 
this  companionship,  in  which  he  at  once  received  and  imparted  pleasure,  and 
among  his  books  and  scientific  instruments,  he  led  the  life  of  a  plain,  unassuming 
Christian  gentleman — of  a  cultivated,  courteous,  open-handed,  warm-hearted 
Southern  planter  of  the  olden  time. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  such  scenes  that  the  heavy  hand  of  disease  fell  on  him 
for  the  first  time,  in  1866.  Partially  paralyzed,  he  gradually  sank;  and,  while 
free  from  pain  to  the  last,  feeling  that  death  had  set  its  seal  on  him,  he  attended 
to  his  affairs  and  the  welfare  of  his  family  and  domestics — a  narrowed  sphere  for 
such  a  man,  but  filled  with  no  narrowed  spirit.  On  January  22d,  1875,  within  a 
month  of  the  completion  of  his  seventy-seventh  year,  he  gently  breathed  his  last, 
in  his  quiet  country  home,  surrounded  by  admiring  and  devoted  friends,  and  a 
family  who  loved  him,  if  they  may  judge,  as  few  men  were  ever  loved.  His 
commanding  presence,  elegant  address  and  refined  manners,  would  have  attracted 


202  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

attention  anywhere  among  his  fellows,  and  stamped  hini  as,  in  the  broadest 
sense  of  the  term,  one  of  "  Nature's  noblemen ; "  while  his  integrity  in  all  the 
relations  of  life,  and  his  conformity  to  all  the  precepts  of  Christianity,  won  for 
him  that  higher  title — "a  prince  in  Israel."  But  to  judge  his  character  by  an 
imperfect  sketch  like  this,  would  be  scarcely  less  a  folly  than  to  have  estimated 
the  dignity  of  his  person  from  its  shadow  only. 


J.   C.    EDWARDS. 

For  a  man  nearly  seventy-two  years  old.  Rev.  J.  C. 
Edwards,  of  Egypt,  Effingham  county,  is  quite  hale  and 
active,  but  his  hair,  which  was  formerly  brown,  is  now 
nearly  white.  He  is  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  weighs 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  with  regular  features, 
which,  while  they  have  an  amiable  expression,  indicate 
firmness  of  character.  In  truth,  he  is  a  man  of  indomita- 
ble energy  and  perseverance  ;  whatever  he  undertakes  he 
carries  out,  and  this  strength  of  will  has  oftentimes  ena- 
bled him  to  overcome  the  physical  weakness  incident  to  a 
constitution  naturally  delicate.  His  adherence  to  settled  conviction  is  so  firm 
that  he  would  sooner  die  than  renounce  what  he  believes  to  be  the  truth  ;  he  is 
composed  of  such  stuff  as  martyrs  are  made  of.  His  strong  and  unyielding  will 
is  strikingly  exhibited  in  his  family  government ;  and  yet,  so  tender  are  his  sen- 
sibilities, so  extremely  affectionate  is  his  disposition,  and  so  devoted  is  his  conduct, 
that,  while  he  secures  obedience,  he  commands  the  profound  est  respect  and 
strongest  love  of  every  member  of  his  family. 

What  he  believes,  he  will  maintain.  He  has,  therefore,  always  been  a  faithful 
defender  of  Baptist  principles,  ever  ready  to  warn  his  brethren  when  danger  was 
impending,  and  to  stimulate  them  in  every  good  word  and  work.  He  has  been 
especially  valuable  in  the  meetings  of  his  Association,  where  he  has  ever  been 
foremost  in  contending  earnestly  for  the  spread  of  the  truth,  and  for  the  promo- 
tion of  piety  and  liberality  in  the  churches,  being  himself  behind  none  in  making 
liberal  offerings  to  the  Master's  cause.  While  he  has  been  most  useful  in  the 
counsels  of  his  brethren  at  District  and  General  Meetings,  Sunday-school  Con- 
ventions, Associations  and  State  Conventions,  he  has  ever  been  ready  to  assist  in 
protracted  meetings,  and  to  engage  in  evangelical  labor.  Indeed,  his  work  has 
been  more  that  of  a  preacher  and  an  evangelist,  or  itinerant,  than  of  a  settled 
pastor.  From  boyhood  he  has  been  a  missionary  in  spirit  and  practice.  In  youth 
he  contended  with  the  opposers  of  missions,  and  in  manhood  boldly  upheld  the 
banner  of  the  Cross.  His  wife  is  similar  in  sentiment,  and  both  children  and 
grandchildren  have  imbibed  the  missionary  spirit  of  their  parents,  and  delight  in 
making  offerings  to  the  cause  of  the  divine  Master. 

He  married  Miss  Fannie  Cone,  in  Bulloch  county,  on  the  14th  of  February, 
1 833,  and  four  daughters  and  one  son  have  been  born  to  them.  The  wife,  who 
joined  the  church  after  her  marriage,  has  manifested  remarkable  prudence,  skill 
and  success  in  her  household  management,  and  in  rearing  the  children  committed 
to  her  pious  care.  The  son,  Aaron  Cone,  died  April  3d,  1868,  from  disease 
superinduced  by  the  arduous  labors  and  exposure  of  the  Confederate  military 
service  during  the  war.  The  four  daughters  are  yet  living,  and  are  devoted 
Christian  women.  All  the  five  children  professed  conversion  and  joined  the 
church  before  they  were  fifteen  years  old. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Edwards  was  the  son  of  Obadiah  and  Tabitha  Edwards,  who  was  a 
Miss  Pitts.  She  joined  the  church  at  twenty,  and  lived  a  consistent  Christian 
life  for  sixty-one  years ;  he  did  not  join  the  church  until  after  he  was  fifty  years 
of  age.     They  raised  eight  sons  and  five  daughters,  all  of  whom  grew  up,  mar- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


203 


ried  and  became  members  of  Baptist  churches,  evidencing  the  fidelity  of  parental 
management.  The  father  of  Obadiah  Edwards  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
and  died  in  North  Carolina.  After  his  death,  his  son  moved  to  Georgia,  and 
settled  as  a  farmer  in  Effingham  county,  where  J.  C.  Edwards  was  born  on  the 
4th  of  September,  1808,  and  where  in  early  life  he  attended  the  common  schools 
of  the  day.  His  boyhood  was  spent  pretty  much  like  that  of  all  boys  then,  but 
he  was  ever  ready  to  learn,  truthful  and  honorable  in  his  conduct,  yet  quick  to 
resent  an  insult.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  the  county  of  his  nativity,  where  he 
has  resided  ever  since. 

Converted  in  September,  1 831,  he  joined  Cowper  Branch  (now  Corinth)  church, 
being  baptized  by  Rev.  Stephen  Tullis,  and  has  continued  a  member  of  the  same 
church  till  the  present  time.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1846,  and  ordained 
in  1856,  having  held  the  office  and  faithfully  performed  the  duties  of  a  deacon, 
and  then  of  clerk,  for  a  number  of  years  previous  to  his  ordination.  Although 
possessed  of  the  unbounded  confidence  of  the  entire  community  in  which  he 
dwells,  because  of  his  undoubted  piety  and  integrity,  yet  he  has  held  no  public 
office,  but  has  quietly  followed  the  business  of  a  farmer,  preaching  the  Gospel  as 
he  had  opportunity.  As  pastor  he  has  served  the  following  churches :  Turkey 
Branch,  Effingham  county,  from  1856  to  1858;  Fellowship  church,  in  Bulloch 
county,  from  1861  to  1862;  Wade's,  in  Screven  county,  during  1871 ;  and  Cor- 
inth, in  Effingham  county,  for  about  ten  years. 

As  a  preacher  he  has  been  remarkable  for  earnestness  and  devoutness  of  man- 
ner, sincerity  of  spirit,  and  devotion  to  principle.  It  has  been  his  habit  to  say 
plainly  and  forcibly  what  was  in  his  mind  and  heart,  without  special  regard  to  man- 
ner or  method,his  purpose  being  to  impress  his  hearers  with  conviction,rather  than 
to  please  the  taste  or  tickle  the  fancy.  No  one  who.  has  ever  known  him  or  heard 
him  preach,  ever  questioned  his  love  for  the  Saviour,  his  zeal  for  that  Saviour's 
cause,  or  the  sincerity  and  purity  of  his  motives  in  proclaiming  the  Gospel. 

With  no  systematic  plan  of  study,  he  has  devoted  all  his  spare  time  to  reading 
and  studying  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  such  other  good  books  as  have  fallen  into 
his  hands,  and  though  not  vehement  or  eloquent  as  a  speaker,  his  sermons  have 
always  been  unexceptionable  in  manner,  evangelical  in  spirit,  sound  in  doctrine, 
and  useful  in  effect.  While  modest  and  retiring  in  disposition,  he  is  quick  and 
clear  to  discern  the  truth,  and  bold  in  the  defence  of  it ;  and  few  men  would  be 
more  missed  than  he  from  the  neighborhood,  church,  Sunday-school  and  Asso- 
ciation. 


PETER  WILLIAM  EDGE. 


Rev.  Peter  William  Edge,  son  of  Hon.  J.  M.  Edge, 
for  a  long  time  a  prominent  attorney  and  leading  poli- 
tician of  his  section,  was  born  in  Marietta,  Georgia,  July 
2d,  1848.  He  is  descended  from  the  old  and  distinguished 
family  of  Edgefields,  of  England,  from  whom  he  inherited 
that  bold  and  independent  nature  which  has  been  con- 
spicuoubly  displayed  in  his  life.  Before  arriving  at  the 
age  of  maturity,  he  refused  further  assistance  from  his 
father,  whose  property  had  been  swept  away  by  the  war; 
and,  rather  than  compromise  his  own  sense  of  manliness, 
or  feel  dependent  on  the  charity  of  others,  he  declined  a 
beneficiary  position  in  one  of  the  first  colleges  of  the  land,  and  prepared  to  sup- 
port and  educate  himself.  Entering  boldly  the  arena  of  life,  he,  by  his  own 
efforts,  not  only  supported  himself,  but  secured  a  thorough  classical  education, 
and,  at  an  early  age,  received  the  honorary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Mercer  University.     He  then  studied  law  with  a  view  to 


204  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

its  practice,  but,  before  embarking  upon  its  prosecution,  his  mind  and  heart  were> 
from  a  conviction  of  duty,  directed  to  the  ministry.  Baptized  by  Rev.  I.  M. 
Springer  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Mount  Zion  church,  near  Marietta,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  and  called  to  ordination  by  the  Enon  church  at  the  request  of  the 
Bethlehem  church,  both  of  Campbell  county,  he  was  set  apart  to  the  Gospel 
ministry  in  August,  1868.  In  December,  1870,  he  moved  to  Blountsville,  Jones 
county,  where  he  took  charge  of  Elim  church  and  the  Blountsville  school.  The 
following  year  the  Blountsville  church  was  added  to  his  charge. 

Mr.  Edge  removed  to  Twiggs  county  in  the  year  1873,  having  been  called  to 
the  care  of  the  Stone  Creek  church,  near  which  he  settled.  In  addition,  he  also 
accepted  the  care  of  the  Antioch  and  Jeffersonville  churches,  and  took  charge  of 
the  Stone  Creek  school.  One  might  suppose  that  his  time  was  thus  fully  occu- 
pied, but,  since  the  organization  of  the  •'  Twiggs  County  Agricultural  Society," 
a  body  of  intelligent,  thrifty  and  well-to-do  planters,  he  has  been  its  efficient 
President,  besides  holding  various  positions  of  trust  in  local  affairs.  Although 
he  has  been  often  pressed  by  his  friends  to  become  a  candidate  for  both  branches 
of  our  State  General  Assembly,  and  even  for  Congress,  he  has  had  little  to  do 
with  politics ;  yet  few  men  are  better  versed  in  the  political  economy  of  our 
country,  or  take  a  deeper  interest  in  its  welfare.  When,  however,  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1877  was  ordered,  he  felt  that  the  purest  and  highest 
talent  should  be  employed  in  framing  the  organic  laws  of  an  enlightened  and 
Christian  people,  and  consented  to  be  elected  to  that  body.  In  that  Convention 
he  ranked  with  the  first  intellects.  His  speech,  as  champion  of  the  homestead 
bill,  is  on  record,  having  received  the  endorsement  of  the  severest  critics.  It  was 
during  the  delivery  of  that  speech  that  General  Toombs  moved  an  indefinite  ex- 
tension of  the  speaker's  time.  It  was  through  Mr.  Edge's  instrumentality  that 
the  Constitution  was  submitted  to  the  people,  and,  it  is  said  that,  as  a  member  of 
the  Auditing  Committee,  he  induced  General  Toombs  to  furnish  the  money 
required  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  Convention  during  the  time  of  its  ex- 
tension. 

Mr.  Edge  married  Miss  Mattie  H.  Miller,  of  Jones  county,  a  lady  of  intelli- 
gence and  refinement,  and  highly  adorned  with  those  Christian  graces  which  so 
admirably  fit  her  for  her  station  in  life.  They  have  five  healthy  and  fine  looking 
children,  the  oldest  seven  years  of  age. 

Though  exempt  from  military  service  on  account  of  his  youthfulness,  Mr. 
Edge  entered  the  army  during  the  war,  and  fought  valiantly  in  behalf  of  the 
Confederate  cause. 

Appreciating,  from  his  own  experience,  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome  by  poor 
but  worthy  young  men  in  early  life,  Mr.  Edge  has  generously  educated  and 
started  in  life  several  of  this  class,  who,  with  every  promise  of  usefulness  and 
distinction,  are  zealously  prosecuting  their  professions.  This  implies  that  he 
has  been  a  successful  business  man  himself,  a  fact  which  is  evidenced  by  his 
being  able  to  purchase  and  pay  for  two  plantations  in  Twiggs  and  one  in  Jones 
county. 

In  his  holy  profession,  no  man  of  his  age  stands  higher,  his  pulpit  oratory 
having  already  secured  distinction  for  him.  His  style  of  oratory  is  original 
and  peculiar — rapid,  terse,  bold,  deep,  and  exceedingly  logical.  His  manner  is 
impressive ;  his  premises  are  well  laid,  and  his  conclusions  are  manifest  and 
forcible.  While  his  words  are  ornate,  his  sentences  rounded  and  his  delivery 
polished,  his  language  is  so  pointed  and  vehement,  and  his  manner  so  im- 
pressive, that  one  loses  sight  of  the  man,  and,  borne  on  by  the  impetuosity  of 
his  eloquence,  or  by  the  force  of  his  argument,  intensely  realizes  the  scene  de- 
picted, or  involuntarily,  and  almost  audibly,  assents  to  the  conclusions  deduced. 
On  one  occasion  he  preached  a  powerful  descriptive  sermon  on  the  Deluge,  with 
burning  and  pathetic  words  exhorting  his  hearers  to  seek  safety  ere  it  should  be 
too  late.  At  the  close  of  his  discourse,  Mr.  Edge  opened  the  doors  of  the  church. 
An  aged  man  in  the  audience  rose  hastily  from  his  seat  and  rushed  forward  to 
the  stand.  Clasping  his  hand,  the  preacher  expressed  satisfaction  at  his  desire 
to  unite  with  the  church,  and  requested  him  to  relate  his  experience.  "  Oh !" 
exclaimed  the  man,  "  I  do  not  want  to  join  the  church !    I  am  too  great  a  sin- 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  20$ 

ner !  But  I  thought  I  saw  the  very  floods  coming  down  upon  me.  I  seemed 
to  hear  the  wailing  agonies  of  the  drowning  and  damned  ;  and  I  rushed  here  for 
safety.  O,  pray  for  me !"  The  appellation  of  "  The  Pulpit  Orator,"  which  he 
has  acquired,  is  not  inappropriate  for  one  so  gifted. 

Mr.  Edge's  thorough  education,  high  culture  and  great  talents,  together  with 
his  indomitable  energy,  moved  by  the  impulses  of  a  noble  nature,  make  him  an 
ornament  to  his  State  and  denomination,  and  entitle  him  to  hope  for  a  place  in 
the  galaxy  of  their  brightest  luminaries. 


N.  N.  EDGE. 


Bom  in  Newton  county,  July  3d,  1825  ;  educated  at  Cave 
Spring,  under  the  superintendence  of  Rev.  W.  D.  Cow- 
dry;  converted  and  baptized  in  1840,  and  ordained  to  the 
ministry  in  1855,  Rev.  N.  N.  Edge  holds  an  honorable 
place  in  the  regards  of  his  brethren.  Although  he  has 
served  his  generation  well,  he  is  yet  in  the  full  vigor  of 
manhood,  and  still  capable  of  rendering  most  efficient 
service  in  the  cause  of  our  common  Saviour.  Nervous 
and  impulsive  in  temperament,  he  is  at  the  same  time 
noble,  generous  and  chivalrous.  With  perceptive  powers 
of  a  high  order,  his  reasoning  faculties  are  well  developed 
and  his  memory  good,  but  not  remarkably  retentive.  His  preaching  is  analyti- 
cal, and  his  arrangement  of  a  sermon  is  logical ;  his  diction  is  pure  and  elevated ; 
his  manner  earnest  and  impassioned,  sometimes  rising  to  the  eloquent  and  sub- 
lime. 

In  youth,  he  was  of  a  fiery  temper,  quick  to  resent  an  insult,  but  ever  ready 
to  forgive  on  the  slightest  manifestation  of  repentance.  Though  not  remarka- 
ble for  studious  habits  while  at  school,  yet,  owing  to  his  quickness  of  apprehen- 
sion, he  was  always  enabled  to  pass  creditable  examinations.  When  the  effer- 
vescence of  youth  had  subsided,  and  when  the  solemn  responsibilities  of  a  pas- 
toral life  were  added  to  the  obligations  of  matrimony,  the  sterling  qualities  of 
Mr.  Edge's  character  manifested  themselves,  and  he  became  the  serious-minded, 
humble,  devout,  and  studious  minister  of  the  Gospel.  For  these  qualities,  and 
for  his  unimpeachable  honesty,  strict  integrity,  correct  deportment  and  excellent 
business  qualifications,  men  admired,  respected  and  confided  in  him.  His  ordi- 
nation took  place  at  Etowah,  Bartow  (then  Cass)  county,  in  December,  1855, 
the  Presbytery  consisting  of  Revs.  John  W.  Lewis,  N.  W.  Buford  and  G.  W. 
Selvidge,  Hon.  Mark  A.  Cooper  speaking  for  the  church.  After  his  ordination, 
he  served  the  Etowah  church  with  acceptability  for  four  years,  preaching  every 
Sunday.  He  then  moved  to  Newton  county,  and  supplied  County  Line,  Mace- 
donia and  Carmel  churches,  and  also  Rocky  Creek  church,  in  Jasper  county. 
Afterwards  he  removed  to  Indian  Spring,  in  Butts  county,  where  he  resided  for 
twelve  years,  serving  the  Baptist  church  in  that  place  the  whole  time,  with  credit 
to  himself  and  much  profit  to  his  charge.  Here,  too,  he  preached  every  Sunday, 
occupying  an  important  and  honorable  position,  on  account  of  the  great  number 
of  visitors  which  annually  flock  to  that  fashionable  resort  during  the  summer 
months. 

It  was  not  Mr.  Edge's  habit  ever  to  enter  the  pulpit  unprepared ;  therefore, 
his  congregations  were  sure  of  hearing  a  well-digested  discourse.  He  usually 
preached  from  full  notes,  and  brought  forth  from  the  Bible  treasury  things  both 
new  and  old.  His  manner  in  the  pulpit  is  always  serious,  solemn  and  sedate,  and 
though  his  perception  of  the  ludicrous  is  keen,  yet  levity  was  never  allowed  to 
disturb  the  gravity  of  his  demeanor  in  the  pulpit.  Mr.  Edge's  fondness  for  the 
young  and  their  society  made  him  a  decided  advocate  of  Sunday-school  work. 


206 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


and  gave  him  a  great  influence  over  children,  which  was  exerted  for  their  bene- 
fit. It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  in  a  ministry  of  twenty-four  years,  by  far  the 
larger  number  of  those  baptized  by  him  were  Sunday-school  children,  twelve 
only  beihg  married  persons. 

In  manners,  Mr.  Edge  is  gentle,  polite  and  affable,  possessing  many  personal 
traits  which  contribute  decidely  to  ministerial  usefulness.  He  is  a  very  decided 
advocate  of  temperance,  a  strong  and  sound  preacher,  doctrinally  adopting  the 
Pauline  sentiments  which  are  usually  designated  as  Calvinistic.  A  large  portion 
of  his  life  has  been  occupied  in  mercantile  pursuits,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to 
say  that,  had  his  time  been  devoted  exclusively  to  the  ministry,  he  would  doubt- 
less have  taken  a  place  in  the  front  rank  of  our  ministers. 

He  married  Miss  Virginia  S.  Holland,  of  Canton,  Georgia,  in  1848,  and  of 
eight  children  born  to  them,  six  are  living  and  two  are  with  Jesus.  Rather  pre- 
possessing in  appearance,  Mr.  Edge  is  tall  and  spare,  with  black  eyes  and  hair. 

His  father  was  a  pious  deacon  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Cave  Spring,  Georgia, 
and  was  killed  by  a  falling  tree,  in  September,  1841,  while  riding  to  church. 
His  mother,  who,  previous  to  her  marriage,  was  Miss  Sallie  Miller,  was  a  pious 
and  consistent  member  of  a  Baptist  church  until  her  death,  which  occurred  in 
July,  1862. 


JOHN   WINFREY    ELLINGTON. 

A  most  striking  example  of  what  deter- 
mination and  persistent,  well-directed  effort, 
united  with  integrity  of  principle,  may  do 
for  a  man  in  enabling  him  to  prepare  for 
the  duties  of  life,  and  to  succeed  in  them, 
is  exhibited  in  the  career  of  Rev.  John 
Winfrey  Ellington.  Recently  elected 
to  fill  the  honorable  and  responsible  posi- 
tion of  Principal  of  Mercer  High  School,  at 
Penfield,  he  had  nearly  grown  to  manhood 
before  enjoying  any  educational  facilities 
really  worthy  of  the  name.  Born  in  Craw- 
fordville,  Taliaferro  county,  Georgia,  De- 
cember 13th,  1834,  at  eight  years  of  age  he 
was  put  to  work  on  a  farm  by  his  father, 
who  at  that  time  moved  to  the  country. 
Previous  to  that  period,  young  Ellington 
had  attended  school  one  year  only ;  and  for 
ten  years  afterwards  most  of  his  informa- 
tion was  acquired  by  diligent  self-application  at  night,  after  the  day's  work  was 
done.  Before  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  he  had  read  more  history  than  the 
majority  of  boys  read  previous  to  manhood,  but  keenly  felt  the  want  of  educa- 
tional advantages,  denied  him  by  absence  of  pecuniary  means.  His  good  char- 
acter and  conduct,  and  his  efforts  to  elevate  himself  intellectually,  however, 
gained  him  a  friend  in  this  extremity,  who  proved  himself  both  able  and  willing 
to  render  the  assistance  necessary.  That  man  was  Hon.  A.  H.  Stephens,  of 
Crawfordville.  In  the  fall  of  1852,  when  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  Mr.  Elling- 
ton became  a  subject  of  converting  grace,  joined  the  Baptist  church  at 
Crawfordville,  and  was  baptized  by  Elder  T.  D.  Martin.  Soon  after,  to  his 
grateful  surprise,  Mr.  Stephens,  beholding  in  him  a  worthy  object  of  bounty,  in 
the  generosity  of  a  noble  nature,  proposed  to  assist  him  in  obtaining  an  educa- 
tion^  The  proposition  was  accepted,  and  Mr.  Ellington  entered  the  Crawfordville 
Academy,  then  under  the  control  of  an  excellent  teacher,  Mr.  F,  C.  Moore.  The 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  20/ 

money  to  be  used  in  obtaining  an  education,  advanced  by  Mr.  Stephens,  was  to 
be  repaid  by  Mr.  Ellington  as  soon  as  earned  after  its  completion.  He  made 
diligent  use  of  his  academical  opportunities  in  Crawfordville  during  three  years, 
entered  the  Sophomore  class  at  Penfield  in  1855,  and  graduated  with  credit  in 
1858.  He  immediately  opened  a  school  at  Raytown  and  began  to  teach,  and 
has  been  continuously  engaged  as  an  instructor  ever  since  at  Powellton,  May- 
field,  Thomson,  and  now  at  Penfield. 

While  in  college  in  the  year  1857,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  church  at 
Crawfordville,  though  he  preached  but  little  previous  to  graduation.  His  ordi- 
nation took  place  at  Powellton  in  1862,  the  presbytery  consisting  of  Elders 
Radford  Gunn,  J.  H.  Kilpatrick,  William  M.  Verdery  and  W.  J.  Harley.  He 
was  immediately  called  to  the  care  of  Powellton  church,  Hancock  county,  and  of 
Elim  church,  Warren  county.  Besides  these,  he  has  most  acceptably  served  the 
churches  at  Horeb  and  Mount  Zion,  in  Hancock  county,  the  Thomson  and  Pine 
Grove  churches,  of  McDuffie  county,  and  also  New  Providence  church,  in  War- 
ren county. 

Notwithstanding  severe  losses  by  the  war,  similar  to  those  suffered  by  all  of 
o-jr  citizens,  he  was  able  soon  after  the  restoration  of  peace,  by  the  exercise  of 
determined  energy  and  effort,  to  repay  his  benefactor  all  the  money  advanced, 
and  three  hundred  dollars  of  interest.  The  remaining  interest  Mr.  Stephens 
generously  remitted. 

In  i860  Mr.  Ellington  married  Miss  E.  F.  Jones,  of  Powellton,  and  at  present 
has  four  living  children,  four  others  having  been  taken  away  by  death. 

Of  all  our  Georgia  Baptist  ministers,  few  have  labored  harder,  with  more  defi- 
niteness  and  simplicity  of  purpose,  or  with  greater  success  and  efficiency,  than 
Rev.  J.  W.  Ellington,  whether  regarded  as  a  pastor  or  as  a  teacher.  He  is 
characterized  b\  conscientiousness  and  reverence,  seeming  ever  to  cherish  a  real- 
izing sense  of  God's  presence,  and  of  his  own  responsibility.  Athough  closely 
confined  to  the  school-room  during  most  of  his  life,  he  has,  nevertheless,  found 
time  to  become  well  acquainted  with  the  Scriptures,  which  renders  him  quite 
accurate  in  his  understanding  of  individual  texts,  as  well  as  of  the  general  system 
of  revealed  truth.  In  preaching,  he  is  careful  and  cautious,  confining  himself  to 
the  enforcement  of  truths  clearly  deducible  from  the  inspired  text,  and  eschew- 
ing uncertain  and  venturesome  speculations.  In  his  style  he  is  inclined  to  the 
simple  and  didactic,  rather  than  to  the  ornate  and  discursive.  He  dwells  mostly 
on  the  practical  and  experimental,  with  a  suitable  foundation  of  the  doctrinal. 

He  is  quiet,  modest  and  unassuming,  even  to  backwardness ;  and,  while  a 
close  and  independent  thinker,  he  shrinks  from  being  an  independent  actor. 
Consequently,  though  sound  in  judgment,  his  extreme  diffidence  makes  him  a 
listener  and  an  inquirer,  rather  than  a  counsellor  in  the  public  gatherings  of  his 
brethren.  Though  in  the  main,  cheerful,  yet  his  cheerfulness  is  chastened  and 
subdued,  rather  than  lively :  and,  although  notably  persevering,  nevertheless  his 
perseverance  oftentimes  has  to  force  its  way  up  the  hill  of  despondency.  He  is 
brave,  but  not  bold ;  earnest,  but  not  hopeful.  While  many  among  our  minis- 
ters are  more  brilliant  and  attractive,  but  few  abound  more  largely  in  the  elements 
of  real  worth  and  usefulness. 


LEWIS  EVERINGHAM. 

We  have  received  no  likeness  of  this  brother,  and  our  knowledge  of  his  life  is 
limited  to  the  facts  that  he  was  educated  in  part  at  Mercer  University  ;  that, 
about  the  year  1838  he  removed,  with  a  wife  and  four  children,  from  Marion 
county,  Georgia,  to  Blakely ;  that  he  became  pastor  of  our  church  in  that  place, 
teaching  school,  with  popularity,  for  the  support  of  his  family ;  and  that  his  pas- 
torate was  closed  by  his  death  in  1846.  The  Committee  on  Deceased  Ministers 
of  the  Bethel  Association,  in  their  report,  the  next  session,  said  of  him  : 


208 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


"  Lewis  Everingham  may  be  justly  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  God.  Of  a 
meek  and  quiet  spirit,  like  his  Master,  and  amiable  almost  to  a  fault,  he  would  sub- 
mit to  be  made  the  subject  of  imposition  himself,  rather  than,  in  a  single  instance, 
to  do  an  injury  to  another  man.  One  of  the  highest  commendations  is,  that 
those  who  knew  him  best  loved  him  most.  As  a  Christian,  he  was  in  private 
what  he  professed  to  be  in  public.  Among  his  own  neighbors — and  here,  per- 
haps, is  the  best  test  of  his  worth — he  was  not  esteemed  merely,  but  loved,  and 
endeared  to  the  affections  of  all.  As  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  his  heart  glowed 
with  a  holy  ardor  for  the  salvation  of  sinners.  His  deepest  regret  on  a  dying 
bed,  was  that  he  had  not  done  more  for  his  Master.  His  last  sermon  on  earth 
was  a  funeral  sermon,  in  which,  as  the  brethren  attest,  he  spoke  with  unusual 
fervor  and  force,  as  with  the  Holy  Ghost  shed  down  from  above.  In  one  short 
week  after,  he  ceased  from  his  labors,  and  now  rests  in  the  bosom  of  his  Lord. 
As  a  testimony  of  her  love,  the  church  has  erected  a  marble  monument  to  his 
memory." 

Rev.  T.  Muse  writes  : 

"  The  church  at  Blakely  was  much  blessed  and  strengthened  under  his  admin- 
istration. Mercer  never  sent  out  a  more  faithful  minister  than  he  was.^  He  lived 
soberly,  righteously  and  godly  every  day  ;  was  a  man  of  strong  mind  and  was 
regarded  by  all  as  a  sound  and  able  preacher.  His  influence  in  the  section  in 
which  he  lived  was  considerable,  and  in  his  still  and  quiet  way  he  did  a  vast  deal 
of  good.  He  never  murmured  at  the  necessity  of  secular  employment,  but  often 
said  that  it  would  afford  him  the  greatest  pleasure  if  he  were  so  situated  as  to 
give  his  whole  time  to  the  preaching  of  Christ  and  Him  crucified." 


W.  C.  FELTS. 


Rev.  W.  C.  Felts  was  born  in  Jones  county,  Georgia, 
May  1 8th,  1853,  of  poor  and  pious  parents.  His  early 
years,  until  the  age  of  twelve,  were  spent  in  regular  atten- 
dance at  school ;  but  during  the  period  of  his  life  between 
twelve  and  twenty,  he  was  engaged  in  farm-work,  and  in 
merchandising  in  the  village  of  Clinton.  Taught  early  in 
life  the  importance  of  religion,  by  a  pious  mother,  he  was 
a  regular  attendant  on  the  ministrations  of  the  Gospel, 
and,  during  a  series  of  meetings  conducted  by  Rev.  P.  W. 
Edge,  he  was  converted  and  joined  the  church  at  Elim,  in 
Jones  county,  when  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  was  after- 
wards elected  clerk  of  his  church,  which  position  he  occupied  for  two  years.  Be- 
coming convinced  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel,  he  put  himself  under 
the  instruction  of  Rev.  P.  W.  Edge,  in  order  to  prepare  himself  for  the  solemn 
responsibilities  of  the  ministry.  He  enjoyed  that  instruction  for  about  three 
years,  when  he  was  summoned  home  to  reside  with  and  take  care  of  his  widowed 
mother,  who,  by  a  stroke  of  lightning,  was  suddenly  bereft  of  her  only  other  son, 
a  younger  brother.     This  occurred  in  1875. 

Mr.  Felts  then  began  to  teach  school,  in  which  occupation  he  continued  until 
1878.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  church  at  Elim,  about  the  middle  of 
July,  1876,  and  was  ordained  in  May  of  the  following  year.  He  at  once  entered 
on  the  pastorate  of  the  Evergreen  church,  in  Pulaski  county,  which  he  continued 
to  serve  until  he  moved  to  Pike  county,  in  1879,  where  he  was  called  to  the 
charge  of  Friendship  and  Mount  Gilead  churches. 

Mr.  Felts  is  a  useful  minister,  and  has  done  good  in  the  Master's  vineyard. 
He  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  know  him,  both  in  the  churches  which  he 
serves,  and  in  the  community  where  he  lives. 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


209 


JOHN  HENRY  FORTSON. 


Rev.  John  Henry  Fortson  is  naturally  of 
a  feeble  constitution,  tall  and  slender  in  person, 
being  six  feet  two  inches  in  height,  and  weigh- 
ing only  1 33  pounds.  His  height  is  diminished 
by  a  stoop  in  his  shoulders,  indicative  of  that 
physical  frailty  which  prevented  his  remaining 
in  the  army  for  any  length  of  time,  after  he  had 
enlisted  as  a  private,  in  1 861,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four.  Yet  he  is  a  man  of  such  persever- 
ing energy  in  pastoral  work  that  he  has  built  up 
large  and  self-sustaining  churches  out  of  the 
most  unpromising  material,  and  has  acquired  for 
himself,  in  his  section,  a  reputation  for  pastoral 
efficiency  rarely  excelled.  As  a  minister,  he  gives 
himself  wholly  to  his  work,  studying,  visiting, 
preaching  and  conversing  constantly,  with  an 
eye  single  to  the  interest  of  his  churches,  to  the 
salvation  of  souls,  and  to  the  advancement  of 
tLe  Redeemer's  Kingdom  on  earth.  He  is  a  strong  advocate  of  Sunday-schools; 
is  a  devoted  lover  of  the  mission  cause,  and  in  all  his  churches  these  two  grand 
enterprises  are  advocated  to  the  utmost  of  his  ability.  Indeed,  in  every  good 
word  and  work  which  tends  to  promote  the  welfare  of  Zion,  the  upbuilding  of 
Christ's  Kingdom  and  the  maintenance  of  his  honor,  Mr.  Fortson's  efforts  ex- 
ceed even  his  physical  ability. 

He  was  born  in  Elbert  county,  Georgia,  September  28th,  1837.  His  parents 
were  Baptists,  his  father,  Jesse  M.  Fortson,  being  for  many  years  a  deacon  of 
Falling  Creek  church,  in  Elbert  county,  and  purchasing  to  himself  a  good  degree 
in  that  office. 

Mr.  Fortson  was  prepared  for  college  in  the  Elberton  Male  Academy,  by  Rev. 
J.  A.  Trenchard,  and  entered  the  Freshmen  class  in  Mercer  University  in  Sep- 
tember, 1858.  He  studied  in  the  literary  department  for  one  year  and  a  half, 
and  then  took  a  theological  course  for  the  same  length  of  time.  His  studies 
were  then  interrupted  by  the  war,  and  he  joined  the  Confederate  army  as  a  pri- 
vate, remaining,  however,  four  months  only,  on  account  of  physical  inability,  for 
we  find  him  returned  to  Georgia,  and  being  ordained  on  the  29th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1862. 

In  his  youth  Mr.  Fortson  had  always  been  piously  inclined,  ever  cherishing  a 
reverence  for  God  and  an  esteem  for  his  ministers.  He  was  converted  and  bap- 
tized when  about  sixteen  years  old,  becoming  a  member  of  Falling  Creek  church, 
and  maintaining  a  godly  walk  afterwards.  In  January,  1863,  he  took  pastoral 
charge  of  Goshen  church,  in  Lincoln  county,  and  of  Friendship  church,  in  Wilkes 
county,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  he  has  been  a  faithful  and  hard-work- 
ing pastor  of  different  churches.  He  is  now  pastor  of  Friendship,  Fishing  Creek, 
Sharon  and  Newford  churches,  in  Wilkes  and  Columbia  counties,  and  has  been 
greatly  blessed  in  his  labors,  having  worked  up  his  churches  to  a  high  state  of 
efficiency.  As  a  pastor,  he  is  quite  popular.  He  devotes  much  time  to  pastoral 
visitation,  and  gives  all  his  attention  and  activity  to  the  various  wants  of  his 
churches. 

As  a  speaker,  he  is  plain  and  simple,  using  as  illustrations  all  the  common 
circumstances  of  life,  after  the  manner  of  our  Saviour,  but  nevertheless,  he 
preaches  with  great  earnestness,  and  with  more  than  ordinary  zeal ;  as  a  conse- 
quence, he  rarely  fails  to  secure  the  attention  and  interest  of  his  audience.  The 
chief  features  of  Mr.  Fortson's  character  are  gentleness  and  modesty,  bordering 
on  diffidence ;  yet  in  his  manners  and  deportment  he  is  pleasant  and  social.     As 


2IO 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


a  man  and  citizen,  he  has  considerable  weight  and  influence  in  his  community, 
having  labored  hard  for  its  benefit,  and,  since  1873,  he  has  been  President  of  the 
Board  of  Education  for  Wilkes  county. 

Few  if  any  churches  in  his  section  are  in  advance  of  those  under  his  charge, 
thanks  to  his  enlightened  zeal,  pious  spirit  and  untiring  efforts ;  and  some  of 
these  are  novi^  strong  and  flourishing  churches,  which,  once  as  fields  of  labor, 
presented  an  unfavorable  and  uninviting  aspect. 

In  1864  Mr.  Fortson  was  married  to  Miss  J.  I.  Anderson,  daughter  of  Hon.  E. 
R.  Anderson,  of  Wilkes  county,  and  has  had  nine  children  born  to  him,  of  whom 
two  are  members  of  the  church.  He  pursues  no  regular  mode  of  study,  his 
time  being  too  much  occupied  with  labor  for  his  charges ;  but  he  nevertheless 
devotes  to  pulpit  preparation  all  the  time  he  can  command  amid  the  diversified 
claims  on  his  time.  He  has  baptized  five  or  six  hundred  during  his  ministry, 
which  is  a  strong  evidence  of  his  usefulness  and  success. 


ROBERT  FLEMING. 


Rev.  Robert  Fleming  was  born  in 
Warren  county,  Georgia,  August  3d, 
1797,  and  died  at  Navasota,  Texas, 
March  29th,  1880,  in  the  eighty-third 
year  of  his  age.  It  was  not  until  June, 
1875,  that  he  left  his  native  State,  a  par- 
alytic, to  find  a  home  for  the  remainder 
of  his  days,  with  his  eldest  daughter, 
Mrs.  E.  G.  Owen,  beyond  the  waters 
of  the  Mississippi.  His  last  words 
were,  as  during  a  few  lucid  moments 
he  lifted  his  eyes  above,  "  I. want  to  go 
home  ;  take  me  home !"  and  he  has 
been  taken  to  the  beautiful  home  of 
the  soul.  He  lived  without  reproach, 
and  died  without  a  stain  on  his  char- 
acter. 

Mr.  Fleming  was  fond  of  books  from 
his  childhood  ;  and  this,  in  connection 
with  his  scanty  pecuniary  means,  led 
him  to  enter  the  school-room  as  a 
teacher  soon  after  completing  his  sev- 
enteenth year.  He  pursued  the  voca- 
tion thus  early  chosen  steadily  until,  enfeebled  both  by  age  and  disease,  he  was 
compelled  to  withdraw  from  all  business  affairs  whatever.  We  say  pursued  it 
steadily,  for  his  ordination  to  the  Gospel  ministry  did  not  relieve  him  from  the 
necessity  of  seeking  support  through  some  secular  vocation.  As  a  school- 
teacher, he  labored  chiefly  in  the  counties  of  Warren,  Meriwether  and  Talbot, 
achieving  for  himself  an  enviable  reputation  as  an  instructor  in  the  Enghsh 
branches  of  education. 

But  it  is  more  in  accord  with  the  design  of  this  volume  to  speak  of  our  brother 
as  a  religious  man,  and  as  a  teacher  of  religion.  Mr.  Fleming  was  reared  a 
Presbyterian,  so  far  as  pertains  to  early  influences  and  predelictions.  He  was 
brought  up  to  a  saving  acquaintance  with  Christ  through  the  instrumentality  of 
the  Methodist  ministry  in  the  person  of  Rev.  James  O.  Andrew ;  he  became  a 
Baptist  in  his  sentiments  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  on  a  careful  ex- 
amination of  the  Scriptures  on  points  of  denominational  difference.  He  was 
baptized  in  his  native  county  on  a  profession  of  faith  in  Christ,  June,  1821,  by 


OF   PROMINENT    BAPTISTS. 


211 


Rev.  Winder  Hillman,  becoming,  at  the  time,  a  member  of  Union  church.  He 
was  licensed  in  1827  by  this  church  to  preach  the  Gospel;  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  in  1830,  in  Warrenton,  the  presbytery  consisting  of  Kevs.  B.M.Sanders, 
Jonathan  Davis,  bilisha  Ferryman,  J.  P.  Marshall  and  J.  H.  Walker. 

A  friend,  who  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  our  brother's  ministry  for  many  years, 
says  of  him ;  "  As  a  preacher  he  excelled  until  after  he  passed  the  zenith  of  his 
ministerial  life.  He  was  always  sound  to  the  core  in  doctrine,  and  occasionally, 
up  to  the  very  last  of  his  pulpit  life,  he  would  rise  into  flights  of  eloquence  truly 
sublime."  The  last  time  he  stood  in  the  pulpit  as  a  herald  of  the  cross  was  tn 
Navasota,  though  then  he  was  but  the  paralyzed  wreck  of  his  former  self.  The 
last  struggling  rays  of  reason  left  him,  except  for  a  few  moments  at  a  time,  with 
an  unfinished  sermon  lying  on  his  writing  desk,  entitled  "The  Christian's  Legacy." 
He  has  now  become  acquainted,  experimentally,  with  all  the  richness  of  this 
legacy. 

Although  Mr.  Fleming  labored  assiduously  in  the  school-room,  and  devoted 
his  Sabbaths,  with  many  other  days,  faithfully  to  the  pulpit,  yet  he  found  time  to 
make  valuable  contributions  to  many  religious  journals  and  periodicals  of  the 
day,  and  also  to  publish  in  book  form  *' John's  Baptism,"  "  The  Life  of  Hum- 
phrey Posey,"  "The  Georgia  Pulpit,"  "The  Confederate  Spelling  Book,"  be- 
sides writing  an  "  English  Grammar,"  which  was  never  published. 

As  a  Baptist,  Mr.  Fleming  fully  identified  himself  with  all  the  interests  of  the 
denomination,  and  more  especially  with  such  as  appertained  to  his  own  State. 
As  a  man,  he  was  bold  and  independent,  still  kind,  generous  and  sociable.  In 
his  domestic  relations,  he  was  tender  and  affectionate,  although  not  specially 
demonstrative.  He  was  married  three  times,  his  wives,  in  succession,  being 
Miss  Elizabeth  Gunby,  Miss  Charlotte  D.  Sherwood,  Mrs.  R.  A.  Harris.  He 
survived  his  last  wife  by  several  years. 

In  person  he  was  tall,  above  medium  weight,  erect,  of  dark  complexion,  intel- 
ligent eyes,  handsome  face,  heavy  brows  and  quite  commanding  appearance, 
with  a  slight  degree  of  sternness.  He  was  a  noble  man,  a  devoted  Christian,  a 
faithful  minister,  and  now  rests  from  his  labors. 


NATHANIEL   GREENE   FOSTER. 


.  Rev.  Nathaniel  Greene  Foster,  son  of 
Arthur  and  Hannah  Foster,  was  born  on  the  25th 
day  of  July,  1809,  in  Greene  county,  Georgia. 
He  was  the  third  son  of  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren—of whom  eight  sons  and  four  daughters 
arrived  at  maturity.  He  attended  school  in  the 
immediate  neighborhood  of  his  father's  home 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  Rev.  Adiel 
Sherwood  being  his  teacher  at  one  time,  and  A. 
M.  Musgrove  at  another.  The  latter,  the  suc- 
cessor of  Mr.  Sherwood,  was  an  excellent 
instructor  of  youth,  and  when  he  moved  to  Mon- 
ticello,  young  Foster  was  sent  with  him  as  a  pupil 
and  a  member  of  his  family.  A  wealthy  planter, 
Mr.Arthur  Foster  was  a  man  of  good  education, 
and  he  determined  to  give  a  collegiate  course  to 
those  of  his  sons  who  desired  it ;  consequently, 
Nathaniel  Greene  was  sent  to  the  State  Univer- 
sity at  Athens,  in  1828,  with  two  of  his  brothers,  James  and  Adam,  both  younger 
than  himself.  These,  with  three  others,  among  whom  was  the  Honorable 
Augustus  Reese,  now  of  Madison,  Georgia,  kept  house  together  through  their 

17 


212  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

entire  college  course.  N.  G.  Foster,  being  the  oldest,  acted  as  head  of  the  fam- 
ily, and  the  fact  that  no  dissipation  was  indulged  in  by  the  young  men  during 
their  course,  not  only  speaks  well  for  their  conduct  and  morals,  but  indicates  the 
influence  exerted  by  Mr.  Foster.  He  graduated  in  1830,  and  the  same  year  be- 
gan reading  law  with  his  uncle,  Mr.  Seaborn  Johnson,  in  Madison,  which  place 
became  his  permanent  home. 

On  the  1 2th  of  July,  1838,  he  married^Miss  Anne  H.  Saffold,  only  daughter  of 
Dr.  Seaborn  I.  Saffold,  of  Madison,  with  whom  he  lived  happily  for  ten  years. 
She  was  a  Christian  woman,  and  was  taken  from  him  on  the  29th  of  July,  1848  ; 
but  before  her  death  she  urged  him  to  seek  consolation  from  the  only  source 
whence  it  may  be  obtained.  He  promised  to  do  so,  and  was  soon  blessed  with 
the  feeling  that  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  had  pardoned  his  sins.  He  united  with  the 
church  at  Madison,  August  loth,  1848,  was  baptized  by  Rev.  C.  M.  Irwin,  and 
on  the  following  September  23d,  authority  was  granted  him  by  the  church  to 
preach  the  Gospel.  On  the  23d  of  December,  1848,  the  church  resolved  that  he 
ought  to  be  set  apart  to  the  mmistry.  On  the  27th  of  January,  1849,  in  his  for- 
tieth year,  he  was  regularly  ordained  by  a  presbytery  consisting  of  the  following 
brethren :  B.  M.  Sanders,  J.  L.  Dagg,,  V.  R.  Thornton,  S.  G.  Hillyer,  N.  M. 
Crawford,  J.  S.  Bledsoe  and  C.  M.  Irwin.  Very  soon  he  received  a  call  to  the 
Greene  Street  church,  in  Augusta ;  but  after  serving  the  church  for  six  months,  he 
resigned,  feeling  convinced  that  his  age  and  his  former  method  of  life,  and  modes  of 
thought  and  expression  as  a  lawyer,  rendered  it  impossible  for  him  ever  to  be- 
come a  good  pastor.  He  therefore  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law,  but  continued 
to  preach  nearly  every  Sabbath  in  the  counties  near  Madison.  Thus  he  preached 
at  one  time  to  the  church  at  Monroe,  Walton  county,  and  at  another  time  to  the 
church  in  Eatonton,  Putnam  county. 

Generally  he  preached  without  a  pecuniary  reward,  and  was,  in  fact,  never 
happier  than  when  he  could  thus  minister  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  some  country 
church,  whose  poverty  made  it  difficult  to  obtam  a  regular  supply,  in  i860  he 
preached  once  a  month  to  the  church  at  Madison,  Rev.  D.  E.  Butler  and  Dr.  H. 
H.  Tucker  supplying  the  other  Sabbaths  in  the  month.  Not  having  had  a  reg- 
ular theological  trainmg  and  education,  he,  of  course,  labored  under  disadvantages 
as  a  preacher ;  but  he  was  a  popular  speaker,  a  man  of  fine  ability  and  good 
judgment,  and  always  a  peace-maker  among  those  who  had  difficulties. 

In  social  life  he  was  exceedingly  pleasant  and  hospitable,  a  fine  raconteur,  and 
attained  remarkable  success  at  the  bar.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Georgia  Female  College,  and  was  a  trustee  of  Mercer  University  until  a  few 
years  before  his  death. 

His  second  marriage  took  place  July  17th,  1849,  when  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Margaret  Vinson,  eldest  daughter  of  General  TuUy  Vinson,  of  Hancock  county, 
Georgia.  His  health  began  to  fail,  almost  imperceptibly,  in  1858,  and  after  a 
long  and  exceedingly  painful  illness,  he  expired  October  19th,  1869.  At  one  time 
the  disease  affected  his  brain  for  a  few  weeks,  but  for  month  after  month  of  his 
illness  his  mind  was  clear,  while  his  patience  was  astonishing,  and  his  faith  in 
God  unwavering. 

Naturally  an  orator,  he  possessed  a  voice  of  rare  volume  and  richness  ;  and  as 
a  preacher  he  was  highly  gifted,  though  his  preaching  was  much  after  the  style 
of  his  practice  at  the  bar.  With  a  presence  large  and  commanding,  he  was,  nev- 
ertheless, exceedingly  diffident  and  timid  in  the  pulpit.  Before  a  jury,  however, 
it  was  different,  and  those  who  have  heard  him  in  one  of  his  impassioned,  resist- 
less speeches  before  a  jury,  remember  him  as  one  of  the  foremost  lawyers  of  his 
day ;  and  no  one  who  ever  heard  him  when  he  was  fully  under  the  inspiration 
of  the  Spirit  wiH  ever  cease  to  know  and  remember  him  as  a  bold,  earnest  and 
powerful  minister  of  the  Gospel.  Usually  his  themes  were  drawn  from  Paul's 
writings,  and  nearly  always  his  discourse  abounded  in  vivid  descriptions  of  the 
sinner's  condition  as  he  rested  under  the  condemnation  of  God's  law.  The  law  / 
the  law !  was  his  theme  in  preaching.  He  loved  to  depict  the  condition  of  the 
unregenerate  man,  with  the  law  clutching  him  by  the  throat,  and  thundering 
forth,  '•  Pay  me  what  thou  owest ! "  Here  he  was  matchless  in  the  fervor  of  his 
eloquence.  At  such  times  it  was  like  some  fearful  storm,  sweeping  all  before  it 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


213 


in  its  fury.  And  then,  after  having  shown  the  sinner's  lost,  ruined  and  helpless 
condition  under  the  law  of  God,  his  voice  and  manner  would  become  subdued 
and  softened  as  he  unfolded  the  sweetness  of  the  Gospel ;  his  own  heart  would 
be  broken  up  and  melted  by  the  comforts  of  its  love  and  tenderness,  and  his 
tears  would  flow  freely  while  preaching.  He  loved  this  text :  "  Christ  is  the  end 
of  the  law  for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  beiieveth."  His  favorite  hymn 
was: 

"  Not  all  the  blood  of  beasts, 
On  Jewish  altars  slain, 
Can  give  the  guilty  conscience  peace, 
Or  take  away  the  stain." 

Had  his  early  life  been  devoted  to  the  study  of  theology  and  the  preaching  of 
the  Gospel,  none  can  tell  what  a  wonderful  and  powerful  exponent  it  would  have 
had  in  him,  considering  the  richness  and  rareness  of  his  natural  gifts ;  for  with- 
out theological  training  and  study,  he  was  one  of  the  most  powerful  and 
convincing  preachers  our  denomination  in  the  State  ever  produced. 


jJAMES  S.  FOWLER. 

Rev.lJAMES  S.  Fowler,  son  of  Zephaniah  and  Martha 
Fowler,  was  born  December  20th,  1818.  His  parents  were 
devoted  Christians,  and  impressed  on  their  children  their 
responsibilities  to  God  their  Maker,  and  Jesus  their  Saviour. 
He  was  led  to  Jesus,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Radford 
Gunn,  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Long  Creek  church,  in 
September  1838.  In  his  conjugal  relations  he  was  exceed- 
ingly fortunate.  He  found  in  Miss  Sarah  Brinkly,  who 
became  his  wife,  December  loth,  1840,  a  helpmeet  indeed. 
God  blessed  them  with  five  lovely  daughters,  all  of  whom 
are  pious,  godly  women,  and  most  happily  married.  No  man  ever  loved  his 
children,  or  sought  to  make  them  happy  at  home,  more  than  did  brother  Fowler. 

He  was  called  to  the  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry,  by  the  Long  Creek  church, 
in  July  1858.  At  once  he  was  brought  into  active  service.  He  preached  for  a 
number  of  years,  with  success,  to  the  Ready  Creek,  Fellowship,  Pleasant  Grove, 
Antioch  and  Bethlehem  churches.  The  theme  of  his  pulpit  labors  was,  salva- 
tion by  grace.  He  was  an  earnest  preacher,  full  of  zeal  and  faith — punctual  in 
filling  al'  his  engagements.  Brother  Fowler  was  a  noble  type  of  Christian  man- 
hood ;  all  who  knew  him  loved  him.  In  1871  he  was  elected  Moderator  of  the 
Washington  Association,  and  filled  the  position  with  dignity  and  honor  to  him- 
self. This  brother  is  still  held  in  high  esteem  in  the  memories  of  those  to  whom 
he  preached  and  where  he  lived.  He  was  a  sound,  faithful  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  and  bold  in  uttering  what  he  believed  to  be  taught  in  the  Word  of  God. 
It  was  a  noticeable  as  well  as  remarkable  trait  of  his  character,  that  while  he  was 
bold  to  present  his  own  views  of  Scripture,  still,  having  a  deep  sense  of  the  re- 
sponsibility of  a  Gospel  minister,  in  the  formation  of  sound  religious  prin- 
ciples, he  consulted,  when  he  could,  those  of  riper  years  and  of  culture,  that  he 
might  not  preach  any  doctrine  that  the  Word  of  God  does  not  sustain. 

Thus  this  good  man  finished  a  Hfe  of  usefulness.  April  loth,  1872,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-four  years,  in  the  prime  of  life,  at  his  home  in  Warren  county,  he  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus,  and  no  doubt  received  "  an  abundant  entrance  into  the  everlast- 
ting  kingdom." 


214  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


SAMUEL  T.  FULLER. 

Rev.  Samuel  T.  Fuller,  oldest  son  of  W.  H.  andM. 
E.  Fuller,  was  born  in  Bibb  county,  Georgia,  March  31st, 
1842.  His  grandmother  was  a  Lois,  and  his  mother  a 
Eunice,  whose  piety  and  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  con- 
stituted a  marked  feature  in  the  character  and  history  of 
the  family ;  and  he  proved  a  Timothy  in  the  early  recep- 
tion of  the  unfeigned  faith  that  dwelt  first  in  them.  From 
the  dawn  of  life  he  was  pure  in  morals,  and  under  the 
influence  of  strong  religious  impressions.  Even  before  he 
made  a  public  avowal  of  faith  in  Christ,  he  declined 
the  proposition  of  his  father,  first  that  he  should  study  for 
the  medical,  and  afterwards  that  he  should  study  for  the  legal  profession,  be- 
cause he  felt  attracted  toward  the  ministry  by  the  higher  usefulness  crowning 
the  discharge  of  its  sacred  functions.  This  gave  a  deep  sense  of  gratification  to 
a  large  circle  of  relatives  and  friends,  who  saw  in  it  a  prophecy  of  benefit  to  the 
cause  of  the  Master.  At  length,  when  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  while  attend- 
ing a  protracted  meeting  conducted  by  Rev.  John  Howell,  in  Taylor  county, 
Georgia,  he  received  "  the  witness  in  himself  "  that  he  had  believed  on  the  Son  of 
God  "with  the  heart,"  and  that  his  sins  were  blotted  out.  During  the  summer 
of  1857  he  united  with  the  Valley  Grove  church,  in  Talbot  county,  and  was  bap- 
tized by  Rev.  John  Harris,  the  pastor.  It  was  now  to  be  seen  that,  in  his  case, 
as  in  many  others  through  all  the  ages,  the  mother  who  could  not  preach  in  her 
own  person,  should  yet  preach  in  the  person  of  her  son. 

He  had  enjoyed  good  educational  advantages  in  the  community  in  which  he 
lived,  and  feeling  that  "  Duty,  stern  daughter  of  the  voice  of  God,"  called  him  to 
the  ministry,  he  prosecuted  his  studies  for  three  years  longer  with  a  view  to  a 
thorough  collegiate  course  in  Mercer  University.  This  purpose,  however,  was 
frustrated  by  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  between  the  States  ;  and  when  peace 
was  restored,  he  found  himself  unable  to  carry  it  through.  He  went,  instead,  to 
the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  and  devoted  two  and  a  half  years 
there  to  diligent  preparation  for  his  chosen  life-work. 

At  the  close  of  his  course,  he  was  married,  January  ist,  1874,  to  Miss  Sophro- 
nia  A.  Johnson,  of  Hamilton,  Georgia,  an  exemplary  Christian  woman,  who  has 
borne  him  two  children,  and  rendered  him  valuable  help  in  his  pastoral  labors. 
After  his  marriage  he  removed  to  Harris  county,  and  connected  himself  with  the 
church  at  Hamilton.  Here  his  piety  and  ability  secured  a  call  to  ordination,  and 
in  September,  1874,  he  was  set  apart  to  the  full  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry. 
On  the  death  of  the  pastor,  Rev.  M.  J.  Wellborn,  he  was  chosen  as  his  successor. 
His  labors  have  been  so  acceptable,  both  to  the  church  and  congregation,  that 
he  has  been  retained  from  year  to  year,  and  still  holds  this,  his  first  charge.  He 
serves,  also,  the  churches  at  Whitesville,  Ebenezer  and  Rehoboth,  and  has  sup- 
plied the  church  at  Bethesda  for  a  year. 

His  work  has  been  blessed  to  a  large  degree,  winning  the  approval  of  the 
brethren  and  the  respect  of  all  denominations  wherever  he  has  preached.  He 
has  already  attained  to  a  reputation  and  influence  for  which  his  friends  hardly 
hoped ;  and  they  believe  that,  with  a  good  constitution,  an  energetic  spirit  and 
an  excellent  theological  training,  he  is' destined  to  become  one  of  the  eminent 
men  among  Georgia  Baptists.  He  is  a  close  student,  and  gives  prayerful  pre- 
paration to  all  his  sermons.  His  piety  and  ability  are  combined  with  scrupulous 
conscientiousness  which  impels  him  to  perform  every  work  which  he  regards  as 
his  duty,  and  to  perform  it  "as  one  who  must  give  account"  for  that,  and  for  all 
things,  to  God.  He  is  of  an  unassuming,  if  not  even  of  a  timid  disposition,  yet 
is  esteemed  and  beloved  by  his  whole  circle  of  acquaintances,  who  regard  him  as 
free  from  reproach  and  above  suspicion. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS  21$ 


RICHARD  FULLER. 

Rev.  Richard  Fuller,  D.D.,  the  next  to  the  youngest 
son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  {nee  Middleton)  Fuller,  was 
born  in  Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  April  22d,  1804.  His 
father,  a  planter,  was  a  man  of  intelligence,  good  judg- 
ment and  amiable  temper.  His  mother  possessed  talents 
of  the  highest  order,  with  great  energy  of  character  ;  and 
to  her  he  bore  a  striking  resemblance  in  mind  and  per- 
sonal appearance.  There  is  no  record  of  any  early  tri- 
umphs on  his  part  as  a  scholar,  though  he  made  such 
progress  in  his  studies  at  the  Beaufort  College,  (as  the 
high  school  of  the  town  was  pretentiously  styled)  under  the  tuition  of  the  Senior 
Brantly,  as  to  be  prepared  to  enter  Harvard  College,  Cambridge,  Massachusetts, 
in  September,  1820,  when  but  sixteen  years  of  age.  Here  he  remained  until  the 
Christmas  vacation  of  1822,  when  symptoms  of  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs — without 
some  reminder  of  which  he  seldom  ever  preached  through  life — ^compelled  him  to 
leave.  He  was  not  distinguished  during  his  Freshman  year  ;  but  in  the  Sopho- 
more and  Junior  years  he  suddenly  rose  to  the  head  of  the  class,  of  about  eighty 
young  men,  and  notwithstanding  his  absence  for  five  terms,  when  the  class 
graduated,  in  1824,  the  faculty  recommended  him  for  a  degree.  On  his  return 
to  Beaufort  he  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  before  he  was  twenty- 
one,  beginning  his  professional  life  in  his  native  town,  and  coming — without  the 
usual  probation  of  young  barristers — into  considerable  and  growing  practice. 
He  was  soon  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  profession  in  the 
courts  which  he  attended,  though  many  of  his  contemporaries  and  competitors 
were  men  of  eminence,  and  some  of  them  had  acquired  a  national  reputation. 
While  prosecuting  his  legal  career^  he  was  married,  August,  1831,  to  Miss 
Charlotte  B.,  daughter  of  James  and  Ann  Stewart,  who  bore  him  three  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  only  the  youngest  outlived  him  to  cheer  her  widowed  old  age. 
Several  years  before  his  marriage,  probably  in  1827,  he  professed  religion,  joined 
the  Episcopal  church,  and  was  immersed  by  the  rector  at  his  own  request.  At 
that  time,  however,  he  was,  according  to  his  own  subsequent  belief,  unregenerate. 
But  in  1 83 1,  Rev.  Daniel  Baker,  a  Presbyterian  revivalist  whose  labors  had  been 
crowned  with  great  success,  visited  Beaufort.  The  town  was  shaken  from  its 
spiritual  slumbers ;  everybody  went  to  hear  him  ;  religion  became  the  absorbing 
object  of  interest — the  one  theme  of  conversation ;  and  in  the  intervals  between 
the  public  services,  and  late  into  the  hours  of  the  night,  there  could  be  heard  from 
almost  every  house  the  voices  of  old  and  young  uniting  in  revival  songs.  With 
Hon.  R.  W.  Barnwell  and  Bishop  Elliott,  Richard  Fuller  came  under  these  mighty 
influences,  and  (to  quote  his  own  record  in  the  family  Bible)  was  "  born  again, 
Thursday,  October  26th,  1831."  "His  soul  ran  over  with  love  and  joy,  and 
prai'^e.'  and  in  this  ecstasy,  "  for  days  he  could  neither  eat  nor  sleep." 

He  LOW  joined  the  Baptist  church  in  Beaufort,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev. 
Henry  O.  Wyer.  With  characteristic  ardor  he  determined  to  relinquish  the  legal 
profession,  which  yielded  him  annually  about  $6,000,  and  to  preach  that  Gospel 
AA-hose  glory  had  captivated  his  whole  soul.  He  was,  accordingly,  ordained  in 
1832,  and  began  a  ministry  of  forty-four  years  the  same  day  by  the  baptism  of 
more  than  a  hundred  persons.  In  1832.  also,  he  became  pastor  of  the  Beaufort 
church,  a  position  which  he  was  to  fill  for  fifteen  years.  The  church  at  that 
time  was  very  weak,  but  in  the  course  of  his  ministry  it  increased  until  it  num- 
bered between  two  and  three  thousand  communicants,  about  two  hundred  of 
whom  were  whites.  His  early  pulpit  efforts  were  very  unsatisfactory  to  himself. 
Again  and  again  he  was  distressed  by  doubts  as  to  his  fitness  for  the  ministry ; 
but  these  doubts  drove  him  to  a  more  earnest  reliance  on  Jesus  Christ,  and  a 
more  entire  consecration  to  God.     He  lived  in  prayer.     The  effect  of  this  con- 


2l6  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

stant  communion  with  the  Saviour  was  seen  and  felt  in  the  steadily  increasing' 
power  of  his  ministry.  He  made  frequent  evangelistic  visits  to  Charleston, 
South  Carolina.  Augusta,  Macon  and  Savannah,  Georgia,  and  to  other  places, 
preaching  for  weeks  at  a  time,  by  day  and  by  night,  to  congregations  which 
thronged  the  largest  houses  of  worship,  while  many  remember  to  this  day,  with 
gratitude  to  God,  the  power  of  his  sermons.  But  from  these  exciting  meetings 
in  the  crowded  citv,  he  would  return  with  fresh  delight  to  his  retired  home  and 
to  the  church  for  which  he  ever  retained  the  fervor  of  a  first  love.  Over-work, 
at  one  period,  brought  back  his  old  trouble  in  the  chest  and  throat,  with  alarm- 
ing symptoms,  and,  at  the  order  of  physicians,  the  greater  part  of  the  year  1836 
was  spent  in  Europe. 

His  work  at  Beaufort  was  not  confined  to  the  pulpit ;  he  earnestly  aided  every 
good  cause.  In  1839  he  prepared  a  memorial  to  the  State  Legislature,  praying 
that  body  to  take  action  as  to  the  matter  of  granting  licenses  for  the  traffic  in 
strong  drink.  An  allusion  in  the  memorial  to  the  sale  of  indulgences — "  the 
tariff  of  sins  " — -under  the  Romish  hierarchy,  led  to  a  controversy  on  that  subject 
with  Bishop  England.  In  1844  he  wrote  a  letter  to  a  Northern  religious  journal 
in  deprecation  of  the  growing  excitement  throughout  the  country  with  regard  to 
Southern  institutions,  in  view  of  which  Dr.  Wayland  challenged  him  to  a  dis- 
cussion of  the  slavery  question.  To  these  public  controversies  he  had  a  great 
aversion.     And  from  that  day  no  attack  could  draw  him  into  the  lists. 

In  1847  began  his  pastorate  of  twenty- four  years  with  the  Seventh  Baptist 
church,  Baltimore,  Maryland,  during  which  scarcely  a  fortnight  passed  without 
the  administration  of  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  while  often  for  months  it  was  a 
weekly  service.  His  success  in  winning  souls  was  due  as  much  to  his  faithful- 
ness in  private  as  in  public  labor.  He  did  not  depend  on  his  great  eloquence, 
but  was  a  most  diligent  pastor.  The  membership  of  the  church  having  grown 
from  eighty-seven  when  he  assumed  the  pastorate  to  some  1,200,  it  was  deemed 
advisable  to  establish  another  Baptist  interest  in  Baltimore.  For  this  purpose  131 
members  withdrew  and  were  constituted  into  the  Eutaw  Place  church.  Dr. 
Fuller  became  their  pastor,  and  labored  with  them  until  his  death  five  years 
later,  when  they  had  grown  to  452  in  number.  He  was  attacked  by  an  inflam- 
mation on  his  right  shoulder,  in  the  winter  of  1875,  which  first  interrupted  and 
then  ended  his  toils.  At  length  several  surgical  operations  were  performed,  from 
the  effects  of  which  he  died  October  20th,  1876.  One  evening  his  nephew,  Dr. 
J.  H.  Cuthbert,  parting  with  him,  said,  "  Good  night."  "  Oh,"  replied  he,  quickly 
and  cheerfully,  "  it  will  soon  be  good  moriiitig  /"  The  night  before  his  death. 
Dr.  Brantly  said,  "  It  must  be  a  comfort  to  you  to  think  of  the  multitudes  you 
have  led  to  Jesus."  "Poor  creature!  poor  sinner!"  was  his  response.  His 
last  coherent  words  were :  "  Lord  Jesus,  keep  us  near  thee ;  make  us  perfect, 
and  thine  shall  be  the  glory  forever  and  ever.     Amen." 

Dr.  Fuller  was  one  of  the  foremost  preachers  of  his  generation ;  and  it  be- 
comes us  to  inquire,  what  where  the  causes  of  his  great  ministerial  success.  It 
must  be  admitted  that  he  had  many  natural  advantages  as  a  pulpit  orator.  Over 
six  feet  in  height,  he  had  a  commanding  appearance — an  imperial  presence. 
With  a  large,  finely-shaped  head,  and  a  high,  massive  forehead,  his  face,  though 
far  from  being  handsome,  was  capable  of  expressing,  with  the  precision  of  a 
mirror,  each  varying  shade  of  emotion.  His  voice  possessed  both  compass  and 
melody.  Now  it  could  be  soft  and  gentle  as  the  strains  of  an  ^olian  harp, 
touching  the  tenderest  chords  of  feeling:  and  now  it  rang  out  with  trumpet 
power,  rousing  and  agitating  the  multitude.  It  was  managed  with  such  exquisite 
skill,  too,  that  his  lowest  whispers  were  distinctly  heard  in  the  remotest  parts  of 
a  crowded  congregation,  while  his  loudest  tones  did  not  jar  on  the  ears  of  those 
nearest  the  speaker.  These  bodily  gifts  were  assiduously  cultivated  by  him. 
He  well  knew  that  for  the  most  effective  speaking  there  should  be  a  sound  mind 
in  a  sound  body ;  and  no  article  of  food,  no  ensnaring  but  injurious  luxury  could 
tempt  him  to  impair  the  organs  of  that  frame  which  he  had  consecrated  to  the 
service  of  Jesus. 

His  intellectual  powers,  also,  were  admirably  adapted  to  the  pulpit.  His  mind, 
while  not  metaphysical,  was  yet  logical,  and  it  had  been  balanced  and  sharpened 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  21/ 

by  his  legal  training- ;  it  was  furnished  with  ample  resources,  which  the  life-long 
habits  of  the  student  placed  always  at  his  command,  and  it  wrought  with  a 
power  of  memory  almost,  if  not  quite,  equal  to  Lord  Macaulay's,  whoisrepu'ed 
never  to  have  forgotten  anything  that  he  read.  He  had  little  relish  for  close  and 
continuous  argumentation  ;  but  he  saw  with  intuitive  distinctness  and  vividness 
the  results  to  which  trains  of  reasoning  would  lead,  and  seizing  on  these  results, 
he  would  present  them  with  a  clearness  of  statement  and  a  force  of  delivery  which 
seldom  failed  to  convince.  Over  all  his  mental  processes,  his  gifts  of  imagina- 
tion and  of  pathos  flung  their  charm  and  coloring ;  and  it  was  here  that  his  great 
strength  lay.  7",^^i'^  enabled  him  to  hold  immense  audiences  entranced,  uncon- 
scious of  time  or  place,  trembling  or  weeping  at  the  will  of  the  enchanter. 

Another  cause  of  his  pulpit  efficiency,  wh'ch,  though  secondary,  ought  not  to 
be  overlooked,  was  his  cheerfulness  of  disposition.  In  the  study,  in  the  pulpit, 
in  visits  to  the  sick,  the  dying  and  the  bereaved,  the  occupation  of  the  minister 
calls  into  nlay  only  the  serious  and  often  the  saddest  emotions  of  the  heart.  If 
these  feelings  were  indulged  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others,  then  those  lighter 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart  which  were  designed  by  God  to  relieve  the  weariness 
resulting  from  severe  labor,  would  perish  through  disuse,  and  the  higher  powers 
of  the  mind,  and  the  profounder  emotions  of  the  heart,  kept  continually  on  the 
stretch,  would  lose  their  freshness  and  vigor.  Hence  we  find  that  the  most 
eminent  and  useful  preachers — as  in  the  case  of  George  Whitfield,  Thomas 
Chalmers  and  Robert  Hall — were  remarkable  for  their  cheerfulness  in  private 
life.  Like  these  men,  to  whom  he  was  akin  in  genius.  Richard  Fuller  possessed 
a  rich  vein  of  humor :  and  in  his  home,  when  the  labors  of  the  day  were  over, 
his  entrance  into  the  family  circle  was  welcomed  as  the  incoming  of  sunshine. 
The  sparkle  of  his  wit,  the  overflowing  fun  of  his  descriptions,  the  quickness  of 
his  repartee,  the  contaeion  of  his  laugh,  the  brilh'ant  and  humorous  sayings  that 
seemed  to  come  so  easilv  and  freshly  to  his  lips,  were  irresistible. 

While  the  natural  powers  of  his  mind  were  great,  he  never  depended  on  their 
unassisted  strength,  but  was  a  laborious  student.  He  recognized  practically  the 
need  (to  use  his  own  words)  for  "  that  sweat  of  the  intellect  by  which  alone  it  is 
God's  fixed  decree  that  there  shall  be  first  wrought  in  us,  and  then  wrought  by 
us  into  others,  those  great  thoughts  that  master  and  rule  the  world."  Whatever 
he  had  to  do — whether  a  sermon  was  to  be  preached  or  a  short  address  to 
be  delivered — it  was  done  with  careful  preparation.  Monday  morning  by  nine 
o'clock  he  had  his  texts  selected  for  the  next  Sabbath,  and  to  the  study  of  these 
texts,  with  the  sermons  based  on  them,  the  morning  of  every  dav  in  the  week 
was  entirely  devoted — three  mornings  to  each  text  and  sermon.  Intrusion  at 
such  times  was  repelled  with  impatience  and  bruskness,  and  nothing  but  cases 
of  urgent  necessity  were  allowed  to  interfere  with  his  hours  of  preparation. 

To  this  thorough  preparation  he  owed  much  of  his  success ;  but  the  power 
which  was  chiefly  felt  in  his  preaching  was  the  result  of  his  devotional  habits. 
He  seemed  to  live  in  the  presence  of  Christ.  Every  hour  and  place  was,  to  him, 
an  hour  and  place  of  prayer.  Earlv  in  the  morning  he  would  retire  from  all 
company  to  be  alone  with  God.  He  entered  into  no  work,  and  engaged  in  no 
recreation,  without  prayer.  Though  eminently  social  by  nature,  his  love  for 
"  converse  with  the  skies  "  led  to  a  life  of  comparative  isolation  from  his  fellow- 
men.  "  None  but  Jesus,"  was  the  motto  and  guiding  principle  of  his  life ;  "  none 
but  Jesus,"  were  the  words  engraved  in  letters  of  love  on  his  great  heart ;  "  none 
but  Jesus,"  was  the  theme  of  his  ministry,  for  this,  he  held,  "is  the  Gospel  of 
the  Gospel."  Under  the  influence  of  this  devotion,  his  utterances  from  the 
pulpit  were  marked  by  a  living  freshness  of  thought  and  an  overflowing  tender- 
ness of  holy  love.  Every  listener  felt  that  there  was  a  singular,  a  mysterious 
magic  in  the  words  of  the  speaker,  giving  a  new  impulse,  a  fresh  ardor,  a  holier 
longing  to  each  worshipper  hanging  on  his  lips.  The  coldest  hearts  would  glow 
under  the  inspiring  warmth  :  eyes  long  unused  to  weeping  would  become  dim 
with  tears ;  and  in  the  solemnity  of  the  hushed  assembly  one  could  ^almost  hear 
the  still  small  voice  saying,  "  By  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts." 


2l8 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


ROBERT   W.    FULLER. 


Robert  W.  Fuller  was  born  in  Beaufort, 
South  Carolina,  November  27th,  1824.  His 
father.  Dr.  Thomas  Fuller,  the  oldest  brother  of 
the  late  Richard  Fuller,  D.D.,  was,  by  reputfe, 
"the  wealthiest  sea-island  cotton  planter  in  the 
world." 

After  a  preparatory  course  in  the  college  at 
Beaufort,  he  went  to  Princeton,  where  he  gradu- 
ated with  honor  in  1843,  in  the  nineteenth  year 
of  his  age.  From  his  boyhood,  therefore,  he 
manifested,  not  merely  the  talent,  which  reflects 
light  (like  the  moon),  but  the  genius  which  (like 
the  sun)  emits  light.  Alas,  that  "  so  fine  a  spirit, 
touched  to  such  fine  issues,"  should  have  been 
denied  what  some  one  styles  "  the  physical  exec- 
utive ;"  that  almost  from  the  commencement  of 
his  career,  the  weight  of  bodily  weaknesses 
should  have  hindered  him  from  putting  on  any 
work  of  his  hand  "  the  crown  of  perfectness  !" 

For  a  time  after  graduation  he  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  the  law,  under 
Mr.  DeSaussure,  an  eminent  jurist  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  But  the  spell 
of  a  profession  worthy  of  the  highest  gifts  was  broken  by  the  death  of  a  favorite 
brother,  which  awoke  his  mind  to  the  supreme  importance  of  vital  personal  relig- 
ion. Having  trusted  in  Christ,  his  independent  and  conscientious  habits  of 
thought  would  not  suffer  him  to  regard  ecclesiastical  relations  as  matters  simply 
-hereditary  and  accidental.  His  parents,  with  most  of  his  kindred  and  friends, 
were  attached  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal  communion ;  but  he  recognized  the 
Scriptures  as  the  only  authority  on  all  questi  ins  of  Christian  belief  and  life,  and, 
after  careful  investigation  of  their  teachings,  embraced  the  principles  of  our  de- 
nomination.    He  was  baptized  by  his  uncle  Richard,  in  November,  1845. 

He  determined  to  consecrate  his  rare  endowments  to  the  ministry  of  the  Gos- 
pel. With  this  view,  he  prosecuted  his  studies  and  exercised  his  gifts  until  his 
ordination  in  1846.  Shortly  after,  on  the  removal  of  Dr.  R.  Fuller  to  Baltimore, 
he  became  his  successor  in  the  Beaufort  pastorate.  At  about  this  date  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Susan  E.  Pope,  of  St.  Helena  Island,  near  Beaufort,  a 
lady  of  wealth  and  beauty,  of  cultured  mind  and  heart — his  noble  counterpart 
and  true  helpmeet. 

The  sharply-drawn  line  of  demarkation  between  the  Baptist  and  Episcopal 
churches  in  Beaufort  rendered  it  a  lield  of  some  difficulty;  but  valuable  acces- 
sions were  constantly  made  to  the  flock  through  the  eight  years  of  his  "  labor  in 
word  and  doctrine  "  there,  and  the  deep  affection  of  every  surviving  member, 
after  a  separation  of  twenty-six  years,  attested  how  well  he  was  "beloved  for  his 
work's  sake."  This  pastorate  of  steady  and  growing  usefulness  was  terminated 
in  1854  by  consumption,  the  disease  to  which  the  vital  forces  succumbed  at  last. 
"  The  arrow  that  spilled  his  life  had  already  pierced  him." 

Active  e.Kercise  in  the  open  air  became  now  the  only  door  of  escape  from  early 
death,  and  he  resigned  the  pastoral  office,  to  engage  personally  in  the  superin- 
tendence of  his  planting  interests.  Twelve  years  were  to- wear  away  in  this 
unavoidable  secular  employment;  but  he  often  filled  the  appointments  of  absent 
brethren,  and  assisted  in  protracted  meetings,  for  the  fire  of  love  for  Christ  and 
for  souls  burned  too  ardently  in  his  breast  not  to  find  vent  in  speech  at  times, 
whatever,  the  risk  to  himself.  In  the  course  of  these  years  the  tide  of  war  drove 
him  from  his  ancestral  estate,  which — sold  for  taxes  during  his  absence  within 
the  Confederate  lines — was  practically  confiscated.     He  lost  his  lands,  his  home. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  219 

his  family  plate,  his  cherished  books,  his  manuscripts ;  but  in  this  sudden  reduc- 
tion from  affluence  to  poverty,  no  morbid,  unmanly  self-pity  dwarfed  his  soul, 
and  he  spoke  no  word  of  murmuring  as  toward  God,  or  of  bitterness  as  toward 
man — none  then,  none  afterward. 

He  resumed  the  pastoral  office  in  1866,  in  connection  with  the  church  at  Beach 
Island,  South  Carolina.  He  continued  here  but  a  year  and  a  half,  having  been 
disabled  during  three  months  of  that  time  by  a  carbuncle  on  the  shoulder,  which 
for  a  season  threatened  his  life.  In  February,  1868,  he  accepted  a  call  to  the 
First  Baptist  church,  Atlanta.  The  handsome  edifice  of  this  church  was  erected 
while  he  served  it,  not  without  effective  help  on  his  part.  He  discharged  the 
duties  of  his  office  acceptably  and  wisely ;  not  seeking  hasty  growth  by  sensa- 
tional methods,  but  aiming  to  lay  the  foundations  of  permanent  prosperity  by 
faithful  exhibition  of  truth  in  the  pulpit,  and  by  prayer  and  converse  on  personal 
religion  in  household  visitation.  He  was  not  destined,  however,  to  reap  the  harvest 
for  which  he  sought  to  prepare  the  soil,  for  at  the  end  of  two  and  a  half  years 
his  failing  health  again  demanded  that  he  should  betake  himself  to  a  more  active 
hfe.  He  accordingly  undertook  first  the  noble  work  of  pleading  for  the  orphans 
of  the  Confederate  dead,  as  agent  for  the  Home  established  by  Georgia  Baptists 
at  Atlanta,  and  afterward  the  advocacy  of  the  claims  of  Mercer  University,  as  its 
financial  agent.  He  wrought  in  these  spheres  for  seven  years  and  more,  with  a 
fidelity  and  efficiency  which,  while  they  satisfied  the  institutions  that  employed 
him,  endeared  him  to  a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  admirers. 

His  indomitable  energy  held  him  to  this  line  of  work,  even  after  physicians 
had  forbidden  him  either  to  preach  or  to  pray  in  public,  and  until  he  contracted 
that  cough,  which,  when  first  heard  by  the  home-circle,  sounded  like  a  death- 
knell  to  their  hearts  and  hopes.  At  last,  in  the  spring  of  1878,  his  overtasked 
strength  gave  way  utterly ;  and,  with  the  exception  of  some  two  months'  service 
in  the  course  of  that  year  as  associate  editor  of  The  Christian  Index,  his  public 
labors  were  ended.  Henceforth  he  was  rather  to  suffer  the  will  of  God  than  to 
do  it.  And  grace  shone  as  conspicuously  through  the  months  of  pain  as  it  had 
shone  through  the  years  of  toil.  Rev.  Dr.  Tucker  says  :  "  His  mind  retained  its 
vigor  to  the  last ;  his  faith  never  failed,  and  through  all  his  sufferings,  which 
were  very  severe,  he  seemed  to  be  not  only  resigned  but  cheerfully  acquiescent. 
In  view  of  death  he  manifested  no  ecstatic  joy,  but  spoke  of  it  smilingly,  as  if  he 
were  speaking  of  a  bright,  beautiful  morning.  A  spirit  more  serenely  happy  we 
have  never  seen."  Rev.  Dr.  Spalding  says :  "  Down  to  the  last  day  of  his  life  he 
refrained,  for  the  sake  of  others,  from  giving  expression  lo  his  pain.  Only  when 
he  fell  asleep  was  he  known  to  moan.  His  trust  in  God  for  himself  and  for  his 
family  was  like  his  who,  at  God's  command,  sat  by  the  brook  and  waited  for  the 
ravens'  coming.  To  her  whom  he  loved  better  than  life,  in  view  of  the  life  of 
bereavement  soon  to  be  hers,  his  last  words  were  a  tender  entreaty  to  '  trust 
God.'  One  day  he  expressed  a  wish  that  she  would  pray  that  his  journey  might 
be  shortened.  To  her  enquiry  if  he  v,'ould  not  be  willing,  for  their  sakes,  to  re- 
main longer  and  suffer  on,  if  it  were  the  will  of  God,  he  replied  :  '  Yes,  but  heaven 
is  so  near  and  Jesus  so  sweet.' "  And  so  his  ransomed  soul  laid  down  the  bur- 
den of  flesh  and  sin,  at  8  o'clock  p.  m.,  on  Thursday,  June  loth,  1880.  At  such 
a  death-bed,  the  partitition  between  the  two  great  divisions  of  the  one  family  on 
earth  and  in  heaven,  if  it  does  not  grow  transparent  and  let  through  the  vision  of 
eternal  blessedness,  grows  at  least  translucent,  and  lets  through  something  of 
the  light  with  which  that  blessedness  shines  !  Even  those  who  survive  catch  the 
rays,  a^id  w  alk  in  them  ever  after. 

As  a  man,  he  was  "  the  very  soul  of  honor."  Dr.  Tucker  testifies :  "  He  was 
a  high-toned  man  ;  a  devout  man  ;  a  conscientious  and  pure  man ;  he  was  gener- 
ous, genial  and  sympathetic ;  his  record  was  as  nearly  spotless  as  that  of  any 
man  we  ever  knew." 

As  a  Christian,  his  spirit  was  of  a  type  singularly  elevated  and  refined.  Dr. 
Spalding  testifies :  "  The  most  characteristic  features  of  his  piety  were  :  in  its  in- 
ward life,  his  vivid  conception  of  the  intercession  of  Jesus ;  in  its  outward 
manifestation,  the  reconciling  to  each  other  of  dissevered  brethren." 

As  a  preacher,  he  evinced  clear  conception,  thorough  analysis,  subtle  reasoning, 
loyalty  to  Scripture,  glowing  but  chastened  imagination,  and  powers  of  pathos 


220  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

which  often  melted  his  hearers  to  tenderness  and  tears.  He  prepared  his  ser- 
mons carefully,  and  when  urged  to  spend  less  time  on  them,  would  reply :  "  If  I 
could  satisfy  my  people,  I  cannot  satisfy  myself  with  less ;  I  must  feel  that  I 
have  done  the  best  I  could  by  a  subject."  "  He  would  have  equalled  his  uncle 
Richard  as  a  preacher,"  says  Dr.  W.  T.  Brantly,  "  if  he  had  been  endowed  with  the 
same  physique."  Was  he  not  his  equal  in  the  eloquence  of  thought  and  senti- 
ment }  The  writer  has  heard  both  continuously,  and  the  sermons  which  most 
touched  him  at  the  time  and  lingered  with  him  longest,  were  the  sermons, 
not  of  the  uncle,  but  of  the  nephew.  Dr.  J.  A.  Broadus  pronounced  him  "  his 
ideal  of  what  a  preacher  should  be." 

He  gave  himself  with  single  eye  to  whatever  he  undertook ;  shunned  every- 
thing like  ostentation  or  parade  in  connection  with  his  labors ;  left  what  he 
wrought  and  how  he  wrought  it  to  be  their  own  witnesses ;  and  never  stepped 
aside  to  practice  any  of  the  arts  by  which  inferior  men  attract  undeserved  notice 
and  achieve  factitious  popularity.  He  was  reticent  in  the  expression  of  feeling, 
and  little  inclined  to  lay  his  heart  bare — as  is  true  of  all  higher  and  deeper  na- 
tures ;  but  his  attachments  were  strong  and  his  friendships  unselfish  ;  and  kindred 
souls,  reading  his  character  aright  by  virtue  of  that  kindredship,  knew  that  he 
was  endowed  with  a  wealth  of  pure,  lofty,  constant  affection — meet  counterpart 
to  his  wealth  of  intellectual  aptitudes  and  potencies.  His  style  as  a  writer  com- 
bined beauty  and  vigor ;  on  the  one  hand  neither  barren  of  ornament  nor  overlaid 
with  it ;  on  the  other,  neither  seeking  the  intricate  construction  which  sometimes 
earns  a  cheap  reputation  for  profundity,  nor  avoiding  the  simplicity  which  ill- 
judging  critics  sometimes  mistake  for  tameness.  His  occasional  verses  show 
that,  if  his  mine  of  poetic  fancies  had  passed  through  the  mint  of  composition, 
he  would  have  won  no  mean  rank  among  votaries  of  the  muse ;  and  a  volume 
of  his  discourses,  if  we  might  hope  for  it,  woald  make  his  distinction,  as  a  divine, 
national.  To  those  who  knew  and  loved  him — for  he  was  always  loved  when 
truly  known — how  often  "  the  light  of  other  days  "  will  bring  back  his  impress- 
ive presence  ;  his  medium  stature ;  his  slender  frame  ;  his  polished  manners ;  his 
finely-chiselled,  classic  features ;  his  noble  brow,  fit  throne  of  the  monarch. 
Thought ;  his  eye,  which  often  spoke  a  volume  in  a  glance  when  the  lips  were 
silent ;  his  countenance,  beaming  with  mirth-moving  yet  kindly  wit  and  with 
the  bright  cheerful  spirit  which  made  him  many  times  oblivious  of  bodily  weak- 
ness and  pain  !  "  Adieu,  then,  thou  lovely  spirit !  manly  and  brave,  but  gentle 
and  tender — adieu,  but  only  for  the  present !  "  For,  as  thou  saidst  on  thy  couch 
of  mortal  agony,  to  her  who  had  been  to  thee  a  Mary  and  a  Martha,  when  she 
asked,  "  Must  you  leave  us  ?  "  so  thou  sayest  to  us  out  of  thy  place  of  slumber 
in  the  dust,  out  of  thy  place  of  glory  in  the  skies :  "  Only  for  a  little  while,  and  then 
we  shall  be  together  forever !  " 


HENRY   GARLAND. 

Among  the  Georgia  Baptist  ministers  whose  names,  as 
pure  and  zealous  Christians,  are  worthy  to  be  handed  down 
to  posterity,  few  more  deserve  that  honor  than  Rcv.Henry 
Garland.  He  was  born  in  Putnam  or  Wilkes  county, 
Georgia,  October  13th,  1804.  Both  of  his  parents  were 
Baptists,  and  both  were  baptized  by  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer. 
Nevertheless,  he  early  joined  the  Methodists,  and  it  was  not 
until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age  that,  after  reading 
and  meditation,  he  became  convinced  that  the  sentiments 
of  the  Baptists  are  right,  and  united  with  them.  He  was 
baptized  by  Rev.  Jacob  King  in  1838,  and  was  ordained  the  following  year  by  a 
presbytery  composed  of  Jacob  King,  Joshua  Callaway,  and  Joseph  Chipman. 
Immediately  called  to  the  pastoral  care  of  four  churches — Harmony,  at  Hootens- 


%^^^^ 

\ 

l^b. 

m 

OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


221 


ville ;  Antioch,  of  which  he  was  a  member ;  Shiloh,  in  Upson  county ;  and  Mount 
Olive,  in  Pike  county — he  began  a  life  of  earnest,  zealous  and  self-denying  labor 
for  Jesus,  which  was  uninterruptedly  maintained  until  his  death. 

All  his  time  and  all  his  energies  were  devoted  to  his  duties  as  a  Christian  min- 
ister. Neither  asking  nor  expecting  compensation,  he  worked  with  the  ardor  of 
a  great  heart  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  seeking  out  the  most  destitute  places, 
constituting  churches,  and  preaching  in  school-houses  and  bush-arbors,  incited 
by  his  love  for  the  Master  and  for  his  fellow-beings.  Earnest  and  devout,  warm- 
hearted and  lovely  in  disposition,  and  firm  and  unyielding  of  purpose,  he  was 
an  excellent  and  successful  pastor.  While  ever  seeking  to  maintain  a  spirit  of 
Christian  unity  and  harmony  in  his  churches,  he  was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  and 
yet  commanded  the  love,  esteem  and  confidence  of  every  one. 

Of  fine  personal  appearance,  he  was  generous  and  noble  by  nature,  and  gained 
for  himself  many  friends,  who  ever  remained  so.  He  died  suddenly  in  January, 
1855,  but  fell,  as  a  soldier  of  the  Cross  should  fall,  at  the  post  of  duty,  with  his 
lamp  trimmed  and  burning.  His  last  utterances  were  prayers  for  his  family  and 
for  his  churches ;  and,  with  his  dying  breath,  he  exhorted  his  hearers  in  the 
words  of  the  Master :  "  Be  ye  also  ready,  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not, 
the  Son  of  man  cometh."  His  funeral  sermon  was  preached  from  these  words, 
by  Rev.  Jacob  King,  and  a  whole  community  mourned  at  his  death  as  for  a  dear 
friend  whose  place  could  not  well  be  supplied. 

He  was  twice  married.  Of  the  former  marriage,  one  only  out  of  five  children 
survives ;  and  of  two  children  born  of  his  second  marriage,  one  only  lives,  R.  H. 
Garland,  of  Upson  county.  He  was  a  noble  and  a  good  man,  an  excellent 
preacher,  and  did  his  whole  duty  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel ;  and  his  works  do 
follow  him. 


CHARLES  S.  GAULDEN. 


Rev.  Charles  S.  Gaulden,  second  son  of  Rev.  Jon- 
athan and  Rhoda  Paisley  Gaulden,  was  born  in  Liberty 
county,  Georgia,  May  5th,  1812,  and  was  baptized  in  that 
county  by  Rev.  James  O.  Shannon,  in  the  14th  year  of 
his  age.  His  was  a  bright  experience  of  grace,  and  a 
strong  impression  prevailed  with  him  for  years  that  he 
ought  to  proclaim  the  Gospel  to  others.  But  while  pre- 
paring for  college  at  Salem,  Clarke  county,  Georgia,  he  was 
deprived  of  church  privilege,  and,  rooming  at  one  time  with 
no  less  than  seven  boys,  who  were  very  irreligious,  he 
was  deprived  of  moral  influence  and  of  opportunities  for 
private  devotion,  and,  with  many  tears  and  promises  of  amendment,  wandered 
from  piety  and  duty. 

He  was  educated  at  the  State  University,  Athens,  Georgia,  where  his  com- 
panions were  irreligious.  It  has  been  his  abiding  conviction  since  then  that  no 
country  boy,  such  as  he  was,  without  experience,  should  be  similarly  circum- 
stanced ;  and  that  it  would  be  infinitely  better  for  such  a  boy  to  have  only  what 
education  his  own  home  affords. 

He  read  law  in  Savannah,  and  settled  in  the  practice  in  Lumpkin,  Stewart 
county,  Georgia,  where  he  was  very  successful  in  his  chosen  profession.  In  1845 
he  represented  that  county  in  the  Georgia  Legislature ;  but  politics  did  not  suit 
his  taste. 

He  served  as  deacon  of  the  Lumpkin  church  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was 
called  by  it  and  the  Summer  Hill  church,  in  the  same  county,  to  ordination  in 
1855.  He  was  pastor  of  the  latter  church  and  Shady  Grove;  Pleasant  Grove, 
after  the  death  of  Rev.  W.  R.  Steely ;  and  of  the  Lumpkin  church  after  the 


222 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


removal  of  Rev.  E.  W.  Warren  to  Macon.     In  the  winter  of  1859  he  moved  to 
Brooks  county,  and  represented  it  in  the  Secession  Convention  of  1861. 

For  some  time  brother  Gaulden  was  the  only  Missionary  Baptist  preacher  in 
the  county.  He  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  church  at  Quitman,  and  his  earnest 
labors  and  fine  practical  judgment  contributed  greatly  to  the  prosperity  of  that 
church.  In  fact,  the  leading  position  which  that  church  has  taken  in  Mercer 
Association  is  owing  largely  to  the  good  foundation  laid  for  its  future  usefulness 
by  its  first  pastor.  Brother  Gaulden  did  not  confine  his  labors  to  the  Quitman 
church,  but  preached  also  at  Okapilco,  Morven,  and  sometimes  at  Hickory  Head 
Academy.  He  soon  established  churches  at  the  two  first-mentioned  places,  and 
at  the  latter  there  is  now  one  of  the  strongest  churches  in  southern  Georgia. 
When  he  came  to  Brooks  there  was  but  one  church  in  the  county,  that  at  Groov- 
erville.  besides  the  one  at  Quitman,  which  had  just  been  constituted.  Now  there 
are  eight.  True,  other  preachers  at  a  later  date  came  in  and  worked  efficiently 
in  the  cause ;  but  brother  Gaulden  was  for  several  years  the  only  preacher,  and 
the  missionary  spirit  that  gave  life  and  energy  to  Baptist  principles  is  chiefly  due 
to  his  instruction  and  influence.  He  afterwards  moved  to  Thomasville,  Georgia, 
serving  the  church  in  that  place  for  two  years.  He  still  resides  there.  Over 
two  hundred  have  been  added  to  the  churches  he  has  served. 


WASHINGTON    L.  GEIGER. 


Washington  L.  Geiger  is  a  useful  and  highly  es- 
teemed Baptist  minister  of  Southeast  Georgia.  He  is 
greatly  beloved  by  his  brethren  of  the  Union  Association. 
His  influence  in  stirring  up  the  churches  of  that  section 
and  arousing  them  to  the  importance  of  Sunday  schools, 
and  the  cause  of  missions  at  home  and  abroad,  has  been 
remarkable.  He  was  born  in  Effingham  county,  Georgia, 
November  17th,  1835.  His  parents  were  highly  respect- 
able, and  both  members  of  a  Baptist  church  near  them. 
In  early  life  their  son  Washington  was  taught  to  rever- 
ence God  and  study  his  Word,  which  made  deep  impres- 
sions on  him.  In  1853,  while  at  school  in  Forsyth,  Georgia,  the  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  church,  Rev.  J.  H.  Corley,  held  a  series  of  meetings,  in  the  course  of 
which  Washington  professed  conversion  and  was  baptized.  It  was  not  long 
before  he  showed  that  God  evidently  had  a  work  for  him  to  do,  and  the  church, 
a  few  months  after,  licensed  him  to  preach.  Being  only  about  eighteen  years  of 
age  and  naturally  timid,  with  other  embarrassing  circumstances,  some  of  his 
earliest  efforts  did  not  reach  the  standard  he  had  set  before  himself,  and  he  be- 
came so  depressed  that  he  almost  resolved  never  to  make  another.  But  the 
kind  treatment  of  the  brethren  and  the  wise  and  judicious  counsels  of  Elder 
Corley  encouraged  him  to  go  on  in  his  Master's  work.  He  then  spent  a  great 
part  of  1854  in  Elder  Corley 's  house,  securing  from  him  much  valuable  theo- 
logical instruction,' and  preaching  whenever  a  suitable  opportunity  was  presented. 
In  1855,  he  entered  the  school  at  Middle  Ground,  in  Screven  county,  under  the 
tuition  of  Elder  H.  E.  Cassidy,  in  order  to  prepare  himself  for  the  Junior  Class 
in  Mercer  University;  but  his  health  failed,  and  here  his  efforts  to  secure  a  more 
advanced  education  came  prematurely  to  a  close.  After  teaching  school  a  year 
or  two  in  Liberty  coimty  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  patrons,  he  was  invited  by  the 
Executive  Board  of  the  Union  Association  to  act  as  their  missionary.  He  had 
been  previously  ordained  to  the  ministry  at  Salem  church,  Liberty  county,  Geor- 
gia. He  accepted  the  call,  entered  with  his  characteristic  energy  on  this  field, 
and  did  a  noble  work  for  the  cause  of  truth,     Many  sinners,  through  his  ministry. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  22$ 

were  brought  to  repentance  towards  God  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1859,  he  resigned  this  position  with  a  view  of  locating.  He  was  married 
November  17th,  1858,  to  Miss  Catharine  C,  eldest  daughter  of  the  Hon.  James 
Tillman,  with  whom  he  lived  in  great  enjoyment  until  the  spring  of  1879,  when 
she  was  called  to  her  eternal  reward,  leaving  seven  children.  In  January, 
1880,  he  married  Miss  Julia  Pevey. 

When  Elder  Geiger  first  settled,  he  began  to  farm  in  Tatnall  county,  but  was 
soon  called  to  a  school  and  church  in  Montgomery  county,  and  in  a  little  while 
was  invited  to  the  care  of  the  church  in  Dublin,  Laurens  county ;  but  the  death 
of  his  father  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  leave  this  pleasant  field  of  labor  and 
return  to  Effingham  county,  his  old  home,  to  care  for'  an  aged,  helpless  mother. 
During  the  two  years  he  lived  with  his  mother  prior  to  her  death,  he  was  actively 
engaged  in  working  for  the  cause  of  Jesus.  After  her  death,  he  closed  the  busi- 
ness of  the  estate  as  soon  as  he  could,  and  in  May,  1875,  accepted  a  call  to  Oak 
Grove  church,  Bulloch  county,  and  opened  a  school  in  a  commodious  building, 
called  Excelsior  Academy.  By  persevering  energy  he  established  a  flourishing 
school,  which  still  continues.  It  was  not  long  before  the  church  removed  its 
house  of  worship  to  the  same  point,  lots  were  purchased,  and  a  considerable 
village  of  neat  buildings  and  refined  people  has  grown  up.  Mr.  Geiger,  recog- 
nizing the  power  of  the  press,  introduced  it  as  auxiliary  to  his  work,  and  in 
August,  1877,  issued  the  first  number  of  The  Excelsior  News — the  first  paper 
ever  published  in  Bulloch  county.  He  has  served  both  as  Clerk  and  Moderator 
of  the  Union  Association.  He  is  a  man  of  unbounded  energy,  and  has  thrown 
all  the  forces  of  his  mind  and  heart  and  body  into  every  good  work  His  pulpit 
efforts' are  always  excellent,  full  of  the  precious  Gospel,  and  well  delivered.  His 
influence  is  now.  as  it  has  ever  been  since  his  conversion,  given  to  every  enter- 
prise the  object  of  which  is  to  benefit  the  race  and  thus  glorify  God. 


THOMAS  ALEXANDER  GIBBS. 

Among  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  who  are  not  ministers, 
but  who  deserve  a  place  in  these  annals  on  account  of 
their  activity  and  usefulness  in  the  cause  of  religion,  is  Mr. 
Thomas  Alexander  Gibbs,  of  Social  Circle,  Georgia, 
for  many  years  the  efficient  clerk  of  the  Stone  Mountain 
Association.  His  father,  T.  A.  Gibbs,  Sr.,  when  quite  a 
young  man,  came  from  Virginia  to  Georgia,  where  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Martha  Maddox,  of  Greene  county.  He  was  a 
man  full  of  sympathy,  of  great  perseverance,  firmness  of 
character,  and  unstinted  liberality,  possessed  withal  of  an 
integrity  that  would  have  made  him  suffer  martyrdom  be- 
fore stooping  to  any  base  undertaking.  Favor  could  not 
induce  him,  gold  could  not  bribe  him,  fear  could  not  drive  him,  to  do  what  he  con- 
scientiously felt  to  be  wromg.  He  held  the  office  of  deacon  in  a  Baptist  church, 
and  long  before  the  existence  of  agencies  and  Boards,  was  so  imbued  with  the 
missionary  spirit  that,  with  a  few  others,  he  regularly  forwarded  his  contribu- 
tions to  the  missionary  cause.  Although  he  had  but  a  very  limited  education, 
he  fully  appreciated  its  benefits,  and  deemed  no  sacrifice  too  great  to  be  made  in 
order  that  he  might  confer  these  benefits  on  his  children.  His  eldest  son, 
Thomas  Alexander  Gibbs,  is  largely  endowed  with  similar  characteristics  and  a 
like  remarkable  disposition.  Born  in  Hancock  county,  Georgia,  March  8ih,  1821, 
he  was  religiously  inclined  from  early  life,  and  when  a  boy  detested  what  was 
mean,  and  would  unhesitatingly  turn  from  everything  that,  in  his  opinion,  had 
the  appearance  of  evil.     To  what  he  beUeved  to  be  evil,  neither  poUteness, 


224  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

etiquette,  nor  public  opinion  could  reconcile  him.  When  quite  a  youth,  he  un- 
ceremoniously forsook  the  company  of  some  young  boys,  in  his  father's  own 
house,  because  one  of  them  had  a  pack  of  cards ;  nor  did  he  court  their  com- 
panionship or  relish  association  with  them  until  sure  of  a  complete  reformation 
on  their  part 

During  the  years  1839-40-41,  he  was  a  student  at  Mercer  University,  in  Pen- 
field,  and  while  there  maintained  the  scrupulous  integrity  for  which  he  was 
remarkable  at  home.  It  was  on  the  8th  of  May,  1839,  when  in  college,  that  he 
was  converted.  Four  days  afterwards  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Charles  D. 
Mallary.  Returning  home,  after  graduation,  he  married  Miss  Julia  Cornelia 
Ralls,  of  Greenesboro,  Georgia,  May  26th,  1842,  and  afterwards  settled  at 
Social  Circle,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  They  have  reared  seven  children, 
six  of  whom  remain  to  illustrate  the  virtues  of  pious  parents,  and  to  prove  that 
if  a  child  is  trained  up  in  the  way  he  should  go,  when  he  is  old  he  will  not  depart 
from  it.  Their  oldest  son,  Cornelius  Mercer  Gibbs,  a  very  promising  young 
man,  they  gave  to  the  fortunes  of  battle,  when  our  late  unhappy  war  broke  out, 
and  in  1862  he  yielded  up  his  life,  a  victim  on  the  altar  of  patriotism. 

When  the  issue  was  made  between  the  North  and  the  South,  and  war  was 
declared  the  only  alternative,  Mr.  Gibbs  was  found  true  to  his  native  South,  and 
when  the  call  was  made  for  men  of  his  age,  he  offered  his  services,  and,  with  a  bold 
heart  and  firm  step,  went  to  the  front.  But  the  Christian  was  not  lost  in  the 
soldier,  nor  was  the  character  of  a  church  member  forgotten  or  betrayed  in  the 
bivouac  or  on  the  tented  field.  When  the  war  was  over  he  came  from  the  camp 
leaving  in  the  memory  of  his  comrades  the  songs  of  Zion  he  sang  upon  the 
march  and  in  the  hospital,  and  the  fervent  prayers  he  uttered,  night  and  morn- 
ing, to  the  God  of  our  salvation. 

Mr.  Gibbs  is  a  deacon,  of  which  office  he  is  well  worthy.  Though  often  urged 
to  accept  ordination  to  the  ministry,  he  has  persistently  refused,  declaring  that 
men  have  frequently  ruined  good  deacons  and  Sunday-school  superintendents 
by  making  preachers  of  them. 

He  never  allows  secular  business  to  keep  him  from  his  church  conferences, 
and  at  conference  he  has  ever  been  ready  to  assume  his  share  of  the  responsi- 
bility in  disciplining  members,  to  bear  his  full  proportion  in  the  expenses  of  the 
church,  and  to  enter  cheerfully  into  the  discharge  of  any  duty  assigned  him.  For 
every  good  work  he  is  always  ready  and  willing.  His  visits  to  the  sick,  his  relief 
to  the  poor,  his  consolations  to  the  bereaved,  his  counsels  to  the  erring,  and  his 
encouragement  to  the  despondent,  have  ever  been  timely  and  appropriate,  and 
have  always  been  characterized  by  a  spirit  becoming  his  profession. 

All  his  life  he  has  been  an  advocate  of  temperance,  and  has  taught  his  chil- 
dren to  abstain  from  the  indulgencies  and  excesses  which  have  been  so  ruinous 
to  the  hearts  and  homes  of  thousands.  In  connection  with  his  county  and  State 
government,  he  has  held  several  offices  of  trust,  and  wherever  found,  whether  in 
the  lodge,  where  morality  and  temperance  were  being  discussed,  or  in  the  court 
of  justice,  where  right  and  equity  were  being  adjusted  between  litigants,  or  on 
the  Board  of  Education,  where  the  evils  of  popular  ignorance  and  the  means 
of  popular  illumination  were  being  considered,  or  in  the  legislative  assemblies, 
where  the  great  principles  of  government  were  being  shaped  into  statutes  for 
the  control  of  his  constituency,  he  has,  on  all  occasions^  been  the  same  unassum- 
ing, determined,  resolute  and  devoted  follower  of  Christ,  and  has  shown  it  by 
his  words  and  conduct. 

He  is  yet  strong  in  mind  and  body ;  yet  laborious  and  faithful  to  duty  as  a  cit- 
izen, parent  and  church  member ;  yet  an  active  participant  in  the  labors  of  his 
church  and  Association,  commanding  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who  know 
him.  And  he  has  in  him  yet  the  promise  of  many  years  of  usefulness  in  the 
church  which  he  loves  as  if  it  were  his  home,  and  of  his  service  to  his  heavenly 
Master,  whom  he  loves  more  than  he  loves  land,  or  home,  or  kindred,  or  self. 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


225 


SYLVANUS  GIBSON. 


Rev.  Sylvanus  Gibson 
was  born  in  Wilkes  county, 
Georgia,  November  24th, 
1783,  and  married  Miss 
Mary  Orr,  of  that  county. 
Of  his  early  impressions  on 
the  subject  of  religion  no 
record  remains  to  us,  but 
we  learn  that  he  was  bap- 
tized November  1 2th,  1 809, 
when  twenty-six  years  of 
age.  As  his  residence  was 
not  far  from  ClarK  Station 
church,  it  is  thought  that 
he  united  with  it,  and  was 
baptized  by  Rev.  William 
Davis,  who  was  probably 
at  that  time  its  pastor.  Mr. 
Gibson  gave  evidence  of 
usefulness,  and  soon  after 
his  entrance  into  "  the  fold 
of  the  one  Shepherd,"  was 
ordained  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry.  He  was  sub- 
sequently pastor  of  Clark 
Station  church,  succeeding 
Mr.  Davis,  or  James  Matth- 
ews, Sr.,  and  maintained 
this  relation  until  his  re- 
moval from  the  State. 

He  was  for  many  years 
pastor  of  County  Line  church,  situated  near  the  boundary  of  Wilkes  and  Ogle- 
thorpe counties.  It  was  at  this  church  that  the  writer,  when  quite  a  youth,  was 
accustomed  to  hear  him  on  the  first  Sunday  in  each  month.  He  preached  monthly 
to  various  churches  in  the  counties  named,  as  also  in  Madison,  and  perhaps  in 
Elbert  county.  He  was  a  laborious  worker  in  the  Master's  vineyard,  frequently 
leaving  his  home  and  business  to  carry  the  precious  Gospel  into  the  counties  of 
northeast  Georgia,  then  comparatively  destitute.  The  churches  he  served  were 
very  much  strengthened  and  built  up  under  his  ministry.  Though  an  unedu- 
cated man,  crowds  usually  went  to  hear  him,  and  all  classes  of  people  heard  his 
earnest  discourses  gladly. 

Mr.  Gibson  was  rather  a  remarkable  man.  He  possessed  a  strong  and  vigor- 
ous mind,  and  a  clear  understanding  of  the  Scriptures.  Warm,  sympathetic, 
with  tears  constantly  in  his  eyes,  he  would  often  rise  to  heights  of  true  native 
eloquence  that  aroused  his  audience  to  intense  emotion.  There  was  a  child-like 
simplicity  in  his  manner,  both  in  and  out  of  the  pulpit ;  and  he  was  so  affection- 
ate, so  kind,  that  all  classes  loved  and  reverenced  him.  This  was  especially  true 
of  the  youth  of  his  congregations,  who  were  glad  to  meet  him  anywhere,  and  hear 
from  him  the  words  of  religious  instruction.  He  was  thoroughly  a  Baptist  in  faith 
and  practice.  No  one  ever  doubted  his  piety  as  a  Christian,  or  questioned  his 
integrity  as  a  man.  While  a  good,  sound  Gospel  preacher,  he  was  peculiarly 
gifted  in  exhortation.  He  was  greatly  beloved  by  his  churches,  and  the  writer 
remembers  the  deep  grief  felt  and  the  profound  regrets  expressed  by  his  churches 
and  congregations  when  he  decided  to  leave  them  for  another  field  of  labor. 


226 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


After  preaching  some  twenty  years  in  Georgia,  about  the  year  1830  he  removed 
to  Alabama.  Here  a  new  field  opened  before  him,  and  he  entered  into  it  with 
his  accustomed  zeal  and  energy.  After  he  left  our  State,  but  little  can  be  learned 
of  him,  save  that  such  was  the  devotion  of  his  churches,  to  which  he  was 
called,  that  he  retained  their  pastorship  without  change  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  July  25th,  1851. 

Mr.  Gibson  lived  a  long  and  useful  life ;  and  his  ministry  was  blessed  of  the 
Lord  to  the  conversion  of  many.  During  his  term  of  service  in  Georgia  he  bap- 
tized over  one  thousand  persons  into  the  fellowship  of  his  churches.  He  was 
pre-eminently  an  humble  man,  which  was  exhibited  in  the  instructions  left  by 
him  at  his  death.  Said  he  :  "  On  my  tombstone  nothing  must  be  put  except  the 
words :  '  A  sinner  saved  by  grace."  " 

Mr.  Gibson  reared  a  family  of  four  sons  and  seven  daughters — the  oldest  son, 
Jonathan,  being  the  father  of  Rev.  J.  G.  Gibson,  of  Georgia. 


J.    G.    GIBSON. 


One  of  the  most  popular  and  successful 
preachers  and  pastors  in  Georgia,  is  Rev.  J.  G. 
Gibson,  of  Crawford,  though  he  was  not  edu- 
cated for  the  ministry.  He  studied  law,  under 
Col.  John  T.  Lofton,  at  Lexington,  and  prepared 
himself  for  the  bar,  but  did  not  even  apply  for 
a  license  to  practice,  as  when  the  war  came  on 
he  joined  the  Confederate  army  and  remained 
in  active  service  for  three  years.  Previous  to 
the  war,  he  was  Clerk  both  of  the  Inferior  and 
Superior  Courts.  At  its  beginning,  he  was  act- 
ing as  Ordinary  of  his  county,  owing  to  the 
physical  inability  of  the  incumbent ;  and,  at  its 
close,  he  was  inducted  into  the  ministry,  and  in 
January,  1866,  entered  on  ministerial  and  pas- 
toral labors.  He  was  Judge  of  Oglethorpe 
County  Court,  which  position  he  held  for  two 
years,  having  been  elected  to  it  in  1867.  His 
education  was  derived  mostly  from  the  common 
schools  of  the  country,  as  he  never  had  the  benefit  of  a  college  course. 

By  birth  he  is  an  Alabamian,  having  been  born  in  Morgan  county,  Alabama, 
March  29th,  1832  ;  and  he  lived  there  fifteen  years.  Losing  his  mother,  he  went 
to  live  on  a  farm  with  his  grandmother,  in  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia,  although 
his  father  remained  in  Alabama.  He  experienced  conversion  in  1850,  and  con- 
nected himself  with  the  Millstone  church,  which  called  him  to  ordination.  He 
was  ordained  in  November,  1865,  and  in  the  following  January  assumed  charge 
of  the  Millstone  church,  preaching  his  second  sermon  on  the  first  Sabbath  of 
that  year.  A  year  afterwards  he  was  called  by  the  Salem  church  ;  in  1870,  he 
was  called  by  the  Lexington  church;  and  in  1872,  he  was  called  by  the  Craw- 
ford church — all  of  which  are  in  Oglethorpe  county.  He  retains  the  pastorship 
of  all  these  churches  stiH,  and  has  had  charge  of  no  others  ;  between  them  and 
himself  the  most  harmonious,  loving  and  fraternal  relations  exist.  He  is  recog- 
nized as  an  excellent  organizer,  and  has  incited  his  churches  to  a  high  degree  of 
liberality,  each  having  a  regular  system  by  which  funds  are  raised  for  the  pas- 
tor's salary  and  for  the  benev'olent  enterprises  of  our  denomination. 

Physically,  Mr.  Gibson  is  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  his  race,  being  six 
feet  high,  large  and  well  developed  in  person,  with  handsome  features  and  black 
hair  and  beard.     Socially,  he  is  one  of  the  most  agreeable  of  men,  with  a  warm, 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  22/ 

loving,  magnetic  nature.  His  mental  powers  are  superior,  and  admirably  well 
balanced — his  counsel  and  advice  being  often  sought  by  all  classes,  on  account 
of  his  excellent  judgment  and  fine  common  sense.  Spiritually,  he  is  an  earnest- 
minded  Christian,  sincerely  devoted  to  his  duties,  and  deeply  interested  in  the 
work  of  saving  souls.  As  a  preacher,  he  is  earnest,  sound,  logical,  practical, 
and,  sometimes,  very  eloquent.  He  preached  at  the  session  of  the  Georgia  Bap- 
tist Convention,  held  in  Gainesville,  in  1877,  on  "Salvation  by  Grace,"  and  it 
was  one  of  the  most  satisfactory  and  popular  sermons  ever  delivered  before 
that  body.  As  a  pastor,  he  is  zealously  engrossed  in  his  work,  and,  possessing 
fine  administrative  ability,  has  been  very  successful  in  building  up  his  churches. 

A  certain  portion  of  Georgia  has  been  called  "  Mell's  kingdom,"  because  of 
the  great  influence  possessed  in  it  by  Dr.  P.  H.  Mell :  of  Mr.  Gibson  it  may  be 
said  that  he  is  the  "  ruler  "  of  a  "  kingdom  "  equally  as  large,  and  in  which  he  is 
as  popular  as  the  Chancellor  of  the  State  University  was  with  his  people. 

Mr.  Gibson  has  been  twice  married,  but  has  no  children  living.  His  second 
wife,  a  sister  of  his  former  one,  was  Miss  Mary  E.  Hartsfield,  who  has  proved 
"a  mainspring  of  encouragement"  in  his  work.  Unlike  most  preachers,  he  is 
blessed  with  a  competency,  and  his  generosity  makes  him  liberal  in  his  contribu- 
tions to  the  various  objects  of  benevolence.  Possessed  of  a  fine  library,  he 
devotes  much  time  to  reading,  and  to  the  preparation  of  his  sermons.  Like 
many  of  our  pastors,  he  was  early  taught  by  his  mother  to  honor,  revere,  and 
believe  the  Bible,  and  her  instruction  and  words  of  exhortation  in  his  youth, 
have  done''much  to  mould  his  character  and  guide  his  whole  life. 


JAMES  R.  GEORGE. 

This  useful  minister  of  the  Gospel  must  be  numbered 
with  those  of  whose  life  we  have  been  unable  to  procure 
an  adequate  sketch.  But  his  "  memory  smells  sweet  and 
blossoms  in  the  dust,"'and  we  do  the  httle  we  can  to  per- 
petuate it.  A  native  Georgian,  Rev.  James  R.  George 
was  born  July  31st,  1792,  and  settled  early  in  life,  as  an 
agriculturist,  we  presume,  in  DeKalb  county.  It  was  not 
until  his  thirty-fifth  year,  midway  between  the  cradle  and 
the  grave,  that  he  engaged  in  the  service  of  the  Lord.  At 
that  date,  (in  1827)  he  united  with  the  Macedonia  church, 
and  devoted  himself  with  commendable  zeal  to  everything  promotive  of  its  pros- 
perity. Moving  for  fifteen  years  in  a  private  sphere,  he  won  the  high  esteem  of 
the  brotherhood  for  sound  judgment  and  consistent  Christian  deportment.  His 
church  called  him  to  ordination  in  1842,  when  his  age  had  grown  to  half  a  cen- 
tury. The  presbytery  consisted  of  Revs.  Luke  Robinson,  Henry  Collins  and 
James  Nix.  This  late  entrance  on  the  ministry  was  followed  by  twenty  years  of 
faithful  labor.  He  rendered  pastoral  service  to  churches  in  DeKalb,  Gwinnett 
and  Newton  counties,  the  Lord  crowning  the  work  of  his  hands  with  the  con- 
version of  sinners  and  the  edification  of  saints.  He  took  part  in  the  constitution 
of  Rock  (now  Stone)  Mountain  Association.  In  1846,  feeling  the  importance  of 
forming  a  Baptist  church  in  Lithonia,  he  entered,  with  a  few  others,  into  its 
organization.  From  a  small  membership  that  body  has  grown  in  numerical 
strength  and  in  efficiency  until  it  ranks  with  the  stronger  churches  of  the  Asso- 
ciation. Not  there  alone,  but  throughout  his  field  of  operation,  evidences  of  the 
usefulness  marking  his  ministrations  still  remain,  and  his  name  is  held  in 
grateful  remembrance  by  those  who  are  old  enough  to  have  enjoyed  them.  His 
death  occurred  April  6th,  1862,  when  his  life  had  nearly  reached  the  appointed 
bound  of  three-score  years  and  ten.  He  died  as  he  had  long  lived,  in  hope  of  a 
blessed  immortality.  With  these  words  on  his  lips,  "  I  resign  myself  to  the  will 
of  God,"  he  passed  from  earth  to  "  the  rest  which  remaineth." 
18 


228 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


H.    D.    GILBERT. 


Rev.  H.  D.  Gilbert  was  born  October  3d,  184.9,  in 
Murray  county,  Georgia.  He  received  a  liberal  education 
at  the  Crawford  High  School,  Dalton,  Georgia,  an  excel- 
lent institution  conducted  under  Baptist  auspices.  He 
was  converted  and  baptized  in  August,  1866,  and  admitted 
to  membership  in  the  Mount  Hermon  Baptist  church. 
He  was  ordained  in  May,  1870,  at  New  Prospect  church, 
in  Murray  county,  of  which  he  became  pastor.  He  has 
been  pastor,  also,  of  the  following  churches  :  Concord, 
Antioch,  Mount  Pisgah,  Pleasant  Grove,  Spring  Place, 
Holly  Creek,  Dug  Gap,  Poplar  Springs,  Grove  Level  and 
Deep  Springs.  For  one  year  he  was  Moderator  of  the  North  Georgia  Associa- 
tion, and  is  now  Clerk  of  that  Association.  He  was  married  to  Miss  N.  C. 
Hansucker,  December  23d,  1869,  and  has  fiive  children. 


ZACHARIAH  H.  GORDON. 


Chapman  Gordon,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  a  representative  Southern  gentleman  of  the 
olden  type — noble,  generous,  hospitable,  intelligent,  and 
possessed  of  ample  means.  His  son,  P  ev.  Zachari  ah  H. 
Gordon,  now  a  resident  of  Jackson  county,  Alabama, 
with  mental  and  physical  faculties  preserved  to  a  remark- 
able extent,  was  born  March  loth,  1796,  in  Wilkes  county, 
North  Carolina.  When  he  was  only  fourteen  years  of  age, 
his  father  died,  leaving  him  in  charge  of  the  estate,  as  the 
older  brothers — ^Wiley,  who  was  subsequently  an  officer 
in  the  army,  and  lost  his  life  in  the  service  of  Texas,  and  Charles  P.,  who  after- 
ward became  a  distinguished  lawyer  at  Eatonton,  Georgia — were  absent,  pursu- 
ing a  course  of  study  in  a  Northern  college.  A  few  years  later  one  of  his  brothers, 
who  had  invested  all  his  means  in  a  mercantile  house  and  allowed  to  it  the  use 
of  his  name  and  credit,  not  only  lost  his  entire  capital  through  its  failure,  but 
found  himself  heavily  involved  by  reason  of  debts  which  his  partners  had  created 
without  his  knowledge.  Witnessing  the  great  depression  of  his  brother  on 
account  of  this  sad  financial  disaster,  Zachariah  rode  to  Philadelphia  on  horse- 
back, and  paid  down  every  dollar  of  his  own  toward  the  liquidation  of  these 
liabilities.  Not  until  his  return  did  he  acquaint  his  brother  with  the  purpose  of 
his  journey ;  and  then,  to  crown  this  rare  instance  of  fraternal  self-sacrifice,  he 
gave  his  whole  time  for  five  years  to  their  mutual  effort  for  the  discharge  of  the 
balance  of  the  debt,  that  his  brother's  fair  name  might  not  be  tarnished. 

He  removed,  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  to  Jones  County,  Georgia,  where  he 
lived  for  two  years.  It  was  during  this  period  that  he  became  interested  on  the 
subject  of  religion.  "  The  great  concern  "  continued  to  fill  his  heart  until  he 
made  an  open  profession  of  faith  in  his  twenty-third  year,  and  with  his  cousin 
Rev.  Jacob  King,  was  baptized  by  Rev.  John  M.  Gray.  The  same  year  wit- 
nessed his  removal  to  Eatonton,  where  he  enjoyed  intercourse  with  the  venera- 
able  Jesse  Mercer,  and  frequently  conversed  with  him  on  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
He  did  not  enter  into  the  labors  of  that  sacred  calling,  however,  until  he  had 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


229 


reached  his  twenty-ninth  year.  At  that  time  he  received  license  to  preach,  and, 
a  year  after,  was  ordained  by  a  presbytery  composed  of  Revs.  John  Hambrick 
and  Henry  Hooten.  Living  then  on  Flint  river,  in  Upson  county,  he  belonged 
to  a  church  of  which  Mr.  Hooten  was  the  pastor ;  and  that  minister  resigned 
the  position,  that  the  young  preacher  might  be  called  to  it.  For  fourteen  years, 
without  intermission,  he  served  that  church  and  three  others — the  four  being 
located,  one  each,  in  the  counties  of  Upson,  Talbot,  Pike  and  Houston.  After  his 
ordination  he  was,  for  two  years,  in  the  midst  of  a  continuous  revival  at  all  his 
churches,  baptizing  from  one  to  twenty-five  persons  every  Sabbath,  until  the  num- 
ber amounted  to  over  a  thousand. 

Soon  after  he  began  to  preach,  when  the  denomination  was  agitated  and 
divided  on  the  question  of  missions,  he,  with  Jacob  King,  was  the  first  to  form  a 
missionary  society  in  Upson  county.  And  he  was  one  of  the  number  that 
organized  the  Rehoboth  Association,  having  no  slight  share  in  the  work  of  im- 
buing that  body  with  the  spirit  of  enlarged  and  liberal  enterprise  by  which  it  has 
been  characterized. 

When  forty-five  years  of  age,  he  did  great  good  in  "the  Cherokee  country," 
preaching  the  Gospel  and  building  up  churches  in  that  newly-settled  region. 
Through  an  interpreter,  too,  he  proclaimed  Christ  to  the  Indians,  with  great 
seeming  effect,  his  eloquence  often  moving  them  to  tears.  In  fact,  his  native 
eloquence  is  wonderful,  for,  even  in  his  old  age,  his  smooth,  silvery  voice  and 
pathetic  appeals  never  fail  to  melt  his  congregation,  and  draw  "floods  of  peni- 
tential grief "  or  of  triumphant  joy  from  eyes  unused  to  weeping.  Among  the 
number  baptized  by  him-  are  many  ministers  of  prominence  and  power. 

He  was  married  26th  April,  1826,  to  Malinda  Cox,  and  has  three  sons  and  one 
daughter  living.  One  of  these  sons.  General  John  B.  Gordon,  has  made  his 
name  historical,  by  gallantry  in  war  and  eloquence  in  the  Senate  of  the  nation  ; 
and  another.  Rev.  Eugene  C.  Gordon,  has  followed  his  father  in  the  "ministry  of 
reconciliation." 


WILLIAM  RABUN  GOSS. 


Rev.  William  Rabun  Goss  was  born  in  Elbert 
county,  Georgia,  April  19th,  18 19.  His  father,  Horatio  J. 
Goss,  Sr.,  was  held  in  highest  esteem  for  his  piety,  was 
for  a  number  of  years  a  faithful  deacon  of  his  church,  and 
late  in  life,  under  strong  convictions  of  duty,  after  being 
licensed  by  his  church,  preached  the  Gospel  as  he  had 
opportunity  most  acceptably  to  the  people.  He  had  three 
brothers,  Benjamin  Goss,  1.  H.  Goss,  and  Horatio  J.  Goss, 
Jr.,  whose  labors  in  the  ministry  have  been  most  signally 
approved  of  God,  two  of  whom,  Benjamin  and  Horatio, 
have  been  called  from  earth  to  receive  their  reward.  After 
penitent  confession  of  his  sins  to  God,  and  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  Saviour  of  sin- 
ners, he  united  with  the  church  at  Van's  Creek,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Asa 
Chandler  in  July,  1839.  Very  soon  he  began  to  take  a  deep  interest  in  the  cause 
of  Christ,  and  a  desire  awoke  in  his  bosom  to  warn  his  fellow-men  to  lay  hold 
on  eternal  life.  In  1840  he  was  licensed  by  his  church  to  preach,  and  in  1845 
was  ordained,  by  the  request  of  Van's  Creek  church,  to  the  full  functions  of  the 
ministry.  Ever  since  his  ordination,  though  working  on  his  farm  and  attending 
to  it,  he  has  supplied  churches  as  their  pastor  regularly  each  Sunday  in  the  month 
within  the  bounds  of  the  Sarepta  Association. 

In  1 848  he  moved  to  Franklin  county,  Georgia,  and  remained  there  for  ten 
years.  During  this  time  his  labors  were  blessed  of  the  Lord,  and  accessions 
were  made  to  his  churches  each  year.     In  1859  he  settled  in  Fayette  county,  AI- 


230  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

abama,  but  from  strong  convictions  of  duty,  and  the  great  desire  of  his  brethren, 
after  four  years  he  returned  to  his  former  field  of  labor.  In  1870,  Grove  Level, 
one  of  the  churches  which  he  then  supplied,  enjoyed  a  most  wonderful  rnanifes- 
tation  of  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Rev.  I.  H.  Goss,  his  brother,  aided 
in  that  meeting,  and  about  one  hundred  were  added  to  the  church  before  its 
close.  One  day  during  the  meeting,  a  beautiful  day  in  August,  fifty-three  were 
baptized. 

Rev.  W.  R.  Goss  has  spent  most  of  his  ministerial  life  serving  churches  in  the 
counties  of  Elbert,  Banks  and  Jackson.  He  is  a  man  of  medium  size,  dark  hair 
originally,  and  blue  eyes.  He  has  been  married  three  times  ;  first,  in  1841,  with 
Miss  Priscilla  Eavenson,  of  Elbert  county;  secondly,  in  1847,  with  Miss  E.  A. 
Mitchell,  of  Jackson  county ;  and  thirdly,  in  1878,  with  Mrs.  L.  F.  Chandler — 
and  there  have  been  born  to  him  by  these  marriages,  eight  children. 

As  a  pastor  he  has  been  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  punctual  in 
attending  his  appointments.  As  a  preacher,  while  not  eloquent,  he  is  earnest, 
and  his  congregations  hear  him  with  pleasure  and  profit.  He  is  now  preaching 
to  Moore's  Grove  church,  in  Clarke  county.  Union,  Black's  Creek,  and  the  Fork 
of  Broad  River,  in  Madison  county,  having  their  full  confidence  and  affection. 
In  early  life  his  educational  advantages  were  very  limited ;  but  making  the  Bible 
his  text-book,  by  close  and  prayerful  study  of  its  pages,  he  has  made  a  most  useful 
minister  of  the  Gospel. 


I.    H.   GOSS. 


Rev.  I.  H.  Goss,  of  Bowman,  Ga,  now  in  his  sixty-fifth 
year,  has,  in  his  life,  been  one  of  the  most  laborious  and 
useful  of  the  Baptist  ministers  of  Georgia.  He  was  born 
on  the  1 6th  of  December,  18 16,  and  his  father  was  Horatio 
James  Goss  of  Elbert  county,  Georgia.  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Roebuck ;  and  he  was  one  of 
eight  children — five  sons  and  three  daughters. 

In  his  youth  he  attended  the  common  country  schools 
of  what  is  now  Hart  county,  but  was  then  a  part  of  Elbert 
county. 

During  boyhood  he  was  sober,  moral,  and  obedient  to  his  father,  having  lost 
his  mother  when  quite  small.  He  had,  however,  the  kind  care  of  a  step-mother, 
and  his  early  training  was  strictly  religious.  At  nineteen  he  became  a  clerk  in 
a  mercantile  firm  in  Ruckersville,  in  which  capacity  he  served  two  years,  to  the 
satisfaction  of  his  employers.  In  1 836,  when  twenty  years  of  age,  he  joined  a  volun- 
teer company  which  offered  its  services  to  the  Government  in  the  Creek  Indian 
war,  but  which  was  not  called  into  service.  In  his  twenty-first  year,  in  1837,  he 
entered  ;_East  Tennessee  College,  at  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  to  which  place  he 
journeyed  on  horseback,  and  where  he  remained  two  years,  diligently  pursuing 
the  prescribed  course  of  studies,  and  reading  various  works  of  an  instructive 
character. 

In  March,  1839,  he  visited  home,  travelling  by  public  hack  through  South  Car- 
olina, that  being  antecedent  to  the  days  of  railroads,  and  intending  to  return  to 
college  and  study  with  a  view  to  practicing  law  ;  but  Providence  ordered  other- 
wise. Attendance  on  general  meetings  of  interest  turned  his  attention  most 
seriously  to  the  subject  of  his  soul's  salvation,  and  after  several  weeks  of  pungent 
conviction,  God  was  pleased  by  regeneration  to  light  up  his  soul  with  the  hope 
of  salvation,  on  the  i6th  of  April,  1839,  in  a  manner  gloriously  overwhelming. 
Immediately  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  tell  others  of  the  preciousness  of  the  Saviour 
he  had  found.  With  him  old  things  did,  indeed,  pass  away,  and  all  things  be- 
came new,  and  it  now  grew  to  be  his  great  desire  to  announce  to  others  the 


OF  PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  23 1 

grace  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  He  attended  the  Baptist  State  Convention  that 
year  (1839),  which  met  in  Twigg^s  county,  and  in  the  following  July  united  with 
the  church  at  Sardis,  being  baptized  in  Cedar  Creek,  by  Rev.  Asa  Chandler,  on 
the  6th  of  July.  He  soon  began  to  take  part  in  the  public  services  of  the  church, 
and  even  to  preach,  when  opportunity  was  offered,  but  was  not  licensed  until 
the  15th  of  August,  1840.  He  was  ordained  on  the  15th  of  April,  1842;  Asa 
Chandler.  P.  B.'Butler,  Philip  Matthews  and  Willis  B.  Jones,  acting  as  the  pres- 
bytery. In  the  meantime,  on  the  5th  of  March,  1840,  he  had  married  Miss 
Mary  E.  Gordon,  and  resided  on  a  farm  with  his  eldest  brother,  who  had  married 
Miss  Flora  Gordon.  The  two  brothers  having  thus  married  sisters  lived  ami- 
cably together  until  1841,  when  I.  H.  Goss  took  charge  of  a  school,  near  by, 
and  went  to  house-keeping.  He  taught  during  the  years  1842  and  1843,  having 
an  interest  in  a  farm,  also ;  but,  after  his  ordination,  so  many  churches  desired 
his  ministerial  services  that  he  abandoned  the  school-room  entirely.  From 
that  time  until  the  present  Mr.  Goss  has  labored  most  diligently  and  faithfully 
in  various  fields,  as  an  earnest,  devout  and  untiring  preacher  of  the  Gospel.  In 
northeast  Georgia  he  has  served  eighteen  or  twenty  churches ;  in  southwestern 
Georgia,  eight  or  ten ;  several  in  South  Carolina,  and  one  in  Kentucky.  In 
labors  he  has  been  abundant,  and  his  success,  at  times,  has  been  wonderful. 
From  northeast  Georgia  he  moved  to  Lumpkin,  in  1859,  preaching  to  that  and 
various  other  churches  with  great  acceptability  and  success,  until  the  latter  part 
of  1868,  when  he  removed  to  Keene,  Jessamine  county,  Kentucky,  where  he 
served  the  Mount  Pleasant  Baptist  church.  The  climate  proved  too  severe  for 
his  health,  however,  and  he  accepted  another  invitation  to  southwestern  Georgia, 
where  he  visited  and  preached  to  various  churches,  but  soon  moved  to  his  pres- 
ent home  at  Bowman,  where  he  still  resides,  in  his  sixty-fifth  year,  having  charge 
of  several  churches,  and  being  constantly  engaged  in  travelling  and   preaching. 

For  forty  years  Mr.  Goss  has  been  actively  in  the  ministry,  most  of  the  time 
as  the  regular  pastor  of  churches,  but  part  of  the  time  as  an  evangelist  and 
missionary,"  for  two  years  serving  the  Sarepta  Association  as  such.  He  has 
baptized  a  great  many  persons,  and  the  savor  of  his  good  influence  has  been 
felt  wherever  he  has  gone.  In  all  those  years  God  has  sustained  him  mentally,  bod- 
ily, and  financially  ;  has  permitted  him  to  see  eight  children  grow  up,  and  join  the 
church ;  and  has  given  him  the  unbroken  companionship  of  the  wife  of  his 
bosom.  One  son  fell  on  the  battle  field,  struggling  for  Southern  independence, 
while  three  little  ones  have  been  taken  by  God  to  himself. 

Mr.  Goss  has  been  a  hard  worker  in  the  church  and  for  Jesus,  and  never  has 
found  time  to  join,  or  in  any  way  become  interested  in,  benevolent  organizations 
outside  of  the  church.  His  religion  has  been  more  practical  and  experimental 
than  theoretical,  and  yet  he  is  sound  in  his  doctrinal  views.  As  a  preacher,  he 
is  earnest  and  devout,  making  Christ  crucified  the  great  theme  of  his  sermons. 
A  strong  missionary  in  sentiment,  he  has  always  taken  bold  and  advanced  ground 
on'that  subject. 

He  is  residing  on  his  own  farm  near  Bowman.'^Elbert  county,  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  good  health,  preaching  constantly  and  faithfully,  and  waiting  for  the 
summons,  so  welcome  to  all  true  followers  of  Jesus,  "  Come  up  higher." 


232  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


JOHN  D.  GRAY. 

Rev.  John  D.  Gray  was  born  in  London,  England,  July  24th,  1808,  and  de- 
parted this  life  at  his  residence,  Graysville,  Georgia,  November  17th,  1878.  His 
parents  emigrated  to  America  in  the  year  181 8,  and  settled  at  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts. An  elder  brother  of  John  D.  Gray's  had  preceded  his  parents  to  the 
United  States,  and  made  his  home  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina.  After  remaining 
for  a  time  w^ith  his  parents,  John  D.  came  to  Columbia.  His  brother  was  a  man 
of  great  public  enterprise,  employed  from  time  to  time  on  the  public  works  of 
the  country,  and  while  with  him,  John  D.  made  the  beginning  that  marked  his 
course  through  life  as  a  man  of  energy,  judgment  and  promptness  in  the  prose- 
cution and  dispatch  of  his  undertakings.  He  built  the  Charleston  &  Hamburg 
Railroad,  the  first  one  built  in  the  United  States,  and  said  to  be  the  first  in  the 
world  on  which  the  cars  were  drawn  by  a  steam  engine.  During  his  life  he  was 
extensively  engaged  in  railroad  building  in  seven  States  of  the  Union.  He  was 
also  at  times  engaged  in  other  public  works.  And  it  can  be  truthfully  said  of 
him,  that  in  all  his  dealings  with  men  he  evinced  the  highest  sense  of  honor,  and 
preserved  the  most  unflinching  integrity. 

He  was  married  to  Ann  Amelia  Gnech,  May  ist,  1843,  i"'  Charleston,  South 
Carolina.  By  her  he  had  five  children,  only  two  of  whom  survive  him.  The 
first,  Charles  W.,  resides'at  Graysville,  Georgia.  He  has  inherited  his  father's 
taste  for  public  busipess,  as  also  his  energy,  decision  of  character,  largeness  of 
mind,  and  capacity  for  business.  The  second,  Hon.  Arthur  H.  Gray,  is  the  pres- 
ent active  and  worthy  member  of  the  Georgia  Legislature  from  the  county  of 
Catoosa.  He  is  a  lawyer  by  professon  and  practice,  and  seems  to  have  a  bright 
future  before  him.  In  these  two  sons  may  be  seen  the  influence  exerted  on  their 
minds  and  characters  by  one  of  the  best  of  fathers. 

His  first  wife  having  died,  he  was  married  to  Mary  Jane  Moore,  of  Greenville 
district,  Solith  Carolina,  September  5th,  1859.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Samuel 
Moore,  one  of  the  first  men  of  his  section  in  his  day,  and  among  her  relatives 
were  numbered  several  distinguished  gentlemen  of  South  Carolina,  such  as 
C.  P.  Sullivan,,  Hon.  John  C.  Sullivan,  and  Hon.  J.  M.  Sullivan.  By  her  he  had 
seven  children,  four  of  whom  only  are  alive  now ;  they  are  all  in  their  minority. 
Too  much  cannot  be  said  of  him  either  as  a  husband  or  a  father.  He  was  devoted 
to  his  family,  and  their  good  was  his  constant  aim. 

About  the  year  1843  he  was,  on  a  profession  of  his  faith  in  the  Saviour,  bap- 
tized into  the  fellowship  of  the  Macon  Baptist  church.  He  was  ordained  a 
deacon  of  the  Graysville  church  in  1858.  He  was  a  devoted  Christian  from  the 
beginning  of  his  religious  career  to  the  close  of  his  life.  Unlike  a  great  many 
professing  Christians,  he  was  a  man  of  extensive  liberality,  and  in  this  respect  he 
certainly  went  beyond  his  ability.  He  never  was  less  liberal  in  church  and  other 
matters  than  he  was  able. 

He  was  for  many  years  before  his  death  the  Superintendent  of  the  Sabbath- 
school  at  New  Liberty  church.  He  was  truly  a  good  Sabbath-school  man.  His 
whole  soul  was  absorbed  in  the  work,  and  he  was  always  happy  when  surrounded 
by  children,  whom  he  loved  and  who  loved  him.  Their  respect  for  him,  their 
confidence  in  him,  and  their  attachment  to  him,  could  hardly  be  told. 

Though  dead,  he  yet  speaks.  "  The  good  that  men  do  lives  after  them."  His 
influence  was  felt  while  living,  and  for  many  years  to  come  the  life  he  led  will  be 
a  power  among  those  who  knew  him.  He  died  of  cancer ;  had  been  sorely 
afflicted  for  more  than  a  year.  His  sufferings  were  great,  but  he  bore  them  with 
Christian  patience.  He  murmured  not  on  account  of  the  ordeal  of  suffering 
through  which  he  was  passing,  but  to  the  end  maintained  his  calmness  and  for- 
titude.    But  his  sufferings  are  over ;  he  has  reached  his  home  and  is  at  rest. 


OF   PROMINENT    BAPTISTS. 


233 


JAMES  A.  GRIFFIN. 

Rev.  James  Griffin  was  one  of  the  pioneer  preachers 
of  southwestern  Georgia,  who  "  served  the  will  of  God  in 
his  generation  "  with  fidelity  and  success,  establishing 
most  of  the  churches  in  his  immediate  sphere  of  labor. 
His  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Rev.  James  A. 
Griffin,  was  born  in  Stewart  county,  September  ist, 
T840,  and  spent  thirty  years  of  his  life  there.  Through 
the  divine  blessing  on  a  "  home  influence  "  pervaded  by 
vital  godliness,  he  was  brought  to  "  remember  his  Crea- 
tor in  the  days  of  his  youth."  At  the  tender  age  of 
twelve  years  he  became  a  believer  in  Christ,  and  was 
baptized  by  Rev.  E.  C.  Thomas  into  the  fellowship  of 
Union  church,  thus  forming  ecclesiastical  connections  which  were  to  continue 
through  twenty  years.  His  early  experience  was  characterized  by  a  desire  "  to 
do  something  in  the  Master's  cause,"  and  he  took  an  active,  though  not  obtru- 
sive, share  in  the  weekly  young  men's  prayer-meeting  of  the  neighborhood. 
There  was  promise  of  spiritual  usefulness  after  the  pattern  of  his  father's  life  in 
this  ;  but  the  dawn  was  overcast,  and  the  sun  which  seemed  to  be  rising  then  was 
to  shine  only  after  long  delay.  Receiving  his  education  principally  in  the 
schools  of  that  section,  he  entered,  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  not  on  prepara- 
tion for  the  ministry,  as  such  a  beginning  might  have  led  us  to  hope,  but  on  the 
study  of  medicine.  He  attended  one  course  of  lectures  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University,  Nashville,  Tennessee,  when  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
prevented  the  completion  of  his  training  for  the  profession  of  his  choice,  and  he 
married  Miss  M.  E.,  youngest  daughter  of  Richard  Prather — a  lady  who,  through 
all  the  years  since,  has  proved  a  helper  of  his  faith  and  of  his  joy.. 

His  religious  experience,  meanwhile,  was  darkened  by  an  undefined  yet  dis- 
quieting sense  of  duty  unperformed.  He  seems  not  to  have  probed  the  matter 
to  the  bottom,  postponiiig  it  first  to  the  care  of  acquiring  an  education,  next  to 
the  pressure  of  preparation  for  professional  life,  and  again,  after  the  war,  to 
effort  for  the  recovery  of  the  earthly  store  which  had  been  all  swept  away.  This 
failure  to  interrogate  his  conscience  and  follow  its  dictates  wrought  out,  as  an 
inevitable  result,  still  greater  backsliding.  He  called  for  a  letter  of  dismission 
from  the  church,  and  retained  it  seven  or  eight  years.  In  reference  to  this  season 
of  declension,  he  says  now  :  "  O,  those  years  worse  than  wasted !  How  would 
I  rejoice  if  I  could  redeem  them  !     Christians  should  never  hold  letters." 

But,  at  last,  awakening  came.  The  providence  of  God.  in  its  work  of  discip- 
line, is  often  like  the  rod  with  which  Moses  smote  the  rock ;  and  so  it  proved  in 
the  case  of  Mr.  Grif!in.  He  was  living  in  a  home,  the  gift  of  kind  parents,  beau- 
tified by  th.eir  faithful  hands,  and  regarded  as  almost  a  priceless  heritage.  On 
the  night  of  May  3d,  1875,  when  all  the  household  were  in  bed,  a  cyclone  passed 
over  and  left  them  no  roof  to  shelter  their  heads.  Though  himself  severely 
wounded  in  the  storm,  it  was,  perhaps,  the  happiest  moment  of  his  life  when  they 
were  all  assembled,  alive  and  safe,  amid  the  debris  of  their  home.  His  wound 
condemned  him  to  bodily  inaction  for  a  long  time ;  but  conscience  spoke,  and 
he  gave  ear  to  its  voice.  He  felt  that  in  this  disaster  he  drank  the  dregs  which 
the  Lord  had  poured  into  his  cup  for  his  disobedience.  He  heard  the  voice  of 
his  Saviour,  also,  in  it ;  and,  hearkening  to  that,  he  has  learned  to  recognize 
this  disaster  in  outward  seeming,  as,  at  its  core  and  heart,  a  blessing.  Shortly 
after  this  stern  chastening,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  New  Hope  church,  and 
four  months  later,  was  ordained  at  its  request,  by  a  presbytery  consisting  of 
Revs.  T.  H.  Murphy  and  W.  J.  Mitchell.  He  has  been  constantly  engaged  in 
the  work  of  the  ministry  ever  since,  and  his  labors  have  been  blessed  of  the 
Lord,  He  is  now  a  resident  of  Cusseta,  Chattahoochee  county,  and  preachinj»- 
to  churches  in  the  surrounding  country. 


234 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


JOSEPH  GRISHAM. 


Rev.  Joseph  Grisham  was  born  in  Pen- 
dleton District,  South  Carolina,  17th  No- 
vember, 1789.  He  started  in  the  world  with- 
out means.  He  became  a  merchant,  doing 
an  extensive  business,  and  was  a  man  of 
great  energy  of  character,  and  conducted, 
not  only  that  business,  but  built  several 
merchant  mills,  and  carried  on  several 
branches  of  business  profitably  and  suc- 
cessfully. 

He  was  married  in  Abbeville  District, 
South  Carolina,  to  Miss  Agnes  Watt,  by 
whom  he  had  several  children,  two  of  whom 
lived  to  mature  age,  and  are  still  in  life,  to- 
wit :  John  O.  Grisham,  now  of  Mississippi, 
and  Mrs.  Norton,  now  of  Pickens  District, 
South  Carolina.  His  wife  died,  and  he  was 
afterwards  married  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Steele, 
of  Pendleton,  the  daughter  of  one  of  the 
early  successful  merchants  of  that  place.  By  this  last  marriage  he  had  three 
children  who  lived  to  be  grown,  one  son,  the  eldest,  Colonel  William  S.  Grisham, 
who  died  in  Atlanta  two  years  ago,  and  two  daughters,  Elizabeth,  who  is  now 
the  wife  of  Governor  Joseph  E.  Brown,  of  Atlanta,  and  Susan,  who  married  Rev. 
P.  H.  Brewster,  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  who  died  during  the  war. 

During  the  nullification  period,  in  1832,  Colonel  Joseph  Grisham  became  the 
Union  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  upper  district  of  South  Carolina,  aud  was, 
as  his  friends  were  well  satisfied,  duly  elected ;  but  during  that  exciting  period, 
he  was  counted  out,  and  a  majority  of  sixteen  declared  in  favor  of  the  Honorable 
Warren  K.  Davis,  his  opponent.  Friends  desired  him  to  contest  the  election, 
but  he  declined  to  do  so,  saying  he  had  business  enough  at  home. 

In  1837  he  was  converted  and  joined  the  Baptist  church.  He  was  baptized 
at  New  Hope  church,  Pickens  District,  South  Carolina,  by  the  Rev.  Jehu  Chas- 
tain.  On  the  6th  April,  1838,  he  was  ordained  as  a  minister,  and  devoted  a 
great  portion  of  his  time  to  the  ministry.  He  travelled  and  preached  exten- 
sively through  the  mountain  districts  of  South  Carolina,  and  occasionally  trav- 
elled into  North  Carolina.  He  had  charge  of  several  churches.  He  espoused 
the  temperance  cause  with  great  warmth  and  zeal,  and  contributed  much  of  his 
time  and  his  means  to  its  support. 

In  1847  his  daughter  was  married  to  Joseph  E.  Brown,  who  settled  in  Canton, 
Georgia,  and  in  1851  her  father  removed  to  Cherokee  county,  where  he  resided 
until  the  period  of  his  death.  His  health  was  feeble  most  of  the  time  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life ;  but  such  was  his  energy  and  determination  that  he 
preached  very  frequently,  attending  Associations  and  church  meetings  in  various 
places  in  the  county  of  his  residence  and  adjoining  counties.  His  zeal  in  the 
ministry  was  very  marked.  His  sermons  were  impressive  and  effective.  He 
was  the  means  of  turning  many  from  darkness  to  life,  and  while  the  more  active 
period  of  his  labors  was  in  another  State,  he  devoted  so  much  time,  with  so  much 
effect  to  the  ministry  in  Georgia,  as  justly  to  entitle  his  name  to  be  enrolled 
among  the  faithful  followers  of  the  Saviour  who  labored  in  his  cause  in  this 
State.  It  may  truthfully  be  said  of  brother  Grisham,  that  he  was  an  earnest, 
zealous  Christian,  an  effective  preacher,  and  a  good  man.  He  died  in  Cherokee 
county,  Georgia,  on  the  gthof  April,  1857,  and  while  his  remains  rest  in  the 
family  burying  ground  in  that  county,  his  spirit  rejoices  with  God  who  gave  it. 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  235-^ 


RADFORD   GUNN. 

Rev.  Radford  Gunn  was  born  in  Virginia,  May  13th,  1797.  When  he  was 
very  young  his  parents  moved  to  Georgia,  and  settled  in  Oglethorpe  county, 
where  he  grew  up  irreligious,  uneducated  and  exceedingly  self-willed.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen,  in  181 3,  he  married  his  first  wife.  Miss  Margaret  Rhodes,  who 
bore  him  four  children.  In  1 820,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  he  was  converted 
while  laboring  in  the  field,  and  the  happy  change  was  to  him  bright,  clear  and 
joyous,  like  a  "blaze  of  sunshine  at  midnight."  With  a  heart  overflowing  with 
joy,  he  left  off  work  and  went  around  to  the  neighbors,  telling  them  what  great 
things  the  Lord  had  done  for  him ;  and  ever  afterwards  he  said  that  was  his 
"  first  preaching  tour."  Thus  his  ministry  began  almost  simultaneously  with 
his  new  life.  Not  long  afterwards  he  preached  his  first  sermon  at  County  Line 
meeting-house,  from  Romans  1:15,  and  yet  at  that  time  he  did  not  even  know 
his  letters,  and  was  subsequently  taught  to  read  by  his  wife.  But  he  never  be- 
came a  fluent  reader,  and  most  of  his  knowledge  of  Scripture  was  obtained 
at  second-hand.  He  much  preferred  hearing  others  read  the  Scriptures  to  doing 
so  himself,  and,  being  blessed  with  a  retentive  memory,  he  acquired  great  famil- 
iarity with  God's  word. 

He  united  with  the  County  Line  church,  at  the  call  of  which  church  he  was 
ordained  in  1822.  From  that  period  his  services  were  in  considerable  demand, 
and  his  time  was  soon  fully  occupied  with  ministerial  engagements.  He  grew 
rapidly  in  usefulness,  and  the  most  prominent  churches  in  his  section  were  glad  to 
secure  his  services.  During  his  ministerial  career  of  forty  years  he  held  many 
pastorates  in  Oglethorpe,  Taliaferro,  Hancock,  Warren,  Lincoln,  Columbia  and 
other  counties,  and  with  invariable  success. 

In  1840  he  was  united  in  matrimony  to  Miss  Sophia  Beck,  his  second  wife,  in 
the  choice  of  whom,  for  a  companion,  he  was  peculiarly  fortunate ;  and  from 
that  event  was  dated  a  new  and  brighter  era  in  his  career  of  usefulness.  He  is 
represented  as  having  been  a  very  faithful  and  devoted  pastor,  not  satisfied  with 
a  mere  perfunctory  performance  of  duty,  but  watching  over  the  welfare  of  his 
flock  tenderly,  and  giving  to  those  whose  spiritual  interests  were  committed  to  his 
care,  his  prayers,  his  sympathies,  his  affections  and  his  most  earnest  and  untiring 
efforts.  Nor  did  his  flocks  look  to  him  in  vain  for  the  bread  of  life,  for  he  was 
not  only  an  earnest  but  an  effective  preacher,  always  presenting  the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus,  from  an  ardent  and  zealous  heart.  As  a  consequence,  his  preaching 
was  often  followed  by  powerful  effects  : — Christians  were  made  to  rejoice  in  the 
hope  of  glory,  and  sinners  were  made  to  weep  over  their  sins  and  implore  divine 
mercy.  Under  God  he  was  instrumental  in  leading  hundreds  of  souls  to  Jesus, 
as  well  as  in  strengthening  and  encouraging  hundreds  of  Christians  in  the  dis- 
charge of  their  duties. 

Naturally,  he  had  a  logical  mind,  and  "often  arranged  his  arguments  with 
remarkable  skill  and  sagacity  ;  and  had  his  uncommon  talents  been  sustained  by 
a  liberal  education  in  youth,  he  would,  no  doubt,  have  been  a  leading  man  in  the 
denomination.  Even  as  it  was,  he  did  a  great  and  good  work  for  his  divine 
Master.  Few  of  our  country  pastors  have  ever  baptized  a  larger  number  of  con- 
verts, and  there  are  still  living  hundreds  of  devoted  Christians  who  remember  him 
most  affectionately  as  their  spiritual  father.  Nor  was  his  work  confined  to  his 
churches,  for  the  influence  of  his  example  and  opinions  was  felt  in  the  commu- 
nity at  large.  A  leader  among  men,  he  was  one  of  those  who  could  inspire  all 
of  his  neighbors  with  something  of  his  own  energy,  activity,  love  of  right  and 
intolerance  of  wrong.  With  a  ready  and  retentive  memory,  sound  judgment 
and  logical  mind,  all  the  information  he  had  obtained  from  any  source  whatever, 
was  stored  away  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  ready  for  use  whenever  needed.  He 
had  very  tender  feelings,  and  was  always  ready  to  rejoice  with  those  who  rejoiced 
and  weep  with  those  who  wept.    He  was  a  wise  and  safe  counsellor,  seeming  to 


236  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

comprehend  every  case  at  a  glance,  and  capable  of  administering  just  the  coun- 
sel, comfort  and  encouragement  each  one  needed. 

While  interesting  as  a  public  speaker,  he  was  not  gifted  with  the  cultured 
graces  of  oratory.  His  manner  was  that  of  a  man  deeply  in  earnest,  thoroughly 
convinced  of  the  truth  of  that  which  he  enunciates,  and  sincerely  earnest  in 
his  endeavor  to  produce  conviction  in  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.  His  style  was 
didactic,  rather  than  hortatory  ;  intensely  earnest,  rather  than  profound ;  yet  at 
times  he  would  warm  up  with  his  subject,  and  burst  into  an  impassioned  strain 
of  oratory,  that  would  profoundly  stir  the  feelings  of  his  audience. 

In  personal  appearance  he  was  not  prepossessing,  being  about  six  feet  high, 
rather  lean  and  round-shouldered,  with  short  gray  hair,  blue  eyes,  a  classic  fore- 
head, well-shaped  nose,  and  a  mouth  capable  of  expressing  easily  the  several 
traits  of  his  character.  In  the  avowal  of  his  opinions  on  any  subject,  and  under 
every  circumstance,  he  was  rigidly  honest  and  unflinchingly  bold  and  firm,  for 
he  was,  naturally,  a  man  of  strong  convictions  ;  still,  he  was  not  obtrusive.  He 
had  a  very  correct  idea  of  propriety,  and  rarely,  if  ever,  gave  just  grounds  of 
offence  to  any  one.  He  was  truly  an  humble  Christian,  with  lowly  views  of  h^s 
own  worth  and  ability.  By  some  he  was  considered  blunt,  and  at  times  severe, 
even ;  but  no  one  ever  had  a  kinder  heart,  or  a  more  tender  consideration  for 
the  rights  of  others.  Always  very  cool  and  deliberate,  when  he  assumed  a  posi- 
tion he  was,  for  that  very  reason,  the  more  firm  and  decided.  Decision  was  a 
prominent  feature  in  his  character ;  and  to  that  he  added  great  energy  and  in- 
domitable perseverance,  a  wonderful  tendency  to  order  and  thorough  system, 
and  a  generous  hospitality  that  almost  amounted  to  a  fault.  Strictly  honest,  he 
was  entirely  free  from  duplicity,  never  betraying  confidence  reposed  in  him.  He 
was  very  genial,  and  relished  a  joke,  and  was  noted  for  his  wit  and  good  humor, 
as  well  as  for  sarcasm  and  irony,  when  occasion  demanded.  No  one  could  be 
with  him  long  without  ascertaining  that  he  was  a  thorough  Baptist.  In  polemics 
he  was  no  mean  antagonist,  knowing  well  how  to  marshal  his  arguments  into 
order  skilfully  and  sagaciously.  On  one  occasion  he  astonished  even  those  best 
acquainted  with  him  by  the  learning  and  logical  acumen  he  displayed.  At  a 
school-house  about  three  miles  from  his  residence,  Mr.  Shehane,  a  prominent 
Universalist  preacher,  held  a  monthly  appointment.  He  became  very  bold  after 
he  had  been  preaching  about  six  months,  inflated  by  success  and  a  growing  pop- 
ularity, and  challenged  any  minister  to  a  public  debate.  Just  before  this  he  had 
held  a  public  discussion  with  Dr.  Lovick  Pierce,  in  which,  it  is  said,  he  obtained 
the  advantage.  As  soon  as  Elder  Gunn  heard  of  this  challenge  he  accepted  it, 
and  the  necessary  arrangements,  as  to  time  and  place,  were  made  for  the  discus- 
sion, which  was  to  continue  two  days,  each  speaker  to  make  two  speeches  on 
each  day.  Of  course  Mr.  Gunn  prepared  himself  thoroughly  for  the  contest, 
and  in  the  morning  of  the  first  day  manifestly  got  the  best  of  the  debate.  Mr. 
Shehane's  disciples  were  very  buoyant,  however,  under  the  impression  that  he 
was  reserving  his  strength  for  the  afternoon  contest,  when  they  confidently  ex- 
pected him  literally  to  annihilate  his  opponent.  But  the  actual  result  greatly 
surprised  them.  Mr.  Gunn,  in  his  reply,  constructed  his  arguments  with  such 
logical  compactness,  and  hurled  them  at  Mr.  Shehane  with  such  scathing  satire 
and  such  pungent  wit,  as  completely  to  overwhelm  him.  Shehane's  predica- 
ment was  not  simply  embarrassing,  it  was  ridiculous,  and  towards  the  close 
became  exceedingly  ludicrous.  Having  heard  that  his  opponent  was  an  illiterate 
man,  he  had  expected,  by  a  display  of  Greek  and  Hebrew  learning,  to  frighten 
Mr.  Gunn  into  silence ;  but  his  expectations  were  utterly  at  fault,  for,  to  his  sur- 
prise, Mr.  Gunn  quoted  Greek  and  Hebrew,  too,  with  astonishing  fluency  and 
critical  familiarity. 

The  first  day's  discussion  ended  to  the  great  mortification  and  discomfiture  of 
both  Mr.  Shehane  and  his  followers.  The  next  day  Shehane  failed  to  appear, 
and  never  again  was  known  to  visit  that  neighborhood. 

"  Well,  brother  Gunn,"  said  a  prominent  Methodist  minister,  at  the  close  of 
the  first  day's  discussion,  "  you  have  completely  annihilated  Shehane.  You  used 
him  up  so  badly  that  I  really  feel  sorry  for  him  ;  but  you  had  to  draw  upon  our 
doctrines  to  gain  your  victory ! " 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


237 


"  I  deny  that  I  owe  anything  to  Methodism  for  any  success  I  have  had  to-day," 
replied  Mr.  Gunn,  "  and  I  am  ready,  on  any  day  you  will  name,  to  vindicate  every 
position  I  have  taken  to-day  from  any  dependence  on  your  peculiar  doctrines." 

No  day  was  specified. 

Mr.  Gunn  was  very  zealous  in  the  cause  of  the  South  in  the  late  war,  and  spent 
a  large  part  of  1862  and  1863  in  the  Virginia  army,  where,  by  his  labors,  he  broke 
down  his  health,  and  contracted  the  disease  which  ended  his  life.  Being  unable 
to  preach  or  do  anything  for  his  Master,  except  exercise  the  grace  of  patience 
under  sufferings,  he  would  frequently  exclaim  :  "  And  now,  Lord,  what  wait  I 
for?  My  hope  is  in  thee  !  "  "  Lord,  on  thee  do  I  wait  all  the  day.  Now  lettest 
thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation." 

His  soul  longed  to  escape  from  its  crumbling,  toppling  tabernacle  of  clay.  He 
felt  that  his  work  on  earth  was  done,  and  he  was  desirous  to  depart  and  be  with 
Christ,  which  to  him  was  indeed  far  better  than  remaining  here.  When  death 
did  come  he  welcomed  it  with  manifest  joy.  He  died  at  his  residence  in  Warren 
county,  Georgia,  June  15th,  1866.  His  death  was  a  very  easy  one,  for  he  passed 
away  gently,  as  into  a  sweet  and  peaceful  sleep. 


LUTHER   RICE   GWALTNEY. 


Rev.  Luther  Rice  Gwaltney,  D.D.,  was 
born  in  Isle  of  Wight  county,  Virginia,  November 
loth,  1830,  and  named  after  Rev.  Luther  Rice,  a 
personal  friend  of  his  father's.  His  father,  James 
Lancaster  Gwaltney,  was  of  Welsh  extraction, 
the  son  and  grandson  of  a  Baptist  preacher  ;  and 
his  mother  was  Mildred  Holliman.  His  boyhood 
was  spent  in  Sussex  county,  Virginia,  where  he 
attended  the  Littleton  Academy,  of  which  the 
Principal  was  Professor  David  G.  Poyner,  a  good 
and  liberal-hearted  man.  At  sixteen  years  of 
age,  he  entered  Columbian  College,  Washington 
City,  when  Dr.  Joel  Bacon  was  President,  and, 
in  February,  1847,  while  in  that  city,  was  bap- 
tized by  Dr.  G.  W.  Samson,  then  pastor  of  the 
E  street  church.  His  father's  inability  to  sustain 
him  forced  him  to  retire  from  college  in  1848; 
but  he  returned  in  1853,  after  teaching  several 
years  in  the  Valley  Union  Seminary  (now  HoUins 
Institute),  at  Botetourt  Springs,  and  graduated  in  July  of  that  year.  He  was 
immediately  elected  a  tutor  in  Columbian  College,  and  filled  the  position  until 
the  spring  of  1855,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  a  call  extended  to  him  by  the 
Baptist  church  at  Greenville,  North  Carolina,  being  ordained  the  27th  day  of 
June.  In  this  pastorate  he  was  very  happy  and  his  work  was  blessed,  but  he 
was  soon  induced  to  accept  a  position  in  Chowan  Female  College,  Murfreesboro, 
North  Carolina,  where  he  remained  a  year,  and  then  gladly  took  charge  of  the 
church  at  Edgefield,  South  Carolina.  This  church  had  enjoyed  the  labors  of 
Dr.  Basil  Manly,  Dr.  W.  B.  Johnson,  and  James  Chiles,  and  was  a  most  delight- 
ful field  of  labor,  and  there  Dr.  Gwaltney  remained  for  eleven  years,  serving  the 
town  church  and  two  country  churches  with  great  fidelity  and  much  success. 
Many  were  brought  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ ;  the  moral  power  of  the  church 
was  greatly  developed ;  and  much  life  and  vigor  was  infused  into  the  member- 
ship. 

The  educational  interests  of  Edgefield  were  greatly  enhanced  by  Dr.  Gwalt- 
ney, who,  at  one  time,  aided  his  brother  John  in  the  Female  Seminary,  and  at 


238  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

another  time,  as  Principal,  conducted  the  Male  Academy.  By  his  labors  in 
Edgefield  Dr.  Gwaltney  greatly  endeared  himself  not  only  to  the  members  of 
his  church,  but  to  the  entire  community,  and  his  memory  is  still  fragrant  in  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  the  citizens  of  that  place,  while  to  him  the  time  spbnt  there 
was  the  happiest  of  his  life.  In  the  year  1868,  he  withdrew  from  Edge- 
field and  took  charge  of  the  Baptist  church  in  the  thriving  town  of  Rome, 
Georgia,  where  he  spent  eight  years  of  still  more  enlarged  success,  accomplish- 
ing much  for  the  cause  of  Christ  and  humanity.  As  a  pastor,  he  won  the  love 
and  confidence  of  his  people,  holding  constantly  a  large  congregation,  and  lead- 
ing many  to  the  Saviour  and  into  the  membership  of  the  church  ;  as  an  educator, 
he  developed  and  trained  the  minds  of  many  of  the  youth  of  North  Georgia ; 
and,  as  an  advocate  of  temperance,  wielding  a  trenchant  blade  in  its  behalf,  he 
exerted  great  influence  for  good.  During  his  stay  in  that  city  he  made  a  deep 
and  lasting  impression  on  the  social,  moral,  religious  and  educational  interests 
of  Rome.  He  was  greatly  influential,  by  his  wisdom  and  energy,  in  the  estab- 
lishment, at  Rome,  of  the  Baptist  Female  College,  now  known  as  "  Shorter 
College,"  and,  for  some  time,  he  was  President  of  the  institution,  in  connection 
with  his  pastorate. 

In  1876,  Rome  yielded  him  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Judson  Female  Institute, 
at  Marion,  Alabama,  where  he  still  labors  with  the  same  untiring  zeal  and  fidelity 
which  have  always  marked  his  work  ;  but,  just  before  he  left  Rome,  his  alma 
mater,  in  Washington  City,  bestowed  on  him  the  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  as 
a  fit  tribute  to  merit. 

Esteeming  him  as  a  most  valuable  accession  to  their  State,  the  Baptists  of  Ala- 
bama received  Dr.  Gwaltney  into  their  hearty  and  affectionate  confidence,  and 
he  is  meeting  the  responsibilities  of  varied  relations  with  a  versatile  ability  which 
gives  universal  satisfaction.  In  addition  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Judson  Female 
Institute,  which  furnishes  a  suitable  sphere  for  his  rare  accomplishments  and 
finished  manners,  he  has  assumed  the  pastorate  of  some  country  churches, 
where  his  labors  have  been  distinguished  by  his  usual  pleasing  success.  As  a 
preacher,  he  has  few  superiors.  In  matter,  he  is  both  doctrinal  and  practical. 
The  analysis  and  arrangement  of  his  discourse  are  almost  faultless ;  but  his 
sermons  are  not  merely  lifeless,  though  perfect,  skeletons  standing  before  the 
congregations  to  be  admired ;  but  each  one  is  a  thing  of  life  and  power,  instinct 
with  spiritual  vitality  and  truth,  moving  among  the  people  and  making  the  sensi- 
tive chords  of  each  heart  vibrate  as  though  touched  by  a  supernatural  hand. 
Preaching  without  manuscript,  and  with  a  manner  indicative  of  great  earnest- 
ness, he  looks  his  people  in  the  face  and  deals  out  to  them  spiritual  truths, 
thoughts  and  arguments,  in  pure,  well-chosen  language,  with  an  ease,  grace  and 
pathos  which  never  fail  to  gain  him  the  unbroken  attention  of  his  hearers. 

As  a  pastor,  he  is  extremely  laborious.  During  the  years  in  which  the  work 
of  a  pastor  was  his  sole  occupation,  he  was  never  known  to  drop  the  work  for 
a  single  day,  without  a  providential  hindrance.  He  could  find  work  for  every 
day,  and  for  every  hour  in  the  day,  in  organizing  the  details  of  his  pastorate, 
and  in  elaborating  those  details  to  the  development  and  edification  of  his  people. 
Endowed  with  a  peculiar  fitness  to  deal  sympathetically  with  the  sick,  the  dis- 
tressed and  the  bereaved,  and  to  administer  to  them  instruction  and  consolation, 
he  never  fails  to  gather  around  him  the  tenderest  affections  and  profoundest 
respect  of  all  his  people. 

Dr.  Gwaltney  is  a  Christian  of  a  type  higher  than  ordinary.  His  whole  life 
and  all  his  work  are  pervaded  by  the  sanctity  of  pure  thoughts,  pure  speech 
and  pure  devotion  to  the  Lord  Jesus  and  his  work  on  earth.  While  he  never 
indulges  in  unbecoming  levity  in  conversation,  his  piety  is  not  of  the  constrained 
type.  He  enjoys  life,  enjoys  his  work,  enjoys  the  society  of  his  friends,  and, 
more  than  all,  he  enjoys  the  Lord  who  bought  him  with  his  own  precious  blood. 
Cultivated  to  a  degree  that  makes  him  acceptable  in  the  highest  circles  of  social 
life,  yet  he  is  at  home  amid  the  plainest  surroundings.  In  all  the  walks  of  life 
he  is  attractive  in  person  and  pleasing  in  maimers.  Tender  and  affectionate  in 
heart,  courteous  and  gentlemanly  in  demeanor,  prudent  and  persuasive  in  speech, 
and  firm  and  decided  in  his  convictions,  he  combines  those  traits  of  character 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


239 


and  address  which  make  him  a  man  among  "men,  and  one  whose  influence  for 
good  is  felt  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  Indefatigable  in  work,  he  is  never  idle, 
and  appears  never  to  rest,  sometimes  working  simultaneously  in  several  depart- 
ments of  labor,  any  one  of  which  would  seem  to  be  sufficient  for  an  ordinary 
man,  and  pressing  all  to  a  successful  issue. 

Apparently  his  life  has  been  too  busy  and  earnest  for  much  time  in  it  to  be 
devoted  to  that  plodding  industry  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  essential  to 
the  attainment  of  the  highest  order  of  scholarship,  yet,  in  all  the  stations  occu- 
pied by  him,  he  has  been  recognized  as  a  man  of  learning  fully  adequate  to  the 
demands  of  his  position.  His  learning,  based  on  the  sound  theory  of  the  insti- 
tution from  which  he  graduated,  has  since  been  directed  to  the  practical  ends  of 
life,  and  is,  therefore,  full  in  variety,  always  ready  for  use,  and  without  the  least 
evidence  of  pedantry.  Hence,  as  a  teacher,  he  is  well  founded  in  theory  and 
rich  in  practice,  combining  with  practical  learning  and  natural  gifts,  those  organ- 
izing traits  and  that  discrimination  in  details  which  adapt  him  eminently  to  the 
presidency  of  a  college. 

Dr.  Gwaltney  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Louisa  David- 
son, of  Charlotte  county,  Virginia,  who  died  in  Edgefield,  South  Carolina,  leaving 
a  son  and  daughter,  both  of  whom  are  now  teaching  in  North  Alabama.  His 
second  wife  is  an  Edgefield  lady  of  rare  accomplishments,  who  is  still  living,  and 
the  mother  of  seven  promising  children.  Her  maiden  name  was  Sophia  B. 
Lipscomb. 


DAVID  WILLIAM  GWIN. 


Rev.  David  William  Gwin,  D.D.,  on  his 
father's  side,  is  descended  from  a  worthy  Pres- 
byterian ancestor,  who  came  from  Scotland  three 
generations  ago,  and  settled  in  Virginia.  There 
he  amassed  an  immense  landed  estate,  a  part  of 
which,  including  the  original  homestead,  yet  re- 
mains in  the  family.  His  father,  David  S.  Gwin,* 
a  Presbyterian,  died  so  late  as  1879.  The  ances- 
tors of  his  mother  came  to  this  country  from 
England  about  the  year  1660,  on  the  restoration 
of  Charles  IL,  and  settled  in  Culpepper  county, 
Virginia.  She  was  a  Baptist,  and  a  godly  wo- 
man, of  unusually  brilliant  intellect,  whose  warm, 
earnest  heart  was  enlightened  by  diligent  study  of 
God's  word,  and  directed  by  remarkable  common 
sense.  With  pious,  persistent,  magnetic  teach- 
ing, she  sought  to  instil  Christian  truth  into  the 
hearts  of  her  children,  and  to  impress  on  them 
her  own  godly  character.  Often  she  would  retire  with  them  to  her  chamber, 
where,  with  closed  doors,  she  earnestly  prayed  for  the  salvation  of  their  souls, 
and  the  perfection  of  their  characters.  In  the  childhood  of  David  William  she 
would  sometimes  place  her  hand  on  his  head  and  say :  "  This  son  is  to  be  my 
missionary  to  China!" 

Brought  thus  early  in  life  under  the  direct  influence  of  Christianity,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  Dr.  Gwin  was,  from  his  earliest  years,  a  subject  of  strong  relig- 
ious impressions.  His  desire  to  become  a  Christian  was  increased  at  the  age  of 
twelve,  when  a  Christian  schoolmate  accidentally  killed  himself,  among  whose 
dying  utterances  was  the  expression,  "  I  am  prepared  to  die."  This  desire  to 
be  a  Christian  deepened  on  the  removal,  in  1853,  of  his  parents  to  Alexandria, 
Virginia,  where  he  attended  the  Sunday-school  of  the  First  Baptist  church,  of 
which  Rev.  H.  H.  Tucker  was  at  the  time  pastor.  In  the  fall  of  the  succeeding 
year,  1854,  he  was  converted,  united  with  the  First  church  of  Alexandria,  and 


240  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

was  baptized  by  Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker.  He  immediately  began  to  take  part  in  the 
public  religious  exercises  of  the  church,  speaking  occasionally  in  the  prayer-meet- 
ings, though  with  much  timidity. 

After  two  years'  attendance  on  the  Alexandria  High  School,  then  taught  by 
one  of  the  distinguished  Hallowells,  he  entered  the  Freshman  Class  of  Richmond 
College  in  1855,  and  was  graduated  in  1859.  Subsequently,  following  the  bent 
of  his  inclinations,  he  purchased  law-books,  and,  for  some  time  after  graduation, 
continued  their  study  with  a  view  to  his  entrance  on  the  profession  of  law ;  but, 
being  under  age,  he  concluded  to  teach  school  for  a  while,  as  conducive  to  a 
better  preparation  for  the  profession  he  had  selected.  At  this  time,  however,  he 
was  called  to  pass  through  a  severe  mental  struggle  respecting  his  duty  to  become 
a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  In  the  early  days  of  his  conversion,  when  it  was  his 
delight  to  attend  the  more  unrestrained  religious  meetings  of  the  colored  people, 
he  became  conscious  of  a  desire  to  preach,  and  then  formed  a  purpose  to  that 
effect ;  but  years  of  school  and  college  life  almost  obliterated  the  impression,  and 
came  near  extinguishing  the  purpose.  Weeks  of  mental  agony  succeeded  each 
other.  At  length  his  mind  reached  this  conclusion :  "  I  will  put  no  barrier  in 
God's  way,  if  he  calls  me  to  preach  the  Gospel."  This  point  settled,  when  about 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  came  to  Georgia  in  the  year  i860,  and  for  a  while 
taught  school  in  Knoxville,  Crawford  county,  and  then  accepted  the  Professor- 
ship of  Languages  in  Brownwood  Institute,  LaGrange,  where  the  opening  of  the 
war,  in  1861,  found  him. 

Mr.  Gwin's  remarkable  facility  for  acquiring  languages,  and  the  acuteness  of 
his  mathematical  knowledge,  together  with  his  fondness  for  moral  science,  all 
united  with  his  aptitude  for  imparting  instruction,  tempted  him  most  strongly  to 
break  the  covenant  regarding  preaching  which  he  had  made  with  the  Lord ;  but 
he  was  withheld  by  the  grace  of  God.  And  when,  in  1861,  the  church  at  Rome, 
Georgia,  extended  him  an  invitation  to  become  its  pastor,  he  consented  on  con- 
dition of  a  mutual  probation  of  six  months.  The  Rubicon  thus  passed,  however, 
his  mental  distress,  arising  from  the  uncertainty  of  his  call  to  the  Gospel  ministry, 
passed  away,  never  to  return. 

He  was  ordained  at  Rome  on  the  3d  of  November,  1861,  the  following  breth- 
ren acting  as  presbytery :  Revs.  Dr.  E.  B.  Teague,  J.  M.  Wood,  and  C.  H. 
Stillwell.  His  pastorate  at  Rome  proved  a  delightful  one,  and  continued  for 
more  than  two  years,  being  terminated  January  ist,  1864,  when  the  retreat  of 
the  Confederate  army  from  Chattanooga  rendered  flight  necessary  on  the  part  of 
his  church  and  congregation. 

It  was  during  his  residence  at  Rome,  and  on  the  13th  day  of  October,  1863, 
that  he  was  united  in  matrimony  to  the  brave  and  beautiful  Miss  Jennie  Craw- 
ford Howell,  daughter  of  Dr.  R.  B.  C.  Howell,  of  Nashville.  She  had  obtained 
permission  to  pass,  with  other  Southern  ladies,  through  the  Federal  lines,  and 
came  from  Nashville  to  Rome,  Georgia,  where  she  consummated  a  long-pend- 
ing matrimonial  engagement.  It  is  pleasant  to  know  that  a  consummation  so 
interesting,  under  circumstances  so  unusual  and  romantic,  has  resulted  in  con- 
nubial happiness  of  a  transcendent  character,  to  which  increase  of  years  but  adds 
increase  of  felicity. 

No  cessation  of  ministerial  labor  followed.  Mr.  Gwin,  on  the  i8th  of  January, 
1864,  began  a  pastorate  at  Griffin,  Georgia,  which  continued  nearly  five  years, 
with  a  faithfulness  rarely  equalled.  Amid  all  the  numerous  and  varied  calami- 
ties attending  the  dark  days  that  closed  the  war,  he  remained  true  to  his  people, 
and  administered  to  them  with  the  ardor  and  ability  of  young  manhood  inspired 
by  duty,  love  and  devotion.  To  the  pressing  engagements  of  pastoral  labor,  he 
was  constrained,  by  financial  needs,  to  unite  the  taxing  duties  of  the  school-room, 
in  1867,  and  established  the  Griffin  High  School,  which  for  eighteen  months 
flourished  under  his  charge  as  the  pioneer  of  the  Sam  Bailey  Institute.  To  sus- 
tain himself  creditably  in  the  difficult  and  two-fold  relation  of  preacher  and 
teacher,  taxed  his  energies  to  the  utmost,  and  required  incessant  labor,  yet  many 
will  bear  witness  how  nobly  he  wrought  in  both  spheres. 

The  year  1868  released  Mr.  Gwin  from  the  tremendous  strain  on  his  mental 
and  physical  capacities.  In  that  year  he  was  unanimously  called  to  the  care  of 
the  First  Baptist  church  at  Montgomery,  Alabama.     This  church  is  one  of  the 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  24 1 

most  prominent  in  Alabama,  and,  in  accepting  its  call,  Mr.  Gwin  succeeded  such 
men  as  Dr.  I.  T.  Tichenor,  Dr.  Talbird,  and  Dr.  B.  Manly,  Sr.,  a  circumstance 
which  demanded  the  severest  application  of  his  powers.  This  pastorate  lasted 
eight  years,  and  was  of  pleasant  character  throughout,  with  the  exception  (>i  the 
period,  in  the  summer  of  1873,  when  that  dreadful  scourge,  yellow  fever,  pre- 
vailed. Remaining  undauntedly  at  his  post  during  that  terrible  time,  Mr.  Gwin 
nobly  performed  to  those  of  all  creeds,  classes  and  nationalities,  the  duties  de- 
manded by  humanity  and  Christianity. 

In  the  fall  of  1873  Mr.  Gwin  aided  in  establishing  that  excellent  paper,  T/te 
Alabama  Baptist,  and  wrote  several  columns  for  it  weekly  while  he  remained 
in  the  State,  for  he  returned  to  Georgia  in  June,  1876,  to  assume  charge  of  the 
First  Baptist  church  of  Atlanta.  It  required  a  severe  struggle  for  him  to  sever 
his  connections  with  the  Baptists  of  Alabama,  for  they  had  treated  h  m  with 
distinguished  consideration.  The  Alabama  State  College  had  conferred  on  him 
the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  in  1874,  and  the  Alabama  University 
did  the  same  thing  in  1875.  The  State  Convention  had  elected  him  a  Trustee  of 
Howard  College,  and  he  had  been  frequently  called  to  act  as  Moderator  in  Bap- 
tist assemblages.  One  trial,  however,  he  was  summoned  to  bear  while  residing 
in  Montgomery — the  loss  of  that  mother  whose  pious  admonitions  and  Christian 
instruction  inclined  his  youthful  heart  to  religion.     She  died  in  1871. 

Though  comparatively  a  young  man,  Dr.  Gwin  stands  very  high  in  the  estima- 
tion of  the  denomination  as  a  preacher,  a  pastor  and  a  scholar,  and  deservedly 
so.  His  pastorates  have  all  been  successes.  His  sermons  are  models  of  excel- 
lence, and  full  of  spiritual  power.  His  diction  is  more  than  ordinarily  elegant, 
and  at  times  flashing  with  splendor.  His  delivery  is  eloquent,  dignified,  and 
frequently  impassioned.  What  he  writes,  as  well  as  what  he  utters,  is  clothed 
always  in  scholarly  garb.  In  character  he  is  self-reliant,  independent,  yet  pos- 
sesses the  meekness  of  a  Christian.  Duty,  principle  and  God's  glory  have  been 
his  watchwords,  without  seeking  for  notoriety,  and  never  evading  responsibility. 
Since  1872  he  has  been  a  Trustee  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary, 
and  is,  perhaps,  the  youngest  member  of  the  Board.  Conversant  with  Latin, 
Greek  and  Hebrew,  he  knows,  also,  several  modern  languages ;  but  moral  phil- 
osophy and  metaphysical  studies  suit  best  his  special  mental  aptitudes.  Social 
in  disposition,  courteous  in  manner,  and  gifted  with  conversational  powers,  it  has 
been  easy  and  natural  for  him  to  give  much  time  and  attention  to  pastoral  visi- 
tation, and  thus  to  establish  the  warmest  relations  between  himself  and  the 
members  of  the  churches  he  has  served.  So  averse  is  he  to  display  and  to  all 
that  partakes  of  the  sensational,  and  such  is  his  natural  timidity,  that  he  has, 
perhaps,  kept  his  powers  too  much  in  reserve  in  the  pulpit,  thereby  doing  some- 
thing of  injustice  to  his  natural  capabihties. 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON    HALL. 

Rev.  George  Washington  Hall  was  born  August 
25th,  1841.  His  early  life  was  passed  in  toil  and  obscu- 
rity, without  any  of  the  privileges  of  education  and 
study,  in  Sumter  county,  Georgia,  the  only  relieving 
brightness  to  its  gloom  being  the  tender  teachings  and 
influence  of  a  pious  mother.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  in 
1857,  he  was  carried  to  Worth  county,  where  he  remained 
until  1 86 1,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  "Yancy  Independ- 
ents," and  served  durmg  the  war,  with  that  company, 
in  the  14th  Regiment  of  Georgia  volunteers.  He  was 
in  service  constantly,  until  May  1 2th,  1 864,  when  he  was 
taken  prisoner  and  conveyed  to  Fort  Delaware,  where  he  remained  until  March 
7th,  1865,  when  he  was  paroled.     His  conversion  occurred  during  the  great 


242 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


revival  seasons  in  the  Virginia  army,  in  1862,  and  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  E.  B. 
Barrett,  of  Georgia,  chaplain  of  the  45th  Georgia  Regiment,  April  12th,  1863. 
He  was  received  by  certificate  into  the  membership  of  the  Red  Oak  Baptist 
church.  Worth  county,  Georgia,  and  after  the  war  moved  to  Florida,  and  united 
with  the  Mount  Elon  Baptist  church,  Wakulla  county.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach,  by  that  church,  in  April  1867,  and  was  ordained  at  its  request,  in  De- 
cember, 1 867.  He  has  since  served  about  twenty  churches  as  pastor,  in  Florida, 
besides  acting  during  1876  and  1877,  as  missionary  in  the  Santa  Fe  River  As- 
sociation. In  1865  he  married  Miss  Amanda  M.  E.  Mobley,  of  Wakulla,  Florida. 
He  is  a  good  preacher,  using  excellent  language,  and  being  remarkably  sys- 
tematic and  clear,  for  one  whose  educational  advantages  have  been  so  very 
liriiited.  He  is  a  prudent,  calm,  self-possessed  man,  whose  influence  in  the 
family  and  social  circle  is  good.  Few  men  of  like  opportunities  have  been  more 
useful ;  few,  under  similar  circumstances,  have  had  their  labors  more  blessed. 


JAMES  HAMILTON  HALL. 


God  sometimes  permits  a  "  chosen  vessel  "  to 
proceed  far  in  scepticism  and  iniquity.  Saul  of 
Tarsus  was  a  great  unbeliever,  and  carried  his 
unbelief  to  the  extent  of  outrageous  persecution. 
Yet  in  his  own  good  time  Jesus  converted  him, 
and  afterwards  for  a  lifetime  Paul  traversed  the 
earth,  seeking,  with  seraphic  zeal  to  promote 
Christianity,  and  even  yet  is  building  up  the  cause 
he  once  sought  to  destroy. 

There  was,  in  Georgia,  a  young  man,  highly 
cultivated  and  of  fine  talents,  a  lawyer  by  profes- 
sion, who  spent  years  in  literary  pursuits,  gain- 
ing for  himself  no  mean  reputation  as  an  author 
and  a  man  of  parts. 

Owing  to  a  constitutional  tendency  toward 
philosophy,  he  drifted  imperceptibly  into  its  study 
until  he  became  an  ardent  pupil  in  the  three  great 
metaphysical  schools  of  sensuism,  idealism  and  scepticism ;  and  he  wandered 
even  into  pantheism.  Eventually  he  renounced  all  belief  in  revealed  religion, 
and  became  an  avowed  sceptic,  ridiculing  through  the  press  the  doctrine  of 
future  punishment.  Cutting  loose  from  all  moorings,  he,  for  a  time,  spent  an 
aimless  and  dissipated  life.  Strange  to  say,  at  this  time  he  was  engaged  to  be 
married  to  a  beautiful  young  lady  of  strong  faith  with  great  strength  of  will  and 
remarkable  piety,  who,  while  declining  to  marry  him  while  an  infidel,  confidently 
predicted  that  he  who  was  thus  walking  in  darkness  and  dissipation  would,  some 
day,  preach  "  the  glorious  Gospel  of  the  blessed  God."  Such  predictions,  how- 
ever, simply  amused  him,  and  were  received  with  a  smile  savoring  of  irony ;  for 
nothing  could  have  been  further  from  his  purpose  or  anticipation.  Still,  such 
suggestions,  coupled  with  the  character  and  influence  of  his  betrothed, 
induced  serious  reflection.  He  was  divinely  led  to  feel  that,  after  all,  the  religion 
of  Jesus  was  the  need  of  the  soul.  Conscious  of  a  heart  and  life  full  of  guilt,  he 
begged  for  mercy,  keeping  constantly  before  his  mind  the  absorbing  question ; 
"  Can  God  forgive  such  a  guilty  wretch  ?  '  At  length,  while  alone  in  his  cham- 
ber, he  was  able  to  apprehend  the  saving  truth  of  Christ's  mediation,  and, 
together  with  a  just  conception  and  apprehension  of  this  great  truth,  the  Holy 
Spirit  fell  on  his  soul  in  a  flash  of  light  and  glory  which  convulsed  his  whole 
being  and  filled  his  heart  with  praise  and  adoration.    The  light  of  the  Gospel 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  243 

expelled  the  mists  of  sinful  error  which  had  so  long  darkened  his  understanding. 
In  answer  to  his  own  question,  he  was  enabled  to  look  up,  and,  with  the  full 
consent  of  all  his  nature,  to  say  :  "  Thy  grace  is  sufficient !"  So,  the  clay  in 
the  hands  of  the  great  Heavenly  Potter  had  been  made  "  a  vessel  unto  honor, 
sanctified  and  meet  for  the  Master's  use." 

She  who  had  hitherto  refused  to  marry  him  because  an  infidel,  now  consented 
to  unite  her  destiny  with  his,  and  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  R.  Hall,  of 
Greene  county,  on  the  22d  of  November,  1859,  two  weeks  after  his  conversion. 
In  the  following  May,  he  manifested  his  faith  by  submitting  to  the  ordinance  of 
baptism,  and  was  received  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Bethlehem  church,  Coweta 
county.  At  the  simultaneous  call  of  three  churches,  singular  to  say,  he  was 
ordained  to  the  ministry  at  a  general  meeting  of  the  Western  Association,  con- 
vened with  the  Bethlehem  church,  in  August,  1861.  And  thus  were  fulfilled  the 
prayers  and  predictions  of  her  who,  while  loving  him,  had  remained  faithful  to 
conscientious  convictions.  Joy  and  gratitude  filled  her  heart,  and  strength  was 
added  to  her  faith. 

And  he  who  had  been  "  sometime  foolish,  disobedient,  deceived,  serving 
divers  lusts  and  pleasures,"  now,  as  Rev.  James  Hamilton  Hall,  became 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Franklin,  Heard  county,  and  afterwards  of  the  Provi- 
dence, Mount  Lebanon  and  Greenville  churches,  Meriwether  county.  For  quite 
a  number  of  years  he  preached  to  Bethlehem,  Mount  Lebanon  and  White  Oak 
Grove  churches,  in  Coweta  county,  and  at  Bethel  church,  in  Heard  county,  Geor- 
gia. From  the  pastorate  of  these  churches,  he  was  called  to  the  charge  of  the 
Newnan  church  in  1 869,  of  which  he  is  still  the  devoted  pastor,  and  is  doing  a 
great  work  among  a  flock  equally  as  devoted.  During  a  ministry  of  eighteen 
years,  he  who  formerly  scorned  and  derided  the  religion  of  the  meek  and  lowly 
Jesus,  has  known  no  unoccupied  Sabbath ;  has  allowed  himself  no  respite  in 
preaching  Him  whom  once  he  despised.  His  untiring  devotion  to  the  work  of 
his  Master,  his  broad  catholicity  on  the  great  questions  of  the  day,  his  steady 
adherence  to  the  plain  sense  of  Scripture,  and  his  fixedness  of  purpose  to  make 
no  compromise  with  error,  and  to  shun  no  responsibility  when  duty  points  the 
way,  all  entitle  him  to  the  love  and  confidence  of  every  follower  of  the  Lord. 
In  his  convictions  he  is  as  firm  as  a  rock,  and,  regardless  of  smile  or  frown,  he 
battles  for  the  truth  ;  neither  the  charm  of  flattery  nor  the  detraction  of  malice 
can  move  him.  He  may  be  said  to  feed  his  flock  with  the  "  pure  milk  of  the 
word,"  in  a  style  free  from  verbosity  and  mere  ornamentation.  He  has  a  place 
for  every  word,  and  in  every  word  there  is  food  for  the  mind.  Polished  in  the 
refinements  of  literary  culture,  his  is  that  eloquence  which  consists  in  clear 
analysis,  vivid  elucidation,  and  the  calmness  born  of  strength  in  presentation  of 
a  subject.  As  a  jurist,  he  would  have  had  few  equals ;  as  a  preacher,  he  is 
sound  and  instructive,  and  scarcely  surpassed  by  any  in  the  State.  He  is  a  man 
who  does  his  own  thinking,  thinks  much,  and  never  speaks  except  to  the  point. 
He  is  modest  and  unpretending,  personally  amiable,  with  a  natural  timidity 
which  bestows  a  charm  on  one  so  gifted. 

He  reads  few  books,  but  yet  keeps  himself  abreast  of  the  scientific  and  religious 
thought  of  the  day.  The  first  part  of  the  week  is  devoted  to  visiting,  especially 
the  sick.  Three  days  in  the  week  he  gives  to  the  preparation  of  his  sermons, 
making  elaborate  notes,  but  preaching  entirely  from  memory.  He  grasps  his 
subject,  and  he  makes  his  audience  grasp  it,  too. 

In  the  pulpit  his  manner  is  quiet,  self-possessed  and  natural ;  his  gestures  are 
few  but  impressive  ;  his  voice  is  good,  though  not  loud,  and  his  utterance  dis- 
tinct and  earnest.  It  is  his  earnestness  which  constitutes  the  charm  of  his  ora- 
tory, though  he  sometimes  takes  a  flight  of  eloquence  when  warmed  by  a  great 
or  glorious  theme.  He  gazes  around  on  his  congregation  when  he  is  speaking, 
but  it  is  apparent  that  he  is  regarding  his  theme  only  ;  the  inner  vision  and  the 
thoughts,  simple,  subtle  or  sublime,  that  rise  before  it,  overpowering  the  out- 
ward. While  seeming  to  feel  deeply,  and  at  times  almost  transported  by  the 
grandeur  of  his  topics,  he  is  never  overcome  by  his  feelings.  His  style  is  clear, 
elegant,  simple  and  concise — perhaps  too  concise  for  a  mixed  congregation.  He 
is  not  imaginative  or  descriptive,  but  analytical  and  logical.     Having  a  strong 

19 


244 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


and  discriminative  perception,  he  conceives  distinctly  and  presents  clearly.  The 
constant  and  marked  attention  of  his  audience  indicates  that  he  deals  out  to  them 
thoughts,  and  not  mere  words  ;-and  his  brief,  luminous  statements  of  truth  hold 
the  appreciative  mind.  While  no  excitement  is  produced,  there  is  deep  interest. 
He  creates  no  demonstration  but  that  of  a  death-like  stillness  ;  and  sometimes  the 
truth  appears  to  irradiate  his  preaching  with  the  startling  and  dazzling  brilliancy  of 
the  lightning's  flash.  He  opens  the  Scriptures,  and  people's  hearts  burn  within 
them.  Originality  is  a  strikmg  characteristic  with  him,  for  he  will  take  an  old, 
familiar  text,  and  both  astonish  and  delight  his  hearers  by  a  fluent  and  natural 
unfolding  of  fresh  ideas.  Though  hearing  him  often,  his  people  never  weary  of 
his  preaching,  for  each  time  they  feel  as  if  they  had  heard  the  truth  in  newness. 
He  is  especially  strong  in  doctrinal  preaching,  and  bold  in  attacking  error ;  but 
his  piety  and  blameless  life  disarm  every  foe,  except  such  as  would  control  his 
conscience.  While  a  fearless  preacher,  he  is  endowed  with  the  grace  of  humility. 
One  pillar  of  strength  with  him  is  his  wife — a  woman  of  resolute  will  and  high 
spirit  by  nature,  who  relieves  him  of  many  a  social  and  domestic  burden,  whose 
distinctive  virtue  is  a  strong  faith,  and  to  whom  the  good  of  Zion  is  all  in  all. 
She  has  been  almost  as  an  inspiration  to  him.  Of  seven  children  born  to  him, 
five  are  living — three  boys  and  two  girls. 

He  was  born  in  Greenville,  Meriwether  county,  on  the  i6th  of  April,  1836. 
His  parents  were  Alexander  and  Elizabeth  Hall.  His  father  was  a  Presbyterian, 
and  chose  farming  as  his  occupation,  although  fitted  by  nature  and  culture  for 
any  regular  profession.  He  preferred  the  quiet  and  retirement  of  the  farm  to 
the  bustle  and  confusion  of  public  life,  but  was,  nevertheless,  contrary  to  his 
inclination,  made  prominent  in  civil  affairs,  occupying  offices  of  trust  in  the 
county,  and  at  one  time  representing  his  district  in  the  State  Senate.  He 
was  a  man  capable  of  giving  every  advantage  to  his  son,  and  it  was  his  pleasure 
to  do  so. 


DAVID  BLOUNT  HAMILTON, 


Rev.  David  Blount  Hamilton,  a  descend- 
ant of  the  Hamilton  family  distinguished  in 
Scottish  history  and  in  the  American  Revolution, 
was  born  July  30th,  1834,  in  Hamilton,  Harris 
county,  Georgia.  His  father,  Joseph  Hamilton,  a 
man  of  most  excellent  character,  died  a  few  years 
after  marriage,  leaving  to  his  wife,  a  highly  edu- 
cated woman,  of  rare  intellect  and  of  great 
firmness,  the  responsibility  of  rearing  their  chil- 
dren. Never  was  a  trust  more  faithfully  or  more 
effectively  performed. 

In  1854,  in  the  last  month  of  his  twentieth 
year,  David  graduated  at  the  University  of  Geor- 
gia, Athens,  receiving  the  first  appointment  as 
the  best  speaker  in  his  class.  He  read  law  in 
Rome,  under  the  senior  Judge  Underwood,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  began  the  practice 
of  the  profession  in  that  city  in  1855.  He  was 
married,  November  25th,  1856,  to  Miss'AIartha  Harper,  of  Rome,  whose  gracious 
womanhood,  unfolding  in  all  the  exellencies  of  wife  and  mother,  has  cheered  and 
blessed  his  home,  increasingly,  from  year  to  year. 

He  joined  the  Rome  Baptist  church  and  began  preaching  m  i860.  In  the 
course  of  his  ministry  he  has  had  charge  of  flourishing  churches  in  different  sec- 
tions of  the  State.  His  fine  administrative  talent  has  always  secured  the  harmony 
and  efficiency  of  his  flock ;  and  every  church  he  has  served,  whether  in  the  city 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  245 

or  the  country,  has  grown  and  prospered  under  his  pastoral  labor.  The  people 
have  never  failed  to  requite  his  fidelity  with  warm  Christian  attachment ;  nor  has 
the  relation  of  pastor  and  flock  been  severed  in  a  single  instance  except  at  his 
own  desire,  and  with  great  reluctance  on  the  part  of  the  church. 

Though  opposed  to  Secession  as  a  matter  of  policy,  and  exempt  from  military 
service  by  reason  of  his  duties  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  he  entered  the  army 
at  the  beginning  of  the  war.  Through  exposure  he  contracted  a  throat  disease, 
which  resulted  in  incision  of  the  uvula  ;  and,  though  subsequently  connected  with 
Yeiser's  Legion,  he  was  finally  discharged  from  the  service  on  account  of  that 
disease,  and  his  consequent  disability.  Embarrassed  by  the  results  of  the  war, 
and  with  a  large  family  dependent  on  his  exertions  for  a  support,  he  found  it 
necessary  to  combine  the  practice  of  the  law  with  the  discharge  of  ministerial 
duties.  He  represented  Floyd  county  in  the  Legislature  during  the  term  of 
1875-6,  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  debaters  in  the  House,  and  originated 
and  advocated  some  of  the  most  important  measures  brought  before  that  body. 
He  was  also  a  useful  and  prominent  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1877.  As  a  gentleman  of  attractive  manners,  of  large  culture,  and  of  great 
political  sagacity,  a  profound  student  and  an  eloquent  speaker,  he  might  rise  to 
still  higher  distinction  in  the  State,  but  he  eschews  office,  and  will  not  accept  it 
even  when  it  seeks  him.  In  all  this  professional  and  public  life,  he  has  preserved 
his  Christian  character  and  his  ministerial  usefulness  ;  an  Abdiel  in  faithfulness, 
but  not,  we  rejoice  to  know,  an  Abdiel  in  loneliness — for  other  men  of  God  have 
passed  through  the  furnace  of  temptation  with  him,  bearing  no  smell  of  fire  on 
their  raiment. 


ROBERT  TAYLOR  HANKS. 

Rev.  Robert  Taylor  Hanks  was  born  April  23d, 
1850,  at  Olney,  Pickens  county,  Alabama,  a  little  town 
founded  by  his  own  father.  Rev.  A.  M.  Hanks,  who 
moved  from  South  Carolina,  and  was  for  thirty  years  a 
leading  minister  in  the  Union  Association,  Alabama. 
Rev.  A.  M.  Hanks,  soon  after  his  settlement  in  Pickens 
county,  Alabama,  married  Miss  L.  C.  Sanders,  a  woman 
in  whom  firmness,  tenderness  and  good  judgment  were 
combined  in  a  remarkable  degree.  They  are  both  still 
living  in  Columbus,  Mississippi. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  war,  when  sixteen  years  of 
age,  that  Robert  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  schooling,  owing  to  the  suspension  of 
the  teacher's  vocation  in  his  father's  neighborhood,  on  account  of  the  war.  In 
1866,  he  began  to  study  under  the  tuition  of  Rev.  J.  Wm.  Taylor,  a  graduate  of 
Howard  College,  walking  four  and  a  half  miles  to  school,  daily.  This  was  con- 
tinued, with  intermissions  devoted  to  manual  labor,  until  January,  1869,  when 
he  moved  to  Dalton,  Georgia,  and  began  to  read  law  with  his  uncle.  Col.  J.  A. 
R.  Hanks.  Nearly  a  year  was  sedulously  devoted  to  his  legal  studies,  when  he 
was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Dalton  Baptist  church.  He  had  professed  con- 
version in  1864,  and  had  been  baptized  by  Rev.  J.  Wm.  Taylor,  as  the  only  fruit 
of  a  week's  meeting,  held  in  Pic  kensville,  Alabama,  during  that  year.  From 
1866,  he  had  been  exercising  in  public,  though  laboring  greatly  under  the  disad- 
vantages resulting  from  a  lack  of  cultivation,  and  when  licensed  in  1870,  these 
embarrassments  weighed  most  heavily  on  his  spirits  and  led  even  his  relatives 
to  discourage  his  entering  the  ministry.  But  a  kind  Christian  lady,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  Dalton  church,  of  her  own  accord,  proposed  a  timely  loan  of 
money,  which  enabled  him  to  enter  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary, 
at  Greenville,  South  Carolina,  where  he  spent  two  sessions,  graduating  in  six 


246  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

schools.  During  the  second  session  he  took  charge  of  the  Berea  church,  six 
miles  west  of  Greenville,  having  been  ordained  in  Dalton,  in  August,  1871,  for 
the  purpose.  While  in  Greenville,  nearly  all  his  Sundays  were  given  to  active 
service  in  the  Berea  church,  both  as  pastor  and  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school,  although  this  necessitated  a  six  miles  walk,  each  Lord's  day,  morning 
and  evening.  It  is  pleasing  to  chronicle  the  fact  that  his  second  year's  expenses 
at  Greenville  were  borne  by  the  North  Orange  Baptist  church,  New  Jersey. 

The  same  kind  Providence  which  had  thus  far  watched  over  him,  provided 
unexpectedly  the  means  which  enabled  him  to  visit  his  relatives  in  Alabama,  in 
the  year  1872,  where  he  made  diligent  preparation  to  enter  Howard  College, 
without  knowing  where  the  money  was  to  come  from  to  defray  his  expenses. 
One  day,  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  while  he  was  preaching  at  the  arbor,  during 
the  session  of  the  Union  Association,  the  brethren  in  the  house  raised  the  money 
necessary  to  this  purpose,  and  thus  effected  a  providential  answer  to  his  earnest 
prayers  and  longings. 

But  his  diligence  in  pursuing  his  doUege  course  broke  his  health  down,  and  he 
was  advised  by  the  President,  and  by  his  physician,  to  return  home  and  recruit 
his  exhausted  energies.  The  summer  of  1873  was  spent  by  him  in  cultivating 
a  field  of  corn,  and  preaching  every  Sunday,  and  when  the  fall  came  he  netted 
I275,  as  the  result  of  his  manual  labor. 

This  sum  enabled  him  to  enter  Richmond  College,  Virginia,  in  October,  1873, 
where  he  spent  three  sessions,  leaving  in  1876.  It  was  by  preaching  monthly  to 
country  churches,  and  doing  missionary  work  in  the  summer,  that  he  was  ena- 
bled to  continue  so  long  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  superior  advantages  of  that 
institution. 

In  the  summer  of  1875,  he  preached  for  the  First  Baptist  church  in  Petersburg, 
in  the  interim  between  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Wm.  E.  Hatcher  and  the  accept- 
ance of  Dr.  T.  T.  Eaton,  for  which  service  he  received,  besides  his  board,  $235. 
After  a  brief  visit  to  his  family,  in  Alabama,  in  1 876,  during  which  he  labored 
actively  in  revival  meetings,  he  returned  once  more  to  the  Southern  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary,  to  continue  his  theological  studies,  but  left  in  October  to 
accept  a  call  extended  by  the  Baptist  church  at  Dalton,  Georgia. 

Thus  we  have  seen  how  the  Almighty  befriended  and  assisted  the  poor,  unculti- 
vated boy,  and  led  him  forward,  step  by  step,  till  education  and  an  hotiorable  and 
useful  position  in  life  were  secured,  all,  we  are  forced  to  believe,  because  that  boy 
dedicated  his  time,  talents  and  labors  to  the  Lord's  service. 

Mr.  Hanks  remained  a  little  over  two  years  in  Dalton,  when  he  accepted  an 
invitation  to  assume  his  present  position — the  pastorate  of  the  Albany  church,  in 
southwestern  Georgia,  entering  upon  his  duties  in  January,  1879.  In  both 
churches,  at  Dalton  and  at  Albany,  his  labors  have  been  successful,  resulting  in 
nearly  one  hundred  baptisms.  In  the  former  place,  on  the  30th  of  May,  1877,  he 
married  Miss  Mattie  Bernard  Jones,  who  has  made  an  excellent  pastor's  wife. 
Two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  are  the  fruit  of  this  union. 

The  facts  of  this  sketch  evidence  Mr.  Hanks'  consecration  to  that  service  to 
which  he  has  given  his  life.  He  is  a  man  of  great  zeal,  energy,  perseverance  and 
singleness  of  purpose.  To  modesty,  devotion  and  unselfishness,  he  unites  earn- 
estness, uprightness  and  integrity.  His  filial  affection  is  equal  to  his  devoutness 
of  spirit  and  consecration  of  purpose,  and  these  have  ever  gained  him  the  confi- 
dence and  support  of  his  friends.  He  is  an  illustration  of  what  may 
be  accomplished  by  an  indomitable  will,  sanctified  by  divine  grace,  and 
stimulated  to  do  good  and  to  honor  God.  With  few  early  advantages,  and 
without  indications  of  uncommon  talents  in  his  youth,  he  has,  with  self-reliant 
will  and  great  determination  of  purpose,  overcome  difficulties  and  removed  obsta- 
cles that  would  have  deterred  many  a  man,  and  has  mounted  into  the  first  rank 
of  our  young  preachers.  An  illustration,  this,  of  Carlyle's  remark  :  "  The  block 
of  granite  which  was  an  obstacle  in  the  pathway  of  the  weak,  becomes  a  step- 
ping-stone in  the  pathway  of  the  strong." 

As  yet  he  has  had  few  pastorates,  but  in  these  he  has  acquitted  himself  well,  and 
has  added  much  to  his  reputation,  and  to  his  usefulness  as  a  minister.  Plis  genial 
and  social  disposition,  combined  with  earnest  and  sincere  piety,  has  won  for  him 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


247 


the  affections  of  his  brethren  and  the  esteem  of  those  among  whom  he  has 
labored.  As  a  speaker  he  is  pleasant  and  graceful  in  manner,  easy  in  delivery, 
fluent  in  utterance,  and  earnest,  tender  and  pathetic  in  the  presentation  of  truth. 
Rarely  does  he  preach  without  tears  coming  into  his  eyes,  and  seldom  does  he 
fail  to  make  his  audience  sympathize  with  his  own  emotions.  A  diligent  reader, 
and  careful  in  the  preparation  of  his  sermons,  he  usually  obtains  the  attention  of 
his  hearers,  and  retains  it  to  the  end.  Seeking  to  be  neither  sensational  nor 
startling,  his  discourses  are  fresh,  attractive  and  instructive,  the  frequent  use  of 
illustrations  relieving  his  arguments  of  heaviness,  and  appropriate  figures  bestow- 
ing life  and  beauty  on  his  rhetoric.  An  industrious  worker,  he  is  possessed  of 
tact  and  skill  in  utilizing  the  talents  of  his  church-members,  and  in  making  ap- 
proaches to  men  of  the  world.  Realizing  the  importance  of  cultivating  the 
acquaintance  of  the  young,  and  winning  their  affections,  he  makes  a  splendid 
Sunday-school  worker,  exerting  a  wholesome  influence  over  old  and  young,  being 
ever  ready  to  co-operate  with  the  one  and  sympathize  with  the  other. 

In  his  noble  Christian  wife  he  has  a  helpmeet  whose  fidelity,  devotion  and  un- 
ceasing efforts  have  added  greatly  to  his  success.  Her  self-sacrificing  zeal  and 
unselfish  labors  have  been  as  cordial  to  his  spirit,  and  a  constant  source  of 
encouragement  and  satisfaction  in  the  midst  of  toil. 


J.   A.    R.    HANKS. 

It  rarely  happens  that  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  maintains 
his  profession  as  such,  and  yet  pursues  the  practice  of  law, 
preserving,  all  the  way  through,  his  Christian  character  and 
ministerial  standing.  Such  an  instance,  however,  has  been 
afforded  us  in  the  life  of  Rev.  J.  A.  R.  Hanks,  of  Dalton, 
Georgia.  Born  at  Darlington,  South  Carolina,  January  4th, 
1 8 14,  he  was  reared  and  educated  in  South'  Carolina.  His 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Hood,i,a  woman  re- 
markable for  a  combination  of  beauty,  sweet  temper  and 
piety.  His  father,  Nathan  Hanks,  a  promi-nent  and  influen- 
tial citizen  of  South  Carolina,  for  a  long  time  occupied  the  position  of  Sur- 
veyor-General of  the  State. 

Mr.  Hanks  moved  to  Georgia,  where  he  was  converted  and  baptized  in  1854, 
and  connected  himself  with  the  church  at  Spring  Place,  Murray  county.  But  he 
made  Dalton  his  residence,  where  he  entered  on  the  successful  practice  of  la^\^ 
being  part  of  the  time  pastor  of  the  church  there,  and  0^  country  churches  in  the 
neighborhood,  never,  however,  taking  a  salary  for  his  pastoral  services.  Con- 
verted at  forty  and  ordained  at  forty-four,  when  he  was  in  the  full  practice  of  the 
law,  he  has  never  felt  it  his  duty  to  abandon  that  profession,  although  he  has 
been  a  preacher.  His  legal  profession  has  not,  however,  prevented  his  perform- 
ing his  share  of  official  duty  in  his  Association.  While  it  has  led  him  into 
politics  and  induced  him  to  seek  legislative  honors,  he  has  never  allowed  his 
Christian  banner  to  trail  in  the  dust. 

As  a  Senator  in  the  State  Legislature  he  was  prominent,  and  made  his  Chris- 
tian character  felt  among  the  law-makers  of  the  State.  Tall  and  fine-looking, 
with  a  fluent  delivery,  he  is  an  acceptable  speaker  in  the  pulpit,  on  the  hustings, 
and  in  the  legislative  halls.  He  has  been  a  close  student  of  law,  a  wide  reader 
in  theology  and  general  literature.  Fluent  and  forcible  in  speech,  he  has,  withal, 
a  pathetic  vein,  which  enhances  the  interest  of  his  oratory,  and  promotes  its  suc- 
cess. His  distinguishing  traits  of  character  are  benevolence,  liberality,  extreme 
frankness  and  rigid  integrity.  When  running  for  the  Senate,  a  voter  offered  to 
sell  his  vote  for  a  "treat,"  and  on  being  refused,  threatened  to  scratch  our 


248 


BIOGRAPHICAL  '  SKETCHES 


friend's  name  from  his  ticket.  Mr.  Hanks  promptly  volunteered  the  use  of  his 
pencil  for  the  purpose,  and  saw  the  vote  cast  for  his  opponent  with  imperturba- 
bility.    With  him,  to  be  right  was  preferable  to  being  successful  or  popular. 

As  a  lawyer  he  has  ever  refused  such  cases  as  his  conscience  would  not  allow 
him  to  advocate  as  a  Christian  and  a  gentleman  ;  nor  has  he  ever  been  backward 
in  avowing  his  profession  as  a  minister  while  practicing  law.  In  consequence,  he 
has  secured  and  retained  the  confidence  of  every  one.  As  a  Christian  his  labors 
have  been  persistent  and  self-sacrificing.  He  has  invariably  declined  pecuniary 
reward  as  a  pastor,  though  now  convinced  that  such  a  course  is  detrimental  to 
the  cause  of  Christ.  At  times  affliction  has  laid  a  heavy  hand  upon  him,  but  he 
has  never  been  known  to  murmur.  Much  of  his  work  has  been  of  that  character 
which,  while  beneficial  to  the  denomination  and  the  churches,  never  appears  in 
the  records  and  reports,  and  therefore  is  fully  known  to  the  Master  only. 

Mr.  Hanks  has  been  married  three  times,  but  has  no  children  living.  Highly 
respected  by  those  who  know  him,  he  moves  among  men  as  an  earnest,  devout 
worker  and  a  sincere  Christian,  preaching  when  he  has  opportunity,  and  exem- 
plifying his  religious  profession  in  all  the  ordinary  walks  of  life. 


JONATHAN    HARALSON. 


Judge  Jonathan  Haralson  was 
born  in  Lowndes  county,  Alabama,  Oc- 
tober 1 8th,  1830.  He  is  descended  from 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  families 
of  Georgia.  Gen.  Hugh  A.  Haralson, 
who  represented  the  LaGrange  district 
in  Congress  for  many  years,  was  his 
uncle.  Judge  L.  E.  Bleckley,  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  and  Gen.  J.  B.  Gordon,- 
United  States  Senator  from  Georgia, 
married  his  cousins,  Carrie  and  Fannie 
Haralson. 

His  father,  Wm.  B.  Haralson,  removed 
from  Greene  county,  Georgia,  to  Lowndes 
county,  Alabama.  He  was  a  large 
planter,  and  though  never  engaged  in 
public  life,  was  highly  respected  by  a 
wide  circle  of  friends  for  his  sound  judg- 
ment and  his  great  moral  worth.  He 
was  for  many  years  a  member  and  a 
deacon  of  a  Baptist  church,  and  contributed  Hberally  to  the  benevolent  and  edu- 
cational enterprises  of  the  denomination.  He  reared  a  large  family  of  children, 
who  are  remarkable  for  integrity  and  uprightness  of  character. 

Among  these  Judge  Jonathan  Haralson  is,  perhaps,  the  most  distinguished. 
He  graduated  at  the  University  of  Alabama,  in  1851,  when  the  venerable  Dr.  B. 
Manly  was  President  of  that  institution.  Selecting  the  profession  of  law  as  his 
vocation,  he  studied  under  J.  B.  Stone,  Esq.,  of  Hayneville,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1852.  He  afterward  entered  the  Law  School  connected  with  the 
University  of  Louisiana,  and  received  from  that  institution  the  degree  of  LL.B., 
in  1853.  The  same  year  having  formed  a  partnership  with  W.  A.  Dunklin,  Esq., 
he  settled  in  the  city  of  Selma,  where  he  followed  his  profession  diligently  and 
with  success  until  he  was  elevated  to  the  bench  in  1876. 

When  the  Legislature  of  Alabama  organized  the  City  Court  of  Selma,  a  court 
of  general  common  law,  with  civil,  criminal,  and  equity  jurisdiction,  the  bar  of 
Dallas  county  recommended  him  to  Governor  Houston,  by  whom  he  was  ap- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


249 


pointed  to  that  position.  It  is  only  justice  to  him  to  say  that  he  has  discharged 
its  duties  to  the  complete  satisfaction  of  the  bar  and  people  of  the  city  of  Selma. 

Judge  Haralson  professed  religion,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  David  Peebles 
in  1845.  In  1855,  when  only  twenty-five  years  of  age,  he  was  elected  a  deacon 
of  the  Baptist  church  in  Selma,  which  office  he  still  holds.  He  has,  also,  for 
many  years,  been  the  efficient  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  He  is  a 
trustee  of  Howard  College,  and  also  of  the  State  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 
College.  To  this  last  position  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Houston,  and  on 
expiration  of  his  term  of  office  was  re-appointed  by  Governor  Cobb. 

He  was  elected  President  of  the  Baptist  State  Convention  in  1874,  and  has 
discharged  its  duties  with  such  ability  and  Christian  courtesy  that  his  brethren, 
desiring  no  one  else,  have  unanimously  re-elected  him  at  every  succeeding  ses- 
sion. 

Judge  Haralson  has  been  married  twice;  iirst,  in  1858,  to  Miss  Thompson, 
daughter  of  Hon.  James  W.  Thompson,  of  Muscogee  county,  Georgia.  She 
was  a  niece  of  Rev.  Dr.  B.  F.  Tharp,  of  Perry,  Georgia.  She  died  in  Paris, 
while  accompanying  her  husband,  who  went  to  Europe  on  professional  business, 
in  1867. 

In  1869,  he  was  married  to  Miss  McFaddin,  of  Greensboro,  Alabama,  whose 
virtues  and  accomplishments  brighten  the  family  circle  of  which  she  is  the  high- 
est ornament. 

Judge  Haralson  may  not  be  considered  a  brilliant  man,  but  he  is,  what  is  better, 
a  man  of  well  balanced  and  well  cultivated  powers,  whose  counsel  is  v'alued  by 
his  friends,  and  whose  judgment  is  respected  by  all.  Possessed  of  those  mental 
endowments  and  those  high  moral  qualities  which  make  him  an  upright  Judge, 
and  of  that  earnest  piety  and  devotion  to  the  work  of  God  which  manifest 
themselves  in  his  stainless  Christian  life,  he  is  a  man  of  highest  usefulness,  whose 
services  are  sought  for,  positions  of  honor,  both  in  Church  and  State. 


MARTIN  B.  HARDIN 


Rev.  Martin  B.  Hardin  is  one  of  the  most 
amiable,  able,  pious  and  useful  ministers  among 
Georgia  Baptists.  Below  the  medium  size,  he 
possesses  a  countenance  expressive  of  intelli- 
gence and  benevolence  ;  is  a  speaker  of  remark 
able  fluency,  with  an  extraordinary  command 
of  felicitous  language,  and  of  unusual  oratorical 
powers.  He  possesses  a  voice  of  great  com- 
pass, of  which  he  has  good  control ;  and  his 
pulpit  action  is  easy,  natural  and  dignified.  His 
sermons  show  hard  and  prayerful  study,  and 
diligent  preparation.  In  the  midst  of  his  labori- 
ous pastoral  work  and  incessant  ministerial  en- 
gagements, he'has.  through  the  advantage  of  a 
good  library,  by  diligent  study  acquired  a  fund 
of  literary  and  theological  information  which  is 
seldom  excelled,  and  of  which  he  makes  appro- 
priate use. 

The  youngest  of  seven  children,  he  was  born 
in  Saint  Joseph's,  Florida,  September  23d,    1836.     His  parents  were  Edward  J. 
and  Jane  L.  Hardin,  his  mother  having  been  a  Miss  Barrett,  of  Augusta,  Georgia. 
His  grandfather,  Henry  Hardin,  was  a  Baptist  minister  of  Georgia,  who  died  in 
Warrenton. 

About  the  year  1842  Mr.  Hardin's  family  removed  from  Florida  to  Columbus, 


250  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

Georgia,  where  his  father  was  a  prominent  commission  merchant,  and  there  he 
spent  the  early  years  of  his  life,  receiving  the  advantages  of  an  excellent  academic 
education.  For  a  profession  he  chose  the  law.  He  enjoyed  the  pulpit  minis- 
trations of  Dr.  John  E.  Dawson,  during  his  entire  pastorate  in  Columbus,  but 
was  converted  in  the  memorable  revival  of  1858,  and  joined  the  Columbus  church 
when  Dr.  J.  H.  DeVotie  was  pastor,  by  whom  he  was  baptized.  The  Gospel 
which  brought  eternal  life  to  him,  he  now  desired  to  make  known  to  others,  and 
consequently  the  Columbus  church  licensed  him  to  preach  in  October,  1858. 
Immediately  afterwards  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Baptist  church  in 
Auburn,  Alabama,  and  was  ordained  in  February,  1859,  by  a  presbytery  called 
together  by  the  Columbus  church.  It  was  composed  of  the  following  brethren  : 
C.  C.  Willis,  Joseph  Walker,  then  editor  of  The  Index,  Thomas  B.  Slade,  James 
Whitten,  James  M.  Watt,  John  E.  Dawson  and  J.  H.  DeVotie.  Thus,  at  twenty- 
three,  as  successor  of  W.  Williams,  D.D.,  he  took  charge  of  the  church  at 
Auburn,  Alabama,  where  he  remained  two  years,  until  January,  1861,  when  he 
accepted  a  call  to  the  church  at  Union  Springs,  Alabama,  with  which  his  con- 
nection as  pastor  continued  for  seven  years,  or  until  the  fall  of  1867.  His  con- 
nection with  this  church  was  a  very  happy  one,  and  his  labors  in  Union  Springs 
were  greatly  blessed.  At  the  time  of  his  removal  the  church  was  in  a  charming 
condition,  the  last  year  of  his  pastorship  being  marked  by  great  spiritual  pros- 
perity in  the  church,  and  by  the  addition  of  a  large  number  to  its  membership . 

A  removal  to  Texas  then  ensued,  induced  by  a  unanimous  call  of  the  church 
at  Waco.  He  remained  over  two  years  in  Texas,  assisted  in  the  organization  of 
the  General  Association  of  Texas,  and  was  Corresponding  Secretary  of  its  Bible 
and  Colportage  Board. 

Previous  to  his  removal  to  Texas,  the  church  at  LaGrange  had  invited  him  to 
settle  with  them,  but  he  declined.  When  the  call  was  unanimously  renewed, 
three  years  afterward,  he  accepted  and  returned  to  our  State  in  July,  1871. 
Since  that  time  he  has  remained  pastor  of  the  LaGrange  church,  and  the  most 
pleasant  and  cordial  relations  have  always  existed  between  him  and  the  entire 
community  of  LaGrange. 

The  churches  of  which  Mr.  Hardin  has  had  charge  have  all  made  marked  ad- 
vancement under  his  administration.  His  Sunday-schools  have  always  prospered, 
and  missionary  and  educational  interests  have  ever  received  from  him  a  vigor- 
ous and  effective  support.  In  the  pulpit,  Christ  crucified  is  his  constant  theme. 
He  loves  the  souls  of  his  hearers,  and  eloquently  tells  "  the  old,  old  story  of  Jesus 
and  his  love,"  to  win  them  to  his  Lord  and  Master.  His  preaching  is  animated 
and  eloquent,  and  is  characterized  by  an  earnestness  which  might  be  mistaken 
for  enthusiasm.  His  peculiarities,  as  a  speaker,  are  clearness  of  enunciation,  a 
remarkably  full  vocabulary,  a  critical  discrimination  in  the  selection  of  words, 
wonderful  powers  of  description,  graceful  gesticulation,  and  that  which  Demos- 
thenes declared  to  be  the  essence  of  oratory,  "  action,  action,  action."  In  him 
the  denomination  has  a  man  of  principle  and  an  intelligent,  judicious  Christian 
minister,  not  a  sensational  declaimer,  pandering  to  perverted  popular  tastes. 
His  personal  character  is  without  a  blemish.  Quiet,  modest,  reserved,  he  loves 
everybody,  and  everybody  loves  him.  A  gentleman  full  of  gentle  ways,  true  in 
every  relation  of  life,  and  adorning  the  doctrine  of  God  and  our  Saviour  in  all 
things,  he  is  at  his  best  in  the  pulpit,  when  he  tells  with  new  interest,  the  story 
of  the  cross,  his  soul  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  his  heart  all  aglow  with  love  for 
Jesus  and  immortal  souls,  and  his  nervous  system  thrilled  to  the  utmost.  Then, 
every  inch  a  pulpit  king,  he  magnifies  his  office  and  illustrates  the  grandeur  of 
his  calling,  as,  hiding  behind  the  cross,  he  fervently  and  eloquently  preaches 
Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified.  An  humble,  sincere,  devout  Christian  gentle- 
man, he  is  the  embodiment  of  piety,  earnestness  and  zeal  for  the  Master.  Un- 
derstanding the  pastor's  duties,  he  performs  them  well. 

On  the  20th  of  November,  1856,  he  married  Miss  Harriet  Susan  Taylor,  of 
Columbus,  who  died  June  17th,  1866.  Two  sons  of  this  lady  still  live.  His 
marriage  with  Miss  Josephine  Law,  daughter  of  Rev.  Josiah  S.  Law,  of  Georgia, 
a  distinguished  Baptist  preacher  of  precious  memory,  was  solemnized  November 
26th,  1867.  Two  sons  and  two  daughters  by  this  union,  survive  to  bless  their 
parents. 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


251 


Of  medium  height  and  slender,  Mr.  Hardin  is  physically  vigorous  ;  quick  and 
nervous  in  his  movements,  with  dark  brown  hair  and  deep  blue  eyes.  He  is 
affectionate  and  agreeable  in  all  his  relations,  and  especially  so  among  his  people 
and  in  his  happy  family.  His  ministry  has  been  a  pleasing  success,  he  himself,  meek, 
patient  and  self-sacrificing,  ever  proving  a  pattern  for  his  flock.  His  character 
and  success  in  life  may  be  attributed  in  no  slight  degree  to  the  instruction, 
guardianship  and  example  of  his  excellent,  intelligent  and  pious  mother,  who 
early  led  him  to  the  Sabbath-school  and  to  the  house  of  God.  She  still  lives  to 
see  her  son  the  realization  of  her  desires  and  of  her  prayers  for  him  in  his  child- 
hood. And  doubtless  it  is  to  her  a  great  comfort  and  joy  that  multitudes  bless 
God  for  having  made  him  instrumental,  as  they  believe,  in  the  salvation  of  their 
souls. 


W.   B.   J.  HARDMAN. 


Rev.  W.  B.  J.  Hardman  was  born  No- 
vember 22d,  1822,  in  Oglethorpe  county, 
Georgia.  His  parents  were  Elbert  and  Lottie 
Hardman,  the  latter  having  been  Miss  Bar- 
rett. He  resided  in  Oglethorpe  county  until 
1850,  when  he  moved  to  Jackson  county,  re- 
siding all  the  while  on  a  farm,  and  receiving 
such  an  education  as  the  ordinary  schools  of 
the  country  afforded.  He  professed  religion 
in  1846,  but  was  not  baptized  until  1848, 
when  he  joined  Cloud's  Creek  church.  He 
was  ordained  to  the  sacred  work  of  the  min- 
istry in  November,  1874,  since  which  time  he 
has  served  the  Harmony  Grove  and  Beaver 
Dam  churches  in  Jackson  countv,  and  Grove 
Level  church  in  Banks  county.  Since  1875, 
he  has  also  preached  for  Cabin  Creek  church. 

Previous  to  his  ordination  he  was  a  deacon 
and  acted  as   clerk  for  his  church,  besides  filling  the  position  of  Sunday  school 
superintendent  for  fifteen  years. 

Mr.  Hardman  is  a  regular  medical  practitioner.  After  studying  medicine 
under  Dr.  Willingham,  in  Oglethorpe  county,  during  1847  and  1848,  he  attended 
lectures  at  Augusta,  in  1848  and  1849,  and  took  a  course  at  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  Philadelphia.  Since  his  graduation  in  the  spring  of  1850,  he  has  been 
following  the  profession  in  Jackson  county,  and  has  secured  an  extensive  prac- 
tice. He  is  considered  a  thoroughly  informed  and  skilful  physician ;  but  has 
always  sought  to  minister  to  the  souls  as  well  as  the  bodies  of  his  patients.  He 
has  accumulated  a  handsome  estate,  and  lives  in  very  comfortable  circumstances, 
devoting  a  portion  of  each  day  to  the  study  of  the  Scriptures  ;  is  a  director  of  the 
Northeastern  Railroad,  and  a  large  shareholder  in  its  stock ;  and  has  presided 
with  dignity  and  acceptability  over  the  Sarepta  Association  as  Moderator,  for 
several  years  in  succession.  In  1851,  Mr.  Hardman  married  Miss  E.  E.  Colquitt, 
who  has  made  him  a  devoted  wife.  He  has  ten  children  living,  to  all  of  whom 
he  has  given  a  liberal  education,  and  five  of  whom  are  professed  Christians.  In 
height,  he  is  five  feet  ten  inches,  weighs  1 50  pounds,  has  gray  eyes,  and  a  dark 
complexion.  His  black  hair  and  beard  are  fast  becoming  gray,  a  result  of  the 
busy,  thoughtful  life  he  leads,  full  of  care  and  responsibility.  Highly  respected  in 
his  community,  he  has  been  a  laborious  and  useful  man.  Though  for  the  most 
part  eschewing  politics,  he  was  nominated  for  the  Legislature  by  his  friends 
in  1866.  He,  however,  declined  the  nomination,  illustrating  by  his  career  the 
truth,  often  overlooked  but  worthy  of  perpetual  remembrance,  that  "a  private 
station  "  may  be  "  the  post  of  honor." 


252 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


JURIAH    HARRIS. 

Rev.  JuRi  AH  Harris  was  born 
in  Northumberland  county,  Vir- 
ginia, in  1784,  and  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  removed  to  Columbia 
county,  Georgia,  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
was  converted  and  united  with 
the  church  about  the  year  1828, 
and  very  soon  thereafter  he  en- 
tered the  ministry.  The  records 
of  the  old  Kiokee  church  show 
that  he  served  it  as  pastor  for 
nearly  forty  years.  He  was  also 
pastor  of  Bethel  church  from 
185010  1861,  and  of  Damascus 
church  from  1846  to  1850,  and 
again  from  1853  to  i860.  He 
was  very  prominent  in  his  neigh- 
borhood, looked  up  to  and  revered 
by  all ;  and  at  ordinations,  mar- 
riages and  burials,  his  services 
were  always  in  demand.  He  was 
an  earnest,  zealous  and  efficient 
minister,  and  was  very  conscien- 
tious in  the  discharge  of  his 
ministerial  duties.  Even  in  his 
old  age  nothing  could  prevent 
him  from  meeting  his  appointments.  When  the  weather  was  exceedingly  in- 
clement his  family  would  sometimes  remonstrate  with  him,  and  beg  him  not  to 
visit  his  church  when  it  was  certain  that  no  one  else  would  be  there ;  but  he 
invariably  made  the  same  reply  :  "  It  is  my  duty  to  go,  and  the  failure  of  the  con- 
gregation to  do  their  duty  does  not  relieve  me  from  mine." 

Faithful  as  he  was,  his  labor  was  wholly  a  labor  of  love.  He  accepted  payment 
for  his  services,  but  during  his  whole  life  he  never  appropriated  one  dollar  of  it 
to  his  own  purposes ;  it  was  all  distributed  in  deeds  of  charity  and  piety.  His 
opportunities  for  education  in  early  life  were  limited.  But  he  so  improved  him- 
self by  private  study  and  application  that  he  always  passed  as  a  man  of  culture. 
He  took  great  interest  in  the  subject  of  education,  and  was  an  honored  trustee 
of  Mercer  University  for  many  years.  His  social  relations  were  always  of  the 
highest  order,  his  personal  appearance  fine,  and  his  manners  elegant.  One  who 
knew  him  well  thus  describes  him :  "  Naturally  endowed  with  fine  powers  of 
discrimination,  indomitable  energy  and  untiring  perseverance,  his  well-balanced 
mind  insured  success  in  all  his  undertakings,  while  his  unblemished  integrity 
and  scrupulous  punctuality  secured  confidence  and  esteem  wherever  he  was 
known.  His  domestic  virtues  endeared  him  to  his  children  and  to  his  numerous 
descendants,  in  the  midst  of  whom  he  stood  like  a  patriarch,  commanding  their 
respect  and  receiving  their  veneration  and  love.'" 

His  business  talents  were  extraordinary.  When  he  came  to  Georgia  at  the  age 
of  nineteen,  his  property  consisted  of  six  or  eight  negroes.  Some  years  anterior  to 
his  death  he  gave  property  to  the  amount  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  to  each 
of  his  seven  children,  and  still  retained  for  his  own  use  about  five  thousand  acres 
of  land  and  one  hundred  negroes.  He  accumulated  this  large  estate  by  honest 
industry  and  good  management.  He  was  a  model  of  integrity  and  uprightness, 
and  was  generous  in  his  donations  to  religious  and  charitable  objects ;  but  in 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


25; 


worldly  affairs  the  Lord  blessed  him  as  he  did  his  servants  Job  and  Abraham  in 
days  of  old. 

In  1807  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  D'Antignac,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Shaw.  He  raised  to  adult  age  three  sons  and  four  daughters,  viz  :  Robert 
Y.  Harris,  James  M.  Harris  and  Dr.  Juriah  Harris ;  Mary,  who  married  William 
M.  D'Antignac,  Eliza  Frances,  who  married  James  Hamilton,  Louisa,  who  mar- 
ried Dr.  L.  A.  Dugas,  and  Caroline,  who  married  Dr.  H.  R.  Casey.  His  sons 
and  sons-in-law  are  all  worthy  citizens  of  high  social  position,  and  his  daughters 
are  women  worthy  of  their  descent  from  a  noble  Christian  gentleman. 

Mr.  Harris  died  in  December,  1868,  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

The  Kiokee  church,  of  which  he  was  pastor  during  almost  the  whole  of  his 
Christian  hfe,  was  the  first  Baptist  church  ever  constituted  in  Georgia.  The 
germ  from  which  it  originated  is  said  to  have  been  a  meeting  for  prayer  by  three 
persons  only,  and  these  were  Rev.  David  ?vlarshall  and  his  wife  and  daughter. 
They  knelt  together  under  the  shadow  of  an  oak  tree,  which  is  still  standing 
(1880)  in  the  village  of  Appling;  Columbia  county,  Georgia,  and  asking  the  bless- 
ing of  God  on  their  labors,  gave  themselves  to  the  work  ;  a  church  was  consti- 
tuted, into  the  membership  of  which  many  hundreds  of  persons  have  been  bap- 
tized, and  which  is  still  a  flourishing  body.  An  act  of  the  Legislature,  dated 
December  22d,  1789,  incorporated  "The  Anabaptist  Church  on  the  Kiokee." 


J.   A.    HARRIS. 


Among  the  many  large  and  excellent  families  in  Madison, 
Morgan  county,  Georgia,  connected  with  the  Baptist  church 
of  that  place,  about  1848,  was  the  Harris  family;  and  among 
the  most  interesting  of  that  group  was  the  widow  of  W 
J.  Harris  and  her  only  child,  a  sketch  of  whose  life  we 
now  design  to  write.  It  is  a  brief  life,  as  he  is  only 
thirty-four  years  old ;  yet  it  is  replete  with  encouragement 
to  other  young  men.  His  father  died  when  he  was  only 
two  years  of  age,  and  his  early  training  devolved  on  his 
mother,  who  was  true  to  the  trust.  Indeed,  she  had  few 
superiors  ;  but  she  lived  only  until  he  was  about  fourteen. 
An  uncle,  a  brother  of  his  father,  who  had  always  treated  him  with  kindness, 
then  took  entire  charge  of  him.  The  influences  of  his  mother's  sweet  and  pious 
life  were  gone,  and  he  had  but  reverence  for  her  memory  as  a  restraint  and  an 
impulse.  He  received  his  education  at  Rome  and  Madison,  and  was  fitting  him- 
self to  enter  Mercer  University,  when  the  war  of  1861  came  on;  he  joined  the 
Confederate  army,  though  a  mere  boy,  and  became  Lieutenant.  After  the  close 
of  the  war,  he  studied  law  in  Atlanta,  but  not  finding  the  practice  congenial  to 
his  taste,  he  abandoned  it  and  settled  on  a  farm.  Though  converted  in  early 
life,  he  was  not  baptized  until  1870,  when  he  received  that  ordinance  at  High 
Shoals  church,  Walton  county,  at  the  hands  of  Rev.  J.  M.  Stillwell. 

From  his  first  union  with  the  church,  he  had  strong  impressions  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  preach,  to  which  he  finally  yielded,  and  was  licensed  in  1873.  He 
exercised  his  gifts  with  success  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  brethren,  so  that 
in  1875  he  was  ordained  at  High  Shoals,  by  a  presbytery  consisting  of  Revs.  P. 
H.  Mell,  G.  A.  Nunnally,  J.  F.  Edens,  W.  A.  Brooks,  J.  Barrow  and  D.  H.  Mon- 
crief.  His  first  pastorates  were  with  the  churches  at  Sugar  Creek,  Morgan 
county,  and  Rehoboth,  Jackson  county.  The  former  he  served  two  years,  and 
the  latter  four ;  each  having  doubled  its  numbers  in  that  time.  He  is  now  serv- 
ing High  Shoals,  Oceola  and  Powell's  Mills.  The  two  last  mentioned  he  was 
instrumental  in  organizing. 

He  resides  at  High  Shoals,  and  devotes  his  time  and  energies  to  the  work  of 


254 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


the  ministry.  He  prepares  his  sermons  with  great  care,  and  is  very  useful,  being 
one  of  the  most  efficient  ministers  of  the  Apalachee  Association.  His  manner 
is  earnest  and  his  style  logical  and  convincing.  He  has  strong  convictions,  and 
is  a  bold  defender  of  the  faith.  His  congregations  are  warmly  attached  to  him, 
and  he  is  ever  successful  in  winning  the  confidence  and  affection  of  the  young. 
He  has  had  great  success  in  building  up  the  churches  in  the  few  years  he  has 
been  with  them.  He  seems  to  have  dedicated  his  whole  life  to  the  great  work. 
He  is  thoroughly  enlisted  in  mission  and  Sabbath  school  labor,  and  is,  indeed,  a 
working  pastor.  His  personal  appearance  is  fine,  as  he  is  nearly  six  feet  in 
height,  well  proportioned,  with  bright  black  eyes  and  beard.  Hospitality  is  one 
of  his  virtues,  and  especially  is  he  careful  to  entertain  Christian  ministers,  for 
the  joy  of  their  society.  At  an  early  period  in  his  life  he  was  married  to  Miss 
M.  L.  Thrasher,  of  Madison,  Georgia.  This  union  has  been  a  most  happy  one ; 
his  wife  showing  herself  ever  ready  to  co-operate  with  him,  and  to  make  sacri- 
fices, if  necessary,  for  the  cause  to  which  they  have  consecrated  their  lives.  He 
has  already  accomplished  so  much  that,  if  his  life  is  spared,  he  must  soon  become 
a  leading  spirit  in  his  Association,  where  he  is  now  so  useful  in  shaping  business 
and  devising  and  executing  plans. 


JAS.  P.  HARRISON. 


When  Hon.  George  Warren  Harrison  re- 
moved to  Milledgeville,  Georgia,  in  1850,  to 
act  as  Secretary  of  State  during  the  administra- 
tion of  Governor  Towns,  he  carried  with  him  a 
lad  of  six  years,  who  was  destined  to  serve  the 
Commonwealth  afterward — in  a  less  conspicu- 
ous position  than  the  father's,  indeed,  but  scarcely 
less  faithfully  or  less  usefully.  That  lad  was 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  James  Polk  Harri- 
son, a  native  of  Randolph  county,  Georgia,  born, 
September  26th,  1844.  Life  in  the  new  home  at 
the  former  refined  and  cultured  capital  of  the 
State  opened  auspiciously  for  him ;  but  it  was 
overcast  and  clouded  by  the  decease  of  his  father, 
who,  in  1854,  while  yet  age  had  not  "abated  his 
natural  force,"  was  taken  away  from  a  loving 
Christian  wife,  with  four  sons,  and  two  daugh- 
ters. For  several  years  after  this  untimely  be- 
reavement, James  P.  attended  the  school  of  Professor  L.  Carrington,  and,  without 
the  application  which  marks  the  ideal  student,  maintained  a  respectable  standing 
in  his  classes. 

But  the  generosity  and  energy  which  he  inherited  from  his  father,  and  which 
have  set  their  impress  on  his  whole  subsequent  career,  wrought  an  early  change. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen,  in  view  of  the  necessity,  or,  at  least,  the  privilege,  of  help- 
fulness to  the  widowed  mother  for  whom  he  has  always  evinced  a  tender,  stead- 
fast love,  these  qualities  impelled  him  to  enter — too  soon  as  a  question  of  years, 
but,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  event,  none  too  soon  as  a  question  of  character — 
on  a  course  of  preparation  for  the  work  of  "  the  bread-winner  "  in  life.  Allowed 
to  choose  his  own  vocation,  he  selected  "  the  art  preservative  of  all  arts," 
which,  to  so  many  distinguished  men  in  our  country,  has  stood,  and  stood  well, 
in  lieu  of  a  liberal  education.  In  January,  1859,  began  his  apprenticeship  of 
three  years  in  the  old  Southern  Recorder  office,  Milledgeville,  under  R.  M. 
Orme  &  Son  ;  and  at  its  close  his  industry  and  skill  secured  employment  in  the 
office  of  the  Federal  Union,  of  that  city,  where  he  was  engaged  for  five  years  in 
the  newspaper  and  public  printing  departrnents. 


OF  PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  255 

To  many  men  this  would  have  seemed  a  sufficient  prize  to  draw  in  the  lottery 
of  life ;  but  the  enterprise  of  Mr.  Harrison  made  the  position  he  had  reached 
only  a  stepping-stone  to  a  wider  and  more  independent  sphere,  for  which  his 
native  mechanical  ingenuity  and  circumstances  favorable  to  the  mastery  of  his 
chosen  calling  had  conspired  to  fit  him.  He  removed,  in  1866,  to  Forsyth, 
Georgia,  and  established  the  Mo)ii-oe  Advertiser,  thus  connecting  himself,  as 
proprietor,  with  the  newspaper  press,  which,  even  in  Great  Britain,  has  won  the 
name  of  the  Fourth  Estate,  (as  if  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  realm 
stood  not  less  on  it  than  on  the  Lords  Spiritual,  the  Lords  Temporal  and  the 
Commons, )  and  which  in  America  wields  perhaps  a  still  more  potent  sceptre. 
That  paper  he  brought,  in  a  few  years,  to  the  front  rank  of  such  publications, 
and  received  for  it,  at  the  Georgia  State  Fair,  three  distinct  premiums — one  a 
gold  medal  for  the  best  weekly  in  the  State.  The  ability  with  which  it  was  con- 
ducted attracted  general  attention  and  commendation.  In  1872,  when  what  had 
been  at  first  a  venture  had  grown  into  an  assured  and  permanent  success,  he 
was  able  to  combine  with  it  an  interest  in  the  State  Printing,  in  company  with 
Colonel  J.  H.  Estill,  of  Savannah. 

Here,  again,  with  less  self-reliance,  or  less  faith  in  the  capabilities  of  his  pro- 
fession, Mr.  Harrison  might  have  been  content  to  tread  no  step  forward ;  but  it 
was  to  be  seen  that  the  years  which  we  have  sketched  so  meagrely  were  simply 
years  of  training  for  a  more  prominent  arena — for  a  field  of  more  varied  and  en- 
during fruitage.  In  1873  he  removed  to  Atlanta,  formed  a  joint  stock  company 
and  purchased  the  Franklin  Steam  Printing  House  and  the  Christian  Index. 
He  became  the  Chief  Business  Manager  of  the  firm ;  has  enlarged  the  office 
until  it  takes  rank  as  the  most  extensive  and  best  equipped  in  the  State,  and  has 
earned  to  himself  a  name  increasingly  well-known  from  year  to  year  as  a  South- 
ern publisher.  He  has  labored  earnestly  in  this  position  for  the  Baptists  of 
Georgia,  and  The  Index,  under  his  administration,  has  become  more  and  more 
a  power  in  the  State.  What  he  has  done  to  advance  the  interests  of  our  denom- 
ination in  Georgia,  and  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  its  good  and  great  men,  as 
the  present  volume  attests,  will  serve  as  a  monument  to  his  enterprise  and  zeal, 
long  after  he  has  passed  from  the  earth. 

This  work  for  his  brethren  in  Christ,  while  dearest  to  the  heart  of  Mr.  Harri- 
son, has  not  afforded  full  scope  for  his  abounding  energy.  In  1877  he  was 
elected  State  Printer  by  the  Legislature,  a  position  which  he  held  until  the  new 
Constitution  abolished  it,  performing  its  functions  afterward  when  the  work 
was  "let  out"  under  contract.  On  the  final  settlement  of  his  accounts,  in  1880, 
the  Printing  Committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  through  its  chairman, 
bore  emphatic  testimony  to  his  official  integrity  and  the  excellence  and  cheapness 
of  the  work — unusual  in  amount,  and  often  requiring  unusual  dispatch — which 
he  had  brought  through  the  press. 

It  is,  perhaps,  as  true  of  business  men  as,  according  to  Adam  Clarke,  it  is  of 
ministers,  that  the  "  wife  is  a  main  spring  of  encouragement  or  discourage- 
ment;" and  much  of  Mr.  Harrison's  unwearying  perseverance,  though  the  quality 
is  hereditary,  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  when  only  twenty  years  of  age  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Lea,  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  whose 
beauty;  intelligence,  moral  worth  and  affection  have  rendered  his  private  life  as 
happy  and  peaceful  as  his  public  life  has  been  active  and  laborious.  Nor  has 
she  failed  to  exert  a  salutary  spiritual  influence  over  him.  For,  while  upright 
from  his  youth,  he  never  made  a  profession  of  faith  in  Christ  until  the  great 
revival  season  in  the  Second  Baptist  church,  Atlanta,  in  1875,  when,  after  an 
experience  of  renewing  grace  in  her  own  heart,  she  helped  to  guide  him  to  the 
Saviour,  and  they  were  baptized  together  by  Rev.  A.  T.  Spalding,  D.D.  Four 
children  are  growing  up  around  them,  while  two — a  son  and  a  daughter — have 
gone  before  them  to  the  skies.  The  son  whom  God  has  taken  to  Himself,  the 
namesake  of  the  father,  was  a  remarkable  boy  of  ten  years,  and  his  death  has 
doubtless  been,  to  the  parents,  "  Sorrow's  crown  of  sorrow." 


256 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


RAYMOND    S.   HARVEY. 


Rev.  Raymond  S.  Harvey  was  born  in  Liberty  county, 
Georgia,  on  the  6tti  of  August,  1819.  His  father,  Benjamin 
Harvey,  died  in  1824;  his  mother  is  still  living,  in  her  78th 
year,  as  the  wife  of  Rev.  James  Williamson,  to  whom  she 
was  married  in  1829. 

From  early  youth  he  was  the  subject  of  religious  impres- 
sions, and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  obtained  "  the  good 
hope  through  grace  "  that  his  sins  were  pardoned.  In  1836, 
he  was  received  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Baptist  church  at 
Sharon,  Telfair  county,  Georgia,  and  was  baptized  by  his 
step-father,  Rev.  James  Williamson,  who  was  at  that  time,  and  still  is,  pastor  of 
the  church.  His  step-father  is  well  educated,  and  from  him  he  received  a  good 
English  education. 

He  was  married,  in  1 851,  to  Miss  Caroline  A.  Wilson,  daughter  of  Henry 
Wilson,  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Telfair  county.  His  wife  was  a 
most  estimable  lady,  aiding  her  husband  on  every  occasion  in  the  prosecution  of 
his  ministerial  work.  They  have  had  six  children,  only  three  of  whom  are  now 
living. 

The  advancement  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  and  the  salvation  of  souls  were 
the  paramount  objects  of  our  brother's  desires.  This  was  so  manifest  that  the 
church,  immediately  after  his  baptism,  granted  him  license  to  preach.  In  the 
year  1858,  he  was  called  to  ordination  by  the  Dumas  church,  Montgomery 
county,  Georgia,  where  he  preached  successfully  one  year,  to  large  and  apprecia- 
tive congregations.  During  the  same  year  and  in  the  same  county  he  performed 
ministerial  services  for  other  churches.  He  subsequently  moved  to  Clinch 
county,  Georgia,  where  he  still  lives,  laboring  for  the  good  of  souls  and  the  pros- 
perity of  Zion,  teaching  school  during  the  week  and  on  Sunday  proclaiming  the 
glad  tidings  of  salvation  to  the  lost.  He  has  been  instant  in  season  and  out  of 
season,  doing  the  work  of  both  an  evangelist  and  a  pastor,  and  enduring  hard- 
ship like  a  true  and  tried  "soldier  of  the  cross."  His  labors  as  a  minister  have 
been  abundant  indeed ;  and  many  of  the  citizens  of  Twiggs,  Telfair,  Mont- 
gomery, Pulaski,  Clinch,  Echols,  and  other  adjoining  counties  in  Georgia  and 
Florida,  wi,ll  long  remember  Raymond  S.  Harvey  as  a  kind-hearted,  courteous 
Baptist  minister  and  Christian  gentleman. 


F.  M.  HAWKINS. 


If  a  minister  is  to  be  admired  and  loved  for  his  sound- 
ness in  the  doctrines  of  grace,  and  for  their  clear  and  at- 
tractive presentation  from  the  pulpit,  then  are  love  and 
admiration  due  to  Rev.  F.  M.  Hawkins  from  the  people 
with  whom  he  labors.  He  never  deals  in  low,  trivial  anec- 
dote, but  in  solid  truth,  and  always  receives  the  closest 
attention  of  his  hearers.  While  his  early  education  was 
almost  nothing,  the  providence  of  God  interposed  to 
remove  the  obstacles  in  his  way,  and  unforeseen  oppor- 
tunities of  mental  culture  were  presented,  which  he  eag- 
erly and  joyfully  accepted.  His  desire  for  knowledge  was 
intense,  and  he  used  every  possible  means  to  indulge  and  increase  it.  After 
struggling  with  difficulties  which  to  most  young  men  would  have  been  insur- 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


257 


mountable,  he  at  length  met  that  noble  Christian  gentleman,  Rev.  John  W. 
Lewis,  who  made  arrangements  for  his  entrance  into  the  school  of  Rev.  J.  G. 
Landrum,  in  Spartanburg,  South  Carolina,  at  a  nominal  expense.  Remaining 
at  this  academy  for  six  months,  he  was  compelled  to  return  to  Greenville,  and 
engaged  in  teaching  school,  devoting  himself  all  the  while  closely  to  hard 
study.  In  that  year,  1833,  the  superior  educational  advantages  of  Furman  In- 
stitute determined  him  to  attend  that  institution,  which  he  did  for  nine  months. 
Though  urged  by  President  Hartwell  to  remain  and  complete  the  course  of 
instruction,  necessity  forced  him  to  leave  and  resume  the  vocation  of  teacher 
to  pay  some  debts  he  had  already  contracted. 

He  was  born  in  Tennessee,  in  181 1,  but  his  parents,  soon  after  his  birth, 
returned  to  Greenville,  South  Carolina,  their  former  home.  He  was  born  again 
in  1833,  and  united  with  the  Bethuel  Baptist  church  in  Greenville,  and  was  bap- 
tized by  Elder  Nathan  Berry.  His  conviction  that  God  had  called  him  to 
preach  dated  almost  from  his  conversion.  He  was  licensed  by  his  church  in 
1833,  and  in  November,  1S35,  was  fully  set  apart  to  the  Gospel  ministry  by  or- 
dination. 

A  wise  providence  directed  his  settlement  in  Forsyth  county,  Georgia,  where 
he  has  ever  since  lived.  He  has  supplied  a  number  of  churches  in  that  and  ad- 
joining counties,  and  success  has  generally  followed  his  ministry.  He  has  been 
called  to  aid  in  the  ordination  of  ministers  and  deacons,  and  the  constitution  of 
most  of  the  churches  in  his  section  of  the  State.  He  is  not  a  man  of  vigorous 
constitution,  but  afflicted  with  "  often  infirmities  ;"  yet  he  is  true  to  fill  his  ap- 
pointments, only  providential  causes  preventing.  He  has  been  a  hard-working 
man,  and  has  been  enabled  to  support  the  large  family  of  fifteen  children,  which 
has  been  the  fruit  of  his  first  and  second  marriages.  The  ten  living  children  of 
his  first  wife  are  all  hopefully  converted  to  Christ. 

He  has  served  his  fellow-citizens  in  high  and  responsible  positions,  and  always 
with  personal  credit  and  to  the  popular  satisfaction. 


FRANCIS  MARION  HAYGOOD. 


Rev.  Francis  Marion  Haygood  is  a  good 
and  useful  man,  and  one  whose  long  life  in  the 
Saviour's  service  has  been  more  than  usually 
laborious  and  beneficial.  He  was  born  in  181 7, 
in  what  is  now  Oconee  (but  which  was  then 
Clarke)  county.  He  enjoyed  common  country 
school  advantages  only,  in  early  life.  He  pro- 
fessed religion  in  1835,  and  commenced  preach- 
ing in  1840.  In  order  to  prepare  himself  better 
for  his  ministerial  functions,  he  spent  the  years 
1840  and  1 84 1  in  the  theological  department  of 
Mercer  University.  In  1842  he  was  united  in 
matrimony  to  Miss  Louisa  A.  Born,  thus  secur- 
ing a  faithful  helpmeet  and  most  efficient 
companion,  whose  accomplishments,  devotional 
character  and  pious  zeal,  have  greatly  aided  and 
sustained  him. 

Mr.  Haygood's  life  has  been  one  of  great  di- 
versity of  pursuit  and  incident.  Much — perhaps  most — of  his  life  has  been 
passed  in  the  useful  occupation  of  a  colporter  and  book-agent ;  and,  as  such,  few 
men  are  his  superiors.  For  many  years  he  was  employed  by  the  American 
Tract  Society  for  the  sale  of  its  publications,  in  which  he  was  greatly  successful, 
and  by  which  he  accomplished  an  amount  of  good  that  the  Judgment  day  only 


258  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

will  reveal.  Many  a  tract  or  book  donated  by  him  has  resulted  in  the  salvation 
of  a  soul,  and  many  an  individual  with  whom  he  has  engaged  in  personal  effort 
of  a  religious  nature,  has  professed  conversion  as  the  result. 

At  different  times  in  his  life  Mr.  Haygood  has  been  the  pastor  of  various 
churches  in  Georgia,  and,  in  his  evangelistic  and  Sunday-school  labors  has,  per- 
haps, travelled  more  miles  and  preached  more  sermons  than  any  other  Bap- 
tist minister  in  the  State.  Noted  as  a  Sunday-school  man,  he  has  produced 
great  and  beneficial  results  by  his  many  entertaining  Sunday-school  lectures.  A 
strong  advocate  of  temperance,  he  his  frequently  advocated  his  views  in  public 
addresses. 

He  has,  as  pastor,  served  churches  in  the  towns  of  Macon,  Sparta  and  Jeffer- 
son, and,  during  the  last  forty  years,  has  preached  and  lectured  on  an  average 
three  times  a  week.  In  his  preaching  he  is  plain  and  simple,  and  presents  the 
truths  of  the  Gospel  plainly  and  clearly.  Always  extemporizing,  he  has  never 
written  his  sermons,  his  plan  being  to  analyze  his  subject  and  take  into  the 
pulpit  a  skeleton  embracing  the  heads  and  subdivisions  of  his  text,  from  which 
he  delivers  his  discourse. 

The  first  sermon  preached  in  Atlanta,  after  the  name  was  altered  from  Mar- 
thasville,  was  preached  by  him,  by  appointment,  in  July,  1846,  when  the  place 
was  merely  a  little  railroad  village,  with  but  one  public  house,  which  answered 
for  church,  school-house,  court-house,  railroad  office  and  public  mee'ting-house. 

For  five  or  six  years  Mr.  Haygood  was  the  efficient  Corresponding  Secretary 
and  Agent  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Bible  and  Colporter  Society,  residing  at  Macon, 
and  successfully  conducting  a  large  denominational  book  store. 

He  is  a  man  of  great  firmness  and  conscientiousness,  undeviating  in  principle 
and  of  unimpeachable  integrity.  In  social  life  he  is  exceedingly  polite,  affable 
and  hospitable.  Two  sons  were  the  fruit  of  his  marriage,  one  of  whom  still 
survives  ;  the  other  having  yielded  up  his  life  in  Virgmia  during  our  late  struggle, 
a  sacrifice  for  Southern  independence.  He  is  at  present  engaged  as  an  agent 
and  colporter  by  the  American  Tract  Society,  and  preaches  whenever  an  oppor- 
tunity is  afforded. 


ROBERT  BENJAMIN  HEADDEN. 

Few  or  none  among  the  younger  Baptist  ministers  of 
Georgia  have  been  more  able  and  useful  in  their  sphere, 
or  give  more  promise  for  the  future,  than  Rev.  Robert 
Benjamin  Headden.  ,  A  native  Georgian,  having  been 
born  at  Cassville,  December  25th,  1838,  he  is  now  in  his 
forty-second  year.  Both  his  parents  were  descended  from 
old  Baptist  families  of  England,  in  which  country  his  grand- 
father, Joseph  Headden,  was  baptized  in  the  night-time,  in 
Chelsea,  to  avoid  any  disturbance  by  a  mob.  From  Chelsea 
Joseph  Headden  emigrated  to  South  Carolina,  where  his  son, 
William  Headden,  was  born.  William  Headden  married  Amanda  J.  Johnson,  and 
in  1838  settled  in  Cassville,  Georgia,  where  Robert  Benjamin  Headden  was  born, 
reared  and  educated.  He  had  the  benefit  of  a  full  course  in  the  Cherokee  Bap- 
tist College,  when  the  institution  was  under  the  presidency  of  that  distinguished 
scholar  and  minister.  Dr.  Thomas  Rambaut,  and  was  graduated  in  the  summer 
of  1 860.  He  was  among  the  last  sent  forth  by  that  noble  institution,  for  the  war 
of  Secession  came  on  soon  afterwards,  arresting  the  exercises,  of  the  college. 
The  splendid  building  itself  was  burned  ruthlessly  in  1864,  by  Sherman's  devas- 
tating army,  in  a  spirit  of  wanton  revenge,  because  the  name  of  the  county  had 
been  changed  from  Cass  to  Bartow. 

Mr.  Headden  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  a  pious  mother's  training,  who,  by  her 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  259 

prayers  and  unwearied  efforts,  sought  to  bring  up  her  children  in  the  nurture 
and  admonition  of  the  Lord — in  this  case,  happily,  with  distinguished  success. 
He  was  "  born  again  "  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1866,  was  baptized  into  the  fel- 
lowship of  the  church  at  Ramah,  Campbell  county,  by  Rev.  John  S.  Dodd,  in 
the  summer  of  the  year  following,  and  was  ordained  to  the  full  exercise  of  the 
Gospel  ministry  at  Cassville,  in  December,  1868,  becoming  pastor  of  the  Crow's 
Spring  church,  in  Bartow  county.  He  ministered  to  that  church  until  the  end 
of  the  year  1870,  when  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Cartersville  church, 
where  he  has  since  remained — a  period  of  ten  years. 

On  the  22d  of  April,  1869,  Mr.  Headden,  was  united  in  matrimony  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Dyer,  and  they  have  been  blessed  with  four  children,  of  whom  one  has 
been  removed  by  death. 

His  denomination  has  honored  Mr.  Headden  by  placing  him  on  its  State  Mission 
Board,  a  position  to  which  he  is  entitled  by  his  enlightened  .zeal  and  interest  in 
the  subject  of  missions,  and  in  the  general  affairs  of  the  State  Convention. 
During  the  ten  years  of  his  pastorate  at  Cartersville,  he  has  built  up  the  Baptist 
church  there  greatly  by  his  earnestness,  zeal  and  watchful  care,  having  baptized 
into  its  membership  about  two  hundred,  besides  securing  large  accessions  in  the 
other  ways  approved  by  Baptist  usage.  Under  his  fostering  care  the  church  has 
so  grown  in  liberality,  system  and  spirituality,  that  it  will  compare  favorably  with 
any  other,  while  his  congregations  are  flatteringly  large. 

As  a  pastor,  he  is  watchful  of  every  interest  of  his  church,  being  always  ex- 
ceedingly solicitous  that  it  shall  uphold,  in  all  its  life  and  action,  the  true  standard 
of  morals  and  religion.  In  his  personal  intercourse  with  the  members  of  his 
church  he  is  ever  most  kind  and  considerate,  never  neglecting  nor  overlooking 
any  because  of  humble  circumstances,  nor  too  much  regarding  others  on  account 
of  any  distinctions  recognized  in  worldly  society.  In  his  manners  he  is  social 
and  agreeable  to  all ;  yet  he  never  forgets  the  dignity  and  reserve  necessary  and 
becoming  to  a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  His  private  character  is  without  spot 
or  blemish,  and  he  is  greatly  beloved  by  his  people,  as  well  as  respected  by  the 
community  at  large.  As  a  public  speaker  he  is  characterized  by  earnestness  and 
force,  although  quiet  and  easy  in  manner.  His  sermons  are  analytical  and 
logical,  his  points  being  clearly  and  strongly  made,  well  expressed  and  forcibly 
illustrated.  To  clearness  and  point  in  his  speaking,  he  adds  such  a  ready  flow  of 
language,  and  so  easy,  natural  yet  impressive  a  manner,  that  all  his  congrega- 
tion become  attentive  listeners.  His  presentation  of  Gospel  truth,  while  it  im- 
pressively warns  the  sinner,  admonishes  and  encourages  the  saint.  Although 
quiet  and  reserved,  he  is  firm  and  positive,  and  is  so  blessed  with  valuable  co- 
workers in  his  church  that  its  spirituality  and  liberality  are  maintained  at  a  high 
point  all  the  while.  He  is  a  good  organizer,  and  all  the  various  affairs  and  obli- 
gations of  his  church  are  conducted  in  systematic  and  well  sustained  methods. 

By  regular  study  he  is  enabled  to  maintain  a  high  pulpit  ability,  and  thus 
attracts  many  to  his  audience  ;  but  he  makes  the  presentation  of  Bible  truth  for 
the  benefit  of  souls,  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  and  the  glory  of  God,  the  great 
and  absorbing  aim  of  all  his  pulpit  utterances. 

In  person  Mr.  Headden  is  of  medium  size,  five  feet  seven  inches  in  height,  and 
weighing  about  one  hundred  and  forty  pounds,  with  blue  eyes,  brown  hair  and 
beard.  He  always  dresses  with  neatness  and  in  a  manner  befitting  his  station, 
and  with  the  mild,  benevolent  countenance  with  which  nature  has  endowed  him, 
he  presents  an  appearance  becoming  a  minister  of  the  Gospel. 


26o 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


SAMUEL    HENDERSON. 


This  distinguished  cccupant  of  the  Alabama 
Baptist  pulpit  rightly  fills  a  page  in  our  work 
because  of  his  connection  with  the  Georgia  Bap- 
tist press,  holding,  as  he  does,  a  position  on  the 
editorial  staff  of  The  Christian  Index. 

He  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Tennessee, 
on  the  4th  of  March,  1817;  united  with  the 
church  in  September,  1832  ;  and  was  married  to 
Miss  Eliza  W.  McGehee,  in  January,  1840.  His 
excellent  wife  still  lives,  and  they  have  reared  a 
large  and  intelligent  family  of  children.  He 
was  ordained  to  the  ministry  at  Talladega,  Ala- 
bama, in  November,  1840,  and  his  main  pastoral 
relations  have  been  with  the  churches  at  Talla- 
dega, Tuskegee,  Alpine,  Mt.  Zion,  Alexandria 
and  Childersburg.  From  time  to  time,  he  has 
been  pastor  of  other  churches  of  influential  po- 
sition in  the  country  and  in  villages.  Tuskegee, 
one  of  the  most  highly  refined,  wealthy  and  lib- 
eral cities  of  the  State,  and  the  site  of  colleges  and  schools  of  high  grade,  was 
the  seat  of  Dr.  Henderson's  most  famous  and  useful  work.  There  he  was 
pastor  for  rtiore  than  twenty  years ;  there  he  edited  the  South-  Western  Baptist 
so  successfully ;  and  there,  under  his  pastorate,  grew  up  one  of  the  most  influ- 
ential churches  in  the  State  of  Alabama,  and — in  point  of  numbers,  wealth, 
culture,  social  position,  and  liberality  and  activity  in  all  the  great  enterprises  of 
Baptists — one  of  the  most  prominent  churches  in  the  South.  Many  distinguished 
men  were  among  its  members,  and  its  elegant  house  of  worship,  hardly  excelled 
in  the  State,  was  erected  during  Dr.  Henderson's  pastoral  connection  with  the 
church,  largely,  through  his  efforts.  The  East  Alabama  Female  College,  with 
buildings  costing  fifty  thousand  dollars,  but  since  destroyed  by  fire,  an  institu- 
tion which  had  a  career  of  unusual  honor,  was  begun  and  established,  in  a  great 
measure,  as  a  result  of  his  wise  and  earnest  advocacy. 

Very  much  of  Dr.  Henderson's  time  has  been  devoted  to  editorial  work.  Be- 
fore he  entered  the  ministry,  he  was  engaged  in  the  editorial  management  of  a 
political  paper,  in  Talladega ;  and,  for  many  years,  in  Tuskegee.  in  addition  to 
his  heavy  pastoral  work,  he  edited  the  South-  Western  Baptist,  the  able  organ 
of  the  Alabama  Baptists  at  that  time.  It  was  in  his  editorial  conduct  of  this 
paper  that  he  gained  his  greatest  distinction,  showing  himself  a  master  of  all 
current  questions,  leading  in  the  advocacy  of  every  denominational  enterprise, 
and  proving  himself  powerful  in  Christian  controversy,  yet  happy  in  the  spirit 
of  his  productions.  His  discussion  on  Methodist  Episcopacy,  with  Rev.  Mr. 
Hammill,  a  Methodist  minister  of  ability  and  lovely  spirit,  which  was  published 
in  book-form,  has  been  universally  adjudged  a  real  model  of  Christian  disputa- 
tion, in  spirit,  style  and  ability.  Dr.  Henderson  took  charge  of  the  South-  West- 
ern Baptist  when  it  had  a  circulation  of  about  1,800;  at  the  commencement  of 
the  war  it  had  attained  a  circulation  of  nearly,  if  not  quite,  5,000 ;  its  publica- 
tion was  continued  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  an  order  from  the  Federal 
general,  after  Tuskegee  was  occupied  by  the  Federal  forces,  suspended  the 
paper.  It  was  afterwards  sold  to  J.  J.  Toon,  Proprietor  of  The  Christian 
Index,  and  merged  into  that  paper. 

As  a  writer  and  preacher,  Dr.  Henderson  is  clear,  graceful,  prudent,  practical, 
strong  and  eminently  sensible.  His  productions  and  sermons  abound  in  suitable 
and  happy  literary  allusions,  and,  theologically,  are  thoroughly  sound.  His  style 
is  full,  flowing,  easy  and  natural.  While  he  does  not  hesitate  to  handle  the 
most  profound  questions  in  the  Christian  system,  he  does  so  with  modesty  and 
propriety,  with  earnestness  and  pathos,  in  a  systematic  method  and  with  great 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


261 


ability.  Although  he  has  never  taken  a  college  course  in  either  literature  or 
theology,  yet  his  extensive  reading  has  made  him  scholarly,  and  he  is  correctly 
regarded  as  a  man  of  learning.  The  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred 
on  him,  nearly  twenty  years  ago,  by  the  University  of  Alabama. 

As  a  Christian,  he  has  led  a  spotless  life,  and  has  ever  maintained  a  character 
eminent  for  piety ;  as  a  minister,  he  has  been  always  consecrated  to  his  work, 
exerting  a  commanding  influence  among  Alabama  Baptists  ;  and,  as  such,  he  is 
still  laboring  successfully  and  watching  at  his  post  with  a  cheerful  heart.  His 
piety,  amiability,  conservative  spirit,  and  gentleness  of  manner,  coupled  with 
mental  vigor  and  good  judgment,  all  gain  him  the  love  and  confidence  of  his 
brethren. 

Dr.  Henderson  has,  for  many  years,  ranked  among  our  best  Southern  preach- 
ers. His  sermons  are  often  expository  in  character,  embracing  a  paragraph, 
and,  sometimes,  a  whole  chapter.  At  times  he  devotes  himself  to  a  theme,  and, 
occasionally  to  a  mere  suggestion  drawn  from  some  passage ;  but  most  generally 
his  discourses  are  textual.  A  full  and  comprehensive  text  is  selected,  discussed 
in  its  natural  divisions  and  woven  into  a  strong  and  beautiful  system.  In  a  ma- 
jority of  instances  his  subjects  embrace  the  great  fundamental  principles  of 
Christianity,  although  he  does  not  neglect  practical  topics,  and  even  his  funda- 
mental subjects  are  generally  carried  to  a  practical  end. 

In  his  preparation,  he  is  very  thorough,  and  the  impression  made  on  the  mind 
of  a  frequent  hearer  is  that  Dr.  Henderson  has  an  almost  unconquerable  dispo- 
sition to  exhaust  a  subject.  His  analysis  is  generally  full  and  complete.  Gen- 
erally he  uses  ample  notes,  and,  sometimes,  his  sermon  is  entirely  written,  but 
he  is  not  at  all  dependent  on  his  manuscript ;  for  he  readily  discusses  a  subject 
thoroughly  and,  often,  powerfully,  without  a  line  of  manuscript.  Hence,  in 
Associations  and  Conventions  he  is  a  most  successful  platform  speaker.  Being 
quite  familiar  with  the  theological  discussions  of  different  ages,  and  being  a  man 
of  extensive  reading  combined  with  decided  thinking  powers,  his  sermons  show 
culture,  strength,  and  amplification,  with  a  happy  adjustment  to  the  wants  of 
all  classes  of  hearers.  They  abound  in  an  accurate  use  of  Scripture  quotations 
and  in  correct  analyses  of  Bible  characters,  with  a  properly  acknowledged  selec- 
tion of  allusions  to  the  teachings  of  other  authors. 

In  the  earlier  part  of  his  ministry,  Dr.  Henderson  expended  an  unnecessary 
amount  of  physical  force  in  the  delivery  of  his  sermons ;  but  latterly  his  manner 
has  become  far  more  gentle  and  moderate.  Still,  his  style  is  earnest,  bold,  un- 
hesitating, and  often  characterized  by  strains  of  real  eloquence  ;  and  when 
dilating  on  a  dying  Saviour's  love,  or  on  experimental  religion — themes  that 
often  engage  his  attention — he  has  the  eloquence  of  tears  and  of  impassioned 
zeal,  combined  with  rhetorical  elegance  and  great  propriety  and  felicity  of  expres- 
sion. All  things  considered,  he  is,  in  an  eminent  sense,  "  a  good  minister  of 
Jesus  Christ." 


ELISHA    HEDDEN. 


The  father  of  Rev.  Elisha  Hedden  served  seven  years 
in  the  revolutionary  struggle  for  the  independence  of  the 
American  Colonies.  Though  several  times  wounded, 
nothing  daunted,  he  returned  to  the  conflict.  Elisha  also 
developed  in  early  life  invincible  courage  and  indomitable 
will.  It  is  true  these  traits  were  not  displayed  on  the  bat- 
tle-field, but  in  that  conflict  with  the  evil  influences  of  the 
world,  which  often  demands  greater  courage  than  even  the 
clash  of  arms.  When  a  youth,  he  adopted  as  his  motto : 
"  If  I  cannot  have  the  society  of  the  good,  I  will  go  by  my- 
self." He  held  to  this,  and  hence  escaped  the  card-table, 
the  drinking-saloon  and  other  haunts  of  vice,  to  which  so  many  young  men  fall 


262  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

early  and  easy  victims.  Even  in  the  morning  of  life  he  showed  his  preference 
of  knowledge  to  "all  the  pleasures  that  fancy  can  beget  in  youthful  thoughts." 

His  parents  were  poor,  and  unable  to  give  him  school  advantages ;  but  here 
his  invincible  determination  is  again  developed  strikingly.  With  his  own  hands 
he  raised  his  little  outside  crops,  and  used  the  proceeds  in  purchasing  books, 
with  the  help  of  which  he  mastered  some  of  the  elementary  branches  of  study. 
In  the  providence  of  God,  Rev.  Humphrey  Posey,  meeting  Elisha  after  he  had 
united  with  the  church  and  had  commenced  speaking  in  public,  influenced  him 
to  go  to  Penfield,  where  he  greatly  improved  his  mind,  and  prepared  himself  to 
work  with  higher  efficiency  in  his  Master's  service. 

Ordained  in  1839,  at  Antioch  church,  Habersham  county,  by  request  of  Per- 
simmon Creek  church,  of  which  he  was  then  a  member,  he  was  at  once  called  to 
the  service  of  churches  in  the  county  of  Rabun,  where  he  lived ;  and  during  his 
ministry  he  has  served  churches  in  Habersham,  Lumpkin  and  contiguous  coun- 
ties. The  influence  of  his  ministry  has  been  widely  felt,  and  eternity  alone  will 
unfold  what  the  Lord  has  accomplished  through  it.  He  still  lives  an  active 
worker  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord. 

Such  has  been  the  estimation  in  which  Rev.  Elisha  Hedden  was  held  by  his 
fellow-citizens  that  they  honored  him  with  a  seat  in  the  Legislature  of  Georgia, 
and  with  the  clerkship  of  the  court  of  his  county.  He  has  been  for  years  clerk 
of  his  Association,  and  still  occupies  that  post. 

We  cannot  and  should  not  close  this  sketch  without  adding,  that  the  early 
ministry  of  brother  Hedden  so  favorably  impressed  Rev.  B.  M.  Sanders  as  to 
induce  that  man  of  God  to  sustain  him,  by  his  own  means,  as  a  missionary  in 
the  mountain  region.  The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Con- 
vention, and  the  Home  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  gave  him 
appointments  subsequently  to  that  field.  Few  men,  if  any,  among  his  contem- 
poraries have  done  more  to  extend  the  influence  of  the  Gospel  in  North  Georgia, 
or  have  been  the  means  of  leading  greater  numbers  to  the  Cross.  His  labors 
have  been  abundant,  and  his  reward  is  in  reserve,  ready  for  bestowal  when  his 
Lord  shall  call  him  to  render  his  account. 


JOHN    HENDRICKS. 

William  Hendricks  was  an  Austrian  gentleman,  w^ho,  on 
renouncing  the  errors  of  Romanism,  found  it  necessary  to 
expatriate  himself,  to  avoid  persecution  from  the  Power 
which,  in  the  name  of  sanctity,  has  been  "  drunk"  for  ages 
"  with  the  blood  of  saints."  He  sought  a  new  home  in 
America,  the  refuge  of  the  oppressed  from  all  lands,  and 
settled  in  Stokes  county,  North  Carolina.  There  he  mar- 
ried Mrs.  F.  J.  Barnwell,  an  estimable  widow  lady,  and 
there  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born,  in  the  year  1800. 
The  father  removed  in  1808  to  Greene  county,  Georgia, 
where  the  son  grew  to  manhood,  developing  traits  of  char- 
acter which  laid  the  foundation  of  life-long  friendship  between  himself  and  his 
neighbor,  Hon.  Thomas  Stocks. 

Mr.  Hendricks  was  married  July  5th,  1825,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Elliott,  daugh- 
ter of  Cornelius  and  Frances  Elliott,  of  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia,  but  born 
while  her  parents  resided  near  Richmond,  Virginia.  Intelligent  and  pious,  she 
proved  a  devoted  wife,  who  managed  well  the  affairs  of  home  during  his  fre- 
quent absence  on  ministerial  service,  and  survived  him  seventeen  years,  closing 
a  life  of  usefulness  with  a  death  of  peace.  This  marriage  was  blessed  with  eight 
children — four  sons  and  four  daughters — who,  with  almost  one  accord,  have 
followed  the  godly  example  set  by  the  parents,  and  one  of  whom,  William  Cor- 
nelius, wears  his  father's  mantle  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel. 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  263 

In  the  year  1826,  Mr.  Hendricks,  under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Lovick  Pierce, 
D.D.,  was  brought  to  see  his  guilty,  lost  estate,  and  was  subsequently  enabled 
to  trust  himself,  as  a  personal  sinner,  in  the  hands  of  Christ,  as  a  personal  Saviour 
from  sin.  Difficulties  on  the  question  of  baptism  induced  a  long  and  careful 
investigation,  which  led,  in  1828,  to  his  rer.eption  of  that  ordinance  at  the  hands 
,  of  Rev.  A.  Sherwood,  D.D.,  and  his  union  with  the  Greenesboro  Baptist  church. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  soon  after,  and  was  ordained  May  24th,  1832,  at  the 
Lexington  church,  by  a  presbytery  consisting  of  Revs.  J.  Lumpkin,  M.  Bledsoe, 
F.  Callaway,  and  G.  Lumpkin. 

A  self-educated  man,  Mr.  Hendricks,  by  untiring  energy,  close  study,  keen 
powers  of  observation  and  general  vigor  of  intellect,  became  well  known  in  this 
and  adjoining  States  as  a  zealous  and  able  minister  of  the  Gospel.  Tall  in  stat- 
ure, dignified  in  bearing,  with  high  and  well-developed  forehead  crowned  by 
raven  hair,  with  black,  brilliant  eyes  that  mirrored  every  mood  of  the  soul,  with 
a  finely-modulated  voice,  adapted  to  the  utterance  of  all  feelings,  strong  in  faith, 
touched  with  sympathy  for  man  as  man,  and  resting  on  the  guidance  of  the 
Spirit,  he  always  controlled  his  audience,  and  had  few  superiors  as  a  revivalist. 
When,  in  the  midst  of  his  fervid  speech,  he  came  down  on  the  floor,  tears  of 
joy  or  sorrow  would  flow  from  all  eyes,  saints  would  be  rejoicing,  and  sinners 
crying  for  mercy. 

Mr.  Hendricks  was  the  useful  and  successful  pastor  of  Lexington,  Cloud's 
Creek  and  Antioch  churches,  Oglethorpe  county  ;  of  Scull  Shoals  and  New  Hope, 
Greene  county ;  of  Sandy  Creek,  Rehobothville  and  Sugar  Creek,  Morgan 
county ;  of  Mar's  Hill,  Bethabara,  Freeman's  Creek,  Watkinsville,  Big  Spring 
and  Pleasant  Grove,  Clark  county ;  of  Monroe,  Social  Circle,  Bethel,  High 
Shoals,  Bay  Creek  and*Double  Springs,  Walton  county.  At  Sandy  Creek  he 
baptized  in  one  day  sixty  happy  converts. 

The  first  eighteen  years  of  Mr.  Hendricks'  ministry  were  spent  among  these 
churches.  Early  in  this  period — in  1835 — he  secured  the  organization  of  the 
Appalachee  Baptist  Association,  a  body  in  which  he  occupied  the  chair  of  Mod- 
erator for  fifteen  successive  years,  until  his  removal  beyond  its  bounds,  for  he 
was  an  excellent  presiding  officer.  In  the  midst  of  these  effective  labors  there 
came  to  him  an  appeal  from  the  brethren  of  "  Cherokee  Georgia,"  that  he  should 
transfer  his  ministry  to  that  region.  After  much  thought  and  prayer  he  yielded 
to  their  urgency,  and  in  1850  settled  near  Rome,  Floyd  county.  Here  for  six 
years  longer  his  work  went  forward  with  remarkable  success.  He  acted  as  pas- 
tor to  Cedar  Creek,  Friendship,  Armuchee,  Pleasant  Valley  and  Floyd  Spring 
churches,  his  connection  with  the  last  three  being  severed  by  his  death.  In  1852 
he  assisted  in  constituting  the  Oostanaula  Association.  He  was  elected  Moder- 
ator the  next  year,  and  retained  that  position  until  called  to  a  higher  sphere  of 
being. 

The  last  sermon  of  Mr.  Hendricks,  preached  June  15th,  1856,  at  Floyd  Spring 
church,  from  Gal.  6:14,  was  one  of  unusual  unction  and  power.  He  was  seized 
that  night  with  stricture  of  the  bowels,  and  though  he  felt  sufficiently  relieved  to 
ride  out  the  next  morning  among  the  servants  at  work  on  his  plantation,  he  was 
compelled  before  noon  to  take  to  bed  again.  His  disease  defied  all  remedies, 
and  on  Wednesday,  June  iSth,  1856,  at  five  o'clock  p.  m.,  his  ransomed  spirit 
"passed  into  the  skies."  Rev.  S.  G.  Hillyer,  D.D.,  gives  the  following  incidents 
of  his  dying  moments  : 

"  His  departure  was  peaceful  and  happy.  Having  called  his  family  around 
him,  while  they  knelt  at  his  bedside,  he  poured  forth  in  their  behalf  a  prayer  so 
touching  and  fervent  that  every  heart  was  made  to  rejoice  in  the  midst  of  its 
sorrows.  At  the  close  of  his  prayer,  he  exclaimed,  '  Now,  Lord,  let  thy  servant 
depart  in  peace  ! '  He  continued  to  speak  for  some  time,  quoting  various  pass- 
ages of  Scripture  appropriate  to  his  condition  and  expressive  of  his  feelings ; 
such  as  Romans  8:28,  Psalms  23:4,  2d  Timothy  4:6-8,  Ephesians  2:8.  He  also 
repeated  parts  of  several  hymns  ;  such  as  those  beginning,  '  Why  should  we  start 
and  fear  to  die  ?  '  '  On  Jordan's  stormy  banks  I  stand,'  'Jesus,  my  all,  to  heaven 
is  gone,'  '  How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of  the  Lord,'  etc.  His  strong  hope, 
on  which  his  soul  was  stayed,  rested  only  on  the  doctrine  of  the  atonement,  the 


264 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


efficacy  of  the  Saviour's  blood,  and  the  sovereignty  of  saving  grace.  Though 
suffering  excruciating  pain,  his  mind  remained  unimpaired  to  the  very  last  mo- 
ment." 

His  funeral  sermon  was  preached  in  the  Rome  Baptist  church,  to  a  very  large 
audience,  by  Rev.  Bedford  Langford,  Moderator  of  the  Appalachee  Association, 
assisted  by  Rev.  S.  G.  Hillyer,  D.D.  His  remains  were  interred  in  the  cemetery 
of  that  city,  where  a  marble  monument,  erected  by  his  bereaved  widow  and 
orphan  children,  testifies  that  he,  "  like  Enoch,  walked  with  God,  like  Abraham, 
obtained  the  righteousness  of  faith,  and  like  Paul,  finished  his  course  with  joy," 

As  a  husband,  Mr.  Hendricks  was  deeply  and  faithfully  attached  to  his  wife ; 
as  a  father,  gentle  yet  firm  to  his  children ;  as  a  master,  just  and  humane  to  his 
servants.  His  genial  social  temperament  rendered  him  an  esteemed  neighbor,  a 
welcome  visitor,  a  beloved  pastor.  Unlike  many  ministers,  he  was  endowed 
with  wisdom  for  both  worlds,  and,  as  a  business  man  and  a  planter,  while 
always  quick  in  dispensing  charity  to  the  distressed,  he  accumulated  a  handsome 
independence.  He  was  frequently  solicited  to  accept  civic  honors,  but  always 
preferred  to  be  only  and  altogether  an  humble  servant  of  Christ  in  "  the  word  of 
the  truth  of  the  Gospel." 


SHALER  GRANBY  HILLYER. 


Dr.  Shaler  Granby  Hillyer  is  one  of  the 
most  highly  respected  among  Georgia  Baptist 
ministers.  Having  just  completed  his  three- 
score and  ten,  he  is  yet  in  the  full  possession  of 
all  his  bodily  capacities,  with  a  mind  vigorous, 
highly  cultivated  and  possessing  all  the  power  of 
full  maturity,  with  none  of  the  weaknesses  of  age. 
He  is  a  man  of  varied  accomplishments — learned, 
eloquent,  a  most  able  sermonizer  and  preacher, 
and  an  excellent  writer.  As  a  theologian,  he  has 
no  superior  ;  as  a  logician,  he  is  clear  and  pointed; 
as  a  scholar,  he  is  versed  in  the  whole  circle  of 
sciences.  In  character,  he  is  humble,  amiable 
and  possessed  of  a  manly  simplicity  and  a  wise 
caution.  All  who  know  him  love  and  respect 
him  because  of  his  sterling  qualities  of  head  and 
heart,  because  of  his  unaffected  piety,  and  because 
of  his  long  years  of  faithful  service  to  the  denom- 
ination and  the  cause  of  religion.  He  was  born  on  the  20th  of  June,  1809,  at 
Poplar  Grove,  the  residence  of  his  parents,  on  Broad  river,  in  Wilkes  county, 
Georgia.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  came  to  Georgia  about 
the  year  1798.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  John  Freeman,  one  of  five 
brothers  who  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
John  Freeman  settled  on  his  own  land,  upon  Broad  river,  where  he  made  a  for- 
tune, and  where  his  only  daughter,  the  mother  of  Dr.  Hillyer,  was  born.  She 
was  married  in  1803,  and  when  her  father  died,  in  1806,  went  with  her  husband 
to  reside  at  the  old  homestead  on  Broad  river,  with  her  widowed  mother.  There 
the  first  eleven  years  of  Dr.  Hillyer's  life  were  spent,  much  the  same  in  character 
and  incident  as  the  life  of  every  Southern  boy,  in  his  country  home.  His  father 
died  insolvent,  on  the  22d  of  March,  1820,,  leaving  his  wife  and  children  in 
poverty.  His  grand-mother,  however,  was  possessed  of  property,  and  assumed 
the  care  and  support  of  the  family. 

They  all  moved  to  the  neighborhood  of  Athens  in  the  year  1821,  that  the  chil- 
dren might  have  access  to  good  schools,  and  thus  the  boys  were  enabled  to  ob- 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  265 

tain  a  collegiate  education.  Graduating  in  the  summer  of  1829,  when  twenty- 
years  of  age,  Dr.  S.  G.  Hillyer  went  to  reside  in  Florida,  then  a  Territory,  and 
engaged  in  teaching,  as  tutor  in  the  family  of  Colonel  Robert  Gamble,  a  wealthy 
planter  who  had  moved  from  Virginia.  The  position  was  a  very  agreeable  one, 
and  lasted  for  a  year,  during  which  he  made  considerable  progress  in  reading 
law.  He  returned  to  Athens  near  the  end  of  1830,  and  continued  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  his  brother,  Junius  Hillyer.  At  the  August  term  of  the 
Clarke  Superior  Court,  in  1831,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  a  few  months  after 
he  had,  upon  a  profession  of  faith,  been  baptized  by  Rev.  James  Shannon,  and 
received  into  the  fellowship  of  the  church  at  Athens.  It  became  expedient  for 
him  once  more  to  engage  in  teaching,  and  he  accepted  a  flattering  offer  of  a 
school  in  Liberty  county,  entering  on  his  duties  in  January,  1832.  During  that 
year  his  mind  became  exercised  on  the  subject  of  the  ministry,  and  the  conclu- 
sion was  reached  that  duty  called  him  to  preach  the  Gospel.  This  involved  the 
solution  of  another  important  question.  By  what  occupation  was  he  to  support 
himself  while  preaching  ?  For,  in  those  days,  the  idea  of  a  preacher's  being 
supported  by  the  churches  was  scarcely  entertained  ;  and  there  were  very  few 
Baptist  preachers  who  were  not  engaged  in  secular  pursuits.  He  decided  that 
teaching,  the  occupation  most  accessible  to  him,  was  also  most  compatible 
with  the  duties  of  a  minister.  Hence,  h^  became  a  teacher  and  a  preacher,  and 
so  has  remained  ever  since,  filling  a  useful  and  honorable  sphere,  and  winning 
his  way  to  distinction. 

At  the  close  of  1832  he  returned  to  Athens,  and,  while  engaged  in  teaching, 
preached  in  destitute  neighborhoods  in  the  surrounding  country,  the  church  having 
approved  of  this  exercise  of  his  gifts  in  public.  He  thus  continued  teaching 
and  preaching,  mostly  in  country  churches,  until  1835,  when  he  was  called  to 
ordination  by  the  church  at  Cabin  Creek,  Jackson  county,  which  event  took 
place  in  August  of  that  year.  The  previous  year,  1834,  he  had  been  elected 
Tutor  of  Languages  in  the  State  University,  a  position  he  held  one  year  only, 
resigning  to  become  Principal  of  the  Male  Academy,  to  which  he  was  appointed 
by  its  trustees.  This  office  he  occupied  until  August,  1837.  At  that  time  he 
was,  also,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Athens,  having  been  elected  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  removal  of  Prof.  Shannon  from  Athens. 

His  first  marriage  occurred  December  ist,  1836,  when  he  was  united  in  matri- 
mony to  Miss  Elizabeth  J.  Thompson,  in  Sunbury,  with  whom  he  lived  most 
happily  for  nearly  nine  years. 

With  the  close  of  1837  the  labors  of  Mr.  Hillyer  as  a  teacher  and  preacher  in 
Athens  ended,  for  he  became  pastor  of  the  church  in  Milledgeville  in  1838, 
which  connection  continued  for  six  years. 

During  four  and  a  half  years  of  that  time  he  was  Principal  of  the  Scottsboro 
Female  College,  residing  at  Scottsboro ;  and,  for  two  years  was  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Macon,  visiting  that  city  one  Sunday  in  each  month.  In  the  fall  of 
1844  he  was  elected  Principal  of  the  Female  School  at  Penfield,  and  moved  to 
that  place,  but  retained  the  position  one  session  only,  for  he  lost  his  wife  in 
May  of  the  next  year,  and  his  health  became  so  impaired  that  he  resigned  the  school 
and  devoted  several  months  to  travel,  as  a  necessity  for  the  restoration  of  his 
health.  That  summer  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Rhetoric,  by  the  Trustees 
of  Mercer  University,  and  Dr.  N.  M.  Crawford  was  elected  Professor  of  The- 
ology, with  the  understanding,  however,  that  they  were  not  to  enter  into  service 
until  the  financial  condition  of  the  College  had  improved.  The  following  year, 
1846,  brought  restoration  of  health  and  Dr.  Hillyer  served  the  churches  at 
Madison  and  Athens,  giving  half  his  time  to  each.  In  that  year,  also,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Elizabeth  T.  Dagg,  his  second  wife,  a  lady  to  whom  he  was  indebted 
for  twenty- three  years  of  happiness. 

He  entered  upon  his  duties  as  Professor  of  Rhetoric,  in  Mercer  University, 
in  1847,  and  held  the  position  with  great  credit  to  himself,  and  to  the  marked 
advantage  of  the  students  and  University,  until  1856,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to 
the  church  at  Rome,  Georgia.  In  the  neighborhood  of  that  city  he  dwelt  until 
August,  1859,  when,  at  the  invitation  of  the  trustees,  he  returned  to  Mercer,  to 
occupy  the  chair  of  Professor  of  Theology.    There  he  remained  congenially  oc- 


266 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


cupied,  useful  and  highly  respected,  and  eminently  fitted  for  the  duties  of  his 
position,  until  the  war  suspended  the  exercises  of  the  college  in  1862.  He  then 
returned  to  his  home  in  Floyd  county,  but  was  compelled  by  the  advancing 
columns  of  "  our  friends — the  enemy,"  to  take  refuge  in  southwestern  Georgia. 
After  the  war  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Forsyth,  Georgia,  where  he  still  resides, 
pastor  of  the  church  there,  and  a  Professor  in  the  Monroe  Female  College,  an 
institution  of  high  repute.  For  four  years  of  this  time,  from  October,  1874,  to 
October,  1878,  he  was  a  popular,  able,  conscientious,  yet  progressive  editorial 
contributor  to  The  Christian  Index. 

On  the  3 1  st  of  January,  1 870,  he  lost  his  second  wife,  and  fifteen  months  after- 
wards married  the  widow  of  William  Lawton,  of  South  Carolina,  and  the 
daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Furman,  D.  D.  She  is  a  woman  whose  amiability, 
loving  heart,  clear  intelligence  and  gentle  activity  are  well  calculated  to  cheer  his 
remaining  years.  Seldom  is  it  that  one  man  is  blessed  with  three  such  loving 
wives,  and  with  such  a  large  amount  of  "  domestic  bliss  "  as  has  been  accorded 
to  Dr.  Hillyer. 

In  all  the  churches  of  which  he  has  had  charge.  Dr.  Hillyer  has  had  the  satis- 
faction of  baptizing  many  people,  among  whom  were  many  of  his  own  pupils. 
Wherever  l.e  has  gone,  the  savor  of  a  good  name,  of  earnest  piety  and  zeal,  and 
of  Christian-like  conduct,  has  attended  him ;  he  has  always  been  loved  and 
respected  by  those  who  knew  him,  without  possessing  that  personal  magnetism 
which  excites  ardent  admiration.  In  social  life  he  is  ever  agreeable  and  ap- 
proachable, and,  under  none  of  the  various  circumstances  of  his  life,  has  there 
been  cause  for  censure  or  disapproval  in  his  course  of  conduct.  His  has  been  a 
useful  and  well-spent  life,  free  from  vanity  and  egotism,  in  which  he  has  served 
his  generation  with  marked  ability,  earning  and  deserving  the  approbation  of  all 
good  men. 


ROBERT  JASPER   HOGUE. 


A  man  of  true  piety  in  his  every  act  of  daily  life,  modest, 
and  of  a  demeanor  seemingly  dignified  to  an  unap- 
proachable coldness,  yet,  on  acquaintance,  full  of  harmless 
pleasantries,  affectionate  toward  his  family,  easy  in  con- 
versation, and  devoted  to  his  ministerial  work — such  is  the 
pen-portrait  of  the  Baptist  missionary  to  the  Choctaw 
Indians,  Elder  Robert  Jasper  Hogue.  Second  son  of 
Jeter  Anson  and  Martha  Hogue,  he  was  born  at  the  house 
of  his  maternal  grandfather,  Moses  Grier,  Greene  county, 
Georgia,  March  8th,  1820.  When  he  was  about  ten  years 
of  age,  his  mother  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  joined 
a  Baptist  church.  His  father  became  a  Baptist  a  few  years 
afterwards ;  but  while,  as  yet,  his  parents  were  not  professors  of  religion,  their 
family  government  was  strictly  moral,  and  their  children  were  taught  to  keep 
the  Sabbath  with  due  sacredness.  As  a  boy  he  was  sprightly  and  full  of  fun, 
but  in  the  presence  of  grown  people  he  was  quiet  and  diffident,  and  to  the  aged 
always  respectful.  His  parents  being  poor,  his  early  opportunities  for  an  educa- 
tion were  quite  limited.  When  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  he  was  converted 
and  joined  the  Baptist  church  at  LaGrange,  in  the  fall  of  1838,  while  Rev.  Hum- 
phrey Posey  was  pastor,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Otis  Smith.  After 
receiving  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  he  continued  to  live  a  retired  but  devoted 
Christian  life. 

On  the  1 2th  of  October,  1 843,  he  was  married  to  Clarissa  Jenkins,  second  daugh- 
ter of  Royal  and  Sarah  Jenkins,  of  Sumter  county,  Georgia.  In  November,  1847, 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  church  at  Mount  Olive,  Sumter  county,  where 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  267 

he  had  held  his  membership  for  three  or  four  years.  In  October,  1850,  at  the 
request  of  that  church,  he  was  fully  set  apart  to  the  gospel  ministry,  by  a  pres- 
bytery composed  of  Francis  F.  Seig,  I.  B.  Deavours,  and  John  U.  Fletcher.  He 
was  at  once  called  to  the  pastorate  of  Mount  Olive  and  Bethany  churches. 
During  the  following  years  he  served  as  pastor,  at  different  times,  Mount  Olive, 
Bethany,  Corinth  and  Ebenezer  churches,  in  Sumter  county ;  Starkville  and 
Antioch,  in  Lee  county,  and  Hephzibah  church,  in  Dooly  county.  He  served 
Starkville  church  four  consecutive  years,  and  towards  the  close  of  the  year  1857 
resigned  the  charge  of  that  church  and  of  Antioch,  where  he  had  been  preaching 
two  Sabbaths  in  each  month  during  the  year,  and  also  the  charge  of  Hephzibah, 
preparatory  to  entering  on  a  mission  to  the  Choctaw  Indians,  in  the  Indian  Ter- 
ritory, under  appointment  of  the  Domestic  and  Indian  Mission  Board  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Bethel  Association,  held  at  Friendship  church,  Sumter 
county,  in  November,  1857,  on  the  suggestion  of  Rev.  J.  O.  Screven,  then  agent 
for  the  Board,  the  Bethel  Association  adopted  brother  Hogue  as  their  mission- 
ary, and  pledged  themselves  for  his  support  at  a  salary  of  six  hundred  dollars 
annually ;  and  on  the  22d  of  February,  1858,  he,  with  his  family,  bade  adieu  to 
kindred  and  friends  and  native  State,  for  his  new  and  chosen  field  of  labor  among 
the  Indians.  He  arrived  in  safety  after  a  tedious  and  protracted  journey,  and 
the  Bethel  Association  continued  faithfully  and  promptly  to  sustain  him,  until 
communication  between  the  east  and  the  west  was  interrupted  by  the  civil  war. 

Cut  off  from  all  support  by  his  friends  ;  among  a  people  on  whom  the  rays  of 
civilization  had  not  fairly  broken,  who  had  not  been  taught  to  give,  and  who  had 
but  little  in  store  to  meet  their  own  necessities,  with  a  truly  Christian 
spirit,  he  did  not  falter  or  shrink  from  his  work,  but  performed  all  the  practica- 
ble duties  of  his  mission,  both  among  citizens  and  soldiers.  The  way  being 
open  once  more  by  the  restoration  of  peace  to  the  country,  the  Bethel  Association 
in  1867  nobly  resumed  its  Indian  Mission  work,  evincing  their  earnestness  and 
liberality  by  a  large  increase  of  brother  Hogue's  salary.  In  1870,  however,  on 
account  of  the  impoverished  condition  of  the  country,  and  the  hard  struggle  on 
every  hand  for  a  living,  the  Bethel  Association  decided  to  call  in  their  missionary 
— one  reason  being  his  ill-health.  At  that  time  brother  Hogue  was  in  Georgia  on 
a  visit,  and  to  improve  his  health.  Notwithstanding  the  action  of  the  Associa- 
tion in  withdrawing  its  support,  he  returned  to  his  mission-field,  where  he  decided 
to  remain,  and  to  trust  in  Him  who  clothes  the  lilies  and  notes  the  sparrow's  fall. 
Since  that  date,  and  up  to  the  present  time,  he  has  continued  to  do  what  he  could 
as  a  missionary,  and  has  often  been  much  encouraged  in  his  work.  The  friends 
of  the  Bethel  Association  have  contributed  something  every  year  to  his  support, 
and,  true  to  his  promise,  God  has  taken  care  of  him. 

Before  entering  on  his  Indian  mission  he  had  the  confidence  of  all  his  brethren 
and  acquaintances,  and  was  an  accceptable  preacher.  As  much  or  more  may  be 
said  of  him  now  in  his  present  wide  field.  He  has  organized  many  churches, 
and,  for  Indian  churches,  they  have  been  well  instructed,  and  their  discipline 
will  compare  favorably  with  those  of  the  States.  The  style  which  is  natural  to 
him,  and  which  he  employs  in  preaching,  is  more  of  the  didactic  than  of  the  hor- 
tatory, and  is  certainly  that  which  will  accomplish  the  most  good  among  the 
Indian  people.  Much  might  be  said  of  brother  Hogue's  private  life  in  connection 
with  his  missionary  work,  for  he  has  been  influential  in  doing  great  good  by  his 
example  as  well  as  by  his  preaching. 

His  Christian  deportment  is  such  that  all  classes  of  society  honor  and  respect 
him,  and  while  he  adheres  strictly  to  Baptist  tenets,  professors  of  other  denom- 
inations claim  his  services,  and  minister  to  his  wants  as  freely  as  those  of  his 
own.  There  is  one  part  of  brother  Hogue's  history  which  has  never,  perhaps, 
been  made  known  to  the  Baptist  people  of  Georgia,  and  which  needs  to  be 
explained,  that  he  may  have  their  full  appreciation  and  sympathy.  It  embraces 
the  whole  period  of  his  missionary  Hf e,  and  has  reference  to  the  churches  he  has 
organized,  and  to  the  people  composing  their  membership.  It  may  be  said  that 
these  churches  have  nearly  all  been  ephemeral  in  their  character.  The  customs 
of  the  country,  alone,  can  explain  what  is  meant.     The  Choctaw  country  is  quite 


268 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


a  large  reservation,  embiacing,  under  its  present  system  of  government,  sixteen 
large  counties,  with  a  population  estimated  at  about  twenty  thousand  people. 
Prior  to  the  advent  of  a  railroad  (1872)  the  business  of  the  country  shifted  from 
place  to  place,  just  as  circumstances  fayored,  and  it  was  not  infrequent  to  see  a 
pretty  little  village  spring  up  at  a  certain  point,  and  prosper  until  some  other 
point  presented  attractions,  when,  one  by  one,  the  inhabitants  would  seek  new 
homes,  until  the  greater  number  were  gone. 

Again,  much  of  the  farming  of  the  country  is  done  by  white  labor  from  the 
States,  and  the  consequences  are,  that  these  renters  are  changed  every  year,  and 
the  various  communities  have  new  citizens  as  frequently.  These  explanations 
will  be  illustrated  by  an  instance.  In  187 1  brother  Hogue  organized  Ebenezer 
church  with  six  members,  at  Boggy  Depot,  a  little  village  in  the  western  portion 
of  the  Nation.  The  membership  grew  with  the  town,  and  the  roll  contained 
forty-two  or  more  names,  embracing  some  of  the  principal  citizens  of  the  coun- 
try ;  and  brother  Hogue  was  called  to  the  pastorate,  with  the  promise  of  a  small 
salary.  At  this  time  a  railroad  was  in  process  of  building  from  north  to  south, 
through  the  Territory.  Towns  began  to  spring  up  on  its  line,  and  town-living 
people  began  to  move  to  them  for  permanent  homes,  and,  by  the  fall  of  1875, 
brother  Hogue  found  himself  with  a  church  consisting  of  six  members,  all  told, 
his  own  family  making  four  of  the  number.  This  is  only  one  instance  of  several 
disappointments,  where  he  has  had  a  full  church  which  he  had  thought  might 
be  permanent,  and  afford  him  a  continuous  pastorate  outside  of  his  mission  to 
the  highways  and  byways,  a  mission  at  no  time  abandoned  by  him.  None  of 
these  churches,  however,  have  given  up  their  organization,  but  in  some  instances 
the  membership  is  very  small,  while  in  others,  under  a  more  permanent  state  of 
the  country,  the  membership  is  again  on  the  increase.  As  discouraging  as  this 
might  seem  to  some,  and  as  it  has  sometimes  seemed  to  him,  yet  he  has  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  it  has  been  the  means  of  scattering  the  fruits  of  his 
labor  over  the  broad  area  of  the  Indian  Territory. 


ADAM  TUNNO  HOLMES.' 


James  Holmes,  a  prominent  and  wealthy  citi- 
zen of  Liberty  county,  Georgia,  and  his  godly 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Kell,  reared  a 
family  of  five  children — two  daughters,  who  were 
polished,  intellectual  women,  and  three  sons — 
each  of  whom  attained  to  some  distinction.  Dr. 
James  Holmes,  of  Darien,  Captain  Isaac  Holmes, 
of  Macon,  who  died  in  Mexico,  and  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  Rev.  Adam  Tunno  Holmes, 
D.  D. 

Adam  was  born  at  Sunbury,  Liberty  county, 
about  the  year  1803,  and  enjoyed  the  highest 
facilities  for  education,  studying  for  a  season  at 
Yale  College,  Connecticut.  He  was  converted 
in,  perhaps,  his  twentieth  year,  during  the  great 
revival  on  the  Georgia  and  South  Carolina  coast, 
and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  C.  O.  Screven,  at  Sun- 
bury,  in  November,  1822.  After  several  years 
of  active  Christian  service,  in  which  by  public  prayer  and  exhortation  he  mani- 
fested gifts  of  no  mean  order,  he  fell  away  from  his  profession  of  discipleship. 
But  this  was  only  for  a  time ;  and  shortly  subsequent  to  his  return  to  the  fold  of 
Christ,  he  entered  on  a  faithful  ministry  of  forty  years  or  more.  His  labors, 
marked  by  a  respectable  scholarship,  and  force  and  fluency  of  speech,  as  well  as 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  269 

by  a  graceful  style  and  an  earnest  spirit,  secured  a  wide  and  warm  appreciation  ; 
as  one  token  of  which  we  may  mention  the  fact  that  Mercer  University,  in  1859, 
conferred  on  him  the  honorary  degree  of  D.D. 

Not  long  after  his  ordination  he  removed  from  the  sea-coast  to  Forsyth,  Mon- 
roe county,  where,  for  a  time,  he  did  effective  work  as  an  educator.  As  to  his 
career  from  the  date  of  his  departure  from  Forsyth,  we  avail  ourselves  of  the 
sketch  written  by  Rev.  H.  C.  Hornady,  and  published  in  The  Christian  Index, 
soon  after  his  death  at  Atlanta,  September,  29,  1870. 

"  For  a  number  of  years.  Rev.  A.  T.  Holmes,  D.D.,  was  located  in  the  city  of 
Macon,  and  did  much  to  establish  the  Baptist  cause  there.  He  divided  his  time 
between  the  pulpit  and  the  school-room,  and  there  are  many  still  living  who 
gratefully  acknowledge  the  benefit  of  his  labors  both  as  teacher  and  preacher. 
The  acquaintance  formed  with  him  by  the  writer  took  its  rise  under  the  follow- 
ing circumstances : 

"On  the  fourth  of  July,  1839,  the  writer,  then  a  boy,  was  present  at  Pine  Level 
Academy,  at  the  time  under  the  superintendence  of  Rev.  Peter  Mclntyre,  when 
and  where  he  heard,  for  the  first  time,  a  public  address  from  Rev.  Adam  Tunno 
Holmes.  He  was  then  in  the  full  vigor  of  his  mature  manhood,  and  presented 
a  personal  appearance  equalled  by  few  and  surpassed  by  none  of  his  compeers. 
The  address  was  on  the  '  Temperance  Reformation,'  and  it  was  so  replete 
with  matured  and  vigorous  thought,  that  it  was  subsequently  published  by 
request  of  the  large  and  intelligent  audience  then  present.  A  little  previous,  the 
subject  of  this  notice  had  been  married  to  Mrs.  Nelson,  a  lady  of  fine  culture,  from 
the  State  of  South  Carolina.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Hampton  family,  than 
whom  none  have  a  brighter  record  in  that  once  proud  State  ;  but  as  she  still  sur- 
vives further  mention  in  this  connection  may  not  be  entirely  appropriate. 

"  It  was  about  this  period  that  brother  Holmes  was  called  to  the  pastoral  care 
of  two  of  the  most  important  churches  in  Houston  county,  viz :  Perry  and 
Hayneville,  which  he  served  with  characteristic  ability  until  1851,  when  he  was 
elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  Baptist  Female  College  at  Cuthbert,  to  which 
place  he  removed  and  entered  on  a  new  career  of  usefulness. 

"  During  the  autumn  of  1843,  while  the  writer  was  a  student  in  the  Academy 
at  Hayneville,  the  Rehoboth  Association  held  its  session  with  the  Baptist  church 
at  that  place,  and  as  there  was  an  unusual  amount  of  religious  interest  mani- 
fested by  the  people,  the  meeting  was  protracted  for  a  number  of  days.  In  atten- 
dance on  the  Association  were  C.  D.  Mallary,  C.  F.  Sturgis,  J.  R.  Kendrick, 
Jacob  King  and  Hiram  Powell.  On  Monday  Rev.  J.  H.  Campbell  reached  the 
place  from  Richland,  in  Twiggs  county,  where  he  had  just  closed  a  revival  meet- 
ing of  great  interest.  The  writer  was  then  in  his  minority,  and  went  to  the 
meeting  with  mingled  feelings  of  curiosity  and  of  respect  for  the  talented 
preacher,  and  on  reaching  the  place  found  the  church  filled  with  a  congregation 
which  appeared  unusually  serious  and  attentive.  The  text  of  Mr.  Campbell  was 
taken  in  I.  Peter,  iv.  18  :  '  And  if  the  righteous  scarcely  be  saved,  where  shall  the 
ungodly  and  the  sinner  appear  ?'  During  the  delivery  of  the  sermon  many  poor 
sinners  were  '  cut  to  the  heart,'  and  it  was  there,  while  under  deep  conviction  for 
sin,  that  the  writer  was  brought  into  intimate  relations  with  Rev.  A.  T.  Holmes, 
in  whom  he  found  a  spiritual  adviser  every  way  qualified  to  guide  his  untutored 
mind  to  Christ,  the  friend  of  sinners  ;  and  if  it  is  given  to  the  departed  to  know 
what  is  occurring  on  earth,  then  the  spirit  of  our  departed  brother  understands 
what  are  the  feelings  of  his  humble  biographer,  and  can  appreciate  the  gratitude 
of  one  who  now  trusts  for  salvation  in  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  alone. 

"  The  writer  was  baptized  by  brother  Holmes,  and  for  five  years  enjoyed  his 
pastoral  labors  and  spiritual  counsels ;  and  when  he  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel 
ministry,  this  beloved  brother  was  present  and  preached  the  sermon  on  that 
occasion.  An  acquaintance  was  thus  formed  that  ripened  into  a  close  and  cor- 
dial friendship,  which,  by  the  grace  of  God,  continued  unbroken  until  the  sacred 
tie  was  severed  by  the  icy  hand  of  death.  For  these  and  similar  reasons  he  urged, 
as  his  dying  request,  that  his  religious  pupil  should  write  the  words  of  affection- 
ate remembrance  which  might  enshrine  his  name,  as  it  meets  the  tearful  eyes  of 
his  fellow-laborers  who  still  linger  on  these  mortal  shores ;  or  as  it  is  handed 
down,  a  priceless  legacy,  to  coming  generations. 


270  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

"  He  was  an  honest  man,  and  whatever  weakness  of  our  common  nature  he 
may  have  betrayed  in  other  directions,  no  temptation  was  sufficient  to  draw  him 
from  the  path  of  rectitude  and  moral  integrity.  He  was  possessed  of  a  high 
degree  of  courage,  both  moral  and  physical,  and  was  never,  therefore,  in  '  the 
fear  of  man,  which  bringeth  a  snare  ;'  nor  was  he  ever  found  employing  the  arts 
of  dissinjulation  in  order  to  hide  his  defects,  or  to  escape  the  responsibility  of  a 
position.  His  bold,  fearless  and  candid  nature  qualified  him,  in  an  eminent  de- 
gree, to  set  forth  and  defend  the  doctrines  and  practices  which  have  always  been 
distinguishing  features  of  our  denomination  ;  and  he  never  appeared  to  better 
advantage  than  when,  surrounded  by  those  who  held  different  views,  he  showed 
from  the  Scriptures  the  firm  foundations  upon  which  rested  his  faith  and  that  of 
his  brethren.  Upon  what  are  usually  called  the  doctrines  of  grace,  his  teaching 
was  remarkably  clear  and  forcible ;  and  never,  perhaps,  since  the  days  of  Andrew 
Fuller,  have  the  churches  of  any  pastor  been  better  instructed  in  the  Calvinistic 
view  of  theology  than  those  which  were  blessed  with  the  labors  of  our  brother 
whom  these  pages  commemorate.  His  members,  for  solid  piety  and  active  use- 
fulness, had  no  superiors.  They  were  men  '  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  faith,' — 
men  always  ready  to  do  good.  To  the  labors  of  brother  Holmes  they  doubtless 
owed  much  for  their  symmetrical  and  well  sustained  characters  as  Christian  gen- 
tlemen. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  a  high  order  of  intellect,  and  as  he  had  enjoyed  the  advan- 
tages for  mental  cultivation,  few  men  were  better  qualified  for  the  arduous  and 
responsible  duties  of  the  public  ministry ;  and  the  Baptists  of  southwestern 
Georgia  are  largely  indebted  to  him,  under  God,  for  their  present  influence  and 
power  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  While  at  Cuthbert,  he  was  elected  president 
of  Central  Institute,  located  at  Lynchburg,  in  the  State  of  Alabama,  which  posi- 
tion he  accepted,  but  retained  it  only  a  short  time.  While  at  Lynchburg,  he  had 
something  like  a  paralytic  stroke,  and  it  was  deemed  advisable  by  his  physicians 
for  him  to  relinquish  his  position  and  rest  from  active  labors  for  a  time,  hoping 
thereby  to  restore  his  shattered  health.  Soon  after  his  recovery  from  this  attack, 
he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Baptist  church  in  Atlanta,  which  rela- 
tion he  sustained  for  two  or  three  years,  loved  and  honored  by  a  large  and  appre- 
ciative flock.  In  consequence  of  some  disagreement  which  arose  between  him 
and  a  portion  of  the  members,  he  resigned  his  charge  and  retired  to  the  town  of 
Decatur  and  labored  for  the  churches  in  the  country  around,  until  compelled  by 
ill  health  to  relinquish  the  care  of  churches  altogether.  Returning  to  the  city  of 
Atlanta,  his  health  began  to  improve  so  that  he  was  able  to  resume  the  active 
duties  of  the  ministry,  and  for  a  time  alternated  with  Dr.  Shaver  in  supplying  the 
pulpit  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Newnan.  But  the  seeds  of  decay  were  sown  in 
his  system,  and  again,  in  consequence  of  declining  health,  he  was  compelled  to 
leave  his  post  and  learn  to  suffer  his  Master's  will  as  well  as  to  perform  it. 

"  During  his  last  illness,  the  writer  had  several  interviews  with  him,  in  which 
he  expressed  his  unwavering  trust  in  that  Saviour  whom  he  had  preached  to 
others,  and  he  looked  to  the  termination  of  his  earthly  career  with  a  calm  and 
cheerful  spirit,  which  showed  that  when  the  summons  should  come,  he  would  be 
ready  '  to  wrap  the  drapery  of  his  couch  about  him  and  lie  down  to  pleasant 
slumbers.'  In  his  last  hours,  though  suffering  from  difficulty  of  breathing,  he 
found  Jesus  increasingly  precious ;  and  he  who  had  been  a  fellow-laborer  with 
Jacob  King,  Hiram  Powell,  C.  A.  Tharp,  C.  D.  Mallary,  John  E.  Dawson  and 
James  O.  Screven,  has  gone  to  join  them  in  '  that  land  which  has  no  storm ;' 
and  joyful,  indeed,  must  be  the  meeting  and  communion  of  kindred  spirits  at  the 
blessed  Saviour's  feet ! 

"He  is  gone — the  able  minister,  the  fast  friend,  the  affectionate  husband,  the 
indulgent  father — and  when  these  lines  are  read,  there  will  be  many  tearful  eyes, 
for  some  who  once  enjoyed  his  pious  labors,  or  were  his  co-workers  in  the  Lord's 
vineyard,  and  still  linger  on  these  mortal  shores,  will  receive  their  first  information 
that  '  another  great  man  in  Israel  has  fallen,'  from  this  offering  of  affection  and 
friendship." 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


271 


WILEY   T.    HOLMES. 

Rev.  Wiley  T.  Holmes  was  born  in  Wilkes  county,  Georgia,  August  31st, 
1 8 14.  At  the  early  age  of  thirteen  he  experienced  converting  grace,  and,  offer- 
ing himself  to  the  Ebenezer  Baptist  church,  in  the  .same  county,  then  supplied 
by  Rev.  Enoch  Calloway,  was  received  and  baptized.  In  1831,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hunt. 

From  the  time  of  his  conversion  he  became  an  active  Christian  worker,  always 
faithfully  discharging  any  duty  devolving  on  him,  for  the  family,  the  community, 
and  the  church.  He  was  a  man  of  exemplary  piety,  and  unimpeachable  charac- 
ter. His  education  was  deficient ;  and  this,  with  his  natural  timidity,  caused 
him  to  suppress  his  early  impressions  of  duty  as  to  preaching  the  Gospel  of 
Christ.  But  in  1 85 1,  he  began  occasionally  to  exercise  in  public.  In  1856,  he 
was  called  to  ordination  by  the  Mill  Creek  church,  when,  by  invitation.  Revs.  R. 
Gunn,  J  Uriah  Harris,  and  others  met  with  the  church  and  performed  that  service. 
Soon  after  his  ordination  he  settled  in  Jefferson  county,  Georgia,  where  he  soon 
had  his  time  fully  employed  in  ministerial  labor,  supplying  churches  and  doing 
missionary  work  among  the  destitute.  He  was  instrumental  in  constituting 
churches,  developing  their  spiritual  growth,  and  leading  many  to  lay  hold  on 
eternal  life.  He  was  devoted  to  his  Master's  work,  allowing  neither  heat  nor 
cold,  nor  any  other  cause,  save  a  providential  one,  to  prevent  him  from  filling 
his  appointments. 

Thus  he  continued  actively  engaged  until  near  the  close  of  his  life,  when  fail- 
ing health  confined  him  at  home.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  spirit,  tender  and 
affectionate  disposition,  and  benevolent  heart,  beloved  by  his  brethren.  His 
afflictions  of  body  were  severe ;  but  he  bore  them  with  meekness  and  uncom- 
plaining patience,  until  October  23d,  1876,  in  Washington  county,  Georgia,  he 
died,  as  he  had  lived,  full  of  hope  that  he  would  be,  through  '-the  Beloved," 
welcomed  into  mansions  of  glory. 

"  He  died  as  he  lived — a  Christian." 


THOMAS    HOLLIS. 


Rev.  Thomas  Hollis  was  born  in  Fairfield,  South  Carolina, 
September  loth,  181 5.  His  parents  made  no  profession  of 
Christian  faith,  and  hence  his  early  religious  training  was  de- 
fective. Nor  were  his  opportunities  for  mental  culture  greatly 
better,  as  he  had  only  the  educational  advantages  of  the  com- 
mon country  school,  and  had  these  only  for  a  short  time.  In 
1832,  he  was  hopefully  converted,  but  did  not  unite  with  the 
church  until  1849.  He  and  his  devoted  wife  were  then  bap- 
tized, on  the  same  day  by  Rev.  H.  H.  Ware,  at  Shady  Grove 
church,  Alabama.  At  this  church  he  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry,  and  was  at  once  called  into  active  service.  He  has  since  served  six- 
teen churches  in  Georgia  and  Alabama,  preaching  to  some  of  them  more  than 
thirteen  years.  His  labors  have  been  crowned  with  success  as  a  pastor,  and 
weak  churches  have  been  built  up.  He  has  been  remarkable  for  punctuality  in 
filling  his  appointments ;  for,  though  his  circumstances  were  humble,  and  he 
received  but  little  compensation  from  his  churches,  compelling  him  to  labor  on 
a  farm  for  the  support  of  his  family,  when  the  time  has  come  to  go,  he  has  gone, 
leaving  his  crops  and  his  household  in  the  hands  of  Him  who  careth  for  his 


2^2 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


people.  From  the  first,  he  and  his  wife  have  been  co-workers  in  the  Lord's 
vineyard  ;  and  of  their  ten  children,  the  six  now  living  are  members  of  the  same 
church  with  them.  Well  received  as  a  Christian  and  a  minister,  he  exerts,  every- 
way, a  good  influence.  Though  modest  and  retiring,  he  is  frank  and  candid 
when  it  is  necessary  to  give  his  views  on  questions  of  importance.  His  points 
are  usually  well  taken — stated  with  clearness  and  sustained  with  force. 

He  is  tall  and  erect,  about  six  feet  high,  in  fine  health,  with  years  of  useful 
labor  in  him  yet.  In  his  earlier  manhood,  he  filled  responsible  official  positions, 
both  in  the  civil  and  military  departments  of  public  life. 


HENRY  HOLCOMBE. 


One  of  the  grandest  men 
in  character,  intellect,  el- 
oquence and  varied  natu- 
ral powers  heightened  by 
education  and  culture, 
who  ever  exerted  an  in- 
fluence on  the  destinies 
of  the  Baptist  denomina- 
tion in  the  State  of  Geor- 
gia, was  Dr.  Henry 
HOLCOMBE.  In  person, 
he  was  six  feet  and  two 
inches  high,  and,  without 
being  corpulent,  weighed 
three  hundred  pounds. 
Reared  in  turbulent,  rev- 
olutionary times,  his  early 
education  was  imperfect, 
but,  from  the  time  when 
he  was  converted  and  en- 
tered the  ministry,  at 
twenty-two  years  of 
age,  until  the  day  of  his 
death,  at  sixty-two,  he 
devoted  himself  with 
ceaseless  assiduity  to 
books,  and,  being  blessed 
with  a  vigorous  constitu- 
tion, and  with  most  un- 
usual powers  of  acquisi- 
tion, he  became,  in  a  few 
years,  a  man  of  high  attainments.  He  had  great  personal  magnetism.  His 
bearing  was  dignified,  his  manners  polished  and  graceful,  and  his  presence  com- 
manding. He  was  a  great  reasoner,  mighty  in  the  Scriptures,  a  sound  Baptist 
and  a  natural  orator  of  the  highest  type.  In  its  softer  tones  his  voice  was  gentle 
and  persuasive  ;  when  elevated  it  was  full  of  power  and  majesty.  When  wooing 
the  sinner  to  penitence  and  to  acquiescent  faith  in  the  Redeemer,  it  was  tender 
and  touching,  and  full  of  melting  pathos  ;  but  when  aroused  to  indignation,  its 
lion-like  power  was  terrible.  Endowed  with  these  remarkable  gifts,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  wherever  he  went  his  presence  was  felt  as  that  of  a  great  power. 
In  some  of  the  greatest  reforms  and  most  benevolent  enterprises  of  our  State 
he  took  a  leading  part,  and  was  virtually  the  originator  of  some  of  our  most 
prominent  existing  institutions. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  2/3 

1.  He  was  practically  the  father  of  the  Georgia  penitentiary  system.  Shocked 
by  the  execution  of  a  man  named  Rice  for  the  comparatively  small  crime  of 
stealing  a  gun,  he  was  the  first  to  urge  in  our  State  a  milder  sj'^stem  of  punish- 
ment. This  he  did  in  a  memorial  to  the  Legislature,  in  September,  1802  ;  fol- 
lowing up  this  effort  with  great  zeal  and  pertinacity,  the  result  was  that  the  pen- 
itentiary system  was  adopted  instead  of  the  bloody  code  of  earlier  days. 

2.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  Savannah  Female  Orphan  Asylum.  Touched 
by  the  forlorn  condition  of  some  wretched  little  orphan  girls  whom  he  discovered, 
in  the  city  of  Savannah,  he  founded  the  Savannah  Female  Orphan  Asylum  in 
November,  1801,  an  institution  which  still  exists,  and  which  has  been  the  means  of 
incalculable  benefit  to  poor  and  destitute  female  orphans.  The  first  meeting  of 
those  who  took  part  in  its  organization  was  held  at  his  suggestion,  and  convened  in 
his  parlor  :  and  there  the  constitution,  drafted  by  himself,  was  adopted,  under 
which  the  first  Board  of  Directors  was  elected,  on  the  17th  of  the  following  De- 
cember, at  a  meeting  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  was  pastor.  It 
was  composed  of  fourteen  ladies,  among  whom  was  Mrs.  Frances  Holcombe, 
the  Doctor's  wife. 

3.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  a  plan  for  combination  of  religious  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  Baptists  of  Georgia — a  plan  from  which  doubtless  the  present 
Baptist  Convention  of  the  State  is  the  outcome. 

At  a  conference  of  Baptist  ministers  held  at  Powelton,  in  April,  1802,  (in  ac- 
cordance with  a  resolution  of  a  preceding  one,  held  at  the  same  place  in  May, 
1 80 1,)  on  motion  of  Dr.  Holcombe,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  concert  apian 
to  promote  union  among  Christians,  composed  of  Joseph  Baker,  Jesse  Mercer 
and  Henry  Holcombe.  The  next  day,  Saturday,  May  i,  1802,  the  comniittee 
reported  that  the  number  and  situation  of  the  Baptists  in  the  State  require  a 
stricter  and  more  intimate  union  "among  themselves"  in  order  most  effectually 
to  concentrate  their  powers  ;  and  the  Associations  were  recommended  to  elect 
three  members  each,  to  compose  a  General  Committee  of  the  Georgia  Baptists, 
to  meet  annually,  for  the  purpose  of  strengthening  and  contracting  the  bonds  of 
a  general  union.  The  conference  unanimously  concurred  in  the  report,  and  the 
committee  was  organized  in  1803,  under  the  name  of  "The  General  Committee 
of  the  Georgia  Baptists,"  and  was,  in  reality,  a  missionary  society,  existing  for 
several  years,  and,  doubtless,  was  also  the  germ  of  the  "  Baptist  State  Conven- 
tion," organized  at  Powelton  in  1822.  The  following  are  the  names  of  the  min- 
isters who  united  in  the  conference  of  1802:  Henry  Holcombe,  D.  D.,  Jesse 
Mercer,  Joseph  Baker,  Joel  Willice,  George  Granbury,  John  Ross,  Henry  Hand, 
Edmond  Talbott,  Francis  Ross,  John  Robertson,  John  Harvey,  Adam  Jones, 
Benjamin  Thompson,  Miller  Bledsoe,  William  Lord,  William  Maddox  and  Ben- 
jamin Maddox,  all  from  different  Baptist  Associations.  John  Harvey  was  elected 
Moderator. 

4.  He  was  the  founder  of  Mount  Enop  Academy,  and  was  the  first  to  urge  the 
establishment  of  an  institution  of  learning  by  our  denomination.  The  idea  was 
his  own  ;  he  had  but  little  sympathy,  and  met  with  poor  encouragement ;  never- 
theless, he  pressed  the  matter  with  immense  power,  and  finally  succeeded  in 
establishing  an  academy  at  a  place  in  Richmond  county  which  he  called  Mount 
Enon.  In  1805  application  was  made  to  the  Legislature  for  a  charter  for  the 
institution,  but  for  some  reason  the  charter  was  not  granted.  The  intention  of 
the  founder  was  to  establish  an  institution  of  high  grade  for  literary  and  theo- 
logical education,  of  which  the  academy  was  to  be  merely  the  beginning.  The 
academy  flourished  under  his  fostering  care  until  he  left  the  State  in  181 1,  when 
it  immediately  began  to  decline,  and  soon  came  to  an  end.  Even  after  it  was 
established  and  on  a  good  foundation,  the  Baptists  of  the  State  were  too  lacking  in 
public  spirit,  and  too  regardless  of  the  value  of  education,  to  keep  it  up.  Indeed, 
in  those  early  days  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  Baptists  of  Georgia  entertained 
a  prejudice  against  education,  and  took  no  interest  in  institutions  of  learning, 
except  to  oppose  them.  So  long  as  Dr.  Holcombe  remained,  his  great  personal 
influence  with  all  classes,  from  highest  to  lowest,  overcame,  to  some  extent,  this 
prejudice,  but  as  soon  as  he  left  the  cause  failed.  However,  there  were  some 
who  caught  from  him  the  spirit  of  progress  and  improvement,  and  this  continued 


2/4  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

to  diffuse  itself  until  desire  began  to  be  publicly  expressed  to  establish  another 
institution,  as  the  successor  of  Mount  Enon  Academy.  Josiah  Penfield,  of 
Savannah,  one  of  Dr.  Holcombe's  former  deacons  in  the  church  at  that  place, 
and  who  had  been  baptized  by  him,  proposed  to  give  $2,500  towards  the  found- 
ing of  such  an  institution,  provided  that  the  rest  of  the  denomination  would  raise 
an  equal  amount.  His  condition  was  promptly  met,  and  Mercer  University,  in 
a  place  called  Penfield  in  honor  of  the  good  deacon,  was  the  result.  Mount 
Enon  Academy  was  the  first  institution  of  learning  established  by  Baptists  in 
the  Southern  States,  and  one  of  the  first  in  the  United  States. 

5.  The  first  Baptist  periodical,  and  certainly  one  of  the  first  religious  periodi- 
cals ever  published  in  the  United  States,  was  published  by  Dr.  Holcombe,  in 
Savannah,  in  1802.  There  was  not  enough  literary  spirit  in  the  people  to  sustain 
it,  and  its  career  was  closed  in  two  years.  It  was  called  "  The  Analytical  Re- 
pository." Two  or  three  copies  only  of  the  first  volume  are  now  known  to  be 
in  existence ;  one  of  these  is  in  possession  of  the  editor's  grandson.  Dr.  Henry 
Holcombe  Tucker,  of  Atlanta,  Georgia. 

The  facts  adduced  suffice  to  show  that  Dr.  Holcombe  was  a  man  of  originat- 
ing mind,  of  enterprising  and  practical  nature,  and  far  in  advance  of  his  times. 
If  he  were  with  us  now,  he  would  still  be  a  leader ;  the  great  men  of  one  gen- 
eration would  be  the  great  men  of  any  other,  if  they  were  born  in  it. 

Dr.  Holcombe  was  born  in  Prince  Edward  county,  Virginia,  September  22d, 
1762.  His  mother's  name  was  Elizabeth  Buzbee.  His  father,  Grimes  Holcombe, 
and  his  grandfather,  John  Holcombe,  both  born  in  Virginia,  were  descended 
from  an  old  English  family,  the  earliest  ancestor  of  which,  Walter  de  Holcombe, 
came  from  Normandy  and  settled  in  Devonshire,  England,  shortly  after  the 
Conquest,  nearly  800  years  ago. 

Mr.  Grimes  Holcombe  moved  from  Virginia  to  South  Carolina,  when  his  son 
Henry,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  but  a  boy,  and  where,  before  attaining 
his  majority,  he  entered  the  Revolutionary  army  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  Captain, 
and  was  hopefully  converted  when  in  command  of  his  company,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two.  He  began  at  once  to  proclaim  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ, 
making  his  first  religious  address  on  horseback,  at  the  head  of  his  command. 
On  the  nth  of  September,  1785,  he  was  ordained,  and  soon  became  a  distin- 
guished preacher  and  met  with  extraordinary  success  in  his  work.  Among  his 
converts  were  his  wife  and  an  only  brother  of  hers,  and  their  mother;  and  by  him. 
his  own  father,  Grimes  Holcombe,  was  converted  from  Pedo-baptist  views.  All 
these  he  had  the  pleasure  of  baptizing. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  South  Carolina  State  Convention,  which  met  at 
Charleston,  in  1790,  and  approved  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States;  and 
afterwards  was  the  pastor  of  the  Euhaw  church,  though  residing  at  Beaufort, 
until  1799,  when  he  was  invited  to  Savannah,  Georgia,  as  a  supply  to  what  is 
now  known  as  the  Independent  Presbyterian  church  of  that  city.  The  few 
Baptists  in  Savannah  had  erected  a  house  of  worship,  which  was  rented  by  the 
Presbyterians,  whose  church  edifice  had  been  destroyed  by  fire ;  and,  for  two 
years.  Dr.  Holcombe  preached  to  the  pew-holders  of  the  building,  at  a  salary  of 
»'2,ooo,  which  was  then  considered  enormous.  On  the  26th  of  November,  1800, 
Dr.  Holcombe  and  his  wife,  and  ten  others,  were  constituted  into  a  Baptist 
church.  Rev.  Alexander  Scott  and  Rev.  John  Goldwire  assisting  in  the  constitu- 
tion, the  latter  preaching  from  the  words,  "Ye  are  God's  building."  Among  the 
members  was  the  relict  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Jones,  Mrs.  Mary  Jones,  who 
had  been  baptized  by  Dr.  Holcombe  on  the  nth  of  September,  previous,  the 
very  first  white  person  ever  baptized  in  the  city  of  Savannah. 

To  Dr.  Holcombe  the  church  extended  a  call  to  the  pastoral  office,  January 
25th,  1802,  which  he  accepted  on  the  24th  of  March  following  the  membership 
having  increased  to  sixty.  The  Presbyterians  withdrew  from  the  house  in  July, 
and  the  Baptists  formally  took  possession  of  their  building,  August  7th,  1802, 
and  for  the  eight  succeeding  years,  under  the  faithful  ministrations  and  powerful 
preaching  of  Dr.  Holcombe,  increased  greatly,  and  became  a  strong,  healthy, 
liberal  and  benevolent  church,  embracing  in  its  membership  many  persons  of 
distinction,  including  Joseph  Clay,  Federal  Judge  of  the  District  Court  of  Geor- 
gia, whom  Dr.  Holcombe  baptized. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  2/5 

Towards  the  last  of  1811,  he  received  a  call  from  the  First  Baptist  church  in 
Philadelphia,  which  he  accepted,  beginning  his  pastorate  there  January  ist,  1812, 
and  continuing  it  until  his  death  in  May,  1824.  Previously  he  had  received  a 
call  to  the  First  Baptist  church,  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  which  he  declined  ; 
but,  on  his  recommendation,  the  same  church  extended  a  call  to  Rev.  Joseph 
Clay,  or  Judge  Clay,  as  he  was  always  called  in  Georgia,  who  accepted  the  call 
and  died,  while  pastor,  in  Boston. 

The  degree  of  A.M.,  at  that  time  quite  a  distinction,  was  conferred  on  Henry 
Holcombe  in  early  life,  by  Columbia  College,  South  Carolina,  and  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  which  meant  much  more  then  than  it  does  now,  was  con- 
ferred on  him  by  Brown  University,  Rhode  Island,  in  18 10.  He  expired  on  the 
22d  of  May,  1824,  after  a  week's  illness,  and  although  the  Baptists  in  Philadel- 
phia were  comparatively  "  a  feeble  folk"  at  the  time  of  his  death,  yet  at  his 
funeral  the  whole  city  did  honor  to  his  memory ;  it  is  said  that  the  concourse  of 
people  in  attendance  was,  for  numbers,  such  as  was  never  before  seen  in  Phila- 
delphia. * 

Dr.  Holcombe  was  a  man  of  sympathetic  nature  and  very  tender  feelings.  He 
was,  indeed,  a  "  son  of  consolation  "  to  the  poor,  and  to  the  widows  and  orphans, 
many  of  whom,  a  whole  generation  after  his  death,  have  been  heard  to  speak, 
with  tears  in  their  eyes,  of  his  gentle  ministrations.  He  condescended  to  men 
of  low  estate,  was  a  friend  to  the  friendless  and  outcast,  and  would  take  to  his 
home  and  to  his  bosom  those  who  were  spurned  by  society.  Among  many  instances 
of  this  kind,  one  may  be  mentioned.  On  the  very  day  when  a  man  was  put  la 
death  upon  the  gallows  in  Savarmah,  his  children  were  gathered  together  in  Dr. 
Holcombe's  house — the  abode  of  syitapathy  and  love — where  they  were  cared 
for,  cherished,  comforted  and  counselled  with  more  than  fatherly  tenderness. 

Besides  these  almost  womanly  qualities,  there  was  another  side  to  Dr.  Hol- 
combe's character.  He  was  a  bold,  brave  man,  and,  when  occasion  required, 
immovably  stern ;  he  was  imperial,  if  not  imperious,  in  his  bearing  at  times,  and 
these  qualities  in  a  man  of  herculean  physique,  and  of  immense  intellectual  and 
moral  momentum,  inspired  awe,  and  even  fear,  m  many.  These  seemingly  con- 
flicting elements  were  well  appreciated  by  all,  for  those,  who  had  occasion  to  fear 
him,  did  fear  him,  while  those  who  needed  his  kind  offices  or  Kis  sympathies  ap- 
proached him  as.  confidingly  as  a  dutiful  child  would  approach  an  aHentionate 
father.  There  was  a  certain  man  with  whom  Dr.  Holcombe  was  brought  mio 
violent  collision,  and  strong  parties  with  bitter  feelings  were  formed  on  both 
sides.  The  man  was  finally  cast  into  prison  for  crime  against  the  State,  and 
while  thus  immured,  feeling  the  need  of  counsel  from  a  pure  and  holy  man,  he 
sent,  not  for  those  who  had  aided  him  in  his  war  on  Dr.  Holcombe,  but  for  Dr. 
Holcombe  himself ;  and  the  man  of  God  visited  the  culprit  in  his  cell,  comforted 
him  and  prayed  with  him. 

Dr.  Holcombe  was  a  man  of  warm  impulses,  liberal  to  a  fault,  and  lavishing 
his  means  in  charity  with  an  almost  reckless  generosity.  He  died  calmly  in  the 
complete  possessio  ,  to  the  last,  of  all  his  mental  faculties,  and  fully  aware  of 
his  approaching  end.  As  long  as  he  could  articulate  he  spoke  of  the  triumphs 
of  faith,  employing  such  expressions  as,  "  I  am  in  good  hands,"  "  It  is  all  for  the 
good  of  my  soul."  "  O,  the  prospects  of  faith  !  "  "  O,  the  sublime  attainments  of 
faith  !  "  And  when,  after  he  had  become  speechless,  some  one  said  to  him,  in 
substance,  "  If  your  hold  is  still  strong  on  Christ,  raise  your  hand,"  he  immedi- 
ately raised  his  hand,  and  then  sank  in  the  slumber  of  death. 

Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker,  of  Atlanta,  already  named,  and  Hon.  A.  O.  Bacon,  Speaker 
of  the  present  House  of  Representatives  of  Georgia,  are  among  his  descendants. 


2/6 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


ENOCH    M.    HOOTEN. 

Rev.  Enoch  M.  Hooten  is  the  son  of 
I  James  Hooten,  a  Virginian  by  birtli,  and  Su- 
sannah Kidd,  a  native  of  North  Caroh'na. 
His  father  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
native  intellect,  powerful  will,  untiring  indus- 
try, but  of  limited  education.  His  mother 
was  a  woman  of  remarkable  piety  and  decis- 
ion of  character. 

The  parents  were  strict  Presbyterians,  and 
the  son  was  brought  up  in  that  faith  At 
fourteen  years  of  age  he  was  enabled  to 
claim  a  personal  hope  in  Jesus,  and  united 
with  the  Presbyterians,  leading,  ever  after- 
wards, a  consistent  Christ^^'-ai^  life. 

His  father  was  a  fp^-nler  by  profession,  and 
reared  his  son  tr>  loUow  a  farmer's  life,  until 
he  reached  t'le  age  of  sixteen,  having  been 
able  to  piTord  him  but  one  year's  schooling. 
At  wxteen,  the  son,  in  considration  of  his 
personal  freedom,  voluntarily  relinqu-'shed  all  interest  in  his  father's  estate,  and, 
deeply  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  an  education  for  himself,  made  that  the 
predominating  aim  of  his  life. 

Against  difficulties  and  obstacles,  apparently  insurmountable,  he  battled,  until 
he  had  acquired  what  may  be  depominated  a  fair  education  and  had  become  a 
man  of  varied  and  extensive  "jading.  For  the  educational  training  of  one  year 
he  was  indebted  to  the  JiDerality  of  his  Presbyterian  friends. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  preach,  and  in  the  fall  of 
i8ss,  he  was  received  as  a  candidate  for  the  ministry  by  the  Flint  River  Presby- 
tery, at  Newnan,  Georgia.  At  that  time  he  deemed  affusion  only  to  be  Scrip- 
tural baptism,  and  was  surprised  to  hear  the  Presbytery  then  in  session  decide 
that  it  was  unnecessary  to  sprinkle  a  Baptist  lady  converted  to  Presbyterianism, 
even  though  she  desired  it,  because  in  being  immersed  by  a  Baptist,  she  had 
already  received  Scriptural  baptism.  But  what  he  considered  most  remarkable 
and  inconsistent  was,  that  this  position  was  maintained  by  the  very  Presbyterian 
minister  who  had  converted  the  lady,  by  convincing  her  that  Presbyterian  views 
in  regard  to  sprinkling,  were  correct,  and  Baptist  views,  in  regard  to  immersion, 
wrong.  He  reasoned  that  if  the  Baptists  are  wrong  and  the  Presbyterians  right, 
the  lady  ought  to  have  been  sprinkled  ;  but,  if  immersion  is  Scriptural  and  valid 
baptism,  as  the  Presbytery  decided,  logically,  sprinkling  is  not  baptism.  He 
resolved  to  investigate  the  subject  of  baptism  for  himself,  and  this  he  at  once 
commenced  to  do.  The  conclusion  at  whirh  he  arrived  was  in  accordance  with 
the  views  of  Baptists,  and  he  therefore  decided  that  a  man  with  such  convictions 
should  not  become  a  Presbyterian  minister,  which  idea  was  thenceforth  entirely 
abandoned  by  him.  His  sentiments,  proclivities  and  ed'.;cational  bias  ;  his  preju- 
dices against  the  Baptists  ;  his  pronounced  views  in  opposition  to  restricted  com- 
munion ;  and  his  conclusion  that  baptism  in  itself  was  not  essential  to  salvation, 
all  combined  to  retain  him  within  the  pale  of  the  Presbyterian  denomination,  and 
such  he  remained  for  fourteen  years,  living  a  consistent  Christian  life,  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world,  and  earnestly  seeking  the  best  earthly  boon — a  good  education. 
The  war  came  on,  and  he  joined  the  ranks  of  his  country's  defenders,  and 
fought  unscathed  amid  storms  of  shot  and  shell,  until  smitten  down  at  the  battle 
of  Fredericksburg,  While  lying  in  the  hospital  at  that  city,  helpless  and  dan- 
gerously wounded,  light  came  to  him  in  answer  to  prayer,  and  he  was  enabled 
to  discern  the  path  of  duty.     The  true  Scriptural  relations  between  faith  and 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  2/7 

baptism,  between  baptism  and  church  membership,  and  between  church  mem- 
bership and  communion  were  clearly  discerned,  together  with  his  own  personal 
duty,  as  a  Christian,  to  preach  the  everlasting  Gospel,  and  he  promised  obedience 
to  the  Lord,  should  he  ever  be  permitted  to  reach  home  again.  This  occurred 
in  1863.  The  Lord  brought  him  back  to  Georgia,  although  for  many  months  he 
was  confined  to  his  bed  and  was  entirely  helpless,  on  account  of  his  wound,  and 
even  when  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  W.  G.  McMichael,  on  the  17th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1865,  he  was  compelled  to  use  crutches.  His  first  sermon  was  preached  on 
the  fourth  Sunday  in  the  following  November,  and,  about  one  year  afterwards, 
namely,  on  the  17th  of  November,  1866,  he  was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of 
the  Gospel  ministry.  The  presbytery  consisted  of  Revs.  W.  G.  McMichael, 
John  Goodman  and  J.  G.  Kimball. 

For  the  last  fourteen  years  he  has  been  faithfully  serving  various  churches  in 
Monroe,  Spalding,  Meriwether  and  Pike  counties,  within  a  radius  of  fifty  miles, 
for  periods  ranging  from  two  to  eight  years,  having,  during  those  fourteen  years, 
baptized  over  six  hundred  persons  and  constituted  two  new  churches.  All  the 
while,  too,  he  has  been  suffering  from  injuries  received  in  battle,  and  he  has  been 
known  to  walk  six  miles  with  a  crutch  and  stick  rather  than  miss  an  appoint- 
ment. His  labors  have  been  eminently  arduous,  and  self-denying.  As  a  preacher, 
he  is  very  clear  and  forcible,  and  while  always  a  free  and  graceful  speaker,  he 
not  unfrequently  grows  eloquent  in  his  delivery.  His  discourses  are  didactic  in 
style,  appealing  more  to  the  reason  and  judgment  than  to  the  fancy,  feelings  or 
sympathies :  consequently  his  sermons  are  usually  doctrinal ;  yet  he  is  never 
accused  of  being  dull  in  the  pulpit.  For  several  years  he  has  been  Clerk  of  the 
Flint  River  Association,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  brethren.  He  has,  also, 
been  successfully  engaged  for  a  number  of  years  in  teaching,  and  was,  at  one 
time,  the  efficient  Superintendent  of  Education  for  Monroe  county. 

Not  only  was  the  Milner  High  School  built  up  by  him,  but  he  erected  the 
building  for  the  school  at  his  own  expense,  and,  for  two  years,  charged  nothing 
for  its  use. 

In  person,  Mr.  Hooten  is  above  the  medium  size,  and  well  proportioned,  with 
blue  eyes,  auburn  hair,  and  fair  complexion.  A  man  of  fine  conversational  pow- 
ers, full  of  good  humor  and  pleasantry,  he  commands  the  confidence  and  esteem 
cf  all  those  among  whom  he  has  lived  and  labored.  Self-denial  and  toil  have 
marked  his  life  and  his  work  for  the  Master,  the  height  of  his  ambition  being  to 
benefit  his  fellow  man  and  make  his  exertions  redound  to  the  honor  and  glory  of 
God  and  to  the  advancement  of  His  cause. 

Mr.  Hooten  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  C.  Shaw,  in  1856,  at  the  residence  of 
her  father,  in  Jasper  county,  and  the  union  has  proved  a  very  happy  and  fruitful 
one,  twelve  children  having  been  born  to  them,  all  of  whom  are  living  but  one, 
and  all  of  whom  have  been  educated  to  books  and  to  labor  alike,  that  they  might 
be  the  better  fitted  for  any  station  in  life. 

One  of  our  ablest  Georgia  pastors,  Mr.  Hooten  has,  in  his  day  and  generation, 
proved  himself  a  workman  in  the  Master's  vineyard  worthy  of  the  highest 
esteem,  and  a  most  useful  and  successful  yet  modest  and  unassuming  preacher 
and  man. 


JESSE    R.    HORNE. 

Rev.  Jesse  R.  Horne  was  born  in  Halifax  county.  North  Carolina,  in  1806. 
He  moved  to  Georgia  in  his  boyhood,  and  joined  a  Baptist  church  about  the 
year  1830.  He  entered  the  ministry  in  1850,  and  constituted  many  churches  in 
Houston,  Dooly  and  Pulaski  counties.  He  was  Moderator  of  the  Houston 
Association  for  several  years  previous  to  his  death,  which  occurred  in  April, 
1872.  He  had  only  the  advantages  of  an  ordinary  English  education,  having 
been  compelled  for  the  greater  part  of  his  youth  to  labor  on  the  farm.  He  was 
a  highly  acceptable  preacher  to  the  masses  of  his  co-laborers  in  agricultural 


278 


fetOGkA^HtcAL  SkETCHES 


pursuits.  There  was  a  mutual  confidence  and  understanding  between  them.  It 
is  estimated  that  he  baptized  more  than  a  thousand  persons  during  his  ministry. 
He  was  a  man  of  fine  address,  and  of  prepossessing  personal  appearance.  He 
was  considerably  above  the  ordinary  stature,  and  of  portly  build.  He  wielded 
great  influence  in  the  discharge  of  his  pastoral  duties,  and  with  him  no  labor 
for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  Christ  was  too  arduous.  But  few  men 
have  exerted  themselves  to  such  an  extent  for  spreading  the  Gospel  among  the 
destitute,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  thinly  settled  sections  of  country  around 
him. 


W.    D.    HORNE. 


Rev.  W.  D.  HORNE  was  born  in  Bertie  county,  North 
Carolina,  June  26th,  181 3.  In  the  year  1832  he  was  re- 
ceived, by  experience  and  baptism,  into  the  fellowship  of 
Sandy  Run  church,  in  the  bounds  of  the  Chowan  Asso- 
ciation, of  which  church  Rev.  James  Delk  was,  at  that 
time,  the  much  beloved  and  respected  pastor. 

Mr.  Home  moved  to  Georgia  in  the  fall  of  1834,  took 
up  his  residence  in  Twiggs  county,  and  was  received  into 
Stone  Creek  church.  By  order  of  that  church  he  was  set 
apart  to  the  Gospel  ministry  on  the  8th  of  June,  1840; 
Revs.  C.  A.  Tharpe,  Thomas  Curtis,  and  Austin  Ellis 
officiating  as  the  presbytery.  He  moved  to  Houston  county  in  1842,  where  he 
remained  eight  years  actively  engaged  in  the  ministry.  In  1850,  his  health  hav- 
ing failed  so  completely  that  he  was  compelled,  for  a  time,  to  cease  active  and 
regular  ministerial  service,  he  removed  to  Twiggs  county,  where  he  has  resided 
ever  since,  preaching  and,  as  pastor,  serving  churches  when  permitted  by  health 
and  opportunity. 


HENRY  CARR  HORNADY. 


Among  his  contemporaries  in  Georgia,  few 
men  have  done  more  for  our  denomination  than 
Rev.  Henry  Carr  Hornady.  He  has  been  a 
faithful  laborer  m  the  Master's  vineyard,  and, 
both  as  preacher  and  editor,  has  "  earnestly  con- 
tended for  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints." 
Personally  he  is  a  fine-looking  man,  about  five 
feet  seven  inches  in  height,  of  a  dark  complexion, 
with  an  address  naturally  easy  and  polite.  Once 
possessed  of  black  hair,  he  is  now  quite  bald. 
As  a  speaker  he  is  earnest  and  rapid,  but  always 
distinct  and  easily  understood,  and  when  warmed 
up  by  an  interesting  or  exciting  theme,  grows 
vehement  and  eloquent,  but  his  oratory  carries 
with  it  more  of  force  and  strength  than  grace  and 
beauty.  His  delivery  is  emphatic  in  tone  and 
positive  in  utterance,  yet  there  is  frequently  a 
touching  pathos  breathing  through  it  which  melts 
the  hearer's  heart,  and  brings  tears  to  his  eyes ;  the  tender  feeling  which  under- 
lies a  logical  mind,  and  considerable  jovialty  of  nature  bubble  up  whenever  his 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.     .  279 

heart  is  affected  by  the  love  of  Jesus  or  the  hope  of  heaven,  or  any  other  soul- 
subduing  theme,  and  give  a  sympathetic  softness  to  his  tones  and  words,  which 
is  truly  affecting. 

His  chief  characteristics  are  benevolence,  cheerfulness,  truthfulness,  self- 
reliance  and  friendliness.  Despondency  is  rarely  allowed  to  cast  a  gloom  over 
his  strong  faith,  or  overshadow  his  bright  hope.  To  perseverance  he  unites 
untiring  zeal,  and  to  a  sound  judgment  an  excellentknowledgeof  Bible  doctrines, 
it  being  his  habit  when  studying  to  investigate  a  subject  until  he  masters  it.  He 
has  ever  been  a  deep  thinker  and  an  industrious  student,  and  his  powers  of 
research  and  capacity  to  reason  from  fundamental  principles  excel  the  capabili- 
ties of  most  men.  As  a  pastor  he  has  always  been  watchful,  diligent  and 
successful,  and,  in  an  unusual  degree,  gains  the  love  of  his  flock. 

He  first  saw  the  light  on  the  22d  of  February,  1822,  in  Jones  county,  Georgia. 
His  father,  Isaiah  Hornady,  was  a  regular  descendant  of  a  Roundhead 
family,  and  one  of  his  progenitors  fought  under  Cromwell  at  Marston  Moor. 
His  mother  was  Miss  Lavinia  Robinson,  a  conscientious  Christian,  a  devoted 
mother  and  a  good  and  true  Baptist ;  and,  doubtless,  from  her  he  inherits  partly 
those  qualities  which  make  him  such  a  staunch  adherent  to  our  distinctive  prin- 
ciples. He  received  his  rudimentary  education  from  Mr.  Zachariah  Harmon, 
and  partly  also  from  Mr.  David  Dumas,  both  of  Monroe  county.  Later  he 
enjoyed  the  benefit  of  instruction  under  Wilson  Whatley,  of  Jones  county,  one 
of  the  most  successful  teachers  of  his  day.  When  he  was  fourteen  his  mother 
moved  to  Houston  county,  and  there,  at  Henderson  and  Haynville,  he  enjoyed, 
until  his  twentieth  year,  excellent  academic  advantages  under  the  instruction  of 
Henry  Hudson,  a  distinguished  instructor.  Part  of  that  time,  however,  he  him- 
self acted  as  principal  of  Hickory  Grove  Academy. 

In  his  early  youth  he  was  passionately  fond  of  reading,  and  read  the  family 
Bible  through  when  he  was  too  small  to  hold  it,  being  compelled  to  read  kneel- 
ing beside  a  chair,  or  lying  prone  upon  the  floor.  With  growth  in  years  came  a 
development  of  those  propensities  superinduced  by  an  abundance  of  animal  Hfe, 
and  encouraged  by  the  want  of  proper  restraints  in  a  new  community,  which, 
though  they  cannot  be  denominated  "vicious,"  fall  under  the  category  of  "mis- 
chievous." His  good  mother,  therefore,  was  often  called  on  to  "  stir  up  his  pure 
mind  by  way  of  remem.brance,"  by  other  means  than  moral  suasioii,  for  she  was 
a  firm  believer  in  the  wisdom  of  Solomon.  Of  one  thing,  however,  he  never  was 
guilty — untruthfulness  ;  he  despised  a  liar.  If  guilty  of  any  misconduct,  he 
never  denied  it,  but,  when  questioned,  would  admit  his  fault  boldly,  and  meet 
the  consequences  fearlessly.  His  pious  mother,  by  her  prayerful  instructions 
and  faithful  maternal  labors,  preserved  him  from  all  those  grosser  vices  and  in- 
jurious habits  to  which  young  men  are  often  addicted. 

In  youth  he  was  remarkable  for  a  retentive  memory  and  for  great  aptness  in 
learning.  In  September,  1843,  he  was  converted,  and  united  with  the  Hayne- 
ville  church,  being  baptized  by  Dr.  A.  T.  Holmes.  In  1844  he  married  Miss 
Emily  Cherry  ;  and  in  December,  1848,  was  ordained  at  Harmony  church,  Dooly 
county.  He  was  pastor  of  the  Americus  church  for  nearly  eight  years  ;  of  the 
First  Baptist  church  in  Atlanta  for  seven  years ;  and  of  the  LaGrange  church 
for  three  years.  He  then  accepted  the  general  agency  for  Mercer  University,  in 
which  work  he  continued  for  three  years,  resigning  to  take  charge  of  the  church 
at  Senoia,  Fayette  county,  where  he  continued,  laboring  successfully,  until  the 
fall  of  1879,  when  he  was  elected  pastor  of  the  Third  Baptist  church  of  Atlanta. 

In  1852  his  first  wife  died,  and  in  1854  he  married  Miss  A.  M.  Smith,  who  is 
still  living.  He  has  nine  living  children,  and  seven  who  are  with  the  Saviour, 
all  dying  in  infancy  but  one. 

For  five  years  Mr.  Hornady  was  clerk  of  the  Houston,  for  three  years  Moder- 
ator of  the  Western,  and  for  one  year  Moderator  of  the  Stone  Mountain, 
Association. 

For  several  pears  previous  to  the  war  he  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Chero- 
kee Baptist  and  Landmark  Banner,  a  paper  published  in  Atlanta,  and  he 
gained  for  himself  quite  a  reputation  as  a  sound  theologian,  a  strong  writer  and 
a  sturdy  controversialist.     In  later  years  his  fondness  for  controversy  has  greatly 


280  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

abated,  and  he  inclines  more  and  more  toward  the  experimental  and  practical 
aspects  of  truth,  though  these  were  never  overlooked  by  him  either  in  the  pulpit 
or  through  the  press.  He  possesses  fine  powers  of  conversation,  and  ^enlivens 
social  intercourse  with  a  surprising  flow  of  illustrative  incidents.  No  man  is 
more  at  home  or  more  welcome  in  a  circle  of  friends  ;  nor  has  he  ever  been  called 
to  any  sphere,  public  or  private,  in  which  he  has  not  borne  himself  creditably. 


NELSON  A.  HORNADY. 

Rev.  Nelson  A.  Hornady  was  born  in  Jones  county, 
Georgia,  on  the  i6th  of  April,  1818.  When  he  was  about 
five  years  old  the  family  moved  to  Monroe  county,  and 
settled  near  Holly  Grove  church,  nine  miles  north  of  For- 
syth. In  his  eighth  year  he  was  sent  to  a  school  taught  by 
Zachariah  Harmon,  Sr.,  where  he  received  the  merest 
rudiments  of  an  education.  On  account  of  a  change  in 
the  circumstances  of  the  family,  he  was  taken  from  school 
and  put  to  work,  so  that  his  scholastic  days  were  at  an  end. 
As  a  boy  he  was  remarkable  for  his  capacity  to  manage 
other  boys.  When  he  and  they  entered  into  any  scheme  of  profit  and  loss,  he 
was  usually  found  on  the  profit  side  of  the  ledger,  M^hatever  might  be  said  of  his 
copartners.  When  he  was  about  thirteen  years  old,  his  health  failed,  and  for 
more  than  a  year  there  was  little  hope  of  his  recovery.  He,  however,  recovered, 
and  his  health  after  that  was  perfect  for  years.  As  he  developed  into  manhood 
he  was  consequently  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  physical  strength  to  be  found 
anywhere,  and  was,  undoubtedly,  among  the  most  handsome  men  in  the  country. 
He  early  manifested  marked  traits  of  character,  indomitable  will,  a  high  degree 
of  personal  courage,  and  almost  unbounded  relf-reliance.  He  never  engaged  in 
the  unprofitable  work  of  sowing  wild  oats,  so-called,  but  was  always  strict  in  his 
moral  deportment. 

He  was  converted  in  1 846,  and  united  with  the  Baptist  church  at  Indian  Creek, 
DeKalb  county,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Henry  Collins.  He  was  married  in 
1843  to  Miss  Nancy  A.  Jordan,  of  DeKalb  county.  By  this  marriage  two  chil- 
dren were  born  to  him — Cordelia  D.,  now  Mrs.  Chambers,  and  Emma  B. 
Hornady — both  of  whom  were  baptized  before  they  arrived  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years.  While  residing  near  Stone  Mountain  he  studied  dentistry  under  Dr.  Led- 
better,  and  has  practiced  this  profession  ever  since.  In  1845  he  removed  to 
Culloden,  Monroe  county,  where,  by  his  untiring  industry  and  close  attention  to 
business,  he  succeeded  in  building  up  quite  a  lucrative  practice.  In  1863  he 
was  ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry  at  Salem  church,  Monroe  county,  the  pres- 
bytery consisting  of  Revs.  W.  C.  Wilkes,  H.  C.  Hornady,  P.  A.  Lawson,  and 
John  Tompkins  Subsequent  to  his  ordination  he  served  as  pastor  the  following 
churches  :  at  Butler,  Taylor  county ;  at  Oglethorpe  and  Whitewater,  Macon 
county ;  and  at  Bethel,  Dooly  county.  Before  his  ordination  to  the  ministry,  he 
served  in  the  office  of  deacon  for  a  number  of  years. 

Not  having  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  education,  and  having  been  actively 
engaged  in  business  all  his  life,  he  entered  on  the  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel 
surrounded  by  many  embarrassing  circumstances.  Animated,  however,  by  the 
love  of  Christ,  and  the  love  of  souls,  he  took  hold  of  the  work  with  that  direct- 
ness of  purpose  which  has  ever  distinguished  him  in  the  business  of  life ;  and 
his  labors,  animated  by  an  unfaltering  trust  in  the  help  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  have 
been  greatly  blessed. 

As  a  preacher  he  is  sound  in  doctrine,  adhering  strictly  to  one  book,  the  Bible, 
instructive  and  edifying,  and  sometimes  rising  into  the  region  of  real  eloquence. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


281 


He  has  labored  for  the  churches  without  expecting  or  receiving  much  compen- 
sation, being  too  well  pleased  to  promote  the  cause  of  the  Master,  to  complain 
of  the  seeming  neglect  of  his  brethren.  By  a  life  of  consistent  piety  and 
stainless  purity  he  has  commended  himself  to  every  man's  conscience  in  the  sight 
of  God. 

As  a  pastor  he  is  pains-taking,  firm,  affable,  safe  in  counsel,  and  has  always 
succeeded  in  maintaining  wholesome  discipline  in  his  churches,  so  that  his  breth- 
ren were  living  epistles  known  and  read  of  all  men.  Untiring  in  energy, 
conscientious  in  duty,  and  with  a  faith  that  never  faltered,  he  has  pursued  the 
even  tenor  of  his  way,  caring  more  for  the  cause  of  his  Master  than  for  his  own 
private  interests.  Of  him  it  may  be  truly  said  :  "  He  is  a  good  man,  full  of  faith 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Considering  all  the  difficulties  under  which  he  has 
labored,  he  has  been  quite  successful  in  winning  souls  to  Christ.  Had  he  enjoyed 
the  advantages  of  thorough  education,  he  would  doubtless  have  taken  position 
in  the  front  ranks  of  our  Baptist  ministry. 

He  possesses  a  strong  mind,  a  mind  at  once  inquisitive,  self-reliant  and  ag- 
gressive. Owing  in  part,  perhaps,  to  his  having  been  thrown  on  his  own  resources, 
and  forced  to  form  his  own  conclusions,  it  is  superfluous  to  remark  that  he  is 
dogmatical  in  expressing,  and  stubborn  in  maintaining  his  opinions. 

Although  he  is  now  on  the  shady  side  of  life,  with  health  somewhat  impaired, 
he  is  still  actively  engaged  in  preaching  the  Gospel,  supporting  himself  mainly 
by  the  practice  of  his  secular  profession.  Through  all  the  changes  of  life  he  has 
maintained  a  blameless  reputation,  and  the  tongue  of  detraction  has  never  left  a 
blot  on  the  purity  of  his  character.  When  the  Master  comes  to  make  up  his 
jewels,  he  will  doubtless  be  found  with  his  lamp  trimmed  and  burning,  and  ready 
to  enter  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord, 


W.    M.    HOWELL. 


This  useful  servant  of  the  blessed  Redeemer,  was  born 
July  2oth,  1828,  in  Twiggs  county,  Georgia.  His  parents, 
Hiram  and  Mary  Howell  {nee  Crittenden),  were  noted  for 
their  generous  hospitality,  and  were  members,  at  the  time 
of  their  death,  of  Beulah  church,  Stewart  county,  Georgia. 
While  growing  up  his  opportunities  for  attending  school 
were  limited,  and  it  was  not  until  he  reached  his  twentieth 
year  that  his  father  felt  able  to  extend  to  his  son  this  privi- 
lege. Not  being  satisfied  with  .a  meagre  education,  and 
convinced  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel,  he 
spent  a  year  or  more  in  the  academies  at  Pleasant  Valley  and  Lumpkin.  Still 
desiring  higher  attainments  in  knowledge,  he  went  to  Union  University,  in  Ten- 
nessee, then  under  the  presidency  of  Dr.  J.  H.  Eaton.  Here  he  remained,  with 
close  application  to  his  studies,  some  three  years,  pursuing  the  usual  course  in 
both  the  literary  and  theological  departments — the  latter  under  the  instruction  of 
Dr.  J.  M.  Pendleton.  From  a  boy,  he  was  fond  of  reading,  and  especially  of  read- 
ing the  New  Testament,  a  copy  of  which,  presented  to  him  by  his  mother,  led 
to  his  conviction  and  conversion.  He  united  with  the  Richland  church,  Stewart 
county,  Georgia,  in  1852,  being  baptized  by  Rev.  E.  C.  J.  B.  Thomas,  the  first 
Sunday  in  August  of  that  year. 

He  removed  to  Alabama,  and,  in  August,  1859,  was  ordained  at  the  request 
of  Daleville  Baptist  church.  Elders  Carswell  Smith  and  W.  P.  Bryan  officiating 
in  the  service.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  zealously  engaged  in  his  Master's 
work,  at  one  time  serving  churches  in  Alabama,  and  then  in  Florida.  Since  his 
return  to  Georgia,  he  has  been  supplying  churches  in  Stewart  and  Randolph 


282 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


counties.  His  ministerial  work  has  not  been  fitful,  but  uniform.  The  great 
business  and  object  of  his  life  is  to  do  good,  always  manifesting  the  deepest 
concern  for  the  spiritual  development  of  his  churches  and  the  conversion  of 
sinners. 

There  is  no  warmer  friend  or  more  ardent  supporter  of  missions  at  home  and 
among  the  nations  than  Elder  W.  M.  Howell.  He  is  ever  ready  to  appeal  to 
his  people,  both  by  the  teachings  of  the  Saviour  and  his  own  example,  to  sustain 
the  measures  which  are  employed  to  spread  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  in  all  the 
earth.  His  habits  of  study,  while  not  profound,  are  good,  usually  giving  atten- 
tion to  his  pulpit  preparations,  analyzing  his  text,  and  seeking  to  teach  precisely 
what  it  contains.  Hence  his  sermons  are  sound  and  instructive.  His  manner, 
though  quiet  and  gentle,  is  earnest  and  attractive — you  listen  to  him  with  pleas- 
ure as  well  as  profit.  He  studies  more  and  reads  more  than  many  of  our  good 
brethren,  as  his  discourses  clearly  evince.  As  a  pastor,  those  who  know  him 
well  speak  of  his  marked  punctuality,  his  distinct  and  decided  views  of  discip- 
line, and  his  fidelity  in  urging  its  Scriptural  exercise  on  his  churches.  He  is  a 
man  of  positive  character,  not  a  neutral  on  any  subject  which  he  understands  ; 
and  particularly  if  it  involves  the  doctrines,  ordinances,  or  principles  of  the 
Gospel. 

He  was  married  the  19th  of  October,  1858,  to  Miss  H.  N.  McKeither,  of 
Stewart  county,  and  has  now  four  boys  living,  in  fine  health — five  having  died 
in  infancy. 

Elder  Howell  resides  not  far  from  Cuthbert,  Georgia,  in  the  prime  of  life,  in 
the  full  confidence  of  his  brethren,  and  is  usefully  engaged  in  his  Master's  cause. 
It  should  be  mentioned  that  he  has  been  compelled  at  times  to  go  into  the 
school-room  and  also  to  labor  on  his  farm  to  supplement  the  small  salaries  he 
received  from  his  churches.     One  who  knows  him  well  and  loves  him  dearly,  says  : 

"  The  greatest  mistake  of  his  life  was  in  not  giving  himself  wholly  to  the 
ministry  at  the  beginning.  If  he  had  done  this,  bending  all  his  powers  in  that 
direction,  there  is  little  doubt  of  a  far  more  successful  life  in  the  ministry.  He 
waited  for  opportunities,  instead  of  seeking  for  them.  No  doubt  this  blunder 
is  often  made  ;  therefore,  presbyteries  should  carefully  warn  all  young  ministers 
of  the  danger.  God  will  go  with  those  whom  he  has  chosen  to  bear  his  message 
to  the  people." 


J.    J.    HYMAN. 


One  of  the  best  chaplains  in  Gen.  Lee's  army  during 
the  war  was  Rev.  J.  J.  Hyman,  who  acted  in  that  capacity 
in  the  forty-ninth  Georgia  Regiment,  and  was  exceed- 
ingly popular  among  the  soldiers.  He  baptized  nearly 
three  hundred  of  them.  He  is  a  tall  and  soldierly-looking 
man,  with  a  frank,  open  countenance  and  pleasant  man- 
ners, very  energetic  in  disposition,  and  a  hard  worker. 

As  a  pastor  he  is  earnest  and  faithful,  a  good  preacher 
who  presents  the  truth  strongly  and  plainly,  and  seeks  to 
arouse  the  conscience  and  convictions.  He  studies  his 
subjects  closely,  and  endeavors  to  preach  the  divine 
dogmas  of  our  faith  precisely  as  they  are  taught  in  the  Bible.  At  heart  he  is 
sincerely  pious,  and  is  so  highly  respected  by  his  Association  (the  Mount  Ver- 
non) that  he  has  twice  been  made  Moderator  of  it. 

He  was  born  in  Warren  county,  Georgia,  on  the  21st  of  September,  1833,  his 
early  education  being  limited  to  old-field  schools.  He  has,  however,  sought 
earnestly  to  improve  himself  by  study  and  teaching,  and  he  is  at  present  princi- 
pal of  the  Mount  Vernon  Institute,  at   Riddlesville,   Georgia.     He  professed 


OF   PROMINENT   I1APT3S1 


conversion  when  thirteen  years  old,  and  was  t|aptiz(;d 

He  was  ordained  on  the  12th  of  April,  1863,  ;^nd  has 

churches  in  Glasscock,  Jefferson  and  Washihgton  o 

pastor  of  Bethel,  Jefferson  county,  and  at  Ohcwpee  an 

county.     He  married  Miss  S.  F.  Barnes  in  i8p,  and  Has  five  children 


283 

by  Elder  Radford  Gunn. 

been  the  pastor  of  various 
nties.  At  present  he  is 
Kiddleville,  Washington 


JONATHAN  tiUFF 

Rev.  Jonathan  Huff,  con- 
temporary with  Ferryman,  Pol- 
hill,  Key,  and  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick, 
of  the  Hephzibah  Association, 
passed  to  his  rest  in  1872,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-three.  Called  the 
"  Old  Pannel,"  those  five  stood 
shoulder  to  shoulder  here,  battling 
for  Jesus  and  the  truth ;  yonder, 
they  rest,  and  ever  will  rest,  in  the 
glory  where  there  is  fullness  of 
joy  and  pleasures  forevermore. 

Born  of  humble  parentage,  in 
Warren  county,  Georgia,  August, 
1789,  reared  in  a  vicinity  where 
the  people  were  rude,  illiterate 
and  very  wicked,  and  living  with 
but  little  exception,  in  the  same 
neighborhood  until  old  age,  and 
death.  Rev.  Jonathan  Huff  re- 
ceived but  little  sympathy  from 
his  immediate  neighbors.  His 
influence  was  mainly  felt  in  other 
communities  than  the  one  in 
which  he  lived  ;  and  the  brethren 
whom  he  loved  and  who  loved 
him,    resided  in   other  localities. 

He  was  above  medium  size,  of  rather  ungainly  appeaijance,  and,  usually,  slow  of 

as  he  possessed,  have  ac- 
than  he.     His  academic 


speech.  Very  few  men,  with  such  limited  advantages 
complished  more  good,  or  exerted  a  wider  influence 
education  was  partial  and  fragmentary  ;  still,  by  ap])li  cation,  after  reaching  man- 


the  ordinary  demands  of  a 
he  was  baptized  by   Rev. 


hood,  he  made  attainments  that  enabled  him  to  meiit 

country  Hfe.     Upon  a  profession  of  faith  in  JesuS; 

Vincent  Tharp,  in  1806,  and  became  a  member  of  Ljttle  Brier  Creek  church,  in 

his  native  county. 

He  made  his  first  appearance  in  the  Hephzibah  Association,  in  181 7,  as  a  mes- 
senger from  the  Reedy  Creek  church,  just  then  constituted. 
a  licensed  preacher,  having  been  licensed  by  the  Littl 
the  Minutes  of  1823  his  name  appears  as  an  ordained 

the  Reedy  Creek  church,  to  which  his  membership  Had  been  transferred.  At 
the  session  of  the  Hephzibah  Association  for  1829,,  he  was  elected  Moderator, 
and  for  thirteen  years,  consecutively,  he  acted  in  thai,  capacity, 
afterwards  he  filled  the  same  position,  serving,  in  all,  rineteen  years.  It  was  not, 
however,  his  acquaintance  with  parliamentary  law  that  caused  him  to  be  thus 
honored  by  his  brethren,  but  his  practical  good  sense,  his  sterling  integrity  and 
bis  unaffected  piety.     As  a  preacher  he  would  not  haie  compared  favorably  with 


At  that  time  he  was 
Brier  Creek  church.     In 
minister,  still  representing 


28a 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


eit 


men  of  finished  education  ;  yet, 
safe  expounder  of  its  teachings 
very  tender  and  touching,  and 
cessful,  as  well  in  winning  soi]ils 
sound  in  the  faith. 

As  a  pastor,  he  had  a  strong 
abundantly  evinced  by  the;  gr 
Ways  church  he  remained.,  as 
church  he  preached  thirty -seve 
two  churches  until  incapacitateid 
tion,  he  labored  with  other  cf 
always  occupied. 

Mr.  Huff's  chief  characteristi 
ance,  an  equanimity  that  iiothiig 
end  when  his  convictions  were 

He  was  twice  married,  the  fi; 
second  time  to  Mrs.  Mary  Patt 
the  last  marriage  there  was  no 

At  the  advanced  age  of  eighty 
his  birth-place,  on  the  25th  of 
"  Old  Pannel  "  passed  away  fro 
of  long  and  faithful  toil  in  this 


being  a  faithful  student  of  the  Bible,  he  was  a 
In  his  addresses  to  the  unconverted,  he  was 
hence,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  he  was  very  sue- 
to  Christ  as  in  building  up  churches  that  were 


hold  on  the  affections  of  his  people,  which  was 

length  of  some  of  his  pastorates.     With  the 

jjiastor,  thirty-one  years,  and  to  the  Reedy  Creek 

years  consecutively.     Indeed,  he  served  these 

by  both  mental  and  physical  infirmity.     In  addi- 

ujrches  to  such  an  extent  that  his  whole  time  was 

cs  were  an  indomitable,  though  quiet,  persever- 
could  disturb,  and  an  opposition  to  the  bitter 
settled  and  his  feelings  were  aroused  and  enlisted, 
.-st  time  to  Miss  Sarah  McMath,  in  1807,  and  the 
erson,  in  1843,  both  of  whom  he  survived.  By 
issue  ;  by  the  first  there  were  ten  children. 

-three,  he  died  in  McDuffie  county,  not  far  from 
November,  1872.  With  his  dea'h  the  last  of  the 
m  earth,  to  reap,  in  blessedness,  the  rich  reward 
world. 


iS    MERCER   IRWIN. 


chare: 


Rev,  Charles  Mercer  Irwin,  the  oldest 
son  of  Isaiah  Tucker  Irwin  and  Isabella  Banks- 
ton,  was  born  in  Wilkes  county,  Georgia,  No- 
vember nth,  1813.  Of  social  distinction  and 
blessed  in  this  world's  goods,  his  parents  were 
pious  and  benevolent.  On  the  very  day  of  his 
birth  his  mother  consecrated  him  in  prayer  to 
God,  especially  pleading  that  he  might,  in  after  life, 
become  a  minister  of  the  Gospel ;  and  her  pious 
training,  in  his  childhood,  prepared  the  way  for 
those  serious  impressions,  beginning  when  he 
was  eight  years  old,  which  resulted,  under  divine 
influences,  in  his  conversion  during  his  sixteenth 
year.  ;In  November,  1829,  he  was  baptized  by 
Rev.  Enoch  Calloway,  and  joined  the  Sardis 
church,  Wilkes  county. 

Owing  to  the  limited  educational  advantages 
in  that  county,  he  was  sent  by  his  parents,  in 
January,  1830,  to  Powelton,  Hancock  county,  and  placed  under  the  instruction 
of  the  distinguished  educator,  Rev.  Otis  Smith,  with  whom  he  remained  two 
and  a  half  years. 

He  entered  the  University  of  Georgia  July  ist,  1832,  thoroughly  prepared, 
and  during  his  course  sustained  himself  with  great  credit,  but  left  before  grad- 
uating, and  entered  the  Lfnive  rsity  of  Virginia,  where  he  took  a  law  course  in 
1833.  In  October  of  the  follondng  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  at  Warren- 
ton,  Georgia,  and,  on  the  nth  of  November,  of  the  same  3^ear,  was  united  in 
matrimony  to  Miss  Harriett  E.  A.  Battle,  of  Powelton,  Georgia,  by  Rev.  Jesse 
Mercer,  D.D.  He  then  settle!  in  Washington,  Georgia,  and  devoted  himself 
energetically  to  the  practice  of  law.  At  this  time  he  was  a  young  man  of  com- 
parative wealth  and  high  social  position,  ambitious  of  political  eminence,  and 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  285 

exceedingly  popular.  He  entered,  with  ardor,  into  the  pohtical  campaigns  of 
the  day,  with  an  eye  to  place  and  power ;  but  his  refined  nature  revolted  at  the 
election  concomitants  of  that  day.  He  retired  from  politics,  purchased  a  planta- 
tion in  Hancock  county,  on  which  he  settled  with  his  family,  and  permitted  the 
quiet  duties  of  a  successful  planter's  life  gradually  to  absorb  the  aspirations  of 
ambition. 

He  became  more  and  more  interested  in  church  matters.  His  fine  vocal 
powers  and  fondness  for  singing  made  him  a  useful  church  member  ;  he  was 
elected  clerk,  and  then  deacon  of  the  church  at  Powelton  ;  he  was  frequently 
requested  to  lead  in  the  weekly  church  prayer-meetings ;  and  thus,  gradually, 
were  made  to  bud  and  bloom  impressions,  in  regard  to  the  ministry,  which  he 
had  studiously  stifled,  from  a  sense  of  his  own  unfitness  for  that  high  calling. 
In  1839,  conscience  took  him  to  task  for  stifling  his  convictions  and  disobeying 
the  call  of  duty,  and  pointed  out  to  him  the  comparative  barrenness  of  a  life 
that  might  be  fruitful  of  good  works.  Doubt  and  gloom  for  a  time  overshad- 
owed him.  He  began  to  pray  for  light,  and  to  advise  with  judicious  friends, 
among  the  rest,  with  Rev.  C.  D.  Mallary,  then  agent  for  Mercer  University,  and 
often  an  honored  guest  at  his  hospitable  home.  At  length  the  clouds  dispersed  ; 
he  was  enabled  to  recognize  and  obey  his  call  to  the  sacred  work  of  the  minis- 
try ;  and,  after  due  preparation,  he  was  ordained  at  Powelton,  in  1844,  by  a  pres- 
bytery consisting  of  B.  M.  Sanders,  Wm.  H.  Stokes  (then  editor  of  The  Chris- 
tian Index),  V.  R.  Thornton,  Jesse  B.  Battle  and  Radford  Gunn. 

From  that  time  he  committed  his  planting  interests  to  other  hands,  giving 
them  occasional  attention  only,  and  began  active  ministerial  labor.  Travelling 
to  and  fro  many  weary  miles,  in  devotion  to  his  work,  he  preached  in  various 
destitute  places,  wherever  he  thought  good  might  be  accomplished,  becoming, 
in  time,  pastor  of  various  churches,  including  those  at  Louisville  and  Powelton. 
He  was  prevailed  on  to  accept  the  pastorate  of  the  church  at  Madison,  and 
moved  there  with  his  family,  in  January,  1848.  The  church  was  small,  but  of 
good  material,  and  his  labors  were  greatly  blessed.  The  brethren  of  his  church 
decided  at  that  time  to  build  a  Baptist  Female  College  in  Madison,  and  sent  out 
their  pastor  as  agent,  who,  in  the  space  of  some  three  months,  secured  the  entire 
sum  of  money  necessary  for  the  undertaking.  The  consequence  was  the  erec- 
tion of  a  large  brick  edifice,  handsomely  fitted  up,  and  supplied  with  the  necessary 
apparatus  for  scientific  studies,  and  the  establishment  of  an  excellent  institution 
of  learning,  with  a  thoroughly  competent  corps  of  instructors.  Hundreds  of 
young  ladies  from  Georgia  and  the  adjoining  States  flocked  to  this  institution 
thus  extending  the  young  pastor's  field  of  labor  and  increasing  his  responsibili- 
ties. Many  of  them  were  received  into  the  church,  and  have,  since,  gone  forth 
to  various  fields  of  usefulness — some  even  as  missionaries  to  the  far-off  heathen. 

Mr.  Irwin  remained  with  the  church  at  Madison  eight  years,  during  which 
time  it  prospered  much,  a  remarkable  state  of  unanimity  prevailing  in  it  from 
first  to  last.  In  all  the  church  conferences  of  that  period  there  was  but  one 
negative  vote  cast  on  any  question  ! 

In  the  year  1856,  Providence  indicated  that  jt  was  his  duty  to  accept  a  call 
extended  by  the  Second  Baptist  church,  in  Atlanta,  then  just  struggling  into 
existence,  and  he  did  so ;  but  the  death  of  his  father  and  his  consequent  duties 
as  executor,  necessitated  his  resignation  within  a  year. 

His  next  pastorate  was  at  Albany,  Georgia,  where  he  lived  three  years,  retiring 
from  the  position  at  the  close  of  1859.  The  opening  of  the  war  found  him 
residing  on  his  plantation,  in  Lee  county,  where  he  remained  until  the  close  of 
hostilities,  living  not  in  ease  and  idleness,  but  preaching  to  various  churches  in 
the  neighborhood  gratuitously,  attending  to  the  wants  of  many  families  whose 
heads  were  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  even  cultivating  their  farms,  at  times, 
with  his  own  servants. 

Mr.  Irwin  felt  his  responsibility  for  the  moral  and  religious  instruction  of  his 
numerous  servants  ;  and,  while  he  sedulously  ministered  to  their  temporal  wants, 
made  liberal  provision  for  placing  the  means  of  grace  within  their  reach.  The 
close  of  the  war  found  him  thus  situated.  With  his  usual  prudence  and  sound 
judgment,  he  explained  the  situation  to  his  freedmen,  and  endeavored  to  influ- 


286  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

ence  them  for  their  good ;  but  other  counsels  prevailed,  and  they  have  often 
confessed  since  how  unwisely  they  put  away  from  themselves  the  pecuniary  and 
educational  advantages  which  he  offered  them. 

For  a  short  time,  in  1869,  he  had  charge  of  the  Second  Baptist  church  in 
Macon,  but  resigned  in  less  than  a  year,  on  account  of  ill  health.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  consented  once  more  to  become  the  pastor  of  his  old  church  at 
Madison,  but  his  enemy,  dyspepsia,  laid  such  relentless  hands  upon  him,  that  he 
felt  compelled  to  sever  what  proved  to  be  his  last  tie  to  a  church  as  under- 
shepherd.  Once  more  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Lee  county,  where  he  lived  a 
life  of  quiet  retirement,  preaching  to  the  churches  in  the  country  around,  until 
1S72,  when  he  received  an  appointment  from  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention, 
and  from  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  as 
Agent  for  Foreign  Missions  in  this  State.  His  success  in  that  work  was  such 
that  he  was  continued  in  it  from  year  to  year,  until  1879. 

Of  medium  size  and,  when  young,  of  handsome  personal  appearance,  Mr. 
Irwin  in  character  is  honest  and  brave  almost  to  a  fault.  In  advancmg  his  own 
opinions  he  is  fearless  but  not  forward,  his  manners  being  ever  polite  and  refined. 
Quiet  and  rather  taciturn  by  nature,  he  speaks  seldom,  but  always  to  the  point. 
A  keen  sense  ot  the  ridiculous  pervades  his  being,  and  he  excels  in  telling  a 
good  story.  Judicious,  thoughtful,  the  soul  of  honor  and  faithful  as  a  friend,  he 
is  kind  and  indulgent  as  a  husband  and  father.  As  a  preacher,  he  was  meas- 
urably careful  in  the  preparation  of  his  sermons,  and  very  effective  and  some- 
times passionately  impetuous  in  their  delivery,  never  failing  to  please  and  interest, 
on  account  of  his  melodious  voice  and  earnest  manner  in  the  pulpit.  For  nearly 
forty  years  he  has  been  a  constant  attendant  on  the  sessions  of  the  Georgia 
Baptist  Convention,  and  was  for  several  years  the  clerk  of  that  body.  He  has 
been  an  active  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Mercer  University  ever  since 
1843- 


JOHN  AUGUSTUS  and  BENJAMIN  HENRY  IVEY. 

These  ministers  are  of  English  descent.  Their  ancestors  emigrated  to  Vir- 
ginia before  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  several  of  them  took  an  active  part  in 
the  struggle  for  independence.  Their  grand-parents,  soon  after  the  close  of  that 
conflict,  moved  from  Virginia  and  settled  in  Warren  (now  McDuffie)  county, 
where  Oliver  Ivey,  their  father,  was  reared.  Oliver  Ivey  married  Miss  Amanda 
Ellis,  of  the  same  county,  who  was  also  a  descendant  of  a  respectable  Virginia 
family.  Both  professed  religion  at  an  early  period  in  life,  and  became  consistent 
Christians,  bringing  up  their  children  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord, 
the  husband  being,  for  many  years,  a  deacon  of  one  of  the  oldest  churches  in  the 
State. 

On  the  4th  of  April,  1 848,  twins  were  born  to  them  in  McDufifie  (then  Warren) 
county,  whom  they  named  Benjamin  Henry  and  John  Augustus.  The  family 
resided  in  Warren  county  until  our  late  war  of  Secession,  and  there  the  two  young 
men  received  such  mental  training  as  the  common  schools  of  that  day  afforded. 
During  the  war  their  parents  moved  to  southwestern  Georgia,  and  settled  in 
Marion  county,  near  Buena  Vista,  where  the  young  men  grew  to  a  vigorous 
manhood,  still  pursuing  their  education  in  the  schools  of  the  country,  and  also 
engaging  in  manual  labor.  In  the  fall  of  1869  both  were  converted  and  joined 
Mount  Carmel  church,  Marion  county,  and  were  both  baptized  by  Rev.  Isaac 
Hart.  Both  became  thoroughly  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  it  was  their 
duty  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  both  felt  the  necessity  of  better  educational 
qualifications  for  that  purpose.  They  entered  Howard  College,  Marion,  Ala- 
bama, in  the  fall  of  1871,  and  spent  one  year  pursuing  their  studies  in  that 
institution.     In  October,  1872,  they  both  returned  to  Georgia  and  entered  Mercer 


OF   PROMINENT  BAPTISTS. 


2§7 


University,  at  Macon,  where  each  was  graduated  with  distinction — J.  A.  Ivey  in 
1875,  and  B.  H.  Ivey  in  1876 — the  latter  having  intermitted  his  college  course 
one  year.     Both  were  educated  with  a  view  to  the  ministry. 


JOHN   AUGUSTUS  IVEY, 

Rev.  John  Augustus  Ivey  had  been  licensed  by  his 
church  in  1872,  but  was  not  ordained  until  June  25th, 
1875,  when  his  installation  into  the  ministry  occurred  at 
Mount  Carmel  church,  Marion  county,  the  ordaining  coun- 
cil consisting  of  Revs.  Isaac  Hart,  I.  B.Deavors  and  J.  H. 
Cawood.  Since  his  ordination  he  has  been  pastor  of 
several  churches  in  Marion  and  the  surrounding  counties  ; 
was  pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  church,  Macon,  for  six 
months,  and  in  January,  1878,  moved  to  Dawson,  to 
assume  pastoral  charge  of  the  church  there..  He  still 
remains  at  Dawson,  enjoying  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  brethren  and  of 
the  community.  As  a  minister  he  is  able  and  earnest,  and  his  labors  have  been 
blessed  by  God  to  the  conversion  of  many.  He  was  happily  married  on  the  1 2th 
of  November,  1878,  to  Miss  Alice  Michell,  of  Taylor  county,  whose  education 
piety,  and  model  life,  as  the  wife  of  a  minister,  have  conduced  greatly  to  his  suc- 
cess as  a  pastor  and  a  preacher. 


BENJAMIN  HENRY  IVEY. 

Rev.  Benjamin  Henry  Ivey  was  ordained  at  the  same 
time,  and  by  the  same  presbytery,  with  his  twin  brother. 
His  first  pastorate  was  at  Gordon,  Georgia,  where  he  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  a  permanent  church,  and  also,  by 
the  assistance  of  some  devoted  brethren,  in  building  a  neat 
Baptist  house  of  worship  During  the  time  of  his  resi- 
dence at  Gordon,  he  was,  for  a  portion  of  the  time,  pastor 
of  New  Providence,  Bethel  and  Irwinton  churches,  in  Wil- 
kinson county.  Like  his  brother,  Mr.  B.  H.  Ivey  is  a 
strong  preacher.  In  disposition  he  is  exceedingly  diffident 
and  retiring,  but  is  bold  in  proclaiming  his  sentiments  as  a  Baptist. 

He  married  Miss  Mattie  Thompson,  of  Gordon,  on  the  12th  day  of  April, 
1877,  and  they  now  reside  in  Macon.  Mr.  Ivey  having  been  the  pictor  of  the 
South  Macon  church  since  1878. 

So  much  alike  that  they  are  frequently  taken  for  each  other,  the  two  brott^ers 
are  vigorous  in  body  and  in  intellect.  Both  have  been  well  educated  ;  both  are 
deeply  pious  ;  both  are  modest  and  unassuming,  and  both  are  devoted  to  their 
high  calling.  Thus  possessed  of  culture,  natural  gifts  and  consecration  of  spirit, 
they  give  promise  of  much  usefulness  in  the  future. 


288 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


JOHN  A.  JACKSON. 

Rev.  John  A.  Jackson,  son  of  Deacon  Burwell  W. 
Jackson  and  Clara  Jackson,  was  born  on  the  24th  of  De- 
cember, 1835.  His  education  was  limited,  being  confined 
mostty  to  instruction  at  Del  Rey  Academy.  On  a  pro- 
fession of  his  faith  in  Christ,  he  was  received  into  the 
fellowship  of  the  Shiloh  church,  Upson  county,  Georgia, 
and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Henry  Garland.  The  same 
church  called  him  to  ordination  in  1864,  when  he  was 
ordained  by  a  presbytery  composed  of  Revs.  D.  H.  Moore, 
W.  W.  Ferguson  and  J.  McDonald,  Since  his  ordina- 
tion he  has,  as  pastor,  served  several  churches  each  year. 
He  constituted  the  church  at  Hollandville,  Pike  county,  and  aided  in  constituting 
Beulah  church,  in  Pike  county.  His  pious  and  persevering  labors  as  a  minister 
have  been  greatly  blessed  in  the  winning  of  souls  to  Jesus,  and  in  encouraging 
and  strengthening  the  faith  of  Christians. 

He  is  a  minister  ready  for  every  good  word  and  work,  amiable,  zealous  and 
always  eager  for  the  promotion  of  those  causes  by  which  the  interests  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus  are  advanced.  The  chief  features  of  his  character  are  industry, 
integrity  and  strict  morality.  From  childhood  he  has  been  ever  most  kind  and 
obliging,  and  as  a  man,  citizen  and  neighbor,  those  qualities  shine  in  him  with 
resplendent  lustre. 

As  a  preacher,  he  is  plain  but  sincere  and  earnest,  sound  in  the  Gospel,  and 
always  most  desirous  to  do  good  and  save  the  souls  of  his  hearers  and  promote 
good  order  in  the  churches  he  serves. 


R.  H.  JACKSON. 

Rev.  R.  H.  Jackson  is  one  of  the  warm-hearted  men 
who,  whenever  they  come  in  contact  with  other  men,  warm 
their  hearts  too.  With  that  genuine  politeness  which  has 
been  defined  as  "  benevolence  in  little  things,"  he  com- 
bines the  excellencies  of  the  true  Christian,  and  thus,  while 
he  attracts  as  a  companion,  wins  the  confidence  of  all 
classes  in  society.  This  is  the  reason  why  on  various  oc- 
casions the  people  have  unanimously  elected  him  to  the 
office  of  Judge  of  the  Inferior  Court,  and  why  he  has  been 
three  times  chosen  as  their  representative  in  the  State 
Legislature.  He  is  a  worthy  descendant  of  the  patriotic 
sires  whose  blood  courses  in  his  veins  ;  his  grand-father  having  served  in  the 
memorable  struggle  for  American  independence  under  Washington,  and  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  deeds  of  noble  daring. 

The  son  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  Jackson,  he  was  born  October  12th,  1829,  at 
White  Plains,  Greene  county,  Georgia.  For  more  than  twenty  years  he  was 
inclined  to  be  wild  and  mischievous — not  dissipated  or  malevolent,  but  always 
ready,  in  the  overflow  of  animal  spirits,  for  every  form  of  fun  and  frolic.  But 
in  1852  he  was  brought,  in  the  providence  of  God,  to  a  bed  of  lingering  sickness, 
where  "  long  the  die  spun  doubtful,"  and  day  after  day  darkened  more  and  rhore 
the  prospect  of  recovery.  It  was  then  that  a  sense  of  his  hopeless  condition  as 
a  lost  sinner  fastened  itself  in   his  soul ;  and   when  the    Lord  raised  him  up, 


OF   PROMINENT   1?A1 


iis*rs. 


289 


neither  returning  health  nor  the  busy  cares  oi"  liff  could  deaden  the  strong  con- 
viction of  his  guilt  and  ruin  in  the  sight  of  heaven.  ]3aily  and  almost  hourly  his 
penitent  pleas  rose  before  the  throne  of  grace  ;  ^nd  He  who  "looks  to  every  con- 
trite spirit  trembling  at  His  word  "  answered  with  the  gift  of  the  new  birth  and 
the  inward  testimony  to  that  birth.  On  Christmas  day,  1852,  he  was  baptized 
by  Rev.  John  Harris,  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Whit<i  Plains  church. 

On  his  removal  to  Heard  county,  he  united  with  the  church  at  Franklin.  Here 
his  gifts  of  zeal  and  knowledge  won  appreciation.  The  Providence  church 
requested  his  ordination,  and  this  event  occurred  at  Franklin,  November  8th, 
1862.  From  that  time  to  the  present  he  has.  devoted  himself  to  ministerial  work 
at  Providence  and  other  churches  of  that  sectionj.  Not  a  man  of  high  literary 
culture,  but  possessed  of  a  fair  education  secure^  by  a  full  course  at  Dawson 
Institute,  Greene  county,  he  has  been  an  accebtable  preacher ;  and  when  he 
occupies  the  pulpit,  not  the  ears  only,  but  the  ;hear1s  of  his  congregation,  are 
opened  to  him.  He  has  served  the  Western  i  Association  for  seven  years  as 
Treasurer,  and  for  five  years  as  Moderator.        | 

He  was  married,  January  14th,  1847,  to  ]Vliss  Marj'  E.  Hall,  of  Greene  county, 
a  union  "  in  the  Lord,"  which  the  Lord  has  crowned  with  seven  children,  of 
whom  two  have  passed  into  the  skies. 


HARTWELL  JACKSON. 


Rev.  Hartwell  Jackson  was 
born  July  5th,  1777.  His  ancestors 
emigrated  from  England  to  Virginia, 
and,  being  true  Whigs,  suffered  much 
in  the  colonial  struggle  for  indepen- 
dence. W'hile  he  was  quite  young  his 
father,  Drewry  Jackson,  died ;  and 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  minority 
he  suffered  many  hardships,  laboring 
to  support  his  widowed  mother  and 
orphaned  brothers  and  sisters.  In  the 
midst  of  these  toils,  and  before  he 
reached  man's  estate,  the  family  re- 
moved to  Georgia. 

About  the  year  1801  he  joined  Fish- 
ing Creek  church,  Wilkes  county,  and 
felt  himself  called  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel. But  the  deficiency  of  his  education 
and  the  cares  of  his  family  led  him  to 
disobey  the  call,  and  he  came  even  to 
doubt  it.  Years  of  chastening  from 
the  Lord,  as  he  believed,  followed, 
until  at  last  he  took  up  the  cross.  After 
exercising  his  gifts  as  a  licentiate  for  some  time,  at  the  request  of  Freeman's  Creek 
church  in  Clarke  (now  Oconee)  county,  he  was  ordained  at  Mars  Hill  in  that 
county,  June  7th,  1833.  He  served  the  former  church  for  a  considerable  time  as 
pastor,  but  in  consequence  of  his  advanced  age  smd  declining  health,  he  was 
unable  to  engage  in  pastoral  labor  to  any  great  extent.  He  discharged  minis- 
terial duties,  however,  as  his  health  justified  and  as  occasion  offered.  Though 
not  eloquent,  he  was  a  fervent,  zealous  speaker;  and,,  being  a  man  of  excellent 
common  sense,  and  a  constant  student  of  the  BiWe,  his  points  were  generally 
well  taken,  and  enforced  with  earnestness  and  effect. 

He  was  married,  January  13th,  1801,.  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Bostwick,  and  October 


290 


BlOGtRAP]iICAL  SKETCHES 


29th,  1818,  to  Miss  Margaret  Bradfi3rd,  both  of  Wilkes  county.  The  first  was 
the  mother  of  ten  and  the  second  ojf  thirteen  children,  making  twenty-three  in 
all,  of  whom  five  died  during  infanqy  or  minority,  while  Mr.  Jackson  reared,  edu- 
cated and  settled  in  life  eighteen,  aijid  before  his  death  saw  them  all  members  of 
the  church.  In  his  solicitude  to  iriduce  his  children  and  servants  to  become 
Christians,  he  regularly  maintained  jfamily  worship ;  reading  and  expounding  a 
portion  of  Scripture,  and  often  calling  on  some  one  of  the  servants  or  children 
to  lead  in  prayer.  Their  freedom  from  vice  prior  to  conversion,  and  that  conver- 
sion itself,  was  the  harvest]  reaped  by  the  sickle  of  this  faithfulness. 

For  some  time  before  hij;  death  hf.  was  often  greatly  troubled  as  to  his  own 
acceptance  with  God,  but  his  faith  as  often  triumphed,  and  he  "  rejoiced  in  i/ie 
hope  '  of  everlasting  life.  jIn  his  last  sickness  he  said  :  "  I  am  not  going  to  die, 
but  merely  going  to  fall  asleep  in  Je'sus."  Thus,  finding  the  valley  of  death  a 
valley  not  of  shadow  but  cjf  light,  hel  passed  from  us — passed  before  us — near 
Watkinsville,  Oconee  coun|;y,  July  i^th,  1859. 


GEORGE  JL.  JACKSON. 

Rev.  Gi'.ORGE  li..,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Whitfield)  Jack- 
son,! was  born  \x\.  Screven  county,  Georgia,  February  6th, 
181 1.  He  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Paul  B.  Colson,  in  Sep- 
temlDer,  1839,  ar^d  united  with  Newington  church,  in  that 
coulity,  which  hie  served  afterwards  as  clerk  for  seven 
years.  He  was  jicensed  to  preach  by  it  in  1846,  and  or- 
dained to  the  miiiistry  in  1847.  For  three  year  he  per- 
fornlied  the  arduQus  and  self-sacrificing  work  of  mission- 
ary j^vithin  the  bqunds  of  the  Middle  Association.  Since 
that!  time  he  has  served  churches  in  Screven,  Effingham, 
Chatham  and  Burke  counties  as  pastor.  He  has  baptized 
into  their  membership  over  seven  hundrjjd  persons,  whose  conversion  attests  the 
fidelity  and  zeal  with  which  he  has  preached  the  Word  and  watched  for  souls. 
Sound  in  doctrine  and  earnest  in  appeal,) he  has  "wrought  as  under  the  great 
Taskmaster's  eye,"  and  the  churches  ha|e  flourished  and  brought  forth  fruit. 
He  has  acted  for  seven  yeaj's  as  clerk,  and  for  ten  years  as  Moderator,  of  the 
Middle  Association.  He  fills  the  latter  piosition  at  present,  and  after  a  ministry 
of  thirty-three  years,  still  labors  faithfulN  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord,  held  in 
honor  by  his  brethren,  and  waiting  for  thj;  coming  of  Christ  as  King. 

He  was  married,  in  April,  1836,  to  MJiss  Elizabeth  Zetrower,  of  Effingham 
county,  Georgia,  with  whorn  he  lived  hapjily  until  her  death  in  June,  1859,  and 
in  December,  1862,  to  Mrs.  A.  E.  Thorn,  jof  Burke  county,  who  is  ever  ready  to 
help  him  by  taking  upon  herself  the  responsibilities  of  the  family  that  he  may  go 
and  do  work  for  the  Lord. 


.BSALOM 


JANES. 


The  life  and  character  of  this  distinguished  individual  seems  to  demand  a 
passing  notice.  Mr.  Janes!  was  born  h  the  county  of  Wilkes,  in  this  State, 
June  8th,  1796.  He  removed  to  the  eastern  part  of  Greene  county  (now  Talia- 
ferro) in  1 816,  and  resided  there  until  183c,  when  he  removed  to  Penfield,  where 
he  terminated  his  earthly  existence  Septenber  25th,  1847,  having^just^  entered 
upon  the  fifty-second  year  of  his  age.     He|'  '    '         ^     '  "      '^  " 


dauo-hter  of  Isaac  Calloway,  of  Wilkes  cou  ity,  18 16.     Eleven  children  were  born 


was  married  to  Cordelia   Calloway, 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  29 1 

to  them.  Mrs.  Cordelia  Janes  was  a  most  estimable,'  intelligent,  Christian 
woman,  a  good  wife  and  helpmeet,  an  affectionate,  indulgent  mother,  and  was  a 
pious  member  of  a  Baptist  church  for  twenty  years  before  her  death. 

Mr.  Janes  was  several  times  elected  by  the  people  of  Taliaferro  county,  as 
Senator  to  the  Legislature,  in  which  capacity  he  faithfully  and  ably  sustained  the 
views  and  wishes  of  his  constituents.  In  1844  the  Democratic  party  nominated 
him  as  a  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  Seventh  congressional  district,  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  Hon.  A.  H.  Stephens,  and  although  Mr.  Stephens  was  elected,  his 
accustomed  majority  was  greatly  reduced.  Mr.  Stephens  was  then  a  Whig. 
Mr.  Janes  was  a  States  Rights  Democrat  of  the  Calhoun  school,  and  received 
a  larger  vote  than  any  candidate  who  ever  ran  in  opposition  to  Hon.  A.  H. 
Stephens. 

He  was  a  prominent,  consistent  and  efficient  member  of  the  Baptist  church 
from  1828  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  Treasurer  of  the  Georgia  Baptist 
State  Convention  for  eleven  years.  The  great  monetary  panic,  which  continued 
for  several  years,  from  1838  to  1845,  when  property  depreciated  in  price  more 
than  was  ever  known  in  Georgia,  and  when  hundreds  and  thousands  of  good 
men  were  sold  out,  occurred  whilst  he  was  Treasurer.  Mr.  Janes  so  man- 
aged the  funds  of  the  Convention,  most  of  which  were  in  personal  notes  and 
bonds,  as  to  secure  against  loss ;  and  he  rendered  his  services,  paid  his  own  ex- 
penses whilst  attending  courts  and  conducting  suits  at  law,  and  during  his  entire 
term  of  service,  without  any  remuneration  or  salary. 

He  was  a  trustee  of  "  Mercer  Institute,"  from  its  beginning  in  1833,  to  1838, 
when  it  was  changed  to  "  Mercer  University,"  and  was  a  trustee  of  Mercer  Uni- 
versity until  his  death  in  1847.  He  was  a  colaborer  with  Mercer,  Mallary, 
Sanders,  Stocks,  Sherwood,  Dawson,  Thornton,  Battle,  Davis,  Campbell,  Walker, 
Dickinson  and  others  in  establishing  and  sustaining  "  Mercer  Institute  "  and 
Mercer  University,  at  Penfield,  and  other  benevolent  enterprises  of  the  day,  and 
no  one  contributed  more  liberally  of  his  means. 

Colonel  Janes  had  talents  of  a  high  order,  with  a  strong,  active,  discriminating 
mind  ;  and  possessed  an  energy  of  character  that  enabled  him  to  decide  and  act 
with  promptness  upon  all  practical  questions  that  were  presented  to  his  consid- 
eration. He  reasoned  from  analogy,  and  although  his  conclusions  were  quickly 
drawn,  yet  they  were  seldom,  if  ever,  found  to  be  incorrect.  In  practical  financial 
affairs,  his  judgment  was  inferior  to  none.  He  possessed  a  public  spirit  of 
benevolence,  and  was  liberal  in  his  donations  to  every  worthy  object  that 
presented  itself  He  also  possessed  a  philanthropic  heart,  and  could  feel  for  the 
wants  of  others.  The  poor  and  destitute  of  his  neighborhood  ever  claimed  his 
attention,  and  he  always  showed  a  willingness  cheerfully  to  relieve  them  of  their 
wants  and  distresses.  As  a  parent,  he  was  affectionate,  kind  and  indulgent.  As 
a  neighbor,  he  was  courteous,  peaceable,  beneficent  and  obliging. 

Dr.  J.  L.  Reynolds,  for  a  time  Professor  in  the  theological  department  of 
Mercer  University,  in  noticing  the  death  of  Mr.  Janes,  said  of  him :  "  Mr, 
Janes  was  distinguished  for  wisdom  in  council,  energy  in  action,  enlarged  benev- 
olence and  unvarying  courtesy  and  kindness  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  Verily, 
the  righteous  shall  be  held  in  everlasting  remembrance  while  the  memory  of  their 
enemies  shall  fade  as  the  leaf  of  autumn." 


PHILIP  ANDREW  JESSUP. 

The  lesson  which  a  life  teaches  us  does  not  depend  on  length  of  years.  A 
short  life,  if  marked  by  the  endurance  of  hardships  and  the  conquest  of  difficul- 
ties, may  bear  eloquent  testimony  to  the  dignity  and  might  of  Christian  heroism. 
And  this,  if  we  mistake  not,  is  the  moral  of  the  sketch  now  in  hand. 

Rev.  Philip  Andrew,  fifth  son  of  W.  S.  C.  and  Emeline  Jessup,  was  born 
in  Wilkinson  county,  Georgia,  July,  1840.  Necessity  compelled  him  to  labor  on 
the  farm,  while  his  heart  was  in  the  school-room,  and  he  had  acquired  only  the 


ig2 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


rudiments  of  an  education  when  war  came  and  effectually  closed  every  avenue 
of  hope  in  that  direction.  But  his  pious  parents,  while  unable  to  afford  him  the 
advantages  of  scholastic  training,  sought  to  reai^  him  in  the  nurture  and  admo- 
nition of  the  Lord ;  and  the  truths  of  religion,  instilled  by  their  care  and 
faithfulness  into  his  heart,  were  divinely  blessed  to  his  conversion.  In  1868,  at  the 
age  of  twenty  eight  years,  he  was  baptized,  by  Rev.  D.  N.  Fann,  into  the  fellow- 
ship of  Bethany  church,  Pulaski  county.  His  "  gifts  and  graces "  won  the 
confidence  of  his  brethren,  while  the  fire  of  zeal  for  God  and  love  for  souls 
burned  in  his  bosom,  and  he  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1872.  A  few  months  later, 
in  pursuance  of  a  request  from  Corinth  church,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry 
at  Bethany,  by  a  presbytery  consisting  of  Revs.  W.  J.  Baker,  R.  Smith  and  D. 
N.  Fann. 

After  his  ordination  he  began  to  preach  on  the  Sabbath,  and  to  teach  school 
during  the  week ;  but  no  extended  experiment  was  necessary  to  convince  him 
that  his  culture  was  inadequate  to  the  most  effective  discharge  of  these  duties. 
He  soon  resolved  to  abandon  the  field,  and  to  seek  for  himself  a  more  thorough 
education.  The  execution  of  this  purpose  was  most  strenuously  discouraged  by 
his  former  pastor,  his  brethren  and  his  kindred.  He  was  now  twenty-seven 
years  old,  had  married  Miss  Eliza  Pipkin  in  1869,  and  was  the  father  of  two 
children  ;  but  he  suffered  none  of  these  things  to  shake  his  steadfastness.  He 
made  his  way  to  Mercer  University  in  1875,  only  to  find  himself  unprepared  to 
enter  even  the  Freshman  class ;  and  the  Faculty,  despite  the  interest  felt  in  view 
of  his  energy  and  aspiration,  were  constrained  to  reject  him  for  the  time.  Noth- 
ing daunted,  he  betook  himself  to  the  school  of  Rev.  M.  N.  McCall,  at  Hawkins- 
ville,  where  he  pursued  his  studies  for  five  months,  with  diligence  and  ardor. 
The  time  passed  pleasantly,  for  he  was  beginning  the  great  work — was  fitting 
himself  for  his  high  calling — and  his  mind  was  at  ease.  In  October  of  that  year 
he  returned  to  Mercer,  without  money  and  in  opposition  to  the  advice  of  his 
friends,  and  matriculated  as  Freshman.  Through  four  long  years  he  toiled  and 
studied,  as  only  those  can  who  feel  the  inspiration  of  a  definite  and  noble  object, 
and  was  rewarded  in  1879  with  the  well- won  degree  of  A.  B.  Was  it  not  Carlyle 
who  said,  "  the  block  of  granite,  which  was  an  obstacle  in  the  pathway  of  the 
weak,  becomes  a  stepping-stone  in  the  pathway  of  the  strong  "  ?  And  does  not 
this  brief  outline  enforce  the  truth  he  meant  to  teach  ? 

After  his  graduation,  Mr.  Jessup  became  Principal  of  the  Eastman  High 
School,  and  accepted  an  appointment  as  missionary  on  the  Macon  and  Brunswick 
railroad.  He  is  now  at  work  in  this  double  sphere,  and  doubtless  has  a  future 
which  some  writer  yet  to  come  will  deem  worthy  of  record. 


EDGAR   JEWEL. 


Rev.  Edgar  Jewel,  son  of  William  Jewel,  was  born 
November  25th,  1832,  in  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia. 
His  parents  were  members  of  Antioch  Baptist  church,  and 
of  well-known  integrity  and  piety.  At  the  family  altar  in 
his  father's  house  young  Edgar  received  impressions  for 
good  never  to  be  effaced.  He  was  awakened  to  a  sense  of 
his  sinfulness  before  God  by  a  tract  founded  on  the  words 
of  the  dying  thief — "Lord,  remember  me" — and  was  led 
to  a  knowledge  of  the  Saviour  by  a  sermon  delivered  by 
Rev.  Sylvanus  Landrum,  from  the  text,  "  Christ  is  all  in 
all."  At  fifteen  years  of  age  he  united  with  the  Antioch 
church.  He  was  at  once  impressed  with  convictions  of  duty  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel.     Nine   years   later,    during   the   session   of   the    Central    Association    at 


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OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


293 


Antioch  in  1856,  while  burdened  with  a  desire  to  know  the  will  of  God,  and  while 
praying-  for  added  light,  he  was  enabled  to  say  :  "  My  heart  is  fixed ;  O  God !  my 
heart  is  fixed."  The  following  year,  called  to  ordination  by  Providence  church, 
which  he  was  then  successfully  serving,  he  was  ordained  at  Antioch,  in  the 
twenty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  During  the  next  twenty  years  he  served  the 
churches  known  as  Antioch,  Brownwood,  Carmel,  Centennial,  Eatonton,  Har- 
mony, Hopewell,  Monticello  and  Ramoth.  In  1877  he  removed  to  Monroe, 
Walton  county.  He  became  pastor  of  the  church  here,  and  also  of  the  churches 
at  High  Shoals  and  Sandy  Creek.  Residing  at  the  present  time  in  Conyers,  he 
is  pastor  of  Rockdale,  Woodville  and  Stone  Mountain  churches. 

In  early  manhood  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  C.  C.  Lawrence, 
daughter  of  Allen  Lawrence,  deacon  of  Ramoth  church,  Putnam  county.  They 
have  seven  children. 

The  writer  well  remembers  when  Edgar  Jewel,  then  quite  a  youth,  entered 
Mercer  University.  He  was  of  fair  complexion,  had  blue  eyes  and  light  hair. 
He  was  at  that  early  time  of  life  an  earnest  Christian.  His  Testament  and  hymn- 
book  were  his  companions  in  the  woods,  to  which,  as  others  also  did,  he  resorted 
for  prayer.  He  was  an  unfailing  attendant  on  the  young  men's  twilight  prayer- 
meeting.  Surrounded  by  the  associates  of  that  hallowed  place — William  H. 
Davis,  the  two  Kilpatricks,  G.  R.  McCall,  Henry  R.  Wimberly,  Aaron  E.  Cloud, 
and  a  goodly  band  of  similar  spirits — his  piety  grew  apace.  His  Hfe  has  been 
but  the  anticipated  unfolding  of  the  germs  of  grace  then  apparent. 


L.    R.    L.    JENNINGS. 


Rev.  L.  R.  L.  Jennings  has  been  for  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century  one  of  the  prominent  Bap- 
tist ministers  of  Georgia.  He  is  a  Virginian  by 
birth,  having  been  born  in  Sussex  county  of  that 
State  on  the  22d  of  March,  1823.  His  father, 
Littlebury  Jennings,  was  a  brickmason  by  trade. 
He  married  in  early  life,  and  of  this  marriage 
there  were  born  nine  children,  few  of  whom  sur- 
vived infancy,  and  none  lived  to  be  grown.  After 
the  death  of  this  iirst  wife  he  married  Miss  Eliza 
Ivey,  of  which  marriage  the  subject  of  this  notice 
was  the  fourth  and  last  issue.  His  father  having 
died  even  before  his  birth,  the  physical  and  moral 
training  of  the  children  devolved  wholly  on  the 
widowed  mother.  She  was  not  ill-fitted  for  the 
task.  Though  her  educational  advantages  had 
not  been  liberal,  she  was  a  woman  of  fine  native 
sense,  and  of  earnest  piety.  Being  a  zealous 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  she  sought,  in  the  days  of  his  tender 
childhood,  to  impress  on  his  mind  the  leading  truths  of  the  Bible.  In  these 
efforts  she  was  largely  successful ;  for  he  had  scarcely  entered  on  his  teens  when 
he  became  the  subject  of  serious  religious  impressions.  From  the  age  of  thirteen, 
as  a  pupil  of  a  Baptist  Sunday  school  that  had  been  opened  near  his  home,  he 
studied  the  word  of  God  so  diligently  and  faithfully,  that  despite  a  contrary  bias 
received  from  his  loving  parent,  he  grew  firmly  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the 
doctrines  set  forth  by  the  Baptist  denomination.  While  connected  with  this 
school,  he  became  the  subject  of  divine  grace,  and  was  baptized  into  the  mem- 
bership of  the  Newville  Baptist  church,  in  November,  1843,  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Gwalt- 
ney.  The  duty  of  preaching  the  Gospel  had  been  for  sometime  pressed  on  his 
conscience,  and  accepting  this  as  a  prompting  of  the  Spirit,  he  began  to  prepare 


294  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

himself  for  more  efficient  work  by  entering  Littleton  Academy.  After  contin- 
uing here  for  one  year,  however,  his  failing  health  warned  him  to  desist,  and  he 
was  compelled,  for  a  season,  to  postpone,  though  he  did  not  for  a  moment 
relinquish  his  great  purpose.  Having  recuperated  his  strength  by  the  active 
duties  of  farm  life,  he  engaged  in  teaching  in  Chesterfield  county,  with  a  view 
of  acquiring  the  means  to  advance  his  own  education.  His  health  having  begun 
again  to  suffer,  he  was  advised  to  take  a  trip  to  the  mountainous  region  of  North 
Carolina,  and  here,  while  seeking  physical  advantage  for  himself,  he  sought  the 
spiritual  good  of  others  by  preaching  to  the  people  of  that  remote  region. 
While  on  this  trip  he  met  Rev.  J.  S.  Baker,  at  that  time  editor  of  The  Chris- 
tian Index,  who  discovered  signs  of  promise  in  the  young  licentiate,  and 
urged  him  to  pursue  a  course  of  study  in  Mercer  University,  promising  him  that 
he  should  be  sustained  there. 

He,  accordingly,  came  to  Georgia  in  the  latter  part  of  November,  1848.  The 
months  of  December  and  January  he  spent  in  labors  as  a  colporter,  mostly  in 
the  bounds  of  the  Central  Association.  In  February,  1849,  he  entered  the  pre- 
paratory department  of  Mercer  University,  and  began  his  studies  with  an  ardor 
that  would  no  doubt  have  made  him  a  finished  scholar ;  but  here,  again,  he  was 
interrupted  by  ill  health.  After  little  more  than  a  year,  he  left  the  University, 
and  was  engaged  to  labor  as  an  evangelist  under  the  auspices  of  the  Home 
Mission  Board,  in  the  destitute  portions  of  South  Carolina.  It  was  thought 
that  he  could  labor  more  efficiently  if  ordained,  and  accordingly  he  was  solemnly 
set  apart  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  sometime  in  the  spring  of  ;85o,_by_a 
presbytery  which  convened  at  Pendleton,  South  Carolina.  He  continued  in  his 
labors  for  the  remainder  of  that  year  ;  but  early  in  the  following  year  he  returned 
to  Georgia,  where  he  consummated  a  long-standing  engagement  by  being  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sallie  E.  Stowe,  of  Eatonton.  He  established  his  headquarters  at 
this  point,  and  assumed  the  pastoral  care  of  several  f  hurches  in  Putnam,  Morgan 
and  Greene.  The  death  of  his  father-in  law  rendered  him  virtually  the  head  of 
the  family,  and  with  the  widow  and  younger  children  he  moved  to  Penfield,  con- 
tinuing, however,  principally  in  the  same  field  of  labor.  In  the  beginning  of 
1857,  he  removed  to  Athens  and  took  charge  of  the  Baptist  church  there,  and 
remained  in  that  position  until  after  the  beginning  of  the  war.  He  then  removed 
to  Lexington,  and  entered  on  a  new  field,  extending  over  portions  of  Oglethorpe 
and  Wilkes  counties.  In  the  meantime  his  mother  in-law  had  died,  his  two 
sisters-in-law  had  married,  the  brother-in-law  for  whom  he  had  been  guardian 
had  gone  out  to  act  for  himself ;  so  that  he  was  now  with  no  family  but  his  wife. 
Of  this  companion,  whose  faithfulness  rendered  her  a  true  helpmeet,  and  whose 
pleasant  manners  contributed  not  a  little  to  his  popularity,  he  was  deprived  by 
death  in  the  autumn  of  1866.  He  thereupon  broke  up  his  home,  and  for  some 
years  spent  his  time  in  travels  over  his  diocese,  making  his  headquarters  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Crawfordville,  of  which  church  he  had  been  pastor  for  a  num- 
ber.of  years.  He,  after  a  time,  purchased  a  home  at  this  place,  and  became 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sardinia  Gunn.  This  union  was  dissolved  by  death 
in  January,  1879.  In  November,  of  that  year,  he  was  married  to  his  present 
excellent  and  accomplished  wife,  Mrs.  Carrie  C.  Hilliard.  He  continues  to  be 
pastor  of  the  Crawfordville  church,  with  which  his  relation  has  subsisted  for 
eighteen  years,  being  his  longest  pastorship.  He  also  serves  the  churches  at 
Warrenton,  Horeb  and  Elim. 

Though  of  a  delicate  constitution,  and  most  of  his  life  a  sufferer,  he  has  un- 
dergone a  vast  amount  of  bodily  fatigue,  and  now,  in  his  fifty-sixth  year,  seems 
as  if  he  will  be  good  for  many  years  of  service  yet.  Were  we  called  on  to 
mention  his  predominating  characteristics,  we  should  reply,  energy  and  prompt- 
ness. The  former  quality  he  displays  as  a  pastor  and  as  a  man  of  business.  What- 
ever he  undertakes,  he  pursues  with  a  diligence  that  generally  insures  success. 
His  promptness  is  shown  by  always  being  at  his  post  at  the  right  time,  and  by 
being  always  ready  to  meet  any  business  obligation  that  he  may  incur.  Having 
been,  almost  from  the  very  beginning  of  his  ministry,  the  pastor  of  a  number 
of  churches  at  once,  some  of  which  were  twenty,  thirty,  or  forty  miles  from  his 
home,  it  will  readily  be  seen  that  he  has  not  had  much  time  for  study.     While 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


295 


he  cannot  be  ranked  as  a  learned,  he  is  a  well-informed  man — particularly  well 
informed  in  the  teachings  of  the  Divine  Word.  His  sermons  are  always  instruc- 
tive and  impressive — often  eloquent.  This  is  due  largely  to  the  matter ;  for, 
while  not  an  unpleasant  speaker,  he  would  not  be  classed  as  a  fine  orator.  His 
efforts  as  a  preacher  are  mostly  directed  to  building  up  church  members  in  the 
faith.  While  this  is  true,  however,  we  doubt  if  any  pastor  in  Georgia  has  been 
more  blessed  in  having  large  ingatherings  into  his  churches.  We  do  not  think 
that  he  has  ever  been  pastor  of  a  church  that  he  did  not  leave  stronger  numeri- 
cally than  he  found  it  As  a  pastor,  he  is  endowed  with  much  of  that  tact  which 
Paul  commended  when  he  advised  the  young  bishop  to  be  all  things  to  all  men. 
He  stands  high  among  our  Georgia  preachers,  and  that  he  is  not  to  be  ranked 
with  the  very  first,  is  owing  more  to  lack  of  early  advantages  than  to  lack  of 
native  talent. 


MALCOM   JOHNSTON. 


Prominent  among  Georgia  Bap- 
tists in  the  days  of  Jesse  Mercer, 
B.  M.  Sanders,  Thomas  Stocks, 
Absalom  Janes  and  others,  was 
Rev.  Malcom  Johnston.  Only 
sickness  or  other  providential 
cause  kept  him  from  the  public 
assemblies  of  his  brethren.  He 
was  for  many  years  a  regular  at- 
tendant of  the  Georgia  Baptist 
Convention,  as  a  delegate  from 
his  Association.  An  active,  work- 
ing member  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  that  Convention,  he, 
by  his  wise  counsels  and  financial 
skill,  rendered  valuable  assistance 
in  placing  Mercer  Institute  (now 
Mercer  University)  on  a  solid  and 
permanent  basis.  He  contributed 
liberally  of  his  means  to  all  the 
various  objects  that  claimed  the 
benevolence  of  Georgia  Baptists. 
To  Mercer  University  he  gave  his 
hundreds,  and  was,  so  long  as  he 
lived,  a  regular  and  constant  giver 
to  the  cause  of  missions,  and  every 
other  cause  whose  object  was  the 
advancement  of  the  glory  of  God  and  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  He  was  greatly 
beloved  by  his  brethren,  and  had  their  full  confidence. 

Malcom  Johnston  was  born  May  ist,  1788,  in  Charlotte  county,  Virginia.  He 
was  the  son  of  Thomas  Johnston,  a  native  of  Scotland,  and,  for  many  years, 
Rector  of  a  parish  in  Cornwall.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Rebecca  Mose- 
ley,  of  Virginia.  Their  son  in  his  infancy  was  "  baptized  "  by  his  grandfather 
into  the  Episcopal  Church,  according  to  the  customs  of  that  Church.  In  1799 
the  family  removed  to  Hancock  county,  Georgia,  where  Malcom,  then  eleven 
years  old,  attended  the  schools  in  the  neighborhood  for  two  years,  and  obtained 
such  education  as  was  common  in  those  days.  At  twenty  years  of  age  he  mar- 
ried a  young  widow  lady,  Mrs.  Catharine  Smith  Byrom  {iiee  Davenport),  a  native 
of  Charlotte  county,  Virginia.  He  was  devoted  to  his  farm,  and  hence  his 
success  as  a  farmer.  It  was  a  pet  remark  of  his  :  "  The  best,  safest  bank  in  the 
world  is  a  clay-bank,  and  the  best  share  in  it  is  a  plough-share." 


296  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

In  1827  or  1828  he  was  received  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Baptist  church  in 
Powelton,  and  baptized  by  Rev.  B.  M.  Sanders,  then  the  pastor  of  that  church. 
From  his  connection  with  the  church,  he  gave  himself  and  his  means  and  his 
prayers  to  everything  that  would  promote  its  growth  in  piety,  and  make  it  a 
power  of  religious  ini^iuence  in  the  community.  He  conducted  prayer-meetings, 
and  was  ready  on  all  suitable  occasions  to  say  a  word  for  Jesus.  Two  years 
after  he  united  with  the  church  he  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  was  pastor  of  the  church  at  Mount  Zion,  and  for  a 
short  period  was  pastor  of  Salem  church,  in  Taliaferro  county.  Much  as  he  was 
beloved  by  his  churches,  and  much  as  he  loved  them,  he  was  compelled,  from 
severe  affliction  and  premature  decrepitude,  to  desist  almost  entirely  from  the 
active  duties  of  the  ministry  before  old  age.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  he 
married,  in  1843,  Miss  Sarah  G.,  daughter  of  Hamilton  Bonner.  Esq.,  of  Hancock 
county,  Georgia,  after  whose  death,  in  1858,  he  moved  to  Cartersville,  Bartow 
county,  Georgia.  No  children  were  born  to  him  by  the  last  marriage  ;  by  the 
first,  eight — four  of  whom  are  dead.  The  sons  now  living  are  cultivated  men, 
holding  good  positions  in  society ;  and  the  daughters  have  few  superiors  in  in- 
telligence and  piety.  Their  filial  affection  is  most  ardent,  and  worthy  of  the 
father  on  whom  it  is  so  cheerfully  bestowed. 

He  died  in  Cartersville  in  i86r,  and  his  memory  is  still  cherished  by  those 
who  knew  him  there,  and  by  the  few  scattered  elsewhere  who  knew  him  in  the 
past.  He  carried  with  him  to  Cartersville  the  same  ardent  desire  to  work  for 
the  good  of  the  community  where,  in  the  providence  of  God,  his  lot  had  been 
cast.  Feeling  a  special  longing  and  a  special  sense  of  duty  to  seek  the  religious 
improvement  of  the  town,  he  gave  to  the  Baptists  a  beautiful  lot  for  their  house 
of  worship,  and  to  the  public  an  appropriate  lot  for  their  cemetery. 

In  person,  Rev.  Malcom  Johnston  was  tall  and  stout,  and  of  a  very  fine,  com- 
manding presence.  Cheerful  and  buoyant  in  temperament,  ardent  in  disposition, 
decided  in  his  convictions  and  bold  in  their  assertion,  he  was  prompt  and  energetic 
in  all  business  matters,  at  the  same  time  estimating  his  own  powers  and  virtues 
modestly.  As  a  preacher  his  sermons  were  short  and  practical,  his  appeals  fer- 
vent and  touching ;  his  eloquence  was  persuasive,  and  often  brought  tears  to  the 
eyes  of  his  hearers.  His  efforts  in  the  pulpit  were  such  as  to  convince  all  that 
sufficient  culture  would  have  led  to  a  high  degree  of  eloquence. 

He  abounded  in  hospitality,  and  was  eminently  social  in  his  habits.  His  door 
was  ever  open,  not  only  to  his  friends,  but  to  the  wayfaring  man ;  and  the  beg- 
gar was  never  turned  away  empty.  When,  after  1 851,  on  account  of  increasing 
infirmities  of  body,  he  gave  up  his  plantation  and  negroes  to  his  children,  and 
removed  to  Sparta,  he  was  wont  to  prepare  his  house,  at  court  sessions  and  other 
public  occasions,  as  if  it  had  been  a  hotel,  for  the  purpose  of  entertaining  his  old 
friends  and  neighbors,  and  others  who  might  not  be  able  to  pay  for  entertain- 
ment at  public  houses.  At  such  times,  when  he  was  confined  and  unable  to 
venture  upon  the  streets,  his  servants  might  often  be  seen  in  the  crowds  inviting 
his  friends  and  acquaintances  to  meals  and  lodgings.  He  was  fond  of  reading, 
especially  the  Bible,  and  other  books  and  papers  reflecting  the  sentiments  of  the 
Baptists.  He  was  firm  and  unshaken  in  his  religious  views.  He  was  emphatically 
a  Baptist  in  faith,  and  a  pronounced  Democrat  in  politics.  On  these  points  his 
mind  never  entertained  a  doubt.  His  affection  for  his  children  in  his  old  age  was 
beautiful  and  lovely ;  even  after  they  were  grown  to  womanhood  and  manhood 
he  would  fold  them  to  his  arms  with  the  same  affectionate  tenderness  as  when  in 
childhood  they  were  held  in  his  arms,  or  caressed  when  they  clambered  to  his 
knees.  The  relations  between  him  and  his  servants  were  such  as  to  show  that 
they  appeared  to  believe  no  master  could  be  found  so  good  as  theirs ;  and  to 
their  welfare  he  was  specially  devoted.  There  is  something  touching  in  the  fact 
that  the  servant-woman  who  ministered  to  him  during  many  attacks  of  sick- 
ness in  his  old  age  including  the  last,  has  never  failed  for  nineteen  years  to  visit 
the  cemetery,  of  her  own  accord,  at  regular  intervals  and  keep  his  grave  in 
orderly  repair.  It  is  pleasant  to  leave  on  record  the  life  of  a  man  beloved  by  all, 
honored  by  his  church,  and  who,  in  faith  and  conduct,  illustrated  the  principles 
of  the  glorious  Gospel  of  the  blessed  God. 


OF    PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  297 


WILLIAM  JOHNSON. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  men  we  have  ever  known,  and  one  who  has  done 
much  for  the  Baptist  denomination  in  Florida,  is  the  minister  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch.  Rev.  William  Johnson  was  born  in  Barnwell  district.  South 
Carolina,  January  9th,  1803.  His  father  was  William  Johnson,  brother  of  Col. 
Richard  M.  Johnson,  of  Kentucky,  who  killed  Tecuraseh.  His  mother  was  the 
daughter  of  James  Johnson,  one  of  four  brothers  who  emigrated  from  Ireland 
and  settled,  one  in  Pennsylvania,  one  in  North  Carolina,  and  two  in  South  Caro- 
lina. The  father  of  William  died  before  his  birth,  and  his  mother  died  when  he 
was  seventeen  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  was  bound  apprentice  to  a  trade 
in  Augusta,  Georgia.  Here  he  remained  until  nearly  twenty-one,  when  he  had 
the  first  disagreement  with  his  master,  left  him  and  went  back  to  the  country. 
In  1823  he  went  to  school  a  few  months,  which  was  very  nearly  all  the  education 
he  ever  received. 

Poor,  young  and  unlearned,  he  married,  February  26th,  1824,  Miss  Permelia 
Hamilton.  The  fruit  of  this  marriage  was  twelve  children,  six  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, and  all  worthy  members  of  society,  and  one  the  wife  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Breaker, 
of  Texas.  Mr.  Johnson,  by  industry  and  good  management,  in  the  providence 
of  God,  accumulated  a  good  estate  in  South  Carolina.  On  his  removal  to  Florida, 
he  showed  his  good  judgment  in  the  selection  of  a  home  in  a  fertile  section.  At 
the  close  of  the  late  civil  war,  he  was  left  with  only  his  lands — unless,  perhaps, 
some  money  loaned  which  he  has  never  been  able  to  collect — and  this  at  an  age 
too  advanced  for  much  labor.  He  again  showed  his  good  judgment  and  sagacity 
by  commencing  an  orange  grove,  and  now  has  a  property  which  would  readily 
sell  for  several  thousand  dollars,  while  his  grove,  though  young,  yields  him  a 
support.  In  the  meantime,  by  renting  his  lands,  and  hiring  labor,  he  obtained  a 
living.  During  the  late  war  he  lost  his  first  wife,  and  married  Mrs.  Susan  Ed- 
monds, who  lived  but  a  short  time.  He  then  married  Miss  Georgiana  Tyson, 
who  is  living,  and  the  mother  of  three  of  his  nine  surviving  children. 

He  was  converted  in  the  year  1 829,  and  was  immersed  by  Rev.  Prescot  Bush, 
at  an  arm  of  Darien  church,  Barnwell  district.  He,  some  time  after,  united  with 
the  Philippi  church,  and  while  a  member  there,  was  active  in  the  constitution  of 
the  Edisto  Association.  In  1835  he  was  ordained  at  Philippi,  by  a  presbytery 
consisting  of  W.  B.  Johnson,  D.D.,  Peter  Galloway,  John  I.andrum  and  Joseph 
Morris.  From  his  ordination  until  he  left  South  Carolina,  he  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  ministry,  and  served  as  Moderator  of  the  Edisto  Association.  His 
labors  were  usually  successful.  He  moved  to  Florida  in  1854,  and  united  with 
Pleasant  Grove  church.  He  at  once  took  a  high  stand  in  his  section  of  the  State, 
and  in  the  Santa  Fee  River  and  Alachua  Associations.  He  was,  partly  at  least, 
instrumental  in  forming  the  latter,  and  has  been  its  Moderator  from  its  organ- 
ization. He  has  secured  the  organization  of  some  new  churches,  and  at  different 
times  has  served  as  pastor  the  churches  of  Pleasant  Grove,  Wa-ca-hoo-ta,  Mican- 
opy,  Eliam,  Paran,  Providence  and  Ocwilla. 

As  a  preacher,  Mr.  Johnson  is — after  the  style  of  the  ministers  of  his  day, 
especially  those  deprived  of  early  mental  training — without  a  wide  range  of  sub- 
jects, and  with  but  little  idea  of  sermonizing  and  a  tendency  to  be  controversial. 
He  has  usually  prayed  to  be  impressed  with  a  subject,  and  made  it  a  point  to 
study  the  meaning  of  words.  Like  many  ministers  of  his  generation,  and  not  a 
few  in  this,  he  did  not  teach  that  part  of  the  Gospel  bearing  on  pastoral  support 
and  hence  received  but  little  pay  for  his  services.  He  travelled  three  thousand 
miles  in  one  year,  serving  churches,  and  received  but  twenty  dollars.  He  served 
one  church  a  year,  and  the  pay  he  received  was  a  "  Turkey-red  "  home-made 
vest,  given  him  by  a  sister  he  had  baptized. 

Like  most  men  under  similar  circumstances  of  early  life  and  training,  he  is 
firmly  convinced  of  the  truth,  as  held  peculiarly  by  Baptists,  and  has  but  little 
patience  with  anything  that  contravenes  that  truth.     He  loves  the  "  doctrines  of 


298 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


grace,"  and  the  sovereignty  of  God  upon  which  they  rest.  We  have  frequently 
heard  him  say,  "  I  was  created  by  the  power  of  God,  have  been  preserved  by 
his  goodness,  guided  by  his  providence,  and  saved  by  his  grace."  He  is  yet 
quite  strong  for  one  of  his  age,  short  in  stature  and  corpulent,  with  a  large  head 
and  remarkably  heavy  eye-brows;  and  with  his  white  locks  and  florid  complexion, 
is  a  striking  man  in  his  appearance. 


N.    M.    JONES. 


Rev.  N.  M.  Jones  resides  in  Greene  county,  Georgia; 
and  his  ministerial  work  has  been,  for  the  most  part,  de- 
voted to  the  section  in  which  he  lives.  His  brethren  give 
him  their  entire  confidence  as  a  consistent  Christian,  and 
an  earnest,  self-sacrificing  minister. 

He  was  born  in  Warren  county,  Georgia,  in  August,  1824, 
His  parents  gave  him  such  educational  advantages  as  their 
circumstances  afforded  in  the  country  where  their  home 
then  was ;  but  moving  to  the  vicinity  of  Powelton,  Han- 
cock county,  he  received  the  greater  part  of  his  limited 
education  from  J.  S.  Ingraham,  teacher  in  that  academy. 
While  at  Powelton,  the  associates  among  whom  he  was  thrown  might  have  led 
him  into  bad  habits,  but  for  the  timely  warnings  and  admonitions  of  a  devoted 
mother. 

Having,  as  he  believed,  experienced  the  converting  grace  of  God,  he  presented 
himself  to  the  Smyrna  Baptist  church  for  membership,  and,  being  most  cordially 
received,  was  baptized  in  August,  1847,  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Loudermilk.  Soon  after 
his  connection  with  the  church  he  was  elected  its  clerk,  filling  that  place  satis- 
factorily. As  a  still  further  expression  of  confidence  in  his  Christian  integrity, 
he  was  ordained  at  the  request  of  the  church  to  the  office  of  deacon,  by  Revs. 
J.  H.  Kilpatrick  and  H.  C.  Peck.  Still  more,  in  1868,  he  was  ordained  to  the. 
full  work  of  the  ministry.  His  pastoral  work  has  been  with  the  churches  that 
knew  him  best.  Fourteen  children,  nine  of  whom  are  still  Hying,  have  been 
born  to  him  as  the  fruit  of  his  two  marriages. 

He  has  been  at  times  a  great  sufferer.  For  a  year  or  more  ahnost  deprived 
of  sight,  and  unable  to  do  any  business,  his  family,  but  for  the  timely  aid  of  a 
brother  minister,  would  have_  been  in  want.  He  has  regained  his  sight,  and 
now  concentrates  heart  and  soul  on  his  Master's  work. 


W.   D.   JOINER. 

Rev.  W.  D.  Joiner  was  born  in  Pulaski  county,  Geor- 
gia, the  20th  of, May,  1825.  When  he  was  about  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  his  parents  removed  to  the  neighborhood 
of  Summer  Hill,  in  Stewart  county.  Here  he  was  the 
subject  of  awakening  impressions,  was  led  a  sincere,  pen- 
itent sinner  to  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  was  enabled  to 
rejoice  in  hope  of  the  pardoning  love  of  God.  In 
November,  1843,  being  then  about  eighteen  years  of  age, 
he  united  with  the  Summer  Hill  church,  and  was  baptized 
into  its  fellowship  by  Rev.  Andrew  Cumbie.  In  1845  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Dorcas.  Hooks,  who  has 
borne  him  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  still  living.  In 
1 85 1,  he,  with  his  family,  settled  in  Dale  county,  Alabama,  and  remained  in  tha  t 
section  for  ten  years.     While  in  Alabama  he  was  chosen  deacon  by^the  church 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  299 

of  which  he  was  then  a  member,  filling  that  office  with  credit  to  himself  and  to 
the  satisfaction  of  the  brotherhood.  In  1861,  he  returned  to  his  former  neigh- 
borhood in  Stewart  county.  He  did  not  give  himself  to  the  work  of  the  ministry 
for  some  years  after  he  had  united  with  the  church.  He  often,  doubtless,  felt 
that  it  was  his  duty,  but  tried,  if  possible,  to  escape  from  it.  His  early  education 
had  been  so  limited  and  his  theological  training  so  defective,  that  he  drew  back 
from  a  work  so  vast  and  so  responsible.  Besides,  he  was  a  man  of  retiring 
modesty,  and  seemed  to  feel  he  had  no  power  to  please  or  instruct  others. 
Hence,  it  was  not  until  1870  that  he  gained  his  own  consent  to  yield  himself  up  to 
the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  submit  to  the  wishes  of  his  brethren.  During  that 
year,  he  was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry,  at  the  request  of  the 
Summer  Hill  church.  Since  his  ordination  he  has  served  several  churches  as 
pastor  in  Georgia  and  in  Alabama;  among  them.  Union,  Holimore  Creek, 
Pleasant  Grove,  in  Stewart  county,  Georgia.;  and  Pleasant  Hill,  Barbour  county, 
Alabama.  At  present  he  is  serving  Shady  Grove  church,  Stewart  county,  and 
Mount  Lebanon,  in  Alabama.  He  lives  near  Summer  Hill,  in  the  vigor  of  man- 
hood, has  the  unbounded  confidence  of  the  people  in  his  Christian  fidelity,  and 
promises  to  be  useful  in  the  cause  of  the  Saviour  in  the  future,  as  he  has  been 
in  the  past. 


JOHN  JUMPER. 

Rev.  John  Jumper,  of  the  Indian  Territory,  is  a  full- 
blooded  Seminole  Indian,  and  was  born  in  the  Everglades 
of  Florida,  in  1822  or  1823.  His  education  was  strictly 
that  of  an  Indian  warrior,  and,  as  a  youthful  "brave,"  he 
took  part  in  the  war  between  his  nation  and  the  United 
States. 

With  his  people  he  was  removed  West  to  the  Indian 
Territory,  in  accordance  with  a  government  treaty,  in 
1839,  and,  soon  after  the  tribe  had  settled  in  the  West,  he 
was  made  Principal  Chief  of  the  Seminole  Nation,  a  posi- 
tion of  honor  which  he  held  for  more  than  thirty  years.  Possessing  all  the 
qualities  which  command  the  respect  and  admiration  of  Indians,  he  was  very 
popular  with  his  people,  and  this  popularity  he  not  only  put  to  the  test,  but 
made  it  serve  a  good  and  useful  purpose  in  saving  from  public  flogging  and  from 
death  or  expatriation,  his  friend  James  Factor,  in  1849,  because  he  had  become 
a  Christian.  James  Factor  was  the  first  Seminole  Indian  who  professed  Chris- 
tianity, and  to  this  day  he  remains  faithful,  having  proved  a  very  useful  and 
intelligent  Christian  and  Baptist. 

John  Jumper  was  himself  converted  in  1854  or  1855,  and  joined  the  Presbyte- 
rians ;  but  in  1 861  he  adopted  Baptist  views,  united  himself  with  the  Baptists,  join- 
ing E-su-hut-che  (Ash  Creek)  church,  and  was  baptized  by  John  Bemo,  a  native 
preacher.  Rev.  J.  S.  Morrow,  our  missionary,  being,  at  that  time,  sick  and  too 
weak  to  perform  the  ceremony.  He  was  ordained  in  July,  1865,  at  the  close  of 
the  war,  in  the  refugee  camps,  by-  Rev.  J.  S.  Morrow  and  Dr.  H.  F.  Buckner. 
He  has  been  pastor  of  0-e-ki-wa,  Ta-lo-fu,  (Spring  Town)  and  Me-ko-suk-kyt 
churches,  in  the  Seminole  Nation. 

As  the  Chief  of  his  Nation  he  has  done  them  the  greatest  amount  of  good.  He 
has  given  them  schools,  farms,  homes  and  churches,  besides  preaching  the  Gos- 
pel to  them  faithfully,  and,  in  reality,  has  lifted  them  up  from  barbarism  to 
civilization,  and  from  heathenism  to  Christianity.  He  possesses  great  decision 
of  character  and  administrative  ability,  united  with  a  strong  sense  of  justice,  and 
his  influence  in  his  Nation  is  almost  supreme.  Yet,  not  long  ago,  he  voluntarily 
resigned  his  position  as  Chief  of  the  Nation,  that  he  might  devote  his  whoJe  time 


300 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


to  preaching  the  Gospel ;  and  sets  his  people  a  good  example  of  industry  by 
working  on  his  own  farm.  Often  he  has  been  sent  by  his  Nation  to  Washington 
City,  as  a  delegate  to  treat  with  the  government  on  tribal  matters  ;  and  during 
the  war  he  served  as  a  colonel  in  the  Confederate  army.  In  appearance  he  is  a 
splendid  specimen  of  physical  manhood,  being  six  feet  four  inches  in  height, 
with  a  large,  well  built,  symmetrical  figure,  and  weighing  two  hundred  and  forty 
pounds.  He  has  a  real  Indian  complexion,  with  coal  black  hair  and  eyes,  and 
white  teeth,  but  no  beard.  He  is  not  only  intellectual,  but  very  witty,  and  often 
makes  this  gift  tell  for  good. 

He  is  a  diligent  student  with  the  few  means  at  his  command,  and  has  managed 
to  learn  much  from  observation  and  conversation,  and  from  his  association  with 
the  whites.  In  his  sermons  he  is  very  instructive,  logical  and  forcible,  and  often 
says  publicly  and  very  solemnly,  in  the  pulpit,  that  he  would  give  all  his  property 
and  honors  if  he  could  read  and  understand  the  English.  Bible,  or  if  he  had  one 
single  copy  of  the  whole  Bible  in  his  own  language.  As  yet  a  small  part  only 
of  the  New  Testament  has  been  translated  into  the  Creek  or  Seminole  language. 

John  Jumper  is  a  strong  Baptist,  and  has  been  a  tower  of  strength  to  our  de- 
nomination in  the  West,  and  through  his  influence  nearly  all  the  Seminoles  who 
are  Christians  at  all,  are  Baptists.  To  his  heavenly  Master  he  has  been  a  faith- 
ful servant,  preaching  always  from  a  sense  of  duty  and  without  regard  to  pay. 
He  has  baptized  a  large  number,  has  trained  his  family  and  his  churches  in  the 
fear  of  God,  and  is  without  a  stain  from  the  world.  Among  the  Indians  he  is  a 
representative  man,  and  as  long  as  there  lives  a  Seminole  Indian,  his  life  and 
character  will  be  held  in  reverence. 


ADONIRAM    JUDSON    KELLY. 


Rev.  Adoniram  JuDSON  Kelly  was  born 
in  Macon  county,  North  Carolina,  October, 
1831 ;  professed  faith  in  Christ  and  joined 
the  Baptist  church  at  Franklin,  October,  1848, 
and  was  hcensed  to  preach  in  August,  1854. 
Having  received  but  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, he  determined  at  the  time  of  his 
licensure  to  seek  more  thorough  culture  as  a 
qualification  for  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
With  this  view,  he  converted  his  little  prop- 
erty into  money,  and,  October,  1854,  entered 
Sand  Hill  Academy,  a  high  school  taught  by 
a  Presbyterian  minister  in  Buncombe  county. 
North  Carolina,  about  eighty  miles  distant 
from  his  mother's  residence.  Here  his  pro- 
gress was  most  gratifying  to  his  friends.  At 
the  close  of  the  first  year  he  determined  to 
make  an  effort  to  graduate  at  Wake  Forest 
College.     But  in  two  years  at  the  College  his 

health  so  failed  that  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  the  further  prosecution  of 

his  studies. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1857,  he  returned  to  his  mother's  and  engaged  in  mission 

work  under  the  auspices  of  the  Western  Convention  of  North  Carolina,  and 

was  ordained  to  the  full  work'of  the  ministry,  March,  1858,  Revs.  J.  Amons,  M. 

Rickmon  and  R.  H.  Moody  constituting  the  presbytery. 

In  August  of  that  year  he  came  to  Gwinnett  county,  Georgia,  and  traveled 

as  missionary  and  colporter  in  the  Lawrenceville  Association,  teaching  school 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  3OI 

also  as  necessity  required.  Having  been  chosen  pastor  of  the  Academy  church, 
in  Jackson  county,  in  i860,  and  of  Cabin  Creek  church,  in  1861,  he  moved  to 
Jefferson,  January,  1862,  married  Mrs.  Burns,  of  that  place,  the  9th  of  February 
following,  and  soon  after  settled  on  a  farm  in  its  vicinity. 

He  has  labored  under  serious  disadvantages,  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
ministry.  Almost  a  constant  sufferer  from  chronic  sore  throat,  he  sometimes 
despairs  of  ever  preaching  again  ;  at  other  times,  his  throat  being  better  than 
usual,  he  makes  sacrifices  that  he  may  give  himself  wholly  to  the  ministry  of 
the  word. 

Thoroughly  established  in  the  great  doctrines  of  salvation  by  grace,  his  best 
pulpit  efforts  are  on  themes  of  this  kind,  teaching  the  people  that  their  only  hope 
is  in  the  crucified  One.  He  has  hi=.en  successful  in  building  up  churches,  perma- 
nently, though  sometimes  slowly.  Discarding  the  sensational,  he  relies  entirely 
on  the  Spirit  of  God  under  the  use  of  divinely  authorized  means  for  the  salva- 
tion of  souls,  and  confidently  affirms  that  permanent  prosperity  among  the 
churches  can  be  attained  only  in  ,this  way.  In  his  judgment,  if  churches  are 
built  up  by  sensational  means  they  are  built  up  only  to  fall  down,  and  their  last 
state  is  worse  than  the  first. 

He  has  been  prominent  in  bringing  up  the  union  meetings  of  the  Jackson 
district  of  the  Sarepta  Association  to  a  high  degree  of  efficiency.  No  one  takes 
a  deeper  interest  in  the  discussion  of  the  subjects  presented,  or  in  the  prosperity 
of  the  churches  than  he. 

He  is  a  good  writer ;  and  though  he  has  extensively  contributed  to  the  secular 
and  religious  press,  yet  he  scarcely  ever  writes  an  article  which  pleases  himself.  To 
his  own  eye  imperfections  appear  everywhere.  Articles  well  calculated  to  ac- 
complish the  objects  for  which  they  were  intended,  and  reflect  credit  on  the 
author,  have  been  consigned  to  oblivion  as  entirely  unworthy  the  public  eye. 

A  warm  friend  of  missions  both  at  home  and  abroad,  of  temperance,  Sunday- 
schools  and  strict  discipline  among  the  churches,  he  labors  and  prays  for  their 
universal  prevalence.  He  also  believes  that  all  Christian  work  is  church  work, 
and  therefore  disapproves  of  efforts  for  the  salvation  of  souls  which  are  unau- 
thorized by  the  churches  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  prosecuted  apart  from  them. 


WILLIAM   WILLIS    KELLY. 

Rev.  William  Willis  Kelly,  son  of  Andrew  W. 
and  Elizabeth  J.  Kelly,  was  born  January  14,  1847,  in 
Coweta  county,  Georgia.  Hired  to  an  uncle  at  the  age 
of  nine,  he  lived  with  his  parents  only  at  short  intervals 
of  a  month  or  two  in  the  summer  of  each  year ;  and 
during  these  months  only  he  attended  school.  The  rest 
of  the  year  he  worked  on  the  farm  for  wages,  to  assist 
his  father,  who,  with  a  family  of  ten  children,  had  lost 
all  his  property.  In  187 1,  however,  he  entered  the  school 
of  Rev.  T.  N.  Rhodes,  under  whose  tuition  he  remained 
two  years,  supporting  himself,  the  first,  by  farm  labor 
during  vacation,  and  the, second,  by  assisting  his  teacher  a  portion  of  the  time 
every  day.  In  1873,  he  attended  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary, 
taking  but  a  brief  course  for  want  of  funds,  and  supported  in  part  by  benevo- 
lent contributions  made  to  that  "  school  of  the  prophets."  But  the  interruption 
of  attendance  on  scholastic  institutions  implies,  in  his  case,  no  suspension  of 
study.  As  a  boy,  he  was  accustomed  to  carry  a  book  in  his  pocket,  and  apply 
himself  to  it  diligently  in  all  his  leisure  moments,  whenever  he  could  do  so  with- 
out neglect  of  business,  making  that  use  of  his  time  his  recreation.  Now,  that 
it  is  largely  his  business,  he  will  not  prove  untrue  to  its  claims  on  him. 


^02 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


In  1865,  he  was  converted,  and  baptized  at  Montezuma  church,  Carroll  county, 
by  Rev.  S.  Phillips.  Seven  years  later,  December  30th,  1872,  he  was  ordained 
to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry.  He  was  called  to  the  care  of  the  Whitesburg 
church,  and  has  also  served  other  churches  in  Carroll,  Heard,  Troup,  Coweta, 
and  Douglass  counties.  He  has  proved  himself  a  young  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  promise,  and,  notwithstanding  his  youth,  has  acted  at  two  sessions  of 
the  CarroUton  Association  as  its  Moderator.  His  habit  of  study  formed  in  early 
life,  if  continued,  will  bear  him  to  a  high  position  as  a  close  thinker,  and  make 
him,  with  the  divine  blessing,  an  instrument  of  much  usefulness  to  the  cause  of 
Christ.  He  is  of  an  active  temperament  and  zealous  in  whatever  he  undertakes  ; 
a  good  pastor ;  able  in  exposition  and  sound  in  doctrine. 

In  1877,  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Texas  Moore,  of  Carroll  county.  He  is 
nearly  six  feet  in  height,  of  light  complexion,  with  dark  hair  and  blue  eyes.  His 
kindly  spirit  gives  him  a  strong  hold  on  his  friends,  and  his  upright  life  makes 
friends  of  everybody,  while  he  endeavors  to  improve  all  opportunities  to  cultivate 
both  head  and  heart  for  the  work  that  is  on  him. 


JAMES    HALL   TANNER    KILPATRICK. 


Rev.  James  Hall 
Tanner  Kilpatrick 
was  born  in  Iredell  county, 
North  Carolina,  on  the 
24th  of  June,  1793,  and 
was  descended  from  the 
old  Covenanters  of  Scot- 
land.* His  parents  were 
Presbyterians. 

His  early  educational 
advantages  were  fine,  and 
his  splendid  intellect  ena- 
bled him  to  reap  the  full 
benefit  of  them.  At  sev- 
enteen he  opened  a  school 
in  North  Carolina  and 
taught  for  one  year,  thus 
obtaining  the  means  to 
enter  Wellington  Acade- 
my, in  South  Carolina, 
taught  by  the  famous 
Moses  Waddell,  where  he 
remained  a  year,  availing 
himself  fully  of  this  oppor- 
tunity to  widen  his  ac- 
quaintance with  the  higher 
branches  of  learning.  A 
strong  desire  to  venture 
boldly,  in  self-support,  on 
the  great  sea  of  life,  in- 
duced him,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  to  emigrate  west  of  the  Mississippi,  although  the 
enterprise  was,  at  that  time,  one  of  danger  and  even  of  rashness.  He  became 
Principal  of  the  Baton  Rouge  Academy,  Louisiana,  in  which  position  he  remained 
for  two  years,  removing  then  to  Natchitoches,  where  he  again  engaged  in  teach- 
ing.    At  that  time  the  war  of  1812  was  in  progress,  and  General  Jackson  was 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  3O3 

marshalling  his  forces  to  repel  Packenham.  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick  volunteered  and 
took  part  in  the  campaign  which  resulted  in  the  memorable  battle  of  January 
8th,  1 81 5.  The  next  year,  while  teaching  at  Cheneyville,  Louisiana,  he  married 
Sarah  Adaline  Tanner,  daughter  of  Robert  Tanner,  Esq.,  a  Baptist,  and  this 
threw  Mr.  Kilpatrick,  for  the  first  time  into  association  with  that  people.  After 
his  marriage,  he  was  brought  to  the  exercise  of  saving  faith,  and  the  question 
of  baptism  was  subjected  by  him  to  an  examination,  which  resulted  in  his  con- 
version, thoroughly,  to  Baptist  views.  He  joined  the  Baptist  church  at  Cheney- 
ville in  1 8 17,  and  soon  after  began  to  preach,  being  licensed  in  August  of  that 
year.  While  laboring  as  a  minister  and  principal  of  the  Academy,  at  Alexan- 
dria, Louisiana,  in  1820,  he  lost  his  wife,  in  whose  honor,  and  in  accordance 
with  an  inheritance  law  of  Louisiana,  he  adopted  the  name  of  Tanner,  which 
accounts  for  the  letter  T.  in  his  initials. 

Mr.  Kilpatrick  now  returned  east,  preaching  as  he  traveled  on  horseback.  At 
Robertville,  South  Carolina,  he  was  induced  to  forego  his  visit  to  the  home  of 
his  childhood,  and  remain  as  the  "  supply  "  for  a  church,  which  he  did  for  a  year  or 
more. 

Attending  the  Savannah  River  Association,  he  became  acquainted  with  Jesse 
Mercer  and  Elisha  Ferryman,  which  led  to  a  trip  to  Georgia,  on  a  preaching 
tour,  where,  on  the  22d  June,  1822,  he  married  Miss  Harriet  Eliza  Jones,  a  lady 
of  wealth,  refinement  and  great  piety.  His  marriage  induced  his  settlement  in 
Burke  county,  Georgia,  where  he  continued  the  remainder  of  his  useful  and 
laborious  life,  battling  for  the  cause  of  religion,  missions  and  temperance,  and 
aiding  to  build  up  the  cause  of  education,  his  field  of  labor  being  principally  in 
the  Hephzibah  Association,  then  strongly  anti-missionary.  In  that  very  year  the 
Association  resolved  that  a' letter  presented  by  the  senior  Brantly,  from  the  Bap- 
tist Foreign  Mission  Beard,  at  Philadelphia,  should  be  thrown  under  the  table, 
which  was  actually  done.  In  1825,  the  same  Association  passed  a  resolution 
that,  so  far  from  corresponding  with  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  then 
called  "  The  General  Association,"  or  any  other  missionary  society,  any  brother 
who  even  made  a  motion  on  these  subjects  should  be  considered  "  in  disorder," 
and  be  reproved  by  the  Moderator.  This  was  the  state  of  feeling  against 
which  Mr.  Kilpatrick,  Joshua  Key,  and  perhaps  a  few  others,  had  to_  contend. 
The  latter  did  not  hesitate  to  express  his  opinions,  and  the  former,  besides  talk- 
ing in  private  and  preaching  in  public,  wrote  his  very  useful  tract  entitled,  "  Plain 
Dialogue  on  Missions,"  now  a  standard  document,  and  one  which  had  a  very 
salutary  effect  at  the  time. 

The  Hephzibah  Association  was  thirty-six  years  old  in  1830,  and  contained 
twenty-two  churches  and  1,900  members,  and  up  to  1831  it  had  made  no  contri- 
butions, whatever,  for  missions,  but  from  1 60  to  I70  were  annually  sent  up, 
mostly  for  Minutes.  In  1830  it  was  decided  that  the  members  of  the  body  would 
visit  the  Convention  as  spectators,  and  the  following  year,  1831,  the  Association 
entered  into  correspondence  with  it.  The  same  year  the  "  Itinerant  Committee  " 
was  appointed,  and  instructed  "  to  employ  persons  to  ride  and  preach  in  the 
bounds  of  the  Association."  In  1837,  the  Association  united  with  the  Conven- 
tion, and  has  been  known  as  a  missionary  body  ever  since  ;  in  that  year  a  con- 
tribution of  $78.20  was  made,  to  aid  in  printing  Judson's  Burmese  Bible.  In 
1840,  the  contribution  to  missions  was  ■2\  cents  per  capita  ;  in  1850,  it  was  27 
cents;  in  i860,  it  was  34  cents;  in  1870,  20  cents;  in  1878,  28  cents ;  and  the 
increase  was  steady  until  the  close  of  the  war.  The  leading  men  in  those  years 
were  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  Jonathan  Huff,  Joseph  Polhill,  deacon  Cain,  and  General 
G.  W.  Evans ;  but  chief  among  these  for  ability,  zeal  and  influence,  was  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  ;  and  to  him,  more  than  to  any  other,  may  be  attributed 
the  gradual  change  to  a  higher  state  of  usefulness  in  the  Association.  He  was, 
also,  generally  recognized  as  the  champion  of  Baptist  faith  in  the  Association, 
as  well  as  of  mission  and  temperance  principles. 

In  him  the  cause  of  education  had  a  most  vigorous  as  well  as  liberal  supporter. 
He  gave  to  the  Hephzibah  Association  the  land  on  which  the  "  Hephzibah  High 
School  "  was  established  in  1861,  mainly  through  the  efforts  of  his  son.  Rev. 
W.  L.  Kilpatrick — a  school  which,  since  that  time,  has  maintained  a  record  of 
usefulness  and  efficiency  equal  to  that  of  any  similar  institute  in  the  land. 


304 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


In  his  Association  Mr.  Kilpatrick  was  fully  recognized  as  the  presiding  genius 
for  many  years.  Very  often  he  wrote  the  Circular  Letter,  and  preached  the 
Introductory  Sermon  and  the  Missionary  Sermon,  after  the  practice  was  agreed 
upon  in  1835.  For  years  he  was  Clerk  and  Treasurer,  and  for  many  years  Mod- 
erator of  the  Association,  and  his  services  were  put  in  requisition  on  all  the 
important  committees ;  thus  from  1822  to  the  war,  he  was  an  active  worker  in 
his  Association,  and  to  him,  more  than  to  any  other  one,  is  due  the  great  change 
and  great  progress  in  the  Hephzibah  Association.  He  lived  to  see  his  three 
daughters  married,  and  his  two  sons  become  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  On  the 
9th  of  January,  1869,  he  finished  his  course  with  joy,  exclaiming,  "Precious  Je- 
sus !"  as  he  fell  asleep  in  death.  From  a  brief  memorial  written  by  Rev.  E.  R. 
Carswell  and  copied  into  Campbell's  Georgia  Baptists — from  which  volume 
most  of  these  facts  are  taken — we  learn  that  Rev.  J.  H.  T.  KilpatrTck  "  was 
endowed  with  an  intellect  massive  and  analytical.  As  a  preacher,  he  was  always 
instructive,  and  would  sometimes  enchain  you  for  two  or  three  hours  by  his 
eloquence.     As  a  writer,  Le  was  always  accurate,  forcible  and  clear." 

The  Minutes  of  the  Association  contain  the  following  as  part  of  a  report 
made  by  General  G.  W.  Evans,  in  1869,  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Kilpatrick :  "  As  a 
citizen,  he  was  quiet,  retiring  and  unobtrusive  ;  as  a  man,  open,  honest  and  un- 
suspecting ;  as  a  parent,  faithful  to  the  high  trust  committed  to  his  hands ;  as  a 
pastor,  laborious  and  constant,  always  punctual  to  his  appointments,  never  hav- 
ing disappointed  a  congregation  in  the  whole  course  of  his  protracted  ministry ; 
as  a  preacher,  he  was  logical  and  profound,  and,  when  aroused,  oftentimes  sub- 
limely eloquent ;  as  a  writer !  and  a  controversialist,  he  was  true,  accurate  and 
resistless ;  and  as  a  Christian,  uniform  and  faithful.  Gifted  with  a  massive 
intellect  and  with  an  iron  constitution,  he  literally  wore  out  in  the  service  of  his 
Master." 


JAMES  HINES  KILPATRICK. 


In  the  front  rank  of  Georgia  Baptist  min- 
isters, stands  Rev.  James  Hines  Kilpat- 
rick, one  of  the  most  faithful  pastors, 
useful  ministers,  consistent  Christians,  able, 
pointed  and  logical  preachers  and  writers 
among  them.  What  he  believes  to  be  right 
and  true  he  will  contend  for  to  the  last,  his 
conscientiousness  never  permitting  him  to 
yield  to  expediency  or  succumb  to  mere 
opposition.  A  diligent  student,  he  has  al- 
ways been  something  of  a  recluse.  Most 
correct  and  consistent  as  a  man,  he  is 
thoroughly  evangelical  as  a  preacher,  sound 
in  doctrinal  views,  always  giving  good  in- 
struction in  plain,  forcible  terms.  He  makes 
no  effort  at  display ;  there  is  in  his  dis- 
courses the  simple  presentation  of  Gospel 
truth  in  a  manner  that  no  one  can  fail  to 
understand,  and  which  but  few  fail  to  appreciate  ;  and  it  may  truthfully  be  said 
that  no  minister  in  the  State  is  more  uniformly  heard  with  interest  and  profit. 
A  sermon  of  his,  before  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  entitled  "  No  royal  road 
to  church  prosperity,"  has  done  much  to  encourage  faithful,  laborious  pastors 
in  their  arduous  work,  and  to  correct  popular  errors  as  to  sensational  preaching 
and  sensational  preachers.  For  years  he  has  been  reckoned  the  model  pastor, 
and  his  church  the  model  church  of  the  State,  and  it  seems  impossible  for  a  pas- 


OF  PROMINENT  BAPTISTS.  305 

tor  to  be  more  beloved  by  a  people  than  he  is  by  his  people,  or  for  a  pastor's 
influence  on  the  spirituality  of  his  church  members  to  be  more  beneficial  than 
his  has  been.  Quiet  and  unobtrusive,  he  shows  deference  for  the  opinions  of 
others,  while  presenting  his  own  views  clearly,  and  maintaining  them  with  con- 
fidence. Wherever  he  is  known  his  opinions  with  reference  to  Scripture  teach- 
ings and  church  polity  command  respect,  and  many  of  his  brethren  consult  him 
freely,  and  often  shape  their  course  in  accordance  with  his  suggestions.  He  has 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  Georgia  Association  for  years,  and 
almost  from  his  majority  has  occupied  a  seat  in  the  Georgia  and  Southern  Bap- 
tist Conventions.  But  few  are  more  thoroughly  identified  than  he  with  all  the 
interests  of  those  bodies,  while  none  attend  their  sessions  more  punctually. 

In  private  life  Mr.  Kilpatrick  is  simple  in  his  habits,  pleasant  in  his  social  inter- 
course, accessible  to  the  most  humble,  while  he  is  unawed  by  the  greatest,  never 
deviating  from  the  line  of  strict  consistency  and  rectitude,  and  always  tender, 
considerate  and  devoted  in  the  family  circle.  In  his  garden  and  orchard  he  takes 
much  interest,  and  when  at  home  divides  his  time  between  them  and  his  books. 

He  is  the  son  of  Rev.  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick  and  Harriet  E.  Jones,  and  was  born 
in  Burke  county,  October  18,  1833,  though  reared  in  Richmond  county,  where 
the  village  of  Hephzibah  now  stands.  As  a  boy  he  was  quiet  and  orderly,  with 
but  Uttle  of  the  hilarity  and  mirthfulness  usually  found  in  connection  with  a 
healthy,  vigorous  body.  In  his  deportment  there  was  nothing  that  savored  of 
rudeness ;  on  the  contrary,  consideration  of  the  rights  and  feelings  of  others 
marked  his  conduct.  His  chief  characteristic,  even  at  that  early  age,  was  self- 
reliance.  No  special  brilliancy  of  intellect,  such  as  would  astonish  his  friends, 
was  apparent  in  him  when  a  youth,  yet  he  so  uniformly  accomplished  what  was 
required  by  his  teachers,  that  any  failure  on  his  part  would  have  been  a  matter 
of  surprise  both  to  them  and  to  his  fellow-pupils. 

In  his  academic  course,  when  preparing  for  college,  it  so  happened  that  his 
preceptor  was  unacquainted  with  Greek.  He  quietly  began  the  study  of  that 
language  himself,  aided  occasionally  at  the  beginning  by  his  father,  as  to  the 
sound  of  letters  and  the  pronunciation  of  words.  In  this  way  he  prepared  him- 
self for  college  in  the  Greek  language. 

Mr.  Kilpatrick  entered  Mercer  University  in  1849,  and  graduated  in  1853, 
sharing  the  highest  honors  of  his  class  with  John  T.  Clarke  and  Henry  T.  Wim- 
berly.  In  his  college  career,  as  in  his  academic  course,  he  was  respected  by  his 
teachers  and  fellow-students  for  his  correct  deportment  and  faithful  attention  to 
duty. 

In  September,  1850,  while  at  Mercer,  he  made  a  public  profession  of  faith  in 
Christ,  and  at  once  felt  it  his  duty  to  devote  his  life  and  energy  to  the  Gospel 
ministry.  In  December,  1854,  he  was  called  to  ordination  by  the  Baptist  church 
at  White  Plains,  in  Greene  county,  where  he  taught  school  during  that  ye^r, 
although  the  ordination  services  took  place  at  Hopeful  church,  Burke  county. 
In  response  to  questions  propounded  by  the  presbytery,  he  disclaimed  feeling 
that  supernatural  call  to  the  ministry  which  some  profess  to  experience,  but  de- 
clared that  a  deep  anxiety  for  the  salvation  of  sinners,  an  ardent  desire  to  be 
useful  in  the  Master's  cause,  and  a  strong  conviction  of  duty  to  engage  in  the 
work,  constituted  about  all  the  call  which  he  could  claim.  He  began  his  labors 
as  pastor  in  1855,  as  successor  to  Rev.  V.  R.  Thornton,  at  White  Plains  church. 
Few  pastors  have  been  so  fortunate  as  he  in  beuig  called  to  the  charge  of  a  church 
possessing  such  capabilities  of  development,  while  still  fewer  churches  have  been 
so  fortunate  as  to  secure  a  pastor  with  such  rare  gifts  for  developing  their  powers 
and  resources.  Although  usually  he  has  had  the  care  of  one  or  more  of  the 
neighboring  churches,  in  conjunction  with  that  at  White  Plains,  yet  Mr.  Kilpat- 
rick's  energies  have  been  concentrated  chiefly  upon  this  church,  and  the  position 
which  it  now  occupies  among  the  churches  of  the  State  is  largely  due  to  his 
instrumentality. 

As  a  writer,  Mr.  Kilpatrick  is  strong,  solid,  sensible  and  convincingly  argu- 
mentative, yet  but  few  of  his  productions  have  been  published.  A  sermon  on 
the  subject  of  Universalism,  is  a  clear  exposition  of  Scriptural  teachings,  and 
quieted  the  minds  of  many  on  that  subject.     A  series  of  articles  written  by  him 


3o6 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


on  the  subject  of  Baptism,  appeared  in  The  Christian  Index,  which  seem 
to  leave  nothing  more  to  be  said  for  the  information  either  of  the  learned  or  un- 
learned. These  articles  are  called  fo'-  in  book  form,  and  may,  perhaps,  be  thus 
given  to  the  public  at  some  future  day. 

Mr.  Kilpatrick  has  been  married  twice,  and  is  the  father  of  a  large  family  of 
children.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Cornelia  Hall,  whom  he  married  in  1856.  His 
present  wife  was  Miss  Edna  P.  Heard,  to  whom  he  was  united  in  1870.  Of 
medium  size,  and  of  rather  slender  proportions,  Mr.  Kilpatrick  has  dark  hair, 
blue  eyes,  fair  complexion,  is  now  forty-seven  years  of  age,  and  weighs  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  pounds.  Sobriety  and  earnestness  mark  his  mien.  He  is  a 
staunch  Baptist,  but  it  is  because  his  Bible  makes  him  so.  He  is  as  modest  as 
he  is  meritorious,  and  as  unassuming  as  the  true  and  deserving  nearly  always 
are.  While  he  seeks  no  applause,  he  shuns  no  responsibility  and  shirks  no  duty, 
seeking  always  to  have  a  conscience  void  of  offense  towards  God  and  man.  He 
is  one  of  the  best  and  most  useful  men  of  our  denomination,  and  makes  his 
influence  felt  through  the  force  of  good  intentions,  genuine  piety,  personal  purity 
and  acknowledged  ability.  As  a  country  pastor  he  has  proved  himself  to  be  not 
only  superior,  but,  perhaps,  without  a  peer. 


JOSHUA  KEY. 


Rev.  Joshua  Key  was  a  worthy  and 
useful  minister  of  the  Gospel.  He 
was  born  February  9th,  1786,  in  Edge- 
field district,  South  Carolina.  His 
father,  Thomas  Key,  was  a  captain  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  rendered 
valuable  service  during  that  sore 
struggle  for  American  independence. 
His  mother  was  named  Elizabeth 
Scott  Key.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  common  schools  of  the 
country,  with  no  opportunity  for 
higher  collegiate  culture.  From  his 
youth  even  almost  to  the  close  of  life, 
he  displayed  great  energy  of  charac- 
ter, sound  judgment  and  prudent 
management  in  business.  When  about 
sixteen  years  of  age  he  commenced 
business,  opening  a  store  near  Edge- 
field Court-house,  and  encouraged  by 
success,  removed  to  the  city  of  Au- 
gusta, Georgia,  about  1818,  to  prose- 
cute his  business  on  a  larger  scale. 
Some  years  afterwards  he  settled  in  Burke  county,  and  became  one  of  the  largest 
and  most  successful  cotton  planters  of  that  county. 

Before  leaving  South  Carolina  he  was  led  to  repentance  for  his  sins  somewhat 
on  this  wise  :  A  workman  who  was  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Key,  asked  his  per- 
mission to  attend  a  protracted  meeting  then  in  progress  at  Hardy's  church.  He 
refused,  and  in  anger  replied :  "  You  will  lose  the  job,  if  you  go."  The  work- 
man calmly  replied  :  "  Be  it  so  ;  I  shall  go,  and  pray  for  you,  too."  Mr.  Key,  in 
this  excited  state  of  mind,  left  and  went  to  where  his  laborers  were  clearing 
some  land.  While  there,  he  had  occasion  to  cut  a  vine  with  his  knife,  and 
instantly  the  thought  occurred  to  him  that  God  could  cut  him  off  in  his  sins  as 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  307 

easily  as  he  had  cut  that  vine.  He  was  overwhelmingly  convicted,  and  never, 
from  that  moment,  enjoyed  an  hour's  peace  until  he  was  enabled,  by  faith,  to 
realize  that  Jesus  could  save  the  chief  of  sinners  ;  and  thus  believing,  he  rejoiced 
in  hope  of  the  pardoning  mercy  of  God.  Not  long  after,  he  united  with  the 
church  at  Hardy's,  and  he  and  the  workman  whom  he  had  abused  were  now 
friends  indeed,  and  brothers  beloved  in  the  Lord. 

When  he  removed  to  Augusta,  in  1818,  he  united  with  the  Green  Street 
church  of  that  city,  and  entered  at  once  into  every  good  work.  After  the  pres- 
ent building  was  completed,  the  church  found  that  a  considerable  debt  had  been 
contracted,  and  it  was  feared  that  the  membership  were  not  able  to  pay  it,  and 
the  building  would  have  to  be  sold ;  but  Mr.  Key,  with  his  accustomed  zeal, 
aided  by  another  gentleman,  called  on  each  citizen,  raised  the  money  and  paid 
the  debt. 

He  removed  to  Burke  county,  Georgia,  and  united  with  the  Brushy  Creek 
church,  and  in  1825  was  called  by  that  church  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  The 
ordination  service  was  performed  by  Revs.  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick,  Robert  Carson, 
Jonathan  Huff  and  Isaac  Brinson.  From  1825  to  1837  he  served  this  church  as 
pastor,  and  the  following  churches  at  various  times  :  Bark  Camp.  Sardis,  Little 
Buckhead,  and,  perhaps,  Piney  Grove  and  Big  Buckhead,  in  Burke  county ; 
Sisters  and  Jordan,  in  Washington  county ;  Providence,  in  Jefferson  county ; 
Friendship,  in  Richmond  county ;  Silver  Run,  in  McDufiie  county,  and  The 
Grove  and  Union,  in  Columbia  county. 

As  a  man,  he  was  honest,  upright  in  all  his  transactions,  and  noted  for  his 
generous  aid  to  the  poor,  the  widow  and  orphan. 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  sound  in  doctrine,  earnest  and  impressive  in  his  delivery, 
and  especially  gifted  in  prayer.  He  travelled  considerable  distances  to  meet  his 
engagements,  and  never  failed,  unless  from  circumstances  beyond  his  control. 

He  was  married  four  times — first  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Tankersley,  of  Columbia 
county,  in  1806  ;  to  his  second  wife,  Miss  Martha  Barksdale,  in  1810;  in  1819 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Marshall,  his  third  wife;  and  to  his  fourth,  Mrs.  Mary  McNatt; 
of  Burke  county,  in  1823.  By  his  first,  second  and  fourth  marriages  he  had 
eleven  children,  but  raised  only  two — Rev.  T.  D.  Key  and  J.  S.  Key — both  of 
whom  are  now  dead. 

Rev.  Joshua  Key  died  at  his  winter  home  in  Burke  county,  November  nth, 
1862,  then  in  his  seventy-sixth  year.  Having  made  a  visit  to  his  son,  Joshua  S. 
Key,  in  the  morning,  he  returned,  and  after  dinner,  complaining  of  a  pain  in  the 
region  of  the  heart,  laid  himself  down  to  rest.  Dr.  E.  R.  Carswell  called  in  to 
see  him,  to  whom  he  remarked,  "  The  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand  ;  and  feel- 
ing confident  that  I  have  passed  from  death  unto  life,  and  believing  that,  if  saved 
at  all,  I  shall  be  saved  by  soverign  grace,  I  am  ready  to  go  to-night."  And  so 
he  did.  He  was  found  by  his  family,  who  had  slept  in  the  same  room  with  him, 
"  asleep  in  Jesus." 


3o8 


BiOGRAPHlCAL   SKETCHES 


WASHINGTON    L.    KILPATRICK. 


Among  the  Baptist  ministers  of  Georgia,  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  is  Rev. 
Washington  L.  Kilpatrick.  This  is  the 
oldest  son  of  Rev.  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick  and  Har- 
riet E.  Jones,  and  brother  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Kilpat- 
rick, an  account  of  the  father  and  both  sons 
appearing  in  this  collection  of  sketches.  He 
was  born  in  Burke  county,  Georgia,  October  i8th, 
1829,  but  reared  at  what  is  now  "the  village  of 
Hephzibah,"  in  Richmond  county.  Enjoying 
the  training  of  pious  parents,  and  especially  of 
a  most  excellent  mother,  he  was,  during  the 
period  of  his  youth,  moral  and  correct  in  life 
and  deportment. 

His  education  was  commenced  at  the  acad- 
emy near  his  father's  residence,  but  received 
chiefly  at  Mercer  University,  Penfield,  when 
under  the  administration  of  Dr.  J.  L.  Dagg,  He 
entered  the  University  in  1S46,  and  graduated  in  1850,  with  the  highest  honors 
of  his  class,  being  especially  noted  for  his  punctuality  and  studious  habits. 
During  the  four  years  of  his  college  course  he  was  never  absent,  unless  unavoid- 
ably, from  recitation,  debating  society,  morning  prajj'er,  church  worship,  or 
twilight  prayer-meeting.  While  at  college  he  professed  conversion  and  was 
baptized  by  Rev.  B.  M.  Sanders,  on  the  4th  of  October,  1846,  in  his  eighteenth 
year,  joining  the  Penfield  church.  Four  years  after,  in  1850,  he  was  licensed  by  that 
church,  and  in  1 852,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  was  ordained  ;  beginning  at  once  the 
labors  of  a  country  pastor,  within  the  bounds  of  the  Hephzibah  Association,  and 
so  continuing  ever  since.  The  churches  with  which  he  has  chiefly  labored  are  Hope- 
ful, Buckhead,  Rocky  Creek,  Ways  and  Hephzibah.  Although  the  first  four 
years  of  his  life  after  graduation  were  given  to  the  school-room,  yet  he  preached 
at  the  same  time,  interesting  himself  in  all  the  churches  of  the  Hephzibah  Asso- 
ciation. To  the  interest  of  the  churches  within  this  limit  he  has  devoted  him- 
self with  untiring  energy,  and  with  the  most  enlightened  zeal,  to  the  present 
time  ;  nor  have  his  labors  been  without  gratifying  results.  Surrounded  by  those 
with  whom  he  has  been  intimate  from  earliest  childhood ;  emphatically  knowing 
everybody  in  his  field  of  labor,  and  known  to  every  one ;  and,  by  his  pious  zeal, 
amiability,  high  character,  marked  ability,  and  thorough  devotion  to  the  best 
interests  of  society  and  religion,  gaining  the  confidence  of  all,  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  that  the  mutual  confidence  thus  created  has  inured  to  the  benefit  of 
the  Master's  cause.  Most  certain  it  is  that  Mr.  Kilpatrick  acquired  an  almost 
unbounded  influence  in  the  Hephzibah  Association,  and  has  made  an  impress 
on  it  which  has  resulted  in  the  advancement  of  religion  and  of '  every  other 
good  cause,  and  which  has  redounded  to  the  glory  of  God. 

But  other  labors  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  our  Baptist  Zion,  besides  those 
of  a  pastor,  have  engaged  his  attention.  For  twenty- three  years,  consecutively,  he 
managed  the  colporter  and  mission  work  of  his  Association.  In  1861,  chiefly 
through  his  instrumentality,  the  Hephzibah  High  School  was  established,  as  the 
property  of  the  Association,  and  in  this  school,  around  which  the  village  of 
Hephzibah  has  sprung  up,  he  taught,  with  eminent  success,  from  1866  to  1876. 
During  the  year  1868,  he  organized  the  Walker  Association  of  colored 
churches,  whose  members,  prior  to  emancipation,  had  belonged  to  the  Hephzibah 
Association,  and,  to  the  present  day,  he  remains  the  chief  and  trusted  counselor 
of  its  ministers  and  churches. 

Since  1869  he  has  faithfully  discharged  the  duties  of  Trustee  of  Mercer  Uni- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


309 


versity;  and.  in  April,  1878,  he  succeeded  in  securing  the  organization  of  the 
Georgia  Baptist  Historical  Society,  of  which  he  is  the  efficient  Corresponding 
Secretary.  And,  though  now  passed  fifty  years  of  age,  his  labors  in  every  good 
word  and  work  are  ardent,  and  more  abundant  than  ever.  The  Sunday-school 
and  temperance  cause  have  ever  found  in  him  an  active  friend  and  supporter. 

Mr.  Kilpatrick  has  been  married  twice — the  first  time  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Shick, 
of  Savannah,  and  the  second  time  to  Miss  Emma  J.  Hudson,  of  his  own  village, 
and  the  Lord  has  bestowed  on  him  a  large  family  of  children.  In  personal  ap- 
pearance he  is  tall  and  commanding,  being  fully  six  feet  high,  and  weighing 
about  two  hundred  pounds.  With  a  line,  open  countenance,  genial  smile,  and 
a  most  benevolent  expression,  and  a  pleasing  address,  he  wins  at  once  the  confi- 
dence of  strangers,  and  gains  steadily  on  the  affections  of  more  mature  acquaint- 
ances. He  is  a  man  m  whom  the  true  spirit  of  Christianity  finds  an  abiding 
place  ;  one  who  entertains  charity  towards  all,  and  malice  towards  none ;  in 
whom  firmness  of  principle  and  faithfulness  to  conviction  and  to  duty  combine 
with  gentleness  of  spirit,  suavity  of  manner  and  kindness  of  utterance.  Pleas- 
antry and  good  humor  are  mingled  with  a  devout  and  reverential  disposition  in 
him ;  and  his  tender  heart  and  liberal  impulses  render  him  to  the  suffering  a 
sympathizing  friend,  and  to  the  poor  a  generous  almoner.  With,  perhaps,  not 
a  single  enemy  in  the  world,  all  who  know  him  are  his  positive  friends.  Intel- 
lectually he  is  the  peer  of  any  whom  he  meets,  and  having  borne  off  the  palm 
of  scholarship  in  college,  he  has  since  continued  his  studies,  and  ranks  well 
among  the  ministers  of  our  denomination  for  learning  and  wide-ranged  informa- 
tion. His  sermons,  though  carefully  thought  out  and  logically  developed,  are 
always  extemporaneous,  and,  though  somewhat  diffuse,  are  always  practical, 
pointed  and  remarkably  clear.  The  elaborate  and  the  ornate  are  not  special  ob- 
jects at  which  he  aims  in  his  discourses,  neither  does  he  avoid  them  ;  but  he  is 
more  deeply  concerned  in  the  presentation  of  sound  doctrine  and  wholesome 
instruction  in  an  impressive  manner  and  with  all  due  solemnity.  Though  an 
unflinchinng  Baptist,  and  ardently  devoted  to  the  spread  of  Baptist  sentiments, 
he  seeks  for  their  success  more  by  the  maintenance  of  truth  than  by  pugna- 
ciously combatting  error. 


JAMES  GRAHAM   KIMBELL. 


Rev.  James  Graham,  son  of  Gideon  and  Anna  Kim- 
bell,  was  born  May  30th,  1823,  in  Oglethorpe  county, 
Georgia.  His  father  died  while  he  was  quite  small,  and 
the  scanty  resources  of  the  family  restricted  even  the 
measure  of  education  which  he  might  otherwise  have  se- 
cured in  the  old-field  school.  But  under  the  discipline  and 
counsel  of  a  faithful  mother,  he  was  taught  to  be  industri- 
ous, truthful  and  honest,  and  this  early  training  fixed  in  his 
mind  that  reverence  for  the  religion  of  Christ  which  has 
marked  his  course  through  life.  At  the  age  of  fifteen, 
feeling  his  lost  condition  and  utter  helplessness  as  a  sinner, 
he  was  enabled  by  the  grace  of  God,  through  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to 
exercise  the  faith  which  lays  hold  on  Christ  as  a  Saviour,  and  makes  that  Saviour 
precious.  He  was  baptized  in  1841,  at  Beard's  church,  Greene  county,  by  Rev. 
Newel  Lumpkin.  Removing  to  Butts  county  in  1855,  he  was  ordained  the  same 
year  to  the  office  of  deacon,  and  licensed,  the  next  year,  to  preach  the  Gospel. 
To  repair  the  deficiencies  of  his  education,  he  commenced  a  course  of  study  at 
night,  after  the  severe  toil  of  the  day  on  the  farm,  which  so  affected  the  optic 
nerve  as  to  threaten  him,  for  several  years,  with  a  total  loss  of  sight.  Despon- 
dency fell  on  him  as  "  a  horror  of  great  darkness,"  but  his  own  convictions,  of 


310 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


ten  years  standing,  as  to  duty  in  the  premises,  and  tlie  kindly  encouragement  of 
his  aged  brethren  prevailed ;  and  he  was  ordained  at  Philippi,  Henry  county, 
January  14th,  1859,  by  a  presbytery  consisting  of  Revs.  W.  G.  McMichael,  D. 
L.  Duffy,  W.  Thomas  and  J.  T.  Kimbell.  For  several  years  after  his  ordination, 
the  Scriptures  were  read  for  him,  in  public  worship,  by  some  of  the  brethren, 
and  in  private  study  by  his  eldest  daughter,  who  has  long  since  gone  to  the 
reward  of  the  faithful.  During  twenty-one  years  of  ministerial  labor,  he  has  been 
pastor  for  twenty  years,  consecutively,  of  Indian  Creek,  Henry  county,  and  has 
served  nine  other  churches  in  that  county  and  in  Fayette,  Butts,  Monroe  and 
Newton.  He  has  been  very  successful  as  a  revivalist  in  his  own  field,  and  has 
baptized  there  about  one  thousand  persons. 

The  Bible  is  his  chief  study,  with  the  assistance  of  different  commentators. 
After  the  selection  of  his  text,  and  its  examination  in  the  light  of  the  context  and 
of  parallel  Scripture  passages,  he  often  perfects  his  analysis  and  arrangement  as 
he  follows  the  plow,  scarcely  ever  using  even  notes  in  the  pulpit.  A  profound 
love  for  the  Saviour,  and  an  earnest  desire  for  the  salvation  of  sinners  breathes 
through  his  sermons,  which  are  addressed  rather  to  the  heart  than  to  the  head 
of  his  hearers.  His  prominent  traits  as  a  pastor  are  punctuality  in  filling  his  ap- 
pointments, faithfulness  in  counsel,  kindness  in  manner  and  decision  in  action. 
As  a  man,  he  is  upright  in  business  engagements,  prompt  in  financial  dealings, 
cheerful  in  intercourse,  hospitable  at  home  and  libeial  abroad. 

Rather  under  medium  height  but  heavily  built,  he  possesses  considerable 
muscular  force,  though  arduous  labor  in  the  ministry  has  somewhat  impaired 
his  constitution,  and  is  erect  in  form,  with  dark  complexion,  dark  eyes,  and  dark 
hair,  now  rapidly  turning  gray.  He  was  married  November  17th,  1842,  to 
Miss  Martha  Anderson,  who  has  borne  him  nine  children,  six  of  whom  are  living. 


JOHN  T.  KIMBELL. 

Rev.  John  T.  Kimbell  maybe  justly  numbered  among 
the  diligent,  faithful  laborers  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord. 
He  is  a  native  of  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia,  where  he 
was  born  January  12th,  1814.  His  father,  Gideon  Kim- 
bell, was  a  mechanic,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Anna  Maxey,  was  a  tailoress.  They  were  both  Bap- 
tists, and  were  consistent  members  of  the  church.  It  was 
the  earnest,  constant  prayer  of  this  pious  mother  thatf  the 
Lord  would  convert  her  son  John,  and  call  him  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry.  His  scholastic  advantages  were  only 
such  as  he  could  obtain  in  the  common  schools  of  the  country,  during  the  short 
seasons  of  each  year,  when  he  could  be  spared  from  the  farm.  From  a  youth  he 
was  truthful,  energetic,  gifted  with  fine  mechanical  genius,  had  a  high  sense  of 
moral  character,  and  opposed  the  making,  selling  and  drinking  of  ardent  spirits, 
identifying  himself  fully  with  the  advanced  temperance  movement  of  that  day. 
He  made  a  profession  of  faith  in  Christ,  and  was  baptized  by  Elder  Jack 
Lumpkin  into  Antioch  church,  Oglethorpe  county,  September,  1831.  In  March, 
1834,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  P.,  daughter  of  Joseph  Lumpkin.  In  1841, 
he  removed  from  Oglethorpe,  settled  in  Butts  county,  and  united  with  Towaliga 
church.  In  1843  he  was  Hcensed  by  that  church  to  preach,  and  in  1847  was 
ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  by  its  order,  and  sent  out  as  a  missionary 
in  the  regions  around.  After  serving  the  Indian  Springs  and  Indian  Creek 
churches  for  two  years,  he  was,  in  1850,  disabled  from  the  work  of  the  pulpit  by 
a  painful  and  protracted  attack  of  rheumatism.  His  afifliction,  for  a  time,  excited 
his  fears  that  he  had  not  been  called  of  God  to  the  Gospel  ministry ;  but  prayer, 
reading,  and  meditation  on  the  Scriptures  removed  these  apprehensions.     Not 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


311 


able  to  attend  regularly  to  any  pastoral  work,  he  became  superintendent  of  a 
large  Sunday-school  at  the  church  near  him,  and  he  has  always  regarded  that  as 
one  of  the  best  years  of  his  life.  Many  of  the  scholars  professed  conversion  and 
united  with  the  church.  Since  his  recovery,  in  1853,  he  has  served  several 
churches,  to  each  of  which  large  accessions  have  been  made,  and  activity  in  the 
cause  of  Christ  awakened.  He  at  present  is  preaching  to  the  Shiloh  church, 
where  he  has  been  laboring  for  twenty-six  years.  He  has  been  pastor  of  the 
Towaliga  church  for  twenty-four  years.  To  the  Bethany  church,  Henry  county, 
he  has  preached  since  1867,  and  to  the  McDonough  church  since  1873.  The 
success  of  his  pastoral  services,  and  the  estimation  in  which  he  is  held  by  his 
churches,  are  clearly  shown  by  the  length  of  time  he  has  been  serving  them. 
After  years  of  experience,  he  is  profoundly  convinced  that  frequent  changes  of 
pastors  are  a  great  mistake.  He  makes  the  service  of  his  churches  his  business. 
He  reads,  studies  and  selects  his  subjects  with  reference  to  their  good,  and  never 
fails  to  meet  his  appointments,  except  from  causes  beyond  his  control.  His 
manner  in  the  pulpit  is  dignified,  his  delivery  earnest,  and  his  sermons  instructive. 
He  has  been  five  years  clerk  of  the  Flint  River  Association,  and  its  Moderator 
two  years.  He  is  a  warm-hearted  Christian  at  home  and  abroad ;  kind  and 
affectionate,  always  giving  his  brethren  a  cordial  welcome  to  the  hospitalities  of 
his  house. 


JACOB  KING. 


His  birth  occurred  September 
6th,  1796,  and  he  died  in  Upson 
county,  August  9th,  1862,  being 
nearly  sixty-seven  years  of  age. 
He  was  hopefully  converted  to 
Christ  in  June,  1820,  and  was 
baptized  by  Rev.  John  M.  Gray 
into  the  fellowship  of  New  Hope 
church,  Jones  county,  the  first 
Sabbath  in  July  following.  He 
was  married  to  Matilda  Wilson, 
January  8th,  18 17. 

Soon  after  his  conversion  he 
was  impressed  with  the  duty  of 
preaching  the  Gospel,  but  was 
restrained  by  a  sense  of  his  un- 
fitness and  unworthiness  until 
1825,  when,  having  settled  on 
Flint  river,  in  Upson  county,  his 
spirit  was  so  stirred  within  him 
by  the  prevailing  destitution,  that 
he  was  constrained  to  make  the 
attempt  in  the  name  of  his  Mas- 
ter. Having  once  put  his  hand 
to  the  plow  he  was  not  the  man  to 
look  back.  His  first  sermon  was 
from  the  words,  "  He  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he 
live  ;  and  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me,  shall  never  die."     Johnxi.  25,  26. 

In  1826  he  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  Bethlehem  church.  Revs.  John  Hambrick 
and  Henry  Hooten  composed  the  officiating  presbytery,  his  ordination  having 
taken  place  on  his  birthday,  he  being  then  thirty  years  of  age.  In  the  following 
October,  he  took  the  care  of  the  Fellowship  church,  in  which  a  great  revival  of 
religion  was  experienced,  and  many  were  added  unto  the  Lord.     Throughout  his 


312  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

life  he  was  one  of  the  most  laborious  of  ministers.  He  generally  preached  to 
four  churches,  often  supplied  others  on  week  days,  and  was  indefatigable  in 
his  efforts  in  supplying  the  most  destitute  neighborhoods  with  the  word  of  life. 

In  the  unfortunate  division  which  took  place  in  the  Baptist  denomination  in 
Georgia  on  the  subject  of  missions,  he  espoused  the  cause  of  benevolence,  and 
urged  its  claims  to  the  day  of  his  death.  He  was  surrounded  by  a  powerful 
anti-influence,  yet  he  maintained  his  cause  with  such  a  versatility  of  talent,  and 
with  such  powerful  Scriptural  arguments,  as  to  secure  for  it  a  steady  advance  and 
final  triumph  within  his  sphere  of  labor.  When  the  division  was  consummated, 
one  of  the  opposition  said  to  him,  "  We  shall  see  who  are  in  the  right,  by  the 
blessing  of  God,  which  shall  follow  the  right."  KiNG  accepted  the  test,  and 
often  pointed  to  the  abundant  blessing  of  God  upon  the  labors  of  missionaries 
to  prove  to  the  opposition  that  ours  is  the  right  cause.  He  thought  for  himself 
on  all  subjects. 

His  talents  were  of  the  first  order.  If  we  were  confined  to  one  word  in  describ- 
ing the  character  of  his  mind,  we  should  select  genius.  He  thought,  spoke  and 
acted  just  like  no  other  man  ;  and  yet  all  he  said  seemed  appropriate  and  becoming. 
It  was  appropriate  in  him,  but  would  not  have  been  so  in  any  other  man.  He 
never  aped  any  man,  and  whoever  attempted  to  ape  him,  made  himself  simply 
ridiculous.  Yet  there  were  a  few  who  would  run  the  risk.  Like  most  of  his 
contemporaries,  his  literary  advantages  in  early  life  were  quite  limited,  yet  he  ac- 
quired a  fine  command  of  language,  and  wrote  correctly  and  beautifully.  He 
had  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  anecdote,  which  he  knew  how  to  use  with  telling 
effect.  To  all  of  these  rare  faculties,  he  added  an  iron  will.  No  man  can  be 
great  without  this,  and  this  he  possessed  in  an  extraordinary  degree.  When  he 
resolved  to  do  a  thing,  it  was  sure  to  be  done,  unless  it  proved  to  be  an  impos- 
sibility. This  force  of  will  made  him  a  man  of  great  decision  of  character.  He 
was  tall  of  stature,  exceedingly  slender,  predisposed  to  pulmonary  disease.  At 
the  time  of  his  ordination  his  health  was  so  feeble  as  to  render  it  necessary  for 
him  to  withdraw,  during  the  summer  months,  from  his  field  of  labor,  and  spend 
the  time  among  the  mountains  of  upper  Georgia.  He  returned  in  the  fall ;  but 
the  ensuing  summer  it  seemed  imperatively  necessary  that  he  should  again  seek 
the  recuperative  influence  of  mountain  air,  and  mountain  scenery.  He  accord- 
ingly started  on  horseback  ;  but  while  on  the  journey,  thinking  of  the  destitution 
he  was  leaving  behind,  he  came  to  the  conclusion  to  return  and  die  at  his  post, 
if  that  should  be  God's  will.  And  return  he  did,  but  not  to  die  ;  his  health  im- 
mediately improved,  and  he  never  again  had  to  desert  his  people  for  want  of 
physical  strength. 

Mr.  King  had  a  most  fertile  imagination,  and  descriptive  powers  of  the  first 
order,  and  was  naturally  a  logician ;  not  that  he  understood  and  practiced  the 
science  as  taught  in  the  schools.  He  was  above  these  rules  by  nature's  own  gift. 
He  saw,  at  a  glance,  the  meaning  and  force  of  a  proposition,  and  few  were  more 
ready  to  turn  a  point  upon  an  opponent.  On  one  occasion  he  had  gone  to  hear 
a  Universalist  preacher,  and  when  the  reverend  gentleman  closed,  Mr.  King 
arose,  and,  hat  in  hand,  uttered  one  short,  pithy,  logical  sentence,  which  brought 
the  Universalist's  whole  effort  into  ridicule  and  contempt. 

His  theology  was  just  what  such  a  man  would  be  expected  to  believe  and 
teach.  He  held  to  the  universal  and  total  depravity  of  human  nature,  to  man's 
utter  inability  to  recover  himself,  to  the  efficacy  of  the  spirit's  work,  and  to  the 
sufficiency  of  the  atonement  of  Christ.  He  held  to  the  universal  and  unlimited 
invitations  of  mercy  as  being  consistent  with  limitation  in  the  application  of  the 
atonement.  When  listening  to  his  discourses  on  the  power  of  the  cross,  the 
hearer  would  be  convinced  that  no  man  ever  loved  the  Saviour  more  sincerely. 
Upon  hearing  him  in  his  happier  moments,  it  would  seem  that  if  Paul  had  risen 
from  the  dead,  he  would  have  found  nothing  to  condemn.  His  sermons  were 
generally  short,  and  he  left  his  hearers  wishing  they  had  been  longer.  They 
were,  however,  formed  after  no  model.  It  was  impossible  for  such  a  mind  to 
be  trammeled  by  rules.  Perhaps  his  sermons  would  have  been  liable  to  criticism, 
judged  after  the  methods  of  the  schools,  but  none  of  the  masters  could  have 
brought  an  audience  to  any  given  point  with  more  order  and  certainty  than  he. 


OF    I'ROMINENT   15APTISTS. 


313 


He  was  eminently  a  great  preacher,  if  by  great  be  meant  one  who  vindicates  the 
whole  truth,  converts  many  souls,  and  ably  recommends  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only 
Saviour  of  sinners.  Few  men  in  the  same  time  have  preached  more  sermons  and 
baptized  more  converts,  and  his  converts  generally  wore  well.  His  knowledge 
of  human  nature  made  it  difficult  to  deceive  him,  and  there  were  few  men  who 
would  have  had  the  temerity  to  attempt  it.  Imposters  and  hypocrites  generally 
give  such  men  as  he  a  wide  berth. 

As  a  presiding  officer  he  was  affable,  punctual,  prompt,  well  informed  and  im- 
partial. He  presided  over  the  Rehoboth  Association,  as  its  Moderator  from  its 
organization  until  called  away  from  earth  by  the  Master  of  Assemblies.  He 
never  failed  to  attend  its  sessions,  and,  it  is  believed,  was  invariably  elected  by  a 
unanimous  vote. 

Mr.  King  was  a  true  patriot.  He  loved  his  country.  In  the  late  struggle  of 
the  South  for  independence,  his  whole  heart  and  soul  was  with  the  Confederacy. 
Whenever  a  company  of  soldiers  was  to  leave  his  county  for  the  field  of  carnage 
and  death,  he  was  sure  to  be  at  the  depot  to  give  them  words  of  encouragement 
and  to  offer  prayer  on  their  behalf.  He  did  not  live  to  see  the  downfall  of  his 
people ;  God  mercifully  took  him  away  in  time  to  escape  the  impending  evil. 

But  his  end  drew  near.  Faithful  to  the  last,  he  had  preached  in  the  open  air, 
with  more  than  his  ordinary  fervor,  and  thus  contracted  the  disease  which  ter- 
minated his  useful  life.  His  death  was  such  as  might  have  been  expected  in  the 
case  of  such  a  man — peaceful,  happy  and  triumphant. 


JOHN    B.   LACY. 


Archibald  Lacy,  removed  from  Virginia  to  Warren 
county,  Georgia,  and  died  there  in  1822.  His  son,  John  B., 
was  born,  perhaps  in  Virginia,  in  June,  1793,  and  came 
with  his  parents  to  Georgia.  When  a  young  man  he  prided 
himself  on  his  physical  manhood,  and  was  ever  ready,  when 
occasion  required  it,  to  measure  strength  in  combat  with 
the  giants  of"  that  day.  He  was  fond  of  fun  and  frolic  and 
never  allowed  an  opportunity  to  pass,  when  these  carnal 
propensities  could  be  gratified.  In  18 12,  he  joined  the 
army,  and  proved  himself  a  true  soldier.  In  1820,  he 
formed  a  marriage  relation  with  Miss  Martha  Freeman,  of  Baldwin  county. 
Some  two  years  after  his  marriage  he  settled  in  Newton  county,  and,  in  1824, 
was  brought  to  see  that  "  it  is  not  all  of  life  to  live,  nor  all  of  death  to  dite." 
Realizing  his  sinfulness,  and  extreme  departure  from  God,  he  began  to  cry 
mightily  for  mercy.  His  cries  were  heard,  and  casting  himself  on  the  atonmg 
blood  of  Christ,  he  experienced  the  pardon  of  his  sins  and  rejoiced  in  hope  of 
eternal  glory.  He  united  with  the  Baptist  church  at  Holly  Springs,  and  was 
baptized  by  Rev.  Cyrus  White.  Soon  after  his  connection  with  the  church,  he 
felt  that  he  was  called  of  God  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  said,  "  I  want  to  preach 
one  sermon  and  then  quit ;"  but  often  in  after  life,  with  a  pleasant  smile  on  his 
face,  he  would  say,  "  I  have  not  preached  that  last  sermon  yet."  In  1830,  he 
removed  to  Thomas  county,  and  finding  great  destitution  of  the  Gospel,  he  at 
once  gave  himself  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  with  even  greater  zeal  than  before. 
To  carry  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  to  the  needy  he  did  not  hesitate  to  walk  a  distance 
of  ten  or  twelve  miles,  warning  and  exhorting  the  people  as  he  went.  In  1840, 
he  removed  to  Cherokee  Georgia,  supplying  churches  in  that  section  until  1845, 
when  he  again  returned  to  Thomas  county.  Here  he  remained  until  the  Lord 
called  him  from  his  earthly  labors,  which  event  took  place  in  February,  1878. 
His  success  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  was  abundant.  The  fruits  of  his  labors 
are  to  be  seen  not  only  in  Georgia,  but  in  Jefferson,  Madison,  Leon  and  Gadsden 


3H 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


counties,  Florida.  His  soul  was  absorbed  in  his  Saviour's  work,  a  work  to  which  he 
gave  his  life.  His  form  was  erect  and  commanding,  and  his  address  earnest. 
Full  of  pathos,  he  appealed  to  sinners  with  tears  to  give  their  hearts  to  Jesus. 
In  his  declining  years  he  delighted  to  recount  the  dealings  of  the  Lord  with  him 
and  to  speak  of  the  infinite  love  and  fidelity  of  his  blessed  Lord,  who,  he  said, 
"  had  fulfilled  every  promise  made  him." 

He  never  had  the  advantages  of  an  education,  but  was  endowed  from  on 
high  with  that  greatest  and  best  of  all  gifts,  a  sincere  and  earnest  piety.  He 
died,  as  he  had  Uved,  trusting  only  in  Jesus.  He  left  behind  him  the  partner  of 
his  bosom — who  is  truly  a  mother  in  Israel — seven  daughters  and  one  son.  The 
results  of  the  indefatigable  labors  of  this  pious  servant  of  our  Lord,  will  be 
known,  but  not  until  eternity  unfolds  them. 


A.   W.    LAMAR. 


Rev.  A.  W.,  son  of  Colonel  Thomas  G. 
and  Mary  (Whatlej'-)  Lamar,  was  born  on 
Beach  Island,  South  Carolina,  March  30th, 
1847.  His  religious  impressions  were  of 
early  origin.  At  the  age  of  ten  years,  he 
was,  for  many  weeks  in  a  very  dark  and  dis- 
tressed state  of  mind,  because  he  thought 
that  he  had  committed  "  the  unpardonable 
sin."  He  manifested  great  fondness  for 
memorizing  Scripture,  and  when  but  twelve 
years  old  could  repeat  whole  chapters  with- 
out the  book.  He  took  delight  in  reading 
the  Sacred  Volume  to  his  father's  servants 
on  Sundays,  and,  as  the  result,  went  by  the 
sobriquet  of  "  Parson."  In  1863,  the  Legis- 
lature of  South  Carolina  sent  him  to  the 
State  Military  School,  as  a  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  his  father,  who  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  a  member  of  that  body,  and 
who  had  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of  Secessionville,  for  the  defense  of 
Charleston.  While  a  cadet  in  this  institution,  surrounded  by  a  class  of  140 
companions,  only  three  of  whom  were  professing  Christians,  he  experienced  "  the 
change  of  heart,"  July  4th,  1864,  and  was  baptized  three  days  later  into  the  fel- 
lowship of  the  church  at  Columbia,  by  Rev.  J.  M.  C.  Breaker.  His  "  first  love" 
was  ardent,  and  soon  ripened  into  a  conviction  that  he  was  called  of  God  to 
the  ministry.  He  conferred  not  with  flesh  and  blood,  but  began  at  once,  at 
Beech  Island  church,  to  warn  sinners  of  the  wrath  to  come.  His  friends  gen- 
erally looked  on  his  decision  as  a  boyish  folly,  and  attempted  to  dissuade  him 
from  it,  in  view  of  the  mechanical  genius  which  he  illustrated,  during  a  year  in 
the  pastorate,  by  "  making,  out  and  out,  a  buggy  for  himself,  and  ironing  it  off." 
One  said  :  "  You  are  a  fool ;  you  will  spoil  a  good  mechanician,  to  make  a  poor 
preacher."  His  answer  was  :  "  I  am  willing  to  be  called  a  fool,  and  to  be  a  fool, 
for  Christ's  sake."  These  predictions  of  failure  probably  deepened  his  trust  in 
God,  and  awoke  him  to  a  livelier  sense  of  the  necessity  for  thorough  prepara- 
tion. At  any  rate,  he  sold  his  property  and  expended  the  proceeds  in  a  course 
of  study  at  Furman  University  and  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary. 
All  that  he  was  worth,  pecuniarily,  he  gave  in  exchange  for  an  education  for  the 
ministry.  Assistance,  indeed,  was  offered  to  him  by  the  Association  of  which 
he  was  a  member  ;  but  he  declined  it,  assigning  as  the  reason  that  he  had  conse- 
crated his  possessions  to  God  for  that  purpose ! 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  315 

He  was  ordained,  January  15th,  1 871,  at  Mount  Zion  church,  Newberry  county. 
South  Carolina,  by  Revs.  W.  Williams  and  T.  H.  Pope,  and  served  that  church 
as  pastor,  during-  the  year,  with  success.  But  the  Baptist  State  Convention 
called  him  from  the  pastorate  to  the  office  of  General  Agent  for  State  Missions, 
which  he  held  for  eight  years,  from  January  ist,  1872,  to  January  ist,  1880. 
Here  he  showed  himself  a  good  organizer  and  a  most  untiring  worker — traveling 
all  over  South  Carolina  many  times,  and  seriously  injuring  his  health  by  the  won- 
derful amount  of  labor  performed.  During  this  time  he  employed  ninety 
missionaries,  established  fifty-one  churches,  and  raised  $50,000  for  the  work, 
leaving  it  in  a  highly  prosperous  condition,  and  firmly  grounded  in  the  affections 
of  the  brotherhood.  Driven  by  the  state  of  his  health  to  a  sphere  less  laborious 
to  the  outward  man,  he  assumed  the  pastorate  of  the  church  at  Camden,  and 
tokens  of  his  wonted  efficiency  manifest  themselves ;  while  he  wields  the  pen 
for  the  benefit  of  the  cause  at  large,  being  a  fair  writer,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
editorial  staff  of  the  Baptist  Courier,  the  denominational  organ  in  the  State, 
contributing  much  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  paper. 

He  has  four  children  borne  to  him  by  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Miss 
Elizabeth  Webb,  and  who  was  a  daughter  of  Colonel  John  Webb,  of  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  and  a  great  granddaughter  of  Judge  Thomas  Heyward,  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

As  a  Baptist,  he  is  sound  to  the  core,  having  no  sympathy  with  the  false 
liberalism  which  threatens  in  some  quarters  to  creep  in  among  us,  but  leaning 
rather  toward  "  Landmarkism  !"  In  the  puipit  he  is  a  bold,  fearless  defender  of 
our  faith  and  practice,  and  has  never  been  known  to  abate  one  jot  or  tittle  of 
truth  that  he  might  please  men.  And  yet  he  is  greatly  admired  and  generally 
beloved,  for  the  ability,  the  candor  and  frankness,  and  the  deep  devotional  spirit 
which  characterize  both  himself  and  his  preaching.  As  a  public  speaker,  he  is 
pathetic  and  tender  rather  than  logical,  addressing  himself  to  the  hearts  of  his 
hearers  and  usually  winning  them.  Whoever  hears  him  preach  once  will  desire 
to  hear  him  again  and  again.  As  a  minister,  he  is  eminently  free  from  the 
spirit  of  jealousy  and  envy,  willing  to  take  the  lowest  seat  and  obedient  to  the 
apostolic  injunction,  "  In  honor  preferring  one  another."  The  chief  features  of 
his  character  are  loyalty  to  Christ,  love  for  the  brethren,  and  ardent  consecration 
to  the  Master's  work.  A  good  looking  man,  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  with 
dark  complexion,  black  eyes  and  hair,  showing  in  the  contour  of  the  face  his 
Huguenot  descent,  he  is  courtly  in  manners,  winning  in  conversation,  and,  though 
sometimes  suspected  of  egotism,  easy  of  approach,  and  thankful  for  fraternal 
reproof.  As  a  large-hearted  Christian,  he  has  worked  for  all  good  objects,  and 
has  never  been  a  lover  of  filthy  lucre ;  at  one  time  refusing  to  accept  $300  of 
the  salary  voted  to  him  as  State  Mission  Agent. 


M.  M.  LANDRUM. 

The  Landrums  are  an  old  and  honored  family  that 
migrated  from  Virginia  to  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia, 
several  generations  ago.  Some  of  them  figured  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  others  were  devoted  and  useful 
ministers  of  the  Gospel. 

Rev.  M.  M.  Landrum,  the  son  of  Whitfield  and  Eunice 
Landrum,  was  born  in  Oglethorpe  county,  November  loth, 
1833.  He  enjoyed  such  educational  advantages  as  the 
common  country  schools  afforded,  which,  of  course,  were 
limited.  He  was  the  subject  of  early  religious  impressions, 
and  when  only  sixteen  years  old  professed  faith  in  Christ  and  was  baptized  into 
the  Antioch  church,  in  his  native  county,  by  Rev.  A.  T.  N,  Vandivere.     From 


3l6  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

the  day  of  his  conversion  he  was  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  he  ought  to 
warn  sinners  to  flee  from  tiie  wrath  to  come.     To  drive  away  these  feelings,  he 
adopted  the  study  of  medicine,  with  the  hope  that  his  ministry  to  the  physical 
sufferings  of  his  fellow-creatures  would  be  accepted  in  lieu  of  a  ministry  to  their 
spiritual  needs.     He  attended  medical  lectures  at  Augusta  during  the  winters  of 
1855  and  '56,  and  after  his  graduation  entered  his  profession,  feeling  sure  that 
now  he  would  be  free  from  self-reproach.     But  no,  there  was  no  relief.     The  war 
between  the  States  came  on,  and  he  entered  the  army  among  the  first,  as  a  pri- 
vate, in  the  Oglethorpe  Rifles,  of  the  8th  Georgia  Regiment.     He  passed  through 
that  terrible  struggle  unscathed,  and  having  pledged  himself  to  devote  his  Hfe,  if 
spared,  to  God's  service,  it  seemed  that  there  was  no  way  of  escape  from  it,  and 
he  would  be  compelled  to  preach.     But  Satan  suggested  the  fresh  temptation, 
that  as  he  had  not  lived  a  consistent  Hfe,  he  could  exert  no  good  influence, 
and  therefore  it  would  never  do  for  him   to  preach.     While  in  this  state  of 
mind  he  fell  in  company  with  Rev.  A.  D.  Cohen,  of  North  Carolina,  a  converted 
Jew,  who  had  been  stripped  of  all  his  worldly  goods,  and  had  taken  refuge,  with 
his  family,  in  an  unused  railroad  car.     His  sympathies  were  enlisted,  he  took  the 
whole  household  home  with  him  and  gave  them  hospitable  entertainment  for  a 
year  or  more.     He  hoped  that  thus  he  might  satisfy  his  conscience  and  be  at  rest 
on  the  subject  of  preaching.     He  erected  the  family  altar,  for  had  he  not  a  priest 
to  minister  thereat  ?     fTe  induced  his  guest  to  preach  to  the  people,  and  was  begin- 
ning to  feel  very  secure  ;  but  Mr.  Cohen  was  recalled  to  Newbern,  and  before  he 
left  he  placed  Dr.  Landrum  s  duty  so -plainly  before  him  that  he  erected  the  family 
altar  that  very  evening.     He  was  not  satisfied  with  only  this  ;  but  the  Lord  used 
a  very  humble  instrument  to  urge  his  faltering  steps  forward.     There  was  an  aged 
and  pious  negro  man  on  the  place  who  had  obtained  permission  to  hold  social  prayer 
meetings  in  the  cabins.     Dr.  Landrum  was  near  enough  to  hear  their  attempts  at 
reading  hymns  and  the  Scriptures,  and  offered  to  perform  that  part  of  the  service 
for  them.     This  was  the  entering  wedge  ;  and  though  he  tried  to  evade  the  duty, 
yet  somehow  he  felt  compelled  to  attend  these  meetings,  and  in  a  little  while 
found  himself  singing,  praying  and  preaching  to  them.     Soon  the  whites  began 
to  attend ;  and  there  for  months  he  labored  with  these  people,  and  many  were 
converted.     About  this  time  Dr.  P.  H.  Mell  made  a  visit  to  the  neighborhood, 
and  witnessing  the  gracious  influences  of  the  Spirit  on  the  people,  entered  into 
the  work,  and  urged  the  continuance  of  the  meetings  at  the  houses  of  families  m- 
terested.     In  this  way  they  were  protracted  lor  several  months.     The  Big  Spring 
church,  Oconee  county,  hearing  of  his  labors,  called  him  as  their  pastor ;  but  he 
had  not  even  been  licensed  to  preach.     There  were  several  converts  asking  bap- 
tism, and  no  one  to  administer  the  ordinance.     He  was,  therefore,  ordained  in 
November,  1867,  by  a  presbytery  consisting  of  brethren  P.  H.  Mell,  F.  H.  Ivey 
and  J.  M.  Brittain.     After  that  event  he  had  the  care  of  churches  in  Oconee 
county,  of  the  church  at  Penfield,  and,  for  a  short  time,  of  that  at  Covington. 
He   was   very   pleasantly   situated,   preaching   to  New  Hope   and    Macedonia 
churches  in  Greene  county,  when,  in  1877,  he  was  stricken  down  with  nervous 
prostration  and  disabled  for  more  than  a  year  from  any  pastoral  work.     His 
churches  called  other  pastors,  and  he  has  never  been  able  to  resume  his  work. 
He  returned  to  the  practice  of  medicine,  is  now  living  at  Union  Point,  and  is  con- 
sidered a  very  skillful  physician.     Though  he  struggled  so  much  to  stifle  the  con- 
victions of  duty  and  kept  out  of  the  work  so  long,  yet  now,  that  he  has  been  com- 
pelled to  abandon  the  ministry,  he  grieves  over  it,  and  if  circumstances  permitted, 
would  gladly  return  to  the  grand  work  of  preaching  Christ.     He  awaits  marching 
orders,  and  stands  ready,  saying,  if  a  waste  place  is  to  be  filled,  "  Lord,  send  me." 
He  still  preaches  as  opportunity  offers.     In  the  ten  years  of  his  ministerial  labors 
he  has  been  very  successful,  having  baptized  over  two  hundred  persons.     He  had 
few  early  advantages,  but  has  made  the  Bible  his  study,  and  has  prepared  his  ser- 
mons almost  entirely  without  any  other  aid.     He  is  an  original  thinker,  speaks  with 
ease  and  fluency,  and  is  strong  in  argument.     He  refers  often  to  various  commen- 
tators, comparing  his  own  views  with  theirs;  but  he  never  allows  a  book  of  sermons 
in  his  library,  as  he  says  "  it  is  too  great  a  temptation."     He  attributes  all  the  good 
that  is  in  him  to  the  influence  of  a  devotedly  pious  mother,  who  studied  the  word 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS. 


317 


of  God.  and  governed  her  children  by  its  pi  ecepts.  Verily,  "  her  children  rise 
up  and  call  her  blessed." 

Dr.  Landrum  is  six  feet  in  height,  well  proportioned,  weighing  one  hundred  and 
seventy  pounds,  and  has  an  eye  that  sparkles  with  native  intellect.  As  a  pastor, 
he  looks  after  the  spiritual  interest  of  his  flock,  and  always,  when  it  is  in  his 
power,  relieves  their  temporal  wants.  His  marked  characteristics  are  a  kind 
heart  full  of  warm  and  generous  impulses  ;  honest,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the 
word,  ready  for  every  good  word  and  work.  He  is  the  real  friend  of  the  poor, 
and  will  suffer  wrong  rather  than  cause  a  disturbance.  With  such  characteris- 
tics he  has,  of  course,  many  warm  friends. 

He  has  been  twice  married,  first,  to  Mrs.  L.  S.  Biggers,  in  1856,  and  the  sec- 
ond time  to  Miss  Irene  W.  Yerby,  in  Atlanta,  Georgia. 


S.  LANDRUM. 


Most  men  have  characteristics  largely  peculiar 
to  themselves,  and  should  circumstances  develop 
these  characteristics  in  a  remarkable  manner, 
distinction  for  their  possessor  ensues.  One  of 
the  most  marked  characteristics  of  Rev.  S. 
Landrum,  D.  D.,  is  adhesion  to  the  path  of 
duty — a  trait  by  no  means  uncommon  among 
ministers ;  but  when  a  man  makes  his  life-motto, 
"  Live  under  the  law  of  duty  to  Christ  and  his 
church,"  we  are  prepared  to  find  one  whose  daily 
walk  makes  applicable  to  him  the  phrase  mens 
sibi  conscia  7'ecti,  and  whose  steadfastness,  in 
times  of  trial  and  danger,  amount  to  heroism. 
Such  a  man  is  Dr.  S.  Landrum.  Devotion  to 
duty,  both  to  man  and  God,  has  marked  his 
course  in  life.  Hence  he  has  not  only  proved 
himself  eminently  trustworthy  in  every  situation 
in  which  he  has  been  placed,  but  has  won  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  all.  Still  that  quality,  without  his  sterling  common 
sense,  clear,  cool  judgment,  excellent  tact  and  patient  determination,  might  have 
proved  unavailing ;  but  when  to  these  qualities  we  add,  as  was  the  case  with  him, 
sincere  and  humble  piety,  mental  abilities  of  a  high  order,  a  good  education,  a 
fair  knowledge  of  men  and  how  to  control  them,  regular  habits  of  industry  and 
study,  an  unfailing  good  temper,  a  laudable  ambition,  self-control  and  self-reli- 
ance, we  find  combined  those  qualities  which  usually  make  men  great,  whether 
or  not  nature  has  endowed  them  with  genius  and  eloquence.  When  pastor  in 
Savannah,  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  maintain  his  church  services, 
and  this  he  did,  not  losing  a  single  service,  even  during  four  lurid  years  of  war. 
On  one  noted  Sunday  he  preached  his  usual  morning  sermon  to  a  congregation 
composed  largely  of  Confederate  soldiers ;  on  the  succeeding  Sabbath  he  calmly 
preached  his  usual  morning  sermon  to  an  audience  composed  almost  entirely  of 
Federal  soldiers.  In  the  meantime  the  possession  of  the  city  had  passed  from 
the  hands  of  the  Confederates  into  that  of  the  Federals. 

When  pastor  at  Memphis,  it  was  his  duty  to  remain  with  his  flock  and  minis- 
ter to  them ;  and  this  he  did,  regardless  of  consequences,  one  year  when  cholera 
and  yellow  fever  raged,  and  another  year  when  the  yellow  fever  swept  the  city 
with  the  besom  of  destruction — both  himself  and  wife  being  prostrated  with  it, 
and  two  grown  sons,  who  refused  to  leave  their  parents,  preferring  to  die  for 
them,  being  carried  off  by  it.     Even  the  year  after  he  did  not  hesitate  to  remain 


3l8  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

and  minister  to  the  yellow  fever  sufferers,  though  he  might  have  left  the  city 
when  the  epidemic  broke  out,  under  the  plea  of  obedience  to  the  call  of  the 
Savannah  church,  which  he  had  accepted. 

He  is  now  fifty-nine  years  old,  having  been  born  October  3d,  1820,  is  in  per- 
fect health,  and  weighs  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds.  In  height  he  is  about 
five  feet  eight  inches,  with  eyes  of  a  dark  hue,  hair  and  beard  black,  mingled 
with  gray ;  in  manners  courteous  and  easy,  and  with  much  of  bonhomie  and 
sociable  friendliness  and  pleasantry  in  his  conversation. 

He  was  born  in  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia,  his  parents,  William  and  Jane 
Landrum,  having  moved  from  Virginia.  His  maternal  grandfather.  Rev.  Miller 
Bledsoe,  was  a  distinguished  Baptist  minister  from  Virginia,  and  a  Revolutionary 
soldier,  who  died  in  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia,  at  eighty  years  of  age,  of  whom 
a  biographical  notice  may  be  seen  in  Campbell's  "  Georgia  Baptists." 

Mr.  Landrum  was  educated  at  Meson  Academy,  Lexington,  and  at  Mercer 
University,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1846,  in  the  same  class  with  Professor  J.  E. 
Willett  and  Thomas  C.  Neel.  He  was  converted  and  baptized  at  eighteen,  in 
the  month  of  September,  1837;  was  ordained  on  the  23d  of  October,  1846,  at 
Salem,  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia,  though  he  had  been  preaching  occasionally 
during  his  college  course.  The  presbytery  which  ordained  him  contains  several, 
well  known  and  revered  names :  B.  M.  Sanders,  Asa  Chandler,  Joseph  S.  Baker, 
Philip  Mathews,  Isham  H.  Goss,  P.  P.  Butler  and  A.  T.  N.  Vandivere.  He  was 
one  of  the  constituting  members  of  the  church  at  Lexington,  of  which  church, 
and  of  the  church  at  Athens,  Georgia,  he  became  pastor  in  January,  1847,  serv- 
ing them  for  three  years. 

During  his  pastorate  the  church  at  Athens  about  doubled  its  membership,  and 
his  sermons  attracted  many  students  of  the  State  University,  some  of  whom, 
were  baptized  by  him  and  united  with  the  church.  There  he  lost  his  first  wife, 
who  was  Miss  Naomi  Lumpkin ;  she  died  childless,  after  a  married  Ufe  of  four 
years.  In  December,  1849,  Dr.  Landrum  moved  to  Macon,  Georgia,  and  be- 
came pastor  of  the  church  there.  Through  his  instrumentality  a  new  and  hand- 
some Gothic  church  edifice  was  erected,  and  the  church  itself  was  greatly 
strengthened  and  increased.  He  secured,  also,  the  erection  of  the  house  of 
worship  on  Cotton  avenue. 

While  pastor  at  Macon  he  was,  on  the  30th  of  March,  1852,  married  to  Miss 
Eliza  Jane  Warren,  daughter  of  General  Eli  Warren,  of  Perry.  Few  men  have 
been  so  deeply  indebted  to  their  wives  for  success  in  the  pastorate  as  Dr.  Lan- 
drum has  been  to  his  present  wife.  Prominent  in  all  church  and  Sunday-school 
work,  full  of  zeal  and  intelligence,  she  has  deservedly  ranked  with  the  first 
Christian  women  of  the  South,  in  person,  in  brilliancy  of  mental  powers,  in  riches 
of  affection  and  in  thorough  devotion  to  the  duties  of  her  station.  Fearlessly 
and  cheerfully  she  shared  all  the  dangers,  terrors  and  horrors  of  the  cholera  and 
yellow  fever  epidemics ;  ministering  day  and  night  to  the  sick,  and,  in  one  in- 
stance at  least,  in  the  recent  epidemic  at  Memphis,  saving  the  life  of  a  young 
man  whom  the  doctors  had  given  up.  It  need  not  be  wondered  that  her  chil- 
dren bless  her,  and  her  husband  gives  her  praise,  for  to  her  much  of  the  credit 
of  his  own  success  is  due, 

After  a  residence  of  just  ten  years  in  Macon,  Dr.  Landrum  moved  to  Savan- 
nah, and  took  charge  of  the  Baptist  church  there  in  December,  1859,  and  there 
he  remained  until  1871,  when  he  removed  to  Memphis,  Tennessee,  to  take 
charge  of  the  Central  church.  Notwithstanding  all  losses  by  the  war,  the  church 
in  Savannah  increased  nearly  two  hundred  during  his  pastorate.  During  all  the 
war  he  remained  at  his  post,  faithfully  performing  his  duties,  during  both  Con- 
federate and  Federal  occupancy  of  the  city.  His  was,  perhaps,  the  only  white 
church  on  the  coast,  from  Baltimore  to  Galveston,  Texas,  which  did  not  close 
during  the  war.  On  the  ist  of  October,  1871,  twelve  years  after  moving  to 
Savannah,  he  became  pastor  of  the  Central  Baptist  church  at  Memphis,  Tennes- 
see— a  pastorate  which  brought  to  him  much  of  satisfaction,  but  far  more  of 
bi  Iter  gnef .  He  had  the  satisfaction  of  doing  much  good  in  the  eight  years  he  staid 
there,  towards  building  up  and  uniting  a  strong  church,  about  one  hundred  be- 
ing added  to  the  membership.     He  did  much,  too,  to  aid  in  the  construction  of 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  319 

the  most  magnificent  building  of  our  denomination  in  the  whole  State  of  Ten- 
nessee ;  but  he  had,  also,  the  great  sorrow  of  losing,  there,  two  most  promising 
sons — Herbert,  a  journalist,  and  George,  a  law  student — both  of  whom,  after 
reaching  maturity,  died  of  the  yellow  fever  in  1878,  being  unwilling  to  leave  their 
parents.  To  that  fated  city  the  hearts  of  those  parents  will  ever  turn  with  the 
tenderest  regard,  because  of  the  sacred  dust  reposing  there,  and  the  warm- 
hearted people  and  nob'e,  united  and  loving  church  with  which  they  have  labored 
and  suffered. 

In  1879  Georgia  called  her  son  home  again.  On  the  first  of  September  in 
that  year  Dr.  Landrum  entered  once  more  on  pastoral  relations  with  the 
Savannah  church.  The  re-union  was  a  pleasant  and  enthusiastic  one ;  but  in 
some  respects  it  was  a  sad  one.  He  left,  in  1871,  with  four  children,  (having 
lost  two  previously,)  he  returned  in  1879  with  his  wife  alone.  His  only  daugh- 
ter had  become  the  wife  of  Pev.  B.  W.  Bussey,  of  Americus,  Georgia  ;  his  oldest 
son,  W.  W.  Landrum,  had  also  married,  and  was  settled  as  pastor  of  the 
Augusta  church.  His  two  youngest  sons  had  immolated  themselves  upon  the 
altar  of  affection. 

Besides  his  pastorates,  Mr.  Landrum  has  occupied  various  other  positions  of 
honor  and  trust.  For  fifteen  years  he  was  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
Mercer  University ;  for  five  years  member  of  the  city  school  board  of  Savannah, 
and  while  in  Tennessee,  was  elected  President  of  the  State  Baptist  Convention. 
The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  him  in  1869  by  two  colleges — 
Georgetown  College,  Kentucky,  Dr.  N.  M.  Crawford,  President,  and  Columbian 
College,  Washington  City,  Dr.  G.  W.  Samson,  President.  He  is  a  theologian  of 
the  Andrew  Fuller  type ;  a  strict  communion  missionary  Baptist  of  the  Virginia 
and  Georgia  style,  and  a  man  fully  in  accord  with  the  great  denominational  en- 
terprises of  the  day.  As  a  preacher,  he  is  sound,  practical,  sensible  and  forcible; 
always  earnest,  solemn  and  serious  ;  with  a  good  delivery,  a  command  of  choice 
language,  and,  while  sometimes  eloquent,  always  interesting,  attractive  and 
instructive.  As  to  his  sermons,  he  makes  out  a  brief  as  early  m  the  week  as  is 
practicable,  and  fills  it  up  and  collects  his  illustrations  during  the  intervening 
days,  and  on  Sabbath  preaches  without  notes.  Thus  his  sermons  have  all  the 
appearance  of  coming  fresh  from  the  head  and  heart,  while  they  are  impregnated 
with  book-knowledge  and  infused  throughout  with  evidences  of  studied  prepar- 
ation. He  is  a  systematic  preacher,  leaves  little  to  the  inspiration  of  the  moment, 
and  seeks  to  reach  the  heart  through  the  understanding. 


WILLIAM    WARREN    LANDRUM. 

Rev.  William  Warren  Landrum,  eldest  and,  now,  only  son  of  Dr.  S. 
Landrum  and  Eliza  Jane  Landrum,  of  Savannah,  was  born  in  Macon,  Georgia, 
January  i8th,  1853,  and  was  converted  in  the  same  city,  at  ten  years  of  age, 
while  his  father's  family  were  seekmg  safety  from  the  Federal  invasion  which 
threatened  Savannah,  the  home  of  the  household.  He  was  baptized  March  25, 
1866,  in  his  fourteenth  year,  and  was  admitted  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Savan- 
nah Baptist  church. 

His  early  education  was  received  at  the  Chatham  Academy,  in  Savannah. 
Subsequently  he  entered  Mercer  University,  but  before  graduating  he  went  to 
Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and  was  matriculated  at  Brown  University,  where  he 
graduated  with  distinction  at  the  Commencement  of  1872.  But  nineteen  years 
old,  at  that  time,  and  appreciating  the  absolute  necessity  of  more  advanced 
training  m  divinity,  he  became  a  student  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological 
Seminary,  at  Greenville,  South  Carolina,  where  he  remained  two  years,  gradu- 
ating in  nine  of  the  thirteen  schools,  in  1874. 


320  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

The  Central  Baptist  church,  of  Memphis,  Tennessee,  of  which  his  father  was 
the  pastor,  called  him  to  ordination,  he  being,  at  that  time,  a  member  of  that 
church.  The  ceremony  took  place  in  Jefferson,  Texas,  during  the  session  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention,  in  May  1874,  the  ordaining  presbytery  consisting 
of  Dr.  John  A.  Broadus,  Dr.  Wm.  Carey  Crane,  Dr.  Wm.  Williams,  Dr.  H.  A. 
Tupper,  Rev.  D.  G.  Daniell  and  Dr.  S.  Landrum.  Two  weeks  later,  he  accepted 
a  call  to  the  Baptist  church,  at  Shreveport,  Louisiana,  where  he  labored  nearly 
two  years,  more  than  one  hundred  being  added  to  the  church  during  his  pas- 
torate. Before  leaving  Shreveport,  he  was  elected  Superintendent  of  the  Edu- 
cation of  Ministerial  Students  of  Mississippi  College,  Clinton,  Mississippi ;  but 
declined  the  position,  having  just  accepted  a  call  extended  to  him  by  the  First 
Baptist  church  of  Augusta,  Georgia.  To  that  place  he  went  in  February,  1876, 
and  there  he  still  resides. 

By  his  appearance,  Mr.  Landrum  would  be  taken  rather  for  a  lawyer,  than  for 
a  minister,  being  averse  to  any  form  of  dress  which  would  indicate  his  clerical 
calling,  and  believing  that  the  ministry,  not  being  a  profession,  but  a  life,  should 
be  recognized  not  by  apparel,  but  by  deeds.  As  a  Baptist,  he  is  liberal,  eschew- 
ing controversy,  professing  no  sympathy  with  what  is  denominated  "  Old  Land- 
markism,"  and  believing  in  the  power  of  Gospel  preaching  and  in  the  efficacy 
of  a  loving,  cheerful  piety,  as  means  of  winning  souls  to  Christ.  He  believes 
in  co-operation  with  the  denominations  usually  styled  "  evangelical,"  as  far  as 
possible,  deeming  that  the  truths  held  by  Baptists  have  nothing  to  lose,  but 
everything  to  gain,  by  being  placed  alongside  of  the  errors  of  Pedo-baptists  ; 
hence  he  has  no  fellow  feeling  with  those  who  seek  to  widen  the  differences 
between  Baptists  and  other  evangelical  denominations.  The  Baptist  principles 
to  which  he  is  most  strongly  attached  are,  religious  freedom,  the  equality  of  the 
ministry,  personal  accountability,  and  a  democratic  form  of  government.  With 
a  spice  of  rationalistic  tendency  at  times,  he  is  strongly  attached  to  old-fashioned 
revival  services.  Ordinarily,  his  preaching  is  calm,  dispassionate  and  argument- 
ative. He  generally  preaches  without  notes,  although,  as  the  rule,  his  sermons 
are  carefully  written  out. 

Fond  of  hunting,  fishing,  and  other  out-door  sports,  he  is  the  chaplain  of  a 
cavalry  company,  and  would  not  hesitate,  should  the  necessity  arise,  to  defend, 
as  a  soldier,  the  republican  form  of  government  of  his  country,  or  to  resist,  vi  et 
arviis,  encroachments  on  religious  liberty. 

He  was  married,  in  his  22d  year,  to  Miss  Ida  Louise  Dunster,  a  descendant 
of  Henry  Dunster,  first  President  of  Harvard  University,  who  was  degraded 
from  his  elevated  position  and  exiled  from  Massachusetts  for  accepting  and 
adopting  Baptist  views.  (See  Life  of  Henry  Dunster,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Chaplin, 
published  by  Osgood  &  Company,  1872,  and  History  of  the  Dunster  Family, 
by  Samuel  Dunster,  Esq.)    Two  children  have  been  born  to  them,  both  daughters. 

Mr.  Landrum  has  fair  complexion,  with  dark  hair  and  eyes,  is  of  a  medium 
height,  with  good  conversational  powers.  He  is  a  good  preacher  and  pastor, 
is  thoroughly  interested  in  church  and  denominational  matters  and,  as  one  of 
the  youngest  among  the  prominent  ministers  of  the  State,  he  has,  with  applica- 
tion and  the  grace  of  God,  the  prospect  of  many  years  of  increasing  influence 
and  usefulness.  His  sermons  are  analytical  and  finished,  his  points  being  clearly 
stated  and  presented  with  method  and  precision.  He  is  inclined  to  be  practical 
rather  than  experimental,  with  no  special  pretensions  to  being  pathetic  or  pro- 
found. His  voice  is  good,  and  he  has  fine  speaking  abilities,  which  have  been 
cultivated  from  childhood,  and,  at  times,  when  under  the  inspiration  of  his 
subject,  he  is  eloquent.  Kind  and  genial  in  disposition,  he  is  cheerful  and  com- 
panion ible  in  his  temperament,  inheriting  the  eminent  social  qualities  and 
powers  of  his  excellent  mother.  He  was  very  young  to  follow  the  long  line  of 
distinguished  pastors  of  the  Augusta  church,  but  during  a  pastorate  of  four 
years  he  has  grown  in  public  favor,  power  and  usefulness. 


OF  PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


i21 


J.  G.  LANDRUM. 


Rev.  J.  G.  Landrum  was  born  in  William- 
son county,  Middle  Tennessee  on  the  22d  of 
October,  1810.  He  was  baptized  in  the  year 
1824,  and  removed  to  South  Carolina  in  the 
year  1828.  In  the  nineteenth  year  of  his  age 
he  commenced  speaking  in  public  under  a 
license  granted  by  the  Padget's  Creek  Baptist 
church,  Union  county,  and  was  placed  under 
the  special  care  and  oversight  of  its  pastor, 
Rev.  Thomas  Ray.  He  was  ordained  and 
called  to  supply  Mount  Zion  and  Bethlehem 
Baptist  churches,  Spartanburg  county,  South 
Carolina,  in  the  year  1830,  when  he  was  but 
twenty  years  of  age.  He  has  continued  the 
pastoral  relation  with  these  churches  to  the 
present  time,  fifty  years.  He  has  supplied 
the  New  Prospect  church,  on  North  Pacolet, 
consecutively,  forty-seven  years.  Under  his 
labors  the  Baptist  church  at  Spartanburg  Court-house  was  founded.  He  sup- 
plied it  as  pastor  twenty-five  years.  The  elegant  house  in  which  this  church 
worships  was  build  during  his  pastorate,  at  a  cost  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  all 
paid  before  the  house  was  dedicated.  He  has  given,  as  will  be  seen  from  this 
statement,  fifty  years  to  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel.  His  labors  have  been  zeal- 
ous, self-sacrificmg  and  constant.  He  has  preached  extensively  in  the  churches 
contiguous  to  the  field  of  his  labors. 

He  has  baptized  five  thousand  persons  in  the  fifty  years  of  his  ministerial  life. 
He  supplies  four  churches,  three  of  which  are  those  named  above,  to  which  he 
was  called  when  he  was  a  beardless  boy,  fifty  years  ago.  The  four  churches 
contain  in  the  aggregate  one  thousand  members.  He  is  now  in  his 
seventieth  year,  his  health  as  vigorous  and  his  labors  as  abundant  as  they  were 
in  his  palmiest  days.  J.  G.  Landrum  commenced  preaching  with  a  good  English 
education,  which  he  has  improved  by  every  means  within  his  reach. 


T.    W.    LANIER. 


"  Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous,  but  the  Lord 
delivereth  him  out  of  them  all."  Uniting  with  the  Little 
Ogeechee  Baptist  church  in  1855,  when  he  was  but  fifteen 
years  of  age  (his  birth  being  in  1840),  Rev.  T.  W.  Lanier 
was  impressed,  even  at  that  early  age  of  his  life,  with  a 
deep  conviction  of  duty  to  give  himself  to  the  responsible 
functions  of  the  ministry.  His  church  was  also  impressed 
that  the  Lord  had  a  work  for  him  to  do,  and  before  he  was 
eighteen  years  old  granted  him  a  license  to  preach  the 
Gospel  as  he  might  have  opportunity.  Realizing  the  mo- 
mentous responsibilities  of  this  calling,  and  his  want  of 
mental  culture,  under  the  judicious  advice  of  Rev.  M.  N.  McCall,  Sr.,  he  entered 
the  theological  department  of  Mercer  University,  to  prepare  himself  for  the 
work  to  which  he  felt  the  Lord  had  called  him.  Our  best  laid  plans,  by  some 
mysterious  providence,  are  sometimes  deranged  and  broken  ;  and  young  Lanier 


322 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


from  a  painful  and  dangerous  affection  of  the  eyes,  was  compelled  to  abandon 
his  studies  and  return  to  his  home.  A  skillful  and  successful  operation  being 
performed,  and  rest  secured,  his  eyes  were  restored.  A  most  flattering  call,  in 
1861,  both  to  teach  and  to  preach,  was  extended  to  him.  About  this  time  the 
conflict  of  arms  between  the  States  commenced,  and  he  declined  this  call,  and 
gave  himself  to  the  cause  of  the  South.  Here,  again,  affliction  overtook  him 
and  he  was  honorably  discharged  from  military  service.  He  returned  home, 
and  engaged  in  teaching  school  and  preaching  the  Gospel.  Once  more  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  was  laid  on  him,  and  from  some  disease  of  the  head,  which  baffled 
the  best  medical  skill,  he  was  forced  to  abandon  the  school-room  and  desist  from 
all  ministerial  labor.  Sixteen  more  years  of  his  life  passed,  marked  by  much 
bodily  pain,  sore  bereavements,  sad  disappointments,  and  loss  of  property,  with 
physical  ability  to  do  but  little  work  for  his  Saviour ;  and  yet  he  bows  himself  in 
humble  submission  to  God,  saying  "Thy  will  be  done." 

With  some  prospect  of  returning  health,  he  has  been  for  a  short  time  preach- 
ing to  the  Middle  Ground  Baptist  church,  in  Screven  county.  When  a  young 
man  he  entered  on  his  ministerial  work  with  a  determination  to  devote  his  life  to 
the  active  duties  of  the  ministry,  but  the  Lord  has  ordained  otherwise.  In  his 
later  years  his  health  may  be  regained,  and  it  may  be  said  of  him,  "  his  last  days 
were  his  best  days." 


BEDFORD  LANGFORD. 


If  merit  in  laboring  in  season  and  out  of  sea- 
son for  the  spiritual  good  of  our  race  should  be 
held  in  honor ;  if  those  who  have  been  wise  in  win- 
ning souls  to  Christ  and  have  spent  their  lives  in 
preaching  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Jesus, should 
be  cherished  and  remembered,  then  the  name 
of  Rev.  Bedford  Langford  deserves  a  per- 
petual record  among  the  useful  and  the  good. 
More  than  twenty-five  years  ago  the  writer  of 
this  sketch  met  him  at  the  Appalachee  Associa- 
tion, of  which  he  was  a  member.  He  vividly 
recalls  the  commanding  person  of  one,  quiet, 
dignified,  honored  and  beloved  by  his  brethren. 
His  ministerial  life  was  spent  in  the  bounds  of 
that  Association,  and  never  did  he  relinquish  his 
work  until  long  wasting  disease  confined  him  to 
the  bed,  from  which  he  never  passed  until  called 
to  his  reward  in  heaven. 
Rev.  F.  M.  Haygood,  who  knew  Rev.  B.  Langford  most  intimately,  wrote  his 
obituary,  which  we  here  annex,  and  with  which  we  close  this  brief  sketch  of  one 
of  the  most  useful  ministers  of  the  Appalachee  Association,  and  of  the  section 
of  Georgia  in  which  he  was  raised,  lived  and  died. 

"  Rev.  Bedford  Langford  was  the  son  of  James  and  Annis  Langford,  and  was 
born  in  Clark  (now  Oconee)  county  on  the  ist  day  of  November,  1806.  He  was 
married  to  Mary  Thomson,  December  15th,  1825.  They  were  parents  of  eleven 
children,  sixty-six  grandchildren,  and  seventeen  great  grandchildren.  Of  these 
ninety-four  descendants,  fourteen  are  dead  and  eighty  are  living.  He  was  a 
faithful  husband  and  kind  father,  and  lived  with  his  wife  nearly  fifty  years.  He 
resided  in  early  life  near  his  birthplace,  and  later  he  settled  a  second  place  near 
the  first.  His  home  was  near  Mars  Hill  Baptist  meeting-house,  and  he  spent  his 
life  of  seventy  years  in  its  vicinity,  deriving  his  support,  for  the  most  part,  from 
his  farm.     He  and  his  wife  professed  religion  about  middle  age,  and  were 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


323 


received  into  Mars  Hill  church,  and  baptized  the  i8th  of  July,  1835.     He  lived 
the  life  of  a  Christian,  and  did  much  for  the  glory  of  God. 

"Mr.  Langford  commenced  preaching  about  1840,  and  was  soon  ordained  to 
the  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry.  He  was  pastor  of  the  Mars  Hill  church  for 
about  twenty-one  years,  serving  it  one  Saturday  and  Sunday  in  each  month. 
The  rest  of  his  time  was  spent  in  preaching  to  other  churches  in  a  radius  of. 
about  thirty  miles  from  his  home.  He  was  an  orthodox  Baptist,  was  well  received 
as  a  preacher,  and  accomplished  much  for  his  Saviour.  He  usually  represented 
his  church  in  the  Appalachee  Association,  and  his  Association  in  the  Georgia 
Baptist  Convention.  He  was  Moderator  of  his  Association  for  about  twenty 
years.  He  was  honored  as  a  preacher,  loved  as  a  servant  of  God,  and  the  instru- 
ment of  great  good  in  his  field  of  labor.  Later  in  life  he  suffered  intensely  in 
body,  and  his  afflictions  were  so  severe  that  they  reduced  a  large,  healthy  man 
to  a  mere  skeleton,  and  took  this  servant  of  God  from  the  pulpit  and  laid  him  in 
the  grave.  He  died  triumphantly,  July  17th,  1875,  and  now,  without  doubt, 
rests  from  his  labors  and  sufferings." 


T.  E.  LANGLY. 


Rev.  T.  E.  Langly  was  born  near  For- 
syth, Georgia,  August  i6th,  1834.  He  is  the 
oldest  son  of  Elder  Jeremiah  Langly,  and  his 
wife,  Caroline,  daughter  of  Deacon  Edward 
Callaway,  of  Monroe  county,  Georgia. 

The  advantages  of  a  collegia  te  course  were 
denied  him ;  but,  under  the  instruction  of 
James  H.  Dunham,  at  Perry,  Georgia,  during 
the  years  1848,  '49  and  '50,  he  became  a  very 
proficient  Latin  and  Greek  scholar. 

He  professed  conversion  under  the  minis- 
try of  Elder  B.  F.  Tharpe,  at  Perry,  and  was 
baptized  by  him  there,  October,  1852.  He 
was  ordained  at  Forsyth,  January,  1857, 
under  the  imposition  of  the  hands  of  Elders 
J.  H.  Campbell.  W.  C.  Wilkes  and  J.  H. 
Corley. 

His  first  pastorate  was  with  the  Knoxville 
church,  Crawford  county,  beginning  in  1857, 
(at  which  time  he  was  teaching,  with  Elder  W.  C.  Wilkes,  in  Monroe  Female 
College,  Forsyth,)  and  running  through  four  years.  In  1858,  in  answer  to  a  call 
from  the  church  at  Fort  Valley,  he  removed  thither,  and  served  that  church  till 
the  close  of  i860.  He  then  settled  on  his  farm  in  Terrell  county,  and  took 
charge  of  the  churches  at  Dawson  and  Smithville,  where  he  preached  for  ten 
years.  For  three  years  of  this  time  he  preached  at  the  Fort  Gaines  church.  In 
order  to  extend  his  labors,  he  preached  also  to  Sharon  church,  near  Brown's 
station,  and  other  churches  in  Terrell  county  whenever  opportunity  offered. 

After  a  useful  ministerial  career  of  thirteen  years  in  his  native  State,  the  lead- 
ings of  Providence  induced  him,  in  1870,  to  make  his  home  in  West  Florida. 
He  took  charge  of  the  churches  at  Greenwood  and  Campbellton,  and  has  served 
them  without  intermission  until  now  (1880).  He  has  been  Moderator  of  the 
West  Florida  Association,  every  successive  year  since  he  went  to  that  State. 
These  facts  speak  well  for  his  merit,  and  for  the  just  and  generous  appreciation 
of  that  merit  by  his  brethren. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Lavinia  A.  Norwood,   of  Houston  county,   Georgia, 
September  25th,  185 1.     Ten  children  have  been  born  to  them — five  girls  and 
five  boys — seven  of  whom  are  living.     The  fourth  and  ninth  (girls)  were  called 
24 


324 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


from  earth  in  infancy,  ttius  escaping  the  sins  and  sorrows  of  mortal  life.  Ado- 
niram  Judson,  the  eldest,  was  born  at  his  maternal  grandfather's,  Houston 
county,  July  6th,  1852,  and  died  of  congestion  of  the  brain,  while  on  a  visit  to  ' 
the  place  of  his  birth,  October  27th,  1868.  He  was  an  extraordinary  youth,  dis- 
tinguished for  manliness  of  character,  precocity  and  brilliancy  of  intellect  and 
great  moral  worth.  Though  not  a  member  of  any  church,  he  knew  by  experience 
what  has  been  termed  "  the  miracle  of  the  new  birth,"  and  had  expressed  a  pur- 
pose to  unite  himself  with  "  the  visible  house  of  God  "  by  public  profession  of 
faith.  To  the  family  that  loved  him  with  all  the  fervor  which  the  human  heart 
can  feel,  his  death  was  a  terrible  shock.  Dark  was  the  day  to  this  loving  house- 
hold when  the  telegraph  flashed  tidings  of  tJiei}-  loss — not  his — to  the  home 
(ever  after  less  a  home  because  he  was  not  in  it)  at  Dawson,  Georgia. 

Brother  Langly  is  tall  in  stature,  well-formed  in  person,  and  prepossessingas 
well  in  presence  as  in  manners.  He  possesses  a  high  order  of  intellectual  ability, 
strong  devotion  to  his  family,  and  great  zeal  in  promoting  the  cause  of  the 
Master.  As  a  public  speaker  he  is  logical  and  profound  ;  with  him,  speech  is  an 
arrow  that  flies  straight  to  the  mark  at  which  he  aims.  From  his  early  days  of 
ministerial  labor,  his  time  has  been  much  engrossed  by  the  care  of  churches, 
and  this  has  led  him  to  study  the  Bible,  for  the  most  part  to  the  exclusion  of 
auxiliary  works— a  point  in  which,  more  than  many  of  his  contemporaries,  he 
resembles  our  Baptist  fathers  in  the  ministry.  Drinking  not  from  human  streams 
but  from  the  divine  fountain,  and  drinking  there  no  shallow  draughts,_  he  _  seeks 
in  the  pulpit  to  commend  himself — not  to  every  man's  taste  and  imagination,  as 
the  manner  of  some  is — but,  after  apostolic  patterns,  to  every  man's  understand- 
ing and  conscience.  He  is  true,  as  a  pastor,  to  the  w'elfare  of  his  flock.  His 
promptness  never  suffers  him  to  fail  in  filling  his  appointments,  except_  from 
providential  causes.  "  A  want  of  back-bone  "  has  never  been  a  fault  of  his  ;  he 
is  a  firm,  ardent  and  rigid  expounder  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in 
its  original  purity  and  simplicity.  Such  characteristics  render  him  a  "  burning 
and  a  shining  light,"  in  the  ministry,  and  have  enabled  him  to  accomplish  great 
good.  He  has  done  vastly  more  in  upholding  and  upbuilding  the  denomination 
than  any  other  man  that  West  Florida  has  ever  known.  No  "  Mr.  Facing-both- 
ways  "  could  have  wrought  such  a  work  there,  or  any  where  else. 


JAMES  S.  LAWTON. 

Dr.  Lawton  was  born  at  Lawtonville,  Beau- 
fort district  (now  Hampton  county).  South  Caro- 
lina, April  4,  1 82 1.  His  father  was  Benj.  T.  D. 
Lawton,  son  of  Joseph  Lawton,who  was  an  officer 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  mother,  Mrs.  Jane 
Lawton,  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  George  Mosse,  an 
Irish  physician,  who  came  to  this  country  a  young 
man  and  married  Miss  Norton,  of  St.  Helena 
Island,  South  Carolina.  His  grandmother  Law- 
ton  lived  to  be  87  years  old,  and  at  her  death  left 
over  one  hundred  lineal  descendants.  His  pater- 
nal and  maternal  grandparents,  and  his  parents, 
all  lived  and  died  members  of  the  Black  Swamp 
Baptist  church,  at  Robertville,  South  Carolina. 
His  father  and  grandfather  were  both  honored 
deacons.  He  had  four  brothers  and  five  sisters, 
all  of  whom  w^ere  members  of  Baptist  churches. 
At  the  time  of  his  birth  his  mother's  life  was 
despaired  of,  and  the  father  called  all  of  the  family  into  her  room  and  prayed 
earnestly  that  God  would  spare  the  life  of  the  mother  and  child,  and  that  the  child 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  325 

might  be  reared  up  to  be  a  useful,  pious  man,  and  a  blessing  to  the  age  in  which 
he  lived. 

When  quite  a  lad,  he  was  sent  to  what  was  commonly  called  an  "  old  field 
school."  The  first  words  which  he  learned  to  spell  were  the  "  Columbian  Star," 
the  title  of  the  paper  which  is  now  The  Christian  Index.  In  1835  his  father 
sent  him  with  his  older  brother,  Col.  W.  J.  Lawton,  to  Mercer  Institute,  at  Pen- 
field,  Georgia,  where  he  made  fair  progress  in  his  studies.  After  his  return  from 
Penfield,  he  was  sent  to  Furman  Institute  (the  earlier  name  of  Furman  Univer- 
sity), which  was  then  located  in  Fairfield  district.  South  Carolina,  and  presided  over 
by  Prof.  William  E.  Bailey,  one  of  the  most  noted  educators  in  the  South  at  that 
time.  Here  he  was  taught  Latin  and  Greek,  but  did  not  make  as  rapid  progress 
in  these  branches  as  in  mathematics  and  physical  philosophy,  for  which  he  had 
special  taste. 

When  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  connected  himself  with  a  commercial 
house  in  Savannah,  where  he  made  quite  a  reputation  as  a  salesman,  and  won 
many  friends  for  himself  and  his  firm.  It  was  his  father's  desire  that  he  should  be 
a  lawyer,  but  his  own  choice  was  for  the  medical  profession,  and  his  father,  yield- 
mg  to  his  taste,  sent  him  to  Cincinnati  in  the  fall  of  1 839  to  attend  medical  lec- 
tures. He  was  an  enthusiastic '  student,  and  applied  himself  diligently  to  the 
acquisition  of  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his  chosen  profession.  At  this  school 
of  medicine  he  formed  a  warm  friendship  for  a  young  classmate  named  A.  M. 
Pollock,  who  afterwards  became  one  of  the  most  skillful  surgeons  in  the  North- 
west, and  a  resident  of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  The  attachment  of  these  friends 
has  continued  till  the  present  time,  and  they  have,  on  various  occasions,  ex- 
changed visits,  never  parting  but  with  sorrow. 

During  his  boyhood  and  while  at  college.  Dr.  Lawton  was  often  seriously  im- 
pressed on  the  subject  of  religion,  was  always  fond  of  going  to  church,  and  was 
an  attentive  hearer  of  the  Word.  He  loved  good  people  from  childhood,  and 
preferred  the  company  of  older  people  to  that  of  his  own  age.  On  the  eve  of 
his  departure  for  the  Northwest,  he  went  by  way  of  Savannah  to  see  his  mother, 
who  was  on  a  visit  to  friends  in  that  city.  The  boat  which  was  to  take  him  to 
Charleston  leaving  Savannah  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  was  obliged  to  bid 
her  farewell  the  night  previous.  The  parting  kiss  was  given  and  both  retired, 
but  there  was  no  sleep  for  either.  As  the  son  lay  upcm  his  bed,  he  felt  that  he 
could  not  leave  his  mother,  perhaps  forever,  without  once  more  having  her 
prayers.  He  arose  from  his  bed,  determined  to  go  to  her  room  and  ask  her  to 
offer  a  parting  prayer  in  his  behalf.  As  he  opened  his  room  door  to  seek  the 
mother,  she  met  him  and  said:  "  My  son,  I  have  tried  in  vain  to  sleep — I  want 
to  pray  for  you  before  we  part."  His  reply  was,  "  My  dear  mother,  I  have  just 
started  to  you  to  make  that  request."  They  then  knelt  in  prayer,  and  though 
he  had  often  heard  her  pray,  she  never  seemed  to  pray  so  earnestly  and  fer- 
vently as  on  that  night  in  the  silence  of  his  chamber.  She  was  often  heard  to 
say  that  from  that  night  she  felt  no  apprehensions  in  regard  to  the  salvation  of 
her  son.  To-day  he  blesses  God  for  such  a  devoted  Christian  mother  !  From 
that  time  young  Lawton  earnestly  sought  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  and  on  the 
night  of  the  following  ist  day  of  February,  1840,  he  found  comfort  and  joy  in 
the  Holy  Spirit.  He  was  baptized  in  the  Ohio  river  the  next  day,  by  Rev.  W.  H. 
Brisbane,  D.  D.  He  received  his  medical  diploma  in  May,  1841,  and  commenced 
the  practice  of  medicine  the  first  of  June  in  Jacksonboro,  Screven  county,  Georgia. 
The  following  year  he  married  Miss  Sarah  C.  Baynard,  of  Beaufort,  South  Caro- 
lina, and  took  her  with  him  to  Screven  county,  where  he  continued  to  practice  med- 
icine for  a  year  longer.  He  then  moved  to  Robertville,  South  Carolina,  where  he 
did  a  large  and  successful  practice  for  seven  or  eight  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  we  find  him  in  his  native  place,  Lawtonville.  Here  success  and  prosperity 
crowned  his  efforts  abundantly,  so  that  he  was  able  to  become  the  possessor  of 
a  large  estate  of  land  and  negroes.  But  his  heart  did  not  diminish  as  his  prop- 
erty increased.  He  was  liberal  in  his  benefactions,  having  donated  not  less  than 
$6,000.00  to  Furman  University,  while  not  withholding  a  cheerful  response  to 
other  appeals  to  his  benevolence.  As  a  physician  he  was  exceeding  popular,  and 
greatly  beloved  by  his  patients,  among  whom  he  was  justly  regarded  as  emi- 


326  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

nently  skillful.  He  performed  some  very  extraordinary  operations  in  surgery 
during  his  practice,  an  account  of  which  was  published  in  the  Medical  Journal 
of  Charleston. 

Dr.  Lawton  was  a  member  of  the  South  Carolina  Legislature  during  1851,  1852 
and  1853,  and  could  have  remained  in  this  position  longer  if  he  had  desired.  His 
neighbors  and  fellow-citizens  delighted  to  honor  him.  While  he  was  thus  honored 
and  loved  by  his  friends,  and  while  prosperity  followed  him,  he  was  not  exempt 
from  trials  and  sorrows.  Of  the  si.\  children  borne  to  him  by  his  first  wife,  four 
were  taken  from  him.  Only  the  eldest  and  youngest  daughters  remain.  And 
in  November,  1856,  his  devoted  wife,  a  pious  Christian  woman,  was  transplanted 
from  earth  to  heaven.  She  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Richard  Fuller,  D.  U.,  and 
lived  and  died  a  consistent,  useful  and  happy  Christian. 

Previous  to  the  death  of  his  wife,  his  church  had  licensed  him  to  preach,  and 
after  her  death  he  decided  to  go  to  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  to  attend  theological 
lectures,  that  he  might  be  better  fitted  for  the  work  of  the  ministry.  After  the 
close  of  the  session  of  the  Seminary,  Dr.  Lawton  made  an  extensive  tour  of  the 
United  States,  adding  much  to  his  stock  of  knowledge  by  his  close  observation 
of  men  and  things.  In  October  he  returned  to  South  CaroHna,  and  on  the  20th 
of  May,  1858,  was  married  to  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Mildred  A.  Royston,  who 
then  resided  in  Alabama. 

In  October  of  the  same  year,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  his  brethren,  he 
was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry,  the  Presbytery  consisting  of  W, 
B.  Carson,  H.  D.  Duncan,  Joseph  A.  Lawton  (his  double  first  cousin),  W.  A. 
Lawton  (his  uncle),  Jas.  Sweat  and  W.  l\.  Morcock.  Early  in  the  year  1859  he 
settled  at  Allendale,  South  Canlina,  having  purchased  an  elegant  country  man- 
sion, on  which  he  afterwards  spent  some  $5,000.00  in  improvements  and  out- 
buildings. With  large  possessions  and  a  beautiful  and  comfortable  home,  and 
surrounded  by  a  happy  family,  he  felt  settled  for  life.  With  a  true  spirit  of  mag- 
nanimity he  gave  up  the  Smyrna  church,  to  which  he  had  been  preaching,  that  a 
brother  minister  of  limited  means  might  be  called  and  thereby  secure  a  support 
for  his  family,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  weaker  country  churches.  For  a 
while  he  preached  to  four  of  these  churches,  but  finally  confined  his  labors  to 
two,  Bethlehem  and  Arnon,  each  about  six  miles  from  his  home.  God  abun- 
dantly blessed  his  labors  as  a  minister,  and  many  were  added  to  his  churches. 
In  the  midst  of  his  success,  happuiess  and  usefulness,  the  war  between  the 
States  began,  and,  with  true  patriotic  ardor,  he  volunteered  as  a  private  and 
went  with  his  company  to  the  coast  of  South  Carolina.  Here,  though  denied 
the  privilege  of  preaching,  he  would  read  the  Bible,  exhort  his  comrades  and 
pray  with  them  as  opportunity  offered.  On  account  of  his  skill  as  a  physician, 
he  was  soon  made  surgeon  of  the  regiment,  and  continued  in  this  position  till  a 
change  was  made  in  the  organization,  when  he  was  urged  by  his  old  neighbors 
to  return  and  practice  medicine  for  those  who  were  compelled  to  remain  at 
home. 

The  last  year  of  the  war,  1865,  he  refugeed  to  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia,  to 
escape  the  ravages  of  Sherman's  army.  In  the  fall,  he  returned  to  South  Caro- 
lina, with  his  family  and  freedmen,  to  behold  the  wreck  and  ruin  of  his  once 
beautiful  home  and  splendid  possessions.  But  with  a  brave  heart  and  deter- 
mined will,  he  at  once  set  to  work  to  gather  up  the  fragments  of  his  fortune, 
and,  as  far  as  possible,  repair  his  losses  and,  also,  to  preach  to  his  two  churches. 
Gathering  up  some  eight  or  ten  thousand  dollars,  he  commenced  to  plant  his 
lands  and  work  them  with  freedmen,  and  at  the  end  of  two  years  his  money  was 
all  gone.  Being  satisfied  with  this  experience,  he  determined  to  find  some  place 
where  he  could  educate  his  daughters,  two  stepdaughters  and  adopted  son  (a 
son  of  his  brother  William).  He  sold  his  lands  in  South  Carolina  for  a  mere 
song  and  moved  to  Forsyth,  Georgia.  He  remained  here  until  his  daughters  were 
educated  and  married.  Of  his  own  daughters,  the  older,  Martha  B.,  married 
Capt.  E.  S.  Riley,  and  the  younger,  Juliana,  married  J.  R.  Kendrick.  Of  his 
stepdaughters,  the  older,  Sallie  Royston,  married  H.  H.  Cabaniss,  and  the 
younger,  Mamie,  married  J.  T.  White.  His  adopted  son  (whose  lather,  William, 
died  of  yellow  fever  in  Charleston  in  1858),  was  educated  at  Mercer,  and  after- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  327 

wards  graduated  at  the  Macon  Law  School.  During  Dr.  Lawton's  stay  in  For- 
syth, he  had,  for  a  while,  the  charge  of  a  country  church,  preaching  to  it  once  a 
month.  He  also  carried  on  farming  interests  at  this  time  near  Forsyth  and  in 
southwest  Georgia.  His  success  as  a  planter  secured  for  him  the  reputation  of 
being  one  of  the  best  farmers  in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia.  For  ten  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society  of 
Georgia,  and  on  several  occasions  acted  as  general  superintendent  of  the  fairs 
held  under  the  auspices  of  that  society  during  the  presidency  of  Governor  A.  H. 
Colquitt.  Though  not  now  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  he  feels  and  mani- 
fests a  lively  interest  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  development  and  improvement  of 
the  resources  of  his  adopted  State. 

In  1876,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Smith  inspector  of  fertilizers  for  the 
Atlanta  district,  and  at  once  moved  to  that  city,  where  he  now  resides,  and  is  in 
the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duties.  Not  being  in  a  position  to  give  himself  fully 
to  the  ministry,  and  feeling  that  it  was  his  duty  to  support  his  family,  he  ac- 
cepted the  office  tendered  him  by  the  Governor,  but  his  hand,  head  and  heart 
are  ever  at  the  command  of  his  Master. 

When  the  Georgia  Baptist  State  Convention  met  at  Rome  in  1873,  brother  J.  J- 
Toon,  proprietor  of  The  Christian  Index,  proposed  to  sell  the  paper  and 
printing  house  to  such  brethren  as  might  desire  to  purchase.  Dr.  Lawton,  being 
recognized  by  his  brethren  as  a  man  of  great  energy  and  business  capacity,  was 
earnestly  urged  to  form  a  company  and  purchase  the  establishment.  After 
several  meetings  and  much  consultation  among  our  wisest  brethren,  negotiations 
were  entered  into  with  Mr.  Toon,  by  which  Dr.  Lawton,  D.  E.  Butler,  J.  P.  Har- 
rison and  others  became  the  purchasers  of  The  Index  and  Franklin  Printing 
House.  Dr.  Lawton's  connection  with  The  Index  as  one  of  its  managers,  has 
vindicated  the  wisdom  of  the  brethren  in  selecting  him  as  one  of  the  leading 
spirits  in  the  transaction. 

While  Dr.  Lawton  had  much  reason  to  be  grateful  and  gratified  at  this  action 
of  his  brethren,  the  position  assigned  him  has  imposed  on  him  much  labor  and 
responsibility,  and  no  little  sacrifice  of  time  and  money.  Our  brother  has  often 
been  honored  bv  his  denomination  and  his  services  have  been  highly  appreciated. 
He  has  been  several  times  elected  Moderator  of  his  Association,  the  Rehoboth, 
and  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Missions  nearly  ever  since  its 
organization.  He  was  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Monroe  Female 
College,  and  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  State  Convention  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  is  regarded  as  a  wise  and  safe  counsellor  among  his 
brethren  and  friends,  and  his  words  of  advice  always  carry  weight  and  influ- 
ence. As  a  preacher,  he  is  earnest,  forcible  and  logical,  and  at  times  really  elo- 
quent, impressing  his  hearers  with  the  strength  of  his  convictions  and  the  power 
of  divine  truth  on  his  own  heart.  His  appeals  in  behalf  of  the  grand  old  Index 
often  thrill  the  souls  of  his  brethren,  and  excite  in  them  a  warm  enthusiasm  for 
this  faithful  standard-bearer  of  Gospel  truth.  The  writer  of  this  sketch  heard 
him  on  one  occasion,  when  his  spirit  was  so  stirred  by  the  subject  he  was  pre- 
senting, that  he  rose  to  a  point  of  fervid  declamation  that  he  has  rarely  known 
surpassed.  As  a  friend.  Dr.  Lawton  is  warm-hearted,  true  and  devoted,  and  his 
personal  attachments  are  strong  and  lasting.  He  is  ever  ready  with  a  hand  to 
help  his  friends  in  need,  and  with  a  heart  to  sympathize  with  thern  in  affliction. 
The  generosity  of  his  nature  often  prompts  him  to  bestow  favors  to  a  point  be- 
yond what  his  friends  regard  as  prudence.  But  he  knows  that  "  the  Lord  loves 
a  cheerful  giver,"  and  is  willing  to  trust  his  Heavenly  Father  to  provide  for  the 
wants  of  his  family. 

Dr.  Lawton's  perceptive  faculties  are  remarkable,  and  these,  combined  with 
his  indomitable  energy,  have  contributed  largely  to  his  success  in  life.  He  is  a 
very  close  observer  of  the  words  and  actions  of  the  men  with  whom  he  is 
thrown  in  contact.  In  person,  he  is  quite  commanding ;  about  six  feet  in  height, 
weighs  200  pounds,  and  has  dark  hair  and  complexion,  with  heavy  beard,  now 
sprinkled  with  gray.  He  is  said  to  bear  a  strong  resemblance  to  Gen.  R.  E.  Lee. 
He  is  not  yet  an  old  man,  and  one  would  judge  from  his  sprightliness  of  manner 
and  elasticity  of  movement,  that  he  has  before  him  many  years  of  usefulness. 


328 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


He  now  performs  the  functions  of  a  minister  only  as  opportunity  offers,  and 
while  he,  doubtless,  would  be  delighted  to  be  wholly  devoted  to  that  work,  he 
feels  that  God  calls  His  servants  to  do  special  work  in  His  vineyard,  and  for  a 
limited  time,  and  that  his  work  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  has  ceased,  at  least 
for  the  present.  He  still  feels  determined,  however,  to  do  all  he  can  for  the 
Master  through  The  Index,  by  giving  of  his  means  as  the  Lord  shall  prosper 
him,  and  in  such  other  ways  as  may  present  themselves. 


JOSIAH  SPRY  LAW. 


Rev.  JosiAH  Spry  Law,  son 
of  Rev.  Samuel  Law  and  Rebecca 
G.  (Hughes,)  his  wife,  was  born 
in  Sunbury,  Georgia,  on  the  5th 
of  February,  1808,  and  there  re- 
ceived a  good  classical  education, 
principally  under  the  instruction 
of  Rev.  James  Shannon.  In  1827, 
that  gentleman  having  removed 
to  Augusta  at  the  solicitation  of 
the  Baptist  church,  and  desiring 
an  assistant  in  his  school,  offered 
the  place  to  Mr.  Law,  who  ac- 
cepted it,  and  at  the  same  time 
prosecuted  his  own  studies.  Here, 
during  a  revival  of  religion,  he  was 
converted  and  united  with  the 
Baptist  church. 

Up  to  this  time,  he  had  designed 
entering  the  profession  of  the  law, 
to  which  his  type  of  mind  was 
peculiarly  adapted,  and  in  which 
he  would,  no  doubt,  have  been 
distinguished.  But  God  had  other 
purposes  for  him,  and  his  grace 
touched  a  chord  in  the  bosom  of 
'^his  young  servant  that  had  never 
vibrated  before.  It  was  not  long  that  he  hesitated  in  regard  to  his  duty.  Sur- 
rendering all  his  previous  ambitious  aims,  he  resolved  to  give  himself  without 
reserve,  to  whatever  work  the  Master  had  appointed  for  him.  That  work,  he 
was  persuaded,  was  the  Gospel  ministry.  Accordingly,  to  prepare  himself  for 
it,  he  soon  after  entered  the  Theological  Seminary,  at  Newton,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  took  the  usual  course  of  three  years,  and  graduated  with  credit.  On 
his  return  home,  he  was  called  to  the  care  of  the  Sunbury  church,  and  was  or- 
dained in  December,  1830.  (Rev.  Charles  B.Jones  and  J.  H.  Campbell  were 
ordained  at  the  same  time.) 

In  January,  1831,  he  entered  on  his  ministerial  duties,  which  were  discharged 
with  so  much  zeal  and  ability  as  at  once  to  win  the  confidence  and  affection  of 
his  brethren.  In  October,  1832,  he  accepted  the  charge  of  the  Baptist  church  at 
Macon ;  but,  after  remaining  there  a  few  months,  he  returned,  in  the  spring  of 
1833,  and  resumed  his  connection  with  the  Sunbr.ry  church.  In  1835  he  was 
called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Savannah,  and  after  spending  a 
year  with  it,  was  again  called  back  to  his  first  cha;-ge  at  Sunbury ;  and,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  declining  health  of  his  father,  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  return.  In 
1840  he  became  pastor  of  the  North  Newport  church,  in  Liberty  county.     He 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS.  329 

was,  also,  for  several  years,  pastor  of  the  South  Newport  church,  in  Mcintosh 
county. 

The  Baptists  in  Liberty  county  have  at  no  time  been  very  strong,  except  with 
the  colored  population,  among  whom  they  are  the  prevailing  denomination.  Of 
late  years  the  number  of  white  communicants  has  been  greatly  diminished  by  re- 
moval and  death.  Sunbury,  where  their  chief  strength  lay,  has  been  almost  entirely 
forsaken.  The  dead  who  sleep  in  its  quiet  grave-yard,  and  whose  faces  are  not  for- 
gotten by  the  present  generation,  outnumber  by  far  its  living  inhabitants.  North 
Newport  has  also  suffered  severely,  but  not  to  the  same  extent,  from  the  same 
causes.  Winn,  and  the  elder  Screven,  and  Dunham,  and  the  elder  Law,  whose 
names  are  fragrant  in  the  memory  of  Baptists,  have  years  ago  entered  on  their 
rest.  Those  who  succeeded  them  in  the  ministry  have  been  called  to  other  fields 
of  labor  in  our  own  and  in  heathen  lands.  Mr.  Law  remained  and  toiled  through 
all  discouragements  in  a  position  that  promised  but  little  reward  beyond  the 
consciousness  of  a  faithful  discharge  of  duty. 

Deeply  concerned  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  negroes  from  the  commence- 
ment of  his  ministry,  he  had  hetn  accustomed  to  devote  part  of  his  time  to  their 
special  benefit,  and  for  several  years  previous  to  his  death,  the  largest  part  of  his 
service  was  given  to  them.  He  was  successful  in  his  labors  among  them  ;  an 
evidence  of  which  is  found  in  the  fact,  that  a  short  time  previous  to  his  fatal  sick- 
ness, he  baptized  thirty-six,  and  had,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  about  sixty  candi- 
dates for  baptism.  This  was  no  unusunl  occurrence.  Nor  was  it  the  result  of 
excitement.  They  were  well  instructed  and  intelligent  converts.  It  was  his 
custom  (as  it  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  brethren  engaged  in  the  same  work  in 
Liberty  county)  not  only  to  preach  to  them,  but  also  to  teach  them  orally,  old 
and  young,  on  every  occasion,  either  before  or  after  the  sermon.  He  felt  that 
the  soul  of  the  black  man  is  as  precious  to  the  Saviour  as  that  of  the  master,  and 
every  heart  that  loves  Christ  and  the  souls  of  men,  can  appreciate  the  interest 
for  this  class,  and  sympathize  in  the  reluctance  with  which  he  contemplated  a 
removal  from  his  charge,  that  would  perhaps  leav^e  them  without  a  shepherd  and 
guide.  His  ambition  was  not  for  worldly  distinction,  but  to  do  his  Master's 
will,  and  to  do  it  well.  Had  he  sought  distinction,  it  would  not  have  been  in  vain. 
The  positions  he  could  have  commanded  would  have  opened  to  him  a  field  in 
which  he  could  have  gratified  such  a  desire,  had  he  cherished  it.  A  few  years 
before  his  death,  he  was  elected  professor  in  the  Theological  Department  of 
Mercer  University,  but  preferring  the  more  immediate  duties  of  the  ministry,  he 
declined. 

He  continued  in  the  field  of  his  early  labors  until  attacked  by  a  malignant  dis- 
ease, to  which  he  was  much  exposed  in  attendance  on  sick  and  dying  friends, 
and  which  terminated  his  life  while  he  was  yet  in  the  vigor  of  manhood,  on  the 
5th  of  October,  1853.  From  the  commencement  of  his  illness  his  sufferings  were 
so  great  that  he  was  unable  to  converse  ;  and,  though  sometimes  bewildered,  he 
was  frequently  heard  to  say  :  "  Thy  will,  O  Lord,  not  mine,  be  done  !"  and  to 
repeat  some  passage  of  Scripture  suited  to  himself  and  his  sorrowing  family. 
His  last  words  were  two  verses  of  the  beautiful  hymn  commencing — 

"  There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight  !" 

It  is  no  unmerited  eulogy  to  say,  that  the  subject  of  this  notice,  in  intellectual 
endowments,  in  devotion  to  his  holy  calling,  in  earnest  eloquence,  and  in  fidelity 
to  his  office,  occupied  a  very  high  rank.  Endowed  with  talents  that  might  have 
qualified  him  for  any  station,  he  knew  no  ambition  but  to  serve  God  acceptably  ; 
he  coveted  no  honor  but  that  of  being  "  found  in  Christ."  The  buoyancy  of  his 
spirits  and  the  warmth  of  his  heart,  his  frankness  and  the  high  tone  of  feeling 
which  gave  a  beautiful  finish  to  his  character,  rendered  him  a  fascinating  com- 
panion and  a  valued  friend,  while  his  integrity  and  manly  independence  secured 
the  respect  of  all.  His  wit  and  genial  humor  in  social  intercourse  made  him 
highly  attractive  to  all  classes,  and  especially  to  the  young,  over  whom  his  in- 
fluence was  happily  exerted.  Social  in  his  feelings,  he  did  not  seclude  himself  in 
cold  isolation ;  but  having  a  heart  that  could  participate  in  the  happiness  and 
sympathize  in  the  sorrows  of  others,  he  gave  freedom  to  the  noblest  emotions  of 
the  soul,  and  endeared  himself  to  his  friends  by  identifying  himself  with  them  in 


330 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


every  scene  of  life.  His  attachments  were  strong,  and  he  made  no  professions 
of  regard  but  such  as  were  the  spontaneous  impulses  of  a  glowing  and  generous 
heart.     No  man  had  warmer  friends,  and  no  one  was  worthier  of  them. 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  nice  in  his  discriminations,  unfolding  the  doctrines  of 
the  Gospel  with  clearness,  and  applying  them  with  great  power  to  the  practical 
duties  of  life.  Independent  in  thought,  and  bold  in  declaring  what  he  believed  to 
be  the  truth,  his  sermons  were  rich  in  matter,  logical,  and  habitually  instructive. 
His  preparations  for  the  pulpit  were  thorough,  and  when  he  entered  the  sanctuary, 
it  was  with  beaten  oil.  Ardent  in  his  feeling,  his  eloquence  was  often  highly 
impassioned,  and  his  whole  manner  was  well  fitted  to  give  effect  to  his  dis- 
courses. His  last  sermon,  which  was  preached  the  day  on  which  he  was  attacked 
by  the  malady  which  terminated  his  life,  is  said  to  have  been  characterized  by 
remarkable  unction  and  impressiveness.  "  Christ  crucified "  was  always  the 
burden  of  his  preaching,  as  it  was  the  ground  of  his  hope. 

Mr.  Law  was  rather  below  the  medium  height,  well  formed,  and  of  agreeable 
personal  appearance.  A  free,  open  countenance,  sparkling  brown  eyes,  and  a 
head  of  fine  intellectual  development,  were  expressive  of  frankness,  vivacity  and 
intelligence.  His  physical,  intellectual  and  moral  man  were  in  admirable 
harmony. 

Mr.  Law  was  married  on  the  13th  of  January,  1 831,  to  Miss  Ellen  S.  Barrett,  of 
Augusta,  Georgia.  'Ihis  estimable  lady,  with  ten  children — nine  sons  and  a 
daughter — survived  him.  He  was  very  happy  in  his  domestic  relations,  and 
proved  to  the  wife  of  his  youth  a  devoted  husband.  A  stranger  to  austerity,  his 
children  were  encouraged  to  be  open  and  frank  in  his  presence.  At  the  same 
time  he  held  them  under  all  needful  restraint,  thus  blending,  in  his  intercourse 
with  them,  the  freedom  of  companionship  with  the  authority  of  "  one  that  ruleth 
well  his  own  house." 

His  servants  were  brought  under  the  same  rule  of  kindness  and  decision  by 
which  he  controlled  his  children.  He  was,  in  turn,  greatly  loved  by  them  ;  and 
little  is  hazarded  m  saying  that,  in  all  our  broad  domain,  no  servant  of  Jesus  is 
more  sacredly  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  the  grateful  children  of  Africa,  who 
received  the  Gospel  from  his  lips,  and  to  whose  spiritual  good  his  life  was  con- 
secrated. > 


JOSEPH  ALEXANDER  LAWTON. 


Rev.  Joseph  Alexander  Lawton,  of 
Allendale,  Barnwell  county.  South  Carolina, 
was  born  December  9th,  181 1,  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Natchez,  Mississippi,  where  his  father, 
Rev.  J.  J.  Lawton,  in  company  with  his 
brother,  Benjamin  T.  D.  Lawton,  and 
Thomas  Polhill,  with  their  families,  had 
emigrated  and  lived  two  years  ;  but  in  con- 
sequence of  Indian  hostilities,  returned  to 
Black  Swamp,  Beaufort  district.  South 
Carolina. 

At  this  place  Joseph  A.  remained  at 
school,  enjoying  the  advantages  of  an  acade- 
my of  very  high  order,  until  he  was  about 
fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to 
Screven  county,  Georgia,  near  Sylvania, 
where  he  lived  until  he  was  twenty.  While 
living  in  Georgia,  he  came  to  South  Caro- 
lina on  a  visii,  and  attended  an  interesting 

religious  meeting,  conducted  by  Rev.  Daniel  Baker,  a  Presbyterian   minister. 

About  this  time,  it  pleased  God  to  open  his  eyes,  and  show  him  clearly  the  way 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS  33 1 

and  plan  of  salvation,  under  a  sermon  preached  by  that  devoted  servant  of  God- 
the  Rev.  James  C.  Furman,  D.D. 

He  at  once  embraced  religion,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Isaac  Nichols,  Sr., 
with  about  a  dozen  others,  of  whom  were  James  T.  Sweat,  Lawrence  Robert, 
George  Kempton  and  Richard  Furman,  all  of  whom  became  ministers  of  the 
Gospel.  Very  soon  after  this,  he  went  to  Savannah,  Georgia,  and  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits  for  a  year  ;  his  was  while  Rev.  H  O.  Weyerwas  the  pastor  ; 
and  it  was  while  in  Savannah,  with  other  young  men,  that  he  began  to  exercise 
his  gifts  for  the  Gospel  ministry.  From  Savannah  he  went  to  the  P^urman 
University,  or  "  Institute,"  as  it  was  then  called,  as  fellow-students  with  James 
H.  DeVotie  and  Edward  Lathrop.  It  was  about  this  time  that  he  received  from 
the  Black  Swamp  church,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  a  license  to  preach.  It  is 
worthy  of  note,  that  at  the  same  time  his  license  was  granted,  the  same  privilege 
was  conferred  upon  his  father.  Rev.  J.  J.  Lawton,  and  also  upon  Rev.  James  T. 
Sweat,  Dr.  Joseph  T.  Robert,  George  Kempton,  Lawrence  Robert  and  Richard 
Furman.  What  an  interesting  and  unusual  occurrence — father  and  son  both 
given  to  the  Master's  work  at  the  same  time ! 

He  remained  at  the  Institute,  then  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Samuel  Furman 
and  Jesse  Hartwell,  for  two  years,  when  the  Institute  suspended  its  exercises, 
and  he  went  on  to  Madison  Universit3^  New  York,  where  he  remained  three 
years  and  graduated.  While  a  student  at  Madison,  he  visited  South  Carolina, 
and  married,  in  Beaufort,  April,  1836,  Mrs.  M.  S.  Barksdale,  a  woman  of  devoted 
piety  and  sterling  character,  who  proved  a  valuable  coadjutor  and  helpmeet  in 
the  Christian  ministry  for  a  term  of  forty-four  years. 

Having  graduated  at  Madison,  he  returned  and  settled  at  Allendale,  South 
Carolina,  when  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Pipe  Creek  church,  and 
regularly  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry  in  1838,  from  which  time 
he  has  served  very  acceptably  and  faithfully  a  number  of  churches,  among  them 
the  Philadelphia  Baptist  church,  in  Barnwell  county ;  Mount  Arnon,  for  ten 
or  twelve  years  ;  Hilton  Head  and  Dawfuskie,  for  three  years.  Then  he  went 
to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  spent  a  year  in  trying  to  build  up  a  Baptist 
interest  in  that  portion  of  the  city  known  as  the  "  Neck." 

About  this  time  failing  health  forced  him  to  repair  to  Marietta,  Georgia,  where 
he  spent  some  time,  and  returned  to  South  Carolina  and  took  charge  of  the 
Smyrna  and  Arnon  churches.  In  1855  the  Concord  church  was  organized,  and 
his  services  secured  as  pastor,  at  the  same  time  giving  one  Sabbath  in  the  month 
to  the  church  at  Barnwell  Court-house,  for  one  year.  His  connection  as  the 
beloved  and  respected  pastor  of  Concord  church,  lasted  for  eighteen  years,  and 
he  only  left  them  when  they  had  procured  his  successor,  in  the  person  of  Rev. 
A.  B.  Estes,  one  of  his  former  deacons. 

The  Allendale  Baptist  church  then  called  him  as  their  pastor ;  he  accepted  the 
call,  and  has  been  serving  that  church  without  interruption  until  the  present 
time.  In  addition  to  his  various  duties  as  pastor,  from  time  to  time,  he  has  served 
as  clerk  and  Moderator  of  the  Savannah  River  Association,  chairman  of  the 
Executive  Board,  one  of  the  trustees  of  Furman  University,  and,  doubtless,  has 
officiated  at  a  greater  number  of  funerals,  and  married  a  greater  number  of 
couples,  than  any  country  minister  of  his  age  now  living. 

During  his  days  of  prosperity,  almost  every  worthy  object,  and  a  host  of  young 
men — especially  worthy  young  ministers — were  the  recipients  of  his  benevolence 
and  kindness.  The  writer  has  been  personally  and  intimately  acquainted  and 
associated  with  him  for  a  number  of  years — through  peace  and  through  war, 
through  prosperity  and  through  adversity,  in  health,  and  in  affiiction  and  bereave- 
ment. In  his  opinion  a  more  beautiful,  unselfish  and  lovely  Christian  character 
could  not  be  found.  To  know  Joseph  Alexander  Lawton  is  to  love  and  respect 
him.  Wherever  he  lived,  wherever  he  went,  wherever  he  is  known,  the  rich  and 
poor,  the  high  and  low,  the  old  and  the  young,  all  honor,  respect  and  love  him 
as  a  true  and  devoted  Christian,  neighbor  and  friend.  So  gentle,  so  pleasant, 
so  sympathetic  and  kind  to  all. 

It  may  be  truly  said  of  him,  as  it  was  said  of  one  of  old,  "  There  is  none  like 
him  in  the  earth ;  a  perfect  and  an  upright  man ;  one  that  feareth  God  and 
escheweth  evil." 


^ 

f-^ 

^^. 

^v^w 

332  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


JOHN  W.  LEWIS. 

Rev.  John  W.  Lewis  was  born  February  ist,  1801,  in 
Spartanburg  district,  Soutti  Carolina.  He  was  tlie  son  of 
Joel  Lewis,  a  respectable  planter,  and  his  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  Henry  Mechem,  a  man  of  sterling  piety,  a  Bap- 
tist, and  a  Revolutionary  soldier  who  fought  bravely  in  the 
battle  of  Cowpens.  When  he  was  a  small  boy  his  father 
died,  leaving  two  children,  this  son,  and  a  daughter  after- 
wards the  wife  of  Major  John  S.  Rowland,  of  Georgia,  a 
lady  of  many  accomplishments  and  very  line  common 
sense,  and  a  firm,  consistent  Baptist.  His  mother  never 
married  again,  but  devoted  her  life  to  the  rearing  of  her  children,  and  man- 
aged the  estate  left  by  her  husband  so  well  as  to  be  able  to  educate  them  lib- 
erally and  give  each  a  handsome  start  in  the  world.  She  was  an  extraordinary 
woman,  and,  without  the  advantages  of  an  early  education,  possessed  a  great  deal 
more  than  usual  native  talent.  With  her  devotion  as  a  Christian  and  a  Baptist, 
she  combined  eminent  soundness  of  judgment,  strong  will  and  indomitable  en- 
ergy ;  and  her  son  often  remarked  that  he  never  failed  to  take  her  advice  in  a 
business  transaction  without  afterward  finding  he  had  made  a  great  mistake. 

Mr.  Lewis  received  his  classical  education  at  Cedar  Springs  Academy,  near 
Spartanburg  Court-house,  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Richard  Harris,  of  Green- 
ville, South  Carolina,  and,  after  going  through  the  usual  course,  became  a  physi- 
cian, in  Spartanburg.  He  showed  great  skill  and  secured  great  popularity  in  his 
profession,  and  as  long  as  he  followed  it,  had  an  extensive  practice.  Early  in 
his  professional  life  he  was  converted,  baptized  by  Rev.  Thomas  Bomar,  and 
received  into  Mt.  Zion  church,  near  his  mother's  residence.  In  the  years  1830 
and  1 83 1  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  South  Carolina,  and  might  have 
longer  retained  his  seat  in  it,  but  higher  interests  had  taken  possession  of  his 
soul,  and  he  retired  from  political  life.  About  this  time  there  was  a  great  revi- 
val of  religion  in  almost  all  the  churches  of  that  region,  and  under  its  influence 
he  began  preaching.  He  was  the  means  of  doing  great  good  in  building  up  the 
churches  and  in  the  conversion  of  sinners.  Mount  Zion  church,  especially,  grew 
from  a  membership  of  fifteen  or  twenty  to  over  one  hundred,  including  the 
strongest  citizens  of  the  county,  among  whom  was  Dr.  Robert  Young,  father  of 
General  Pierce  M.  B.  Young,  of  Georgia.  In  1832  he  was  ordained  to  the 
Christian  ministry,  and  for  some  years  he  supplied  Brush  Creek  church,  Greenville 
district.  He  was  married  in  1834  to  Mrs.  Maria  Earle,  daughter  of  Hon.  Samuel 
Earle,  formerly  a  member  of  Congress  from  South  Carolina,  and  sister  of  the  late 
Judge  John  Bayliss  Earle,  of  that  State. 

Of  his  character  and  life  prior  to  his  removal  from  South  Carolina,  Rev.  J.  G. 
Landrum,  pastor  of  the  church  where  he  held  his  membership,  and  a  warm  per- 
sonal' friend,  writes:  "  He  was  a  man  of  strong  mind,  a  deep,  original  thinker, 
of  fine  practical  sense  He  had  a  warm,  benevolent  heart,  a  steadfast  purity  in 
all  his  friendships.  At  times  he  seemed  melancholy  and  cast  down  in  spirit ;  at 
other  times  he  had  a  great  flow  of  geniality,  and  was  a  pleasant  companion. 
He  had  extraordinary  forecast,  and  managed  his  business  matters  with  great 
ability  and  success.  His  early  ministry  was  enforced  by  a  zeal  and  love  for  the 
Master  which  always  gained  for  him  very  large  and  attentive  congregations.  In 
a  word,  the  people  loved  both  the  man  and  his  preaching.  His  removal  from 
South  Carolina  was  very  much  regretted.  He  was  in  every  way  useful.  He 
was  able  in  counsel  in  church  conferences  and  in  Associations  ;  and  in  all  that 
related  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ  he  was  truly  a  strong  man,  and  used  his 
strength  well." 

About  the  year  1839  or  1840,  he  moved  to  Canton,  Georgia,  where  he  lived  as 
pastor  of  the  church  for  a  number  of  years,  serving  also  Pettit's  Creek  church, 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  333 

near  Cartersville,  then  one  of  the  largest  and  most  influential  in  the  Cherokee 
country,  and  occasionally  attending  other  small  churches  in  the  country,  and 
preachmg  a  great  deal  in  revivals,  and  on  all  occasions  when  opportunity  offered. 
He  proved  himself  a  bold  defender  of  the  faith,  an  able  expounder  of  the  Word, 
and  an  eloquent  advocate  of  the  truth.  Many  of  his  sermons  were  very  power- 
ful and  moving,  and  the  effect  produced  on  his  congregations  was  of  the  most 
beneficial  character. 

In  the  diligent  prosecution  of  his  ministry,  he  yet  found  time  to  attend  to 
much  secular  business.  He  was,  in  the  proper  sense,  a  first-rate  business  man, 
and  did  not  a  little  to  build  up  the  country  wherever  he  went.  The  western  part  of 
Bartow  county  was,  when  he  came  to  Georgia,  almost  a  wilderness.  He  pur- 
chased property  there,  erected  two  or  three  iron  furnaces,  built  a  large  merchant 
mill,  and,  at  his  own  expense,  made  good  roads  through  that  section,  connecting 
it  with  the  more  populous  part  of  the  county.  In  1845,  without  his  wish,  he 
was  unanimously  nominated  by  the  Democrats  to  represent  the  forty-first  sena- 
torial district  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  reluctantly  accepted  the  position,  but 
faithfully  discharged  its  duties — on  one  occasion,  securing  by  his  vote  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Georgia.  In  1857,  he  was  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Joseph  E.  Brown,  Superintendent  of  the  Western  and  Atlantic  Railroad — 
a  position  which  he  was  with  difficulty  induced  to  assume.  Prior  to  that  time, 
the  road  had  been  paying  almost  nothing  into  the  treasury  of  the  State,  but 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  administration  it  paid  about  $25,000  per  month. 
About  the  beginning  of  the  war  he  retired  from  that  post,  of  his  own  choice.  At  a 
later  period,  during  the  war,  a  vacancy  occurring  in  the  position  of  Confederate 
States  Senator  from  Georgia,  he  was  chosen  by  Governor  Brown  to  fill  that  place  till 
the  meeting  of  the  Legislature.  The  time  of  his  service  was  one  of  the  most  critical 
in  the  war  ;  and  he  not  only  commanded  the  respect  of  that  body  of  able  men,  but 
was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  practical  and  best  business  members  of  the 
Senate.  As  he  desired  to  retire  from  political  life,  he  declined  to  be  a  candidate 
for  election.  He  is  thus  one  of  the  rare  instances  where  a  man  of  deep  piety, 
unblemished  Christian  character  and  great  ability  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel, 
was  able  to  attend  to  a  large  amount  of  secular  business,  and  to  serve  the  pubHc 
and  his  State  on  various  occasions  with  great  credit  to  himself  and  profit  to 
those  whom  he  represented.  Even  his  enemies  never  alleged  that  he  in  any 
instance  abated  his  zeal,  or  compromised  his  Christian  character  while  engaged 
in  any  service  pertaining  to  this  life  only,  no  matter  how  humble  or  how  elevated 
it  may  have  been.  He  was  at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances,  the  same 
able,  devoted  soldier  of  the  cross,  winning  to  the  fold  many  precious  souls,  who 
will  ever  shine  as  stars  in  the  crown  now  worn  by  him  in  the  Jerusalem  above. 
He  received  that  crown  in  the  month  of  June,  1865 — the  date  at  which,  after 
an  i^ness  of  a  few  days,  he  departed  this  life  in  Cherokee  county,  Georgia. 

One  feature  in  the  character  of  Dr.  Lewis  worthy  of  special  note  is,  the  inter- 
est he  took  in  young  men  and  the  generous  aid  he  often  extended  to  them.  This 
is  seen  in  the  case  of  Rev.  J.  G.  Landrum,  an  orphan  boy  twenty  years  of  age, 
for  whom  his  influence  secured  an  election  to  the  pastorate  of  Mount  Zion 
church,  which  was  the  church  of  the  Doctor's  own  membership,  and  which, 
having  quintupled  the  names  on  its  roll,  largely  through  the  Doctor's  own  min- 
istration, would  have  gladly  placed  him  in  that  position.  It  is  seen,  also,  in  the 
case  of  Governor  Joseph  E.  Brown,  to  whom,  when  teaching  school  at  Canton, 
Georgia,  to  obtain  means  for  discharging  the  debts  incurred  in  a  hard  struggle 
to  secure  a  liberal  education,  he  gave  his  board  for  the  very  inadequate  compen- 
sation of  the  instruction  rendered  to  the  Doctor's  children,  and  to  whom  he 
loaned  money  enough  to  carry  him  through  Yale  Law  School  before  beginning 
the  practice  of  the  legal  profession — a  loan  repaid,  with  legal  interest,  from  the 
earliest  profits  of  that  practice.  Such  cases,  with  the  fruits  which  have  ripened 
from  them  through  long  years  of  eminent  usefulness  in  Church  and  State,  ought 
to  incite  a  generous  emulation  in  those  whom  God  has  endowed  with  sufficient 
means  for  that  form  of  service  to  His  cause. 


334  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


GEORGE  A.  LOFTON. 

Rev.  George  A.  Lofton  was  born  in  Panola  county,  Mis- 
sissippi, December  25th,  1839.  His  parents,  James  B.  and 
Olivia  A.  W.  Lofton,  removed,  toward  the  close  of  1850,  to 
the  vicinity  of  Atlanta,  Georgia.  He  was  raised  to  labor  on 
the  farm  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  with  only  such  oppor- 
tunities of  education  as  the  "country  schools"  of  the  neigh- 
borhood supplied  in  leisure  seasons  of  the  year.  But  his 
mental  activity  demanded,  and  his  mental  promise  secured,  a 
change.  He  studied  during  the  first  session  of  1858  at  the 
Starrsville  High  School  of  Mr.  A.  S.  Franklin,  and  during  the  second  at  the 
Fayetteville  Seminary  of  Mr.  M.  H.  Looney,  making  fair  progress  at  both  and 
winning  the  warm  commendation  of  his  teachers.  Through  1859  he  was  in  the 
school  of  Mr.  Franklin,  which  had  been  transferred  to  Monticello,  and  achieved 
the  highest  honors  for  proficiency  in  his  studies  and  for  declamation.  These 
two  years  prepared  him  to  enter  the  Sophomore  class,  half-advanced,  at  Mercer 
University,  in  the  spring  of  i860.  He  passed,  in  the  fall,  into  the  Junior  class, 
though  his  progress  was  much  retarded  by  the  ill  health  which  prevented  his 
return  the  next  year.  He  took  the  prize  for  declamation  at  commencement,  and 
gained  no  slight  repute  for  powers  of  debate  as  a  member  of  the  Ciceronian 
Society. 

The  revival  which  swept  through  the  country  in  1858  numbered  him  among 
its  converts.  He  was  brought  to  Christ  in  the  month  of  April — the  outcome, 
doubtless,  of  religious  impressions  dating  from  childhood  itself.  His  family  for 
generations  had  been  Baptists,  and  his  mother  belonged  to  that  communion. 
But,  while  much  that  is  best  in  his  life  has  been  due  to  the  lessons  she  enstamped 
on  his  young  heart,  she  had  never  enforced  her  denominational  tenets  upon  him  ; 
he  had  been  deprived  of  the  privileges  of  Sunday-school  instruction  in  his  early 
years,  except  for  a  short  season  in  connection  with  the  First  Baptist  church,  Atlanta; 
and  he  had  been  allowed,  on  Sabbath,  to  rove  from  church  to  church  in  the 
country  at  will.  Hence,  on  his  conversion,  he  joined  the  Starrsville  Methodist 
church,  without  the  least  consideration  whatever,  deeming  that,  if  he  were  a 
Christian,  one  church  would  answer  as  well  as  another.  But,  in  1859,  reading 
the  New  Testament  in  Greek,  his  mind  awoke  to  the  question,  "  Have  I  been 
baptized  ?"  and  he  devoted  several  months  to  careful  enquiry  into  the  distinctive 
principles  of  our  denomination.  As  the  result  of  this  investigation,  he  was  bap- 
tized about  the  25th  of  December,  by  Rev.  John  T.  Clarke,  pastor  of  theSecorid 
Baptist  church,  Atlanta. 

It  had  always  been  his  ambition  to  become  a  lawyer ;  but  when  first  praying 
that  he  might  recewe  God's  blessing  in  the  clear  realization  of  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus,  he  felt  that  he  ought  to  relinquish  that  purpose  and  preach  the  Gospel. 
He  struggled  for  several  weeks  against  this  convicdon,  but  yielded  at  last ;  joy 
and  peace  followed  ;  and  from  that  time,  he  often  exercised  his  gifts  in  prayer- 
meetings.  His  design  in  entering  Mercer  University  was  to  prepare  himself  for 
the  ministry.  The  exercise  of  his  gifts,  however,  grew  more  infrequent  there,  on 
account  of  timidity,  and  because  he  considered  many  more  able  and  better  qual- 
ified than  himself.  But  a  far  more  serious  postponement  of  his  life-work  was 
at  hand. 

The  war  broke  out  in  1861.  With  a  promise  to  the  Lord  that  he  would  preach 
when  peace  returned,  he  joined  the  First  Georgia  regiment.  After  an  attack 
of  typhoid  fever,  in  the  fall,  at  Staunton,  Virginia,  which  brought  him  to 
the  gates  of  death,  he  was  discharged  from  the  service  for  physical  disability. 
In  January,  1862,  he  attached  himself  to  the  State  troops  at  Savannah.  Again 
he  was  rejected  on  the  ground  of  ill  health.  The  next  month,  he  enlisted  in 
Leyden's  battalion  of  artillery.  He  was  elected  lieutenant  of  Barne's  battery, 
and  afterwards  made  adjutant  of  the  battalion.     He  resigned  this  position  in  the 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  335 

fall  of  ^863,  and  was  placed  in  command  of  Barne's  battery,  serving  in  that 
capacity  until  the  surrender  at  Appomattox,  Virginia,  April  19th,  1865.  He 
came  through  the  war  unwounded,  though  his  horse  was  shot  under  him  at  the 
battle  of  Campbell's  Station. 

While  absent  from  the  army  on  a  month's  furlough,  he  was  married,  at  At- 
lanta, March  31st,  1864,  to  Miss  Ella  E.  Martin,  who  has  been  a  noble  pastor's 
wife,  rendering  most  efficient  aid  to  her  husband  in  all  departments  of  pastoral 
labor  a.id  visitation. 

The  war  had  blunted  his  convictions  of  duty  as  to  the  ministry,  and  he  taught 
school  at  Wade's  Academy,  Webster  county,  Georgia,  in  the  fall  of  1865  and 
through  the  ensuing  year,  quieting  conscience  with  the  thought  that  this  was  at 
least  the  next  best  thing  to  preaching.  But,  alas,  to  temporize  is  to  fall.  He 
began  the  study  of  the  law,  January,  1867,  in  the  office  of  General  H.  Kent 
McCay,  Americus,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  spring  term  of  the  court  for 
Webster  county,  and  entered  immediately  on  a  practice  sufficiently  lucrative  for 
the  support  of  himself  and  his  family.  Thus  his  purpose  of  preaching  was 
abandoned,  and  darkness  fell  on  his  soul.  Gradually,  however,  through  the  wise 
counsel  and  wholesome  influence  of  Rev.  G.  F.  Cooper,  M.  D.,  after  the  conver- 
sion of  Mrs.  Lofton,  his  spiritual  strength  was  renewed  and  his  old  convictions 
regained  the  mastery.  License  was  granted  him  September  ist.,  1867,  and  he 
was  ordained  December  29th ;  the  practice  of  the  law  having  been  given  up 
entirely  between  these  dates.  For  two  years  he  labored  in  the  ministry,  with 
Pleasant  Grove,  Antioch,  Shiloh,  Brown's  Station  and  Smithville  churches,  in. 
that  section  of  the  State.  His  straitened  circumstances  rendered  it  necessary, 
the  while,  that  he  should  teach  school,  with  valuable  aid  from  his  wife,  and  fill 
the  chair  of  Mathematics  and  Latin  in  Furlow  Masonic  Female  College.  He 
was  much  helped  in  the  Spirit ;  many  souls  were  converted ;  and  the  churches 
were  greatly  built  up  and  strengthened. 

In  January,  1870,  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  at  Dalton,  Georgia.  Here  he 
wrought  a  good  work  ;  arousing  the  churches  in  the  region  around  to  zeal  and 
activity;  inducing  the  North  Georgia  Association,  in  1871,  to  connect  itself  with 
the  Baptist  State  Convention  ;  and  securing  from  the  city,  in  1872,  $10,000  in 
bonds  for  the  establishment  of  Crawford  High  School,  as  an  arm  of  Mercer 
University. 

In  June,  1872,  he  removed  to  Memphis,  as  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  church. 
Gracious  revivals  attended  his  ministry  ;  and  the  church  doubled  its  membership, 
growing  much  stronger  in  morale  and  finance.  In  the  fall  of  1873  and  the  pre- 
vious summer,  he  labored  through  the  cholera  and  yellow  fever  epidemics.  He 
often  visited  from  fifty  to  sixty  sufferers  in  a  single  day,  and  was  sometimes  up 
all  night.  He  contracted  both  diseases,  and  lay  prostrate  under  the  latter  for 
more  than  twenty  days.  While  here,  he  took  an  influential  part  in  the  initiation 
of  the  movement,  which  gave  origin  to  the  Southwestern  Baptist  University. 
He  held,  also,  for  a  season,  the  presidency  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Publication 
Society.  From  the  fall  of  1875  to  May,  1876,  he  was,  by  permission  of  the 
church,  the  Tennessee  Centennial  Agent,  canvassing  the  State  and  raising  in 
bonds  and  subscriptions  several  thousand  dollars  toward  the  endowment  of  the 
Southwestern  Seminary  at  Jackson  ;  a  work  cut  short  by  a  serious  throat  affec- 
tion, which,  however,  did  not  prevent  the  resumption  of  his  pastorate.  During 
this  Memphis  pastorate  he  published  a  Hltle  work  called  "  Habitual  Drunken- 
ness and  its  Remedy,"  and  a  Centennial  poem  under  the  title,  "The  Baptist 
Trophy,"  and  a  number  of  separate  sermons  and  contributions  to  the  denomi- 
national press. 

In  January,  1877,  he  assumed  pastoral  charge  of  the  Third  Baptist  church,  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  still  labors,  firmly  established  in  the  confidence  and 
love  of  his  brethren ;  taking  an  active  part  in  the  denominational  affairs  of  the 
State  and  of  the  country.  The  church  has  been  built  up  grandly ;  over  three 
hundred  members  have  been  added  ;  a  debt  of  eight  thousand  dollars  has  been 
paid  off  or  provided  for ;  the  Sunday-school  and  prayer-meetings  have  trebled  ; 
and  one  new  organization,  the  Garrison  Avenue  church,  has  been  formed  from 
it.     Here  he  has  had  a  place  on  the  writing  staff  of   The  Central  Baptist,    has 


336 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


contributed  lectures  on  Catholicism  and  Temperance  to  volumes  on  these  sub- 
jects by  eminent  divines,  and  has  published  "  Bible  Thoughts  and  Themes  for 
Young  Men  and  Women  " — a  book  vi^idely  and  flatteringly  noticed  by  the  press. 
Dr.  Lofton  is  a  man  of  mark.  With  an  intellect  vigorous,  self-reliant,  prolific, 
discursive  and  yet  capable  of  concentration,  imaginative  but  not  to  the  sacrifice  of 
logic,  he  unites  a  heart  of  warm  impulses,  of  deep  feelings,  of  generous  affec- 
tions, of  pure  motives.  These  constitute  his  power  of  attraction  in  private  and 
power  of  impression  in  public  life,  joined,  as  they  are,  with  a  tall  stature,  a  com- 
manding presence,  a  sympathetic  air  and  a  voice  of  unusual  compass.  Animated 
by  love  for  Christ  and  zeal  for  the  truth,  he  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  what  he 
believes  to  be  right  and  an  unflinching  opponent  of  what  he  believes  to  be  wrong. 
Perhaps,  as  he  grows  older,  he  grows  less  combative,  but  he  does  not  grow  less 
active,  resolute,  untiring  in  the  prosecution  of  his  great  life-work  as  a  Christian 
and  a  Baptist  minister. 


•  SAMUEL    BOYD    LITTLE. 


Rev.  Samuel  Boyd  Little  is  a  native "bf  South  Caro- 
lina, and  was  born  in  Spartanburg  district,  November  23d, 
1 81 9.  His  parents  were  pious  members  of  the  Methodist 
church ;  his  father  a  zealous  minister  of  that  denomina- 
tion. These  parents  sought  to  impress  their  children  with 
their  responsibilities  to  God,  and  to  teach  them  prevailingly 
that  their  highest  duty  was  to  give  their  hearts,  while  "  in 
the  days  of  their  youth,"  to  Jesus,  and  love  and  obey  Him. 
Mr.  Little,  when  quite  young,  attended  the  school  at  Spar- 
tanburg. When  his  parents  removed  to  Campbell  county, 
Georgia,  they  sent  him  to  school  in  Campbellton,  and  by 
close,  diligent  application  he  secured  a  fair  English  education.  In  1843,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Ann  Reeves,  daughter  of  Rev.  James  Reeves,  In  1876,  three 
years  after  her  death,  he  married  Mrs.  L.  J.  Lattimore,  daughter  of  Rev.  W.  S. 
Tweedle.  He  has  now  living  six  sons  and  two  daughters  ;  the  three  oldest  are 
active  members  of  the  Bowdon  Baptist  church. 

In  1 844,  he  united  with  the  Villa  Rica  church,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Parker 
Rice.  He  entered  on  the  duties  of  a  church  member,  with  earnest  zeal,  showing  to  all 
that  he  had  given  himself,  soul  and  body,  to  the  service  of  his  Lord.  In  a  few  years 
he  was  chosen  to  fill  the  office  of  deacon,  which  he  accepted,  and  by  his  fidelity  in 
the  discharge  of  its  duties  "  purchased  to  himself  a  good  degree  and  great  bold- 
ness in  the  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  He  was  then  as  now  an  active 
supporter  of  Sunday-school  work,  persuasively  urging  church  members  to 
attend  the  prayer-meetings,  and  when  occasion  presented,  warmly  exhorting  the 
worldly  and  wicked  to  repentance  toward  God  and  faith  in  Christ.  In  1869,  he 
was  licensed  by  his  church  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and,  in  1871,  was  ordained  to 
the  full  work  of  the  ministry.  At  once  an  inviting  field  opened  before  him. 
The  New  Lebanon,  Indian  Creek,  and  Mount  Olive  churches,  of  Carroll  county, 
Georgia,  where  Mr.  Little  then  resided,  invited  him  to  supply  their  pulpits  cne 
Sunday  in  each  month.  He  still  supplies  the  Mount  Olive  church,  and  has 
served  other  churches.  His  ministerial  work  has  been  a  success.  The  Lord 
has  owned  his  preaching  of  the  Word  and  greatly  prospered  the  churches  he  has 
served,  with  growth  in  piety  and  increase  in  membership.  He  is  an  earnest 
worker.  His  manner  in  the  pulpit  is  winning  and  attractive.  His  sermons  are 
full  of  good  Gospel  instruction. 

No  man  is  more  beloved  by  his  church  than  Rev.  S.  B.  Little,  and  but  for  his 
feeble  health,  he  would  gladly  supply  other  pulpits  to  which  he  has  been  called. 
He  has  resided  for  many  years  in  Bowdon,  Carroll  county,  ever  ready  to  do 
what  he  can  to  promote  the  cause  of  the  Saviour  in  whom  he  trusts,  and  to 
whom  he  has  consecrated  his  life. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS 


337 


WILSON   LUMPKIN. 


Hon.  Wilson  Lumpkin  left  behind  him 
an  autobiography  in  two  large  volumes, 
containing  many  interesting  passages  in  the 
history  of  Georgia  and  the  United  States, 
which,  we  hope,  may  be  given,  at  no  distant 
day,  to  the  public.  Meanwhile,  we  draw 
th'",  story  of  his  life  from  it,  presenting  the 
facts  largely,  as  our  readers  doubtless  would 
prefer,  in  his  own  words  : 

"  I  am  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  was  born 
in  Pittsylvania  county,  January  14th,  1783. 
When  1  was  one  year  old  my  father  removed 
to  Georgia,  and  settled  in  that  part  of  the 
State  then  known  as  Wilkes,  now  Oglethorpe 
county.  My  parents  were  of  English  de- 
scent on  both  sides,  and  Virginia  was  the 
birth-place  of  themselves  and  their  ancestors 
for  several  generations  past.  My  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Hopson.  My 
parents  had  ten  sons  and  only  one  daughter.  Eight  out  of  the  ten  sons,  as  well 
as  the  daughter,  lived  to  form  matrimonial  connections  and  rear  families  of  chil- 
dren. I  was  the  second  son,  and  called  after  the  husband  of  my  father's  only 
sister.  Colonel  John  Wilson,  of  Pittsylvania  county,  Virginia.  My  father,  John 
Lumpkin  was  amongst  the  first  settlers  of  Oglethorpe  county,  who,  with  his 
father,  George  Lumpkin,  settled  on  Long  Creek  in  the  year  1784. 

"  My  mother  was  a  woman  of  great  strength  of  mind,  deeply  imbued  with 
the  religion  of  the  Bible,  with  which  book  she  was  so  familiar  as  to  need  no 
Concordance  to  find  any  passage  of  Scripture  she  desired.  She  was  an  accom- 
plished reader,  and  spelled  correctly  almost  every  word  in  the  English  language. 

"  I  have,  to  the  present  day,  a  more  distinct  recollection  of  the  sayings  and 
doings  of  grown  people,  particularly  people  who,  in  my  estimation,  had  some 
distinction,  than  I  have  of  what  passed  between  me  and  my  juvenile  associates 
in  childish  sports.  At  a  very  early  age  I  paid  great  attention  to  all  that  was 
said  by  grown  people,  especially  the  aged.  I  have  often  sat  quietly,  when  a 
small  boy,  at  my  mother's  feet,  and  heard  her  detail  the  hazardous  scenes  through 
which  my  maternal  uncle.  Colonel  Joseph  Hopson,  passed  during  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  in  Morgan's  rifle  corps,  in  which  he  served  in  a  Captain's  command. 
I  cannot  explain  to  my  satisfaction  how  I  acquired  my  early  habit  of  meditation 
and  thinking,  but  when  a  child  of  six  years  old,  I  was  in  the  daily  habit  of  seek- 
ing solitude  from  my  little  brothers  and  playmates,  and  spending  hours  in  reflect- 
ing on  subjects  which  generally  engross  the  mind  in  mature  years.  But  at  the 
age  of  seven  or  eight  I  was  placed  at  school,  which  very  soon  concentrated  most 
of  my  thoughts  on  the  duties  and  scenes  of  this  new  position.  This  school 
was  taught  by  David  Patrick,  a  noble  son  of  Erin — a  man  of  limited  education, 
but  of  correct  principles,  having  a  warm  and  patriotic  heart. 

"  Four  or  five  years  were  spent  in  a  common  country  school,  taught  by  my 
great  uncle,  Joseph  Lumpkin,  and  a  part  of  my  fifteenth  and  the  whole  of  my 
sixteenth  year  was  spent  at  school  under  the  instruction  of  Francis  Meson,  who 
was  the  most  competent  teacher  I  ever  had  the  advantage  of  in  a  school-room. 
,  Under  Mr.  Meson's  instruction  I  studied  land  surveying,  and  acquired  the  neces- 
sary theory  to  enable  me  to  become  an  accurate  land  surveyor,  with  a  short 
practical  experience.  Here  my  school  days  ended.  My  father  being  Clerk  of 
the  Superior  Court  of  Oglethorpe  county,  I  had  frequently,  in  my  school  days, 
at  times,  when  at  horpe,  been  put  closely,  for  weeks  together,  to  copying  various 


338  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

writings  appertaining  to  the  Clerk's  office ;  which  greatly  enlarged  my  stock  of 
information  on  various  subjects,  particularly  the  forms  of  legal  instruments,  and 
the  statutes  of  the  State. 

"  My  only  sister  was  born  when  I  was  nearly  grown  ;  therefore  my  mother 
had  no  daughter  to  be  seated  at  her  feet  to  receive  the  daily  droppings  of  early 
instruction  from  maternal  lips ;  and  this  place,  to  a  great  extent,  I  occupied.  In 
many  respects  I  supplied  the  place  of  a  daughter. 

"  The  kind  words  and  commendations  which  I  uniformly  received  from  my 
mother ;  the  confidence  she  reposed  in  my  veracity  and  fidelity  of  character, 
when  a  mere  child,  I  believe  have  had  a  strong  influence  on  my  character  through 
life.  At  an  early  age,  the  love  of  approbation  and  kind  words  was  impressed 
on  my  heart. 

"  From  sixteen  to  eighteen  my  time  was  devoted  to  the  Clerk's  office,  or  labor- 
ing in,  and  superintending,  my  father's  farm.  During  that  period  I  had  access 
to  books,  in  which  I  became  deeply  interested,  and  availed  myself  of  every  hour 
of  time  which  could  be  spared  from  business.  In  history,  I  read  Josephus, 
Rollin,  Plutarch,  Gibbon,  Hume,  and  many  other  useful  books.  Blackstone  I 
had  been  reading  before,  but  it  now  became  more  and  more  interesting  as  I  dis-  . 
covered  how  it  was  connected  with,  and  has  sprung  from,  the  history  of  the  past.  I 
read  Smith's  Wealth  of  Nations,  Vattel,  and  Paley's  Philosophy,  with  deep  inter- 
est, and  then  became  an  unwavering  convert  to  the  principles  of  free  trade." 

Before  reaching  his  nineteenth  year,  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Walker,  and 
devoted  himself  to  preparing  a  comfortable  home  and  living  for  himself  and 
wife.  Of  this  wife  he  says  :  "  We  lived  together  nineteen  years,  when  it  pleased 
God  to  take  her  to  that  house  prepared  for  her  in  heaven.  She  was  the  mother 
of  five  sons  and  three  daughters." 

Before  he  was  fully  twenty-one  years  old,  he  was  elected,  by  a  very  large  vote, 
as  the  colleague  of  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Crawford,  to  represent  Oglethorpe  county  in 
the  Georgia  Legislature.  That  position  was  conferred  on  him  a  second  time  in 
1812.  In  1817,  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  and  served  two  years.  At  the  close 
of  1 81 8,  he  received  from  President  Monroe  an  appointment  to  superintend  the 
running  of  the  treaty  line  of  the  Creek  Indian  nation.  Morgan  county  chose 
him  as  its  representative  in  the  Legislature  in  the  fall  of  1819,  and  he  served  as 
Commissioner  in  determining  the  line  between  Georgia  and  Florida. 

He  married  his  second  wife,  Miss  Annis  Hopkins,  in  1821,  and,  from  the 
close  of  that  year  to  the  commencement  of  1824,  he  took  no  active  part  in  the 
politics  of  the  country. 

In  1825,  he  was  appointed  a  commissioner  on  the  Board  of  Public  Works, 
organized  in  that  year  for  the  purpose  of  surveying  a  route  for  a  canal  connect- 
ing the  waters  of  the  Tennessee  river  with  the  Savannah.  He  spent  a  large 
portion  of  the  year  in  the  active  duties  of  this  commission,  and  reported  against 
the  practicability  of  a  canal,  but  favorably  to  a  railroad,  almost  on  the  exact 
ground  now  occupied  by  the  Western  and  Atlantic  Railroad.  He  was  again 
elected  to  Congress,  in  the  fall  of  1829,  serving  in  1830  and  1831.  At  the  close 
of  that  term  he  was  elected  Governor,  and  occupied  that  office  through  1836. 
In  November,  1837,  the  Legislature  elected  him  to  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States.  His  senatorial  term  expired  with  the  administration  of  Martin  Van 
Buren,  March  4th,  1841. 

It  would  swell  this  narrative  beyond  reasonable  limits  to  dwell  at  length  on 
the  facts  thus  grouped  together,  and  on  this  aspect  of  his  character.  It  is 
Wilson  Lumpkin  as  a  Christian  and  a  Baptist,  that  the  purpose  of  this  volume 
mainly  calls  for.  On  this  part  of  his  life  he  has  been  very  full,  and  it  would 
cheer  the  heart  of  any  Christian  to  read  what  he  has  written  on  experimental 
religion. 

As  his  account  of  his  conversion  and  connection  with  the  church  is  very  clear 
and  full,  his  own  words  are  given ; 

"  In  early  youth,  and  after  much  reflection  and  many  prayerful  readings  of  the 
New  Testament,  I  became  fully  satisfied  that  the  Baptist  churches,  with  all  their 
imperfections,  made  the  nearest  approach,  in  faith,  practice  and  ordinances, 
to  the  commands  and  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  apostles,  as  recorded  in 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  339 

the  New  Testament.  And  therefore,  in  the  month  of  September,  1801,  I  united 
with  the  Baptist  church  at  County  Line,  Oglethorpe  county,  and  have  continued 
to  be  a  member  of  a  Baptist  church  up  to  the  present  time  (October,  1854), 
without  ever  having  been  under  the  deahngs  or  censure  of  the  church  to  which 
I  was  amenable  for  my  moral  and  Christian  deportment.  But,  alas !  I  have 
been  under  my  own  censure  for  the  greater  part  of  this  long  period. 

"Notwithstanding  my  whole  life  has  been  spent  in  the  most  pressing  private 
and  public  cares  from  the  time  I  united  with  the  church  up  to  the  present  day, 
I  have  constantly  borne  some  active,  though  humble,  share  in  the  business  and 
operations  of  the  church — being  most  of  the  time  both  clerk  and  deacon,  often 
attending  Associations  and  other  religious  meetings  and  sometimes  acting  as 
presiding  officer  at  them.  At  the  time  when  I  united  with  the  church,  to  the 
best  of  my  recollection,  the  whole  number  of  Baptists  in  Georgia  was  about 
6,000.  And  what  has  God  wrought  since  !  We  now  number  upwards  of  80,000 
Baptists  in  Georgia.  In  the  year  1801,  the  Baptists  were  generally  a  poor, 
humble,  Bible-reading,  God-fearing  people,  and,  by  those  who  knew  but  httle  of 
them,  they  were  considered,  as  a  denomination,  extremely  ignorant,  illiberal  and 
bigoted.  Truly,  since  those  days,  God  has  done  great  things  for  us,  and  it  is 
marvelous  in  our  eyes  !  And  allow  me  to  say,  and  pardon  me  if  I  am  wrong, 
I  sometimes  feel.  Oh  !  that  the  Baptists  of  the  present  day  were  as  conscientious, 
humble,  Bible-loving  a  people  as  they  were  in  1801.  Then,  every  believer  in 
Christ  made  it  his  great  concern  to  call  sinners  to  repentance  ;  not  as  a  matter 
of  form,  but  with  earnest  and  moving  persuasion.  Every  convert  was  inviting 
his  former  companions  to  turn  unto  the  Lord.  The  Church,  in  those  days,  could 
call  men  to  repentance  in  earnest,  because  its  members  were  living  holy,  self- 
denying,  penitent  lives.  And  hence  arose  the  separation  of  the  Church  from 
the  world.  '  Because  you  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen  you  out  of 
the  world,  therefore  the  world  hateth  you.'  It  is  under  these  circumstances  that 
the  Church  will  always  gain  its  most  signal  victories.  And  when  these  princi- 
ples of  duty  exercisfe  an  abiding  influence  on  the  life  of  every  disciple,  '  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world  will  soon  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  His 
Christ.'  The  means  which  the  Saviour  has  provided  for  the  universal  triumph 
of  His  Church  upon  earth  is,  that  every  disciple,  as  soon  as  he  becomes  a  par- 
taker of  divine  grace,  shall  become  the  herald  of  salvation  to  his  fellowmen. 
He  is  a  fountain  from  which  is  to  flow  a  river  of  living  water.  Every  disciple 
is  bound  to  employ  for  Christ  every  popular  gift  with  which  he  may  have  been 
endowed.  Every  man  possessed  of  the  gifts  for  the  ministry  mentioned  in  the 
New  Testament,  is  bound  to  consecrate  them  to  Christ,  either  in  connection 
with  his  secular  pursuits,  or  by  devoting  his  wLole  time  to  this  particular  service. 
If  my  views  be  correct  there  is  no  ministerial  caste  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  no 
class  elevated  in  rank  above  their  brethren,  on  whom  devolve  the  more  dignified 
and  honorable  portions  of  Christian  labor,  while  the  rest  of  the  disciples  are  to 
do  nothing  but  to  raise  the  funds  for  their  support,  and  for  the  support  of  other 
matters  connected  with  the  present  policy  of  the  Christian  Church.  I  have 
made  this  digression  as  an  admonition  to  those  who  may  survive  me,  not  to  wait 
for  theological  schools  to  make  ministers  to  convert  the  world ;  because  it  is  not 
God's  plan  to  convert  the  world  by  this  exclusive  instrumentality.  I  think  my 
views  are  fully  confirmed  by  the  manner  in  which  the  first  Christian  church  was 
planted  under  the  immediate  eye  of  the  great  Master.     And  it  was  simply  this  : 

"  When  one  individual  was  called  by  Christ,  he  brought  other  individuals  to 
the  Saviour.  '  John  stood,  and  two  of  his  disciples,  and  looking  upon  Jesus  as 
he  walked,  he  saith,  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God ;  and  the  two  disciples  heard  him 
speak  and  they  followed  Jesus.  One  of  the  two  was  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's 
brother.  He  findeth  his  own  brother,  Simon,  and  saith  unto  him,  we  have  found 
the  Messiah.  And  he  brought  him  to  Jesus.  The  day  following  Jesus  findeth 
Philip,  and  saith  unto  him,  follow  me.  Philip  findeth  Nathaniel  and  saith  unto 
him,  we  have  found  him  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law  and  the  prophets  did  write, 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  son  of  Joseph.  Nathaniel  saith  unto  him,  can  any  good 
thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  }  Philip  saith,  come  and  see.'  Thus,  by  contact 
of  soul  with  soul,  did  the   Church  of  Christ  first  increase ;  and  allow  me  to 

25 


340  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

add,  if  any  one  will  read  the  Gospel  with  a  view  to  the  subject  under  consid- 
eration, he  will  be  surprised  to  observe  how  much  of  the  recorded  teaching  of 
Christ  consists  of  conversations  addressed  to  individuals  in  the  ordinary  inter- 
course of  life. 

"  As  the  Church  commenced  and  advanced,  so  it  will  be  to  the  end  of  time. 
'Ye  see  your  calling,  brethren,'  said  the  beloved  apostle  Paul,  'that  not  many 
wise  men  after  the  flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble  are  called ;  but  God 
has  chosen  the  weak  things  of  this  world  to  confound  the  things  that  are 
mighty ;  and  base  things  of  the  world,  and  things  that  are  despised,  hath  God 
chosen,  yea,  and  things  that  are  not,  to  bring  to  nought  things  that  are,  that  no 
flesh  should  glory  in  his  presence.'  Under  the  conviction  of  these  truths  Paul 
labored  in  the  ministry.  Though  a  well  educated  man  himself  who  had  profited 
above  many  who  were  his  equals,  yet  when  he  proclaimed  the  Gospel  in  refined 
and  luxurious  Corinth,  he  resolved  to  know  nothing  among  them  but- Jesus 
Christ,  and  him  crucified.  He  did  from  choice  what  his  unlettered  brethren  did 
from  necessity, 

"  It  is  surprising  to  observe  the  entire  simplicity  of  these  efforts  by  which  the 
Gospel  was  planted  in  so  short  a  time  throughout  the  Roman  empire.  We  can 
discover  no  means  employed  to  accomplish  this  extraordinary  result,  but  preach- 
ing, to  all  men,  repentanc.:  toward  God  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  imposing  on  every  regenerated  man  the  duty,  in  turn,  of  proclaiming  the 
good  news  to  his  brethren,  always  relying  wholly  on  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Survey  our  missionary  fields  of  the  present  day.  Our  greatest  success 
has  been  among  the  Karens,  where  the  work  has  been  carried  on  chiefly  by 
native  preachers,  and  the  contact  of  soul  with  soul,  has,  to  a  great  extent,  been 
leavening  the  whole  lump. 

"  But  let  it  not  be  said,  when  I  have  gone  hence,  that  I  was  opposed  to  edu- 
cation, or  theological  learning.  Far  from  it.  I  profess  to  have  always  been  the 
devoted  friend  of  literary  education  as  well  as  Bible  knowledge,  in  all  their  vari- 
ous branches.  And  as  one  amongst  the  early  children 'of  Georgia  who  still 
survives,  I  continue  to  feel  the  full  force  of  the  disadvantages  arising  from  the 
want  of  schools  and  literary  institutions  of  a  high  order  to  any  community.  But 
I  consider  Learning  only  the  handmaid  of  Religion,  and,  therefore,  rely  chiefly 
on  the  Triune  God  for  the  universal  spread  of  the  Gospel,  rather  than  on  the 
learning  of  the  ministry. 

"  From  first  to  last,  1  have  favored  most  of  the  efforts  of  what  are  called  the 
Missionary  Baptists  in  Georgia,  and  have  acted  as  one  of  their  members,  and 
have  contributed  as  freely  as  my  circumstances  would  allow." 

These  interesting  extracts  from  Governor  Lumpkin's  own  writings,  enable  us 
to  obtain  a  correct  glimpse  of  his  life  and  character.  The  one  was  so  long  and 
useful,  and  the  other  so  noble,  consistent  and  Christian-like  ;  and  his  whole  life 
was  so  wholly  devoted  to  the  highest  and  best  interests  of  both  Church  and 
State,  that  a  general  view  of  both  life  and  character  will  be  found  not  only 
appropriate,  but  interesting  and  instructive.  We  have  seen  that,  in  the  year 
1784,  when  but  one  year  of  age,  he  was  brought,  by  his  parents,  from  Virginia 
to  Georgia.  There  they  settled  in  Oglethorpe  county,  where  he  grew  to  early 
manhood.  At  that  time  there  was  no  college  in  the  State,  and  but  few  semina- 
ries of  learning  of  any  grade.  The  meagre  advantages  afforded  by  a  country 
school,  in  which  the  merest  rudiments  of  knowledge  were  taught,  and  these  by 
inferior  instructors,  were  the  only  facilities  of  education  enjoyed  in  youth  by 
the  future  Governor  of  our  Commonwealth.  When  about  eighteen  years  of  age, 
his  mind  was  awakened  to  the  great  importance  of  salvation.  Oppressed  with 
a  sense  of  his  sinfulness,  he  applied  for  counsel  to  the  minister  in  charge  of  the 
Methodist  church,  of  which  his  mother  and  father  were,  at  the  time,  communi- 
cants, and  where  he,  himself,  had  been  in  the  habit  of  attending  worship. 

He  was  advised  to  connect  himself  immediately  with  the  church  as  a  proba- 
tioner seeking  religion.  With  this  direction  he  could  not  comply,  as  he  was 
persuaded  that,  in  such  a  state  of  mind  as  he  then  possessed,  he  ought  not  to 
make  any  profession  of  religion  whatever.  Subsequently,  when  he  experienced 
peace  through  believing,  he  determined  to  search  the  Scriptures  in  order  to 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  34I 

ascertain  his  duty,  and  he  resolved  to  connect  himself  with  that  church  which, 
so  far  as  he  could  judge,  was  conforming  most  closely  in  doctrine,  and  practice, 
to  the  instructions  of  God's  Word.  "When  I  began  the  inquiry,"  he  used  to 
say,  "  I  had  not  the  most  distant  idea  of  becoming  a  Baptist.  My  parents  were 
Methodists,  and  I  usually  attended  their  church  ;  but  I  was  anxious  to  be  a 
Presbyterian.  I  knew  some  persons  of  that  faith,  and  admired  them  so  much 
that  I  thought  if  ever  I  joined  any  body  of  Christians,  it  would  be  a  Presbyte- 
rian church.  Of  the  Baptists  I  knew  but  little,  and  had  never  felt  any  special 
drawing  towards  them  as  a  people.  You  may  judge  of  my  surprise  when,  on 
reading  the  Bible,  I  felt  myself  obliged  to  be  a  Baptist  T' 

True  to  the  result  of  his  inquiries,  he  was  shortly  baptized,  on  a  profession 
of  his  faith,  and,  until  the  day  of  his  death,  remained  faithful  to  the  church  of 
his  choice. 

So  much  affected  were  the  parents  by  the  baptism  of  their  son,  that  they  too 
began,  like  the  noble  Bereans,  to  "search  the  Scriptures,  whether  these  things 
were  so  ;"  and  they  soon  became  convinced  that  the  son  was  right.  Nor  was  it 
long  till  they  too  were  "buried  with  Christ  by  baptism."  Other  members  of  the 
family  subsequently  followed  his  example,  and  in  a  short  time  all  the  adult  mem- 
bers of  the  family  had  united  with  a  Baptist  church. 

"  God  made  me  a  Baptist,"  said  Governor  Lumpkin  to  a  young  friend  many 
years  afterwards,  "  and  I  can  never  be  anything  else.  I  must  be  of  this  faith,  if 
I  am  the  only  person  in  the  world  professing  it." 

On  his  retirement  from  political  life  in  1841,  he  purchased  for  himself  a  com- 
fortable home  in  the  vicinity  of  Athens,  Georgia,  and  spent  there,  in  honored  and 
dignified  seclusion,  the  remainder  of  his  days.  The  only  public  service  he  ren- 
dered after  his  retirement,  was  to  act  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  for 
the  State  University,  and  at  the  lime  of  his  death,  in  1870,  he  had  been  for  many 
years  the  senior  member  of  the  Board  and  its  honored  President. 

Few  men  have  lived  in  Georgia  more  universally  popular  than  was  Governor 
Lumpkin.  At  no  time  did  he  fail  to  secure  any  office  for  which  he  was  a  can- 
didate before  the  people.  For  full  forty  years  from  his  early  manhood  he  was 
retained  in  positions  of  trust  and  honor,  and,  if  we  include  his  service  as  a 
trustee  of  the  State  University,  for  a  much  longer  period.  His  popularity  was, 
m  a  good  degree,  due  to  his  unswerving  fidelity  to  the  trusts  he  had  received. 

If  he  was  not  a  bold,  dashing  leader,  he  was  certainly  a  prudent  officer  ;  and 
the  people  felt  that  the  public  interests  were  safe  in  his  hands.  He  was  always 
ready  to  serve  his  friends  at  any  reasonable  sacrifice,  whilst  towards  his  political 
opponents  he  deported  himself  with  so  much  of  courtesy,  that  he  was  constantly 
disarming  their  opposition  or  winning  them  to  his  support.  He  kept  aloof  from 
those  personal  altercations  to  which  conspicuous  politicians  were  liable  in  those 
days,  when  passion  so  often  ruled  the  hour  and  when  the  pistol  constituted  the 
highest  court  of  appeals.  While  his  early  opportunities  for  acquiring  an  educa- 
tion were  limited,  he  was  endowed  by  nature  with  an  active,  thoughtful  and  in- 
quiring mind ;  so  that,  though  d'='.ficient  in  the  knowledge  of  the  schools,  he  was 
not  by  any  means  uneducated.  He  learned  early  to  think,  and  to  think  for  him- 
self, without  servilely  adopting  the  opinions  of  others  ;  and  by  this  process  his 
fine  intellectual  gifts  were  drawn  out,  or — educated.  There  were  few  subjects 
of  importance  connected  with  the  science  of  government  which  had  not  been 
carefully  revolved  by  him,  and  whenever  required  his  opinions  were  promptly 
forihcoming.  His  State  papers  whilst  Governor,  and  his  speeches  whilst  a  mem- 
ber of  the  National  Congress,  are  able  and  statesmanlike,  evincing  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  subject  discussed.  If  his  thoughts  are  not  expressed  with 
that  beauty  of  diction  which  indicates  careful  training  in  rhetoric  and  belles- 
lettres,  they  are  marked  by  the  perspicuity  and  good  sense  characteristic  of  a 
man  who  has  something  to  say,  and  who  is  intent  on  lodging  his  meaning  in  the 
minds  of  those  whom  he  addresses. 

But  it  was  the  high  moral  and  religious  character,  dignifying  and  adorning  the 
life  of  Governor  Lumpkin,  which  constituted  his  chief  excellence.  He  was  a 
Christian  statesman.  While  not  indifferent  to  the  approbation  of  his  fellow-men, 
he  was  far  more  solicitous  for  the  honor  which  cometh  from  above.     Whether 


342  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

in  his  country  home,  where  he  first  professed  faith  in  Christ,  or  in  Milledgeville, 
Washington  or  Athens,  he  took  his  stand  for  Christ,  ever  identifying  himself 
with  his  Baptist  brethren,  however  few  or  poor  or  despised  they  might  be.  As 
a  rule — and  there  are  honorable  exceptions — politicians  make  poor  church  mem- 
bers. But  Governor  Lumpkin  never  furled  hs  Christian  colors  for  fear  of  los- 
ing the  votes  of  those  who  were  of  a  different  religious  faith. 

He  took  his  place  among  the  humblest  members  of  the  church,  assuming 
nothing  on  account  of  honors  received  from  the  State,  and  counting  it  a  priv- 
ilege to  be  even  a  door-keeper  in  the  house  of  the  Lord.  No  one  rejoiced  more 
than  he  when  the  work  of  the  Lord  was  revived,  and  it  was  a  touching  sight  to 
see  him  exhorting  youthful  converts  to  be  faithful  to  their  vows,  when,  in  times 
of  revival,  they  presented  themselves  for  membership.  His  silvery  locks,  and 
tearful  eye,  and  tremulous  voice  emphasized  his  pious  advice  with  a  power  and 
pathos  which  subdued  every  heart. 

Few  who  saw  him  only  as  he  circulated  among  politicians,  would  have  sup- 
posed that  his  was  a  nature  as  sensitive  and  tender  as  a  woman's  ;  yet  his  inti- 
mate friends  saw  this  beautiful  side  of  his  character.  His  love  was  the  fervent, 
feeling  devotion  of  a  lifetime,  and  to  those  whom  he  loved  he  was  faithful  even 
unto  death.  Afflictions  severe  and  frequent  kept  his  heart  soft.  Among  other 
sorrows  was  a  calamity  which  befell  an  interesting  child  of  his  who  bore  his  own 
name.  When  but  three  or  four  years  of  age,  the  sprightly  and  promising  little 
boy  wandered  away  into  the  woods  and  could  not  be  found  for  a  day  or  two. 
When  discovered,  after  an  anxious  search,  it  was  ascertained  that  fright  and  ter- 
ror had  bereaved  the  little  one  of  reason ;  nor  did  he  ever  recover  the  intelli- 
gence which  he  had  lost.  Though  he  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  he  was  deprived 
of  the  radiance  which  full  reason  bestows,  but  through  all  that  time  he  resided 
in  his  father's  own  house,  and  received  his  personal  attentions  with  the  most 
unvarying  tenderness.  Not  one  murmuring  word  escaped  the  lips  of  the  father 
who  bore  this  great  sorrow  so  many  years ;  and  when  the  son,  then  an  old  man, 
again  wandered  away  from  home  and  was  accidentally  drowned,  the  aged  father 
was  a  sincere  mourner  at  his  funeral,  ".He  had,"  said  one  who  knew  Governor 
Lumpkin  intimately,  "  as  much  real,  heart-breaking,  continued  trouble  as  any 
one  I  have  ever  known ;  yet  such  was  his  faith  in  God  that  he  could  rejoice  at  all 
times." 

No  one  could,  at  any  time,  be  long  in  his  presence  without  observing  this  re- 
markable faith.  During  the  war  between  the  States,  when  the  prospect  was 
dark  and  appalling,  he  would  say,  "  My  faith  is  in  God.     All  will  be  well." 

"  I  would  rather,"  he  was  accustomed  to  say,  "walk  in  the  dark  with  God 
than  go  alone  in  the  light !"  And  again  he  would  exclaim,  with  moistened  eye 
and  tremulous  voice,  "  My  dear  Lord  appoints  all  my  troubles  ;  and  when  I  think 
that  it  is  His  holy  will,  I  brush  away  the  coming  tears."  Said  he  once,  "  I  can 
think  of  at  least  twenty  instances  in  my  life  where  I  thought  the  dispensations 
of  Providence  mysteriously  dark  and  unreasonably  severe  ;  but  I  have  lived  long 
enough  to  discover  that  in  every  instance  they  were  right,  and  the  best  thing  for 
me,  though  I  knew  it  not  at  the  time.  I  have  learned  to  believe  that  whatever 
God  does  is  not  only  right,  but  best." 

When  drawing  near  the  end  of  his  pilgrimage,  and  for  the  most  part  confined 
to  his  bed,  he  would  point  to  the  couch  on  which  he  lay,  saying,  "  The  past  few 
weeks  of  my  life  have  been  the  most  joyful  of  all  my  experience ;  for,  shut  out 
from  the  world,  I  have  been  shut  up  to  communing  with  my  Lord,  and  His 
presence  has  given  me  constant  peace." 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  December  28,  1870,  in  his  88th  year,  he  was  probably 
the  oldest  Baptist  in  the  State,  and  for  his  brethren  in  the  faith  of  God,  cher- 
ished, to  the  last,  a  tender  regard  ;  for  they  had  ever  exhibited  towards  him  that 
confidence  which  he  valued  more  than  the  praises  of  politicians.  Late  in  life  he 
attended  a  meeting  of  the  Sarepta  Association,  and,  quite  unexpectedly  to  him- 
self, was  elected  Moderator.  His  heart  was  touched  with  the  respect  thus 
expressed  by  his  Christian  brethren,  and  he  afterwards  remarked  that  no  office 
which  worldly  men  had  ever  conferred  on  him  gave  him  such  pleasure  as  the 
confidence  exhibited  by  his  brethren  in  calling  him  to  preside  over  their  delibera- 
tions. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


343 


Confined  to  his  house  for  several  years  previous  to  his  death,  by  the  feebleness 
of  old  age,  Governor  Lumpkin  was  easily  accessible  to  his  intimate  friends,  with 
whom  he  loved  to  talk  of  the  dealings  of  God  with  his  soul.  He  had  a  clear 
understanding  of  the  doctrines  of  divine  grace,  and  justification  by  faith  in 
Christ  alone  was  his  continual  theme.  On  one  occasion  he  said  to  a  dear  Chris- 
tian friend  of  twenty-five  years'  standing,  "  It  is  not  because  I  feel  that  I  am 
good,  but  because  I  have  such  confidence  in  the  willingness  of  Christ  to  save  a 
poor,  helpless  sinner  who  trusts  in  Him,  that  I  am  not  afraid  to  die.  If  I  was 
now  assured  that  I  should  die  before  night,  it  would  not  move  me  any  more 
than  to  walk  out  of  that  door  !"  And  this  was  the  state  of  his  mind  for  many 
years  before  his  death.  As  the  same  friend  entered  the  chamber  of  the  dying 
saint  on  the  night  of  his  departure,  he  turned  his  eyes,  which  shone  with  a 
greater  brilliancy  than  usual,  and  with  a  weak  and  tremulous,  but  triumphant 
voice,  exclaimed,  "  Brother,  I  am  all  right !" 

"  He  served  his  generation  faithfully  by  the  will  of  God,   and  then  fell  on 
sleep — " 

"  That  blessed  sleep, 
From  which  none  ever  wake  to  weep." 


JOHN  HILL  LUTHER. 


Rev.  John  Hill  Luther  is  a  native  of 
Rhode  Island.  On  his  mother's  side  he  is 
of  Huguenot  origin,  while  his  ancestors  on 
the  father's  side  were  among  the  Welsh  em- 
igrants who  founded  one  of  the  earliest 
Baptist  churches  on  our  continent.  Rev. 
Samuel  Luther  being  the  second  pastor  of 
the  church  at  Swansea,  Massachusetts, 
constituted  in  1663. 

He  graduated  at  Brown  University,  in  the 
class  of  1847.  Among  his  classmates  were 
Dr.  G.  P.  Fisher,  of  Yale  College,  Dr.  J 
P.  Boyce,  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  and  R.  A.  Guild,  of  Prov- 
idence, who  have  earned  repute  as  authors, 
and  the  late  Benjamin  Thomas,  probably 
he  most  distinguished  missionary  to  the 
East  since  the  days  of  Boardman.  "  Iron 
sharpeneth  iron."  and  association  with  such  fellow-students  must  have  put  a 
keener  edge  on  all  his  faculties  and  on  their  expression  in  the  face.  (Prov.,  27  : 
17.)     While  at  Brown,  he  received  the  University  prize  for  English  composition. 

He  immediately  entered  Newton  Theological  Institution,  pursuing  a  thorough 
course  of  study  in  divinity,  and  graduating  with  honor  in  1850. 

His  training  under  Wayland,  Sears,  Hackett  and  Ripley  must  have  taken 
marked  effect,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  fact  that  several  calls  to  the  pastorate 
followed  rapidly  the  close  of  his  scholastic  life.  These,  however,  he  declined, 
having  chosen  the  South  as  the  place  of  his  residence  and  the  sphere  of  his  labors. 
He  at  once  opened  a  classical  school  in  Savannah.  Georgia.  For  three  years  his 
career  in  this  State  was  a  series  of  successes  in  the  work  of  teaching.  But  his 
heart  was  in  another  department  of  effort,  kindred  indeed,  yet  higher  :  he  longed 
to  give  himself  wholly  to  "the  ministry  of  the  Word." 

In  1852  he  was  ordained.  Having  received  a  call  to  the  church  in  St  Peter's 
parish,  Beaufort  district.  South  Carolina,  he  assumed  charge  of  it  without  delay 
and  with  his  characteristic  energy.     Here  he  obtained  favor  of  the  Lord,  finding 


344  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

in  Miss  Annie  Jaudon  a  good  wife — a  wife  who  has  always  strengthened,  not  his 
weakness  merely,  but  his  very  strength.  Here,  too,  he  won  for  himself  a  repu- 
tation as  a  man  and  as  a  minister,  which  is  still  cherished  with  affectionate  re- 
membrance by  thousands  in  the  Palmetto  State. 

In  1857  he  emigrated  to  Missouri,  in  company  with  several  families  from  South 
Carolina.  He  settled  in  Kansas  City,  where  he  established  a  Young  Ladies"  Sem- 
inary, which,  when  the  civil  war  broke  out,  contained  over  a  hundred  pupils,  and 
bade  fair  to  be  one  of  the  most  successful  institutions  in  the  West.  Compelled 
by  the  ferment  and  commotion  of  the  times  to  abandon  his  school,  he  retired  to 
Saline  county  and  took  charge  of  the  Miami  church,  as  successor  to  the  late,  dis- 
tinguished Dr.  A.  P.  Williams.  Again  the  unsettled  state  of  things  constrained 
him  to  seek  another  field  of  labor,  and  he  became  pastor  of  the  Palmyra  church. 

In  January,  1866,  he  commenced  the  publication  of  the  Baptist  Journal,  in 
St.  Louis,  a  thousand  subscribers  having  been  obtained  before  the  first  number 
went  to  press.  He  was  then  under  bonds  for  preaching  without  taking  the  oath 
required  of  ministers ;  and  it  was  mainly  with  the  design  of  opposing  this  en- 
croachment on  religious  liberty,  and  furnishing  a  common  organ  of  communica- 
tion for  Baptists,  that  the  paper  was  established.  A  law  of  the  State  made 
the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  a  crime,  subject  to  penalties  of  fine  and  imprison- 
ment, unless  the  preacher  had  first,  under  an  oath  administered  by  certain  civil 
functionaries,  attested  his  loyalty  to  the  Federal  Union,  and  purged  himself  of 
all  complicity  with  "  the  rebellion  " — as  the  "might,"  which,  in  its  own  eyes, 
makes  "  right,"  styled  the  attempt  of  the  South  to  secure  a  separate  nationality. 
No  wonder  that  the  ancestral  blood  of  Dr.  Luther  told,  in  such  an  exigency. 
His  Swansea  fathers  had  withstood  the  Massachusetts  government  when  it  tried 
to  strangle  their  church  in  its  infancy,  by  imposing  on  all  the  members  a  mulct 
of  five  pounds  each  for  worshipping  God  contrary  to  the  order  established  in 
the  colony  ;  and  as  the  inheritor  of  their  principles  and  their  spirit,  he  could  do 
no  less  than  to  refuse  subjection  to  this  flagrant  usurpation,  on  the  part  of  Csesar, 
of  "  the  things  that  are  God's." 

In  1868  the  Journal,  combining  with  another  paper  published  by  Missouri 
brethren,  became  the  Central  Baptist,  which,  as  the  organ  of  a  united  denomi- 
nation in  the  State,  he  carried  up  to  its  eighth  thousand,  and  for  which  he  won 
recognition  in  every  part  of  the  country  as  a  first-class  religious  journal.  He 
was  at  different  times  associated  with  some  of  the  best  minds  of  the  State  in  the 
editorial  department,  but  he  was  always  the  recognized  chief,  and  devoted  him- 
self to  the  paper  with  an  energy  untiring,  and  a  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  which  but 
few  will  ever  know.  The  Louisville  Courier-  Journal  and  the  Boston  Traveller, 
in  their  sketches  of  the  ministers  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  spoke  of 
him  as  a  fine  rhetorical  scholar,  a  thorough  theologian  and  a  "  born  editor."  As 
might  be  supposed,  he  was  decidedly  Southern  in  his  political  sympathies  ;  but 
no  editor,  perhaps,  has  succeeded  better  since  the  war  in  making  a  strictly  reli- 
gious paper,  without  partisan  taint  or  tint.  Better  than  anything  else  he  loved 
the  Baptist  cause  ;  and  to  make  its  adherents  a  unit  in  the  great  State  of  Mis- 
souri, his  religious  sympathies  overshadowed  all  others. 

During  his  connection  with  the  Central  Baptist,  William  Jewell  College  con- 
ferred on  him  the  Doctorate  of  Divinity,  and  he  was  elected  to  honorary  mem- 
bership by  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society. 

Soon  after  his  retirement  from  the  Central  Baptist,  he  removed  to  Texas. 
After  a  pastorate  of  one  year,  he  was  called  to  the  presidency  of  Baylor  Fe- 
male College,  at  Independence,  which  position  he  still  occupies.  He  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  leading  educators  of  Texas.  There  is  no  man  to  whose  in- 
fluence and  instruction  the  mothers  of  the  next  generation  may  be  more  safely 
confided ;  none  better  fitted,  by  varied  culture,  the  high  sense  of  honor  which 
"  feels  a  stain  like  a  wound,"  and  simple,  unassuming  yet  fervent  piety,  to  make 
the  homes  of  the  future  like  that  home  at  Bethany  which  the  love  of  Christ,  as 
a  man,  hallows  to  the  reverent  memory  of  the  ages  and  the  race. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


345 


W.  C.  LUTHER 


Rev.  W.  C.  Luther,  eldest  son  of  James  L.  and  M.  A. 
Luther,  was  born  February  17th,  1859,  in  Bartow  county, 
Georgia.  At  nine  years  of  ag^e  he  was  converted  and 
"professed  rehgion,"  uniting  with  the  Methodist  denomi- 
nation ;  but,  at  fifteen,  his  study  of  the  Sacred  Volume 
led  him  to  adopt  Baptist  views,  when  he  was  immersed 
"  according  to  the  pattern  shown  in  the  mount  "  of  Holy 
Scripttire,  and  joined  the  Baptist  church  at  Cedar  Creek, 
Bartow  county,  in  the  year  1874.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  Crow's  Spring  church,  in  1875,  when  only 
sixteen  years  of  age.  During  the  years  1876  and  1877  he  attended  school,  and 
in  1878  entered  Mercer  High  School  at  Dalton.  Immediately  after  the  com- 
mencement of  his  course  at  Mercer  High  School,  he  was  invited  to  supply  the 
pulpit  of  the  Dug  Gap  church,  three  miles  from  Dalton.  Acceding  to  this  invi- 
tation led  to  his  ordination,  by  action  of  the  Crow's  Spring  church,  on  the  17th 
of  February,  1878,  the  nineteenth  anniversary  of  his  birth.  As  yet  but  a  student 
only,  and  with  a  limited  education,  Mr.  Luther  is  a  fine  preacher,  possessed  of 
an  excellent  flow  of  language,  and  bids  fair  to  attain  eminence.  He  has  been 
characterized  as  an  eloquent  speaker,  a  forcible  reasoner  and  a  deep  thinker. 
His  sermons  are  said  to  be  excellent,  sound  and  logical,  and  have  already  given 
promise  of  great  usefulness  in  the  future  of  the  young  ministerial  student,  by 
the  conversion  of  many  of  his  hearers. 


BASIL  MANLY. 


One  of  the  ripest  scholars  and  most 
amiable  Christian  gentlemen  of  our 
denomination  in  the  South. is  Rev. 
Basil  Manly,  Jr.,  Professor  in  the 
Southern  Baptist  Theological  Semin- 
ary, at  Louisville,  Kentucky.  His  po- 
sition attracts  to  him  the  interest  of 
the  denominaiion  at  large,  on  which 
account  a  short  sketch  of  his  Ufe  has 
been  allowed  a  place  in  this  volume, 
in  common  with  that  of  a  few  others, 
for  a  similar  reason. 

He  was  born  December  19,  1825,  in 
Edgefield  district  South  Carolina,  at 
the  residence  of  his  maternal  grand- 
father, Zebulon  Rudulph.  His  parents 
were  Basil  Manly,  Sr.,  and  Sarah  Mur- 
ray Manly.  His  father.  Dr.  Basil 
Manly,  Sr.,  was  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished Baptist  ministers  in  the 
South.  Pastor,  at  different  times,  of 
the  Baptist  churches  at  Edgefield, 
South  Carolina,  of  the  First  and  Went- 
worth  Street  churches  in  Charleston,  and  of  the  First  church,  Montgomery, 
Alabama,  he  was  for  eighteen  years, Jrom  1837  to  1855,  President  of  the  Uni- 


34^  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

versity  of  Alabama,  and,  for  several  years  ensuing,  an  evangelist  in  the  same 
State.  For  fifty  years  he  was  a  useful,  laborious  and  eloquent  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  a  most  effective  and  pathetic  preacher,  and  a  wise  and  discreet  counsel- 
lor to  his  brethren. 

The  son  has  inherited  most  of  the  father's  good  qualities,  and  perhaps  ranks 
even  higher  in  scholarship.  He  entered  the  University  of  Alabama  in  1840,  and 
was  graduated  A.  B.  in  December,  1843.  The  following  fall  he  went  to  New- 
ton Theological  Seminary,  near  Boston,  Massachusetts,  but  in  1845,  when  South- 
ern Baptists  withdrew  from  the  Northern  missionary  societies,  he  left  Newton 
and  entered  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  graduating  in  1847.  He  thus  en- 
joyed enviable  facilities  for  securing  an  excellent  education,  an  advantage  of 
which  he  failed  not  to  avail  himself.  But  all  his  life  long  he  has  been  a  hard 
student. 

Of  an  exceedingly  amiable  disposition.  Dr.  Manly  was,  in  childhood,  upright 
and  correct  in  his  deportment,  but  did  not  become  the  subject  of  converting 
grace  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  although  he  had  many  and  deep  impressions  in 
reference  to  religion  in  his  younger  years.  At  fifteen,  he  united  with  the  church 
at  Tuscaloosa,  and  was  baptized  in  the  Warrior  river,  by  his  own  father,  who 
was  then  President  of  the  Alabama  State  University. 

About  four  years  afterwards.  May  13,  1844,  the  Baptist  church  at  Tuscaloosa 
licensed  him  to  preach.  He  was  ordained  in  the  same  city,  on  the  30th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1848,  in  order  to  become  the  pastor  of  Providence  church,  Sumter  county, 
Alabama.  During  that  year  his  zeal  led  him  to  undertake  an  indiscreet  amount 
of  work,  in  preaching  for  three  churches  at  one  time,  and  the  consequence  was 
the  failure  of  his  health  from  excessive  labor.  The  labor  was,  in  a  large  degree, 
due  to  his  interest  in  the  colored  people,  who  composed  a  greater  part  of  the 
membership  of  the  churches  he  served.  Compelled  to  resign  pastoral  labors  in 
1849,  he  devoted  two  years  to  the  recovery  of  his  health,  occupying  himself  in 
the  meantime,  with  the  assistance  of  his  father,  in  compiling  "  The  Baptist 
Psalmody,"  an  admirable  collection  of  hymns,  which  was  published  by  the 
Southern  Baptist  Pubhcation  Society,  in  1850.  The  selection  of  hymns  became 
deservedly  popular,  and  was  extensively  circulated,  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  of 
them  being  sold.     Nor  has  it  yet  passed  out  of  print  or  out  of  use. 

In  September,  1850,  Mr.  Manly  became  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  church, 
Richmond,  Virginia,  succeeding,  after  a  vacancy  of  a  year,  that  princely  man,  Dr. 
J.  B.  Jeier,  and  retaining  the  position  four  years.  During  three  years,  much  im- 
portant work  was  done  by  him,  aside  from  the  pastorate,  in  connection  with  the 
educational  interests  of  the  State  and  with  the  home  management  of  our  for- 
eign missions.  Again  his  heakh  failed,  and  again  he  was  forced  to  resign  pas- 
toral work,  which  has  always  proved  too  trying  for  his  constitution.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1854,  he  accepted  the  Presidency  of  Richmond  Female  Institute,  though 
Ke  did  not  altogether  forsake  the  field  of  labor  to  which  his  acquirements  and 
natural  capabilities  so  admirably  adapted  him — preaching.  While  engaged  in 
the  duties  incumbent  upon  him  as  President  of  this  Institute,  he  supplied  the 
pulpits  of  two  churches  in  the  vicinity  of  Richmond.  As  to  the  success  which 
attended  his  efforts  while  President  of  the  Richmond  Female  Institute,  it  may 
be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  number  of  students  ranged  from  about  200  to 
260.  Important  and  useful  as  his  position  was,  another,  still  more  so,  awaited 
him.  In  September,  1859,  just  five  years  after  assuming  the  presidency  of  the 
Richmond  Female  Institute,  he  left  that  institution,  to  aid  in  establishing  the 
Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  at  Greenville,  South  Carolina.  He 
had  been  one  of  the  committee  appointed  the  previous  year  to  draw  up  a  plan 
for  the  Seminary ;  and  when,  in  accordance  with  that  plan,  the  faculty  were 
elected,'he  was  made  Professor  of  Biblical  Introduction  and  of  Old  Testament 
Interpretation.  This  position  he  retained  for  eleven  years,  including  the  disas- 
trous years  of  war,  during  which  there  was  an  interruption  of  the  exercises  of 
the  Seminary,  and,  all  the  while,  he  preached  to  different  country  churches  in 
Greenville  district.  In  fact,  there  has  been  no  time  in  Mr.  Manly 's  ministerial 
life  in  which  he  was  not  supplying  the  pulpit  of  one  or  more  churches. 

Elected  President  of  Georgetown  College,  Kentucky,  in  September,  1871,  he 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  347 

regretfully  left  the  Seminary.  After  occupying  his  new  and  honorable  position 
for  eight  years,  he  was  recalled  in  1879  to  the  Seminary,  which  in  the  meantime 
had  been  moved  to  Louisville,  and  he  resumed  the  chair  of  Old  Testament  In- 
terpretation. 

During  his  residence  in  Georgetown,  while  ably  filling  the  position  of  Presi- 
ident  of  the  college.  Dr.  Manly  was  pastor  at  Great  Crossings  church,  besides 
aiding  Rev.  F.  H.  Kerfoot  in  supplying  Midway  church.  Afterwards,  from 
1876  to  January,  1880,  he  was  pastor  at  Cane  Run,  Fayette  county. 

He  has  been  twice  married.  First,  in  1852,  to  Mrs.  Charlotte  E.  Smith, 
daughter  of  Rev.  George  William  Whitfield,  who  died  June  27th,  1867.  He  was 
again  married  on  the  loth  of  June,  1869,  to  Miss  Hattie  S.  Hair,  in  Newberry, 
South  Carolina,  and  has  seven  living  children,  of  whom  one,  George  W.,  is  pre- 
paring for  the  ministry. 

The  chief  points  in  Dr.  Manly's  character  may  be  recognized  from  even  this 
meagre  outline  of  his  life,  which  evinces  a  strong  sense  of  duty  combined  with 
a  spirit  of  activity,  and  a  passion  for  thoroughness  sustained  by  unflagging  pow- 
ers of  application.  Some  men  surpass  him  in  the  speculative  sphere,  and  some 
in  the  practical ;  but  in  that  balance  of  mind  which  makes  it  at  home  in  both 
and  ranges  it  in  each  with  the  masters,  who  is  his  superior .''  He  possesses  an 
equable  temperament — partly,  we  presume,  the  gift  of  nature,  partly  the  fruit  of 
that  spiritual  self-discipline  which  heightens  a  natural  excellence  into  a  Christian 
grace.  His  sympathies,  while  tender  in  sensibility,  are  wide  in  range ;  and  as 
nearly  in  his  case  as  in  that  of  any  one  among  us,  "  what  was  meant  for  man- 
kind "  mankind  gets.  In  force  of  will  he  is  steadfast  rather  than  aggressive, 
aiming  less  at  sway  than  at  independence  and  persistency,  and,  in  every  question 
between  right  and  wrong,  marked  by  the  quiet  yet  stable  resolution  which  with- 
stands and  therefore  stands.  Conscience  is  no  mean  factor  in  whatever  he  does, 
and  his  policy  is  principle.  Genius,  according  to  Helvetius,  is  "  nothing  but  a 
continued  attention,"  and  according  to  Buffon,  "  only  a  protracted  patience;" 
and  if  this  view  were  universally  true,  we  might  well  concede  genius  to  him,  for 
the  quality  indicated  by  these  writers  characterizes  his  intellectual  habits  in  a 
high  degree.  Without  special  brilliancy,  and  in  no  unusual  manner  emotional, 
he  is  yet  endowed  with  not  a  little  pathos,  and  his  vigorous  thought  and  sound 
judgment  conduct  him  to  the  loftier  planes  of  human  inquiry.  The  novelties 
(and  may  we  not  say  the  crudities  ?)  which  disturb  the  peace  of  the  present  age, 
whether  in  science  or  in  theology,  have  never  carried  the  out-works,  far  less  the 
citadel,  of  his  mature  convictions  concerning  the  works  and  the  Word  of  God. 
His  landmarks  are  those  set  by  Scripture  and  by  reason  ;  and  he  has  never  so 
much  as  dreamed  of  suffering  these  landmarks  to  be  removed.  The  spiritual 
universe,  as  it  lies  disclosed  under  the  sun  of  revelation,  is  too  much  a  reality 
with  him  for  that ;  and  he  is  too  well  acquainted  with  the  shifting  clouds  of 
error,  which,  through  the  ages,  have  ever  and  anon  floated  between,  vainly 
seeking  to  shut  the  light  out  and  bring  in  the  Egyptian  darkness  of  unbelief. 
Orthodox  in  doctrine  and  evangelical  in  spirit,  his  sermons  are  delivered  largely 
in  what  is  the  best  style  of  instructive,  and,  perhaps,  of  persuasive  speech — the 
conversational ;  and,  though  bodily  weakness  at  times  renders  his  manner  less 
impressive  than  his  wont,  and  a  feeble  voice  occasionally  impairs  his  force  of 
utterance,  those  who  hear  him  longest  feel  increasingly  that  there  is  pleasure  and 
profit  in  the  hearing.  He  has  written  less,  probably,  than  he  should ;  for  he 
writes,  without  affectation  of  ornament  or  profundity,  with  a  clearness,  a  pro- 
priety, an  ease  and  an  earnestness  which  make  his  productions  welcome  to  a 
degree  scarcely  appreciated  by  himself.  His  work  as  a  professor,  too,  has  been 
done  conscientiously,  thoroughly,  ably — in  a  way  befitting  "  a  school  of  the 
prophets,"  and  earning  the  grateful  affection  of  our  whole  people. 


548 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


CHARLES  BUTTON  MALLARY. 


The  subject  of  this 
sketch,  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, after  completing 
his  education,  came 
South,  first  to  South  Car- 
olina, and  then  to  Geor- 
gia, where  he  spent  most 
of  his  ministerial  life.  He 
was  widely  known,  and 
regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  gifted  ministers  of 
the  State.  Some  who 
knew  him  for  more  than 
thirty  years  are  still  liv- 
ing, and  many  who  en- 
joyed intimate  relations 
with  him  in  his  later  life, 
can  bear  testimony  to  his 
exalted  piety  ;  the  sound- 
ness of  his  doctrinal 
views ;  the  earnestness 
with  which,  to  the  last, 
he  would  exhort  sinners 
to  flee  to  Christ  as  their 
only  refuge  ;  his  constant 
prayers  for  the  spiritual 
growth  of  Christians  and 
their  continued  progress 
in  the  knowledge  of  God 
and  of  Jesus  Christ 
whom  He  had  sent;  his 
deep  interest  in  the  work  of  missions ;  his  labor  in  the  Sunday-schools ;  his 
riding  for  three  miles  at  night  to  be  present  at  the  weekly  prayer-meetings  of 
his  church  ;  his  often  spending  days  in  pious  visits  from  house  to  house  in  his 
neighborhood  ;  his  great  joy  and  fervent  expressions  of  gratitude  to  God  when 
there  were  evident  indications  of  the  Divine  presence,  the  church  revived,  and 
sinners  asking  what  they  must  do  to  be  saved.  When  he  had  grown  old,  and 
his  health  feeble,  regardless  of  his  physical  weakness,  he  would  go  a  considera- 
ble distance  to  preach  to  the  people  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  He  truly 
magnified  his  office — he  made  full  proof  of  his  ministry.  At  the  request  of  the 
family,  and  the  church  of  which  he  was  then  a  member.  Dr.  J.  R.  Kendrick  de- 
livered a  memorial  discourse  in  which  his  life  and  character  were  so  truthfully 
delineated  that,  with  the  consent  of  the  distinguished  author,  it  is  transferred  to 
these  pages : 

"  Charles  Dutton  Mallary,  D.D.,  was  born  of  worthy  and  respectable  pa- 
rents, in  West  Poultney,  Rutland,  county,  Vermont,  on  the  23d  of  January,  1801. 
One  of  his  brothers,  Rollin  C.  Mallary,  became  an  eminent  lawyer,  and  represented 
his  native  State  for  many  years  in  the  United  States  Congress,  where  he  occu- 
pied a  commanding  position  as  a  debater,  and  exerted,  as  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Manufactures,  a  powerful  influence  in  directing  the  legislation  of  the 
country.  After  completing  the  usual  preparatory  studies,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  entered  Middlebury  College,  in  August,  1817.  He  was  a  college-mate,  if 
not  a  class-mate,  of  that  distinguished  Methodist  divine,  Rev.  Stephen  Olin,  and 
also  of  Rev.  Dr.  Howe,  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  at  Columbia, 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  349 

South  Carolina.  He  graduated  in  August,  1 821,  with  the  first  honor — a  fact 
sufficiently  indicative  of  his  superior  talents  and  his  diligent  application  as  a 
student. 

"  From  his  earliest  years  he  had  been  the  subject  of  deep  religious  impressions, 
which  he  was  accustomed  to  ascribe  in  large  measure  to  the  instructions  and 
prayers  of  his  pious  parents,  especially  of  his.  devout  and  honored  mother.  In 
the  sixteenth  year  of  his  age,  during  the  prevalence  of  a  revival,  he  experienced 
that  great  moral  change  which  renewed  his  heart  and  gave  him  a  trembling  hope 
of  salvation.  Shortly  after  this  occurrence  he  entered  college,  and  then,  owing 
to  various  circumstances,  a  long  season  of  doubt  and  declension  ensued  in  his 
spiritual  history,  which  gradually  darkened  into  dejection  and  despair.  The  dis- 
tress of  his  mind  was  similar  to  that  of  Bunyan,  and  the  poet,  Cowper,  in  their 
awful  days  of  desertion.  Indeed,  his  companions  trembled  for  the  stability  of 
his  reason,  and  he  himself  was  conscious  of  treading  on  the  brink  of  insanity. 
At  length,  through  infinite  mercy,  the  cloud  broke  and  rolled  away;  his  feet 
were  taken  out  of  the  horrible  pit,  and  he  stood  on  the  rock  of  ages,  with  a  new 
song  in  his  mouth.  After  canvassing  the  comparative  claims  of  the  various  de- 
nominations, (his  inclinations  rather  leaning  to  the  Congregationalists, )  the  path 
of  duty  became  plain,  and  he  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Baptist 
church  of  his  native  town,  in  June,  1822,  by  the  pastor.  Rev.  Clark  Kendrick. 

"  After  his  graduation,  Mr.  Mallary  spent  a  year  as  a  teacher  of  youth  in  his 
native  State.  In  October,  1822,  he  bent  his  steps  southward,  and  passing 
through  Charleston,  settled  for  a  while  at  Cambridge,  Abbeville  district.  South 
Carolina.  Before  leaving  Vermont,  his  mind  had  been  exercised  with  reference 
to  the  ministry,  and  he  had  resolved,  so  soon  as  Providence  should  show  an  open 
door,  that  he  would  engage  in  preaching  the  Gospel.  Circumstances  now  being 
favorable,  he  commenced  this  work,  and  was  soon  licensed  as  a  minister.  Early 
in  the  year  1824,  in  obedience  to  a  call  from  the  Baptist  church  in  that  place,  he 
removed  to  Columbia,  the  capital  of  the  State,  where  he  was  ordained  in  April 
of  the  same  year.  Here,  too,  on  the  nth  day  of  July,  1825,  he  married  Miss  Susan 
Mary  Evans,  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Evans,  of  Georgetown,  South  Carolina, 
and  granddaughter,  on  the  maternal  side,  of  that  eminent  man  of  God,  Rev. 
Edmund  Botsford.  In  this  union,  according  to  his  own  testimony,  he  found 
"more  unalloyed  enjoyment  than  generally  falls  to  the  lot  of  man."  The  excel- 
lent companion  of  his  youth,  and  the  mother  of  the  only  two  children  who  sur- 
vive him,  Charles  and  Rollin,  died  of  consumption,  at  Milledgeville,  Georgia, 
in  1834. 

"  At  the  expiration  of  two  years,  Mr.  Mallary  left  Columbia  and  settled  below 
that  city,  in  what  is  known  as  the  Fork,  taking  charge  of  the  Beulah  and  Con- 
garee  churches.  In  1 830,  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  Baptist  church  at  Augusta, 
Georgia,  where  he  remained  four  years.  In  1834,  he  removed  to  Milledgeville. 
Here,  however,  his  pastorate  was  brief,  embracing  not  quite  two  years.  A  con- 
stitution, feeble  at  best,  and  often  assailed  with  attacks  of  illness,  disqualified 
him  to  a  considerable  extent  for  the  steady,  wearing  round  of  pastoral  duties, 
and  necessitated  frequent  changes  in  his  place  of  abode.  The  years  1837,  1838 
and  1839  he  devoted  as  an  agent  to  the  interests  of  Mercer  University.  The 
year  184.0  he  was  employed  as  a  missionary  in  the  service  of  the  Central  Asso- 
ciation. Perhaps  this  was  the  period  of  his  highest  usefulness.  His  powers 
were  fully  matured.  He  moved  in  congenial  and  appreciative  circles.  The 
peculiar  exigencies  of  the  denomination  roused  all  his  sacred  energies,  and  thus 
these  few  years  in  central  Georgia  witnessed  the  best  results  of  his  public  career. 
In  company  with  Dawson,  Campbell  and  others,  he  engaged  in  extensive  preach- 
ing tours,  and  in  protracted  meetings,  which  were  attended  with  memorable 
revivals,  and  which  operated  powerfully  in  giving  tone  and  character  to  the  Bap- 
tists of  Georgia. 

"  In  December,  1840,  he  was  married  to  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  E.Welch, 
of  Twiggs  county,  Georgia,  a  woman  of  very  superior  talents  and  worth,  and 
most  happily  adapted  to  cheer  his  own  disposition,  which  was  rather  prone  to 
dejection  and  melancholy.  She  preceded  him  but  a  little  to  the  skies,  having 
died  suddenly  on  the  28th  of  August,  1862.     After  this  second  marriage,  he  took 


350  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

up  his  abode  in  Twiggs  county,  near  Jeffersonville,  on  his  wife's  plantation, 
where  he  resided  for  several  years.  Though  now  in  a  somewhat  sequestered 
situation,  where  most  ministers  would  have  considered  themselves  entitled  to 
retirement  and  repose  after  so  many  labors,  he  indulged  in  no  relaxation.  Like 
his  Master,  he  sanctified  even  his  hours  of  rest  with  benevolent  deeds.  His 
recreations  were  other  men's  toils..  During  the  period  of  his  residence  in  Twiggs 
county  he  served,  more  or  less,  the  following  churches  :  New  Providence,  Macon, 
Forsyth,  Evergreen,  Jeffersonville,  Irwinton  and  Wood's  meeting-house.  It  was 
through  his  efforts,  and  mainly  at  his  expense,  that  a  comfortable  house  of  wor- 
ship was  built  at  Jeffersonville,  and  the  churches  at  that  place  and  at  Evergreen 
were  started  through  his  instrumentality.  But  in  1848  the  LaGrange  church 
summoned  him  from  his  laborious  retreat.  He  responded  to  the  summons,  and, 
though  constantly  failing  in  strength,  continued  in  this  connection  for  four  years. 
In  1852,  finding  it  impossible  to  prosecute  his  pastoral  labors,  he  retired  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Albany,  where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  such 
services  as  his  physical  infirmities  permitted.  He  loved  to  preach,  and  he  never 
ceased  preaching  until  the  end.  He  finished  his  useful  career  at  Magnolia 
Springs,  Sumter  county,  on  Sunday  noon,  the  31st  of  July,  1864,  aged  sixty- 
three  years. 

"  In  turning  from  this  meagre  outline  of  the  more  marked  events  and  incidents 
in  his  career,  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  present  in  any  moderate  limits  a  just 
review  and  estimate  of  his  character  and  services.  As  we  attempt  to  recall  him 
to  our  attention  and  survey,  what,  we  naturally  ask,  most  distinguished  him  as 
a  man  ?  What,  in  particular,  constituted  his  individuality,  gave  him  his  definite 
"  form  and  pressure,"  and  raised  him  above  the  dull  uniformity  of  the  great  hu- 
man mass  ?  One  reply  springs  to  the  lips  of  all  who  knew  him  well — his  piety. 
He  was  singularly  and  greatly  good,  a  distinction  "  above  all  Greek  or  Roman 
fame  ;"  and  this  was  his  general  reputation.  He  was  marked  by  more  Christian 
virtues  and  by  fewer  faults  than  any  man  I  have  ever  known.  He  was  by  na- 
ture an  amiable  man,  formed  to  love  and  be  loved,  peaceful  in  spirit,  and  wholly 
free  from  a  temper  violent  and  petulant  in  its  manifestations.  He  was  also  a 
man  of  stern  integrity,  of  incorruptible  honesty,  and  withal  of  unflinching  fidelity 
to  his  convictions  of  right  and  truth.  Without  being  aggressively  bold,  he  did 
not  in  the  least  lack  decision  and  firmness,  and  his  characteristic  gentleness  never 
sank  into  tame  compliance  with  the  demands  of  error  and  injustice.  Probably 
no  ill-natured  or  carping  man  of  the  world,  nor  splenetic  church-member,  ever 
seriously  questioned  his  essential  uprightness.  On  such  a  basis  as  this  the  fabric 
of  his  piety  was  reared.  Over  such  amiabilities  as  these  it  cast  its  heavenly 
charm,  while  it  woke  in  his  own  heart  a  variety  of  new  and  sacred  passions. 

"  His  piety  was  ardent  and  intense,  manifesting  itself,  not  in  occasional  raptures 
and  excited  emotions,  but  in  a  habitual  frame  of  devotion.  Religion  was  the 
atmosphere  in  which  he  lived,  moved  and  had  his  being.  He  did  not  separate 
his  life  into  sacred  and  secular,  saying,  this  is  for  God,  and  that  is  for  the  world — 
it  was  all  for  God.  His  religion  sanctified  his  recreations,  and  gave  a  heavenly 
flavor  to  his  worldly  enjoyments.  He  loved  much.  The  name  of  Jesus  was 
fragrant  and  precious  to  him,  always  in  his  heart  and  often  on  his  lips.  He 
loved  the  brethren.  He  was  a  lover  of  all  good  men.  Though  a  devoted  Baptist, 
holding  our  distinctive  principles  as  firmly  and  conscientiously  as  one  could  well 
do,  he  still  consorted  joyfully  and  fraternally  with  all  who  honored  the  Saviour 
and  bore  his  image.  He  was  emphatically  a  man  of  prayer.  "  The  spirit  of 
grace  and  supplication  "  was  possessed  by  him  in  a  measure  which,  it  is  believed, 
has  seldom  been  equalled,  and  never  surpassed,  in  modern  times.  Early  in  his 
ministry  he  laid  out  for  himself  a  regular  plan  of  prayer,  assigning  certain  general 
subjects  to  each  day  in  the  week,  to  which  he  faithfully  adhered. 

"  Dr.  Mallary  was  singularly  kind  and  charitable  in  his  judgment  of  others. 
He  was  never  heard  to  utter  a  bitingsarcasm,  a  stinging  jest,  a  cruel  inuendo,  nor 
even  a  word  that  savored  of  slander  against  a  fellow-creature.  He  literally 
almost  seemed  to  "  think  no  evil."  He  always  put  the  best  possible  construction 
upon  conduct,  and  when  compelled  to  condemn,  he  did  it  with  pain  and  sorrow, 
and,  very  likely,  with  the  final  suggestion  of  some  extenuating  or  hopeful  view 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS  35 1 

of  the  delinquent.  He  was  no  severe  critic  or  censor  of  his  brethren.  He  ap- 
peared absolutely  a  stranger  to  that  mean  spirit  which,  I  am  afraid,  has  been 
the  too  just  reproach  of  the  ministry — a  spirit  of  envy,  jealousy  and  rivalship. 
It  gave  him  no  pain  that  a  brother  should  outshine  or  outstrip  him,  and  it  did 
not  seem  to  occur  to  him  that  a  minister,  by  superior  gifts  and  graces,  could 
ever  be  in  his  way.  He  vi^as  a  model  church  member,  which  is  not  always  the 
case  with  retired  preachers.  He  was  the  pastor's  friend  and  counsellor.  He 
did  not  plead  or  employ  his  ministerial  prerogative  as  a  ground  of  exemption 
from  the  ordinary  duties  in  the  church,  but  bore  his  own  burden,  and  often  more 
than  his  own,  with  cordial  patience. 

"  The  blessing  of  the  peacemaker  was  on  him.  His  own  spirit  was  tranquil 
and  pacific,  and,  so  far  from  widening  breaches  and  exasperating  dissensions  by 
a  fierce  temper  of  partisanship,  he  labored  to  compose  strifes  and  reconcile 
alienated  brethren. 

"  He  was  a  willing  and  generous  contributor  of  his  worldly  substance  to  every 
good  cause.  In  his  ministrations,  he  insisted  much  on  the  duty  of  giving,  a  duty 
he  never  undertook  lo  discharge  by  proxy. 

"  His  caution  in  speaking  of  the  faults  of  others  has  already  been  referred  to. 
It  is  proper  to  add  that  he  rigidly  ruled  out  of  his  speech  all  foolish  jesting,  and 
more  especially  all  that  approached  impurity.  While  occasionally  indulging  the 
quiet  humor  and  delicate  wit,  of  which  he  had  a  rich  vein,  his  conversation  was 
never  stained  by  malice  or  pollution.  He  seemed  to  accept,  as  a  rule  for  him- 
self, that  maxim  of  the  ancient  Persians,  which  pronounced  it  '  unlawful  to  speak 
of  what  it  was  not  lawful  to  do.' 

"  His  politeness  may  be  said,  in  part  at  least,  to  have  been  a  development  of  his 
piety.  If  politeness  may  be  defined  as  kindness,  expressing  itself  in  kind  and  seJf- 
denying  acts,  he  was  a  model  of  this  cheap  yet  potent  virtue,  immeasurably  supe- 
rior to  Chesterfield,  or  any  of  his  school.  While  he  never  affected  the  airs  and 
artificial  graces  of  a  polished  man  of  society,  and  would  have  scorned  them,  if 
he  could  scorn  anything,  he  was  still  a  pattern  of  courtesy,  and  was  guided  by 
the  nice  instinct  of  Christian  feeling  to  the  performance  of  those  various  acts 
which  marked  him  for  a  true  gentleman. 

"  If  there  was  any  defect  in  his  Christian  character,  perhaps  it  was  a  lack  of  that 
sort  of  cheerfulness  which  gives  to  piety  a  pleasant  and  winning  aspect,  and  which, 
in  particular,  recommends  it  to  the  young.  Though  removed  as  far  as  possible 
from  a  morose  and  prim  severity,  he  displayed  a  little  too  much,  probably,  the 
sad  and  sombre  side  of  religion.  I  think  his  usefulness  would  have  been  en- 
hanced if  the  bright  and  joyous  elements  of  piety  had  been  more  conspicuous  in 
his  Hfe.  The  mention  of  this  defect  as  the  most  serious  which  criticism  can 
suggest  in  the  review  oi  his  Christian  character,  only  serves  to  demonstate  how 
extraordinary  that  character  was,  and  how  far  elevated  in  holy  grandeur  above 
the  vast  majority  of  latter  day  examples  of  saintship.  And  yet  Charles  D. 
Mallary  entertained  the  most  painful  conceptions  of  his  own  utter  unworthiness, 
and  worthlessness  even,  in  the  sight  of  God,  Indeed,  his  unaffected  huznility 
was  one  of  the  most  striking  traits  of  his  piety.  His  views  of  the  exceeding  sin- 
fulness of  sin,  and  of  the  holiness  of  God,  were  such  as  to  bow  him  in  the  very 
dust.  A  delicate  spiritual  modesty  softened  and  refined  every  manifestation  of 
his  inner  life.  A  volume  that  would  do  justice  to  his  piety  would  be  a  book  of 
devotion  not  inferior  to  the  biographies  of  Henry  Martyn,  Samuel  Pearce  and 
Edward  Payson. 

"  While  Dr.  Mallary  will  be  remembered  for  his  'goodness,  that  goodness 
would  not  have  been  so  conspicuous  and  noteworthy,  if  it  had  not  been  associated 
with  a  mind  of  uncommon  capacity  and  vigor.  His  intellect  and  heart  operated  in 
delightful  harmony,  imparting  to  each  other  light  and  strength,  and,  in  their 
blended  movements,  their  almost  perfect  synthesis,  presenting  us  with  a  com- 
plete and  effective  character.  His  mental  endowments  were  of  a  very  high  order. 
It  would,  doubtless,  be  extravagant  to  assert  for  him  the  possession  of  that  sort 
of  ability  which  originates  new  thoughts,  strikes  out  new  paths  of  investigation, 
and  makes  memorable  contributions  to  the  stock  of  human  knowledge:  It  is 
only  a  very  few,  in  the  long  succession  of  ages,  who  can  justly  be  assigned  to 


352  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

this  intellectual  rank,  and  be  classed  with  those  sceptered  kings  in  the  realms  of 
thought,  '  who  rule  us  from  their  urns.'  But,  while  not  claiming  for  him  this 
style  of  greatness,  I  insist  that  his  talents  were  such  as  to  make  him  a  man  of 
special  mark.  To  the  more  solid  qualities  of  the  understanding,  such  as  a  quick 
and  clear  perception,  a  calm,  sound  judgment,  a  tenacious  memory,  a  capacity 
for  bold  and  vigorous  thinking,  he  added  a  fertile  fancy  and  a  soaring,  creative 
imagination,  which  enabled  him  to  adorn  and  illustrate  whatever  he  touched. 
His  grasp  of  subjects  was  broad  and  firm,  indicating  intellectual  strength  and 
comprehensiveness.  His  mental  operations  were  distinguished,  not  so  much  by 
formal  logical  processes — by  regular  advances,  in  which  each  minute  step  was 
ostentatiously  displayed — as  by  rapid  intuitions,  and  by  a  series  of  steadily  pro- 
gressive leaps  and  bounds  towards  his  goal.  Without  any  technical  elabora- 
tion and  parade  of  argument,  he  was  still  a  solid  and  able  reasoner.  There  was 
great  symmetry  and  admirable  balance  in  his  intellectual  constitution,  no  one  fac- 
ulty being  developed  out  of  proportion  to,  and  at  the  expense  of,  another 
faculty.  Had  his  will  been  a  little  more  positive  and  imperative,  his  taste  alittle 
more  exacting,  his  mental  conformation  would  have  gained  somewhat  in  im- 
posing and  attractive  force. 

"  This  richly  endowed  intellect  had  been  well  disciplined  and  furnished  with 
ample  stores  of  knowledge.  He  was  fortunate,  as  we  have  seen,  in  his  early 
opportunities  of  education,  and  these  he  zealously  improved.  Subsequently,  he 
had  been,  as  circumstances  allowed,  a  diligent  student.  His  range  of  acquaint- 
ance with  books  was  extensive.  There  were  few  subjects,  even  outside  of  his 
profession,  with  which  he  was  not  surprisingly  familiar.  In  theology,  and  the 
history  of  religious  opinions,  he  was  well  read.  The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity, 
C(^ferred  by  Columbian  College,  District  of  Columbia,  though  little  prized  by 
him,  was  richly  merited.  He  retained,  beyond  what  is  common  among  our 
working  mmisters,  his  knowledge  of  the  ancient  classics,  and  a  marked  fondness 
for  their  beauties.  Indeed,  his  tastes  were  quite  scholarly,  and  had  his  mode  of 
life  been  more  settled  and  regular,  and  his  health  more  favorable  to  the  pursuit, 
he  would  doubtless  have  acquired  distinction  as  a  man  of  profound  and  varied 
learning:  under  proper  influences,  he  would  have  made  a  Biblical  critic  and  com- 
mentator of  rare  excellence.  His  thorough  common  sense  and  solid  judgment, 
along  with  the  spiritual  insight  and  intuition  of  his  deep  piety,  would  have  con- 
stituted him  a  theological  teacher  of  the  style  of  the  'judicious  Hooker,'  and  the 
yet  more  judicious  Andrew  Fuller. 

"  Of  the  gifts  and  graces  of  Dr.  Mallary,  we  have  pleasing  memorials  in  his 
various  printed  works.  He  figured  in  his  day  more  than  most  of  our  leading 
ministers  as  a  writer  and  author.  He  entertained  an  exalted  appreciation  of  the 
power  of  the  press,  and  from  no  mere  scribbling  propensity,  no  weak  ambition 
to  see  himself  in  print,  but  from  a  solemn  conviction  of  duty  he  wrote  much.  He 
was  master  of  a  facile  pen,  and  of  a  style  characterized  by  numerous  excellencies. 
It  was  always  correct,  smooth  and  animated,  often  ornate  and  eloquent.  His  lead- 
ing productions  are  the  '  Life  of  Botsford,'  '  Memoir  of  Mercer,'  '  Soul-Pros- 
perity,' 'Sanctification,'  'Sabbath-school  Instruction,'  'Simple  Rhymes  for 
Children,'  '  The  Alphabetical  Dinner.'  '  Prince  Alcohol,'  an  allegory  in  the  style 
of  Bunyan,  and  almost  worthy  of  the  immortal  dreamer  himself,  was  published 
many  years  since  by  the  American  Tract  Society,  and  obtained  an  immense  cir- 
culation. The  poetical  talent  of  Dr.  Mallary  was  remarkable,  and,  if  thoroughly 
cultivated,  might  have  achieved  for  him  distinction  in  this  department  of  litera- 
ture. A  little  before  his  death  he  completed  a  didactic  poem  which  had  occupied 
his  leisure  hours  for  many  years.  It  is  entitled  '  Lord's  Day  Musings,'  written 
in  blank  verse,  and  extending  through  seven  books.  His  contributions  to  The 
Christian  Index,  on  a  great  variety  of  subjects,  always  arrested  attention  and 
repaid  perusal.  His  chief  fault  as  a  writer  consisted,  probably,  in  a  certain  dif- 
f  useness  of  style  and  a  lack  of  that  sententious  brevity  or  terseness  which  keeps 
the  mind  alert  and  expectant.  In  the  too  limited  authorship  which  characterizes 
the  Baptist  ministry  of  Georgia  and  of  the  South,  he  occupies  a  foremost  place. 
All  that  he  ever  published  was  like  himself,  pure,  and  good,  and  kind. 

'  He  never  wrote 
A  line  which,  dying,  he  could  wish  to  blot.' 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  353 

"  But,  after  all,  it  was  probably  in  the  pulpit  that  Charles  D.  Mallary  gave  the 
highest  exhibition  of  the  rare  and  various  gifts  with  which  he  was  endowed. 
First  for  his  goodness,  his  holiness,  and  next  for  his  power  as  a  preacher,  is  he 
likely  to  be  longest  and  most  widely  remembered.  In  his  generation,  among 
the  Baptist  ministers  of  Georgia  he  had  few  equals  and  no  superiors.  The  pulpit 
was  the  throne  where  he  seemed  most  at  home,  in  the  fullest  command  of  all 
his  powers,  and  the  most  perfect  display  of  all  his  sacred  passions.  He  was 
emphatically  an  able  preacher,  replete  with  rich  thought,  mighty  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, lucid  and  happy  in  the  method  of  his  discussions,  and  powerful  in  the 
arguments  with  which  he  defended  and  enforced  his  positions.  He  loved  what 
are  called  the  'doctrines  of  grace,'  and  often  presented  them  as  pulpit  themes 
with  masterly  strength  and  consummate  skill.  He  was  a  truly  eloquent  preacher, 
gifted  with  a  rare  command  of  appropriate,  energetic  and  beautiful  language  in 
which  to  clothe  his  sublime  conceptions.  His  occasional  hesitation  for  a  word, 
perhaps,  rather  heightened  than  impaired  the  effect  of  his  preaching,  since  that 
hesitation  was  almost  sure  to  terminate,  not  in  a  lame  and  impotent  escape  from 
the  difficulty,  but  in  a  new  and  bolder  outburst  of  impassioned  thought.  His 
imagination  was  one  of  the  most  striking  of  his  intellectual  endowments,  and, 
when  fired  in  the  discussion  of  divine  truth,  it  often  bore  him  to  the  highest 
heaven  of  invention,  sweeping  his  hearers  along  with  him  '  beyond  the  flaming 
bounds  of  space  and  time,'  up  to 

'  The  throne  of  God,  the  sapphire  blaze, 
Where  angels  tremble  as  they  gaze.' 

He  was  an  exceedingly  ingenious  preacher,  not  in  the  sense  of  being  able  to  ex- 
cite attention  by  the  petty  conceits,  smart  surprises  and  startling  paradoxes  of 
sensational  sermonizers,  but  as  conveying  truth  like  the  great  Teacher,  by  similes,., 
parables  and  happy  illustrations.  It  was  this  peculiarity  which  gave  him,  in 
large  measure,  his  enviable  distinction  as  a  preacher  for  negroes  and  children. 
His  preaching  was  strongly  marked  by  that  indescribable  excellence  denominated 
tmction,  the  blending  of  sincerity,  earnestness  and  tenderness.  He  impressed 
all  hearers  with  the  conviction  that  he  believed  what  he  spoke  and  felt  what  he 
believed.  In  the  pulpit  he  betrayed  little  self-consciousness,  and  no  vanity. 
He  seemed  conscious  only  "of  his  Master's  presence  and  claims.  He  kept 
himself  behind  the  cross  and  lost  himself  in  the  theme.  He  showed  his 
greatness  as  a  preacher  by  being  nearly  always  equal  to  great  occasions,  although 
in  his  esteem  there  were  no  small  occasions.  At  associational  meetings,  with 
an  audience  of  thousands  gathered  in  the  grand  temple  of  nature,  his  powers 
acquired  their  freest  play,  his  feeble  form  dilated  and  became  instinct  with 
strange  vigor,  his  long  arms  swung  about  with  Titanic  energy,  and  his  voice,  in 
tones  of  organ-thunder,  poured  out  the  sublime  thoughts  and  emotions  with 
which  he  almost  seemed  inspired.  Many  of  his  sermons  were  very  memorable, 
and  produced  impressions  which  will  long  live  in  tradition.  He  never  affected 
the  arts  of  the  orator,  though  he  naturally  adopted  many  of  the  best  rules  of  the 
rhetorician  and  elocutionist.  He  spoke  right  on  as  his  heart  prompted,  careless 
of  gesture,  intonations,  and  all  the  niceties  of  style  and  manner.  Indeed,  it  was 
unfortunate  that  he  did  not  pay  more  attention  to  these  minor  matters.  Had  he 
cultivated  and  disciplined  his  naturally  fine  voice,  and  pruned  away  certain  little 
linfelicities  of  manner,  and  kept  his  pulpit  forces  more  compactly  together  and 
more  thoroughly  in  hand,  his  preaching  would  have  gained  considerably  in  its 
uniform  impression.  In  his  sermons,  as  in  his  writings,  a  certain  diffuseness  of 
style  and  negligence  of  minute  graces,  together  with  a  prolix  tendency  and  a 
disposition  to  multiply  divisions  where  differences  were  not  sufficiently  broad, 
constituted  his  most  serious  faults.  But  on  the  whole,  while  not  a  perfect  pulpit 
model  for  imitation — as  no  minister  is  or  should  be  regarded — he  was  a  preacher 
of  such  compass  and  force,  such  fidelity  and  affection,  such  stately  eloquence 
and  childlike  simplicity  as  is  rarely  vouchsafed  to  the  Church  of  Christ. 

"  It  is  natural  to  think  of  Mallary  as  a  preacher  in  connection  with  the  minis- 
terial associates  of  his  life.  Of  course  it  would  be  improper  to  compare  him  with 
any  of  those  brethren  still  living  with  whom  he  delighted  to  labor,  and  it  is  a 
delicate  task  to  institute  a  comparison  between  him  and  any  of  those  companions 
who  are  now  sharing  with  him  the  heavenly  rest.     There  is  one  name,  however. 


354  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

which  involuntarily  starts  up  at  the  mention  of  Mallary,  as  if  united  with  it.  We 
mean,  of  course,  Dawson.  This  noble  pair  of  brethren  lived  out  their  days  in 
mutual  esteem  and  love.  They  preached  much  together,  they  were  singularly 
at  one  in  their  views  of  most  subjects,  and  they  co-operated  heartily  in  promot- 
ing the  same  great  objects.  In  the  pulpit  they  were  somewhat  alike,  and  yet 
they  were  different.  Dawson  was  more  graceful,  Mallary  was  more  profound  ; 
Dawson  was  more  impassioned,  Mallary  was  more  thoughtful.  Perhaps  Daw- 
son had  more  genius ;  Mallary  had  more  discipline  and  culture ;  Dawson  was 
more  moving ;  Mallary  was  more  convincing ;  Dawson  understood  the  nice  chords 
of  human  nature  something  better,  and  how  to  strike  them ;  Mallary  was  more 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  great  truths  in  their  relations  and  harmony ; 
Dawson's  preaching  was  more  popular  and  immediately  effective  ;  Mallary's  was 
better  adapted  to  be  put  in  print  and  read  at  the  fireside.  It  is  instructive  to 
reflect  how  little  the  settlement  of  the  question,  '  Who  was  the  greater  preacher  ?' 
concerns  them  as  they  mingle  in  those  associations  where  all  the  disputes  and 
ambitions  and  rivalries  of  earth  seem  so  mean. 

"  Few  men  of  his  generation  have  been  equally  active  and  useful  with  Dr. 
Mallary  in  promoting  those  great  enterprises  of  benevolence  which  form  so 
marked  a  characteristic  of  our  age.  He  was  an  early,  zealous  and  persevering 
advocate  of  the  temperance  cause.  The  claims  of  ministerial  and  general  edu- 
cation found  in  him  a  devoted  and  self-sacrificing  friend  and  champion.  Sab- 
bath-school instruction  enlisted  his  warmest  sympathy,  and  evoked  some  of  the 
best  productions  of  his  tongue  and  pen.  The  missionary  work,  whether  foreign 
or  domestic,  had  not,  perhaps,  in  Georgia^  another  such  toiling,  believing,  pray- 
ing friend.  His  was  eminently  a  missionary  spirit.  He  was  emphatically  a 
working  Christian,  combining,  in  an  extraordinary  degree,  the  active  and  con- 
templative elements  of  religious  character.  No  danger  that  he  would  rust  out. 
As  a  useful  man,  who  faithfully  served  his  generation,  he  had  in  his  day  few 
equals.  Even  should  his  name  be  forgotten,  his  influence  will  live  in  the  end- 
less succession  of  gracious  causes  and  effects,  striking  onward  and  downward 
'  to  the  last  syllable  of  recorded  time.' 

"  It  has  been  said  of  some  eminent  man,  that  nothing  in  his  life  so  little  be- 
came him  as  his  manner  of  leaving  it.  It  was  not  so  with  Dr.  Mallary.  His 
death  was  perfectly  congruous  with  his  life — just  such  as  could  have  been  de- 
sired, and  would  have  been  expected.  Without  extraordinary  pangs  of  physical 
suffering,  in  full  possession  of  all  his  menal  faculties,  soothed  by  the  affectionate 
ministries  of  his  children,  he  sank  to  his  rest  as  gently  as  a  wave  dies  along 
the  shore  when  the  storm  has  ceased.  In  the  language  of  the  finest  epitaph  of 
pagan  antiquity,  '  his  death  was  the  close  of  a  beautiful  day.'  At  the  earnest 
solicitation  of  his  friends,  he  had  repaired  to  Magnolia  springs,  Sumter  county, 
Georgia,  several  weeks  previous  to  his  death.  As  his  end  drew  near,  he  lay 
completely  passive  in  the  divine  hands.  He  said,  '  I  am  afraid  to  live,  but  not 
afraid  to  die  ;'  and  yet  he  was  resigned  to  remain  or  depart.  All  day  long,  and 
most  of  the  night,  he  discoursed  concerning  the  Saviour  and  that  heaven  which 
was  so  near.  At  times  he  became  so  intensely  interested  in  these  glorious 
themes,  that  he  would  raise  himself  and  sit  erect  in  bed — a  thing  which  ordina- 
rily he  was  unable  to  do  without  assistance — and  deliver  exhortations  so  solemn 
and  touching  as  to  melt  the  most  callous  of  his  attendants  to  tears.  When  ad- 
monished that  such  exertions  would  injure  him,  he  replied,  '  It  does  not  harm 
me  to  talk  of  Jesus.'  He  spoke  much  of  his  old  friends,  living  and  dead,  allud- 
ing particularly  to  Mercer,  Sanders,  Dawson  and  others  who  had  gone  before, 
and  with  whom  he  expected  soon  to  renew  his  intercourse.  He  thanked  God 
for  his  sufferings,  as  well  as  for  his  ease  ;  and  when  asked,  '  Are  you  suffering 
much  ?'  replied,  'Yes,  some,  but  Jesus  is  in  the  room  ;  the  room  is  full  of  min- 
istering spirits  !'     His  last  words  were,  '  Sweet  (clapping  his  hands,)  Home  !' 

His  end  was  not  so  much  a  death  as  a  transition  and  transfiguration — not  so 
much  an  unclothing  as  a  being  clothed  upon  with  the  shining  vestments  of  im- 
mortality. In  contemplating  such  a  termination  of  life  as  this,  such  a  perfect 
euthanasy,  we  may  well  exclaim  : 

'  Is  that  a  deathbed,  where  a  Christian  lies  ? 
Yes,  but  not  his  ;  'tis  death,  himself,  that  dies.'  " 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  355 

In  addition  to  this  sketch  by  Kev.  J.  R.  Kendrick,  D.  D.,  we  introduce  a  few 
extracts  from  the  sketch  furnished  us  by  Mrs.  E.  H.  Davis,  wife  of  Professor  N. 
K.  Davis.  Mrs.  Davis  was  the  niece  of  Mrs.  Mallary,  and  having  spent  much  of 
her  girlhood  with  her  uncle  and  aunt,  is,  perhaps,  more  competent  than  any  one 
else  to  give  a  portraiture  of  his  life  in  the  home  circle.  Speaking  of  his  wonder- 
ful self-control  when  once  assaulted  with  most  abusive  language,  she  writes  : 

'•  Dr.  Mallary,  on  referring  to  it,  said  that  in  order  to  refrain  from  resenting  it, 
he  had  to  reflect  that  not  only  his  character  as  a  Christian  gentleman,  but_  the 
more  sacred  character  of  a  Christian  minister,  would  be  thereby  compromised. 
He  was  rarely  subjected  to  trials  of  this  kind,  for  his  invariable  courtesy  and 
kind  consideration  for  others  made  personal  antagonisms  towards  him  impossi- 
ble. Furthermore,  the  Scripture  saith  :  '  Whosoever  offends  not  in  speech  the 
same  is  a  perfect  man  ' 

"  Early  in  his  Christian  course  this  text  was  impressed  upon  his  mind,  and  he 
resolved  that  henceforth  he  would  strive  with  all  his  might  not  to  offend  in  speech, 
praying  his  Saviour  ever  to  set  a  watch  over  his  lips.  His  contemporaries  who 
have  seen  him  in  the  deliberative  bodies  of  the  denomination,  can  also  testify 
that  even  when  debate  was  hottest,  amid  sharp  conflict  of  opinions  the  most 
diverse  and  prejudices  the  most  intense,  he  never  transcended  the  strictest  pro- 
priety of  speech.  His  brethren  said  of  him,  that  in  troublous  times  his  speech 
was  like  pouring  oil  upon  the  waters.  Many  might  thus  nerve  themselves  for 
great  public  occasions,  who  would  utterly  succumb  to  the  petty  vexations  of  do- 
mestic life.  Of  these,  so  often  coming  unexpectedly  and  catching  one  unpre- 
pared to  resist  them,  he  had  his  full  share ;  yet  he  was  never  taken  by  surprise, 
or  betrayed  into  saying  a  word  that  it  were  better  to  have  left  unsaid." 

In  reference  to  the  ease  with  which  he  could  bring  the  services  of  religion 
into  scenes  of  social  enjoyment,  Mrs.  Davis  says  :  •'  He  could  introduce 
social  religious  exercises  with  a  tact  and  delicacy  rarely  equalled.  A  large  country 
dining,  noisy  with  the  mirth  of  young  people,  was  deemed  a  most  appropriate 
occasion.  After  dinner  the  whole  assembly,  including  the  children,  were  called 
to  order,  a  hymn  was  sung,  a  few  verses  of  the  Bible  were  read  and  a  short 
prayer  was  offered.  Or  possibly  the  occasion  was  an  evening  call,  paid  to  some 
young  ladies  staying  at  his  house  by  several  gay  young  men.  Mr.  Mallary 
would  come  in,  engage  in  cheerful  conversation,  making  the  whole  company  feel 
entirely  at  ease,  until  the  hour  of  family  prayer  arrived  ;  and  then  he  would  say, 
in  the  most  natural  manner,  '  It  is  the  hour  for  prayers,  young  gentlemen,  but 
prayers  do  not  finish  the  evening  with  us,  and  if  it  is  agreeable  to  you  we  will 
spend  a  short  time  in  that  way,  and  then  I  hope  you  will  remain  and  complete 
your  visit.'  This  may  seem  to  some  persons  to  have  been  out  of  place,  but 
when  he  did  it,  it  appeared  the  easiest  and  most  proper  thing  to  do. 

"  For  years  it  was  his  custom  to  rise  at  the  break  of  day,  so  as  to  hold  prayers 
with  the  field  laborers  before  they  went  to  their  work.  The  large  hall  in  the 
rear  of  his  dwelling  -was  fitted  up  with  benches  for  their  accommodation.  Every 
Sabbath  afternoon,  even  when  he  was  weary  from  preaching  in  the  morning,  the 
bell  was  rung  to  call  the  servants  in,  and  both  young  and  old  were  expected,  but  not 
required,  to  attend.  Reading  and  explaining  the  Scriptures,  singing  and  prayer 
filled  up  these  exercises.  Often  old  Uncle  Lary,  and  other  pious  ones  among 
them,  were  called  on  to  lead  in  prayer.  All  his  old  servants  remember  and 
speak  of  him  with  unusual  affection,  and  gratefully  call  up  his  many  acts  of 
kindness  to  them." 

Of  the  death  of  Mrs.  Mallary  Mrs.  Davis  says :  "  Dr.  Mallary,  physically, 
did  not  seem  to  recover  from  this  affliction,  though  resigned  to  God's  will.  Her 
death  was  very  sudden.  She  was  in  her  usual  health,  and  was  with  her  husband 
paying  a  visit  to  his  son.  One  morning  Mr.  Mallary  plucked  a  fresh,  sweet  rose 
and  playfully  placed  it  in  her  hair  as  she  sat  talking  to  her  friends.  Next  morn- 
ing another  rose  had  bloomed.  He  went  out  and  plucked  the  rose  and  laid  it 
on  her  lifeless  bosom  with  a  smile  so  sad,  so  full  of  heavenly  resignation  and 
human  woe,  that  all  wept  who  saw  it. 

"  The  condition  of  the  country  during  the  war  weighed  heavily  on  his  mind, 
and  in  the  last  letter  ever  penned  by  his  dear  hand,  he  said  :  '  If  the  Federals 
should  get  possession  of  my  poor  body,  I  shall  tell  them  I  am  a  rebel.' 
26 


356 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


"  The  answer  to  this  last  letter  was  received  while  he  was  very  ill  at  the  Mag- 
nolia Springs,  kindly  carried  by  Mrs.  V.  N.  Childers,  the  adopted  daughter  of 
Mrs.  Mallary.  The  letter  was  read  to  him  while  the  family  were  sitting  around 
watching  for  the  end.     He  asked  for  it  to  be  handed  to  him  and  laid  it  on  his 

bed,  beside  him,  and  said  to  his   son  :  'Charles,  don't  forget  to  write  to . 

Tell  her  I  received  her  letter,  and  thank  her  for  it,  and  that  I  love  her  very 
much.'  Next  day  he  referred  to  the  same  request,  adding,  with  perfect  com- 
posure :  '  After  my  death  there  will  be  some  confusion  and  you  will  have  a  great 
deal  to  see  to,  but  be  sure  to  write  to  —  — .'  Behold,  his  consideration  for 
others  even  at  this  supremely  solemn  moment !  Does  it  not  remind  one  of  our 
blessed  Saviour,  who,  on  the  cross,  cared  for  those  around  him  ?  To  a  super- 
ficial observer,  such  personal  details  may  seem  objectionable ;  but  in  the  world 
there  is  nothing  so  powerful  to  teach  as  personal,  human  experience.  It  is 
profitable  that  these  things  be  written  for  an  example,  that  we  may  strive  to 
follow  those  who  follow  Christ.  Mr.  Charles  E.  Mallary  wrote  as  requested, 
and  the  letter,  if  it  had  not  been  lost,  would  furnish  an  exact  and  beautiful 
description  of  the  last  hours  of  his  father's  life." 


A.   M.    MANNING. 


His  father  and  grandfather  were  Baptist  ministers,  so 
that  for  three  generations  the  family,  through  one  of  its 
members,  has  been  continuously  engaged  in  preaching 
the  Gospel  of  Christ.  His  parents,  Benjamin  and  Sylvia 
Manning,  and  his  grandparents,  Benjamin  and  Charity 
Manning,  moved  from  North  Carolina  and  settled,  first, 
in  Washington  county,  Georgia,  and  afterward  in  Butler 
county,  Alabama,  where  Pev.  A.  M.  Manning  was  born, 
March  8th,  1830.  A  short  time  after  his  birth  his  parents 
went  to  Florida,  then  a  sparsely  peopled  territory.  In 
this  State,  and  in  Thomas  county,  Georgia,  he  has  thus  far  spent  his  life.  He 
received  his  education  principally  at  Fletcher  Institute,  in  Thomasville.  With  a 
view  to  the  practice  of  medicine,  after  the  usual  course  of  study  and  reading, 
he  attended  lectures  at  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Louisiana, 
where  he  graduated  in  1852.  Returning  home,  he  engaged  actively  in  the  practice 
for  ten  years,  when,  feeling  it  his  duty  to  give  himself  wholly  to  prayer  and  preach- 
ing the  Word,  he  surrendered  a  lucrative  practice  and  entered  the  ministry.  In 
youth,  he  was  moral  and  free  from  many  of  the  vices  and  worldly  amusements 
of  young  men.  His  religious  impressions  began  in  early  life.  The  prayers  of 
Christian  parents,  heard  day  after  day,  and  accompanied  by  evangelical  instruc- 
tions and  godly  example,  led  him  to  recognize  the  supreme  importance  of  the 
religion  of  the  Saviour.  Under  a  sense  of  his  lost  condition  as  a  sinner,  and 
with  a  believing  apprehension  of  the  finished  righteousness  of  Christ  as  his  only 
hope  of  salvation,  he  presented  himself  to  the  Oak  Grove  church,  Leon  county, 
Florida,  for  membership,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  G.  R.  Moore,  in  1853.  The 
Olive  church,  Jefferson  county,  Florida,  of  which  he  was  then  a  member,  called 
him,  in  1861,  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry.  That  church,  with  Summer  Hill, 
and  a  number  of  other  churches  in  south  Georgia  and  Florida,  has  enjoyed  his 
valuable  services.  Dr.  Manning  makes  no  pretensions  to  being  what  is  called 
an  eloquent  divine  ;  but,  as  a  minister,  he  is  most  acceptable.  Faithful  in  warn- 
ings, in  entreaties  full  of  affection  and  tenderness,  his  influence  as  a  pastor,  in 
the  pulpit  and  out  of  it,  has  been  most  salutary.  He  is  beloved  by  his  brethren, 
sound  in  judgment,  in  perfect  sympathy  with  all  our  denominational  enterprises, 
and  their  generous  supporter.  He  is  an  active  worker,  and  being  blessed  with 
means  above  many  of  his  brethren,  he  is  liberal  in  his  gifts  to  every  good  cause. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


357 


No  one  doubts  his  soundness  in  "  the  faith  that  was  once  delivered  to  the  saints," 
and  his  readiness  to  defend  that  faith  when  necessary.  He  is  what  is  sometimes 
called  a  "  Landmarker,"  As  a  presiding  officer,  he  fills  the  chair  with  much 
dignity,  and  always  manifests  the  spirit  of  the  Christian  gentleman.  He  has 
been  Moderator  of  the  Mercer  Association  one  year,  and  of  the  Florida  Asso- 
ciation four  years  ;  its  Treasurer,  and  a  member  of  its  Executive  Committee,  for 
five  years. 

He  has  been  married  twice ;  first  to  Miss  Emily  B.  Raines,  of  Thomas 
county,  Georgia,  July  17th,  1855,  and  afterwards,  November  3d,  1875,  to  Miss 
M.  R.  McCormick,  of  Brooks  county,  Georgia.  By  these  marriages  he  has  had 
four  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living.  He  has  been  the  subject  of  afflic- 
tion, and  is  fully  prepared  to  sympathize  with  others  in  their  afflictions — "to 
weep  with  those  that  weep."  He  is  of  slender  person,  about  five  feet  nine 
inches  high,  with  blue  eyes  and  black  hair — now  slightly  gray.  He  is  a  Chris- 
tian gentleman  of  the  highest  type,  and  ready  to  respond  to  the  calls  of  his 
brethren,  to  give  generously  of  his  substance  to  send  the  Gospel  to  the  nations, 
and  to  preach  Jesus  to  the  people. 


WILLIAM    L.    MANSFIELD. 


Rev.  William  L.  Mansfield  was  born 
in  Monticello,  Georgia,  January  23d,  1826. 
His  father  was  of  Northern  birth,  and  the 
son  was  educated  at  New  Haven,  Connecti- 
cut. He  married  Miss  L.  E.  Clifton,  in 
Lumpkin,  Stewart  county,  December,  1848; 
and  was  baptized  the  next  year,  by  Rev.  R.  E. 
Brown,  in  Dale  county,  Alabarha.  He  chose 
the  law  as  his  profession,  w^s  admitted  to 
the  bar  before  attaining  his  majority,  and 
continued  in  the  practice  about  three  years. 
In  1858,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  at 
Lumpkin,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  E. 
W.  Warren.  He  subsequently,  for  a  series 
of  years,  served  the  church  in  Lumpkin,  and 
a  number  of  other  churches  in  the  region 
around  it.  In  December,  1866,  he  removed 
to  Marietta,  and  was  elected  pastor  of  the 
church  at  that  point.  Seeing  the  great  desti- 
tution among  the  orphans  left  by  the  war  in  the  city,  he  obtained  permission  to 
teach  a  free  school  for  their  benefit,  in  the  church  building.  In  this  school  he 
labored  day  after  day,  assisted  by  a  few  ladies  who  kindly  volunteered  their 
services  for  that  purpose.  An  academy  in  the  city  was  afterwards  tendered  him. 
Here,  in  consequence  of  the  increase  of  scholars,  it  became  necessary  to  employ 
quite  a  number  of  teachers,  which  he  did  not  hesitate  to  do  at  his  own  expense, 
on  "  the  faith  principle  "  of  Muller.  He  received  a  few  donations  of  clothing 
for  the  children  and  also  some  small  sums  of  money  for  the  support  of  the 
school ;  and  for  these  donations  he  accounted  in  the  monthly  reports  published 
by  him.  Meanwhile,  the  churches  at  Marietta  and  Noonday,  under  his  earnest 
appeals  and  consistent  Christian  life  as  pastor,  were  kept  in  constant  vigor  and 
growth. 

As  an  earnest  advocate  for  the  Sunday-school  cause  and  an  efficient  Chris- 
tian worker  in  it,  he  had  few,  if  any,  equals  throughout  the  State.  Whether  at 
home  or  abroad  the  children  recognized  him  as  their  friend ;  a  mutual  attraction 
seemed  to  draw  the  two  together.     To  this  day,  the  Marietta  Sabbath  school 


358  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

goes  in  annual  procession,  on  the  15th  of  April,  to  decorate  with  flowers  the 
grave  of  the  superintendent  whose  memory  is  still  dear  to  their  hearts.  On 
these  occasions  addresses  are  made,  and  the  little  ones  join  in  singing  some  of 
the  sweet  Sabbath-school  melodies  he  loved  so  well. 

In  January,  1873,  his  health,  which  had  never  been  very  robust,  began  rapidly 
to  fail;  and  he  became  so  feeble  that,  many  times,  after  his  labors  in  the  school 
and  the  pulpit,  he  had  to  be  assisted  to  his  home — near  by.  On  the  1 5th  of 
April,  after  much  suffering,  he  was  called  to  his  home  in  the  skies.  In  his  last 
days  he  delighted  to  dwell  on  such  passages  of  Scripture  as  these ;  "  The  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  "Blessed  is  he  that  consid- 
ereth  the  poor;  the  Lord  will  deliver  him  in  time  of  trouble."  "The  peace  of 
God  which  passeth  all  understanding,  shall  keep  your  hearts  and  minds,  through 
Christ  Jesus."  Realizing  fully,  to  the  end  of  his  earthly  existence,  the  precious- 
ness  of  these  promises,  he  gently  passed  away,  whispering,  "  Peace !  Peace ! 
Peace !" 

No  more  affecting  scene  could  have  been  presented  than  that  which  occurred 
at  his  funeral.  The  children  from  his  free  school  begged  permission  to  be  pres- 
ent. They  marched  into  the  already  crowded  church,  and  found  seats  on  the 
pulpit  steps,  on  the  carpeted  floor  around,  and  even  under  the  table  whereon  the 
body  had  been  placed.  There,  during  the  delivery  of  the  sermon  by  Rev.  E. 
W.  Warren,  they  sat  with  folded  hands,  their  tearful  eyes  fixed  on  the  lifeless 
form  of  their  best  earthly  friend.  As  the  vast  concourse  left  the  church  for  the 
cemetery,  merchants  closed  their  doors,  and  the  entire  city  turned  out  to  pay 
the  last  tribute  to  one  whom  all  had  loved  and  revered  while  living. 

W.  L.  Mansfield  was  womanly  in  gentleness  and  purity,  manly  in  resolution 
and  endurance,  Christianly  in  all.  He  was  winning  in  speech,  and  still  more 
winning  in  character  and  life.  What  he  said,  was  a  noble  testimony  for 
Christ — what  he  was,  a  testimony  far  nobler.  His  excellencies  will  never  be 
painted  here  as  they  were ;  but  "  his  record  is  on  high." 


D.   W.    MARKS. 

Rev.  D.  W.  Marks  was  born  in  the  city  of  Augusta, 
Georgia,  February  3d,  1833,  of  German  parents.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  three  years  old  ;  but  his  mother, 
a  devoted  Christian,  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  87.  By 
her  he  was  in  youth  well  instructed  in  the  ways  of  piety 
and  in  the  Baptist  faith. 

Though  he  received  ajn  ordinary  education  only,  he 
studied  medicine  and  graduated  at  the  Medical  College, 
in  Augusta,  in  1857.  For  a  while  he  practiced  the  pro- 
fession, but  afterwards  abandoned  it.  He  was  converted 
in  1850,  after  a  sharp  struggle  with  his  convictions,  found 
peace  in  believing,  and  united  with  the  First  Baptist  church,  leading,  for  a  time, 
a  life  of  great  Christian  joy ;  but  he  "  wandered  far  from  the  fold,"  and  was 
excluded  in  185S.  Then  followed  years  of  misery,  during  which  he  felt  himself 
guilty  of  the  unpardonable  sin ;  but  God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  stilled  the  waves 
of  the  tempestuous  sea  on  which  the  frail  bark  of  his  hopes  was  tossing,  and 
once  again  spoke  peace  to  his  soul.  The  First  church  restored  him  to  its 
fellowship  on  June  7th,  1862.  Six  years  afterwards  he  and  his  wife  obtained 
letters  of  dismission  to  join  the  Kolloch  street  church,  which  had  him  ordained  as  a 
deacon  in  1869.  He  was,  afterwards,  elected  the  treasurer  and  a  trustee  of 
the  church,  and  made  himself  very  useful  by  his  faithfulness  and  activity.  The 
church  licensed  him  to  preach  in  1873,  during  which  year  he  was  attacked  by  a 
disease  of  the  lungs  that  resulted  in  very  frequent  hemorrhages.     Still  he  con- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


359 


tinued  to  preach,  and,  on  the  30th  of  September,  1877,  he  was  ordained;  the 
presbytery  being  composed  of  D.  Shaver,  J.  T.  Patterson,  W.  W.  Landrum, 
James  Adkinson  and  B.  R.  Womack. 

Though  weak  and  frail  in  body  he  is  strong  in  faith  and  zeal,  and  earnest  in 
spirit.  Deeming  himself  a  monument  of  God's  grace,  he  endeavors  faithfully 
to  perform  his  duties  as  a  Christian  minister,  never  preaching  but  with  the 
apprehension  that  the  effort  may  cost  him  his  life.  Yet,  strange  to  say,  his 
health  has  improved,  and  though  not  equal  to  the  labor  of  a  regular  pastorate, 
he  preaches  as  opportunity  serves,  and  is  highly  esteemed  by  his  brethren,  as  a 
faithful,  earnest  and  devout  laborer  for  the  Master,  to  the  extent  of  his  capa- 
bilities. 


ASA  MONROE  MARSHALL. 


Rev.  Asa  Monroe  Marshall  was  born  in  Jones 
county,  Georgia,  26th  of  December,  1832.  He  was  one  of 
a  numerous  family  of  sons  and  daughters,  of  Allen  and 
Effie  {nee  McNeal)  Marshall. 

A  few  years  after  the  birth  of  this  son,  his  parents  moved 
to  Crawford  county,  near  Knoxville,  uniting  with  the  Bap- 
tist church  at  that  place.  His  mother  died  when  he  was 
eleven  years  of  age,  and  his  father  died  about  six  years 
after.  His  father,  poor  and  with  a  large  family  of  children, 
was  able  to  give  them  but  a  very  limited  education. 
Especially  was  this  true  with  regard  to  the  younger  children,  to  which  class  Asa 
belonged.  After  the  death  of  his  parents,  for  several  years,  his  circumstances 
and  surroundings  were  anything  but  encouraging  for  moral  and  intellectual  cul- 
ture. But  during  the  year  1852,  while  living  a  few  miles  from  Knoxville,  he  had 
the  privilege  of  hearing  brother  B.  F.  Tharp  regularly  as  the  pastor  of  that 
church,  under  whose  ministry  he  was  converted  and  by  whom  he  was  baptized 
the  same  year. 

For  three  or  four  years  after  this,  though  working  hard  on  the  farm  through 
the  week,  he  promptly  and  regularly  attended  his  church  and  prayer  meetings, 
to  do  which  he  must  walk  six  or  eight  miles,  going  and  returning  ;  and  this  with 
no  pious  friend  at  home  to  stimulate  or  encourage  him  in  his  Christian  Hfe. 
He  soon  manifested  more  interest  for  the  salvation  of  sinners  than  ordinary 
Christians.  And  after  an  inquiry  and  examination  into  his  impressions  of  Chris- 
tian duty,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  this  church. 

He  was  sensible  of  his  weakness  and  want  of  preparation  for  the  great  work 
of  preaching,  while  he  spent  many  Sabbath  evenings  in  conducting  religious 
meetings  among  the  pine  hills  and  valleys  of  Crawford  county.  He  felt  that  to 
improve  his  education  was  necessary  in  order  to  prepare  himself  for  that  work. 
His  church  being  unable  to  afford  the  needed  help,  assistance  was  obtained  for 
him  in  1854  from  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Mercer  University.  He  was  re- 
ceived as  a  beneficiary  of  that  institution,  the  Board  agreeing  to  pay  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  dollars  for  the  first  year  and  one  hundred  dollars  the  second  year 
towards  defraying  his  expenses  while  prosecuting  his  studies  at  home,  he  work- 
ing out  with  his  own  hands  as  best  he  could  the  remainder.  At  the  expiration 
of  that  time,  in  1856,  he  left  his  home  and  entered  Mercer  University,  at  Pen- 
field,  where  he  continued  for  several  years,  diligent  in  study,  upright  in  conduct, 
and  winning  the  confidence  of  both  students  and  faculty. 

He  graduated  in  i860,  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  the  same  year,  at 
Harmony  church,  in  Putnam  county,  by  N.  M.  Crawford,  J.  H.  Corley  and  Albert 
Winchall.  He  has  served  as  pastor  the  church  at  Eatonton,  and  Harmony,  in 
Putnam  county,  and  Monticello,  in  Jasper  county.     He  is  now  serving  Ramoth, 


360 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


Crawford  and  Oconee  churches,  in  Putnam  county,  and  Enon  church,  in  Greene 
county. 

He  was  united  by  marriage  to  Miss  Rebecca  Paschal,  in  Eatonton,  November 
8th,  1866. 

His  patriotic  zeal  led  him  to  volunteer  as  a  soldier  at  an  early  period  in  the 
late  war.  Soon  after  the  formation  of  his  regiment  (the  12th  Georgia),  he  was 
elected  as  its  chaplain,  which  relation  he  sustained  with  much  credit  to  himself 
and  the  cause  he  represented.  Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  war,  he  returned 
to  the  pastoral  work  in  which  he  is  still  engaged  as  his  life-work.  He  is  a  good 
preacher,  a  sound,  safe  and  solid  sort  of  man,  consistent  and  pious  in  his  gen- 
eral deportment  as  a  Christian,  both  in  public  and  private  life.  As  a  gentleman 
and  a  Christian,  he  has  long  enjoyed  the  high  esteem  of  those  who  have  known 
him  longest  and  known  him  best.  Those  intimately  acquainted  with  his  early 
life  have  watched  with  admiring  interest  his  struggles  with  poverty  and  igno- 
rance, and  his  advancement  to  intelligence  and  usefulness — an  example  worthy 
of  imitation  and  applause. 


JOSHUA   MARTIN. 

Rev.  Joshua  Martin,  well  reported  of  by  all  who  know 
him,  for  his  piety  and  devotion  to  his  work,  was  born  De- 
cember 27th,  1 82 1,  in  South  Carolina.  His  parents  moved 
to  Stewart  county,  Georgia,  in  182'^.  That  section  of  the 
State  was  then  comparatively  new,  and  hence  there  was 
but  little  opportunity  for  the  education  of  the  young.  At 
the  age  of  twenty,  Joshua  Martin,  unwilling  to  remain 
unlettered,  determined  that  he  would  work  a  part  of  each 
year  for  wages,  and  use  these  wages  for  the  payment  of 
school  expenses  the  balance  of  the  year.  In  this  way,  by 
close  application,  he  acquired  a  fair  English  education.  He  was,  in  a  peculiar 
degree,  blessed  with  pious  and  godly  parents,  whose  training  was  in  accordance 
with  Holy  Scripture ;  and,  as  the  result,  their  son  never  entered  a  ball-room, 
never  played  cards,  never  was  under  the  influence  of  intoxicating  drinks,  and 
never  yielded  even  to  the  moderate  use  of  drams  at  "house-raisings"  and  "log- 
rollings," as  was  then  almost  the  universal  custom  of  his  section.  No  scoffs,  no 
ridicule,  could  ever  move  him  to  violate  his  settled  principles — "  touch  not,  taste 
not,  handle  not."  This  firmness  and  decision  of  character,  as  well  on  every 
other  moral  and  religious  question  as  on  this,  he  has  maintained  until  now.  He 
was  converted  at  the  early  age  of  fifteen,  and  baptized  by  Rev.  Andrew  Cumbie, 
into  the  fellowship  of  the  New  Teamon  Baptist  church,  in  Stewart  county. 

In  1849,  at  the  request  of  Friendship  church,  Baker  county,  he  was  regularly 
ordained  to  the  ministry,  and  has  ever  since  devoted  himself  to  this  work,  serv- 
ing churches  in  Alabama  and  in  Georgia ;  but  principally  in  Decatur  county, 
Georgia.  To  some  of  these  churches  he  has  preached  for  ten  and  twelve  years, 
establishing  the  membership  in  the  faith  and  practice  of  the  Gospel,  and  becom- 
ing the  instrument  in  turning  many  to  Christ.  In  his  churches,  and  wherever 
he  has  gone,  he  has  led  a  life  of  unblemished  piety,  and  of  fidelity  to  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

He  was  married,  February  nth,  1847,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Laster,  a  woman  of 
most  estimable  character,  and  devotedly  pious.  They  have  had  seven  children, 
all  of  whom  are  consistent  members  of  the  church,  except  the  youngest,  quite 
a  little  girl. 

As  a  pastor,  he  has  always  been  scrupulously  punctual  in  attending  his  meet- 
ings, and  faithful  in  urging  on  his  members  the  consecration  of  themselves, 
their  children  and  their  money,  to  the  cause  of  Jesus.     Liberal  in  his  gifts,  he 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS 


361 


could  fearlessly  and  effectively  exhort  others  to  liberality.  As  a  preacher,  while 
it  is  not  claimed  for  him  that  he  is  eloquent,  he  is  instructive  and  interesting. 
His  voice. is  strong  and  clear,  his  manner  earnest  and  fervent,  and  he  has  power 
to  hold  the  attention  of  his  congregation  to  the  close  of  the  service.  He  has  cul- 
tivated the  art  of  music,  and,  with  his  tine  voice,  uses  the  sweet  songs  of  Zion 
with  great  power. 

With  dark,  curly  hair,  slightly  whitening,  bright  gray  eyes,  fine  complexion, 
erect  posture,  and  weighing  some  145  pounds,  his  personal  appearance  is  good. 
As  a  citizen,  he  is  held  in  high  esteem ;  as  a  husband  and  father,  he  is  honored 
and  loved ;  and  as  a  minister,  he  is  greeted  as  a  true,  faithful  servant  of  God. 
For  years,  he  was  elected  Moderator  of  the  Bowen  Association,  and  fills  that 
position  at  present. 


PHILIP  MATHEWS. 


Rev.  Philip  Mathews,  born  in 
the  year  1792,  in  Wilkes  county,  Geor- 
gia, was  the  fourth  son  of  James  and 
Rebecca  Mathews,  than  whom  there 
were  few  more  devout  Christians.  The 
most  remarkable  fact  in  the  family  his- 
tory is  the  number  of  ministers  in  it. 
His  grandfather,  an  only  son  and  a 
preacher,  had  four  sons  who  devoted 
their  lives  to  the  ministry ;  his  father 
had  five  sons,  two  of  whom  were 
preachers,  and  the  other  three,  with 
their  two  sisters,  members  of  Baptist 
churches. 

He  received  an  academic  education  in 
his  native  county,  and  in  youth  was 
noted  for  integrity  of  character  and  de- 
votion to  his  parents.  Even  when 
grown  to  manhood,  he  never  met  his 
aged  parents  without  greeting  them 
with  an  affectionate  embrace  and  a  filial 
kiss.  When  they  died  he  wept  as  a 
child,  and  as  long  as  he  lived  he  revered 
their  memory.  He  was  converted  in  the  year  1827,  and  baptized  by  Rev.  James 
Davis,  united  with  Falling  Creek  church,  Elbert  county,  and  commenced  preach- 
ing immediately,  He  was  ordained  a  short  time  thereafter  and  chosen  pastor  of 
that  church,  which  pastorate  he  retained  until  his  removal  to  Meriwether  county, 
in  the  year  1851.  The  other  churches  over  which  he  presided  as  pastor  previous 
to  this  removal  were  Friendship,  of  Wilkes,  The  Fork,  of  Madison,  and  Bethel, 
of  Elbert.  He  aspired  to  no  civil  office,  was  Moderator  of  the  Sarepta  Asso- 
ciation and  Trustee  of  Mercer  University. 

He  married,  in  the  year  18 14,  Miss  Elizabeth  Clark,  daughter  of  David  Clark, 
formerly  of  Virginia,  but  at  that  time  a  citizen  of  Elbert,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
given  to  the  bride  by  her  father  in  the  Flatwoods  of  that  county,  where  they 
reared  thirteen  children  to  maturity,  having  lost  three  daughters  in  their  early 
childhood.  His  eight  sons  volunteered  in  the  war  between  the  States,  four  of 
the  most  promising  of  whom  lost  their  lives  during  the  struggle.  His  second 
son,  Col.  James  D.  Mathews,  has  since  died;  the  surviving  three — Albert, 
David  and  Judson,  are  practicing  physicians.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  died  in  1850, 
and  in  1852  he  married  Mrs.  Wilkes,  of  Forsyth.  He  died  in  1858,  being  sixty- 
six  years  old. 


362  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

The  writer  was  his  intimate  friend  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  can  truth- 
fully say  that  he  never  knew  a  better  man.  He  was  a  Christian  gentleman,  at 
home  and  abroad,  in  private  and  in  public.  He  devoted  his  time  to  Bible  read- 
ing, the  commentators,  and  to  his  pastorates.  His  chief  traits  of  character  were 
self-sacriiice  and  submission  to  the  Divine  will ;  his  chief  object  in  life,  to  teach, 
by  precept  and  example,  the  religion  of  Jesus.  Paternally,  he  descended  from 
the  Irish  and  French  ;  maternally,  from  Irish  and  English,  The  sanguine  tem- 
perament predominated  in  him.  His  usual  weight  was  175,  and  he  was  five 
feet  eleven  and  a  half  inches  in  height,  broad-shouldered,  erect,  muscular  and 
active,  with  head  large,  forehead  high  and  broad,  eyes  full  and  blue. 

His  style  in  the  pulpit  was  generally  argumentative  and  persuasive,  but  at 
times  ardent  and  eloquent.  Frequently,  in  oratorical  flights,  he  conveyed  his 
hearers  on  wings  of  imagination  to  that  blissful  abode  where  his  redeemed 
spirit  now  rejoices.  A  striking  feature  in  his  sermons  was  that  he  seldom  re- 
ferred to  the  horrors  in  store  for  the  wicked,  but  delighted  to  dwell  on  the  love 
of  Christ,  the  glory  of  God  and  the  joys  of  heaven.  Gifted  in  ideality,  his  pic- 
tures of  the  angelic  host  surrounding  the  throne  of  God  excelled  in  beauty, 
grandeur  and  sublimity. 

An  indurated  tumor  in  the  parotid  gland  distorted  his  features,  and  his  de- 
clining health,  for  several  years  previous  to  his  death,  detracted  from  his  useful- 
ness as  a  minister.  He  was  esteemed  by  other  denominations,  and  .those  who 
knew  him  best  will  revere  his  memory  most. 


JAMES  MATTHEWS. 

The  senior  James  Matthews,  a  Virginian  by  birth,  was  a  prominent  Baptist 
minister  of  Wilkes  county,  Georgia,  where  he  resided  when  his  son  James  was 
born.  The  father  brought  up  his  children  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord,  and  manifested  a  peculiar  anxiety  for  their  salvation.  His  hope  in  this 
regard,  however,  was  delayed  until  they  were  all  grown  and  chiefly  settled  in 
families.  James,  the  son,  was  the  first  of  the  household  in  whose  conversion 
these  parental  solicitudes  found  their  fruition.  He  united  with  the  Clark's  Sta- 
tion church,  in  that  county,  in  1825.  His  mind  was  drawn  to  the  ministry  from 
the  earliest  stages  of  his  Christian  experience,  and  his  ordination  occurred  four 
years  late,  in  1829.  For  ten  years  he  prosecuted  his  pulpit  labors  with  faithful- 
ness and  success,  in  the  bounds  of  the  Georgia  Association.  He  moved  in  1839 
to  Stewart  county,  and  resided  there  until  his  death  in  March,  1848,  being  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  ministers  in  the  Bethel  Association,  and, 
for  four  sessions  preceding  his  demise,  its  Moderator.  He  was  pastor  of  the 
Lumpkin  church  for  several  years,  of  the  Eufaula  church  for  two  or  three,  and 
of  Benevolence  church,  Randolph  county,  from  its  constitution  until-  his  death. 
His  removal  to  Stewart  county  led  to  a  great  increase  of  his  zeal  in  the  ministry. 
There  were  then  but  few  churches  in  that  part  of  the  State,  and  the  vast  amount 
of  destitution  impressed  him  with  the  importance  of  engaging  at  once  more 
fully  in  the  work  of  preaching  and  organizing  new  churches.  He  delighted  in 
holding  protracted  meetings,  was  always  ready  for  whatever  evangelistic  ser- 
vice he  could  render  for  the  diffusion  of  saving  truth,  and  saw  the  crown  of  a 
marked  blessing  from  the  Lord  placed  on  his  humble  but  earnest  endeavors. 

His  Association,  on  his  death,  recorded  its  conviction  that  "  he  was  a  faithful, 
zealous  and  indefatigable  laborer  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  Though  without 
the  advantages  of  a  liberal  education,  by  dint  of  industry  and  close  obsen^ation, 
he  was  enabled  to  store  his  mind  with  a  large  fun!  of  useful  knowledge,  which, 
aided  by  his  native  good  sense  and  practical  piety,  rendered  him  a  useful  and 
prominent  minister  of  the  cross  of  Christ.     He  was  a  liberal  patron  and  ardent 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


363 


friend  of  ministerial  education,  missionary  operations,  and  all  the  benevolent 
enterprises  of  the  day."  His  consecration  to  Christ,  and  his  genial,  social  qual- 
ities, made  him  popular  and  beloved  wherever  he  labored  ;  while  the  sound  doc- 
trine of  his  sermons,  their  methodical  arrangement  and  their  unction,  gave  him 
much  more  than  ordinary  power  in  the  pulpit.  We  regret  that  more  explicit 
details  as  to  his  life  are  not  within  our  reach  ;  but  the  day  comes,  if  we  are  the 
Lord's,  when  we  shall  hear  from  his  own  lips  the  story  of  all  the  way  in  which 
Divine  Providence  led  him  through  the  wilderness  of  this  world.  Oh,  the  joy- 
ful interchanges  of  personal  experience  between  the  glorified,  when  they  meet 
on  "the  shining  shore,"  and  mingle  in  the  city  of  which  the  Lamb  is  the  light 
forever  ! 


SIMEON    MAXWELL. 


Rev.  Simeon,  son  of  B.  and  E.  Maxwell,  was  born 
December,  1829,  in  Elbert  county,  Georgia.  Benson 
Maxwell,  the  father,  moved  to  Talbot  county,  in  1833. 
He  was  an  energetic  business  man,  and,  in  consequence, 
successful ;  re  iring  his  children  in  comfort  and  offering 
them  all  the  best  facilities  for  education.  Simeon  declined 
to  take  a  thorough  collegiate  course,  and  preferred  to  per- 
fect himself  in  the  studies  pursued  at  the  Talbotton  High 
School,  and  at  other  places  where  he  had  the  opportunity 
of  mastering  the  German,  French,  and  Spanish  languages. 
He  seems  to  have  received  very  early  religious  training, 
which  happily  resulted  in  his  baptism  at  the  tender  age  of  thirteen  years.  So 
pious  and  earnest  was  this  child  that  the  minister,  Rev.  Hiram  Powell,  expressed 
the  conviction  that  he  was  baptizing  one  of  God's  chosen  vessels  to  carry  the 
knowledge  of  the  Saviour  to  the  lost.  The  candidate  afterwards  acknowledged 
that  he  had  the  same  impression  himself  but  kept  the  feeling  hid  in  his  own 
heart. 

Mr.  Maxwell,  after  his  education  was  completed,  began  teaching  as  a  profes- 
sion, and  was  very  successful.  First  he  was  associate  principal,  and,  afterwards, 
president  of  Hamilton  Female  College,  Harris  county,  Georgia.  In  December, 
1858,  he  left  his  native  State,  and  with  his  family  settled  in  Conecuh  county, 
Alabama,  and  turned  his  attention  to  farm.ing.  The  following  year  he  was 
chosen  deacon  of  the  New  Hope  church,  in  his  immediate  neighborhood.  His 
fame  as  a  teacher  had  preceded  him,  and,  in  1 860,  he  was  induced  to  become 
Principal  of  the  Evergreen  High  School.  The  desire  to  proclaim  the  Gospel, 
however,  seems  still  to  have  had  a  prominent  place  in  his  heart,  and  his  brethren, 
feeling  that  he  would  be  useful,  licensed  him  to  preach,  which  he  did  as  oppor- 
tunity offered  until  1864.  Then  the  desire  to  labor  for  his  Saviour,  which  had 
been  so  long  repressed,  burst  into  a  flame  and  the  church  of  which  he  was  a 
member  called  him  to  be  their  pastor,  and  he  was  ordained  by  Revs.  J.  P.  Myers 
and  G.  L.  Lee,  now  both  dead. 

He  continued  as  their  pastor  until  1869,  when  he  was  stricken  down  with 
malarial  fever,  which  greatly  impaired  his  health.  It  was  thought  best  by  his 
family  that  he  should  return  to  Georgia,  and  settle  in  his  home,  which  he  did, 
and  was  immediately  chosen  pastor  of  the  church  at  Talbotton.  This  position 
he  held  for  five  years,  but  is  now  devoting  his  time  and  talents  to  country 
churches. 

He  married,  in  early  life.  Miss  S.  E.,  daughter  of  John  Stinson,  of  Talbot 
county,  who  has  indeed  been  to  him  a  helper  of  his  labor  and  his  joy.  They 
are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  who  live  with  them  on  their  farm  near  Tal- 
botton, enjoying  a  competency  of  this  world's  goods. 


3^4 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


During  his  residence  in  Alabama,  he  was  clerk  of  the  Bethlehem  Association, 
and  now  occupies  the  position  of  Moderator  of  the  Columbus  Association, 

He  is  the  great  grandson  of  Thomas  Maxwell,  who  was  a  Baptist  preacher  in 
thfe  days  of  persecution  in  Virginia,  who  was  taken  from  the  pulpit  and  thrust 
into  prison  for  preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.  He'  moved  to  Elbert 
county,  Georgia,  in  the  early  settling  of  the  county,  and  died  when  ninety-seven 
years  of  age. 


W.  C.  McCALL. 


Born  in  Screven  county,  on  the  1 5th  of 
June,  1848,  Rev.  W.  C.  McCall  was  edu- 
cated, mostly,  under  the  tutorage  of  his  own 
brother,  Rev.  M.  N.  McCall,  Jr.,  by  whom 
he  was  prepared  for  college. 

In  boyhood  Mr.  McCall  was  moral  and 
correct  in  his  habits,  but  was  possessed  of 
the  usual  boyish  traits  of  inadvertance,  not 
to  say  recklessness.  As  he  grew  older  the 
vigor  and  vivacity  of  his  nature  manifested 
itself  in  energetic  and  persistent  action, 
whether  in  his  sports  or  otherwise,  and  he  al- 
ways led,  never  followed,  others.  From 
his  youth  he  has  totally  abstained  from  the 
use  of  tobacco  and  spirituous  liquors,  and, 
consequently,  he  has  been  spared  from  all 
the  deleterious  effects  of  those  two  great 
foes  to  the  humaa  constitution.  Serious 
impressions  were  made  on  him  at  an  early 
age,  and  so  marked  was  his  disposition  to  preach  that  he  was  often  found  with 
an  open  Bible  before  him  declaiming  from  its  sacred  pages.  The  Lord  con- 
verted him,  in  reality,  at  the  early  age  of  thirteen,  and  he  was  baptized  by  his 
own  father,  and  joined  the  church  at  fifteen,  in  August,  1863.  He  entered  the 
Junior  class  in  Mercer  University,  and  in  1 869  began  studying  with  a  view  to  the 
ministry.  He  spent  three  years  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary 
at  Greenville,  South  Carolina,  taking  a  literary  course  at  the  same  time,  and  by 
his  individual  exertions  paying  his  own  expenses  during  his  course.  On  the  9th 
of  October,  1873,  he  married  Miss  M.  D.  Lipscomb,  of  Greenville,  South  Caro- 
lina, who  is  the  granddaughter  of  Captain  Wesley  Brooks,  and  cousin  of  Hon. 
Preston  Brooks,  who  caned  Charles  Sumner  in  the  United  States  Senate. 

His  first  charge  was  in  Sylvania,  the  county  town  of  Screven.  Here  he  spent 
three  years,  during  which  time  he  infused  much  of  his  native  energy  into  the 
church  and  community.  From  Sylvania  he  moved,  in  January,  1877,  to  Cave 
Spring,  Georgia,  to  accept  the  presidency  of  the  Cave  Spring  Female  Seminary, 
which  he  taught  with  success  for  two  years. 

He  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Dalton  in  1879,  ^nd,  as'  such,  has  shown 
himself  to  be  industrious,  energetic,  watchful  and  efficient,  and  the  church  has 
prospered  under  his  care. 

As  a  preacher  he  is  gifted  with  an  elegant  command  of  language,  and  an 
earnest  and  forcible  delivery.  His  sermons  are  able,  analytical,  logical  and  elo- 
quent, plainly  evincing  the  possession  of  a  cultivated,  strong,  discriminating  and 
well-trained  intellect.  In  character  he  is  positive,  ever  firmly  maintaining  his 
convictions,  yet  with  a  becoming  degree  of  modesty.  He  is  a  man  of  command- 
ing presence,  being  six  feet  high,  with  coal  black  hair  and  eyes,  and  weighing  one 
hundred  and  eighty  pounds.  Dignified  in  his  manners,  courteous  in  his  bearing 
amiable  in  disposition,  as  well  as  able  in  the  pulpit  and  irreproachable  in  char- 
acter, he  has  succeeded  in  winning  the  love,  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  entire 
church  at  Dalton,  and  of  the  people  generally. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


365 


GEORGE  ROBERT  McCALL. 


Rev.  George  Robert  McCall,  son  of 
Rev.  M.  N.  McCall,  is  one  of  the  first  men 
of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  the  State  of 
Georgia.  Tall,  and  rather  swarthy  in  com- 
plexion, he  is  quiet,  unobtrusive  and  gentle- 
manly, in  his  manners,  amiable  and  kind- 
hearted  in  disposition,  with  a  cheerful  tem- 
perament. Born  and  reared  in  Georgia,  he 
has  built  up  for  himself  a  fine  reputation, 
and  has  attained  a  standing  in  his  section 
second  to  that  of  no  other.  For  two  years 
he  was  Secretary  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention ;  for  a  decade  he  has  been,  con- 
tinuously, the  Secretary  of  the  Georgia  Bap- 
tist Convention,  and  for  years  he  has  pre- 
sided over  his  own  District  Association. 
The  repute  in  which  he  is  held  rnay  be  esti- 
mated by  the  fact  that  for  twenty-five  years, 
successively,  he  has,  without  a  single  dis- 
senting vote,  been  elected  pastor  of  the  Richland  church,  in  Twiggs  county, 
one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  respectable  churches  in  southwestern  Georgia. 
He  is  a  member,  and  the  secretary  and  treasurer,  both  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  Mercer  University,  and  of  the  Pulaski  county  Board  of  Education. 

He  was  born  in  Screven  county,  on  the  17th  of  February,  1829,  was  baptized 
by  his  own  father,  when  fifteen  years  old,  and  united  with  the  Black  Creek 
church  in  1844.  After  a  complete  course,  he  graduated  in  the  literary  depart- 
ment of  Mercer  University  in  1853,  and  then  studied  for  one  year  in  the  theo- 
logical department.  On  the  24th  of  September,  1854,  he  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  by  a  presbytery  summoned  by  the  Middle  Ground  Baptist  church.  In 
October  of  that  year  he  received  a  call  from  the  Richland  church,  in  Twiggs 
county,  which  he  accepted,  taking  charge  January  ist,  1855,  since  which  time, 
he  has  uninterruptedly  served  it,  preaching  every  month  on  the  first  Sabbath  and 
the  Saturday  previous.  He  has,  also,  preached  to  the  Providence  church,  in 
Wilkinson  county,  to  the  Stone  Creek  and  Beech  Spring  churches,  in  Twiggs 
county,  to  the  Evergreen  and  Blue  Spring  churches,  in  Pulaski  county,  and  to 
Rocky  Creek  church,  in  Laurens  county.  Since  1865  his  labors  have,  been  ex- 
pended mostly  in  Hawkinsville,  Georgia,  though  Occasionally  he  has  given  one 
Sabbath  in  the  month  to  Antioch  and  Corinth  churches,  Pulaski  county,  and  to 
the  Hayneville  church,  in  Houston  county.  Thus,  with  Hawkinsville  as  a  centre, 
a  radius  of  twenty-five  miles  will  mark  the  sphere  in  which  his  labors  have  been 
exerted  to  a  degree  and  in  a  manner  that  have  given  him  great  influence.  Not 
only  in  the  denomination  to  which  he  belongs,  but  in  the  whole  community,  he 
is  a  power  for  good.  Perhaps  one  source  of  his  moral  influence  was  the  course 
adopted  by  him  in  the  year  1866,  to  ascertain,  by  personal  experiment,  if  a  man 
could  "  live  of  the  Gospel "  outside  of  our  large  cities.  He  gave  up  teaching,  in 
which  he  had  been  partially  engaged  for  a  support,  and  devoted  himself  entirely 
to  the  ministry,  and,  for  fourteen  years,  he  has  received  his  support  from 
churches  alone,  for  preaching  the  Gospel. 

As  a  preacher,  Mr.  McCall  has  no  hobby.  He  lifts  no  particular  feature  of 
truth  out  of  its  place  ;  he  emphasizes  no  practice  or  doctrine  beyond  its  relative 
merits  in  theology,  thus  giving  it  undue  prominence.  While  this  is  true,  yet  he 
is  strongly  Calvinistic,  or  Pauline,  in  doctrine.  Loving  all  Bible  truth,  he  loves 
to  present  it  as  he  finds  it  in  the  Scriptures.  Hence,  his  people  are  well  in- 
structed in  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  and  can  give  a  reason  for  their  belief.     A 


366  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

hard  student,  he  rarely  attempts  to  preach  without  having  mastered  his  subject. 
Analytical  in  the  structure  of  his  mind,  his  arguments  are  terse,  cogent  and  con- 
clusive ;  presenting,  as  they  do,  correct  premises,  his  conclusions  are  irresistible. 
About  his  preaching  there  is  a  clearness,  a  force,  that  always  enchains  attention. 
Preaching  without  notes  or  memoranda,  his  thoughts  fliow  out  in  rounded  sentences 
and  words  well  chosen.  In  his  delivery  he  never  tires  or  relaxes,  but  strikes  the 
key-note  in  the  beginning,  and  supports  it  to  the  end  of  his  discourse,  moving 
constantly  in  high  regions  of  thought  and  expression.  While  his  word-paintings 
are  often  master-strokes,  he  introduces  but  little  ornamentation  in  his  ser- 
mons, and  uses  but  few  flowers  of  rhetoric.  Light  and  shade  are  so  agreeably 
blended,  the  truths  drawn  from  the  text  are  presented  in  a  manner  so  fresh  and 
just,  that  his  audiences  are  charmed.  So  intimate  is  his  knowledge  of  his  own 
heart,  that  he  personates  the  sinner  and  makes  him  feel  that  he  does  so ;  hence 
the  sinner  feels  that  it  is  he  himself  who  is  addressed.  Blending  the  doctrinal, 
the  practical  and  the  experimental,  he  adapts  his  discourses  to  the  wants  of  all, 
and,  taking  the  Bible  for  his  compass,  and  salvation  by  Christ  for  his  polar  star, 
he  conducts  his  hearers  along  the  direct  route  to  heaven  and  to  glory. 

He  loves  truth  ardently  and  hates  error  with  equal  ardor,  yet  he  is  tolerant 
toward  those  who  differ  from  him.  High-toned  and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings, 
he  is  full  of  sympathy  and  has  a  heart  overflowing  with  love  for  God  and  man. 
In  his  friendships  he  is  strong  and  abiding. 

While  decided  in  his  convictions,  he  is  distrustful  of  his  own  abilities,  and 
seeks  to  content  himself  with  the  field  assigned  him  Dy  Providence.  Punctual 
to  all  his  appointments,  he  is  also  conscientious  in  keeping  all  his  promises.  At 
home  he  is  always  kind  and  loving ;  as  a  father  he  is  affectionate  and  forbearing, 
and  as  a  husband  he  is  one  of  whom  the  noble  woman  who  claims  him  as  her 
life-companion  may  justly  feel  proud. 

As  a  citizen  he  is  respected  and  honored  by  all,  and  wields  a  great  influence 
wherever  known,  imbued  as  he  is  with  sincere  piety,  gifted  with  intelligence  and 
culture,  possessed  of  a  noble  heart,  and  interested  in  all  that  benefits  society  and 
advances  human  nature. 

In  disposition  he  is  uniformly  cheerful  and  pleasant,  never  excessively  lively 
nor  ever  morbidly  melancholy.  His  temperament  is  nervous,  and  this  mani- 
fests itself  in  his  preaching,  but  he  certainly  wears  well,  as  his  long  pastorates 
testify.  In  conclusion,  Mr.  McCall  is  a  useful  man,  and  hundreds  of  poor,  be- 
nighted sinners  have  been  brought  from  darkness  to  light  and  made  happy  for- 
ever under  his  ministrations. 


MOSES  N.  McCALL,  Jr. 

Rev.  M.  N.  McCall,  Jr.,  the  third  son  of  Rev.  M.  N. 
McCall,  was  born  in  Screven  county,  Georgia,  January 
6th,  1 83 1.  His  primary  education  was  received  in  his 
native  county,  and  was  such  as  the  country  then  afforded. 
His  religious  impressions  began  at  an  early  date,  and 
after  a  long  struggle  with  those  doubts  and  fears  whic  h 
are  usual  with  young  Christians,  he  was  received  into  the 
Black  Creek  church,  October  1847.  Yielding  to  the  im- 
pression that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and 
having  been  licensed  by  the  Middle  Ground  church,  he 
proceeded  at  once  to  prepare  himself  for  a  collegiate  course,  and  entered  the 
Freshman  class  of  Mercer  University  at  the  opening  of  the  fall  term  of  1856. 
Applying  himself  studiously  to  his  books,  and  discharging  every  duty  faithfully, 
he  graduated  with  the  second  honor  in  the  year  i860.  Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker  said 
of  him,  in  a  testimonial  given  at  that  time  :     "  It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  367 

recommend  my  friend  and  former  pupil,  Moses  N.  McCall,  as  an  instructor  of 
youth.  He  has  been  under  my  instructions  for  four  years,  during  the  whole  of 
which  time  he  has  never  failed  or  faltered  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  He  is  a 
good  scholar,  and,  I  doubt  not,  will  make  an  excellent  teacher.  I  am  sure  he 
will  be  faithful  to  his  pupils,  his  patrons  and  his  God,  and  I  know  no  man  of 
whom  I  can  say  this  more  confidently." 

Like  most  young  men  who  are  called  to  the  ministry,  he  was  dependent  on 
his  own  efforts  for  support,  and  seeing  no  field  then  open  which  would  warrant 
the  giving  of  all  his  time  to  the  labors  of  the  sacred  office,  he  was  left  to  the 
alternative  of  uniting  his  ministerial  duties  with  those  of  the  school-room.  With 
the  aim  of  raising  the  standard  of  education  and  religion  in  his  native  county, 
he  took  charge  of  the  Sylvania  Academy,  and  became  pastor  of  the  church  in 
that  place,  together  with  others  in  the  surrounding  country.  Preparatory  to 
this  work  of  the  ministry,  he  was  ordained  at  the  Sylvania  church,  November, 
i860,  Revs.  P.  H.  Mell,  Wm.  Cooper,  and  his  aged  father,  M.  N.  McCall,  Sr., 
acting  as  the  presbytery. 

His  work  in  this  field  was  not  of  long  duration.  The  war  came  on,  and  de- 
termining to  accompany  his  four  brothers,  who  were  summoned  to  the  defence 
of  their  country,  he  was  mustered  into  service  as  a  private.  Soon  after,  he  was 
commissioned  by  Governor  Brown  as  chaplain  of  the  Fifth  regiment,  Georgia 
State  troops,  which  position  he  held  until  these  troops  were  disbanded.  At  the 
re-organization  of  the  army,  he  was  elected  captain  of  cavalry  of  his  old  com- 
pany, in  which  capacity  he  faithfully  served  his  country  to  the  end — with  his 
comrades,  giving  up  his  sword  at  Hillsboro,  North  Carolina.  During  these  long 
years  of  blood  and  woe,  he  not  only  sought  to  maintain  his  country's  cause,  but 
labored  also  to  establish  the  reign  of  Jesus  in  the  hearts  of  his  fellows  in  arms. 

Broken  down  in  health,  and  without  means,  he  turned  his  face  homeward  to 
begin  life  again.  With  his  young  wife — Miss  J.  W.  Daniell,  youngest  daughter 
of  Rev.  D.  G.  Daniell,  whom  he  married  February  17th,  1864 — he  located  at 
Longstreet,  Pulaski  county,  and  taught  the  High  School  at  that  place  for  seven 
years.  Afterwards,  moving  to  Hawkinsville,  he  taught  the  High  School  for  four 
years.  Both  of  these  schools  he  made  a  success.  While  teaching  them,  he 
served  the  Evergreen,  Laurens  Hill,  Friendship,  Blue  Spring,  Harmony,  Mt. 
Zion  and  Hayneville  churches,  located  in  the  counties  of  Pulaski,  Laurens, 
Twiggs,  Dooly  and  Houston,  and  in  parts  of  this  field  he  followed  with  flatter- 
ing success  his  brother.  Rev.  George  R.  McCall,  Rev.  B.  F.  Tharpe,  and  other 
ministers  of  note. 

Finding  his  constitution  unequal  to  the  pressure  of  this  over-taxation,  and  in 
need  of  recuperation,  he  removed  to  his  mill  seat  and  farm,  which  he  had  pur- 
chased in  Screven  county,  not  far  from  the  old  homestead.  Here  he  partially 
regained  his  former  health  and  vigor.  Not  finding  that  kind  of  life  congenial, 
he  secured  the  services  of  a  faithful  agent  to  attend  to  his  business  there,  and 
then  returned  to  his  old  field  and  some  of  his  old  churches  which  had  given  him 
up  so  reluctantly.  He  now  lives  in  the  growing  town  of  Cochran,  Pulaski 
county,  where  he  is  engaged  in  teaching  a  flourishing  school  and  in  preaching  to 
surrounding  churches. 

His  mind  is  strong,  original  and  active  ;  his  style  is  analytical,  clear  and  pointed  ; 
his  manner,  impassioned  and  forcible.  His  churches  have  prospered  under  his 
ministry,  it  having  been  his  privilege,  in  some  years,  to  baptize  as  many  as  one 
hundred  converts,  whose  subsequent  lives  have  very  generally  proved  their  pro- 
fession to  be  sincere. 

As  a  teacher,  he  has  a  peculiar  power  of  attracting  his  pupils  to  himself,  and 
of  stimulating  them  to  study,  while  many  of  them  ascribe  their  conversion  to 
his  efforts  for  their  salvation. 


368 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


MOSES  NATHANIEL  McCALL. 


Soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
one  of  "  Marion's  men "  moved  from  Society 
Hill,  on  the  Great  Peedee,  in  South  Carolina, 
and  settled  in  Bullock  county,  Georgia.  After 
performing  a  full  share  in  the  grand  Revolu- 
tionary drama,  under  the  great  partisan  leader, 
he  emigrated  to  Georgia  with  his  father.  His 
father's  name  was  Charles  McCall,  and  his  name 
was  William  McCall.  He  was  a  Baptist,  of  nec- 
essarily limited  education,  who  was  ordained  to 
the  Gospel  ministry  in  1789  or  1790,  about 
which  time  he  married  Ann  Fletcher,  with  whom 
he  lived  most  happily  for  six  and  a  half  years. 
They  had  a  son  born  to  them  in  Bullock  county 
on  the  28th  of  October,  1792,  who  was  named 
Moses  Nathaniel  McCall,  and,  when  the 
child  was  but  a  lad,  they  removed  to  Screven 
county,  where  William  McCall  died,  January 
1 2th,  1830,  in  his  sixty-fifth  year. 

Moses  Nathaniel  McCall  was  an  exemplary  youth,  reared  by  a  stepmother 
Miss  Hannah  Pearce,  whom  he  loved  and  who  loved  him.  His  educational 
facilities  were  the  best  the  country  could  supply,  and  yet  they  consisted 
in  nothing  more  than  the  "  old  field  schools  "  of  Bullock  and  Screven  county. 
The  duties  of  his  life,  on  attaining  manhood,  began  as  a  teacher  in  the  school 
room.  His  neighbors,  recognizing  his  ability,  worth  and  integrity,  made  him 
first  a  magistrate,  and  then  a  judge  of  the  Inferior  Court.  In  1825,  they  sent 
him  to  the  Legislature,  as  the  representative  of  his  county.  In  the  year  1818, 
he  took  part,  as  an  officer,  in  the  Seminole  war  in  Florida,  under  General  Jack- 
son. Having  served  in  a  judicial,  legislative  and  military  capacity,  he,  for  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  acted  under  King  Emmanuel,  as  peacemaker  between  God 
and  man.  In  the  year  1821  he  was  converted,  baptized  and  received  into  the 
membership  of  the  Little  Ogeechee  church,  in  Screven  county.  At  that  time 
there  were  but  three  Baptist  churches  in  the  county,  Little  Ogeechee,  Mobley's 
Pond  and  Newington  ;  the  nearest  being  Little  Ogeechee,  which  was  fifteen  miles 
distant,  and  he  had  to  ride  that  number  of  miles  to  secure  membership  in  a 
Baptist  church.  Others,  with  himself,  took  letters  and  formed  the  Middle  Ground 
church,  in  Screven  county,  in  1823  or  1824,  to  the  charge  of  which  he  was 
called  in  1827,  at  which  time  he  was  ordained.  The  ordaining  presbytery  was 
composed  of  John  Yomans,  of  South  Carolina,  Jordon  Smith,  John  Southwell, 
and  his  father  Wm.  McCall.  He  entered  at  once  on  active  labor  in  the  service 
of  God,  and  his  field  consisted  mainly  of  the  counties  •  of  EiSngham,  Bullock, 
Screven  and  Burke,  and,  as  preacher  and  pastor,  in  many  a  dark  corner,  and  to 
many  a  community  destitute  of  Gospel  privileges,  did  he  shed  the  rays  of  Gos- 
pel light.  Like  many  of  our  earlier  Baptist  ministers,  he  labored,  for  the  most 
part,  as  a  real  missionary,  sowing  the  seed  of  divine  truth,  planting  churches,  and 
reaping  harvests  of  souls  converted  to  God.  He  was  the  instrument,  in  the 
hands  of  God,  of  establishing  Wade's,  Little  Horse  Creek,  Black  Creek  and  Syl- 
vania  churches,  of  each  of  which  he  become  the  pastor.  He  has  manifested  his. 
interest  and  zeal  in  a  regular  attendance  tor  many  years  on  the  sessions  of  the 
Hephzibah  and  Middle  Associations,  and  over  the  latter  Association  he  presided 
as  Moderator  for  years,  being  finally  excused  by  his  brethren,  from  filling  the 
position  on  account  of  his  deafness.  He  is  still  living,  in  his  eighty-ninth  year, 
and  though  without  any  pastoral  charge,  on  account  of  the  infirmities  of  age, 
he  still   preaches,  when  he  has   opportunity,  his  chief  theme  being  the  love  of 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


369 


Christ  for  sinners  and  his  only  hope  of  heaven  resting  on  the  unchangeable, 
sovereign  grace  of  God. 

In  disposition  he  is  firm,  affectionate,  forgiving,  modest  and  retiring.  Natu- 
rally his  mind  is  strong,  original  and  capable  of  independent  thought.  In  faith 
he  is  Calvinistic,  and  his  views  on  religious  subjects  are  clear  and  decided  ;  he 
loves  the  doctrines  entertained  by  the  Baptists,  because  he  regards  them  as 
synonymous  with  Bible  truth  ;  and  he  defends  them  with  ardor,  being,  at  the 
same  time,  tolerant  towards  those  who  entertain  different  opinions.  Cherishing 
an  exalted  sense  of  Christian  tidelity,  he  manifests  it  on  all  proper  occasions,  and 
it  has  been  said  of  him  that  he  never  allows  an  opportunity  to  pass  of  giving  the 
devil  a  blow.  On  his  own  Christian  character  he  places  a  high  estimate,  and 
would,  by  far,  rather  suffer  wrong  than  do  wrong. 

In  person  he  is  tall,  slender  and  erect,  with  a  constitution  of  iron,  and  it  is 
this,  with  temperate  habits,  and  the  quiet  bestowed  by  a  good  conscience,  which 
has  promoted  his  extreme  longevity.  On  the  4th  of  April  1820,  he  married 
Miss  Caroline  M.  Griner,  in  Bullock  county,  with  whom  he  lived  happily  fifteen 
and  a  half  years.  He  was  married  a  second  time,  in  April,  1836,  to  Mrs.  C.  A. 
Dopson,  daughter  of  Thomas  Porter,  of  Chatham  county.  By  his  first  mar- 
riage he  had  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  living,  three  sons  and  two 
daughters,  and  all  of  whom  are  professed  Christians,  two  of  them,  G.  R.  McCall, 
and  M.  N.  McCall,  Jr.,  being  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  By  his  second  marriage  he 
had  eight  children,  also,  of  whom  three  sons  and  two  daughters  are  now  living, 
all  of  whom  are  church  members,  and  one — the  youngest,  W.  C.  McCall— a 
minister.  In  the  late  war  he  had  five  sons  in  the  army,  all  of  whom  survived 
the  contest  but  one,  Thomas  K.  McCall,  who  was  killed  in  a  skirmish  with 
Sherman's  army  on  the  Macon  &  Western  Railroad,  a  few  miles  above  Griffin. 

At  present  Mr.  McCall  resides  at  his  old  home  in  Screven  county,  Georgia, 
waiting  calmly  and  cheerfully  for  the  summons,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant  I     Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 


HUGH    B.    McCALLUM. 


Rev.  Hugh  B.  McCallum  was  born  in 
Knox  county,  Tennessee,  January  9th,  1837. 
His  childhood  and  early  boyhood  were  spent 
at  Gravesville,  a  small  village  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  that  county.  His  father, 
Daniel  McCallum,  who  was  a  man  of  remark- 
able endowments  and  fine  business  capacity, 
kept  the  only  store  in  a  radius  of  many  miles. 
This  store  was  the  general  meeting  place  of 
the  hardy  yeomanry  of  that  hill  country,  who 
gathered  here  to  talk  politics,  gossip  and 
trade.  In  the  village,  there  resided  a  num- 
ber of  boys  and  young  men  who  were  ex- 
tremely wicked.  Hugh,  who  was  quick  of 
perception,  and  of  a  bold  and  daring  nature, 
was  the  especial  pet  of  these  young  men,  and 
of  the  visitors  to  his  father's  store.  They 
were  continually  giving  him  bad  counsel  and 
leading  him  into  mischief.  His  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Ayres,  and  who  was  a  woman  of  great  firmness, 
tried  hard  to  prevent  the  formation  of  bad  habits  in  her  son,  but  the  example 
and  persuasion  of  the  wicked  young  men  were  too  powerful.  She  did  not  spare 
the  rod,  or  neglect  any  other  mode  of  punishment,  but  it  appeared  that  her 


370  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

efforts  were  to  little  purpose,  for  her  child  developed  into  a  passionate,  self- 
willed,  bold  and  reckless  boy. 

He  was  sent  to  school  at  an  early  age  and  made  considerable  progress,  al- 
though the  country  schools  which  he  attended  were  very  inferior.  There  were 
not  many  books  to  be  had  then  in  that  country ;  he  had  access,  however,  to  a 
few,  and  early  formed  the  habit  of  reading,  which  proved  of  great  value  to  him 
through  life,  not  the  least  service  it  rendered  being  the  influence  it  exerted  in 
correcting  the  bad  habits  and  false  notions  he  had  formed.  A  Sunday-school 
was  organized  in  the  village.  He  attended  this  and  greedily  devoured  the  con- 
tents of  the  few  books  found  in  its  library.  The  sentiments  they  expressed  had 
a  happy  influence  on  his  youthful  mind.  About  this  time,  too,  his  father  pre- 
sented him  with  a  copy  of  "  I  Will  Be  a  Gentleman,"  a  book  for  boys,  whose 
wholesome  lessons,  together  with  the  faithful  admonitions  of  his  mother,  the 
influence  of  the  religious  books  he  read,  and  an  occasional  sermon  which  he 
heard,  caused  him  to  see  how  perverse  and  wicked  he  had  been.  He  broke  off 
the  abhorrent  practice  of  profane  swearing  which  he  had  formed,  and  forsook, 
to  a  great  extent,  the  companionship  of  wicked  boys  with  whom  he  formerly 
delighted  to  associate.  He  became  also  more  studious,  and  made  rapid  progress 
at  school.  At  this  period  of  his  life  he  thought  much  on  his  spiritual  state,  but 
kept  his  thought  locked  in  his  own  bosom.  His  experience  at  this  age  produced 
in  after  years  the  conviction,  which  he  often  expressed,  that  parents  and  minis- 
ters are,  as  a  general  rule,  remiss  in  talking  lo  very  young  persons  about  their 
spiritual  interests. 

When  he  was  in  his  thirteenth  year,  the  family  moved  to  Knoxville,  where  his 
father  engaged  extensively  in  mercantile  business.  He  had  here  the  advantages 
of  first-class  schools.  His  time,  from  1849  to  the  death  of  his  father  in  1852, 
was  spent  in  attendance  at  school,  or  in  the  business  establishment  of  his  father, 
where  he  became  an  expert  salesman.  In  1852,  he  entered  East  Tennessee 
University,  and  remained  several  terms,  taking  a  high  rank,  especially  in  mathe- 
matics. While  here  an  incident  occurred  which  illustrates  a  leading  trait  of  his 
character — perseverance.  At  a  certain  recitation  none  of  the  class  could  solve 
a  given  problem.  He  had  not  up  to  this  time  recited  a  single  imperfect  lesson 
in  mathematics,  and  when  the  professor  announced  that  no  student  had  ever,  so 
far  as  he  knew,  unaided,  solved  that  particular  problem,  he  requested  that  an 
explanation  of  its  solution  should  be  delayed  in  order  to  afford  him  an  opportu- 
nity to  solve  it.  The  request  was  granted,  and,  after  devoting  all  his  spare 
moments  to  it  for  three  days,  he  accomplished  the  task. 

, During  the  fall  and  winter  of  1852,  there  was  an  extensive  revival  in  the 
Baptist  church  at  Knoxville,  then  under  the  care  of  Rev.  M.  Hillsman,  D.D. 
Young  McCallum  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  was  baptized  in  December 
of  that  year.  At  the  first  prayer  meeting  after  his  conversion  the  pastor  called 
on  him  to  lead  in  prayer.  Astonished,  abashed  and  trembling  with  an  indescrib- 
able feeling  of  awe,  he  complied  as  well  as  he  could.  This  request  of  the  pastor 
was  often  repeated,  and  the  feelings  which  so  oppressed  him  at  first  gradually 
gave  way,  and  he  soon  had  great  liberty  in  prayer.  He  was  at  this  time  im- 
pressed with  the  duty  of  preaching  the  Gospel,  and  after  much  prayerful  reflec- 
tion, resolved  to  devote  his  life  to  that  work.  He  did  not  make  this  resolution 
known,  but  went  about  preparing  himself  thoroughly  for  the  work.  Part  of  the 
years  1853  and  1854  was  spent  in  teaching  at  Ball's  Camp,  where  he  influenced 
the  community  to  erect  and  properly  furnish  a  school  building,  which  at  that 
time  was  the  finest  and  best  in  the  county,  outside  the  city.  He  spent  ten 
months  of  the  years  1854-5  at  Union  University,  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee,  then 
under  that  prince  of  educators.  Dr.  Eaton.  His  health,  which  for  some  time 
had  been  delicate,  failed,  and  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  his  purpose  of  com- 
pleting the  course  at  Murfreesboro.  By  the  advice  of  his  physicians,  who  in- 
formed him  that  his  lungs  were  badly  diseased,  he  went  to  Florida  in  December, 
1866,  and  remained  to  the  following  spring.  He  continued  to  visit  Florida  for 
several  winters,  and  under  its  genial  climate  regained  comparative  health, 
although  he  never  became  entirely  free  from  a  bronchial  trouble.  The  year 
1859  found  him  settled  in  Camden,   South  Carolina;  he  had  in  the  mean  time 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  37 1 

devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  theology,  taking  the  course  pursued  at  the 
Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary  as  his  model  and  intending  to  spend 
two  years  at  that  institution ;  but  the  unfortunate  war  coming  on,  his  plans 
were  all  defeated.  He  volunteered  as  a  private  in  Captain  Warren's  company — 
afterwards  company  "  D,"  Fifteenth  Regiment  South  Carolina  Volunteers.  His 
intention  was,  while  serving  as  a  private  soldier,  to  devote  himself  zealously  to 
preaching  the  Gospel  to  the  soldiers.  He  had  no  thought  of  a  chaplaincy,  and 
although  he  had  been  authorized  by  his  church  to  exercise  his  gifts  in  public,  he 
had  not  been  ordained,  and  did  not  consider  himself  equal  to  the  duties  and 
responsibilities  which  a  chaplaincy  would  impose.  His  friends  and  the  Camden 
church,  however,  thought  otherwise ;  the  former  secured  for  him  the  appoint- 
ment of  chaplain  to  his  regiment,  and  the  latter  called  him  to  ordination,  in  the 
summer  of  1861.  He  served  as  chaplain  during  the  whole  war,  sharing  with 
the  men  their  hardships  and  dangers.  By  his  faithful  preaching  and  assiduous 
attention  to  their  spiritual  and  temporal  welfare  in  camp,  on  the  march  and 
when  sick  or  wounded  in  the  hospital  or  on  the  battle-field,  he  won  the  hearts 
of  all,  and  was  among  the  most  popular  and  successful  chaplains  in  General 
Lee's  army.  He  remained  with  the  Confederate  wounded  at  Boonesboro,  when 
Lee  fell  back  to  Sharpsburg.  From  excessive  labors  in  the  hospitals  here,  watch- 
ing and  nursing  night  and  day,  he  was  prostrated  with  an  attack  of  brain  fever, 
and  came  near  losing  his  life.  Among  those  whom  he  cared  for  here  was  Rev. 
George  G.  Smith,  chaplain  of  a  Georgia  regiment,  who  was  wounded  while 
cheering  the  men  forward  in  the  hottest  of  the  fight.  An  occurrence  in  connec- 
tion with  the  engagement  upon  South  Mountain,  near  Boonesboro,  Maryland, 
may  be  interesting.  It  will  be  remembered  that  an  order  of  General  Lee  to 
Jackson,  directing  him  to  move  against  Harper's  Ferry,  fell  into  the  hands  of 
General  McClellan,  and  revealed  the  whole  plan  of  Lee.  McClellan,  in  conse- 
quence of  this  knowledge,  pressed  vigorously  General  Lee's  rear.  Longstreet's 
corps,  or  a  large  part  of  it,  had  reached  Hagerstown,  fourteen  miles  beyond 
South  Mountain,  when  orders  were  received  to  make  all  haste  back  to  that  point. 
This  march  was  over  a  dry,  macadamized  road,  the  dust  from  which  was  pecu- 
liarly trying.  As  the  troops  approached  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  they  were 
urged  forward  with  all  haste.  Many  of  their  canteens  were  empty,  and  they 
were  not  permitted  to  leave  the  ranks  to  fill  them.  Chaplain  McCallum  stationed 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  regiment,  and  as  the  men  went  by  told  them  to  throw 
him  their  canteens  and  he  would  fill  them  and  bring  them  on.  Taking  the 
canteens  to  a  spring  near  by  he  filled  them,  and  then  it  became  a  serious  ques- 
tion how  they  should  be  carried.  By  tying  them  to  the  saddle,  tying  the  straps 
together  and  throwing  them  across  his  horse,  and  stringing  as  many  around  his 
body  as  he  could,  he  finally  reached  the  top  of  the  mountain  with  them.  The 
battle  had  already  begun,  and  his  brigade  had  taken  a  position  in  the  line  on 
the  right  of  the  road  leading  across  the  gap.  To  reach  this  position  he  had  to 
proceed  along  a  road  on  the  side  of  the  mountain  next  the  enemy,  a  part  of  it 
leading  through  an  old  field.  In  going  through  this  he  discovered  that  he  had  been 
taken  as  an  especial  target  by  a  battery  of  artillery  in  the  plain  below ;  their 
practice  was  too  close  for  comfort,  but  no  serious  consequence  resulted.  The 
canteens  with  which  he  and  his  horse  were  decorated  glittering  in  the  sunshine, 
no  doubt,  had  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Federal  gunners.  The  regiment 
was  reached  in  safety,  the  full  canteens  distributed  to  the  thirsty  and  grateful 
soldiers,  who,  a  few  moments  afterwards,  were  hotly  engaged  in  that  sanguinary 
fight.  Some  of  them,  alas,  are  sleeping  there  now.  It  was  by  such  acts  as  this 
that  Chaplain  McCallum  won  the  hearts  of  the  men,  and  gained  that  influence 
which  enabled  him  to  preach  to  them  successfully. 

In  the  revival  which  pervaded  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia  during  the  win- 
ter of  1862,  he  took  an  active  part,  being  one  of  the  most  ardent  workers.  The 
first  converts  in  his  brigade — Kershaw's,  of  Longstreet's  corps — were  in  his 
regiment.  While  in  winter  quarters  he  preached  almost  daily,  and  the  number 
of  converts  was  very  large.  The  happy  revival  influence  was  never  afterwards 
entirely  absent  from  his  regiment.  Whenever  opportunity  offered,  whether  on 
the  march  or  in  camp,  he  embraced  it  to  preach  to  the  soldiers  ;  and  the  waters 
27 


372  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

of  Virginia  were  often  troubled  by  him  on  baptismal  occasions.  At  one  of  these> 
near  Petersburg,  several  balls  from  the  Federal  sharpshooters  passed  through 
the  audience  he  was  addressing,  and  harmlessly  lodged  in  the  bank  behind.  At 
another  time,  near  the  same  place,  just  as  he  had  concluded  a  prayer-meeting 
held  in  rear  of  the  entrenchments,  the  enemy  began  to  throw  shells,  and  before 
the  men  could  reach  the  sheltering  trenches,  one  poor  fellow  was  mortally 
wounded. 

After  the  war  closed  he  settled  in  Sumter,  South  Carolina,  and  preached  to 
three  country  churches  on  the  Sabbath,  and  devoted  himself  to  a  secular  pursuit 
during  the  week,  the  churches  scarcely  paying  him  the  amount  of  extra  expenses 
he  incurred  on  their  behalf.  He  was  successful,  however,  in  building  them  up. 
At  one  of  them  he  baptized  at  one  time  fifty-two  converts.  This  he  did  after 
driving  twenty-two  miles  that  morning ;  and  after  the  baptism,  he  was  ready 
for  his  regular  pulpit  ministrations  at  eleven  o.clock  A.  M.  While  residing  in 
Sumter,  he  married  a  most  estimable  lady.  Miss  Elizabeth  H.  Haynsworth,  of 
Clarendon  county. 

In  1867  he  removed  to  Florida,  and  was  engaged  that  year  in  planting.  In 
1869  he  settled  in  Lake  City,  and  became  pastor  of  the  small  flock  of  Baptists 
at  that  place.  There  were  but  few  members  and  no  house  of  worship.  He  went 
to  work  vigorously,  and  was  seconded  in  his  efforts  warmly  by  his  brethren  ;  and 
in  a  short  time  they  were  the  possessors  of  a  new  and  commodious  meeting- 
house.    A  strong  and  vigorous  church  and  Sunday-school  were  soon  built  up. 

In  February,  1873,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  his  brethren,  he  undertook  the 
publication  of  the  Floi'ida  Baptist.  He  had  frankly  told  the  brethren  that  he 
did  not  think  such  an  enterprise  would  have  a  permanent  success.  He,  how- 
ever, conducted  the  paper  with  great  vigor,  and  it  was  popular  over  the  State, 
but  the  field  being  small,  it  was  never  remunerative,  and  after  publishing  it  for 
over  two  years,  he  transferred  its  subscription  list  and  good  will  to  The  Chris- 
tian Index,  arranging  that  a  part  of  this  paper  should  be  devoted  to  a  Flor- 
ida Department.     The  Baptist,  while  in  his  hands,  accomplished  much  good. 

His  health,  never  robust,  entirely  gave  way  in  1 874,  and  he  was  forced  to  quit 
preaching.  A  visit  of  several  months  to  East  Tennessee,  with  complete  rest,  so 
far  restored  his  shattered  health  that  he  was  able  for  several  years  to  preach 
occasionally.  While  in  East  Tennessee  he  formed  the  design  of  removing  the 
Florida  Baptist  to  Knoxville,  as  affording  a  wider  field.  With  this  view  he  vis- 
ited many  of  the  Associations,  and  received  abundant  assurance  of  sympathy 
and  support.  But  the  requisite  number  of  subscribers  was  not  obtained,  and 
the  idea  was  abandoned.  The  desire  for  a  Baptist  paper  in  East  Tennessee  had, 
however,  been  stimulated,  and  the  felt  want  was  soon  afterwards  supplied  by 
the  establishment  of  the  Baptist  Reflector,  by  Rev.  O.  C.  Pope. 

Like  most  Southern  Baptist  preacheis.  Elder  McCallum  has  had  to  follow  the 
example  of  the  great  apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  and  engage  more  or  less  in  "  tent- 
making,"  that  he  might  not  be  too  heavy  a  charge  to  the  churches  he  served. 
But  these  secular  employments  were  always  regarded  by  him  as  secondary. 
Providentially  he  was  led,  after  the  failure  of  his  health,  to  become  a  regular 
writer  on  the  secular  press.  The  Jacksonville  Press  was  established  by  him  ; 
he  being  its  first  and  only  editor  until  its  consolidation  with  the  Sun.  He  was 
for  some  time  manager  of  this  paper,  but  afterwards  became  connected  with  the 
Florida  Union.  He  is  now  (July,  1880,}  about  retiring  from  that  journal,  his 
health  being  so  feeble  that  he  is  scarcely  able  now  to  labor.  Rest,  under  the 
blessings  of  a  kind  Providence,  may  however  restore  him  again  sufficiently  to 
use  his  pen  effectively,  if  not  his  tongue,  in  which  event  he  proposes  to  conse- 
crate its  powers  for  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  the  service  of  the  Master. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


373 


I.  O.  McDANIEL. 


I.  O.  McDaniel  was  born  January  19th, 
1807,  on  Seneca  river,  then  Pendleton  dis- 
trict. South  Carolina.  Philip  McDaniel,  his 
father,  was  the  youngest  child  of  Henry 
McDaniel,  whose  wife  was  a  Miss  Gough, 
and  who  moved  from  Amherst  county,  Vir- 
ginia, nearly  a  century  ago,  and  settled  the 
place  where  his  grandson  was  born.  His 
mother  was  the  daughter  of  Henry  Terry,  of 
Prince  Edward  county,  Virginia,  and  her 
mother  was  the  daughter  of  John  Baldwin, 
of  the  same  county.  Philip  McDaniel,  the 
father,  was  an  industrious  farmer,  and 
trained  his  son  in  early  life  to  habits  of  in- 
dustry. From  the  time  his  son  was  ten 
years  old,  until  he  was  sixteen,  he  worked 
in  the  field  during  the  spring,  early  summer 
and  cotton-picking  time,  in  the  fall.  So  his 
schooling  was  by  piece-meal  in  the  winter 
and  latter  part  of  the  summer.  He,  however,  made  good  use  of  the  opportuni- 
ties afforded.  His  mother  had  a  liberal  education,  and  inspired  him,  in  early 
childhood,  with  a  thirst  for  reading  and  study.  After  sixteen  he  had  good 
teachers,  but  went  to  school  only  as  before.  Part  of  his  schooling  was  at  the 
Pendleton  Academy — at  that  time  of  a  pretty  high  order.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, he  was  induced,  against  his  wish,  to  teach  in  a  good  country  settlement. 
At  first  he  engaged  only  for  five  months,  intending,  after  that,  to  go  to  college ; 
but  he  was  so  earnestly  urged  by  the  patrons  that  he  continued  teaching  until 
the  fall  of  1832.  During  a  considerable  portion  of  this  time  he  rode  six  miles  to 
Old  Pendleton,  South  Carolina,  on  Saturdays,  to  recite  to  the  principal  of  the 
Academy,  paying  fifty  cents  for  each  recitation. 

In  November,  1832,  he  saw  the  first  advertisement  in  reference  to  Mercer 
Institute,  and  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  connection  of  manual  labor  with 
study,  that  he  went  to  the  Institute,  having  previously  contracted  with  the  Ex- 
ecutive Committee  to  teach  half  the  time  and  devote  the  other  half  to  study. 
Before  the  close  of  the  first  year,  however,  E.  C.  Myer,  another  assistant,  left 
the  Institute,  and  it  became  absolutely  necessary  for  him  to  devote  his  entire 
time  to  teaching.  He  taught  and  studied  during  the  whole  Ufe  of  the  Institute, 
and  one  year  after  the  Institute  was  merged  into  Mercer  University — seven  con- 
secutive years. 

In  1842  he  removed  to  Henry  county,  Georgia,  and  ran  a  farm  and  country 
store  until  the  end  of  the  year  1847.  During  that  year,  in  connection  with 
William  Herring  and  A.  W.  Mitchell,  he  built  the  first  private  brick  block  ever 
erected  in  Atlanta.  He  settled  in  Atlanta  January  ist,  1848,  and  resided  there 
twenty  years.  When  he  came  to  the  city  it  was  very  much  in  the  woods,  and 
during  its  early  years  he  was  frequently  elected  a  member  of  the  Council,  serv- 
ing always  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Streets,  and  frequently  at  the  same 
time  as  chairman  of  the  Building  Committee.  After  the  surrender  of  General 
Lee  he  devoted  himself  for  nearly  three  years  to  the  labor  of  rebuilding  Atlanta. 
Having  property  at  Alatoona  devastated  by  the  enemy,  he  moved  to  it  in  1868, 
and  is  now  farming  on  the  plantation  that  required  years  to  reclaim  it  from  the 
ravages  of  war. 

He  was  baptized  in  South  Carolina  fifty  years  ago.  His  religious  impressions, 
however,  dated  back  almost  to  his  earliest  recollections,  and  he  had  some  per- 
suasion of  being  born  again  for  five  or  six  years  previous  to  his  baptism,  but 


374  BlOGkAPHlCAL   SKETCHES 

waited  and  earnestly  prayed  for  greater  manifestations  of  acceptance  before 
receiving  the  ordinance.  Since  his  membership  in  the  church  in  South  Carolina 
he  has  been  a  member  of  six  different  churches — Shiloh  and  Penfield,  in  Greene 
county ;  New  Hope,  in  Henry  county  ;  the  First  and  Second  churches,  Atlanta, 
and  Acworth,  Cobb  county.  He  was  elected  deacon  by  the  Penfield  church,  in 
1837,  and  has  acted  in  that  capacity  ever  since.  He  was  one  of  the  nineteen 
first  constituted  into  the  Second  church  of  Atlanta,  and  his  devotion  to  it  cost 
him  much  labor  and  money.  He  is  now  in  his  seventy- fourth  year,  and  although 
no  charge  has  ever  been  preferred  against  him  during  a  membership  of  half  a 
century,  yet,  in  reviewing  his  life,  he  regrets  to  find  a  want  of  entire  conformity 
to  the  will  of  Christ.  He  has  lived  an  active  life,  and  has  spent  but  few  idle 
days  during  a  period  of  over  sixty  years.  His  health  has  been  generally  good, 
and  is  now  excellent ;  a  blessing  attributed  by  him  mainly  to  uniformity  in  obey- 
ing the  first  law  given  to  Adam  after  the  fall,  and  to  regular,  temperate  habits. 


JAMES  Mcdonald. 

Rev.  James  McDonald  was  descended  from  a  Scotch  Highland  family, 
which  had  twenty  representatives  bearing  its  own  name  among  the  forces  of  the 
Pretender,  Charles  Edward,  at  the  disastrous  battle  of  CuUoden,  in  1746.  This 
defeat  of  the  adherents  of  the  House  of  Stuart  in  its  last  attempt  to  regain  the 
British  crown,  compelled  many  of  their  number  to  seek  political  safety  by  a 
change  of  residence ;  and  the  immediate  ancestors  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
betook  themselves  to  the  south  of  Ireland,  where  he  was  born,  in  county  Lime- 
rick, province  of  Munster,  A.  D.  1798.  As  might  be  expected  in  view  of  such 
antecedents,  he  was  reared  under  the  influence  of  that  ultra — or,  shall  we  say  ? 
that  only  consistent — Romanism,  which  is  both  ecclesiastical  and  political ;  and 
he  was  educated  with  reference  to  the  priesthood  of  "the  Mother  of  Harlots." 
But  circumstances  induced  his  emigration  to  America,  when  twenty  years  of  age. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  m  our  country,  a  strong  desire  to  read  the  Scriptures 
took  possession  of  his  soul.  This  he  had  been  trained  to  regard  as  a  "  mortal 
sin ;"  and  the  longmg  that  came  to  him  from  heaven  assumed  in  his  eyes  the 
shape  of  a  terrible  temptation,  against  which  he  struggled  in  doubt  and  bitter- 
ness for  ten  years.  During  a  part  of  this  time  he  taught  school  in  Burke  county, 
Georgia,  and  afterwards  studied  law  in  the  office  of  a  distinguished  jurist,  Col. 
R.  L.  Gamble.  But  these  engagements  could  neither  terminate  his  inward  con- 
flict nor  deaden  the  keen  pain  it  gave  him.  His  sufferings  grew  at  last  to  be 
intolerable,  and,  in  a  fit  of  desperation,  he  determined  to  enter  the  navy  of  some 
one  of  the  Central  or  South  American  States,  which  were  then  at  war,  hoping,  at 
the  worst,  to  lose  in  death  the  agony  he  felt  himself  unable  to  endure  in  life. 
With  this  purpose,  he  embarked  for  Havana.  In  the  course  of  the  voyage,  the 
captain  of  the  vessel  judged  from  his  countenance  and  deportment  that  some 
strange  horror  was  preying  on  him,  and  became  suspicious  that  he  meditated 
self-destruction.  Being  a  Christian,  his  sympathy  led  him  to  seek  the  confidence 
of  the  sufferer,  who  was  at  length  persuaded  to  divulge  the  cause  of  his  distress. 
The  captain  then  labored  to  convince  him  that  to  search  the  Scriptures  was  to 
him,  and  to  every  soul  burdened  with  sin,  alike  a  duty  and  a  privilege,  and  en- 
deavored to  lead  him  to  Jesus  Christ,  the  one  only  High  Priest  of  our  most  holy 
faith,  and  Himself  the  Peace  of  men,  because  He  is  their  Saviour.  Half  con- 
vinced but  still  sorely  troubled,  he  landed  in  Havana,  where,  probably  for 
reasons  connected  with  the  design  which  had  carried  him  from  home,  he  was 
arrested  and  cast  into  prison.  That  Cuban  dungeon  became  the  Bethel  of  his 
life-journey  !  There  he  covenanted  with  God  that,  if  delivered  from  his  bonds, 
he  would  make  His  word  the  man  of  his  counsel  and  walk  in  His  ways.  To  the 
day  of  his  death,  he  believed  that  the  Lord  heard  that  vow  and  rescued  him  ;  for, 
a  little  after,  unexpectedly,  a  friend  appeared  and  secured  his  liberation. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  375 

Immediately  on  his  release,  Mr.  McDonald  returned  to  Georgia,  made  a  public 
profession  of  faith  in  Christ,  united  with  the  people  of  God  in  Burke  county,  and 
was  baptized.  The  spirit  that  unsealed  the  lips  of  the  captain  would  riot  suffer 
his  to  be  silent ;  and,  with  little  delay,  he  began  to  proclaim  the  glad  tidings  of 
salvation  to  others.  Ever  afterward,  the  stranger,  the  lowly,  the  suffering  were 
the  objects  of  his  special  solicitude  ;  and  he  sought  to  alleviate  the  sorrows  of 
all,  whether  physical  or  mental,  as  his  own  had  been  alleviated,  by  pointing  to  the 
Great  Sorrow-Bearer.  The  Word  which  had  so  long  been  to  him  a  sealed  book 
became  henceforth  his  treasure,  his  constant  companion,  his  study  by  day  and 
by  night ;  and  he  "profited  in  it  above  many  his  equals." 

His  ordination  was  soon  followed  by  a  commission  or  a  call  to  lower  Georgia 
and  to  Florida,  where  he  labored  zealously  from  1834  to  1853.  He  was  exposed 
here  to  great  persecution,  and  those  who  loved  not  the  truth  even  threatened  his 
life.  Amidst  this  strife  of  tongues,  and  during  the  Seminole  war,  he  was  obliged 
to  ride  unattended  to  his  appointments,  facing  danger  and  risking  death  in 
lonely  glades  and  swamps.  And  yet,  in  later  years,  he  often  spoke  of  this  as 
the  happiest  part  of  his  life ;  God  revealed  Himself  so  fully,  so  sweetly,  in  these 
solitary  journeyings,  while  the  mind  mused  on  Him  and  the  heart  panted  after 
Him! 

In  1853,  Mr.  McDonald  removed  to  Atlanta,  which  was  to  be  his  home  for 
ten  years.  There  was  then  but  one  Baptist  church  in  the  city,  and  finding  him- 
self surrounded  by  many  who  never  attended  divine  \forship,  he  fitted  up  a  room 
in  his  own  house,  on  McDonough  street,  for  preaching  on  Sabbath  afternoons, 
and  for  prayer  meetings  during  the  week.  These  services  created  the  desire 
and  prepared  the  way  for  the  constitution  of  the  Second  church,  which  may  be 
fairly  accounted  as  at  least  the  mediate  outgrowth  of  his  faithful  labors.  While 
residing  in  Atlanta,  he  preached  to  country  charges,  for  the  most  part,  if  not 
altogether,  without  remuneration,  giving  Saturday  and  the  Sabbath  to  the  work 
of  the  Lord,  and  devoting  the  rest  of  the  week  to  that  work  in  temporal  things 
which  a  right  spirit  elevates  into  true  worship. 

In  1863  or  1864,  he  made  his  home  in  Upson  county,  preaching  there,  as 
elsewhere,  whenever  opportunities  offered.  He  settled  about  1868  at  Stone 
Mountain,  and,  while  his  health  was  by  this  time  greatly  impaired,  he  still  bore 
witness  for  his  Redeemer.  Shortly  after,  he  removed  to  Rome,  Georgia,  where 
his  death  occurred,  April  25th,  1869. 

Mr.  McDonald  was  married  in  May,  1842,  to  Miss  Theresa  A.  Pendarvis,  of 
Jacksonville,  Florida.  Though  many  years  his  junior,  she  warmly  seconded  his 
labors,  for  her  love  for  the  Saviour  and  her  desire  for  the  salvation  of  souls  were 
equal  to  his  own  ;  and  she  cheerfully  took  on  herself  all  the  care  of  the  house- 
hold, whenever  this  was  necessary,  to  leave  him  free  for  the  prosecution  of  his 
ministry.  She  still  survives  him,  a  resident  of  Rome,  Georgia.  Of  their  chil- 
,dren,  three  preceded  him  to  the  Better  Land,  and  one  followed  him  last  year; 
while  the  five  yet  living  all  give  evidence  that  they  are  heirs  of  God  through  faith 
in  Christ. 

Mr.  McDonald  was  an  extempore  speaker,  seldom  using  in  the  pulpit  even 
the  briefest  notes ;  and  his  sermons  lacked,  therefore,  the  ornate  finish  which 
writing  would  have  given  them.  But  his  earnestness  would  win  attention  and 
enforce  conviction  ;  and  very  often  a  stream  of  eloquence  would  flow  from  soul, 
and  eye,  and  lip,  electrifying  his  audience,  and  proving  that  with  the  assiduous 
labor  of  the  student  he  would  have  made  himself  known  everywhere  as  a  mighty 
man  in  Israel.  Though  not  popular  with  the  masses,  and  appearing  to  strangers 
reserved  and  even  stern,  he  was  loving  and  attentive  as  a  husband  and  a  father, 
and  beneficent  as  a  master,  caring  for  the  souls  and  bodies  of  all  his  household. 
With  a  face  steadfastly  set  against  evil,  he  was  very  gentle  toward  the  penitent, 
leading  them,  with  great  tenderness  of  soul,  to  the  fountain  of  life. 


376 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


WILLIAM  HILLARY  McINTOSH. 


One  of  the  most  eminent  divines,  not  only  of 
Georgia,  but  of  the  whole  South,  is  Rev. 
William  Hillary  McIntosh,  D.  D.  To 
extensive  learning  he  adds  the  highest  capacity 
as  a  sermonizer,  and  to  deep  personal  piety, 
great  dignity  of  character  and  deportment. 
While  possessed  of  a  most  agreeable  disposition, 
great  affability  of  temper  and  courtesy  of  de- 
meanor, he  is  a  man  of  strong,  massive  intellect, 
and  is  a  writer  of  uncommon  beauty  and  power. 
His  sermons,  which  are  usually  read,  are  unsur- 
passed by  those  of  any  other  Southern  Baptist 
minister  in  grandeur  of  thought,  dignity  of  ex- 
pression, excellence  of  arrangement,  and  forci- 
ble presentation  af  Gospel  truth.  Born  at  Fair 
Hope,  Mcintosh  county,  Georgia,  April  4th,  181 1, 
he  is  of  Scotch  descent,  and  many  of  the  family 
have  been  distinguished  in  the  civil  and  military 
history  of  our  country. 

John  More  Mcintosh,  chief  of  the  clan,  in  Scotland,  came  to  America  with 
Oglethorpe,  and  settled  at  New  Inverness  (now  Darien),  Georgia.  His  two 
sons.  Colonel  William  Mcintosh,  the  grandfather  of  Dr.  William  H.  Mc- 
intosh and  General  Lachlan  Mcintosh,  and  his  grandson.  Colonel  John  Mc- 
intosh, together  with  the  other  members  of  the  family,  warmly  espoused 
the  American  cause  and  fought  for  liberty  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Colonel 
John  Mcintosh,  the  grandfather,  not  only  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
but  was  a  Major-General  in  the  war  of  181 2.  In  fact,  from  the  war  of  Inde- 
pendence to  the  late  war  between  the  States,  some  of  the  Mcintosh  family  were 
officers  in  the  army  and  navy  of  the  United  States ;  and,  from  Canada  to  the 
gates  of  Mexico,  their  blood  has  moistened  the  battlefields  of  the  country. 
Colonel  James  S.  Mcintosh,  son  of  General  John  Mcintosh,  was  killed  in 
the  Mexican  war.  His  son,  Captain  James  M.  Mcintosh,  of  the  United  States 
army,  resigned  his  commission  when  the  Southern  States  seceded  from  the 
Union,  offered  his  sword  to  the  Confederate  government,  received  the  commis- 
sion of  Colonel,  and  was  soon  promoted  to  the  command  of  a  brigade.  He  was 
killed  in  battle  in  Arkansas.  Indeed,  the  family  was  as  united  and  enthusiastic^ 
in  the  Lost  Cause  as  were  their  ancestors  in  the  war  for  American  independence. 
Major  Spalding  Mcintosh,  a  brother  of  Dr.  Mcintosh,  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Sharpsburg.  Two  of  the  Doctor's  sons,  the  younger  a  mere  boy,  went  out  with 
the  first  volunteers  from  Alabama,  and  were  in  many  of  the  hardest-fought  bat- 
tles of  the  war,  in  Virginia,  Tennessee  and  Georgia. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  Dr.  Mcintosh,  Lieutenant  Christopher  Hillary, 
was  also  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  His  parents.  Major  Wm.  J.  and 
Maria  H.  Mcintosh,  were  highly  endowed  intellectually.  His  father  was  a  lieu- 
tenant in  the  United  States  navy,  but  resigned  after  marriage.  His  mother  was 
an  earnest  and  devoted  Christian,  and  to  her  godly  life,  faithful  instructions  and 
ceaseless  vigilance  over  her  children,  may  be  traced  the  early  religious  impres- 
sions of  her  son,  now  himself  distinguished  for  his  exalted  Christian  character. 
He  was  educated  mostly  by  Rev.  James  Shannon,  a  Baptist  minister,  who  for 
many  years  taught  an  English  and  classical  school  of  very  high  repute,  in  Sun- 
bury  county,  and  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  where  he  was  pastor  of  the  church. 
Mr.  Shannon,  who  was  a  remarkably  fine  scholar  and  teacher,  afterwards  be- 
came a  professor  in  the  State  University.  He  baptized  Mr.  Mcintosh,  who 
joined  the  Augusta  church,  and  then  became  a  student  in  Furman  Theologica 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  377 

Institute,  South  Carolina,  and  was  afterwards  ordained,  in  March,  1836,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-five,  at  South  Newport  church,  Mcintosh  county,  Georgia.  After 
spending  two  years  preaching  in  Glynn,  Wayne  and  Mcintosh  counties,  in  Geor- 
gia, he  was  called  to  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Darien,  Geor- 
gia, where  he  remained  nine  years,  till  1 849.  He  was  then  called  to  Eufaula,  Ala- 
bama, which  place  he  left  to  take  charge  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Marion,  Alabama, 
in  January, -1 85 5,  where  he  remained  seventeen  years.  In  January,  1872,  he 
accepted  a  call  by  the  church  of  Macon,  Georgia.  He  resigned  that  charge,  and 
accepted  his  present  position  of  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Home  Mission 
Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  at  Marion,  Alabama.  He  has  ful- 
filled the  duties  of  his  office  in  a  remarkably  able  manner,  being  the  more  capa- 
ble of  doing  so,  owing  to  the  fact  that,  for  many  years  while  residing  at  Marion, 
he  had  occupied  the  position  of  president  of  that  Board,  and  was  in  full  accord 
with  all  the  operations  of  the  Convention.  He  was  also,  for  years,  president  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  Howard  College,  and  also  a  trustee  of  Judson  Female 
College,  at  Marion,  Alabama. 

Dr.  Mcintosh  has  never  left  a  church  that  was  not  greatly  increased  in  num- 
bers by  his  labors,  and  built  up  and  edified  by  his  ministry.  Previous  to  his 
acceptance  of  the  position  he  now  holds,  he  never  allowed  himself,  after  his  ordi- 
nation, to  be  in  the  least  drawn  away  from  the  active  duties  of  the  ministry, 
having  frequently  declined  propositions  to  turn  aside  from  it  for  more  remunera- 
tive services.  He  has  preached  much  to  the  colored  people,  and  in  every  church 
of  which  he  has  been  pastor  he  has  had  a  large  membership  of  colored  people, 
to  whom  special  attention  was  paid.  Previous  to  emancipation,  the  colored 
members  formed  a  part  of  the  white  churches,  although  worshipping  in  houses 
appropriated  to  them,  and  the  white  pastors  generally  paid  particular  regard  to 
this  portion  of  their  flock.  With  Dr.  Mcintosh  this  was  an  important  and  never- 
slighted  duty.  So  great  was  his  influence  over  the  large  colored  membership  at 
Marioft,  that  when  all  the  negroes  were  wild  with  excitement,  at  the  close  of  the 
war,  on  account  of  their  sudden  emancipation,  he  managed  to  control  them,  so 
that  the  most  harmonious  relations  were  preserved  between  them  and  the  whites 
while  they  remained  in  the  same  church,  which  was  the  case  for  several  years  ; 
when,  by  his  advice,  they  withdrew  to  constitute  a  church  of  their  own.  This 
was  done  in  the  most  Christian  spirit ;  they  stipulating  that  they  should  remain 
under  the  watch-care  of  their  white  brethren,  and  that  he  should  continue  to 
serve  them  as  pastor.  He  did  so  until  the  close  of  his  ministry  in  Marion,  giv- 
ing them  an  extra  service  every  Sabbath  and  during  the  week,  burying  their  dead 
and  performing  their  marriage  ceremonies.  They  now  constitute  a  most  efficient 
working  body,  have  built  a  handsome  house  of  worship,  are  orderly  in  worship 
and  discipline,  and  insist  upon  having  an  intelligent  preacher.  Through  all  his 
ministry,  the  interest  of  Dr.  Mcintosh  in  this  class  has  been  unremitting,  and  his 
labors  among  them  abundant,  having  baptized  not  less  than  one  thousand  of 
them.  And  yet  in  this  he  is  by  no  means  peculiar,  for  similar  things  can  be  said 
of  nearly  all  the  older  ministers  of  the  denomination.  Dr.  Mcintosh  is  now  in 
the  zenith  of  his  powers,  possessing  the  eloquence  and  the  genius  to  edify  any 
church  in  the  land,  yet  devoting  himself  entirely  and  unremittingly  to  the  Home 
Mission  interests  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention. 

As  a  man.  Dr.  Mcintosh  possesses  all  those  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  which 
constitute  the  character  of  the  noble  and  lovable  man,  and  which  challenge  the 
esteem  and  admiration  of  the  good.  There  is  in  him  no  one  quality  in  excessive 
development,  but  all  his  qualities  are  in  proportions  so  evenly  balanced  that  they 
constitute  what  may  be  termed  a  fullness  in  unity,  and  form  all  together  an  ad- 
mirable rounding  out  of  every  characteristic  of  true  manhood.  For  intellectual 
strength  and  excellence  of  judgment,  few  can  be  rated  as  his  equals.  Nature 
seems  to  have  endowed  him  with  an  intellect  comparable  among  the  mass  of  in- 
tellects to  the  towering  hills  of  granite  in  the  land  of  his  Scottish  ancestors. 

He  is  remarkable  for  his  geniality.  His  enlivening,  cheerful  conversation  and 
deportment  afford  special  pleasure  in  any  congenial  society  with  which  he  may 
be  associated.  A  mere  glance  at  his  face  would  not  lead  to  the  conclusion  that 
his  social  characteristics  are  peculiarly  rich  and  rare,  but  an  hour  in  his  company, 
under  favorable  circumstances,  will  confirm  the  assertion  that,  as  an  entertaining 


3/8  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

companion  and  an  agreeable  gentleman,  his  position  is  high.  Many  of  his 
brethren  and  friends  can  remember  numerous  occasions  made  delightful  by  his 
charniing  companionship  ;  and,  perhaps,  no  one  has  a  more  extensive  circle  of 
admiring  and  loving  friends  than  he— made  so  by  his  Christian  courtesy,  affable 
demeanor  and  consistency  in  friendliness  and  good  nature. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  find  one  to  surpass  him  in  moral  courage  and  decision 
of  purpose.  Guided  by  severe  conscientiousness,  he,  through  God's  appointed 
channels— prayer  and  the  divine  Word — endeavors  to  learn  what  is  the  path  of 
duty,  and  when  once  his  mind  has  decided  that  point,  he  will  go  near  even  to 
the  line  of  stubbornness  in  order  to  execute  his  purposes.  Neither  friend  nor 
foe,  neither  smiles  nor  frowns,  can  cause  him  to  swerve  from  his  pursuit  of  jus- 
tice and  duty.  He  is  "a  good  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,"  being  richly  endowed 
with  all  the  requisites  one  must  possess  who  desires  the  office  of  a  bishop.  Un- 
selfish, benevolent,  sober,  vigilant,  apt  to  teach,  "  having  a  good  report  of  them 
that  are  without,"  blameless,  loving  Jesus  and  the  souls  of  men,  and  powerfully 
moved  by  love,  as  the  motive  to  save  the  sinner  and  glorify  the  Saviour,  he  is 
most  admirably  qualified  to  preach  the  word  of  eternal  life  ;  and  such  has  always 
been  his  delight,  both  to  white  and  colored  people.  As  a  sermonizer  not. many 
equal  him.  His  discourses  are  rich  in  Gospel  truth.  Christ  crucified  is  their 
centre  and  circumference ;  and  they  are  models  of  Christian  composition,  fault- 
less in  rhetorical  taste,  and  most  excellently  adapted  to  direct  sincere  inquirers 
to  eternal  salvation.  His  seventeen  years'  pastorate  at  Marion,  Alabama,  won- 
derfully securing  the  approbation  and  love  of  that  cultivated  and  critical  people  for 
so  long  a  time  and  to  the  very  end,  is  strong  evidence  of  marked  ability,  piety  and 
wisdom.  More  than  any  other  employment  he  delights  in  pastoral  work,  be- 
cause it  suits  his  temperament,  and  best  enables  him  to  achieve  what  he  con- 
ceives to  be  man's  highest  and  noblest  duty.  By  his  walk  and  conversation  he 
adorns  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour,  which  he  preaches,  being  "  an  ensample 
for  the  flock."  Often  has  he  been  called  to  drink  deep  of  the  bitter  cup  of  afflic- 
tion, but,  under  the  heaviest  bereavements,  his  unshaken  trust  in  God  has  been 
made  apparent  by  his  meek  submission  and  resignation  to  his  Heavenly  Fath- 
er's will. 

Dr.  Mcintosh  is  a  hard-worker.  For  nearly  half  a  century,  in  season  and  out 
of  season,  with  unflagging  diligence,  from  youth  to  mature  manhood,  he  has 
ardently  pursued  his  "work  of  faith  and  labor  of  love,"  in  the  kingdom  and  pa- 
tience of  Jesus  Christ.  Through  all  these  many  years,  he  has  maintained  a 
character  which  no  one  has  dared  to  asperse.  "  Blameless  and  harmless,  with- 
out rebuke,"  he  has  given  a  conspicuous  example  of  godliness,  incorruptness  in 
doctrine,  and  self-sacrificing  faithfulness  in  all  the  vast  trusts  committed  to  his 
charge  by  his  brethren  and  his  Lord.  His  life  and  his  labors  have  resulted  in  a 
grand  success.  Yet,  with  all,  the  estimate  which  he  makes  of  himself  is,  "  Only 
a  sinner  saved  by  grace  through  Christ." 


JAMES    HENRY    McMULLEN. 

Rev.  James  Henry,  son  of  Sinclair  and  Clarissa,  Mc- 
MuLLEN,  was  born  in  Elbert  county,  Georgia,  November 
1 8th,  1824,  and  received  his  early  education  at  Shoal 
Creek  Academy.  When  he  was  about  six  years  old,  Hon. 
Joseph  Henry  Lumpkin  delivered  in  his  neighborhood  a 
speech  in  advocacy  of  total  abstinence  from  intoxicating 
drinks,  which,  partly  from  its  surpassing  eloquence,  partly 
from  the  advanced  position  assumed  by  it,  created  much 
discussion  in  the  neighborhood.  Under  these  influences, 
the  stripling  resolved  to  make  the  principle  of  the  speech  a 
rule  for  himself  through  life,  and  to  this  purpose  he  has  adhered  without  a  single 
breach  of  it  for  fifty  years.     His  youthful  morals  were,  in  other  respects  also. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


379 


pure ;  and  even  from  early  childhood  he  had  religious  tendencies,  and  found 
pleasure  in  attendance  on  the  sanctuary.  But  he  struggled  against  the  draw- 
ings of  the  Spirit,  disguising  his  feelings  under  a  mask  of  indifference.  The 
resisted  influences  were  withdrawn  and  he  fell  into  the  slough  of  scepticism. 
He  attempted  to  persuade  himself  that  the  Bible  is  not  true,  and  determined,  if 
successful  in  that  attempt,  to  devote  his  life  to  an  exposure  of  its  false  preten- 
sions. He  was  rescued  from  this  snare  of  Satan  through  the  agency  of  Asa 
Chandler,  Benjamin  Thornton,  and  I.  H.  and  W.  R.  Goss,  whose  public  ministry 
was  enforced  by  their  habits  of  social  conversation  on  the  love  of  Christ,  and 
the  sweet  experience  of  personal  trust  in  Him.  In  this  way  his  doubts  were 
put  to  flight,  he  saw  his  guilty  distance  from  God,  and  was  enabled  to  rejoice  in 
the  saving  power  of  the  Gospel.  On  profession  of  his  faith  he  was  baptized,  in 
1844,  by  Rev.  B.  Thornton,  and  united  with  Sardis  church,  in  his  native  county. 

Soon  after  his  conversion  a  desire  to  preach  the  Gospel  was  awakened  in  his 
bosom.  The  grace  of  God  had  been  so  strikingly  exemplified  in  his  own  case, 
that  he  felt  a  strong  impulse  to  tell  it  to  his  fellow-men  ;  to  warn  them  against 
the  temptations  to  which  he  had  been  exposed  and  the  snares  into  which  he  had 
well-nigh  fallen.  But  his  youth,  inexperience  and  conscious  unfitness  for  the 
work,  caused  him  to  "withdraw  his  neck  from  the  yoke,"  and  it  was  not  until 
twenty  years  later  that  these  desires  ripened  into  a  constraining  sense  of  duty. 
He  was  ordained  in  1864,  at  the  request  of  Sardis  church,  and  became  its 
pastor — a  position  which  he  has  retained  until  the  present  time.  He  has  preached, 
besides,  to  Line,  Dover  Creek,  and  other  churches  in  the  Sarepta  and  Tugalo 
Associations,  and  to  Mountain  Creek  church,  Anderson,  South  Carolina. 

His  labors  as  a  pastor  have  been  abundant,  and  have  been  crowned  with 
abundant  blessing.  He  possesses  fine  executive  talent,  and  his  administration 
of  discipline  tends  to  keep  his  churches  pure.  As  a  preacher,  he  is  zealous  and 
forcible,  in  doctrine,  sound  and  scriptural.  As  a  man,  he  is  modest  in  deport- 
ment, courteous  in  manners,  and,  while  firm  in  principle,  kind  in  spirit. 

He  was  married  in  1852,  to  Miss  Martha  V.  Loflin,  of  Lincoln  county,  and 
two  children  have  been  given  them. 


WILLIAM  GRIFFIN  McMICHAEL. 


Rev.  W.  G.  McMiCHAEL  is  a  native  of  Jasper 
county,  Georgia,  where  he  was  born  August  12th, 
181 1.  His  parents,  John  and  Ghitta  McMichael, 
when  their  son  was  quite  young,  settled  in  Butts 
county,  Georgia.  This  section  of  the  State,  at 
that  time, was  comparatively  new,  and  advantages 
of  education  were  limited ;  hence  he  received 
only  a  partial  EngHsh  course  of  instruction  at 
Jackson,  then  a  small  county  town.  His  lack 
of  more  extended  opportunities  of  mental  cul- 
ture has  been  a  source  of  regret  to  him  ;  but 
such  as  he  had  he  has  wisely  and  successfully 
used.  In  1828  he  experienced  a  change  of  heart, 
but,  like  many  others,  hid  his  light  under  a  bushel, 
and  did  not  publicly  put  on  Christ  until  1838, 
when  he  united  with  the  Macedonia  church, 
and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  James  Carter.  In  1 847, 
some  nine  years  after  his  baptism,  he  began,  in 
public,  to  call  on  the  people  to  repent  and  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus. 

In  1848,  at  the  Macedonia  church,  he  was  ordained  to  the  full  work 
Gospel  ministry.     He  is  now  preaching  monthly,  and  has  been  for  years 


of  the 
past,  to 


38o 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


the  Macedonia  church,  which  called  him  to  ordination.  Added  to  this,  he  is 
preaching  one  Sunday  in  each  month  to  the  church  in  Jackson,  Butts  county,  to 
Union  church,  in  Spalding  county,  and  the  Rocky  Creek  church,  in  Monroe 
county.  These  churches  form  a  part  of  Flint  River  Association,  and  within  the 
bounds  of  this  Association — of  which  he  has  twice  been  elected  Moderator — he 
has  spent  his  ministerial  life.  His  unaffected  piety,  his  indefatigable  labors,  his 
untiring  zeal,  and  his  sound  Scriptural  doctrines,  give  him  a  strong  hold  on  the 
confidence  and  affection  of  the  churches  and  of  the  people  among  whom  he 
labors.  It  is  not  surprising  that  his  ministry  has  been  in  the  past,  as  doubtless 
it  will  be  in  the  future,  abundantly  successful.  It  has  been  his  privilege,  as  it 
has  been  his  pleasure,  to  baptize  more  than  a  thousand  persons  on  their  profes- 
sion of  faith  in  Christ,  two  hundred  of  whom  were  Pedobaptists.  This  servant 
of  the  Lord  has  pursued  his  ministerial  life  through  toil  and  sacrifice.  The 
necessities  of  his  growing  family,  and  the  partial  compensation  derived  from  his 
churches,  compelled  him  to  labor,  following  the  plough  day  by  day,  up  to  the  time 
when  his  weekly  appointments  called  him  away.  The  churches  in  many  parts 
of  the  country,  even  in  this  day  of  religious  intelligence,  have  not  reached  the 
Scriptural  standard  as  to  ministerial  support.  The  necessity  of  daily  toil  in  the 
field  left  Mr.  McMichael  but  little  opportunity  for  study,  and  hence  he  adopted 
a  novel  way  of  preparing  his  sermons.  He  attached  a  piece  of  paper  to  his 
plough-stock,  on  which  he  first  wrote  the  text  from  which  he  designed  to  preach, 
and,  as  thoughts  occurred,  would  stop  long  enough  at  the  end  of  each  row  to 
pencil  them  down,  and  then  resume  his  ploughing.  He  read  and  studied  the 
Scriptures  and  other  books  at  night  as  much  as  he  could,  and  has,  in  this  way, 
in  some  degree,  overcome  the  want  of  early  education,  and  prepared  himself  for 
his  work. 

He  has  been  twice  married — first  to  Miss  Emily  Gaston,  of  Butts  county,  in 
1832,  and  after  her  death  to  Miss  Julia  Semmes,  of  Newton  county,  in  1857. 
He  has  seven  children  now  living. 

As  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  as  has  already  been  said,  he  is  sound  and  scrip- 
tural. His  manner,  in  and  out  of  the  pulpit,  is  simple,  easy,  sincere  and  pleasant. 
As  a  pastor,  he  is  always  in  his  place  when  not  prevented  by  providential  causes, 
is  wise  in  counsel  and  judicious  in  his  administration  of  scriptural  law  bearing 
on  any  case  claiming  the  discipline  of  the  church. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  though  for  years  past  he  has  been  in  rather  feeble 
health,  he  has  preached  on  each  of  his  birth-days  for  the  last  twenty-five  years. 
He  is  preaching  in  the  same  section  of  the  State  in  which  he  first  commenced, 
and  is  now  in  the  seventieth  year  of  a  life  which  stamps  him  as  one  of  our  best 
men. 


J.  A.  McMURRY. 


Rev.  J.  A.  McMuRRY  was  born  in  Orange  county. 
North  Garolina,  October  23d,  1845.  His  father's  name 
was  Madison  McMurry,  his  mother's  maiden  name,  Mar- 
garet J.  Collins.  His  ancestry  on  both  sides  were  Pres- 
byterians ;  his  paternal  grandfather  was  an  elder  in  that 
church.  In  1851,  when  he  was  about  six  years  of  age,  his 
father  moved  to  Georgia,  and  settled  in  Cassville.  After 
attending  the  common  schools  of  the  town,  he  entered 
the  Cherokee  Baptist  College,  located  at  that  place,  and 
made  some  progress  in  the  sciences.  He  then  went  to 
the  Georgia  Military  Institute,  at  Marietta,  and  remained 
there  until  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army,  in  June,  1864.  He  was  in  the 
Third  Georgia  battalion  of  sharp-shooters,  Wofford's  brigade,  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia,  until  the  surrender  of  Genera.!  Lee.     On  his  return  from  the  army,  he 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


381 


lived  a  short  time  in  Marietta.  While  here,  during  a  protracted  meeting,  he  was, 
by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  led  to  Christ.  He  at  once  connected  himself 
with  the  Marietta  Baptist  church,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  G.  W.  Given.  He 
afterwards  settled  in  Kingston,  Georgia,  and  united  with  the  church  at  that  place. 
The  church  licensed  him  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  1869.  For  two  years  he  con- 
tinued to  exercise  his  gifts ;  and,  giving  evidence  that  the  hand  of  the_  Lord  was 
with  him,  the  church,  in  1871,  called  him  to  ordination.  He  was  elected  pastor 
of  the  Kingston  church,  and,  after  serving  a  short  time,  resigned  to  accept  the 
work  of  a  missionary  in  the  bounds  of  the  Stone  Mountain  Association.  This 
latter  invitation,  however,  after  mature  deliberation,  he  thought  best  to  decline. 
He  has  been,  and  still  is,  a  laborious  worker  in  his  Master's  vineyard.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  assistance  which  he  uniformly  renders  other  pastors  in  their  pro- 
tracted meetings,  and  the  organization  of  a  number  of  churches,  he  has  hereto- 
fore supplied,  as  pastor,  Oothcaloga,  Cassville,  Cross  Roads  and  Rockmart 
churches.  At  present  he  is  serving  the  Noonday,  Kennesaw,  Canton  and  Bartow 
churches.  He  holds  important  and  useful  positions  in  the  Noonday  Association,* 
and  is  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Sunday-school  Convention 
of  the  Middle  Cherokee  and  Noonday  Associations.  He  is  held  in  high  esteem 
by  his  churches,  is  an  earnest,  faithful  pastor,  and  has  been  blessed  of  the  Lord 
in  adding  many  to  the  churches.  He  is  one  of  the  foremost  preachers  of  his 
section  in  urging  on  his  churches  the  duty  of  sending  the  Gospel  to  those  who 
have  it  not.  He  is  abundant  in  his  labors,  preaching  twelve  sermons  each  month. 
His  style  in  the  pulpit  is  such  as  will  attract  and  interest,  and  his  matter  instruc- 
tive. He  is  rather  above  the  ordinary  size  of  men,  gifted  with  both  a  good  mind 
and  great  physical  power.     In  1871  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Penelope  Lumpkin. 


PATRICK  HUGHES  MELL. 


In  person  tall,  erect,  slender  and  with  white 
hair  and  beard,  alert  in  his  movements,  affable 
in  speech  and  courteous  in  manner.  Rev.  Pat- 
rick Hughes  Mell,  D.D.,  stands  in  the  front 
rank  of  Georgia  Baptist  ministers.  He  possesses 
a  logical,  acute  and  vigorous  intellect,  and  preaches 
with  great  power  and  perspicuity.  Perhaps, 
his  influence  in  the  State  is  exceeded  by  that  of 
no  other  Baptist  minister.  He  was  born  in 
Walthourville,  Liberty  county,  Georgia,  July 
19th,  1 8 14.  His  father  was  a  man  of  property, 
but  by  an  unfortunate  suretyship  lost  all  his  for- 
tune, when  his  son  was  thirteen  years  old,  and, 
shortly  after,  died.  His  wife  soon  followed  him 
to  the  grave ;  and  thus  P.  H.  Mell  was,  at  the 
age  of  fourteen,  left  a  penniless  orphan.  A 
scanty  wardrobe  constituted  all  his  worldly  pos- 
session ;  a  strong  determination,  nevertheless,  to  secure  a  good  education  and 
recover  the  social  position  lost  by  poverty,  filled  his  soul  with  resolution. 
Henceforth  his  aim  was  to  educate  himself  and  thus  become  prepared  for  the 
battle  of  life.  His  first  engagement  was  to  teach  a  primary  school  in  a  log  hut, 
with  a  dirt  floor,  when  seventeen  years  of  age.  This  continued  for  a  short  time 
only,  as  he  soon  entered  the  Walthourville  Academy,  paying  for  his  instruction 
by  teaching  some  of  the  primary  classes.  Aided  somewhat,  by  Hon.  George 
W.  Walthour,  he  soon  improved  his  condition  by  connecting  himself  with  titie 
Academy  taught  by  Col.  Brad  well  at  "  The  Ridge,"  near  Darien,  Georgia,  and 


382  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

rendering-  compensation  for  his  own  instruction  by  acting  as  an  assistant.  He 
next  entered  Amherst  College,  Massachusetts,  where  he  studied  diligently  for 
two  years,  supporting  himself  by  teaching  during  vacation  and  a  part  of  the 
term-time.  This  last  expedient  involved  the  necessity  of  carrying  on  his  own 
college  studies  during  his  absence,  and  standing  an  examination  at  his  return. 
When  half  through  college,  yielding  to  solicitations,  he  taught  for  a  year  in  the 
Academy  at  West  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  when  he  became  Associate  Prin- 
cipal of  the  High  School  at  East  Hartford,  Connecticut,  where  he  remained  one 
year,  returning  to  Georgia  in  1838. 

The  next  five  or  six  years  he  taught  school  in  lower  and  middle  Georgia, 
when,  partly  on  the  recommendation  of  Governor  George  M.  Troup,  he  was 
elected  to  the  Professorship  of  Ancient  Languages  in  Mercer  University,  and 
entered  on  his  duties  in  February,  1 842.  For  thirteen  years  he  remained  a  Profes- 
sor in  the  institution  and  was  poted  for  the  excellence  of  his  discipline,  and  for 
his  ability  as  a  Professor.  His  connection  with  Mercer  was  dissolved  in  Novem- 
•ber,  1855,  The  following  year,  August,  1856,  he  was  elected  Professor  of  An- 
cient Languages  by  the  trustees  of  the  University  of  Georgia.  When  Dr. 
Church,  President  of  the  University,  resigned  in  1S60,  Dr.  Mell  was  elected  to 
the  chair  of  Metaphysics  and  Ethics,  which  he  still  holds,  although  elected  in 
August,  1878,  Chancellor  of  the  University  and  ex-officio  President  of  the 
State  College  of  Agriculture  and  the  Mechanic  Arts.  Thus  we  see  the  penni- 
less and  ignorant  boy  of  fourteen,  fifty  years  afterwards,  occupying  one  of  the 
proudest,  most  honorable  and  most  responsible  positions  in  his  State — a 
position  which  could  be  attained  only  by  men  of  great  and  undoubted  ability, 
of  high  and  unblemished  character,  and  of  extensive  learning  and  remarkable 
executive  capacity.  But  Dr.  Mell  has  received  many  other  conclusive  evidences 
of  the  high  regard  in  which  his  character  and  ability  are  held ;  for  he  has  de- 
clined the  Presidency  of  Wake  Forest  College,  North  Carolina,  of  the  Missis- 
sippi College,  Mississippi,  of  Georgetown  College,  Kentucky,  and  of  Chero- 
kee College,  Georgia.  He  has  been  elected  pastor  of  the  Savannah  Baptist 
church  twice,  and  twice  has  he  been  elected  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Green 
Street  church,  Augusta,  and  once  to  that  of  the  First  church,  of  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  all  of  which  calls  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  dechne.  He  professed 
conversion  and  was  baptized  in  the  summer  of  1832,  at  North  Newport  church, 
Liberty  county,  Georgia,  by  Rev.  Samuel  Law.  He  began  to  preach  at  Oxford; 
Georgia,  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  1840,  being  afterwards  ordained  at  Penfield, 
November  19th,  1842,  at  the  request  of  the  Greensboro  church,  when  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age.  The  ordaining  presbytery  consisted  of  Revs.  B.  M.  Sanders, 
William  H.  Stokes  and  Otis  Smith.  Since  that  time  he  has  preached  almost 
unintermittingly,  and  has  held  several  pastorates  of  remarkable  length,  showing 
his  wonderful  self-sustaining  power  and  influence.  After  his  ordination  he 
assumed  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  church  at  Greensboro,  Georgia,  and  retained 
the  position  for  ten  years.  For  thirty-three  years  he  was  pastor  of  the  Bairds- 
town  church,  on  the  dividing  line  between  Greene  and  Oglethorpe  counties  ; 
for  twenty-eight  years  was  pastor  of  Antioch  church,  in  Oglethorpe  county ; 
for  four  years  he  was  pastor  of  Mars  Hill  church,  Oconee  county ;  and  for  nearly 
a  year  he  was  pastor  of  the  church  at  Penfield.  Since  the  pressing  duties  of 
the  Chancellorship  have  been  imposed  upon  him,  he  has  resigned  all  pastorates, 
and  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  the  duties  of  his  office,  for  which  he  possesses 
marked  and  peculiar  qualifications. 

As  a  preacher  Dr.  Mell  is  strong,  able,  argumentative  and  sound,  doctrinally, 
holding  his  audiences  spell-bound,  by  the  clearness  of  his  statements  and  the 
strength  of  his  reasoning.  His  arguments,  founded  on  sound  premises,  reach 
inevitable  conclusions.  On  the  grand  doctrines  of  Christianity  and  especially 
the  (so-called)  "  five-points  "  in  theology,  he  is  especially  able.  On  the  dis- 
tinguishing doctrines  of  his  denomination  he  is  particularly  strong  and  con- 
clusive, always  refuting  those  who  put  themselves  m  opposition  to  him.  With 
all  his  power  his  ministrations  in  the  pulpit  are  characterized  by  great  plainness 
of  speech  and  simplicity  in  argument,  even  when  discussing  the  most  abstruse 
subjects ;  but  his  delivery  is  fervid,  forcible,  zealous  and  often  eloquent.     But 


OK   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  383 

he  has  not  confined  his  efforts,  at  promulgating  truth,  to  the  pulpit ;  he  is  the 
author  of  several  able  works,  quite  different  in  character.  His  book  on  "  Baptism" 
is  small  but  conclusive,  and  covers  briefly  the  whole  subject,  leaving  little  else 
to  be  desired,  for  the  satisfaction  of  inquirers  after  truth.  His  Manuals  on 
Corrective  Church  Discipline,  and  Parliamentary  Practice,  are  the  emanations  of 
a  mind  thoroughly  at  home  on  the  subjects  discussed,  and  are  exceedingly  valu- 
able; the  latter  has  been  adopted  by  various  bodies  in  the  United  States — 
among  others  the  Legislature  of  Georgia.  He  has,  also,  published  small  but 
able  works  on  Slavery,  on  Predestination,  on  Calvinism,  on  God's  Providential 
Government,  and  on  the  Philosophy  of  Prayer.  His  last  work,  as  yet  unfinished, 
which,  promises  to  be  his  greatest  and  most  useful  publication,  and  the  matured 
fruits  of  lifetime  thought  and  study,  is  on  Church  Polity,  a  subject  of  which  he 
may  be  considered  the  master,  from  a  scriptural  standpoint. 

Among  Dr.  Mell's  chief  excellencies  are  his  knowledge  of  parliamentary  law, 
and  his  remarkable  talents  as  a  presiding  officer ;  long  practice,  united  to  a  mind 
peculiarly  adapted  to  the  office  of  president  of  deliberative  bodies,  have  rendered 
him  almost  perfect  in  that  respect.  His  excellence  as  a  presiding  officer  has 
been  recognized  by  his  brethren  in  the  most  pronounced  manner  ;  for  twenty- 
four  years,  with  one  exception,  he  has  acted  as  Moderator  of  the  Georgia  Asso- 
ciation ;  for  the  last  twenty-two  years,  with  the  exception  of  four  years,  he  has 
been  elected  President  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention ;  and  for  eight  years 
in  succession,  from  1863  to  1872,  inclusive,  he  presided  over  the  Southern  Bap- 
tist Convention  ;  and  in  all  these  bodies  he  has  excited  the  admiration  of  every 
one. 

So  acknowledged  is  his  ability  as  a  parliamenrarian,  that  his  rulings  are  sel- 
dom resisted  by  an  appeal,  and  very  seldom,  indeed,  reversed  by  the  body  over 
which  he  is  presiding.  His  freedom  from  embarrassment ;  his  wonderful  cool- 
ness ;  his  quiet  appearance,  and  his  evident  pleasant  humor,  fit  him  especially 
for  the  chair  in  deliberative  assemblies. 

Considered  as  a  scholar  his  information  is  broad.  Thoroughness  with  sim- 
plicity is  his  motto.  In  languages,  to  Romans  he  would  be  a  Roman  ;  to  Greeks, 
a  Greek.  In  all  departments  he  is  at  home.  In  ethics  he  is  a  theologian;  in 
argument  a  logician  ;  to  the  politician  he  is  a  statesman  ;  and  to  the  military  man 
he  is  a  soldier.  His  intellect  is  keen  and  incisive,  his  understanding  profound 
and  comprehensive.  As  an  organizer  he  has  no  superior,  and  in  the  control  of 
those  placed  under  him  he  is  simply  perfect,  ruling  more  by  commanding  love 
and  evoking  self-respect  than  by  fear  or  power.  Without  arrogating  to  himself 
a  particle  of  superiority,  he  is  one  of  the  ruling  spirits  of  the  denomination  in 
our  State. 

His  social  qualities  render  his  home  exceedingly  pleasant  to  his  family  and 
guests.  His  pleasantries,  his  sallies  of  wit,  his  respectful  deference  to  others, 
his  great  fund  of  knowledge,  and  his  willingness  to  communicate  make  his 
company  agreeable  to  all  who  meet  him.  He  is  the  life  of  ministerial  gather- 
ings and  associational  meetings,  and  the  humblest  of  his  brethren  feel  perfectly 
at  home  in  his  company.  Never  stooping  to  personalities,  and  asserting  no 
claim  to  precedence  by  reason  of  age  or  past  service,  or  of  his  eminent  abili- 
ties, he  is  ever  fair  and  candid  in  discussion,  relying  on  the  strength  of  argu- 
ment and  the  logical  power  of  truth,  pointedly  presented. 

To  sum  up  all — he  is  a  parliamentarian  and  a  logician  by  nature,  a  scholar  by 
acquisition,  a  teacher  and  governor  by  an  intuitive  faculty,  a  preacher  by  the 
qualifying  grace  of  God,  and  a  friend  to  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  by  that 
nobleness  of  soul  which  true  religious  faith  bestows.  His  firmness  and  indepen- 
dence command  respect  and  excite  admiration,  while  his  consistency  of  principle 
gains  the  regard  of  all.  In  the  line  of  duty  and  principle  he  is  unswerving,  and 
in  his  religious  convictions  he  is  strong  and  unyielding.  When  duty  calls  he 
shuns  no  danger  and  avoids  no  responsibility. 

During  the  war  of  Secession  there  was  a  call  made  by  Governor  Brown,  of 
Georgia,  for  six  month's  troops.  In  response  to  that  call  Dr.  Mell  raised  a  com- 
pany, while  Professor  at  Athens,  and  was  made  Captain.  When  the  regiment 
was  formed,  he  was  elected  Colonel,  and  remained  in  actual  service  for  six 


384 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


months,  his  regiment  being  at  different  times  stationed  at  Atlanta,  Rome  and 
Savannah.  He  possesses  qualities  that  fit  him  well  for  a  military  officer,  but  it  is 
not  to  be  doubted  that  his  comparatively  feeble  physique  made  a  retirement 
from  military  service,  and  a  return  to  more  congenial  duties  in  the  Georgia 
State  University,  very  agreeable  to  him. 

He  has  been  twice  married — first  to  Miss  Lurene  H.  Cooper,  on  the  22d  of 
June,  1840,  and,  after  her  death,  to  Miss  E.  E.  Cooper,  on  the  24th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1 861.  Fifteen  children  have  been  born  to  him,  nine  by  his  first  marriage 
and  six  by  his  second,  of  whom  ten  are  still  living.  His  oldest  living  son  is 
P.  H.  Mell,  Jr.,  a  Professor  in  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  of  Ala- 
bama. 


JESSE  MERCER. 


It  is  impossible,  in'a 
sketch  as  brief  as  this 
must  necessarily  be,  to 
speak  of  the  long,  labo- 
r.ous  and  useful  life  of 
Rev.  Jesse  Mercer, 
D.  D.,  so  as  not  to  leave 
unnoticed  much  that 
would  be  interesting  to 
the  reader.  For  a  full 
and  entertaining  narra- 
tive of  the  life  of  this 
distinguished  servant 
of  the  Redeemer,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  his 
Memoirs,  prepared  by 
Rev.  C.  D.  Mallary, 
from  which  most  of 
what  is  herein  submit- 
ted has  been  drawn. 

The  patriarchal  head 
of  the  Mercer  family 
was  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, who  emigrated  to 
this  country  about  the 
close  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  Jesse 
Mercer  was  one  of  his 
children,  and  was  born 
in  Virginia,  in  17 13. 
He  removed  to  North 
Carolina,  and  remained 
in  that  State  until  about  1767,  when  he  settled  in  Wilkes  county,  Georgia. 
Through  most  of  his  life  he  was  ardently  attached  to  the  High  Church,  but  in 
his  old  age  he  and  his  wife  professed  conversion  and  united  with  the  Baptists, 
and  were  probably  baptized  by  Daniel  Marshall. 

Silas  Mercer,  the  father  of  Jesse,  was  born  near  Currituck  bay.  North  Caro- 
lina, in  1745.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  an  infant,  leaving  his  training  to 
this  father,  who  was  at  that  time  devoted  to  the  High  Church,  and  hence  Silas 
Mercer  was  raised  to  cherish  violent  opposition  to  all  other  religious  denomina- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  385 

tions,  and  especially  to  Baptists  ;  but  being  a  man.  of  vigorous  and  discrimin- 
ating mind,  and  thinking  for  himself,  when  he  came  by  conversion  under  the  in- 
fluence of  vital,  experimental  piety,  he  was  naturally  led  into  that  course  of 
investigation  which  gradually  carried  him  beyond  the  circle  of  educational  preju- 
dice and  ecclesiastical  tradition,  and  established  him  in  a  faith  and  practice  more 
in  harmony  with  the  simplicity  of  the  Gospel.  He  soon  began  to  question  the 
validity  of  sprinkling  as  Scripture  baptism,  and  in  accordance  with  the  rubric  of 
the  Episcopal  Church,  which  enjoined  immersion,  except  when  the  health  of  the 
child  might  seem  to  require  a  milder  mode,  he  had  two  of  his  children  dipped. 
The  first  was  Jesse,  the  subject  oi  this  sketch,  who  was  immersed  in  a  barrel  of 
water  at  the  clergyman's  house.  In  his  progress  towards  more  just  and  scrip- 
tural views,  he  encountered  the  most  formidable  opposition  from  his  father,  the 
clergyman  and  all  his  Episcopal  brethren  around  him.  They  spared  no  pains 
to  keep  alive  his  prejudices  against  the  heretical  Baptists,  and  to  prevent  all  in- 
tercourse with  that  blind  and  infatuated  sect.  At  last  he  gained  his  consent  to 
attend  a  Baptist  meeting,  and  listened  to  a  discourse  from  one  of  their  ministers. 
His  prejudices  began  to  yield,  and  he  was  inclined  to  cherish  more  kind  and 
charitable  feelings  towards  the  people  he  had  so  long  despised.  About  this 
time  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Georgia  and  settled  in  Wilkes  county.  Hav- 
ing at  length  become  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  propriety  of  believers'  bap- 
tism, he  was  baptized  about  the  year  1775  by  Alexander  Scott,  and  became  a 
member  of  the  Kiokee  church.  Before  he  left  the  stream  he  ascended  a  log 
and  exhorted  the  surrounding  multitude.  Very  soon  he  was  licensed  by  his 
church  to  preach,  and  at  once  commenced  a  career  of  ministerial  labor  and  use- 
fulness characterized  by  much  zeal  and  ability.  The  name  of  Silas  Mercer  will 
ever  occupy  an  honored  place  in  the  records  of  American  Baptists. 

Jesse  Mercer,  son  of  Silas,  was  born  in  Halifax  county,  North  Carolina,  De- 
cember 16,  1769.  He  was  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  consisting  of 
five  sons  and  three  daughters.  He  was  remarkable  for  the  almost  stainless 
character  of  his  youth.  In  very  early  life  there  was  the  budding  of  many  of 
those  amiable  and  virtuous  traits  which  so  distinguished  him  in  after  life.  From 
the  testimony  of  those  who  knew  him  intimately,  we  learn  that  he  was  not  only 
free  from  the  more  gross  excesses  of  youth,  which  are  often  witnessed  with  the 
deepest  sorrow  and  regret,  but  even  the  more  slight  deviations  from  uprightness 
and  propriety.  The  rectitude  of  his  private  deportment  was  such  that  he  was 
never  heard  or  known  to  use  a  profane  word  or  impious  expression.  The  most 
important  part  of  his  youthful  history  was  his  conversion  to  God.  His  amiable 
character  by  nature,  and  his  freedom  from  gross  immoralities,  might  lead  us  to 
suppose  that  his  transition  from  a  state  of  nature  to  grace  would  be  easy  and 
with  few  inward  pangs  ;  but  not  so.  He  seems  to  have  been  specially  impressed 
with  the  wickedness  of  his  heart,  with  the  conviction  that  his  life  had  been  "  only 
evil  continually,"  and  with  the  fear  that,  because  of  the  hardness  of  his  heart, 
God  would  give  him  over  to  spend  his  days  in  hopeless  despair.  After  long 
and  painful  inward  struggles,  light  broke  in  on  his  soul  and  enabled  him  to  be- 
lieve in  Christ  for  himself.  He  went  on  his  way  rejoicing.  From  the  records  of 
the  Phillips'  Mill  church,  it  appears  he  made  a  relation  of  his  Christian  experience 
July  7,  1787,  and  was  received  as  a  candidate  for  baptism.  He  was  baptized  by 
his  father,  Silas  Mercer,  (probably  on  the  following  day)  being  then  in  his 
eighteenth  year. 

It  was  not  long  before  Mr.  Mercer  began  to  show  that  the  Lord  was  arousing 
in  his  bosom  intense  anxiety  for  the  salvation  of  his  fellow-men.  His  first  effort 
was  made  in  the  humble  log-house  of  his  grandmother,  where  the  people  had 
assembled  for  a  Sunday  prayer  meeting.  At  these  regular  prayer  meetings  he 
had  frequent  opportunities  of  exhortation,  which  he  used  with  manifest  good  to 
others  as  well  as  improvement  to  himself.  In  January,  1788,  being  then  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sabrina  Chivers,  a  most 
devotedly  pious  young  woman,  and  a  member  of  Phillips'  Mills  church.  This 
union  seemed  to  have  been  peculiarly  suitable,  and  was  the  source,  in  after 
years,  of  much  domestic  enjoyment.  A  short  time  before  the  completion  of  his 
twentieth  year,  he  was  called  by  Phillips'  Mills  church  to  ordination,  and  was 
solemnly  set  apart  to  the  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry. 


386  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Mr.  Mercer  was  not,  in  the  strictest  sense,  an  educated  man.  At  the  time  of 
his  marriage  his  education  was  comparatively  limited,  but  in  his  great  anxiety 
to  increase  his  scanty  store  of  knowledge,  he  sold  his  little  farm  and  moved 
with  his  wife  into  a  little  house  on  Fishing  Creek,  near  a  respectable  school, 
under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Mr.  Springer,  a  Presbyterian  minister  of  considerable 
learning  and  talent.  Here  he  continued  for  two  years,  in  the  meantime  filling 
his  engagements  with  the  Hutton's  Fork  (now  Sardis)  church,  in  Wilkes  county. 
After  attending  the  school  of  Mr.  Springer  for  two  years,  he  returned  to  his 
father's,  and  continued  another  year  in  the  study  of  the  languages  under  Mr. 
Armor. 

After  all,  Mr.  Mercer  never  attained  a  very  profound  knowledge  of  the  ancient 
languages,  though  his  knowledge  was  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  examine  diffi- 
cult passages.  His  education  was  by  no  means  complete,  but  the  literary  and 
theological  instruction  he  received  was  of  inestimable  value  to  him.  It  served 
to  awaken  in  his  bosom  the  needful  consciousness  of  his  own  mental  capabilities, 
and  brought  into  wholesome  and  well-directed  action  those  acute  and  vigorous 
powers  which,  in  their  full  and  ample  development,  enabled  him  to  grapple  with 
a  master  hand  the  most  sublime  and  difficult  subjects  in  the  system  of  revealed 
truth. 

The  Sardis  church  (originally  called  Hutton's  Fork),  gathered  by  the  labors 
of  Silas  Mercer,  was  the  first  church  over  which  Jesse  Mercer  was  called  to  pre- 
side as  pastor.  In  1817,  much  to  the  regret  of  the  church,  he  resigned,  to  enter 
on  another  field  of  labor.  The  Phillips'  Mills  church,  into  which  he  was  bap- 
tized, and  which  also  owes  its  birth  to  the  instrumentality  of  Silas  Mercer,  was 
constituted  in  17S5.  It  was  in  Wilkes  (now  Taliaferro)  county,  some  three  miles 
from  the  spot  where  stood  the  antique  meeting-house  in  which  they  held  their 
gatherings  for  the  worship  of  God  and  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  Shortly 
after  the  death  of  his  father  he  was  called  to  take  his  place  in  that  pulpit,  which 
he  accepted  and  entered  on  the  work  some  time  in  1796.  This  church  he  served 
regularly  for  thirty-nine  years.  In  common  with  all  the  churches  he  served,  it 
was  favored  in  1802  with  a  pleasant  revival.  During  his  connection  with  the 
church  he  baptized  into  its  fellowship  something  like  two  hundred  and  thirty 
persons. 

The  Bethesda  church,  constituted  in  1785,  was  another  monument  of  the  un- 
tiring zeal  and  successful  labor  of  Silas  Mercer.  Jesse  Mercer  commenced  his 
pastoral  labors  in  this  church  in  1796  and  continued  them  until  1827.  From 
the  year  1807  till  181 7  his  membership  was  also  here.  This  was  an  active,  use- 
ful and  prosperous  church  during  his  administration,  has  been  the  mother  of 
several  ministers,  and  has  aided  much,  as  it  does  now,  in  the  cause  of  benevo- 
lence. 

Still  another  monument  to  the  pious  labors  of  Silas  Mercer  is  the  church  (then 
called  Powell's  Creek)  in  Powellton,  Hancock  county,  Georgia.  It  was  constituted 
on  the  first  of  July,  1 786,  with  twenty-six  members.  On  the  4th  of  February,  1 797, 
Mr.  Jesse  Mercer  assumed  the  pastoral  charge  of  this  interesting  church,  and  re- 
mained its  minister  until  the  latter  part  of  1825.  About  February,  181 8,  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  from  Greene  county  to  Powellton,  where  he  resided  for 
the  next  seven  or  eight  years.  Under  the  wise  and  faithful  training  of  this 
much  beloved  and  venerated  pastor,  the  Powellton  church  became  one  of  the 
most  active,  efficient  and  benevolent  bodies  in  the  State.  It  was  for  a  long  time 
one  of  the  important  rallying  points  of  the  denomination.  Here  was  organized 
in  1803  "The  General  Committee  of  the  Georgia  Baptists ;"  here  was  formed  in 
1822  the  Baptist  State  Convention,  and  its  ., sessions  for  1823  and  1832  were 
held  here.  An  efficient  missionary  society  was  also  organized  in  this  church  as 
early  as  181 5. 

In  181 8  a  commodious  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  Eatonton,  Putnam 
county,  by  the  community  at  large,  for  the  accommodation  of  several  religious 
denominations,  the  Baptists  among  the  rest.  A  small  church  being  organized, 
Mr.  Mercer,  yielding  to  the  urgent  solicitations  of  the  little  band,  took  charge  of 
the  church  in  January,  1820,  and  continued  as  its  pastor  until  the  close  of  1826. 
During  his  pastoral  connection  with  it,  about  sixty  were  added  by  baptism  and 
forty  by  letter. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS  387 

Returning  home  from  the  General  Convention  in  1826,  as  he  was  passing 
through  the  upper  part  of  South  Carolina,  his  estimable  and  devoted  wife  was 
brought  low  by  disease,  and,  on  the  23d  of  September,  was  called  home  to  her 
heavenly  rest,  at  Andersonville,  Pendleton  district,  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  her 
age.  For  nearly  forty  years  she  had  been  the  sharer  of  his  joys  and  sorrows, 
and  the  stroke  that  terminated  their  long  and  happy  union  was  to  the  survivor 
a  most  heavy  affliction,  but  he  calmly  yielded ;  for  the  Lord,  his  best  friend,  had 
done  it.  About  this  time  his  strength  began  to  fail,  and  having  reached  to  near 
three-score  years,  he  felt  the  importance  and  necessity  of  circumscribing  his 
labors.  After  mature  and  prayerful  reflection,  he  decided  to  take  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Wilkes  county,  which  was  done  about  the  close  of  the  year  1826,  or 
very  early  in  1827.  In  December,  1827,  a  church  was  constituted  in  the  town 
of  Washington,  and  Mr.  Mercer  became  its  pastor,  and  continued  so  until  his 
death.  The  church  grew  in  numbers  and  efficiency.  In  active  benevolence 
this  little  band,  during  the  lifetime  of  Mr.  Mercer,  presented  an  example  which 
has  not  been  surpassed  by  any  church  in  our  denomination. 

After  his  removal  to  Washington,  he  found  himself  placed  in  circumstances 
in  many  respects  suited  to  his  declining  years,  but  he  did  not  sit  down  in  sloth- 
ful inactivity.  Besides  supplying  the  church  at  Phillips'  Mills  once  a  month,  and 
the  one  at  Washington  the  rest  of  the  time,  he  continued  to  attend  the  anniver- 
saries of  the  most  important  bodies  of  the  denomination,  and  many  occasional 
meetings  in  various  regions,  preaching,  as  he  had  been  wont  to  do,  on  the  way 
from  place  to  place,  cheering  his  brethren  wherever  he  went  by  his  sweet  and 
heavenly  deportment,  and  imparting  to  them  in  the  pulpit,  in  their  public  delib- 
erations, and  in  the  social  circle,  the  fruits  of  his  matured  wisdom. 

On  the  nth  of  December,  1827,  Mr.  Mercer  was  married  to  Mrs.  Nancy 
Simons,  of  Wilkes  county.  He  considered  himself  no  less  fortunate  in  the 
second  than  in  his  first  marriage.  She  was  devoted  to  his  wishes  and  his  com- 
fort. Possessing  a  spirit  of  liberality,  she  heartily  entered  into  all  his  benevolent 
plans  for  the  advancement  of  the  Redeemer's  Kingdom,  and  was  entirely  willing 
that  the  avails  of  her  large  estate  should  be  consecrated  to  pious  purposes. 

In  1833  he  purchased  The  Christian  Index,  published  in  Philadelphia,  by 
Dr.  Brantly,  and  moved  it  to  Washington,  Georgia.  The  duties  of  an  editor 
were  not  congenial  with  his  tastes  and  feelings,  and  he  called  to  his  assistance 
Rev.  W.  H.  Stokes,  who  became  associated  with  him  in  the  editorial  department. 
In  1840  The  Christian  Index,  with  the  press  and  all  its  appendages,  was 
generously  tendered  by  him  to  the  Baptist  State  Convention,  and  at  the  close  of 
the  year  the  paper  was  moved  to  Penfield. 

For  a  long  series  of  years  his  name  and  influence  were  identified  with  the 
business  of  the  Georgia  Association.  He,  when  a  lad,  was  present  at  its  organ- 
ization, and  not  long  after  his  connection  with  the  church  he  was  appointed  a 
delegate  to  that  body,  and  attended  regularly  its  annual  sessions  until  1839, 
when  he  was  prevented  by  sickness.  From  1795  until  the  session  of  1816,  he 
generally  officiated  as  its  clerk ;  at  the  session  of  the  last  named  year,  he  was 
chosen  Moderator,  an  office  to  which  he  was  uniformly  elected  until  1839;  and 
he  was  regularly  chosen  Moderator  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  State  Convention 
until  the  session  of  1841,  when  his  feeble  health  and  domestic  afflictions  rendered 
his  attendance  impossible.  He  watched  over  the  interests  of  this  body  with  un- 
tiring vigilance  ;  took  every  possible  opportunity  to  explain  its  objects  and  defend 
it  against  the  assaults  of  its  enemies — never  allowing  himself  to  become  damp- 
ened in  zeal  or  alienated  in  feeling  in  consequence  of  any  difference  of  opinion 
which  might  exist  between  him  and  his  brethren — and  never  shrinking  from  any 
reasonable  service  which  might  at  any  time  be  imposed  upon  him.  He  was  a 
member  ex-officio  of  the  Convention's  Executive  Committee,  the  meetings  of 
which  were  frequent  and  the  business  often  laborious  ;  but  on  all  needful  occa- 
sions he  was  found  at  his  post. 

Mr.  Mercer  was  an  able  advocate  and  zealous  patron  of  education,  and  especi- 
ally of  ministerial  education.     He  took  an  active  part  in  the  effort  of  Baptists  to 
establish  a  respectable  literary  institution  at  Mount  Enon,  in  Richmond  county, 
Georgia.     He  gave,  also,  much  of  his  influence,  and  contributed  liberally  of  his 
28 


388  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

means,  to  sustain  a  Baptist  college  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  To  Mercer 
University,  from  its  beginning  to  the  close  of  his  life,  he  devoted  his  best  ener- 
gies, giving  large  sums  of  money  to  its  endowment  while  he  lived,  and  making 
it  the  principal  legatee  of  his  estate.  Of  the  bequest  thus  made  his  will  gays  : 
"  This  amount  is  to  constitute,  with  the  sum  of  the  professorship  made  by  the  Cen- 
tral Association,  a  professorship  of  Sacred  Biblical  Literature,  or  Theological 
Learning."  His  devotion  to  the  cause  of  missions  knew  no  bounds.  He  was 
himself  an  active  domestic  missionary  for  nearly  thirty  years,  a  large  portion  of 
that  time  being  actually  spent  in  itinerant  labor.  When  the  great  heart  of  the 
Baptists  of  this  continent  was  appealed  to  on  the  subject  of  foreign  missions,  he 
was  among  the  first  to  respond  to  the  call,  and  was  a  liberal  contributor  of 
money  and  influence  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

The  personal  appearance  of  Mr.  Mercer  was  well  calculated  to  arrest  the  atten- 
tion of  the  beholder,  and  fix  a  lasting  impression  on  his  mind.  No  one  that 
ever  saw  him  would  be  likely  to  forget  him.  In  height  he  rose  somewhat  above 
the  ordinary  standard  ;  in  his  young  days  he  was  spare,  but  in  his  advanced  years 
when  in  health,  he  was  moderately  corpulent.  Time  had  gradually  removed 
the  greater  portion  of  his  hair,  leaving  at  last  but  a  few  thin,  straight  locks  on 
the  sides  and  back  of  his  head,  which  still  retained  their  original  dark  brown 
color.  His  extreme  baldness  revealed  to  all  the  exact  size  and  conformation  of 
the  citadel  of  his  noble  mind.  This  conformation  was  very  remarkable.  The 
horizontal  length  of  his  head,  from  his  eye-brows  back,  was  very  great,  while  his 
forehead  seemed  to  rise  upward  with  a  gently  receding  slope  even  to  the  very 
crown,  exhibiting  a  most  striking  development  of  what  phrenologists  term  the 
organs  of  benevolence,  veneration  and  firmness.  His  eye,  which  was  of  a  hazel 
color,  and  rather  small,  and  deeply  sunk,  was  clear  and  sparkling,  and  beamed 
with  a  sweet,  mingled  expression  of  affection  and  intelligence.  What  he  ap- 
peared to  be,  he  really  was.  He  ever  proposed  to  himself  noble  and  worthy  ends, 
and  by  honest,  open,  straight-forward  means,  labored  for  their  accomplishment, 
disdaining  all  tortuous  management  and  secret  wire-pulling.  Though  he  was 
meek  and  gentle  in  spirit,  he  was  a  man  of  uncommon  firmness  and  of  great 
moral  courage.  In  matters  of  principle  and  conscience,  he  was  immovable  as  a 
rock ;  upon  what  he  deemed  important  and  vital  points,  he  was  not  afraid  to 
proclaim  his  opinions,  even  if  the  whole  world  was  to  be  arrayed  against  him. 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  especially  distinguished  for  his  clearness,  strength,  and 
originality,  rather  than  oratorical  display.  His  powers  of  analysis  were  remark- 
able, giving  him  an  easy  and  rapid  mastery  over  intricate  and  perplexing  subjects ; 
while  in  comparison  and  illustration  he  was  hardly  less  distinguished.  He  used 
illustrations  drawn  from  the  common  occurrences  of  life  with  great  skill,  giving 
brightness  and  point  and  power  to  the  great  truths  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Long 
will  he  be  held  in  honorable  estimation  as  one  that  was  a  truly  able,  pious,  instruct- 
ive and  powerful  minister  of  the  glorious  Gospel  of  the  blessed  God.  Ungodly 
men  of  cultivated  minds  listened  to  his  sermons  as  to  an  intelleciiial  treat. 
Religious  men  of  all  classes  enjoyed  them  as  affording  a  spiritual  feast  as  well. 
In  the  churches  to  which  he  preached,  and  among  the  people  where  he  labored, 
he  was  held  in  the  highest  estimation,  and  never  was  a  minister  more  deeply 
rooted  in  the  respect,  confidence,  and  affection  of  his  charge.  Childhood  and 
youth  looked  up  to  him  with  filial  regard  ;  manhood  and  old  age  were  ever  ready 
to  do  him  honor.  He  had  his  faults  and  his  enemies,  but  the  former  were  small 
in  comparison  with  his  virtues  ;  and  the  latter  could  never  dislodge  him  from  the 
affectien  and  confidence  of  the  people. 

The  death  of  his  second  wife,  which  occurred  in  May,  1841,  was  a  sore  afflic- 
tion to  him  in  his  declining  health.  Of  this  event  Mr.  Mercer  says,  in  a  letter 
to  a  Christian  friend  :  "  My  dear  brother  M.,  I  am,  this  day,  in  quite  a  changed 
state  from  that  which  I  have  occupied  for  nearly  two  years.  It  has  pleased  the 
Lord  to  end  the  confinement  under  which  I  have  been,  by  taking  to  himself  my 
dear  wife.  Yes,  she  is  gone  to  her  long  home.  .  .  .  And  straightway  the 
solitude,  cares  and  burdens  of  the  future  pour  in  upon  me  with  an  almost  over- 
whelming power."  Mr.  Mercer  did  not  long  survive  his  wife.  In  June  fol- 
lowing her   death,    he  preached  his    last   sermon   to   a   large   congregation  in 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


389 


Washington,  and  in  a  few  days  left  to  try  the  waters  of  Indian  Springs. 
On  his  way  he  spent  sometime  under  the  hospitable  roof  of  his  greatly 
esteemed  brother  and  friend,  Absalom  Janes,  at  Penfield.  On  the  4th  of 
August  he  left  Penfield,  and  journeyed  on  to  Indian  Springs.  On  the  last 
Saturday  in  August,  he  attended  the  meeting  of  brother  James  Carter,  at  the 
Springs,  and  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  accompanied  that  brother  to  his 
residence,  some  eight  miles  north  of  the  Springs,  with  the  intention,  should  his 
strength  allow,  of  prosecuting  his  journey  as  far  as  Walton,  Monroe  county,  for 
the  purpose  of  visiting  his  friends  and  relatives  in  that  place.  This  design  the 
Lord  did  not  however  permit  him  to  accompHsh — he  went  to  the  house  of  brother 
Carter  to  die,  where  he  breathed  his  last,  on  the  6th  of  September,  1841,  without 
a  struggle  or  a  groan.  Throwing  his  arms  around  the  neck  of  his  nephew,  who 
was  present,  and  drawing  him  close  to  his  lips,  he  said,  "  /  have  no  fears."  Never 
had  the  death  of  any  individual  before  or  since  called  forth  such  an  expression 
of  deep  and  universal  grief  in  all  the  Baptist  churches  of  Georgia.  A  great  and 
a  good  man  had  fallen,  and  there  was  lamentation  in  Israel. 


JOHN    HOLMES    MILNER. 

Rev.  John  Holmes  Mil- 

NERwas  the  son  of  Pitt  Milner, 

and  was  born  in  Wilkes  county, 

Georgia,  July  the  24th,    1792, 

and  died  at  his  home  in  Pike 

county,  Georgia,  March  the  9th, 

1857.     He  was  converted  and 

united  with  the  Sardis  Baptist 

church,  in  his   native   county, 

in  the  sixteenth  year  of  his  age, 

and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Jesse 

Mercer.     He  was  zealous  and 

useful  in  the  church  in  his  early 

youth,  acting  as  clerk  and  chor- 
ister, being  an  unusually  fine 

singer.    He  married,  while  quite 

young,    Elizabeth    D.    Willis, 

daughter  of  George  Willis,  and 

sister  of   James  Willis,  late  of 

Wilkes  county,  and  the  late 
Colonel  Richard  Willis,  •  of 
Greene  county.  This  was  a 
happy  marriage 

Mrs.  Milner  is  one  of  the 
best  of  women,  and  still  sur- 
vives him,  being  over  eighty- 
four  years  old.      They  raised 

eleven  children,  four  sons  and  seven  daughters,  and  he  lived  to  see  them  all 
grown,  married  and  Christians,  and  most  of  them  members  of  churches.  His 
youngest  son,  Richard  Willis,  was  killed  at  Fredericksburg.  The  balance  are 
still  living,  honored  and  useful.  After  marriage,  he  moved  to  Jones  county,  in 
1816;  thence  to  Monroe,  in  1824;  and  thence  to  Pike,  in  1835.  While  m  Mon- 
roe, he  was  a  member  of  Rocky  Creek,  a  church  about  eight  miles  northwest 
of  Forsyth.  By  this  church  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  during  a  gracious  and 
long  continued  revival,  in  1829.  In  connection  with  the  pastor,  John  M.  Gray, 
and  Elder  Thornton  Burke,  then  a  young  m.an,  he  was  singularly  useful.     He 


390 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


aided  in  meetings  on  Sabbaths,  and  during  the  week  went  from  house  to  house, 
holding  meetings  for  prayer,  singing  and  exhortation;  and  many  were  brought 
to  Jesus  by  his  ministrations,  the  Holy  Spirit  greatly  blessing  his  labors.  Just 
before  leaving  Monroe,  having  moved  his  membership  to  Shiloh,  he  was  called 
to  ordination,  John  Ross,  Jonathan  Nichols,  Joseph  Chipman  and  John  Milner 
being  the  acting  presbytery.  After  moving  to  Pike,  he  preached  to  Mount  Olive, 
Hebron,  Zebulon,  and  perhaps  other  churches  in  Pike,  and  to  Greenville  and 
Mount  Zion,  in  Meriwether,  and  often  exchanged  work  with  Elder  Jacob  King 
and  other  ministers.  He  loved  the  doctrines  of  grace,  and  few  men  understood 
them  better  than  he.  The  members  of  his  churches  were  devoted  to  him  and 
he  to  them.  The  writer,  from  childhood,  knew  him  well,  having  gone  to  school 
with  his  older  children,  and  been  reared,  in  part,  under  his  ministry,  and  can  say 
that  he  has  never  known  a  man  of  more  sterling  integrity,  deeper  piety,  and 
greater  energy  than  he.  He  accumulated  a  large  property  in  land  and  negroes 
and  gave  a  great  deal  of  his  surplus  means  to  Home,  Foreign  and  Indian  mis- 
sions, as  well  as  to  the  poor  and  needy.  Doubtless  he  gave  more  for  these 
purposes  than  he  ever  received  for  preaching.  He  was  peculiarly  prompt  to 
fulfil  all  his  promises  and  engagements.  His  influence  in  his  family  and  neigh- 
borhood, was  almost  unbounded,  and  his  name  is  hallowed  still  by  all  who  knew 
him.  He  preached  his  last  sermon  in  Zebulon-,  but  a  few  days  before  his  death, 
from  Matthew  5:13,  14.  He  died  in  a  few  hours  after  he  was  attacked  with 
congestion  of  his  lungs  and  heart — but  passed  away  triumphantly  to  the  land 
of  rest-  A  sermon  was  preached  in  commemoration  of  his  life  and  death  by 
Elder  Jacob  King.  Thus  has  passed  away  a  great  and  good  man.  His  remains 
lie  in  the  family  graveyard ;  and  upon  the  marble  slab  which  covers  them  is  the 
inscription  (at  his  own  request) :  "  A  sinner  saved  by  grace." 


PITT  S.  MILNER. 


From  a  long  line  of  preachers  comes  Rev. 
Pitt  S.  Milner,  who  was  the  son  of  Rev. 
John  Milner,  and  born  in  Wilkes  county,  Geor- 
gia, about  1 81 2.  His  father  being  a  man  anxious 
to  have  his  children  educated,  gave  this  son  all 
the  advantages  in  his  power,  that  is,  a  good 
English  education.  He  was  converted  and  joined 
the  Baptist  church,  (being  baptized  by  his  father 
in  1835,)  when  about  twenty-five  years  old,  and 
commenced  preaching  some  time  soon  after. 
It  was  his  good  fortune  to  receive  the  few  valua- 
ble books  which  had  been  of  so  much  service  to 
his  dear  father,  and  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
study  of  them.  Dr.  Gill's  Commentaries  were 
his  chosen  guide  in  the  study  of  the  Bible.  He 
was  a  good  preacher,  sound  in  doctrine  and 
a  very  gifted  man  in  prayer,  and  an  earnest 
worker  in  Sunday-schools.  He  served  many 
churches  as  pastor  in  Georgia,  but  in  1852  moved  to  Butler  county,  Alabama, 
and  was  very  useful  in  that  State  in  aiding  in  the  constitution  of  churches  and 
building  up  the  waste  places  of  Zion.  He  became  pastor  of  several  churches, 
which  he  served  until  a  year  before  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1872.  He  was 
a  man  of  sorrow,  having  suffered  some  terrible  bereavements  ;  but  Jesus  was 
his  comforter,  and  doubtless  his  grace  was  sufficient  for  him. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  39 1 


JOHN  MILNER. 

As  an  answer  to  the  prayers  and  a  reward  for  the  faithfulness  of  godly  parents, 
something  which  wears  the  appearance  of  an  entail  of  blessing  often  obtains 
even  under  this  "  dispensation  of  the  Spirit."  There  are  families,  here  and  there, 
in  which  the  Christian  ministry  seems  to  descend,  almost  like  the  Jewish  priest- 
hood, through  successive  generations.  Nor  are  such  families  wanting,  even  in 
the  religious  communion  which  rejects  the  hereditary  principle,  not  only,  as  is 
done  by  others,  in  the  matter  of  office-bearing  in  the  church,  but  also,  as  others 
should  do  to  preserve  consistency,  in  the  matter  of  church  membership.  For 
three  generations,  at  least,  the  Milner  family  belonged  to  that  class  highly-favored 
of  the  Lord.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  son  of  a  licensed,  and  the  father 
of  an  ordained,  Baptist  minister. 

Rev.  John  Milner  was  born  October  17th,  1775,  in  Oglethorpe  county,  Geor- 
gia. School  advantages  in  the  State  at  that  time,  were,  of  course,  very  partial, 
especially  as  regards  the  higher  branches  of  learning ;  but  he  was  endowed  with 
strong  native  intellect,  and  with  a  spirit  of  diligent  application  which  made  the 
best  use  of  the  facilities  within  his  reach,  and  acquired  quite  a  respectable  English 
education.  In  his  twenty-first  year,  (Decernber,  1795,)  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Eunice  Callaway,  of  Wilkes  county,  Georgia — a  lady  who  proved  a  most  effec- 
tive helper  in  the  Christian  training  of  the  eleven  children  given  to  them  as  a 
heritage  of  the  Lord. 

He  was  reared  from  his  earliest  years  under  salutary  religious  influences  ;  and 
his  wife,  shortly  after  their  marriage,  became  a  devout  follower  of  Christ.  The 
effect  of  these  things  was  seen  in  his  upright  life,  and,  conspicuously,  in  the  fact 
that  for  a  number  of  years  he  maintained  an  altar  of  family  prayer— a  duty 
which  many  church  members  find  it  in  their  heart  to  neglect.  But  he  had  not 
yet  experienced  a  saving  work  of  grace :  and  it  was  not  until  181 2  that  spiritual 
awakening  came  upon  him,  and  the  cords  that  bound  him  to  the  world  were 
snapped  asunder.  In  that  year,  after  an  unusual  depth  of  godly  sorrow  on 
account  of  sin,  and  the  very  triumph  of  joy  in  the  apprehension  of  salvation 
through  Christ,  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer  into  the  fellowship  of 
Sardis  church,  Wilkes  county,  Georgia.  He  served  his  brethren  first  as  clerk 
and  afterwards  as  deacon ;  but  there  were  longings  which  these  positions  could 
not  satisfy  and  fill,  and  he  received  license  as  an  exhorter.  In  these  employments 
time  wore  away  until  he  had  reached  his  fiftieth  year,  and  in  1825,  about  the 
date  of  his  removal  to  Jones  county,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  by  Revs. 
Malachi  Reeves,  Benjamin  Milner  and  Iveson  L.  Brooks.  His  library  consisted 
then  of  the  Bible  and  Dr.  Gill's  Commentary,  and,  with  prayer  for  divine  illumi- 
nation, he  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  these.  His  supplications  were  heard 
on  high,  and  he  became  a  minister  in  no  ordinary  degree  beloved  and  useful. 
His  vigor  of  mind,  united  to  a  heart  glowing  with  love  to  God  and  man,  and  a 
manner  in  the  pulpit  at  once  easy  and  pleasant,  caused  those  who  heard  him  once 
to  desire  to  hear  him  often ;  and  many  who  waited  on  his  ministry  heard  not 
him  only,  but  God  speaking  through  him.  Through  sunshine  and  storm,  over 
solitary,  rough  roads,  and  many  times  at  late  hours  of  the  night,  he  made  his 
way  to  his  appointments,  cheered  by  the  high  consciousness  that  he  labored  for 
eternity  and  that  his  labor  was  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord. 

His  first  ministerial  work  was  in  Jones  county,  Georgia ;  and  he  followed  the 
custom  of  the  times  in  preaching  once  a  month  to  four  different  churches.  This 
was  not  to  be  his  last  field,  however,  nor  his  most  fruitful.  He  had  purchased 
a  tract  of  land  in  Pike  county,  including  the  present  site  of  Barnesville,  and 
settled  his  oldest  son,  Willis,  there.  In  occasional  visits  to  this  son,  he  found  a 
few  scattered  believers,  whom  he  constituted  into  a  church,  still  extant  in  that 
town  and  now  flourishing  and  efficient,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  his  old 
home  church,  Sardis.  Chosen  as  its  pastor,  he  removed,  in  1827,  to  its  vicinity, 
and  served  it,  as  the  centre  of  a  widening  field  and  a  growing  influence,  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  January  31st,  184 1.     A  good  preacher,  an  excellent  discip- 


392 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


linarian,  and  a  faithful  pastor  who  never  neglected  the  widow  and  the  orphan, 
but  ministered  to  their  wants,  his  life  was  indeed  a  pure  one.  His  great  aim  in 
the  world  was,  to  do  his  Master's  will ;  and  in  his  last  days,  which  were  also  his 
best,  his  way,  down  to  its  very  close,  shone,  as  "  the  path  of  the  just "  always 
"  shines,  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day."  On  the  Sabbath  before  his  death 
he  preached  at  Sardis  church,  from  Acts  xiii :  38,  39,  and  suffered  a  slight  attack 
from  an  affection  of  the  heart,  which  returned  the  next  evening,  and  baffling 
medical  skill,  terminated  his  earthly  life  the  ensuing  Wednesday.  Among  his 
last  words  were  :  "  I  shall  die,  but  I  am  not  afraid  of  death."  "  O,  my  children, 
I  have  taught  you  the  way,  I  have  kept  the  faith." 

"  How  beautiful  it  is  for  man  to  die 
Upon  the  walls  of  Zion  !  to  be  called, 
Like  a  watch-worn  and  weary  sentinel, 
To  put  his  armor  off,  and  rest — in  heaven  !" 


ARCHIE   B.    MITCHELL. 


This  servant  of  the  Lord  was  born  23d  of  February, 
1833,  in  Franklin  county,  Georgia.  His  parents  were 
pious,  consistent  Baptists,  and  all  their  children,  nine  in 
number,  became  followers  of  the  Saviour.  He  was  the 
subject  of  deep  affliction,  but  the  Lord  raised  him  up  and 
permitted  him  to  live  a  life  of  usefulness  to  his  country 
and  his  church.  It  is  said  of  him,  "  he  never  tasted  of 
strong  drink."  One  incident  in  his  life  deserves  special 
notice,  as  it  illustrates  t'^.^e  truth,  that  a  word  fitly  spoken 
often  produces  results  for  good  which  cannot  be  estimated. 
When  the  habit  of  setting  out  the  decanter  and  all  taking  "refreshments"  to 
sharpen  the  appetite  for  dinner,  was  a  common  practice  in  many  sections,  a  ven- 
erable Christian  once  on  an  occasion  of  the  kind,  said  :  "  I  am  much  the  oldest 
man  in  the  room,  and  I  ask  you,  my  brethren,  if  you  will  not  wait  until  I  drink 
first?"  To  this  all  assented.  "You  will,  then,  wait  a  long  time,"  said  he,  and 
that  day  none  dared  to  drink.  Rev.  Archie  B.  Mitchell,  then  a  boy,  was 
present,  and  this  incident  made  an  impression  on  his  mind  that  was  never  effaced. 
In  his  early  life,  at  a  country  school  near  his  home,  he  obtained  an  acquaintance 
with  the  elementary  English  studies.  This  created  a  wish  to  advance  in  knowl- 
edge. He  managed  to  get  a  Latin  grammar,  and  at  home,  alone,  he  studied  it, 
at  odd  times,  as  best  he  could,  until  he  was  able  to  translate  the  simpler  passages 
from  the  language  with  astonishing  ease.  His  father,  learning  what  he  was 
doing  sent  him  to  the  county  academy,  and  there  he  acquired  a  fair  knowledge 
of  the  ancient  languages  and  some  of  the  higher  branches  of  mathematics.  For 
eighteen  years  he  was  engaged,  more  or  less,  in  teaching. 

In  September,  1856,  he  united  with  the  Carnesville  Baptist  church,  and  was 
baptized  by  Elder  John  G.  York.  In  January,  1867,  he  was  ordained  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry  at  Lost  Creek  church,  Alabama,  having  moved  to  that 
State.  Since  he  commenced  the  work  of  the  ministry  he  has  preached  to  a 
number  of  churches  in  eastern  Alabama  and  western  Georgia.  He  has  been 
instrumental  in  building  up  feeble  churches,  and  pointing  sinners  to  the  Lamb 
of  God.  He  is  an  earnest  and  instructive  preacher.  He  now  lives  in  the  county 
of  Cobb,  preaching  to  churches  in  his  section.  For  three  years  he  was  clerk  of 
the  Fairburn,  and  is  at  present  clerk  of  the  recently  formed  Concord  Association. 
His  first  marriage  was  to  Miss  Nancy  Mable,  in  December,  1859.  In  1865,  she 
was  removed  by  death,  leaving  four  children.  On  the  24th  of  January,  1867,  he 
formed  his  second  marriage  with  Miss  M.  C.  Colquitt,  and  by  her  has  four  chil- 
dren. He  is  in  the  prime  of  manhood,  and  with  his  industrious  habits,  and 
persevering  energy,  under  God's  blessing,  may  reach  a  high  standard  of  use- 
fulness. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  393 


A.  L.  MONCRIEF. 

Rev.  D.  H.  Moncrief  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  N.  A.  Moncrief 
were,  in  1831,  residents  of  Greene  county,  Georgia,  and 
there,  on  the  23d  of  March,  their  son,  Rev.  A.  L.  Mon- 
crief, was  born.  He  was  "  highly  favored  of  the  Lord," 
in  being  the  child  of  deeply  pious  parents,  and  was  early 
taught  the  vital  truths  of  Christianity,  by  lip  and  life,  by 
word  and  walk.  Thus,  in  the  fresh  dawn  of  life,  he  was 
made  the  subject  of  religious  impressions,  which  eventually 
led  him  to  give  up  the  pleasures  of  the  world  for  the  en- 
during happiness  of  following  the  Saviour.  During  a 
precious  season  of  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on 
the  Rehoboth  church,  Morgan  county,  in  the  summer  of  1847  or  '48,  he  found 
"  peace  in  believing,"  and  was  baptized  into  that  church  by  Rev.  J.  J.  Loudermilk. 
He  grew  increasingly  concerned  from  year  to  year  in  view  of  the  "  lost  estate  " 
of  his  fellow-men;  and  in  1854,  Hebron  church,  Gwinnett  county,  feeling  that 
there  was  work  for  him  in  the  Master's  vineyard,  granted  him  license  to  preach. 
Recognizing  the  responsibility  of  the  position  in  which  this  action  of  the  church 
placed  him,  he  did  not  sit  idly  down,  and,  with  the  presumption  which  disguises 
itself  under  a  mask  of  humility,  trust  that  "  the  Lord  would  put  words  in  his 
mouth."  On  the  contrary,  grasping  the  grand  truth  that  grace  works  with  the 
worker,  he  laid  hold,  at  the  first  opportunity,  of  such  educational  advantages  as 
came  within  his  reach.  He  matriculated  in  Mercer  University,  Penfield,  and 
enjoyed  the  instruction  of  its  faculty  during  the  years  1854  and  '55.  In  the 
autumn  of  the  latter  year,  Hebron  church  called  him  to  ordination,  which  was 
performed  by  a  presbytery  consisting  of  Revs.  W.  Hudgins,  B.  Langford,  and 
his  own  father,  D.  H.  Moncrief. 

Soon  after  his  ordination,  Mr.  Moncrief  removed  to  Pike  county,  and  was  oc- 
cupied, for  a  year,  with  the  duties  of  the  school-room,  but  preached  on  Sab- 
bath when  occasion  served.  Since  that  time  he  has  had  charge  of  churches  in 
Pike,  Taylor,  Crawford  and  Monroe  couhties.  It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note,  in 
these  days  of  pastoral  instability,  that  he  has  served  Holly  Grove  church,  Monroe 
county,  from  the  beginning  of  his  life  as  pastor,  in  1857,  to  the  present  time,  a 
period  of  over  twenty-three  consecutive  years.  Mount  Zion  church,  in  that 
county,  has  had  his  services  eighteen  years  ;  another  church,  for  the  same  period, 
with  an  interval  of  only  one  year ;  and  yet  another,  for  fifteen  years.  These 
facts  are  a  sufficient  commentary  on  the  manner  of  his  life  as  a  pastor.  To 
have  ministered  to  churches  through  such  long  seasons,  in  the  midst  of  the 
changes  which  the  spirit  of  the  times  multiplies  more  and  more  on  every  hand,  as 
though  both  preachers  and  peoples  were  "constant  only  in  inconstancy,  "seems  so 
remarkable  that  it  can  scarcely  be  necessary  to  add  anything  relative  to  his 
preaching  talent,  his  zeal  or  his  capabilities.  We  feel  constrained,  however,  to 
say  that  in  his  case,  the  pulpit  has  lost  none  of  the  power  with  which  it  was 
clothed  in  the  days  of  our  fathers.  There  may  be  a  more  polished  style,  a  more 
graceful  delivery,  a  more  attractive  voice,  in  not  a  few  ministers ;  but  his  ser- 
mons are  surpassed  by  none  in  all  the  elements  of  weight  and  strength  and 
unction — in  the  elements  which  bespeak  the  comprehensive  intellect  and  the 
large  heart,  the  one  luminous  with  the  light  and  the  other  glowing  with  the  spirit 
of  Holy  Scripture.  While  he  preaches  from  the  heart  to  the  heart,  no  churches 
are  more  soundly  or  more  thoroughly  indoctrinated  than  his,  as  is  evinced  by 
their  steady  growth  in  numbers  and  strength.  He  is  a  power,  too,  among  "  them 
that  are  without,"  many  of  whom  have  been  converted  under  his  ministry  and 
baptized  by  him.  He  has  been  wonderfully  blessed  in  health  and  has  seldom 
failed  to  attend  his  appointments.     He  gives  distinct  and  practical  recognition  to 


394  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

the  truth,  that  we  should  be  "  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,"  "  not 
because  He  needs  our  help,  but  because  he  expects  our  duty." 

He  was  married,  December  7th,  1856,  the  year  after  his  ordination,  to  Miss 
Lizzie  J.  Moore,  eldest  daughter  of  Rev.  D.  H.  Moore,  of  Forsyth,  Georgia. 


D.  H.  MONCRIEF. 

A  mother's  influence,  in  the  early  life  of  her  children,  was 
strongly  exemplified  in  the  case  of  Rev.  D.  H.  Moncrief, 
a  man  who,  without  extraordinary  gifts,  and  educated  in 
common  old  field  schools,  has,  in  his  generation,  been  ex- 
ceedingly useful  as  a  Christian  laborer.  Although  he  was 
not  ordained  until  he  was  forty  years  of  age,  yet,  not  less 
than  two  thousand  persons  have  been  baptized  by  him  as  the 
fruit  of  his  ministerial  activities.  He  was  born  in  Oglethorpe 
county,  December  19th,  1808.  In  his  early  youth  relig- 
ious impressions,  which  proved  lasting  in  their  effects, 
were  made  on  his  mind  by  a  devout  mother's  admonitions.  His  father,  a  pious 
deacon  for  many  years,  was  a  farmer  by  profession,  living  in  Greene  county, 
and  thus  it  happened  that,  like  many  others  of  the  early  Baptist  ministers 
of  Georgia,  he  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  tilled  the  soil  in  boyhood.  In  his 
twentieth  year  he  made  a  profession  of  religion,  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Jack 
Lumpkin,  and  united  with  the  Shiloh  church,  then  one  of  the  largest  churches 
of  the  Georgia  Association.  With  true  Christian  zeal  and  with  all  the  ardor  of 
a  new-born  soul,  he  engaged  forthwith,  earnestly  in  his  Christian  duties,  both 
public  and  private.  So  great  was  the  confidence  felt  in  him  by  his  brethren, 
that  he  was  ordained  a  deacon,  afterwards  licensed  to  preach  and,  in  the 
year  1848,  ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry.  He  began  at  once  to  preach  in 
season  and  out  of  season,  entering  on  the  charge  of  churches,  and  working  as 
an  Association  missionary,  according  fts  God  called  him  to  labor.  Though  not 
of  a  robust  constitution,  his  zeal  never  slackened,  and,  beyond  all  expectation, 
he  was  enabled  to  perform  more  labors  than  any  one  knowing  his  physical  con- 
stitution would  have  thought  possible.  Several  years  were  spent  by  him,  serv- 
ing the  church  at  Calhoun,  in  north  Georgia,  with  which  exception  his  labors 
have  been  spent  mostly  in  middle  Georgia,  the  vigor  of  his  life  being  devoted 
to  missionary  work  in  the  Appalachee  Association.  He  has  served  a  number 
of  churches  for  periods  ranging  from  six  to  sixteen  years. 

Though  a  man  of  peace  and  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  yet  Mr.  Moncrief  man- 
ifested his  patriotism  during  the  war,  by  assisting  in  raising  and  organizing 
companies  for  the  Confederate  army.  Amiable,  timid,  good-natured,  yet  zealous 
and  fervent  in  spirit,  Mr.  Moncrief  has  made  no  enemies  but  many  friends. 
His  modesty  equals  his  merit.  He  has  been  an  earnest  and  zealous  preacher, 
abundant  in  labors  and  privations,  passing  through  many  trials  and  much  suf- 
fering, but  doing  all  willingly  for  Christ's  sake,  and  garnering  many  sheaves  as 
the  harvest  from  his  toils,  the  full  reward  of  which  he  will  receive  hereafter 
only. 

At  thirty  years  of  age  he  was  married  to  Miss  N.  A.  Price,  of  Greene  county, 
who,  in  all  the  circumstances  of  life,  whether  adverse  or  prosperous,  proved  his 
wiser  wisdom  and  his  stronger  strength.  To  her  he  has  been  indebted  for 
much  of  the  success  of  his  labors. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  395 


GEORGE    R.    MOOR. 

Those  who  visit  the  Fairburn  Association  will  find  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  performing  the  duties  of  clerk  in  a 
business-like  way.  He  will  at  once  attract  you,  and  make 
you  feel,  "  there  is  a  man  I  shall  like,"  and  you  will  not  be 
mistaken. 

Rev.  G.  R.  Moor  was  born  in  Butts  county,  Georgia,  in 
May,  1818.  His  father  was  from  Scotland.  His  mother  died 
when  he  was  in  infancy,  and  his  father  when  he  was  seven 
years  of  age.  When  nine  years  old,  leaving  his  relatives, 
and  not  seeing  them  again  for  fifteen  years,  he  commenced 
working  to  support  himself.  In  1836,  when  quite  a  young  man,  he  entered  as  a 
volunteer  into  the  war  with  the  Seminole  and  Creek  Indians.  General  Z.  Taylor, 
witnessing  his  deeds  of  noble  daring,  placed  him  in  the  responsible  and  danger- 
ous position  of  express-bearer,  at  a  pay  of  $100.00  a  month.  He  performed  his 
duty  in  this  regard  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  commanding  officer,  as  long 
as  his  services  were  needed.  At  the  close  of  the  Indian  war,  he  settled  in  Tal- 
lahassee, Florida,  and  there  married  the  youngest  daughter  of  Professor  John 
Holmes,  in  May,  1842.  To  them  a  lovely  daughter  was  born,  and  when  she 
had  reached  her  fourth  year  she  died.  God  used  the  death  of  this  child  to  lead 
the  parents  to  repentance.  He  was  pleased  to  hear  their  cries,  and  both  father 
and  mother  were  converted  to  Jesus.  Now  came  the  great  conflict  between 
principle  and  filial  affection,  for  all  his  inclinations  led  him  to  follow  his  parents, 
who  had  been  zealously  attached  to  Wesleyan  Methodism,  and  identify  himself 
with  the  denomination  to  which  they  had  belonged.  After  the  frequent  prayer, 
"  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?"  and  careful  study  of  the  Scriptures, 
he  decided  to  unite  with  the  Baptist  church  at  Monticello,  Florida,  and  was  bap- 
tized into  its  fellowship  by  Rev.  W.  B.  Cooper.  Soon  after  he  was  licensed  to 
preach,  and,  in  1852,  at  the  request  of  New  Hope  church,  near  Monticello,  he 
was  ordained  to  the  ministry.  Anxious  to  fit  himself  the  better  for  his  work, 
and  with  the  co-operation  of  the  brethren  of  the  Florida  Association,  he  entered 
on  a  course  of  literary  study,  first  under  Professor  Childers,  of  Leon  county, 
Florida,  and  afterward  at  the  Fletcher  Institute,  Thomasville,  Georgia.  During 
this  course,  he  preached  to  four  churches  in  the  country  with  evident  success. 
In  1855,  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Griffin. 
After  serving  this  church  with  efficiency,  he  became  pastor  of  the  church  at 
Greenville,  Georgia;  and,  subsequently,  of  the  church  at  Campbellton.  He  was 
called,  after  years  of  service  at  that  point,  to  the  Third  Baptist  church,  Atlanta, 
where  he  labored  faithfully  and  fruitfully  for  two  or  three  years.  At  a  later 
period,  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Second  Baptist  church,  Conyers,  and  here  his 
work  was  blessed  of  the  Lord. 

He  taught  school  for  fifteen  years  of  this  time,  but  has  now  retired  from  the 
school  and  settled  down  at  his  quiet  home  in  Campbell  county,  devoting  his 
whole  time  to  preaching  to  country  churches.  There  have  been  few  more  labo- 
rious men  and  more  devoted  ministers  of  the  Gospel  than  George  R.  Moor. 

He  is  now  sixty-two  years  of  age,  has  been  actively  engaged  in  pastoral  service 
for  twenty-eight  years,  and  has  baptized  nearly  one  thousand  persons  into  the 
fellowship  of  his  churches.  As  a  pastor,  he  has  been  generally  successful,  giv- 
ing satisfaction  to  his  churches,  and  always  meeting  a  cordial  reception  when  he 
visits  any  of  them.  As  a  preacher,  he  is  plain  and  practical,  sound  in  doctrine 
and  practice.  He  has  a  warm  Christian  heart,  which  is  ever  ready  to  respond, 
according  to  his  ability,  to  the  wants  of  the  poor  and  destitute.  God  has 
blessed  him  with  fine  health,  clear,  strong  voice,  and  good  mental  capacities, 
and  he  is  now,  as  he  has  been  in  the  past,  consecrating  these  gifts  to  the  cause 
of  Jesus. 


SQ'^  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


D.  H.  MOORE. 

Rev.  D.  H.  Moore,  son  of  Joseph  I.  Moore,  was  born 
in  Edgefield  district,  Soutli  Carolina,  on  the  5th  of  Decem- 
ber, 181 5.  He  was  brought  to  Jones  county,  in  this  State, 
when  only  two  years  of  age,  by  his  parents,  who,  when  he 
was  twelve  years  of  age,  moved  to  Monroe  county,  being 
among  the  pioneers  who  settled  the  eastern  portion  of  the 
county.  It  was  here  that  the  boy  grew  to  manhood,  and 
began  to  map  out  for  himself  his  future  destiny.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  occupied  his  time  as  an  overseer  on  some  of 
the  larger  and  more  prosperous  farms  of  that  section. 
In  1838  he  undertook  to  superintend  a  farm  for  Mrs.  Susan  Jarrett,  a  widowed 
daughter  of  Edward  Callaway,  a  well-known  and  influential  citizen  of  Monroe 
county,  and  a  brother  of  Rev.  Joshua  Callaway.  On  the  22d  of  November  of 
that  year  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Jarrett,  who  was  a  strong  Baptist,  and  whose 
first  husband  was  also  a  Baptist.  After  his  marriage,  he  began  to  think  that  he 
had  now  taken  the  place  and  home  of  a  Christian  man,  that  his  wife  was  a 
Christian,  and  that,  spiritually,  he  was  "a  stranger  in  a  strange  land."  Then 
the  conviction  came  home  to  him  that  he  had  assumed  to  become  a  father  to 
three  fatherless  little  boys  (for  Mr.  Jarrett  had  left  three  children).  He  remem- 
bered, too,  that  he  had  learned  from  the  Sacred  Book  that  we  should  "  train  up 
a  child  in  the  way  he  should  go,"  and,  also,  that  our  children  should  be  brought 
up  "in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord."  These  reflections  brought  to 
him  a  realization  of  his  utter  dependence  and  unworthiness.  They  awoke  his 
first  convictions  of  extreme  sinfulness ;  and  these  became  more  and  more  pungent 
until  he  was  driven  for  relief  to  the  "  fountain  filled  with  blood."  In  November, 
1842,  he  was  baptized,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Kendrick,  into  the  fellowship  of  Holly  Grove 
church,  in  Monroe  county.  He  soon  began  to  feel  impressed  with  the  duty  of 
telling  others  "what  a  dear  Saviour  he  had  found." 

His  church,  recognizing,  as  they  thought,  his  call  to  the  ministry,  gave  him 
license  to  preach.  He  began  this  work,  under  the  watch-care  of  Rev.  W.  J. 
Stephens,  of  the  Flint  River  Association,  with  no  httle  trepidation  and  distrust 
of  himself.  He  soon  received  an  invitation  to  preach  at  Little  Jug  Methodist 
church,  in  Jones  county,  but  he  had  not  filled  many  appointments  here  until  the 
doors  were  closed  against  him  on  account  of  his  strong  Baptistic  doctrine.  He 
was  then  solicited  by  a  Primitive  Baptist  sister  to  preach  at  her  house  ;  but  his 
sermons  contained  too  much  of  the  missionary  spirit,  and  this  sister  was  threat- 
ened by  her  church  with  dealing  if  she  should  continue  to  allow  a  missionary 
Baptist  to  preach  in  her  house.  He  was  now  forced  to  hold  his  meetings  under 
a  rudely-constructed  arbor.  During  a  week's  meeting,  held  under  this  arbor, 
the  Spirit  of  God  accompanied  the  Word,  and  seventeen  converts  were  baptized 
into  Mt.  Zion  church,  of  Monroe  county,  which  had  extended  an  arm  over  that 
territory  for  this  purpose.  Two  also  joined  by  letter.  During  this  meeting,  the 
preachers  engaged  in  it  were  serenaded  at  night  by  drunken  bands,  with  their 
fife  and  drum,  bugles,  cow-horns,  tin-pans,  fiddles,  shot-guns,  etc.  Sometimes 
the  firing  of  guns  under  the  house  in  which  they  were  staying  was  frightful ; 
but  notwithstanding  the  threats  of  shaving  the  tails  of  the  preachers'  horses,  and 
riding  the  preachers  on  a  rail,  etc.,  the  work  went  on.  The  brethren  who  had 
joined  during  the  revival  constituted  themselves  into  a  church,  and  called  the 
young  preacher  to  the  pastorate.  This  necessitated  his  ordination  ;  and  hence 
a  presbytery,  consisting  of  Revs.  Davis  Smith,  Caswell  Purifo}',  and  W.  J.  Ste- 
phens, was  called  to  set  him  apart  for  the  great  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry. 
He  thus  entered  fully  on  labor  for  his  Master,  and  has  ever  since  been  constantly 
engaged  in  its  arduous  labors. 

During  the  time  he  has  served,  among  other  churches,  Holly  Grove  and  Mt. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


397 


Zion  in  Monroe,  Mt.  Zion  in  Pike,  Barnesville,  Knoxville,  Oak  Grove,  Bethel- 
Shiloh,  Antioch,  Hephzibah,  etc.  He  was  at  one  time  evangelist  and  colporter 
for  the  Flint  River  Association,  and  was  also  employed  as  a  missionary  by  the 
Georgia  State  Mission  Board. 

He  and  his  aged  and  afflicted  companion  now  live  with  their  son,  Dr.  K.  P. 
Moore,  at  Forsyth,  Georgia,  awaiting  the  call  of  the  Master  from  "labor  to  re- 
freshment "  in  the  glorious  Kingdom  of  everlasting  bliss, 


WILLIAM  J.  MORCOCK 


William  J.  Morcock,  was  a  native  of  South  Caro- 
lina. He  was  born  in  Beaufort  district,  January  13th, 
1830.  His  mother,  a  woman  of  culture  and  deep  toned 
piety,  instructed  him,  very  early  in  life,  in  the  knowledge  of 
the  Scriptures.  She  impressed  him  with  his  responsibilities 
and  duties  to  God  as  his  maker,  and  faithfully  and  earnestly 
unfolded  to  him  the  love  of  Jesus  for  sinners.  These  truths, 
so  faithfully  and  affectionately  taught  him  by  one  so  dear 
to  him,  he  treasured  in  his  heart.  FeeUng  that  he  loved  the 
Saviour  and  desiring  to  separate  himself  from  the  world, 
and  follow  Christ,  when  but  thirteen  years  old,  he  was  received  into  the  Beau- 
fort church  and  was  baptized  by  Dr.  Richard  Fuller,  then  its  pastor.  After 
passing  through  the  usual  course  of  preparatory  studies  at  the  schools  near 
him,  he  entered  Brown  University,  Rhode  Island,  and  graduated  with  distinc- 
tion in  1 85 1.  Then,  feeling  he  was  called  of  God  to  the  Gospel  ministry,  he 
entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey  and  finished  his 
course  of  study  there  in  1856.  He  was  a  ripe  scholar  and  an  affable  gentle- 
man. While  at  the  Seminary,  and  in  his  travels  doing  missionary  work,  he  was 
a  constant  contributor  to  the  Southern  Baptist,  Charleston,  then  under  the 
editorial  care  of  J.  P.  Tustin.  His  articles  were  always  read  with  interest  and 
profit.  He  was  at  one  time,  in  1868,  and  part  of  1870,  Professor  of  the  French 
language,  in  Monroe  Female  College,  having  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Forsyth 
in  1867. 

As  a  preacher,  Mr.  Morcock  ranked  high.  His  preaching  was  not  in  enticing 
words  of  man's  wisdom,  but  full  of  the  simplicity  of  the  Gospel,  showing  that 
his  object  was  not  to  receive  the  empty  praises  of  men,  but  to  do  good  to  the 
people  and  glorify  the  name  of  his  Saviour.  He  served  several  churches  in 
the  low  country  of  South  Carolina,  for  seven  years  before  his  removal  to  Georgia. 
During  the  war  he  was  voluntary  missionary  to  the  soldiers  on  the  coast  of  his 
native  State.  After  his  coming  into  Georgia  he  served  churches  in  the  counties 
of  Monroe,  Jasper,  Butts  and  Upson.  He  was  punctual  to  fill  his  appoint- 
ments, and  would  start  when  necessary  before  the  dawn  of  day,  and  ride  for 
fifteen  miles  on  horseback.  He  once  rode  over  a  bridge  that  was,  after  heavy 
rain,  covered  four  feet  under  water,  and  the  next  man  who  made  the  attempt 
was  drowned.  As  a  pastor  he  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  churches.  The 
sound  doctrines  proclaimed  by  him  from  the  pulpit,  his  earnest  appeals  to  sin- 
ners, his  warm,  unaffected  manners  in  his  social  intercourse,  his  uniform  and 
exemplary  piety,  commended  him  to  all  his  people.  In  the  discharge  of  his 
pastoral  duties,  he  was  prudent  and  candid.  He  was  an  advocate  in  his 
churches  and  everywhere  he  went,  of  missions,  '=-ducation,  and  of  all  our  organiza- 
tions formed  to  give  the  Gospel  to  the  nations  and  afford  opportunities  of  culture 
to  the  rising  ministry.  His  prime  object,  manifest  in  his  efforts  from  the  pulpit, 
and  his  pastoral  intercourse  with  the  people,  was  not  to  be  great  but  to  be  ttseful. 


398 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


He  was  pre-eminently  a  good  man.  What  he  was  in  public,  he  was  in  the 
home  circle.  He  was  beloved  as  a  faithful,  true  husband,  and  a  kind  and  con- 
siderate father.  He  tried  to  do  his  duty  faithfully,  to  live  a  hfe  of  prayer,  and 
to  work  for  Jesus,  leaving  results  in  the  hands  of  God.  His  strict  integrity,  his 
fidelity  and  sincerity  in  all  his  deportment,  and  his  fervent  piety,  commanded 
universal  confidence.  The  partner  of  his  bosom,  the  sharer  of  his  joys  and  his 
sorrows,  says  of  him  :  "  During  his  last  short  illness,  his  constant  theme,  and  the 
source  of  his  comfort,  was  the  hope  of  a  better  land — the  higher,  happier, 
holier  life  promised  to  the  followers  of  Christ.  The  promises  that  he  had  rested 
upon  in  the  buoyancy  of  life,  did  not  disappoint  him  when  the  time  of  affliction 
and  the  hour  of  departure  came.  As  the  light  of  life  was  gradually  disappear- 
ing, his  hope  became  brighter  and  more  assuring.  He  died  as  he  bad  lived,  a 
faithful,  trusting  Christian." 

/liSiRev.  W.  J.  Morcock  passed  away,  after  long  and  painful  suffering,  June  5th, 

1879. 


E.  S.  MORRIS. 


Rev.  E.  S.  Morris  is  a  South  Carohnian.  His  parents 
lived  in  Edgefield  district,  where  he  was  born  in  the  year 
1818.  His  father.  Rev.  Joseph  Morris,  was  a  Baptist  min- 
.  ister  for  over  twenty  years,  preaching  to  churches  in  the 
Edgefield  Association.  Nearly  all  the  relatives  of  his 
father  and  mother  were  Baptists.  He  had  a  very  limited 
education.  His  pecuniary  condition,  as  well  as  that  of  his 
father,  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  labor,  and  this  pre- 
cluded attendance  on  school.  From  a  youth  he  was  noted 
for  his  morality ;  was  free  from  habits  of  intemperance, 
and  never  played  a  game  of  cards. 

When  about  thirteen  years  of  age,  he  professed  conversion,  but  did  not  unite  with 
any  church  until  in  his  fifteenth  year,  when  he  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of 
Dog  Creek  church,  by  Rev.  William  Watkins.  In  1843  he  was  ordained  a  deacon 
of  the  Lebanon  church,  and  in  1858  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  at 
the  special  request  of  Town  Creek  church,  Edgefield,  Revs.  A.  P.  Morris,  James 
Woodward  and  W.  B.  Johnson  officiating.  He  served  the  Town  Creek  church 
a  number  of  years,  having  been  instrumental  in  its  constitution.  In  1866  he 
moved  to  Georgia,  and  aided  in  the  orgauization  of  Mount  Lebanon  and  Mount 
Zion  churches,  and  has  been  preaching  to  these  churches  since  their  constitution 
until  now,  together  with  other  churches  within  the  bounds  of  the  Hephzibah  Asso- 
ciation, in  Georgia.  He  was  married  in  1839  to  Miss  Caroline  H.  Hardy,  of  Edge- 
field district.  South  Carolina.  Thirteen  children — one  son  and  twelve  daughters, 
nine  of  whom  are  now  living — have  been  the  fruit  of  this  marriage. 

He  is  a  quiet  man,  unobtrusive  to  the  last  degree,  but  a  watchful  observer  of 
men  and  things,  and  self-reliant,  or,  rather,  reliant  on  the  truth  as  it  has  com- 
mended itself  to  him.  It  is  in  the  prayer-meeting  and  in  the  pulpit,  among  his 
own  people,  that  he  shakes  himself  loose  from  the  fetters  of  reserve,  and  his 
heart  speaks  out  its  faith,  and  zeal,  and  love.  There  he  is  simple,  faithful,  earnest, 
and  consequently  acceptable  and  useful. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS    ^  399 


T.  H.  MURPHY. 

Rev.  T.  H.  Murphy  was  born  in  Wilkes  county,  Geor- 
gia, April  loth,  1808.  His  father,  William  Murphy,  married 
Elizabeth  Hamilton,  both  of  Wilkes  county,  He  was  edu- 
cated by  Rev.  T.  B.  Slade,  at  Clinton,  Georgia,  and,  adopt- 
ing the  law  for  his  profession,  prepared  himself  for  its 
practice.  But  before  entering  on  it,  he  formed  the  acquain- 
tance of  Miss  Mary  W.  Render,  to  whom  he  was  married, 
September,  1833.  In  the  latter  part  of  that  year  he  moved 
to  Harris  county,  in  the  western  part  of  the  State,  and 
settled  on  a  farm.  He  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  in 
1857,  without  opposition,  and  re-elected  in  1838  ;  but  being  brought  into  the  king- 
dom of  God's  grace  that  year,  he  united  with  the  Beach  Spring  church,  and  retired 
from  political  life  at  the  end  of  the  session  of  1838.  He  was  ordained  as  a  deacon 
in  1839,  licensed  to  preach  in  1840,  and  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry 
in  1843,  by  a  presbytery  consisting  of  George  Grandberry,  John  W.  Cooper  and 
James  Whitten.  When  first  licensed,  in  1840,  he  began  to  preach,  and,  until 
1876,  when  age  and  infirm  health  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  retire  from  the 
regular  work  of  the  ministry,  he  gave  his  whole  time  and  attention  to  ministe- 
rial labor.  During  that  period  he  served  twenty-four  churches  as  pastor,  bap- 
tizing, as  the  result  of  his  labors,  nearly  one  thousand  persons.  For  a  time  he 
acted  as  clerk  of  the  Columbus  Association,  and  was  the  first  Moderator  of  the 
Friendship  Association.  When  the  question  of  receiving  members  into  Baptist 
churches  on  Campbellite  and  Pedobaptist  immersion  was  discussed,  at  a  meeting 
of  the  Western  Association  in  1856,  he  read  an  essay  showing  why  Baptist 
churches  cannot  recognize  such  immersion  as  valid  baptism.  The  essay  was 
adopted  and  oMered  to  be  printed  in  the  Minutes  by  a  large  majority,  though 
opposed  by  some  brethren  of  commanding  talent.  In  his  views  of  Baptist  pol- 
ity he  is  most  strict,  and  in  his  doctrinal  opinions  he  is  thoroughly  denomina- 
tional. Never  has  his  character  been  assailed  in  regard  either  to  faith  or  prac- 
tice. 

An  incident  illustrating  his  decision  of  character  may  not  be  amiss.  When 
pastor  of  Beulah  church,  Stewart  county,  in  i860,  the  church  desired  him 
to  baptize  a  candidate,  on  Sabbath,  just  previous  to  the  morning  services. 
Repairing  to  the  water's  edge,  where  he  anticipated  meeting  the  deacons  with  a 
change  of  apparel,  he  found  neither.  There  was  present  a  very  neat  and  well- 
dressed  Baptist  negro  man,  whose  clothes  Mr.  Murphy  borrowed  and  performed 
the  ceremony  in  them.  Afterwards  he  resumed  his  own  garments,  hastened  to 
the  church,  and  preached  his  morning  sermon. 

Another  incident,  characteristic  of  a  distinguished  Georgian,  will  be  found 
interesting.  In  the  early  part  of  his  married  life,  Mr.  Murphy  had  occasion  to 
obtain  legal  advice  from  Judge  Marshall  J.  Wellborn,  of  Columbus,  for  which 
he  paid  the  sum  of  seventy- five  dollars.  Time  wore  on,  and  in  1873,  after  a 
lapse  of  thirty  years,  when  Judge  Wellborn  had  become  a  member  of  the 
church  and  a  most  zealous  Baptist  minister,  greatly  beloved  and  most  highly 
esteemed,  he  returned  the  seventy-five  dollars  to  Mr.  Murphy,  saying;  "Take 
it,  brother.  It  once  passed  from  your  hands  to  mine,  for  services  easily  ren- 
dered. Having  enjoyed  the  interest  for  many  years,  I  thank  God  for  the  power 
and  the  will  now  to  return  you  the  principal." 

After  nearly  forty  years  of  active,  laborious  and  faithful  ministerial  life,  Mr. 
Murphy  is,  by  age  and  rheumatism,  incapacitated  for  further  service  in  the  cause 
he  loves  so  well ;  but  his  heart  is  still  warm  and  his  zeal  ardent,  and  his  interest 
in  the  cause  of  Christ  and  his  desire  for  the  success  of  Baptist  principles  are  as 
strong  as  ever.  Of  eight  children,  two  sons  died  at  a  tender  age  and  six  daugh- 
ters grew  to  womanhood.  On  the  5th  of  August,  1875,  his  wife  died  ;  and,  well 
stricken  in  years,  he  awaits  the  summons,  "Come  up  higher." 


400 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


JOSEPH  SAMUEL  MURROW. 


When  Providence  has  a  special  work  for  a  man, 
he  is  fitted  for  that  work.  Judged  by  this  rule, 
Providence  undoubtedly  designed  Rev.  JOSEPH 
Samuel  Murroav  for  a  missionary  among  the 
Indians  of  the  far  West,  so  admirably  adapted  to 
the  position  has  he  proved  himself  to  be.  Born 
June  7th,  1835,  near  Louisville,  Jefferson  county, 
Georgia,  his  parents  were  John  and  Mary 
Amelia  Murrow,  the  former  a  native  of  South 
Carolina,  and  the  son  of  William  Murrow,  one  of 
Marion's  men,  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  John 
Murrow  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty,  and,  for  fifty 
years,  was  a  preacherof  the  Gospel,  leading  a  life 
of  usefulness  before  God  and  man,  and  develop- 
ing traits  of  morality  and  strict  integrity  which 
characterized  his  whole  life,  and  left  a  strong  im- 
press upon  his  children.  "  Tell  them,"  said  he, 
on  his  death-bed,"  that  I  leave  them  no  inheri- 
tance save  the  odor  of  a  life  free  from  some  of  the  vices  of  the  world.  I  have 
never  sworn  an  oath.  I  never  drank  intoxicating  spirits,  nor  used  tobacco.  I 
never  violated  my  own  or  another's  chastity  in  all  my  hfe."  The  maiden  name 
of  Mary  Amelia  Murrow  was  Badger.  Born  and  raised  in  Charleston,  and  in- 
heriting considerable  property,  she  was  intelligent  and  refined.  Her  strong  yet 
sweet  character  was  deeply  engraved  on  all  her  children,  and  both  husband  and 
children  acknowledged  her  grace  and  worth,  and  delighted  to  do  her  reverence. 
Joseph  Samuel  was  the  youngest  child,  and  the  pet  of  his  mother,  who  taught 
him  from  infancy  the  principles  of  the  Bible,  morning  and  evening  finding  him 
at  his  mother's  knee  saying  his  prayers.  He  attended  the  old-field  school  two 
miles  from  Whitesville,  in  Effingham  county,  and,  when  fifteen  years  old,  M^as 
sent  to  the  Springfield  Academy,  a  celebrated  school  of  those  days,  taught  by 
Mr.  Henry  R  Hawley.  Quite  a  number  of  boys  from  the  best  and  wealthiest 
famiUes  in  Savannah  attended  this  school  and  boarded  with  Mr.  Hawley.  Joseph 
Murrow  was  employed  by  him  as  monitor  over  his  boarders,  a  responsible  and 
trying  position,  for  which  service  he  received  his  own  board  gratis.  He  united 
with-  the  Green  Fork  church  in  1854,  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  the  follow- 
ing year  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel.  He  entered  Mercer  University  as 
a  Sophomore,  half-advanced,  in  January,  1856,  pursued  his  studies  diligently  and 
stood  well  in  his  class.  Upon  the  recommendation  of  Rev.  Joseph  Walker, 
then  Secretary  of  the  Domestic  and  Indian  Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Bap- 
tist Convention,  he  was,  in  1857,  appointed  by  the  Rehoboth  Association  as  a 
missionary  to  the  Indians  in  the  West.  The  Association  met  that  year  at  Macon, 
Georgia,  and  he  was  ordained,  in  a  series  of  very  solemn  exercises,  by  a  large 
presbytery,  including  Adiel  Sherwood,  J.  H.  Campbell,  Russell  Holman,  Jacob 
King,  Hiram  Powell,  B.  F.  Tharp,  S.  Landrum,  and  H.  C.  Hornady.  Without 
delay  he  proceeded  to  his  field  of  labor,  stopping  only  for  two  weeks  in  Mississippi 
to  be  united  in  matrimony  to  Miss  Mannie  Elizabeth  Tatom.  After  a  very  te- 
dious journey  they  arrived,  on  the  13th  of  November,  1857,  at  North  Fork  Town, 
Indian  Territory,  the  residence  of  Rev.  H.  F.  Buckner,  a  missionary  of  the 
Domestic  and  Indian  Mission  Board,  now  called  the  Home  Mission  Board.  It 
so  happened  that  Mr.  Buckner  was  absent  in  Kentucky  at  the  time,  and  our 
young  missionary,  then  twenty-two  years  of  age,  was  left  entirely  to  his  own 
resources.  However,  he  proved  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  well  adapted  to  the 
work  assigned  him;  for  he  entered  earnestly  and  heartily  on  his  work,  travelling, 
preaching  and  baptizing  as  occasion  demanded.  His  labors  were  richly  blessed, 
and  he  soon  became  very  popular.     Eight  months  had  barely  rolled   around, 


OF   PROMINENT    BAPTISTS.  4OI 

however,  before  his  beloved  companion  was  stricken  down  with  fever,  caused 
by  the  malaria  of  the  country,  and,  after  lingering  two  more  months,  she  died. 
She  was  a  very  lovely  woman,  peculiarly  fitted  for  mission  service.  Attacked 
himself  now  by  chills  and  fever  of  long  continuance,  Mr.  Murrow  labored  under 
disheartening  circumstances,  to  which  most  men  would  have  succumbed;  but 
with  him  the  effect  was  entirely  different.  Feeling  that  his  work  was  all  he  had 
to  live  for,  and  utterly  reckless  as  to  personal  consequences,  he  mounted  his  pony 
and  set  forth  regardless  of  chills  and  fever,  remitting  no  part  of  his  work.  In 
summer  heat  and  winter  cold,  he  rode  far  and  near,  preaching  the  Gospel,  out 
on  the  frontier  of  the  Creek  Nation,  near  by,  among  all  the  tow*  and  villages 
that  would  receive  his  ministry.  Sometimes  the  Indians  would  refuse  to  hear 
him;  at  other  times  they  woulcl  listen,  but  afterwards  cleansing  water  would  be 
sprinkled  all  over  the  house  and  yard  which  had  witnessed  his  ministrations. 

Thus  did  he  triumph  over  affliction  and  conquer  disease  by  zeal  and  personal 
consecration.  He  baptized  over  two  hundred  persons  among  the  Creeks,  con- 
stituted several  churches,  and  did  much  other  faithful  work  during  those  days 
of  zealous,  sorrowful  labor. 

In  1859  he  married  Miss  Clara  Burns,  daughter  of  Rev.  Willis  Burns,  a  South- 
ern Baptist  Missionary  to  the  Choctaws.  This  excellent  lady  and  valuable  mis- 
sionary lived  nine  years  as  his  wife,  when  she  too  died.  Of  four  children,  two 
survived  her,  and  one  only,  Cogee,  now  lives,  bidding  fair  to  become  a  worthy 
successor  to  her  devoted,  mother  in  the  Indian  mission  work. 

Mr.  Murrow  constituted  the  first  church  in  the  Seminole  Nation,  in  February, 
1 86 1.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  was  elected  by  the  Seminole  Council  as  their 
choice  for  Agent  under  the  Confederate  government;  was  appointed  accord- 
ingly, and  served  as  such  during  the  entire  war.  The  Indian  Territory  became 
the  fighting  ground  of  the  guerillas  on  both  sides — Kansas  Jayhawkers  on  one 
side,  and  Texas BusJnuhackers  on  the  other — and  the  country  was  devastated.  By 
dividing,  part  going  with  the  North  and  part  with  the  South,  the  Indians  aided 
in  this  destruction.  All  of  them  left  their  homes  and  became  refugees.  But,  in 
the  midst  of  all  this  fearful  anarchy,  Mr.  Murrow  remained  at  his  post,  faithful 
to  all  his  duties.  He  was  appointed  Subsistence  Commissary  of  the  Confeder- 
ate government,  to  supply  the  destitute  Indian  families  with  food,  several  thous- 
ands of  whom  encamped  in  the  woods  on  the  banks  of  the  Red  River,  and  were 
thus  on  his  hands.  The  daily  issue  of  rations  of  beef,  flour,  salt,  meal,  etc,  for 
three  thousand  or  four  thousand  Indian  women  and  children  was  under  his  sole 
management,  and  through  his  hands  passed  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars, 
without  the  slightest  hint,  in  any  quarter,  of  defalcation.  All  during  those  sad 
years  of  war,  Mr.  Murrow  continued  his  missionary  labor  unintermittingly. 
Whenever  the  "  camp  "  was  changed,  a  bush-arbor  for  Christian  worship  was 
always  constructed  first.  He  baptized  during  the  war  over  two  hundred  Sem- 
inoles  and  Creeks,  and,  when  the  war  closed,  the  little  Seminole  church,  which 
numbered  thirty  when  the  Nation  first  fled  for  safety,  went  back  to  its  own  terri- 
tory with  more  than  1 50  members.  One  of  the  last  acts  performed  by  Mr.  Mur- 
row when,  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  sent  the  church  back  to  its  own  Nation  and 
turned  his  face  towards  Texas  for  a  year's  sojourn,  was  to  ordain  John  Jumper 
and  James  Factor — the  former  Chief  and  the  latter  Interpreter,  of  the  Semin- 
oles — both  of  whom  have  since  been  good  and  faithful  religious  leaders.  Among 
that  nation  there  are  now  several  hundred  Baptists,  and  several  Baptist  churches, 
all  the  fruits  of  Rev.  John  Jumper's  labors  and  teachings. 

In  1867  Mr.  Murrow  settled  at  A-to-ka,  in  the  Choctaw  Nation,  and  began 
the  work  of  reorganization.  He  found  the  Choctaw  churches  greatly  scattered 
and  demoralized,  without  pastors  and  without  organization.  With  great  organ- 
izing capacity  he  combined  industry  and  popularity,  and  possessed,  also,  the 
unbounded  confidence  of  the  Indians.  Yet  it  required  four  years  of  hard  labor 
to  approximate  success.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  in  1872,  he  issued  a  call  for 
the  churches  of  the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  Nations  to  meet  at  A-to-ka  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  an  Association.  Sixteen  churches  responded.  The 
Association  was  organized  systematically — a  Constitution,  Articles  of  Faith  and 
of  Decorum  and  Rules  of  Order  were  adopted.     The  Association  now  contains 


402 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


twenty-six  churches,  with  more  than  one  thousand  members  ;  and  at  their  annual 
meetings  delegates  regularly  appointed  are  sent  up  with  letters,  and  money  for 
missions,  minutes,  etc.  The  Sunday-school  work  has  become  a  leading  feature 
in  the  Association,  and  nearly  all  the  churches  report  Sunday-schools. 

It  may  not  be  amiss,  in  conclusion,  to  summarize  the  labors  of  the  earnest, 
devoted,  amiable  and  self-sacrificing  missionary  from  Georgia.  He  has,  during 
his  missionary  labors  of  twenty-three  years,  baptized  more  than  eight  hundred 
persons,  most  of  whom  were  Indians.  He  has  constituted  and  aided  in  consti- 
tuting seventeen  churches  ;  has  ordained  and  aided  in  ordaining  fourteen  preach- 
ers ;  has  organized  Sunday-schools  all  over  his  field.  Not  to  speak  of  the  great 
moral  power  exerted  by  tiim  and  his  work,  these  are  great  achievements.  It 
may  be  added  that  the  mission  among  the  Choctaws  is  now  largely  self-sustain- 
ing. But,  under  God,  to  whom  the  glory  should  be  ascribed,  the  credit  of  this 
work  as  His  instrument,  is  really  due  to  the  Rehoboth  Association,  of  Georgia, 
which  has  unflinchingly  sustained  Mr.  Murrow  in  all  these  years. 


J.    M.    MUSE. 

Rev.  J.  M.  Muse  was  born  in  Wilkes  county,  Georgia, 
October  i6th,  1818.  His  parents  died  during  his  infancy, 
and  he  was  reared  by  his  grandmother,  Elizabeth,  and  his 
step-grandfather,  Daniel  Stalker.  Little  interest  being 
manifested  on  the  subject  of  education  in  his  early  life,  he 
was  largely  deprived  of  its  advantages ;  going  to  school 
only  a  few  years,  and  only  from  one  to  three  months  each 
year.  As  he  grew  toward  manhood,  however,  his  thirst 
for  knowledge  increased,  and  he  became  a  great  reader. 
From  his  youth,  the  Bible  has  been  his  most  frequent 
companion  in  hours  of  study,  and  now  he  is  willing  to  endorse  other  religious 
works  just  so  far  as  they  are  in  accordance  with  it,  and  no  farther.  In  his  boy- 
hood his  mind  was  profoundly  impressed  on  the  subject  of  religion  during  a 
prayer  offered  up  in  Scotch  brogue  by  his  grandfather,  one  night  when  his  grand- 
mother was  absent  from  home.  There  were  but  those  two  present,  and  yet,  as 
usual,  they  knelt  at  the  family  altar.  The  old  man  after  praying  for  his  com- 
panion and  himself,  prayed  for  the  stripling,  simply,  fervently,  asking  that  he 
mjf^ht  be  kept  from  the  temptations  of  youth,  made  a  true  follower  of  Christ, 
and  put  into  the  ministry  of  reconciliation. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  P.  Matthews,  at  Friendship 
church,  Wilkes  county.  He  removed,  in  1852,  to  Carroll  county,  joined  the 
church  at  Carrollton,  and  was  a  constituent  member  of  Bethel  church  at  its 
organization.  In  1855  he  was  made  a  deacon  and  was  licensed  to  preach.  He 
was  ordained,  January  1858,  by  Revs.  J.  Reeves,  T.  Burke  and  J.  Riggs,  and 
took  charge  of  Macedonia  church,  which  he  served  continuously  for  twenty 
years,  except  one  year  spent  in  the  army  as  missionary  of  the  Tallapoosa  Asso- 
ciation. He  has  served  other  churches  in  Carroll  and  adjacent  counties,  with 
great  success,  baptizing  as  many  as  165  persons  in  one  church,  as  in  the  army 
he  baptized  over  200  soldiers.  For  five  years  he  has  been  constrained,  by  feeble 
health,  to  restrict  his  labors,  and  is  pastor  at  present  only  of  Ephesus  church, 
Douglas  county.  He  was  elected  Moderator  of  Tallapoosa  Association  in  1865, 
and  filled  the  chair  for  nine  years,  and,  on  the  constitution  of  Carrollton  Asso- 
ciation, in  1874,  held  the  same  position  in  it  for  two  years.  During  all  this  time 
there  was  but  a  single  appeal  from  his  decision,  and  in  that  case  he  was  over- 
whelmingly sustained  by  the  body. 

He  has  been  twice  married,  first,  to  Miss  Martha  E.  Howard,  and  afterward 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


403 


to  Miss  Cynthia  J.  Turner,  both  of  Wilkes  county,  and  has  eleven  living  children- 
He  is,  strictly  speaking,  a  doctrinal  preacher,  recognizing  God  as  the  author  of 
all  good,  this  good  as  v^^rought  according  to  His  own  eternal  purpose,  and  this 
purpose  as  displayed  in  keeping  His  chosen  ones,  by  His  power,  through  faith, 
unto  salvation.  He  is  widely  known  as  a  Landmark  Baptist,  and  endeavors  to 
practice  what  he  preaches. 


THOMAS  MUSE. 


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Rev.  Thomas  Muse  was  born  in  Middlesex 
county,  Virginia,  January  6th,  1810.  His  grand- 
parents were  English  emigrants.  Neither  his 
father,  Elliott  Muse,  nor  his  mother,  Elizabeth 
T.  Corbun,  ever  made  a  public  profession  of 
religion,  though  the  latter  was  deemed  a  pious 
woman,  and  labored  to  rear  her  children  in  the 
fear  of  God.  His  grandfather,  Richard  Corbun, 
was,  at  the  opening  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
an  English  Major,  and  was  kept  under  guard  by 
the  Americans  during  the  entire  struggle  for  in- 
dependence. He  was  very  wealthy,  and  had 
settled  in  Virginia  at  an  early  date. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  became  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits,  in  Virginia,  which  occu- 
pation he  pursued  for  fourteen  years.  In  1832, 
September  14th,  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  George 
Northam,  and  immediately  began  to  give  evi- 
dence of  regeneration  by  exhorting  those  around  him  to  repentance  and  faith. 
Four  years  afterwards  Mr.  Muse  moved  to  Georgia,  and  found  an  inviting  field 
of  labor  in  Blakely,  Early  county,  where  he  continued  to  pursue  the  mercantile 
business.  Although  recognized  simply  as  an  exhorter,  with  no  church  nearer 
than  ten  miles,  he  labored  zealously  in  the  face  of  much  opposition.  Soon  many 
were  converted  and  a  church  was  organized.  By  this  church  Mr.  Muse  was 
licensed,  May  7th,  1837,  and  called  to  ordination  in  December,  1840,  Edmund 
Tolbert,  James  Mathews,  Jonathan  Davis,  John  Rush  and  James  Lunsford  con- 
stituting the  presbytery.  The  membership  of  the  church  had  increased  to  two 
hundred  when  he  went,  subsequently,  to  reside  at  Cuthbert,  Georgia,  and  as- 
sumed other  pastoral  relations.  In  his  new  field  the  same  success  attended  his 
labors,  and  he  soon  saw  the  membership  of  the  Cuthbert  church  attain  three 
hundred. 

As  a  pastor  and  minister,  Mr.  Muse  is  laborious  beyond  measure.  Far  beyond 
what  is  granted  to  most  pastors  has  he  succeeded  in  winning  souls  to  Christ, 
having,  with  his  own  hands,  baptized  at  least  three  thousand  converts.  As  might 
be  expected,  he  has  ever  been  greatly  beloved  by  his  churches,  and  his  pastorates 
have,  in  length,  varied  from  four  to  twenty  years. 

When  it  was  determined  to  establish  the  Baptist  Female  College  of  Southwest 
Georgia,  Mr.  Muse  was  appointed  agent  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  funds,  and 
soon  fifteen  thousand  dollars  were  secured,  two  thousand  of  which  were  con- 
tributed by  Mr.  Muse  himself.  He  was  made  a  trustee  of  this  institution,  and  in 
a  short  time  became  president  of  the  board,  which  position  he  still  sustains. 
During  the  year  1861  he  was  elected  Moderator  of  the  Bethel  Baptist  Associa- 
tion, in  southwest  Georgia,  and  has  been  annually  re-elected  to  the  present  time. 
The  Bethel  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important  of  the  Baptist  Associations 
of  Georgia,  and  for  a  period  of  forty  years  Mr.  Muse  has  been  actively  engaged 
29 


404 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


in  all  its  interests,  during-  which  time  he  has  been  absent  from  its  sessions  but 
once  only,  and  then  from  a  providential  cause. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  1840,  Mr.  Muse  was  married  to  Mrs.  J.  H.  Jenkins, 
of  Cuthbert,  from  whom  he  was  called  upon  to  part  May  nth,  1876.  She  was 
a  most  estimable  lady,  and  he  attributes  his  success  as  a  minister  largely  to  her 
co-operation.     His  present  wife  was  Mrs.  S.  E.  Ellington. 


H.  NEESON. 


Rev.  H.  Neeson,  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  the  son 
of  a  distinguished  physician.  When  a  youth  he  chose 
the  profession  of  his  father,  and  attended  for  three  years, 
the  lectures  of  the  Royal  School  of  Surgery  at  Dublin. 
Before  completing  the  live  years'  course  required  by  the 
laws  of  that  institution,  he  came  to  this  country.  Here 
he  resumed  his  studies  and  graduated  in  medicine. 

Dr.  Neeson  was  by  birth  and  training  an  Episcopa- 
lian, and  for  a  number  of  years  held  membership  in  the 
Established  Church.  But  after  his  emigration  to  Amer- 
ica, while  attending  a  Baptist  meeting,  he  was  brought  to 
see  the  necessity  of  the  new  birth  and  to  realize  that  as  an  unregenerate  man  he 
was  still  "in  the  gall  of  bitterness  and  in  the  bond  of  iniquity."  Renouncing 
the  hopes  based  on  an  outward  "sacramental"  form,  ministered  by  human  hands, 
he  sought  earnestly  the  great  inward  spiritual  change  wrought  by  the  power  of 
God.  Pardon  and  peace  came  to  him,  through  the  quickening  energy  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  The  study  of  the  Scriptures  profoundly  impressed  him  with  the 
correctness  of  Baptist  principles  and  practices.  He,  therefore,  forsook  the 
Church  of  his  fathers  and  cast  in  his  lot  with  our  people.  In  course  of  time  he 
awoke  to  the  conviction  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  his  fellow- 
creatures,  and  his  bosom  glowed  with  ardent  desire  to  see  all  men  coming  to 
"  the  fountain  for  sin  and  uncleanness."  He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry,  and 
for  several  years  preached  regularly. 

He  had  an  extensive  acquaintance  with  Baptists  throughout  our  State,  and 
was  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him ;  especially  by  the  citizens  of  Washington, 
Wilkes  county,  where  he  lived  for  many  years,  and  where  he  died.  His  piety 
was  of  that  vital,  earnest,  deep  type,  which  in  these  days  of  religious  formalism 
is  rarely  cultivated.  The  exposure  of  the  false  trust,  built  on  no  other  founda- 
tion than  the  efficacy  of  external  observances,  which  had  long  kept  him  in  car- 
nal security,  never  allowed  him  to  forget  that  true  religion  is  "  the  life  of  God 
in  the  soul  of  man."  The  nature  of  genuine  Christian  experience  was  always 
the  more  vividly  before  his  mind,  because  he  had  worn  the  fetters  of  the  spuri- 
ous. Hence,  he  gave  unmistakable  evidence  that  he  was  controlled  by  the  vital 
principles  of  godliness,  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  as  husband,  father,  citizen 
and  church-member.  And  yet  he  never  obtruded  his  religion  on  the  notice  of 
others.  Indeed,  his  native  reserve  and  his  characteristic  self-distrust  caused 
him  to  shrink  unduly  from  posts  of  public  observation  and  of  responsible  action. 
But  in  the  sphere  which  his  modesty  permitted  him  to  enter,  he  thought  and 
prayed  and  lived  for  Christ. 

The  later  years  of  this  good  man  were  clouded  by  adversity ;  he  was  not 
exempt  from  the  affliction  which  is  the  heritage  of  human  depravity  and  the 
discipline  of  Christian  excellence.  But  during  all  this  period  of  perplexity  and 
trouble  he  was  patient,  and  his  trust  in  God  remained  unshaken.  A  fitting 
close  to  his  life  of  faith  and  of  resignation  were  the  last  few  days  of  his  sojourn 
in  the  flesh.     Through  the  whole  of  his  protracted  and  painful  illness,  he  spoke 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  405 

frequently  of  the  hope  which  is  "  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul  both  sure  and  stead- 
fast," and  seemed  anxious  to  exchange  his  "  home  in  the  body  "  for  his  better 
"  home  with  the  Lord."  He  felt  that  his  work  was  finished  and  longed  for  "the 
rest  that  remains  to  the  people  of  God."  Only  one  regret  escaped  his  lips 
through  all  his  sickness,  and  that  was,  his  inability  to  be  with  the  brethren  in 
their  hours  of  public  worship.  And  at  last,  on  a  cloudless  April  Sunday,  God 
summoned  him  to  a  place  among  the  worshippers 

"  Where  congregations  ne'er  break  up, 
And  Sabbaths  have  no  end." 


PETER    NORTHEN. 

Though  not  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  the  prominent 
official  positions  which  Peter  Northen  held  in  the 
Baptist  denomination  in  Georgia,  as  well  as  the  high 
esteem  secured  to  him  by  his  marked  integrity  and  piety, 
entitle  him  to  at  least  a  brief  notice  in  this  volume.  He 
was  of  Scotch  descent,  and  came  from  an  ancestry  noted 
for  strength  of  character  and  great  industry.  He  was 
the  son  of  William  and  Margaret  Northen,  and  was  born 
in  North  Carolina,  April  7th,  1794.  When  he  was  quite 
young,  his  father  removed  to  Georgia,  settling  first  near 
Powellton,  and  afterwards  in  Jones  county,  where  he  very  soon  died,  leaving  his 
family  but  little  of  this  world's  goods.  The  educational  advantages  of  the  son 
were  limited,  but  being  fond  of  books,  by  diligent  application  and  constant 
study  he  greatly  added  to  his  stock  of  knowledge,  and  trained  and  disciplined 
his  naturally  vigorous  mind. 

He  married  Miss  Louisa  Davis,  of  Jones  county,  January  i6th,  1817.  In 
1 82 1,  he  and  his  wife  united  with  the  Flat  Shoals  church,  and  were  baptized  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Talbot.  It  was  not  long  before  he  was  ordained  to  the  office  of  dea- 
con in  that  church.  He  represented  Jones  county  in  several  sessions  of  the 
Legislature,  and  for  a  time  engaged  warmly  in  politics  ;  but  finding  that  such  a 
career  materially  interfered  with  his  Christian  life,  he  withdrew  from  it.  In 
1840,  he  left  Jones  county,  took  charge  of  the  Steward's  Hall,  at  Mercer  Insti- 
tute, and  had  supervision  of  the  manual  labor  department  then  connected  with 
the  Institute.  This  position  he  held  as  long  as  that  feature  in  the  Institute  was 
continued.  On  its  abolition,  he  returned  to  farming.  For  many  years  he  was 
treasurer  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  and  discharged  his  responsible 
duties  to  the  full  satisfaction  of  his  brethren. 

He  had  born  to  him  seven  daughters  and  four  sons.  As  a  father,  he  was 
devoted  to  his  children,  and  ever  ready  to  make  any  reasonable  sacrifice  for  their 
comfort  and  happiness ;  and  yet  no  one  was  more  positive  in  forbidding  im- 
proper indulgences,  none  more  strict  in  requiring  perfect  obedience.  On  the 
one  hand  he  was  positive  without  being  rash,  and  strict  without  being  severe, 
and  on  the  other  considerate  and  kind  without  being  over-indulgent. 

His  early  necessities  taught  him  to  be  self-reliant  and  his  successes  encouraged 
him  to  increased  effort.  This,  together  with  his  strong  common  sense  and  good 
judgment,  made  him  a  thoroughly  practical  man. 

In  person,  he  was  stout,  with  dark  brown  eyes,  gentle  in  expression,  but  giving 
unmistakeable  evidence  of  strong  purpose.  His  temperament  was  rather  nerv- 
ous, but  not  too  impulsive ;  his  manner  commanding,  but  his  bearing  gentle  and 
kind. 

Peter  Northen  was  a  quiet  man,  and  did  not  often  speak  of  what  he  had  done. 
He  did  not  let  his  left  hand  know  what  his  right  hand  did  ;  and  hence,  with 


4o6 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


regard  to  his  work  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  in  the  way  of  pecuniary  contribu- 
tions, we  can  say  only  that  he  was  hberal  even  beyond  his  means,  and  that  the 
interests  of  the  church  and  the  interests  of  humanity  never  suffered  from  his 
indifference.  He  was  a  pronounced  Baptist.  A  warm  supporter  of  Mercer 
University,  he  gave  much  of  his  time  and  much  of  his  means  to  its  support. 
Nothing  about  him  was  narrow  or  selfish  ;  but  he  always  felt  a  deep  interest  in 
matters  of  public  concern.  He  was  generous  without  ostentation,  a  friend 
without  hypocrisy,  and  a  Christian  without  cant. 

In  the  fall  of  1862,  in  his  sixty-ninth  year,  he  raised  a  company  of  infantry, 
entered  the  Confederate  service  as  its  captain,  and  remained  with  it  on  the  coast 
of  Georgia  during  the  winter.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Greene  county,  Georgia, 
January  23d,  1863,  after  a  short  but  very  painful  illness.  "  In  life,  he  exhibited 
all  the  graces  of  the  Christian  ;  in  death,  his  spirit  returned  to  God  who  gave  it." 


WILLIAM  H.  NORTON. 


Rev.  William  H.  Norton  was  reared  in  Lee  county, 
Georgia.  The  writer  of  this  sketch  remembers  him  as, 
when  quite  a  youth,  a  member  of  the  first  Sunday-school 
organized  at  Thundering  Spring  church.  He  then  mani- 
fested a  deep  interest  in  the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
his  lessons  were  always  carefully  prepared.  This  hiding 
of  the  Word  of  God  as  a  treasure  in  his  heart  took  effect 
in  ±e  year  1864,  when  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  E.  W. 
Warren,  and  received  into  the  First  Baptist  church,  Ma- 
con. It  was  thus  seen  that  the  true  learner  becomes  a 
believer.  It  was  also  to  be  seen  that  the  true  believer  becomes  a  teacher  ;  for 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  Thundering  Spring  church  in  1866,  and  in  1873,  at 
the  request  of  that  church,  Revs.  J.  Shackelford,  T.  J.  Adams  and  C.  M.  Irwin 
ordained  him  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  From  1865  to  1874  he  was  prose- 
cuting a  thorough  course  of  hterary  and  theological  education,  and  most  of  his 
time  was  devoted  to  study.  His  vacations,  however,  were  given  to  preaching, 
wherever  an  opportunity  was  afforded,  with  Jonathan  Davis,  T.  J.  Pilcher,  J.  R. 
Young,  and  other  ministers.  After  passing  through  Mercer  University,  where 
he  took  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1871,  he  spent  parts  of  three  years  at  the  South- 
ern Baptist  Theological  Seminary.  Since  his  return  from  the  Seminary,  he  has 
been  actively  engaged  in  ministerial  labor  in  Clay,  Early,  Stewart  and  Randolph 
counties,  Georgia,  and"  Barbour  county,  Alabama.  He  has  served  eight  churches, 
manifesting  commendable  zeal  and  enjoying  the  full  confidence  of  his  charges. 
The  presence  of  the  Lord  with  him  has  been  shown  by  evident  tokens  ;  for  sin- 
ners have  been  converted,  believers  established  in  the  faith,  and  destitute  neigh- 
borhoods blessed  with  the  organization  of  new  churches.  His  present  impor- 
tant field  of  labor  is  Blakely,  Early  county,  and  two  other  churches  in  its  vicinity. 
He  is  a  young  man  of  promise,  by  reason  alike  of  culture  and  of  piety ;  and  in 
the  good  work  for  Christ  and  His  Church  which,  with  the  divine  blessing,  he 
must  do,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  true  teacher  becomes  an  upbuilder  of  "  the  liv- 
ing temple  "  among  men. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


407 


GUSTAVUS  ALONZO  NUNNALLY. 


One  of  the  most  brilliant  of  the  young  Bap- 
tist ministers  of  Georgia,  is  Rev.  Gustavus 
Alonzo  Nunnally,  the  able  and  efficient 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Rome.  He  is  a  man 
of  wonderful  energy  and  mental  activity,  and 
his  strong  physical  constitution  and  vigorous 
mind,  united  to  a  most  fertile  imagination 
and  ambitious  spirit,  have  not  only  enabled 
him  to  achieve  more  than  men  ordinarily  do, 
but  would  have  bestowed  success  on  him  in 
almost  any  vocation. 

His  parents,  William  Branch  Nunnally  and 
Mary  Hall  (Talbot)  Nunnally,  were  originally 
Virginians,  and  were  among  the  first  settlers 
in  Walton  county,  Georgia.  His  mother  en- 
joyed all  the  advantages  of  education  to  be 
had  in  those  days,  while  the  father  was  a  man 
of  limited  culture,  though  of  strong  mind. 
They  both  gave  great  attention  to  the  educa- 
tion of  their  children,  and,  as  far  as  ability  extended,  provided  them  with  good 
facilities  for  mental  development.  Gustavus  Alonzo,  born  March  24th,  1841, 
was  the  youngest  son,  and  enjoyed  superior  advantages  and  every  needed  ap- 
pliance for  intellectual  discipline.  He  was  quite  precocious,  and  in  early  life 
displayed  talents  and  genius  which  excited  the  admiration  and  encouraged  the 
hopes  of  his  friends.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  entered  the  Freshman  class  in  the 
State  University,  at  Athens,  and  graduated  with  the  second  honor  at  eighteen,  the 
subject  also  of  a  public  announcement  that  he  was  the  youngest  student  who  had 
ever  completed  the  University  curriculum.  It  is  said  that  at  eleven  years  of  age  he 
had  mastered  the  entire  mathematical  course  of  the  State  University,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Calculus.  In  college  he  easily  led  all  his  classes,  and,  doubtless,  would 
have  secured  the  first  honor  had  not  failing  health  forced  him  to  retire  from  college 
during  two  months  of  the  Senior  year,  for  recuperation.  While  in  the  Junior 
class,  at  the  college,  a  sad  providence  befell  Mr.  Nunnally  :  his  father  was  stricken 
with  congestion  of  the  brain  and  expired  in  a  few  minutes.  This  painful  be- 
reavement produced  a  notable  effect,  for,  except  the  loss  of  one  infant,  it  was  the 
first  death  in  a  family  of  forty,  including  grandchildren.  ThougJi  both  parents 
were  recognized  as  devoted  Christians  who  sought  earnestly  to  bring  up  their 
children  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,  leading  them,  morning 
and  evening,  to  the  throne  of  grace,  yet  the  elder  ones  only  had  professed  con- 
version. It  seems  that  what  had  not  been  achieved  by  the  authority  and  example 
of  a  living  Christian  father,  God  saw  fit  to  accomplish  by  the  memory  of  a  de- 
parted saint's  virtues,  for,  within  a  few  months,  all  the  remaining  children,  save 
one,  were  brought  to  Jesus  and  consecrated  to  his  service  by  avow  to  follow  their 
father  as  he  had  followed  Christ.  Mr.  Nunnally  himself  was  among  those  thus 
brought  to  repentance  and  faith,  and,  uniting  with  the  church  at  Athens,  was 
baptized  by  its  pastor,  Rev.  L.  R.  L.  Jennings. 

It  had  been  his  desire  and  intention  to  follow  the  profession  of  law,  but  after 
graduating  he  became  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  it  was  his  duty  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  and,  as  a  stepping-stone  to  the  ministry,  he  entered  the 
school-room.  For  one  year  he  occupied  the  chair  of  mathematics  in  the  Hamil- 
ton Female  College,  and  then,  for  eight  years,  (until  1868)  successfully  filled  the 
position  of  Principal  of  Johnston  Institute,  in  Walton  county.  For  awhile,  during 
the  war,  the  exercises  of  the  institution  were  suspended,  and  he  joined  the  Ninth 
regiment  of  Georgia  State  troops,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  P.  H.  Mell, 
and  served  as  Quartermaster. 

In  1 868  he  retired  finally  from  the  school-room  and  entered  the  ministry,  and 


4o8 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


for  ten  years  preached  to  country  churches  in  the  vicinity  where  he  had  been 
born  and  had  spent  his  boyhood.  His  labors  were  abundant  and  very  accepta- 
ble, and  he  was  successful  in  maintaining  large  congregations,  increasing  the 
membership  of  his  churches  and  developing  in  them  a  spirit  of  liberality  which 
has  made  them  a  power  for  good.  In  order  to  supplement  his  salary  as  pastor, 
and  give  vent  to  his  surplus  energy  and  capacity,  he  engaged,  at  times,  in  me- 
chanics, merchandising,  farming,  editing,  and,  in  addition,  occupied  the  position 
of  County  School  Superintendent.  All  these  occupations,  however,  were  aban- 
doned in  1876,  when  he  accepted  the  call  of  the  church  at  Rome,  and  entered  on 
his  first  city  pastorate. 

Rev.  G.  A.  Nunnally  has  preaching  talents  of  an  uncommon  order,  being  pos- 
sessed of  three  gifts  which  go  far  towards  constituting  the  real  orator — earnest- 
ness of  manner,  fluency  of  speech  and  richness  of  imagination.  His  appeals  are 
often  exceedingly  powerful,  and,  but  for  a  sharpness  of  tone  and  a  severity  of 
style,  more  apparent  than  real,  however,  they  would  be  irresistible.  While  not 
lacking  in  pathos,  he  is  not  remarkable  for  it,  the  strength  of  his  appeals  being 
founded  mostly  on  the  force  of  argument  and  the  logic  of  well  arranged  facts 
and  figures.  His  mind  is  practical  as  well  as  brilliant.  The  analyses  of  his  ser- 
mons are  generally  fresh  and  sparkling,  but  are,  at  the  same  time,  clear  and 
scriptural ;  while  his  logic  is  sound  and  his  rhetoric  pleasing.  About  him  there 
is  personal  magnetism  that  wins  favor,  both  in  and  out  of  the  pulpit.  As  a  com- 
panion, he  is  always  welcome,  for  his  social  qualities  are  of  a  high  grade.  He 
has  few  superiors  as  a  platform  speaker.  So  quick  is  his  mind,  so  vivid  his  im- 
agination, and  so  great  his  control  of  words,  that  he  becomes  ready  for  an  an- 
tagonist on  very  short  notice.  While  he  is  devoted  to  books,  and  of  a  literary 
turn  of  mind,  his  judgment  is  excellent,  his  ability  as  a  financier  uncommon, 
and  his  power  as  a  writer  great.  When  a  member  of  the  Appalachee  Associa- 
tion, he  was  its  acknowledged  leader,  and,  for  many  years,  was  its  Moderator 
without  opposition.  Usually,  he  could  carry  through  any  measure  which  sug- 
gested itself  to  his  mind  as  right  and  proper.  Indeed,  wherever  he  goes,  his 
talents  are  recognized  and  his  influence  felt.  Owing  to  the  impulsiveness  of  his 
disposition,  he  will  sometimes  seem  to  speak  harshly  in  the  heat  of  debate,  and, 
occasionally,  wounds  the  feelings  of  his  brethren ;  but  his  warm,  generous  heart 
prompts  him  to  make  the  amende  hotio7-able  as  soon  as  the  opportunity  is 
afforded.  His  spirit  is  so  restless  that  occasionally  he  undertakes  too  much  at  one 
time,  and,  therefore,  does  not  accomplish  as  much  as  he  might,  were  his  energies 
devoted  to  fewer  objects.  But  take  him  all  in  all,  he  is  a  splendid  specimen  of 
a  man,  whether  considered  as  a  preacher,  as  a  speaker,  as  a  worker,  or  as  a 
friend  and  companion. 


W.    A.    OVERTON. 


Gilchrest  Overton  came  from  Virginia  to  Georgia  in  the 
year  181 9,  and  married  a  Miss  Morriss  of  Greene  county, 
Georgia.  They  were  active,  honest,  clear-headed  people 
and  staunch  Baptists.  They  raised  four  daughters  and 
one  son.  That  son  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was 
born  December  7th,  1826,  within  three  miles  of  the  spot 
where  he  now  lives. 

His  parents  had  ample  means,  and  gave  him  all  the 
advantages  of  the  country  schools  in  early  life,  and  then 
sent  him  to  Mercer  University  with  the  hope  of  his  gradu- 
ation, but  failing  health  defeated  these  hopes.  He  re- 
mained about  three  years — from  the  fall  of  1846  to  the  summer  of  1849 — having 
sustained  himself  with  great  credit  as  a  student. 

In  a  few  months  after  leaving  college  he  married  the  only  daughter  of  Rev. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS  409 

Vincent  R.  Thornton.  The  next  year,  1850,  assisted  by  his  now  sainted  brother- 
in-law,  Thomas  R.  Thornton,  then  just  graduated  at  Washington  city,  he  taught 
a  large  school  at  Raytown,  Georgia.  The  next  year,  being  elected  teacher  of 
Public  Square  Academy,  he  accepted  the  call,  bought  a  farm  and  settled.  At 
this  place  he  has  ever  since  lived,  except  for  eighteen  months  while  principal  of 
Mercer  High  School.  He  has  now  a  good  school-house  of  his  own,  where  he 
is  engaged  faithfully  teaching  his  own  and  his  neighbors'  children. 

He  has  cultivated  a  farm  for  thirty  years  successively,  and  with  more  or  less 
success. 

Early  in  the  late  war  he  was  chosen  superintendent  of  "  The  Georgia  Salt 
Manufacturing  Company."  That  work,  for  the  time,  engrossed  his  entire  atten- 
tion. When  overrun  by  the  Federal  armies  at  the  salt-works,  in  southwest 
Virginia,  he  went  immediately  to  the  Atlantic  coast  in  southeast  Georgia,  and 
there  established  another  manufactory,  and,  in  a  few  weeks  the  white-salt-stream 
began  to  pour  into  middle  and  upper  Georgia.  At  this  juncture,  having  learned 
that  the  Union  army  had  retired  from  the  Virginia  salt-works,  he  went  back  to 
that  place,  and  prosecuted  his  work  with  success.  He  sent  vast  quantities  of 
salt  out  of  that  far-off  valley  through  the  Carolinas  into  Georgia.  On  one  occa- 
sion he  sent  6,600  bushels  of  salt  at  one  trip. 

On  returning  to  the  works  on  the  coast  he  learned,  in  Savannah,  that  the 
Federals  had  either  captured  or  driven  off  the  company.  Without  a  moment's 
hesitation,  he  moved  on  as  far  as  he  could  go  by  railroad,  and  then  he  trudged 
alone  beyond  the  Confederate  lines,  for  twenty-three  miles,  at  the  dead  hour  of 
night,  until  he  reached  the  dreary,  desolate  and  deserted  works.  He  found  that 
the  enemy  had  re-embarked  on  board  their  boats  ;  so  the  salt  men  were  soon 
rallied,  and  the  work  of  making  salt  was  resumed  and  vigorously  continued, 
until  the  enemy  came  in  larger  force  and  captured  him  and  all  his  party.  They 
were  carried  out  to  sea  and  confined  in  the  hold  of  a  prison-ship.  This  ended 
his  career  as  a  salt-maker. 

In  the  year  1845,  in  his  nineteenth  year,  he  was  hopefully  converted  to  God, 
and  the  year  following  he  applied  for  admission  into  the  Penfield  Baptist  church, 
and,  upon  a  relation  of  experience,  was  received,  and  on  the  following  day  was 
baptized  by  Rev.  B.  M.  Sanders.  From  that  time  he  had  serious  convictions 
that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel.  These  convictions  were  increased  by 
conversations  had  from  time  to  time  with  his  faithful  and  beloved  pastors  who, 
besides  the  sainted  brother  just  mentioned,  numbered,  among  others.  Rev.  S. 
G.  Hillyer  and  Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker.  But  somehow  or  other  these  convictions 
would  become  stifled,  and  never  did  he  cease  to  parley  with  the  flesh,  until  the 
Lord  sent  his  strange  messenger,  and  Jonah-like,  he  became  a  prisoner  in  the  deep. 
He  then  and  there  promised  the  Lord  that  if  life  was  spared  and  liberty  secured 
he  would  make  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  the  great  vocation  of  his  life.  In  a 
few  days  after  this  promise,  he  was  paroled  and  returned  to  his  friends  on  Sulli- 
van's Island.  Among  the  first  to  meet  him  at  home  was  his  pastor.  Dr.  Tucker, 
and  among  the  first  queries  which  the  Doctor  put  was  :  "  What  did  you  promise 
the  Lord,  if  he  would  return  you  safe  again  to  your  home  and  family?"  The 
answer  was  just  what  the  Doctor  expected.  He  was  very  soon  ordained  by  the 
Bethesda  church,  at  the  call  of  Macedonia  church.  The  presbytery  were  Rev. 
H.  H.  Tucker,  D.D,  and  Rev.  W.  T.  Brantly,  D.D.,  of  Baltimore. 

From  that  time  to  the  present  he  has  made  preaching  the  Gospel  his  vocation, 
all  other  things  being  merely  subsidiary.  He  has  served  Shiloh,  Penfield,  Beth- 
esda, as  pastor,  and  is  now  serving  Freeman's  Creek,  in  Appalachee,  and  Smyrna, 
Macedonia  and  Carter's  Grove  churches,  in  the  Georgia  Association. 

In  the  course  of  the  fourteen  years  of  his  ministry  he  has  rarely  had  a  spare 
Sabbath,  and,  except  once  or  twice  from  high  water,  he  has  not  missed  an  ap- 
pointment. No  sort  of  weather  and  not  even  sickness  has  kept  him  from  his 
churches.     The  Lord  has  greatly  blessed  his  labors. 


4IO 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


HUGH  F.  OLIVER. 


The  life  of  Rev.  Hugh  F.  Oliver  has  been 
short,  but  it  has  been  an  influence  for  good 
in  three  States.  He  tells  its  story,  simply  yet 
strikingly,  in  the  following  autobiographical 
sketch,  which  the  reader,  doubtless,  will  pre- 
fer to  any  resume  of  ours.  It  manifests  at 
once  the  graces  common  to  all  behevers  and 
the  intermixture  of  personal  peculiarity,  which 
adds  much  more  to  the  force  than  it  detracts 
from  the  symmetry  of  his  character. 

"  Let  not  him  that  girdeth  on  his  harness  boast  him- 
self as  he  that  putteth  it  off." — /  Kings,  so:  ii. 

The  son  of  Thaddeus  and  Sarah  P.  Oliver, 
I  was  born,  August  i8th,  1852,  in  Houston 
county,  Georgia,  at  the  home  of  my  grand- 
father, Hugh  Lawson. 

In  1861,  I  was  the  subject  of  deep  religious 
impressions.  On  the  way  to  Sunday-school 
the  great  question,  "  If  I  die  before  to-morrow  morning  what  would  become  of  my 
soul }"  was  unveiled  to  me  as  by  a  mighty  wind  blowing  the  mist  away.  For  a 
while  I  wept  bitterly,  but  speedily  dried  my  tears  when  I  saw  other  pupils  ap- 
proaching. All  thought  of  the  morning  trouble  was  absent  until  I  was  prepar- 
ing to  get  in  "the  low  trundle  bed,"  celebrated  in  my  father's  poem,  "  All  Quiet 
Along  the  Potomac."  I  felt  afraid  to  lie  down  to  sleep  without  knowing  that 
God  had  forgiven  my  sins.  The  little  jacket  that  had  just  been  thrown  off  was 
quickly  drawn  on  again,  and  I  sought  my  mother  to  beg  that  she  would  "  pray 
out  loud  "  for  me.  In  simple  words,  interrupted  by  the  choking  of  her  intense 
feeling,  she  prayed  aloud  for  her  sin-sick  boy.  My  heart  went  to  God,  in  her 
prayer,  poor,  broken,  fearful,  and  came  back  a  happy,  thankful  heart,  whose 
every  emotion  seemed  inspired  with  that  '•  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  un- 
derstanding." Afterwards,  evil  associates  easily  led  me  into  sin;  but  it  was  ever 
bitter  to  my  taste,  and  I  persevered  in  it  simply  because  I  wanted  to  do  what 
other  boys  expected  me  to  do.  Many  were  my  prayers  for  pardon,  and  a  hun- 
dred times  was  my  pillow  wet  with  tears  when  my  playmates  were  sleeping 
soundly.  Satan  sifted  me  thoroughly,  but  the  good  God  had  put  some  wheat  in 
the  midst  of  the  chaff,  so  I  did  not  altogether  pass  through  the  sifter  and  pass 
away  on  the  wind  to  the  flames. 

In  March,  1867,  I  was  fearfully  tempted,  one  night,  by  the  knowledge  of  an 
opportunity  to  enjoy  sin  in  what  I  was  assured  was  its  most  pleasurable  form. 
I  waited  long  for  my  brother,  four  years  my  junior,  to  go  to  bed.  But  something 
was  weighing  on  his  mind  that  kept  him  awake.  At  last  he  came  to  me,  as  I 
bent  over  my  Homer,  and  begged  me  not  to  leave  the  room  that  night.  To  my 
question,  why  he  thought  I  had  such  an  intention,  he  replied  that  he  felt  that  I 
had.  My  answer,  and  conclusive  argument  with  him,  was  simply  to  point  out 
the  lessons  assigned  in  Homer,  geometry  and  rhetoric,  which  I  had  to  learn  be- 
fore I  slept.  But  I  did  go,  though  conscience  cried  with  a  hundred  voices.  My 
purpose,  however,  was  not  accomplished,  and  I  was  soon  at  my  door  again.  On 
opening  it,  I  saw  my  brother  sleeping  sweetly,  with  the  white  (oh !  so  white) 
counterpane  drawn  close  under  his  chin.  The  sight  overcame  me,  and  I  fell  on 
my  knees  by  the  bed  and  cried  aloud  to  God.  I  was  moody  and  disconsolate 
for  months  after,  but  breathed  no  word  to  reveal  my  heartache  to  any  one — not 
even,  I  think,  to  God. 

Blessed  deliverance  came.  In  August,  1867,  the  pastor  of  the  Hayneville 
church.  Rev.  B.  F.  Tharpe,  Rev.  N.  A.  Bailey  and  Rev.  William  H.  Nor- 
ton carried  on  a  meeting  of  days.  One  night  when  all  others  refused  to  ask 
for  prayer,  I  determined  to  see  if  prayer  offered  for  me  would  be  answered.     The 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


4IT 


next  morning,  after  preaching,  while  several  were  signifying  their  desire  to  be 
baptized,  I  felt  my  inmost  soul  go  out  to  God  in  thanksgiving,  and  involuntarily 
looked  over  the  great  congregation  to  single  out  the  Christians  there.  As  I 
found  them,  I  wanted  to  tell  each  one  that  I  loved  him.  Then  shone  before  me, 
as  plainly  as  if  in  gold  letters  on  a  white  page,  "  We  know  that  we  have  passed 
from  death  unto  life  because  we  love  the  brethren." 

Since  that  time  I  have  ever  felt  that  I  was  a  weak,  inconsistent  Christian,  but 
have  never  doubted  that  I  was  a  Christian.  From  the  very  first,  the  conviction 
fastened  on  my  mind  and  the  minds  of  my  brethren  that  God  had  set  me  apart 
to  the  ministry.  On  the  4th  of  July,  1868,  and  of  its  own  motion,  the  Hayne- 
ville  church  licensed  me  to  preach,  and  I  preached  my  first  sermon,  to  the 
negroes,  on  July  5th.  I  was  ready  to  enter  the  Senior  class  of  Mercer  Univer- 
sity, but  had  to  choose  between  one  year  at  Mercer  or  three  years  in  the  South- 
ern Baptist  Theological  Seminary.  In  September,  therefore,  I  entered  as  a 
student  at  the  Seminary,  and  became  a  full  graduate  May  ist,  1871.  A 
month  after,  I  became  pastor  at  Madison,  Georgia.  Leaving  this  church,  I 
entered  on  pastoral  duties  at  Eatonton,  January  ist,  1874.  The  knowledge  of 
the  destitution  of  Gospel  privileges  in  a  large  district  on  the  South  Carolina 
coast,  called  me  away  from  Eatonton  to  labor,  almost  at  my  own  charges,  from 
January  ist,  1876,  to  September,  1878,  when  ill-health  forced  me  to  come  to 
Edgefield  county.  South  Carolina,  to  be  school-teacher  and  preacher.  Careful 
study  of  the  New  Testament  has  convinced  me  that  the  Lord  Jesus  requires 
entire  consecration  from  every  pastor.  So  I  was  released  from  the  school  on 
my  urgent  request,  to  become  pastor,  January  ist,  1881,  at  Tuskegee,  Alabama. 
And  may  the  Lord  glorify  Himself  in  me  ! 


JESSE  M.  OWENS.         \ 

Rev.  Jesse  M.Owens  was  born  March  12th,  1843,  near 
Hillsboro,  Jasper  county,  Georgia.  When  he  was  seven 
years  old,  his  widowed  mother  removed  to  McDonough, 
Henry  county,  where,  for  three  years,  he  attended  school. 
The  family  then  settled  in  the  t;ountry  without  leaving 
the  county,  and  there,  amid  the  scenes  of  farm-life,  he 
remained  until  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  In  May,  1861, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Butts'  Volunteers,  a  company  attached 
to  the  sixth  Georgia  regiment,  and  followed  the  fortunes 
of  the  Confederate  flag  until  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg. 
In  that  engagement  he  received  a  wound  just  above  the 
irght  ankle  joint  which  cost  him  the  amputation  of  his  leg,  December  13th,  i! 
and  led  to  his  discharge  from  service.  While  lying  in  his  "bunk,"  in  the  slowpro- 
cesss  of  recovery,  he  began  to  read  the  Scriptures  and  to  reflect  on  his  spiritual 
condition  and  was  made  to  realize,  to  some  extent,  his  guilt  as  a  sinner,  and  his 
hope  through  Christ.  On  his  discharge  from  the  General  Hospital,  Richmond, 
Virginia,  he  returned  home  and  was  baptized,  August,  1863,  at  Macedonia  church. 
Butts  county.  He  was  married  May,  1864,  to  Miss  Mathena  Cunard,  of  Jasper 
county,  and  transferred  his  membership  the  same  year,  to  Rocky  Creek  church. 
He  was  elected  Receiver  of  Tax-Returns  for  Newton  county,  January,  1864, 
and  with  the  exception  of  two  years,  has  held  that  office  to  the  present  time. 
To  secure  a  more  liberal  education,  he  entered  Emory  College,  Oxford,  Georgia, 
as  a  student  in  January,  1867,  and  prosecuted  his  studies  in  that  institution  for 
eighteen  moriths.  In  October,  1877,  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  in  October, 
1878,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry,  by  a  presbytery  composed  of  Revs.  J.  M. 
Brittain  and  W.  H.  Aaron.  He  is  now  serving  three  churches  as  pastor,  and 
approves  himself  to  the  brotherhood  as  prompt  and  zealous.  His  short  experi- 
ence in  the  ministry  has  not  been  without  evidence  that  his  "  labor  is  not  in  vain 
in  the  Lord." 


412 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


E.  J.  PANNEL. 


Rev.  E.  J.  Pannel  was  born  in  Augusta,  Georgia, 
November  24th,  18 14.  At  the  early  age  of  seventeen  he 
gave  his  heart  to  God,  and  soon  after  his  conversion 
united  with  the  Greene  Street  church,  in  that  city.  He 
was  left  an  orphan,  but  was  fortunate  in  securing  the 
guardianship  of  so  good  a  man  as  Deacon  Eli  Mustin. 
In  1839  he  was  married  to  Miss  DeCoin,  of  North  Car- 
olina, a  woman  of  remarkable  piety  and  intelligence. 
When  he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  his  business  made  it 
necessary  that  he  should  settle  in  Warrenton,  Georgia. 
Mot  long  after  his  removal  to  that  town,  he  was,  by  the  call  of  the  church  there, 
ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He  served  that  church  as  its  pastor,  as 
well  as  some  churches  in  Jefferson,  Washington  and  other  counties,  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  until,  in  1855,  he  removed  to  Louisville.  At  this  place  he  remained, 
earnestly  devoting  himself  to  his  Master's  work,  until,  in  1876,  he  fell  asleep  in 
Jesus.  He  was  punctual  in  filling  his  appointments,  and  a  good  preacher.  In 
many  parts  of  the  country  you  meet  those  who  were  attendants  on  his  ministry, 
and  were  brought  to  lay  hold  on  eternal  life  through  his  instrumentality.  He 
was  regular  in  his  attendance  at  the  meetings  of  our  associations  and  conven- 
tions, until  kept  away  by  the  constant  afflictions  of  his  wife,  as  she  was  a  great 
sufferer  for  some  years  before  her  death.  He  himself,  finally,  fell  a  victim  to 
that  dread,  wasting  disease — consumption. 


J.  S.  PARKER. 


This  servant  of  the  Lord  is  held  in  high  esteem  by 
Baptists,  and  the  people  generally  throughout  his  sec- 
tion, both  for  what  he  is  and  what  he  has  done.  Born 
of  poor  and  humble  parentage,  in  Washington  county, 
Georgia,  May,  1837,  left  fatherless  when  but  eight  years 
of  age,  and  deprived  of  educational  advantages,  he  was 
compelled  to  work  his  way  as  best  he  could  until  he  had 
reached  his  seventeenth  year.  He  then  moved  to  Henry 
county,  Alabama,  and  labored  on  his  farm  until  called 
to  enter  the  Confederate  army  as  a  private  soldier,  in 
1862.  Some  years  before  his  entrance  into  military  service,  he  experienced  the 
converting  grace  of  God.  Though  the  surroundings  of  a  private  soldier  are  un- 
friendly to  the  development  of  spiritual  life,  he  maintained,  through  his  three 
years  of  war,  his  Christian  integrity,  bringing  no  reproach  on  the  name  of  Christ. 
It  was  during  his  army  experiences  that  he  felt  his  first  convictions  of  duty 
as  to  preaching  the  Gospel.  Having  returned  to  his  home,  his  brethren,  hearing 
that  he  desired  to  return  to  the  ministry,  granted  him  most  cheerfully  a  license 
to  preach  whenever  and  wherever  opportunities  were  presented.  In  1867  he 
was  called  by  his  church  to  ordination,  and  then  entered  upon  the  full  discharge 
of  ministerial  functions.  For  some  two  years  he  gave  his  time  to  the  service  of 
churches  in  eastern  Alabama,  but,  in  the  fall  of  1868,  receiving  a  call  from  a 
church  in  southwest  Georgia,  he  returned  to  his  native  State,  settling  within  the 
bounds  of  the  Bethel  Association.  In  addition  to  other  churches  to  which  he 
has  preached  in  that  Association,  he  was  instrumental,  aided  by  Dr.  C.  B.  Holmes, 
in  building  up  a  good  working  Baptist  church  at  Bluffton,  Clay  county,  Georgia. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS- 


413 


LEWIS  A.  PATILLO. 


Henry  Patillo  married  Miss  Dupree,  and  their  son,  Rev. 
Lewis  A.  Patillo,  was  born  in  Morgan  county,  Geor- 
gia, August  9th,  1824.  The  parents  were  poor,  and  con- 
sequently unable  to  give  the  son  a  thorough  education. 
But  very  early  in  life  he  enjoyed  that  tuition  of  the  Spirit 
which  is  of  more  value  than  all  the  learning  of  the  schools, 
and  was  awakened  to  a  sense  of  his  helpless  condition  as 
a  sinner  against  God.  After  long  procrastination  he  was 
brought,  in  1846,  to  accept  Christ  as  the  Saviour  of  the 
lost,  and  united  with  a  Methodist  church.  He  remained 
in  that  communion  four  years,  but  "  the  answer  of  a  good  conscience  toward 
God  "  was  lacking ;  he  was  never  fully  satisfied  that  he  had  obeyed  the  law  of 
baptism  which  in  its  own  sphere,  is  to  the  enlightened,  loving  soul,  as  binding 
as  the  law  of  faith  He  witnessed  once  a  scene  which  disturbed  him.  A  min- 
ister, receiving  persons  into  the  church,  sprinkled  one  with  water,  poured  water 
on  the  head  of  a  second,  and  immersed  a  third  in  water,  pronouncing  each  of 
these  three  different  acts  a  Christian  baptism.  Shortly  after  this  occurrence,  Mr. 
Patillo  heard  a  sermon  by  Dr.  N.  M.  Crawford,  from  Rom.  vi  :4,  and,  by  argu- 
ments drawn  from  the  Scriptures,  was  convinced  that  both  in  letter  and  in  spirit 
there  is  but  one  baptism.  He  straightway  sought  to  follow  the  Saviour  fully, 
and  to  this  end,  united  with  the  Baptist  church  at  Lexington.  For  the  next 
fourteen  or  fifteen  years  he  filled  some  positions  of  trust  in  the  community,  and 
was  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  fellow-citizens.  But  there  was  other  and  higher 
work  for  him,  and  the  duty  of  preaching  impressed  itself  on  his  conscience.  He 
was  ordained  at  Ebenezer  church,  Walton  county,  and  became  its  pastor  for  a 
season,  serving  Macedonia  church  also.  But  for  some  time  he  has  had  no  reg- 
ular charge,  and  preaches  only  as  opportunity  offers.  He  was  married  in  1850, 
to  Miss  Sarah  Power,  of  Oglethorpe  county,  and  they  have  five  children,  two  of 
whom  are  by  profession  Christians. 


W.  J.  PATRICK. 


Rev.  W.  J.  Patrick  has  been  engaged  in  the  work  of 
the  ministry  but  a  short  time,  as  he  was  ordained  in  Oc- 
tober, 1876.  His  services  have  been  given,  for  the  most 
part,  to  the  destitute,  but  he  is  now  preaching  regularly 
to  Beulah  church.  Pike  county.  His  education  is  restricted, 
and  his  circumstances  have  left  him  little  time  for  study. 
He  is  a  warm,  zealous  preacher,  and  being  in  the  prime 
of  Ufe,  has  the  prospect  of  many  years  to  devote  to  the 
cause  of  the  Master.  His  father  was  a  Baptist  minister, 
whose  life  was  spent  in  doing  what  he  could  to  win  souls 
to  Christ. 

He  was  born  in  Talbot  county,  June,  1842.  His  father,  Rev.  W.  T.  Patrick, 
was  accustomed  to  retire  to  the  woods  with  him  when  but  a  boy,  and  pray  for 
his  conversion.  These  prayers  were  heard  on  high  and  answered  on  the  earth. 
When  only  twelve  years  old,  he  gained  the  fellowship  of  the  church  at  Tazwell, 
Marion  county,  by  reciting  the  work  of  divine  grace  in  his  heart,  and  Rev.  J. 
Ferryman  baptized  him. 

He  was  married,  March  25th,  1867,  to  Miss  Fannie  J.  Smith,  of  Muscogee 
county.     Of  their  seven  children,  five  are  living. 


414  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


HART  C.  PEEK. 

Rev.  Hart  C.  Peek,  son  of  John  C.  and  Mary  (Cham- 
pion) Peek,  was  born  in  Hancock  county,  Georgia,  Jan- 
uary 14th,  1805.  When  only  ten  years  of  age,  he  was 
deeply  impressed  on  the  subject  of  religion  by  a  sermon 
from  Rev.  Joseph  Roberts ;  but  association  with  thought- 
less, wicked  boys  soon  dissipated  these  better  feelings, 
and  he  ran  a  wild  career  until  his  eighteenth  year.  At 
that  date,  while  he  and  his  ungodly  companions  were 
violating  the  command,  "  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to 
keep  it  holy,"  by  spending  its  sacred  hours  in  fishing  and 
other  sports,  a  lad,  a  small  one,  on  his  way  to  Sunday- 
school,  stopped  to  warn  them  of  the  sin  of  which  they  were  guilty,  and  affec- 
tionately admonished  them  to  go  to  their  homes  and  give  themselves  to  the 
study  of  the  word  of  God.  The  earnest,  loving  words  of  this  youthful  witness 
for  the  right  made  a  lasting  impression  on  the  heart  of  young  Peek,  and  caused 
him  to  seek  the  Saviour  with  bitter  tears.  But  he  was  long  hedged  in  with 
doubts  and  fears,  and  it  was  not  until  October  5th,  1828,  that  he  was  baptized, 
by  the  Rev.  J.  P.  Leverett,  into  the  Smyrna  branch  of  the  White  Plains  church, 
Greene  county.  This  branch  having  been  constituted  into  a  separate  church 
soon  thereafter,  he  became  its  first  regular  clerk,  and  in  this  capacity  acted  for 
more  than  twenty  years.  In  May,  1844,  he  was  ordained  to  the  office  of  deacon, 
and  so  discharged  its  duties  as  to  "purchase  to  himself  a  good  degree  and  great 
boldness  in  the  faith."  October  5th,  1849,  the  twenty-first  anniversary  of  his 
baptism,  at  the  call  of  Richland  and  Shoulderbone  churches,  he  was  set  apart 
to  the  work  of  the  ministry  by  B.  M.  Sanders  and  J.  I.  Loudermilk.  The  work 
he  assumed  that  day  was  to  stretch  through  thirty  years,  in  the  course  of  which 
he  served  as  pastor  six  churches,  some  of  them  at  a  considerable  distance.  His 
heart  was  in  his  calling,  and  neither  heat  nor  cold,  nor  temporal  business  was 
allowed  to  interfere  with  what  he  accounted  his  greatest  privilege — the  preach- 
ing of  Christ  and  Him  cr-jcified.  He  remained  to  the  last  the  pastor  of  the 
first  church  of  which  he  took  charge.  His  manner  in  the  pulpit  was  earnest 
and  impassioned,  and  his  physical  exertion  often  so  great  as  to  call  forth  the  fre- 
quent remark  that  he  "preached  all  over."  One  of  the  chief  regrets  of  his  life 
was,  his  lack  of  early  advantages  for  mental  culture,  and  especially  for  theological 
training ;  and  this  made  him  ever  ready  to  give  of  his  means  in  aid  of  young 
ministers  seeking  thorough  education.  He  was  a  zealous  advocate  of  Sunday- 
schools  ;  for  he  never  forgot — how  could  he  forget  ? — the  appeal  of  the  heaven- 
sent little  Sunday-school  worker,  who  turned  his  feet  into  the  path  of  life.  He 
loved  children,  as  they  loved  him,  and  sought  every  opportunity  of  talking  to  them 
about  Jesus,  as  they  delighted  to  hear  his  words.  He  was  a  faithful  and  bold 
adherent  of  the  cause  of  temperance,  and  did  incalculable  good  by  his  warfare 
against  the  traffic  in  ardent  spirits  as  one  of  sorest  scourges  of  our  land. 

In  person  he  was  tall  and  commanding,  and,  even  when  advanced  in  years, 
erect.  He  was  married  January,  1829,  to  Miss  E.  C.  Brooks,  of  Greene  couiity, 
and  their  three  children,  all  living,  are  members  of  the  church.  His  second 
wife,  whom  he  married  in  1879,  was  Miss  S.  E.  Heath,  of  Warren  county.  He 
died  in  peace,  April  23d,  1880,  at  his  well-known  residence  near  Smyrna  church. 
Rev.  J.  H.  Kilpatrick  writes  :  "  Though  becoming  a  pastor  himself,  he  still 
retained  his  membership  in  the  church  of  his  early  vows  ;  and  by  supplying  the 
pastors's  pulpit  when  he  was  absent,  assisting  in  protracted  meetings,  visiting 
the  sick  and  dying,  officiating  at  marriages  and  funerals,  warning  the  unruly, 
comforting  the  feeble-minded,  and  directing  enquirers  to  Christ,  he  was,  during 
the  remainder  of  life,  a  most  efficient  pastor's  assistant.  In  this  respect  he  was 
one  of  a  thousand.     As  a  preacher  he  was  experimental  and  hortatory,   rather 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


415 


than  doctrinal,  and  though  not  what  the  world  would  call  a  great  preacher,  he 
was  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  He  was  great  in  the  purity  of  his  motives  and 
in  the  blamelessness  of  his  life — great  in  the  strength  of  his  faith,  in  the  ardor 
of  his  love,  and  in  the  earnestness  of  his  zeal.  For  more  than  half  a  century  he 
walked  with  God  here  on  earth,  and  now  enjoys  a  seat  at  His  right  hand." 


RICHARD  A.  PEEPLES. 


Henry  Peeples,  born  in  Camden  dis- 
trict, South  Carolina,  January  14th, 
1786,  was  possessed  of  a  princely  for- 
tune which,  by  an  unfortunate  fire  and 
by  an  equally  unfortunate  speculation  in 
cotton,  he  lost  soon  after  the  war  of 
1 81 2.  Gathering  up  the  wreck  of  his 
large  estate,  he  moved  to  Hall  county, 
Georgia,  about  the  year  1821  or  1822, 
and  settled  where  Gillsville,  on  the 
Northeastern  railroad,  now  stands. 
There  he  engaged  in  merchandizing  and 
farming,  but  failed  again,  and  in  1844 
he  removed  to  Berrien  county,  where  he 
died  on  the  30th  of  October,  1854.  He 
was  the  father  of  seven  sons  and  one 
daughter.  The  oldest  son  was  W. 
Jasper  Peeples,  for  years  a  prominent 
lawyer  in  the  Western  Circuit  of  Geor- 
gia, and  Solicitor-General  for  four  years. 
Cincinnatus  Peeples,  a  lawyer  of  prom- 
inence, at  one  time  Clerk  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  and,  afterwards. 
State  Senator  from  Clark  county  and  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  the  Atlanta 
Circuit,  was  his  second  son.  H.  Thompson  Peeples,  the  third  son,  was  Judge 
of  the  Inferior  Court  of  Berrien  county,  a  lawyer,  and  for  several  times  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature.  Two  other  sons  are  substantial  farmers  in  Florida ;  one 
is  dead,  and  the  seventh  is  Richard  A.  Peeples.  He  was  born  in  Hall  county, 
Georgia,  September  24th,  1829,  and,  owing  to  the  financial  embarrassments  of 
his  father,  obtained  but  a  limited  country  school  education.  Soon  after  he  was 
grown,  he  held  the  position  of  Clerk  of  the  Inferior  and  Superior  courts  of  Ber- 
rien county  for  four  years,  during  which  time  he  studied  law.  Moving  to  Val- 
dosta,  the  new  county-site  of  Lowndes  county,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
i860,  and  followed  the  profession  of  law  for  sixteen  years  with  more  than  usual 
success,  accumulating  sufficient  to  place  his  large  and  growing  family  in  easy 
circumstances.  Three  or  four  times  he  was  elected  alderman  of  Valdosta,  arid, 
once,  was  elected  to  the  mayoralty.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  Confederate  army, 
and  filled  the  position  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  cause  for  which  he 
fought.  At  the  organization  of  the  County  Court  of  Lowndes  county  in  1874, 
he  was  appointed  Judge,  and  has  held  the  position  ever  since,  having  been  re- 
appointed once  ;  and  his  decisions  are  seldom  reversed  by  higher  courts. 

The  academy  in  Nashville,  the  county-site  of  Berrien  county,  was  built 
through  his  personal  efforts  in  1857,  a  large  part  of  the  funds  coming  from  his 
own  purse.  Two  years  afterwards,  he  furnished  half  the  money  for  the  erection 
of  a  Baptist  house  of  worship  in  that  place ;  and  besides  contributing  largely, 
he  canvassed  the  field  and  raised  $2,500.00,  after  the  war,  to  aid  in  building  for 
the  Baptists  of  Valdosta  a  house  of  worship,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  in  south- 


4l6  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

ern  Georgia.  More  recently  still,  he  erected,  almost  unaided,  a  very  neat  church- 
building  at  Clyattville,  in  Lowndes  county.  These  four  buildings  are  monu- 
ments of  his  Christian  zeal  and  philanthropy. 

In  184.2,  when  quite  a  boy,  he  j-^ined  the  Methodists,  but  the  following  year 
united  with  the  Baptist  church  at  Cabin  Creek.  He  was  ordained  in  1876,  at 
Statenville,  in  Echols  county,  the  presbytery  consisting  of  Elders  N.  A.  Bailey, 
James  McBride,  E.  B.  Carroll  and  R,  W.  Phillips.  He  became  pastor  of  the 
Statenville  church,  and,  afterwards,  of  the  neighboring  churches  of  Macedonia 
and  Bethlehem.  He  was  for  three  years  Chairman  of  the  Sunday-school  Com- 
mittee of  the  Mercer  Association,  and  through  his  instrumentality,  mainly,  the 
cause  of  Sunday-schools  was  greatly  promoted  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Asso- 
ciation. Indeed,  all  his  time,  which  could  be  spared  from  his  judicial  duties,  was 
given  to  this  work,  into  which  he  entered  most  enthusiastically,  organizing,  by 
his  own  efforts,  not  less  than  eighteen  Sunday-schools.  Attended  by  the  earnest- 
minded  partner  of  his  life,  he  would  journey  from  neighborhood  to  neighbor- 
hood in  a  Jersey  spring-wagon,  carrying  along  an  elegant  parlor  organ,  advocating 
the  Sunday-school  cause,  and  furnishmg  such  sweet  music  and  singing  such 
beautiful  songs,  that  all  hearts  were  enchanted.  Such  zeal  and  capacity  could 
not  but  succeed. 

Mr.  Peeples  is  a  man  of  liberal  views,  and  has  a  broad  and  comprehensive 
mind.  His  reasoning  powers  are  of  a  high  order,  superinduced  by  an  inquiring 
disposition,  and  by  a  habit  of  analyzing,  in  detail,  every  thought  and  subject 
presented  to  him.  The  creatures  of  his  own  brain,  as  far  as  such  can  be  the 
case  considering  that  men  are  but  divine  instruments,  his  sermons  are  charac- 
terized by  clearness  and  independence  of  thought,  rather  than  by  impassioned 
eloquence.  In  religion,  as  well  as  in  the  affairs  of  the  world,  he  thinks  and  acts 
for  himself,  with  comparative  indifference  to  the  opinions  of  others,  being  guided 
by  his  own  judgment.  In  his  speech  and  manner  he  is  frank  and  candid,  while 
deceit  is  utterly  foreign  to  his  nature.  Five  feet  and  nine  inches  high,  and 
weighing  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  pounds,  he  is  a  man  of  robust  constitution, 
and  bids  fair  for  a  much  longer  life  of  usefulness.  He  has  been  twice  married 
and  has  eight  children.  His  present  wife  was  Miss  Sallie  V.  Dent,  daughter  of 
Captain  James  P.  Dent,  of  Savannah. 


TRUSTIN  PHILLIPS. 

This  aged  servant  of  God,  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Jones- 
boro,  was  born  April  ist,  1804,  in  Darlington  district. 
South  Carolina.  His  mother  dying  when  he  was  an  in- 
fant, he  was  reared  by  a  kind  stepmother.  He  was  the 
youngest  of  twelve  children,  three  ot  whom  were  minis- 
ters, and  lived  to  a  good  old  age  preaching  "  the  glorious 
Gospel  of  the  blessed  God."  His  opportunities  for  receiv- 
ing an  education  were  poor,  having  gone  to  school  only  a 
few  weeks  ;  but  by  close  application  at  a  pine-knot  fire  by 
night,  when  the  labors  of  the  day  were  over,  he  greatly 
improved  himself.  He  was  a  moral  young  man,  and  always 
shunned  bad  company.  He  was  married  in  1823  to  Miss  Piety  Parnal,  of  New- 
ton county,  and  reared  four  children,  all  of  whom  were  Baptists,  and  one,  now 
deceased,  a  licensed  preacher. 

Rev.  Trustin  Phillips  was  converted  in  1826,  and  baptized  in  1827,  by 
Rev.  Benjamin  Wilson,  at  Liberty  church,  Newton  county.  He  was  called  to 
ordination  by  that  church,  and  ordained  at  Long  Shoal  church,  October  12th, 
1838.  He  has  been  pastor  of  the  following  churches:  Liberty,  Long  Shoal,  Zion, 
New  Bethel  and  Rockdale,  in   Newton  county ;  Liberty  and  Salem,  in  Henry ; 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


417 


Tanner's,  Mt.  Zion  and  Forest  Grove,  in  Clayton ;  Flat  Creek,  Fayetteville,  An- 
tioch,  White  Water  and  Salem,  in  Fayette ;  Bethlehem,  Holly  Spring,  New  Hope 
and  Sardis,  in  Coweta ;  Bethsaida  and  Deep  Creek,  in  Campbell ;  Yellow  Dirt, 
Central  Hatchie,  Pleasant  Hill,  Enon  and  Franklin,  in  Heard ;  and  Mt.  Zion  and 
Bethesda,  in  Carroll. 

He  is  a  man  of  studious  habits,  and  a  constant  and  appreciative  reader  of  good 
books.  He  has  been  very  successful  as  a  pastor,  punctual  to  all  his  appoint- 
ments, and  prompt  in  all  business  engagements.  He  is  a  good,  faithful  preacher, 
of  fair  common  abilities  as  a  speaker,  has  a  strong,  clear  voice,  and  is  powerful 
in  exhortation  at  the  close  of  his  sermons.  He  has  been,  and  is  yet,  a  splendid 
singer,  and  was  chosen  as  chorister  soon  after  he  joined  the  church.  He  is  a 
warm  friend  of  the  temperance  cause,  strongly  advocating  it  in  the  pulpit,  and 
practicing  what  he  preaches.  He  has  always  opposed  the  use  of  tobacco.  His 
discipline  in  his  family  is  firm,  and  he  urges  the  necessity  of  it  in  the  churches. 
His  wife  is  a  devotedly  pious  woman,  and  has  been  a  strong  helper  to  him  in  his 
ministerial  labors.  Although  his  remuneration  has  been  small,  she  has  always 
said,  "  Go,  and  I  will  take  care  of  the  stuff."  She  has  greatly  aided  him  in  rais- 
ing missionary  funds. 

He  and  Rev.  C.  D.  Mallary  and  Rev.  J.  S.  Callaway  were  the  presbytery  that 
constituted  the  Stone  Mountain  Association,  October,  1839.  He  has  also  aided 
in  the  constitution  of  a  goodly  number  of  churches  in  the  region  over  which  his 
labors  were  extended.  He  is  of  medium  height,  heavily  built,  with  fair  com- 
plexion, enjoys  good  health,  and  having  a  good  constitution  and  being  of  tem- 
perate habits,  is  likely  to  live  many  years  longer.  He  is  firm  in  his  convictions 
of  right,  and  yet  social  and  agreeable  in  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow-men. 
He  is  a  man  of  unblemished  character,  and  an  honor  to  his  friends  and  to  the 
cause  of  his  Master. 


JAMES  FERRYMAN. 


The  subject  of  this  brief  sketch  was 
born  in  Columbia  county,  Georgia,  Jan- 
uary 28th,  1795,  and  was  the  son  of 
Rev.  Elisha  Ferryman.  He  was  bap- 
tized by  Rev.  William  Henderson,  at 
Talbotton,  in  1829.  From  his  first  en- 
trance on  his  Christian  course,  he  felt 
that  the  fire  of  "  the  Lord  was  in  his 
bones,"  and  that  "he  was  weary  with 
forbearing,  and  could  not  stay."  His 
education  being  quite  limited,  he  applied 
himself  diligently  and  perseveringly  to 
its  improvement,  and  soon  acquired  a 
fair  knowledge  of  the  English  language, 
and  made  some  progress  in  the  Latin 
and  Greek.  He  was  passionately  fond 
of  history,  especially  of  ecclesiastical 
history,  and  few  men  of  his  day  accu- 
mulated a  larger  fund  of  historical  in- 
formation, or  knew  better  how  to  use 
it,  than  himself.  His  familiarity  with 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  even  be- 
fore he  commenced  preaching,  was  remarkable.  Thus  equipped,  he  began  his 
useful  career. 

In  1834  he  was  ordained,  at  Talbotton,  by  John  Ross,  Joseph   Hand,  Hiram 


4i8 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


Powell  and  Robert  Fleming,  and  was  soon  engaged  actively  and  usefully  in 
serving  the  churches,  in  which  glorious  revivals  were  experienced,  and  many 
were  added  unto  the  Lord. 

Soon  after  his  ordination,  a  general  separation  took  place  throughout  the 
State  between  the  missionary  and  anti-missionary  parties  of  the  Baptist  denom- 
ination. It  was  like  tearing  asunder  soul  and  body  for  him  to  part  with  his 
brethren ;  but,  in  a  matter  like  this,  he  could  not  long  hesitate,  and  so  he  fell  on 
the  missionary  side,  though,  personally,  he  was  strongly  attached  to  many  who 
were  anti-missionaries.  In  those  times,  great  difference  of  opinion  and  much 
excitement  prevailed  on  the  temperatice  cause.  Mr.  Ferryman  went  strongly 
for  the  reformation,  and,  as  he  was  no  half-way  man  in  anything,  he  made  ene- 
mies for  himself  of  those  who  were  of  the  contrary  sentiment  and  practice,  espe- 
cially of  liquor  dealers.  He  was  also  a  very  decided  Baptist,  and  was  by  no 
means  chary  in  expressing  his  views  as  such.  The  consequence  was  that  he 
frequently  gave  offense  to  his  Pedobaptist  brethren,  with  whom,  as  a  general 
thing,  he  was  rather  unpopular.  Yet,  such  was  his  intelligence,  honesty  and 
probity  of  character,  that  he  commanded  the  respect  of  all  men,  even  though 
they  disagreed  in  sentiment  with  him. 

He  was  for  many  years  Moderator  of  the  Columbus  Association,  (one  of  the 
most  intelligent  and  influential  religious  bodies  in  the  State,)  and  then  of  the 
Friendship,  with  which  he  was  connected  later  in  life.  For  several  years  pre- 
ceding his  death,  the  state  of  his  health  would  allow  of  his  preaching  but  sel- 
dom. The  Master  whom  he  served  finally  released  him  from  labor,  and  he 
departed  in  peace,  March  12th,  1864,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age. 


ELISHA    FERRYMAN. 


>i» 


The  "  Life  and  Adventures  of  Elisha 
Perryman,"  published  by  himself  in 
1856,  furnishes  the  following  extracts, 
which  will  give  a  more  correct  idea  of 
his  character  than  anything  we  could 
prepare.  He  says :  "  I  was  born  on  the 
6th  of  February,  1769,  in  Halifax  county, 
Virginia.  My  ancestors  came  from 
Wales.  My  father  and  mother  M^ere 
both  natives  of  Virginia — the  former  of 
Prince  Edward,  the  latter  of  Caroline 
county.  They,  as  well  as  my  grand- 
parents, so  far  as  I  know,  were  plain, 
homespun,  old-fashioned,  orthodox,  pre- 
destinarian  Baptists  ;  so  you  see  I  am  but 
a  chip  of  the  old  block.  My  father  lived, 
at  the  time  of  my  birth,  on  Win's  creek, 
near  Dan  river.  In  the  Revolutionary 
war,  besides  other  engagements,  he  was 
present  at  the  battle  of  Guilford  Court-" 
house,  as  captain  of  a  volunteer  com- 
pany that  he  himself  had  raised.  In 
common  with  all  others,  his  family  suf- 
fered much  from  the  British  about  this  time.  When  Cornwallis  had  got  through 
Dursuine  General  Greene,  he  took  up  his  camp  withm  slx  miles  of  our  house, 
so  that  we  were  at  the  mercy  of  these  wicked  people.  While  there,  his  troops 
ravaged  the  country,  I  reckon,  for  ten  miles  around,  carrying  off  whatever  they 


OF    PROMINENT   BAPTISTS,  419 

wanted,  and  destroying  a  great  deal  that  they  did  not  want.  They  ate  up  our 
cattle,  hogs,  corn,  fodder  and  everything  of  the  kind.  Tarleton's  horse  company 
carried  off  three  or  four  stacks  of  our  oats  at  one  time.  They  broke  us  up 
there  so  completely  that  we  moved  away  next  spring  and  came  to  Georgia. 
After  we  got  to  this  State  we  settled  down  on  Big  Kiokee  creek,  in  Richmond 
(now  Columbia)  county,  about  twenty-two  miles  above  Augusta,  and  one  mile 
from  where  Columbia  Court-house  stands." 

He  gives  an  interesting  account  of  an  expedition  against  the  Indians  between 
the  Ogeechee  and  Oconee  rivers,  in  which  he  was  engaged  as  a  soldier ;  of  his 
marriage,  and  then  proceeds  :  "  For  several  years  after  my  marriage  my  feelings 
in  respect  to  reh'gion  were  not  much  excited.  Sometimes  I  would  become 
troubled  because  of  my  sins ;  but  these  troubles  would  soon  wear  off.  So 
things  went  on  until  the  year  1792 ;  this  year  I  got  greatly  stirred  up  in  view  of 
my  sinfulness.  Being  very  uneasy  about  my  case,  and  being  in  great  want  of 
knowledge,  I  concluded  to  invite  ministers  to  come  and  preach  at  my  house, 
that  I  might  gain  some  instruction.  I  was  very  ignorant  as  to  my  soul,  and  did 
not  know  how  to  get  rid  of  my  sins  ;  as  a  heavy  burden,  they  were  too  heavy 
for  me,  and  seemed  about  to  crush  me  to  the  earth.  My  trouble  was  very  great, 
and  instead  of  getting  clear  of  it,  it  appeared  to  grow  worse  and  worse,  until 
the  year  179S.  This  year,  my  health  becoming  feeble,  I  went  to  some  warm 
springs  in  North  Carolina,  to  see  if  they  would  do  me  any  good.  While  there, 
I  heard  a  man  from  Tennessee.  His  preaching  affected  me  very  much,  and  I 
was  made  to  reflect  still  more  on  my  case,  and  to  cry  to  the  Lord  for  mercy.  I 
got  so  bad  off  on  account  of  my  sins,  that  when  I  came  back  home,  I  became  a 
close  attendant  on  preaching.  Instead  of  getting  better,  I  got  worse ;  so  I 
thought  I  would  go  with  Marshall  every  Saturday  and  Sunday  to  his  meetings 
to  see  if  I  could  find  some  relief.  But  no,  there  was  no  help  for  poor  me  ;  I  got 
worse  and  worse ;  so  I  fell  into  a  great  despair,  and  thought  the  Lord  would 
never  pardon  me,  but  that  I  must  die  in  my  sins  and  be  forever  lost.  I  became 
so  much  troubled  that  I  could  not  relish  my  daily  food.  I  could  not  rest  day 
nor  night ;  sleep  went  from  my  eyes,  and  slumber  from  my  eye-lids.  Thus  I  went 
on  very  much  bowed  down  in  soul,  until  the  month  of  May,  1799.  One  morn- 
ing in  that  beautiful  month,  I  went  out  to  ploughing  very  soon,  telling  my  dear 
wife  that  I  would  not  be  home  to  breakfast  that  day.  Everything  looked  gloomy 
and  desolate,  but  yet  I  went  on  ploughing,  meditating  on  my  sad  condition  and 
thinking  what  I  must  do  to  be  saved.  While  I  was  thus  in  deep  distress,  all 
of  a  sudden,  about  the  middle  of  the  day,  something  like  a  fiash  of  lightning, 
came  all  m  me  and  around  me ;  and  I  had  such  a  view  of  the  fullness  and 
beaut);  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  the  worth  of  his  pardoning  love  and 
mercy  to  a  poor  sinner  like  me,  that  I  broke  out  into  a  great  cry  of  joy  and 
praise.  I  immediately  took  out  my  horse  and  went  to  the  house  as  quickly  as  I 
could,  and  told  my  dear  wife  what  had  happened  to  me.  There  was  such  a 
change  in  my  heart,  and  all  things  wore  such  a  beauty  and  light  about  me  that 
it  appeared  to  me  I  was  in  a  new  world.  It  seemed  to  me  too  that  I  did  not  want  to 
stay  here  any  longer;  so  I  put  my  horse  into  the  stable,  and  ran  like  a  deer  down 
to  Abraham  Marshall's,  about  three  miles  off,  and  told  him  how  I  had  found 
the  Lord  in  my  corn-field,  about  middle-way  of  my  corn  row  ;  that  he  revealed 
himself  to  me  as  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life,  so  that  my  soul  was  full  of 
love  and  I  wanted  everybody  to  know  and  feel  as  I  did.  Marshall  seemed  to 
be  very  glad  and  said  to  me,  '  You  must  come  and  join  the  church.'  But  that 
was  too  much  for  me  then,  for  before  I  got  back  home,  my  joy  and  love  began 
to  die  away,  so  that  I  was  afraid  I  might  be  mistaken.  While  thus  troubled 
with  doubts  and  fears,  I  went  to  Poplar  Springs  meeting-house,  near  Little 
River,  where  I  heard  a  man  by  the  name  of  James  Landrews.  His  text  was, 
'  We  know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life,  because  we  love  the 
brethren.'  While  he  was  preaching  the  love  of  God  flowed  into  my  heart  so 
much  that  I  thought  I  never  would  doubt  any  more,  for  I  felt  that  I  had  the 
witness  in  my  soul,  because  I  loved  the  people  of  the  Lord.  I  thought,  there- 
fore, if  the  preacher  told  the  truth,  I  must  be  a  converted  man ;  so  I  rejoiced  in 

30 


420  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 

the  Lord  with  great  joy,  and  went  back  home  in  great  hopes  of  my  real  conver- 
sion and  acceptance  with  the  blessed  Saviour." 

On  the  third  Sabbath  in  August,  1801,  he  was  baptized  by  Abraham  Marshall 
into  the  Kiokee  church,  and  his  wife  about  six  months  after. 

"  In  considering  my  condition  after  my  baptism,  I  found  myself  to  be  in  great 
want  of  knowledge,  both  mental  and  spiritual.  My  advantages  in  early  life  had 
been  very  poor,  having  gone  to  school  only  about  two  months.  But  having  cast 
my  lot  in  with  God's  children,  I  looked  about  to  see  in  what  way  I  could  best 
serve  my  blessed  Master.  Finding  that  I  was  so  very  ignorant,  I  thought  I  had 
better  begin  with  myself.  Accordingly,  I  worked  hard  in  the  day  time  to  obtain 
a  support  for  my  family,  and  at  night  I  would  sit  up  and  read  and  study  by 
pine-knot  fires.  In  this  way  I  improved  myself  a  good  deal.  But  I  lacked 
spiritual  knowledge  very  much  also.  To  obtain  this  I  tried  to  attend  all  the  meet- 
ings in  reach  of  me.  In  order  to  go  to  meeting  on  Saturday,  I  would  labor 
very  hard,  so  as  to  finish  my  week's  work  by  Friday  evening.  Frequently  I 
have  had  to  walk  to  attend  preaching.  I  have  gone  in  this  way  as  much  as  eight 
miles,  and  often  as  much  as  five  and  six.  This,  however,  I  did  not  mind.  I 
wanted  to  know  more  about  my  blessed  Saviour — more  about  that  wonderful 
grace  of  God  that  saved  a  wretch  like  me— more  about  that  rich  and  glorious 
inheritance  which  awaits  the  saints  in  heaven. 

"  I  felt  continually  pressed  in  spirit  to  testify  to  the  people  of  their  lost  and 
undone  condition  in  a  state  of  nature — of  that  tremendous  punishment  which 
God  would  pour  out  on  the  finally  impenitent,  and  of  that  blessed  and  glorious 
way  of  escape  which  had  been  provided  by  the  death  of  a  crucified  Redeemer. 
Feeling  this  way,  I  commenced  by  holding  prayer  meetings  about  at  different 
houses  in  the  neighborhood,  wherever  I  could  collect  the  people  together.  In 
this  manner  I  spent  a  good  deal  of  time,  singing  and  praying  with  the  people, 
exhorting  Christians  to  love  aad  good  works,  and  calling  upon  poor  sinners  to 
fly  for  their  lives.  In  the  meantirne,  I  went  about  as  much  as  I  could  with  Jesse 
Mercer  and  Abraham  Marshall  to  their  meetings,  in  which  way  I  learned  a  great 
deal  in  respect  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible.  The  most  of  my  knowledge  of  the 
teachings  of  the  Scriptures  I  got  from  the  lips  of  these  great  and  good  men. 
Though  not  set  apart  by  ordination  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry  until  several 
years  after,  I  felt  myself  wholly  given  up  to  this  good  cause.  I  did  not  think  my- 
self qualified  for  the  duties  of  a  pastor,  and  never  have  thought  so  ;  but  still  I 
was  able  to  proclaim  the  good  news  of  salvation  through  faith  in  the  precious 
blood  of  Christ.  Accordingly,  I  gave  myself  to  the  work  of  an  evangelist.  I 
went  through  the  country,  singing  and  praying  with  the  people,  exhorting  pro- 
fessors to  walk  worthy  of  their  high  vocation,  and  beseeching  poor  sinners  to 
fly  for  refuge  to  the  hope  set  before  them  in  the  Gospel.  I  went  sometimes  to 
private  houses,  sometimes  to  the  meetings  of  my  brethren,  and  sometimes  to 
destitute  places,  where  the  name  of  Christ  was  seldom  or  never  heard.  In  this 
way  I  humbly  hope  that  I  was  enabled  to  do,  at  least,  some  little  good.  We 
often  had  very  interesting  meetings.  Sinners  were  made  to  weep  because  of 
their  sins,  and  Christians  to  rejoice  in  the  glorious  hope  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
"  In  the  early  part  of  January,  i8i'o,  I  moved  into  Warren  county  and  settled 
in  the  woods,  on  Briar  creek,  not  far  from  Sweetwater  meeting-house.  Chang- 
ing my  home  brought  me  into  the  neighborhood  of  some  very  destitute  sections, 
In  some  of  these  places  the  people  seemed  to  be  in  greater  want  of  light  and 
knowledge  than  any  I  had  ever  seen  before.  The  preaching  of  the  Gospel  Avas 
such  a  strange  thing  to  many  of  them  that  they  came  out  to  meeting  finely. 
The  good  Lord  was  with  me,  and  I  would  thunder  the  law  down  upon  them 
with  all  my  might  and  power.  Many  of  ihem  became  alarmed,  and  seemed  to 
think  they  ought  to  do  better  than  they  had  before.  I  had  no  house  to  preach 
in  for  a  great  while,  except  when  there  would  be  meeting  at  private  houses. 
Finally,  however,  there  was  a  meeting-house  built,  and  that,  too,  in  one  of  the 
darkest  corners  in  the  county,  and,  not  long  after,  a  church  was  constituted. 
But  I  did  not  confine  my  labors  to  one  section  of  the  country.  As  my  custom 
had  been,  I  went  from  place  to  place,  wherever  destitution  abounded.  I  often 
went  down  through  the  counties  of  Montgomery,  Emanuel,  Tatnall  and  Bullock, 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS.  421 

and  there,  in  those  destitute  regions,  lifted  up  the  Saviour's  banner  and  called 
upon  poor  sinners  to  ground  the  arms  of  their  rebellion  and  come  and  gather 
around  it.  Sometimes  I  would  make  tours  through  Richmond,  Burke,  Jefferson 
and  Screven  counties,  mingling  with  my  beloved  brethren,  and  singing  and  pray- 
ing with  the  people.  Sometimes  I  would  sally  out  into  the  counties  north  and 
west  of  me,  sometimes  into  South  Carolina,  and  all  up  and  down  the  Savannah 
river.  I  often  met  with  trials,  crosses  and  privations  ;  but  I  tried  to  endure 
hardships  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,  feeling,  with  the  apostle,  that  these 
light  afflictions,  which  were  to  endure  but  for  a  moment,  would  work  out  for  me 
a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory. 

"  While  the  war  with  England  was  going  on,  there  were  felt  in  different  parts 
of  the  country,  several  very  severe  earthquake  shocks.  Once,  during  this  earth- 
quake period,  brother  George  Franklin  and  myself  were  conducting  a  meeting 
at  the  house  of  a  man  named  Parker.  The  meeting  lasted  until  late  at  night, 
and  several  of  the  congregation  remained  at  the  house  as  well  as  ourselves. 
Just  as  we  had  lain  down,  and  before  the  lights  were  out,  the  earth  began  to 
shake  very  powerfully,  when  some  of  the  dear  young  people  jumped  out  of 
their  beds  and  ran,  all  in  a  tremble,  to  Franklin  and  myself,  crying  to  us  to  pray 
for  them.  All  over  the  country,  all  classes  were  very  much  alarmed,  for  they 
thought  the  day  of  judgment  was  at  hand,  and  they  were  not  prepared  for  it. 
A  great  revival  took  place  not  long  after,  and  many  that  were  converted  dated 
their  first  impressions  back  to  the  earthquakes. 

"  The  Lord  has  blessed  me  with  a  strong  constitution,  for  which  I  desire  to 
be  truly  grateful.  Though  I  am  now  pressing  hard  upon  four-score  and  ten 
years,  and  though  I  have  endured  many  hardships  and  suffered  many  privations, 
and  notwithstanding  my  once  erect  form  is  now  bowed  with  the  weight  of  years, 
I  still  possess  much  vivacity  and  vigor.  I  still  meet  with  my  brethren  from 
year  to  year  in  their  associational  and  other  meetings,  and  I  still  lift  up  my 
voice  in  calling  upon  poor  sinners  to  fly  from  the  wrath  to  come.  I  hope  soon 
to  leave  the  cares  and  sorrows  of  this  unfriendly  world  ;  I  hope  soon  to  cross 
the  swelling  waves  of  Jordan ;  I  hope  soon  to  pass  the  pearly  gates  of  the  New 
Jerusalem,"  etc. 

In  this  strain  the  good  old  man  closed  his  narrative.  His  hopes  have  been 
realized.     The  precise  date  of  his  death  we  do  not  know. 


THOMAS    JEFFERSON    PILCHER. 

Though  born  in  Hancock  county.  Rev.  Thomas 
Jefferson  PiLCHERhas  spent  most  of  his  life  in  War- 
ren. His  parents  were  members  of  the  Warrenton 
Baptist  church — his  father,  one  of  the  officiating  dea- 
cons up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  The  son  united  with 
this  church  in  1851,  and  was  baptized  by  the  Rev.  T.  J. 
Beck.  Not  long  after  his  baptism,  he  was  ordained  a 
deacon,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  to  the 
full  satisfaction  of  the  church.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach,  at  Warrenton,  in  1865.  Having  removed  to  the 
country,  only  a  short  distance  from  Elim,  he  transferred 
his  membership  to  that  church,  and  was  called  to  ordination  by  it  in  1869. 
Then  he  began  to  fill  pulpits  that  had  been  filled  by  such  men  as  J.  Huff,  B.  M. 
Sanders,  R.  Gunn,  and  others  long  since  summoned  to  their  reward.  His  min- 
isterial labors  at  Powelton,  Brier  Creek,  Mill  Creek,  etc.,  have  been  greatly 
blessed  of  God.  While  no  one  claims  gifts  of  oratory  for  him,  by  his  earnest, 
fervent  manner,  and  his  pointed  appeals  to  his  hearers,  he  attracts  and  holds 


;^^^ 

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42^  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

their  attention.  He  is  not  only  persuasive  but  instructive  ;  and  hence  his 
churches  are  generally  abreast  of  the  times  and  ready  to  do  something  for  the 
cause  of  missions. 

He  was  happily  married,  March  15th,  1849,  to  Miss  A.  A.  Brinson,  of  Jeffer- 
son county.     They  have  nine  children — six  sons  and  three  daughters. 

His  personal  appearance  is  fine.  Tall  and  commanding  in  presence,  cordial 
in  manner,  amiable  in  deportment,  wearing  a  smile  on  his  face,  and  with  a  kind 
word  for  all,  his  whole-hearted  devotion  to  his  work  makes  him  always  welcome 
to  disciples  of  the  Lord.  His  hospitality  gives  a  home-feeling  to  every  visitor. 
He  is  unifortnly  cheerful,  and  seldom,  if  ever,  looks  on  the  dark  side  of  the 
picture.  His  life  is  a  beautiful  exemplification  of  the  religion  of  the  Bible. 
In  his  private  relations,  he  is  an  affectionate  husband  and  father.  As  a  citizen 
no  man  is  more  esteemed,  or  enjoys  to  a  higher  degree  the  public  confidence. 
He  is  no  less  appreciated  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel ;  he  is  not  respected  simply, 
in  this  character — he  is  loved. 


PHILIP  J.  PIPKIN. 

Harvey  B.  Pipkin,  the  father  of  Rev.  Philip  J.,  emigrated 
from  North  Carolina,  and  settled  in  Jefferson  county,  Geor- 
gia, not  far  from  Stellaville.  His  mother,  a  South  Carolinian, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Hudson,  was  closely  connected 
with  the  Hamptons — a  name  dear  to  the  people  of  that 
chivalrous  State.  Philip  was  born  after  the  removal  of  his 
parents  to  Georgia,  June  7th,  1834.  His  father  died  when 
he  was  but  a  boy,  and  thus  in  early  life  he  was  thrown  on 
his  own  resources.  He  was  blessed  with  pious  parents,  and 
although  deprived  when  he  was  young  of  the  wise  counsels 
of  his  father,  his  example  was  not  forgotten,  and  that,  with  the  deep-toned  piety 
of  his  mother,  and  her  scriptural  teachings,  God  was  pleased  to  bless  to  his  good. 
When  he  had  reached  his  eighteenth  year,  though  esteemed  by  the  world  as  a 
moral  youth,  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  reveal  to  him  that  he  was  a  lost  sinner, 
and  he  at  once  became  profoundly  interested  in  his  soul's  salvation.  About  this 
time  that  earnest  and  indefatigable  worker.  Rev.  E.  R.  Carswell,  Sen.,  was  con- 
ducting a  protracted  meeting  at  Ways  meeting-house,  Jefferson  county.  During 
this  meeting  Philip  J.  Pipkin  was  hopefully  converted  to  Jesus,  and  in  1852 
united  with  the  Brushy  Creek  church,  Burke  county.  In  1854  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  H.  Ward,  of  Jefferson  county.  In  1874  this  marriage  relation 
was  dissolved  by  the  death  of  his  excellent  wife,  leaving  six  interesting  children, 
In  1875  he  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  O.  Knight,  of  Columbus,  Georgia — a 
most  estimable,  pious  woman.  He  has  a  fine  physical  development,  is  strong, 
robust,  able  to  accomplish  much,  and  in  stature  five  feet  ten  inches  high. 

As  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  he  has  not  been  idle.  He  was  ordained  at  the 
Bethany  church,  in  Washington  county,  November,  1864,  since  which  time  he 
has  devoted  himself  to  the  work  of  his  Master.  His  work  as  a  minister  has  been 
for  the  most  part  within  the  bounds  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Association.  Not  a 
few  in  the  various  churches  are  ready  to  attest  that  the  Lord  has  blessed  his 
labors  to  the  comfort  and  joy  of  their  hearts,  and  to  their  strengthening  in  Chris- 
tian faith  and  hope.  The  churches  over  which  he  has  presided  as  pastor,  are 
Riddieville,  Jackson,  Mount  Moriah,  Hines  and  Pleasant  Grove.  Mr.  Pipkin,  at 
the  request  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Association,  and  the  co-operation  of  the  Home 
Mission  Board,  travelled  as  an  evangelist  in  that  Association,  visiting,  preaching 
and  aiding  in  the  organization  of  churches  in  some  of  the  destitute  districts.  At 
one  session  of  this  Association  he  was  elected  to  fill  the  Moderator's  chair.  He 
is  now,  as  ever  before,  ready  to  give  himself  to  the  cause  of  his  Saviour,  in 
preaching  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


423 


RADFORD  EDWARD  PITMAN. 


Rev.  Radford  Edward  Pitman  was  born  in  Talia- 
ferro county,  Georgia,  August  22d,  1835.  His  mother 
Elizabeth  Ann,  daughter  of  Rev.  Radford  Gunn,  died 
many  years  ago  ;  his  father,  M.  G.  P.  Pitman,  is  still  living. 

He  received  his  education  principally  at  Baird's  Acad- 
emy, Wilkes  county,  Georgia,  then  under  the  control  of 
Rev.  T.  N.  Rhodes,  He  afterwards  attended  the  Classical 
School  at  Woodstock,  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia,  taught 
by  Rev.  J.  W.  Reid,  a  Presbyterian  minister.  He  suc- 
ceeded, by  his  own  efforts  financially,  in  obtaining  a  good 
English  and  classical  education.  As  a  teacher,  he  secured  considerable  reputa- 
tion, having  given  about  twenty  years  to  that  profession,  and  proving  himself  to 
be  one  of  the  first  educators  of  Georgia. 

When  the  war  between  the  States  broke  out,  he  left  the  school-room  and  took 
up  arms  in  defence  of  his  country.  He  was  chosen  captain  of  a  company  from 
Coweta  county,  which  position  he  held  with  honor  to  himself  and  the  soldiers 
under  his  command. 

He  joined  the  church  at  County  Line,  Oglethorpe  county,  in  1852,  and  was 
baptized  by  Rev.  Thomas  R.  Morgan.  After  striving  against  his  conviction  that 
he  was  called  of  God  to  preach,  he  at  last  yielded  to  the  sense  of  duty,  and  was 
ordained  at  Mount  Lebanon,  Coweta  county,  November,  1869.  He  is  now  serv- 
ing the  churches  that  requested  his  ordination,  and  two  others  that  called  him 
soon  afterwards.  He  has  served  two  in  addition  to  these  during  the  time  dc 
voted  to  the  ministry.  His  charges  at  present  are  Ebenezer,  Holly  Springs, 
Coweta  county,  and  Bethel,  Meriwether  county. 

As  a  pastor,  he  is  faithful  and  energetic,  "making  full  proof  of  his  ministry," 
being  greatly  beloved  by  his  brethren  and  the  people  among  whom  he  labors. 
The  churches  of  his  charge  have  been  greatly  increased  in  numbers  and  spiritual 
gifts,  God  having  given  him  souls  for  his  hire. 

He  has  held  for  eight  years,  and  still  holds,  the  office  of  County  School  Com- 
missioner in  Coweta.     In  this  position  he  has  given  universal  satisfaction. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Narcissa,  daughter  of  Judge  Thomas  W.  Bolton,  of 
Newnan,  Georgia,  March  17th,  1859.     He  has  two  sons. 

His  modes  of  study  as  a  minister  have  been  somewhat  irregular,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  arduous  labors  in  the  school-room  and  his  feeble  health  ;  yet  his 
preparations  for  the  pulpit  are  systematic,  and  his  preaching  is  earnest  and  effec- 
tive. His  theology  is  sound,  having  been  obtained  chiefly  from  the  study 
of  the  Scriptures.  As  a  public  speaker  he  commands  attention  from  all ;  and 
while  he  does  not  aspire  to  any  great  degree  of  oratory,  he  possesses  in  large 
measure  the  qualities  which  produce  conviction — clearness,  force  and  earnestness. 

In  his  appearance  he  is  more  than  an  ordinary  man,  tall,  though-  of  delicate 
frame,  and  possessing  a  genial  countenance.  As  a  man,  as  a  teacher,  as  a  min- 
ister, he  has  done  much  for  the  cause  of  truth,  for  the  Master,  and  for  the  world, 
and!^wilFat  last  hear  the  welcome  plaudit,  "Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant." 


424 


BIOGKAl'IilCAL   SKETCHES 


JOSEPH    POLHILL. 


Rev.  Joseph  Polhill  was 
born  in  Effingham  county,  Geor- 
gia, April  2d,  1798.  His  fatlier 
Thomas  Polhill,  was  a  minister 
of  good  standing  and  usefulness, 
and  died  in  Burke  county  in  1 814. 
His  mother  was  a  native  of  Sa- 
vannah. Her  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Anderson,  and  she  died  in 
Effingham  county  in  1804.  Jo- 
seph Polhill,  their  son,  was  sent 
to  school  at  Mount  Enon,  a  re- 
spectable literary  institution,  and 
there  received  the  most  of  his 
education.  In  his  younger  days, 
he  was  wild  and  dissipated,  but 
always  honorable  and  high-toned 
even  in  his  dissipation.  But  he 
was  one  of  God's  chosen  vessels 
nevertheless.  If  his  conversion 
was  remarkable,  the  manner  in 
which  it  was  brought  about  was 
perhaps  equally  so.  In  what  the 
world  would  call  so  hard  a  case, 
it  might  be  supposed  that  God 
would  employ  some  mighty 
Apollos  with  overwhelming  eloquence,  or  some  powerful  Paul  with  resistless 
logic,  to  accomplish  His  purpose ;  but  God's  adaptation  of  means  to  ends  is 
not  such  as  we  would  select.  The  instrument  in  this  case  was  an  illiterate  old 
negro  man  of  good  Christian  character.  Joseph  was  full  of  mischief  and  fond 
of  practical  jokes,  and  not  always  mindful  of  the  rights  and  comfort  of  others. 
One  day  coming  into  the  place  of  business  of  this  old  negro,  he  found  that  he 
was  out,  but  from  the  manner  in  which  his  tools  and  his  work  were  placed,  knew 
that  the  old  man  had  not  gone  far,  and  would  soon  return.  As  a  practical  joke,  he 
displaced  his  tools  and  work,  and  put  everything  into  confusion,  and  then  retired 
and  concealed  himself  in  the  bushes  to  await  the  result.  Soon  the  old  negro 
returned  and  expressed  his  perturbation  aloud  as  negroes  are  apt  to  do.  "Who 
done  all  dis  prank  ?  Mars  Joe  Polhill  bin  here.  Nobody  else  wouldn't  a  done 
it.  Poor  Mars  Joe.  I  love  him — he  so  bad — I  don't  mind  this  little  trouble, 
but  I  sorry  for  poor  Mars  Joe ; "  whereupon  the  good  old  colored  man  fell  on 
his  knees  and  prayed  God  to  have  mercy  on  poor  Mars  Joe.  All  this  Mr.  Polhill 
heard  as  he  lay  concealed  in  the  bushes.  The  rude  eloquence,  the  heart-felt 
sincerity,  the  earnest  appeals  to  the  throne  of  God,  that  His  mercy  might  then  be 
extended  to  the  erring,  sinful  young  man,  and  bring  him  an  humble  penitent 
to  the  feet  of  Jesus,  so  touched  his  heart  that  he  quietly  left  his  place  of  con- 
cealment, unobserved  by  the  good  old  man.  God  made  it  powerful — it  led  him  to 
deep  and  serious  thought — led  him  to  conviction,  tu  inquiry,  to  prayer,  to  re- 
pentance and  faith,  to  baptism  and  to  the  Christian  ministry.  With  the  hum- 
blest instrumentalities  God  can  accomplish  great  results.  The  remainder  of 
this  sketch  is  drawn  from  the  work  of  Rev.  Jesse  H.  Campbell,  "  Georgia 
Baptists:" 

Joseph  Polhill  was  baptized  into  the  Hopeful  church,  Burke  county,  in  No- 
vember 1829,  by  Rev.  Jonathan  Huff.  Very  soon  after  his  baptism,  he  began 
to  proclaim  the  glad  tidings,  to  the  astonishment  of  many  who  had  known  his 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  425 

previous  manner  of  life,  and  even  of  some  of  his  own  kindred,  who  it  seems 
could  not  have  faith  in  the  great  change  which  had  been  so  suddenly  wrought 
in  him.  Yet  so  mightily  did  the  work  prevail  in  his  hands,  that  his  ordination 
was  soon  called  for,  and  he  was  set  apart  to  this  work  by  a  presbytery  consisting 
of  Revs.  Joshua  Key  and  Jonathan  Huff,  at  Friendship  church,  Richmond  county, 
in  November,  1832.  It  was  about  this  time,  or  perhaps  before,  that  he  took  a 
course  of  theological  instruction  from  Rev.  W.  D.  Cowdery  at  Crawfordville, 
Georgia.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  J.  Guion,  at  New  Rochelle,  New  York, 
in  1819. 

Mr.  Polhill's  labors  were  confined,  in  the  main,  to  the  bounds  of  the  Heph- 
zibah  Association,  embracing  the  counties  of  Burke,  Jefferson  and  Richmond. 
He  was  clerk  of  this  Association  for  nineteen  years  in  succession,  and  was  its 
Moderator  at  the  time  of  his  death.  From  a  book  of  memoranda,  kept  by 
himself,  the  following  facts  are  gathered :  That  he  performed  nine  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  baptisms,  assisted  in  the  constitution  of  five  churches,  and  in 
the  ordination  of  six  ministers  and  nineteen  deacons  ;  that  he  pronounced  the 
marriage  ceremony  fifty-three  times  ;  that  the  first  person  he  baptized  was  his 
wife,  and  that  he  subsequently  baptized  four  of  his  children,  one  brother,  one 
sister,  two  sons-in-law,  and  several  nephews  and  nieces.  He  drove  his  favorite 
old  horse.  Buck,  twelve  years,  and  his  estimate  of  the  number  of  miles  travelled 
was  eighty  thousand.  He  had  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  are 
living,  and  are  consistent  members  of  Baptist  churches.  Both  of  his  sons  are 
deacons.  His  wife,  a  most  excellent  and  intelligent  lady,  died  in  Burke  county 
in  1863.  The  following  letter  from  her  to  her  son.  Dr.  John  G.  Polhill,  will  give 
some  insight  into  her  character,  and  is  an  affecting  description  of  the  manner  of 
his  death. 

"Burke  County,  December  4th,  1858. 

My  Dear  Son — What  can  I  say  to  you  ?  My  heart  is  full  almost  to  burst- 
ing. Your  father — your  precious  father  is  gone  !  And  if  I  did  not  feel  the  blessed 
assurance  that  he  is  now  reaping  the  reward  of  his  labors,  I  should  sink 
under  the  weight  of  this  bitter  stroke.  He  told  me  on  Monday  night  that  he 
felt  as  if  he  had  preached  his  last  sermon,  and  when  I  asked  him  why,  he  said 
that  when  he  was  preaching  on  Sunday  night  he  had  such  an  overwhelming 
sense  of  the  goodness  of  God,  he  was  completely  lost  in  the  immensity  of  His 
fullness.  '  Oh,  mother,'  said  he,  'it  was  all  God  !  Nothing  but  God  !'  On  Tues- 
day morning  about  five  o'clock,  he  asked  me  if  I  was  awake,  I  told  him  that  I  had 
been  for  some  time,  but  supposing  him  asleep,  I  had  kept  quiet.  He  requested 
me  to  arise,  and  we  knelt  on  the  bed,  when  he  prayed  for  me  that  I  might  be  sus- 
tained in  every  trial ;  then  for  each  of  our  children  by  name ;  then  prayed  for  his 
churches  and  friends,  and  offered  a  most  fervent  petition  for  sinners.  He  staid 
in  the  house  most  of  the  morning,  but  when  he  was  out,  about  the  premises, 
the  negroes  say  he  was  singing  all  the  time,  which  was  an  unusual  thing  for  him. 

"  At  dinner  I  mentioned  a  sermon  I  had  been  reading,  which,  at  his  request,  I 

handed  to  him.     He  read  it,  making  comments  on  it  as  he  proceeded 

When  he  had  finished  reading  the  sermon,  he  took  up  a  religious  paper,  when 
I  left  the  room.  He  soon  went  to  the  gin-house  where  the  negroes  were  at 
work,  and  in  fifteen  minutes  I  heard  them  screaming,  '  Master  is  killed  ! '  He 
had  fallen  from  the  scaffold,  causing  a  laceration  of  the  spinal  marrow,  which 
resulted  in  death.  When  I  reached  him  he  said,  '  I  know  you,  my  darling.  Be 
composed;  my  back  is  broken.'  We  placed  him  on  a  couch  and  brought  him 
to  the  house.  After  he  was  laid  on  the  bed,  he  said  he  did  not  suffer  any  pain 
except  in  his  left  arm.  We  rubbed  it  several  times  with  liniment,  and  he  com- 
plained of  it  no  more.  His  physicians,  among  whom  was  Dr.  Miller,  his  son- 
in-law,  were  convinced,  from  the  first,  that  his  injuries  would  prove  fatal.  When 
we  were  around  his  bed,  he  said  to  me,  '  Mother,  let  us  hold  one  another's 
hands  to  the  last.'  He  looked  at  the  children  and  said,  '  All  are  here  except 
our  first-born.     Tell  my  dear  John  that  I  have  fought  the  good  fight.'  ■ 

"  He  retained  his  speech  and  reason  to  the  last,  and  said  to  a  good  brother  that 

his  hopes  were  so  bright  as  almost  to  alarm  him Frank  Carswell 

staid  with  him  the  last  night  he  lived.  He  said  to  Frank,  '  I  am  going  home  ; 
there  is  not  a  cloud  between  me  and  my  Saviour.'     He  asked  how  late  it  was. 


426  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

and  being  informed  it  was  past  eight,  he  raised  his  clasped  hands  and  exclaimed, 
'  Oh,  my  gracious  Master  !  when  will  the  hour  come  ! '  Then  closed  his  eyes 
and  lay  two  or  three  minutes,  opened  them  again,  and  looking  at  me  said,  '  Be 
composed ;  they  are  making  preparations  '—closed  them  for  the  last  time,  and 
was  gone,  without  a  groan  or  contortion.  A  most  angelic  smile  rested  on  his  dear 
face  till  it  was  hid  from  mortal  gaze.  His  body  lies  in  the  field  in  front  of  the 
house.  His  old  horse,  Buck,  and  his  gray  drew  him  to  his  last  resting-place. 
His  friends  from  far  and  near,  old  and  young,  came  to  his  burial.  Old  brother 
Key  performed  appropriate  services  in  the  house,  and  brother  Palmer  prayed  at 
the  grave.  But,  Oh,  my  son,  when  our  married  children  and  their  families  left 
me,  then  did  I  feel  my  loneliness.  And  when  the  hour  came  to  surround  the 
family  altar,  and  he  who  had  always  offered  the  sacrifice  was  gone,  it  was  almost 
more  than  I  could  do  to  read  the  Scriptures  and  kneel  in  his  accustomed  place 
to  implore  God's  blessing  and  protection." 

This  excellent  woman  kept  up  family  worship  as  long  as  she  lived,  unless  con- 
fined to  her  bed  by  sickness,  proving  herself,  as  she  had  ever  done,  worthj'^  to 
have  been  the  wife  of  this  most  devoted  and  useful  minister  of  Christ.  With 
the  influence  of  his  example  upon  her,  she  could  hardly  have  done  otherwise.  It  • 
had  been  his  custom,  not  only  to  attend  family  worship  morning  and  evening, 
but  also  whenever  he  was  leaving  his  family  for  any  length  of  time,  they  were 
assembled  for  special  prayer,  and  were  thus  left  under  God's  immediate  pro- 
tection. 

Mr.  Polhill  was  a  strong  and  consistent  advocate  of  the  temperance  cause. 
From  the  hour  of  his  conversion,  he  abstained  altogether  from  intoxicating 
drinks.  In  his  last  illness,  one  of  his  physicians  offered  him  brandy.  He  looked 
him  steadily  in  the  face  and  said  :  "  Doctor,  will  you,  as  a  physician,  say  this  is 
necessary  to  save  my  life?"  The  doctor  replied  that,  as  an  honest  man,  he 
could  not  say  so.  "  Then,"  said  he,  "  doctor,  take  it  back  ;  I  cannot  violate  the 
promise  I  made  to  my  God  many  years  ago,  when  he  converted  my  soul." 

He  was  of  a  stout,  heavy  build,  somewhat  bordering  on  corpulency ;  of  a 
pleasant,  open,  honest  countenance,  and  of  a  kind,  paternal,  benevolent  spirit. 
He  loved  his  friends,  and  no  man  was  more  beloved  than  he.  They  ever  found 
a  cordial  welcome  in  his  hospitable  home,  and  with  his  intelligent  family,  and 
he  knew  how  to  make  himself  at  home  with  them.  His  mind,  though  not  of 
the  first  order,  was  of  sufficient  clearness,  depth  and  power  to  render  him  a 
forcible  and  successful  preacher  of  the  Word.  His  education,  though  neither 
thorough  nor  extensive,  was  sufficient  to  qualify  him  for  the  business  of  life  and 
for  great  usefulness  in  the  church.  He  belonged  to  the  class  of  medzujn  men — 
far  the  most  useful  class,  whether  in  the  church  or  in  the  world. 

This  useful  man  died  under  the  circumstances  already  mentioned,  December 
2d,  1858. 


JOHN  G.  POLHILL. 

Rev.  John  G.  Polhill  was  born  in  Twiggs  county, 
Georgia,  July  30th,  1820.  He  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Joseph 
Polhill  and  Julia  J.  Polhill. 

In  the  city  of  Milledgeville,  in  the  fall  of  1834,  during  a 
season  of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  he 
was  led  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  Jesus,  and  was  enabled  to 
rejoice  in  the  sweet  consciousness  of  the  pardon  of  his 
sins.  In  February,  1835,  he  applied  for  membership  in 
Friendship  church  (since  dissolved),  in  Richmond  county, 
and  being  received,  was  baptized  by  his  father  .  In  the  year 

1836  he  entered  Mercer  University,  and  remained  in  the  institution  until   1839. 

After  finishing  his  education,  he  was  invited  to  open  a  school  in  Jefferson  county. 


or   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


427 


and  taught  there  during  the  years  1840  and  1841.  He  then  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  at  Louisville,  in  the  office  of  Drs.  Lemley  &  Dickson,  and 
graduated  in  the  Medical  College  of  Georgia  in  1844.  After  pursuing  his  pro- 
fession with  great  energy  and  success,  he  became  deeply  impressed  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  preach  Jesus  to  the  people.  He  had  tried  for  many  years  to  suppress 
these  convictions,  but  at  length  his  sense  of  duty  became  so  overwhelming  that 
he  yielded  to  what  he  felt  was  a  call  from  God,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  by 
Ebenezer  church,  Dooly  county,  in  1869.  In  December  of  the  same  year,  he 
was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  by  Revs.  L.  Joiner,  T.  J.  Adams  and 
I.  Hobby.  For  five,  years  this  brother  preached  with  great  acceptance  to 
churches  in  the  counties  of  Sumter,  Dooly  and  Macon.  He  then  removed  to 
Whitesville,  in  Effingham  county,  where  he  remained  for  about  a  year.  But 
the  churches  failing  to  give  him  the  support  necessary  for  his  family,  he  felt  he 
must  resume  his  profession  and  preach  the  Gospel  as  occasion  and  opportunity 
would  offer.  He  then  removed  to  Milner,  where  he  now  resides.  He  was  mar- 
ried May  28th,  1848,  in  Lowndes  county,  Georgia,  to  Miss  Susan  M.  Sharp,  by 
whom  he  had  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  God,  in  His  providence,  removed 
by  death  his  first  wife,  March  8th,  1873,  and  in  June,  1874,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Salie  V.  Moore. 

In  closing  this  sketch,  we  must  allow  its  subject  to  speak :  "  His  greatest 
regret  is,  that  he  refused  to  yield  to  a  call  to  the  ministry  in  his  younger  life  ;  for 
he  has  hope  now  of  effecting  but  little  good.  If  the  eye  of  some  young  man 
should  fall  on  these  lines,  who  seriously  feels  it  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel, 
he  may  take  warning  by  the  sad  experience  and  bitter  regrets  that  have  followed 
him  so  long." 


OWEN  C.  POPE. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch,  a  native  of 
Washington  county,  Georgia,  was  born 
February  15th,  1842.  He  was  the  youngest 
child  and  only  son  of  Colonel  O.  C.  and  Sarah 
Pope.  His  father  was  reared  in  North  Caro- 
lina, but,  early  in  manhood,  became  a  citi- 
zen of  Washington  county,  where  he  mar- 
ried and  lived  until  1861,  a  useful  member  of 
society,  and  honored  by  his  Baptist  brethren 
with  the  office  of  deacon. 

The  easy  circumstances  of  the  father  en- 
abled him  to  give  Owen,  in  early  life,  the 
best  advantages  of  education  afforded  by  the 
schools  of  the  county  ;  and  the  mental  en- 
dowments of  the  son  enabled  him  to  profit 
by  these  advantages  above  many  his 
equals.  He  was  fond  of  books,  and  usually 
stood  at  the  head  of  his  classes  in  school. 

In  the  summer  of  1858,  a  remarkable 
meeting  was  held  at  Sisters  church,  Washington  county,  under  the  ministry  of 
Rev.  Asa  Duggan,  the  pastor.  Owen,  then  sixteen  years  of  age,  professed  con- 
version and  was  baptized  in  the  course  of  this  meeting.  About  sixty  others, 
mostly  young  persons  of  both  sexes,  joined  the  church  at  the  same  time,  and 
four  of  the  number  afterward  became  preachers.  Before  the  meeting  closed 
Owen  was  frequently  called  upon  to  lead  in  prayer,  and  even  to  conduct  the  devo- 
tional exercises.  He  assisted  in  several  other  protracted  meetings  during  the 
fall  at  different  points  in  the  county,  and  the  strong  conviction  took  possession 
of  his  soul  that  "  God,  who  had  reconciled  him  to  Himself  by  Jesus  Christ,  had 


428  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

given  to  him  the  ministry  of  reconciliation."  In  December  of  that  year,  Sisters 
church  passed  a  resolution  authorizing  O.  C.  Pope,  Jr.,  M.  F.  Morgan,  A.  N. 
Medlock  and  P.  H.  Shepherd  "to  exercise  their  gifts  in  preaching  the  Word." 

To  qualify  himself  for  this  office,  he  became  a  matriculate  of  Mercer  Univer- 
sity at  the  beginning  of  the  Spring  Term  for  1859,  and  took  a  regular  theological 
course  in  that  institution,  under  the  instruction  of  Drs.  N.  M.  Crawford,  William 
Williams  and  S.  G.  Hillyer.  He  graduated  in  July,  i860,  with  the  degree  of  B.  D. 

He  immediately  entered  the  field  as  missionary  of  the  Washington  Associa- 
tion, but  was  soon  called  to  preach  two  Sundays  in  the  month  to  the  Louisville 
church,  Jefferson  county,  and  one  Sunday  at  Bethlehem  and  one  at  Poplar  Springs, 
in  his  native  county.  In  the  midst  of  these  engagements  he  was  married,  De- 
cember 1 8th,  i860,  to  Miss  Mollie  W.  Sinquefield,  daughter  of  Hon.  William 
Sinquefield,  of  Jefferson  county,  a  young  lady  who  was  educated  at  Monroe  Fe- 
male College,  and  who,  as  a  wife,  like  "the  holy  women  in  the  old  time,"  has 
always  been  "  a  crown  to  her  husband." 

On  the  15th  of  February,  1861,  the  nineteenth  anniversary  of  his  birth-day,  he 
was  (U'dained  at  Sisters  church,  with  his  brother-in-law.  Rev.  M.  F.  Morgan,  by 
a  presbytery  consisting  of  Revs.  Asa  Duggan,  W.  J.  Harley,  and  W.  T.  Holmes. 

Though  so  young,  he  was  popular  as  a  preacher,  and  also  made  such  reputa- 
tion as  an  educator  that  the  Blount  Vernon  Association  selected  him,  at  the  age 
of  twenty,  as  Principal  of  the  Institute  controlled  by  that  body  and  bearing  its 
name.  These  positions  as  pastor  and  teacher  he  resigned  at  the  call  of  his 
country,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  served  through  the 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky  campaigns  of  Kirby  Smith  and  Bragg.  He  fought 
with  the  soldiers  in  the  field  and  preached  to  them  on  the  camping  ground.  At 
the  expiration  oj  his  term  of  service,  he  returned  home,  moved  to  Lee  county, 
taught  at  Smithville  and  Sumterville,  and  preached  to  country  churches  till  the 
close  of  the  war. 

The  restoration  of  peace  found  his  property  swept  away  and  his  health  im- 
paired. He  settled  in  southern  Georgia ;  giving  the  week  to  the  school-room  at 
Ocean  Pond  and  Milltown,  and  the  Sabbath  to  the  pulpits  of  Milltown,  Stock- 
ton and  Cat  Creek  churches.  At  this  time  he  acted  as  clerk  of  Mercer  Associa- 
tion for  three  years.  Removing  to  Jefferson  county,  he  was  immediately  elected 
pastor  of  Duharts  church  and  principal  of  the  academy  at  Stapletonville.  He 
afterward  became  pastor  at  Brushy  Creek  and  Pleasant  Grove  also,  and  suc- 
ceeded Professor  V.  T.  Sanford  as  principal  of  the  Jefferson  High  School  at  Stel- 
laville.  His  ministry  in  this  field  was  not  unfruitful.  About  forty  persons  were 
added  to  Pleasant  Grove  in  a  single  year,  and  Duharts  doubled  its  membership 
during  his  six  years  pastorate  there. 

Wearied  with  the  strain  to  which  his  energies  were  subjected  by  living  two 
lives,  he  longed  to  lay  aside  the  work  of  an  educator  and  devote  himself  exclu- 
sively to  the  work  of  a  minister.  And  the  Lord  set  before  him  an  open  door  to 
the  accomplishment  of  his  desires.  Through  the  intfuence  of  Rev.  W.  N.  Chau- 
doin,  the  church  at  Morristown,  Tennessee,  in  the  summer  of  1874,  extended  to 
him  a  call  to  become  its  pastor.  He  accepted,  and  entered  on  the  discharge  of 
his  duties  in  January,  1875.  At  the  solicitation  of  brethren,  and  with  the  en- 
dorsement of  the  General  Association  of  East  Tennessee,  he  began  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Baptist  Reflector,  at  Morristown.  He  showed  talent  for  editorial 
work,  and  from  the  first  the  paper  was  a  success.  As  Recording  Secretary,  and 
afterward  as  Corresponding  Secretary,  of  the  General  Association,  he  rendered 
efficient  service  to  the  denomination.  His  desire  to  see  the  i:tate  Convention 
sustained  and  the  mission  work  of  the  brotherhood,  from  the  Virginia  line  to  the 
Mississippi  river,  unified,  caused  him  to  sell  an  interest  in  the  Reflector  to  Rev. 
W.  D.  Mayfield,  D.  D.,  and  to  transfer  the  seat  of  publication  to  Nashville. 
Under  this  arrangement  he  became  one  of  the  editors  and  proprietors  of  the 
Happy  Home,  a  family  magazine.  After  a  season  he  disposed  of  his  publishing 
interests,  and  assumed  pastoral  charge  of  the  Central  church,  Nashville. 

But  he  found  that  his  love  for  editorial  work  had  grown  into  a  "ruling  pas- 
sion," and  felt  assured  that  he  could  serve  the  cause  of  Christ  more  effectually 
in  that  department  of  Christian  labor  than  in  any  other.  About  this  time  he 
was  offered  the  position  of  Managing  Editor  of  the  Texas  Baptist  Herald,  pub- 


OF   PROMINENT    BAPTISTS.  429 

lished  at  Houston,  and  for  several  years  has  filled  that  position  to  the  satisfaction 
of  his  brethren  in  that  State. 

The  trustees  of  Baylor  University,  the  oldest  educational  institution  in  Texas, 
at  the  Commencement,  June,  1880,  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity. 

As  a  preacher,  he  is  analytic  and  logical,  sifting  his  subject  clear  of  extrane- 
ous matters,  and  presenting  its  leading  lines  of  thought  lucidly  and  concisely. 
His  delivery  is  animated.  Every  discourse  is  thoroughly  prepared,  though  he 
never  uses  a  manuscript  and  rarely  uses  notes. 

As  a  v^^riter,  he  is  spicy  and  pointed,  rather  than  profound,  vv^hich  makes  him 
an  effective  paragraphist — the  most  popular,  if  not  the  highest,  style  of  the 
"  newspaper  man."  His  editorials  indicate  a  heart  that  beats  in  sympathy  w^ith 
the  masses,  are  more  practical  than  abstract,  and  preserve  the  golden  mean  be- 
tween too  much  and  too  little  controversy. 

In  disposition  he  is  genial  and  hopeful,  more  lively,  perhaps,  at  times,  than 
befits  the  dignity  of  his  position,  but  warm-hearted  and  true-hearted.  He  is  an 
ardent  friend  of  missions  and  of  higher  education,  and  a  constant  worker  for 
every  cause  which  he  espouses. 

As  a  business  man  he  is  prompt  and  prudent,  and  though  starting  after  the 
war  without  a  dollar,  is  now  financially  in  circumstances  of  ease.  It  is  a  tribute 
to  his  ability  in  regard  to  the  interests  of  this  life,  that  he  should  have  been 
elected  by  a  railroad  company  in  Texas  as  its  Secretary  and  one  of  its  Board  of 
Directors. 

His  marriage  1:ias  been  blessed  with  no  children,  but  he  reared  an  orphan  boy, 
and  J.  C.  Lee,  a  prominent  merchant  of  Augusta,  Georgia,  regards  him  as  his 
foster-father. 


HIRAM  POWELL. 

Rev.  Hiram  Powell  was  born  June  6th,  1797,  in  Edgefield  district.  South  Car- 
olina. When  about  two  years  of  age,  his  parents  moved  to  Georgia  and  settled 
in  what  is  now  Twiggs  county.  His  father  was  an  irreligious  man,  but  his 
mother  was  remarkable  for  her  deep  piety,  and  made  a  lasting  impression  for  good 
on  her  son  in  his  early  childhood.  In  181 8  or  18 19  he  united  himself  with  the 
Stone  Creek  church,  in  Twiggs  county,  dating  his  conversion  back  to  his  boy- 
hood, and  was  baptized,  probably,  by  Rev.  Charwick  Tharp.  He  at  once  be- 
came an  active,  useful  member,  and  was  a  valuable  accession  to  the  church. 

In  1 82 1  he  moved  to  Crawford  county,  which  was  then  very  thinly  settled. 
There  were  no  churches  or  schools  in  the  county  at  the  time,  which  was  a 
source  of  deep  regret  to  Mr.  Powell.  Accordingly,  in  a  few  weeks  he  invited 
his  neighbors  to  assist  him  in  building  a  house  in  which  to  worship  God.  With 
what  slight  assistance  he  could  procure,  he  went  into  the  woods,  cut  down  pine 
trees,  and  soon  a  rough  log  house  was  completed.  The  Sunday  following  its 
completion,  divine  service  was  held  in  it,  and  on  that  day  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  preached  his  first  sermon.  Soon  afterwards,  a  church  was  constituted 
and  named  Mt.  Zion.  He  was  called  to  be  its  pastor,  and  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry. 

In  1825  he  moved  to  Talbot  county,  and  for  seventeen  years  his  labors  were 
confined  principally  to  that  section  of  the  State.  In  1843  he  returned  to  his  old 
home  in  Crawford  county,  where  he  remained  until  December,  1859.  During 
this  time  he  served  Benevolence  church,  in  Crawford  county,  and  Travellers' 
Rest  church,  in  Macon  county.  In  1859  he  moved  to  Early  county,  where  he 
remained  till  the  day  of  his  death. 

He  was  in  the  ministry  about  forty  years,  and  during  that  time  never  failed  to 
keep  his  appointments  with  his  churches,  unless  providentially  prevented,  not- 
withstanding he  had  almost  invariably  to  travel  by  private  conveyance  to  do  so. 
If  there  was  a  section  of  country  within  his  reach  which  was  destitute  of  preach- 


430 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


ing,  no  sacrifice  was  too  great  for  him  to  make  to  carry  them  the  Gospel.  He 
probably  baptized  more  persons,  and  built  up  more  churches  in  widely-scattered 
communities,  than  any  other  minister  in  Georgia  of  his  day.  He  assisted  in 
organizing  the  Rehoboth  Association,  and  never  failed  to  attend  a  single  session 
of  this  body  from  the  date  of  its  organization  until  his  death.  He  was  one  of 
the  presbyters  who  ordained  Rev.  T.  A.  Reid  and  Rev.  J.  S.  Dennard  as  mis- 
sionaries to  Africa.  He  also  assisted  in  the  ordination  exercises  of  Rev.  J.  S. 
Murrow  as  missionary  to  the  Creek  Indians. 

He  was  twice  married  ;  first  in  1818,  and  again  in  1841.  He  raised  sixteen 
children,  all  of  whom  became  church  members  when  young,  tv^^o  of  them  being 
Baptist  ministers. 

Mr.  Powell  was  a  great  lover  of  his  country.  Though  he  was  never  regularly 
mustered  into  service,  he  was  a  first  lieutenant  of  a  volunteer  company.  He 
believed  that  the  South  had  a  constitutional  right  to  secede  from  the  Union,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  fathers  in  the  country  to  send  his  sons  to  the  front  in  de- 
fence of  the  cause  which  he  believed  to  be  right.  It  was  his  intention  to  join 
them  in  Virginia  in  the  autumn  of  1861,  and  offer  his  services  as  a  volunteer 
chaplain,  but  the  great  Captain  of  our  Salvation  called  him  to  a  higher  post  of 
honor,  on  the  i8th  of  August,  1861. 


HUMPHREY  POSEY 


Much  of  the  life  of  Rev. 
HuMPREY  Posey  was 
spent  in  the  Missionary 
field.  Many  valuable  and 
interesting  incidents  con- 
nected with  his  labors 
there — his  privations, 
hardships,  persecutions, 
succors  and  successes — 
may  not  have  been  preserv- 
ed,but  fortunately  Rev.  R. 
Fleming,  a  Christian  bro- 
ther, well  acquainted  with 
this  eminently  good  man, 
published  in  book  form  a 
biography  of  him,  from 
which  this  brief  sketch  is 
taken. 

Humphrey  Posey  was 
born  in  Henry  county, 
Virginia,  January  1 2th, 
1780.  When  about  five 
years  old,  his  father  re- 
moved to  Burke  count}^ 
North  Carolina,  where 
young  Posey  spent  his 
childhood  and  youth.  He 
was  blessed  with  pious 
parents,  and  his  mother 
was  not  only  devotedly 
pious,  but  a  woman  of  extensive  reading  and  of  very  strong  mind.  She  was 
not  merely  a  Baptist  by  profession,  her  head  and  heart  were  sound  in  God's 
statutes,  and  she  was  a  woman  of  true  Christian  decision.  This  last  trait  in  her 
character  her  son  inherited  in  an  uncommon  degree.  In  the  discharge  of  any 
duty,  whether  religious  or  secular,  he  never  wavered.     His  mother  taught  him 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS,  43 1 

the  alphabet,  and  by  the  time  he  was  seven  years  old  he  had  read  through  the 
New  Testament  several  times.  Those  who  heard  him  in  the  pulpit  cannot  fail 
to  remember  his  famiharity  with  the  Scriptures,  and  the  wonderful  faciliiy  with 
which  he  quoted  them.  He  was  not  an  educated  man,  and  never  went  to  school 
long  enough  to  study  English  grammar.  When  about  seventeen  years  old  he 
commenced  teaching  what  he  called  "little  old-field  schools,"  in  Greenville  dis- 
trict, South  Carohna ;  and  it  was  while  instructing  others,  that,  prompted  by 
great  thirst  for  knowledge  to  constant  study,  he  learned  our  language  so  as  to 
speak  and  write  it  grammatically.  He  thought  clearly  and  reasoned  forcibly,  and 
was  no  ordinary  man,  possessing  a  mind  at  once  comprehensive  and  penetrat- 
ing. In  his  person,  he  was  above  the  ordinary  size  of  men;  with  fair  complexion 
and  clear  blue  eyes,  he  might  be  considered  handsome.  But  he  was  more  than 
this  ;  he  was  dignified  and  commanding  in  his  personal  appearance,  always  easy 
and  affable  in  his  intercourse  with  others,  never  phlegmatic  or  morose. 
I  He  married  when  about  twenty  years  of  age,  and  selected  a  pious  wife,  though 
not  himself,  at  that  time,  a  converted  man.  On  the  28th  day  of  January  1800,  in 
Union  district.  South  Carolina,  to  which  he  had  gone  the  year  before  as  a 
teacher,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Lettice  Jolly,  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church.  Not  until  after  his  marriage  was  he  aroused  to  a  deep  sense  of 
his  sins,  and  nearly  two  years  passed  before  he  was  enabled  to  exercise  faith  in 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  realize  the  pardon  of  his  9iis.  On  the  loth  of  June,  1802, 
he  related  his  experience  to  a  Baptist  church  in  Union  district,  South  Carolina, 
and  on  the  following  day  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  that  church.  For 
some  time,  though  he  often  exhorted  sinners  and  occasionally  attempted  to 
expound  the  Scriptures,  he  was  the  subject  of  most  harrassing  doubts,  and  pain- 
ful heart  experiences. 

The  church  in  Union  district,  in  1803,  granted  him  a  license  to  preach,  and  in 
1804  he  removed  to  Buncombe  county.  North  Carolina,  on  account  of  impaired 
health.  In  August  of  this  year  he  preached  his  first  sermon  ;  and  all  over  that 
hill  country  he  went,  preaching  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  Here  an 
interesting  incident  occurred,  and  we  will  allow  him  to  tell  it  in  his  own  words  : 
"In  1805  I  commenced  preaching,  of  evenings,  in  a  destitute  settlement,  near 
where  I  was^eaching  a  school  on  Cane  Creek.  Brother  James  Whittaker  and 
myself  drew  up  Articles  of  Faith,  as  we  could  not  find  any  in  the  country  ;  and 
vv^e  collected  all  the  members  intending  to  be  in  the  constitution,  and  examined 
them  on  the  Articles.  All  being  agreed  a  presbytery  was  invited  to  attend. 
The  presbytery  was  pleased  with  our  Articles  of  Faith,  and  so  the  church  was 
organized.  Two  of  the  members  were,  at  the  same  time,  ordained  to  the 
deacon's  office,  and  I  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  At  the  next 
meeting  I  baptized  four  professed  believers,  and  the  work  of  the  Lord  continued 
for  a  length  of  time.     Some  were  received  for  baptism  at  almost  every  meeting." 

His  conversion,  and  his  entrance  on  the  work  of  the  ministry  were  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  labor  as  a  missionary  among  the  red  men  of  our  country.  About  the 
time  that  the  Lord  was  stirring  the  hearts  of  Judson,  Nott,  Rice,  Hall  and 
others,  then  students  of  Divmity,  at  Andover,  on  the  great  question  of  giving 
themselves  to  the  work  of  foreign  missions.  He  was  moving  the  heart  of 
Humphrey  Posey,  then  an  obscure  preacher  in  the  "  hill  country  "  of  North 
Carohna,  to  give  himself  to  the  mission  work  among  the  Cherokee  Indians.  It 
was  not  fully  accomphshed,  however,  for  several  years.  After  the  return  of 
Luther  Rice  in  1813,  from  the  Eastern  continent,  who,  under  God,  aroused 
American  Baptists  to  a  sense  of  their  obligations  to  diffuse  the  Gospel  through- 
out the  nations,  and  to  the  necessity  of  forming  the  General  Convention  of  our 
denomination  in  the  United  States  in  behalf  of  foreign  missions,  Mr.  Posey  was  per- 
mitted fully  to  carry  out  the  object  so  dear  to  his  heart.  The  Triennial  Conven- 
tion, after  having  made  some  provision  for  the  support  of  missions  in  the  East, 
began  to  consider  the  spiritual  condition  of  the  aborigines  of  this  country,  and 
in  181 7  a  correspondence  was  opened  with  Mr.  Posey  which  resulted  in  his  ap- 
pointment to  the  mission  work  among  the  Cherokee  Indians  in  western  North 
Carolina,  and  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  Georgia.  He  had  been  long 
desirous  to  enter  this  work  that  he  might  preach  Jesus  to  that  unlettered  people. 
Receiving  his  appointment,  he  commenced  in  December,  181 7,  making   a  tour 


432  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

among  the  Indians  and  preaching  to  the  whites  on  the  frontier.  Years  before 
this  he  would  have  gone  into  the  Nation,  "  once  and  again,"  but  he  "  lacked 
opportunity."  Now,  having  ample  means  afforded  by  the  Baptist  Board,  he  at 
once  engaged  in  his  cherished  enterprise.  He  preached  the  Gospel  to  them  by 
means  of  an  interpreter,  visited  their  "  Councils,"  secured  their  co-operation  in 
the  establishment  of  a  school  at  Valley  Town,  and  in  1820  went  to  Washington 
City,  obtaining  for  the  Baptist  schools  in  the  Nation  an  equal  share  of  the  money 
appropriated  by  government  for  schools  among  that  tribe.  He  visited  Phila- 
delphia and  other  places  in  the  interest  of  his  work,  and  everywhere  was  most 
heartily  welcomed,  because  of  the  deep  interest  felt  in  the  cause  he  represented. 
He  returned  to  his  home  as  he  had  gone,  not  on  railroads,  but  on  horseback, 
preaching  Jesus  everywhere  to  the  people.  The  success  following  his  zealous 
efforts  to  establish  the  kingdom  of  Christ  among  the  tribe  was  truly  wonderful. 
Long  after  he  had  left  them,  at  the  mere  mention  of  his  name  their  counte- 
nances would  brighten  with  a  smile.  In  1836,  I.  M.  Allen,  in  his  Register,  says: 
"  To  this  day  the  Cherokees  have  more  confidence  in  Humphrey  Posey  than 
they  have  in  any  man  living." 

The  personal  labors  of  Mr.  Posey  among  the  Indians  were  continued  until- 
1824;  the  school  and  the  churches  built  up  around  it  were  in  vigorous  operation 
until  the  body  of  the  Nation  removed  to  the  Indian  Territory — if  indeed  they 
do  not  still  subsist  among  the  few  who  remained  behind. 

Already  the  reader  is  prepared  to  say  he  was  a  laborious  preacher,  and  so  he 
was.  His  sermons  were  full  of  the  marrow  of  the  Gospel,  sound  in  doctrine, 
plain  and  simple  in  language,  freighted  with  thought,  and  well  adapted  to  the 
spiritual  condition  of  his  audience.  While  he  read  other  good  books  and  studied 
them  closely,  he  was  emphatically  a  Bible  student,  and  hence  his  pulpit  efforts 
were  often  devoted  to  clear  and  interesting  expositions  of  the  sacred  Scriptures. 

As  a  pastor,  he  was  a  success,  had  the  happy  faculty  of  winning  the  hearts 
of  his  brethren,  and  securing  their  co-operation  in  every  important  work.  It  is, 
therefore,  not  surprising  that  his  ministry,  with  God's  blessing,  should  have 
been  so  abundant  in  success.  He  loved  his  work,  and  had  the  faculty  of  so 
presenting  it,  both  by  his  own  example,  and  from  the  pulpit,  as  to  fill  the  hearts 
of  others  with  love  for  it.  He  possessed  great  personal  magnetism ;  he  drew 
others  to  himself  and  to  the  work  in  which  he  was  engaged.  True,  there  were 
those  who  found  fault  and  invented  calumnies ;  but  his  management  of  the 
mission  was  triumphantly  vindicated  after  searching  investigation,  and  he  was 
shown  to  be  high-minded,  open-hearted,  candid  and  firm  in  his  bearing,  and  of 
stainless  integrity.  He  was  a  man  of  clear,  discriminating  mind,  and  rarely  on 
the  wrong  side  of  any  question.  His  judgment  of  human  character  was  good, 
and  he  seldom  failed  to  put  a  correct  estimate  on  the  words  and  works  of  men. 

A  man  t)f  noble,  generous  impulses,  he  never  resorted  to  any  course  the  object 
of  which  was  to  accomplish  some  selfish  end  in  his  own  behalf.  To  instruct 
the  people  of  his  charge  and  to  elevate  the  standard  of  personal  piety  among 
them  was  a  leading  feature  in  .his  ministrations. 

After  his  withdrawal  from  the  mission  work,  he  resided  for  a  year  or  two  in 
one  of  the  old  upper  counties  of  Georgia,  and  then  settled  in  what  is  termed 
the  "  Cherokee  "  portion  of  the  State.  There  he  travelled  much  and  did  much 
preaching  ;  besides  acting  as  agent  for  the  Hearn  School  and  securing  the  funds 
which  prevented  its  sale  under  the  hammer  of  the  sheriff. 

In  the  providence  of  God  he  was  permitted  to  enjoy  the  society  of  the  wife 
of  his  youth  forty  two  years.  She  died  at  their  residence  in  Walker  county, 
June  22d,  1842.  By  her  he  had  ten  children,  all  of  whom  gave  evidence  of  con- 
version to  God.  This  was  a  matter  to  him  of  profound  gratitude  to  God,  and 
great  consolation  in  his  declining  years. 

On  the  28th  day  of  July,  1844,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Jane  Stokes, 
relict  of  deacon  Wm.  M.  Stokes,  of  Newnan,  Georgia,  which  place  afterwards 
he  made  his  permanent  home.  Here  he  found  ample  scope  for  ministerial  work, 
Called  by  several  churches  in  the  country,  he  devoted  his  time  faithfully  to  their 
service,  with  eminent  success,  to  the  close  of  his  life.  He  died  in  Newnan,  on  the 
28th  day  of  December,  1846,  with  calm  trust  in  the  Saviour  he  loved  so  dearly, 
and  served  so  faithfully. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


43; 


LEWIS  PRICE. 


Rev.  Lewis,  son  of  Lewis  and  Mary  Price,  was  born 
in  Liberty  county,  Georgia,  December  5th,  1828.  For  a 
period  reaching  from  his  fourth  to  his  eighth  year,  his 
father  resided  near  Okefenoke  Swamp,  but  was  com- 
pelled, by  the  depredations  of  the  Indians,  to  abandon 
the  new  home  and  return  to  the  old.  With  this  exception, 
his  boyhood  and  youth  were  passed  in  a  section  of  his 
native  county,  which  was  almost  entirely  destitute  of 
school  advantages  and  of  the  public  "  means  of  grace." 
When  about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  united  with  Gum 
Branch  (anti-missionj  church  in  that  section.  Two  years  later,  he  was  scarcely 
able  to  read  ;  but  realizing  his  ignorance  and  thirsting  for  education,  he  left  his 
father's  house  in  1851,  and  entered  an  academy  in  another  portion  of  the  county, 
conducted  by  Dr.  John  W.  Farmer,  where  he  remained  until  forced  by  failing 
health  and  want  of  means  to  leave.  During  the  year  spent  in  this  institution, 
he  enjoyed,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  the  privileges  of  Sunday-school  instruc- 
tion, one  being  maintained  in  that  vicinity  by  a  pious  Presbyterian  gentleman. 
On  returning  home,  he  was  subjected  to  discipline  by  the  church  for  attending 
the  Sunday-school ;  though  the  church  afterward  allowed  one  to  be  formed  in  its 
house  of  worship,  he  was  expelled  from  its  Association  for  that  offence,  and  was 
eventually  received  into  a  Missionary  Baptist  Association.  In  1854,  he  became 
a  pupil  in  a  good  school  taught  by  a  Mr.  Brewer,  in  Effingham  county,  where 
he  prosecuted  his  studies,  including  the  languages,  for  two  3'ears,  with  the 
intention  of  preparing  himself  for  a  course  in  Mercer  University.  But  these 
hopes  were  not  destined  to  be  fulfilled.  In  1856,  he  received  from  the  Marion 
Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  an  appointment  as  Missionary  to  the 
Florida  coast,  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry.  He  remained  on  the  coast, 
laboring  most  successfully,  until  the  war  between  the  States  commenced. 
While  in  Florida  he  married  Miss  Sarah  F.  Geiger,  December  22d,  1858 — a 
union  crowned  with  ten  children,  eight  of  whom,  now  living,  appreciate  the 
training  of  their  Christian  patents.  When  hostilities  broke  out,  he  returned  to 
Georgia  and  served  his  old  church  in  Liberty  county  for  two  years.  He  then 
settled  in  Bryan  county,  and  for  many  years  acted  as  pastor  of  South  Salem 
church.  At  present  he  is  engaged  in  teaching  school,  though  not  abandoning 
the  ministry.  As  a  preacher  he  is  fervent  in  exhorting  the  churches  to  every 
good  work,  and  earnest  in  his  appeals  to  sinners  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come. 


WILLIAM    RABUN. 


It  is  to  be  regretted  that  we  have  such  meagre  data  from  which  to  construct 
a  sketch  of  this  excellent  and  distinguished  man.  We  are  confined  almost 
entirely  to  a  notice  of  his  life  in  "  Sherwood's  Gazetteer  of  Georgia,"  and  to  the 
sermon  commemorative  of  his  death,  delivered  by  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer,  in  response 
to  a  request  of  the  Georgia  Legislature.  He  was  born  in  Halifax  county.  North 
Carolina,  in  April,  1781.  His  father  removed  to  Georgia,  while  he  was  a  young 
man.  He  was  an  able  representative  from  Hancock  a  number  of  years,  and 
long  President  of  the  Senate  and  Governor  ex-officio,  and  also  Governor  from 
1817  to  1 819.     Mr.  Rabun  was  eminently  a  pious  man.     He  united  with  the 


434  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Powellton  Baptist  church  in  1817  or  181 8.  His  house  was  the  house  of  prayer. 
He  was  especially  distinguished  for  his  benevolence,  using  his  influence  and  his 
means  to  advance  the  various  worthy  objects  connected  with  his  church,  his 
denomination,  and  the  community  at  large.  "  It  was  a  pleasing  sight,"  says  his 
biographer,  "  to  witness  the  Governor  of  the  State  taking  the  lead  in  singing  at 
a  country  church."  But  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  Christians  of  that  day, 
even  in  our  cities,  were  not  familiar  with  quartette  choirs  and  "  Italian  trills," 
and  it  was  particularly  true  of  the  country  people,  as  of  the  early  disciples,  that 
they"spcke  to  each  other  in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  making 
melody  in  their  hearts  to  the  Lord."  As  may  be  supposed,  humility  was  a  dis- 
tinguishing grace  with  him — that 

"  low  sweet  root 
From  which  all  heavenly  virtues  shoot." 

Though  elevated  to  the  highest  office  in  the  gift  of  the  people,  he  was  not  made 
giddy,  proud  and  imperious,  like  so  many  of  our  rulers  ;  but  bore  his  honors 
meekly,  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life  "won  golden  opinions  from  all  sorts  of 
people."  He  married  the  sister  of  Reuben  Battle,  of  Powellton,  the  father-in- 
law  of  Rev.  C.  M.  Irwin,  of  the  Christian  Index  staff,  of  Hon.  Eugenius  A. 
Nisbet,  the  eminent  jurist,  and  of  the  late  Rev.  W.  I.  Harley.  He  had  seven 
children — six  daughters,  all  women  of  the  noblest  type.  Mrs.  Jesse  B.  Battle 
was  remarkable  for  her  piety,  and  many  noble  traits,  and  reared  a  large  and 
interesting  family,  who  have  filled  their  places  in  life  well.  Rev.  A.  J.  Beck  is 
her  grandson.  Mrs.  Wm.  Shivers,  Mrs.  Bass,  Mrs.  Lowe,  Mrs.  Cato  and  Mrs. 
Wooten  were  the  daughters.  He  left  one  son,  the  late  General  J.  Wm.  Rabun, 
a  commission  merchant  of  Savannah,  who  was  a  most  efficient  and  useful  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church  there.  His  mantle  seems  novv  to  rest  on  his  second 
son,  J.  W.  Rabun,  who  is  now  occupying  a  most  useful  place  in  thj  same 
church.  His  eldest  son  Matthew  was  a  most  exemplary  member  of  the  Second 
Baptist  church  of  Atlanta,  but  went  to  his  reward  a  few  years  ago,  aged  twenty- 
one. 

Governor  Rabun  was  a  man  of  splendid  physique — tall  and  large,  with  no 
surplus  flesh.  His  features  were  massive ;  brown  hair,  blue  eyes,  with  a  coun- 
tenance full  of  kindness.     In  short,  he  was  one  of  nature's  noblemen. 

He  died,  while  Governor,  at  his  plantation,  near  Powellton,  October,  1819. 
Shortly  after  his  death,  as  already  stated.  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer,  at  the  request  of 
the  Legislature,  preached  a  funeral  discourse,  which  was  afterwards  published, 
and  passed  through  two  editions.     A  few  extracts  are  inserted  here  : 

"  Called,  as  I  am,  by  the  General  Assembly  of  a  State  in  mourning  for  the 
sudden  and  unexpected  death  of  h'er  beloved  Chief  Magistrate,  to  express  the 
high  consideration  in  which  he  was  so  justly  held,  and  to  afford  a  tribute  of 
respect  due  his  departed  worth,  I  tremble  as  I  advance ;  and  feeling,  as  I  do, 
a  particular  and  melancholy  interest  in  this  afflictive  dispensation  while  I  make 
the  effort,  the  tenderest  sensibilities  of  my  heart  mourn,  and  an  unutterable 
grief  thrills  through  my  soul.  Your  late  excellent  Governor  was  the  pleasant 
and  lovely  companion  of  my  youth  ;  my  constant  friend  and  endeared  Christian 
brother  in  advancing  years,  and,  till  death,  my  unremitting  fellow  laborer  and  able 
support  in  all  the  efforts  of  benevolence  and  philanthropy  in  which  I  had  the 
honor  and  happiness  to  be  engaged,  calculated  either  to  amend  or  meliorate  the 
condition  of  men.  A  man  is  great  according  to  his  strength  of  thought,  the 
information  he  possesses,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  employs  his  time  and 
talents  for  the  public  good  and  the  divine  glory.  He  should  be  estimated  from 
his  mind  rather  than  his  attainments  ;  or,  as  Dr.  Watts  beautifully  expresses  it : 

'  Were  I  so  tall  to  reach  the  pole, 
Or  grasp  the  ocean  with  my  span, 
I  should  be  measured  by  my  soul — 
The  soul's  the  standard  of  the  man.' 

"  Next  to  a  noble  mind,  wisdom  constitutes  and  is  the  great  man's  ornament. 
It  consists  not  in  any  degree  of  knowledge,  but  in  the  right  use  of  what  is  pos- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  435 

sessed,  and  differs  from  it  as  pleasures  differ  from  the  means  which  afford  them. 
It  is  to  folly  what  knowledge  is  to  ignorance.  It  originates  in  the  fear  of  God, 
flourishes  in  patriotic  philanthropy  and  terminates  in  glory  and  renown.  A 
wise  man  is  attentive  to  the  experience  and  examples  of  individuals  and  nations, 
*  *  *  and  increases  in  wisdom.  In  his  intercourse  with  men  he  is 
directed  by  the  good  old  golden  rule,  and  in  politics  it  is  his  joy  to  associate 
individual  happiness  with  the  public  good.  He  is  generous  in  feeling,  open  in 
candor,  and  firm  in  complaisance ;  in  pleasures  prudent,  in  trials  patient,  and 
sterling  in  worth.  He  thinks  modestly,  speaks  cautiously,  and  acts  humbly. 
His  whole  deportment  is  regulated  by  the  fear  of  God,  and  directed  by  the 
public  good  and  the  divine  honor;  and  such  was  Governor  Rabun. 

"  But  to  crown  the  character  of  the  great  man,  piety  is  indispensable.  This 
is  that  gracious  temper  of  heart  which  fulfills  the  whole  law ;  it  originates  in 
renovation,  and  is  perfected  in  love  to  God  and  man.  'Tis  that  temper  of 
heart  towards  God,  without  which  all  religion  is  vain,  devotion  is  solemn 
mockery,  and  righteousness  becomes  sin.  'Tis  on  account  of  the  persons  and 
prayers  of  pious  men  that  God  is  graciously  pleased  to  stay  His  wrath  and  hush 
the  threatened  storm  of  vengeance  to  rest.  These  are  the  strong  pillars  of  the 
State,  pledges  of  the  public  safety,  and  the  blessed  of  God.  And  such  a  man 
was  Governor  Rabun. 

"  It  was  his  felicity  to  have  many  friends,  few  enemies,  rare  equals,  and  no 
superiors.  He  is  gone  and  has  left  an  awful  chasm  behind  him. — A  widow 
bereft  of  a  tender  and  kind  husband ;  children  of  an  affectionate  and  loving 
father ;  servants  of  a  humane  and  indulgent  master  ;  neighbors  of  a  constant 
friend  and  pleasant  companion  ;  the  Baptist  church  of  her  bright  ornament, 
member  and  scribe ;  two  mission  societies  of  their  secretary ;  the  Georgia  Asso- 
ciation of  her  clerk,  and  the  State  of  a  firm  politician  and  her  honored  chief. 
O,  what  an  eventful  death  was  Governor  Rabun's  !  The  beauty  of  Georgia  is 
fallen  ! 

^  1^  ■^~.  -^  -^  -^  -^^  i^ 

"  He  is  gone,  but  in  glorious  hope : — a  hope  which  he  obtained  in  Christ  'as 
the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  believeth,'  after  a  severe 
conflict  of  soul  under  that  conviction  which  the  divine  Spirit  affords  of  righ- 
teousness, and  judgment ;  and  which  sustained  him  from  seventeen  years  of  age 
till  death,  as  '  an  anchor  to  the  soul,  sure  and  steadfast.' 

"  In  death  [he  was]  resigned  in  the  arms  of  Jesus,  and  cried,  'now  lettest  thou 
thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation.'  Yes,  fellow 
citizens  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  other  auditors,  there  is  a  power  in  the 
gospel  of  Christ  that  '  makes  a  dying  bed  feel  soft  as  downy  pillows  are  ; '  and 
the  consistent,  dying  Christian,  leaning  his  head  on  the  breast  of  Redemption, 
'  breathes  his  life  out  sweetly  there.'     And  thus  died  Governor  Rabun." 


H.  N.  RAINEY. 


Rev.  H.  N.  Rainey  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Geor- 
gia, near  where  he  now  lives.  May  i  ith,  1845.  His  father 
and  mother,  Erwin  and  Emily  Rainey,  were  members  of 
the  Methodist  church.  He  received  his  early  mental 
training  at  Centre  Hill  Academy,  in  his  native  county,  and 
acted  as  teacher  in  the  private  schools  of  the  county  sev- 
eral years.  In  1861,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  was  led,  as 
he  believes,  to  lay  hold  on  eternal  life,  and  recognizing  the 
scriptural  law  of  baptism,  he  united  with  the  Bethabara 
church,  the  ordinance  being  administered  by  Rev.  J.  M. 
Davis.  On  the  9th  of  June,  1869,  he  was,  at  the  request  of  this  church,  ordained 
to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry.     He  has  served  the  Centre  Hill,  Double  Springs, 

31 


43^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


Hog  Mountain,  Alcovy,  Bethabara,  Cedar  Creek  and  Hebron  churches.  He  was 
elected  Moderator  of  the  Mulberry  Association  in  1876  and  'iT.  He  was  mar- 
ried on  the  5th  of  September,  1869,  to  Miss  Amanda  Bagwell,  of  Gwinnett. 
Their  only  child,  a  little  daughter,  the  Lord  has  taken  to  himself. 

A  life-long  friend  says  of  him  :  "  His  aim  and  object  from  childhood  seems  to 
have  been  to  make  himself  useful  and  beneficial,  not  only  to  himself  but  to  others. 
In  common  with  many  others,  in  early  life  he  had  his  troubles  and  besetments, 
which  seemed  at  times  sufficient  to  crush  every  hope  and  aspiration  for  anything 
like  usefulness.  But,  despite  all  misfortunes  and  disappointments,  he,  by  honest 
industry  and  fair-dealing  with  his  fellow-men,  succeeded  at  an  early  day  in  gain- 
ing the  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  had  business  transactions.  He  is  a  good 
financier.  Starting  in  life  without  means,  he  has,  by  God's  blessing,  accumula- 
ted a  competency  of  this  world's  goods.  In  person,  he  is  above  the  medium 
size,  of  commanding  appearance,  of  mild  and  pleasing  address,  and  in  any  assem- 
bly would  be  recognized  as  a  man  of  mark  and  ability.  He  is  actively  watchful 
of  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  interest  of  his  churches,  true  to  every  trust,  popu- 
lar with  his  brethren,  kind  and  charitable  to  the  poor.  In  fact,  he  is  one  of 
Georgia's  best  men."     . 


JAMES  RAINWATER. 


This  venerable  father  in  Israel  has  left 
behind  him  the  memory  of  a  life  stretch- 
ing through  seventy-six  years,  marked 
throughout  by  a  pure  morality,  and  hal- 
lowed for  more  than  half  a  century  by 
simple  yet  strong  faith  in  Christ.  In  him 
were  fulfilled  those  words  of  Scripture : 
"  The  hoary  head  is  a  crown  of  glory,  if  it 
be  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness." 

"  The  days  of  the  years  of  his  pilgrim- 
age '  began  in  Spartanburg  district,  South 
Carolina,  January  13th,  1795.  No  record 
of  his  early  youth  survives ;  but  in  the 
year  1820  he  made  a  profession  of  faith  in 
Christ  and  connected  himself  with  the 
Philadelphia  Baptist  church,  in  his  native 
district.  Five  years  later  that  church 
granted  him  authority  to  preach,  and  we 
quote  the  document  of  licensure  in  full, 
for  the  sake  of  a  notable  peculiarity  of  phrase,  which  may  or  may  not  have  been 
partially  current  at  that  time  : 
"  State  of  South  Carolina,  Spartanburg  District : 

"  We,  the  Baptist  Church  of  Christ  at  Philadelphia,  believing  that  a  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Gospel  has  been  committed  to  the  charge  of  our  beloved  brother, 
James  Rainwater,  therefore  tolerate  him  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  in  any  part  of  the  world  where  God,  in  his  providence,  may  call  him. 
"  Done  in  church  conference,  this  r2th  day  of  March,  1825,  and  signed  by  order 
of  the  church.  Moses  H.  Smith,  C.  C." 

This  action  was  followed  by  his  ordination,  January  6th,  1826,  the  presbytery 
consisting  of  Revs.  Thomas  Bomar,  Gabriel  Phillips,  T.  P.  Hernden,  Miles  Rain- 
water and  Nathan  Langston.  He  became  pastor  of  the  Philadelphia  church, 
and  held  that  position  until  November,  1835,  when  he  removed  to  Georgia  and 
settled  in  Coweta  county.  After  a  residence  there  of  ten  or  twelve  years,  he 
transferred  his  home  to  Campbell  county,  where  the  rest  of  his  life  was  passed 
in  simplicity  of  spirit  and  in  useful  toil.  He  served  Macedonia  church,  Coweta 
county,  twenty-two  years,  and  Antioch,  Meriwether,  county,  twenty-five  years  ; 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS. 


437 


besides  ministering  for  a  number  of  years  to  Ramah,  Providence,  Enon  and 
Bethlehem  churches,  Campbell  county,  Carrollton  and  Pleasant  Grove  churches, 
Carroll  county,  and  still  others. 

Deprived  in  a  large  degree  of  the  advantages  of  early  education,  he  was  pos- 
sessed of  a  vigorous,  well-balanced  mind,  which,  united  with  his  deep  piety  and 
untiring  energy,  made  him  a  power  among  the  churches  of  his  day.  Endowed 
with  a  sound  constitution,  and  a  full,  strong  voice,  his  love  for  the  name  and  the 
cause  of  Christ  led  him  to  undergo  physical  labors  that  would  have  shattered  the 
health  of  ordinary  men.  He  feared  not  to  attack  error  and  sin  in  any  of  their 
Protean  forms  ;  and  he  discharged  this  usually  unwelcome  task  with  such  earn- 
estness of  purpose  and  meekness  of  manner  as  to  secure  the  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  all  classes.  This  was  exemplified  by  his  bold  advocacy  of  temperance 
when  its  friends  were  few  and  its  enemies  numerous  and  powerful,  and  by  the 
success  which  crowned  that  advocacy.  But  that  which  is  first  in  importance  was 
always  first  in  his  affection  ;  he  found  his  chief  delight  in  "  preaching  Jesus  and 
the  resurrection,"  and  few  men  have  been  more  effective  in  winning  souls  to  the 
Redeemer. 

Mr.  Rainwater  continued  in  charge  of  his  churches  until  a  few  years  before 
his  death,  when  the  infirmities  of  old  age  compelled  him  to  relinquish  them. 
Even  then,  unlike  the  soldier  who  retires,  when  wounded,  from  the  line  of  battle, 
he  persisted,  as  often  as  opportunity  allowed,  in  lifting  up  his  voice  in  warning, 
even  after  disease  had  broken  it. 

It  would  be  easy  for  the  reader  to  judge  what  manner  of  death  must  follow 
such  a  life.  But  the  record  is  pleasant,  and  we  make  it,  less  because  it  is  neces- 
sary than  because  we  love  to  speak  of  it.  His  last  admonition  to  his  brethren 
on  his  dying  bed  was,  "  Pray  for  the  salvation  of  sinners,"  and  "  Clear  as  the 
clearest "  were  his  ringing  words  of  reply,  when  a  friend  asked  whether  he  saw 
his  way  clear.  In  this  frame  of  mind,  the  torch  of  mortal  life  went  out,  June 
22d,  1 87 1.  To  him  the  tomb  was  the  gateway  to  the  skies  ;  and,  doubtless,  his 
enfranchised  spirit  •'  leaped  with  joy  "  out  of  the  prison-house  of  clay  into  the 
heavenly  temple. 

He  was  married  in  the  fall  of  1817  to  Miss  Polly  Mason,  of  Spartanburg  dis- 
trict. South  Carolina,  and  in  the  spring  of  1859  to  Mrs.  Nancy  Dobbs,  near  Villa 
Rica,  Carroll  county,  Georgia.  The  first  wife  became  the  mother  of  twelve 
children,  of  whom  four  only  are  living. 


J.    J.    D.    RENFROE. 


Dr.  J.  J.  D.  Renfroe  is  a  native  of  Ala- 
bama, and  a  grandson  of  Georgia,  his  parents, 
Nathan  W.  Renfroe  and  Mahala  Lee,  having 
emigrated  from  Washington  county,  Georgia, 
before  he  was  born,  and  settled  in  Montgomery 
county,  Alabama.  He  was  born  in  the  latter 
county  August  30th,  1830.  His  father  used  to 
tell  him  in  his  boyhood,  that  "  when  a  man  got 
into  difficulties  there  were  three  ways  to  get 
out — to  back  out,  explain  out,  or  fight  out,  and 
he  hoped  he  would  never  back  out."  This 
may  serve  in  part  as  a  solution  of  that  more 
than  common  vehemency  of  temperament 
which  has  marked  his  character  through  life  ; 
for  no  one  was  ever  left  in  doubt  as  to  where 
he  stood  on  important  questions. 

Dr.  Renfroe 's  early  advantages  were  quite 
limited,  having  been  in  school  but  fifteen  months 
in  all ;  but  an  irrepressible  desire  to  improve  his  mind  has  impelled  him  to  a 
regular  course  of  study  at  home,  embracing  most  of  the  usual  college  curric- 


438  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

ulum.  In  addition  to  this,  he  has  prosecuted  a  broad  range  of  reading  and 
study  in  theology,  science,  and  general  literature,  so  that  he  is  not  a  whit  behind 
many  who  have  enjoyed  ten  times  his  advantages  in  the  way  of  academic  and 
collegiate  training.  In  the  purity  of  his  style ;  in  skill  in  the  construction  of 
his  sermons ;  in  the  vast  range  of  his  illustrations,  whether  Biblical,  scientific, 
historical  or  literary ;  in  the  appositeness  and  vigor  of  his  thoughts ;  in  the 
readiness  with  which  he  can  command  his  resources,  even  when  suddenly  and 
unexpectedly  called  upon ;  one  would  never  suspect  that  he  had  not  enjoyed 
most  of  the  advantages  of  thorough  training  in  early  life.  Perhaps  there  is  not 
a  minister  in  Alabama  or  elsewhere  who  deserves  more  credit  for  what  he  is 
to-day  than  Dr.  Renfroe. 

He  professed  religion  and  united  with  the  Elizabeth  Baptist  church  in  Macon 
county,  Alabama,  in  August,  1848,  and  was  baptized  by  Dr.  A.  N.  Worthy. 
He  was  at  once  recognized  as  possessing  rare  gifts,  and  was  put  forward  by  his 
brethren  to  conduct  meetings  quite  frequently ;  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in 
1850,  in  his  twentieth  year.  He  then  left  Macon  county,  and  settled  in  Cherokee 
county,  where  in  1852  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  at  the  call  of  Cedar 
Bluff  Baptist  church  by  a  presbytery  composed  of  Elders  W.  C.  Mynatt,  the 
pastor,  James  Reeves,  J.  D.  Hopper  and  Jacob  Coffman.  He  labored  for  five 
years  in  Cherokee  county  before  and  after  his  ordination,  and  for  two  years  sub- 
sequently in  Calhoun  county  with  marked  success.  During  this  time  he  was 
precipitated  into  several  controversies  with  ministers  of  other  denominations, 
some  of  them  men  of  distinction  and  talents ;  but  in  all  these  his  brethren  were 
more  than  gratified  with  the  result.  In  these  controversies,  though  earnest, 
pointed,  and  sometimes  terribly  incisive,  he  always  observed  the  courtesies  due 
to  an  opponent.     He  never  compromised  the  dignity  of  his  caUing. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1858,  Dr.  Renfroe  settled  in  Talladega  as  pastor 
of  the  Baptist  church.  He  was  then  just  rising  into  manhood,  having  already 
achieved  a  reputation  over  all  east  Alabama.  The  Talladega  Baptist  church 
had  been  unfortunate  for  many  years,  having  failed  to  secure  a  pastor  who  pos- 
sessed all  the  qualities  that  would  give  stability  to  the  relation,  though  they  had 
more  than  one  minister  of  marked  ability.  The  advent  of  young  Renfroe  to 
that  position  was  the  most  important  era  that  had  marked  its  history.  For 
though  he  brought  to  the  service  a  limited  experience  and  but  few  of  the  ad- 
vantages that  some  of  his  predecessors  had  possessed,  yet  he  had  capabilities 
in  all  other  respects  that  fully  justified  the  confidence  implied  in  his  call  to 
that  church.  With  an  energy  that  never  relaxed,  a  courage  that  never  cowered 
before  any  embarrassments,  an  intellect  susceptible  of  indefinite  expansion,  a 
heart  all  aglow  with  the  fires  of  devotion,  and  a  passion  for  his  calling  that 
literally  possessed  him— in  a  word,  with  all  the  powers  of  his  heart  and  soul,  he 
entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  pastorate.  It  requires  a  man  of  no  common  mould 
to  maintain  a  growing  reputation  for  over  twenty  years  in  the  midst  of  an 
intelligent,  refined  and  cultivated  population — a  population  that  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  hear  some  of  the  best  preachers  Alabama  ever  had.  Yet  this  he  has 
achieved  ;  and,  should  his  health  be  so  restored  that  he  can  prosecute  his  labors 
with  his  wonted  vigor,  there  is  not  a  minister  in  Alabama,  or  elsewhere,  for 
whom  his  congregation  would  exchange  him.  Their  confidence  in,  and  respect 
for,  him  is  not  the  ephemeral  growth  of  a  day  that  yields  to  the  first  storm,  but 
it  is  based  on  many  long  years  of  mutual  labors  and  sacrifices,  of  trials,  and  suf- 
ferings, of  long  deferred  rewards  and  final  triumphs,  so  that  he  has  come  to  be 
regarded  as  an  essential  part  of  his  church  and  community. 

Dr.  Renfroe  has  passed  through  the  furnace  of  affliction.  In  the  last  few 
years  he  has  lost  three  children  who  were  just  verging  into  womanhood  and  man- 
hood— his  eldest  daughter,  Theodosia,  and  his  two  eldest  sons  Graves  and  Curry 
— three  as  promising  children  as  one  ever  sees.  Yet,  meekly  bowing  to  the 
divine  will,  he  has  gone  on  "  serving  God  without  distraction,"  these  sad  prov- 
idences meanwhile  throwing  over  his  piety  a  still  deeper  shade,  and  giving  to  his 
ministry  a  more  subduing  power.  Many  a  heart  will  join  in  the  earnest  prayer 
that  God  may  spare  his  remaining  three  children  for  the  comfort  and  stay  of  his 
old  age. 

For  about  two  years  of  the  late  war.   Dr.  Renfroe  was  chaplain  of  the  loth 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  439 

Alabama  Regiment  in  the  Army  of  Virginia.  No  man  ever  made  a  more 
honorable  record  in  that  position,  whether  as  aiding  in  gathering  the  wounded 
from  the  battle-field,  or  as  nursing  them  and  the  sick  in  the  hospitals,  or  as 
preaching  the  gospel  to  the  soldiers,  not  unfrequently  at  the  peril  of  his  life 
when  heavy  artillery  was  sending  its  death-dealing  missiles  through  the  camp. 
He  had  a  worthy  brother,  a  young  minister  of  decided  promise,  who  whether, 
right  or  wrong,  resigned  his  pastoral  position,  entered  the  army  at  the  opening 
of  the  war,  and  perished  at  the  head  of  his  company  in  the  arms  of  the  most 
brilliant  victory  achieved  during  the  war  by  Confederate  arms — the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg.  The  touching  tribute  he  paid  to  his  fallen  brother's  memory 
was  published  in  a  tract  by  the  "  Virginia  Tract' Society,"  and  scattered  by  thou- 
sands through  the  Southern  armies.  After  the  war  Dr.  Renfroe  returned  to 
Talladega,  and  resumed  his  pastorate,  where  he  remains  to  the  present  time, 
and  where  his  success  is  more  marked  than  ever  before.  His  church  there  has, 
within  the  last  few  years  built  and  paid  for  one  of  the  neatest,  most  commo- 
dious and  handsome  houses  of  worship  in  the  State.  To  his  irrepressible 
energy  is  the  church  more  indebted  for  this  achievement  than  to  any  other 
source. 

The  Alabama  Baptist  is  more  indebted  to  him  for  its  existence  to-day  than 
to  any  other  one  man  in  the  State,  for  he  and  the  Rev.  E.  T.  Smyth,  of 
Oxford,  kept  the  paper  question  stirred  up  for  years  before  it  was  finally  resolved 
to  establish  it.  He  has  been  on  its  writing  staff  ever  since  it  was  commenced, 
except  one  year,  and  it  is  enough  to  say  that  the  results  of  that  one  year  were  no 
insignificant  sign  as  to  where  he  stood  in  the  affections  and  confidence  of  his 
brethren.  His  return  to  its  editorial  department,  in  the  fall  of  1879,  was  hailed 
as  an  augury  of  success,  and  the  paper  now  stands  upon  higher  ground  than  ever 
before.  Dr.  Winkler  is  giving  to  it  the  most  briUiant  contributions  of  his  gifted 
pen,  and  Dr.  Renfroe  is  bringing  out,  with  his  accredited  ability,  that  broad  range 
of  practical  subjects  which  makes  the  paper  a  necessity  to  every  Baptist  interest 
in  Alabama. 

It  is  proper  to  add,  just  here,  that  Dr.  Renfroe  was  connected  editorially  with 
the  Christian  Index  and  Southwestern  Baptist  one  year  while  it  was 
under  the  editorial  supervision  of  Dr.  Shaver,  and  in  that  capacity  rendered  val- 
uable service. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  spring  of  1879,  Dr.  Renfroe  was  suddenly  attacked 
with  severe  and  repeated  hemorrhages  from  his  throat,  which  laid  him  aside 
from  the  ministry  about  six  months  or  more ;  but  he  has  since  resumed  his 
labors,  which,  by  moderating  his  tones  and  by  short  discourses,  he  has  thus  far 
prosecuted  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  churches ;  for  he  preaches  once  a  month  at 
Harpersville,  Shelby  county,  and  three  Sabbaths  at  Talladega.  Should  his  health 
be  fully  restored,  many  years  of  usefulness  are  yet  before  him  in  the  field  where 
he  is  best  known,  for  he  is  one  man  that  never  need  go  elsewhere  to  increase  his 
usefulness. 

A  little  below  the  average  height,  compact  as  the  human  organism  can  be 
made,  features  well  cut,  dark  eyes,  somewhat  orange  complexion,  quick,  elastic 
step,  he  would  on  sight  be  selected  as  the  condensation  of  energy.  In  his  pub- 
lic ministrations,  when  fully  himself,  congregations  have,  on  many  occasions 
when  his  mind  would  kindle  into  enthusiasm  on  some  important  topic,  hung 
upon  his  lips  for  hours,  unconscious  of  the  flight  of  time.  In  his  regular  minis-, 
trations,  however,  he  is  not  tedious,  but  always  entertaining.  In  mingling  with 
his  members,  one  is  struck  with  their  oft-repeated  remark,  that  "  his  last  sermon 
is  his  best."  Though  his  sermons  may  not  have  the  rhetorical  finish,  the  clas- 
sical ring  of  a  belles-lettres  scholar,  they  do  possess  a  logical  compactness,  a 
transparent  analysis,  an  angular  pointedness,  a  straightforward  candor  and 
simplicity,  that  send  them  through  "  the  joints  of  the  harness  "  with  singular 
precision.  No  man  ever  hears  him  preach  without  being  profoundly  impressed 
that  he  beheves  what  he  says. 

Some  years  ago  the  honorary  degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred  on  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  by  a  college  of  his  own  State,  where  he  is  best  known,  as  a  merited 
compliment  to  his  talents,  culture  and  piety.     That  he  deserved  the  distinction 


440 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


no  one  doubts  who  knows  him  ;  and  yet  we  suppose,  of  all  men  in  the  State,  he 
was  most  surprised  when  he  received  the  degree.  Doubtless  he  could  say  as 
truthfully  as  the  great  Dr.  Gill  said  when  the  Edinburgh  University  made  him  a 
doctor :  "  I  neither  thought  it,  nor  sought  it,  nor  bought  it."  It  came  just  like 
it  ought  always  to  come,  and  does  come  to  those  who  worthily  wear  it,  as  the 
simple  reward  of  merit. 


JAMES  REEVES. 


Rev.  Jeremiah  Reeves  came  from 
England  to  North  Carolina  in  Colonial 
times,  and,  with  his  family,  shared  the 
trials  and  hardships  of  the  war  that 
achieved  American  independence. 
Early  one  morning  during  that  war, 
while  he  was  absent,  a  British  officer 
with  a  squad  of  soldiers  suddenly  ap- 
peared at  his  house  and  ordered 
breakfast  for  his  troops.  Returning 
soon  after,  Mr.  Reeves  countermanded 
the  order  and  reproached  the  intruders 
with  the  loss  of  his  horses.  When 
challenged  as  to  the  right  by  which 
he  dared  to  act  in  that  style,  he  an- 
swered :  "By  the  inalienable  right 
God  has  given  me  to  protect  my  fam- 
ily and  to  provide  for  it."  In  response 
to  the  further  inquiry  who  and  what 
he  was,  he  said  :  "  My  name  is  Jere- 
miah Reeves,  and  I  am  for  my  coun- 
try, sir."  Singularly  enough,  the  offi- 
cer bore  the  same  name,  and  a  little 
investigation  showed  that  the  two  were  near  relatives.  The  raiding  force  was 
withdrawn  without  further  molestation — a  signal  instance  of  the  overruling 
Providence  which,  "out  of  the  nettle,  danger,  can  pluck  the  flower,  safety,"  for 
the  upright,  through  the  very  things  which  seem  to  threaten  ruin. 

Of  the  six  sons  of  this  venerable  man,  four,  like  himself,  became  ministers  of 
the  Gospel — Malachi,  Jeremiah,  John  and  James.  These,  all,  with  more  or  less 
prominence,  wrought  a  useful  work  among  Georgia  Baptists  in  the  first  half  of 
the  present  century.  They  took  an  efficient  part  in  the  discussions  which  held 
the  great  body  of  our  people  faithful  to  the  principles  of  the  early  Baptists  and 
of  the  New  Testament,  and  led  to  the  secession  of  the  "  Anti-Missionaries  " 
from  the  communion  of  their  less  changeful  brethren.  With  the  exception  of 
Malachi,  who,  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  a  period  of  nearly  thirty  years,  served 
as  pastor  the  church  (in  Wilkes  or  Oglethorpe  county)  which  called  him  to  ordi- 
nation, they  performed  much  evangelistic  labor  in  the  sparse  but  growing  settle- 
ments of  the  State. 

Rev.  James  Reeves  was  born  in  Guilford  county.  North  Carolina,  in  the  year 
1784.  He  received  only  such  elementary  education  as  was  furnished  by  the 
private  schools  of  the  country  in  those  times,  but  sought  to  make  up  the  defi- 
ciency by  assiduous  study  all  through  his  life.  During  his  earlier  manhood,  he 
labored  hard  by  day  and  read  to  a  late  hour  at  night,  mostly  by  a  lightwood  fire. 
In  after  years,  when  in  easier  circumstances,  he  was  an  almost  constant  reader 
and  close  student.  While  fond  of  history,  poetry  and  general  literature,  he 
made  the  Bible  his  great  text-book ;  and  such  was  his  familiarity  with  its  pages 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  44 1 

and  his  mastery  of  its  truths,  that  he  was  called  a  "  living  concordance  "  and  a 
"  walking  body  of  divinity."  In  ripe  old  age,  he  often  said  that  "if  it  were  pos- 
sible for  the  New  Testament  to  be  destroyed,  he  would  possess  an  advantage 
over  most  persons,  as  he  had  very  near  all  of  it  in  his  heart !"  By  many,  he  was 
accounted  the  best  Scripturist  in  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention. 

A  young  man,  with  a  wife  and  one  or  two  small  children,  Mr.  Reeves  settled 
in  Jasper  county,  Georgia,  when  that  portion  of  the  State  was  called  "  the  Pur- 
chase." The  teams  employed  in  moving  them  landed  them  late  one  afternoon  on 
the  site  selected  for  his  future  home,  and  they  passed  the  first  night  with  no  cov- 
ering but  the  star-spangled  canopy  of  heaven.  At  dawn  next  morning  he  felled 
a  tree,  from  which  he  soon  made  boards  enough  to  provide  a  temporary  shelter 
for  his  family,  until  he  could  get  logs  together  and  obtain  sufficient  help  to  erect 
some  cabins.  He  then  addressed  himself  to  the  task  of  clearing  away  the  forest 
and  fitting  fields  for  culture,  as  the  only  means  of  procuring  bread.  Game  was 
so  plentiful  that  the  deer  would  come  into  his  clearing  and  eat  the  buds  on  the 
timber  he  had  felled,  while,  under  the  pressure  of  his  work,  he  could  not  spare 
time  to  molest  them.  With  this  resolute  industry  he  supported  himself  and  his 
family  through  life  by  the  labor  of  his  hands  as  a  farmer.  He  served  the 
churches  with  little  or  no  compensation,  and  may  be  said  to  have  given  his  life 
gratuitously  to  the  cause  of  the  Master.  Nor,  during  all  the  years,  were  the 
poor  who  sought  his  help  ever  sent  empty  away. 

The  date  of  Mr.  Reeves'  new  birth  and  baptism  has  been  lost.  He  was- 
licensed  and  ordained  in  1 8 14,  in  the  thirtieth  year  of  his  age  ;  beginning  then 
an  active  ministry  which  was  to  stretch  through  four  decades,  for  he  never 
ceased  from  pastoral  service  until  the  weight  of  three-score  years  and  ten  ren- 
dered the  tf esh  too  weak  to  be  an  instrument  to  the  willingness  of  the  spirit.  He 
was  ardently  devoted  to  the  duties  of  the  sacred  office  and  eminently  successful 
in  winning  souls  to  Christ ;  but  he  gloried  chiefly  in  being  a  pioneer  preacher, 
searching  out  destitute  fields  and  establishing  churches  in  them.  When  he  set- 
tled in  Jasper  county,  it  was  on  the  frontier  of  civilization ;  and  he  labored  there. 
When  Butts  became  newly  acquired  territory,  and  white  men  were  making  their 
homes  in  it,  he  left  his  pleasant  surroundings  to  dwell  and  minister  among  them. 
When  the  tide  of  emigration  swept  further  westward,  he  went  forward  with  it, 
planting  the  standard  of  the  cross  in  what  was  then  comparatively  a  wilderness, 
as  far  as  the  State  line,  and  even  beyond.  With  Rev.  John  Wood,  and  other 
zealous  servants  of  Christ,  he  preached  in  the  log  cabins  of  the  new  settlers  and 
under  temporary  arbors  constructed  for  the  purpose,  supplied  the  people  with 
Bibles  and  tracts,  organized  Sunday-schools  and  temperance  societies,  and  con- 
stituted some  of  the  churches  now  most  flourishing  in  all  that  region.  While 
travelling  through  the  wild  country,  he  would  meet  a  man  by  the  way,  and,  with 
that  "  passion  for  souls  "  which  led  him,  in  his  last  illness,  to  manifest  more  con- 
cern for  the  conversion  of  the  physician  than  for  his  own  recovery,  would  stop 
and  preach  to  him  the  Lord  Jesus  as  the  only  hope  of  salvation.  When 
through,  he  would  leave  him  to  the  further  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
perhaps  would  hear  no  more  from  him,  until  a  request  came  to  visit  his  neigh- 
borhood and  baptize  him.  Compliance  with  this  request  would  often  lead  to 
the  organization  of  a  church.  His  zeal  for  the  work  of  the  pioneer  explains  the 
fact  that  the  churches  of  which  he  was  pastor  lay  in  Jasper,  Butts,  Henry,  Camp- 
bell, Paulding,  Carroll,  Coweta,  Heard  and  Troup  counties,  Georgia,  and  in 
eastern  Alabama.  It  explains  also  the  further  fact,  that  of  a  great  portion  of 
these  churches  he  was  not  the  pastor  merely,  but  the  founder. 

Mr.  Reeves  was  twice  married ;  first,  to  a  Miss  McElroy,  of  Wilkes  or  Jasper, 
who  bore  him  ten  children  ;  and  afterward  to  a  Mrs.  Phillips,  of  Troup,  who 
bore  him  five,  and  is  still  living,  venerable  in  years  and  in  godliness.  He  reared 
these  fifteen  children  of  his  own,  with  seven  step-children,  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord ;  showing  an  impartial  affection  to  all  of  them,  and  when  school  facilities 
were  wanting,  instructing  them  himself  by  night  and  at  noon.  Nearly  all  his 
children  have  been  consistent  members  of  Baptist  churches,  and  one  of  them, 
James  F.  Reeves,  is  a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  The  interest  he  felt  in  their 
spiritual  welfare  was  manifested  as  well  in  behalf  of  his  servants,  whom,  at 


442  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

stated  seasons,  he  assembled  in  the  house,  reading  the  Scriptures,  and  praying 
for  them  and  with  them.  A  man  of  prayer  in  all  things,  he  was  especially 
strict  in  the  maintenance  of  family  worship,  allowing  the  absence  of  no  member 
except  in  case  of  necessity.  He  would  often  rise  from  a  sick  bed,  when  able  to 
sit  up  only  a  few  minutes  at  a  time,  in  order  to  lead  the  household  devotions. 

Throughout  his  last  illness,  he  ceased  not  to  exhort  and  counsel  all  who  came 
to  see  him,  whether  saints  or  sinners,  even  after  he  had  to  be  supported  on  the 
bed,  in  a  sitting  posture.  As  the  closing  hour  approached  he  arose,  though 
greatly  debilitated,  and  asked  to  be  helped  to  his  easy  chair  near  the  fire,  that 
he  might  join  with  the  family  and  friends  in  prayer.  When  a  passage  of  Scrip- 
ture was  read,  he  turned  to  Rev.  Thornton  Burke,  his  bosom  friend  and  co- 
laborer  in  the  ministry  for  years,  and  said  ;  "  Brother  Burke,  I  want  to  try  to 
pray  with  and  for  my  family  one  more  time  before  I  go  hence ;  if  my  breath 
fails  and  I  sink  in  death,  let  there  be  no  confusion,  but  you  just  take  up  my 
prayer  where  I  may  leave  off,  and  finish  it."  He  then  poured  out  his  soul  in  prayer 
for  those  present,  for  the  absent  members  of  the  family,  for  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel,  for  the  prosperity  of  Zion,  After  agonizing  long  and  fervently  in  that 
last  offering  as  the  priest  of  the  household,  he  closed  with  a  most  earnest  appeal 
in  behalf  of  our  country,  so  soon,  alas !  to  be  involved  in  war  and  deluged  with 
blood.  Having  given  all  necessary  direction  as  to  his  temporal  .affairs,  and 
designated  I  Timothy  1:15,  as  the  text  from  which  he  wished  Rev.  T. 
Burke  to  preach  his  funeral  sermon,  he  calmly  "fell  on  sleep,"  and  was  "gath- 
ered, as  a  shock  of  corn  fully  ripe,  into  the  garner  of  the  Lord."  Who  can 
doubt  that,  as  his  son  said  to  him  when  lying  on  the  verge  of  Jordan,  he  "  passed 
over  the  river,"  to  "sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven?"  Who  can  doubt  that,  as  he  said  then  to  his  son,  "the  theme  of 
their  conversation,  the  burden  of  their  song,  was,  and  is,  and  shall  be,  redeem- 
ing grace  and  dying  love  ?" 


THOMAS    NAPOLEON    RHODES. 

We  read  that  "there  are  diversities  of  gifts,"  in  the 
kingdom  of  Christ.  The  Holy  Spirit,  in  his  recreative 
work,  makes  men  "one"  in  Christ,  but  "many"  in  the 
distribution  of  the  manifold  lineaments  of  His  character. 
In  "reveahng  the  Son"  in  Rev.  Thomas  Napoleon 
Rhodes,  the  Spirit  has  chosen  to  manifest  in  him  one  of 
the  most  striking  features  of  grace — hu7nility.  We  have 
but  to  look  on  the  man  to  see  that  he  was  cast  in  the 
mould  of  Him  who  was  "  meek  and  lowly  in  heart."  And 
we  have  but  to  hear  him  speak  on  the  solemn  concerns  of 
God,  sin  and  judgment,  to  realize. that  there  is  one  before  us  with  "his  mouth 
in  the  dust."  Then  now  natural  the  heart-felt  pathos  with  which  we  hear  him 
say,  in  his  approaches  to  the  throne  of  grace :  "  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  least 
of  all  the  mercies  and  of  all  the  truth,  which  Thou  hast  shewed  unto  Thy  servant." 
His  marked  humility  has  made  him  a  man  of  God  with  all  who  have  known 
him. 

He  was  born  in  Greene  county,  Georgia,  July  4th,  1822.  His  parents  were 
Hefiin  S.  and  Elizabeth  Rhodes.  His  grandfather,  Thomas  Rhodes,  and  his 
father,  H.  S.  Rhodes,  were  Baptist  ministers. 

The  son  inherited  the  fine  mental  gifts  of  his  parents.  But  "  chill  penury  " 
repressed  his  aspiring  spirit,  putting  the  prize  of  culture  out  of  his  reach.  For- 
tunately,however,  the  noble  philanthropist,  Hon.  A.  H.  Stephens,  discovered  the 
talents  of  the  unnoticed  plough-boy.  He  proposed  to  send  him  to  school.  The 
proposition  was  accepted.     He  entered  the  classical  school  at  Woodstock,  Ogle- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


443 


thorpe  county,  and  remained  there  several  years.  Having  completed  his  educa- 
tion, he  commenced  teaching  at  Centreville,  Wilkes  county.  As  soon  as  he  had 
made  money  sufficient,  by  teaching,  he  refunded  to  Mr.  Stephens  all  the  money 
he  had  expended  in  his  education,  principal  and  interest. 

It  is  ever  with  profound  gratitude  that  he  refers  to  his  benefactor.  In  1847, 
he  took  charge  of  the  academy,  at  Appling,  Columbia  county.  The  next  year 
he  returned  to  Centreville,  in  which  community  he  taught  eight  years  more.  In 
1856,  he  moved  to  Meriwether  county,  where  he  taugLt  eleven  years.  In  1867 
he  settled  in  Newnan,  Cowetacounty,  in  which  place  he  still  remains  as  a  teacher. 

He  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  Horeb  church,  Hancock  county,  in 
1839,  by  Rev.  Radford  Gunn ;  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  at  Sardis 
church,  Wilkes  county,  June  25th,  1853,  by  Revs.  P.  H.  Mell,  D.  G.  Daniell  and 
Enoch  Callaway. 

In  his  ministry,  he  has  served  the  following  churches,  as  pastor :  Newford, 
Friendship,  Clark's  Station,  Wilkes  county ;  County  Line  and  Providence,  Troup 
county;  Holly  Springs,  Macedonia,  Providence,  Bethlehem,  Grantville  and 
Mount  Lebanon,  in  Coweta  county ;  and  Providence,  Campbell  county.  He  was 
married  to  Sarah  Ann  Callaway,  daughter  of  Rev.  Enoch  Callaway,  November 
22d.  1848.     By  this  marriage  he  has  five  sons  and  four  daughters  living. 

As  an  educator  of  youth,  he  has  done  incalculable  service  to  his  country,  age 
and  race.  And  this  has  been  not  only  in  the  department  of  intellectual  culture, 
but  in  the  sphere  of  moral  training.  By  a  model  life  he  has  ever  brought  to 
bear  on  those  under  him  the  moulding  influence  of  moral  tuition. 

As  a  preacher,  he  is  grave,  sensible  and  earnest.  In  the  solemnity  of  his 
pulpit  ministrations  he  impresses  on  the  audience  his  own  sense  of  the  greatness 
of  God,  and  of  the  message  of  salvation,  and  of  its  consequences  to  their  souls. 
His  sermons  are  clear  and  scriptural.  He  has  a  most  profound  love  and  rever- 
ence for  the  word  of  God.  His  love  of  truth  is  almost  passionate.  He  holds 
it  up  to  the  people  as  "the  power  of  God."  He  declares  it  as  one  perfectly 
confident  of  its  present,  final,  and  universal  triumph. 


W.  H.  RICE. 


Rev.  W.  H.  Rice,  son  of  Colonel  Jesse  Rice,  was  born 
in  the  lower  part  of  Barnwell  district,  South  Carolina, 
March  24th,  18 17.  His  parents  and  grandparents  were 
members  of  the  Springtown  Baptist  church,  constituted 
soon  after  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  still  in  a  flourishing 
condition. 

He  was  graduated  at  the  South  Carolina  College,  in 
December,  1841,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  He  entered  at 
once  on  the  study  of  law,  and  in  1842  was  admitted  to 
practice  at  Barnwell  Court-house.  He  followed  this  pro- 
fession a  few  years.  In  1844  he  was  married  to  Miss  E. 
A.  Buckner,  a  devoted  Christian.  Their  children  were  brought  up  in  the  fear  of 
God,  and  all  are  now  members  of  Baptist  churches,  except  the  youngest.  He 
buried  his  wife  in  1875. 

His  conversion  to  God  occurred  in  1844,  during  a  great  revival,  and  he  received 
baptism  at  the  hands  of  Rev.  Housford  Duncan.  After  his  removal  to  Houston 
county,  Georgia,  in  1849,  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  and  planting.  In  1857  he 
was  elected  Professor  of  Natural  Sciences  in  Houston  Female  College,  and 
during  the  same  year  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry.  He  has  been  preach- 
ing to  churches  in  Houston  and  Macon  counties  ever  since.  He  has  devoted  his 
labors  generally  to  the  destitute,  often  without  compensation.  He  has  frequently 
preached  in  neighborhoods  where  there  was  no  house  of  worship,  but  services 


444  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

were  held  in  a  school-house,  or  under  a  bush-arbor,  or  in  a  private  house.  He 
is  now  pastor  of  the  church  at  Byron,  Houston  county.  He  has  always  adopted 
the  plan  of  preaching  in  the  forenoon  to  the  white,  and  in  the  afternoon  to  the 
colored,  congregation.  This  work  for  the  colored  people  he  continued  until 
recently,  when  they  were  enabled  to  procure  a  minister  of  their  own  race. 

He  is  a  man  of  marked  cultivation,  but  modest  and  retiring.  He  has  been, 
and  is  still,  a  most  useful  and  highly  esteemed  man,  and  though  so  quiet,  exer- 
cises a  most  beneficial  influence  in  the  communities  where  he  has  lived. 


WILLIAM  H.  RICHARDSON. 

Allen  Richardson  was  a  native  of  Henry  county,  Vir- 
ginia ;  but,  his  parents  coming  to  Georgia  when  he  was  a 
child,  he  was  brought  up  in  Oglethorpe  county,  and  there 
married  Miss  Sarah  Olive.  Rev.  William.  H.  Rich- 
ardson, their  son,  was  born  in  that  county.  The  father 
and  mother  were  both  Baptists ;  the  former,  for  many 
years  a  deacon,  and  for  some  time  before  his  death  a 
licensed  preacher.  In  the  autumn  of  1830,  when  William 
was  eight  years  old,  the  family,  a  large  one,  sought  a  home 
in  Upson  county.  During  his  boyhood  he  was  required 
to  work  on  the  farm  most  of  the  time,  and,  when  at  school  did  not  appreciate 
the  value  of  education,  or  make  much  effort  for  the  development  of  his  mind. 
After  arriving  at  manhood,  when  too  late  to  recall  the  vanished  and  wasted 
hours,  he  began  to  realize  the  pricelessness  of  knowledge,  and  to  devote  all  his 
leisure  to  the  perusal  of  such  books  as  he  could  obtain.  Even  then,  however, 
no  regular  system  of  study  was  undertaken.  While  his  mental  training  seems, 
therefore,  to  have  been  somewhat  neglected,  he  had  the  unspeakable  advantage 
of  early  religious  instruction,  which  was  crowned  by  his  hopeful  conversion  to 
God  in  his  youth.  In  September,  1839,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  was  received 
into  the  Thomaston  (then  Bethesda)  church,  and  baptized  by  Rev.  Jacob  King. 
In  this  church  he  was  ordained  a  deacon  twenty  years  later  ;  and  it  is  a  remark- 
able fact  that  he  has  maintained  his  membership  in  it  through  more  than  forty 
years. 

Soon  after  his  conversion  he  was  awakened  to  the  duty  of  preaching  the  Gospel, 
but  his  timid  disposition,  his  conscious  lack  of  culture,  and  his  profound  sense 
of  the  magnitude  of  the  work,  prevailed  to  postpone  his  entrance  on  it  from 
time  to  time.  The  church  at  length  decided  to  license  him  on  her  own  responsi- 
bility. He  felt  great  misgivings  as  to  his  qualifications  for  the  high  calling ;  but 
in  a  little  while  concluded  that  although  he  had  not  been  "taking  texts,"  he  was 
in  fact,  all  the  time  preaching,  and  resolved,  despite  his  "weakness  and  fear," 
to  do  thenceforth  the  best  he  could.  In  1864,  Concord  church,  Talbot  county, 
called  him  to  the  office  of  pastor,  and  he  was  ordained  by  a  presbytery  composed 
of  Revs.  E.  S.  Harris,  J.  McDonald  and  R.  H.  Jackson.  He  is  still  pastor  of 
that  church,  and  preaches  to  two  other  churches  in  the  county,  as  he  has  d'6ne 
to  yet  other  two.  He  is  one  of  those  who  thoroughly  believe  the  life-giving, 
soul-saving,  God-honoring  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  as  understood  by  the  evan- 
gelical school  in  theology.  Salvation  by  grace  is  his  theme.  He  has  been  a 
successful  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  his  main  object  being  to  address  the  judg- 
ment, conscience  and  heart,  relying  on  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  renew 
and  sanctify  the  soul.  He  is  a  man  of  strong  mind  and  of  pronounced  charac- 
ter. He  investigates  all  subjects  for  himself,  and  when  he  makes  a  decision  it 
is  fixed.  One  of  his  most  prominent  characteristics  is  that  he  "  dares  to  do 
right " — a  step,  and  a  long  one,  in  advance  of  simply  not  daring  to  do  wrong. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS 


445 


EDWARD  F.  RICHTER. 


Rev.  Edward  F.  RiCHXERwas  born  November  15th, 
1822,  near  Baireuth,  Franconia,  Germany.  His  father 
held  a  lucrative  government  office,  and  though  nominally 
a  Roman  Catholic,  possessed  very  enlightened  views. 
His  mother,  of  the  old  patrician  family  of  Greiner,  was 
a  strict  member  of  Luther's  Protestant  Church  ;  and  to 
avoid  the  law  that  compelled  children  of  mixed  marriages 
to  be  educated  in  the  religious  tenets  of  their  parents, 
sent  her  male  offspring,  at  a  very  tender  age,  away  from 
papal  influences,  to  Protestant  schools  among  her  kin  - 
dred,  and  thence  to  the  Gymnasium  (a  classical  institu- 
tion) at  Baireuth.  Destined  for  the  profession  of  a  physician,  he  spent  a  short 
time  with  an  uncle,  a  practicing  physician.  There  he  took  such  a  dislike  to  the 
profession  that  he  determined  to  enter  into  the  mercantile  business,  as  more  con- 
genial to  his  youthful  tastes.  In  this  pursuit  he  held  several  responsible  situa- 
tions, and  still  retains  testimonials  of  his  integrity  and  capacities. 

While  engaged  in  his  studies,  a  number  of  his  fellow-students  were  preparing 
for  the  ministry,  with  nothing  to  distinguish  them  from  the  wild,  frolic-loving 
German  student  but  a  ransacking  among  dusty,  mouldering,  useless  forms, 
leading  Papist  and  Protestant  alike  to  skepticism,  or  to  a  refined  system  of  pagan- 
ism. His  attention  to  this  distinction  without  a  difference  soon  bore  its  legiti- 
mate fruits  in  him,  and  his  leisure  hours,  from  that  time  forward,  were  occupied 
in  fairly  devouring  the  productions  of  the  German,  French  and  English  infidels. 
At  the  same  time  his  political  ideas  underwent  such  a  change  as  to  assume 
avowed  hostility  to  the  usurped  powers  of  government,  and  from  being  sus- 
pected, he  became  an  object  of  surveillance  to  the  police.  To  free  himself  from 
this  annoyance,  he  carried  out  a  resolution  long  cherished,  of  expatriating  him- 
self, by  emigrating  to  America.  The  firm  of  Nunez  &  Co.,  Vera  Cruz,  held  out 
encouragement  to  him,  through  one  of  his  countrymen  in  their  employment,  and 
early  in  1844  he  left  his  native  land  to  embark  for  Vera  Cruz.  Finding  no  ves- 
sel soon  to  sail  from  Hanseatic  ports,  he  listened  to  the  appeals  of  newly  formed 
friends,  to  sail  in  their  company  for  Baltimore,  in  the  fated  ship  Johannes.  His 
package  not  having  arrived  at  the  day  of  the  vessel's  getting  under  way,  he  con- 
cluded to  await  its  coming,  and  to  avail  himself  of  the  offer  of  passage  in  the 
Copernicus,  from  which  he  landed  safely  in  Baltimore  in  the  spring  of  1844, 
after  a  most  trying  passage  of  sixty  days.  The  Johannes,  with  upwards  of  300 
passengers,  was  never  more  heard  of.  He  soon  found  employment  in  Balti- 
more as  book-keeper ;  and  on  the  extension  of  the  business  of  a  Baltimore  firm, 
was  entrusted  with  the  management  of  its  business  in  Wytheville,  Virginia. 
Becoming  restive  under  the  restrictions  and  the  retirement  of  a  village,  the  gla- 
mour of  city  life  allured  him,  and  he  retraced  his  steps  to  the  Atlantic  to  seek 

employment  in  New  York.     He  succeeded,  and  was  engaged  by  Mr.  Peter  G , 

a  Dane,  now  a  most  prominent  New  York  millionaire.  The  tocsin  of  war 
roused  him,  and  he  shipped  in  the  United  frigate  Potomac  for  the  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico. Disease,  brought  on  by  severe  exposure  during  and  after  the  taking  of  Vera 
Cruz,  becoming  chronic,  forced  his  return  to  New  York  and  his  discharge  from 
the  naval  service.  A  short  employment  by  the  same  house  in  New  York  was 
followed  by  his  enlisting  in  the  9th  Regiment  New  England  Volunteers.  Being 
found  very  useful  to  the  commander  of  the  recruiting  station,  Lieutenant  Moon, 
he  was  not  permitted  to  join  his  regiment,  but  transferred  to  the  i  ith  Regiment, 
and  kept  at  the  station  to  do  the  office  work.  The  war  soon  terminated,  and  he 
resolved  to  go  to  California.  On  returning  from  the  transportation  office,  he  met 
with  a  comrade  who  presented  him  with  a  letter  from  Georgia,  inviting  him  to 
that  State,  and  holding  out  great  inducements  to  him.  This  inclined  him  at 
once  to  depart  for  Savannah,  and  thence  to  Crawford  county,  Georgia. 


44^  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

At  the  place  of  his  destination,  where  he  arrived  late  in  1848,  he  found  him- 
self in  the  house  of  a  Methodist  minister,  who  had  failed  in  mercantile  business 
previous  to  his  arrival,  utterly  disappointed  in  his  expectations  and  without 
means.  The  minister  proposed  to  him  to  engage  in  teaching.  Seeing  no  other 
alternative,  he  finally  resolved  to  try.  After  several  fruitless  attempts,  he  was 
introduced  to  Mr.  Nathan  Respess,  of  Upson  county,  on  whom  he  looked  in 
after  life  as  a  father,  calling  him  by  that  endearing  name  whenever  speaking  of 
him,  and  mourning  for  him  as  a  son  when  informed  of  his  call  "  up  higher." 
Mr.  Respess  took  in  the  homeless  stranger,  and  procured  for  him  several  profit- 
able engagements  ;  and  it  was  in  the  charms  of  the  home  circle  of  this  Baptist 
family  that  he  fii'st  learned  the  difference  between  nominal  and  real  professors  ; 
yet  his  own  heart  still  remained  a  stone. 

In  1850,  he  wedded  Miss  Amanda  F.  Christie,  a  granddaughter  of  Rev.  Dol- 
phin Davis,  a  Methodist  minister  living  in  Crawford  county,  and  soon  after  he 
devoted  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

Returning  in  1853  from  Union  county,  where  he  had  been  to  see  after  some 
of  his  lands,  he  stopped  at  the  house  of  a  Baptist,  minister,  and  in  looking  over 
his  books  his  eyes  fell  on  a  small  volume  on  the  baptismal  controversy, 
by  a  Baptist  divine.  His  curiosity  becoming  excited,  for  among  German  scholars 
baptizo  involves  no  mooted  question,  nor  does  Luther's  translation  leave  any 
room  to  doubt  how  he  understood  it,  for  he  fearlessly  renders  it  "  taufen"  (dip), 
he  read  the  little  book  with  great  attention,  and  the  scales  fell  from  his  eyes  as 
to  the  true  character  of  "  the  sect  everywhere  spoken  against." 

Soon  after  this  he  removed  to  Thomas  county,  where  he  was  bereft  of  his  wife, 
who  left  him  two  small  boys.  In  1854  he  married  Miss  Mary  A.  AUigood,  a 
Baptist,  who  shares  his  toil,  and  whom  he  styles  his  deacon  ;  by  her  he  had  three 
sons,  two  of  whom  arrived  at  manhood  and  are  still  living  with  him. 

While  at  a  protracted  meeting  with  his  wife,  and  while  yet  in  the  gall  of 
bitterness,  he  posted  himself  close  to  the  door,  so  as  to  be  able  to  leave  when  the 
"  sanctified  row  "  commenced,  without  creating  disturbance.  The  minister  an- 
nounced his  text,  "  My  heart  is  fixed."  The  arrow  struck  him,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  discourse  he  could  rejoice  and  exclaim,  "  Thanks  be  to  thee,  oh  Lord,  for 
thy  unspeakable  gift."  He  felt  the  mountain  cast  into  the  sea,  and  united  with 
the  church  at  Big  Creek,  in  September,  1855.  On  leaving  the  baptismal  waters 
with  Rev.  Lacy  J.  Simmons,  he  felt  that  nature  never  before  presented  such  a 
bright  and  glorious  aspect,  and  was  impressed  with  the  duty  of  proclaiming  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ ;  "  but  surely  not  I,"  he  would  say,  resisting,  "  for, 
like  Moses,  I  am  of  a  slow  tongue ;  like  Thomas,  I  have  doubted ;  like  Paul,  I 
have  persecuted  the  Church  of  God."  In  this  troubled  state  he  was  like  Noah's 
dove,  seeking  rest  and  finding  none ;  sometimes  on  the  point  of  yielding,  and 
again  shrinking  from  the  responsibilities  and  self-denials  incident  to  the  ministry. 

While  not  doubting  the  right  of  Secession  per  se,  he  deplored  the  step  taken 
by  his  adopted  and  beloved  country  as  hasty,  unwise  and  calculated  to  involve 
it  in  ruin.  He  conscientiously  abstained  from  casting  his  vote  for  or  against  the 
ordinance,  but,  fixed  in  heart  to  share  the  fortunes  of  his  people,  he  entered 
the  Confederate  service.  He  returned  after  all  was  lost  save  honor,  to  his  home, 
sick,  suffering,  but  bearing  his  part  of  the  losses  and  privations  common  to  all. 
Becoming  obnoxious  to  some  in  sympathy  with  the  powers  that  be,"  a  destructive 
cloud  lowered  and  threatened  to  overwhelm  him.  In  this  distress  he  cast  him- 
self on  the  ground,  pleading  his  cause  to  his  Master,  and  surrendering  himself 
and  his  unreservedly  to  Him  anew.  The  storm-cloud  passed  over,  leaving  in  its 
track  nothing  but  the  bow  of  God.  Shortly  after  this,  he  was  licensed  to  preach, 
and  in  August,  1872,  by  request  of  Magnolia  church,  ordained  to  the  ministry. 
His  labor  is  chiefly  confined  to  the  section  in  which  he  resides— a  country  newly 
settled,  west  of  the  Ocklockonee  river,  in  Thomas  county,  which,  from  a  wilder- 
ness when  he  first  pitched  his  tent  there,  is  now  rapidly  rising  in  wealth  and 
population.  He  filled  the  position  of  clerk  to  the  ministers  and  deacons'  meet- 
ing of  the  Bowen  Association,  and  has,  for  a  number  of  terms,  held  the  position 
of  clerk  to  that  Association. 

He  preaches  in  the  colloquial  style,  or,  as  Rev.  J.  L.  Underwood  said  of  him, 
"  he  lets  it  preach  itself."     The  Nestor  of  the  Baptists  in  that  section.  Rev.  Robert 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


447 


Fleming,  used  to  tell  him  jocosely  :  "  In  the  pulpit,  I  take  brother  Richter  for  an 
English  scholar ;  when  released  from  its  restraints,  he  inclines  to  Fatherland." 
He  delights  to  lead  the  flock  by  the  towering  and  sheltering  rocks  and  moun- 
tains of  predestination,  and  water  and  feed  them  in  the  green  vallies  of  electing 
grace ;  while  to  the  sinner  he  loves  to  tell  his  moral  obligation  to  obey  the 
Supreme  Ruler  and  to  persuade  him  to  come  to  Him  that  will  in  no  wise  cast 
him  out,  but  is  able  and  willing  to  save  to  the  uttermost  even  such  a  sinner,  the 
chief  of  sinners,  as  he,  the  preacher,  is  himself.  In  his  intercourse  with  his 
brethren,  he  endeavors  to  be  affectionate  and  sincere,  and  is  rather  reticent  and 
unassuming. 

He  is  of  medium  build,  and,  for  his  age,  vigorous,  but  suffering  from  diseased 
lungs. 

His  home  is  in  Cairo,  a  pleasant  and  growing  village  on  the  Savannah,  Florida 
and  Western  railroad,  noted  alike  for  its  healthfulness,  the  purity  of  its  water, 
the  fruitfulness  of  its  soil,  and  the  hospitality,  integrity,  morality  and  enter- 
prise of  its  inhabitants. 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN    RILEY. 


Rev.  Benjamin  Franklin  Riley  was 
born  near  the  village  of  Pineville,  Monroe 
county,  Alabama,  July  i6th,  1849.  He  was 
the  son  of  pious  parents,  and  was  there- 
fore reared  under  wholesome  influences.  He 
enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a  rural  education. 
At  the  close  of  the  war,  his  father's  fortune 
sharing  in  the  general  "  wreck  and  ruin,"  his 
education  seemed  to  be  cut  short,  but  hero- 
ically resolving  on  securing  an  education,  he 
left  his  father's  home  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
to  teach  a  small  country  school.  Here  he 
secured  the  first  money  for  laying  the  basis 
of   a  college  course. 

In  September,  1868,  he  entered  Erskine 
College,  a  Presbyterian  institution  located  in 
Due  West,  South  Carolina.  Here  he  pushed 
his  way  through  the  entire  course  in  three 
years,  graduating  in  187 1.  It  was  during  his  career  here  as  a  student  that  he 
was  converted,  and  immediately  felt  prompted  to  preach  the  Gospel,  though  his 
heart  had,  up  to  that  time,  been  fixed  on  the  bar.  In  September,  1872,  he 
entered  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  then  located  in  Greenville, 
South  Carolina ;  but  not  having  sufficiently  recovered  from  the  heavy  work 
done  in  prosecuting  his  course  at  Erskine,  his  health  rapidly  declined,  and  he 
had  to  return  to  his  home  in  Alabama.  Having  engaged  in  active  out-door 
employment  for  sometime,  and  seeking  recuperation  in  different  ways,  he  felt 
sufficiently  strong  in  1874,  to  resume  his  theological  course,  which  he  accordingly 
did,  and  this  time  at  Crozer  Seminary,  near  Philadelphia.  Here  he  remained 
until  1876. 

On  June  21st,  of  this  year,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Shawe,  of  Ala- 
bama, and  in  October  assumed  his  first  charge,  succeeding  Dr.  W.  C.  Cleveland,  in 
the  pastorate  of  the  Carlowville  and  Snow  Hill  churches.  In  1 878,  he  was  called  to 
the  charge  of  the  church  at  Albany,  Georgia.  During  his  stay  of  one  year  here, 
the  church  was  greatly  strengthened  in  numbers  and  efficiency,  but  the  climate 
of  southwest  Georgia  was  unfavorable  to  his  constitution,  and  necessitated  his 
removal.     He  accordingly  returned  to  his  native  State,  and,  after  a  few  months, 


448 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


took  charge  of  the  church  at  Opelika,  Alabama.  Under  his  administration  the 
church  has  continued  to  thrive  from  the  beginning.  On  going  to  Opehka,  in 
June,  1879,  he  found  a  membership  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five.  One  year 
later,  the  membership  was  almost  doubled,  and  the  church  rendered  correspond- 
ingly efficient  in  all  its  departments. 


JOSEPH  THOMAS  ROBERT. 


Rev.  Joseph  Thomas  Robert,  LL.D.,  was 
born  November  28th,  1807,  at  Robertville,  Beau-' 
fort  district,  (now  Hampton  county)  South  Car- 
olina. He  was  the  fifth  lineal  descendant  of 
Rev.  Pierre  Robert,  the  first  Huguenot  minister 
that  came  into  South  Carolina  from  France, 
(1686.)  with  families  of  that  faith. 

He  lost  his  mother  when  nine  years  of  age ; 
but,  doubtless,  the  voice  with  which  she,  being 
dead,  yet  spoke  in  his  heart,  was  not  the  least 
among  the  influences  leading  to  his  conversion, 
and  his  union  with  the  Baptist  church  in  Robert- 
ville, in  his  fifteenth  year. 

He  received  his  earliest  education  at  the  Rob- 
ertville Academy,  which,  at  that  time,  was  one 
of  the  best  in  the  State.  In  1824  he  entered 
Columbian  College,  Washington,  District  of 
Columbia,  where,  as  Dr.  T.  J.  Conant.  his  in- 
structor in  Latin  and  Greek,  testifies,  he  "held  the  highest  rank  in  his  class. in 
these  studies."  The  president.  Dr.  Stoughton,  having  resigned,  he  went  from 
that  institution  to  Brown  University,  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  then  under 
the  charge  of  Dr.  F.  Wayland.  Here,  according  to  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Way- 
land,  he  "  held  a  rank  among  the  first  scholars  of  his  class  in  every  department 
of  study,  and  was  distinguished  for  correct  character  and  gentlemanly  deport- 
ment." He  graduated  in  1828,  "  with  merited  honor,"  Dr.  Alva  Woods  tells  us, 
and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society,  an  honor  conferred 
only  on  distinguished  graduates.  In  1829  he  entered  the  Medical  College,  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  and  became  a  resident  graduate  of  Yale  College,  pursuing 
the  study  of  natural  philosophy,  chemistry,  mineralogy  and  geology.  Professors 
Eli  Ives,  B.  Silliman  and  J.  Knight  bear  witness  that  here  "  his  reputation  stood 
deservedly  high  for  industry  and  attainments  in  his  professional  studies." 

In  1830  he  returned  to  South  Carolina,  and  was  then  married  to  Miss  Adeline 
E.  Lawton,  daughter  of  Colonel  A.J.  Lawton,  of  Robertville — a  lady  of  remark- 
able intellectual  ability,  and  of  the  most  exalted  character,  whose  noble  influence 
over  her  husband  and  family  in  subsequent  life  was  very  marked. 

During  the  next  winter,  he  attended  a  third  course  of  medical  lectures  in 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  after  his  graduation  settled  in  Robertville, 
where  he  practiced  medicine  with  distinguished  success.  But  his  mind  had  long 
been  exercised  on  the  subject  of  the  Christian  ministry,  and  during  the  great 
revival  in  southern  CaroUna  in  the  latter  part  of  1831,  these  convictions  returned 
with  such  force  that  he  felt  himself  compelled  to  abandon  his  profession  and 
enter  the  Furnian  Theological  Seminary  to  prepare  himself  for  ministerial  work. 
He  there  impressed  Dr.  Jesse  Hartwell  as  "a  very  correct,  critical  and  thorough 
scholar."  He  was  then  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Robertville  church,  with  which 
he  remained  until,  in  1839,  he  accepted  the  pastoral  care  of  the  First  Baptist 
church,  Covington,  Kentucky.     This  position  was  tendered  him  as  a  Southern 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  449 

man  of  education  who  might  conciliate  Northern  and  Southern  elements,  in  the 
effort  to  establish  the  Northwestern  Baptist  Theological  Institute  in  that  city. 

He  afterwards  took  charge  of  a  most  intelligent  and  influential  church  in 
Lebanon,  Ohio,  where  his  children,  some  of  whom  were  of  age  to  enter  school, 
enjoyed  very  great  advantages  for  education.  He  soon  became  extensively  ac- 
quainted with  the  leading  ministers  and  laymen  of  the  State,  and  took  an  active 
part  in  promoting  education  and  missions.  His  association  with  the  people  was 
very  pleasant,  and  his  pastorate  exceedingly  agreeable.  Rev.  James  L.  Batch- 
elder,  editor  of  the  Western  Christian  Journal,  Columbus,  writes  :  "  In  Ohio, 
he  was  for  a  number  of  years  pastor  of  one  of  the  oldest,  wealthiest  and  most 
influential  Baptist  churches  in  the  State.  He  was  always  prominentin  the  coun- 
cils of  his  denomination.  He  was  universally  esteemed,  respected  and  beloved, 
as  well  for  his  highly  intellectual  character,  and  for  his  attainments,  as  for  his 
singular  polish  as  a  gentleman  and  his  rare  private  virtues.  He  never  had  an 
enemy  in  Ohio,  and  many  were  proud  to  rank  him  among  their  friends." 

In  1846  he  made  a  visit,  with  his  family,  to  the  paternal  home,  and  accepted 
the  pastorate  of  the  First  Baptist  church.  Savannah,  Georgia.  After  four  years 
he  returned  to  Ohio,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  collegiate  education  for  his 
three  sons.  His  eldest  son's  health  suffered  greatly  at  college,  and  physicians 
regarded  it  as  absolutely  necessary  that  he  should  be  withheld  entirely  from 
books,  and  give  himself  up  to  physical  adventure.  As  his  financial  resources 
were  deemed  amply  sufficient  to  meet  family  expenses,  he  determined  to  accom- 
pany the  son  to  Iowa  and  establish  him  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  accord- 
ingly purchased  property  there.  His  family  soon  followed,  and  they  were  de- 
lightfully situated,  when  the  financial  crash  swept  away  a  large  portion  of  his 
most  promising  investments.  He  resolved  to  resume  professional  work,  and 
accepted  the  professorship  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Sciences  in  Burlington 
University,  Iowa.  In  1863,  he  was  elected  to  fill  the  chair  of  Ancient  and  Mod- 
ern Languages  in  the  State  University,  Iowa  City.  In  1866  he  was  called  to 
mourn  over  the  decease  of  his  much  beloved  wife,  resigned  his  connection  with 
the  State  University,  returned  to  Burlington  University,  and  took  charge  of  the 
Classical  Department  and  the  students  in  theology.  Subsequently  there  was  a 
remodelling  of  the  institution,  and  he  was  made  president.  In  these  positions 
he  won  testimonials  of  a  very  distinguished  career  as  a  scholar  and  an  educator. 
United  States  Senator  A.  C.  Dodge  says  :  "  He  possesses  superior  attainments, 
both  scholastic  and  ecclesiastic,  and  unites  in  a  happy  degree  suaviter  in  modo 
with,  fortiter  in  re."  Ex-Governor  Grimes  testifies  to  "his  eminent  attainments 
as  a  scholar  and  his  remarkable  success  in  educational  work."  And  Governor 
Lowe  said  that  he  "  combined  all  the  courteousness  of  a  Southern  gentleman  with 
the  indomitable  energy  of  a  Yankee." 

After  the  death  of  his  wife,  he  cherished  a  longing  desire  to  be  in  nearer 
association  with  his  kindred  and  the  friends  of  his  earlier  life.  He  determined, 
therefore,  to  resign  his  Burlington  presidency  and  return  to  Georgia,  there  to 
spend  the  remnant  of  his  days.  At  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  in  1871, 
many  of  the  prominent  brethren  urged  him  to  undertake  the  management  of 
the  school  for  freedmen  preachers  and  teachers,  established  in  the  State  by  the 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  and  addressed  a  communication  to 
the  Board  in  New  York,  suggesting  his  appointment  to  that  position.  In  Au- 
gust of  that  year,  he  became  principal  of  the  Augusta  Institute.  The  enterprise 
had  been  brought  to  thebrmk  of  miscarriage  by  indiscretion  (if  by  nothing  worse), 
and  he  had  to  build  it  up  again,  as  it  were,  from  the  ground.  With  characteristic 
energy,  patience,  tact,  power  to  waken  dormant  intellects,  and  skill  in  imparting 
knowledge,  he  breathed  life,  system,  effectiveness,  into  what  seemed  a  most 
unpromising  movement ;  winning  general  recognition  of  the  fact  that,  of  all 
the  Southern  schools  under  the  auspices  of  the  Society,  his  was  the  one  which 
had  wrought  the  best  work,  and  wrought  it  at  the  least  expense.  When  the 
institution  was  removed  to  the  capital  of  the  State,  in  1879,  and  became  the 
Atlanta  Baptist  Seminary,  he  retained  his  controlling  connection  with  it.  There 
he  still  labors. 

Seven  children  were  the  fruit  of  his  marriage.     Two  died  in  infancy,  and  a 


450 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


third  in  tier  twelfth  year,  having  been  baptized  six  months  previously,  and  giving 
evidence  of  very  earnest  and  active  piety.  The  rest  are  yet  living,  and  are  all 
members  of  Baptist  churches.  He  baptized  his  tw^o  oldest  sons  on  the  same 
day,  when  they  were  respectively  thirteen  and  fourteen  years  of  age.  The  oldest 
and  youngest  sons  have  pursued  a  thorough  course  at  theological  seminaries  ; 
the  first  with  a  view  to  the  ministry,  the  last  with  a  view  to  general  intellectual 
improvement.  The  oldest  bears  the  father's  name,  and  is  devoting  himself  to 
literary  and  ministerial  work.  The  second  son,  Major  H.  M.  Robert,  was  grad- 
uated at  West  Point  United  States  Military  Academy,  holds  a  very  high  rank 
in  the  military  engineer  department  of  the  service,  and  is  the  author  of  an 
excellent  work  on  "  Rules  of  Ordc*  for  Deliberative  Assemblies."  The  youngest 
son  graduated  at  the  Law  School  in  Michigan  University  and  the  Theological 
Seminary  in  New  York  city ;  studied  also  at  Berlin,  Germany,  and  at  the  Athens 
University,  Greece ;  was  professor  of  languages,  at  Vassar  College,  New  York, 
and  is  now  president  of  Cooper  Academy,  Dayton,  Ohio.  His  surviving  daughter 
has  pursued  a  course  of  thorough  collegiate  studies ;  as  the  loving  companion 
of  her  father  devotes  herself  to  literary  pursuits,  and  has  written  an  admirable 
pamphlet  on  his  present  work,  five  thousand  copies  of  which  have  been  circu- 
lated throughout  the  country. 


WILLIAM    HENRY    ROBERT. 


Rev.  William  Henry  Robert  is  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Dr.  Pierre  Robert,  who  emigrated  to  South  Carolina, 
from  France,  in  1685,  at  the  revocation  of  the  edict  of 
Nantes,  and  who  came  to  this  country  as  the  pastor  of  a 
colony.  Dr.  Pierre  Robert's  church  was  in  St.  James, 
Santee,  but  he,  afterwards,  united  with  the  Huguenot 
church,  still  existing  in  Charleston. 

Mr.  Robert's  father  was  James  John  Robert,  who  mar- 
ried Phoebe  McKenzie,  who  was  the  granddaughter  of  Dr. 
George  Morse,  of  Savannah,  and  who  was  baptized  at  the 
age  of  seven,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Holcombe,  pastor  of  Savannah 
church.  The  father  and  mother  were  both  decided  Christians,  and  resided  near 
Robertville,  South  Carolina,  where  William  Henry  Robert  was  born,  July  15th, 
1 82 1.  They  afterwards  moved  to  Marietta,  Georgia,  and  their  bodies  repose  in 
the  cemetery  there. 

Taught  by  a  pious  mother  and  grandmother  to  lisp  the  name  of  God  in 
prayer,  and  to  love  Jesus,  from  his  earliest  years,  Mr.  Robert  gave  his  heart  to 
the  Redeemer,  and  was  baptized  and  received  into  the  Robertville  church, 
November  15th,  1835,  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  He  was  educated  in  the  South 
Carolina  College,  in  Columbia,  when  under  the  presidency  of  Hon.  R.  W. 
Barnwell ;  and  when  he  began  to  preach  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  a  few  months 
instruction  in  the  Presbyterian  theological  school  at  Columbia,  then  under  the 
charge  of  Drs.  Howe  and  l.eland. 

He  was  called  to  ordination  by  the  Robertville  church,  at  the  instance  of  Dr. 
Thomas  Rambaut,  then  pastor,  and  was  ordained  as  an  evangelist,  July  26th, 
1846,  and  preached  as  an  agent  and  evangelist  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board 
of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  until  1849,  when  he  assumed  his  first  pas- 
torate— that  of  the  Grahamville  church,  South  Carolina.  He  was  called  to  take 
charge  of  the  First  Baptist  church,  in  Atlanta,  in  1851,  where  he  remained  three 
years.  He  then  taught  as  professor  of  mathematics  in  the  Marshall  College,  at 
Griffin,  and  in  the  Cherokee  College  at  Cassville,  until  1858,  when  he  became 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Marietta.     With  this  church  he  remained  one  year  only, 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  45  I 

moving  to  LaGrange  in  1859,  and  becoming  president  of  the  Southern  Female 
College,  which  position  he  occupied  until  the  second  year  of  the  war,  1862.  He 
then  sold  out  to  Professor  Cox,  the  present  popular  and  efficient  president  of 
that  institution. 

In  all  his  pastorates  Mr.  Robert  met  with  great  success,  and  left  each  church 
numerically  much  stronger  than  when  he  took  charge  of  it.  During  the  war 
he  acted  as  a  missionary  in  the  army,  under  the  Domestic  Mission  Board  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  baptizing  many  converts 
among  the  soldiers  in  northern  Georgia. 

For  about  eighteen  months  after  the  war,  Mr.  Robert  served  by  commission 
from  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  of  New  York,  as  an  evan- 
gelist among  the  freedmen  of  Macon,  Georgia,  and  the  surrounding  country. 
In  1 866,  he  moved  to  Arkansas,  and  took  charge  of  the  church  at  Little  Rock, 
where  he  was  instrumental  in  erecting  a  chapel  and  bringing  eighty  members 
into  the  church.  His  next  charge  was  at  Trenton,  Arkansas,  where  he  labored 
during  1869-70-71.  He  then  moved  to  Texas,  where  he  labored  three  years  as 
an  evangelist  to  the  children,  a  work  for  which  he  is  peculiarly  adapted,  and  in 
which  he  has  done  much  good.  His  next  field  was  Mississippi,  where  he  spent 
two  years  in  useful  evangelistic  work  among  the  children.  In  all  his  labors  he 
has  given  special  attention  to  the  wants  of  the  freedmen,  and  has  been  greatly 
beneficial  to  that  spiritually-needy  class  of  our  population,  training  and  instruct- 
ing their  ministers  and  improving  their  Sunday-schools.  He  is,  at  present 
employed  as  a  missionary  engaged  in  the  special  work  of  holding  Ministers' 
Institutes,  for  colored  ministers,  under  the  appointment  of  our  Home  Mission 
Board,  and  is  as  usefully  engaged,  perhaps,  as  any  minister  can  be,  considering 
the  great  need  of  instruction  among  our  colored  Baptist  ministers,  and  his  pecu- 
liar adaptability  for  that  species  of  work. 

Mr.  Robert  m.arried  Miss  G.  W.  Clark,  of  Columbia,  South  Carohna,  a  most 
excellent  and  pious  lady,  and  raised  five  children,  of  whom  four  are  living.  He 
is  still  in  fine  health,  is  very  robust  and  strong,  and,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine, 
does  not  find  it  necessary  to  use  glasses. 

Personally,  Mr.  Robert  is  agreeable  and  pleasant  in  his  manners  ;  very  social 
and  cheerful  in  his  disposition ;  and  industrious  and  energetic  in  his  habits. 
In  his  preaching,  he  is  plain  and  simple,  mingling  the  doctrinal  and  the  prac- 
tical. He  is  one  of  the  very  few  persons  who  can  say  they  have  never  used 
tobacco,  never  taken  a  dram,  and  never  sworn  an  oath. 


PHILIP   BALDWIN   ROBINSON. 

Rev.  Philip  Baldwin  Robinson,  son  of  Philip  and 
Elizabeth  S.  Robinson,  was  born  in  Burke  county,  Georgia, 
September  nth,  1834.  He  graduated  at  Mercer  Uni- 
versity in  July,  1854,  and  soon  after  commenced  the  study 
of  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Francis  H.  Cone,  of  Greenes- 
boro.  He  was  under  the  tutelage  of  that  distinguished 
jurist  until  his  admission  to  the  bar,  in  the  year  1855. 

Soon  after  his  admission  to  the  bar,  he  entered  on  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Greenesboro,  where  he 
enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice  until  the  year  1868,  when, 
without  any  solicitation  whatever  on  his  part,  and  even 
without  his  own  knowledge,  he  was  appointed  and  confirmed  by  the  Senate  of 
Georgia,  Judge  of  the  Superior  Courts  for  the  Ocmulgee  circuit.  When  the 
intelligence  was  communicated  to  him  he  expressed  his  desire  to  be  excused 
from  the  responsibilities  and  duties  of  the  office,  as  he  had  never  in  his  life 
sought  or  desired  any  public  position.  But  a  number  of  the  lawyers  and  the 
people  of  the  circuit  petitioned  him  to  accept  the  office,  and  urged  his  accept- 
ance as  a  duty  which  he  owed  to  his  State  as  well  as  the  people  of  his  judicial 

32 


452 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


circuit.  In  deference  to  the  wishes  of  his  friends  and  the  people  of  his  circuit, 
he  accepted  the  office,  and  continued  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  posi- 
tion until  January,  1873,  at  which  time  he  resumed  (and  still  continues)  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Greenesboro.  Judge  Robinson  united  with  the 
Baptist  church  in  June,  1865,  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Dr.  N.  M.  Crawford,  and 
was  licensed  by  the  church  to  preach  on  the  day  of  his  baptism.  In  the  same 
year,  he  was  called  to  ordination  by  the  Baptist  church  at  Greenesboro,  and 
was  ordained  December  17th,  1865,  Rev.  H.  H.  Tucker,  D.D.,  and  Rev.  W.  T. 
Brantly,  D.D.,  officiating.  Soon  after  his  ordination  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate 
of  the  Greenesboro  church,  where  he  served  as  pastor  for  the  period  of  five 
years.  During  half  the  term  of  his  pastorate  he  was  Judge  of  the  Superior 
Court,  and  on  his  return  home  from  his  circuit  on  Saturday  night,  after  the 
performance  of  laborious  official  duties,  he  would  preach  to  his  church  on  Sunday, 
and  resume  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties  on  the  following  Monday.  He  is 
a  man  of  great  energy  and  endurance,  and  in  the  midst  of  his  professional 
labors  he  has  endeavored  to  make  full  proof  of  his  ministry. 

As  a  lawyer,  Judge  Robinson  is  remarkable  for  the  thorough  preparation  of 
his  cases,  and  is  regarded  as  an  able  attorney  and  wise  counsellor.  As  a  judge, 
he  was  impartial,  fearless  and  upright  in  the  discharge  of  official  duty,  and  was 
universally  beloved  by  the  people  of  his  circuit. 

As  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  he  has  the  confidence,  love  and  esteem  of  all 
who  know  him.  He  is  a  good  sermonizer,  and  a  very  effective  and  fluent  speaker. 
In  private  as  well  as  public  life,  his  character  for  truth,  integrity  and  piety  is 
without  a  blemish.  He  is  a  modest  man,  averse  to  notoriety.  He  served,  for 
several  years,  as  a  trustee  of  Mercer  University,  for  which,  as  his  alma  mater, 
he  retains  a  warm  affection. 


BENJAMIN  ROBERTS. 


More  than  thirty-five  years 
ago  the  writer  of  this  sketch  at- 
tended, as  a  visitor,  the  Wash- 
ington Association,  at  a  session 
held  with  the  Island  Creek 
church,  Hancock  county,  Geor- 
gia. Among  the  active  workers 
of  that  body  at  that  time  were 
Jesse  B.  Battle,  Asa  Duggan 
and  Benjamin  Roberts,  then  in 
the  vigor  of  manhood  and 
prominent  in  the  ministry. 
But  these  servants  of  the  Lord 
have  passed  away,  one  of  them, 
Asa  Duggan,  within  the  past 
yea'-  or  so.  The  fields  which 
these  men  of  God  brought  into 
cultivation  are  now  reaped  by 
others,  some  of  whom  are  their 
sons  or  near  kindred.  Shall  the 
memory  of  these  men  be  al- 
lowed to  pass  away  }  It  ought 
not  to  be  ;  and  will  not,  unless 
a  sad  departure  from  the  faith 
shall  take  place  in  the  churches 
which  they  were  instrumental 
n  forming. 

Rev.  Benjamin  Roberts,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  was  born  July 
2 1  St,  1794.     His  parents  moved  to  Hancock  county,  Georgia,  before  he  was  old 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  453 

enough  to  remenaber  his  native  State  or  the  date  of  this  removal.  His  youth 
was,  for  the  most  part,  free  from  immoralities.  But  when  the  light  of  divine 
grace  shone  into  his  heart,  revealing  the  corruptions  of  the  inner  man,  he  realized 
"the  exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin"  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  was  led  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  behold  the  adaptation  of  Christ  Jesus  in  His  different  offices  to  the  wants 
of  a  poor  sinner,  such  as  he  felt  himself  to  be.  He  gave  up  all  for  Christ,  and 
accepted  Christ  as  all  in  all.  He  made  a  public  profession  of  his  faith,  and  was 
baptized  by  Rev.  James  Barnes  into  the  fellowship  of  Beulah  church,  Hancock 
county,  the  second  Sunday  in  February,  1822.  His  church  did  not  thrust  him 
into  the  back-ground,  as  many  of  our  churches  unintentionally  do  at  the  present 
day,  but  in  a  very  short  time  called  him  into  active  service  by  electing  him  to  the  ■ 
office  of  clerk,  which  he  filled  creditably.  A  little  more  than  a  year  after  this, 
he  was  chosen  as  one  of  its  deacons,  and  in  three  years  thereafter  was  Ucensed 
to  preach  the  Gospel.  For  three  years  he  exercised  his  gifts  in  his  own  church, 
and  frequently  visited  other  churches  and  neighborhoods.  Having  proved  him- 
self faithful  and  worthy,  he  was  ordained  in  August,  1829,  to  the  full  functions 
of  the  ministry. 

He  was  a  man  of  great  simplicity  of  character  and  goodness  of  heart,  and  as 
humble  as  a  little  child.  Possessing  the  spirit  of  true,  disinterested  charity  in  a 
high  degree,  he  never  indulged  in  unkind  expressions  about  the  faults  and  follies 
of  others,  but  looked  on  even  the  errors  and  misdeeds  of  his  enemies  with  for- 
bearance and  forgiveness.  If  from  faithfulness  to  the  interest  of  the  church,  it 
became  necessary  to  administer  reproof  and  rebuke,  it  was  always  done  with 
gentleness.  If  he  felt  it  his  duty,  as  a  pastor,  sometimes  to  wound,  it  was  always 
with  the  view  of  healing ;  his  chastisements  were  the  chastisements  of  love  and 
peace.  He  was  emphatically  a  man  of  prayer,  and  of  high-toned  piety,  and  ever 
illustrated  in  his  life  the  spirit  of  his  Master.  Hence  he  had  the  implicit  confi- 
dence of  his  churches  and  neighbors.  Even  the  enemies  and  opposers  of  true 
religion  found  his  example  an  argument  in  its  favor  too  formidable  to  be  met 
and  overcome.  He  was  a  model  of  meekness,  patience  and  Christian  resigna- 
tion. Possessing  extreme  modesty,  he  esteemed  others  better  than  himself,  in 
honor  preferring  his  brethren.  He  was  eminently  free  from  a  selfish  spirit. 
Though  he  filled  the  honorable  position  of  Moderator  of  the  Washington  Asso- 
ciation several  times,  and  held  its  clerkship  for  about  forty  years,  it  was  never 
his  own  seeking,  but  the  sincere  suffrage  of  his  brethren.  Though  he  possessed 
but  little  of  this  world's  goods,  such  was  his  generous  spirit  that  he  was  never 
happier  than  when  his  brethren  sought  the  hospitalities  of  his  humble  home. 

As  a  preacher,  his  sermons  were  usually  short,  well  digested  and  simple  in 
language,  but  remarkable  for  the  clear,  forcible  expression  of  his  ideas  in  few 
words.  They  were  full  of  the  Gospel,  abounded  in  apt  illustrations  and  quota- 
tions from  the  Bible,  and  seldom  failed  to  be  of  the  deepest  interest  to  his  hearers. 
As  a  pastor  no  man  was  more  beloved,  none  more  laborious  and  self-denying. 
He  served  quite  a  number  of  churches,  and  his  labors  were  blessed  of  God  to  the 
conversion  of  many  souls.  Beulah,  his  home  church,  he  served  for  more  than 
twenty  three  years.  One  great  cause  of  the  affection  of  his  churches  for  him, 
and  of  the  success  that  crowned  his  ministry,  was  the  willingness  and  cheerful- 
ness with  which  he  labored  for  Christ.  He  was  not  an  educated  man,  but  was 
an  earnest,  laborious  worker,  and  cheerfully  employed  the  talents  God  had  given 
him  for  His  glory  and  the  good  of  his  fellow-men.  Such  devotion  to  the  cause 
of  Christ,  whether  in  the  minister  or  the  private  member,  will  always  be  followed 
by  success,  and  receive  the  approbation  of  every  lover  of  the  truth.  For  a  half 
century  he  thus  lived  and  labored,  and  died  in  the  full,  triumphs  of  faith  on  the 
23d  of  April,  1876.  The  last  session  of  the  Washington  Association  which 
Benjamin  Roberts  attended,  the  writer  well  remembers.  When,  at  the  close  of 
that  meeting,  the  parting  hand  was  extended,  this  aged  servant  of  the  Lord,  with 
eyes  bathed  in  tears,  said  to  his  brethren  that  he  "  had  met  with  them  for  the  last 
time  on  earth."     And  so  it  was. 

He  was  twice  married,  and  left  several  children,  one  of  whom  is  now  a  zealous 
minister  of  the  Gospel.  . 


454  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


W.   W.    ROOP. 

Rev.  W.  W.  RoOP  was  born  April  23d,  1841,  in  Union 
District,  South  Carolina.  In  1844  his  parents -came  to 
Georgia,  and  made  their  home  in  Carroll  county,  which 
has  ever  since  been  the  cherished  locale  of  the  family. 
Possessing  but  little  property,  the  parents  were  unable 
to  give  all  their  children  a  collegiate  education,  and  the 
subject  of  our  sketch,  being  second  in  a  large  family,  was 
necessarily  called  to  aid  in  the  regular  round  of  labors 
requisite  for  their  support  on  a  farm.  Of  course  his 
opportunities  for  culture  were  limited  as  to  time,  and  the 
advantages  only  such  as  are  afforded  in  the  common  schools  of  our  country ; 
but  with  all  these  hindrances,  he  had  at  the  age  of  twenty,  acquired  a  good 
practical  education.  In  1 861,  feeling  that  his  country  demanded  his  services  in  the 
civil  war  just  commencing,  he  joined  the  Confederate  army  and  remained  in  it 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  1865.  Returning  to  his  home,  he  was  tendered  a 
situation  as  teacher  in  a  country  school  and  such  was  his  success  that  he  never 
afterward  found  any  difficulty  in  securing  a  good  position  in  the  profession  of 
his  choice.  For  four  years  he  devoted  his  time  and  talents  to  this  work,  receiv- 
ing the  support  of  the  entire  community. 

During  these  years  of  labor  and  self-denial,  by  untiring  application  to  busi- 
ness and  study,  his  education  was  greatly  improved.  He  was  not  satisfied  with 
partial  attainments  and  while  teaching,  continued  to  be  a  student  himself,  dili- 
gently searching  for  the  treasures  of  knowledge.  Through  all  this  time,  while 
devoted  to  literary  pursuits,  he  made  the  Bible  his  daily  companion. 

In  1869  he  was  married  to  Miss  M.  J.  Moore.  He  has  three  children.  He 
prosecuted  his  profession,  filling  up  spare  moments  with  agricultural  pursuits, 
until  called  to  the  position  of  principal  of  the  Carroll  Masonic  Institute,  located 
in  Carrollton,  of  which,  for  two  years,  he  faithfully  discharged  the  duties,  to  the 
satisfaction  of  his  patrons.  Now,  however,  the  time  had  arrived  when  this 
conscientious  man  of  God  was  made  to  feel  that  these  duties  were  more  than 
he  could  properly  and  successfully  discharge  in  addition  to  others  still  more 
sacred ;  and  this  leads  us  to  speak  of  his  religious  life  which  began  in  his  earlier 
years.  When  quite  young  he  manifested  deep  interest  in  religious  worship,  and 
the  Sabbath-school  exercises  were  peculiarly  dear  to  him.  He  loved  the  family 
altar,  too ;  and  as  early  as  twelve  years  of  age  he  gave  evidence  of  being  a 
Christian,  but  did  not  then  unite  with  the  church.  He  was  baptized  in  i860, 
when  nineteen  years  of  age,  by  Rev.  W.  H.  Daniel,  and  united  with  the  church 
at  Bethesda,  Carroll  county,  where  his  membership  has  remained  ever  since. 
In  1872  he  was  licensed,  and  the  following  year  was  ordained  to  the  ministry 
and  called  to  the  care  of  the  Yellow  Dirt  church,  in  HeaFd  county.  In  1874, 
New  Lebanon  and  Bethesda  desired  his  services,  and  to  these  three  churches 
he  gave  his  pastoral  labors  until  1878,  when  he  resigned  two  of  them,  that  he 
might  accept  the  care  of  the  church  in  Carrollton.  To  this  and  the  Bethesda 
church  he  still  devotes  his  labor  as  pastor,  and  has  been  blessed  in  witnessing 
the  conversion  of  many. 

His  manners  are  quiet,  and  adorned  with  meekness,  which  gains  for  him  the 
love  of  his  people  and  the  respect  of  the  community.  Though  not  remarkably 
eloquent,  his  style  is  earnest  and  persuasive  and  in  contending  for  the  truths 
and  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  firm  and  uncompromising.  He  is  rather  tall  and 
slender  in  form.  His  face  already  bears  the  marks  of  much  thought  and  study 
and  toil.  Kind  in  his  deportment  towards  all.  he  seeks  the  happiness  of  his 
people,  the  prosperity  of  the  church,  and  the  glory  of  God. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  455 


WILLIAM  ROSS. 

William,  son  of  George  Ross,  was  born  in  Hancock  county,  Georgia,  Sep- 
tember 1 2th,  1798.  Tiirough  life  a  halo  of  tender,  reverent  memories  encircled 
the  name  of  his  mother,  a  devoted  Christian  lady,  to  whose  influence  over  his 
childhood  he  often  ascribed  his  early  attachment  to  religious  truth.  When 
twenty-three  years  of  age  he  united  with  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  was  shortly 
afterward  licensed  to  exhort.  Doubtless  he  would  have  entered  fully  into  the 
ministry  but  for  an  aberration  of  the  mind,  which  partially  clouded  reason  for  a 
time.  On  regaining  his  mental  faculties,  he  engaged  in  the  Master's  work  as  a 
licentiate,  preaching  with  earnestness  and  effect.  After  his  temporary  disorder 
of  intellect,  he  was  somewhat  peculiar,  if  not  eccentric  ;  and,  on  this  account,  he 
was  not  ordained  until  his  fifty-sixth  year  (1854).  From  that  date  he  labored  as 
pastor,  building  up  several  churches  to  a  degree  of  prosperity  truly  gratifying. 
For  a  few  3'ears  before  his  death,  because  of  the  infirmities  of  age,  he  had  no 
pastoral  charge,  but  he  still  preached  whenever  opportunity  offered,  which  was 
not  infrequently  the  case. 

By  his  first  marriage  he  became  the  father  of  two  children — a  son,  who  grew 
to  manhood,  secured  the  esteem  of  society,  and  preceded  his  father  into  "  the 
world  to  come  "  ;  and  a  daughter,  who  still  survives,  the  wife  of  S.  T.  Crawford, 
Esq.,  whose  pleasant  home  is  a  place  of  home-like  rest  for  the  ministry.  There 
was  no  issue  of  the  second  marriage^ 

While  not  what  might  be  termed  a  strong  or  eloquent  preacher,  the  deep- 
rooted  piety  which  he  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree  gave  him  an  influence 
over  others  often  denied  to  men  of  more  ability  or  of  higher  oratorical  gifts. 
A  man  of  peace  himself,  he  strove  so  earnestly  to  restore  friendly  and  fraternal 
relations,  when  neighbors  and  brethren  "  fell  out  by  the  way,"  that  he  was  known 
as  "  the  peace-maker."  He  delighted  in  the  society  of  Christians,  and  loved  to 
talk  of  nothing  so  well  as  of  Gospel  truths.  He  not  only  demonstrated  his  love  for 
the  Saviour  by  a  godly  walk  and  a  pious  conversation,  but  that  he  might  glorify 
"the  Name  above  every  name,"  even  after  he  had  been  called  hence,  he  be- 
queathed a  liberal  sum  to  the  Friendship  Baptist  Association  for  missionary 
purposes. 

It  would  hardly  be  strictly  candid  to  withhold  the  fact  that  he  was  once  ex- 
cluded from  the  church.  But  facts  subsequently  demonstrated  his  innocence, 
and  the  church,  of  its  own  motion,  restored  him  to  fellowship,  testifying,  ever 
after,  its  affectionate  confidence  in  him  as  a  Christian  gentleman  and  brother. 
At  the  time  of  his  decease,  he  was  a  member  of  Friendship  church,  Sumter 
county,  Georgia,  and  of  Friendship  Lodge  I.  O.  G.  T. ;  and  bo'h  of  these  bodies, 
by  appropriate  resolutions,  bore  witness  to  their  regard  for  his  character  and 
their  sorrow  for  his  loss.  He  departed  this  life  July  28th,  1870,  in  that  "hope 
of  glory  "  which,  though  not  in  degree,  is  yet  in  kind,  like  the  glory  itself." 


456 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


JAMES    M.    RUSHIN. 


The  influence  of  Rev.  James  M.  Rushin  in  tlae 
Mercer  Association  and  the  section  in  which  he  lives,  is 
well  merited.  As  a  member  of  the  communitj^  he  is 
always  ready  to  promote  everything  conducive  to  the 
public  welfare.  His  pecuniary  sacrifices  to  the  cause  of 
the  Saviour  are  not  few  and  far  between,  but  frequent 
and  cheerful.  Whatever  relates  to  the  extension  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  he  regards  with  peculiar  interest 
The  Sunday-school  has  nowhere  a  more  zealous  and 
successful  worker,  as  the  well  conducted  schools  in  his 
churches  testify.  The  missionary  cause  at  home  and 
among  the  nations  has  a  warm  place  in  his  heart,  and  he  is  never  reluctant,  by 
speech  and  money,  as  he  may  be  able,  to  further  its  interests.  In  his  churches 
there  are  well  organized  plans  to  raise  funds  for  every  benevolent  enterprise, 
and  to  develop  liberality  and  the  grace  of  giving  in  all  the  members.  A 
brother  who  has  known  him  intimately  says  of  him  : 

James  M.  Rushin  was  born  July  15th,  1838,  in  Thomas  county,  Georgia. 
His  parents  were  John  and  Mary  Jane  Rushin.  His  mother  was  a  McCann, 
and  dying  very  soon,  James,  her  only  child,  was  reared  by  his  maternal  grand- 
parents. They  sent  him  to  school,  giving  him  the  advantages  (only)  of  an  old 
field  school.  He  was  converted  March,  1868,  and  baptized  in  June  of  that  year 
by  Rev.  James  McBryde  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Grooverville  Baptist  church. 
His  ordination  to  the  ministry  took  place  September  15th,  1872,  at  Grooverville, 
Georgia.  He  has  served,  or  is  serving,  as  pastor  the  following  churches  : 
Grooverville,  Boston,  New  Hope,  Summer  Hill,  New  Ocklockonee  and  Valdosta. 
He  was  at  one  time  clerk  of  the  Mercer  Association,  and  filled  the  position  with 
great  efficiency. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Groover  October  20th,  1858.  One  child  was 
born  to  them  but  died  soon  after  its  birth. 

He  is  an  earnest  and  devoted  Christian  and  has  given  his  time  to  the  ministry 
and  to  study.  With  a  good  mind  and  a  retentive  memory  he  is  rapidly  improv- 
ing in  effective  preaching.  As  a  pastor  he  is  watchful  and  kind.  As  a  minis- 
ter he  loves  the  work  of  the  Master  and  is  punctual  to  all  appointments.  As  a 
public  speaker  he  has  a  voice  well  trained,  loves  the  songs  of  Zion,  and  is  ex- 
celled by  few  in  musical  talent  and  performance. 

In  disposition  he  is  social  and  genial.  Formerly  fond  of  excitement  and 
frolic,  and  a  great  lover  of  the  sportive  and  the  ludicrous,  by  God's  grace  all  is 
controlled  for  His  cause. 

Five  feet  eleven  inches  high,  and  weighing  two  hundred  pounds,  with  auburn 
hair,  light  complexion,  brown  eyes,  full,  regular  and  well  proportioned  features, 
his  personal  appearance  is  attractive.  He  has  been  instrumental  in  building  a 
house  of  worship  at  Boston,  Georgia,  and  in  establishing  a  good,  well  regulated 
membership.  He  has  succeeded  in  all  his  pastorates  ;  for  he  is  a  wise  discipli- 
narian, and  an  efficient  organizer  of  Christian  work.  Being  for  several  years  a 
member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Mercer  Association,  he  has  stim- 
ulated the  churches  to  give  to  mission  and  all  denominational  enterprises.  In 
most  respects  self-made  and  self-reliant,  he  is  becoming  more  useful  every  year, 
and  gives  promise  of  being  in  the  future  one  of  the  most  effective  men  of  the 
Georgia  Baptist  pulpit. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


457 


JAMES  GAZAWAY  RYALS. 


Rev.  James  Gazaway  Rvals,  D.D.,  stands 
among  the  first  Baptist  ministers  of  Georgia, 
as  a  sound,  forcible,  and  pious  preacher  of  the 
Gospel.  The  leadings  of  Providence  have 
been  plainly  visible  in  the  various  incidents  of 
his  life.  A  poor  boy  and  young  man,  ardently 
thirsting  for  a  collegiate  education,  yet  unable 
to  afford  it,  Providence  unexpectedly  raises 
up  friends  who  supply  the  means  ;  sceptical 
and  strongly  inclined  to  Universalism,  Provi- 
dence placed  in  his  hands  the  writings  of  a 
master  mind,  and  every  vestige  of  scepticism 
is  swept  away  forever ;  naturally  averse  to 
becoming  a  preacher,  fairly  embarked  in  the 
practice  of  law,  and  lucratively  engaged.  Prov- 
idence quietly  but  effectually  leads  him  into 
the  ministry,  almost  without  warning.  And 
he  is  now,  with  all  his  modesty  and  diffidence, 
one  of  the  controlling  minds  of  the  Baptist  denomination  in  Georgia. 

Mr.  Ryals  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  in  the  piney  woods  and  wire- 
grass  region  of  Georgia,  of  poor  and  respectable  parents,  on  the  3d  of  April, 
1824.  His  father,  Joseph  Ryals,  came  from  North  Carolina.  His  mother  was 
born  in  South  Carolina,  and  was  originally  Miss  Lucy  A.  Conner,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Wilson  Conner,  a  distinguished  Baptist  minister,  who  travelled  and  preached 
much  in  Georgia,  and  who  expired  quietly  in  the  pulpit,  just  after  finishing  a 
sermon  from  the  text,  "  Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  the  hour  is  coming  and  now  is, 
when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  they  that  hear  shall 
live." 

The  only  son  among  nine  children,  Mr.  Ryals'  parents  determined  to  give  him 
a  collegiate  education,  and  in  early  life  he  was  placed  under  the  instruction  of 
P.  H.  Mell  and  Milton  E.  Bacon ;  but  at  sixteen,  when  nearly  prepared  for  col- 
lege, the  financial  crisis  of  1840  took  place,  his  father  became  embarrassed,  and 
was  able  to  render  him  no  further  assistance  towards  obtaining  an  education. 
For  several  years  he  studied  privately  and  taught  school,  in  hopes  of  providing 
the  means  necessary  to  defray  college  expenses.  Unexpectedly  two  friends  ad- 
vanced the  money  for  that  purpose,  one  of  whom  was  Professor  P.  H.  Mell,  of 
Mercer  University,  and  Mr.  Ryals  entered  that  University,  and  graduated  in 
185 1  with  the  first  honor,  in  a  class  of  uncommon  brilliancy.  He  afterwards 
met  the  pecuniary  obligation  in  full.  The  following  year  he  married  Miss  Mary 
E.  Janes,  daughter  of  Colonel  Absalom  Janes,  one  of  the  fathers  of  Mercer 
University,  and  for  many  years  treasurer  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention. 
For  one  year  Mr.  Ryals  taught  school  in  Columbus,  Georgia;  he  then  studied 
law  for  a  year  in  Greene  county,  under  Judge  Cone,  and  the  following  year, 
1854,  he  bought  a  farm  near  Cartersville,  Georgia,  on  which  he  has  resided  most 
of  the  time  since.  For  two  years  he  studied  law  privately,  while  farming,  and 
then  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  for  seven  or  eight  years  engaged  successfully 
in  the  practice  of  law. 

From  childhood  Mr.  Ryals  had  strong  religious  impressions.  But  in  early 
manhood  he  became  tinctured  with  Universalist  sentiments ;  nor  was  it  until, 
while  in  college,  where  he  became  fascinated  with  the  works  of  Jonathan 
Edwards,  that  these  sentiments  were  obliterated  from  his  mind  by  the  writings 
of  that  great  and  extraordinary  man.  Even  though  he  was  then  without  a  hope 
in  Christ,  the  perusal  of  Jonathan  Edwards'  works  gave  him  a  fondness  for  the- 
ology, and  imbued  him  thoroughly  with  Calvinistic  sentiments.  During  a  religious 


45<^  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

awakening  which  prevailed  among  the  students  at  college,  he  had  been  deeply- 
concerned  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  but  it  was  not  until  he  had  left  college, 
and  had  been  for  several  years  practicing  law,  that  he  submitted  unreservedly  to 
the  will  of  God,  accepted  the  plan  of  salvation,  and  rejoiced  in  a  Saviour  found. 
He  united  with  the  Cartersville  church,  and  was  baptized  by  Dr.  Thomas  Ram- 
baut,  in  October,  1859.  In  the  fall  of  1863  Dr.  Rambaut  notified  the  Carters- 
ville church  that  it  must  select  another  pastor,  as  he  had  determined  to  leave  the 
country.  The  church  at  once  called  Mr.  Ryals,  who  had  never  even  been 
licensed  to  preach,  to  ordination  and  to  the  pastorate  at  the  same  time, 
without  any  previous  license  or  test  of  his  ministerial  gifts,  save  such  as  had  inci- 
dentally manifested  themselves.  He  had  taken  part  in  their  prayer-meetings, 
and  had  exhorted  in  revivals  ;  his  efforts  had  been  blessed  to  the  awakening  and 
conviction  of  sinners,  and  he  had  himself  become  powerfully  impressed  with  the 
conviction  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach.  He  accepted  the  call,  and  was  ordained 
and  took  charge  of  the  Cartersville  church  as  pastor,  which  relation  continued 
for  seven  or  eight  years.  There  was  an  interruption  in  his  service  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  war,  owing  to  Federal  invasion,  when  he  took  refuge  among 
his  friends  in  lower  Georgia.  Since  the  war  Mr.  Ryals  has  resided  on  his  farm, 
teaching  a  part  of  the  time  in  order  that  he  might  be  better  enabled  to  educate 
his  children,  and  preaching  to  various  neighboring  churches,  including  the 
churches  at  Cartersville,  Raccoon  Creek  and  Acworth.  Of  the  last  two  he  has 
now  been  pastor  for  twelve  and  fourteen  years,  respectively,  preaching  to  each 
twice  a  month,  and  probably  no  churches  in  the  State  have  been  more  faithfully 
taught  or  more  soundly  indoctrinated. 

Mr.  Ryals  has  been  a  successful  pastor,  and  has  baptized  between  five  hun- 
dred and  a  thousand  converts  since  entering  the  ministry.  Under  his  ministra- 
tions, churches  that  were  feeble  have  grown  to  be  strong  and  influential.  As 
might  be  expected,  he  is  not  only  much  beloved  by  his  churches,  but  is  highly 
esteemed  by  the  communities  in  which  they  are  situated,  as  a  man  and  as  a 
Christian.  Personally,  he  is  a  most  lovable  man,  possessing  many  of  the  highest 
excellencies  of  Christian  character. 

He  is  an  able,  earnest  and  fearless  preacher,  speaking  the  truth  in  love,  yet, 
wherever  and  whenever  the  cause  of  truth  demands,  maintaining  his  convictions 
of  right  and  duty  firmly  and  conscientiously.  His  style  is  logical,  but  not  desti- 
tute of  ornament,  and  he  is  remarkable  for  clearness  and  force  in  the  expression 
of  his  views.  He  has  fine  powers  of  analysis,  and  is  a  close  and  most  excellent 
reasoner,  at  times  putting  a  strain  on  the  attention  of  his  hearers ;  but,  when 
they  have  followed  the  train  of  his  argument,  they  become  delighted  at  the  thor- 
ough conviction  and  inevitable  conclusion  to  which  they  have  been  brought  by 
the  skillful  logician.  In  the  pulpit  Mr.  Ryals'  manners  are  easy  and  always  self- 
possessed,  although  sometimes,  when  aroused,  he  speaks  with  great  energy  and 
impressiveness.  He  loves  to  expound  the  great  doctrines  of  grace,  and  does  so 
with  much  earnestness  both  of  manner  and  spirit.  Indeed,  as  a  rule,  his  ser- 
mons are  intellectual,  but  not  deficient  in  spiritual  power,  as  is  evinced  by 
the  continued  accessions  to  his  churches.  It  may  well  be  doubted  if  he  has  a 
superior  as  a  preacher  and  scholar  in  the  northern  part  of  our  State.  In  his 
Association,  the  Middle  Cherokee,  he  wields  an  almost  unbounded  influence, 
without  ever  abusing  it,  and,  for  the  last  twelve  years,  has  been  elected  its 
Moderator.  In  1878  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  worthily  conferred 
on  him  by  Mercer  University. 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS. 


459 


BILLINGTON    McCARTER    SANDERS. 


Rev.  BiLLINGTON  Mc- 
CARTER Sanders,  eldest 
son  of  Ephraim  and  Nancy- 
Sanders,  was  born  in  Co- 
lumbia county,  Georgia, 
December  2d,  1789.  Hav- 
ing lost  both  father  and 
mother,  before  he  was  ten 
years  of  age,  those  goodly 
influences  which,  under 
God,  determined  his  after 
life,  were  due  to  the  kind 
watch-care  of  friends.  As 
a  boy,  Mr.  Sanders  was 
high-spirited,  easily  irri- 
tated and  prompt  to  resent 
an  insult ;  but  he  was, 
also,  generous,  tender- 
hearted, ready  to  forgive, 
and  scorned  everything 
approaching  to  meanness. 
He  received  his  academic 
training  at  the  Kiokee 
Seminary,  in  Columbia 
county,  but  was  indebted 
for  his  collegiate  instruc- 
tion, to  the  State  colleges 
of  both  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina — graduating  at 
the  latter,  December  4th, 
1809. 

The  first  two  years  of  his  life,  after  leaving  college,  were  devoted  to  the 
school-room,  the  public  academy  of  his  native  county  having  been  placed  in  his 
charge.  So  far  as  pertains  to  secular  interests,  the  next  twenty  years  of  his 
life  were  given  to  his  farm. 

He  was  baptized  by  Abraham  Marshall,  in  January,  1810,  and  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Kiokee  church ;  but  subsequently  connecting  himself  with  Union 
church,  Warren  county,  he  was  there  licensed  to  preach,  about  1823,  and,  at  the 
same  place,  was,  on  the  call  of  the  Williams  Creek  church,  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry, in  January,  1825.  Jesse  Mercer,  Malachi  Reeves,  Joseph  Roberts,  John 
H.  Walker,  J.  P.  Marshall  and  Elisha  Ferryman,  constituted  the  presbytery. 
For  the  next  few  years  Mr.  Sanders  applied  himself  with  all  the  energy  of  his 
nature,  to  the  interests  of  the  churches  in  his  vicinity,  and  he  found  his  labors 
blessed  beyond  his  fondest  expectations  ;  but  his  peculiar  talents  designated  him 
conspicuously  as  the  man  especially  fitted  for  another  field  of  usefulness  just 
then  opening  before  the  eyes  of  Georgia  Baptists,  and  receiving  their  earnest 
attention.  Our  State  Convention  had  determined  to  establish  an  institution  of 
learning,  designed  chiefiy  for  the  benefit  of  the  rising  ministry ;  and  to  build  up 
such  a  school,  so  as  to  meet  fully  the  expectations  of  its  friends  and  the  demands 
of  the  denomination,  a  man  practical  in  all  his  plans,  and  with  the  business 
capacity  to  execute  those  plans  when  devised,  was  required.  A  man  was  needed 
whose  energy  would  surmount  every  obstacle,  whose  integrity  could  not  be 
called  in  question,  and  whose  unaffected  piety  would  give  tone  to  everything 
connected  with  the  institution.     All  eyes  were  turned  upon  Billington  M.  San- 


460  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

ders ;  and,  when  the  brethren  called,  he  promptly  responded.  Abandoning  the 
comforts  of  his  well-ordered  home ;  sacrificing  largely  the  value  of  his  farm,  he 
accepted  the  trust  imposed,  and  January,  1833  found  him  residing  in  a  log  cabin 
where  now  stands  the  beautiful  village  of  Penfield.  At  once  he  began  to  dis- 
charge the  duties  of  landlord,  farmer,  teacher,  preacher  and  financial  agent. 
Two  double  log  cabins,  with  a  garret  to  each,  were  compelled  to  suffice  for 
dwelling,  dining-room  and  study  for  himself,  one  assistant  and  thirty-seven 
students,  and  what  added  largely  to  the  onerous  character  of  the  duties  per- 
formed, was  the  fact  that  the  institution  was  a  manual  labor  school.  But  he 
succeeded  ;  and  soon  the  "  Institute  "  rose  to  the  dignity  of  a  "  College,"  with 
Mr.  Sanders  as  its  president.  The  enterprise  being,  then,  on  a  sure  basis,  and 
no  longer  a  matter  of  experiment,  Mr.  Sanders  resigned  his  position  at  the  close 
of  1839.  But,  still,  every  possible  position  in  which  he  could  bestow  the  benefit. 
of  his  energy,  abilities  and  fostering  care  on  the  institution,  was  conferred  on 
him  by  his  brethren ;  he  was  made  trustee,  secretary  of  the  board,  treasurer  and 
chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee.  Eternity  alone  will  reveal  to  what 
extent  Georgia  Baptists  are  indebted  to  this  institution.  To  him,  more  than  to 
any  other  individual,  we  owe  the  establishment  of  Mercer  University,  as  the 
institution  is  now  called,  with  all  the  benefits  and  blessings  which  have  accrued, 
or  may  accrue,  to  the  denomination,  from  its  establishment.  But  it  must  not 
be  supposed  that  Mr.  Sanders  confined  his  labors  to  an  important  literary  and 
theological  institution ;  for  he  not  only  preached  constantly,  but  he  was  actively 
engaged  in  every  good  word  and  work  with  which  his  denomination  was  identified. 
He  preached  four  years  at  Shiloh,  ten  years  at  Greenesboro,  and  one  year  at 
Griffin ;  for  several  years  he  was  clerk  of  the  Georgia  Association,  and  for  nine 
years  its  Moderator ;  for  a  long  time  he  was  chairman  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  and  for  six  years  its  president ;  for  a 
time  he  was  editor  of  The  Christian  Index,  and,  generally,  was  a  delegate  to 
the  old  Triennial  Convention  and  to  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  In  truth, 
for  twenty-five  years  he  was  a  burning  and  shining  light  among  the  Georgia 
Baptists ;  and  this  was  due  to  his  unquestioned  and  self-sacrificing  piety,  to  his 
uprightness  and  integrity,  to  his  strong  and  clear  intellect,  to  his  great  common 
sense,  to  his  remarkable  capacity  for  business,  to  his  indomitable  energy,  decision 
of  character,  devotion  to  principle,  purity  of  purpose,  utter  unselfishness,  lofti- 
ness of  aim,  high  moral  courage,  nobility  of  soul,  and  great  efficiency  in  all  that 
he  undertook. 

As  a  preacher  he  was  neither  logical  nor  eloquent ;  but  he  was  earnest  and 
persuasive,  and  abundantly  successful  in  winning  souls  to  Christ.  As  a  pastor, 
he  looked  after  the  interests  of  his  people  in  private  as  well  as  in  public.  As  a 
Christian  man,  he  labored  faithfully  to  fulfil  the  obligations  resting  on  him  in 
all  the  relations  of  life.  No  one  could  be  with  him  an  hour  without  being  thor- 
oughly impressed  with  his  earnestness  in  whatever  engaged  him. 

He  was  twice  married  ;  the  first  time  to  Miss  Martha  Lamar,  of  Colum- 
bia county,  March  17th,  1812;  and,  the  second  time,  to  Miss  Cynthia  Holli- 
day,  of  Lincoln  county,  February  25th,  1824.  To  the  hearty  co-operation  of 
his  second  wife,  it  may  be  unhesitatingly  asserted,  he  was  largely  indebted 
for  the  abundant  success  achieved  in  establishing  Mercer  at  Penfield.  By  scores 
of  Baptist  laborers,  now  scattered  abroad  over  the  land,  will  "  Old  Mistress  " 
be  long  remembered  with  tender  affection.  By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Sanders 
had  nine  children,  and  by  his  second  thirteen,  and  was  survived  by  many  of  his 
children  and  by  his  second  wife.  He  died  at  his  residence,  in  Penfield,  Georgia, 
March  12th,  1852.  His  body  rests  in  the  village  graveyard,  his  spirit  has  ascended 
on  high.     When  shall  we  look  upon  his  like  again  ! 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


461 


MARION  W.  SAMS. 


Rev.  Marion  W.  Sams  was  born  at  Beaufort,  South 
Carolina,  February  loth,  1822.  His  ancestors  came  to  this 
country  about  the  year -i  681,  under  a  grant  of  some  thous- 
ands of  acres  of  land  from  the  King  of  England,  and  settled 
on  the  beautiful  island  of  Wadmalan.  For  nearly  two 
hundred  years  his  family  have  lived  on  one  or  other  of  the 
thousand  isles  that  fringe  the  coast  of  the  Palmetto  State. 
So  charming  was  the  scenery  stretching  in  every  direction 
around  their  sea-girt  homes  that  very  few  of  them  were  ever 
tempted  to  leave  those  homes  by  the  prospect  of  larger 
wealth  in  other  States.  The  land  and  the  sea  yielded  both  necessaries  and  lux- 
uries so  abundantly  as  to  render  them  utter  strangers  to  want.  Only  now  and 
then  could  one  of  their  number  be  induced  to  exchange  their  free  and  independent 
life  within  their  own  domain  for  the  uncertain  rewards  of  mercantile  pursuits,  or 
the  equally  uncertain  honors  of  the  learned  professions. 

He  was  the  seventh  child  of  Lewis  Reeve  and  Sarah  Sams.  His  childhood, 
youth  and  earty  manhood,  were  spent  in  the  town  of  his  birth.  His  father  had 
been  well  educated  himself,  having  been  a  classmate  of  Judson  and  Benedict  at 
Brown  University.  He  consequently  prized  intellectual  culture.  Possessed  of 
ample  means,  he  spent  them  lavishly  on  the  education  of  his  children.  Nor  was 
his  mother  one  whit  behind  his  father  in  unwearying  effort  for  the  highest  wel- 
fare of  those  who  had  been  committed  to  her  pious  care.  No  one  could  appre- 
ciate education  bettci"  than  she  did.  Her  mind,  naturally  strong,  had  been  thor- 
oughly disciplined  in  the  finest  female  schools  of  Charleston.  It  is  true  she  de- 
voted herself  mainly  to  the  study  of  those  branches  which  strengthened  that  mind, 
and  fitted  her  to  be  the  peer  of  her  husband  and  the  educator  of  her  children  ; 
yet  she  acquired  such  a  knowledge  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music  as  rendered 
her  an  ornament  of  the  social  sphere.  And  when  grace  possessed  her  and  made 
a  noble  soul  still  nobler,  she  consecrated  her  talents  and  her  acquirements  to  the 
service  of  her  Redeemer.  Many  are  still  living  who.  Sabbath  after  Sabbath, 
heard  that  cultured  voice  leading  the  worshippers  in  the  old  Baptist  church  at 
Beaufort  while  singing  the  songs  of  Zion.  She  was  "  never  weary  in  well  doing  " 
to  the  church,  the  ministry  and  the  poor.  Never  did  she  forget  her  pastor  or  the 
needy  while  enjoying  the  blessings  that  God  bestowed  on  her.  As  a  true  disci- 
ple, all  she  wished  to  know  was  the  path  of  duty ;  and,  when  she  knew  it,  that 
Christian  woman,  weak  in  body  but  strong  in  faith,  trod  this  path  with  the  con- 
sistency of  a  primitive  martyr.  In  viewing  a  life  so  sweetly  illustrating  the  prin- 
ciples of  "  the  gospel  of  the  grace  God,"  we  can  say :  "  Others  have  done  well, 
but  thou  excellest  them  all." 

That  mother  died  in  August,  1825.  The  loss  seemed  irreparable.  The  care 
and  the  education  of  six  surviving  children  devolved  on  the  sorely  afflicted  hus- 
band and  father.  His  responsibilities  were  multiplied  a  hundred-fold  ;  but  he 
met  them  like  a  man.  He  never  for  a  moment  neglected  his  valuable  estate, 
nor  did  he  lose  sight  of  the  educational  interests  of  his  sons  and  daughters.  He 
gave  them  the  advantages  of  the  best  schools  in  his  native  State.  About  ten 
years  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  he  united  with  the  Baptist  church  at  Beau- 
fort. He  was  soon  after  elected  deacon  and  treasurer,  and  held  those  offices  as 
long  as  he  lived.  In  1836  he  married  Miss  Frances  Fuller,  daughter  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Fuller,  of  Beaufort,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  He 
died  in  December,  1856.  So  deeply  was  his  widow  afflicted  by  his;^death  that 
in  seven  months  she  followed  him  to  the  grave. 

Mr.  Sams  received  an  English  and  classical  education  at  the  Beaufort  Acad- 
emy and  the  South  Carolina  College,  at  Columbia,  graduating  in  December, 
1 841.     He  studied  law  for  a  short  time  in  his  native  town  and  at  the  Law  School, 


462  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Cambridge,  Massachusetts.  Compelled  by  ill  health  to  leave  that  school,  he 
returned  home  to  recruit  his  strength.  While  there  a  great  revival  occurred 
in  the  Baptist  church,  and  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  whites,  with  twenty- 
five  blacks,  were  added  to  it.  He  was  converted  in  February  and  baptized  in 
March,  1844.  He  at  once  determined  to  give  up  the  study  of  law  and  devote  him- 
self to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  At  the  same  time  Thomas  Hopkins,  James 
Cuthbert  and  A.  D.  Cohen  resolved  to  consecrate  themselves  to  the  ministry  of 
the  Word.  The  church  unanimously  licensed  the  four,  and  they  began  to  study 
theology  under  the  noble  and  gifted  pastor,  Dr.  Richard  Fuller.  January  29th, 
1854,  he  was  ordained  at  Smyrna  church,  Barnwell  district.  South  Carolina,  by 
Revs.  H.  D.  Duncan,  Isaac  Nichols,  Joseph  A.  Lawton  and  H.  A.  Duncan.  As 
pastor  he  has  served  churches  at  Grahamville,  Williston,  Willow  Swamp  and 
Springtown,  in  South  Carolina ;  at  Decatur,  in  Georgia,  and  at  Madison  Court- 
house and  Ocala,  in  Florida.  He  was  Professor  of  Logic  and  Belles  Lettres  in 
the  Baptist  Female  College  at  Greenville  Court-house,  South  Carolina,  during 
four  years  ;  President  of  the  Edgefield  Female  College,  at  Edgefield  Court-house, 
South  Carolina,  during  three  years  and  a  half,  and  President  of  the  Barnwell 
Sundaj^-school  Association  during  two. 

He  married  Mary  Lucia  Duncan,  youngest  daughter  of  Rev.  Hansford  D. 
Duncan,  near  Barnwell  Court-house,  South  Carolina,  December  2d,  1847,  and 
has  been  the  father  of  seven  children. 

On  account  of  seriously  impaired  health,  he  has  never  been  able  to  study  con- 
tinuously according  to  any  fixed  method,  nor  has  it  been  within  his  power  to 
preach  regularly  from  year  to  year.  He  tries  to  prepare  thoroughly,  and  preaches 
without  notes.  He  is  below  the  medium  height ;  with  spare  person,  fair  com- 
plexion, and  hair  and  beard  tinged  with  gray.  He  has  preached  the  Gospel, 
worked  in  the  Sunday-school  cause  nearly  all  his  life,  delivered  various  addresses 
on  important  occasions  and  subjects,  devoted  much  time,  labor  and  money  to 
the  education  of  the  young,  and  written  for  the  press  in  the  interest  of  religion 
and  morality.  His  life  thus  far,  therefore,  has  been  spent  in  the  advancement 
of  his  fellow-men. 


VINCENT  THORNTON  SANFORD. 

Professor  Vincent  Thornton  Sanford,  who  has 
lately  entered  on  his  duties  as  President  of  the  State  Ag^-i- 
cultural  College  at  Cuthbert,  Georgia,  was  born  in  Greene 
county,  Georgia,  December  2d,  1833.  He  is  a  cousin- 
german  of  Professor  S.  P.  Sanford,  the  loved  and  honored 
professor  of  Mathematics  in  Mercer  University,  and  a 
large  number  of  relatives  scattered  through  most  of  the 
Southern  States,  are  generally  respected  for  their  intel- 
lectual and  moral  worth.  The  early  years  of  his  life  were 
spent  near  Greensboro,  of  which  place  his  father  had  been 
a  useful  citizen.  After  thorough  preparation  in  the  acad- 
emy of  that  place,  he  entered  the  Freshman  class  at  Mercer  in  the  fall  term  of 
1850,  and  graduated  in  the  summer  of  1854.  It  is  no  faint  praise  to  say  that 
during  his  college  career,  he  held  no  mean  place  in  a  class  which  numbered 
among  its  members,  George  Hillyer,  Robert  N.  Ely,  John  H.  Seals  and  P.  B. 
Robinson.  Having  selected  teaching  as  his  vocation,  he  entered  the  school- 
room a  few  days  after  receiving  his  diploma,  and  has  been  teaching  ever  since, 
except  for  a  short  time  when  interrupted  by  the  war.  In  1857,  he  was  associa- 
ted with  Messrs.  Hooten  and  Cox  in  conducting  a  boys'  high  school  at  Brown- 
wood,  Troup  county.  At  the  close  of  that  year,  he  was  called  to  Dawson  In- 
stitute at  White  Plains,  over  which  he  presided  for  three  years  with  marked 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


463 


success.  In  1861  he  was  selected  to  take  charge  of  a  school  of  high  order 
which  was  to  be  established  at  Hephzibah,  Richmond  county,  and  though  the  war 
was  just  about  to  open,  he  met  with  such  success  as  exceeded  the  most  sanguine 
expectations.  He  remained  here  for  six  years,  and  succeeded  in  building  up  an 
institution  which  to-day,  under  the  charge  of  one  of  its  earliest  pupils,  ranks 
among  the  best  in  the  State.  In  the  beginning  of  1868,  he  removed  to  Stella- 
ville  and  undertook  the  work  of  organizing  the  Jefferson  High  school,  and  here 
again  he  achieved  the  most  signal  success.  After  guiding  its  destinies  for  four 
years,  he  left  it  in  fine  order,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  charge  of  the  high 
school  which  the  trustees  of  Mercer  University  were  about  to  establish  at  Pen- 
field.  Here  his  wonted  success  attended  him,  and  had  not  the  great  financial 
pressure  come  upon  the  country,  we  have  no  doubt  that  this  school  would  now 
be  in  a  flourishing  condition  with  Professor  Sanford  as  its  princ'pal.  But  as  the 
school  did  decline  despite  his  best  efforts,  and  perhaps  without  the  fault  of  any 
one,  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  accept  the  position  offered  him  by  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  the  State  University  as  President  of  the  State  Agricultural  College  of 
Southwestern  Georgia.  The  choice  we  think  a  happy  one.  Professor  Sanford's 
large  experience  in  organizing  schools  proves  him  to  be  well  fitted  for  that  kind 
of  work.  In  addition  to  this,  he  possesses  most,  if  not  all,  the  essential  requi- 
sites of  a  successful  teacher — a  thorough  and  accurate  scholarship,  enthusiasm 
for  the  work,  and  the  gift  of  magnetizmg  the  minds  with  which  he  is  brought 
in  contact.  In  character  he  is  a  noble  specimen  of  the  Christian  gentleman. 
While  a  decided  Baptist  on  conscientious  conviction,  he  has  a  large,  catholic 
spirit,  which  wins  the  love  and  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  associates. 

Professor  Sanford  was  married  in  December,  1855,  to  Miss  Mary  Adella 
Mahon,  at  that  time  a  pupil  of  the  Female  College  at  Cuthbert.  We  have  only 
to  say  that  she  is  a  niece  of  E.  W.  Warren,  to  give  most  Georgians  an  assur- 
ance that  she  inherits  blood  of  the  best  quality.  She  has  proved  his  faithful  • 
helper  with  head,  hand  and  heart,  and  no  small  share  of  his  success  has  been 
owing  to  her  brave  hopefulness,  and  ready  tact.  Together  they  form  a  couple 
which  any  community  may  felicitate  itself  upon  possessing. 


SHELTON  PALMER  SANFORD. 


Shelton  Palmer  Sanford,  LL.D.,  profes- 
sor of  Mathematics  and  Astronomy  in  Mercer 
University,  is  the  son  of  Vincent  Sanford,  and 
was  born  in  Greensboro',  Georgia,  January  25th, 
1 8 16.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Loudon 
county,  Virginia,  and  moved  to  Georgia  and 
settled  in  Greensboro  in  the  year  18 10.  His 
grandfather,  Jeremiah  Sanford  was  a  neighbor 
and  intimate  friend  of  General  George  Washing- 
ton, and  was  a  soldier  under  him  at  the  surrender 
of  Lord  Cornwallis,  at  Yorktown,  in  October, 
1 78 1.  Mr.  Sanford  received  his  early  education 
in  Greensboro.  He  was  always  very  fond  of 
books,  and  appreciated  highly  the  privilege  of 
obtaining  an  education,  and  he  availed  himself 
most  diligently  of  his  opportunities.  His  classi- 
cal training  was  due  chiefly  to  Mr.  Edwin  Law- 
rence, a  young  graduate  of  Middlebury  College, 
Vermont.  He  entered  the  Freshmen  class  of  the  State  University  in  January, 
1835,  under  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Alonzo  Church,  and  during  his  entire  course 


464  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

pursued  his  studies  with  great  diligence,  his  favorite  branches  of  study  being  the 
languages  and  mathematics.  It  was  under  that  experienced  and  most  skilful 
instructor  and  learned  man,  Professor  Charles  F.  McCay,  of  the  State  University, 
that  he  acquired  a  fondness  for  mathematics  and  laid  the  foundation  for  the  ex- 
cellence in  mathematical  knowledge  which  places  him  in  the  fore-front  of  the 
instructors  of  the  day. 

He  graduated  in  1838,  sharing  the  first  honor  with  B.  M.  Palmer,  now  the 
distinguished  Presbyterian  divine  of  New  Orleans,  William  Hope  Hull,  and  Isaiah 
Irwin.  Three  months  before  he  was  graduated,  Mr.  Sanford  was  elected  tutor 
of  mathematics  in  Mercer  University,  and  he  entered  on  his  duties  the  week  fol- 
lowing his  graduation,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  It  is  rare  that  a  man  receives 
such  a  tribute  to  excellence  so  early  in  life. 

Three  years  previous  to  his  entrance  on  a  college  life,  he  had  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business,  and  had  kept  books  for  the  firm  of  W.  R.  Cunningham  &  Co.,  and 
after  being  tutor  at  Mercer  for  one  month  he  received  a  business  offer  which 
came  near  preventing  the  University  from  enjoying  the  benefit  of  his  invaluable 
services  for  nearly  half  a  century.  He  was  offered  a  position  in  the  Georgia 
Railroad  Bank,  which  would,  probably,  have  resulted  in  his  becoming  a  wealthy 
man  ;  but  the  directors  informed  him  that  to  secure  the  position  he  must  enter 
on  his  duties  within  ten  days.  This  Mr.  Sanford  could  not  do  without  vio'ating 
a  pledge  he  had  made  to  the  trustees  of  Mercer  not  to  leave  their  service  with- 
out giving  six  months  notice.  Rather  than  violate  his  pledge,  he  remained  a 
tutor  in  the  institution,  with  which  he  has  been  connected  ever  since.  In 
1840  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Mathematics,  which  position  he  still  holds.  In 
that  same  year  he  married  Miss  Maria  F.  Dickerman,  who  is  still  living,  and  who 
has  been  a  most  valuable  helpmeet  to  her  husband.  They  have  two  children 
living — Mr.  Charles  V.  Sanford  of  Conyers,  Georgia,  and  Mrs.  Anna  M.  Cheves, 
wife  of  Rev.  A.  J.  Cheves,  of  Macon  county,  Georgia. 

Professor  Sanford  is  the  author  of  a  series  of  arithmetics  which  have  a  national 
reputation  for  superior  excellence,  and  which  have  a  very  extended  circulation, 
not  only  throughout  the  South,  but  in  many  portions  of  the  North.  His  "  Higher 
Analytical  Arithmetic"  was  published  in  1870,  and  this  was  subsequently  fol- 
lowed by  a  "  Primary,"  an  "  Intermediate  "  and  a  "  Common  School  Arithmetic," 
making  a  series  of  four  books,  pubUshed  by  the  firm  of  Lippincott  &  Co,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, and  there  need  be  no  hesitancy  in  asserting  that  the  series  has  no  su- 
perior in  the  language.  The  unanimous  testimony  of  hundreds  of  educators, 
in  the  schools,  academies  and  colleges  of  various  States  in  the  Union  is  that 
Professor  Sanford's  arithmetics  are  the  best  in  the  world.  During  the  year  1879 
Professor  Sanford  published,  also,  an  "  Elementary  Algebra,"  for  schools  and 
academies,  which  has  already  secured  a  wide  circulation,  and  soon  after  its  pub- 
lication was  adopted  by  the  State  Board  of  Education  of  North  Carolina  for  five 
years,  for  exclusive  use  in  the  public  schools  of  that  State. 

Professor  Sanford  is,  indeed,  a  most  excellent  and  correct  teacher  in  mathe- 
matics and  languages,  as  his  long  continuance  in  Mercer  University  evidences. 
He  is,  also,  an  amiable  and  polite  Christian  gentleman,  and  greatly  beloved  by 
both  students  and  faculty.  As  a  Christian  he  is  unimpeachable,  and  for  thirty 
years  was  the  Sunday-school  Superintendent  at  Penfield. 

The  only  living  representative  of  the  first  board  of -instruction  appointed  at 
the  organization  of  the  University,  in  1838,  Dr.  Sanford  is  now  in  the  forty- 
second  year  of  his  service  as  professor  of  mathematics.  Wide  awake  and  abreast 
of  the  times,  he  is  no  fossil.  Still  vigorous,  elastic  and  energetic  in  mind  and 
body,  he  can  outwalk  most  pedestrians,  and,  doubtless,  would  have  rivalled 
Weston,  had  he  turned  his  great  energies  towards  pedestrianism.  His  daily 
instructions  are  full  of  vivacity,  arresting  and  holding  the  attention  of  the  student, 
and  making  abstruse  mathematical  principles  as  clear  as  a  sunbeam. 

In  recognition  of  his  learning  and  ability,  Mercer  University  bestowed  on  him 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws,  a  distinction  which  he  wears  with  his  usual  mod- 
esty, but  which  graces  his  modest  brow  most  becomingly. 


OF    PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


465 


JAMES  ODINGSELL  SCREVEN. 


Rev.  James  Odingsell  Screven, 
son  of  Rev.  Charles  O.  and  Lucy  Bar- 
nard Screven,  was  born  in  Savannah 
Georgia,  on  the  4th  of  February,  1S04. 
His  mother  died  when  he  was  yet  an 
infant.  After  her  death,  Miss  Mary 
Barnard,  wlio  was  then  Hving  in  Savan- 
nah, took  loving  charge  of  him  until 
he  was  seven  years  of  age.  His  father 
then  recalled  him  to  his  own  home,  in 
Sunbury,  Liberty  county,  where  he 
resided  until  he  was  prepared  for 
college.  He  received  his  diploma 
from  Franklin  College,  in  Athens, 
Georgia.  .In  the  spring  of  1828,  the 
year  after  his  return  from  college  to 
his  home  in  Liberty  county,  he  was 
graciously  converted  to  God,  and  uni- 
ted with  the  Baptist  church  in  Sun- 
bury.  The  change  experienced  at  that 
time  was  marked,  genuine  and  thor- 
ough. He  was  ever  after  truly  a  holy 
man,  and  his  life  of  consistent  piety 
and  unswerving  Christian  virtue  and  purity,  like  the  path  of  the  just,  shone 
brighter  and  brighter  unto  the  perfect  day. 

On  the  1st  day  of  March,  1832,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Eleanor  S. 
Talbird,  on  Hilton  Island.  Shortly  after  his  marriage  he  settled  on  his  planta- 
tion in  Bryan  county.  Here  he  lived  for  about  nine  years,  and  devoted  much 
of  his  time  to  preaching  to  the  poor  and  destitute  churches  in  Bryan  Neck,  and 
to  the  negroes  on  the  surroundmg  islands.  During  a  part  of  this  time  he  was 
only  a  licensed  minister;  but  while  engaged  in  this  laborious  and  self-denying 
work,  he  was  ordained  to  the  office  of  the  ministry,  that  he  might  more  effi- 
ciently prosecute  his  work  of  love,  and  administer  the  ordinances  of  Christ  to 
these  destitute  churches.  It  would  be  proper  to  note  the  fact,  that  at  this  time, 
such  was  the  excitement  on  the  slavery  question,  that  planters  were  very  watch- 
ful and  prudent,  and  but  few  persons  were  allowed  the  privilege  of  visiting  the 
plantations  and  preaching  to  the  slaves.  Mr.  Screven  was  not  only  permitted, 
but  solicited  and  encouraged  by  the  proprietors  to  engage  in  this  service.  It 
was  noble  sacrifice  and  devotion  to  Christ  and  love  of  souls  on  the  part  of  these 
ministers  of  talents,  learning,  property  and  piety,  who  preached  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  to  the  negroes  on  the  Georgia  coast ;  and  among  the  honored  band  was 
J.  O.  Screven.  Mr.  Screven  went  to  these  appointments  frequently  on  Saturday, 
so  as  to  be  in  time  to  hold  a  night  service  for  the  colored  people.  He  engaged 
in  this  work  at  his  own  charges,  took  his  own  boat  and  hands. 

We  will  give  an  incident  to  show  God's  protection  of  His  servant  while  thus 
laboring  for  His  glory.  One  day  everything  was  in  readiness  to  start  for  St. 
Catherine's,  when  his  little  daughter,  Sarah,  ran  after  him  and  clasped  her  arms 
around  his  knees,  crying,  and  saying,  "  Don't  go,  papa,  don't  go."  He  took  the 
little  one  up  in  his  arms  and  returned  with  her  to  the  house.  He  quieted  her  by 
saying  that  he  was  going  to  tell  the  poor  colored  people  about  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  how  they  might  get  to  heaven.  Starting  again,  a  severe  storm  arose,  and 
he  was  compelled  to  return  the  second  time  to  the  house.  Mr.  Screven  said  that 
the  time  he  took  to  soothe  and  quiet  his  child  was  the  means  Providence  used 
to  save  his  life,  for  had  he  been  out  of  the  marsh  he  must  have  been  lost,  for  he 


466  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

was  going  in  a  very  small  boat,  and  it  was  all  his  servant,  a  man  of  great 
strength,  could  do,  who  had  jumped  into  the  marsh,  to  hold  the  canoe  until  the 
storm  passed. 

The  little  daughter  alluded  to  exhibited  earnest  piety  at  that  early  age.  When 
told  that  she  would  soon  have  no  little  brother,  who  was  then  extremely  ill,  she 
looked  up  and  smiled  ;  her  mother  said  to  her,  "  Are  you  not  sorry  your  brother 
is  going  to  die  ?  "  "  No,  mamma  ;  how  can  can  I  be  sorry  ?  it  is  so  much  better 
for  him  to  be  with  the  Lord,  where  he  will  never  learn  to  sin."  "Do  you  know 
what  it  is  to  die,  my  child?"  "Yes,  mamma;  the  part  that  thinks  and  feels 
goes  to  God,  and  you  bury  the  body,  but  one  day  God  will  join  them  together 
again."  "  My  child,  if  you  get  sick,  do  you  not  wish  to  get  well  again  ?  "  '  No, 
mamma ;  I  would  rather  die  and  be  with  the  Lord."  A  few  days  after  this  con- 
versation, this  daughter,  of  such  bright  promise,  was  taken  suddenly  very  sick, 
and  when  her  little  friends  would  come  to  see  her,  she  would  call  them  and  say, 
"  Good-bye  ;  I  am  going  home  to  the  Lord."  She  died  on  the  5th  of  August, 
1842,  and  her  little  brother  Charles  just  five  days  after. 

The  loss  of  these  children  was  a  deep  and  sore  affliction  to  these  devoted 
parents,  and  Mr.  Screven,  if  possible,  lived  ever  after  a  more  devoted,  consecra- 
ted. Christian  life  than  ever  before ;  seemed  to  give  up  all  interest  in  temporal 
concerns,  and  when  his  wife  would  try  to  persuade  him  to  look  after  and  inter- 
est himself  in  his  worldly  business,  he  v/ould  always  say,  "  The  Lord  will  provide  ; 
let  us  leave  such  matters  in  His  hands." 

Mr.  Screven  was  invited  by  the  Savannah  Baptist  church  to  preach  on  the  rice 
plantations  around  the  city.  He  moved  to  Savannah  in  1844,  and  entered  on 
this  work.  He  was  welcomed  and  encouraged  by  both  masters  and  servants. 
His  labors  were  efficient  and  useful.  The  next  year  he  received  a  call  to  assist 
Rev.  Richard  Fuller,  who  was  then  pastor  of  Beaufort  church.  This  church 
had  several  other  organizations  or  arms  connec  ted  with  it.  While  he  was  there 
the  church  had  a  great  many  added  to  its  numbers,  among  them  several  young 
men  who  wished  to  study  for  the  ministry  under  the  instruction  and  counsel  of 
Mr.  Fuller.  Mr.  Screven,  feeling  that  these  young  men  could  do  the  work  that 
he  was  engaged  in,  accepted  an  urgent  call  from  Wavnesville  to  become  a  pastor. 
He  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  church,  aided  them  in  building  a  house 
of  worship,  and  continued  as  their  pastor  for  four  years,  leaving  behind  a  pre- 
cious memory  of  his  earnest  and  pious  labors. 

His  health  failed  him,  and  he  gave  up  this  church  and  moved  to  LaGrange, 
Georgia,  in  1850.  About  the  year  1854  he  accepted  the  agency  of  the  Domestic 
Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention.  He  labored  heartily  and 
faithfully  in  this  work,  travelling  over  a  large  part  of  the  States  of  Georgia  and 
Florida,  visiting  not  only  the  Associations,  but  a  great  number  of  the  churches 
and  the  homes  of  Baptists.  He  was  successful  in  collecting  a  large  amount  of 
money  for  the  Board.  He  was  not  only  an  agent,  but  a  missionary,  preaching 
to  the  churches,  instructing  and  praying  with  the  people  from  house  to  house. 
Wherever  he  went  he  left  the  heavenly  savor  of  his  piety,  and  evoked  the  entire 
confidence  and  affection  of  the  whole  brotherhood,  which  continued  unaltered  to 
the  day  of  his  death — and  his  memory  is  honored. 

During  the  war  Mr.  Screven  was  very  active  and  zealous  in  works  of  benevo- 
lence and  kindness,  visiting  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  reading  to  them, 
praying  with  them,  and  ministering  to  their  comfort.  It  was  while  thus  en- 
gaged that  he  contracted  erysipelas ;  and  when  convalescing  from  this  disease, 
he  was  attacked  with  symptoms  of  dropsy.  He  bore  his  sickness  without  a  mur- 
mur or  complaint,  and  was  always  cheerful  and  pleased  to  see  his  friends.  The 
night  before  he  died,  his  wife  gave  him  some  medicine,  and  then  sat  on  the  bed 
by  his  side.  He  spoke  of  his  approaching  death  with  great  calmness  and  com- 
posure ;  sent  messages  to  his  son,  who  was  then  in  the  army,  and  to  his  wife's 
nieces,  saying,  "  When  you  see  them,  or  write  to  them,  tell  them  I  have  prayed  for 
them  by  name,  and  that  I  expect  they  would  soon  be  Christians.  Wife,  I  leave 
you  and  my  children  in  the  hands  of  God.  He  is  better  able  to  provide  for  you 
than  I  am."  His  wife  then  said,  "  You  have  talked  enough  ;  try  now  to  sleep." 
He  said,  "  Yes  ;  I  will.     Would  it  not  be  delightful  if,  after  talking  with  you  to- 


OF   PROMINENT, BAPTISTS. 


467 


night  so  pleasantly,  to-morrow  night  I  should  be  with  the  Lord  ?  "  So  it  was. 
On  the  next  evening  about  seven  o'clock,  which  was  the  evening  of  the  holy 
Sabbath,  in  May,  1864,  without  a  groan  or  struggle,  he  fell  on  sleep  and  was 
gathered  to  the  fathers.  He  left  a  wife,  son  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom 
still  survive. 

Mr,  Screven  was  a  consecrated,  sincere,  intelligent  and  earnestly  pious  Chris- 
tian gentleman  and  minister  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  He  was  known  as 
a  man  of  prayer,  by  all  that  ever  knew  him  at  all.  It  may  be  safely  asserted, 
that  after  his  conversion  to  God,  no  better  or  purer  uninspired  man  has  lived. 
While  he  spent  much  of  his  time  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life  in  prayer,  with 
God's  Holy  Book  open  before  him,  he  was  never  gloomy  or  mournful,  but  cheer- 
ful, unmurmuring  and  happy.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  faith,  cultivated  an  en- 
lightened and  tender  conscience,  and  was  exceedingly  scrupulous  in  conversation 
and  deportment,  careful  to  do  nothing  that  he  thought  would  bring  the  slightest 
reproach  on  the  cause  of  Jesus,  whom  he  loved  with  his  whole  heart.  He  never 
worried  himself  about  the  affairs  of  this  life,  never  sought  to  accumulate  wealth, 
was  satisfied  with  the  competency  that  God  had  allotted  him  ;  he  was  thought, 
by  many  of  his  friends,  to  be  too  indifferent  to  all  secular  affairs.  But  he  always 
entertained  an  unhesitating  faith  in  the  gracious  dealings  of  a  kind  Providence. 
Verily  he  was  a  men  who  "walked  before  God  in  the  land  of  the  living,"  and 
having  finished  his  pilgrimage  on  earth,  has  entered  into  the  "joy  of  his  Lord." 


JOHN    S.    SEARCY. 

Rev.  John  S.  Searcy  was  born  near  Milledge- 
ville,  Baldwin  county,  Georgia,  March  20th,  1821. 
His  parents  were  William  and  Sarah  Searcy,  who 
were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  county. 
They  began  life  poor,  but  by  well-directed  indus- 
trial efforts  and  economy  amassed  a  handsome 
fortune,  during  the  thirty  years  they  lived  there. 
They  reared,  during  this  time,  a  considerable 
family,  all  of  whom  were  distinguished  for  habits 
of  industry  and  morality.  Unlike  many  parents 
of  the  present  day,  they  exercised  a  strict  and 
firm  discipline  over  their  children,  bringing  them 
up  "in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord." 
They  united  with  the  Baptist  church  very  soon 
after  their  marriage,  and  lived  consistent  Chris- 
tians to  the  time  of  their  death — a  period  of 
seventy-four  years.  William  Searcy  was,  in  his 
day,  highly  esteemed  as  an  active,  energetic 
Christian,  having  served  the  church  as  a  deacon  seventy  years.  He  died  in 
Talbot  county,  to  which  he  had  moved,  over  forty  years  ago  in  the  ninety-fifth 
year  of  his  age, 

John  S.  Searcy  began  his  education  in  the  city  of  Milledgeville,  principally  at 
Oglethorpe  University.  On  his  removal  to  Talbot  county,  he  entered  Collins- 
worth  Institute,  where  he  remained  three  years,  under  the  instruction  of  Rev. 
J.  R.  Thomas,  D.D.  He  subsequently  finished  his  education  at  Mercer  Uni- 
versity, without  graduating. 

During  his  boyhood  and  early  youth,  he  was  strictly  moral  and  obedient  to  his 

parents,  having  for  them  a  sacred  reverence.     He  was  never  known  to  utter  a 

profane  expression,  nor  to  indulge  in  intoxicating  drinks.     He  has  never  attended 

a  theatre,  circus,  or  dance ;  nor  been  guilty  of  any  inordinateness.     Possessed 

33 


^^^=- 

^     ^              'tv;^ 

?^          ,  '••                                        " ! 

1           '^^■--          ■                   '\ 

~i^^^ 

l^¥ 

^l    (     /%-i                           j 

468  HlOGRAPI^lCAL   SKETCHES 

of  a  very  timid  nature,  he,  perhaps,  has  never  filled  as  important  a  sphere  as 
his  ability  would  warrant  us  to  expect.  Caution  and  a  conscientious  regard  for  the 
right  are  prominent  in  his  character,  and  hence  he  has  always  been  afraid  to  do 
wrong. 

During  the  year  183S,  while  at  Collinsworth,  he  became  deeply  concerned 
about  his  salvation,  and  professed  conversion  that  summer.  Not  being  satisfied 
as  to  what  constituted  scriptural  baptism,  the  work  of  uniting  with  the  church 
was  postponed  until  an  investigation  could  be  made.  In  the  mean  time  an  inci- 
dent occurred  in  the  recitation  room  which  is  worthy  of  notice,  and  which  was 
instrumental  in  deciding  the  point.  The  present  distinguished  Bishop  McTyeire, 
a  member  of  the  class,  read  in  Greek  the  sixteenth  verse  of  the  third  chapter  of 
Matthew,  at  the  close  of  which  Mr.  Searcy  asked  Dr.  Thomas,  a  distinguished 
minister  of  the  Methodist  church,  what  the  word  bapiizo  meant?  After  a  con- 
siderable lecture  he  unhesitatingly  declared  that  it  meant  to  immerse,  and  that 
Christ  was  immersed  by  John.  The  recitation  closed,  and  as  the  class  passed 
out,  Searcy  remarked  to  "  Mc,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  "  my  mind  is  at  rest ; 
what  do  you  think.?"  "  O,"  says  he,  "I  am  already  a  Methodist — I  cannot 
change  ;  some  day  in  the  future  1  expect  to  be  a  bishop."  "  Yes,"  said  Searcy, 
"  and  some  day  I  may  be  a  Baptist  preacher."  All  of  which  has  been  literally 
verified.  Mr.  Searcy  joined  the  Baptist  church  at  Mount  Zion,  Talbot  county, 
the  19th  of  November,  1839,  and  was  baptized  by  Isaac  B.  Deavors. 

After  completing  his  education,  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  J. 
B.  Gorman,  and  finally  took  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
•vania.  In  the  mean  time  he  married  Miss  Martha  J.  Thweatt,  of  Monroe  county, 
on  the  15th  of  November,  1847.  He  located  in  Talbot  county,  where  he  now 
lives,  and  engaged  principally  in  farming — it  being  the  better  interest.  Six  chil- 
dren have  been  reared  by  them,  two  of  whom  were  killed  in  the  defence  of  their 
country.  While  quite  young,  all  of  them,  except  one,  have  professed  religion, 
and  united  with  the  church,  and  are  consistent  Christians. 

In  1858,  in  the  midst  of  worldly  prosperity,  Mr.  Searcy  felt  it  his  duty  to  enter 
the  ministry,  which  he  did  after  a  hard  struggle,  and  was  ordained,  the  23d  of 
September,  1859,  by  a  presbytery  consisting  of  W.  D.  Atkinson,  John  Harris, 
John  Howel,  S.  .W.  Durham,  and  H.  S.  Reese.  He  began  his  ministry  in  what 
is  called  the  "piney  woods,"  where  the  people  were  deprived  of  religious  privi- 
leges, and  were  quite  rude.  Here  he  was  greatly  encouraged  by  unexpected 
good  results.  Subsequently  he  became  pastor  of  Horeb  church,  which  he  served 
about  twelve  years.  During  this  period  he  baptized  two  hundred  converts.  For 
over  twenty  years  he  has  been  prompt  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  minis- 
terial duties,  having  never  missed  an  appointment  or  conference,  except  from 
providential  causes.  His  pastorates  have  been  confined  to  Mount  Zion,  Butler, 
Horeb,  Talbotton  and  Antioch,  all  of  which  are  in  Talbot  and  Taylor. 

For  three  successive  terms  he  served  satisfactorily  as  the  Moderator  of  the 
Columbus  Association. 

In  early  life  brother  Searcy  was  a  hard  student,  not  only  of  theology,  but  of 
literature,  and  hence  he  is  considered  a  man  of  good  general  information.  His 
style  of  preaching  is  sound  and  practical.  He  labors  rather  to  instruct  the  heart 
and  mind  than  to  please.  Though  a  man  of  dignified  and  independent  bearing, 
he  is  social  and  rarely  fails  to  win  a  way  for  himself  into  the  favor  of  others,  so 
that  he  fills  a  warm  place  in  the  affections  of  those  among  whom  he  has  lived 
over  forty  years,  and  is,  perhaps,  as  highly  esteemed  for  real  Christian  worth  as 
any  one.  His  greatest  aim  appears  to  have  been,  to  do  all  the  good  he  possibly 
could.  To  this  end  all  his  efforts  have  been  directed.  The  prospects  of  a 
worldly  fortune  have  been  sacrificed,  and  worldly  honor  discarded,  that  he  might 
serve  acceptably  his  divine  Master ;  and  doubtless  he  enjoys  the  satisfying  assur- 
ance that  under  God  he  has  turned  many  to  righteousness,  and  that  at  last  his 
crown  will  shine  brighter  than  the  firmament. 

Mr.  Searcy  is  a  man  of  respectable  personal  appearance,  six  feet  tall,  has  fine 
physical  development,  and  enjoys  perfect  health. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  469 


JOSEPHUS  SHACKELFORD. 

Rev.  JosEPHUS,  son  of  Satterwhite  Shackelford,  (a  Virginian  who  served  in 
the  United  States  navy  during- the  war  of   1812/)  and  his  wife,  Courtney  Ann 
Brown,  was  born  February  6th,  1830,  at  Portsmouth,  Norfolk  county,  Virginia, 
He  received  a  common-school  education  in  the  academy  at  Pontatoc,  Mississippi, 
to  which  place  his  father  had  removed  in  1835.     When  but  seventeen  years  of 
age,  in  1847,  he  went  to  Mexico  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  Mississippi  battalion 
commanded  by  Colonel  P.  Anderson,  and  remained  until  the  war  with  that 
country  closed.     On  his  return  home  he  was  led  to  a  knowledge  of  himself  as  a 
sinner  and  of  Christ  as  a  Saviour,  and  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the 
Pontatoc  church,  September,  1849,  by  Rev.  Martin  Ball.     The  prompting  of  de- 
sire and  the  sense  of  duty  ahke  pointed  to  the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry, 
and  the  church  deemed  his  gifts  of  sufficient  promise  to  justify  his  licensure  the 
next  year.     Impressed  with  the  importance  of  a  more  thorough  mental  furnish- 
ing and  training,  as  a  preparation  for  this  sacred  office,   he  pursued  the  usual 
course  of  study  at  Mercer  University.     The  year  1855   constitutes  an  epoch  in 
his  life.     It  was  marked  by  his  father's  death ;  by  his  graduation  ;  by  his  mar- 
riage, in  June,  to  Miss  Ann  Cordelia  Stow,  of  Pcnfield,  who  became  the  mother 
of  seven  children  ;  by  his  ordination,  in  July,  at  the  hands  of  a  presbytery  com- 
posed of  Revs.  Elias  Rogers,  William  Slack,  Joshua  T.  Pitts  and  Martin   Ball ; 
by  his  removal,  in  August,  to  Memphis,  to  take  charge  of  a  mission  station  under 
direction  of  the  First  Baptist  church — a  purpose  thwarted  through  the  church's 
want  of  readiness  for  it ;  and  by  his  settlement  at  Moulton,  Alabama,  which  be- 
came his  sphere  of  labor  for  seven  years  as  President  of  the  Baptist  Female  In- 
stitute.    The  war  between  the  States  called  him  from  the  school-room.     He 
entered  the  Confederate  army  in  1862,  as  captain  of  a  company  of  cavalry,  and 
continued  in  the  service  until  tlie  winter  of  1864,  having  previously  surrendered 
his  military  commission  and  acted  for  a  season  as  chaplain.     He  now  resumed  his 
vocation  as  teacher,  and  took  charge  of  churches  adjacent  to  his  school.     In  July, 
1865,  at  a  time  when  there  was  no  mail  route  and  no  post-office  in  north  Alabama, 
he  commenced  the  publication,  at  Moulton,  of  the  Christian  Herald,  a  weekly 
religious  journal,    which  proved  an  important  agency  for  the  rehabilitation  of 
Baptist   churches   and     Baptist    benevolent,    educational   and    missionary    en- 
terprises  in    its    immediate  field.      The    paper    was     afterwards     transferred 
first  to    Tuscumbia,  and,    again,  to    Nashville,  Tennessee,    and  was,  in  1872, 
merged  into  The  Christian   Index,  of  Atlanta,  Georgia.     In  the  midst  of 
these  editorial  labors,  he  was  pastor  of  Mount  Pleasant  church,  near  Leighton, 
Alabama,  for  twelve  years,  and  of  the  church  at   Tuscumbia  for  ten  ;  his  con- 
nection with  the  former  beginning  in  1865  and  with  the  latter  in  1867.     He  also 
published  a  political  paper,  the  North  Alabamian,  at  Tuscumbia  ;  and  in  1875- 
76  acted  as  Superintendent  of  Education  for  Colbert  county,  in  which  Tuscumbia 
lies.     In  the  winter  of  1877  he  removed  to  Forest  City,  Arkansas,  taking  charge, 
as  pastor,  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  as  president,  of  the  Baptist  College  at  that 
point.     Here  he  wrought  a  good  work  ;  but  the  scenes  of  one's  earlier  labors 
hold  the  heart  with  many  tender  yet  strong  ties,  and  some  twelve  years  later  we 
find  Mr.  Shackelford  returning  to  North   Alabama.     He  became,  as  he  still  is. 
Principal  of  the  Mountain  View  High  School,  near  Trinity,  and  is,  also,  pastor  of 
the  Decatur,  Moulton,  Hillsboro  and  Pleasant  Hill  churches,  and  editor  of  the 
Titsciimbia  Democrat. 

This  is  a  bare  outline  of  his  life  ;  but  it  tells  the  story  of  the  energy,  enterprise, 
persistence  and  self-sacrifice  breathing  through  it,  and  of  the  zeal  for  Christ,  His 
truth  and  His  people,  by  which  it  has  been  animated.  Almost  continuously 
engaged  in  preaching  and  teaching  for  twenty-five  years  ;  with  a  varied  expe- 
rience derived  from  contact  with  the  diverse  phases  of  war  and  peace  ;  with  a 
culture  attested  by  the  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.,  received  from  Mercer  Uni- 


470 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


versity,  and  of  D.  D.,  from  the  Alabama  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College; 
with  those  solid  qualities  of  mind  which  for  the  practical  uses  of  life  are  better 
than  the  brilliant ;  with  a  purity  of  doctrine  and  an  integrity  of  character  never 
subjected  to  challenge ;  with  simple  trust  in  the  merits  and  unreserved  conse- 
cration to  the  cause  of  Christ,  his  record  is  one  which  he  may  review  without  a 
blush,  and  which  we  may  well  expect  him  to  complete  without  a  blemish. 


DAVID  SHAVER. 


Though  not  a  Georgian  by  birth,  Dr.  David 
Shaver  has  become  thoroughly  identified  with 
the  State,  through  his  connection  with  the  edito- 
rial department  of  The  Christian  Index,  and 
by  his  pastoral  connection  with  several  of  our 
churches.  While  one  of  our  ablest  divines  and 
soundest  preachers,  he  is  a  most  scholarly  and 
polished  writer.  In  intellect  he,  perhaps,  has  no 
superior  in  the  State.  In  theology  he  is  a  master 
and  an  oracle  ;  nor  do  the  doctrines  and  practices 
of  our  church  possess  an  abler  exponent  or  de- 
fender than  he.  As  a  preacher  he  would  have 
few  equals  had  he  vocal  organs  unimpaired  by 
disease.  With  all  his  abilities,  he  is  a  man  of  ex- 
ceeding modesty,  and  unpretentious  in  all  he  does 
and  says.  There  is  a  poise  and  self-possession 
in  his  intellectual  faculties,  owing  to  his  scholar- 
ship, which  fit  him  for  mental  gladiatorship  with  any  whom  he  may  meet. 

Born  at  Abingdon,  Virginia,  of  Presbyterian  parents,  November  22d,  1820,  he 
was  reared  in  a  Christian  home,  and  made  a  profession  of  faith  in  Christ  at  the 
early  age  of  seven.  Though  desirous  of  doing  so,  he  was  not  permitted  to  unite 
with  the  church  at  that  age,  his  parents  considering  him  too  young.  It  has  been 
quaintly  remarked  that  parents  sometimes  deem  a  child  of  tender  age  not  wise 
enough  to  find  Christ,  without  laying  to  heart,  as  they  should,  the  truth  that  Christ 
is  wise  enough  to  find  the  child.  Perhaps  such  was  the  case  in  this  instance. 
Eight  years  later,  when  in  his  sixteenth  year,  he  renewed  his  profession  of  faith, 
and  united  with  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church ;  and  such  were  his  attain- 
ments, piety  and  zeal,  that  he  was  licensed  to  preach  in  his  eighteenth  year.  Be- 
fore he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty,  he  entered  the  itinerant  ministry,  in  con- 
nection with  the  Virginia  Annual  Conference,  after  having  devoted  one  year  to 
the  study  of  theology.  The  assumption  of  active  ministerial  functions  by  one 
so  young  indicates  the  exalted  idea  of  his  piety  and  capacities  entertained  by 
those  of  his  denomination  whose  entreaties  mduced  him  to  take  the  step,  even 
against  his  own  judgment.  It  required  but  a  year  or  two  in  the  itinerancy  to 
convince  him  that  the  step  was  premature ;  he  therefore  suspended  active  minis- 
terial labor,  and  engaged  for  three  years  in  diligent  preparation  for  pulpit  ser- 
vice, seeking  thus  to  repair  the  mistake  of  a  too  early  entrance  into  the  ministry. 
It  was  while  thus  fitting  himself  by  study  for  the  ministry,  that  his  marriage 
with  Miss  L.  C.  Nowlin,  of  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  took  place,  in  the  year  1843. 
She  was  a  young  lady  who  had  been  brought  to  Christ  by  one  of  his  own  ser- 
mons, and  who  is  still  living,  a  faithful  and  efficient  helper  in  his  work.  Their 
union  has  been  crowned  with  ten  children,  five  of  whom  are  yet  living,  and  five 
of  whom  passed  in  early  life  to  the  skies. 

About  that  time  he  was  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church  in  Lynch- 
burg, Virginia,  and  was  called  on  to  sprinkle  a  dying  infant.     He  complied,  but 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS  47 1 

with  a  hesitation  and  reluctance  which  forced  the  questionableness  of  the  act  on 
his  mind,  and  he  felt  compelled  to  investigate  and  decide,  once  for  all,  the  ques- 
tion of  proper  church  relations,  a  matter  which  he  had  allowed  to  remain  in 
abeyance.  Previous  to  uniting  with  the  Methodists,  none  of  his  acquaintances 
were  Baptists,  nor  had  he  ever  heard  a  Baptist  minister  preach  when  he  joined 
the  Virginia  Annual  Conference.  As  a  child  he  had  been  reared  by  Presbyterian 
parents,  but,  after  professing  religion  he  acted  for  himself  in  the  matter  of 
choosing  his  ecclesiastical  connections,  and  he  selected  the  Methodist  denomina- 
tion. 

Regarding  the  Baptists  and  Romanists  as  occupying  opposite  extremes  in  the 
ecclesiastical  world,  and  as  certainly  zvrong,  he  concluded  that  the  truth,  speak- 
ing ecclesiastically,  lay  somewhere  between  the  two.  This  species  of  logic 
led  him  to  dismiss  from  his  range  of  study  in  the  year  of  preparation  for 
itinerant  labor,  the  claims  of  Baptists  and  Romanists.  But,  gradually,  after- 
ward, reading  and  investigation  weakened  his  confidence  in  the  principle  in 
medio  tjifissinius  ibis  ;  and,  for  two  years  he  was  greatly  troubled  with  doubts 
as  to  the  scriptural  authority  of  Pedobaptism.  Nevertheless,  he  might  have 
permitted  his  doubts  to  remain  unsettled  and  gradually  die  away  perhaps,  from 
a  want  of  time  and  opportunity  to  give  them  due  attention,  while  pastor  of  a 
Methodist  church,  had  not  the  incident  alluded  to  above  compelled  him  consci- 
entiously to  give  the  subject  a  thorough  investigation.  He  reached  substan- 
tially this  conclusion  :  Baptist  and  Romanist  principles  cover  the  whole  ground 
of  church-building.  As  for  other  denominations,  they  necessarily  must  build 
partly  on  Baptist  ground  and  partly  on  Romanist  ground,  thus  seeking  to  unite 
what  God  has  put  asunder.  Which  of  the  two,  then,  that  build  alone  on  their 
own  ground,  are  right — the  Baptists  or  the  Romanists  ?  The  Scriptures  decide 
in  favor  of  the  Baptists.  This  conclusion  was  forced  on  him ;  and,  although 
the  struggle  was  a  sore  one,  he  followed  his  convictions,  united  with  the  Bap- 
tists, and,  in  November,  1844,  was  baptized  at  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  by  Rev. 
James  C.  Clopton,  and  ordained  to  the  ministry  of  the  Baptist  brotherhood. 
On  the  occasion  of  his  baptism,  and  just  before  the  administration  of  the  ordi- 
nance, he  preached  a  sermon  in  which  he  made  a  presentation  of  his  views  in 
regard  to  Baptist  principles.  That  sermon  led  a  young  man  of  Episcopal  ten- 
dencies to  embrace  Baptist  sentiments,  and  connect  himself  with  our  denomina- 
tion ;  his  name  was  C.  C.  Chaplin,  and  he  is  now  Dr.  Chaplin,  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  church  at  Brenham,  Texas.  Just  twenty-four  years  old  at  the  time  of  this 
ordination,  it  was  a  strong  compliment  to  Mr.  Shaver's  ability  and  to  the  confi- 
dence entertained  in  him,  that  he,  who  was  pastor  of  a  Methodist  church  in 
Lynchburg,  in  1844,  became  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church,  in  Lynchburg,  in 
1845.  And  what  is  also  remarkable,  the  two  houses  of  worship  stood  on  the 
same  side  of  the  same  street,  with  but  one  building  intervening.  There  he  lived 
and  labored  until  called  to  succeed  Dr.  J.  B.  Taylor,  as  pastor  of  the  Grace 
street  church  in  Richmond,  a  position  he  was  compelled  to  _  resign,  after  two 
years,  by  a  disease  of  the  throat,  which  rendered  preaching  impossible.  After 
two  years  of  rest  he  accepted  an  agency  for  the  Domestic  Mission  Board  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention,  for  the  State  of  Virginia,  a  position  from  which 
he  retired,  after  several  years  of  successful  work,  to  take  pastoral  charge  of  the 
church  at  Hampton,  Virginia,  where  he  remained  from  March,  1853  to  the  close 
of  the  year  1856.  His  ministerial  labors  were  successful  in  the  annual  ingather- 
ing of  souls  through  nearly  his  entire  ministerial  career  up  to  that  time.  At 
one  period,  during"  his  Hampton  ministry,  he  baptized  eighty-seven  persons  in 
thirty-five  minutes,  and  yet  he  exercised  no  undue  haste,  nor,  in  fact,  did  he 
regard  time  in  the  matter.  The  circumstance  is  narrated  as  a  matter  of  his- 
torical record,  and  to  show  how  easily  three  thousand  might  be  immersed  by 
twelve  persons  in  the  course  of  one  day. 

In  January,  1857,  Mr.  Shaver,  as  Junior  Editor,  became  associated  with  the 
veteran  Sands,  of  the  Religious  Herald,  the  Baptist  weekly  paper  of  Virginia, 
published  at  Richmond,  and  he  retained  that  position  until  the  surrender  of 
Richmond,  in  1865,  when  the  Herald  o'^ct.  was  burned  with  a  large  part  of  the 
city.     When  the  paper  was  revived,  after  the  war,  by  Drs.  Jeter  and  Dickinson, 


AT- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


Mr.  Shaver  became  Associate  Editor,  and  so  remained  until  his  removal  to  Geor- 
gia, in  1867,  to  become  Editor-in-Chief  of  The  Christian  Index.  He  con- 
tinued to  conduct  Thr  Index,  with  signal  ability,  for  seven  years,  and  m  that 
time  endeared  himself  to  the  hearts  of  all  his  Georgia  brethren  as  an  able,  amia- 
ble, sound  and  highly  cultivated  writer  and  editor.  During  the  time  he  was 
editor,  both  in  Virginia  and  Georgia,  he  supplied  the  pulpits  of  various  churches, 
(including  the  Second  church  at  Richmond,  and  the  First  church  at  Atlanta) 
but  was  unable  to  do  very  much  preaching  because  of  a  bronchial  affection, 
which  seriously  interfered  with  his  enunciation.  He  retired  from  the  editorial 
control  of  The  Index  in  1874,  and  went  to  reside  at  Conyers,  Georgia.  For 
three  years  he  contributed  short  but  very  able  articles  to  the  Texas  Baptist 
Herald,  of  Houston,  Texas,  as  an  "  Editorial  Contributor."  Removing  to  Au- 
gusta, Georgia,  towards  the  close  of  1875,  he  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Third 
Baptist  church  of  that  citv,  August,  1876;  but  in  November,  1877,  he  was 
attacked  by  a  disease  which  kept  him  from  the  pulpit  for  eleven  months,  his 
salary  being  generously  continued  by  his  church  during  that  time.  Admonished 
by  physicians  to  abandon  the  pulpit  in  that  climate,  he  became  connected  with 
Rev.  T.  J.  Robert.  LL.D.,  in  1878,  as  instructor  in  the  Augusta  Theological  In- 
stitute, under  appointment  from  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society. 
He  still  holds  that  position  in  the  institution,  which  has  been  removed  to  the 
capital  of  the  State,  and  is  now  known  as  the  Atlanta  Baptist  Seminary.  He  is 
also  associated  with  Dr.  Tucker  on  the  writing  staff  of  The  Christian  Index. 


J.  A.  SHANK. 


George  Shank  married  Miss  Theresa  Leverett,  and 
settled  in  Wilkes  county,  Georgia,  where  this  son,  J.  A. 
Shank,  was  born,  October  29th,  1843.  His  educational 
advantages  were  such  only  as  were  common  in  country 
districts  at  that  time.  Like  most  boys,  he  did  not  value 
them  highly,  except  during  the  last  three  years,  when, 
stimulated  by  a  competent  teacher,  he  applied  himself 
closely.  He  acquired  a  very  good  English  education,  with 
a  considerable  knowledge  of  Latin  and  Greek,  and  would 
have  taken  a  thorough  literary  and  classical  course,  if  the 
late  civil  war  had  not  closed  the  school  by  requiring  all 
who  were  of  sufficient  age  to  join  the  army.  The  broken  thread  of  mental 
development  was  never  reknit,  so  far  as  respects  the  class-room,  except  that, 
after  he  engaged  in  the  ministry,  he  gave  two  years  to  the  studies  prosecuted  in 
the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Greenville,  South  Carolina. 

He  appears  to  have  been  the  subject  of  deep  religious  impressions,  at  times, 
from  his  early  boyhood.  But  he  was  never  fully  satisfied  that  he  had  expe- 
rienced the  renewing  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  until  he  was  about  twenty-six 
years  of  age,  when  he  was  baptized,  by  Rev.  E.  A.  Steed,  into  Greenwood 
church,  Lincoln  county,  Georgia.  This  occurred  in  1 869,  and  four  years  later 
he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  at  the  same  church.  He  was  at  once  chosen 
as  its  pastor,  and  has  retained  that  position  to  the  present  time — a  fact  evincing 
high  appreciation  of  his  services.  The  year  of  his  ordination  was  also  the 
year  of  his  marriage  to  Miss  Eva  C.  Harris,  who  has  borne  him  three  children. 
Even  from  his  boyhood  he  always  avoided  bad  company,  and  his  associations 
through  life  have  been  of  the  best  character.  As  might  be  inferred  from  this 
fact,  he  is  eminently  and  scrupulously  truthful  and  honest,  standing  for  the 
right  and  against  the  wrong  with  a  force  of  will  which  imparts  an  aspect  of 
sternness  to  his  countenance,  and  renders  him  remarkable  for  shrinking  before 


OF   PROMINENT    BAPTISTS. 


173 


no  opposition,  and  for  surmounting  all  difficulties.  Erect  in  his  carriage,  with  tall 
and  commanding  person,  his  manner,  both  in  the  pulpit  and  out  of  it,  is  unaf- 
fected and  simple.  He  is  a  bold  speaker,  and  never  otherwise  than  calm  and 
collected.  As  a  pastor,  he  visits  all  classes,  especially  the  poor,  and  seeks  to 
win  the  love  of  his  people  by  loving  them.  He  is  diligent  in  study,  aiming  to 
"show  himself  approved  unto  God,  as  a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be 
ashamed,"  and  recognizes,  as  the  best  help  toward  the  understanding  of  the 
Scriptures,  the  Scriptures  themselves,  and  the  "unction  from  the  Holy  One," 


ADIEL  SHERWOOD. 


Among  those  who 
knew  him,  Rev.  Adiel 
Sherwood,  D.D.,  was 
revered  for  his  sincere 
piety,  for  his  constant 
labors,  for  his  ripe  schol- 
arship, unwearied  zeal, 
humility  of  spirit,  kind- 
liness of  heart,  gentle- 
ness of  nature,  and  pu- 
rity of  character.  He 
made  Georgia  his  adopt- 
ed home  in  1818,  and, 
joining  hands  with  the 
noble  band  then  in  the 
van  of  our  denomina- 
tion in  the  State,  for 
forty  years  he  toiled  for 
Baptist  honor  and  suc- 
cess, as  a  preacher,  edu- 
cator and  author ;  aided 
in  rolling  back  the  tide 
of  Antinomianism  that 
threatened  to  engulph 
our  State,  and  helped  to 
send  forth  that  cultiva- 
ted young  ministry 
which  now  sheds  lustre 
on  our  denomination  in 
Georgia.  Able  in  the 
pulpit  and  with  the  pen,  wise  in  counsel,  modest  in  manner,  warm  in  sympathy,  and 
always  ajDundant  in  labors,  he  will  ever  occupy  a  lofty  niche  among  those  whom 
Georgia  Baptists  revere  and  honor. 

He  was  born  at  Fort  Edwards,  New  York,  October  3d,  1791,  and  was,  con- 
sequently, about  eighty-eight  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  took 
place  ot  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  August  i8th,  1879.  His  known  genealogy  extends 
back  to  1633,  when  three  brothers  emigrated  from  England  to  America,  one 
of  whom.  Dr.  Thomas  Sherwood,  great  grandfather  of  Adiel  Sherwood,  settled 
in  New  York  city.  In  1760  Dr.  Shei  wood's  grandfather,  Seth  Sherwood,  and 
his  son,  Adiel  Sherwood,  Sr.,  settled  at  Fort  Edwards,  forty-five  miles  north  of 
Albany,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson,  where  Dr.  Sherwood  was  born.  Adiel 
Sherwood,  Sr.,  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and,  in  charge  of  twelve 
men,  was  sent  from  Fort  Ticonderoga  with  supplies  for  Gen.  Arnold,  who  was 


474  HKJdRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

fleeing  from  the  British.  He  met  Arnold  at  Plattsburgh,  delivered  his  supplies, 
and  returned.  He  afterwards  went  with  Arnold  to  relieve  a  post  near  Utica, 
New  York,  and  subsequently  was  twice  put  in  command  of  Fort  Ann,  the  last 
time  being  captured  by  the  British  and  taken  to  Montreal,  Canada,  with  his 
father  and  a  brother,  about  1780.  On  his  release  he  returned  to  New  York,  and 
was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature  in  1783.  During  that  cold  wmter  which 
the  Colonial  army  spent  at  Valley  Forge,  he  was  there  with  General  Washmg- 
ton  ;  and,  in  1783,  in  his  trip  to  the  North,  Washington,  both  going  and  return- 
ing, spent  a  night  under  the  roof  of  Adiel  Sherwood,  Sr.,  at  Fort  Edwards. 
Though  only  about  eight  years  of  age  at  the  time,  Dr.  Sherwood  has  often  said 
he  could  distinctly  remember  the  meeting-houses  being  draped  in  mourning  at 
the  death  of  Washington  in  1799,  and  his  memory  could  go  back  to  the  mar- 
riage of  his  sister  in  1795. 

Dr.  Sherwood  was  raised  on  a  farm,  and  acquired  early  two  useful  habits — 
first,  to  rise  early  in  the  j/iornzng  ;  and,  secondly,  to  do  at  once  any  business  or 
work  he  had  to  perform.  In  February,  1810,  at  eighteen,  he  professed  conver- 
sion, and  was  baptized  at  Kingsbury,  by  Rev.  Ebenezer  Harrington,  and  the 
same  year  he  began  to  study  the  languages  under  Salem  Town,  LL.D.  The 
next  winter  he  taught  school.  He  entered  Middlebury  College,  Vermont,  in 
1813,  andthe  following  winter  taught  a  school  of  one  hundred  pupils  at  Fort 
Ann.  In  1 816  he  obtamed  an  honorable  dismission  from  Middlebury  College, 
and  entered  Union  College,  at  Schenectady,  New  York,  because  it  was  more 
convenient.  He  was  graduated  in  181 7,  and  at  commencement  delivered  a 
poem,  "  The  Battle  of  Niagara,"  which  has  since  been  published.  Immediately 
he  entered  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  remained  over  a  year,  and  studied 
Hebrew  under  Moses  Stuart ;  but,  his  health  failing,  Dr.  Porter  advised  him  to 
come  South.  With  letters  of  introduction  to  Drs.  Brantly,  Mercer,  Baldwin,  and 
others,  he  landed  in  Savannah  in  the  fall  of  181 8,  and  there  preached  his  first 
sermon,  in  the  Baptist  church.  He  taught  school  in  the  winter  of  181 8  and  18 19 
at  Waynesboro,  Georgia,  in  going  to  which  place  from  Savannah  he  passed 
through  Augusta,  making  the  acquaintance  of  Abram  Marshall,  and  preaching 
at  night  in  the  court-house  to  the  Baptist  congregation,  Abram  Marshall  preach- 
ing in  the  morning.  His  first  meeting  with  Jesse  Mercer  took  place  at  a  meet- 
ing of  a  missionary  society,  near  Louisville,  Georgia,  in  the  winter  of  1818. 
During  that  winter  he  preached  at  Waynesboro,  Brushy  Creek,  (by  which  church 
he  was  regularly  licensed),  and  at  Bottsford,  Little  Buckhead,  and  at  Providence, 
in  Jefferson  county,  where  occurred  the  meeting  with  Jesse  Mercer.  In  June,  • 
1 8 19,  he  spent  a  Sabbath  and  several  days  at  Powellton  with  Jesse  Mercer,  going 
thence  to  Athens,  where  he  preached  for  Dr.  Waddel,  President  of  Franklin 
College,  in  the  college  chapel.  The  summer  of  that  year  was  spent  by  him  in 
preaching  at  Mars  Hill,  Trail  Branch,  Lexington  and  Bethlehem,  which  church 
he  ioined  by  letter,  and  by  which  he  was  called  to  ordination.  His  ordination 
took  place  in  March,  1820,  at  Bethesda,  Greene  county,  about  twelve  miles  east 
of  Greenesboro,  Jesse  Mercer,  pastor,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  Georgia  Association,  Mercer,  Reeves,  Armstrong,  Roberts,  among  others, 
officiating.  During  the  summer  he  visited  his  parents  in  New  York,  and  attended 
the  Triennial  Convention,  in  Philadelphia;  and  on  his  way  preaching  for  Dr. 
Johnson,  in  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  for  Dr.  Furman,  in  Charleston,  and  for 
Dr.  Staughton,  in  Philadelphia,  and  returning  to  Georgia  in  October.  He 
attended  the  Sarepta  Association,  at  Ruckersville,  in  Elbert  county,  that  year, 
and  presented  the  resolution  to  form  a  State  Baptist  Convention,  which  finally 
resulted  in  our  present  Georgia  State  Baptist  Convention.  The  following  year, 
1 823,  Dr.  Sherwood  again  attended  the  Triennial  Convention,  which  met  in  Wash- 
ington City,  and  he  offered  a  resolution,  which  was  adopted,  urging  all  the  States 
to  organize  Conventions;  and  in  a  few  years  this  was  accomplished.  In  1821 
he  aided  Jesse  Mercer  in  organizing  the  church  at  Greenesboro,  of  which  church 
Dr.  Sherwood  was  the  pastor  for  eleven  years.  He  was  elected  Clerk  and  Treas- 
urer of  the  State  Association,  or  Convention,  in  1824,  and  so  continued  for  ten 
years.  He  took  charge  of  the  Eatonton  Academy  in  1827,  and  became  pastor, 
also,  of  the  Eatonton  church,  of  which  he  had  charge  until  1836  or  1837.     In 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  475 

1827,  the  year  in  which  he  went  to  Eatonton,  a  great  revival  commenced  there, 
which  soon  spread  over  a  dozen  counties,  resulting  in  the  conversion  and  bap- 
tism of  many  hundreds  of  persons.  Besides  the  Eatonton  church,  Dr.  Sher- 
wood had  charge  then  of  the  Milledgeville  and  Monticello  churches,  and  an  idea 
of  his  great  zeal  and  activity  may  be  obtained  when  it  is  known  that,  during 

1828,  besides  baptizing,  and  laboring  in  prayer-meetings  and  in  private,  he  trav- 
elled over  forty  counties  and  preached  333  sermons.  He  established  a  small 
theological  school,  in  1828,  at  Eatonton,  and,  among  others,  taught  Hand  and 
Campbell. 

In  1832,  he  began  a  manual  labor  school  near  the  same  village,  with  ten  or 
twelve  pupils  ;  but  at  the  suggestion  of  Judge  Stocks  and  others,  forming  a  com- 
mittee of  the  State  Convention,  who  visited  and  inspected  his  school,  in  August 
of  that  year  he  discontinued  it,  and  sent  his  pupils  to  Penfield,  where  Mercer  In- 
stitute, afterwards  Mercer  University,  was  begun,  under  Rev.  B.  M.  Sanders,  in 
January,  i'833.  It  was  a  resolution  offered  by  him  in  favor  of  a  theological  insti- 
tution, at  the  Baptist  State  Convention  which  met  at  Big  Buckhead  church, 
Burke  county,  in  1-831,  that  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  a  manual  labor 
school,  and  finally  of  Mercer  University,  at  Penfield.  He  attended  the  Triennial 
Convention  with  Judge  Stocks  in  1832  at  New  York,  and  also  at  Richmond  in 
1835,  in  company  with  Jesse  Mercer.  He  aided  in  the  formation  of  the  Ameri- 
can and  Foreign  Bible  Society  in  Philadelphia,  and  during  1837  and  1838  was  a 
professor  in  Columbian  College,  Washington  City ;  but  in  the  fall  of  1838  he 
was  recalled  to  Georgia,  and  became  professor  of  Sacred  Literature  in  Mercer 
University.  He  filled  that  position  three  years,  and  then  accepted  the  presi- 
dency of  Shurtleff  College,  Alton,  Illinois,  in  1841,  which  position  he  held  sev- 
eral years.  During  the  years  1846-7  he  was  secretary  of  the  American  Indian 
Mission  Association,  and  visited  the  Indian  missions  among  the  Cherokees, 
Chickasaws  and  Choctaws.  He  was  president  of  the  Masonic  College,  Lexing- 
ton, Missouri,  in  1848-9,  and  in  1852  was  called  to  the  charge  of  the  church  at 
Cape  Girardeau,  Missouri,  where  he  remained  until  rheumatism  rendered  it 
necessary  for  him  to  return  South.  In  1857  he  returned  to  Georgia,  became 
president  of  Marshall  College,  Griffin,  then  pastor  of  the  Eatonton,  Monticello 
and  Greenville  churches,  and  also  of  the  church  in  Griffin,  where  he  resided  until 
he  settled  upon  a  farm  in  Butts  county  in  1863. 

In  1865,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  he  moved  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death,  actively  engaged  in  preaching  to  both  white  and  colored  and 
writing  for  the  press,  until  actually  prostrated  on  his  bed  of  death  by  erysipelas 
in  the  face,  which  ended  his  mortal  carjcer  at  an  age  far  beyond  that  usually  allot- 
ted to  man.  His  last  pastorate  was  at  Kirkwood,  Missouri,  in  1870,  fifty  years 
after  his  first  pastorate,  at  Bethlehem,  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia. 

In  all  his  long  and  varied  life.  Dr.  Adiel  Sherwood  was  an  earnest  and  con- 
stant worker  ;  he  never  ate  the  bread  of  idleness.  It  was  while  confined  to  his 
couch  by  rheumatism  that  he  wrote  his  "  Notes  "  on  the  whole  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, his  chief  literary  effort.  A  large  part  of  his  time  for  fifty  years  of  his 
life  was  spent  in  teaching  others,  in  positions  from  that  of  a  pedagogue  of  a 
small  school  for  boys  and  girls  when  he  was  nineteen  years  old,  to  the  presi- 
dency of  various  colleges  ;  yet  he  never  ceased  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  was 
a  constant  contributor  to  the  religious  press,  as  well  as  the  author  of  several  vol- 
umes of  real  and  lasting  merit.  His  work  in  Georgia  was  most  useful  as  well  as 
prominent.  Coming  to  the  State  when  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  he  took  rank 
at  once  with  the  leading  Baptists,  and  became  their  coadjutor  not  only  in  laying 
broad  and  deep  the  foundations  for  Baptist  growth  and  prosperity,  but  in  work- 
ing heartily,  enthusiastically  and  self-sacrificingly  in  building  up  our  denomina- 
tion to  a  lofty,  useful,  influential  and  proud  position  in  Georgia.  He  was  the 
first  pastor  of  the  churches  at  Penfield,  Milledgeville,  Macon,  Greenesboro,  Griffin, 
Monticello  and  Greenville,  and  did  much  to  found  and  organize  those  churches. 
He  was  the  first  to  start  a  purely  Baptist  theological  school  in  the  State,  which 
he  did  at  Eatonton  in  1828,  and  it  was  his  success  in  the  conduct  of  a  manual 
labor  school  at  Eatonton  in  1831  and  1832,  that  led  to  a  favorable  decision,  by  a 
committee  of  the  State  Convention,  in  regard  to  the  adoption  of  a  similar  sys- 


476  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

tern  by  the  Convention  in  1832,  and  the  inauguration  of  the  system,  January, 
1833,  at  Peniield. 

He  was  among  the  originators,  not  only  of  Mercer  University,  but  of  the  State 
Convention  itself ;  and  he  was  one  among  those  earnest,  faithful  and  laborious 
Baptist  preachers  who,  sixty  years  ago,  gave  that  impetus  to  our  denomination 
in  Georgia  which  makes  it  stand  foremost  to-day  in  our  State.  In  1820,  at  the 
Sarepta  Association,  which  met  at  Ruckersville,  Elbert  county,  he  presented  the 
resolution  which  resulted  in  the  formation,  at  Powelton,  in  June,  1822,  of  the  Bap- 
tist General  Association,  afterwards  called  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  ;  and 
in  1 83 1,  in  the  Convention  which  met  at  Big  Buckhead  church,  Burke  county,  he 
brought  in  the  resolution  to  open  a  manual  labor  school,  and  actually  raised 
$1,500  to  buy  the  land,  after  the  resolution  was  adopted.  It  was  during  his  ministry 
in  Eatonton,  Putnam  county,  that,  in  July,  1 827,  a  great  revival  commenced  in  that 
place,  and  spread  over  many  counties  in  the  State,  the  result  in  three  Associa- 
tions only — the  Ocmulgee,  the  Flint  and  the  Georgia— being  fifteen  thousand 
baptisms. 

His  labors  as  a  State  missionary,  sometimes  voluntary  and  sometimes  em- 
ployed, were  remarkably  abundant.  For  instance,  in  the  year  1835,  notwith- 
standing a  trip  to  New  York  and  to  the  Triennial  Convention  at  Richmond, 
Virginia,  he  preached  zealously  in  eighty  of  the  counties  of  Georgia.  Indeed, 
we  may  say  that  much  of  the  missionary  and  educational  spirit  among  Georgia 
Baptists  is  due  to  Dr.  Sherwood,  and  as  early  as  July,  1819,  he  organized  a  Sun- 
day-school at  Trail  Branch  church,  near  Athens. 

Thus  we  have  seen  that,  with  the  exception  of  some  years  spent  in  other  States, 
from  the  year  1818  to  1865,  Rev.  Adiel  Sherwood  was  identified  with  the  Baptist 
religious,  educational,  missionary  and  Sunday-school  interests  of  Georgia,  and 
performed  a  full  share  among  the  giants  of  former  days,  in  promoting  those  in- 
terests. He  had  the  great  advantage  of  being  thoroughly  educated  and  a  real 
scholar,  well  versed  in  the  dead  languages  and  a  master  of  his  own.  Theologi- 
cally educated  by  the  most  pious  and  learned  men  of  his  day,  it  was  one  of  his 
dying  consolations  that  he  had  never  been  charged  with  "heresy" — that  is,  un- 
sound views  of  doctrine  or  practice — a  misconstruction  and  misapplication  of 
God's  truth  as  revealed  in  the  Bible.  His  religious  principles,  as  a  Baptist,  were 
the  result  of  thorough  and  genuine  conviction,  and  he  never  hesitated  or  feared 
to  declare  them,  yet  he  loved  and  respected  true  Christians  of  every  name. 
Truth  was  the  centre  of  his  theology :  it  went  hand  in  hand  with  common  sense, 
and  these  two  were  girded  by  sincerity,  honesty  and  courage,  the  animating  prin- 
ciple of  all  being  love  to  God  and  man. 

His  was  a  most  lovely  Christian  character.  No  one  ever  heard  him  speak 
harshly  of  another.  The  worst  he  ever  was  known  to  say  of  those  who  wronged 
him  was,  "Well,  I  am  sorry  for  them."  A  splendid  model  of  the  Christian  gen- 
tleman, he  was,  at  the  same  time,  the  embodiment  of  modesty  and  humility. 
Lofty  in  morals,  pure  in  thought,  in  conception  clear,  and  in  purpose  firm  as  a 
rock,  he  was  as  gentle  as  a  lamb.  With  all  his  intellectual  force  and  moral 
grandeur  of  character,  he  felt  that  he  was  but  one  cf  God's  "  little  ones."  While 
characterized  by  a  childlike  simplicity  and  the  utmost  modesty  of  demeanor,  he 
was,  nevertheless,  a  stalwart,  clothed  in  the  whole  panoply  of  God— a  man  of 
faith  and  prayer  and  courage  and  fidelity,  standing  to  the  last  unflinchingly  "  in 
his  lot,"  like  the  Roman  sentinel  at  the  gates  of  Pompeii,  heroically  faithful  to 
duty  even  amid  the  engulphing  ashes  of  Vesuvius.  Tall  and  commanding  in 
personal  appearance  ;  logical  in  the  cast  of  his  mind  ;  as  brave  and  lion-hearted 
as  Paul  himself ;  yet  he  was  full  of  tender  sympathy  and  unselfish  meekness. 
Nor  was  his  humility  a  mere  external  assumption  of  cant  and  sanctimoniousness— 
a  mere  simulation  of  meekness  and  lowliness  in  demeanor ;  but  it  was  the  soft- 
ened manifestation  of  a  noble,  manly  Christian  character,  which  shone  from 
every  lineament  and  feature  of  his  face,  in  all  the  demonstrations  of  his  spirit, 
and  all  the  actions  of  his  life.  But  though  he  was  so  retiring  and  modest,  yet 
his  life  was  so  intrinsically  valuable  and  useful — so  essentially  effulgent  in  merit, 
utility  and  efficiency — that  it  Ut  up  his  modesty  and  humility  with  a  glistening 
radiance,  as  the  sun  gilds  the  clouds  which  hide  it,  or,  shone  through  them,  to 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  4/7 

the  admiration  of  all,  as  the  sun's  rays  penetrate  the  obscuring  mist  and  please 
the  eye  by  their  mellow  beams.  His  life,  devoted  to  the  education  of  the  young, 
to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  and  to  the  elevation  of  the  masses  of  mankind,  w^as 
no  meteor  flashing  through  the  sky  and  dying  away  in  spangles  ;  not  an  erratic 
comet  following  no  regular  orbit  around  the  sun  ;  but  it  was  a  steady  and  lumin- 
ous star,  grand  and  lustrous  as  Jupiter,  sailing  majestically  along  in  the  orbit  of 
duty  and  utility,  until  eclipsed  forever  by  death.  In  eternity  thousands  of  gems, 
brilliant  with  fadeless  lustre,  shall  gleam  in  his  diadem  of  glory  forever. 

As  father  and  friend,  as  husband  and  brother,  as  citizen  and  companion,  he 
was  always  the  same  great  and  good  man,  full  of  love  and  humility,  and  ever 
faithfully  and  prayerfully  engaged  in  the  cause  of  Christ  and  of  humanity.  His 
piety,  like  gold  tried  in  the  fire,  was  thoroughly  refined  and  the  same  every- 
where— in  public  and  in  private,  in  the  family  and  in  the  social  circle,  in  business 
and  in  religion.  No  living  being  ever  uttered  a  word  of  reproach  against  his 
public  or  private  character.  He  himself  asserted  that  the  general  average  of 
his  salary  for  preaching  all  through  his  pastoral  life  of  forty  years,  was  just  one 
hundred  dollars  a  year,  yet  such  was  his  financial  ability,  even  amid  continual 
mutations  in  life,  that  he  amassed  a  competency,  notwithstanding  great  losses 
by  the  war,  and  left  his  family  in  comparative  ease  and  comfort. 

He  was  married  twice— the  first  time  to  Mrs.  Early,  relict  of  Governor  Early, 
in  May,  1 821,  and  the  second  time  to  Miss  Heriot,  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
in  May,  1824,  who,  with  two  daughters,  still  survives  him. 

Dr.  Sherwood  fought  a  good  fight ;  he  kept  the  faith  ;  he  finished  his  course  ; 
and  the  crown  of  the  righteous  is  his.  Comparatively  few  of  the  present  gen- 
eration knew  Dr.  Sherwood,  and  still  fewer  are  aware  of  the  really  distinguished 
position  held  by  him,  in  society,  and  maintained  even  until  the  day  of  his  death. 
A  few  facts  illustrative,  may  not  be  inappropriate  nor  uninteresting  to  the 
reader.  His  father  was  a  friend  and  companion  of  General  Washington,  and 
entertained  him  twice,  when  he  was  on  a  tour ;  and  Dr.  Sherwood  himself  was 
introduced  to,  or  personally  acquainted  with,  nearly  all  of  our  Presidents  from 
Washington  to  Grant.  He  spent  a  day  with  Madison  at  his  home  in  Virginia  ; 
he  dined  with  Jefterson,  at  Monticello ;  lunched  with  Monroe  ;  supped  with 
Jackson,  when  Polk  was  one  of  the  guests  ;  took  tea  with  Van  Buren ;  and  was 
frequently  in  the  company  of  John  Ouincy  Adams,  Buchanan,  Johnson,  Fill- 
more and  Tyler.  He  was  acquainted  with  fifteen  or  twenty  of  the  Governors 
of  Georgia,  from  D.  B.  Mitchell  to  Governors  Jenkins  and  Brown.  He  was 
appointed  by  the  Governor  of  Georgia,  one  of  the  examiners  of  the  class  of 
1832,  in  the  State  University,  when  Howell  Cobb,  A.  H.  Stephens  and  H.  V. 
Johnson  graduated.  He  frequently  shared  the  hospitality  of  the  Governors  of 
Georgia,  and  baptized  the  wife  of  one  of  them.  He  was  the  personal  friend, 
also,  of  nineteen  United  States  Senators  from  Georgia  and  of  about  seventy  of 
her  Representatives,  three  of  whom  were  his  pupils,  as  was  also,  one  Governor 
of  Alabama.  He  aided  in  the  education  of  more  than  thirty  young  ministers, 
some  of  whom  became  eminently  useful,  such  as  Dawson,  Campbell,  T.  U. 
Wilkes  and  Bulkley.  He  was  on  terms  of  personal  friendship,  with  all  the 
most  noted  Baptist  ministers  of  Georgia,  from  1818  to  the  close  of  the  war, 
beginning  with  A.  Marshall,  Dozier  Thornton,  Thomas  Maxwell,  John  Cleve- 
land, Edmund  Talbot,  Francis  Callaway  (father  of  Frank,)  Cartledge,  Hooten, 
Thomas  Johnson,  Robert  Maginty,  James  Mathews,  Jesse  Mercer,  Littleton 
Meeks,  Timothy  Carrington,  Sr.,  and  so  on  down  to  the  elder  ministers  of  the 
present  generation. 


478 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


JOHN  A.  SHIVERS. 

Rev.  John  A.  Shivers  was  born  in  Warren  cc-unty, 
Georgia,  near  Mayfield,  January  21st,  1840.  His  father 
vi^as  a  deacon  of  Horeb  Baptist  church,  and  a  man  of  ac- 
knowledged piety.  His  mother,  daughter  of  William 
Sheffield,  of  Hancock  county,  was  a  woman  of  great 
sagacity,  eminent  for  her  piety  and  devotion  to  her  chil- 
dren. Her  greatest  anxiety  was  for  this  son,  who  seemed 
in  early  life  to  be  disposed  to  be  wild,  with  a  distaste  for 
books  and  the  restraints  of  home.  At  length,  by  the  kind 
and  gentle  influence  of  his  mother,  he  became  interested 
in  reading  some  striking  and  touching  stories  in  the  Sun- 
day-school books.  In  this  way  she  secured  a  promise  from  him  to  abstain  from 
intoxicating  drink ;  but  he  still  gave,  in  other  respects,  loose  rein  to  his  passions, 
until  his  mother's  patience  seemed  to  be  exhausted,  and  she  exclaimed,  "John 
will  never  be  of  any  account."  This,  with  some  hopeful  words  from  his  father, 
proved  the  turning  point  in  his  life.  He  became  deeply  impressed,  went  to  God 
in_  prayer,  and,  as  an  humble  suppliant,  sought  renewing  grace.  He  asked  the 
Divine  Helper  so  to  shape  his  future  for  him  that  he  might  be  a  source  no  longer 
of  grief  but  of  comfort  to  his  mother.  God  heard  this  little  boy's  prayer,  and 
his  parents  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  his  baptism  into  the  fellowship  of 
Horeb  church  in  the  fall  of  1857.  In  December,  i860,  when  his  mother  died, 
a  dark  shadow  of  despondency  came  over  him,  because,  though  his  mother  had 
often  said  "John  is  a  good  boy,"  she  could  never  know  that  he  had  made  a  use- 
ful man.  His  greatest  ambition  was  to  show  her  that  he  would  be  of  some 
account. 

At  length  the  war  came  on,  and  in  April,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier 
in  the  McDuffie  Rifles,  of  Warren  county.  After  being  a  member  of  the  Fifth 
Georgia  regiment,  he  joined  the  Tenth  Georgia  cavalry,  with  which  he  remained 
until  the  war  closed.  On  his  return  he  began  to  seek  for  means  of  mental  cul- 
ture, his  education  being  very  limited.  Though  then  twenty-five  years  old,  he 
entered  the  special  school  taught  by  Professors  Willett  and  Sanford,  at  Penfield. 
The  close  confinement  of  the  school-room  and  hard  study  did  not  agree  with 
him,  and  his  failing  health  and  lack  of  funds  caused  him  to  leave  Penfield.  But 
he  soon  recommenced  his  studies  in  the  school  of  Rev.  J.  W.  Ellington,  at  May- 
field.  About  this  time  he  encountered  one  of  the  greatest  trials  ot  his  life.  He 
was  ambitious  to  make  a  name  for  himself  among  the  great  of  this  world.  These 
high  thoughts  darkened  his  soul.  Doubts  as  to  his  conversion  troubled  him,  and 
he  proposed  to  abandon  his  church  relations.  He  became  sceptical,  and  ques- 
tioned and  denied  the  very  existence  of  God.  One  evening  while  alone  in  his 
room,  having  again  and  again  read  his  Bible  through,  he  began  to  destroy  it. 
But  mighty  conviction  seized  him ;  all  his  scepticism  was  swept  sway  as  with  a 
flood,  and  the  Lord  made  him  feel,  then  and  there,  that  He  had  a  special  work 
for  him  to  do.  Then  the  struggle  came  ;  to  abandon  all  his  ambition  for  worldly 
distinction,  yield  to  the  Divine  Will,  and  thus  glorify,  not  himself,  but  God.  The 
victory  was  gained  at  length,  and  he  surrendered  himself  to  Jesus  and  his  cause. 
Not  long  after  this,  the  Elim  Baptist  church  gave  him  a  license  to  preach.  He 
removed  his  membership  back  to  the  Horeb  church,  and  in  1868  was  ordained 
a  deacon,  thus  succeeding  to  an  office  which  had  been  so  long  held  by  his  father. 
He  taught  and  went  to  school  alternately  until  1869.  He  was  then  called  to  the 
Black  Spring  church,  Baldwin  county,  Georgia,  was  ordained  by  Revs.  N.  B. 
Binion  and  W.  L.  Smith  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  preached  to  this  church 
and  Salem  church,  in  Jones  county.  After  enjoying  the  superior  advantages  of 
the  school  taught  by  W.  J.  Northen,  at  Mount  Zion,  and  supplying  the  pulpit  of 
the  Baptist  church  there,  he  was  recalled  by  his  old  patrons  to  the  school-room. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS, 


479 


In  October,  1872,  he  was  married  to  Miss  M.  P.  Smith,  of  Baldwin  county. 
In  1873  he  entered  the  Sophomore  class  of  Mercer  University,  but  again  his 
health  failed  and  he  was  compelled  to  leave.  After  teaching  school  at  Mayfield 
in  1875,  he  moved  to  Warrenton  in  1876,  where  he  now  resides,  to  take  an  im- 
portant position  in  the  High  School ;  but  the  school  being  large,  his  physical 
disabilities  forced  him  to  retire  from  it.  During  this  time  he  supplied  the  church 
at  Horeb.  He  has  been  a  man  of  rather  feeble  constitution,  but  a  most  labori- 
ous worker.  In  the  fall  of  1877  he  purchased  the  Warrenton  Clipper,  and  has 
since  been  devoting  himself  for  the  most  part  to  the  editorial  profession. 

He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Washington  Association,  taking  great  interest 
and  an  efficient  part  in  all  measures  pertaining  to  the  advancement  of  the  King- 
dom of  Christ.  He  is  an  earnest  supporter  of  the  cause  of  missions,  and  a 
liberal  giver  to  it. 

As  a  minister  he  stands  high  among  his  brethren.  His  mind  is  logical  and  he 
presents  his  subjects  so  clearly  and  forcibly  that  no  one  can  misunderstand  him. 
As  a  speaker  he  is  always  listened  to  with  interest  and  profit.  He  is  energetic, 
persevering  in  whatever  he  undertakes,  punctual  to  every  engagement,  polite  and 
gentlemanly,  winning  friends  wherever  he  goes. 

In  his  home  relations  he  is  peculiarly  blessed.  Three  most  interesting  little 
boys,  and  a  wife,  small  in  person,  but  large  in  heart  and  full  of  energy,  with 
cultured  mind,  and  possessing  all  the  qualities  of  the  noble  Christian  woman, 
make  home  happy.     He  is  kind  and  affectionate  as  a  father  and  a  husband. 

Improved  in  health,  living  with  a  people  who  have  known  him  all  his  life,  and 
recommencing  the  pastorate,  a  work  he  loves,  he  will,  with  the  blessing  of  God, 
be  the  means  of  accomplishing  great  good. 


JOHN  GILL  SHORTER. 

By  virtue  of  his  Georgian  nativity  and  education,  this 
pious  and  noble  Christian  jurist  and  statesman  is  entitled 
to  an  honored  place  on  the  illustrious  roll  of  Georgia 
Baptists. 

Hon.  John  Gill  Shorter  was  born  in  Monticello, 
Jasper  county,  Georgia,  on  the  23d  of  April,  181 8. 
His  preparatory  training  was  conducted  at  Eatonton  and 
Mount  Zion,  by  that  distinguished  teacher.  Dr.  C.  P.  Be- 
man,  and  his  collegiate  education  at  Franklin  College, 
Athens,  whence  he  was  graduated  with  distinction  in 
1837,  in  a  class  of  remarkable  men.  After  his  graduation, 
he  came  to  his  new  home  in  Eufaula  (then  Irwinton),  Alabama,  to  which  his 
father,  General  Reuben  C.  Shorter,  had  removed  a  short  time  before.  There  he 
commenced  the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1838.  His  ad- 
vancement in  his  profession  was  rapid,  as  might  have  been  predicted  of  a  young 
man  of  his  superior  talents  and  indomitable  energy 

In  1842  he  was  appointed  solicitor  of  his  judicial  circuit  by  Governor  Fitzpat- 
rick  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  served  out  the  term  with  great  ability  and  acceptance. 
An  evidence  of  his  growing  popularity  and  promise  was  the  circumstance  of  his 
election  in  1845  to  the  State  Senate  by  a  triumphant  majority,  in  a  county  which, 
the  previous,  year,  had  given  a  majority  of  250  to  the  opposite  political  party. 

After  a  brilliant  service  in  the  Senate  he  declined  a  re-election,  and  did  not  re- 
turn to  political  life  until  1851,  but  spent  the  interval  attending  closely  to  his  ex- 
tensive legal  practice  and  to  the  managment  of  his  planting  interests.  In  1851 
he  consented  to  become  a  candidate  for  the  lower  branch  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly, and  was  easily  elected.     While  holding  the  position  of   representative,  he 


48o  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

was  appointed  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  by  Governor  Collier,  to  fill  the  vacancy- 
occasioned  by  the  promotion  of  Judge  Goldthwaite  from  the  Circuit  to  the  Su- 
preme Court  bench,  Shortly  after  his  appointment,  in  1852,  he  was  regularly 
elected  by  the  people  of  his  circuit  to  the  judgeship  for  the  ensuing  term  of  six 
years.  He  filled  the  office  so  ably  and  acceptably  to  men  of  all  parties  during 
this  term,  that  at  its  expiration  he  was  re-elected  to  the  next  term  without  oppo- 
sition. 

It  was  during  this  third  term  of  judicial  service  that  the  Secession  crisis  came 
on.  In  i860  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  of  Alabama  as  a  commissioner 
to  the  Secession  Convention  of  Georgia,  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  his  native 
with  his  adopted  State  in  the  great  revolutionary  movement  then  contemplated. 
This  mission  he  performed  with  ability  and  success. 

He  resigned  the  judgeship  in  1861  to  accept  &  seat  in  the  Provisional  Con- 
gress of  the  Confederate  States,  and  served  in  that  body  at  Montgomery  and  at 
Richmond  until  elected  Governor  of  Alabama  in  the  same  year.  He  was  inau- 
gurated Governor  in  November,  1861,  and  guided  the  helm  of  State  with  firm- 
ness, ability  and  unselfish  patriotism  and  integrity  during  the  stormiest  days  of 
the  great  civil  conflict.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law 
in  Eufaula,  and  continued  in  the  same  until  prostrated  by  his  last  fatal  illness. 

Such  is  a  brief  outline  of  the  public  life  of  Governor  Shorter.  Through  the 
whole  of  this  distinguished  career,  he  exhibited,  with  marked  ability,  those  lofty 
moral  attributes  that  command  the  highest  confidence  and  regard — ardent  pa- 
triotism, stainless  honor,  incorruptible  fidelity,  courageous  devotion  to  duty.  If 
any  man  had  moral  courage,  that  noble  quality  belonged  to  John  Gill  Shorter. 
He  combined  manliness  with  gentle  courtesy  to  a  degree  rarely  equalled. 

His  private  and  religious  life  was  in  keeping  with  his  public  and  professional 
career.  He  became  pious  in  early  youth,  and  was  baptized  while  at  school  in 
Mount  Zion  in  the  15th  year  of  his  age.  In  1843  he  married  Mary  J.,  only 
daughter  of  Dr.  CuUen  Battle,  of  Eufaula.  Never  was  a  union  more  happy, 
harmonious  and  congenial.  Both  pious  and  cultured  in  an  eminent  degree, 
they  walked  together  in  love  and  duty  through  a  sunny  life  of  more  than  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century.  His  consort  survived  him  but  a  few  years,  joining  him  in  the 
heavenly  mansions  in  1879.  Only  one  child  survives  them,  the  lovely  and 
accomplished  Mrs.  M.  S.  Perkins,  of  Eufaula. 

In  his  religious  as  in  his  political  and  private  life,  Governor  Shorter  was 
strictly  loyal  to  duty.  He  lived  his  religion  at  home  and  abroad,  as  well  as  on 
the  Sabbath  and  in  the  house  of  God.  The  flame  never  went  out  on  his  do- 
mestic altar.  He  recognized  the  claims  of  religion  everywhere,  and  rarely  was 
his  seat  vacant  in  the  sanctuary.  He  was  a  deacon,  wise,  prudent,  active,  lib- 
eral, "  purchasing  to  himself  a  good  degree  "  in  that  sacred  office. 

It  is  difficult,  where  all  the  noble  traits  of  human  character  meet  and  blend  so 
harmoniously,  to  do  justice  to  the  man.  Grand  attributes  of  mind  and  heart 
msde  him  great  as  well  as  esteemed,  and  it  is  a  question  whether  he  was  loved 
or  admired  most.  In  person,  he  was  of  medium  height,  with  a  face  of  great 
benignity,  and  manners  sweet  and  majestic. 

The  Psalmist  bids  us  "  mark  the  perfect  man  and  behold  the  upright,  for  the 
end  of  that  man  is  peace."  And  it  is  of  the  peaceful  and  happy  end  of  his 
useful  life  that  we  would  now  speak.  After  an  illness  of  several  months,  con- 
tracted by  exposure  and  fatigue,  terminating  in  bronchitis,  he  departed  this  life, 
May  29th,  1872,  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  The  death-bed  of  Governor 
Shorter  will  compare,  in  thrilling  interest  and  wholesome  moral  influence,  with 
that  of  the  most  eminent  Christians  who  have  left  their  dying  testimony  for  our 
instruction.  The  following  extracts  from  the  description  of  the  scenes  of  his 
last  days,  by  his  pastor.  Rev.  W.  N.  Reeves,  will  be  read  with  interest  and 
profit : * 

"  For  more  than  five  days  he  was  standing  consciously  on  the  brink  of  the 
dark  river,  patiently,  joyously  awaiting  the  summons  to  cross  over.  During  the 
whole  of  that  time  his  mental  faculties  were  unimpaired  and  his  faith  unclouded  ; 

*  The  Death-bed  of  Governor  John  Gill  Shorter,  published  in  pamphlet  form  by  the  American  Bap- 
tist Publication  Society,  Philadelphia. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  481 

and  what  seemed  even  more  remarkable,  he  did  not  suffer  a  single  bodily  pain. 
A  large  circle  of  friends  visited  him  constantly,  and  he  conversed  with  them 
freely  and  with  the  utmost  composure,  using  all  the  while  and  upon  every  sub- 
ject, language  the  most  appropriate  and  select. 

"  On  Sunday  morning  it  was  thought  he  could  last  only  a  few  hours  longer  at 
farthest,  and  quite  a  number  of  relatives  and  friends  had  gathered  around  him, 
when  turning  to  the  physician  at  his  side,  he  said  :  'Doctor,  I'm  gradually  ap- 
proaching the  valley ;  I'm  nearing  the  brink,  inch  by  inch.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  of  it — I  feel  it  and  know  it.  One  by  one  we  must  all  go  ;  sooner  or  later 
each  one  of  us  must  take  that  lonely  journey ;  we  go  solitary  and  alone — no, 
not  alone  :  not  alone.  There  is  One  who  will  go  with  us  all  the  way  through. 
He  will  never  leave  us  or  forsake  us.  Oh,  there  is  a  power  in  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ,  in  the  atonement  of  the  blessed  Saviour  !  I  am  so  thankful  that  I  am 
permitted  to  approach  the  brink  without  any  apprehension  or  doubt ;  no  cloud,  no 
gloom,  no  fog,  no  shadow;  all  is  bright  and  clear.  I  feel  that  it  will  be  a  happy 
deliverance.  Oh,  if  it  were  not  for  the  separation,  the  leaving  behind  of  those 
we  love,  the  sundering  of  ties  so  dear,  it  would  indeed  be  a  glorious  deliver- 
ance.' 

"  Here  he  seemed  exhausted  and  was  requested  to  rest ;  he  yielded,  and  for  a 
time  was  quiet.  But  soon  he  began  again,  and  he  would  lie  as  though  he  was 
sleeping,  and  with  his  eyes  half  closed,  would  quietly  talk  to  us  like  one  solilo- 
quizing: 'Yes,  my  brethren,  there  is  a  truth  in  religion — it  is  all  true — and  a 
power  in  the  atonement  of  Christ.  They  may  write  books,  and  talk  and  argue 
and  reason  as  much  as  they  please,  but  it  is  true  ;  it  is  all  a  fact,  no  doubt  about 
it.     It  is  a  reality — a  glorious  reality! 

"  Thus  would  he  lie  and  talk  so  calmly  and  sweetly  and  beautifully  ;  and  at 
times  he  would  continue  for  whole  hours  ;  and  all  that  he  said  was  so  appro- 
priate, evincing  the  clearest  mental  perception,  and  the  most  intelligent  Chris- 
tian faith.  The  atonement  made  by  Christ  was  the  grand  central  thought  of 
his  theology — that  was  the  rock  on  which  his  soul  was  stayed  as  the  billows  of 
the  dark  river  gathered  about  him." 

During  the  last  five  days  of  his  life  many  loved  ones  pressed  around  his  couch 
to  catch  his  words  of  eloquence  and  faith.  His  companions  of  the  bar  and  in 
political  life  were  there  to  pay  their  tributes  of  love  to  him  who  was  so  much 
esteemed,  and  who  was  about  to  pass  away  from  earth.  To  each  he  gave  a 
cordial  grasp  of  the  hand,  accompanied  with  some  tender  words  of  pious 
exhortation. 

"  Just  as  he  was  quitting  the  shores  of  time,  and  when  his  frail  boat  seemed 
already  launched  on  the  dark  waters,  he  turned  and  with  his  last  words  asked, 
'  Where  is  my  beloved  wife.''  and  clasping  her  hand  in  his,  and  giving  her  the 
farewell  kiss,  he  crossed  over  to  await  her  '  on  the  shining  shore.' 

"  On  Thursday  morning,  at  nine  o'clock,  the  bells  began  to  toll,  the  business 
houses  were  all  closed,  and  an  immense  concourse  gathered  in  the  church,  '  that 
dear  old  sanctuary  he  loved  so  well,'  to  pay  the  last  tribute  of  respect  to  one 
whom  they  loved,  and  whom  they  loved  to  honor  while  living,  and  whose  death 
they  mourned  with  real  sorrow.  And  not  the  least  complimentary  was  the  dark 
background  to  the  imposing  spectacle  presented  by  the  vast  assembly  on  that 
lovely  May  morning.  For  very  many  of  his  former  servants,  and  other  freed- 
men,  stood  around,  as  deeply  interested  participants  through  the  whole  of  the 
services,  and  hundreds  of  them  joined  in  the  long  procession  that  followed  tear- 
fully his  remains  to  the  old  family  burying-ground." 

Few  men  have  lived  and  none  have  died  leaving  a  brighter  record  than  Governor 
John  Gill  Shorter. 


482 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


THOMAS  E.  SKINNER. 


Dr.  Thomas  E.  Skinner,  the  successful 
pastor  of  three  of  the  most  prominent  pulpits 
of  Georgia,  is  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born 
at  Harvey's  Neck  in  Perquimans  county  on  the 
Albemarle  Sound.  In  person  he  is  fine  looking 
and  handsome,  exceedingly  neat  in  his  dress, 
elegant  in  his  manners  and  social  in  his  disposi- 
tion. He  has  had  all  the  advantages  that  good 
birth,  wealth  and  social  position  can  bestow ; 
and  besides  being  gifted  by  nature  with  eminent 
intellectual  faculties,  he  has  had  the  benefits 
resulting  from  education  and  thorough  mental 
culture.  In  early  life  he  was  a  farmer,  married 
earlv  a  lady  of  wealth  and  refinement,  and  settled 
on  a  farm,  as  he  supposed  for  life.  But  an  illiter- 
ate Methodist  preacher,  driven  by  a  storm  to  take 
shelter  in  his  house,  was  instrumental  in  his  con- 
version. It  was  not  long  before  he  felt  convinced 
that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  he  proceeded  at  once  to  New 
York  and  entered  Union  Theological  Seminary,  of  which  institution  his  uncle. 
Dr.  T.  H.  Skinner,  was  a  professor.  He  had  already  graduated  at  Chapel  Hill, 
North  Carolina,  and  was  now  thoroughly  prepared  for  ministerial  service. 
His  first  pastorate  was  at  Petersburg.  Virginia,  where  he  took  charge  of  the 
Second  Baptist  church  in  the  fall  of  1854.  Here  he  remained  not  quite  a  year 
when  he  accepted  a  call  made  by  the  church  at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina.  A 
very  successful  pastorate  of  twelve  years  followed,  during  which  he  was  mainly 
instrumental,  both  by  liberal  personal  benefactions  and  by  the  enthusiasm  of 
his  nature,  in  the  erection  of  the  handsome  church  edifice  of  the  Salisbury 
street  church,  in  Raleigh. 

In  the  fall  of  1863  he  went  to  Europe  with  his  family,  sojourning  abroad 
nearly  two  years ;  remained  in  Raleigh  until  November  1867,  and  at  that  date 
became  pastor  of  the  First  church  at  Nashville,  Tennessee.  He  was  induced 
to  leave  Nashville  by  a  call  of  the  church  at  Columbus,  Georgia,  to  which  place 
he  moved  in  1 870.  His  connection  with  that  church  continued  two  years,  only, 
for  the  climate  proving  unhealthy  for  his  wife,  he  accepted  a  call  to  Athens,  the 
seat  of  our  State  University.  He  ministered  to  the  church  at  Athens  until 
December  1875,  when  he  was  induced  to  take  charge  of  the  First  church  at 
Macon.  His  pastorate  at  Macon  was  eminently  a  successful  one,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  members  joining  the  church  during  the  three  years  and  eight  months 
of  his  pastoral  connection  with  it. 

In  1879,  Dr.  Wingate,  President  of  Wake  Forest  College,  North  Caro- 
lina, died,  and  Dr.  T.  H.  Pritchard,  pastor  of  the  Raleigh  church,  was  elected 
his  successor.  This  left  the  pastorship  of  Dr.  Skinner's  old  church  vacant,  and 
an  enthusiastic  call  being  extended  to  him  to  return,  he  accepted,  and  once  more 
settled  among  the  people  and  in  the  city  where  the  best  years  and  labors  of  his 
life  had  been  spent.     His  reception  was  a  public  ovation. 

Dr.  Skinner  was  greatly  honored  by  his  brethren  in  Georgia.  He  was  made  a 
trustee  of  Mercer  University,  and  took  much  interest  in  its  welfare.  For  a  year 
he  was  President  of  the  State  Board  of  Missions  ;  and  was  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  able  and  eloquent  Baptist  ministers  in  the  State.  His  personal  mag- 
netism was  very  great,  and  his  social  qualities  were  almost  unsurpassed.  Lib- 
eral, generous  and  hospitable,  almost  to  a  fault,  his  hand  was  ever  open  when 
calls  for  aid  to  the  cause  of  Christ  were  made,  and  in  him.  Christian  benevolence 
and  education  have  ever  found  a  liberal  and  willing  contributor. 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS. 


483 


The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  him  by  Furman  Uni- 
versity, in  1866,  and  for  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  and  one  of  its  safest  advisers. 

Dr.  Skinner  was  twice  married  ;  to  Miss  Ann  Eliza  Halsey,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Joseph  Halsey,  of  Tyrrell  county,  North  Carolina,  in  1848,  and  to  Miss  Ann 
Stuart  Ludlow,  daughter  of  John  R.  Ludlow,  Esq.,  of  New  York  city,  in  1854. 
A  son.  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Sarah  Halsey  Snow,  both 
of  New  York  city,  survive  from  the  first  marriage,  while  two  sons  and  a  daugh- 
ter bless  Dr.  Skinner's  second  union. 


THOMAS  B.  SLADE. 


Among  the  most  estimable  of  Georgia  Baptist  minis- 
ters is  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Slade,  of  Columbus,  long  nobly 
identified  with  the  educational  interests  of  our  State.  One 
of  the  pioneers  of  female  education  in  Georgia,  his  and  his 
wife's  good  influence  runs  like  a  thread  of  gold  through 
many  lives  that  bless  our  country.  In  every  Southern 
State  there  may  be  found  some  ladies,  in  almost  every 
station  in  life,  who.  under  his  instruction  and  that  of  his 
life-long  companion,  received  that  stamp  of  cultivation 
and  refinement  which  so  distinguishes  the  daughters  of  the 
South.  For  thirty  years  his  labors  for  young  ladies  in  the 
school-room  were  unintermitting ;  and  thousands  of  ladies  in  the  land  are  in- 
debted to  him  for  their  education.  Even  now,  on  the  verge  of  his  ninth  decade, 
he  has  not  altogether  ceased  his  labors  as  an  instructor. 

Rev.  T.  B.  Slade  was  born  in  Martin  county,  North  Carolina,  on  the  26th  of 
June,  1800.  His  father,  a  Brigadier  General  in  the  war  of  181 2,  was  appointed 
to  organize  the  militia  in  the  eastern  division  of  North  Carolina,  which  he  accom- 
plished efficiently.  A  devoted  friend  of  education,  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina,  a  superior  classical  and  mathematical  scholar,  by  pro- 
fession a  lawyer,  and,  for  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  a  member  of  the  North  Car- 
olina Legislature.  His  son,  Thomas  B.  Slade,  graduated  at  the  University  of 
North  Carolina  in  1820,  with  the  highest  honors  of  his  class,  not  having  received 
a  single  mark  of  demerit  during  his  entire  course,  never  having  missed  a  recita- 
tion, nor  failed  in  attendance  on  a  single  college  duty.  The  same  remarkable 
punctuality  was  subsequently  observed  by  two  of  his  sons  in  the  same  college, 
one  of  whom  took  the  first  honor  and  the  other  the  second. 

Mr.  T.  B.  Slade  studied  law  with  his  father,  practiced  for  a  short  time  in 
North  Carolina,  emigrated  to  Georgia  in  1824,  and  settled  in  Clinton,  Jones 
county,  following  a  pair  of  blue  eyes,  whose  owner  was  named  Anne  Jacquelin 
Blount.  Educated  at  Salem,  North  Carolina,  Miss  Blount,  by  improving  her 
opportunities,  added  brilliancy  and  elasticity  to  an  active  and  solid  mind.  Mar- 
ried on  the  1st  of  April,  1824,  the  two  lived  to  celebrate  their  golden  wedding 
in  1874,  amid  a  large  assemblage  of  children  and  grandchildren  and  numerous 
friends  ;  and  they  still  tread  together  (in  1880)  the  path  of  life  in, a  happy  and 
serene  old  age. 

In  his  young  days  Mr.  Slade  was,  physically,  a  stout,  round-limbed,  healthy 
man,  about  five  feet  nine  inches  high,  with  a  dark  complexion,  remarkable  for 
early  rising,  purity  of  morals,  intense  application  to  books,  temperateness  in  all 
its  forms,  and,  when  a  lawyer,  for  untiring  difigence  and  industry  in  the  inter- 
ests of  his  clients.  In  oratory  he  was  not  gifted.  Hypocrisy  he  detested. 
From  boyhood  he  rejected  tobacco  in  all  its  forms  ;  nor  did  he  ever  use  spirtu- 
ous  liquors,  after  the  first  temperance  movement  in  Georgia,  except  as  a  medi- 

34 


484  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

cine.  Uniformly  polite  to  rich  and  poor  alike,  he  has  never,  even  under  excite- 
ment, been  betrayed  into  an  expression  stronger  than  "  Bless  my  life! " 

Letters  were  his  delight,  and  science  Lis  solace,  and  still,  in  many  of  his  old 
books  may  be  found  the  motto  he  adopted  until  he  became  acquainted  with  a 
better  source  of  comfort :  "  Litarcp  simt  ornaiuenta  et  hominian  solatia."  One 
of  his  college  mates  was  accustomed  to  say,  when  playing  marbles,  "  I  am  just 
as  sure  to  hit  that  marble  as  Tom  Slade  is  to  know  his  lesson." 

His  scholarly  attainments  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Clin- 
ton Male  Academy,  and  in  April,  1828,  they  invited  him  to  become  its  principal. 
With  that  sense  of  propriety  which  always  distinguished  him,  he  consulted  his 
wife,  and  the  ne.xt  day  gave  an  affirmative  answer  ;  and  thus  began  his  career  as 
an  instructor,  in  which  he  has  so  signally  illustrated  those  traits  of  character  fit- 
ting him  for  a  more  peaceful  and  useful  life  than  the  practice  of  law.  Falling 
in  love  with  his  new  profession,  he  abandoned  the  law,  and  thenceforth  uninter- 
ruptedly engaged  in  the  duties  of  the  school-room  for  a  period  of  fifty  years, 
with  the  exception  of  the  last  two  years  of  the  war  between  the  States. 

Baptized  in  the  fall  of  1832,  at  Elim  church,  Jones  county,  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Camp- 
bell, ordained  at  Clinton  in  the  summer  of  1835,  he  devoted  much  of  his  time  to 
preaching  for  destitute  churches.  In  January  of  the  year  1833,  he  organized  at 
Clinton  a  female  institute  of  collegiate  grade  which  proved  remarkably  success- 
ful, until  he  was  induced  to  remove  to  Macon,  in  1839,  and  accept  the  professor- 
ship of  natural  science  in  the  Wesleyan  Female  College.  At  the  organization 
of  the  college  he  was  present  and  assisted,  many  of  his  own  scholars  being 
present  and  forming  the  basis  of  the  organization.  He  remained  in  Macon  but 
a  year  and  a  half,  resigning  his  professorship,  to  take  charge  of  a  female  insti- 
tute at  Penfield,  at  the  solicitation  of  the  trustees  of  Mercer  University,  such 
an  institute  being  at  that  time  deemed  necessary  to  the  success  of  Mercer.  The 
scheme  was  not  of  long  continuance,  however,  and  Mr.  Slade  left  Penfield  in 
1 841,  and,  in  January  of  the  following  year,  established  a  female  institute  in  Co- 
lumbus, Georgia,  over  which  he  presided  until  1863.  Soon  after  the  war  he 
again  returned  to  the  school-room,  and  took  on  himself  the  duties  of  an  instruc- 
tor ;  nor  did  he  cease  his  labors  until  incapacitated  by  the  weight  of  nearly  eighty 
years.  In  all  his  enterprises  he  never  asked  and  never  had  pecuniary  assistance 
from  any  one.  He  paid  his  own  way,  put  up  his  own  buildings,  hired  and 
always  paid  his  teachers,  bought  pianos,  and  supplied  amply  and  fully  all  appa- 
ratus illustrating  the  natural  sciences.  He  never  electioneered  for  pupils,  and 
no  pupil  was  ever  rejected  because  she  was  unable  to  pay. 

Mr.  Slade,  though  confined  so  closely  to  educational  halls  throughout  his  long 
life,  has,  nevertheless,  been  a  constant  preacher  of  the  Gospel  wherever  he  has 
lived.  When  residing  in  Clinton,  he  preached  much  in  Jones  and  the  surround- 
ing counties  ;  at  Macon  he  supplied  the  Baptist  pulpit  in  the  absence  of  the  reg- 
ular pastor ;  and  during  the  many  years  of  his  life  at  Columbus  he  performed 
ministerial  duty,  either  in  the  city  when  the  pastor  was  ill  or  absent,  or  in  the 
vicinity  among  the  country  churches  of  Georgia  and  Alabama,  sometimes  as 
pastor  and  sometimes  as  supply.  In  accordance  with  his  temperament,  he  ever 
preferred  the  gentle  and  soul-saving  themes  of  the  Gospel — the  love  of  God  in 
Christ,  faith  and  salvation,  Christ  and  him  crucified — mingled  with  earnest  and 
pointed  appeals  to  both  saint  and  sinner  in  regard  to  personal  duty. 

Though  not  brilliant  in  oratory,  he  was  earnest  and  devout,  satisfied  with  pre- 
senting faithfully  the  claims  of  Jesus  as  a  Saviour,  and  permitting  no  speculative 
theology  or  mere  sensation  to  find  any  place  in  his  sermons  ;  rather,  he  sought 
persuasively  to  lead  sinners  to  Christ,  and,  in  tones  of  solemn  earnestness,  to 
point  the  unconverted  to  the  Lamb  of  God  who  takes  away  the  sin  of  the  world. 
He  made  the  Bible  a  constant  study,  and  to  his  sermons  he  gave  careful  prepara- 
tion, but  preached  entirely  without  notes. 

To  Mr.  Slade  life  was  no  holiday,  but  an  earnest,  solemn  reality,  and  to  all  its 
duties  he  gave  serious  and  devout  earnestness.  Industry  and  punctuality  were 
happily  blended  in  his  life  of  toil  and  usefulness,  and  hence  success  crowned 
all  his  efforts.  By  providence  and  financial  ability  he  accumulated  a  compe- 
tency, notwithstanding  the  heavy  expenses  of  a  large  family  of  elevea  children, 


OF    PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  485 

and  his  old  age  is  soothed  by  the  comforts  of  Hfe  even  after  the  losses  suffered 
on  account  of  the  war. 

Finding  a  knowledge  of  botany  essential  to  success  as  a  teacher,  he  began  its 
study  as  soon  as  he  opened  a  female  school,  and  with  such  ardor  did  he  engage 
in  the  pursuit  that  he  is.  excelled  by  few  as  a  botanist. 

At  the  age  of  fifty  he  undertook  to  master  the  French  language,  that  he  might 
conduct  a  correspondence  with  a  relative  in  France,  and  in  a  short  time  suc- 
ceeded in  accomplishing  his  purpose. 

Few  men  possess  his  amiability  of  character  ;  few  have  succeeded  in  so  win- 
ning and  retaining  the  lasting  esteem  of  the  public  ;  few  have  ever  so  united,  as 
he  has,  the  sternest  virtues  with  the  gentlest  deportment.  To  organizations  for 
benevolent  purposes,  such  as  the  Sons  of  Temperance,  he  has  given  a  sincere 
and  cordial  support,  yet  never  letting  his  right  hand  know  what  his  left  hand 
did.  When  the  Federals  captured  the  city  of  Columbus,  he  was  on  military  duty 
as  a  member  of  the  Old  Men's  Guard,  and  was  commissioned  by  his  command- 
ing officer  as  captain  of  a  squad  to  destroy  all  the  whiskey  he  could  find.  He 
promptly  and  willingly  obeyed,  emptying  the  whiskey  into  the  gutters  of  the 
streets,  and  commanding  his  men  to  prevent  its  being  dipped  up,  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet. 

In  the  vain  struggle  for  Southern  independence,  he  had  four  sons-in-law  and 
three  sons,  of  whom  John,  his  youngest  son,  a  youth  of  great  promise  and  un- 
wavering piety,  was  mortally  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Sharpsburg,  and  expired 
the  day  succeeding  the  conflict. 

Mr.  Slade  is  living  in  a  serene  and  cheerful  old  age  with  his  children  and 
grandchildren,  looking  back  on  a  well  spent  life,  in  which  the  predominating 
motive  was  an  honest  and  enthusiastic  desire  to  benefit  others,  and  to  aid  in 
disseminating  far  and  wide  the  glorious  Gospel  of  the  blessed  God ;  and  his  life 
can  by  no  means  be  called  a  failure.  But  it  would  be  unjust  to  attribute  success 
to  his  exertions  alone ;  for  to  his  co-laborer  for  more  than  half  a  century  is  due 
much  of  the  credit  of  the  success  which  has  crowned  their  united  efforts.  Their 
lives  and  exertions  have  been  so  blended,  and  their  persons  and  characters  have 
been  so  identified  in  long  years  of  useful  labor  for  one  common  end,  that  it  is 
as  impossible  to  distinguish  them  as  it  is  to  distinguish  the  setting  sun  and  the 
crimson  clouds  low  in  the  west,  all  lit  up  so  as  to  present  but  one  mass  of  bright, 
shining,  crimson  glory. 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON    SMITH. 

He  is  a  native  of  Washington  county,  Georgia,  and 
was  born  in  the  year  1838.  His  father,  Rev.  Isaac  Smith, 
was  a  most  worthy  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  his 
mother  a  woman  of  exemplary  piety.  Their  circum- 
stances rendered  it  necessary  that  the  son  should  assist 
in  providing  means  for  the  rearing  of  a  family  of  sixteen 
children.  Of  course  this  shut  up  his  early  opportunities 
of  education  within  narrow  limits ;  but  his  mind  is  of 
respectable  grade,  as  regards  its  native  vigor,  and  he  has 
qualified  himself  for  usefulness  in  society  and  the  church, 
by  diligent  study  of  the  Scriptures  and  persevering  appli- 
cation to  religious  literature. 

He  professed  conversion  in  the  year  1857,  and  was  baptized  by  his  father,  in 
connection  with  Bethany  church,  Washington  county.  Some  four  years  later— 
in  1861 — he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  army;  holding  at  the  outset  the  posi- 
tion of  Orderly  Sergeant,  but  being  promoted  subsequently  to  that  of  First 
Lieutenant.     His  bravery  was  exemplified  on  more  than  one  occasion  when  it 


486 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


enabled  him  to  render  good  service  and  was  highly  complimented  by  his  supe- 
rior officers.  Once  his  company  suffered  defeat  and  was  constrained  to  surren- 
der, but  the  instinct  of  freedom  stirred  in  him  so  strongly  that,  when  only  ten 
or  fifteen  paces  from  the  enemy,  several  hundred  strong,  he  resolved  on  a  des- 
perate effort  to  escape.  He  turned  and  ran  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
through  an  open  field,  entirely  unsheltered  from  their  constant  fire,  and  not  a 
hair  of  his  head  was  injured.  Shall  we  construe  this  incident  as  an  illustration 
of  the  truth  that  "  we  are  immortal  until  our  work  is  done  ?  " 

We  know,  at  least,  that  God  had  a  work  for  Mr.  Smith,  and  that  he  was  led 
at  last  to  perform  it.  His  conviction  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel 
dates  almost  from  the  time  of  his  admission  into  the  church.  But  he  fought 
against  it  and  fought  it  down  for  twelve  years  or  more.  He  accepted  a  license, 
however,  in  1869,  and  received  ordination  in  1870.  During  a  part  of  the  latter 
year  he  acted  as  Evangelist  of  the  iVfount  Vernon  Association,  and  was  afterward 
engaged  by  that  Association  and  the  Union,  in  the  same  form  of  labor,  discharging 
the  duties  of  the  position  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all,  until  failing  health  com- 
pelled him,  at  the  urgent  entreaty  of  his  friends  and  much  against  his  own  wish, 
to  relinquish  it.  Under  these  circumstances,  having  lost  all  his  earthly  posses- 
sions by  the  war,  he  betook  himself  to  merchandising  for  a  support.  Never- 
theless for  the  last  ten  years  he  has  been  contributing  to  the  maintenance  of 
other  ministers,  preaching  to  several  churches,  and  doing  good  as  he  has  had 
opportunity,  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  State,  known  as  "the  piney  woods," 
where  there  is  great  destitution  of  the  public  means  of  grace,  and  where  in  the 
poverty  of  the  people  he  could  scarcely  hope  to  "  live  of  the  Gospel."  His 
work  has  been  wonderfully  blessed,  and  there  have  been  many  seals  to  his 
ministry. 


HENRY  FOSTER  SMITH. 


Rev.  Henry  Foster  Smith  passed  his  mature  years 
chiefly  at  the  South,  but  was  of  Northern  birth  and  training. 
Worcester,  Massachusetts,  was  his  native  place.  Deprived 
of  his  father  when  very  young,  he  was  brought  up  b)''  his 
grandfather.  From  his  early  childhood  he  manifested  re- 
ligious inclinings,  and  was  led,  while  yet  in  the  days  of  his 
youth,  to  exercise  faith  in  the  Saviour  as  Jiis  Saviour.  He 
united  himself  with  the  First  Baptist  church  at  Worcester. 
This  profession  of  Christ  may  have  been  undervalued  at 
the  time,  because  of  his  unripe  age,  but  it  was  maintained 
in  a  consistent  deportment  and  in  labors  of  love  to  the 
close  of  his  life,  exemplifying  afresh  the  truth  that  early  piety  is  apt  to  be  gen- 
uine piety. 

An  inquiring  mind  caused  him  to  form  studious  habits,  and  this  "  appetite  " 
for  knowledge  "  grew  by  what  it  fed  on."  He  availed  himself  of  every  means  and 
opportunity  for  mental  improvement.  By  untiring  assiduity  he  prepared  to  enter 
college.  In  1833  he  matriculated  in  Brown  University,  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
and  there  laid,  broad  and  deep,  the  foundation  on  which  to  build  the  superstruc- 
ture of  future  usefulness.  After  graduating,  he  removed  to  Philadelphia.  The 
First  Baptist  church  of  that  city,  discerning  in  him  the  gifts  and  graces  which 
attest  a  divine  call  to  the  ministry,  secured  his  ordination  and  elected  him  to  the 
pastorate.  He  retained  this  office  for  but  a  single  year,  and  then  accepted  the 
position  of  principal  in  a  female  academy,  at  Port  Gibson,  Mississippi.  At  about 
this  time  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Irene  Sebohem.  Success  attended  his 
efforts,  and  the  school  flourished.  After  acting  as  principal  for  two  years,  he 
removed  to  Jeffersonville,  and  there  purchased  property,  but  had  the  sad  misfor- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


487 


tune  to  have  his  house  with  all  its  contents  burned,  including  a  valuable  collec- 
tion of  geological  specimens  and  choice  minerals.  From  Jeffersonville  he  went 
to  Louisville,  and  embarked  in  the  practice  of  law.  Here  he  remained  until  about 
the  year  i860,  when  he  came  to  Georgia.  In  this  State  he  engaged  at  times  in 
ministerial  work,  and  when  not  thus  occupied  he  often  delivered  very  instructive 
lectures  on  phrenology,  chemistry,  and  geology.  His  death  occurred  at  New- 
nan,  May  1 2th,  1878,  eight  years  after  that  of  his  wife. 

H.  F.  Smith  was,  in  the  true  sense,  a  good  man.  He  held  some  peculiarities 
of  opinion  and  betrayed  some  eccentricities  of  character  which,  in  a  degree,  in- 
terfered with  his  usefulness ;  while  as  a  public  speaker  he  was  by  no  means 
attractive,  though  full  of  thought  and  not  without  fire ;  but  with  all  this  he  was 
a  godly  man,  never  active  for  injury,  but  always  inoffensive.  He  did  harm  to 
no  one  intentionally,  and  at  his  death  was  at  peace  with  all  his  race  and  with  God, 
for  God  had  forgiven  him,  and  such  members  of  the  race  as  wrought  hurt  to 
him  he  had  forgiven.     "  He  sleeps  in  Jesus,  and  is  blessed  !  " 

One  incident  in  his  life  deserves,  specially,  to  be  recalled.  Solicited  to  take 
charge  of  a  school  which  was  to  be  open  twelve  weeks,  he  consented  on  condi- 
tion that  he  might  introduce  religion  among  the  scholars.  He  commenced  with 
reading  the  Bible,  a  few  remarks  and  prayer,  and  embraced  every  opportunity 
for  private  conversation  on  spiritual  topics.  At  the  close  of  the  term,  while  the 
scholars  had  confessedly  made  greater  progress  in  their  studies  than  ever  before, 
twenty-three  of  their  number  were  indulging  hope  in  Christ,  and  one  of  them  in 
due  time  became  a  minister  of  the  Gospel. 


MATTHEW   P.   SMITH! 


This  venerable  man  was  born  in  Fauquier  county, 
Virginia,  February  15th,  1805,  and  lived  until  twenty-one 
years  of  age  in  that  portion  of  "the  Old  Dominion," 
whose  Baptist  ministry  did  not  lack  what  Carlyle  charac- 
terizes as  "  sacred  lambencies,  tongues  of  authentic 
flame  from  heaven."  In  March,  1824,  he  married  Miss 
Reanah  Legg,  of  Prince  William  county,  and  removed 
with  her,  in  January,  1827,  to  Greene  county,  Alabama, 
settling  in  the  town  of  Springfield.  He  was  yet  without 
conscious  experience  of  saving  grace,  but  the  Gospel 
which  he  had  heard  from  a  child  was  destined  to  bring 
forth  fruit  unto  righteousness,  and,  in  1829,  on  profession  of  faith  in  Christ,  he 
was  baptized  by  Father  Pace.  He  was  one  of  the  eleven  who  constituted  Beulah 
church,  in  1833,  and  two  years  later  was  elected  to  the  office  of  deacon.  In 
1837,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  at  the  request  of  that  church,  and  was 
called  to  the  pastoral  charge.  He  was  at  that  date  thirty-two  years  old,  and  the 
position  he  accepted  then  he  has  filled  until  he  has  reached  his  seventy-seventh 
year — a  period  of  forty-four  years.  Few,  indeed,  are  the  churches  which  have 
been  more  happy  in  that  relation,  or  more  prosperous  under  the  labors  performed 
in  discharge  of  its  responsibilities.  He  has  also  served  and  built  up  Forest, 
Bethel,  New  Hope  and  Shiloh  churches.  His  great  earnestness  and  love  for 
the  Master's  cause  will  long  be  remembered  by  those  who  have  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  his  ministrations  ;  the  more  especially  since  he  has  had  joyful  occa- 
sion to  baptize  over  fifteen  hundred  converts  into  the  fellowship  of  the  redeerried. 
He  is  still  an  acceptable  and  an  efficient  laborer  in  the  vineyard,  and  as  he  grows 
older  grows  stronger  in  the  faith  of  his  Lord.     Psalm  xcii,  13-15. 


488 


BIOGRAPHICAL.    SKETCHES 


JOHN  A.  SMITH. 


John  A.  Smith,  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  F"ebruary 
3d,  1806,  was  reared  chiefly  in  Spartanburg  district, 
Soutli  Carolina,  to  which  his  parents  removed  when  he 
was  quite  young.  Experiencing  a  good  hope  through 
grace  when  but  little  over  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  was 
received  into  the  fellowship  of  Cedar  Spring  church, 
October,  1822,  and  baptized  by  Rev.  Hezekiah  McDougal. 
In  December,  1832,  he  formed  a  happy  matrimonial 
relation  with  Miss  Levina  Cooper,  by  whom  he  had  nine 
children,  all  of  whom,  with  one  exception,  grew  to  man- 
hood, and  were  acceptable  members  of  the  church.  Only 
two  of  their  number  now  survive,  and  these  liU  honorable  positions  as  citizens 
and  as  useful  Christians.  Since  1833  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Campbell  county, 
Georgia.  For  two  years  after  his  removal  to  this  State  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Campbellton  church,  but  in  1835  connected  himself  with  Providence  church,  in 
that  county,  in  whose  fellowship  he  has  lived  ever  since,  and  expects  to  die.  He 
has  maintained  an  unblemished  Christian  character,  and  has  shown  himself  not 
slothful  in  the  business  of  the  Master,  but  fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord.  He 
has  been  at  once  faithful  and  liberal  in  responding  to  the  calls  of  benevolence, 
contributing  regularly  and  constantly  for  the  diffusion  of  the  Gospel  throughout 
the  world.  After  preaching  several  years  as  a  licentiate,  he  was  ordained, 
March,  1855,  and  entered  on  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
He  was  immediately  called  to  the  pastoral  care  of  Enon  and  Bethlehem  churches, 
Campbell  county,  whiclj  he  served  with  great  acceptance  and  with  good  results 
for  many  years.  He  had  much  to  do  also  in  the  organization  of  the  Mount 
Vernon  and  the  County  Line  churches,  in  the  same  county.  Besides,  he  visited 
still  other  churches,  preaching  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified.  This  course 
of  useful  labor  was  prolonged  until  1873,  when  he  was  stricken  down  by  disease 
and  compelled  to  relinquish  the  work  to  which  he  had  consecrated  his  life.  His 
health,  indeed,  is  at  present  somewhat  improved,  but  he  has  never  been  able, 
since  his  first  attack,  to  resume  the  discharge  of  the  functions  broken  off  by 
bodily  weaknesses.  In  1866,  seven  years  before  he  was  overtaken  by  these  disa- 
bilities— his  first  wife  having  died  about  the  close  of  the  w-ar — he  married  Miss 
Susan  A.  Cooper,  who  bore  to  him  two  sons.  In  addition  to  his  own  children, 
he  has  raised  and  educated  six  grandchildren.  He  has  been  successful  in  the 
management  of  his  temporal  affairs,  and,  in  the  forms  of  hospitality  and  of  charity, 
has  generously  shared  the  gifts  of  Providence  with  others. 


J.  M.  SMITH. 

Rev.  J.  M.  Smith  was  born  July  13th,  1838,  in  Washing- 
ton county,  Georgia.  His  parents,  Isaac  and  Harriet  Smith, 
were  both  devoted  Christians,  the  father  having  been  for 
thirty  years  a  successful  preacher.  He  travelled  much,  which 
caused  the  moral  and  religious  training  of  his  children,  fifteen 
in  number,  to  be  left  in  the  hands  of  the  mother,  who  dis- 
charged her  duty  faithfully,  and  all  of  them  were  hopefully 
converted  to  God,  except  one  who  died  when  very  young. 
Four  of  the  sons  are  ministers.  In  so  large  a  family,  the 
facilities  for  thorough  education  were  very  meagre.  From 
one  to  three  months  in  the  year  this  son  would  find  time  to  attend  the  common 
schools  in  the  neighborhood.     In  1855  he  was  sent  to  the  Biddleville  Institute 


OF    PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  489 

for  five  months,  and  later  he  commenced  a  course  of  study  at  the  State  Univer- 
sity, but  his  health  failed  and  he  was  compelled  to  return  home.  In  the  year 
1858  he  was  converted  to  Christ,  and  was  baptized  into  New  Bethel  church  by 
his  father.  He  was  deeply  impressed  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ;  in  1865  was  licensed,  and  in  March,  1866,  ordained 
at  the  same  church,  by  Revs.  J.  P.  Leverett,  P.  J.  Pipkin  and  J.  M.  Donaldson. 
He  has  held  offices  of  trust  and  honor  in  his  denomination,  and  for  two  years 
served  his  Association  (Mt.  Vernon)  as  Moderator  and  clerk. 

As  a  preacher,  he  has  devoted  himself  with  untiring  energy  to  his  ministerial 
work,  and  from  1866  to  1879  served  nine  churches  in  various  counties  in  south- 
ern Georgia,  continuing  as  long  as  seven  years  with  one.  He  has  lived  on  a  farm, 
and  has  not  had  the  time  he  desired  to  devote  to  study,  but  has  made  God's  Word 
the  man  of  his  counsel,  and  used  all  the  books  he  could  command  to  aid  him 
in  ascertaining  its  great  truths  and  imparting  them  to  others.  As  a  minister  he 
loves  his  people,  and  endeavors  to  make  them  perfect  men  and  women  in  Christ. 
The  missionary  spirit  animates  his  soul,  and  he  labors  to  impress  his  flock  and 
his  children  with  the  same  spirit,  encouraging  them  to  give  of  their  earnings  to 
the  Lord's  cause.  As  a  speaker  he  is  earnest,  and  seeks  to  make  his  hearers 
feel  the  truths  he  utters.  He  speaks  ever  "  as  a  dying  man  to  dying  men,  '  and 
hence  has  had  great  success  in  winning  souls  to  Christ  and  building  up  his 
churches.  He  is  conscientious  in  feeling,  circumspect  in  Ufe  and  conversation, 
firm  in  his  convictions,  and  ready  at  all  times  to  give  a  reason  for  the  hope  that 
is  in  him.  His  zeal  is  wonderful,  and  his  faith  and  perseverance  have  often  been 
the  subject  of  comment  among  his  brethren.  Immediately  after  his  conversion, 
he  became  so  anxious  about  the  salvation  of  a  loved  sister  that  he  rode  twelve 
miles  to  take  her  to  church,  and  urged  her  to  become  a  Christian  with  such 
earnestness  that  he  very  soon  had  the  unspeakable  happiness  of  knowing  that 
his  prayers  were  answered.  He  has  been  one  of  the  most  useful  and  active 
members  in  the  Mt.  Vernon  Association,  and  has  yet  before  him  the  promise  of 
a  long  and  useful  life.  His  personal  appearance  is  good — complexion  light, 
eyes  gray,  weight  135  pounds,  and  height  five  feet  seven  inches.  He  was  a  Lieu- 
tenant in  Company  H,  Twenty-Eighth  Georgia  Regiment,  and  served  his  coun- 
try faithfully  four  years  in  the  late  war. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Edna  Burnett,  June  30th,  1863,  in  Washington  county. 
They  have  had  six  children  ;  five  are  now  living.  He  has  found  his  wife  always 
ready  to  aid  him  in  his  work  and  cheer  and  comfort  him  in  his  troubles.  As  a 
husband  he  is  kind  and  tender,  affectionate  as  a  father,  and  respected  and  be- 
loved as  a  neighbor  and  friend. 

It  is  proper  to  mention,  that  in  1867,  by  the  joint  action  of  the  committees  of 
the  Washington  and  Mt.  Vernon  Associations,  he  was  appointed  as  missionary  . 
and  colporter  to  travel  within  their  bounds,  which  he  did,  visiting  the  destitute 
points,  distributing  Bibles  and  other  religious  books,  and  preaching  the  Gospel 
as  he  went.  During  that  year  he  was  the  means  of  organizing  a  church  within 
the  Mount  Vernon  Association,  building  up  feeble  churches,  and  giving  a  for- 
ward movement  to  the  Sunday-school  work. 


490 


RIOCxRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 


ALBERT  THEODORE  SPALDING. 


Rev.  Albert  Theodore  Spalding,  son  of 
Albert  M.  Spalding  and  Lucinda  Burton,  was 
born  in  Elbert  county,  Georgia,  October  20th, 
1 83 1.  While  he  was  an  infant,  his  father  gave 
up  a  lucrative  medical  practice,  entered  on  the 
duties  of  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  soon  be- 
came the  successful  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church 
at  Greenville,  South  Carolina.  In  that  pictur- 
esque and  beautiful  spot  the  early  childhood  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  spent.  There  his 
young  mind  acquired  the  foundation  of  a  good 
education,  in  the  classic  school  of  "good  old 
father  Leary,"  which  gave  Greenville  an  early 
and  lasting  fame.  At  twelve  years  of  age,  with 
his  father's  family,  he  returned  to  his  native 
State,  and  Gainesville,  Georgia,  became  his  home 
for  the  next  eight  years.  Four  of  these  eight 
years  were  spent  at  Mercer  University,  where  he 
graduated  in  185 1,  bearing  off  one  of  the  honors  of  his  class.  In  the  beginning 
of  his  collegiate  life,  when  entering  his  sixteenth  year,  he  was  savingly  converted 
to  God,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  B.  M.  Sanders,  pastor  of  the  Penfield  church. 
At  its  close,  when  twenty  years  of  age,  he  decided  to  consecrate  his  life  to  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  and  was  licensed  by  that  church.  Then,  for  the  first 
time,  he  learned  that  when  but  a  few  days  old,  he  was  solemnly  set  apart  by  his 
parents,  on  a  day  of  prayer,  to  the  service  of  God.  Returning  to  Penfield,  he 
spent  two  years  in  the  theological  department  of  Mercer  University,  an  inmate 
of  the  home  of  Dr.  N.  M.  Crawford,  enjoying  the  benefit  of  his  instruction,  and 
the  advantages  and  moulding  influences  of  an  intimacy  with  him,  such  as  few 
pupils  ever  sustained  towards  a  teacher. 

On  completing  his  theological  course,  Mr.  Spalding,  at  the  age  of  twenty  twq, 
accepted  a  call  as  temporary  supply  by  the  First  Baptist  church  in  Augusta.  It 
is  pleasing  to  record  that  Dr.  Wm.  H,  Turpin,  a  venerable  and  large-hearted 
deacon  of  this  church,  bore  most  of  Mr.  Spalding's  expenses,  as  his  benefactor, 
during  his  collegiate  course  of  six  years— an  act  of  generosity  as  productive  of 
good  as  it  was  worthily  bestowed.  The  pulpit  of  the  Greene  Street  church  was 
rendered  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Dr.  J.  G.  Binney,  in  anticipation  of  a  re- 
turn to  missionary  life  in  Burmah  ;  but,  as  this  purpose  was  for  a  time  aban- 
doned, the  Augusta  church,  which  had  reluctantly  given  him  up,  recalled  him, 
and  Mr.  Spalding,  after  three  months'  work  in  Augusta,  accepted  a  call  to  the 
church  in  Aiken,  South  Carolina.  There  he  was  ordained,  in  March,  1854.  He 
remained  in  Aiken,  as  pastor,  two  years,  during  which  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Constance  Schaffner,  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  a  lady  whose  re- 
fined culture,  in  the  best  schools  of  Charleston  and  of  New  York,  prepared  her 
to  be  a  worthy  co-laborer  in  the  Master's  work.  From  Aiken  he  went  to  Mad- 
ison, Georgia,  where  he  was  pastor  four  years,  when  he  was  called  to  the  Berean 
Baptist  church,  of  West  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  During  his  pastorate  of 
eighteen  months  this  church  almost  doubled  in  numbers.  After  the  late  war  had 
commenced,  feeling  that  the  South  was  his  home,  he  left  Philadelphia,  returned 
to  his  native  section,  and  took  charge  of  the  Selma,  Alabama,  Baptist  church, 
which,  during  his  pastorate  of  four  years,  became  one  of  the  leading  churches  in 
the  State.  After  the  war  he  accepted  a  call  of  the  St.  Francis  Street  church,  at 
Mobile,  which  he  served  for  nearly  four  years  with  such  zeal  and  pronounced 
success,  that  it  has  taken  rank  with  the  first  churches  in  the  land.  He  then  moved 
to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  being  elected  pastor  of  the  Walnut  Street  church,  one 


OF    PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


491 


of  the  largest  and  wealthiest  churches  on  the  continent.  During  his  pastorate 
this  church  began  to  build  and  completed  a  splendid  structure  as  a  house  of 
worship  for  a  colony  of  her  members,  which,  at  present,  constitutes  the  Broad- 
way church,  of  which  Dr.  J.  L.  Burrows  is  pastor,  It  also  built  the  Orphans' 
Home,  one  of  the  noblest  monuments  of  Kentucky's  beneficence.  Here  the 
health  of  brother  Spalding  failed,  and  his  physicians  advised  his  removal  south 
as  a  necessity.  Just  then  the  providence  of  God  offered  him  the  pastorate  of 
the  Second  Baptist  church,  Atlanta,  Georgia,  to  which  city  he  moved  in  187 1.  It 
was  during  his  residence  in  Kentucky  that  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was 
conferred  on  Mr.  Spalding,  by  Georgetown  College,  in  1869.  He  has  remained 
in  charge  of  the  Second  church  of  Atlanta  until  the  present  time,  the  salubrity 
of  the  climate  having  restored  his  health. 

Dr.  Spalding  possesses  a  mind  remarkably  fecund  in  illustration,  a  style  as  re- 
markably fluent  and  felicitous,  and  no  less  remarkable  powers  of  pathos.  These 
qualities  clothe  his  pulpit  utterances  with  a  high  degree  of  attractiveness  and 
effect,  which  he  uses  in  the  interest  of  evangelical  truth,  and  under  the  prompt- 
ings of  an  enlightened,  warm-hearted  concern  for  every  form  of  benevolent  and 
Christian  enterprise.  His  record  as  a  pastor  is  one  of  great,  varied  and  uniform 
efficiency.  Few  men  have  friends  more  strongly  attached  to  him,  and  the  stars 
in  the  crown  of  his  rejoicing  will  be,  for  number,  a  galaxy.  Like  every  person 
of  decided  views  and  persistent  Hues  of  action,  he  has  encountered  hostihty, 
and  differences  of  taste  may  have  caused  estrangement  in  other  cases  ;  but  his 
integrity  as  a  man,  his  devotion  as  a  Christian  and  his  usefulness  as  a  minister 
stand  unimpeached  and  unimpeachable.  He  ranks  with  our  best  and  foremost 
men ;  and  as  many  ardent  sympathies  gather  about  him  living,  many  tender  re- 
grets will  follow  him  when  he  dies. 


WILLIAM  J.  SPEAIRS. 


Rev.  William  J.  Speairs  was  born  in  Jasper  county, 
Georgia,  October  31st,  1837.  His  parents  were  poor  and 
pious,  being  devoted  Methodists,  and  bringing  up  their 
family  in  a  strictly  religious  manner.  Thus  the  early 
training  of  Mr.  Speairs  was  favorable  to  the  development 
of  a  high  moral  character.  Morning  and  evening  devo- 
tions in  the  family,  the  Sunday-school  and  regular  attend- 
ance on  divine  service,  were  concomitants  of  his  youthful 
days.  In  addition,  his  mother,  by  careful  and  affectionate 
instruction,  sought  to  impress  on  him,  and  her  other  chil- 
dren, religious  principles  ;  and  to  her  counsels  and  admo- 
nitions may  be  ascribed  his  inclinations  to  walk  in  the  paths  of  virtue,  and  to 
desire  the  quickening  influences  of  the  Spirit. 

His  early  education  being  such  as  could  be  derived  from  the  old  field  schools, 
during  parts  of  a  few  years  only,  was,  necessarily  very  defective,  and  the  defect 
has  never  been  fully  repaired — a  disadvantage  under  which  he  has  always  been 
compelled  to  labor. 

In  1853  he  professed  religion  and  united  with  Shiloh  church,  in  Jasper  (now 
Morgan)  county.  He  was  baptized  by  Rev.  C.  C.  WiUis  on  the  31st  of  July, 
1853.  He  immediately  began  to  exercise  his  gifts  in  the  prayer-meetings  of  the 
church,  and  continued  to  do  so  until  the  following  December,  when  he  went  to 
school  in  Alabama.  He  remained  at  school  in  Alabama  for  two  years.  Re- 
turning home  in  1855,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  Shiloh  church.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Matilda  F.  Corolton,  on  the  nth  of  March  1858,  and.  in  the 
following  winter  moved  to  Peaksville,  Henry  county,  where,  the  following  June, 
he  began  to  teach  school.     He  transferred  his  membership  to  Sardis  church,  in 


492  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Henry  county,  by  request  of  which  church  he  was  ordained  in  July,  1859,  by  a 
presbytery  composed  of  W.  G.  McMichael,  John  T.  Kimball,  N.  N.  Edge  and 
H.  T.  Dicken.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  preaching  to  different  churches  as 
pastor  and  supply,  in  various  counties  in  the  State. 

After  the  war,  oppressed  by  debt,  and  having  a  large  family  to  support,  it 
became  necessary  for  him  to  engage  in  some  business,  in  order  to  relieve  him- 
self from  the  stigma  of  indebtedness.  He  prepared  for  the  practice  of  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  at  Watkinsville,  Clark  county,  in  February,  1868. 
Finding  himself  unable  to  accomplish  his  purpose  by  practicing  law,  he  secured 
a  railroad  position,  and,  in  1871,  moved  to  Atlanta,  where  he  filled  the  position 
as  conductor  and  chief  clerk  in  the  freight  department  until  he  was  able  to  dis- 
charge all  the  indebtedness  which  had  so  oppressed  him.  He  then  returned  to 
the  practice  of  law,  as  a  means  of  securing  a  sufficient  income  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  himself,  wife  and  eight  children,  and,  in  addition,  preached  to  various 
churches  in  the  city  of  Atlanta,  and  in  DeKalb  and  Cobb  counties.  Mr. 
Speairs  is  considered  a  good  and  strong  preacher.  His  native  powers  are  vigor- 
ous. He  is  a  diligent  student  of  the  Bible,  never  consulting  other  authorities 
for  the  interpretation  of  a  text,  until  he  has  exerted  all  his  own  powers  in  dis- 
covering the  truth  as  revealed  in  the  Bible.  An  earnest,  conscientious  and 
scriptural  preacher,  Mr.  Speairs  is  thus  one  whose  sermons  are  blessed  to  those 
who  hear  them. 


I.    M.    SPRINGER. 

Rev.  I.  M.  Springer,  one  of  the  most  useful  and  popu- 
lar ministers  of  the  Central  Association,  is  a  native  of  South 
Carolina,  having  been  born  and  reared  in  Charleston.  His 
religious  alma  mater  was  the  old  First  church  under  the 
pastorates  of  Drs.  Manly,  Crawford  and  Kendrick.  The 
Sabbath  school  was  the  preparatory  department,  where  he 
received  instruction  in  religious  truth,  and  this  enlarged 
upon  and  enforced  by  the  teachings  of  the  pulpit,  led  to 
his  conversion  and  Christian  life.  At  the  age  of  fourteen 
he  left  school  and  entered  the  counting  house  of  a  firm 
which  did  an  extensive  business  as  foreign  and  domestic  brokers.  Here  he 
remained  four  years,  becoming  familiar  with  all  the  minutiae  of  business  and 
developing  business  habits.  In  1845,  during  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  N.  M.  Craw- 
ford, he  united  with  the  First  church,  in  the  memorable  revival  under  the 
preaching  of  Dr.  Richard  Fuller.  Having  developed  some  gifts  by  frequent  ex- 
ercise in  the  sunrise  prayer-meeting,  the  church  deemed  it  advisable  to  license 
him  to  preach ;  and  this  was  done.  The  following  year  he  attended  Furman 
University — then  Furman  Institute,  and  located  near  Winnsboro,  South  Caro- 
lina, and,  afterwards,  when  the  Institute  was  moved  to  Greenville,  he  went  with 
it,  and  was,  for  several  years,  engaged  as  one  of  its  instructors.  He  married 
the  eldest  daughter  of  deacon  J.  H.  Benedict,  in  1853,  visited  some  relatives  in 
New  York  and  Connecticut,  and,  while  at  the  North,  accepted  the  pastorate  of 
the  Baptist  church  in  Danburg  township,  Connecticut,  where  he  remained  four 
years.  The  climate  proving  too  severe  for  his  wife's  health,  he  returned  South, 
and,  in  1 860,  moved  to  Marietta,  Georgia,  where  he  purchased  a  large  residence, 
about  five  miles  from  the  city,  and  opened  a  boarding  and  day-school  for  boys. 
Success  was  beginning  to  crown  his  efforts  when  the  war  of  Secession  began. 
His  boy  students  voluntarily  entered  the  army,  his  school  was  broken  up,  and, 
in  1864,  when  the  enemy  swept  over  the  country  with  fire  and  sword,  the  accu- 
mulation of  years  was  destroyed  in  a  night.  With  these  labors  as  an  educator 
was  combined  pastoral  service  to  Concord,  Mount  Zion,  Acworth  and  New 
Salem  churches,  resulting  in  many  additions  to  their  membership.     He  sought 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


493 


refuge  in  Morgan  county,  and  took  charge  of  the  academy  five  miles  from  Mad- 
ison. A  Sunday-school  organized  by  him  in  the  academy  building  led  to  the 
constitution  of  Bethany  church ;  and,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  devoted 
to  the  church  at  Washington,  he  has  been  its  pastor  from  the  first,  a  period  of 
sixteen  years.  While  resident  in  Morgan  county,  he  served  churches  in  that 
county,  in  Putnam,  in  Jasper  and  in  Newton  ;  having  been  pastor  at  Monticello 
for  three  years,  at  Eatonton  for  seven,  and  at  Antioch  for  nine.  God  blessed 
his  labors  while  attending  these  churches.  For  ten  years  he  acted  as  clerk  of 
the  Central  Association,  and  wielded  much  influence  in  that  body.  In  March, 
1880,  he  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Marietta.  He  is  a  clear  and  impressive 
preacher,  a  man  of  education  and  great  strength  of  principle,  warm  in  his  piety, 
constant  in  duty  and  lowly  of  spirit.  / 


J.  M.  STANSBERRY. 


Rev.  J.  M.  Stansberry,  son  of  Solomon  and  Fannie 
(Gibson)  Stansberry,  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Tennessee, 
March  loth,  1830.  His  grandfather,  Luke  Stansberry,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  American  Revolution,  and  lived  to  the  age 
of  one  hundred  and  four  years.  It  is  a  tradition  of  the 
family  that  the  first  of  the  ancestors  to  land  in  America 
came  with  Columbus  from  Spain.  In  1844,  shortly  after 
the  removal  of  his  father  to  Whitfield  county,  Georgia,  he 
professed  a  hope  in  Christ,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  A. 
Fitzgerald,  at  Poplar  Springs  church,  in  that  county.  With 
a  view  to  the  ministry,  he  took  the  usual  academic  course  at  Gordon's  Springs, 
Walker  county,  and,  after  four  years  in  that  institution,  engaged  in  teaching. 
Without  the  advantages  of  a  collegiate  or  theological  education,  he  is  "  a  self- 
made  "  man,  with  very  respectable  attainments  in  general  literature,  in  the 
sciences,  and  especially  in  divinity.  He  began  preaching  about  the  year  1850, 
returned  to  East  Tennessee  in  1851,  and  was  ordained  at  New  Hopewell  church, 
April,  1853,  by  Revs.  M.  Hillsman,  C.  C.  Tipton,  W.  Billur,  W.  Burnett  and  J. 
Ouarles.  He  at  once  became  pastor  of  four  churches,  and  served  them  efficiently 
until  1857,  when  he  accepted  an  agency  for  the  Bible  Revision  Association,  in 
the  prosecution  of  which  he  travelled  extensively,  and  did,  perhaps,  the  most 
important  work  of  his  life  in  the  cause  of  truth.  Leaving  Tennessee  on  account 
of  political  troubles  in  i860,  he  assumed  the  pastorate  of  the  church  at  Dalton, 
Georgia,  which  he  retained  until  the  church  was  scattered  by  the  war.  He  then 
acted  as  chaplain  up  to  the  termination  of  hostilities,  first  at  Dalton,  and  after 
the  retreat  of  the  Confederate  army,  at  Macon.  In  1865,  locating  at  Tunnel  Hill 
he  became  a  missionary  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Board  at  Marion,  and  labored  for 
two  years  within  the  bounds  of  the  Middle  Cherokee,  Coosa  and  North  Georgia 
Associations,  organizing  new  and  reorganizing  old  churches,  establishing  Sun- 
day-schools, and  performing  general  evangelistic  work.  In  the  financial  embar- 
rassment of  the  Board,  he  relinquished  over  two  hundred  dollars  of  the  salary 
due  him,  betook  himself  to  teaching,  and  entered  into  pastoral  relations  with 
Tunnel  Hill,  Dogwood  Valley,  Varnell's  Station  and  Pleasant  Grove  churches, 
Whitfield  county.  In  1877  he  accepted  his  present  position  as  principal  of  the 
Euharlee  Academy,  and  pastor  of  the  churches  at  Euharlee  and  Taylorsville, 
Bartow  county.  It  will  be  seen  from  this  narrative  that  he  has  never  been  able 
to  devote  his  undivided  energies  to  the  ministry,  but  has  been  constrained  to 
combine  secular  employments  with  it,  making  many  sacrifices  to  give  as  much 
time  as  possible  to  the  higher  calling. 

He  married  Miss  Mollie  Johnson,  of  Knox  county,  Tennessee,  September, 


494 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


1856,  and  after  her  death,  in  February,  1873,  M^iss  Mattie  Head,  of  Whitfield 
county,  Georgia.  His  children  are  three  daughters  of  the  first  wife  and  a  son  of 
the  second. 

With  a  weight  of  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  pounds,  and  a  height  of 
some  six  feet,  blue  eyes  and  dark  hair,  his  personal  appearance  is  prepossessing 
and  commanding.  He  is  reserved  in  company  and  does  not  seek  notice  either 
in  the  Associations  or  in  the  public  prints.  Kind  and  affable,  he  makes  a  good 
pastor.  He  is  a  firm  Baptist  and  strict  Calvinist,  and  carries  everything  in  which 
he  engages  to  the  Throne  of  Grace.  His  manner  in  the  pulpit  is  easy,  with  few 
gestures.  His  sermons  are  doctrinal,  systematic  and  logical.  His  forte  is  as  an 
expositor,  feeding  the  Church  of  God.  An  able  debater,  he  has  held  several  public 
discussions  with  Pedobaptists.  He  has  maintained  an  unblemished'moral  and 
Christian  character,  and  rests  in  the  assurance  that  after  he  shall  have  served 
his  generation  by  the  will  of  God,  heavenly  joys  will  requite  all  his  toils  to  ad- 
vance the  kingdom  of  that  Saviour  and  Lord  who  loved  us  and  gave  himself  for  us. 


EPENETUS  A.  STEED. 


Rev.  Epenetus  A.  Steed  was  born  in 
Columbia  county,  Georgia,  June  6th,  1829, 
and  was  the  eldest  son  of  Rev.  W.  P.  Steed. 
From  his  father  he  inherited  force  of  charac- 
ter, disciplinary  talents,  strict  principles  of 
business  and  love  of  independence,  which 
have  had  a  controlling  influence  on  his  life. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  was  entered 
in  the  preparatory  department  of  Mercer 
University  and  graduated  with  honors  in  the 
class  of  1 85 1,  a  class  of  twelve  members, 
among  whom  were  J.  G.  Ryals,  A.  T.  Spal- 
ding, R.  D.  Mallary,  I.  D.  Moore,  R.  B.  Hub- 
bard and  others  well  known  in  the  religious, 
professional  and  political  world.  Inheriting 
from  his  mother  a  high  order  of  intellect,  a 
keen  sense  of  the  ludicrous,  quick  insight 
into  character,  and  a  practical  turn  of  mind, 
he  soon  attained  a  high  position  m  his  class  and  in  the  esteem  of  the  faculty 
and  students.  During  his  college  career  he  was  distinguished  for  ready  wit, 
literary  taste,  and  unusual  conversational  and  oratorical  talents  ;  and  had  his 
ambition  and  energy  equalled  his  genius,  he,  in  early  life  could  have  attained 
eminence  in  the  literary  or  political  world.  A  political  life,  however,  with  its' 
doubtful  honors,  attained  frequently  at  a  sacrifice  of  principle,  was  distasteful  to 
his  naturally  independent  spirit ;  and  a  purely  literary  life,  while  congenial  to 
his  tastes,  was  not  promising  to  a  man  taking  a  practical  view  of  life.  Circum- 
stances, however,  rather  than  choice  led  to  the  profession  of  teaching,  and  that 
which  was  adopted  as  a  temporary  employment,  became  his  life  work. 

After  leaving  college  he  was  principal,  for  two  years,  of  Hodge's  Institute,  a 
military  and  classical  school  at  Greenwood,  South  Carolina,  edited  for  one  year 
the  Temperance  Banner,  published  at  Penfield,  and,  while  teaching  a  private 
school  in  his  native  county,  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  Ancient  Languages  in 
Mississippi  College,  at  Clinton.  There  he  joined  the  Baptist  church  and  spent 
six  of  the  most  studious  and  successful  years  of  his  life,  applying  himself  closely 
to  the  studies  of  his  department,  discharging  satisfactorily  the  duties  of  his  call- 
ing, and  training  the  minds  of  hundreds  of  young  men,  some  of  whom  are  now 
influential  leaders  of  public  opinion  in  the_State  of  Mississippi.  ~ 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


495 


In  December,  i860,  he  married  a  Georgia  lady — a  daughter  of  Maj.  Clem 
Powers,  of  Effingham  county,  and  the  next  year,  the  regular  exercises  of  Mis- 
sissippi College  having  been  suspended,  on  account  of  the  war,  he  returned  to 
his  native  State.  Soon  after  the  war  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  at  the 
Thomson  Baptist  church  and  elected  to  the  pastorate  of  that  and  three  other 
churches,  Sweet  Water,  Greenwood  and  Pine  Grove.  Here,  in  preaching  and 
teaching,  were  spent  some  of  the  most  useful  and  pleasant  years  of  his  life. 
During  the  years  spent  in  Thomson,  his  services  as  speaker  were  in  frequent 
demand  in  various  parts  of  the  State,  and  he  was  urged  to  accept  the  presidency 
of  Mississippi  College  in  which  he  had  held  a  professorship  for  six  years.  He 
supplied  the  Greene  street  church,  Augusta,  once  a  month  for  several  months, 
and  received  calls  to  city  and  village  churches,  all  of  which  he  declined,  pre- 
ferring the  freedom  and  independence  of  a  country  life  and  pastorate,  the  salary 
of  which  might  be  supplemented  by  farming  or  teaching. 

In  1872  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  Latin  in  Mercer  University.  At  the 
close  of  1873  he  retired  from  the  pastoral  office,  and  since  then  has  devoted 
himself  exclusively  to  the  duties  of  his  professorship. 

As  a  speaker  he  is  fearless  in  speech,  direct  in  statement,  clear  and  forcible 
in  style,  impassioned  in  delivery,  and  has  that  characteristic  of  the  real  orator, 
the  power  to  convince  the  judgment  and  move  the  heart.  As  a  teacher,  a  cor- 
respondent of  The  Christian  Index  thus  describes  him  :  "  Professor  Steed 
is  a  man  of  strong,  decided  character,  possessing  a  mind  of  great  natural  vigor 
and  power.  While  he  excels  in  that  department  of  learning,  to  which  he  has 
given  special  attention,  his  attainments  in  all  the  fields  of  knowledge  are  accu- 
rate and  extensive.  He  has  unusual  tact  and  ability  as  an  instructor — indeed 
we  do  not  believe  he  has  a  superior  in  the  recitation  room.  His  strong  charac- 
ter gives  him  great  influence  over  the  minds  of  those  who  sit  under  his  instruc- 
tion. Personally  he  is  very  genial  and  companionable,  and  his  manners  are 
marked  by  that  ease  and  freedom  which  we  would  expect  from  his  character. 
He  is  a  favorite  with  the  students,  and  is  greatly  esteemed  by  all  who  enjoy  the 
privilege  of  his  acquaintance." 


WILLIAM  PULLEN  STEED. 


Rev.  William  Pullen  Steed  was  born 
in  Columbia  county,  Georgia,  November  4th, 
1799,  and  was  the  oldest  of  a  large  family  of 
children.  His  father,  Leonard  Steed,  by  en- 
ergy and  economy,  had  acquired  considerable 
wealth,  in  consequence  of  which  his  children 
were  enabled  to  begin  life  in  comfortable  cir- 
cumstances. The  son  was  a  man  of  marked 
features  and  of  marked  character.  He  was 
strong  of  will  and  purpose — strong  in  his 
affections  and  aversions — strong  in  his  con- 
victions, his  moral  principles  and  his  religious 
beliefs.  Never  lukewarm  in  anything  he  un- 
dertook, whether  of  a  secular  or  a  spiritual 
character,  he  was  a  power  in  the  community 
where  he  lived. 

After  his  conversion,  he  was  a  whole-souled 
Christian  and  a  thorough  Baptist.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  in  1831,  and  ordained  to 
the  ministry  in  1836.  From  the  time  of  his 
ordination,  he  showed  himself  uncompromising  in  his  opposition  to  errors  of 
faith  and  practice,  energetic  and  faithful  in  the  prosecution  of  every  good  work. 


496  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

He  was  the  beloved  and  honored  pastor  of  Sweet  Water  church,  Warren  (now 
McDuffie)  county,  for  twenty  years,  holding  that  position  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  though  for  more  than  a  year  preceding  he  was  prevented  by  disease  from 
the  active  discharge  of  pastoral  duty.  His  faithfulness  to  this  trust  was  evi- 
denced in  the  moral  and  spiritual  improvement  of  the  church,  which,  under  the 
inriuence  of  his  teachings,  became  one  of  the  best  in  the  Georgia  Association. 
He  took  position  with  the  earliest  advocates  of  total  abstinence  in  his  commu- 
nity, and  by  precept  and  practice  so  instilled  the  principles  of  temperance  into 
the  minds  of  his  sons  that  they  did  not  use  even  wine  as  a  beverage. 

He  was  noted  among  those  who  knew  him  well  for  the  remarkable  purity  of 
his  character  and  conversation.  As  modest  as  a  woman,  he  tolerated  nothing 
that  approached  indelicacy  in  word  or  act.  High-toned  in  his  very  nature,  spir- 
ited, chivalrous,  truthful,  he  despised  cunning,  treachery  and  falsehood.  Candid 
in  expressing  his  opinions,  honest  in  his  dealings,  punctual  in  the  performance 
of  his  promises,  even  his  enemies  would  have  confessed  that  "his  word  was  his 
bond."  But  the  leading,  most  distinguishing  feature  of  his  character  was  an 
abiding,  unbroken,  unquestioning  faith  in  God.  He  believed  God's  word,  he 
accepted  it,  he  obeyed  it.  He  used  frequently  to  say,  "  Duty  is  ours,  the  result 
is  with  God  ;  "  and  this  realizing  faith  was  the  key-note  to  his  character.  It  made 
him  live  a  pure,  happy  and  successful  life ;  it  was  "  the  victory  that  overcame 
the  world  ;  "  it  was  his  stay  when  laboring  through  several  years  under  heavy 
bodily  afifhction,  and  even  when  infirmity  shut  him  out  of  the  pulpit,  led  him  to 
mingle  with  his  brethren  in  their  meetings  to  the  very  last.  Faith  in  Christ  was 
the  burden  of  his  preaching  "in  the  great  congregation  "  and  around  the  family 
altar  :  "  it  sustained  and  comforted  him  in  life,  and  enabled  him  to  welcome  death 
with  these  the  last  words  he  uttered,  "  Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly.' 
.  The  Georgia  Association,  in  its  session  at  Clark's  Station,  1862,  recording  his 
decease  within  the  year,  said  :  "  He  was  peculiarly  endowed  by  nature  with  dis- 
tinguishing traits  of  character  which,  when  assisted  by  divine  grace,  eminently 
qualified  him  for  the  duties  and  trials  incident  to  his  calling,  and  conduced  largely 
to  the  great  success  which  followed  his  labors.  Meekness  and  gentleness,  firm- 
ness and  decision,  blended  in  harmon3^  and,  though  rarely  found  together,  were 
prominent  characteristics  in  his  private  and  public  life.  As  a  pastor,  he  was 
ever  watchful  for  his  Master's  cause,  and  by  his  zeal  and  devotion  endeared 
himself  to  his  churches.  But  the  great  secret  of  his  success  in  the  ministry  lies 
in  the  fact  that  he  lived  in  the  study  of  the  word  of  God  at  the  Throne  of  Grace." 


L.    W.    STEPHENS. 

Rev.  L.  W.,  son  of  Fielding  and  Catharine,  Stephens, 
and,  on  the  mother's  side,  grandson  of  a  revolutionary 
soldier,  was  born  in  Abbeville,  South  Carolina,  June  3d, 
1826.  Almost  in  his  infancy,  the  family  settled  in  Law- 
rence county,  Alabama,  where  for  a  number  of  years  he 
attended  the  common  schools  of  the  country.  In  1844, 
when  a  youth  of  eighteen,  he  professed  conversion,  and, 
without  examining  the  claims  of  the  several  denominations, 
united  with  the  PresDyterian  Church,  of  which  his  parents 
were  members.  He  remained  in  that  communion  seven 
years,  reaching,  at  last,  by  personal  study  of  the  Scriptures,  an  abiding  convic- 
tion that  he  was  unbaptized.  To  discharge  what  he  regarded  as  an  imperative 
duty  of  the  individual  believer,  he  was  baptized,  February,  1851,  in  connection 
with  Moore's  church,  Pontotoc  county,  Mississippi,  of  which  county  he  became 
a  resident  in  1849.  In  the  course  of  these  investigations,  his  soul  was  aroused 
to  the  sense  of  a  still  higher  duty — the  duty  of  following  the  Saviour,  not  simply 
in  the  observance  of  an  outward  rite,  but  in  the  proclamation  of    the  Glad 


r\ 

OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


497 


Tidings  through  His  name.  The  next  year,  therefore,  he  entered  Mercer  Uni- 
versity, Peniield,  and  prosecuted  his  studies  in  that  institution  for  eighteen 
months,  the  better  to  fit  himself  for  the  performance  of  ministerial  functions. 
His  vacations  were  given  to  preaching ;  and  his  wife,  then  Mrs.  Susan  Jones, 
was  one  of  the  many  converts  gathered  into  Falling  Creek  church,  Elbert  county, 
during  a  revival  in  1853,  in  which  he  labored  wath  Rev.  Asa  Chandler,  At  the 
request  of  that  church,  he  was  ordained,  in  1854,  by  a  presbytery  composed  of 
Revs.  A.  Chandler,  P.  P.  Butler,  J.  F.  Dagg  and  I.  H.  Goss.  He  embarked  with 
zeal  and  energy  upon  the  discharge  of  the  duties  pertaining  to  his  sacred  office, 
and  has  rendered  pastoral  service  to  a  number  of  churches,  principally  in  Elbert, 
Lincoln  and  Hart  counties.  He  has  continued  with  one  church  from  1855  to 
the  present  time,  and  with  others  through  long  periods.  He  was  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  church  at  Elberton,  and  ministered  to  it,  as  its  first  pastor,  from 
i860  to  1869,  holding,  for  seven  years,  the  office  of  town-councilman.  There 
were  seventeen  consecutive  years  during  which  he  filled  all  his  appointments, 
without  a  single  interruption  by  sickness  either  of  himself  or  of  his  family.  He 
regrets  that,  as  a  farmer,  he  has  not  been  able  to  devote  more  time  to  the  study 
of  the  Word  of  God,  and  has  often  been  compelled  to  preach  without  proper 
preparation;  but  he  has  lived- the  life  of  a  devoted  minister,  and  God,  who 
searches  the  heart,  has  signally  blessed  his  labors  in  spite  of  his  consciousness 
of  their  imperfection.  He  has  baptized  about  five  hundred  persons;  and,  at 
one  time,  administered  the  ordinance  to  forty-two  persons  in  thirt)-  minutes,  with- 
out any  thought  of  proving  that  a  single  day  affords  sufficient  time  for  the 
baptism  of  three  thousand.  In  this  useful  career,  his  wife — the  mother  of  three 
children,  two  of  whom  are  living — has  been  a  faithful  helper.  His  manner  in 
the  pulpit  is  earnest  and  affectionate,  and,  losing  sight  of  himself,  he  presents 
the  truth  in  simplicity  and  power.  While  kind  and  courteous,  he  is  firm  in  his 
convictions.  He  dispenses  a  cheerful  hospitality,  and  succors  the  poor  with 
generous  assistance.  He  takes  a  leading  part  in  his  Association.  His  present 
home  is  at  Hartwell,  and  he  is  pastor  of  the  church  in  that  town. 


W.  R.  STEELEY. 


Rev.  W.  R.  Steeley,  a  native  of  Baldwin  county, 
Georgia,  joined  a  Baptisf  church  at  the  early  age  of  six- 
teen. After  attending  neighborhood  schools,  he  spent 
several  terms  at  Mercer  Institute,  under  the  presidency  of 
B.  M.  Sanders  and  O.  Smith.  After  his  ordination,  in 
1845,  he  was  called  to  serve  the  Buckeye  church,  in 
Laurens  county,  and  has  been  in  the  regular  discharge  of 
ministerial  functions  from  that  time  to  the  present.  With 
the  exception  of  a  year  or  more  passed  in  north  Alabama, 
he  has  acted  as  pastor  first  to  churches  belonging  to  the 
Ebenezer,  and  subsequently  to  churches  belonging  to  the  Houston  Association. 
As  an  earnest  and  zealous  worker,  his  labors  have  been  greatly  blessed,  result- 
ing in  large  accessions  to  the  churches.  In  1847  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Coates, 
who  bore  him  three  daughters,  now  living,  and  one  son  who,  with  the  mother, 
has  entered  into  "the  rest  remaining  for  the  people  of  God."  He  w^as  married 
afterward  to  Mrs.  Lee,  of  Cochran,  Pulaski  county,  where  he  now  resides.  He 
has  been  a  man  of  remarkable  physical  power,  going  night  and  day,  through 
heat  and  cold,  wherever  his  work  for  Christ  called  him,  without  ever  being  sick. 
His  warmth  of  heart,  co-operating  with  this  vigor  of  body,  has  made  him  abun- 
dant in  toil,  and  under  its  salutary  promptings  he  holds  himself  still  ready  for 
any  necessary  or  practicable  service  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 


498 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


CARLOS  W.  STEVENS. 


Rev.  Carlos  W.  Stevens  was  born  on  the 
30th  of  September,  1823,  in  Sunbury,  Liberty- 
county,  Georgia.  His  boyhood  days  were  spent 
chiefly  in  the  place  of  his  nativity,  and  at  Wal- 
thourville,  in  the  same  county.  His  parents, 
Oliver  and  Eliza  S.  Stevens,  were  very  earnest 
and  devoted  Baptists,  and  singularly  illustrated 
in  their  daily  lives  the  fruits  of  genuine  piety. 
Their  deepest  solicitude  was  for  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  their  children,  whom  from  infancy 
they  faithfully  instructed  in  the  ways  of  right- 
eousness and  truth.  The  effects  of  this  Chris- 
tian training  were  very  early  manifested  in  the 
life  and  character  of  Carlos.  Fihal  affection  and 
obedience  were  marked  characteristics  of  his 
days  of  childhood,  and  hence  he  was  very  rarely 
the  subject  of  domestic  discipline.  While  at 
school,  he  was  a  general  favorite  with  his 
teachers  as  well  as  schoolmates,  on  adcount  of 
his  uniform  urbanity  of  deportment  and  amiability  of  disposition.  All  with 
whom  he  associated  were  warmly  attached  to  him,  for  the  purity  of  his  life  and 
the  kindliness  of  his  heart.  His  word  was  never  doubted,  and  his  motives  of 
action  were  so  transparently  in  accordance  with  truth  and  duty,  that  almost 
from  infancy  he  seemed  to  have  been  born  into  the  Kingdom  of  Grace.  Indeed, 
when  he  professed  the  hope  of  regeneration,  about  the  14th  or  15th  year  of  his 
age,  one  of  his  classmates  remarked  ;  "  I  don't  know  what  Carlos  had  to  repent 
of,  for  he  never  committed  a  sin  in  his  life."  While  at  school  his  mind  was  not 
brilliant,  nor  his  powers  of  mental  perception  very  acute,  but  his  diligence  and 
perseverance  in  study  always  secured  for  him  a  creditable  position  in  his  class. 
He  was  very  distrustful  of  his  natural  abilities,  and  never  presumptuous  or  for- 
ward in  the  display  of  his  acquirements.  Completing  his  preparatory  course  at 
Walthourville  Academy,  he  went  to  Franklin  College — now  the  University  of 
Georgia — where  he  spent  about  two  years,  and  concluded  his  education  at  Mer- 
cer University,  graduating  in  its  school  of  theology  in  1848. 

On  the  29th  of  October,  1851,  he  married  Miss  Louisa  Gonder,  who,  with  their 
only  child,  their  daughter  Emmie,  survives  him.  As  husband  and  father,  his 
life  was  a  beautiful  illustration  of  those  lovely  traits  of  character  that  diffuse  an 
imperishable  fragrance  of  happiness  and  joy  around  their  memories  of  him. 
The  greater  portion  of  his  life  was  spent  in  preaching  the  Gospel  and  teaching. 
In  both  of  these  callings  he  attained  distinguished  success.  As  pastor  he  was 
indeed  the  good  shepherd.  He  fed  his  flock  with  the  pure  manna  of  the  unadul- 
terated word  of  truth,  and  his  guileless  life  reflected  on  them  the  light  of  truth 
hallowed  by  the  mellow  radiance  derived  from  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  As 
a  teacher  his  discipline  was  mild  though  decisive,  and  his  method  of  instruction 
thorough.  His  patience,  forbearance,  and  kindness,  secured  the  vi^arm  affection 
of  all  his  pupils,  and  stimulated  in  them  a  desire  to  learn  that  they  might 
please  their  teacher.  As  a  pastor  his  personal  interest  exhibited  in  the  tem- 
poral and  spiritual  welfare  of  every  member  of  his  church  and  congregation, 
his  uniform  kindness  and  urbanity  of  deportment  towards  them,  and  his  exem- 
plification in  daily  life  of  the  truths  he  inculcated,  enabled  him  to  exert  a  mag- 
netic influence  over  the  hearts  of  all  with  whom  he  was  associated.  His  influ- 
ence was  always  for  good,  for  goodness  was  the  predominant  characteristic  in 
the  development  of  his  spiritual  life. 

His  former  pupils,  many  of  whom  have  attained  the  meridian  of  life,  invari- 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS  499 

ably  express  their  love  for  his  memory  in  their  recollection  of  his  uniform  kind- 
ness and  goodness.  On  the  day  of  Carlos'  death,  Judge  Linton  Stephens  with 
whom  he  was  intimate  by  marital  and  social  relationships  for  many  years, 
wrote  to  a  friend,  "  I  have  just  seen  the  best  man  die  that  I  ever  knew,"  And 
this  goodness  was  not  of  that  negative  character  alone  which  refrains  from  acts 
and  words  of  moral  obliquity,  but  his  whole  life  was  spent  in  deeds  of  benefi- 
cence and  love.  He  was  a  diligent  and  energetic  worker,  ever  impressed  with 
the  conviction  that  labor  is  man's  normal  condition,  and  he  delighted  in  consecrat- 
ing his  energies  of  soul  and  body  to  the  promotion  of  the  glory  of  his  heavenly 
Father.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  there  were  probably  few  in  his  denomina- 
tion who  exerted  a  wider  and  more  impressive  personal  influence  for  good  than 
he  did ;  for  he  occupied  many  positions  of  honor  and  trust,  especially  as  a 
teacher,  and  fulfilled  his  obligations  with  gratifying  success. 

The  crowning  glory  which  irradiated  his  beautiful  life  was  charity,  in  its 
widest  significance.  Though  firm  and  inflexible  in  the  maintenance  of  denomi- 
national tenets,  yet  he  respected  and  loved  all  who  bore  the  image  of  the  Divine 
Master  in  their  daily  conduct.  Asceticism,  bigotry,  intolerance,  or  blind_  preju- 
dice as  to  the  motives  and  conduct  of  others,  never  gained  an  entrance  into  his 
heart,  but  his  conceptions  of  charity  were  based  on  the  eternal  principles  of 
TRUTH — were  moulded  after  the  pattern  of  One  who  was  Truth  incarnate,  and 
who  gives  even  to  the  worst  the  benediction  of  his  pitying  love.  Hence  his 
utter  abhorrence  of  the  tongue  of  the  slanderer.  He  made  it  the  habit  of  his 
life  ever  to  cover  with  the  veil  of  charity  the  moral  delinquencies  of  his  fellow- 
men,  and  to  endeavor  by  words  of  kindness  and  acts  of  goodness  to  win  them 
over  to  the  path  of  rectitude  and  truth. 

As  would  be  naturally  inferred  he  had  few,  if  any,  enemies.  No  one  was 
ever  heard  to  speak  ill  of  him,  but  all  who  knew  him  loved  him.  His  light  was 
that  of  the  just  "  that  shineth  more  and  more  to  the  perfect  day."  His  reward  is 
that  of  the  "pure  in  heart,"  for  he  was  indeed  "an  Israelite  in  whom  was  no 
guile." 

In  the  midst  of  his  usefulness  he  died,  without  warning,  of  a  congestive  chill,  at 
Sparta,  Georgia,  where  for  several  years  he  had  been  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church, 
on  the  31st  of  October,  1866.  Although  his  mortal  remains  have  long  since 
crumbled  into  dust,  yet  the  savor  of  his  well-ordered,  symmetrical  and  beautiful 
life  will  ever  linger  with  us  to  cheer  us  in  life's  conflicts,  that  we  may  imitate  his 
example,  and  ultimately  share  with  him  the  rich  fruition  of  eternal  joys. 

The  Christian  Index  at  that  time  said:  "We  know  no  minister  of  our 
denomination  in  the  State  who  was  so  warmly  loved  by  all  who  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  his  acquaintance.  He  possessed  by  nature  a  disposition  of  extraordinary 
amiability.  His  character  was  written  in  his  countenance.  To  see  him  was  to 
be  prepossessed  in  his  favor.  Over  these  natural  endowments  religion  shed  her 
hallowed  radiance,  presenting  a  combination  as  beautiful  as  it  is  unusual.  He 
was  an  earnest  preacher  of  Christ,  always  speaking  as  one  who  felt  the  impor- 
tance of  his  message  and  the  worth  of  the  souls  entrusted  to  his  care.  Though 
he  was  not  gifted  in  the  pulpit  as  some  ministers  of  our  acquaintance,  his  min- 
istrations were  always  well  received.  He  was  the  honored  instrument  of  turning 
many  to  righteousness  in  every  field  where  he  labored." 

35 


500 


BlOGRAlPHICAL   SKETCHES 


ASA  CASTLEBERRY  STEPHENSON. 


Rev.  Asa  Castleberry  Stephenson  was  born  in 
Anderson  county,  South  Carolina,  March  25th,  1835.  In 
1849  his  parents  moved  to  Franklin  county,  Georgia, 
bringing  the  grandmother  with  them,  who  was  noted  for 
her  most  excellent  Christian  character.  This  pious  wo- 
man, in  about  two  years,  was  .taken  to  her  final  rest,  and 
her  words  of  faith  in  Jesus  and  of  love  for  him,  together 
with  the  solemn  funeral  services,  led  Asa,  though  young, 
to  see  that  he  was  without  hope  and  lost  in  sin.  In  this 
spirit  he  sought  the  Lord  ;  his  cries  for  mercy  were  heard, 
and  that  peace  which  passeth  knowledge  was  communi  ■ 
cated  to  his  troubled  soul.  Changed  in  heart,  a  sense  of  duty  compelled  him  to 
confess  the  Saviour  before  the  world.  He  was  baptized  in  connection  with 
Double  Branch  church.  Not  long  after  his  union  with  the  church,  he  gave  such 
unmistakable  evidence  of  a  call  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  that  he  was  hcensed 
to  preach  ;  and  as  a  licentiate  his  preaching  was  blessed  of  the  Lord. 

He  was  married  in  March,  1856,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Walker,  of  Hall  county, 
Georgia. 

In  1859  he  went  to  Alabama  and  engaged  in  teaching  school,  following  this 
occupation  for  several  years ;  and  this,  with  his  previous  academic  training,  gave 
him  a  culture  which  does  not  always  follow  superior  educational  advantages.  In 
1862  he  returned  to  Georgia,  enlisted  with  his  old  Franklin  friends  in  the  Con- 
federate service,  and  bore  arms  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Whenever  opportu- 
nity offered  he  preached  Jesus  to  his  comrades.  On  the  return  of  peace,  he  de- 
voted himself  again  to  the  school-room,  preaching  to  Double  Branch  church  and 
other  churches  in  the  Tugalo  Association.  In  1S65,  at  the  call  of  Double  Branch 
church,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry.  He  continued  his  ministerial  work  in 
this  section  with  eminent  success  until  December,  1867,  when  the  serious  afflic- 
tion of  his  wife  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  seek  a  warmer  chmate.  He  then 
settled  in  Thomas  county,  Georgia,  at  that  time  very  destitute  and  in  great  need 
of  an  intelligent  and  devoted  minister  of  the  Gospel.  Mr.  Stephenson,  seeing 
the  spiritual  lack,  at  once  gave  himself  to  the  work,  and  travelled  over  that  sec- 
tion preaching  the  Word.  He  labored  thus  without  compensation,  until  about 
four  years  ago,  the  Executive  Committee  of  Mercer  Association,  knowing  his 
zeal  for  the  Master,  and  the  wonderful  success  that  had  attended  his  work,  em- 
ployed him  as  their  missionary,  and  afforded  such  aid  as  their  finances  allowed. 
He  has  been  the  means  of  establishing  four  churches,  and  has  baptized  over  four 
hundred  persons  whom  he  believed  to  be  converted  to  Christ.  He  is  still  the 
missionary  of  the  Mercer  Association,  actively  and  nobly  doing  work  for  the 
blessed  Lord. 


J.  D.  STEWART. 

George  and  Elizabeth  Stewart,  Primitive  Baptists,  and 
noted  for  strict  integrity,  emigrated  from  North  Carolina 
to  Georgia,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born,  in 
Fayette  county,  three  miles  south  of  Jonesboro,  August 
2d,  1833. 

Rev.  J.  D.  Stewart  was  educated  in  country  schools, 
except  one  year's  attendance  on  Marshall  College,  Griffin, 
Georgia.  But  from  early  youth  he  has  been  a  close 
student,  devoting  all  his  leisure  time  to  the  perusal  of 
instructive  books  by  the  best  authors,  and  thus  amass- 
ing a  large  amount  of  most  useful  information.  In  youth  he  was  noted  for  his 
sobriety  and  temperate  habits,  never  in  his  life  becoming  intoxicated  or  using 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  .  501 

tobacco  in  any  form.  Since  attaining  manhood,  the  dominant  qualities  mani- 
fested by  him  have  been  a  perfect  strictness  of  integrity  and  an  indomitable  will 
and  purpose  in  a  just  cause.  The  guiding  maxim  which  has  controlled  all  his 
actions  is,  that  integrity,  energy  and  honesty  in  the  affairs  of  life  will  inevitably 
lead  to  success  ;  and  with  him  such  has  been  the  case.  He  has  been  twice  elec- 
ted Mayor  of  Griffin  ;  he  has  been  twice  a  Representative  from  Spalding  county 
in  the  Legislature,  for  one  session  being  chairman  of  the  House  Judiciary  Com- 
mittee, and  for  eight  years  he  was  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Ordinary  for  Spalding 
county.  A  lawyer  by  profession,  as  well  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  Mr.  Stew- 
art is  a  zealous,  ardent  and  successful  advocate  for  the  rights  and  interests  of 
his  clients.  He  has  always  been  a  strong  supporter  of  the  cause  of  education, 
and  is  an  active  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  for  the  Griffin  Female  Col- 
lege, and  for  the  Sam  Bailey  Male  Institute.  He  served  on  the  committee  ap- 
pointed by  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  to  select  a  new  site  for  Mercer  Uni- 
versity, when  that  institution  was  removed  from  Penfield,  and  many  recollect 
with  pleasure  his  thrilling  speech  on  the  subject  before  the  Convention  at  New- 
nan.  For  four  years  in  succession  he  served  as  Moderator  of  the  Flint  River 
Association,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  brethren. 

He  was  converted  and  baptized  in  August,  1852,  and  united  with  the  Hebron 
church,  three  miles  south  of  Jonesboro.  He  was  ordained  at  Griffin,  of  which 
town  he  had  been  long  a  resident,  in  October,  1871,  and  has  had  the  care  of  one 
or  two  churches  in  Spalding  county  ever  since.  So  zealous,  faithful  and  success- 
ful have  been  his  labors,  that  the  membership  of  one  increased  from  thirteen  to 
ninety-eight  in  five  years,  and  more  than  sixty  were  added  to  the  other  in  less 
than  three  years.  As  a  preacher,  he  speaks  extemporaneously,  and  with  the 
greatest  ease  and  fluency.  His  style  is  very  earnest,  and  at  times  vehement  and 
eloquent.  The  habits  of  the  bar  tincture  but  do  not  detract  from  his  pulpit  de- 
livery, while  they  give  it  refreshing  force  and  vigor.  In  temperament  he  is 
ardent  and  sanguine,  with  feelings  as  soft,  tender  and  delicate  as  a  woman's,  and 
his  emotions  quickly  excite  the  sympathies  of  his  audience,  and  enable  him  to 
reach  and  affect  their  hearts  as  well  as  their  understandings. 

In  person  he  is  six  feet  tall,  with  blui  eyes  and  a  ruddy  complexion,  and  is 
disposed  to  corpulency.  In  manners  he  is  easy  and  deliberate,  cordial  and 
friendly.  Truly  a  self-made  man,  he  has  acquired  an  enviable  reputation  by 
laborious  study,  close  attention  to  business,  and  by  dispensing  a  Christian  influ- 
ence over  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Susan 
A.  Dickinson,  on  the  19th  of  December,  1855,  and  five  children  are  the  fruits  of 
the  union. 


CHARLES  HARDEN  STILLWELL. 

Rev.  Charles  Harden  Stillwell,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Sarah  E.  C.  Stillwell,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Savan- 
nah, Georgia,  on  the  24th  of  May,  1806. 

His  early  school  advantages  were  inferior,  at  least  in 
degree ;  but  from  long,  constant,  regular  habits  of  reading 
and  study,  he  became  a  man  of  general  intelligence,  and 
one  specially  well  versed  in  the  Scriptures.  He  was  bap- 
tized into  the  fellowship  of  the  Savannah  Baptist  church 
May  7th,  1827,  near  the  close  of  his  twenty-first  year,  by 
Rev.  H.  O.  Wyer. 

In  July,  1832,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Marshall, 
of  Augusta,  and  of  their  thirteen  children,  eight  are  still  living.  Having  settled 
in  Monticello,  Georgia,  the  Baptist  church  there,  after  making  proof  of  his  fitness 
for  the  ministry,  called  him  to  ordination,  which  took  place  August,    1837,  the 


502  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

presbytery  consisting  of  Revs.  A.  T.  Holmes,  J.  E.  Dawson  and  J.  H.  Campbell. 
He  preached  for  three  years  in  that  section  of  the  State,  and  in  1840  removed  to 
Talbot  county,  Georgia.  Here  he  was  usefully  employed  in  his  ministerial  work, 
serving  Liberty  Hill,  Mount  Zionand  Mount  Vernon  churches.  In  1849  he  was 
invited  to  take  charge  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Rome,  Georgia,  and  during  that 
year  preached  two  Sundays  of  each  month  in  Talbot  county,  and  two  in  Rome. 
In  185 1  he  resigned  his  Talbot  churches,  and  accepted  the  pastoral  charge  at 
Rome  and  Cave  Spring,  giving  also  a  part  of  his  time  to  Pisgah  church.  He 
devoted  himself  unremittmgly  to  pastoral  work,  and  the  Lord  used  him  as  His 
instrument  in  establishing  the  cause  of  truth  in  that  section.  An  attack  of  par- 
alysis in  the  face,  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  retire  from  his  pastorate,  and  Dr. 
S.  G.  Hillyer  became  his  successor  in  Rome.  Dr.  Hillyer,  in  1859,  accepted  a 
professorship  in  Mercer  University,  and  Rev.  C.  H.  Stillwell,  ever  ready  to  sup- 
ply any  lack  of  service,  supplied  for  the  time  the  pulpit  of  the  Rome  church, 
until  Rev.  D.  W.  Gwin  assumed  charge  of  it. 

During  the  Confederate  war  Mr.  Stillwell  found  it  necessary  to  remove  his 
family  from  Rome,  settled  for  a  season  at  Sandersville,  Georgia,  and  served 
the  church  there  as  pastor.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Rome, 
and  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Kingston,  Bartow  county,  and  of  Friendship, 
Pleasant  Valley  and  Pisgah  churches,  Floyd  county.  During  the  last  several 
years  he  has  labored  as  missionary  of  the  Home  Board  at  Marion,  and  of  the 
Georgia  State  Board,  carrying  the  news  of  redeeming  love  to  those  who  are  des- 
titute of  the  means  of  grace. 

As  a  preacher,  few  ministers  have  been  more  self-denying,  more  punctual  to 
meet  all  engagements,  more  abundant  in  labors,  or  more  successful  in  estab- 
lishing the  churches  in  Gospel  faith  and  obedience.  He  is  an  earnest  speaker, 
apt  in  illustration  and  uniformly  instructive.  He  is  wise  in  counsel,  fervent  in 
spirit,  strong  in  faith,  abounds  in  love  and  good  works,  and  does  with  his  might 
whatever  his  hands  find  to  do. 

He  filled  the  clerkship  of  the  Columbus  Association  eight  years,  and  of  the 
Coosa  and  Cave  Spring  Associations  fifteen  years. 

He  is  a  good  business  man,  and  has  occupied  prominent  places,  which  required 
tact  and  capacity.  During  his  residence  in  Talbot,  county  he  was  for  five  years 
the  clerk  of  the  Court  of  Ordinary.  He  filled  for  eight  years  the  responsible 
position  of  superintendent  and  cashier  of  the  Rome  Railroad,  and  for  three 
years  was  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Memphis  Branch  Railroad. 


JACOB    M.    STILLWELL. 

Rev.  Jacob  M.  Stillwell  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of 
Webster,  Jackson  county.  North  Carolina,  August  22d, 
1820.  He  was  reared  by  pious  parents,  and  often  referred 
in  terms  of  tenderness  to  their  godly  influence.  He  "  knew 
the  grace  of  God  "  by  personal  experience  in  early  life,  and 
was  ever  afterward  "an  example  to  the  believer  in  be- 
havior, in  word  and  in  doctrine."  He  entered  Mercer 
University,  Penfield,  to  fit  himself  for  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel,  in  the  year  1846.  There  he  continued  for  three 
years,  and  by  close  apphcation  to  his  studies  laid  the  foun- 
dation for  a  life  of  usefulness  surpassed  by  few  who  have  gone  out  from  that 
University.  While  his  education  was  yet  incomplete  he  was  united  in  marriage, 
December,  1849,  to  Miss  Mary  T.  McNeil,  daughter  of  Judge  McNeil,  of  Morgan 
county,  who  survives  him — the  mother  of  nine  children.  At  the  request  of  the 
Penfield  church,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  in   1850,  and  became  pastor  of 


OF    PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  503 

New  Hope,  Greene  county ;  Antioch,  Putnam  county ;  High  Shoals,  Clarke 
county  ;  and  Sugar  Creek,  Morgan  county.  He  served  these  churches  for  fifteen 
years,  and  afterward  served,  among  others,  Brownwood  and  Sandy  Creek,  Mor- 
gan county  ;  Mars  Hill,  Clarke  county  ;  Covington  and  Carmel,  Newton  county  ; 
Social  Circle,  Walton  county;  Indian  Creek,  Woodville,  Lithonia  and  Stone 
Mountain,  DeKalb  county.  He  was  a  good  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  all 
his  churches  flourished  under  his  care.  His  delight  was  in  prayer-meetings, 
"meetings  of  days"  and  revival  seasons;  and  it  was  seldom  that  his  charges 
were  unialessed  with  yearly  outpourings  of  the  Spirit,  and  many  accessions  of 
those  who  will  constitute  his  crown  of  rejoicing  in  the  last  day.  While  the 
brethren  in  all  these  churches  were  dear  to  him,  it  was  even  a  higher  joy  to 
him  to  guide  inquiring  sinners,  as  he  was  specially  fitted  to  guide  them,  into 
the  way  of  peace.  Hence,  in  the  succession  of  his  annual  meetings,  he  was 
apt  to  overwork  himself,  and  it  was  at  the  close  of  these  meetings,  in  1877,  that 
he  came  home  "  weary  in  the  work  but  not  weary  of  it,"  and  his  fatigued  body 
succumbed  to  typhoid  fever.  He  died  in  the  midst  of  those  he  loved  best,  on 
the  27th  of  September,  at  Stone  Mountain.  He  seemed  before  his  attack  to 
anticipate  the  coming  of  "  the  Son  of  Man,"  and  the  text  of  his  last  sermon, 
preached  at  Lithonia  was  :  "  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you."  (John  14:  2.)  He 
preached  with  unusual  fervor,  and  his  countenance  appeared  to  be  lighted  up 
as  by  the  joys  of  heaven.     Those  who  heard  him  then  will  never  forget  it. 

Rather  above  medium  height,  and  weighing  nearly  two  hundred  pounds,  with 
dark  complexion,  black  hair  and  eye.:,  and  a  genial  expression  of  countenance, 
his  personal  appearance  was  prepossessing.  His  warm  heart  awakened  a 
responsive  chord  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  associated  with  him.  Rev.  D.  E. 
Butler  says  :  "  He  was  without  guile,  if  any  man  in  this  generation  can  be  so. 
The  power  of  faith  and  grace  was  daily  exemplified  in  him.  He  loved  alj  who 
loved  his  Lord,  and  his  sound  good  sense  was  scarcely  ever  mistaken  in  the 
estimate  which  he  placed  on  a  professor  of  religion."  And  Rev.  Dr.  Spalding, 
for  whom  he  cherished  an  unbroken  friendship  and  affection  for  thirty  years, 
testifies  :  "  There  have  been  few  men  in  Georgia,  who,  lacking  early  culture,  and 
with  limited  education  and  slender  resources,  have  risen  so  high  in  the  love  and 
confidence  of  the  people.  The  light  of  his  piety  never  waxed  dim.  His  integ- 
rity was  never  questioned.  His  sphere  of  usefulness  was  constantly  enlarging, 
and  his  power  for  good  v^as  at  its  maximum  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His  name 
will  stand  on  the  roll  of  the  sons  of  Mercer  University  as  one  of  those  who, 
in  honoring  God,  have  attained  to  honor,  and  have  added  to  the  demonstration 
that  neither  wealth  nor  earthly  greatness  is  essential  to  marked  and  memorable 
usefulness  in  the  kingdom  of  God." 


THOMAS  HENRY  STOUT. 

Rev.  Thomas  Henry  Stout,  son  of  Samuel  H.  and 
Mary  E.  Stout,  was  born  at  Orange  Court-house,  Virginia, 
on  the  23d  of  July,  1835.  As  a  boy,  he  was,  exceedingly 
moral  in  his  conduct,  never  having  been  guilty  of  profanity, 
intoxication,  fighting,  or  of  any  other  kinds  ;of  immorality. 
Before  reaching  his  majority  he  moved  to  Kentucky,  where 
he  professed  conversion  and  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship 
of  the  First  Baptist  church  at  Covington,  by  Dr.  S.  W.  Lynd, 
when  seventeen  years  of  age.  When  twenty-three  he  was 
ordained,  at  the  request  of  the  Macedonia  church,  Walker 
county,  Georgia,  after  having  taken  a  collegiate  course  at  Mercer  University, 
Penfield,  Georgia,  where  he  was  chiefly  educated: 

Mr.  Stout  has  been  a  hard-working  minister,  since  his  ordination  in  July, 


504 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


1858,  and  has  served  many  churches  in  Georgia,  the  principal  of  which  are 
those  at  Macedonia,  Walker  county,  Blakely,  Early  county,  Salem,  Calhoun 
county,  Bethel,  Randolph  county,  Lumpkin,  Georgetown,  Thomaston,  Talbot- 
ton,  Buena  Vista,  Benevolence,  besides  several  other  country  churches,  among 
them- those  at  Brundige  and  Troy,  Alabama.  He  has  been  successful  in  his 
ministry,  many  converts  being  the  result  of  his  preaching.  He  is  warm-hearted 
and  full  of  feeling,  devout  and  earnest-minded.  He  has  acted  as  clerk  for  the 
following  Associations  in  Georgia :  the  Middle  Cherokee,  the  Bethel,  and  the 
Rehoboth  ;  and  for  seven  years  he  served  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention  as 
assistant  clerk. 

He  married  Miss  Ellie  J.  Kidd,  of  Troup  county,  Georgia,  on  the  28th  of  Au- 
gust, 1855,  but  of  six  children,  one  son  only,  Thomas  Henry,  survives. 


THOMAS  STOCKS. 


Among  the  Baptist  laymen 
of  Georgia,  no  one  has  stood 
higher  as  a  zealous  worker,  a 
generous  and  active  Christian, 
and  a  broad-minded,  intelli- 
gent, progressive  and  far-seeing 
Baptist,  than  Hon.  Thomas 
Stocks,  of  Greene  county. 
Although  born  in  an  Indian  fort 
and  brought  up  in  the  most 
troublous  times,  with  no  educa- 
tion worth  considering  as  such, 
he  reached  positions  of  emi- 
nence and  high  honor  in  politi- 
cal life,and  attained  a  position  of 
great  influence  and  usefulness 
in  our  denomination.  His  per- 
sonal piety,  his  nobility  of  char- 
acter,his  go(>d  judgment,  strong 
common  sense  and  spotless  in- 
tegrity,all  contributed  to  elevate 
him  in  the  esteem  of  his  con- 
temporaries, while  his  devotion 
to  duty  and  his  fidelity  to  the  in- 
terests of  his  State  and  denomi- 
nation, combined  to  secure  him 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  all. 
Born  February  ist,  1786,  in  Greene  county,  he  was  left  an  orphan  at  ten 
years  of  age,  under  the  care  of  an  uncle.  His  early  years  were  passed  amid  the 
alarms  of  Indian  warfare,  when  guarded  men  worked  in  squads  on  the  farms  of 
the  State,  thus  protecting  themselves  from  the  marauding  Creeks,  and  some- 
times Cherokees.  At  that  time  the  white  settlements  extended  no  further  west 
than  the  Oconee  river,  and  a  line  of  forts  extended  up  and  down  the  middle  of 
the  State,  in  which  the  whites  were  sometimes  compelled  to  seek  safety,  and 
thus  it  happened  that  he  first  saw  the  light  in  a  rude  log  fort,  erected  for  the 
protection  of  the  frontier.  A  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Indians,  and  a  United 
States  governmental  guarantee  of  title  to  all  the  land  east  of  the  Chattahoochee, 
relieved  the  State  from  this  incubus  of  Indian  war  and  depredation,  and  left  the 
settlers  at  liberty  to  cultivate  their  lands  and  rear  their  families  in  peace.  Mr. 
Stocks  was  possessed  of  land  in  Greene  county.  On  this  he  settled,  about  the 
year  1807,  at  which  period  he  also  married,  when  twenty-one  years  oid.     About 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS.  505 

the  same  time  the  State  capital  was  removed  from  Louisville  to  Milledgeville, 
and  Mr.  Stocks,  always  wide  awake  to  State  as  well  as  denominational  interests, 
began  to  take  an  active  part  in  politics.  His  force  of  character  and  natural  in- 
telligence gave  him  prominence,  and  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1813, 
and  served  in  the  House  of  Representatives  for  eight  years ;  but  his  abilities  and 
popularity  bore  him  onward,  as  a  breeze  bears  forward  a  gallant  barque,  and  he 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  in  which  he  bore  a  distinguished  part  for  twelve 
years,  during  eight  of  which  he  filled  the  honorable  position  of  its  President. 

Shortly  after  his  marriage,  when  less  than  thirty  years  of  age,  he  was  elected 
one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Inferior  Court  of  Greene  county,  a  position  which  he 
held  until  he  had  passed  his  sixtieth  birth-day,  thus  serving  his  generation  in 
deed  and  in  truth. 

At  forty,  the  man  who  had  simply  been  the  capable,  honest  and  upright  citi- 
zen of  the  State,  became  a  citizen  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus.  He  was  brought  to 
conviction  under  the  preaching  of  Rev.  John  Lumpkin,  brother  of  Governor 
Wilson  Lumpkin  and  of  Judge  Joseph  Henry  Lumpkin,  and  he  at  once  put  on 
the  armor  of  his  spiritual  King  and  entered  into  His  service  with  an  intelligent 
zeal  that  knew  no  abatement  while  physical  capacity  lasted.  He  was  baptized 
by  Rev.  John  Lumpkin  on  the  first  Sunday  in  October,  1828,  and  in  a  few  years 
was  made  a  deacon,  which  office  he  held  faithfully  for  nearly  forty  years. 

In  1829,  when  Josiah  Penfield,  of  Savannah,  by  will  donated  $2,500  to  the 
State  Convention,  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  poor  young  men  who  had  the  minis- 
try in  view,  to  secure  an  education,  on  condition  that  an  equal  amount  be  raised, 
Thomas  Stocks,  Thomas  Cooper,  H.  O.  Wyer  and  J.  H.  T.  Kilpatrick  were  ap- 
pointed by  Jesse  Mercer,  the  President,  to  devise  some  plan  for  carrying  out  the 
object  of  the  bequest.     The  other  $2,500  were  raised  by  note  in  a  few  minutes. 

In  the  year  1 831,  at  Buckhead,  Burke  county,  the  Convention  resolved  to  estab- 
lish a  classical  and  theological  school,  and  the  executive  committee  just  named 
was  instructed  to  devise  a  plan  for  raising  $1,500,  so  that  the  school  might  be 
opened  as  soon  as  practicable.  In  1832  the  committee  was  authorized  to  pur- 
chase a  site  for  the  school,  eight  miles  north  of  Greenesboro.  That  same  year 
Thomas  Stocks  was  appointed  to  represent  the  State  Convention  in  the  General 
Baptist  Convention  in  New  York.  The  school,  then  called  "  Mercer  Institute," 
was  established  January  ist,  1833,  Mr.  Stocks  being  one  of  the  chief  agents  in 
its  establishment,  and  ever  after,  while  he  lived,  he  remained  a  faithful  and  gen- 
erous friend  of  the  institution. 

The  positions  of  trust  assigned  him  by  his  brethren  need  be  mentioned  only  : 
For  more  than  forty  years  he  was  on  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  State  Con' 
vention  ;  and  for  many  years  was  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  Chair- 
man of  the  Prudential  Committee.  For  several  years  he  was  Clerk  of  the 
Convention,  and  for  ten  years,  from  1846  to  1856,  its  President.  For  a  score  or 
two  of  years  he  was  placed  on  the  most  important  committees,  and  assigned  to 
positions  requiring  great  business  capacity  and  excellence  of  judgment.  He  was 
always  equal  to  the  position  assigned  him,  and  nothing  but  failing  health  and 
strength,  by  reason  of  old  age,  put  an  end  to  his  useful  labors  in  behalf  of  the 
denomination.  In  the  cause  of  denominational  education,  for  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel,  and  in  promotion  of  the  glory  of  God,  as  a  Baptist  and  a  Christian,  he 
not  only  labored  actively  and  in  harmony  with  his  brethren,  but  gave  freely  of 
his  abundance.  Not  less  than  ten  thousand  dollars  were  bestowed  by  him  for 
the  benefit  of  Mercer  Institute  and  Mercer  University.  Contemporary  and  co- 
laborer  with  Mercer,  Mallary,  Sherwood,  Sanders,  Dawson,  Thornton,  Kilpatrick, 
Mell,  and  a  host  of  other  illustrious  Baptists,  he  performed  a  full  share  in  giving 
strength,  power  and  usefulness  to  our  denomination  in  Georgia.  His  blameless 
life,  his  high  and  noble  purposes,  his  patriotic  spirit,  and  his  rectitude  of  charac- 
ter, made  him  beloved  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 

He  died  in  Greene  county,  October  6th,  1876,  when  nearly  ninety-one  years  of 
age.  He  could  look  back  to  the  time  when  the  Oconee  was  the  western  border 
of  the  State,  and  when  men  carried  their  guns  to  the  house  of  God  on  Sabbath, 
and  kept  sentries  standing  to  watch  for  the  wily  Indian  foe.  And  he  could  look 
back  upon  all  those  long  years  spent  in  useful  service  to  both  Church  and  State — 
to  both  God  and  man. 


$o6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 


WILLIAM    H.    STOKES. 


During  the  first  years  of  this 
century  a  gentleman  owned  a 
farm  and  taught  school  in  Lau- 
rens district,  South  Carolina, 
who  was  born  near  Limerick, 
Ireland,  although  his  father  was 
an  Englishman.  His  name  was 
John  Stokes.  His  wife  v/as 
named  Mary  Hale,  and  was  of 
Welsh  extraction,  her  ancestors 
being  Quakers,  belonging  to  the 
colony  founded  by  William  Penn, 
in  Pennsylvania.  They  raised 
ten  children,  of  whom  William 
H.  Stokes,  born  December  26th 
1798,  was  the  sixth.  The  rudi- 
ments of  learning  he  acquired 
from  his  own  father,  and  though 
living  and  working  on  the  farm 
until  manhood,  he,  nevertheless, 
by  severe  self-application,  man- 
aged to  secure  a  fair  education, 
including  even  a  knowledge  of 
Latin  and  Greek.  He  was  an 
insatiable  reader,  and  devoured 
every  book  that  fell  into  his 
hands.  At  that  early  day,  owing 
to  the  paucity  of  educational  institutions,  it  is  no  wonder  that  he  should  find  it 
difficult  to  indulge  his  propensity  for  extensive  literary  studies  and  pursuits. 
Hence  it  was  that  he  acquired  the  habit  of  self-instruction,  which  he  maintained 
all  through  life. 

On  the  first  of  March  1821,  William  H.  Stokes  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Carter, 
and,  three  months  after,  he  was  converted  and  baptized,  joining  the  Beaverdam 
church,  in  Laurens  district.  South  Carolina.  Then  he  began  to  think  and  pray 
with  reference  to  the  Gospel  ministry.  From  childhood  the  idea  had  floated  in 
his  mind  that  he  should  become  a  minister,  originating  in  an  early  prophecy  of 
a  pious  mother,  prompted  by  her  hopes  and  prayers.  He  was  a  sickly  child, 
in  his  earliest  years,  and  to  the  father's  oft-repeated  assertion  that  it  was  to  be 
feared  he  never  would  be  raised,  his  mother  replied,  "  Yes,  he  will ;  and  he  will 
become  a  minister  of  the  Gospel !  "  This  prophetic  intimation,  revealed  to  him 
at  the  age  of  eight,  in  a  loving  mother's  tender  manner,  made  an  abiding  im- 
pression on  his  mind,  and  therefore,  when  he  had  united  with  the  people  of 
God,  the  desire  to  preach  the  Gospel  was  but  the  germination  of  seed  that  had 
long  Iain  in  prepared  soil.  His  first  efforts,  however,  were  crude  and  awkward, 
owing  to  timidity  and  defective  education,  besides  other  embarrassing  circum- 
stances. Three  years  thus  passed,  toil  on  the  farm  being  relieved  by  study  and 
occasional  efforts  to  promulgate  Gospel  truth,  when,  through  the  influence  of  Rev. 
Basil  Manly,  Sr.,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  school  at  Pottersville,  one  mile  from 
Edgefield  Court-house.  This  position  was  retained  by  him  during  the  years 
1825  and  1826.  By  Dr.  Manly  he  was  introduced  to  the  church  at  Little 
Stevens  Creek,  Edgefield  district,  where  he  was  licensed  in  1825,  and  ordained 
in  1826,  during  which  year  he  became  connected  with  the  church  at  Mountain 
Creek,  as  pastoral  supply.  On  the  nth  of  October,  1826  he  lost  his  wife,  who 
left  three  little  children,  and  whose  death  shrouded  !his  life  in  gfloom.     Soon 


OF    PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  50/ 

after  this  sad  event,  he  became  again  indebted  to  his  kind  friend,  Dr.  Manly,  this 
time  for  an  appointment  as  assistant  teacher  in  the  Furman  Literary  and  Theo- 
logical Institution,  at  Edgefield,  entering  on  his  duties  in  the  beginning  of  1827. 
He  remained  in  this  Institution  for  two  years,  most  of  the  time  filling  the  posi- 
tion of  both  teacher  and  student ;  but  failing  health  induced  him,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  recruiting,  to  make  a  visit,  in  the  beginning  of  1829,  to  his  brother.  Dr. 
Jacob  Stokes,  who  resided  at  McDonough,  Georgia. 

His  departure  from  South  Carolina  proved  to  be  final,  for,  with  returning 
health,  he  sought  occupation,  and  became  principal  of  the  Academy,  at  Forsyth, 
Georgia,  where  in  October,  1829,  he  married  his  second  wife.  Miss  M.  D.  Williams. 
The  year  following  found  him  teaching  at  LaGrange.  He  spent  the  years  1831 
and  1832,  in  missionary  labors  in  the  frontier  settlements  of  western  Georgia 
and  eastern  Alabama.  In  1833  we  again  find  him  in  the  school  room  in  Meri- 
wether county,  but  serving  the  churches  at  Columbus  and  LaGrange  as  pastor, 
and  preaching  at  all  intervening  points  whenever  opportunity  allowed.  These 
were  busy  and  useful  years  for  a  man  of  comparatively  frail  body,  but  whose 
soul  burned  with  zeal  to  promote  his  Master's  cause. 

It  was  while  thus  busily  employed  in  1833,  that  he  accepted  an  invitation 
from  Jesse  Mercer  to  take  up  his  residence  at  Washington,  Georgia,  and  assist 
in  editing  The  Christian  Index.  His  connection  with  The  Index  continued 
nine  years,  seven  years  in  Washington,  and  two  years  in  Penfield ;  for  the  paper 
was  transferred  to  the  State  Convention,  by  Dr.  Mercer,  in  1840,  and  moved  to 
Penfield.  For  Mr.  Stokes  those  were  nine  exceedingly  laborious  years,  in  which 
toil,  trouble  and  triumph  were  mingled  in  a  wonderful  manner,  a  bare  summary  of 
which  is  almost  enough  to  appal  men  of  ordinary  zeal  and  energy.  While  aiding 
in  all  the  labors  necessary  to  the  conduct  and  business  of  a  weekly  religious  paper, 
he  commenced  in  1834,  the  publication  of  The  Temperance  Banner,  in  con- 
junction with  William  A.  Mercer.  The  editorial  management  of  this,  the  first 
temperance;  paper  ever  published  as  far  south  as  Georgia,  was  intrusted  to  Mr. 
Stokes,  who  ever  regarded  with  pride  this  act  of  first  hoisting  in  Georgia,  amid 
opposition  and  abuse,  the  standard  of  total  abstinence.  For  six  years  Mr. 
Stokes  was  the  vigorous  and  successful  editor  of  The  Temperance  Banner, 
the  pecuniary  responsibility  of  its  publication  being  borne  entirely  by  Rev. 
Jesse  Mercer,  for  which,  together  with  much  else  that  is  praiseworthy,  the 
people  of  Georgia  are  indebted  to  that  great  man. 

It  was  during  1834  that  Mr.  Stokes  wrote  the  "  History  of  the  Georgia  Bap- 
tist Association,"  Rev.  Jesse  Mercer  furnishing  the  material.  In  addition  to 
these  literary  labors,  he  labored  incessantly  as  pastor  for  various  churches,  and 
with  great  success,  between  the  years  1834  and  1842.  For  ten  years  he  was 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Phillips'  Mill,  Wilkes  county,  and  he  served  the  large 
church  at  Crawfordville  in  the  same  capacity  for  nine  years.  He  preached,  also, 
to  the  Lincolnton,  Goshen  and  Beaverdam  churches,  the  last  of  which  was  or- 
ganized by  himself.  While  God  blessed  his  labors  and  enabled  him  joyfully  to 
reap  much  fruit,  yet  the  same  Almighty  One  saw  fit  to  afflict  him  grievously 
during  those  years  of  toil.  Consumption  deprived  him  of  his  second  wife,  whom 
one  child  preceded  and  another  followed  to  the  grave.  A  third  wife  was  taken, 
and  she,  too,  was  soon  laid  away  in  the  same  cold  resting-place,  amid  many 
tears. 

When  he  became  connected  with  The  Index,  as  an  assistant  to  Jesse  Mercer, 
there  was  a  manifest  improvement  in  the  editorial  department  of  the  paper.  He 
was  a  better  writer  and  a  more  scholarly  man  than  Mercer,  nor  was  any  one 
more  ready  to  admit  this  than  Mr.  Mercer  himself.  , 

When  residing  at  Penfield,  previous  to  1842,  he  often  preached  in  the  college 
chapel,  and  at  Bethesda,  in  Greene  county,  and  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
methodical  and  instructive  preachers  of  the  day.  In  the  ministerial  conferences 
at  Penfield,  formed  by  ministerial  students,  and  such  men  as  Sanders,  Smith  and 
Richards,  he  was  one  of  the  best  critics  and  wisest  counsellors. 

Modest  and  retiring,  he  was  as  able  as  he  was  meritorious.  As  his  habits 
and  manners  were  those  of  a  student,  he  was  neither  very  energetic  nor  thrifty 


508  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

in  the  business  affairs  of  life,  but  undoubtedly  he  did  much  good  and  hard  work 
as  a  preacher  and  as  a  religious  and  temperance  editor. 

In  August,  1842,  he  married  Mrs.  M.  E.  Evans,  and  shortly  after  moved  from 
Penfield  to  reside  on  a  farm  in  Hancock  county,  and  his  connection  with  The 
Index  ceased.  In  Hancock  county  he  assumed  pastoral  relations  with  the 
churches  at  Sparta,  Mount  Zion,  Povvelton  and  Horeb,  to  which  churches  he 
preached  until  1854,  when  he  moved  to  Texas  and  settled  near  Marshall,  in  Har- 
rison county,  where  he  lived  four  or  five  years,  moving  then  further  westward  to 
Ellis  county,  where  he  died  on  the  12th  of  March,  1862. 

In  Texas  his  course  was  marked  by  the  same  zeal  as  in  Georgia.  Says  he,  in 
a  letter  dated  Marshall,  May  7th,  1855  :  "I  am  preaching  every  Lord's  day  to 
crowded  audiences,  and,  I  trust,  with  some  good  effect.  To-morrow  I  set  out 
for  Tyler  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  in  the  formation  of  a  Convention  for  eastern 
Texas."     A  later  letter  to  a  member  of  his  family  contains  the  following  : 

"  Marshall,  November  29,  1855. 

"  If  you  could  follow  me  with  your  eye,  you  would  see  me  pretty  often  on  a 
mule,  trudging  along  through  the  woods  and  swamps  of  Texas,  hunting  up  the 
scattered  sheep  of  my  Lord  and  Master,  collecting  them  into  little  folds  and  en- 
couraging them  to  efforts  in  the  great  cause.  At  other  times  ^^ou  would  see  me 
in  a  little  cabin,  surrounded  by  a  few  deeply  interested  hearers,  preaching  Christ 
to  them  with  much  plainness  and  affection.  Again  you  might  behold  me  in 
some  bush-arbor,  to  which  rude  sanctuary  many  are  pressing  on  foot,  on  horse- 
back and  some  few  in  carriages.  In  preaching,  I  tell  them  at  one  time  of  Sinai 
and  all  its  thunders ;  at  another  time  I  depict  the  glory  and  dignity  of  Christ, 
and  tell  of  His  wonderful  compassion  and  willingness  to  save.  All  weep.  Two 
or  three  brethren  come  up  and  get  me  first  by  the  hand  and  then  around  the 
neck.  We  weep  together,  we  pray  together,  we  sing  together.  And  then  away 
to  the  great  meetings— the  Association  !  the  Convention  !  Thus,  you  perceive, 
my  life  is  a  busy  one,  full  of  toil,  full  of  responsibility." 

His  last  illness,  which  resulted  in  death  at  the  age  of  sixty-four,  was  contracted 
while  on  a  pastoral  visit  to  Chatfield  Point.  His  calm  and  peaceful  death,  in 
which  the  hope  of  a  better  life  made  his  countenance  beam  with  seraphic  joy, 
as  he  exhorted  his  children  to  follow  their  father's  God,  was  a  beautiful  com- 
mentary on  the  realities  of  the  Christian  religion. 

Of  a  medium  height,  and  in  his  last  years  quite  fleshy,  Mr.  Stokes  had  expres- 
sive blue  eyes,  a  large  and  massive  head,  covered  thickly  with  dark  brown  hair, 
which,  in  later  life,  became  almost  white.  He  was  noted  for  firmness  in  the  path 
of  duty,  for  unselfish  devotion  to  his  Master's  work,  and  for  carrying  his  religion 
into  every  act  of  life. 

He  was  instrumental  in  winning  many  souls  to  Jesus,  and  allowed  no  ordinary 
difficulty  to  prevent  his  filling  an  appointment.  He  was  often  known  to  leave  a 
sick  bed  that  he  might  preach  to  sinners.  Going  early  on  Saturday  morning  to 
his  stable,  when  he  had  an  appointment  to  preach  at  a  church  eighteen  miles 
distant,  he  discovered  that  his  horse  had  been  injured,  and  that  to  ride  him  would 
be  cruel.  He  unhesitatingly  set  out  on  foot,  and  walked  into  the  church  but  a 
little  while  behind  his  usual  time.  He  had  nine  children,  of  whom  seven  attained 
maturity ;  but  the  strongest  desire  of  his  heart — that  one  of  his  two  sons  should 
succeed  him  in  the  ministry — was  not  fulfilled,  for  both  died  soon  after  his  own 
demise. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  509 


HENRY  DUNDAS  DOUGLAS.  STRATON. 

Among  the  Baptist  ministers  of  Georgia  who  have  had 
superior  educational  advantages  and  improved  them  well, 
is  Rev.  Henry  Dundas  Douglas  Straton  pastor  of 
the  church  at  Greenesboro.  He  is  a  man  of  pleasing 
manners  and  address,  of  good  personal  appearance,  and 
of  fine  social  qualities.  His  preaching  is  characterized 
by  a  strong  and  faithful  presentation  of  the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus,  without  a  slavish  adherence  to  any  system,  in 
the  preparation  and  delivery  of  his  sermons,  although 
he  was  subject  to  rigid  theological  training.  A  diligent 
student  of  the  Bible,  strict  in  his  interpretation  of  it, 
and  possessed  of  a  fine  native  intellect,  he  adheres  strictly  to  the  truth  as 
divinely  taught,' and  proclaims  it  with  great  compactness  and  power.  While 
maintaining  the  positions  he  assumes  in  a  manner  purely  logical  and  strongly 
argumentative,  yet  such  is  the  clearness  and  simplicity  of  his  style,  and  the 
pertinency  of  his  illustrations,  that  he  not  only  invariably  secures  and  retains 
the  attention  of  his  entire  audience,  but  is  heard  with  delight  and  edification. 

As  a  pastor,  he  is  watchful  and  diligent  in  taking  the  oversight  of  the  flock 
committed  to  his  care ;  and  as  a  minister,  he  is  most  faithful  and  devoted  to  his 
calling.  While  he  exposes  and  denounces  error,  it  is  done  in  the  spirit  of  Chris- 
tian charity.  True  to  his  convictions,  and  not  backward  in  proclaiming  them, 
yet  "  the  truth  in  love,"  is  the  motto  that  accords  most  with  his  disposition. 

Rev.  H.  D.  D.  Straton  was  born  in  the  town  of  Bannockburn,  Stirlingshire, 
Scotland,  August  14th,  1836.  His  parents  were  in  humble  circumstances,  but 
gave  him  a  good  common  school  education,  and  endeavored  conscientiously  to 
bring  him  up  in  the  "  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord."  From  his  sixteenth 
to  his  twentieth  year  he  was  employed  as  a  dry  goods  clerk  in  the  old  town  of 
Falkirk ;  after  that  he  engaged  for  a  year  in  teaching,  near  Stirling.  When  he 
was  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  the  pious  example  of  a  companion  was  made 
instrumental  in  his  conversion.  After  that  event,  he  found  pleasure  in  engaging 
in  such  occupations  as  teaching  in  a  Sunday-school,  distributing  religious  tracts 
among  the  poor  and  destitute,  and  in  expounding  the  Scriptures  to  little  compa- 
nies of  the  ignorant  and  indigent,  in  the  houses  of  private  families  and  else- 
where, when  opportunity  served.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  applied  for 
an  appointment  as  city  missionary,  in  connection  with  one  of  the  largest  Pres- 
byterian churches  in  the  city  of  Glasgow,  and,  after  a  trial,  he  was  appointed.  For 
more  than  three  years  he  labored  faithfully  in  that  capacity  among  the  destitute 
classes  of  the  city,  at  the  same  time  attending  the  University  of  Glasgow,  taking 
a  course  in  the  classes  of  Latin,  Greek,  Hebrew,  moral  philosophy,  and  logic. 
After  passing  a  satisfactory  examination  in  his  college  studies,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  United  Presbyterian  Theological  Hall,  of  Edinburgh,  and  prosecuted  his 
theological  studies  for  three  terms.  It  was  his  intention  to  emigrate  to  Aus- 
tralia on  completing  this  course,  his  parents  having  already  done  so ;  but  Provi- 
dence ordered  otherwise.  He  came  to  America,  landing  at  Philadelphia  in  Jan- 
uary, 1865,  intending  to  run  the  blockade  and  make  his  way  to  Selma,  Alabama. 
He  was,  however,  prevented  from  carrying  out  his  original  design,  but  went  to 
Virginia  just  after  the  war,  and  employed  himself  in  canvassing  various  counties 
as  a  book  agent.  At  that  time  he  entertained  Presbyterian  views,  but  in  Cumber- 
land county,  Virginia,  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Rev.  J.  C.  Perkins,  pastor 
of  the  Forks  of  Willis  church,  and  during  his  intercourse  with  this  brother, 
while  assisting  in  a  protracted  meeting,  his  views  on  the  subject  of  baptism  un- 
derwent a  complete  change.  He  presented  himself  to  the  church  as  a  candidate 
for  baptism,  and,  after  a  narration  of  his  religious  experience,  was  accepted  and 
baptized  in  the  James  river  by  Mr.  Perkins.     The  same  church  called  a  coun- 


510  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

cil  consisting  of  Revs.  C.  Tyree,  J.  C.  Perkins,  W.  Hall  and  W.  A.  Whitescarver, 
who  ordained  Mr.  Straton  to  the  Baptist  ministry.  He  married  Miss  Julia  R. 
Carter,  of  Richmond,  December  12th,  1866,  and  shortly  afterwards  was  called 
to  the  pastorate  of  Hebron  church,  King  William  county,  where  he  labored  with 
much  acceptance  and  considerable  success  for  two  years.  He  was  then  ap- 
pointed a  State  missionary,  by  the  State  Mission  Board  of  the  General  Associa- 
tion of  Virginia,  and  succeeded  in  organizing  a  church  at  Salem,  Roanoke  county, 
now  a  prosperous  and  influential  church.  It  was  while  on  a  visit  to  the  State 
of  Kentucky  in  the  interest  of  this  church,  that  he  received  and  accepted  a  call 
from  the  Taylorsville  church,  in  Spencer  county,  and  removed  there  in  the  win- 
ter of  1 87 1.  The  next  seven  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  ministerial  labors 
for  the  churches  at  Taylorsville,  Buck  Creek  and  Henderson,  Kentucky,  and 
Evansville,  Indiana.  In  1878  he  accepted  a  call  extended  to  him  by  the  church 
at  Greenesboro,  Georgia,  where  he  now  labors,  preaching  one  Sabbath  in  the 
month  to  the  church  at  Bairdstown.  He  is  now  at  home  here,  if  a  place  in  the 
hearts  of  his  brethren  can  make  him  so— a  place,  we  are  sure,  which  his  work 
through  the  years  to  come  will  render  only  the  surer  and  ihe  warmer. 


CHARLTON   HINES  STRICKLAND. 

Rev.  Charlton  Hines  Strickland,  the  second  son 
of  Oliver  P.  and  H.  W.  Strickland,  is  a  native  Georgian, 
his  birth-place  being  Lawrenceville.  Born  December  1 8th, 
1844,  with  a  fine,  healthy  physique,  frank,  open  counte- 
nance, pleasant  manners,  and  abilities  above  the  average, 
he  is  yet  young,  and  bids  fair  to  live  a  long  life  of  useful- 
ness. 

When  a  boy  he  was  remarkably  fond  of  reading,  some- 
times poring  over  the  pages  of  his  favorite  authors 
through  whole  nights.  He  had  fully  prepared  himself  for 
college  at  the  Lawrenceville  High  School,  and  was  about 
to  commence  a  college  course,  when  the  war  began,  in  186 1.  He  entered  the 
army  as  a  volunteer,  and  with  characteristic  ardor  and  faithfulness  performed 
his  duties  as  a  soldier.  He  rose  to  the  rank  of  Captain  of  Company  C,  3d  Geor- 
gia Battalion  of  Sharpshooters,  being  recommended  for  promotion  by  Brigadier 
General  Wofford  "  for  gallantry  on  the  field  of  Spotsylvania."  At  the  close  of 
the  war  the  sterner  duties  of  life  interfered  with  his  desire  and  purpose  to 
secure  a  collegiate  education,  as,  indeed,  was  the  case  with  very  many  Southern 
young  men  of  that  period.  He  was  converted  in  a  very  unusual  manner  during 
a  series  of  meetings  held  at  Hebron,  GM'innett  county,  August,  1865.  Riding 
home  alone  one  night,  the  Holy  Spirit  enabled  him  to  realize  powerfully  his  lost 
and  undone  condition  as  a  sinner ;  and  so  overwhelming  a  sense  of  contrition 
took  possession  of  him  that  he  dismounted  and,  in  the  darkness,  by  the  road  side, 
pleaded  for  forgiveness  until  for  him  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  rose  with  heal- 
ing in  his  wings.  Immediately,  in  the  dark  and  solitary  forest,  a  sweet  sense  of 
pardon  filled  his  soul,  and  sorrow  for  sin  gave  place  to  tears  of  joy  and  songs  of 
praise.  He  was  baptized  by  his  brother.  Rev.  William  H.  Strickland,  and  united 
with  the  church  at  Hebron.  In  the  following  October  he  was  married  to  Miss 
M.  E.  Dunlap,  and  on  the  30th  of  January,  1870,  he  was  ordained,  having  felt 
constrained  to  give  himself  wholly  to  the  Redeemer's  service. 

He  was  pastor  first  of  Bethel  church,  Walton  county,  and  afterwards  of 
churches  at  the  following  places :  Farmington,  New  Hope,  Greene  county, 
Greenesboro  and  Augusta,  Georgia.  At  present  he  is  pastor  of  the  First  Bap- 
tist church,  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  where  his  influence  for  good  is  deepening  and 
his  sphere  of  usefulness  is  widening.     Somewhat  above  the  medium  size,  he- is 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  51I 

erect  in  carriage,  soldierly  in  appearance,  and  dignified  in  manners.  Unswerv- 
ing fidelity  to  duty,  united  to  great  gentleness,  are,  perhaps,  his  most  prominent 
characteristics;  while  he  is  endowed  in  an  unusual  degree  with  that  quality  so 
useful  to  a  pastor — tad,  or  adaptability.  As  a  preacher,  possessing  no  mean 
gifts  of  oratory,  he  strives  for  simplicity  in  manner  and  language,  and  for  apt- 
ness in  illustration ;  and  with  such  earnestness  and  zeal  does  he  persuade  men 
to  be  saved,  that  his  hearers  always  recognize  his  heart  as  going  with  his  words. 
As  a  pastor,  he  creates  the  strongest  bond  between  himself  and  his  people  by 
that  genuine  sympathy  which  makes  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  others  his  own. 
Both  the  aged  and  the  young  know  him  to  be  their  friend,  and  his  kindly  fellow- 
feeling  with  the  sorrowing  draws  from  them  the  expression,  "  O,  he  knows  just 
what  to  say,  and  wJien  to  say  it !  "  Surely  this  is  a  rare  gift  in  a  minister.  Mr. 
Strickland  has  held,  and  still  holds,  high  positions  of  honor  in  the  societies  of 
Good  Templars,  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Honor,  Free  Masons,  and  Knights 
Templar. 

As  a  preacher  he  studies  earnestly  and  carefully,  seeking  all  the  information 
he  can  obtain  from  the  Scriptures,  from  his  own  well-chosen  library,  and  from 
the  book  of  human  nature,  until  he  becomes  full  of  his  subject ;  then  he  medi- 
tates on  it,  talks  of  it,  prays  over  it,  and — preaches  about  it.  Generally  his  preach- 
ing is  blessed  by  the  Spirit  to  the  good  of  others.  He  is  a  son  whom  the  State 
cannot  well  afford  to  spare,  and  we  hope  for  his  early  recall  to  it. 


WILLIAM    HENRY    STRICKLAND. 

Rev.  William  Henry  Strickland  is  one  of  the 
most  useful  preachers  in  the  State  of  South  Carolina, 
where  he  now  resides  ;  but  most  of  his  ministerial  life  has 
been  spent  in  Georgia,  his  native  State.  He  was  born, 
June  20th,  1838,  in  Gwinnett  county,  where  his  father, 
Oliver  P.  Strickland,  and  his  mother,  Henrietta  W.  Sam- 
mon,  were  reared  from  early  childhood. 

He  obtained  his  education  in  the  academy  at  Lawrence- 
ville,  attending  the  Gwinnett  Institute  one  year,  while  it 
was  taught  by  Rev.  J.  C.  Patterson,  D.D.,  a  Presbyterian 
minister.  He  entered  Mercer  University,  in  i860,  but 
failing  health  compelled  him  to  leave  at  the  close  of  the  year.  His  parents  were 
Presbyterians,  his  father  a  ruling  elder  in  that  communion.  When  he  was  con- 
verted, at  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  united  with  the  Lawrenceville  Presby- 
terian church  with  his  parents.  Dr.  Patterson,  pastor.  After  four  years'  connec- 
tion with  that  church,  during  which  time  his  life  was  consistent  and  godly,  he 
became  convinced  from  careful  examination  of  the  Greek  Testament,  when  pre- 
paring for  Mercer  "University,  that  he  had  not  been  scripturally  baptized.  Spend- 
ing some  time  in  prayer  and  deliberation,  he  felt  moved  by  the  Spirit  and  by  his 
conscientious  convictions  of  duty,  to  unite  with  the  Baptist  church,  \Miiiich  he 
did,  his  parents  giving  their  hearty  consent,  and  going  six  miles  into  the  country 
to  hear  his  recital  of  experience  and  witness  his  baptism.  Before  he  severed 
his  connection  with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  he  thought  of  obtaining  immersion 
at  the  hands  of  its  pastor,  and  remaining  with  that  denomination  ;  but  when  he 
appeared  before  the  Session,  and  made  known  his  wishes,  stating  his  persuasion 
that  he  must  follow  his  Saviour,  the  pastor  and  Session,  all  except  his  father, 
decided  that  to  immerse  a  candidate  who  had  been  sprinkled,  would  be  to  inval- 
idate the  sprinkling. 

He  has  long  felt  that  he  could  trace  the  hand  of  the  Lord  in  it  all,  and  has 
had-  frequent  occasion  to  thank  God  for  the  decision  of  the  Session.     He  was 


512  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

baptized  by  Rev.  Wiley  C.  Smith,  wlio  was  at  that  time  pastor  of  the  Hebron 
church,  Gwinnett  county.  As  the  minister  led  him  up  out  of  Alcovy  river,  in 
whose  waters  he  had  just  been  buried  with  Christ,  his  father  pressed  through 
the  crowd  to  the  water's  edge,  reaching  forth  his  hand  assisted  his  son  to  the 
bank,  and  then  embracing  him  with  loving  arms  said  :  "  My  dear  boy,  you  have 
my  most  cordial  approval  in  what  you  have  done  to-day.  You  have  done  your 
duty,  and  may  God  bless  you."  His  father  died,  having  retained  his  member- 
ship with  his  Presbyterian  brethren,  but  never  by  word  or  deed  did  he  throw 
any  obstacle  in  the  way  of  his  son.  It  may  not  be  improper  to  state,  that  during 
the  time  that  W.  H.  Strickland  was  investigating  the  question  of  baptism,  the 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  used  all  expedients  within  his  power  to  dis- 
suade him  from  uniting  with  the  Baptists.  But  nothing  that  was  said  or  done 
moved  him ;  he  felt  that  his  Lord  had  commanded,  and  he  would  not  allow 
taunts  and  derisioji,  coming  even  from  his  former  pastor,  to  deter  him  from 
obedience  to  Christ. 

The  Hebron  church,  seeing  he  possessed  gifts  by  no  means  ordinary,  invited 
Revs.  Bedford  Lankford,  D.  H.  Moncrief,  A.  W.  Buford,  and  J.  B.  S.  Davis  to 
aid  in  his  ordination,  which  took  place  October  30th,  1864.  During  the  first 
years  of  his  ministry  he  supplied  churches  near  where  he  lived,  visiting  them  on 
Saturday  and  Sunday.  Among  them  were  the  Lawrenceville  and  Hebron 
churches.  Afterwards  he  served,  in  DeKalb  county,  the  churches  at  Decatur, 
Stone  Mountain  and  Indian  Creek,  and  Salem  church,  in  Rockdale  county. 
During  these  years,  the  compensation  he  received  was  so  small  that  he  was  com- 
pelled to  labor  on  his  farm  or  in  the  school-room  for  the  support  of  his  family. 

The  first  regular  pastorate  of  Mr.  Strickland  was  the  Kollock  street  church, 
Augusta.  Next  he  served  the  church  at  Darlington  Court-house,  South  Caro- 
lina, and  thence  he  moved  to  Anderson  Court-house.  In  these  charges  he 
preached  wnth  great  and  growing  acceptance. 

While  he  resided  in  DeKalb  county,  Georgia,  he  was  county  commissioner  of 
public  schools,  in  1871.  In  1871  and  1872  he  was  chaplain  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  of  Georgia. 

While  at  Anderson  Court-house  he  belonged  to  the  editorial  staff  of  the 
Baptist  Courier,  published  at  Greenville,  South  Carolina,  and  was  president  of 
the  South  Carolina  Baptist  Sunday  School  Institute. 

He  has  been  twice  married — first,  to  Miss  M.  C.  Cloud,  of  Buford,  Georgia, 
August  13th,  1861  ;  after  her  death,  to  Miss  Cornelia  Dunlap,  of  Atlanta,  Octo- 
ber 7th,  1873.  He  has  two  living  children  by  his  first  wife,  and  by  his  second 
wife  three  living  children. 

In  April,  1880,  he  was  elected  to  the  responsible  position  of  Corresponding 
Secretary  of  the  State  Mission  Board  of  the  South  Carolina  Baptist  Convention, 
which  office  he  accepted.  With  his  headquarters  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina, 
he  is  now  prosecuting  the  work  entrusted  to  him,  with  zeal,  energy,  tact  and 
success. 


OK   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


5i: 


MARTIN  T.  SUMNER. 


Rev.  Martin  T.  Sumner,  D.D.,  is  not 
a  native  of  Georgia,  and  has  never  resided 
within  its  limits.  But  w^e  give  him  a  place 
in  our  volume  of  Sketches,  because  his  high 
official  position  for  many  years  in  connection 
with  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  made 
him  a  worker  for  the  denomination  in  this 
State,  and  because  his  frequent  visits  to  our 
great  annual  meetings  endeared  him  in  no 
ordinary  degree  to  the  hearts  of  the  brother- 
hood. His  life-long  example  of  energetic, 
unremitting  toil  for  the  prosperity  of  Zion, 
may  well  incite  our  young  men  to  "  scorn  de- 
lights and  live  laborious  days,"  and  it  may 
be  questioned  whether  any  man,  for  the  last 
score  of  years,  has  more  effectively  con- 
tributed to  the  progress  of  our  cause  in  Geor- 
gia than  he,  by  his  wise  and  liberal  policy 
in  the  management  of  missionary  operations 
among  us. 

A  kinsman  of  the  distinguished  orator  and  statesman,  Hon.  Charles  Sumner, 
he  was  born  in  Milton,  Norfolk  county,  Massachusetts,  September  6th,  1815. 
He  became  the  subject  of  converting  grace  in  early  life.'  Between  his  birth 
and  his  new  birth  there  lay  less  than  fifteen  years.  On  the  first  Sunday  in  May, 
1830,  he  was  baptized  by  the  lamented  J.  D.  Knowles,  D.D.,  and  received  into 
the  fellowship  of  Baldwin  Place  church,  Boston.  Two  years  previously  he  had 
secured  a  clerkship  in  a  commercial  house — a  fact  which  indicates  the  unusual 
promise  of  his  boyhood — and  he  retained  that  clerkship  four  years  longer.  He 
felt  himself  constrained  to  relinquish  it  then,  with  the  competence  or  wealth 
which  seemed  to  be  wrapped  up  in  its  prosecution  ;  for  the  voice  of  God  calling 
him  to  the  ministry  made  this  higher  sphere  of  work  imperative  to  his  conscience 
and  dear  to  his  heart.  To  prepare  himself  for  it,  he  entered  Brown  University 
in  1834,  and  after  four  years  of  diligent  study,  graduated  in  1838. 

He  was  married  October  9th,  1839,  to  Miss  GeorgianaS.  Hubbell,  of  Benning- 
ton, Vermont,  a  lady  of  unusual  intellectual  power  and  great  grace  of  character, 
who  "  did  him  good,  and  not  evil,  all  the  days  of  her  life."  Her  sudden  death,  of- 
heart  disease,  February  6th,  1880,  was  "  Sorrow's  crown  of  sorrow  "  to  him. 

Mr.  Sumner  was  now  armed  and  equipped  for  the  "  good  warfare."  In  what 
part  of  the  world-wide  field  his  own  particular  sphere  of  conflict  should  lie,  was 
determined  by  circumstances  which  men  are  apt  to  account  accidental,  but  which 
an  enlightened  faith  instructs  us  to  regard  as  under  the  direction  of  divine  provi- 
dence. An  old  school-mate,  Rev.  E.  L.  Magoon,  D.D.,  was  pastor  of  the  Second 
Baptist  church,  Richmond,  Virginia,  and  enjoying  a  high  degree  of  popularity 
by  reason  of  his  personal  magnetism  and  pulpit  eloquence.  At  his  suggestion, 
Mr.  Sumner  made  that  city  his  home  in  the  early  spring  of  1840;  and  thus  He 
who  holds  ministers  as  He  holds  the  stars,  in  His  right  hand,  guided  the  young 
man  to  the  South,  where  "  a  great  door,  and  effectual  "  beyond  his  imagining, 
should  be  opened  to  him. 

He  began  his  Southern  life  as  an  educator  in  the  Virginia  capital ;  and  his  suc- 
cess and  popularity  protracted  this  form  of  service  to  the  welfare  of  society 
through  ten  years,.  But  his  better  work  was  not  delayed  all  this  while.  In  the 
spring  of  1843,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  by  the  Revs.  J.  B.  Jeter,  E.  L. 
Magoon,  W.  F.  Nelson,  J.  B.  Taylor  and  S.  S.  Sumner,  and  was  called  to  the 
pastoral  charge  of  various  churches  in  the  country.     The  strain  of  this  divided — 


514  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

or,  rather,  doubled — life,  was  borne  for  seven  years,  during  which,  to  an  unusual 
degree,  he  showed  himself  a  whole  man  in  the  school-room  and  yet  a  whole 
man  in  the  pulpit.  In  1850,  however,  he  relinquished  teaching,  removed  from 
the  city,  and  gave  himself  exclusively  to  pastoral  labor  with  Bethlehem  church, 
Henrico  county,  the  church  at  Louisa  Court-house,  and  Mount  Olivet  and  Beth- 
lehem churches,  Hanover  county.  To  the  service  of  these  churches  he  brought 
warm  sensibility,  untiring  energy  and  enlightened  zeal  ;  and  the  four  years  of 
his  ministration  in  their  midst  form  a  red-letter  epoch  in  their  history. 

But  a  wider  sphere  of  usefulness  among  the  Baptists  of  the  South  awaited  him  ; 
and,  while  he  and  others  knew  it  not.  Providence  trained  him  for  that  sphere. 
In  January,  1854,  he  accepted  the  General  Agency  of  the  American  Tract  Society 
for  Virginia.  His  travels  from  point  to  point  in  the  prosecution  of  this  work 
brought  him  into  acquaintance  with  all  the  varying  phases  of  Southern  society, 
and  laid  bare,  under  his  observing  eye,  the  inner  workings  of  our  denominational 
enterprises,  local  and  general.  His  laboriousness,  persistency,  tact  and  sagacity 
infused  new  life  into  the  operations  of  the  Society  in  that  State.  They  attracted 
to  him  the  notice  of  his  brethren  also,  and  gave  them  assurance  that  he  was 
the  man  for  the  Corresponding  Secretaryship  of  the  Domestic  and  Indian  Mis- 
sion Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  Marion,  Alabama— a  position  on 
which  he  entered  January  ist,  1858,  and  which  he  retained  until  October  ist, 
1875 — acting  for  a  seasoninconjunction  with  Rev.  Russell  Holman,  who  labored 
under  the  physical  disability  of  failing  eye-sight,  but  for  much  the  greater  portion 
of  this  long  period  bearing  the  burden  of  official  responsibilities  and  toils  alone. 
The  history  of  his  life  during  these  eighteen  years  would  be  a  history  of  the 
Board,  of  whose  operations  he  was  the  mainspring  and  driving-wheel.  Travel- 
ling sometimes  more  than  twenty-five  thousand  miles  a  year,  he  visited  every 
quarter  of  the  wide  field,  to  ascertain  the  needs  and  capabilities  of  each  by  per- 
sonal inspection  and  personal  conference  with  the  brethren,  and  to  prompt  each 
to  co-operation  and  liberality  by  the  weight  of  personal  influence  and  the  fervor 
of  personal  appeal.  Humanly  speaking,  it  was  through  his  resolute  purpose, 
unconquerable  will  and  tireless  energy  that,  in  his  term  of  service,  some  twelve 
hundred  commissions  were  issued  to  laborers  in  fields  of  greater  or  less  destitu- 
tion ;  that  some  two  hundred  churches  were  constituted,  and  some  twenty  thous- 
and converts  baptized  in  the  spheres  they  occupied  ;  and  that  collections  were 
made  for  their  support  amounting  to  a  little  over  $300,000  in  Confederate,  and 
a  little  under  $400,000  in  Federal  currency.  When  war  came,  what  he  did  and 
what  he  incited  others  to  do,  were  no  mean  factors  in  securing  the  missionary 
and  colportage  work  among  our  soldiers,  which,  at  times,  seemed  almost  to 
transform  the  camp  into  a  church  and  the  hospital  into  a  house  of  God.  When 
disaster  fell  on  the  cause  of  the  South,  and  all  Southern  interests  appeared  to  lie 
in  wreck,  his  visit  to  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  the  fire  of  his  zeal  and  the  elo- 
quence of  his  advocacy,  saved  the  Board  and  saved  the  Convention,  if  not  from 
dissolution,  yet  from  an  era  of  despondent  inactivities  or  of  crippled  half-per- 
formances. That  in  such  a  career  he  should  have  made  no  mistakes  and  aroused 
no  opposition,  could  not  be  reasonably  anticipated  ;  but  on  his  retirement  the 
Convention  "  recorded  its  high  appreciation  of  his  personal  character  and  piety 
as  a  Christian  man  and  minister,  and  of  the  untiring  zeal,  abundant  labors,  un- 
flagging energies  and  singleness  of  purpose  with  which  he  discharged  the  duties 
of  his  office." 

In  October,  1875,  he  became  President  of  Judson  Female  Institute,  Marion, 
Alabama,  but  held  the  position  for  one  session  only,  though  he  filled  it  well  and 
was  urged  to  retain  it  longer.  His  services  were  too  valuable  to  the  general 
operations  of  our  people  not  to  create  an  imperative  demand  for  them,  and  he 
accepted  an  agency  for  the  completion  of  the  endowment  of  the  Southern  Bap- 
tist Theological  Seminary,  Louisville,  Kentucky.  To  this  work  he  devoted 
eighteen  months  ;  but  the  almost  unparalleled  toil  of  years  was  telling  on  the  out- 
ward man,  and  impaired  health  compelled  him  to  give  a  year  to  rest.  Regain- 
ing his  physical  vigor  to  some  extent  in  this  way,  he  entered  on  a  Secretaryship  for 
the  South  of  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society  ;  but  again,  at  the  close 
of  the  first  year,  the  weakness  of  the  body  overmastered  the  energy  of  the  spirit. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


515 


and  the  severity  of  his  labors  drove  him  into  retirement.  He  thereupon  simply 
changed  the  form  of  the  service  rendered  to  the  cause  of  the  Master,  where 
many  would  have  accepted  the  repeated  experience  of  disability  through  infirm- 
ities of  the  flesh  as  a  dismissal  from  service  in  every  form.  He  settled  at  Athens, 
Alabama,  as  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  still  occupies  that  post,  with  en- 
couraging prospects.  He  has  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day,  and  now 
brings  forth  fruit  in  his  old  age.  What  better  thing  can  be  said  until  some — 
perhaps  not  we — are  called  to  say,  "  he  rests  from  his  labors  and  his  works  fol- 
law  with  him  "  into  the  presence  of  the  King  ? 


JAMES  FRANCIS  SWANSON. 


It  was  the  privilege  of  John  Swanson  and  his 
pious  wife,  residents  of  Morgan  county,  Georgia, 
to  rear  a  large  family  of  children,  all  of  whom 
became  Christians  of  the  highest  style.  This 
devout  man  was  deacon  of  Antioch  church,  in 
that  county,  for  many  years,  and  he  "  used  the 
office  well."  Hence,  the  son,  James  Francis 
Swanson,  born  January  27th,  1825,  was  of 
good  descent ;  but  often  when  hearing  persons 
boast  of  their  ancestry,  he  would  exclaim, 

"  Higher  far  my  proud  pretensions  rise, 
The  son  of  parents  passed  into  the  skies." 

His  early  years  were  spent  mostly  on  his 
father's  well  ordered  plantation,  in  the  full  en- 
joyment of  rural  home-pleasures,  and  through 
life  he  delighted  to  recur  to  those  happy  days. 
He  had  all  the  advantages  of  good  schools  in 
country  and  in  town.  Possessing  a  mind  of  superior  type,  and  combining-  dili- 
gent application  with  native  capacity,  he  attained  a  high  degree  of  culture,  and 
was  emphatically  a  literary  man,  though  not  a  college  graduate,  and,  while 
trained  for  no  learned  profession,  was  yet  scholarly.  His  tastes  attracted  him  to 
books  of  sterling  merit  and  to  the  society  of  cultivated  people  ;  and  the  latter 
he  enjoyed  in  an  eminent  degree  after  his  removal  to  Madison,  when  about 
twenty  years  of  age.  A  welcome  guest  in  the  most  refined  and  intellectual 
families,  and  popular  alike  with  rich  and  poor,  he  was  often  called  "the  pet  of 
the  town."  He  frequently  charmed  the  evening  circle  with  his  gifts  as  a  reader, 
selecting  only  pure  and  elevating  passages  from  the  best  authors,  and  thus 
evolving  profit  out  of  pleasure.  He  was  engaging  in  appearance,  tall  and  slen- 
der but  well  formed  in  person,  with  marked  features,  black  hair  and  beard,  fine 
grey  eyes,  and  a  mouth  whose  lines  denoted  firmness  and  decision  of  character. 
He  was  gentle  as  a  woman,  and  welcomed  everywhere  with  smiles  by  the  chil- 
dren, who  accounted  "  cousin  Frank  "  a  hero,  but  in  the  midst  of  these  social 
enjoyments,  he  was  diligent  in  business,  and  after  a  few  years  of  unremitting 
toil  raised  himself,  in  1848,  to  a  partnership  in  a  prosperous  mercantile  estab- 
lishment ;  a  connection  terminated  at  the  end  of  eight  years  by  his  shattered 
health,  while,  at  his  request,  the  name  of  the  firm  remained  unaltered  until 
death  dissolved  it. 

In  1848,  the  first  year  of  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  C.  M.  Irwin  at  Madison,  a  glo- 
rious revival  of  religion  swept  over  the  town,  and  one  of  its  fruits  was  the  conver- 
sion of  J.  F.  Swanson.  He  was  among  the  first  to  ask  the  prayers  of  the  people 
of  God,  but  was  called  away  to  New  York  by  business  exigencies.  During  his 
absence  unceasing  supplications  rose  on  his  behalf  before  the  Mercy-seat ;  and 

36 


5l6  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

they  were  answered.  He  hastened  back  as  scon  as  possible,  and  on  the  eve- 
ning of  his  return,  toolc  again  his  place  among  enquirers  after  Christ.  Before 
another  day  had  passed,  he  was  rejoicing  in  hope  of  salvation— the  sunrise  of 
an  experience  of  grace  scarcely  ever  clouded  by  doubt  to  the  hour  of  his  death. 
He  was  baptized  by  the  pastor  and  became  at  once  an  effective  co-worker  in  the 
prayer-meeting  and  the  Sunday-school.  Being  a  proficient  in  vocal  music,  he 
organized  a  choir  which  under  his  leadership  was  free  from  the  discords  that  so 
often  creep  into  such  associations.  But  his  voice  was  consecrated  not  in  song 
and  prayer  alone ;  it  witnessed  for  Jesus  in  exhortation,  in  instruction,  in  con- 
versation also.  When  his  health  precluded  the  vigorous  prosecution  of  his 
mercantile  business,  he  became  a  teacher  in  the  flourishing  Female  College 
under  the  care  of  Rev.  G.  Y.  Browne,  and  interested  himself  here  in  the  religious 
training  of  the  young  ladies,  winning  their  utmost  confidence  and  accomplish- 
ing among  them  a  very  useful  work. 

In  December,  1854,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  A.  C.  Stone,  a  pious, 
cultured  woman,  with  all  the  charms  of  mind  and  person  which  could  render 
such  a  union  happy.  Her  health,  however,  had  long  been  frail,  and  she  was 
taken  to  New  York,  in  i860,  for  medical  treatment,  where  unavoidable  circum- 
stances detained  her  until  the  summer  of  1865. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Swanson's  conversion  he  began  to  labor  with  the  negroes,  and 
was  much  beloved  by  them  for  the  manifestation  of  concern  for  their  spiritual 
welfare.  As  many  had  done  before  him— and  as  many  might  do  «(?w— he 
found  these  endeavors  in  an  humble  sphere  a  training  to  activity  in  wider  fields. 
Preaching  to  them  developed  a  strong  desire  to  preach  to  all  men.  The  church 
called  him  to  ordination,  and  the  presbytery  that  inducted  him  into  the  ministry 
March  13th  1859,  was  composed  of  A.  T.  Spalding,  (then  pastor  at  Madison,) 
H.  H.  Tucker,  G.  Y.  Browne  and  N.  G.  Foster.  He  did  not  at  once  take  a  pas- 
torate, but  preached  to  vacant  churches  in  the  country  until  i860.  At  that  time 
he  was  invited  to  the  charge  of  two  churches  near  the  city  of  New  York. 
These  calls,  however,  he  declined,  and  accepted  the  position  of  pastor  to  the 
Second  (or  Kollock  street)  church,  Augusta,  frequently  preaching  for  the 
(Greene  street  or)  First.  On  account  of  impaired  health,  he  remained  here  two 
years  only.  Occasional  hemorrhages  from  the  lungs  had,  for  a  long  time,  awakened 
the  anxieties  of  his  friends  ;  but  he  never  manifested  uneasiness  himself ;  for  while 
life  was  precious  to  him  as  a  season  of  work  for  the  Master,  he  was,  otherwise, 
ready  to  depart  and  be  with  the  Lord,  which  he  esteemed,  "by  much,  far  bet- 
ter." Leaving  Augusta  in  1862,  he  settled  near  Cedartown,  in  northwestern 
Georgia,  hoping  in  a  more  bracing  atmosphere  to  recover  his  physical  energy. 
For  a  time  he  acted  as  pastor  of  the  churches  at  that  place  and  at  Cave  Spring, 
but  lack  of  strength  soon  compelled  him  to  relinquish  the  latter.  He  served 
the  former,  though  often  very  feeble,  until  the  clos*  of  1865.  From  that  period 
to  1869,  his  life  was  one  of  continual  suffering,  which  he  bore  with  unequalled 
patience.  His  faith,  always  strong,  grew  sublime  in  this  great  trial.  He  realized, 
in  his  experience,  that  "God's  completeness  is  the  complement  and  crown  of 
man's  incompletion."  He  enjoyed  close  communion  with  the  Father  of  spirits, 
and  a  holy  influence  seemed  to  pervade  his  entire  being.  In  July  1869,  he  be- 
gan to  decline  very  rapidly,  though  at  times  he  would  rally  a  little.  On  the  28th 
of  October,  feeling  that  the  time  ot  his  departure  was  at  hand,  (for  on  that  day 
he  was  taken  from  us,)  he  said  to  his  wife,  whose  tender  ministries  "  smoothed 
his  passage  to  the  tomb," — "  My  end  is  near,  and  it  is  right,  right  and  wise  ;  I 
have  not  one  pain  too  many.  If  I  have  no  ecstasies,  I  have  great  peace."  He 
welcomed  his  friends  to  the  last,  and  his  spirit,  leaving  the  flesh,  with  all  its 
weaknesses  behind,  calmly  passed  "within  the  veil  "  to  glory  and  to  God. 

T.  J.  Burney  said  :  "  In  the  course  of  my  religious  life  of  thirty-six  years,  1 
have  known  but  few  Christians  more  consistent  and  devoted  than  brother  Swan- 
son."  A  successor  in  the  pastoral  office  said  of  him  :  "  He  was  a  model 
Christian  and  a  model  preacher."  In  the  pulpit  he  made  no  display,  but 
preached  the  simple  Gospel,  in  chaste,  appropriate  language.  His  style  was 
plain  but  strong ;  his  delivery  full  of  solemnity  and  unction ;  his  manner  quiet 
and  self-possessed,  his  great  soul  bounding  through  all."     Better  than  all,  he 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


517 


lived  what  he  preached.  There  was  no  ostentation  in  his  piety,  and  his  alms 
were  not  done  to  be  seen  of  men ;  but  an  eminently  practical  holiness  shone 
out  in  his  whole  character.  His  benevolence  included  all  classes  alike ;  he  was 
just  as  earnest  in  his  teachings,  just  as  kind  and  tender  in  his  manner,  to  the 
poor,  untutored  children  in  the  Factory  Sunday-school  at  Madison,  as  to  the  pol- 
ished, cultivated,  wealthy  young  ladies  of  the  Georgia  Female  College.  His 
prayers  were  fervent  and  seemed  to  lay  hold  of  the  very  throne  of  God,  but  so 
humble,  so  childlike.  However,  to  appreciate  fully  his  refinement,  his  delicacy 
of  feeling,  and  all  the  ripe  and  rounded  graces  of  his  heart  full  of  love  to  God 
and  man,  one  must  have  lived  in  the  same  ttouse  with  him,  as .  did  his  pastor. 
Rev.  C.  M.  Irwin,  in  his  earlier  Christian  experience,  and  brother  Marcus 
H.  Bunn,  in  the  last  stages  of  his  life.  He  "passed  into  the  skies"  from  the 
home  of  the  latter,  and  the  fragrance  of  his  gentle,  loving  nature  still  lingers  in 
the  household.  This  family  gave  him  generous  "  care  and  tendance  "  through 
years  of  sickness  ;  and  who  shall  say  that  it  errs  in  accounting  the  conversion  of 
its  younger  members  a  blessing  vouchsafed  to  it  for  the  sake  of  the  man  of 
God,  whom  its  ministrations  solaced  when  heart  and  flesh  were  failing  ? 


AARON   S.   -TATUM. 


Rev.  Aaron  S.  Tatum  was  born  in  Ashe  county, 
North  Carolina,  December  i6th,  1834.  His  father,  Buck- 
ner  Tatum,  was  a  deacon  of  the  church  to  which  he 
belonged,  and  settled  in  north  Georgia  when  his  son  was 
quite  young.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  the  son  made 
a  public  profession  of  faith  in  Christ,  and  connected  him- 
self with  Pleasant  Hill  church,  Gilmer  county.  So 
marked  was  his  zeal  for  souls,  and  so  high  was  the  esti- 
mate placed  on  his  gifts,  that  license  to  preach  was  granted 
him  unanimously  on  the  very  day  of  his  baptism.  There 
are  many  whom  such  an  unusual  circumstance  would 
have  tended  to  inflate ;  but  he  was  made  of  purer  metal,  and  it  awoke  him  to  a 
new  and  deeper  sense  of  the  responsibility  weighing  on  him.  He  saw  more 
clearly  than  ever  the  necessity  to  increase  his  limited  store  of  knowledge,  that 
he  might  the  better  do  the  Master's  work.  He  betook  himself,  therefore,  to 
Mercer  University,  and  devoted  two  years  to  hard  study  in  that  institution, 
when  necessity  terminated  his  course.  His  old  instructors  still  remember  him 
for  his  diligence,  his  progress,  and  his  wholesome  influence  among  the  students 
on  the  side  of  order  and  morality.  What  he  learned  there  was  of  great  value 
to  him ;  but  of  greater  value  were  the  habits  of  disciplined  thought  he  acquired. 

He  was  ordained  in  1856,  ^d  served  for  two  years  the  church  which  had 
licensed  him  at  first,  the  Lord  granting  him  abundant  success.  Since  that  date 
he  has  supplied,  annually,  from  two  to  four  churches  in  "  Cherokee  Georgia," 
and  many  have  been  gathered  into  the  fold  through  his  labors.  All  the  while 
much  of  his  time  has  been  given  to  the  school-room  and  the  farm,  to  meet  the 
wants  of  his  increasing  family,  the  small  compensation  given  to  him  by  the 
churches  being  inadequate  for  that  purpose. 

So  far  from  aspiring  to  civil  office,  he  has  never  sought  position  among  his 
brethren ;  but,  modest  and  retiring,  waits  to  be  asked  to  perform  a  service,  when 
he  does  it  cheerfully  and  does  it  well.  While  a  member  of  the  Ellijay  Associa- 
tion, he  was  its  clerk  for  two  years  ;  and  since  his  change  of  membership  to  the 
Middle  Cherokee  Association  he  has  filled  the  office  of  assistant  clerk  for  that 
body. 

He  was  married,  January,  1856,  to  Miss  Jane  E.  Johnson,  who  has  borne  him 


51.8 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  still  living,  except  the  oldest  son,  a  young  man 
of  promise  and  piety,  who,  in  his  death,  left  the  stricken  parents  the  fullest 
assurance  of  his  acceptance  with  God. 

As  a  preacher,  he  is  plain  and  simple,  clear  and  forcible.  His  subjects  are 
usually  well  selected  to  meet  the  wants  of  his  churches  and  congregations.  He 
is  an  earnest  worker  in  all  the  departments  of  Christian  enterprise  in  which 
Souther'A  Baptists  are  engaged. 


J.  G.  TAYLOR. 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  class  of  men  the  record  of 
whose  lives  is  calculated  to  do  more  good  than  the 
humble,  earnest  pioneers  in  the  ministry,  who,  with- 
out early  advantages,  have  taken  the  simple  word  of 
God  as  their  study,  and  from  its  teachings  have  learned 
to  preach  Jesus  and  Jesus  only.  To  this  class  belongs 
Rev.  J.  G.  Taylor,  who  was  born  in  Tatnall  county, 
Georgia,  May  9th,  1823.  All  who  are  familiar  with  the 
history  of  the  State  know  how  many  difficulties  this 
young  man  must  have  encountered  in  a  section  of  coun- 
try without  schools  or  churches.  He  grew  up,  of  course, 
a  wild,  reckless  youth,  and  had  no  fear  of  God  before 
his  eyes  until  1858,  when  he  resolved  to  break  away  from 
the  thraldom  of  sin  and  follow  the  loving  Saviour  whom  he  had  so  long  rejected. 
He  united  with  the  Baptist  church  at  Statenville,  Echols  county,  Georgia,  and 
was  baptized  by  Rev.  Thomas  Aldridge,  a  missionary  sent  to  the  county  by  the 
Houston  Association.  He  became  a  zealous  and  devoted  Christian,  and  was 
found  willing  to  enter  on  the  work  of  the  ministry  to  which  he  believed 
himself  called.  In  November  of  that  year  he  was  ordained,  accepted  the  pasto- 
rate of  three  churches,  and  was  very  successful  in  "  building  up  the  waste  places 
of  Zion."  In  1859  he  travelled  and  preached  to  the  people  living  on  the  Suwannee 
river,  Florida,  who  "heard  him  gladly,"  as  he  was,  in  many  instances,  the  first 
Hving  preacher  they  had  ever  seen.  The  Houston  Association  appointed  him 
as  their  missionary  to  labor  in  several  counties  of  southern  Georgia  during  the 
years  i860  and  '61.  In  these  years  he  baptized  hundreds  of  converts  and  con- 
stituted, besides  several  churches,  one  Association,  the  Smyrna,  of  which  he  was 
Moderator  for  many  years.  His  work  has  been  in  nearly  all  the  southern  coun- 
ties of  the  State,  and  in  many  portions  of  east  and  middle  Florida.  As  proof  of 
his  success,  he  has  baptized  nearly  one  thousand  persons,  constituted  about 
twenty  churches,  and  been  the  efficient  and  beloved  pastor  of  twenty-eight. 
Thus  throughout  the  twenty-two  years  since  his  conversion,  he  has  been  entirely 
consecrated  to  the  cause  of  his  Saviour,  feeling  a  strong  desire  to  rescue  others 
from  "  the  horrible  pit  and  miry  clay,"  out  of  which  he  has  himself  been  snatched. 
He  still  perseveres,  convinced  that  he  has  no  time  to  lose.  He  is  an  independent 
speaker,  an  original  thinker,  a  strict  disciplinarian,  and  a  bold  defender  of  "  the 
faith  delivered  once  for  all  to  the  saints."  He  enjoys  one  great  advantage  as  a 
preacher :  he  is  a  good  singer  and  instructor  in  music.  When  he  began  his 
ministry,  he  provided  himself  with  the  best  theological  library  he  could  obtain, 
and  to  the  study  of  the  Bible,  with  these  aids,  he  devoted  himself,  anxious 
"  rightly  to  divide  the  word  of  truth  so  as  to  give  to  every  one  his  portion  in 
due  season." 

In  January,  1847,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  Fletcher,  of  Lowndes  county. 
They  have  eight  children,  six  sons  and  two  daughters.  He  now  resides  in 
Columbia  county,  Florida,  where,  in  the  last  five  years,  he  has  baptized  nearly 
one  hundred  persons. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  519 


GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR. 

Rev.  George  Boardman  Taylor,  D.D.,  is  the  son  of 
Dr.  James  B.  Taylor  and  Mrs.  M.  N.  Taylor,  and  was 
born  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  December  27th,  1832.  He 
was  the  second  of  six  children,  and  was  graduated  at 
Richmond  College  in  1851.  After  teaching  school  for 
two  years,  in  Fluvanna  county,  in  his  native  State,  he 
entered  the  University  of  Virginia,  where  he  remained 
two  years,  graduating  in  several  of  the  "schools"  of  that 
celebrated  institution.  In  1855,  he  became  the  first  pastor 
of  the  Franklin  Square  Baptist  church,  in  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  and  was  greatly  blessed  in  his  labors,  which 
continued  about  two  years.  In  the  latter  part  of  1857  he  moved  to  Staunton, 
Virginia,  where  was  his  second  pastorate.  He  was  very  successful  at  Staunton, 
building  up  the  church  there,  and  exerting  a  wide  influence  all  through  the 
Valley  of  Virginia.  In  1858,  while  pastor  at  Staunton,  he  married  Miss  Susan 
S.  Braxton,  of  Fredericksburg,  Virginia.  During  the  late  civil  war  he  was,  for 
a  while,  post  chaplain  at  Staunton,  and  part  of  the  time  in  one  of  the  regiments 
of  Stonewall  Jackson's  command  ;  and,  in  each  position,  ministered  faithfully  to 
the  physical  and  spiritual  interests  of  our  soldiers,  especially  to  the  sick  and 
wounded.  After  the  war  he  resumed  his  pastorate  at  Staunton,  remaining  there 
until  1869,  when  he  was  elected  chaplain  of  the  University  of  Virginia,  which 
post  he  filled  acceptably  during  the  sessions  of  1869-70  and  1870-71.  The 
vacation  between  the  two  sessions  he  spent  in  Europe,  on  a  pleasure  trip,  going 
as  far  as  Rome,  but  little  dreaming  that  three  years  after  he  would  take  up  his 
residence  in  the  "  Eternal  City  "  as  a  Baptist  missionary. 

In  1 87 1,  he  again  resumed  his  pastorate  at  Staunton,  where  he  continued  until 
called  to  his  present  position,  March  3d,  1873.  Early  in  July,  of  that  year,  he 
left  for  Rome,  with  his  family,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  visit  to  the  United  States,  he  has  labored  most  assiduously  and  faith- 
f-jUy,  as  the  Superintendent  of  Baptist  Missions  in  Italy.  _  His  high  culture, 
sincere  piety  and  -great  practical  sagacity  have  made  him  eminently  qualified  for 
the  arduous  and  important  position  he  occupies ;  besides  which  his  zeal  and 
energy  give  added  fitness  to  his  other  qualifications.  While  his  headquarters  are 
at  Rome,  he  moves  among  our  churches  in  the  provinces,  and  has  won  the  entire 
confidence  and  affection  of  our  Italian  brethren,  whose  spiritual  welfare  and 
church  edification  he  has  so  much  at  heart.  Mrs.  Taylor,  a  lady  of  superior 
intelligence  and  cultivation,  has  remained  continually  with  him,  rendering  effect- 
ive assistance.  Dr.  Taylor  has  learned  to  speak  Italian  fluently,  and  can  readily 
present  the  Gospel  in  the  language  of  the  people  among  whom  he  resides. 

Of  Dr.  Taylor  and  his  work.  Dr.  Prime,  of  the  New  York  Observer  thus 
writes : 

"  Rev.  Dr.  Taylor  is  a  man  of  decided  character ;  with  a  clear  and  vigorous 
intellect,  a  tender  and  glowing  heart,  and  such  a  sound  judgment  as  secures  for 
him  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  represent  Protestant  missions  in  Rome. 
By  his  invitation  I  attended  his  Sunday-school,  and  found  four  or  five  different 
rooms  filled  with  children  of  different  ages,  from  the  infant  class  to  the  youth  of 
sixteen.  An  efficient  corps  of  teachers  were  giving  instruction  in  the  Scriptures. 
They  were  all  assembled  in  the  largest  hall,  and  engaged  in  singing  hymns  ;  and 
the  parents  of  some  of  the  children  coming  in,  addresses  were  made  to  them 
and  to  the  school.  The  walls  were  hung  with  the  American  and  the  Italian 
flags.  Texts  of  Scripture  were  inscribed.  These  rooms  are  filled  every  day  of 
the  week  with  scholars.  In  the  evening  they  are  occupied  by  young  men  study- 
ing the  Bible.  In  another  part  of  the  town  is  the  Baptist  church,  where  the 
Gospel  is  faithfully  preached  by  Rev.  Mr.  Cocorda,  and  in  at  least  seven  other 


520  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

places  in  Italy  preaching  stations  are  maintained  under  the  superintendence  of 
Dr.Taylor.  *         '    *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

"  These  missions  form  an  important  part  of  the  great  work  now  in  progress 
for  the  spread  of  evangelical  religion  in  this  land  of  papal  darkness.  To  the 
eye  of  unbelief  it  may  seem  the  day  of  very  small  things.  But  it  is  enough  to 
plant  the  seed,  and  the  rains  of  heaven  will  descend  upon  it  to  the  redemption 
of  Italy.  Now  is  the  time  to  sow  the  seed  of  the  Word.  Dr.  Taylor  is  able  to 
extend  his  missions  and  multiply  the  number  of  laborers  just  as  fast  as  he  has 
the  means  of  supporting  them.  And  you  may  be  certain  that  he  is  judicious, 
careful,  and  wide-awake." 

But  a  better  idea  of  the  man  than  can  be  conveyed  by  any  description,  may 
be  formed  by  reading  a  few  of  his  own  words.  In  a  familiar  letter  he  writes  as 
follows  : 

"  I  cannot  say  I  sympathize  with  those  who  find  travel  unfavorable  to  religious 
life.  It  may  be  so  when  the  travel  is  for  mere  pleasure  and  with  lively  company, 
though  even  then  it  would  seem  that  a  life  so  varied  and  changeful  would  nourish 
the  sense  of  constant  dependence  upon  divine  care ;  but  certainly  the  lonely 
Christian  traveller,  mid  scenes  and  company  not  in  sympathy  with  him,  should 
find  himself  driven  closer  to  the  one  ever-present  Friend.  This,  at  least,  is  my 
experience.  I  find  it  easier  to  be  spiritual  in  my  long,  lonely  journeys  than  in 
the  routine  of  home  life  ;  and  often  on  a  rail-car  or  in  a  hotel,  prayer  and  the 
Word  of  God  have  a  new  sweetness.  It  is,  on  the  other  hand,  a  great  error  to 
think  that  any  track  is  so  beaten  that  one  does  not  need  divine  guidance  and 
support,  or  that  any  home-life  is  so  delightful  and  consoling  that  one  can  afford 
to  walk  less  near  to  God.  Who  has  not  found  himself  in  the  most  familiar 
circumstances  surprised  by  temptation,  and  his  soul  in  the  most  endearing  scenes 
starving  for  an  absent,  because  neglected,  God  ?" 

What  a  complete  exhibition  of  mental  and  moral  character  is  found  in  these 
few  lines !  He  who  wrote  them  is  evidently  a  man  who  thinks,  and  whose 
thoughts  do  not  run  in  ordinary  channels.  Just  as  evident  it  is  that  he  is  a 
spiritually  minded  man,  blest  with  much  grace,  and  nearness  "lo  God. 

That  his  heart  is  in  his  work  and  that  his  mind  is  full  of  it,  appears  in  strong 
light  from  the  following  extract  from  one  of  his  letters  ; 

"  Travelling  in  first-class  cars,  one  comes  in  contact  with  another  sort  of  people, 
and  has  the  chance  to  speak  of  the  Gospel  to  persons  who  are  not  so  apt  to 
have  been  reached  by  it  as  are  those  of  plainer  condition.  This  was  certainly 
my  experience,  and  I  had  interesting  religious  conversations  with  sundry  persons, 
among  whom  was  a  member  of  the  Italian  Parliament,  with  whom  I  spoke  also 
of  religious  liberty  and  of  the  important  bill  which  was  then  pending,  w^hich  has 
since  passed,  to  repress  the  abuses  of  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy.  As  usual,  I 
was  well  provided  with  tracts,  which  were  read  by  many  with  whom  I  had  no 
opportunity  of  much  conversation.  Indeed,  after  nearly  four  years  of  experi- 
ence in  Italy,  I  have  come  to  regard  a  railway  journey  as  offering  excellent 
opportunities  for  evangelistic  and  colporter  work." 

The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  him,  both  by  Richmond 
College  and  the  University  of  Chicago,  in  1872.  He  is  the  author  of  the  "  Oak- 
land Series,"  in  three  volumes,  and  of  '•  The  Life  and  Times  of  J.  B.  Taylor,  D.D.," 
his  venerated  father,  who,  for  many  years,  was  the  secretary  of  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board.  He  is,  also,  the  author  of  a  prize  essay  on  "  Originating  and  Con- 
ducting Sunday  Schools,"  and  of  "  The  Baptists ;  Who  are  They,  and  What 
They  have  Done  " — four  memorial  discourses,  published  in  1876.  During  his 
pastorate  in  Baltimore  he  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Christian  Review,  and 
an  article  written  by  him  on  the  subject  of  "  Communion,"  published  in  that 
periodical,  attracted  great  attention  and  was  considered  very  able. 


OF    PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


521 


E.    B.   TEAGUE. 


One  of  the  best  educated  and  the  strongest  of 
the  Baptist  preachers  of  Alabama  is  Dr.  E.  B. 
Teague — a  man  of  powerful  intellect  and  well 
trained  mind — fond  of  metaphysics  and  general 
literature,  a  good  linguist  and  eloquent  in  the 
pulpit.  A  most  pleasant  companion  and  social 
by  nature,  he  has  made  hosts  of  friends  wherever 
he  has  lived.  Like  his  mind,  his  body  is  strong 
and  substantial. 

He  was  born  in  Newberry  district,  South  Caro- 
lina, January  20th,  1820.  When  sixteen  years  of 
age,  he  entered  the  Freshman  class  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Alabama,  his  parents  having  moved  to 
that  State,  and  in  1840  he  graduated  with  the 
second  honor,  delivering  the  Latin  salutatory. 
He  then  taught  school  for  five  or  six  years,  was 
ordained  in  1844,  and  led  a  chequered  life,  teach- 
ing and  preaching,  in  various  localities,  until 
called  by  the  church  at  LaGrange,  Georgia,  where  he  remained  ten  years.  There, 
as  elsewhere,  his  abilities  manifested  themselves  in  the  church's  being  built  up 
and  strengthened  by  many  accessions,  and  by  the  erection  of  a  new  house  of 
worship. 

In  1865  he  accepted  the  presidency  of  the  East  Alabama  Female  College,  at 
Tuskegee,  Alabama,  where  he  remained,  part  of  the  time  president  of  the 
college  and  part  of  the  time  pastor  of  the  Tuskegee  Baptist  church,  until  1869, 
when  he  accepted  his  present  charge  at  Selma,  Alabama.  He  is  not  a  man  to 
dazzle  at  first,  or  to  create  any  great  degree  of  enthusiasm,  but  is  one  whose 
qualities  grow  upon  you,  gaining  and  retaining  esteem  and  friendship.  His 
labors  have  been  uniformly  successful,  and  he  occupies  a  high  position  in  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  his  Alabama  brethren. 

He  has  been  twice  married,  his  present  wife  having  been  Miss  L.  E.  Philpot, 
of  Tuskegee. 

A  great  deal  of  his  time  has  been  devoted  to  the  spiritual  instruction  of  the 
colored  people,  and  perhaps  better  than  most  people  he  understands  preaching 
to  them.  This  is  a  duty,  however,  which  Southern  Baptist  preachers,  as  a  class, 
have  diligently  discharged  ;  and  it  may  be  safely  asserted  that  no  laboring  pop- 
ulation on  the  globe  has  ever  received  such  attention  to  their  spiritual  wants  as 
have  the  colored  people  of  the  South. 

Dr.  B.  Manly,  Sr.,  studied,  as  a  young  minister,  under  the  elder  Brantly ;  and 
Dr.  Brantly  stated,  it  is  said,  that  he  never  could  induce  Manly  to  follow  any 
rule  as  laid  down  in  the  books  on  sermonizing.  Disregarding  all  prescription, 
he  would  originate  a  plan  of  his  own  in  preaching,  and  yet  his  plan  was  always 
so  happy  and  excellent  that,  as  a  preacher,  he  became  inimitably  successful  and 
captivating.  Something  similar  may  be  said  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Teague,  as  a  preacher. 
Most  cultivated  preachers  give  more  attention  to  firstly,  secondly  and  thirdly 
than  he  does.  Profound  in  learning  and  in  theology,  with  a  fine  fund  of  classic 
and  literary  allusions,  he  drives  through  his  discourse  with  self-possession  and 
yet  with  the  manifestation  of  a  devout  frame  of  mind.  His  sermons  are  always 
devoted  to  the  discussion  of  some  great  themie,  and,  generally,  are  delivered 
fiuently  and  without  manuscript.  Having  his  subject  thoroughly  in  hand,  he 
knows  what  he  desires  to  say,  and  never  fails  to  say  it.  Into  every  sermon  he 
puts  a  vast  amount  of  matter,  crowding  in  great  thoughts,  without  taking  time 
to  elaborate  them  consecutively,  and  leaving  the  hearer  to  digest  them  for  him- 
self.    As  he  hurries  along  a  ray  of  light  is  frequently  thrown,  with  thrilling 


522 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


effect  upon  some  great  truth  lying  by  the  wayside,  but  he  never  chases  one  of 
those  wayside  truths  ;  adhering  to  his  plan  and  cHnging  to  his  subject,  he  carries 
his  hearers  onward  to  the  close  of  a  complete  and  systematic  discourse.  Often 
metaphysical  and  philosophical  in  an  eminent  degree — for  such  is  his  turn  of 
mind— he  yet  has  the  gift  of  making  these  tendencies  practical  and  instructive 
to  the  common  hearer.  Still,  to  obtain  the  full  benefit  of  his  preaching,  the 
hearer  must  be  attentive,  watchful  and  thoughtful.  He  begins  without  any 
ceremonious  display,  moves  along  without  any  special  straining  after  effect,  and 
closes  gracefully,  without  announcing  the  approaching  end  several  tinies  before 
he  gets  to  it ;  because  he  knows  when  he  has  finished  a  sermon.  His  manner 
in  the  pulpit  is  rather  violent  and  in  defiance  of  all  rules  of  elocution,  and  yet, 
at  times,  it  is  sublimely  eloquent ;  but  the  eloquence  is  in  the  thrilling  truths  he 
utters  and  the  intense  earnestness  with  which  he  expresses  himself,  and  not  in 
mere  gestures,  or  bodily  exercise.  He  never  fails  to  convince  a  congregation 
that  he  believes  what  he  preaches,  and  is  almost  sure  to  bring  Christians  into 
sympathy  with  his  subject.  To  the  pious,  the  cultivated  and  the  aged  he  is  a 
feeding,  comforting,  instructive  preacher.  Himself  a  man  of  sorrows,  he  can 
throw  his  heart  into  the  trials  of  his  people,  and  is,  therefore,  powerful  with 
the  bereaved,  the  suffering  and  the  distressed.  Especially  gifted  in  leading  his 
people  to  labor,  to  give  and  to  suffer  for  Christ,  he  unites  a  spotless  record  with 
deep  personal  piety  and  a  profound  love  for  the  Saviour.  All  these  qualities 
combined  make  him  an  able  minister  of  the  New  Testament. 


LEWIS  C.  TEBEAU. 


Rev.  Lewis  C.  Tebeau  is  a  native  of  Chatham  county, 
the  son  of  Frederick  and  Huldah  L.  Tebeau,  and  was 
born  November  17th,  1830.  After  his  academical  course 
he  studied  medicine,  but  never  pursued  the  practice.  He 
married  Miss  Julia  J.  Purse,  daughter  of  the  late  Thomas 
Purse,  Mayor  of  Savannah.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tebeau  are 
the  parents  of  eleven  children,  eight  of  whom  still  survive. 
Mr.  Tebeau  at  one  time  held  an  office  under  the  general 
government  in  the  custom-house  in  Savannah.  In  i860 
he  travelled  in  Europe,  seeking  restoration  of  health,  and 
with  some  degree  of  success.  Feebleness  of  constitution 
has  been  the  great  drawback  of  his  life,  and  has,  at  times,  driven  him  from  the 
active  and  constant  work  of  the  ministry. 

He  attributes  his  early  religious  convictions  to  the  preaching  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Binney,  pastor  of  the  Savannah  church,  and  afterwards  missionary  to  the  East. 
His  parents  were  Methodists,  and  his  mother  was  a  very  devout  Christian.  He 
professed  religion  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Albert  Williams,  on  the  6th  of  June, 
1846,  and  united  with  the  Baptist  church  of  Savannah,  where  he  still  holds  his 
membership. 

He  studied  privately  for  the  ministry,  and  in  1857  was  ordained  that  he  might 
discharge  the  duties  of  an  evangelist  to  the  colored  people  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
city.  Most  of  his  early  ministry  was  among  the  negroes  on  the  seaboard.  Since 
the  war  he  has  held  several  pastorates  in  the  seaboard  counties,  and  given  a 
series  of  years  wholly  to  missionary  work,  under  the  direction  of  our  Boards. 
He  loves  the  ministerial  work,  but  the  demands  of  a  large  family,  and  his  bodily 
weakness,  have  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  devote  himself  to  business  in  the 
city. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  New  Sunbury  Association, 
and  occasionally  supplies  an  appointment  in  the  country. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


523 


Mr.  Tebeau  is  a  devout  man  and  an  acceptable  preacher.  In  style  he  is  some- 
what analytical  and  intensely  practical.  He  writes  some  of  his  sermons,  and  is 
generally  quiet  in  his  delivery. 

He  is  of  medium  size,  with  fair  complexion  and  blue  eyes.  A  pleasant  man 
to  look  upon,  he  is  quite  agreeable  and  companionable  in  social  life. 

As  a  Christian,  he  is  strong  in  faith,  earnest  on  denominational  points,  and 
is  a  Baptist  from  deep  conviction.  With  restored  health,  although  confined  to 
business,  he  may  do  much  for  the  cause  of  the  Master. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  THARP. 


Rev.  Benjamin  Franklin  Tharp,  D.D., 
was  born  in  Twiggs  county,  Georgia,  Septem- 
ber 1 6th,  1 81 9.  He  is  the  son  of  William.  A. 
Tharp,  and  the  grandson  of  Vincent  A.  Tharp, 
a  good  and  faithful  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  of 
the  Baptist  denomination.  Vincent  A.  Tharp 
was  born  in  Virginia  in  1760,  and  took  part  in  the 
struggle  for  independence,  being  one  of  General 
Marion's  men,  for  he  had  moved  from  Virginia 
to  South  Carolina.  He  followed  the  "  Swamp 
Fox  "  until  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 
After  the  war  he  moved  to  Warren  county, 
Georgia,  bought  a  large  tract  of  land  and  settled 
a  colony,  composed  mostly  of  his  friends,  by 
selling  them  land  in  small  quantities  and  at  low 
prices.  Many  of  their  descendants  who  bought 
land  from  him  reside  on  it  still,  and  hold  his  title 
deeds.     Rev.  V.  A.  Tharp  died  in  1825. 

Dr.  B.  F.  Tharp  was  raised  on  a  farm,  receiving  such  instruction  as  was  fur- 
nished by  a, good  academy  in  the  neighborhood.  When  sixteen  years  old,  he 
entered  Mercer  Institute,  remaining  until  1841,  and  was  in  the  first  class  gradu- 
ated from  Mercer  University.  In  the  same  class  was  Hon.  R.  M.  Johnson,  now 
of  Baltimore,  and  Dr.  A.  R.  Wellborn,  of  Atlanta.  After  graduation  he  entered 
Newton  Theological  Seminary  as  a  student  for  the  ministry ;  but,  before  com- 
pleting the  prescribed  course,  he  returned  home  on  account  of  the  death  of  his 
father,  William  A.  Tharp,  and  took  charge  of  the  estate,  assisting  his  mother  to 
provide  for  and  educate  a  large  family.  In  1843  he  married  Miss  Martha  Jack- 
son, an  amiable  and  wealthy  young  lady  of  good  family,  who  had  just  graduated 
under  Rev.  T.  B.  Slade,  in  Columbus.  In  1844  he  settled  on  a  plantation  in 
Houston  county,  where  he  resided  for  eight  years,  moving  then  to  Perry,  his 
present  home. 

Mr.  Tharp  still  maintains  his  planting  interests,  and,  before  the  war,  succeeded 
in  gathering  together  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  slaves,  whom  he 
treated  with  great  kindness,  collecting  them  in  Sunday-schools  on  his  plantations, 
and,  with  his  children,  teaching  them  on  Sabbath.  Notwithstanding  the  adverse 
circumstances  resulting  from  the  war.  Dr.  Tharp  continues  to  be  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  successful  planters  in  his  section,  thus  enabling  himself,  in  a 
considerable  degree,  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  those  unable  to  pay.  For  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  been  pastor  of  Perry  and  Hayneville  churches, 
besides  serving  many  other  churches  in  Houston  and  the  adjoining  counties  :  of 
the  church  in  Jeffersonville,  Twiggs  county,  he  was  pastor  for  four  years  prior 
to  the  war  Dr.  Tharp  has  labored  much  among  the  colored  people,  and  his 
labors  have  been  greatly  blessed.     He  paid  special  attention  to  the  colored  mem- 


524  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

bers  of  his  churches  in  both  Hayneville  and  Perry  ;  and,  after  emancipation, 
when  the  colored  Baptists  generally  organized  themselves  into  churches  and 
chose  pastors  of  their  own  race,  Dr.  Tharp  turned  over  to  the  colored  pastor  of  the 
Hayneville  colored  church  at  least  one  thousand  members.  Among  the  colored 
members  he  had  established  Sunday-schools,  which  were  taught  by  the  white 
young  men  and  young  ladies  of  his  churches  ;  and  the  revivals  among  them  bore 
witness  to  the  success  of  faithful  efforts  in  their  behalf.  In  these  efforts  Dr. 
Tharp  but  acted  as  did  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  white  Baptist  ministers  in  Geor- 
gia, though  his  success,  perhaps,  surpassed  that  of  most  other  pastors  in  this 
particular  field  of  labor. 

At  present  Dr.  Tharp  is  pastor  of  the  Perry  and  Henderson  churches,  very  sel- 
dom failing  to  meet  his  appointments,  and  always  fully  prepared.  Sometimes  he 
writes  his  sermons  out  in  full,  but  generally  uses  extended  notes.  His  style  of 
preaching  is  deliberate  and  dignified.  His  sermons  evince  deep  thought  and 
much  study.  His  manner  is  clear,  forcible  and  methodical,  and  indicates  a  mind 
well  trained,  and  a  heart  strongly  affected  by  Gospel  truth.  Were  he  not  a  man 
of  decided  ability  and  of  careful  preparation,  he  could  not  have  retained  for  so 
long  a  period  his  position  of  pastor  among  people  so  intelligent  as  those  to 
whom  he  preaches. 

In  the  year  1851,  Mr.  Tharp  was  elected  a  trustee  of  Mercer  University,  and, 
ever  since,  has  been  a  constant  attendant  on  the  meetings  of  the  Board,  besides 
contributing  liberally,  to  the  support  of  the  University,  both  of  his  time  and 
money.  During  a  part  of  the  years  1872  and  1873,  he  was  a  voluntary  agent 
of  the  University,  receiving  no  salary,  but  giving  much  attention  and  activity 
to  the  duties  of  an  agency,  and  securing  about  $20,000  in  good  notes  for  the 
endowment  fund. 

Dr.  Tharp  has  ever  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  subject  of  missions  and  has 
given  liberally  of  his  means  for  their  support.  A  member  of  the  Rehoboth 
Association,  he  was  prominent  in  establishing  the  "  Rehoboth  mission ''  among 
the  Indian  Tribes  of  the  West,  and,  also,  in  establishing  a  Rehoboth  mission  in 
Central  Africa  when  Rev.  J.  S.  Dennard,  Rev.  T.  A.  Reid,  and  others,  labored 
until  the  civil  war  broke  up  the  mission.  The  Rehoboth  mission  in  the  Indian 
Territory,  is  still  in  a  flourishing  condition,  sustained  by  the  labors  of  Rev.  J.  S. 
Murrow  and  others,  and  by  the  contributions  of  the  Rehoboth  Association. 

Dr.  Tharp  was  a  leader,  also,  in  originating  the  Houston  Female  College, 
which  is  still  prospering,  and  which,  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  has  been  a  great 
blessing  to  that  part  of  the  State. 

During  the  late  war  Dr.  Tharp  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Confederacy, 
and  contributed  to  its  maintenance  largely  with  cotton  and  otherwise.  To  the 
army  he  gave  his  only  son  when  under  age,  encouraging  him  in  his  patriotic  in- 
clinations, even  at  the  loss  of  a  collegiate  education  and  watching  him  follow  the 
Southern  colors  until  the  cause  was  "lost,"  then  receiving  him  again  to  become 
the  aid  and  comfort  of  a  father's  declining  years. 

Perry  has  been  the  residence  of  Dr.  Tharp  for  many  years.  There  among 
those,  by  whom  he  has  been  so  long  known  and  loved,  he  has  labored  with  zeal 
for  the  cause  of  Christ  and  the  good  of  man,  in  many  ways,  and  nothing  but 
the  excellent  health  which  he  has  enjoyed  could  have  enabled  him  to  bear  up 
under  his  multiplied  and  arduous  labors.  Circumstances  have  compelled  him 
to  devote  much  of  his  time  to  secular  business,  against  his  own  feelings,  which 
led  him  to  more  sacred  employments ;  but  when  the  call  of  duty  thus  shaped 
his  course,  he  has  prosecuted  it  with  energy  and  made  a  success  of  each  matter 
in  hand.  Thus,  without  his  knowledge,  he  was  chosen  by  the  citizens  of  his 
county  to  represent  them  in  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1877,  which  he 
did,  not  deeming  it  a  violation  of  his  resolution  never  to  engage  in  politics. 
The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  him  in  1873,  by  Mercer 
University. 

In  person  Mr.  Tharp  is  tall  and  commanding,  and  when  his  feelings  are 
thoroughly  enlisted,  his  voice  rings  out  with  a  resonance  that  attracts  and  retains 
the  undivided  attention  of  his  hearers.  Fond  of  books,  he  has  devoted  much 
time  to  them,  considering  his  diversified  employments.     At  present  he  has  the 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


525 


pleasure  of  preaching  in  one  of  the  most  elegant  little  houses  of  worship  in  the 
State,  erected  at  Perry  by  the  Baptist  church,  mainly  through  his  incitations. 

Dr.  Tharp  has  always  held  a  very  prominent  position  in  the  denomination, 
and  has  wielded  an  influence  almost  unbounded  in  the  Rehoboth  Association. 
He  is  a  man  of  uncommonly  strong  sense,  and  his  judgment  is  sound  on  any 
subject  to  which  he  may  have  directed  his  thoughts.  He  reaches  conclusions 
slowly  and  cautiously,  but  when  they  have  been  reached  he  clings  to  them 
tenaciously.  His  cultivation  and  his  educational  as  well  as  natural  abilities 
are  such  that  he  rightly  deems  himself  fairly  entitled  to  be  considered  the  holder 
of  correct  opinions.  Naturally  high-minded,  he  has  much  pride  of  character, 
loves  his  friends,  and  in  all  his  conduct  maintains  his  own  self-respect.  His  de- 
nominational views  are  very  pronounced,  for  he  calls  no  man  master  in  religion. 
Perhaps  he  might  be  designated  as  strongly  partisan  by  nature ;  but  his  Chris- 
tian piety  is  such  that  it  allows  him  to  be  guilty  of  nothing  unbecoming  a  fol- 
lower of  Jesus,  even  in  heated  controversy.  His  personal  piety  is  of  that  healthy, 
robust  kind  that  rests  solidly  on  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  and  yet  continues 
all  the  while  to  maintain  good  works.  He  loves  the  cause  of  Jesus  with  such 
ardent  devotion  that,  before  abandoning  it,  he  would  go  to  the  stake.  He  has 
always  been  a  prosperous  man,  and  a  man  of  means,  but  to  promote  the  King- 
dom of  Jesus  he  is  always  willing  to  pour  out  his  money  like  water.  Again  and 
again  has  he  given  his  time,  labor  and  even  money  to  the  cause  of  Jesus,  and  for 
other  benevolent  purposes,  without  the  expectation  of  any  reward  save  the  ap- 
proval of  conscience  and  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  has  advanced  a 
good  work.  In  short,  he  is  a  high-toned  Christian  gentleman,  whom  those  who 
know  love,  who  is  faithful  to  his  friends,  and  who  will  go  any  length  in  the  way 
of  personal  sacrifice  or  liberality  to  promote  the  cause  of  Christ.  No  induce- 
ment that  could  be  offered  would  make  him  do  anything  low  or  mean. 

As  a  preacher,  Mr.  Tharp  is  learned,  precise,  exact,  logical,  theological  and 
powerful  when  roused.  He  ranks  with  our  very  best  preachers  and  theologians, 
and  is  in  every  respect  a  very  able  man,  as  well  as  an  amiable  Christian  and  a 
good  scholar. 


CHARWICK  A.  THARP. 


Rev.  Vincent  A.  Tharp  was  a  native  of 
Wales,  and  when  he  came  to  this  country 
settled  in  the  State  of  Virginia.  About  the 
year  1795,  he  removed  to  Washington 
county,  Georgia,  bringing  with  him  his  fam- 
ily, consisting  of  a  wife  and  eight  children. 
He  remained  in  that  county  until  about  the 
year  18 10,  and  then  settled  in  Twiggs 
county.  He  was  a  sound,  earnest  preacher, 
and  the  influence  of  his  ministerial  life  is 
still  felt  in  the  churches  to  which  he  preach- 
ed. He  was  instrumental  in  founding 
churches  in  that  section,  then  a  frontier 
country.  Among  them  was  the  Stone 
Creek  church,  in  Twiggs  county,  of  which 
he  was  afterwards  pastor  fourteen  years, 
and  where  his  children  enjoyed  the  bless- 
ings of  the  Gospel,  and  the  privileges  of 
church  membership.  His  business,  when 
not  engaged  in  the  ministry  was  farming,  and  being  a  gunsmith  by  trade,  he 
also  made  rifle  guns.  He  died  in  1825,  but  before  his  death  had  the  pleasure  of 
baptizing  the  most  of  his  family  into  the  fellowship  of  Stone  Creek  church,  one 
of  whom  was  his  son,  Charwick  A.  Tharp,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 


526  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Soon  after  his  baptism  by  his  father,  in  March  1812,  he  was  elected  clerk  of 
the  church  ;  a  few  years  later  was  chosen  to  fill  the  office  of  deacon  ;  was  sub- 
sequently licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  preached  his  first  sermon  at  Stone 
Creek  church,  January  24th,  1824.  After  the  exercise  of  his  gifts  for  a  year  or 
more,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry,  November  27th,  1825.  Immediately 
after  his  ordination  he  was  called  to  the  charge  of  Beersheba  church,  in  Twiggs 
county,  and  Mount  Moriah  church,  in  Jones  county.  He  spent  his  ministerial 
life  within  the  bounds  of  the  Ebenezer  Association,  preaching  as  pastor  to  the 
churches  within  his  reach.  He  always  had  four  appointments  for  each  month, 
travelling  on  horse-back  from  church  to  church,  and  never  allowing  business  to 
prevent  him  from  meeting  his  engagements.  His  churches  and  congregations 
always  felt  assured  of  his  presence  unless  from  providential  cause.  His  people 
were  always  glad  to  hear  from  his  lips  the  Gospel  of  Jesus,  which  he  loved,  and 
loved  to  preach  to  others.  He  was  sound  in  the  faith,  and  though  modest  and 
retiring,  was  bold,  when  necessity  required  it,  in  defence  of  the  faith  which  was 
delivered  to  the  saints.  He  so  deported  himself  in  the  pulpit  and  out  of  it,  as 
to  command  the  highest  respect  of  all,  and  the  entire  love  and  confidence  of  his 
brethren,  His  praise  as  a  true,  devoted  Christian,  and  a  faithful  minister  of  the 
Gospel  was  in  all  the  churches.  He  was  elected  clerk  of  the  Ebenezer  Associa- 
tion in  1829,  and  Moderator  in  1832.  To  this  latter  position  he  was  re-elected 
at  each  succeeding  session  until  1855,  when  from  failing  health  he  was  com- 
pelled to  decline.  He  was  for  many  years  regularly  deputed  to  the  Georgia 
Baptist  Convention,  and  was  present  as  long  as  he  was  able  to  attend,  faithfully 
representing  his  brethren,  entering  into  all  their  plans,  and  giving  freely  of  his 
means  to  extend  the  kingdom  of  Christ  over  all  the  earth. 

Charwick  A.  Tharp  was  born  in  1790,  and  wheji  about  twenty-seven  years  of 

age  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth ,  of  Twiggs  county.     They  lived 

most  happily  together,  rearing  a  large  family,  consisting  of  seventeen  children, 
three  of  whom  died  in  early  life,  while  the  others,  eight  sons  and  six  daughters 
lived  to  be  grown,  and  are  most  of  them  still  living,  ornaments  to  the  church. 
It  is  proper  to  add  that  their  father  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  them  into  the 
fellowship  of  the  church  before  he  was  called  from  earth  to  heaven.  But  few 
mothers  have  ever  devoted  themselves  more  assiduously  to  the  temporal  and 
spiritual  welfare  of  their  children,  than  did  Mrs.  Tharp.  When  her  husband 
was  away,  as  he  he  so  frequently  was,  attending  to  his  pastoral  work,  she  never 
tired  under  the  burdens  his  absence  imposed  on  her,  but  patiently  and  cheerfully 
bore  them  all  for  the  sake  of  her  blessed  Saviour.  During  the  war  between  the 
States  five  of  the  sons  were  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  two  of  them  died 
in  Richmond,  Virginia,  of  disease  contracted  from  exposure  and  hardship. 
This  was  a  source  of  great  grief  to  their  aged  parents,  but  they  had  learned  to 
submit  to  the  will  of  Providence,  and  hence,  while  they  mourned  the  sad  loss  of 
their  beloved  sons,  not  a  murmuring  word  ever  escaped  their  lips.  One  of  the 
daughters,  the  eldest,  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  W.  D.  Horn,  who  was  for  many  years 
clerk  of  the  Ebenezer  Association. 

Rev.  C.  A.  Tharp  died  of  consumption  November  19th,  1867.  Though  for 
ten  months  he  was  gradually  wasting  away,  he  never  complained  ;  but  was  full  of 
faith  and  hope  to  the  last  in  the  Saviour  whom  he  had  preached  to  others. 
One  of  the  last  acts  of  his  life,  and  one  which  gave  him  unspeakable  satisfac- 
tion, was,  after  witnessing  the  ordination  of  his  son,  Washington  Tharp,  to  give 
him  this  charge:  "  My  son,  I  charge  you,  in  the  name  of  Almighty  God,  that  you 
preach  not  for  filthy  lucre,  nor  for  worldly  honor,  but  from  love  of  the  Gospel 
and  for  the  glory  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

His  estimable  Christian  wife  survived  him  some  five  years,  when  she  was 
called  home,  to  unite  with  him  in  those  joys  which  are  the  promised  reward  of 
the  faithful. 


OF  PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


527 


VINCENT  R.  THORNTON. 


Rev.  Vincent  R. 
Thornton,  son  of  Red- 
mond and  Sarah  Thorn- 
ton, was  born  July  19th, 
1805,  near  Union  Point, 
Greene  county,  Georgia, 
of  parents  noted  for  their 
piety,  wealth  and  liber- 
ality. Redmond  Thorn- 
ton's name  and  history 
are  blended  with  that  of 
Bethesda  Baptist  church 
in  its  early  days.  He 
contributed  largely  to  the 
erection  of  its  large  brick 
house  of  worship.  Vin- 
cent, his  son,  had  all  the 
facilities  and  means  at 
hand  to  obtain  a  classical 
education,  his  father 
sending  him  first  to  one 
school  and  then  to  an- 
other, and  finally  to  the 
State  University  (Mercer 
University  at  that  time, 
not  being  in  existence) 
But  love  of  pleasure  and 
society  and  the  world  ab- 
sorbed his  mind  to  such 
an  extent  that  he  gave 
but  little  attention  to  books.  His  father  having  taken  him  from  college,  tried  to 
induce  him  to  study  medicine  ;  but  the  youth  showed  little  fondness  for  study  of 
any  kind,  and  the  project  was  soon  abandoned.  The  next  effort  was  on  the  line 
of  agriculture,  but  the  young  man  was  restless,  gay  and  wild,  and  seemed  to 
have  as  little  turn  for  labor  as  for  study. 

God's  eye,  all  this  while,  was  upon  the  lad.  He  had  need  of  him,  and  work 
for  him  to  do.  He  sent  His  Spirit  to  make  him  a  new  creature,  and  after- 
wards to  lead  him  into  the  Gospel  ministry.  He  united  with  the  Bethesda  Baptist 
church,  was  baptized  by  Jonathan  Davis,  then  pastor,  was  soon  ordained,  and, 
being  called  to  the  neighboring  pulpits  as  pastor,  he  never  failed  or  faltered  in 
the  Master's  work. 

As  pastor  he  served  the  following  churches  :  Bethesda,  Crawfordville,  Baird's, 
Penfield,  Washington,  White  Plains,  Smyrna,  Phillips'  Mills,  Raytown,  Madison 
and  Friendship.  He  was  for  years  Moderator  of  the  Georgia  Association,  even 
up  to  the  time  of  the  illness  which  ended  his  useful  life.  He  neither  held  nor 
desired  any  civil  office.  He  was  a  warm  friend  of  the  Red  man,  and  was  for 
years  a  faithful  agent  of  the  Indian  mission  cause,  which  position  he  filled  with- 
out fee  or  reward.  He  occasionally  attended  the  Triennial  Convention  of  the 
Baptists  of  the  United  States,  being  elected  a  member  of  that  body  for  years. 

He  married  in  early  life,  and  his  widow  still  survives.  To  her  credit  be  it  said, 
she  proved  to  be  a  good  wife  for  a  pastor,  never  throwing  any  barrier  in  his  way 
of  duty,  but  always  having  in  her  line  everything  in  perfect  readiness  for  him  in 
time  to  meet  his  appointments.  Eternity  may  reveal  the  fact  that  his  wonder- 
ful success  as  a  minister  was  attributable,  under  God,  in  part  at   least,  to  her 


528  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

untiring  efforts  to  co-operate  with  him  in  doing  her  part  as  a  faithful  helpmeet. 

They  had  five  children—  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  living  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  One,  the  eldest,  has  since  died.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  loved  his 
children  almost  to  idolatry;  his  very  soul  was  burdened  with  the  desire  for  their 
salvation,  and  though  he  was  not  permitted  to  live  to  see  the  day,  they  all,  soon 
after  his  death,  professed  conversion  and  became  members  of  Baptist  churches, 
and  have  never  dishonored  their  professions.  The  daughter  is  a  devoted  servant 
of  Christ,  and  the  beloved  wife  of  William  A.  Overton,  minister  of  the  Gospel. 

About  three  years  before  his  death,  and  in  the  very  midst  of  his  usefulness, 
he  was  stricken  with  partial  paralysis,  from  which  he  never  recovered.  He  went 
to  his  appointments,  however,  as  long  as  he  could  travel.  But  his  work  was 
done ;  the  messenger  came,  and  he  was  taken  to  his  rest.  He  died  April  4th, 
1856,  in  his  fifty-first  year  of  his  age.  He  was  born,  reared,  labored  and  died 
in  the  same  neighborhood. 

He  was  a  friend  to  the  cause  of  education,  being  a  member  of  the  first  Board 
of  Trustees  of  Mercer  University,  and  continued  a  member  as  long  as  he  lived. 

Vincent  R.  Thornton  loved  the  doctrines  of  grace,  loved  the  Saviour.  He  was 
no  neutral  or  nominal  character.  He  was  one  whose  opinions  on  any  subject 
could  always  be  easily  ascertained.  He  was  emphatically  a  man  of  decided 
character,  right  or  wrong. 

His  style  of  speaking  was  plain,  simple,  easy  and  apparently  effortless.  His 
sermons  were  entirely  extemporaneous,  as  to  language  at  least,  and  it  is  believed 
that  he  never  used  the  pen  even  in  his  preparation.  Yet  his  language  was 
always  well  chosen  and  appropriate,  and  his  sentences  as  smoothly  turned  as  if 
they  had  been  carefully  written  by  an  accomplished  and  scholarly  man.  His 
thoughts,  too,  seemed  to  flow  easily  in  a  channel  of  natural  logic ;  his  sermons 
were  methodical,  yet  there  was  nothing  artificial  in  his  method  ;  it  seemed  to  be 
a  kind  of  method  unsought,  growing  out  of  the  nature  of  the  subject  discussed, 
and  which  could  not  be  avoided.  His  was  a  remarkable  mind,  whose  natural 
moods  conformed  to  the  requirements  of  rhetoric,  logic  and  homiletics,  subjects 
to  which  he  never  gave  his  attention.  In  short,  what  other  men  are  made,  he 
was  born.  He  made  no  attempt  at  oratorical  display,  and  never  cultivated  the 
arts  of  the  schools,  yet  his  delivery  was  graceful  and  impressive.  Whoever 
heard  him  listened  to  him. 

He  was  a  great  reader,  and  yet,  with  two  exceptions,  about  to  be  named,  he 
knew  but  little  of  books.  His  reading  was  confined  almost  entirely  to  the  Bible 
and  Gill's  Commentary.  His  familiarity  with  the  Scriptures  was  extraordinary, 
and  his  skill  in  using  them  to  sustain  his  doctrinal  views  was  unsurpassed.  As' 
may  be  well  inferred  from  his  partiality  for  Gill's  Commentary,  a  book  which  he 
studied  with  life-long  zeal,  he  belonged  to  the  school  of  high  Calvinists,  and  he 
preached  the  doctrines  of  that  system  with  heroic  boldness,  regardless  of  cavil 
or  criticism.  It  is  thought  by  some  that  these  doctrines,  so  offensive  to  human 
nature,  especially  when  preached  so  audaciously,  (if  we  may  use  the  word)  have 
the  effect  of  driving  sinners  away  from  the  Gospel.  Such  was  not  the  effect  in 
Mr.  Thornton's  ministry.  It  was  attended  by  multitudes,  large  numbers  of  whom 
were  hopefully  converted  to  God.  In  every  point  of  view  his  ministry  was  a 
success. 

Elder  Thornton  was  a  very  unostentatious  man  ;  plain  and  farmer-like  in  ap- 
pearance, and  somewhat  rustic  in  his  habits  and  tastes ;  but  when  in  the  pulpit  his 
manner  and  his  matter  were  such  as  would  have  commanded  adm  ring  attention 
from  any  audience,  however  intellectual  and  elegant. 

His  neighbors  respected  and  loved  him,  and  as  far  as  they  could,  appreciated 
him,  but  in  the  opinion  of  the  writer,  they  never  knew  how  remarkable  a  man 
they  had  among  them ;  and  he,  himself,  was  probably  never  aware  that  his  gifts 
were  at  all  superior  to  those  of  ordinary  men. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


529 


BENJAMIN  THORNTON. 


Rev.  Benjamin  Thornton  was 
born  August  15th,  1801,  in '  Warren 
county,  North  Carolina.  His  parents, 
Benjamin  and  Sarah  Thornton,  removed 
to  this  State  and  settled,  it  is  supposed, 
in  Elbert  county.  Their  son  Benjamin 
had  to  lament  through  life  his  limited 
opportunities  of  early  education.  Be- 
ing by  nature  endowed  with  a  clear,  dis- 
criminating mind,  by  habits  of  thought 
and  of  study  he  suppUed,  in  some  degree, 
his  want  of  mental  training  in  youth. 
While  he  made  himself  acquainted  with 
general  literature  and  the  current  events 
of  his  day,  the  Bible  with  him  was  the 
book  of  books,  and  he  studied  it  with 
such  effect  that  all  recognized  him  as 
one  who  "  rightly  divided  the  Word  of 
God,  and  was  a  workman  that  needed 
not  to  be  ashamed." 

When  quite  a  yoiing  man,  he  gave 
himself  to  Christ.  He  was  baptized  in 
1824,  by  Rev.  Francis  Callaway,  into 
the  fellowship  of  the  Vance  Creek  church,  Elbert  county.  In  1825,  at  the  re- 
quest of  that  church,  he  was  set  apart  by  ordination  to  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
There  are  few  churches  in  that  county  which  he  did  not  serve  as  pastor  during 
his  long  and  successful  ministry,  besides  churches  in  the  adjoining  counties.  He 
was  a  man  of  powerful  physical  constitution,  backed  by  indomitable  energy ; 
and  in  addition  to  his  regular  charges,  he  often  went  into  the  highways  and 
hedges,  searching  for  places  destitute  of  the  Gospel,  preaching  Jesus  as  he  went, 
and  organizing  Sunday-schools  and  churches.  He  did  not  live  for  naught,  but 
as  one  who  had  taken  the  vows  of  God  upon  him,  and  must  render  an  account 
to  Him  who  had  said,  "  Go,  work  in  my  vineyard."  Though  his  education  was 
but  limited,  he  occupied  a  most  respectable  position  as  an  instructive  and  useful 
preacher  of  the  Gospel,  and  was  justly  considered  one  of  the  influential  men  of 
the  section  in  which  he  labored.  Many  now  live  who  bear  witness  to  his  instru- 
mentality in  the  salvation  of  multitudes  of  precious  souls.  The  matter  of  his 
pulpit  discourses  was  always  solid  Gospel  truth ;  and  often  when  speaking  of 
the  great  work  of  redemption  through  Christ  and  salvation  by  grace,  he  became 
eloquent.  Commanding  in  his  personal  appearance,  with  rich,  melodious  voice, 
though  he  had  never  studied  the  graces  of  oratory,  he  was  always  attractive. 

He  threw  all  the  warmth  of  his  soul  into  the  work  of  missions,  giving  of  his 
own  means  and  urging  others  to  give.  He  was  a  man  of  retiring  disposition, 
modest  and  of  great  moral  worth.  He  was  a  regular  attendant  on  the  Sarepta 
Association  until  age  and  infirmity  prevented,  and  was  often  called  to  preside  as 
Moderator  over  its  deliberations.  He  was  somewhat  prominent  in  civil  life. 
More  than  once  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  from  his  county.  After  his 
removal  to  Hart  county,  he  was  appointed  its  treasurer.  While  a  part  of  his 
time  was  thus  given  to  civil  affairs,  and  he  held  office  by  popular  election,  he 
never  lowered  the  dignity  of  his  calling  by  stooping  to  the  tricks  of  the  partisan 
to  secure  success. 

His  first  marriage  was  to  Miss  Nancy  Paine,  in   181 7;    his  second,  to    Mrs. 
Louisa  T.  Skelton,  in  1864.     By  his  last  marriage  no  children  were  born  to  him. 
By  his  first,  fourteen  were  born,  six  of  whom  are  still  living,  filling  honorable 
positions  in  society,  and  one  a  most  consecrated  minister  of  the  Gospel. 
\ 


530 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


On  the  19th  of  April,  1878,  this  man  of  God  closed  his  earthly  labors.  He 
seemed  for  a  time  to  be  impressed  with  the  idea  that  God  was  about  to  remove 
him.  He  spoice  of  it,  and  said  he  must  therefore  prosecute  his  Master's  work 
with  greater  diligence.  He  labored  to  the  last.  After  making  arrangements  for 
an  early  start  to  attend  the  duties  of  the  day,  before  leaving  his  house  he  drank 
a  glass  of  water,  and  immediately  turning  to  his  bed,  laid  hiroself  down,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  fell  asleep  in  Jesus  ! 


WILLIAM  T.  THORNTON. 


William  T.  Thornton  was  born  in  Morgan  county, 
Georgia,  February  17th,  1836.  He  was  the  only  child  of 
Reuben  and  Martha  M.  Thornton.  His  mother  dying 
during  his  infancy,  the  care  of  his  education  devolved  on 
a  pious  stepmother.  The  efforts  of  his  parents  in  his 
early  training  were  amply  repaid  in  his  love  and  devotion' 
to  them,  and  in  his  conversion  to  Christ.  His  father  hav- 
ing an  abundance  of  earthly  goods,  was  enabled  to  pro- 
vide for  him  with  a  lavish  hand.  From  early  childhood 
he  enjoyed  that  thoroughness  of  preparation  which  the 
best  conducted  schools  in  Georgia  could  impart.  In  1853  he  entered  the  State 
University  at  Athens,  Georgia,  and  during  his  connection  with  the  institution  he 
attested  the  excellence  of  superior  training,  and  gained  for  himself,  from  both 
the  faculty  and  the  students,  high  esteem,  alike  for  his  talents  and  gentlemanly 
deportment.  He  approximated  the  highest  standard  in  his  class,  and  would 
have  shared  the  honors  had  he  continued.  During  his  collegiate  course  he  was 
converted,  and  Dr.  W.  T.  Brantly  baptized  him.  Immediately  after  conversion 
he  felt  a  strong  sense  of  obligation  to  preach  the  Gospel,  but,  like  many  others, 
resisted  this  sense  until  several  years  after  his  marriage,  when  he  surrendered 
himself  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  as  many  of  his  noble  relatives  had  done — 
such  men  as  brethren  Vincent,  Reuben,  and  Benjamin  Thornton.  He  partook 
of  their  zeal,  but  was  more  timid  in  manifesting  it.  He  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  in  1862,  at  the  Buena  Vista  church,  Clark  county,  and  was  called  to  the 
care  of  the  Jefferson  church,  Jackson  county.  Here  he  remained  during  the  war, 
devoting  his  time  to  that  and  adjacent  country  churches.  At  the  close  of  the 
war,  feeling  the  necessity  of  a  professional  education,  he  attended  one  session 
of  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  at  Greenville,  South  Carolina. 

On  his  return,  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  church  at  Gainesville,  to  which  place 
he  removed  and  entered  at  once  on  his  pastoral  duties.  He  was  very  success- 
ful. The  church  was  built  up  and  strengthened,  and  many  precious  souls  were 
converted  as  seals  to  his  ministry.  With  his  usual  energy  and  zeal,  he  very  soon 
projected  a  plan  for  building  a  new  house  of  worship.  It  was  a  difficult  task, 
in  the  prostrate  financial  condition  of  the  country  ;  but  he  surmounted  all  obsta- 
cles, and  had  the  earnest  and  hearty  co-operation  of  his  excellent  and  zealous 
wife,  who  was  Miss  Jane  Ann,  daughter  of  the  late  estimable  Christian  gentle- 
man, William  G.  Barrett,  of  Cljerokee  county,  and  to  whom  he  was  married  in 
November,  1855.  He  was  all  that  a  husband  could  be — gentle,  kind  and  sym- 
pathizing in  all  things  pertaining  to  domestic  life.  Confiding  in  the  kind  hand 
of  his  Heavenly  Father  for  everything  needful,  he  lived  and  died.  Having  ex- 
posed himself  to  the  night-air  after  preaching,  when  in  a  state  of  indisposition, 
he  took  cold.  This  soon  developed  itself  into  a  slow  case  of  typhoid  fever, 
which,  after  several  weeks,  terminated  in  death,  September  15th,  1877. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


531 


ISAAC   TAYLOR   TICHENOR. 


Rev.  Isaac  Taylor  Tichenor,  D.D., 
was  born  in  Spencer  county,  Kentucky,  No- 
vember nth,  1825.  He  is  descended  from 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  country,  his 
ancestor,  Daniel  Tichenor,  having  emigrated 
from  Europe  to  America  in  1644.  His  grand- 
father moved  from  Morristown,  New  Jersey, 
to  Kentucky,  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
past  century.  His  father,  James  Tichenor, 
was  born  in  Nelson  county,  in  that  State. 
Having  become  a  Baptist,  he  named  his 
fourth  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  after 
his  pastor,  Isaac  Taylor,  possibly  with  the 
hope  that  he  might  follow  the  example  of  the 
good  man  whose  name  he  bore,  and  be- 
come a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  If  so,  his 
wishes  in  this  respect  were  gratified.  That 
son  embraced  religion  and  was  baptized  in 
1838,  when  less  than  thirteen  years  of  age. 
He  was  of  delicate  constitution,  small  for  his  age,  and  seemed  younger  than  he 
really  was.  His  pastor.  Rev.  Wm.  Vaughn,  had  many  misgivings  in  receiving 
one  so  young  into  the  Church.  But  these  misgwings  were  in  after  days  ex- 
changed for  a  feeling  of  commendable  pride  and  gratitude  to  God  that  he  had 
been  the  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God  of  bringing  into  the  Church  one  who 
has  proved  so  useful  a  man.  Next  to  his  own  son.  Rev.  T.  M.  Vaughn,  he  ever 
evinced  the  highest  interest  and  the  greatest  joy  in  the  success  of  his  son  in 
the  Gospel.  Until  his  dying  day,  he  watched  the  increasing  usefulness  and 
rising  fame  of  him  for  whom  his  heart  had  trembled  in  the  early  days  of  his 
profession,  always  claiming  him  as  his  boy. 

The  feeble  health  of  young  Tichenor  prevented  his  receiving  the  full  benefit 
of  a  collegiate  education.  When  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  had  an  attack 
of  the  measles,  which  brought  him  nigh  to  the  grave.  From  this  attack  he  has 
never  fully  recovered.  Though  in  later  years  his  general  health  has  been  good, 
and  he  has  grown  to  be  above  medium  size,  an  affection  of  the  throat  due  to 
this  attack  has  followed  him  all  his  life,  and  interfered  no  little  with  his  ministe- 
rial work.  In  this  state  of  declining  health,  he  came  south  in  the  winter  of 
1847-8,  hoping  to  find  relief  in  the  mild  climate  of  the  sunny  land. 

Providentially  thrown  into  Columbus,  Mississippi,  where  the  church  was  with- 
out a  pastor,  they  requested  him  to  spend  the  winter  in  preaching  for  them. 
This  was  not  in  accordance  with  his  plans,  but  as  this  influential  body  of  Chris- 
tians, torn  to  pieces  by  dissensions,  were  unable  to  agree  upon  any  one  as  pastor, 
he,  considering  their  condition,  rather  than  his  own,  consented  to  their  request. 
Without  experience,  without  theological  training,  without  books  other  than  his 
pocket  Bible,  he  began  the  work  of  preaching  twice  each  Sunday  to  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  cultivated  churches  of  the  Southwest.  Before  the  winter 
passed,  they  called  him  to  be  their  pastor,  and  though  he  was  reluctant  to  accept 
so  grave  a  responsibility,  they  would  listen  to  no  refusal,  and  he  was  accordingly 
ordained  for  that  purpose  in  April,  1848.  For  more  than  two  years  he  preached 
to  them  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  and  had  the  satisfaction  to  see  the  church  united 
and  harmonious,  and  many  added  to  its  numbers. 

In  1852,  he  became  pastor  of  the  church  in  Montgomery,  Alabama,  where  he 
labored  nine  years,  until  failing  health  compelled  him  to  resign  his  position. 

During  the  war,  which  began  shortly  after,  he  was  for  more  than  two  years 
connected  with  the  army  as  chaplain  and  missionary.     At  the  battle  of  Shiloh, 

37 


532  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

when  his  regiment  began  to  waver  under  a  heavy  enfilading  fire,  though  himself 
wounded,  he  sprang  from  the  ground,  and  steadying  the  faltering  ranks,  held 
them  to  their  post  until  the  enemy  were  driven  from  the  field. 

In  January,  1863,  he  returned  to  his  former  charge  in  Montgomery;  and, 
through  the  perilous  times  of  the  last  years  of  the  war,  and  the  more  perilous 
times  of  the  years  of  miscalled  peace  that  followed,  he  was  not  only  the  spiritual 
guide  of  his  flock,  but  a  safe  and  prudent  counsellor  to  the  people  of  that  city. 
The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Democratic  party  had  selected  him  as  their 
candidate  for  Governor  of  the  State  at  the  first  election  for  State  officers  under 
the  reconstruction  acts ;  but,  in  a  general  council  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
State,  it  was  deemed  best  to  abstain  from  voting  altogether. 

In  1868,  he  resigned  the  care  of  the  church  in  Montgomery,  and  retired  to 
his  plantation  in  Shelby  county,  Alabama.  He  had  become  convinced  that  there 
must  be  a  reorganization  of  the  industrial  interests  of  the  South  before  any 
great  degree  of  prosperity  could  come  to  that  impoverished  section.  A  new 
civilization  must  be  constructed,  in  which  much  larger  and  more  important 
place  must  be  given  to  material  interests.  The  wealth  and  population  which 
are  the  great  elements  of  national  power,  he  saw  could  come  only  through  a 
better  development  of  the  great  natural  resources  of  the  South ;  and  this,  in 
his  judgment,  was  the  practical  problem  which  should  employ  the  minds  of  the 
statesmen  of  the  South.  He  devoted  much  study  to  this  subject  and  became 
perhaps  more  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  extent  and  value  of  the  material 
out  of  which  the  future  greatness  of  his  State  could  be  constructed,  than  any 
one  of  her  citizens. 

While  thus  employed,  the  death  of  his  wife  broke  up  all  his  plans,  and  neces- 
sitated his  return  to  the  more  active  duties  of  the  ministry.  He  received  and 
accepted  a  call  of  the  First  Baptist  church,  in  Memphis,  Tennessee.  About  a 
year  after  his  entrance  into  this  new  field  of  labor,  he  was  elected  President  of 
the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  of  Alabama,  which  position  he  now 
holds. 

Under  his  administration  the  College  has  become  the  leading  institution  of 
learning  in  the  State,  having  for  the  last  three  years  averaged  two  hundred  and 
fifty  students. 

As  a  preacher,  Dr.  Tichenor  is  impressive  rather  than  profound.  He  loves  to 
deal  with  facts  rather  than  abstract  truths.  He  illustrates  with  facility  and 
effectiveness.  His  sermons  are  oftentimes  a  series  of  pictures  which  explain 
and  enforce  the  subject  he  treats.  They  are  such  discourses  as  are  not  easily 
forgotten.  People  who  heard  his  first  efforts  when  a  boy,  thirty  years  ago,  still 
retain  vivid  recollections  of  some  of  them.  With  a  mind  strongly  constructive 
in  its  character,  he  shapes  with  great  readiness  and  ease  his  public  addresses, 
and  seldom  fails  to  reach  the  understanding  and  the  hearts  of  his  hearers. 

His  manner  as  a  speaker  exhibits  the  lack  of  the  careful  training  of  the 
schools.  He  is  sometimes  too  boisterous  and  vehement.  When  thoroughly 
aroused  by  a  great  occasion,  or  possessed  by  a  great  idea,  he  is  carried  away  with 
his  emotions,  which  find  vent  in  rapid  and  grand  declamation. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


533 


JOHN    HENRY   TOMKIES. 


Rev.  John  Henry  Tomkies,  one  of  a 
large  family,  was  born  in  Hanover  county, 
Virginia,  on  the  i8th  of  November,  1839. 

His  parents,  Edmond  M.  and  Mary  Chris- 
tian Tomkies,  were  not  in  affluent,  but  easy 
circumstances.  His  father's  calling  was  that 
of  teacher,  for  which  he  was  eminently  qual- 
ified by  a  liberal  education.  His  mother, 
who  went  to  her  reward  while  he  was  but  a 
youth,  was  a  deeply  pious  and  rather  an  intel- 
lectual woman.  The  former  is  a  devoted 
member  of  Ashland  Baptist  church,  Virginia, 
while  the  latter  was  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  Thus  he  was  blest 
with  good  parentage ;  a  father  well  qualified 
to  watch  over  his  intellectual  training,  while 
his  mother  could  mould  his  character.  She 
did  well  her  work,  and  gave  him  the  bent 
which  made  him  the  man  he  was ;  faithful, 
devoted,  conscientious,  pious.  While  a  boy  of  tender  years  he  consecrated  his 
life  to  the  Lord  and  learned  "  to  bear  his  yoke."  Arriving  at  the  age  when 
young  men  begin  to  decide  to  what  special  work  they  are  to  give  their  lives,  he 
was  impressed  with  the  earnest  desire  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and,  prompted  by  deep 
conviction  that  it  was  his  duty,  helaid  his  Hfe  on  the  altar.  That  he  might  be 
well  fitted  for  the  work,  he  entered  Richmond  College  when  about  nineteen 
years  of  age,  and  remaining  there  about  two  sessions  he  prosecuted  quite  suc- 
cessfully the  study  of  mathematics,  French,  German  and  English. 

Burning  with  desire  to  be  actively  engaged  in  the  work,  he  left  college  and 
went  back  to  Ashland,  Virginia,  where  he  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try, Rev.  Drs.  J.  Wm.  Jones  and  A.  E.  Dickinson  constituting  a  part  of  the  presby- 
tery. Just  before  the  war,  in  accordance  with  the  request  of  one  of  his  brothers 
living  in  Florida,  he  removed  to  that  State,  settling  first  at  Madison,  where  he 
preached  and  taught  school.  After  working  there  one  year,  he  went  to  Gaines- 
ville, Florida,  taught  in  the  East  Florida  Seminary  and  preached  to  the  few 
Baptists  then  in  that  place.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  as  private  in 
the  7th  Florida  regiment.  After  serving  for  one  year,  owing  to  his  striking 
integrity,  deep  toned  piety,  and  fine  abilties  as  a  preacher,  he  was  selected  by 
his  comrades  as  their  chaplain.  So  deep  was  the  hold  that  he  had  on  his  com- 
rades' hearts  that,  as  one  has  it,  "  let  him  but  speak  and  all  were  prepared  to 
hear  and  to  be  influenced  by  his  words."  In  him  the  sick,  suffering  and  troubled 
found  a  sympathizing  friend,  and  all  knew  it.  He  served  all  through  the  war 
as  chaplain,  and  when  peace  came  he  returned  to  his  adopted  State  and  settled 
at  Gainesville,  where  he  taught  and  preached  in  the  town  and  to  some  churches 
which  were  accessible — Fort  Clark,  Waccahoota  and  Stafford's  Pond.  Here  he 
lived  two  years,  during  which  time  he  married  Miss  Fannie  Emma  McCuen. 
Of  this  union  there  were  born  three  daughters  and  one  son. 

He  served  the  following  "  churches  in  Florida :  Fernandina,  1868-70 ;  Elim, 
Eliam,  Providence,  Pleasant  Grove,  1870-75;  First  church,  Gainesville,  1873-75. 

While  engaged  in  the  service  of  these  churches,  the  disease  which  he  had 
inherited,  consumption,  began  to  develop  itself.  So  rapid  was  the  development 
that  he  had  to  give  up  preaching  in  1875.  In  1873-5,  he  worked  at  Gainesville, 
where  he  laid  the  foundation  of  the  present  church,  built  the  house  and  got  the 
body  to  work.  But  his  work  being  done  he  had  to  give  it  up  to  the  hands  of 
others.  He  suffered  intensely  for  several  years,  of  bronchitis,  which  terminated 
in  tubercular  consumption.  On  the  15th  of  August,  1878,  a  faithful  worker 
breathed  out  his  life  sweetly  in  Jesus'  arms,  leaving  a  widow,  four  fatherless 
children,  and  a  host  of  friends  to  mourn  their  loss. 


534  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

He  had  a  noble  face,  wherein  much  decision  was  expressed.  He  was  about 
five  feet  six  inches  high,  slenderly  built,  fair  complexion,  blue  eyes,  dark  brown 
hair.  In  his  manner  he  was  excessively  modest  and  retiring,  except  with  those 
with  whom  he  was  well  acquainted.  He  was  truly  a  lovable  man  in  every  par- 
ticular. He  was  a  devoted  husband  and  father,  a  faithful  friend,  a  genial 
companion.  Truly  a  generous,  noble,  deeply  pious  man  was  he.  As  a  pastor, 
he  was  devoted  to  his  flock,  and  took  a  close  oversight  of  their  spiritual  interests, 
sympathizing  with  the  distressed,  striving  .to  lead  back  the  erring,  and  to  win 
men  to  the  cross  of  Jesus.  His  faithfulness  in  this  particular  won  for  him  the 
love  and  devotion  of  all  under  his  charge,  and  tended  much  to  the  development 
of  piety  and  strength  in  the  churches  he  served. 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  doctrinal  and  practical.  The  Saviour,  in  his  office, 
Word  and  work,  was  his  theme,  and  Him  he  constantly  exalted  so  as  to  obscure 
self.  He  was  a  good  thinker,  clear  and  destitute  of  what  is  now  called  sensa- 
tionalism. To  say  much  in  a  few  words,  he  was  learned  in  the  Scriptures,  and 
substantiated  his  every  argument  with  a  "thus  saith  the  L.ord."  He  was  a  close 
and  systematic  student  of  the  Bible.  He  seems  to  have  been  raised  up  for  the 
purpose  of  confirming  the  faith  of  his  flock  and  meeting,  by  means  of  his  trained 
mental  powers  and  familiarity  with  God's  Word,  the  errors  set  forth  by  false 
teachers  in  his  section  of  the  State.  He  met  in  debate  the  acknowledged  cham- 
pion of  Campbellism  in  his  section  and  overpowered  him.  So  successful  was 
his  victory  that  that  leader  left  his  section  and  ceased  to  harrass  the  churches  of 
God.  This  gave  him,  if  it  could  be,  a  greater  name  among  his  brethren  than 
he  had  had  before. 

He  was  a  strong  supporter,  and  during  its  existence  corresponding  editor  of 
the  Florida  Baptist.  Afterwards  he  was  editor  of  the  Baptist  edition  of  the 
Sun  and  Press.  The  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  among  his  brethren  was 
attested  by  the  fact  that  he  was  repeatedly  Moderator  and  secretary  of  the  Santa 
Fe  River  Association,  and  President  and  secretary  of  the  State  Convention.'  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  President  of  the  State  Convention  and  secretary 
of  the  Santa  Fe  River  Association  and  President  of  the  Alachua  Bible  Society. 
In  the  cause  of  missions  and  education  he  was  an  untiring  and  zealous  worker. 
With  the  operations  of  these  enterprises  he  was  well  acquainted,  and  used  Uberally 
his  means  for  their  support.  Staunch  and  uncompromising  in  the  principles  of 
the  denomination  to  which  he  gave  his  life,  toward  those  who  differed  from  him 
he  exercised  that  "  charity  which  suffereth  long  and  is  kind." 

When  solicited  by  his  friends  he  accepted  reluctantly  the  office  of  Alachua 
county  treasurer,  and  with  faithfulness  discharged  the  duties  of  his  office,  from 
the  time  of  his  appointment  until  death  closed  his  labors. 

As  a  writer,  he  was  clear  and  very  happy  in  the  arrangement  of  his  thoughts, 
beautifully  and  forcibly  at  times  presenting  his  ideas. 

Than  he,  no  man  ever  held  a  more  prominent  position  in  the  estimation  of 
the  denomination  of  the  State.  In  his  death  Florida  sustains  a  great  loss.  Like 
the  faithful  servant  who  feels  that  his  work  is  done — nay,  like  a  triumphing  sol- 
dier who  feels  that  his  life  is  over,  he  laid  aside  his  implements,  dropped  his 
sword,  and  went  to  receive  his  reward  at  the  hands  of  his  Master  and  Captain. 
While  his  family  and  a  few  friends  were  assembled  around  his  bed,  he  quoted 
the  23d  Psalm  and  repeated  "  How  firm  a  foundation,"  and  "  Jesus,  lover  of  my 
soul,"  and  then  asked  them  all  to  pray  with  him  that  he  might  be  "fully  and 
thoroughly  resigned  to  God's  wiU  ;"  not  that  "  I  do  not  feel  resigned,"  said  he, 
"  but  because  I  fear  there  may  be  sorre  secret  rebellion  lurking  in  my  heart." 
Rev.  H.  M.  King  led  the  sobbing  company  in  prayer.  Repeatedly  he  said,  "  I 
shall  soon  be  at  rest."  Seeing  his  devoted  friend  and  sister  in  the  Lord,  Mrs. 
Ellis,  enter  the  room,  with  a  smile  on  his  face,  he  said,  "  Sister  Ellis,  I  shall  sooti  be 
home — I  am  going  home."  When  all  were  from  the  room  but  his  dear  wife, 
he,  while  sitting  in  a  chair,  was  seized  by  a  severe  paroxysm,  caused  by  the  rup- 
ture of  an  abscess  in  his  lung.  Rising  from  the  chair  and  falling  on  the  bed,  he 
quickly  breathed  his  last,  and  so  gained  "the  home  beyond,"  which  is  free  from 
all  pain  and  distress,  where  there  is  no  sickness  and  whither  sorrows  never 
come. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


535 


LEWIS  TOWERS. 


Rev.  Lewis  Towers  was  a  native  of  Pendle- 
ton district,  South  Carolina,  and  was  born  June 
nth,  1804.  His  father,  William  Towers,  Esq., 
removed  to  Georgia  and  settled  in  DeKalb  county. 
To  obtain  a  liberal  education  was  the  desire  of  his 
youth,  but  with  the  Indians  more  or  less  around 
them,  the  means  to  this  end,  especially  with 
farmers,  were  limited.  However,  by  persever- 
ance against  all  odds,  he  obtained  at  length  his 
long-cherished  object.  Meanwhile,  attending  a 
Presbyterian  camp-meeting,  between  the  Chatta- 
hoochee river  and  Decatur,  he  was  brought  under 
such  pungent  conviction  for  sin  as  neither  to  eat 
nor  to  sleep  for  the  space  of  forty-eight  hours, 
when  the  witness  of  pardon  through  the  merits 
of  Christ  was  granted  him,  and  the  throes  of  the 
new  birth  gave  place  to  its  joys.  He  united  with 
the  Baptist  church  at  Cool  Spring,  near  where 
Atlanta  now  stands.  Having  put  on  Christ,,  he  soon  manifested  a  zeal  for  God 
and  a  yearning  for  the  salvation  of  sinners — his  only  call  to  the  ministry,  as  he 
said  in  his  examination — which  engrossed  his  mind  and  led  to  the  conviction, 
on  his  own  part  and  the  part  of  his  brethren,  that  duty  called  him  to  the  sacred 
office.  He  resolved  "to  surrender  to  God,  and  let  him  direct  in  all  things,"  "to 
sacrifice  every  feeling,  every  choice  of  his  own,  for  the  Lord."  To  complete  his 
education,  knowing  of  no  Southern  Baptist  institution,  he  went  through  the  In- 
dian Nation,  January,  1833,  to  the  Southwestern  Theological  Seminary,  under 
Presbyterian  auspices,  at  Maryville,  Tennessee.  Meeting  here  a  noble,  self- 
sacrificing  youth  who  above  all  things  desired  an  education,  he  betook  himself  to 
a  tent,  and  divided  his  bread  with  Dr.  H.  F.  Buckner,  the  indefatigable  Indian 
missionary.  These  two,  with  a  classmate,  Dr.  A.  W.  Chambliss,  were  accus- 
tomed to  walk  seven  miles  to  attend  a  Sabbath-school,  and  to  preach  a  risen 
Saviour  to  the  destitute  in  a  broken,  mountainous  region.  During  the  five  years 
which  hs  spent  at  the  Seminary,  as  a  hard  student  and  yet  a  working  Christian, 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Six  Mile  Baptist  church.  On  the  conipletion 
of  his  course,  literary,  scientific  and  theological,  he  returned,  in  1838,  to  his  home 
near  Decatur,  to  find  the  anti-mission  spirit  rife  in  that  section,  and  to  encoun- 
ter an  opposition  which  did  not  scruple  to  cut  down  trees  across  the  roads  to 
prevent  him  from  reaching  his  appointments  in  time. 

In  acquiring  an  education,  he  had  contracted  a  debt  of  $300.00 ;  and  to  dis- 
charge this,  he  opened  a  school  at  Whitesville,  Harris  county,  in  association  with 
Miss  Louisa  F.  Packard,  whom  he  had  known  as  a  teacher  in  East  Tennessee. 
When  the  school  closed  in  1840  his  debt  was  cancelled,  and  the  next  Sabbath 
he  was  united  to  Miss  Packard  by  marriage.  He  then,  with  the  assistance  of 
the  neighborhood,  erected  Eusebia  Academy,  three  miles  east  of  Decatur,  prob- 
ably the  earliest  institution  of  its  grade  in  DeKalb  county,  and  certainly  one  of 
the  most  useful,  because  of  the  prominence  given  to  the  life  to  come.  In  the 
fall  of  1841,  a  revival  occurred  under  his  ministry,  the  fruits  of  which,_  number- 
ing forty,  with  the  sterling  seven,  the  missionary  minority  in  the  division_  of 
Hardeman's  church,  near  Decatur,  established  worship  in  that  town,  holding 
their  meetings,  by  courtesy,  in  the  Presbyterian  building.  He  also  organized  the 
Indian  Creek  church  at  Eusebia  Academy,  had  an  important  agency  in  the  erec- 
tion of  a  respectable  house  of  worship  for  it,  and,  in  conjunction  with  Rev. 
Henry  Collins,  the  pastor,  labored  in  an  almost  constant  revival  there  for  years. 
This  church  called  for  his  ordination,  which  took  place  during  the  session  of  the 


536 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


Stone  Mountain  Association  at  the  academy,  September,  1842 — Revs.  H.  Posey, 
G.  Daniel  and  H.  Collins  composing  the  presbytery. 

While  teaching  in  DeKalb  county,  he  sought  out  those  desiring  an  education 
for  the  ministry — such  young  men  as  Bartlett,  William  Collins  and  J.  H.  Corley — 
who,  if  need  were,  shared  also  his  basket  and  store ;  for,  as  Paul  directs,  he 
labored  that  he  might  have  to  give.  The  care  of  four  churches  and  of  his  school 
overtasked  his  bodily  powers  and  demanded  rest  ;  but  rest  was  impossible, 
where  those  whom  he  could  not  resist  besought  his  continued  services  with 
prayers  and  tears.  He  determined,  therefore,  to  go  where  he  was  unknown, 
removed  in  1853  from  Stone  Mountain  to  Mill  Town,  Chambers  county,  Ala- 
bama, and  became  principal  of  the  male  and  female  academies.  In  this  new 
field  he  labored  successfully.  Sabbath-schools  being  established  wherever  possi- 
ble under  his  ministry,  and  many  flocking  to  the  standard  of  the  cross  as  he  un- 
furled it.  Here,  too,  he  sought  out  such  brethren  as  Harbin,  Grier  and  R.  A. 
J.  Cumbie  to  prepare  them  the  better  for  the  ministry.  In  May,  1855,  at  the 
Alabama  Baptist  Convention,  at  Montgomery,  he  met,  for  the  first  time  since 
their  school-days.  Dr.  H.  F.  Buckner,  who,  falling  on  his  neck,  cried  aloud, 
"  My  father,  O  my  father !"  But  there  were  tenderer,  more  joyful  meetings  re- 
served for  the  next  month — meetings  with  those  who  had  gone  before  him  into 
the  skies,  and  with  the  Saviour  whom  he  had  loved  and  served.  For  he  died  in 
June,  with  God  at  his  right  hand  that  he  should  not  be  moved ;  departing  peace- 
fully from  a  life  marked  by  great  uprightness  of  character  and  deep-toned  piety, 
to  the  rewards  and  glories  of  the  life  everlasting. 


HENRY  HOLCOMBE  TUCKER. 


The  ancestors  of  many  of  the  best  families  in 
Georgia  came  originally  from  Virginia.  This 
was  the  case  with  Dr.  Henry  Holcombe 
Tucker,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  alike  on  the  maternal 
and  paternal  side,  both  families  being  of  good 
old  Virginia  stock.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Isaiah  Tucker,  was  born  in  Amherst  county, 
Virginia,  about  the  year  1761,  but  moved  to 
Georgia  in  early  life,  and  settled  in  Warren 
county,  where  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Gibson. 
He  was  a  man  of  classical  attainments  and  liter- 
ary tastes.  His  eldest  son, Germain  Tucker,  the 
father  of  Henry  Holcombe  Tucker,  was  born 
in  1794,  and  died  when  twenty-seven  years  of 
age,  leaving  two  children,  one  of  whom  soon 
died.  Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker  and  his  children  are, 
therefore,  the  only  representatives  of  the  fam- 
ily. His  maternal  grandfather,  Rev.  Henry 
Holcombe,  D.D.,  was  also  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia ;  but  a  sketch  of  him  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  volume,  and  we  need  not  repeat  the  information  it  furnishes. 

Dr.  Tucker's  father  was  the  son  of  a  wealthy  planter,  and,  dying  at  an  early 
age,  had  scarcely  time  to  distinguish  himself.  Little  is  known  of  him  except 
that  he  was  a  man  of  culture  and  elegant  address.  His  mother  was  Frances 
Henrietta,  fifth  child  of  Henry  Holcombe,  D.D.  She  afterwards  became  Mrs. 
Hoff,  and  spent  many  years  of  her  life  in  Philadelphia,  but  died  at  Atlanta, 
Georgia,  on  the  14th  of  April,  1877. 

Henry  Holcombe  Tucker  was  born  May  loth,  1819,  in  Warren,  county,  Geor- 
gia, near  the  place  now  called  Camak,  on  the  Georgia  Railroad.     When  a  mere 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  537 

child  he  was  taken  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  where  he  remained,  with  occa- 
sional interruptions,  until  he  was  eighteen  or  nineteen  years  old.  In  his  six- 
teenth year  he  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  was  baptized  by  Dr.  William 
T.  Brantly,  Sr.,  in  the  Delaware  river.  He  received  his  education  at  an  iastitu- 
tioii  founded  by  Benjamin  Franklin — the  academic  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania.  Having  gone  through  a  marvellous  amount  of  most  ex- 
acting drill  in  Latin  and  Greek,  he  entered  the  University  as  Freshman  in  1834, 
and  remained  until  Senior  half-advanced,  when,  desiring  to  spend  some  time  in 
Washington  city,  he  left  the  University,  entered  the  Senior  class  in  Columbian 
College,  District  of  Columbia,  where  he  was  graduated  A.B.,  in  1838. 

While  at  this  institution  he  spent  much  time  in  the  Senate  chamber  of  the 
United  States,  witnessing  the  contests  of  those  giants.  Clay,  Calhoun,  Webster, 
Silas  Wright,  Thomas  H.  Benton,  William  C.  Rives,  William  C.  Preston,  and 
others,  who  were,  at  that  time,  leaders  in  poHtical  Ufe.  From  1839  to  1842  he  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  business  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  then  studied  law 
until  1846,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Forsyth,  Monroe  county,  Geor- 
gia, and  practiced  his  profession  until  1848.  The  knowledge  of  the  practical 
business  of  life  acquired  by  him  during  that  decade  has  remained  with  him  ever 
since,  and  has  proved  of  inestimable  advantage,  as  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that 
he  has  generally  been  successful  in  business  matters,  and  always  thrifty  in  the 
management  of  his  finances. 

While  practicing  law  at  Forsyth,  Georgia,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Catherine 
West,  an  elegant  and  lovely  woman,  who,  in  less  than  one  year  afterwards,  was 
promoted  to  superior  bliss  in  a  better  world.  This  severe  blow  drove  the  heart- 
broken mourner  to  the  Bible  for  comfort,  and  he  became  convinced  that  he  ought 
to  preach  the  Gospel.  No  sooner  had  he  decided  to  enter  the  Christian  ministry 
than  he  sold  his  law  books,  and,  after  receiving  license  from  the  Forsyth  church, 
repaired  to  Mercer  University  to  obtain  private  instruction  from  the  venerable 
Dr.  John  L.  Dagg,  then  President  of  that  institution.  It  was  his  intention  and 
desire  to  enter  at  once  and  fully  into  the  work  of  the  ministry,  but  Providence 
ordered  otherwise.  Great  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  to  induce  him  to  be- 
come an  educator,  and,  reluctantly  yielding,  he  taught  young  ladies  for  two  or 
three  years  in  the  Southern  Female  College,  at  LaGrange,  Georgia,  at  which 
place  he  was  ordained  in  1851.  The  presbytery  was  composed  of  Revs.  C.  D. 
Mallary,  D.D.,  James  O.  Screven,  William  A.  Callaway  and  B.  T.  Smith. 

In  1853  he  was  offered  the  Presidency  of  Wake  Forest  College,  in  North  Car- 
olina, but  declined  it,  having  previously  accepted  the  pastorship  of  the  Baptist 
church  at  Alexandria,  Virginia,  on  the  duties  of  which  office  he  entered  January 
1st,  1854.  His  labors  in  Alexandria  were  blest,  the  church  prospered  under  his 
care,  and  many  professed  conversion,  Rev.  D.  W.  Gwin,  D.  D.,  now  pastor  of 
the  First  Baptist  church,  Atlanta,  Georgia,  being  among  those  baptized  by  him 
there.  It  was  while  in  Alexandria  that  Dr.  Tucker  married  Miss  Sarah  O.  Ste- 
vens, his  present  excellent  and  accomplished  wife. 

In  1856  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Belles  Lettres  and  Metaphysics  in  Mer- 
cer University,  which  position  he  held  until  1862,  when  the  institution  was  in  a 
measure  broken  up  by  the  war.  Dr.  Tucker  became  editor  of  The  Christian 
Index  on  the  ist  of  January,  1866,  but  in  July  following  resigned  the  position  to 
accept  the  Presidency  of  Mercer  University,  to  which  he  had  been  unanimously 
elected  in  April.  It  was  during  his  administration  that  the  University  was 
moved  from  Penfield  to  Macon,  and  he  has  the  credit  of  being  one  of  the  chief 
promoters  of  the  removal. 

Resigning  the  presidency  of  the  University  in  1871,  he  went  to  Europe,  taking 
his  family  with  him,  and  was  absent  fourteen  months.  While  there  he  assisted 
in  the  formation  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Rome,  and  baptized  a  man  in  the  river 
Tiber,  probably  the  first  time  such  an  event  has  occurred  there  in  fourteen  or 
fifteen  centuries,  or  perhaps  since  the  days  of  the  Apostles. 

Dr.  Tucker  was  elected  Chancellor  of  the  University  of  Georgia  in  1874, 
which  position  he  retained  until  the  summer  of  1878,  when  he  became  again  the 
editor  of  The  Christian  Index,  at  Atlanta,  where  he  now  resides.  He  has 
never  abandoned  the  ministry,  and  has  preached  constantly  since  his  ordination,  as 


538  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

occasion  offered ;  and,  during^  most  of  the  time,  occasions  have  occurred  every 
Sabbath.  Besides  his  regular  pastorate  in  Alexandria,  Virginia,  he  preached 
twice  a  month  for  fourteen  consecutive  years  at  Bethesda,  a  country  church  in 
Greene  county,  distinguished  for  the  intelligence  of  its  members.  Being  exten- 
sively acquainted,  he  has  preached  many  times.  North  and  South,  in  most  of  the 
cities  and  towns  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  from  Maine  to  Georgia,  and  also  officia- 
ted during  a  large  part  of  one  winter  in  the  American  chapel  in  Paris,  France. 

Dr.  Tucker  was  opposed  to  secession,  and  debated  the  issue  publicly  with 
some  of  the  ablest  speakers  on  the  other  side  ;  but  when  the  war  broke  out  he 
nobly  took  sides  with  his  own  people,  and  co-operated  heartily  and  zealously 
with  the  Confederates  to  the  last.  One  of  the  first  to  foresee  the  salt  famine, 
which  afterwards  so  seriously  affected  the  Confederacy,  he  was  probably  the  very 
first  to  call  public  attention  to  it,  travelling  largely  over  the  State  at  his  own 
expense,  and  in  public  speeches  urging  the  people  to  enter  upon  the  manufac- 
ture of  salt.  For  his  zeal  in  this  matter,  strange  to  say,  he  was  often  ridiculed ; 
yet  he  soon  became  the  President  of  a  large  salt  manufacturing  company,  which 
manufactured  the  article  at  the  rate  of  two  hundred  barrels  per  day ;  and  many 
of  those  who  ridiculed  his  scheme  were  afterwards  glad  to  purchase  the  salt 
which  he  manufactured. 

Dr.  Tucker  was  also,  early  in  the  war,  the  originator  and  founder  of  the 
"  Georgia  Relief  and  Hospital  Association,"  which  corresponded  in  its  objects  to 
the  Northern  "  Christian  Commission."  The  institution  was  very  popular  with 
all  classes  of  the  Southern  people,  and  enormous  contributions  were  made  to  its 
support,  and  by  its  aid,  relief  and  comfort  were  carried  to  tens  of  thousands  of 
sick'and  wounded  and  dying  soldiers,  most  of  them  Confederates,  of  course. 

During  the  war  small-pox  prevailed  in  many  portions  of  the  country,  and 
vaccine  virus  was  exceedingry  scarce.  Dr.  Tucker  having  procured  some  vac- 
cine matter  which  he  knew  to  be  genuine,  always  carried  it  in  his  vest  pocket, 
together  with  a  lancet,  and  he  vaccinated  all — old  and  young,  white  and  black — 
whom  he  could  find  willing  to  submit  to  the  operation.  Here,  again,  he  met 
with  some  degree  of  ridicule ;  but  those  who  properly  appreciate  the  wisdom 
and  humanity  of  his  work  will  respect  and  admire  the  man  who  thus  braved 
ridicule  for  the  public  good.  These,  and  other  facts  that  might  be  mentioned, 
evince  that  Dr.  Tucker's  mind  is  of  a  decidedly  practical  turn. 

Dr.  Tucker,  though  a  most  brilliant  writer,  and  though  he  has  written  much, 
yet  has  published  but  little.  About  1855  he  published  a  series  of  letters  on 
"  Religious  Liberty,"  addressed  to  a  distinguished  politician  of  this  State,  con- 
troverting an  assertion  of  his  in  a  public  speech,  that  Romanists  were  the  first 
to  establish  religious  liberty  on  this  continent.  Dr.  Tucker  denied  that  Roman- 
ists had  ever  established  rehgious  liberty,  first  or  last,  on  this  or  on  any  other 
continent ;  and  he  affirmed  that  in  the  estabhshment  of  soul-liberty.  Baptists 
were  the  pioneers  of  the  world.  The  discussion  excited  great  interest,  was  largely 
copied  by  the  press  all  over  the  United  States,  and  was  finally  published  in  pam- 
phlet form  for  general  circulation.  He  has  also  published  a  number  of  sermons 
and  pamphlets,  one  of  the  best  of  which  is  entitled,  "  The  Right  and  the  Wrong 
Way  of  Raising  Money  for  Religious  and  Benevolent  Purposes,"  in  which  he 
demonstrates  the  mighty  power  of  "littles,"  and  declares  the  true  method  of 
collecting  funds  for  benevolent  purposes.  In  1868  Lippincott  &  Co.,  published 
for  him  a  small  volume  with  the  unique  title,  "The  Gospel  in  Enoch,"  which  is 
elegantly  written,  and  full  of  new,  interesting  and  original  ideas,  most  forcibly 
expressed.  Indeed,  the  most  striking  feature  of  all  his  writings  is  their  origin- 
ality ;  yet  his  thoughts  so  commend  themselves  to  the  reader's  judgment,  that 
each  one  wonders  why  some  one  has  not  said  those  things  before.  A  sermon 
of  his  on  baptism,  published  by  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society,  in 
1879,  received  unwonted  encomiums  for  its  novel  yet  strong  and  incontroverti- 
ble presentation  of  Scripture  truth,  and  will,  in  all  likelihood,  tincture  apprecia- 
bly the  literature  of  the  long  future  in  regard  to  the  subject  of  baptism.  His  style 
of  writing  is  generally  clear,  cogent,  convincing,  and  exceedingly  vigorous.  It  is 
always  so  perspicuous  that  it  cannot  be  misunderstood  ;  is  very  frequently  bril- 
liant ;  and  sometimes  is  intensely  thrilling  by  its  sublimity. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  539 

As  a  preacher,  he  is  bold,  original  and  eloquent,  ever  proclaiming  Gospel  truth 
and  sound  doctrine.  He  never  fails  to  rivet  attention  by  the  earnestness  of  his 
manner,  the  vigor  of  his  language,  the  originality  of  his  conceptiong,  and  the  con- 
clusiveness of  his  logic.  His  general  aim  is  to  convict  the  mind,  and  yet  he  can 
effectively  reach  the  heart,  and,  though  sometimes  a  Httle  declamatory,  is  fre- 
quently touching  and  sometimes  tearfully  pathetic.  He  is  a  forcible  rather  than 
a  graceful  speaker,  and  seems  more  concerned  about  the  thought  which  he  pre- 
sents than  about  the  dress  in  which  he  arrays  it,  or  the  manner  in  which  he 
delivers  it.  He  is  like  a  man  in  battle,  who  may  be  naturally  graceful,  but  who 
forgets  his  graces  in  the  fight.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  perfectly  true  that  few 
men  possess  naturally  greater  oratorical  ability.  In  college  his  exercises  in  elo- 
cution gave  such  extraordinary  evidences  of  genius  as  to  occasion  the  prediction 
that  nothing  but  the  power  of  religion  would  keep  him  from  the  stage. 

As  a  teacher  and  logician.  Dr.  Tucker  is  unexcelled.  He  is  a  dialectician  of  the 
first  order,  for  with  him  logic  has  been  a  passion.  Few  young  men  have  left  any 
college  better  grounded  in  the  principles  of  logic,  or  better  practical  dialecticians, 
than  those  who  were  tutored  at  Mercer  during  his  incumbency  of  the  chair  of 
logic.  In  mental  power  and  intellectual  fertility,  he  has  no  superior  among  the 
ministers  of  our  State.  There  is  in  him  so  much  originality,  variety,  spice,  en- 
ergy, activity,  boldness,  independence,  wit,  humor  and  natural  vivi  of  mental 
and  physical  character,  and,  at  the  same  time,  such  genuine  piety  and  humility, 
that  it  is  impossible  to  describe  or  grade  him  ;  but  an  effort-  in  that  direction  may 
be  pardoned.  Intellectual  aptitudes  and  capacities  admit  of  distribution  into 
two  groups  ;  one  of  which  may  be  denominated  Sight — enabling  us  to  answer 
the  question.  What  is  it  ?  and  the  other  Insight — enabling  us  to  answer  the 
question.  Why  is  it  ?  In  proportion  as  the  two  are  largely  and  equally  devel- 
oped, the  type  of  mind  is  lofty.  Their  high  and  harmonious  development,  when 
manifested  in  the  practical  sphere,  constitutes  what  men  mean  by  Common 
Sense,  and  when  manifested  in  the  speculative  sphere  what  rnen  mean  by 
Genius.  These  things,  therefore,  which  are  often  accounted  alien,  if  not  exclu- 
sive the  one  of  the  other,  are  really  of  kin ;  so  that  we  might  define  Common 
Sense  as  Genius  in  the  practical  sphere,  and  define  Genius  as  Common  Sense 
in  the  speculative  sphere.  Now,  the  lofty  type  of  mind  is  most  assured  when 
the  exercise  of  Sight  and  Insight  is  not  restricted  to  either  sphere  but  shows  it- 
self in  both  ;  and  this,  we  think,  is  true  of  Dr.  Tucker.  With  a  heart  naturally 
tender,  he  is  nevertheless  a  firm,  positive  man;  stern  and  unyielding  when  occasion 
requires  and  always  independent  and  uncompromising  and  fearless ;  possessed 
of  the  highest  degree  of  self-respect,  he  would,  yet,  be  willing,  if  necessary,  to 
wash  the  feet  of  the  humblest  saint.  The  soul  of  sincerity,  he  despises  all  pre- 
tence and  dissimulation.  And  with  as  kind  and  true  a  heart  as  ever  beat  in  the 
human  bosom,  he  has  a  mind  that  entitles  him  to  walk  as  a  peer  among  the 
princes  of  men.  In  conversation  and  in  social  life  he  is  in  the  highest  degree 
entertaining  and  cultivated,  and  his  opportunities  have  been  such  that  his  culture 
is  unsurpassed.  In  one  sense  he  is  not  much  of  a  student ;  but  in  another  sense 
he  is  a  great  student.  He  is  no  worshipper  of  books ;  but  he  is  a  habitual 
thinker,  and  does  his  own  thinking.  His  favorite  study  is  logic,  but  even  that 
he  has  cultivated,  not  so  much  by  books  as  by  ways  known  only  to  himself. 
He  denies  being  learned,  yet  he  is  a  fine  scholar,  and  possesses  a  large  fund  of 
general  as  well  as  professional  knowledge.  The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity 
was  conferred  on  him  by  his  Alma  Mater,  in  i860 ;  and  the  degree  of  LL.D.  by 
Mercer  University,  in  1876. 


540 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


THOMAS  C.  TUCKER. 


Rev.  Thomas  C.  Tucker  was  born  in  Jackson  county, 
Georgia,  July  14th,  1849.  His  father,  Richard  O.Tucker, 
and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Virginia  Moore, 
were  natives  of  Virginia.  They  were  irreUgious,  but  did  not 
fail  to  instil  into  his  youthful  mind  right  moral  principles. 
The  spirit  of  religion,  however,  was  wanting,  and  he  was 
reared  without  that  Christian  example  in  the  household 
which  is  so  often  made  effectual  to  the  salvation  of  the 
young.  Being  a  mere  boy  when  the  late  war  commenced, 
his  opportunities  for  education  were  very  restricted.  For 
a  short  time  he  was  sent  to  school  in  Walton  county,  and  that  rudimeu' 
tary  training  was  all  he  enjoyed  until  after  his  marriage  to  Miss  Martha  S. 
Kilgore  of  the  same  county,  in  October,  1866.  Soon  after  this  event  he  removed 
to  Walker  county.  Here  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  bless  himrin  the  conversion 
of  his  soul  and  he  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Crawfish  Spring 
church,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Higgins.  His  admission  into  the  church  was  soon  followed 
by  his  election  as  deacon,  which  office  he  filled  with  honor  to  himself  and  profit 
to  the  church.  Not  long  after  his  ordination  as  deacon,  he  was  licensed  to 
preach  and  called  to  supply  High  Point  church.  He  was  ordained  June  1874, 
at  Antioch  church.  Walker  county.  Feeling  deeply  the  great  importance  of  a 
more  thorough  education  he  entered  St.  Mary's  Institute  Walker  county,  and 
enjoyed  the  instructions  of  Rev.  J.  M.  Robertson  and  Captain  J.  Y.  Wood  for 
eight  months,  at  the  same  time  filling  regularly  four  appointments  to  preach, 
each  month. 

He  has  had  the  care  of  several  churches  during  his  brief  career  as  a  minister 
and  has  constituted  three,  Bethel,  Valley  Head  and  New  Prospect.  He  is  now 
pastor  of  Waterville  and  Bethel  and  has  been  for  four  years.  He  has,  also, 
been  appointed  to  the  mission  work  in  Dade  county,  by  the  Georgia  Baptist 
State  Mission  Board.  As  a  minister  he  is  deeply  pious  and  zealous  and  a  bold 
defender  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  He  warns  sinners  with  great  faithful- 
ness, and  does  not  forget  to  tell  Christians  of  their  responsibilities.  He  is  ever 
ready  to  minister  to  the  poor  and  comfort  them.  His  exhortations  to  sinners 
are  often  very  touching,  particularly,  when  recounting  the  love  and  sufferings  of 
our  Saviour,  and  bring  tears  to  the  eyes  old  and  young.  He  is  an  earnest, 
unflinching  advocate  of  Baptist  views,  but  his  manner  is  so  kind  that  he  rarely 
offends,  and  has  baptized  a  number  of  Methodists,  Presbyterians  and  Camp- 
bellites.  He  is  of  fine,  robust  form,  with  heavy  beard  and  grey  eyes  and  always 
wears  a  pleasant  smile  when  you  meet  him.  He  entered  into  the  vineyard 
early  and  being  an  earnest  worker  has  accomplished  as  much  good  perhaps 
as  any  man  in  the  Coosa  Association,  for  his  age  and  opportunities.  He  has 
been  peculiarly  successful  in  building  up  churches,  arousing  Christians  to  a 
sense  of  their  duty,  and  awakening  an  interest  in  Sabbath-schools.  The  church 
at  Waterville  has  been  wonderfully  revived  under  his  ministry. 


OF    PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


541 


GEORGE  W.  TUMLIN. 

William  Tumlin,  a  farmer  and  a  "  Primitive  "  Baptist,  came  from  South 
Carolina  and  settled  in  Gwinnet  county,  Georgia,  where  his  son,  George  W. 
Tumlin,  was  born,  April  ist,  181 5.  While  the  son  was  yet  a  mere  boy,  the 
home  of  the  family  was  changed  to  Cass  (now  Bartow)  county  ;  and  there,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  he  married  Miss  R.  Wade,  who  became  the  mother  of  eight 
children,  including  Hon.  N.  J.  Tumlin  of  Polk  county,  and  W.  M.  TumHn  of 
Cuthbert. 

He  possessed  very  limited  early  educational  advantages,  but  these  were  not 
suffered  to  pass  without  improvement.  When  called  to  labor  in  the  vineyard  of 
the  Lord,  he  did  not  draw  back  on  the  plea  that  he  was  "  slow  of  speech  "  and 
that  some  one  of  more  thorough  culture  should  be  sent  in  his  stead,  but  took 
up  the  cross  at  once  and  showed  that  he  was  no  stranger  to  the  self-develop- 
ment which  does  a  better  work  without  the  schools  than  the  schools  can  do 
without  it.  He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  in  1848,  about  ten  years  after  his 
conversion,  at  Mount  Zion  church,  Cass  county,  and  preached  to  the  close  of  his 
life  with  a  zeal  and  ardor  that  knew  no  abatement.  As  a  speaker  he  was 
earnest  and  forcible,  having  an  attractive  and  commanding  manner,  which 
enchained  the  attention  of  his  hearers.  He  was  a  most  successful  and  beloved 
pastor,  and  it  was  his  privilege  to  constitute  several  churches,  to  which  he 
rendered  liberal  pecuniary  assistance.  A  man  of  energy  and  excellent  business 
capacity,  he  accumulated  a  large  estate,  the  proceeds  of  which  he  was  always 
willing  to  share  with  the  needy.  In  i860  he  was  attracted  to  Bowdon,  Carroll 
county,  as  the  site  of  a  college  and  as  furnishing  admirable  facilities  for  the 
education  of  his  children.  He  soon  established  a  Baptist  church  in  that  place, 
where  previously  there  had  been  only  a  Methodist  church.  He  preached  also 
to  the  CarroUton  church,  and  to  churches  in  the  country  around,  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  suddenly,  of  heart  disease,  at  his  home  in 
Bowdon,  July  17th,  1867.  He  was  found  with  his  armor  on.  In  his  death  the 
community  mourned  the  loss  of  a  true  citizen,  the  church  of  a  faithful  and  effi- 
cient pastor,  the  wife  of  a  tender  and  confiding  husband,  the  children  of  a  kind 
and  devoted  father. 

His  second  marriage  was  to  Miss  Laura  Terhune  of  Cass  county,  a  woman 
of  rare  endowments  of  head  and  heart,  and  a  great  help  to  her  husband  as  a 
co-worker  for  the  Saviour.  She  lived  to  see  her  son,  George  S.  Tumlin,  then  a 
small  child,  licensed  as  a  minister  to  wear  the  mantle  of  his  father. 


GEORGE  S.  TUMLIN. 


Rev.  George  S.  Tumlin  was  born  in  Bartow  (origi- 
nally Cass)  county,  Georgia,  December  i6th,  1852.  His 
father,  George  W.  Tumlin,  was  a  prosperous  farmer  on  the 
Etowah  river,  and  a  Baptist  minister  of  considerable  in- 
fluence and  usefulness.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Laura  J.  Terhune,  was  a  daughter  of  Judge  Cor- 
nelius D.  Terhune,  a  highly  esteemed  gentleman,  resident 
in  Cass  county  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1854.  The 
home  of  the  family  was  transferred  in  i860  to  Bowdon, 
Carroll  county,  partly  for  the  health  of  the  mother,  partly 
for  the  advantages  offered  at  that  place  for  the  education  of  the  children. 

As  the  only  child  of  his  father's  second  marriage,  he  was,  from  the  earliest 
period  of  his  life,  the  subject  of  great  care  on  the  part  of  his  parents,  with  regard 


542  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

to  both  intellectual  and  moral  education.  Their  efforts  were  successful,  for  he 
always  shunned  evil  associations,  never  drank,  never  used  tobacco,  and  from  boy- 
hood had  a  reverence  alike  for  the  house  of  God  and  for  the  religion  of  the  Bible. 
He  lost  his  father  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and  was  called  to  walk  "  the  slippery 
paths  of  youth  "  without  his  wise  counsel.  But  he  was  blessed  with  a  well- 
educated,  well-principled  mother,  whose  piety  was  of  the  highest  type,  and  who 
was  practical  and  iudicious  in  business  affairs.  Many  a  fervent  prayer  did  this 
mother  offer  for  the  conversion  of  her  only  son,  and  she  was  permitted  to  live 
until  the  answer  came,  rich  in  blessing  beyond  the  measure  of  the  supplication. 
She  saw  him  not  only  brought  to  Christ,  but  licensed  to  preach  Him  ;  and  then, 
having  finished  her  work,  God  took  her  to  Himself. 

He  graduated,  in  the  spring  of  1870,  at  Bowdon  College,  and  in  the  fall  of 
that  year,  at  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Commercial  School,  Baltimore.  Selecting 
the  legal  profession,  he  completed  his  course  of  preparation  at  the  Lumpkin 
Law  School,  Athens,  and  in  1872,  at  the  request  of  his  uncle,  Lewis  lumlin, 
who  had  been  to  him  as  a  father,  he  located  in  Cartersville.  During  his  first 
two  years  at  that  place,  while  laying  the  foundation  for  a  law  practice,  he  uti- 
lized his  commercial  education  by  keeping  books  for  the  City  Bank. 

The  year  of  his  removal  to  Cartersville  was  also  the  year  of  his  conversion 
and  of  his  baptism  by  Rev.  R.  B.  Headden,  the  pastor  of  the  church  there.  He 
was  married,  June,  1874,  to  Miss  Alice  Gilreath,  of  Cartersville.  In  the  early 
part  of  1877,  he  was  appointed  Solicitor  for  the  Criminal  Court  of  Bartow 
county.  But  that  year  was  to  be  marked  by  events  of  greater  moment  and  of 
higher  dignity.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  February,  and  in  the  fall  was  or- 
dained to  the  ministry.  During  1878  he  served  three  churches  in  the  county — 
Kingston,  Stegall  Station  and  Rowland  Springs — as  pastor,  with  more  than 
ordinary  success,  fifty-four  members  having  been  added  to  these  churches,  and 
their  spiritual  growth  furthered.  In  September,  1879,  though  his  legal  practice 
was  remunerative,  he  abandoned  it,  actuated  by  the  conviction  that  he  could  do 
a  better  work  for  Zion  and  her  King  if  his  life  were  devoted  entirely  to  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel. 

By  virtue  of  his  training  at  the  bar,  his  style  is  argumentative  and  logical, 
forcible  and  earnest.  As  a  pastor,  he  is  much  beloved  by  his  people,  mingles 
freely  with  them,  and  speaks  words  of  encouragement  to  the  weak,  of  comfort 
to  the  sorrowing,  of  advice  to  the  erring,  and  of  warning  to  the  stout-hearted. 
In  looks  a  boy,  he  is  every  inch  a  man  ;  modest  and  unobtrusive  in  spirit,  gentle 
and  easy  in  manners,  and  abounding  in  love  and  good  works. 


M.   B.   TUGGLE. 


Rev.  M.  B.,  third  son  of  Pinkney  J.  and  Sarah  W.  B., 
TxTGGLE,  was  born  May  2d,  1845,  in  Oglethorpe  county, 
Georgia.  In  his  infancy  he  was  brought  near  to  death  by 
severe  illness,  but  in  the  providence  of  God,  and  in  an- 
swer to  the  prayers  of  a  Christian  mother,  he  was  restored 
to  health.  He  was  educated  mainly  in  country  schools, 
and  the  civil  war  debarred  him  from  a  regular  college 
course.  In  1861,  though  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  he 
joined  the  company  commanded  by  Captain  R.  L.  Mc- 
Whorter,  and  entered  the  service  with  all  the  ardor  of  a 
young  patriot.  After  passing  unhurt  through  several 
severe  battles,  he  was  discharged  as  a  minor  ;  but  in  1864,  while  yet  under  age, 
he  returned  to  the  army,  and  continued  with  it  until  the  Southern  forces  surren- 
dered, and  the  war,  in  one  form  at  least,  came  to  a  close.  On  his  return  home, 
he  resumed  his  studies,  and  after  reviewing  them,  he  opened,  in  1867,  a  school 
in  Cherokee  county,  where,  the  next  year,  he  married  Miss  Susan  E.  Gait,  of 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


543 


Canton,  Georgia.  After  his  marriage  he  entered  Mercer  University  and  for 
some  months  gave  diligent  application  to  study.  Circumstances,  however,  cut 
short  the  race  before  he  had  reached  the  goal  of  graduation.  But,  doubtless,  the 
impulse  was  not  lost  upon  him,  and  he  has  since  pressed  forward  in  the  path  of 
culture. 

But  we  turn  to  the  spiritual  phases  of  his  life.  The  grace  of  God  wrought 
with  his  early  religious  training,  and  he  was  converted  in  1858,  when  only  thir- 
teen years  old.  He  was  baptized  by  Dr.  P.  H.  Mell  into  the  fellowship  of  Baird's 
church,  and,  young  as  he  was,  there  burned  within  him  a  desire  to  do  whatever 
the  Lord  might  require  at  his  hand.  At  length,  after  many  inward  conflicts, 
feeling  that  he  must  work  for  his  Saviour  in  some  more  public  way,  he  took 
charge,  in  1863,  of  a  class  in  the  Stonewall  Sunday-school,  Greene  county.  That 
class  he  instructed  in  divine  truth,  with  many  wrestlings  in  prayer  for  the 
salvation  of  its  members — an  end  which  should  be  supreme  in  the  heart  of  every 
teacher — and  was  privileged  in  1866  to  see  nearly  all  of  them  converted  to 
Christ.  High  as  this  sphere  of  service  was,  it  was  only  his  training  for  a 
sphere  still  higher.  In  1867,  being  licensed  by  the  Canton  church,  he  preached 
for  it  and  for  Salem  church.  The  proof  thus  made  of  his  ministry\led  to  his 
ordination  in  1870.  Anxious  to  furnish  himself  more  thoroughly  for  the  work 
of  whose  importance  he  felt  a  deepening  sense,  he  spent  some  time,  in  1871,  at 
the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary.  Attempting  to  accomplish  too 
much  in  a  very  limited  period,  his  eyes  failed ;  but  his  noble  wife  came  to  the 
rescue ;  she  read  to  him,  and  in  this  way  rendered  efficient  aid  in  his  studies. 
With  the  exception  of  that  interval,  he  has  acted  since  his  ordination  as  pastor 
of  the  Canton,  Mount  Carmel,  and  other  churches  of  Cherokee  county.  For  a 
series  of  years,  also,  he  has  been  clerk  of  the  Noonday  Association. 

As  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  he  has  been  an  ardent  supporter  of  temperance, 
of  the  Sunday-school,  of  every  cause  which  aims  to  lift  up  God  before  the  eyes 
of  men  and  to  lift  up  men  toward  God.  He  is  bold  to  declare  the  truth  as  he 
conceives  it,  and  to  confront  error  in  all  its  forms.  Punctual,  frank,  kind,  ever 
ready  to  do  what  he  can  for  the  relief  of  the  distressed,  he  labors  to  "  adorn 
the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour  in  all  things." 


HENRY   ALLEN    TUPPER. 


Rev.  Henry  Allen  Tupper,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina,  on  the  29th  of  February,  1 828.  His  father 
was  a  prominent  merchant  of  that  city,  and  for  many  years 
President  of  the  South  Carolina  Railroad,  of  which  he 
might  be  called  "  the  founder  and  builder."  In  the  pos- 
session of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  record  of  his 
father's  family,  running  back  to  1552,  when  they  were 
driven  from  Hesse-Cassel,  in  Germany,  by  the  persecution 
of  Charles  V.  The  mother  of  H.  A.  Tupper,  who  still 
resides  in  her  native  city,  Charleston,  is  also  of  German 
descent.  The  remains  of  the  grand-parents,  who  were  natives  of  Heidelberg, 
lie  in  the  cemetery  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  at  Charleston. 

He  was  baptized  in  Charleston,  on  the  17th  of  April,  1846,  by  Dr.  Richard 
Fuller,  during  a  great  revival,  an  account  of  which,  by  Mr.  Tupper,  may  be 
seen  in  Cuthbert's  "  Life  of  Richard  Fuller."  Immediately  after  his  baptism 
he  began  voluntary  missionary  work  in  what  was  called  "  The  Neck  "  of  the 
city,  distributing  tracts  and  holding  prayer-meetings.  For  two  years  he  attended 
a  daily  sun-rise  prayer-meeting,  with  some  of  the  converts  of  the  revival  of 
1846.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  on  the  14th  of  November,  1847,  by  the  First 
Baptist  church  of  Charleston,  then  under  the  care  of  Rev.  J.  R.  Kendrick,  D.D. 


544  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Wisely  induced  by  his  pastor,  he  was  led  to  enter  Madison  University,  New 
York.  He  expected  to  go,  immediately  on  graduation,  into  the  foreign  field. 
Divine  Providence  seemed  to  oppose.  He  was  ordained,  January  20th,  1850,  by 
Revs.  W.  J.  Hard  and  Iverson  L.  Brooks,  as  pastor  of  the  Graniteville  Baptist 
church,  of  South  Carolina. 

In  1852,  his  health  failing,  he  spent  the  winter  in  Florida.  On  the  first  Sab- 
bath in  June,  1853,  he  took  charge  of  the  church  in  Washington,  Georgia.of  which 
he  was  pastor  for  nearly  twenty  years.  References  to  him  in  this  place  are  found 
in  the  "  Life  and  Times  of  J.  B.  Taylor."  The  following  is  from  "  The  First 
Half  Century  of  Madison  University,"  where,  in  1870,  Mr.  Tupper  preached  the 
commencement  sermon  before  the  Baptist  Education  Society  of  New  York : 
"  H.  Allen  Tupper.  Student  in  Charleston  College.  Took  degree  of  A.B.  with 
class  of  1848,  of  Madison  University,  and  graduated  from  Theological  Seminary  in 
1850."  (In  1852  he  took  the  degree  of  A.M.)  "In  1849  he  married  Nannie 
Johnson,  daughter  of  Hon.  Kerr  Boyce,  of  South  Carolina.  Three  years  pastor 
of  Graniteville,  South  Carolina.  In  1853,  pastor  of  Washington,  Georgia,  from 
which  repeated  offers  of  professorships,  secretaryships  and  other  pastorships 
have  failed  to  remove  him.  He  once  proposed  to  become  the  head  of  a  self- 
supporting  Christian  colony  to  Japan,  but  other  counsels  prevailed,  and  he 
consoled  himself  by  supporting  from  his  own  resources  a  missionary  among  the 
Indians,  to  whom  several  of  his  family  had  been  missionaries,  and  one  in 
Africa,  besides  giving  all  possible  attention  to  the  colored  people  around  him. 
It  is  his  custom  to  preach  to  children  every  Sunday  afternoon.  He  publishes 
sermons  for  them,  in  the  Stmday  School  Banner.  Visited  Europe  in  1855.  He 
has  baptized  between  two  and  three  hundred.'" -In  1870,  Madison  University 
conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  D.D." 

In  the  Charleston  News  and  Courier  of  October  19th,  1878,  a  writer  signing 
himself  C.  S.  A.,  and  said  to  be  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson,  rector  of  St.  Philip's  church, 
of  that  city,  holds  that  a  sermon  preached  by  Mr.  Tupper  to  the  troops  on 
Morris  Island,  "on  the  Sunday  preceding  the  9th  of  January,  1861,  when  the 
transport  steamer,  Star  of  the  West,  was  fired  into  by  our  battery  on  Morris 
Island,  and  prevented  from  re-inforcing  Fort  Sumter,  was  the  first  sermon  of 
the  war."  Mr.  Tupper  was  commissioned  by  the  Confederate  government  as 
chaplain  of  the  9th  Georgia  regiment,  refusing  however  to  receive  pay,  and 
served  in  Virginia  until  Charleston  was  invested,  when  he  was  transferred  to 
that  point.  He  preached  to  the  soldiers  on  the  neighboring  islands,  and  pur- 
chasing the  Morris  street  church,  opened  there  a  "  Soldiers'  chapel." 

On  the  death  of  Rev.  J.  B.  Taylor,  D.D.,  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  Dr.  Tupper 
was  invited  to  accept  the  office,  upon  which  he  entered  in  February,  1872.  The 
following  figures,  taken  from  the  Foreign  Mission  Journal,  of  April,  1880,  are 
suggestive  of  the  past  and  present  work  of  the  Board :  "  The  receipts  from 
1845  to  1852,  were  $135,440.69;  from  1852  to  1859,  they  were  $206,809.86  ;  from 
1859  to  1866  (covering  the  war  period),  $181,119.59;  from  1866  to  1873  (the 
period  following  the  war),  $183,306.49;  from  1873  to  1880,  $286,986.77.  If  the 
fourteen  years  before  the  war,  viz:  from  1845  to  1859,  be  compared  with  the 
fourteen  years  since  the  war,  the  figures  will  stand  $342,250.55  and  $470,293.26, 
showing  some  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  dollars  in  favor  of  the  pe?'iod 
of  fourteen  years  since  the  war." 

Several  sermons  of  Dr.  Tupper  have  been  published — one  of  them  on  "  Min- 
isterial Education,"  by  request  of  the  Baptist  State  Convention  of  Georgia. 
The  American  Baptist  Publication  Society,  of  Philadelphia,  has  just  issued  a 
volume  of  some  five  hundred  pages,  by  Dr.  Tupper,  prepared  at  the  instance 
of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  on  the  "  Foreign  Missions  "  of  the  Con- 
vention.    Among  the  many  notices  of  this  work  are  the  following  : 

"  The  book  just  out,  and  prepared  by  our  brother  H.  A.  Tupper,  is  really  a 
comprehensive  argument  for  the  support  of  the  missions  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Convention.  A  remarkable  peculiarity  of  the  work  is  that  the  usual  order 
of  book-making  is  reversed,  the  latest  work  of  the  Convention  coming  first,  and 
the  organization  of  the  Convention,  with  the  necessity  for  its  organization,  com- 
ing last.     The  work  gives  a  detailed  account  of  the  foreign  work  of  the  Con- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


545 


vention  from  its  beginning  to  the  present  time,  and  also  the  contributions  of 
each  State  from  1845  to  1880.  It  is  interspersed  with  letters,  which  are  argu- 
ments and  appeals  for  missions.  One  of  these  letters  to  a  Jewish  rabbi,  of  this 
State,  we  had  seen  before,  and  know  that  it  has  been  requested  for  publication 
in  tract  form  as  a  contribution  to  our  denominational  literature.  It  is  an  argu- 
ment not  only  for  Christianity,  but  for  Baptist  Christianity.  Of  the  seventy 
sketches  of  missionaries,  some  twenty  are  of  negro  missionaries  in  Africa.  We 
doubt  if  so  much  consecutively  has  been  ever  written  of  negro  preachers.  This 
new  feature  will  commend  the  work  to  our  Northern  brethren,  and  specially  to 
our  negro  churches  of  the  South.  Statistical  information  of  the  principal  mis- 
sionary organizations  of  the  South  is  given.  The  index  is  complete,  giving 
reference  to  some  1,200  or  1,500  names  and  places  and  topics.  The  book  is  an 
exhaustive  presentation  of  our  missionary  operations  in  heathen  and  unchristian 
lands,  without  which  no  one,  unless  taking  a  great  toil  on  himself,  can  have  all 
our  foreign  mission  work  before  him  ;  and  with  which  we  hardly  see  how  any 
other  work  for  this  purpose  is  needed. 

"The  work  was  dedicated  to  Dr.  Jeter,  January  i,  1880,  but  the  eyes  of  the- 
good  man  were  closed  before  the  book  appeared. 

"  Dr.  Tupper,  to  whose  labors  we  are  indebted  for  this  valuable  work,  is  well 
known  and  greatly  beloved  in  Georgia,  where  he  labored  for  twenty  years ; 
throughout  the  Southern  States  he  is  known  as  the  able  and  efficient  secretary 
of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention ;  and  is 
not  unknown  at  the  North,  where  he  has  many  friends,  among  them  his  college- 
mates  of  Madison  University,  New  York,  of  which  institution  Dr.  Tupper  is  a 
graduate.  The  present  work  is  indorsed  by  our  own  Foreign  Mission  Board 
and  by  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  and  we  hope  that  the  Georgia  Conven- 
tion will  give  it  such  an  emphatic  approval  as  will  secure  for  it  a  large  circulation 
in  our  State." — Christian  Index. 

"  I.  Resolved,  That  we  hail  with  pleasure  the  publication  in  book  form  of  the 
articles  that  have  recently  appeared  in  our  religious  press  on  '  The  Foreign 
Missions  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,'  by  Rev.  H.  A.  Tupper,  D.D., 
corresponding  secretary  of  our  Foreign  Mission  Board. 

"  2.  Resolved,  That  we  regard  this  work  as  an  exhaustive  history  of  our  Southern 
Baptist  Foreign  Missions,  containing  also  valuable  maps,  statistical  tables,  and 
biographies  of  about  seventy  missionaries,  and  constituting  an  important  addi- 
tion to  our  denominational  literature,  which  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every 
Baptist. 

"  3.  Resolved,  That  we  will  use  our  influence  in  the  circulation  of  this 
book." — Georgia  Baptist  Convention. 


GEORGE  W.  TURNER. 


Among  the  early  settlers  on  the  lands  west  of  the  Oc- 
mulgee  river  were  George  and  Sarah  Turner,  the  parents 
of  Rev.  George  W.  Turner,  who  was  born  in  Monroe 
county  June  3d,  1840.  His  mother  was  a  Baptist  before 
his  recollection,  but  adherent  to  the  school  which  calls 
itself  Primitive  ;  and  his  father,  though  professing  conver- 
sion for  many  years,  did  not  unite  with  a  church  until 
quite  an  old  man.  In  a  new  and  wild  country  his  oppor- 
tunities for  academic  training,  of  course,  were  inferior,  but 
he  made  the  best  use  of  those  he  had,  and  obtained  a  fair 
English  education.  He  has  also  been  of  studious  habits 
since,  and  is,  for  his  means  of  culture  through  life,  unusually  intelligent,  having 
read  more  than  customary  for  a  man  who  has  often  had  no  time  except  the 
evenings  and  no  light  but  a  pine-knot. 


546  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Though  a  "Primitive  "  Baptist,  his  mother  encouraged  his  regular  attendance 
on  Sunday-schools,  besides  thoroughly  instructing  him  on  religious  subjects, 
and  praying  for  the  blessing  of  God  on  her  labors  for  his  salvation.  Through 
these  instrumentalities  of  the  Home  and  the  Church — which  should  always 
work  together — he  was  brought  to  the  saving  knowledge  of  Christ  at  the  early 
age  of  fourteen  years,  and  was  b^aptized  by  Rev.  John  A.  Shipper,  at  Harmony 
church.  Butts  county.  His  training  in  the  Sunday-school,  both  as  pupil  and  as 
teacher,  made  him  conversant  with  the  doctrines  of  the  Scriptures,  and  prepared 
him  for  usefulness  while  pursuing,  at  various  points,  his  calling  as  a  carpenter. 
He  was  first  licensed  by  the  Third  church  at  Bellwood,  Atlanta,  and  commenced 
preaching  in  private  houses  in  that  quarter  of  the  city,  until,  at  length,  the  de- 
sire to  build  a  house  for  the  worship  of  God  arose  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  a 
site  was  selected  and  the  house  was  built.  He  was  not  ordained,  however,  at 
Atlanta,  or  during  his  residence  in  Fayette  county,  though,  when  occasion  arose, 
he  did  good  work  for  the  cause.  His  ordination  occurred  in  1875,  after  his  set- 
tlement at  Smithville,  Lee  county.  Revs.  J.  H.  Cawood  and  A.  B.  Campbell 
constituting  the  presbytery.  His  first  charge  was  New  Hope  church,  Sumter 
county.  He  has  served  since,  churches  in  Dooly  and  Pulaski  counties,  and  has 
made  a  fine  impression  on  the  community  for  his  Master  and  himself. 

He  is  a  graceful  and  fluent  speaker,  with  good  argumentative  powers,  and 
generally  commands  the  close  attention  of  his  hearers.  His  sermons  are  usually 
doctrinal,  and  he  is  sound  in  the  faith.  He  is  strict  in  discipline,  keeping  the 
churches  under  his  care  usually  in  a  healthy  condition,  as  appears  from  the  fre- 
quent outpourings  of  the  Spirit  vouchsafed  them,  and  the  conversion  of  many 
souls  in  answer  to  their  prayers.  He  is  firm  and  unwavering  in  character,  yet 
courteous  and  aflfable,  greatly  beloved  by  a  large  circle  of  friends,  and  possess- 
ing a  vein  of  humor  which  makes  him  a  pleasant  companion.  He  has  given  up 
his  trade,  at  which  the  poverty  of  the  churches  compelled  him  to  labor  in  past 
years,  devotes  much  time  to  study,  chiefly  of  the  Bible,  and  occupies  himself  as, 
in  his  measure,  "a  wise  master-builder"  for  Christ. 

His  wife,  who  was  Miss  Catherine  Ellis,  of  Butts  county,  has  borne  him  nine 
children.  One  son  was  accidentally  killed  in  childhood,  and  another  departed 
this  life  in  1876,  in  full  assurance  of  a  blissful  immortality. 


WILLIAM   HENRY  TURPIN. 

Dr.  William  Henry  Turpin  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia, in  March  1790.  In  the  year  1S05,  when  but  a  boy  of  fifteen,  he  came  to 
Augusta,  Georgia,  as  clerk  for  his  brother-in-law,  the  late  Thomas  Way,  then 
engaged  in  the  drug  business,  in  that  city.  He  worked  hard  for  a  small  con- 
sideration, but  such%as  his  industry  and  economy,  that,  on  the  completion  of 
his  majority,  he  had  saved  a  small  sum  of  money  with  which  he  began,  in  a 
limited  way,  the  same  business,  on  his  own  account.  He  was  prosperous  from 
the  first ;  but  the  war  with  Great  Britain  coming  on,  his  business  was  so  stimu- 
lated that,  in  a  brief  period,  he  became  the  leading  druggist  in  the  city  of  his 
adoption.  By  upright  demeanor  in  youth  he  had  won  the  confidence  of  the 
community ;  and  by  his  business  habits  and  obliging  disposition  he  attracted 
patrons.  In  the  course  of  time  he  accumulated  a  handsome  fortune  and  be- 
came one  of  the  leading  druggists  in  the  State. 

In  1 816  he  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  D'Antignac,  who  was  the  faithful  and 
loving  sharer  of  his  joys  and  sorrows  for  fifty  years.  It  was  a  union  born  of 
the  strongest  mutual  affection,  and  throughout  the  protracted  period  of  its  ex- 
istence, was,  to  each,  the  source  of  inexpressible  comfort  and  joy. 

After  an  active  mercantile  life  of  about  fifteen  years,  Mr.  Turpin's  health  be- 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS.  547 

came  somewhat  infirm,  and,  associating  iiis  brother-in  law  witli  him  in  business, 
he  retired  to  the  vicinity  of  Augusta,  where,  in  a  comfortable  mansion,  he  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life. 

It  was  in  1824,  while  listening  to  a  sermon  from  Rev.  William  T.  Brantly,  D.D., 
Sr.,  then  pastor  of  the  Augusta  Baptist  church,  that  the  attention  of  Dr.  Turpin 
was  first  seriously  awakened  to  the  interests  of  his  soul.  Previous  to  that 
period  he  had  been  an  estimable  citizen,  but  had  evinced  no  particular  interest 
in  the  claims  of  the  Gospel,  though  an  occasional  attendant  upon  the  services 
of  the  Episcopal  church.  Then,  however,  the  Holy  Spirit  visited  him  with 
such  power,  that  in  a  short  time  he  became  a  decided  believer,  and  was  baptized 
on  a  profession  of  his  faith,  and  united  with  the  Baptist  church  in  Augusta. 
The  day  which  witnessed  the  surrender  of  his  heart  to  Jesus,  was  to  him  a 
most  happy  day ;  and  the  day  which  witnessed  his  union  with  the  church  was  a 
blessed  day  to  the  church.  For,  of  all  the  members  who  have  ever  been  con- 
nected with  the  Augusta  Baptist  church,  at  any  period  of  its  history,  none, 
unconnected  with  its  ministry,  have  rendered  it  such  essential  service  as  Dr. 
Turpin.  The  church  was  then,  and  for  many  years  afterwards,  pecuniarily 
feeble,  but  he  had  ample  means  and  was  always  ready  to  make  good  any  defi- 
ciency existing  in  the  salaries  of  the  pastors,  or  in  the  expenses  incidental  to 
the  maintenance  of  worship.  Though  now  a  strong  body,  there  were  times,  in 
the  history  of  the  Baptist  church  of  Augusta,  when  its  light  would  have  gone 
out  but  for  his  pecuniary  assistance.  Not  only  was  he  of  great  service  to  the 
church  by  his  alms  and  prayers,  but  in  his  office  as  deacon,  for  nearly  forty 
years,  he  was  greatly  useful  and  serviceable. 

Dr.  Turpin  was  the  very  soul  of  commercial  honor.  Prompt  in  meeting  his 
engagements,  his  credit  was  beyond  question,  whilst  his  honorable  Christian 
dealing  not  only  won  the  implicit  confidence  of  his  patrons,  but  attracted  the 
patronage  of  others.  This  added  greatly  to  his  influence  as  a  Christian,  and 
was  an  invaluable  benefit  to  the  church  with  which  he  was  identified.  A  wealthy 
gentleman  who  connected  himself  with  that  church,  admitted  that  it  was  the  up- 
right Christian  conduct  and  moral  rectitude  of  Dr.  Turpin,  when  he  might  have 
taken  an  advantage,  which  attracted  him  to  the  church  where  Dr.  Turpin  wor- 
shipped. Said  he,  "  I  found  him  so  upright  and  honorable,  in  every  respect 
that  I  concluded  the  religion  he  professed  must  be  the  right  faith,  and  I  went 
to  the  Baptist  church  because  he  was  a  worshipper  there.  '  Nor  was  this  the 
only  instance  of  a  similar  kind.  His  light  was  shining  everywhere  and  his  con- 
duct was  a  standing  advertisement  of  his  church.  Men  saw  it  and  were  con- 
strained to  honor  a  religion  so  beautifully  illustrated  in  his  life  and  conversation. 

Among  the  distinguishing  traits  of  Dr.  Turpin's  character  was  his  tender 
consideration  for  the  feelings  of  others.  No  one  ever  heard  from  him  a  word 
calculated,  in  the  remotest  degree,  to  lacerate  the  sensibilities  of  the  most  ob- 
scure brother  or  sister,  unless,  indeed,  he  was  constrained  by  a  sense  of  duty  to 
Christ  to  administer  reproof  to  an  offender.  At  all  times  and  everywhere  he 
was  scrupulously  on  his  guard  against  every  word  or  act  that  might  wound  the 
most  sensitive ;  and,  at  the  same  time  he  was  constantly  seeking  to  soothe  the 
irritated  and  restore  amity  where  it  had  been  lost.  This  trait  made  him  con- 
spicuous for  the  virtue  of  true  politeness — a  politeness  which  had  its  seat  in  the 
heart  and  which  flowed  out  towards  all,  irrespective  of  social  position. 

Dr.  Turpin  was  liberal  not  only  to  the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member, 
but  to  every  good  cause.'  Never  did  the  representative  of  any  good  cause  apply 
to  him  without  receiving  a  contribution  in  accordance  with  his  estimate  of  the  im- 
portance of  the  object,  and  with  his  financial  condition  at  the  time  of  the  applica- 
tion. He  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  largest  contributors  towards  the  establish- 
ment of  Mercer  University,  and,  on  the  first  day  of  every  year,  it  was  his  custom 
to  send  two  hundred  dollars  to  each  of  the  Boards  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Con- 
vention, in  addition  to  what  he  might  have  given  throughout  the  year  to  kindred 
causes.  At  the  beginning  of  the  late  civil  war  when  our  Confederate  govern- 
ment applied  to  the  citizens  for  a  loan,  he  promptly  advanced  $5,000  without  at 
all  considering  the  question  of  its  repayment.  Besides  his  contributions  to  all 
kinds  of  benevolent  objects,  Dr.   Turpin  was  exceedingly  hospitable,   keeping 

38 


548 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


"  open  house,"  and  often  entertaining  poor  ministers  for  weeks,  and  sending 
them  away  richer  than  when  they  came.  Luther  Rice,  who  was  the  companion 
of  Adoniram  Judson  when  he  first  set  out  for  Burmah,  during  his  connection 
with  Columbian  College  used  to  visit  Dr.  Turpin  annually,  calling  the  house  his 
•'  Georgia  home,"  and  receiving  substantial  tokens  of  good-will  on  every  visit. 

His  unaffected  humility  was,  also,  strikingly  apparent  to  all  who  knew  Dr. 
Turpin.  In  the  enjoyment  of  much  that  would  have  made  ordinary  men  proud 
— wealth,  position  in  society,  hosts  of  friends  and  admirers — he  was,  notwith- 
standing all,  altogether  unassuming.  Though  destitute  of  the  advantages  of 
early  mental  training  he  had  a  good  mind,  which  he  had  improved  by  study  and 
reflection.  His  judgment  was  remarkably  discriminating,  and  his  opinion  was 
deferred  to  by  the  wisest  and  best ;  yet,  so  uniform  and  sincere  was  his  piety, 
and  so  unaffected  his  humility,  that  he  counted  himself  "the  least  of  all  saints." 
The  apostle's  exhortation,  "  let  each  esteem  others  better  than  himself,"  seemed 
to  be  constantly  present  in  his  thoughts,  and  he  carried  it  into  practice  in  the  spirit 
of  genuine  Christian  magnanimity.  But  the  crowning  excellence  of  his  char- 
acter, was  his  unwavering  trust  in  God,  whom  he  beheld  in  Jesus  as  his  recon- 
ciled Father,  and  into  whose  hands  he  committed  everything. 

In  his  last  illness  he  said,  "I  know  that  my  Redeemer  lives,  and  that  he  will  do 
right,  whatever  happens,"  and  he  dismissed  all  apprehensions  as  to  the  result. 
His  faith  was  never  found  wanting,  though  there  were  times  when  it  was  severely 
tried.  No  matter  what  the  grief  which  rent  his  bosom  ;  no  matter  how  his  pos- 
sessions were  wrested  from  him  ;  no  matter  what  discomfort  and  dread  the 
desolations  of  war  brought,  his  comfort  was  that  God  reigns,  and  that  all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  who  love  Him.  God  allowed  this  bright  light  to 
shine  for  many  years  ;  but  early  in  1866  he  appeared  to  be  suffering  from  some 
asthmatic  affection,  which  could  not  be  arrested  by  medical  treatment.  Gradually 
he  became  more  and  more  feeble,  and  it  became  apparent  to  all  that  he  could 
not  rally.  Acquiescing  calmly,  cheerfully,  sublimely,  as  the  end  drew  near, 
being  in  full  possession  of  all  his  mental  faculties,  he  sent  farewells  and  bene- 
dictions to  the  absent,  and  then  resigned  himself  to  the  final  sleep  of  the  Chris- 
tain,  like  one 

"  Who  wraps  tlie  drapery  of  his  couch  about  him, 
And  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 


W.  S.  TWEEDELL. 


Rev.  W.  S.,  son  of  Jeremiah  Tweedell,  was  born  in  Ath- 
ens, Georgia,  on  the  9th  of  April.  1806.  To  his  mother, 
who  was  a  Miss  Mitchell,  and  his  grandmother,  Jane 
Mitchell,  he  feels  that  he  is  indebted,  under  God,  for  his 
conversion  :  for  they  led  him  to  the  house  of  God,  and 
with  earnest  prayers  besought  the  Lord  to  make  him  one 
of  His  children.  In  answer  to  the  prayers  of  these  "  holy 
women,"  he  was  brought  to  the  feet  of  Jesus  an  humble 
penitent  in  1826,  and  in  August  of  that  year  he  was  bap- 
tized in  the  Appalachee  river.  It  was  not  long  before  he 
felt  it  his  duty  to  preach  Jesus  to  the  people,  but  he  struggled  against  his  im- 
pressions and  made  strong  efforts  to  suppress  them.  Grace,  however,  subdued 
this  rebelliousness  ;  he  yielded,  and  spent  a  portion  of  1827  and  1828  in  travel- 
ling and  preaching  in  western  Georgia,  eastern  Alabama  and  western  Florida. 
He  married  the  daughter  of  William  Anderson  about  that  date,  and  in  1840 
moved  to  Marietta  to  educate  his  children  and  benefit  his  feeble  health. 

The  Marietta  church  called  for  his  ordination,  which  was  performed  by  Revs. 
D.  G.  Daniell,  James  Davis  and  Henry  Collins.     He   then  went  through   the 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


549 


Cherokee  country,  at  that  time  in  a  measure  destitute  of  the  Gospel,  preaching 
Christ  and  organizing  churches.  He  was  pastor  of  Mt.  Carmel,  Mt.  Zion  and 
Concord  churches.  The  Lord  greatly  blessed  his  labors,  and  not  a  few,  under 
his  ministry,  were  added  to  the  churches. 

In  i860  he  left  Marietta,  moved  to  Alabama  and  settled  on  the  Tallapoosa 
river.  Here  his  services  were  called  for  by  Providence,  Indian  Creek,  Eden  and 
Bowdon  churches.  During  the  war  his  ministerial  labors  were  so  incessant  and 
severe  that  his  health^failed.  His  voice  became  so  feeble  that  he  could  not  be 
heard,  and  he  was  forced  to  abandon  all  pulpit  work.  Though  he  could  not 
speak  "  in  the  great  congregation,"  his  heart  was  still  in  his  Saviour's  work.  He 
acted  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  at  his  church,  and  still  manifests 
a  most  lively  interest  in  everything  that  tends  to  the  prosperity  of  Zion. 

He  raised  and  educated  five  children.  His  oldest  son  went  to  Brazil  in  1867 
as  civil  engineer.  On  his  return  home  he  died  at  Panama,  and  sleeps  in  the  land 
of  strangers.  The  other  children  are  living  near  their  parents,  and  are  members 
of  ^Bowdon  church  with  them.  • 

Never  was  a  man  more  scrupulously  faithful  to  all  his  obligations,  and  no 
man  ever  had  more  entirely  the  confidence  of  all  who  knew  him.  He  is  a  faith- 
ful friend,  ever  ready  to  open  his  hand  to  the  poor  and  to  impart  comfort  to  those 
in  distress. 


JOHN  LEVI  UNDERWOOD. 

Among  the  diligent  and  faithful  workers  in  the 
vineyard  of  the  Lord  is  Rev.  John  Levi  Under- 
wood, of  Camilla,  Mitchell  county,  Georgia.  He 
was  born  March  27th,  1836,  near  Sumterville, 
Sumter  county,  Alabama,  and  was  the  only  son 
of  Lancelot  V.  and  Martha  T.  Underwood.  His 
father  emigrated  when  a  boy  from  Nash  county, 
North  Carolina,  to  middle  Tennessee,  and  thence 
to  west  Alabama  in  its  early  settlement.  His 
mother  was  a  native  of  Hancock  county,  Geor- 
gia, and  daughter  of  F.  Gabriel  Thomas,  who 
moved  to  Russell  county,  Alabama,  and  died 
near  Union  Springs. 

His  educational  advantages  were  liberal. 
After  having  enjoyed  such  as  were  furnished  by 
the  best  schools  and  academies,  he  entered  Ogle- 
thorpe University  in  1853,  where  he  graduated 
in  1855.  Then  taking  charge  of  the  Newborn  '- 
Academy,  Alabama,  and  teaching  for  two  years,  in  1857  he  entered  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  Columbia,  South  Carolina.  In  1859,  after  completmg  his 
studies  at  the  seminary,  he  went  to  Europe  and  spent  the  greater  part  of  two 
years  in  the  University  at  Heidelberg,  Germany,  and  the  Sorbonne  at  Pans. 

In  1846,  while  at  Black  Hawk,  Mississippi,  he  professed  conversion,  being  only 
ten  years  of  age,  and  was  baptized  the  next  year  into  the  fellowship  of  the  church 
there  by  Rev.  James  K.  Clinton.  Three  years  later  he  returned  to  Alabama, 
removing  his  membership  to  Newborn  church.  Green  county,  where  he  kept  it 
until  the  beginning  of  his  ministry.  By  this  church  he  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  1857.  In  the  summer  of  1861,  soon  after  his  return  from  Europe,  he  took 
charge  of  a  school  and  church  at  Homewood,  Mississippi,  where  he  was  ordained 
in  the  autumn  of  that  year.  At  this  time  the  war  between  the  States  was 
assuming  such  proportions  that  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  take  up  arms  ;  and,  the  day 
following  his  ordination,  he  went  to  Mobile  and  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier  in 


550 


inOGRAPHlCAL   SKETCHES 


the  20th  Alabama  regiment,  under  Col.  Q.  W.  Garrett.  In  1863,  while  at  Vicks- 
burg-,  he  was  commissioned  chaplain  of  the  30th  Alabama  regiment,  under  Col. 
Shelly ;  but  failing  health  cuinpelled  him  to  resign  in  December  of  that  year. 
After  a  few  months  he  took  charge  of  a  school  at  Curryton,  Edgefield  district, 
South  Carolina,  and  of  the  church  at  Red  Oak  Grove.  Making  a  visit  to  south 
Georgia,  and  finding  the  climate  beneficial  to  his  health,  he  settled  in  Decatur 
county  and  entered  on  ministerial  work,  preaching  to  the  churches  at  Milford, 
Bainb'ridge  and  Red  Bluff.  During  the  years  1867,  1868  and  1869,  he  was  pas- 
tor of  the  Cuthbert  church,  and  then  went  back  to  his  farm  in  Decatur  county 
In  1 87 1  he  was  employed  by  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  to  travel  in  Texas  as 
their  agent  for  four  months.  On  his  return  in  May  he  again  served  the  churches 
around  him,  or  labored  as  an  evangelist  at  his  own  charges,  until  his  call  in 
1872  to  Camilla,  Evergreen  and  Mt.  Enon  churches,  Mitchell  county,  when  he 
located  on  a  small  farm  near  Camilla. 

Most  of  his  ministry  has  been  with  comparatively  new  churches,  or  with  those 
too  feeble  to  furnish  an  adequate  support  for  himself  and  family  ;  and  hence  he 
has  often  been  under  the  necessity  of  resorting  to  the  school-room  or  of  follow- 
ing the  plough.  For  this  reason,  too,  in  large  measure,  he  is  not  a  man  of  as 
extensive  reading  nor  as  close  a  student  as  his  wide  range  of  education  would 
seem  to  promise,  but  the  vigor  of  his  mind  manifests  itself  in  all  that  he  does. 
He  is  a  good  thinker  and  skilled  in  analysis.  Wielding  a  facile  pen  and  master 
of  a  sprightly,  nervous  style,  he  might  win  reputation  as  a  writer  if  he  used  his 
gifts  in  this  respect.  He  is  heard  with  pleasure  as  a  public  speaker,  and  is  clear 
in  reasoning,  simple  in  language,  and  animated,  if  not  sometimes  rather  vehe- 
ment, in  delivery.  He  loves  to  preach,  and  loves  especially  to  preach  to  chil- 
dren. He  has  shown  himself  always  ready  to  instruct  the  colored  people, 
whether  from  the  pulpit  or  by  more  private  methods.  As  a  pastor  he  is  devoted 
to  his  charges,  punctual  in  the  performance  of  public  duties,  candid,  faithful 
and  affectionate  in  counsel,  and  in  social  intercourse  pleasant  and  attractive.  He 
has  much  self-reliance,  without  egotism  or  vanity,  and  has  learned  in  whatsoever 
state  the  Lord  places  him  therewith  to  be  content.  Given  to  hospitality,  and  of 
a  generous  disposition,  he  never  so  much  enjoys  the  bounties  spread  upon  his 
table  as  when  he  shares  them  with  his  friends  or  with  those  in  need. 

In  1 86 1  he  married  Miss  Annie,  daughter  of  Joel  Curry,  of  Edgefield  district. 
South  Carolina ;  and  two  sons  and  seven  daughters  cheer  his  hearthstone. 


AZOR  VAN  HOOSE. 


Several  generations  ago,  three  brothers  bearing  the 
name  of  Van  Hooser,  came  over  from  Holland  and  set- 
tled in  western  New  York.  A  misunderstanding  between 
them  induced  one  of  their  number  to  determine,  that  he 
would  forever  distinguish  himself  and  his  family  from  the 
others  and  their  descendants,  by  dropping  the  final  r  from 
their  common  patronymic.  Thus  the  single  name  was 
parted  into  two ;  and  it  has  been  further  divided  by  the 
fact,  that  some  who  bear  it  retain,  and  some  have  aban- 
doned, the  use  of  the  capital  in  writing  the  H. 
AzoR  Van  Hoose  was  born  in  Giles  (now  Marshall) 
county,  Tennessee,  April  12th,  1818,  the  next  to  the  youngest  of  nine  children, 
six  sons  and  three  daughters,  the  fruit  of  the  marriage  between  their  parents, 
John  Van  Hoose,  of  Dutch  descent,  and  Elizabeth  Goodwin,  of  Welsh,  both 
natives  of  North  Carolina.  Though  Episcopal  clergymen  "christened" — it 
would  now  (by  a  change  of  phraseology,  without  improvement  in  the  matter  of 
accuracy,)  be  said,  "baptized  " — the  older  children,  the  parents  never  connected 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS.  551 

themselves  with  any  denomination.  In  the  course  of  time  all  the  brothers  and 
two  of  the  sisters  became  Baptists,  and  three  of  them  entered  the  ministry. 

Azor  was  the  first  of  the  family  to  join  the  church.  He  obtained  a  hope  of 
pardon,  Septemb'='.r,  1835,  at  a  Baptist  camp  meeting  held  with  Union  church, 
Jefferson  county,  Alabama,  near  where  the  city  of  Birmingham  now  stands, 
and,  about  a  month  later  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  that  church.  In 
September,  1841,  he  and  Valentine,  an  older  brother,  were  licensed  to  preach 
by  Tockish  church,  Pontotoc  county,  Mississippi,  and  in  December  1842,  were 
both  ordained.  At  that  time,  they  had  no  education,  and  determined  to  acquire 
one.  For  two  years  they  attended  schools  taught  by  Benjamin  Bugg  and  Jesse 
Bramlett,  members  of  that  church,  who  boarded  and  taught  them  without  hope 
of  reward,  through  love  for  the  Master  and  for  themselves  as  his  servants.  In 
January,  1844,  they  entered  Howard  College,  Marion,  Alabama,  where  the  older 
brother  died  July  3d,  of  that  year,  while  the  survivor  remained  until  March, 
1847.  He  had  been  aided  by  many  friends  in  the  payment  of  necessary  ex- 
penses ;  but  finding  himself  burdened  with  a  debt  of  from  two  to  three  hundred 
dollars,  he  decided  that  he  must  commence  the  work  of  life,  and  obtain  means 
to  discharge  this  pecuniary  obligation.  He  became  pastor  of  the  Wetumpka 
church,  and  God  blessed  his  labors.  The  church,  however,  could  only  pay  him 
enough  to  provide  food  and  raiment,  leaving  the  debt  uncancelled ;  and  he  there- 
fore changed  his  field — serving  the  Alabama  Association  as  missionary  in  1848 
and  1849.  These  were  two  of  the  happiest  years  of  his  life,  and  he  baptized 
one  hundred  and  tifty  persons. 

December  20th,  1849,  he  married  Miss  M.  R.  Coleman,  of  Montgomery 
county,  Alabama,  who  died,  without  issue,  April  3d,  1854.  For  two  years  from 
January,  1850,  he  was  pastor  of  the  church  at  Tuscaloosa,  Alabama,  and  for  the 
next  two  years  pastor  of  two  churches  near  Aberdeen,  Misssisippi.  "  The 
clergyman's  sore  throat,"  with  which  he  had  long  been  afflicted,  compelled  him 
to  cease  preaching  in  the  fall  of  1853.  During  1854,  he  raised  |io,ooo  as  agent 
of  the  East  Alabama  Female  College,  Tuskegee. 

On  the  recovery  of  his  voice,  early  in  1855,  he  began  a  successful  pastorate 
of  five  years  with  the  Eufaula  church.  December  i8th  of  that  year,  he  was 
married  to  Mrs.  M.  F.  Cotton,  daughter  of  Z.  J.  Daniel,  Esq.,  of  that  city,  who 
has  borne  him  six  children,  four  daughters  and  two  sons. 

January  ist,  i860,  he  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Griffin,  Georgia,  but 
after  four  years  the  pressure  of  the  war  forced  him  from  that  position.  Re- 
moving his  family  to  Eufaula,  he  was  supported  until  the  close  of  the  war  by 
the  First  church,  Macon,  as  missionary  to  the  army ;  and  never  was  he  more 
sensible  of  the  discharge  of  duty  and  of  doing  good  than  when  he  acted  in  that 
sphere.  When  he  reached  Eufaula,  on  the  return  of  peace,  he  found  his  wife 
and  children  deprived  of  all  means  of  subsistence  ;  and  holding  that  work  may 
be  as  acceptable  as  worship — may  itself  be  worship — to  provide  for  their  wants 
he  engaged  first  in  peddling,  and  then  as  clerk  in  a  store,  supplying  the  pulpit 
of  the  church  meanwhile  for  more  than  a  year. 

After  several  months  as  missionary  in  southeastern  Alabama  of  the  Domes- 
tic Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  he  undertook  a  collecting  agency 
for  that  Board  in  Georgia  and  Kentucky.  He  was  absent  from  his  family  for  a 
half  year,  and  secured  some  $5,000  in  cash.  He  was  then  pastor  of  the  Mur- 
freesboro,  Tennessee,  church  for  three  years,  (1868  to  1870,)  District  Secretary 
of  the  Domestic  Mission  Board  for  Tennessee,  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  (1871), 
agent  for  the  endowment  of  Howard  College  by  life  insurance,  (1872,)  pastor  of 
several  country  churches  in  the  region  of  Murfreesboro,  (1873  '^o  1876,)  and 
agent  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Publication  Society,  (1877.)  During  a  large  part 
of  1878  he  was  unable  to  do  anything,  on  account  of  sickness  and  an  injury 
received  in  falling  from  a  carriage.  In  September  of  that  year,  his  wife  took 
charge  of  the  musical  department  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Seminary  for  young 
ladies,  located  at  Gainesville ;  a  position  for  which  she  had  demonstrated  her 
fitness  at  Murfreesboro,  Mulberry  and  Mary  Sharp  College,  Winchester, 
Tennessee,     Her  husband  preached  to  four  churches,  in  towns  adjacent  to 


552  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Gainesville,  until  January  1880,  when  he  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Senoia, 
Georgia,  where  he  resides  at  present. 

As  a  preacher  he  has  always  been  regarded  as  above  the  average,  always 
instructive  and  at  times  eloquent.  His  style  is  simple  and  he  generally  adopts 
the  expository  method  of  presenting  the  truth.  While  esteemed  as  a  preacher,  he 
is  even  more  distinguished  as  an  efficient  pastor ;  his  fine  sense,  solid  judgment 
and  knowledge  of  men  and  things  fitting  him  for  this  important  part  of  the 
Master's  work. 


ELIAS  L.  VAUGHAN. 

Rev.  Elias  L.  Vaughan  was  born  in  Carroll  county, 
Virginia,  January  26th,  1845.  His  father,  Abner  Vaughan, 
and  his  mother, whose  maiden  name  was  Keziah  Burcham, 
were  both  Virginians.  When  he  was  an  infant  his  father 
died,  and  soon  after  his  mother  lost  all  her  property. 
She  was,  therefore,  able  to  give  here  children  but  a  lim- 
ited education,  and  Elias  was,  consequently,  deprived  of 
scholastic  advantages.  When  sixteen  years  of  age,  our  late 
civil  war  commenced,  and  although  so  young,  he  enlisted 
under  the  first  call  for  volunteers,  and  served  through 
the  entire  war.  He  was  converted  in  May,  1862,  during 
a  meeting  held  in  the  army,  and  began,  even  at  that  early  age,  to  exercise  in 
public,  moved  by  a  burning  zeal  to  declare  the  goodness  of  God. 

At  the  terrible  battle  of  Chickamauga,  in  North  Georgia,  he  was  severely 
wounded,  and  was  sent  to  the  hospital  in  Macon,  where  he  became  acquainted 
with  Miss  Andrews,  of  Twiggs  county,  whom  he  married  on  the  nth  of  May, 
1865.  She  was  taken  from  him  a  little  over  four  years  afterwards,  and  on  the 
10th  of  April,  1870,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  A.  E.  C.  Hughes,  eldest  daughter 
of  Jeremiah  Walton,  of  Burke  county,  a  descendant  of  George  Walton,  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Having  moved  his  membership 
from  Crooked  Creek  church,  Carroll  county,  Virginia,  to  the  Second  Baptist  .church, 
Macon,  Georgia,  Mr.  Vaughan  was  licensed  by  that  church  in  October,  1874,  his 
zeal  and  call  to  preach  being  both  very  apparent  to  the  church.  In  1 87  5  he  accepted 
the  pastorate  of  the  Bethel  church,  eleven  miles  west  of  the  city  of  Macon,  and 
was  ordained  by  Dr.  A.  J.  Battle,  Rev.  J.  A.  Ivey  and  Rev.  J.  Thomas.  He 
took  charge  of  the  Bethel  church  in  January,  1876,  but  felt  so  greatly  the  need 
of  more  preparation  for  ministerial  labor,  that  he  repaired  to  Greenville,  South 
Carolina,  and  entered  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  in  the  fall  of 
that  year.  During  the  winter  his  studies  were  interrupted  by  the  accidental  loss 
of  an  eye,  and  he  returned  home,  sorely  tried  by  that  strange  dispensation  of 
Providence. 

His  zeal,  however,  remained  unabated,  and  in  November,  1877,  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  missionary  of  the  State  Mission  Board,  for  the  counties  of  Dodge, 
Telfair  and  Montgomery,  in  which  work  he  has  continued  to  labor  usefully  and 
successfully  to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Vaughan  is  an  earnest  minded  and  devout  man,  a  pure  hearted  Christian, 
and  a  laborious  worker  in  the  Master's  vineyard.  He  possesses  extraordinary 
zeal,  and,  though  his  limited  education  detracts  from  the  power  of  his  sermons, 
his  earnestness,  warmth  and  sincerity  of  purpose,  united  to  untiring  energy  and 
undoubted  piety,  make  him  a  good  and  useful  preacher,  and  render  his  labors 
productive  of  good  results. 

He  has  a  fine  personal  appearance,  pleasant  manners,  and  a  lively,  social  dis- 
position. His  ministrations  have  proved  very  acceptable  in  his  field  of  labor ; 
but  no  doubt  he  would  be  still  more  useful  in  the  regular  pastorate,  on  account 
of  his  pious  zeal  and  social  qualities. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  553 


ALBERT  B.  VAUGHAN,  )r. 

Rev.  A.  B.  Vaughan,  Sr.,  moved  from  Campbell 
county,  Virginia,  when  a  young  man,  and  settled  in 
Jasper  county,  Georgia,  where,  by  wise  economy  and 
persistent  effort,  he  accumulated  a  pretty  property. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  married  Charlotte  A. 
Slade,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Chloe  Slade,  of  Jones 
county,  and  after  residing  in  Jasper  county  six  or  eight 
years,  he  moved  to  Pike  county,  in  which,  near  Milner, 
his  fourth  son,  Rev.  Albert  B.  Vaughan,  Jr.,  was 
born,  March  3d,  185 1. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  young  Vaughan  was  bap- 
tized into  the  fellowship  of  Bethel  church.  Pike  county,  by  Rev.  Jacob  Buffing- 
ton.  In  relating  his  Christian  experience,  the  impression  was  created  generally 
that  he  would  one  day  become  a  herald  of  the  saving  power  which  was  then  re- 
joicing his  heart.  But  of  this  impression  on  the  minds  of  others,  he  himself  was 
ignorant  at  that  time. 

His  father's  fortune  having  been  almost  entirely  destroyed  by  the  war  between 
the  States,  he  left  home  when  nineteen,  and  apprenticed  himself  as  a  painter  in 
Jackson,  Tennessee.  In  that  city,  although  surrounded  by  vicious  influences,  he 
was,  by  the  faithful  labors  of  Dr.  J.  F.  B.  Mays,  his  pastor,  awakened  to  a  new- 
spiritual  life,  and  influenced  to  enter  on  a  more  "earnest  and  devoted  Christian 
course. 

Gradually  the  impression  became  more  and  more  vividly  stamped  on  his 
mind  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  everlasting  Gospel.  This  impression  he 
kept  to  himself,  however,  though  daily  preaching  to  his  own  soul.  Much  to  his 
surprise,  therefore,  his  pastor,  one  day,  interrogated  him  about  his  obligations  to 
preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,  and  asked  him  to  receive  a  license  to 
preach  from  the  church.  This  he  at  first  declined  to  do,  feeling  his  utter 
incompetency  for  such  arduous  work,  and  realizing  the  heavy  responsibilities  to 
be  incurred.  In  order,  however,  to  fit  himself  for  this  great  work,  he  laid  down 
his  paint-brush,  and  began  to  study  under  Rev.  J.  J.  Stamps,  of  Virginia.  While 
in  school  a  great  blessing  came  under  the  disguise  of  affliction.  Having  been  pros- 
trated by  typhoid  pneumonia,  and  incurring  a  heavy  expense,  he  was  unable,  on 
his  recovery,  to  prosecute  his  studies  farther  in  that  State,  and  returned  to  his 
father's  house  in  Georgia.  In  October,  1874,  he  entered  Mercer  University,  and 
after  four  years  graduated  early  in  1878.  The  following  November  he  was 
united  in  matrimony  to  Miss  Fanny  Estelle  Camp,  who  has  proved  the  truest  of 
preachers'  wives  to  him. 

During  his  Freshman  year  he  was  called  to  ordination  by  Milford  church, 
Cobb  county,  and  since  his  graduation  has  been  preaching  to  country  churches 
with  great  success,  baptizing  many  hopeful  converts,  and  acquiring  a  fine  repu- 
tation as  a  preacher.  In  January,  1 880,  he  was  elected  principal  of  Talmage  Insti- 
tute, Irwinton,  Georgia,  and  also  to  the  pastorates  of  the  Irwinton,  Gordon  and 
Ebenezer  churches.  In  October,  of  the  same  year,  he  was  unanimously  elected 
to  the  pastorates  of  the  churches  in  South  Macon,  Georgia,  and  Longview  and 
Henderson,  Texas.  After  a  long  struggle  between  duty  and  inclination,  he  ac- 
cepted the  pastorate  of  the  South  Macon  church,  to  which  he  is  now  devoting 
his  time  and  talents  with  great  assiduity  and  success. 

Mr.  Vaughan  is  a  man  of  energy  and  perseverance,  an  excellent  preacher  for 
his  age,  and  one  whose  piety  is  undoubted.  He  has  a  good  personal  appearance 
and  delivery,  and  is  much  beloved  by  the  people  of  his  charge.  He  is  one  of 
the  rising  young  ministers  of  the  day,  and  his  worth  and  influence  will  be  realized 
at  no  distant  period.  Having  had  a  hard  struggle  to  obtain  an  education  and 
fit  himself  for  the  ministry,  he  is  grateful  for  the  advantages  he  has  enjoyed  and 


554 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


appreciative  of  tlie  solemn  responsibilities  resting  on  him.  Remembering  the 
goodness  and  mercy  which  have  always  attended  him,  his  chief  desire  is  to  pro- 
mote the  honor  and  glory  of  the  Master.  Preaching  the  love  of  Christ  as  the 
only  incentive  to  good  works,  and  the  only  source  of  piety,  energy  and  zeal,  he 
soon  wins  his  congregations  to  a  true  sense  of  this  grand  truth,  thereby  estabhsh- 
ing  in  their  hearts  the  correct  principles  of  the  "Kingdom  of  God."  Unassuming 
and  unpretentious,  he  commands  the  attention  and  admiration  of  his  hearers  by 
his  eloquence  and  earnest  instruction.  He  is  not  only  a  fine  preacher,  but  a 
good  pastor  and  manager  as  well,  possessing  great  executive  capacity  for  one  of 
his  years.  Everything  under  his  charge  soon  assumes  definiteness  and  moves 
along  with  the  precision  of  clock-work.  He  has  great  force  of  character,  is 
steadfast  in  his  opinions,  and  firm  in  his  convictions.  In  every  position,  thus 
far,  success  has  crowned  his  efforts.  His  college  course  prophesied  for  him  a 
noble  life ;  his  college  instructors,  who  best  know  his  powers,  predicted  distinc- 
tion and  influence  for  him,  and  his  continued  progress  and  success  verify  them  all. 


WILLIAM  M.  VERDERY. 


Rev.  William  M.  Verdery  is  of  French 
descent.  His  grandparents  were  natives  of  Bor- 
deaux, and  adherents  of  Romanism.  His  father, 
now  a  resident  of  Atlanta,  on  his  emigration  to 
America,  settled  at  Belair,  ten  miles  west  of  Au- 
gusta, Georgia,  and  there  this  son  was  born, 
July  27th,  1825. 

He  has  always  felt  himself  under  great  obliga- 
tion to  a  maiden  aunt,  his  father's  sister,  for  her 
affectionate  care  over  him  when  a  child.  At 
the  tender  age  of  two  years  she  took  him  to  his 
grandfather's  house,  near  Augusta,  and,  for  the 
most  part,  kept  him  until  he  was  about  ten.  He 
learned  to  read  under  her  tuition,  and  was  sent 
to  the  school  of  Mrs.  Moise,  a  Jewess,  in  the 
city.  This  aunt — now  a  godly  woman,  but  not 
then  a  Christian — instructed  him  in  the  Presby- 
terian catechism,  and  trained  him  to  the  habit 
of  reading  the  Scriptures  ;  but  she  also  taught  him  how  to  dance,  as  nearly  all 
the  children  of  his  circle  were  initiated  into  that  unintellectual  and  worldly 
"  accomplishment." 

_His  father  was  a  successful  man  of  business,  and  engrossed  in  the  affairs  of 
this  world.  His  mother,  the  daughter  of  William  Burton — a  Baptist,  and  late 
in  life  a  minister — though  she  impressed  on  her  children  the  duty  of  prayer,  was 
not  at  that  time  a  member  of  the  church.  Under  these  circumstances,  God 
illustrated  in  the  case  of  young  Verdery  the  truth,  that  he  often  employs  the 
feeblest  instrumentalities  to  work  out  his  purposes.  The  stripling  of  eight  years 
was  wont  to  visit  his  father's  mill,  and,  when  no  one  else  was  present,  to  read 
from  the  Testament,  a  gift  of  his  aunt,  to  the  miller,  an  old  negro  man.  This 
humble  Christian  would  follow  the  reading  by  falling  on  his  knees,  and  pouring 
out  his  soul  to  God  in  prayer  for  a  blessing  on  Httle  William  and  all  the  family. 
The  religious  impressions  thus  made  on  the  mind  of  the  boy — his  first,  or  at 
least  his  strongest  at  that  early  age — never  altogether  left  him,  though  he  after- 
wards grew  thoughtless  and  wicked. 

While  at  school  in  Penfield  in  1837,  during  a  series  of  meetings,  he  became 
deeply  interested  concerning  his  soul ;  but  an  unfortunate  boyish  quarrel  with  a 
student  checked  the  tide  of  better  thought  for  the  time,  and,  before  he  was  six- 
teen years  old,  he  had  conceived  a  kind  of  disgust  for  religion,  and  hated  Bap- 
tists especially.     But  in  1841  he  was  sent  to  school  at  Cave  Spring,  and  there, 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  555 

through >the  ministry  of  a  Rev.  Mr.  Whatley,  he  was  awakened.  The  Holy 
Spirit  convinced  him  of  sin  and  led  him  to  Jesus,  the  only  Saviour.  Believing 
in  that  Saviour,  he  rejoiced  over  the  purging  away  of  his  transgressions.  (Ps. 
65  :  3.)  And  then  commenced  a  severe  struggle.  How  could  he  give  up  his 
prejudices  against  the  very'name  of  Baptists,  and  identify  himself  with  a  people 
toward  whom  he  had  cherished  such  strong  feelings  of  opposition  and  repug- 
nance ?  But  the  Spirit  of  Grace  had  brought  him  to  the  feet  of  Christ,  and 
there,  with  heart  subdued  under  the  constraint  of  holy  love,  he  surrendered  his 
aversions,  and,  in  obedience  to  the  guidance  of  Scripture,  was  baptized,  October, 
1 841,  into  the  fellowship  of  Cave  Spring  church  by  Rev.  William  Wood. 

He  was,  at  that  date,  the  only  member  of  the  Verdery  family  in  connection 
with  any  other  than  the  Romish  church.  Returning  home  the  next  month,  he 
united  with  the  Abilene  church,  and,  for  three  years,  devoted  himself  faithfully  to 
the  duties  imposed  by  his  ecclesiastical  relations.  But  falling  into  a  cold,  back- 
slidden state,  his  former  passionate  fondness  for  the  dance,  in  an  evil  hour,  over- 
came him.  He  was  smitten  with  compunction,  went  before  the  church,  made 
free  confession  of  his  departure  from  the  path  of  Christian  consistency,  and 
sued  for  forgiveness  at  the  hands  of  his  brethren.  Thus  he  rose  from  his  fall, 
and  rose  to  a  point  higher  than  the  one  from  which  he  fell.  Restored  to  the 
confidence  of  the  church,  he  at  once  announced  his  conviction  that  God  had 
called  him  to  the  ministry,  and  his  desire  and  purpose  to  engage  in  that  work. 
He  was  never  formally  licensed  to  preach,  but  from  this  time  he  exercised  in  that 
way  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  people,  the  edification  of  the  household  of  faith,  and 
the  approval  of  the  ministers  who  knew  him,  until  November,  1848,  when,  at  the 
request  of  Piney  Grove  church,  he  was  ordained  at  Abilene,  by  Revs.  J.  Huff, 
Juriah  Harris,  C.  Collins,  J.  A.  Polhill  and  T.  J.  Beck.  The  following  year  he 
served  Piney  Grove  and  Louisville  churches,  and  continued  to  labor  with 
churches  of  the  Hephzibah  Association  until  the  year  1857. 

One  of  the  happiest  incidents  of  his  ministerial  life  occurred  during  this  period. 
When  on  a  visit  to  his  parents  in  1850,  he  was  privileged  to  baptize  his  mother, 
and  received,  some  three  weeks  after,  the  intelligence  that  his  father  also  had 
followed  the  Saviour,  and  had  been  baptized  by  Rev.  C.  H.  Stillwell.  _ 

In  1857  he  removed  within  the  bounds  of  the  Washington  Association,  and 
served  churches  belonging  to  that  body  and  to  the  Georgia  Association  for  the 
next  thirteen  years,  with  the  exception  of  ayear  or  two  when  he  acted  as  evan- 
gelist of  the  former.  He  returned  to  the  Hephzibah  Association  in  1870,  and, 
besides  giving  the  years  1871  and  1872  to  labor  as  its  evangelist,  has  rendered 
pastoral  service  to  churches  connected  with  it,  and  to  one  or  two  churches  in  the 
Middle  Association  and  South  Carolina.  A  part  of  his  time  has  been  given,  of 
necessity,  meanwhile,  to  secular  business,  to  supplement  the  small  salary  received 
from  his  churches. 

As  a  pastor  he  is  warm-hearted,  beloved  by  his  brethren,  prompt  in  filling  his 
engagements,  and  held  in  affectionate  regard  by  the  community.  As  a  preacher, 
he  is  earnest  and  bold  in  declaring  what  he  believes  to  be  truth,  and,  having  no 
compromises  to  make  with  what  he  regards  as  error  in  faith  and  practice,  he 
sometimes  uses  language  in  his  criticisms  which  seems  over-severe.  But  behind 
this  language  there  lies  no  bitterness  of  spirit,  but  rather  a  love  which  yearns 
after  errorists,  and  longs  to  have  them  fully  the  freemen  of  the  Lord.  He  thinks 
for  himself,  and  is  sound  in  the  faith.  His  preaching  is  instructive,  and  well  cal- 
culated to  build  up  the  churches  in  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Gospel  be- 
lief and  church  order.  For  a  number  of  years  past  he  has  filled  the  office  of 
clerk  in  the  Hephzibah  Association,  and  in  this,  as  in  other  positions,  has  evinced 
unquestionable  fidelity  and  capacity. 

He  was  married  in  December,  1847,  to  Miss  Cornelia  F.,  daughter  of  Thomas 
S.  Skinner,  of  Richmond  county  ;  and  this  union  has  been  crowned  with  eighteen 
children.  Perhaps,  the  keenest  and  most  abiding  sorrow  of  his  life  was  the 
death,  several  years  ago,  of  a  daughter  in  the  bloom  of  •  young  womanhood, 
whose  charms  of  person  were  only  equalled  by  her  excellencies  of  mind  and 
heart.  And  nothing  has  ever  more  endeared  him  to  his  brethren,  than  the  visi- 
ble triumph  of  his  resignation  as  a  Christian  over  his  crushing  grief  as  a  man. 


556 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


WILLIAM  J.  VICKERY. 

Rev.  William  J.,  son  of  Hightower  and  Patience 
ViCKERY,  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Georgia,  August 
1 2th,  1833.  He  had  serious  impressions  very  early  in  life, 
but  was  not  converted  until  the  completion  of  his  twenty- 
fourth  year,  in  1857.  A  year  later — in  August,  1858 — he 
was  baptized  by  Rev.  J.  T.  W.  Vernon,  at  Line  church,  Hart 
county.  For  fourteen  years  he  lived  a  quiet  and  industrious 
life  in  a  private  sphere,  beloved  by  his  friends  and  respected 
by  his  neighbors  for  his  honesty,  sobriety  and  kind- 
ness of  heart.  His  convictions  of  duty  with  regard  to  the 
ministry  led,  after  long  delay,  to  his  ordination,  in  September,  1872,  at  Rehoboth 
church,  Elbert  county.  He  entered  at  once,  in  connection  with  Vineyard  Creek 
church,  on  his  first  pastorate,  and  has  since  served  various  churches  in  Elbert, 
Franklin  and  Madison  counties.  As  a  minister,  he  discharges  his  duty  faithfully. 
He  takes  the  Bible  as  his  guide,  devoting  a  portion  of  every  day  to  its  study.  _  His 
oversight  of  the  flock  as  a  pastor  extends  to  all  the  members,  and  concerns  itself 
with  every  phase  of  their  spiritual  interests.  Knowing  nothing  among  the  peo- 
ple but  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified,  he  is  firm  in  the  maintenance  of  truth 
and  simple  in  speech.  As  a  consequence  of  this  single-mindedness  and  fidelity, 
coupled' with  his  excellent  qualities  as  a  man  and  a  neighbor,  he  enjoys  in  a 
high  degree  the  confidence  and  affection  of  his  people. 

He  was  married  December,  1 861,  to  Miss  Lettie  E.  Haynes. 


ANDREW  JACKSON  WALDROP. 


Rev.  Andrew  Jackson  Waldrop 
was  born  February  7th,  181 5,  in  Christian 
county,  Kentucky.  He  came  to  Jefferson 
county,  Alabama,  in  the  spring  of  181 8, 
where  he  has  since  lived  and  labored. 
During  a  revival  in  I833  he  was  converted, 
and  united  with  the  Baptists.  He  was  bap- 
tized by  Rev.  Hosea  Holcombe,  and  on  the 
I  oth  of  June,  1 842,  was  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry. He  has  been  twice  married,  and  has 
lived  to  bury  his  second  wife.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Fannie  Lee  in  1835,  and 
in  1 84 1  to  Miss  Sarah  Hood,  each  time  by 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  there  being  no  minis- 
ters in  the  community.  He  had  literally  no 
educational  advantages,  one  spelling  book 
being  all  that  was  ever  purchased  for  him. 
Whatever  of  knowledge  he  acquired  in 
youth  or  early  manhood,  he  did  it  of  nights 
by  a  fire-light.  His  associates  were  rude  and  uncultivated,  and  the  people  by 
whom  he  was  surrounded  were  opposed  to  education ;  but  he  possessed  the 
brain,  and  the  determination  of  a  great  heart  to  rise  above  the  ignorance  and 
superstition  of  his  surroundings.  He  collected  the  taxes  of  his  county  three 
years,  and  afterwards  served  eight  years  as  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court.     He  has 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


557 


several  times  been  prominently  spoken  of  for  some  of,  the  highest  offices  in  the 
gift  of  the  people  of  his  county. 

Soon  after  his  connection  with  the  church,  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  Canaan 
Association,  which  place  he  filled  for  about  ten  years,  in  fact,  until  elected,  some 
twenty-one  years  ago,  as  Moderator.  This  position  he  has  occupied  ever  since, 
except  one  year  when  he  was  in  Virginia  preaching  the  Gospel  he  loves  so  well  to 
the  Confederate  soldiers.  He  was  several  times  Domestic  Missionary  to  the  Canaan 
Association ;  and  never  has  the  mission  cause  of  the  Baptist  denomination  had 
a  more  devoted  and  faithful  advocate,  and  one  who  met  the  anti-mission  influ- 
ence, then  very  strong  in  his  county,  with  more  energy  and  success.  That  influ- 
ence is  a  thing  of  the  past  in  the  field  of  his  labors  now.  Upon  one  occasion, 
during  his  connection  with  the  Association  as  Domestic  Missionary,  he  had  an 
appointment  at  a  school-house.  The  "  Hardshells  ''  met  quite  early,  and  when 
he  came  refused  him  permission  to  preach  in  the  house.  He  invited  the  con- 
gregation to  the  grove,  and  there  beneath  the  trees  he  preached  "  the  glorious 
Gospel  of  the  blessed  God  "  with  power.  He  has  been  pastor  of  Ruhama 
church  thirty  years,  of  the  Trussville  and  Springville  churches  about  twenty 
years. 

His  life  has  been  one  of  devoted  consecration  to  the  cause  of  our  blessed  Sav- 
iour. By  his  own  exertions  and  the  power  of  his  great  mind,  he  has  risen  from 
the  humblest  walks  of  life  to  an  influence  for  good  rarely  attained.  It  is  re- 
freshing and  decidedly  profitable,  in  this  fast  age,  to  stop  and  consider  a  man 
whose  life  has  been  so  pure  and  so  entirely  devoted  to  the  cause  of  Christianity 
and  the  enlightenment  of  the  world.  In  personal  appearance,  Mr.  Waldrop  pre- 
sents a  fine  physique.  He  is  well  developed  in  form.  He  has  a  strong  and 
exceedingly  penetrating  voice.  In  the  discussion  of  a  subject,  he  is  clear  and 
perspicuous.  Socially,  he  is  always  agreeable  and  affable,  and  never  austere. 
He  possesses  great  equanimity  of  temper.  He  is  not  an  orator,  and  never  uses 
the  declamatory  style,  but  is  a  forcible  speaker.  He  seems  to  desire  rather  to 
convince  by  logical  reasoning  than  to  excite  and  enliven  the  imagination  by 
rhetorical  displays.  He  is  indeed  a  man  of  labor :  it  is  his  pleasure.  With  him 
it  seems  that  "the  bliss  of  life  is  the  bliss  of  toil."  No  man  in  the  State  has 
done  more  toward  the  building  up  of  all  our  denominational  interests  than  he. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  many  excellencies  of  his  life  by  which  he  has  risen 
from  the  humblest  walks  of  life  to  a  position  of  great  influence  in  the  denomina- 
tion. Sustained  by  honor,  truth,  intregrity  and  uprightness  of  purpose,  with  a 
spotless  purity  of  character  during  a  long  and  eventful  life,  he  has  built  him  a 
a  name  and  an  influence  that  will  live  in  eternity.  One  of  his  sons  is  now  an 
ordained  Baptist  minister — an  "  entail  of  blessing "  which  doubtless  cheers 
greatly  the  evening  of  his  days. 


ARTHUR  CHURCH  WARD. 


Rev.  Arthur  Church  Ward  was  born  in  North- 
ampton, England,  November  13th,  1852.  His  parents, 
John  Ward  and  Ann  Church,  were  poor  but  pious,  and 
thus,  though  unable  to  obtain  educational  advantages 
in  early  life,  the  son's  home  training  was  decidedly  re- 
ligious. His  mother  was  afflicted  with  asthma,  and 
being  assured  by  a  physician  that  the  complaint  would 
be  cured  by  the  climate  of  America,  her  husband,  who 
had  long  desired  to  visit  the  New  World,  set  sail  for 
ou  r  country  with  his  whole  family,  and  settled  near 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  in  the  latter  part  of  1866.  But 
it  soon  became  apparent  that  a  milder  climate  was  needed  for  Mrs.  Ward, 
and  about  one  year  from  the  time  he  landed  on  our  shores  the  family  moved  to 


558  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

Fernandina,  Florida.  During  that  year,  however,  young  A.  C.  Ward  gave  his 
heart  to  Jesus,  and  united  with  the  East  Orange  Baptist  church,  near  Newark, 
New  Jersey. 

In  1868  Mr.  Ward  removed  his  family  to  Brunswick,  Georgia,  as  he  dis- 
covered better  opportunities  for  carrying  on  his  shoe  trade  there.  In  this  busi- 
ness his  son  also  engaged  until  1870,  when  he  became  dissatisfied,  and  having 
acquired  some  skill  in  the  photographic  art,  he  bought  an  establishment  and  set 
out  upon  a  Floridian  tour. 

Even  prior  to  this  time  the  Spirit,  moving  on  his  heart,  had  convinced  young- 
Arthur  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel,  but  he  had  hitherto  stifled  the 
calls  of  conscience,  and  it  was  to  drown  the  vqice  of  the  inward  monitor  that  he 
entered  actively  upon  the  duties  of  a  photographer.  And  so  began  his  tour 
among  the  towns  and  villages  of  Florida,  succeeding,  as  far  as  business  was 
concerned,  and,  Jonah  like,  fleeing  from  the  call  of  duty.  Not  like  Jonah,  how- 
ever, was  calamity  visited  upon  him.  The  still  small  voice  of  the  Spirit  con- 
tinued to  cry,  "  Go  preach  my  Gospel,"  and  gave  him  no  real  peace  of  mind.  At 
length,  one  night,  at  a  place  in  lower  Florida  then  called  Welaka,  now  Bucher, 
on  the  upper  St.  Johns,  he  went  out  into  the  aromatic  groves  to  decide  once  for 
all  this  question  of  obeying  God  and  becoming  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  or  fol- 
lowing inclination  and  seeking  worldly  emoluments.  How  long  and  how  severe 
the  struggle  was  we  know  not,  but  the  result  was  that,  in  the  morning,  he 
abandoned  all  the  implements  of  his  worldly  profession  and,  within  three  days, 
was  a  member  of  the  Freshman  class  at  Mercer  University,  commencing  a  course 
of  study  preparatory  to  a  ministerial  career.  This  took  place  in  January,  1873, 
and  all  his  wealth  at  the  time  consisted  of  one  five  dollar  bill.  His  own  industry 
on  Saturdays,  during  the  term,  and  through  the  vacation,  teaching  and 
preaching  in  the  counties  on  the  seaboard,  aided  by  the  benefactions  of  friends 
who  understood  his  circumstances  and  appreciated  his  efforts,  enabled  him  to 
complete  his  course  and  graduate  with  his  class  in  July,  1877. 

One  remarkable  interruption  in  his  college  career  is  worth  mentioning.  When 
the  yellow  fever  became  epidemic  at  Savannah  and  Brunswick,  in  the  summer 
of  1876,  he  was  teaching  school  and  preaching  during  vacation  in  the  interior, 
at  Taylor's  Creek,  Liberty  county,  but  heeding  both  the  call  of  filial  duty  and 
the  demands  of  benevolence,  he  hastened  to  Brunswick  to  minister  to  the  sick 
and  stiffering.  He  found  his  own  father  prostrated  with  the  disease,  and  our 
church  there  without  a  pastor.  To  the  one  he  gave  a  son's  devoted  attentions, 
and  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  recover,  and  to  the  other  he  gave  his 
sympathy,  prayers  and  active  exertions  as  a  minister  and  attendant.  During 
the  entire  epidemic  he  remained  in  Brunswick,  ministering  to  the  diseased  and 
burying  the  dead,  himself  suffering  no  special  inconvenience  from  the  pestilence, 
and  sustained  by  a  heroism  as  lofty  as  that  which  mounts  the  breach  or  fronts 
the  cannon's  mouth  in  time  of  battle.  For  one  who  thus  risked  his  life  in  hu- 
manity's cause,  it  is  not  much  to  say  that  he  spent  every  dollar  he  possessed  in 
the  world  to  relieve  the  necessities  of  those  over  whom  the  pall  of  sickness  and 
death  hung  in  folds  so  dark  and  gloomy. 

After  graduating  in  July,  1877,  he  taught  school  at  Taylor's  Creek,  Liberty 
county,  and  earned  the  money  which  carried  him  to  Louisville  in  the  fall  of  '^T, 
to  enter  on  a  course  in  our  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  where  he 
remained  one  year.  On  his  return  to  Georgia,  in  1878,  he  found  that  his  parents 
had  taken  their  departure  for  England,  leaving  him  the  sole  representative  of 
the  family  in  the  New  World,  and  almost  penniless,  but  not  altogether  without 
friends,  and  certainly  not  without  the  care  of  a  heavenly  Father.  While  dis- 
cussing in  his  own  mind  whether  or  not  it  was  his  duty  to  return  to  his  mother 
country  and  assist  the  authors  of  his  being,  he  received  a  call  to  ordina- 
tion from  the  church  at  Brunswick,  followed  by  a  call  to  its  pastoral  care.  This 
decided  him  to  remain  in  Georgia.  He  was  ordained  at  Brunswick  in  May, 
1878,  and  in  August  of  that  year  took  charge  of  the  church,  in  which  position 
he  has  continued  until  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Ward  is  one  of  those  frank  and  confiding  persons,  unassuming,  genial 
and  open-hearted  in  manner,  who  win  their  way  to  love  and  confidence.  Reared 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS. 


559 


from  boyhood  among  the  members  of  his  church,  he  is  as  much  beloved  by  them, 
perhaps,  as  a  pastor  can  be,  and  this  affection  is  rendered  the  more  endearing 
by  his  own  friendly,  affectionate  and  sympathetic  deportment.  Quick  to  discern 
character,  Mr.  Ward  is  enabled  to  adapt  himself  easily  to  those  who  come  in 
contact  with  him ;  and  agreeable  and  obliging  by  nature,  he  makes  it  his 
endeavor  to  gain  the  good  will  of  those  around  him,  and  generally  succeeds, 
notwithstanding  an  impalpable  something,  which  is  the  consequence,  rather,  of 
foreign  birth  and'  childhood  than  of  any  personal  idiosyncracies.  His  ability, 
zeal,  activity  and  personal  piety  all  unite  to  make  him  a  useful  man. 

As  a  speaker,  Mr.  Ward  is  bold  and  attractive,  and  also  clear,  both  in  thought 
and  enunciation.  His  earnest  and  hearty  mode  of  speaking  awakens  and  retains 
attention.  He  preaches  extemporaneously,  being  aided  by  a  few  head-notes 
only,  and  his  manner  is  easy  and  natural,  his  utterance  fluent,  pointed  and 
forcible.  With  him  religion  is  a  practical  thing  of  life,  and  at  home  as  well  as 
abroad  and  in  the,  pulpit,  he  lifts  up  the  cross  of  Christ  and  magnifies  the  com- 
mands of  Jesus. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Laura  T.  Sanbright,  February  14th,  1879,  and  one 
child,  a  boy,  has  blessed  the  union. 


JOSEPH  WALKER. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  will  be  widely 
recognized  as  having,  for  several  years,  sus- 
tained prominent  relations  to  the  Baptists 
of  Georgia,  and  rendered  to  their  interests 
a  service  which  even  the  most  ordinary 
gratitude  would  not  willingly  let  die.  He 
became  the  editor  of  The  Christian  In- 
dex in  1857,  when  it  was  in  debt  and  its 
circulation  was  small.  When  he  retired  in 
1859  the  Baptist  State  Convention  expressed 
its  "  regret  at  his  withdrawal  from  a  posi- 
tion which  he  had  so  ably  occupied  for  more 
than  two  years."  In  that  brief  space  the 
paper  had'  been  relieved  of  all  pecuniary 
claims  against  it,  its  subscription  list  had 
run  up  to  nearly  six  thousand,  and  twice  at 
the  annual  sessions  of  the  Convention  $500 
had  been  received  from  its  profits  in  aid  of 
missions  and  of  education.  Those  were 
times,  too,  when  dissension  was  rife  in  the 
denomination,  and  when  an  injudicious  editorial  course  might  have  still  further 
embroiled  and  even  divided  it— a  peril  of  which  Mr.  Walker  wisely  steered 
clear.  Probably,  this  was  the  best  work  of  his  life ;  and  it  was  certainly  a  work 
sufficient  to  redeem  a  life  less  active  and  efficient  than  his  from  the  reproach  of 
uselessness.  It  will  not  be  forgotten  here,  nor  left  without  recompense  here- 
after. 

We  regret  that  it  has  not  been  in  our  power  to  secure  a  sketch  of  Mr.  Walker's 
career  more  full  than  the  following,  which  we  transfer  from  "  The  Distinguished 
Men  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Missouri : " 

"Rev.  Joseph  Walker,  A.  M.,  was  born  April  loth,  1804,  in  Chester  county, 
Pennsylvania,  but  when  quite  young  settled  in  Virginia,  which  became  his 
adopted  State.  His  father's  name  was  John  Walker,  and  his  mother's  maiden 
name  Mary  Moses.  Mr.  Walker  attended  Richmond  College,  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia, for  some  time  during  his  youth.  He  afterwards  studied  one  year  in  the 
Richmond  Medical  College,  and  attended  occasional  lectures  for  a  year  in  the 
University  of  Virginia.     He  subsequently  received  the  honorary  degree  of  A. 


s6o 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


M.  from  Mercer  University,  Georgia.  He  was  for  four  years  the  Correspond- 
ing Secretary  of  the  Domestic  and  Indian  Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Bap- 
tist Convention,  located  at  Marion,  Alabama.  He  was  also,  during  a  period  of 
about  three  years,  editor  of  The  Christian  Index,  a  paper  owned  by  the 
Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  and  published  at  that  time  in  Macon,  Georgia,  but 
since  removed  to  Atlanta.  He  had  previously  been  editor  of  two  other  papers, 
besides  editorial  contributor  to  several,  as  he  is  still.  The  Third  Baptist  church 
of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  was  organized  by  Mr.  Walker,  who  was  its  pastor  for 
three  years.  During  the  past  forty  years  he  has  been  pastor  of  nine  different 
churches  :  among  these  were  pastorates  in  Richmond,  and  Hampton,  Virginia, 
and  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  He  is  now  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Rolla, 
Missouri,  preaching  twice  on  the  Sabbath,  once  during  the  week,  and  superin- 
tending his  Sunday-school.  But  after  a  long,  active  and  eminently  useful  life,  he 
feels  now,  like  all  good  men  who  faithfully  perform  their  duty,  that  he  has  lived 
almost  to  no  purpose,  seeing  around  him  so  much  yet  to  be  accomplished. 
When  the  day  of  final  judgment  comes,  however,  he  will,  no  doubt,  receive  the 
reward  of  the  faithful  servant.  Mr.  Walker  has  been  three  times  married,  but 
has  no  wife  or  children  living  nciw.  On  the  occasion  of  his  seventy-fifth  birth- 
day, April  loth,  1879,  he  delivered  a  lecture  on  some  incidents  of  his  long  life 
to  his  church  and  a  large  assembly  of  the  citizens  of  Rolla,  including  the  pro- 
fessors and  students  of  the  School  of  Mines.  The  object  of  the  lecture  was  to 
encourage  study  with  a  view  to  success  in  educational  pursuits." 

"  Then  came  calm  Evening  on."  Since  the  foregoing  sketch  was  published, 
Mr.  Walker  has  retired  from  pastoral  life,  and,  at  Rockville,  Maryland,  awaits 
the  summons  to  the  skies.  He  looks  back  to  a  career  marked  by  singular  per- 
severance in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  and  the  discharge  of  his  convictions 
as  to  right  and  duty.  A  student  through  life,  pushing  his  inquiries  continually 
into  new  fields,  he  has  mastered  more  subjects  and  more  languages  by  private 
application  than  in  his  course  of  collegiate  instruction.  Were  his  story  in  this 
regard  written,  it  would  rank  very  high  in  the  examples  of  "  Self-help  "  which 
stimulate  the  young  to  mental  development,  and  which  even  the  older  should 
not  altogether  disregard.  The  sarne  quality  of  steadfastness  runs  through  his 
whole  character,  as  evinced  by  his  immovable  adherence  to  Christian  principle 
and  to  Baptist  doctrine,  which  have  always  found  in  him  an  unflinching  advo- 
cate and  defendant.  A  true  man  in  every  relation,  personal,  social,  civil  and 
ecclesiastical,  he  has  so  lived  that  when  he  dies  he  mus^  be  missed. 


EBENEZER    W.    WARREN. 


Among  the  living  Baptist  ministers  of  Georgia 
no  one  stands  higher  in  the  estimation  of  the  de- 
nomination as  a  pious,  godly,  useful  pastor  and 
minister  of  the  Gospel,  than  Rev.  Eeenezer  W. 
Warren,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist 
church  of  Macon.  His  father  was  Rev.  Kittrell 
Warren,  a  pious  and  useful  Baptist  minister  and 
brother  of  Hon.  Lott  Warren  and  General  Eli 
Warren.  His  grandfather  was  Josiah  Warren, 
late  of  Burke  county,  a  Virginian  by  birth.  He 
was  a  captain  in  the  war  with  England,  and 
fought  bravely  for  the  independence  of  the  Colo- 
nies. He  became  a  pious  Christian  and  deacon 
in  Bark  Camp  Baptist  church,  of  Burke  county, 
Georgia. 

Rev.  Ivittrell  Warren  moved  to  Alabama,  then 
considered  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey, 
in  1817  or  1 81 8.  He  remained  in  that  State 
preaching  many  years,  during  which  time  his  son,  Ebenezer,  was  born  in  Conecuh 
county.  May  i6th,  1820.     He  returned  to  Georgia  and  settled  in  Houston  county, 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  561 

where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared,  and  where  he  received  a  tolerably 
Uberal  English  and  Latin  education,  at  Minerva  Academy,  of  which  Jacob  Brad- 
well  was  then  principal. 

Aftei^  completing'  his  academical  education,  Mr.  Warren  taught  school  for  one 
year,  near  West  Point,  Georgia,  and  then  returned  to  Perry,  and  read  law  with 
Messrs.  Warren  &  Scarborough.  In  September,  of  the  year  1843,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and  for  five  years  enjoyed  a  large  practice  for  a  young 
man,  his  residence  being  Starkville,  Lee  county.  Two  years  after  he  commenced 
the  practice  of  law,  he  professed  religion  and  joined  the  church,  being  baptized 
September  5th,  1845.  The  natural  zeal  of  his  heart  speedily  manifested  itself  in 
earnest  Christian  labor,  and  in  a  warm  interest  in  all  church  matters,  and  he  was' 
soon  ordained  as  a  deacon. 

Dr.  E.  T.  Winkler,  of  Alabama,  was  then  his  pastor,  who;  witnessing  his 
pious  zeal,  and  perceiving  his  natural  gifts,  which  the  Holy  Spirit  was  already 
beginning  to  bless  to  the  conversion  of  sinners,  suggested  that  he  be  licensed 
by  the  church.  This  was  done  in  1848.  In  the  meantime  he  had  built  up  a  law- 
practice  which  was  bringing  him  an  annual  income  of  two  thousand  dollars, 
and  which  was  growing  rapidly.  He  had,  also,  spent  much  time  in  reading  and 
study,  in  order  to  extend  his  information  and  remedy,  as  far  as  possible,  the 
defects  of  his  education.  Family  cares,  too,  had  begun  to  burden  him,  for  he 
had  been  united  in  matrimony  to  Miss  Selah  G.  Janes  on  the  1 5th  of  December 
1846,  and  his  family  was  growing.  When,  therefore,  in  1848,  he  was  conscien- 
tiously brought  face  to  face  with  the  duty  of  preaching  the  gospel,  and  was 
forced  to  consider  and  decide,  whether  he  should  abandon  a  lucrative  practice 
at  law,  and  accept  the  lot  of  a  poor  country  preacher,  it  may  well  be  supposed 
that  a  violent  struggle  ensued.  Poor  pecuniarily,  ignorant  of  divinity,  and  un- 
trained in  ministerial  service,  we  must  imagine  the  perplexity  into  which  he  was 
thrown,  when  forced  to  determine  whether  or  not  he  should  abandon  a  practice 
which  brought  him  at  least  two  thousand  dollars  a  year,  for  the  purpose  of 
preaching  to  churches  which  paid  their  pastors  an  average  annually  of  fifty  or 
one  hundred  dollars.  God  gave  him  grace  to  decide  in  favor  of  that  cause  in 
which  he  has  proved  so  useful  and  successful.  He  abandoned  the  legal  profes- 
sion, sold  out  his  practice,  law-office  and  library,  and  taught  school  for  a  year 
to  support  his  family,  while  he  entered  on  a  course  of  Bible  study,  and,  under 
competent  instruction,  greatly  enhanced  his  knowledge  of  the  Greek  language. 
In  the  meantime,  he  preached  every  Sabbath,  at  some  point,  and  thus  sought 
gradually  to  fit  himself  for  his  future  position.  At  the  request  of  his  church  he 
was  ordained  at  the  session  of  the  Bethel  Association,  in  November,  1849,  A. 
T.  Holmes,  Eli  Ball  and  Jesse  M.  Davis  composing  the  presbytery,  and  soon  he 
was  the  pastor  of  three  churches — Palmyra  and  Hebron,  in  Lee  county,  and 
Bottsford,  in  Sumter  county.  In  1852  he  moved  to  Cuthbert,  remaining  three 
years  and  serving  the  church  there  and  also  others  in  the  neighborhood ;  there  he 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  wife.  In  1855  he  removed  to  Lumpkin,  and  took 
pastoral  charge  of  the  church  there,  and  also  of  two  country  churches.  Here 
he  remained  until  1858,  when  he  was  elected  editor  of  The  Christian  Index, 
and  moved  to  Macon,  Georgia.  The  Index  was  the  property  of  the  Georgia 
Baptist  Convention,  and  was  published  in  that  city.  While  residing  in  Lump- 
kin Mr.  Warren  married  Miss  Malvina  Prescott,  with  whom  he  lived  happily 
until  January  1864,  when  he  was  deprived  of  her  also,  by  death. 

He  did  not  remain  editor  of  The  Index  a  very  great  while,  being  elected 
pastor  of  the  Macon  church,  in  1859,  when  Rev.  S.  Landrum  accepted  a  call 
made  by  the  church  at  Savannah.  While  he  was  its  editor  The  Index  was  dis- 
tinguished for  its  devotional  spirit.  As  a  writer  he  was  smooth  and  graceful, 
deaUng  more  in  the  practical  aspects  of  religious  life  and  duty,  than  in  polemics 
and  controversy.  He  exerted  a  very  good  influence  over  the  denomination  in 
his  editorial  position,  but  still,  the  pastorate  was  doubtless  his  true  field  of 
labor ;  and  as  his  voice,  which  had  given  way  previous  to  his  acceptance  of  the 
editorial  chair,  had  recovered  its  tone  and  strength,  he  gladly  entered  the  pas- 
torate again.     In  October,  1866,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Caroline  M.,  daughter 


562  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

of  Major  E.  H.  Bacon — a  woman  worthy,  helpful  and  true.  He  retained  charge 
of  the  church  at  Macon  from  1859  to  1871,  when  he  become  pastor  of  the  First 
Baptist  church  in  Atlanta,  and  moved  to  that  city.  Four  sad  years  of  war  were 
included  in  his  Macon  pastorate,  during  which  time  he  faithfully  performed  the 
diversified  and  trying  duties  of  pastor  of  a  large  city  church.  It  was  also  dur- 
ing this  stay  of  his  in  Macon  that  Mercer  University  was  moved  to  that  city, 
and  to  his  zeal  and  interest  in  the  matter  the  college  is  mainly  indebted  for  the 
donations  of  land  and  bonds  from  the  city  of  Macon.  The  First  church  of 
Atlanta  had  the  benefit  of  his  services  for  five  years  only,  for  a  flattering  call 
made  by  the  First  church  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  1876,  was  accepted  by 
him,  and  he  moved  to  that  city  and  entered  upon  his  labors  there  in  March, 
1876.  While  residing  in  Atlanta  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  con- 
ferred on  him  by  Mercer  University. 

The  First  Baptist  church  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  is,  perhaps,  the  largest 
white  Baptist  church  in  the  South,  and  one  of  the  most  important,  as  well  as 
one  of  the  richest  and  most  highly  cultivated.  For  twenty  years  it  had  enjoyed 
the  uninterrupted  ministrations  of  the  able  and  eloquent  Dr.  J.  L.  Burrows,  and  no 
pastor  of  ordinary  ability  could  sustain  himself  there  for  more  than  three  years, 
and  leave  the  church,  larger  and  in  a  better  state  than  it  probably  ever  enjoyed 
before ;  and  yet  this  Dr.  Warren  did  when,  in  response  to  an  urgent  and  unani- 
mous invitation,  he  returned  to  his  native  State,  once  more  to  assume  pastoral 
relations  with  his  old  charge,  at  Macon,  Georgia.  This  occurred  in  the  fall  of 
1879. 

In  his  various  pastorates  Dr.  E.  W.  Warren  has  not  only  sustained  himself, 
but  has  won  the  affections  and  confidence  of  all  by  his  friendly,  amiable  and  pious 
Christian  character,  by  his  warm  and  earnest  zeal,  by  his  untiring  labors,  and  by 
his  evidently  unaffected  efforts  to  promote  the  cause  of  Jesus  and  secure  the  con- 
version of  sinners.  As  a  preacher  Christ  and  Him  crucified  is  his  chief  theme  ; 
and,  in  plain,  natural  but  apposite  terms,  which  are  sometimes  eloquent  and 
often  poetical,  he  enchains  the  attention  of  his  congregations  and  sets  forth  the 
duties  and  doctrines,  the  blessings  and  glories  of  Christianity.  He  possesses 
an  admirable  command  of  language,  a  pleasant  but  not  a  melodious  voice,  and 
an  easy,  though  not  specially  graceful,  delivery,  speaking  without  notes, 
although  in  the  preparation  of  his  sermons  he  uses  his  pen  freely. 

Nothing  objectionable  or  repulsive  ever  appears  in  his  pulpit  manners,  or  in 
his  voice.  His  style  is  neither  turgid  nor  ornate,  but  simple  and  scriptural,  and 
he  is  never  misunderstood  in  the  statement  of  his  positions,  because  his  language 
is  perspicuous  and  his  propositions  clearly  and  logically  stated.  In  listening  to 
him  you  feel  that  he  is  too  much  in  earnest  to  seek  for  long  words  and  pom- 
pous sentences,  and  that  his  soul  is  too  much  on  fire  for  the  glory  of  God  and 
the  salvation  of  souls,  to  angle  for  mere  human  applause. 

He  is  able  as  a  preacher.  The  distinguished  positions  he  has  held,  long  and 
successfully,  prove  in  him  the  possession  of  more  than  ordinary  ability  as  a 
preacher.  He  is  not  remarkable  for  culture ;  not  at  all  sensational ;  and  yet 
always  successful.  He  is  not  specially  metaphysical  or  profound,  but  always 
abounds  in  the  best  common-sense  and  practical  applications  of  truth.  He 
knows  both  the  Bible  and  the  human  heart,  and  he  knows  how  to  bring  the 
former  in  contact  with  the  latter,  and  this  he  ever  seeks  to  do  with  earnestness 
and  solemnity.  In  truth  the  greatest  of  all  ability  is  his — that  of  t'arnestness. 
By  nature  he  is  warm-hearted  and  unaffected.  His  power  of  heart  is  great.  He 
loves  as  few  can  love ;  and  this  is  his  chief  power;  for  men  are  influenced  more 
by  the  heart  than  by  the  head.  Dr.  Warren  loves  the  whole  human  race ; 
and  he  loves  his  work  and  his  church  intensely.  Such  ministers  have  always 
succeded,  and  he  is  no  exception  to  the  rule.  Intellectually  his  faculties  are 
active  and  vigorous  ;  originality  characterizes  his  discourses  ;  and  upon  them  a 
natural  fervor  bestows  delightful  animation  and  warmth. 

Dr.  Warren  has  good  administrative  ability.  This  has  been  manifested  in 
his  influence  in  educational  and  mission  Boards,  and  in  all  the  Conventions  of  the 
denomination.     In  social  life  he  is  very  amiable  and  remarkably  hospitable  ;  as 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


563 


a  friend  he  is  faithful  and  constant ;  and,  firm  in  his  opinions,  he  is  ever  brave 
in  carrying  out  his  convictions  of  duty.  With  other  ministers  he  is  a  great 
favorite  and  is  loved  because  he  loves  much ;  and  he  is  never  so  happy  as  when 
surrounded  by  Christians  and  communing  with  them ;  but  with  Christ  he  ever 
communes  as  with  a  present  friend,  and  is  ever  ready  to  speak  of  him  as  "the 
precious  Saviour." 


LOTT  WARREN. 


The  ancestors  of  Hon.  Lott  Warren 
came  from  England  and  settled  in  Vir- 
ginia. His  father,  Josiah  Warren,  re- 
moved, at  some  time  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  to  North  Carolina,  where  he 
formed  a  marriage  relation  with  Miss 
Nancy  Doty,  of  Onslow  county.  After 
the  birth  of  two  children,  the  active  and 
enterprising  couple  were  attracted  to 
Georgia,  and  made  their  home  in  Burke 
county,  where  Lott,  the  eleventh  child, 
was  born,  October  30th,  1797.  Subse- 
quently— in  1 804 — they  transferred  their 
residence  to  the  vicinity  of  Dublin,  Lau- 
rens county,  and  both  departed  this  life 
in  the  course  of  the  year  1 809.  For  many 
years  they  were  consistent  Baptists, 
noted  for  their  elevated  Christian  char- 
acter and  their  decided  hostility  to  the 
use  of  alcoholic  liquors — traits  inherited 
in  no  small  degree  by  their  son. 

Losing  his  parents  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  and  with  a  small  patrimony,  his 
early  life  passed  under  serious  disadvantages  with  regard  to  the  acquisition  of 
an  education.  While  attending  school  after  the  usual  labor  on  the  farm,  in 
Wilkinson  county,  to  which  his  guardian.  Rev.  Charles  Culpepper,  had  moved, 
an  incident  occurred  which  seems  to  have  exerted  a  controlling  influence  on  his 
life.  He  obtained  permission  from  his  teacher  to  attend  a  criminal  trial.  "  Stand- 
ing barefoot,  a  coarse,  ungainly  lad  of  fifteen,  clad  in  homespun,  with  wool  hat 
in  hand,  gazing  with  intense  curiosity  from  a  window  on  the  scene  before  him," 
all  the  proceedings,  the  first  of  the  kind  he  had  ever  witnessed — the  examination 
of  witnesses,  the  speeches  of  counsel,  and  the  charge  of  the  court — filled  him  with 
an  irresistible  desire  to  be  a  lawyer.  His  sister,  to  whom  he  unbosomed  himself 
on  returning  home,  expressed  surprise  and  sorrow  ;  urged  in  objection  his  lim- 
ited education,  his  want  of  means,  and  the  low  standard  of  morals  in  the  profes- 
sion ;  and  disposed  of  his  request  without  even  consulting  his  guardian.  But 
she  could  not  quench  the  fire  kindled  that  day  in  the  soul  of  the  stripling,  and 
lived  to  see  him,  in  less  than  twenty  years  afterwards.  Judge  of  the  Southern 
Circuit. 

While  acting  as  clerk  in  a  store  at  Dublin,  he  was  drafted  in  the  militia  ser- 
vice for  the  Seminole  war;  was  elected,  in  February,  181 8,  Second  Lieutenant 
of  the  Laurens  company ;  and  when  a  portion  of  the  State  forces  were  placed 
under  command  of  Major  Wright,  U.  S.  A.,  was  appointed  Adjutant  of  the  de- 
tachment. On  the  disbandment  of  the  troops,  he  resumed  his  clerkship  ;  passed 
six  months  at  a  grammar  school  in  1819  ;  became  supercargo  on  a  flat-boat  con- 
nected with  the  work  for  the  improvement  of  the  Oconee  river ;  after  reading 
Blackstone's  Commentaries  through  during  his  leisure  hours  in  that  position, 

39 


564  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

entered  the  law  office  of  Daniel  McNeel,  in  Dublin,  February,  1820;  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  at  Laurens  Superior  Court,  March,  1821. 

In  lieu  of  further  narrative  by  ourselves,  we  give  a  brief  biographical  sketch, 
prepared,  shortly  after  his  decease,  by  a  committee  of  the  Albany  Baptist  church, 
as  containing  the  outUnes  of  his  life  and  the  elements  of  his  character  : 

"Our  beloved  brother,  Lott  Warren,  departed  this  life  on  Monday,  17th  of 
June,  1 86 1.  Such  was  his  prominence  as  a  citizen,  a  Christian,  and  an  able  and 
active  member  of  this  church,  that  it  becomes  highly  proper  that  a  brief  memo- 
rial of  his  life  and  character  should  be  entered  upon  our  record. 

"  He  was  born  in  Burke  county,  Georgia,  October  30th,  1797.  After  an  ener- 
getic and  noble  struggle  with  many  difficulties  in  his  early  years,  he  at  length 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  law,  which  he  prosecuted,  with  some  short  inter- 
vals, with  much  ability  and  success  to  the  hour  of  his  death.  He  was  called  by 
his  fellow-citizens  to  many  important  positions  of  trust  and  honor.  He  was  for 
a  time  a  member  of  our  State  Legislature  [of  the  House  in  1824,  and  of  the  Sen- 
ate in  1830J ;  was  also  Solicitor-General  [from  1826  to  1828J  and  Judge  [from 
1 83 1  to  1834]  of  the  Southern  Circuit.  Subsequently  he  was  twice  elected 
[in  1838  and  1840]  to  serve  his  State  in  Congress,  and  afterwards  was  twice 
elected  |in  1843  and  1847]  to  serve  on  the  bench  of  the  Southwestern  Circuit. 
He  discharged  the  duties  of  these  various  offices  with  ability  and  great  hcnesty 
of  purpose. 

"  But  it  was  as  a  decided  Christian  and  Baptist  that  brother  Lott  Warren  be- 
came entitled  to  a  special  and  honorable  place  upon  our  church  records.  He 
was  baptized  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  R.  Hand,  and  became  a  member  of  the  Rich- 
land church,  Twiggs  county,  in  1834.  Subsequently  removing  to  southwestern 
Georgia,  he  united  with  the  Baptist  church  in  Americus.  In  1845  he  united  with 
this  church,  and  remained  a  member  until  his  death.  In  1837  he  was  set  apart  to 
the  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry,  and  by  his  occasional  fervent  labors  in  the  pul- 
pit, he  rendered  much  useful  service  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  . 

"  Brother  Warren  was  remarkably  exemplary  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  He 
was  a  man  of  warm,  earnest  and  unquestioned  piety,  decided  in  his  opinions, 
distinguished  for  his  great  moral  firmness  and  unflinching  boldness  in  the  defence 
of  what  he  believed  to  be  right.  He  was  a  conscientious,  decided  and  uncom- 
promising Baptist,  though  kind  and  affectionate  in  his  feelings  towards  all  whom 
he  believed  to  be  good  men.  He  was  the  advocate  of  strict  discipline;  contrib- 
uted liberally  of  his  substance  to  the  support  of  his  pastor,  and  other  pious  ob- 
jects. He  was  a  friend  of  the  poor,  a  bold  and  able  champion  of  the  cause  of 
temperance,  and  an  unwearied  and  enthusiastic  supporter  of  the  Sabbath-school 
enterprise.  For  many  years  he  labored  with  indefatigable  zeal  as  a  teacher  in 
the  Sunday-school  connected  with  the  Albany  church.  He  was  a  lover  of  gos- 
pel truth,  a  lover  of  the  gates  of  Zion,  and  remarkably  punctual  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duties  as  a  church  member.  It  deserves  a  special  place  upon  our  records 
that  the  Hon.  Lott  Warren,  the  able  Representative,  lawyer,  statesman  and 
Judge,  was  emphatically  the  humble  door-keeper  of  our  church.  On  days  of 
public  worship  his  watchful,  affectionate  and  gentlemanly  service  was  ever  ten- 
dered where  needful,  to  friends  and  strangers,  to  rich  and  poor,  that  they  might 
be  provided  with  comfortable  seats  in  our  worshipping  assemblies.  His  hum- 
ble, cheerful  conduct  in  this  particular  was  a  delightful  comment  upon  the  ex- 
pression of  the  Psalmist,  '  I  had  rather  be  a  door-keeper  in  the  house  of  my  God 
than  to  dwell  in  the  tents  of  wickedness.' 

"  Brother  Warren  had  his  faults,  but  they  were  such  as  we  might  naturally 
expect  to  see  in  one  of  his  ardent  temperament,  strong  impulses  and  great  force 
of  character.  The  grace  of  God  shone  conspicuously  in  his  life ;  his  frailties 
were  overshadowed  by  bright,  prevailing  virtues.  He  died  suddenly  when 
making  a  speech  in  the  court-house  at  Albany,  in  the  defence  of  the  life  of  a 
slave,  who  was  on  trial  for  commitment.  He  was  smitten  with  apoplexy,  sunk 
suddenly  to  the  floor,  and  without  a  word,  breath  or  struggle,  passed  into  eter- 
nity. On  the  following  day  a  large  concourse  followed  his  remains  to  the  tomb, 
where  they  sleep  in  hope  of  a  blessed  resurrection." 

In  person,  Judge  Warren  was  full  six  feet  high,  and  weighed  some  180  or  190 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


565 


pounds.     His  forehead  was  large  and  round,  eyes  blue,  hair  sandy,  and  com- 
plexion fresh  and  ruddy. 

He  had  formed  an  early  attachment,  when  at  school,  for  Miss  Jane  DeSau- 
bleaux,  to  whom  he  was  married  October  19th,  1820.  She  was  the  orphan  of 
a  French  gentleman  who  came  to  the  United  States  during  the  Revolutionary 
war.  By  this  marriage  he  had  two  children :  one  a  daughter,  the  wife  of  Dr. 
William  Hardwick,  now  of  Americus ;  and  the  other  a  son,  L.  P.  D.  Warren, 
Esq.,  who  resides  in  Albany,  a  successful  lawyer,  and  the  father  of  a  large  and 
most  interesting  family.  Mrs.  Warren  is  still  living,  spending  her  time  with  her 
children,  and  has  been  for  many  years  a  devoted  member  of  the  Albany  Baptist 
church. 


CHASTAIN  VALENTINE  WAUGH. 


Rev.  Chastain  Valentine  Waugh 
is  a  native  of  Manchester,  Virginia,  and 
about  thirty-two  years  of  age.  His  pa- 
rents, Andrew  B.  and  S.  F.  Waugh,  are 
still  living,  though  far  advanced  in  years. 
His  grandfather  was  born  in  Ireland,  and 
settled  in  Dinwiddle  county  Virginia,  in 
the  past  century.  He  contracted  a  cold 
in  the  war  of  181 2  between  England  and 
America,  which  terminated  fatally,  and  his 
son,  Andrew,  being  early  left  an  orphan, 
encountered  some  hard  struggles,  but  was 
successful  in  the  accumulation  of  a  mod- 
erate property. 

Chastain  V.  was  for  a  long  time  the 
only  son  of  his  parents,  and  the  pet  of  his 
mother.  Their  plans  for  his  education 
as  a  physician  were  frustrated  by  the  war 
between  the  States,  but  the  "  divinity 
which  shapes  our  ends  "  was  manifested 
in  his  case.     A  God  of  wisdom  and  love  orders  the  steps  of  His  chosen  ones. 

He  professed  conversion  in  1865,  and  entered  on  a  variety  of  religious  duties, 
but  he  was  not  baptized  until  February,  1866,  by  Rev.  W.  E.  Hatcher.  Other 
influences  had  been  brought  to  bear  on  his  training,  yet,  after  a  careful  study  of 
the  Scriptures,  and  close  and  cautious  heart-searchings,  he  resolved,  through 
some  opposition,  that  he  could  be  nothing  but  a  Baptist,  and  united  himself  with 
the  Manchester  church.  He  now  devoted  himself  more  entirely  to  the  cause  of 
Christ,  taking  greater  interestin  the  prayer-meetings,  Sunday-schools  and  church 
interests  than  he  had  previously  done.  He  expressed  himself  as  having  passed 
through  the  spiritual  crisis  with  much  fear  and  trembling  ;  but  after  his  conver- 
sion he  was  conscious  of  an  entire  change,  which  could  have  been  effected  only 
by  the  power  of  God.  The  dissatisfaction  he  felt  with  himself  before  his  bap- 
tism passed  away  after  his  submission  to  that  beautiful  type  of  truth.  Obedience 
brought  the  blessings  of  peace,  and  he  exclaimed  in  heart  with  Paul,  "  Lord, 
what  wilt  though  have  me  to  do  ?"  Feeling  from  the  time  of  his  baptism  that 
it  was  his  duty  to  preach,  he  was  ready  to  meet  the  approaches  of  his  pastor  in 
counsel  and  advice,  and  to  receive  from  him  the  scriptural  admonitions  which  it 
would  be  so  well  for  us  to  heed  at  all  times  :  *'  Lean  not  upon  your  own  under- 
standing, but  in  all  your  ways  acknowledge  Him  and  He  will  direct  your 
path." 

Through  the  force  of  circumstances  his  education  had  been  limited,  and  he 


566  BIOGRAl'HlCAL  SKETCHES 

felt  but  a  small  hope  of  becoming  an  acceptable  preacher ;  but  by  dint  of  perse- 
verance— working  hard  during  the  day  at  his  business,  and  studying  until  late  at 
night,  without  a  teacher — he  mastered  English  grammar,  arithmetic,  algebra 
through  equations,  and  sufficient  Latin  to  read  Cassar  and  other  minor  books. 
He  took  up  Greek,  and  made  considerable  progress  in  the  grammar.  Having  a 
great  fondness  for  vocal  music,  and  with  no  other  instruction  than  that  he  de- 
rived from  the  "  Carmina  Sacra,"  he  overcame  all  obstacles  so  as  to  read  vocal 
music  at  sight,  and  this  he  accomplished  in  a  few  months  ;  he  is  now  a  pretty  fair 
composer.  The  IVIanchester  church  took  cognizance  of  his  efficiency  as  an  officer, 
and  of  his  success  as  a  teacher — all  of  his  class,  fifteen  in  number  having,  with 
one  exception,  become  Christians  while  under  his  care — and  in  July,  1878,  itM^as 
decided  that  he  should  go  to  Richmond  College,  Virginia,  and  fit  himself  for  the 
ministerial  office.  Through  the  noble  and  generous  aid  of  Deacon  H.  C.  Bur- 
nette  and  Dr.  W.  E.  Hatcher,  together  with  other  means  at  his  disposal,  he  was 
enabled  to  accomplish  his  collegiate  course.  While  at  college,  his  promotions 
were  of  a  flattering  character,  and  he  was  the  recipient  of  a  gold  medal,  offered 
by  the  Philologian  Society  of  Richmond  College  to  the  best  speaker. 

After  leaving  college,  with  health  much  impaired,  he  went,  in  September,  1872, 
to  Hillsboro,  Albemarle  county,  Virginia,  took  charge  of  the  church  there,  and 
engaged  in  teaching  a  school.  After  teaching  a  year  he  gave  it  up,  and  devoted 
himself  exclusively  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  preaching  at  Hillsboro  and  a 
mission  station  a  few  miles  off  in  the  mountains,  also  at  Shiloh,  in  Nelson  county. 
The  Hillsboro  church  prospered  under  his  care  ;  about  thirty  were  added  to  it. 
During  his  pastorate  at  Shiloh — a  little  over  one  year — there  were  sixty  acces- 
sions. At  Hillsboro,  March  9th,  1873,  he  was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the 
ministry.  Revs.  J.  E.  Massie,  L.  P.  Huff,  P.  Cleaveland  and  Dr.  J.  C.  Long  con- 
stituted the  presbytery. 

In  October,  1874,  he  resigned  his  churches,  went  to  Greenville,  South  Carolina, 
and  studied  at  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary.  His  health  was  so 
much  impaired  that  he  had  to  abandon  his  intention  to  take  the  whole  course  of 
study,  and  had  to  confine  himself  to  the  pastor's  course. 

He  left  Greenville  in  May,  1875,  and  took  charge  of  the  Modest  Town  church, 
Accomac  county,  Virginia,  in  June,  1875,  in  answer  to  a  call  he  had  received 
before  he  went  to  the  Seminary,  and  which  was  subsequently  renewed.  He 
worked  with  them  until  his  removal  to  Florida  in  1876,  where  he  was  called  to 
the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Gainesville  Baptist  church.  The  circumstances  which 
led  to  this  change  were  apparently  providential.  In  July,  1876,  while  on  his 
way  to  Petersburg,  Virginia,  he  casually  met  Rev.  J.  H.  Tomkies,  with  whom  he 
volunteered  an  acquaintance.  Upon  exchanging  names  Mr.  Tomkies  remarked, 
"  I  know  you  ;  you  have  been  recommended  to  me  as  a  pastor  for  the  Gaines- 
ville Baptist  church  by  two  professors  at  Greenville.  Won't  you  come  ?"  A 
call  was  afterwards  extended  by  the  church,  Mr.  Tomkies  being  obliged  to  resign 
the  pastorate  from  ill  health,  and  Mr.  Waugh  being  strongly  advocated  for  the 
place.  He  accepted  the  call,  having  been  previously  advised  by  his  physicians 
to  come  South  on  account  of  his  bronchial  troubles.  The  Gainesville  church 
was  in  its  infancy  when  he  came  to  it,  and  has  been  much  improved  under  his 
pastoral  care.  Some  thirty-five  members  have  been  added  by  baptism,  and 
many  more  by  letter  ;  a  baptistery  has  been  built,  with  dressing-rooms  annexed  ; 
the  church  has  been  nicely  painted  within  and  without,  and  other  important  con- 
veniences and  improvements  added  to  it,  and  a  flourishing  Sunday-school  is 
wisely  conducted  under  his  supervision. 

Mr.  Waugh  is  prepossessing  in  his  appearance ;  cheerful,  lively  and  interest- 
ing in  social  life.  He  is  enthusiastic  in  his  undertakings  ;  full  of  energy  and 
industry;  a  believer,  not  in  that  contentment  with  such  things  as  we  have,  which 
is  the  result  of  idleness,  but  in  contentment  in  the  endurance  of  evils  which  are 
irremediable.  He  is  acceptable  and  interesting  as  a  preacher  ;  his  sermons  are 
argumentative  and  his  mind  inclined  to  be  metaphysical.  His  aim  is  to  make 
Jesus  his  theme.  He  is  punctual  in  visiting  his  flock,  without  discrimination  of 
class,  and  is  sympathetic  and  helpful  in  his  ministrations.  His  industry  and 
ingenuity,  in  constant  exercise,  has  adorned  his  home  and  made  it  comfortable, 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS. 


567 


and  beautified  the  church.  Economical  and  contriving,  he  can  be  generous  and 
bountiful  where  others  would  starve.  With  strong  prejudices,  characteristic  of 
his  race,  he  seeks  after  enlargement  of  heart  and  mind,  and  that  charity  without 
which  we  would  be  but  as  sounding  brass. 

He  married  in  November,  1878,  in  Covington,  Kentucky,  Fannie  Howard 
McGill,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  D.  and  Louisa  McGill.  Her  father  was  a  preacher 
and  lawyer,  well  known  in  Virginia  and  Kentucky.  They  have  one  child,  a 
daughter. 

Since  coming  to  Florida,  Mr.  Waugh  has  been  clerk  of  the  State  Convention 
and  of  the  Santa  Fe  River  Association,  and  President  of  the  Alachua  Bible 
Society.  He  is  now  trying  to  work  up  the  statistics  of  the  Baptists  of  Florida. 
He  makes  frequent  contributions  to  The  Index,  and  while  it  was  in  existence, 
was  a  warm  supporter  of  the  Florida  Baptist. 


J.  M.  WEAVER. 

Rev.  J.  M.  Weaver,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  Louisville,  Chestnut  Street,  Baptist 
church,  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  December  i8th,  1832,  and  is, 
therefore,  now  forty-eight  years  of  age.  He  was  educated  at  Georgetown  Col- 
lege, Georgetown,  Kentucky,  and  was  ordained  in  the  year  1855.  Prior  to 
assuming  his  present  charge  he  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Taylorsville, 
Kentucky,  for  eight  or  nine  years,  moving  to  Louisville  in  January,  1873.  The 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  him  by  the  Agricultural  and 
Mechanical  College  of  Alabama,  in  1873. 

He  was  originally  immersed  by  a  Methodist  minister,  and  when  he  joined  the 
Baptists  that  imm.ersion  was  accepted  by  his  church  and  regarded  by  himself  as 
valid.  But  one  or  two  years  since,  largely  out  of  deference  to  the  views  of 
brethren  hostile  to  "  alien  immersion"  (as  the  current  phrase  is),  he  was  baptized  by 
Dr.  J.  P.  Boyce,  of  Louisville.  He  is  a  man  with  much  force  of  intellect  and  force 
of  character,  a  laborious,  acceptable  and  successful  minister,  and  a  pastor  throned 
in  the  confidence  and  affection  of  his  people. 


JOHN  M.  WEBB. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  sketch  is  a  nephew  of  Elder 
A.  Webb,  so  long  the  Moderator  of  the  Hightower  Asso- 
ciation. The  Webbs  are  of  Irish  descent,  and  moved 
first  from  Virginia  to  North  Carolina,  and  then  to  Geor- 
gia, settling  in  DeKalb  county,  near  Stone  Mountain, 
where  Rev.  John  M.  Webb  was  born,  June  7th,  1840. 
His  father  was  Clinton  Webb,  and  his  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Mary  New.  His  parents  moved  to  Forsyth 
county,  and  this  being  comparatively  a  new  county,  John 
found  very  limited  opportunities  for  gratifying  his  great 
desire  to  secure  a  good  education.  Not  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age 
did  he  acquire  any  knowledge  of  English  grammar,  and  he  found  no  means  of 
studying  the  Latin  language  until  he  was  twenty-six.  During  these  years  he 
taught  school,  and  used  the  hours  of  recess  in  diligent  study.  Experiencing,  as 
he  believed,  the  converting  grace  of  God,  he  united  with  the  Union  Hill  church. 


568 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


Forsyth  county,  in  1858.  Inspired  with  true  patriotism  and  love  for  the  land  of 
his  nativity,  he  yielded  most  cheerfully  to  the  call  of  his  country  and  entered  the 
Confederate  army  in  Virginia  ;  but  from  physical  disability  he  was  granted  a 
discharge  and  allowed  to  return  home.  It  was  while  in  the  Confederate  service 
that  he  felt  his  first  convictions  of  duty  to  devote  his  life  to  the  ministry  of  the 
Word.  In  1864  he  commenced  to  speak  in  the  name  of  Jesus  to  the  people,  and 
in  1869  he  was  called  by  his  church  to  the  full  work  of  the  ministry.  Most  of 
his  labors  have  been  evangelistic,  and  have  borne  marked  tokens  of  the  Divine 
favor.  His  Christian  life  has  been  specially  manifest  in  his  quiet  submission  to 
the  will  of  Providence.  Death  invaded  his  family,  and,  one  by  one,  four  of  his 
childrerf  were  torn  from  the  embraces  of  paternal  love  ;  but  no  murmur  escaped 
his  lips.  Like  Job,  he  quietly  submitted.  "  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath 
taken  away,  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord."  He  and  his  devoted  wife,  to 
whom  he  was  married  in  1867,  joyfully  look  forward  to  the  time  when  they  shall 
meet  the  precious  ones  who  have  gone  before  them,  uniting  with  them  in  songs 
of  praise  to  the  blessed  Redeemer  "  forever  and  ever." 


G.  W.  WEEKLY 


Rev.  G.  W.,  eldest  son  of  Thomas  C.  and  Rosanna 
(Bamberg)  Weekly,  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Georgia 
September  19th,  1824.  Educated  only  in  common  coun- 
try schools,  he  was  trained  to  habits  of  industry  on  the 
farm  and  in  the  shop  of  the  mechanic.  He  was  noted, 
even  when  a  boy,  for  the  kindly  spirit  breathing  through 
his  intercourse  with  classmates  and  playmates,  his  affec- 
tionate manner  towards  his  parents,  and  his  cheerful  obe- 
dience, not  to  their  commands  simply,  but  to  their  very 
wishes.  To  these  excellent  qualities  the  crown  of  genuine 
religious  principle — of  "  repentance  toward  God  and  of  faith  toward  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ " — was  added  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  ;  an  age  which,  in  the 
present  state  of  things,  seems  early  for  decisive  spiritual  experience,  but  which 
would  doubtless  prove  late  if  parental  and  Christian  duty  were  fully  discharged 
by  the  great  body  and  bulk  of  professors.  He  united  with  Mt.  Zion  church, 
Talbot  county,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  I.  B.  Deavors.  In  December,  1844, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  P.  S.  Pickard,  of  Hancock  county,  a  union  from  which 
sprung  nine  children,  of  whom  the  five  now  living  are  consistent  members  of 
Baptist  churches.  The  war  between  the  States  carried  him  into  the  army,  as 
Lieutenant  in  Company  B,  attached  to  the  Seventeenth  Georgia  Regiment,  and  he 
also  acted  as  chaplain  to  his  company.  In  February,  1863,  he  was  ordained  to 
the  gospel  ministry  at  Ellaville  church,  Schley  county.  Revs.  J.  H.  Corley.  I.  B. 
Deavors,  and  others,  officiating.  In  this  calling  he  has  been  no  drone,  but  an 
earnest  worker,  with  the  daily  prayer,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?'" 
He  has  served  churches,  with  success  and  satisfaction,  in  Schley,  Sumter,  Macon, 
Dooly,  Lee,  Stewart  and  Talbot  counties.  The  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Columbus  Association  invited  him,  in  April,  1875,  to  labor  as  missionary  to 
destitute  neighborhoods  within  the  territorial  limits  of  that  organization.  He 
complied  with  the  call,  and  did  effective  service  in  that  sphere  until  October, 
1878. 

He  is  of  medium  height,  with  dark  complexion,  and  his  strong  and  vigorous 
frame  makes  him  a  fine  specimen  of  physical  manhood.  In  moral  rrianhood, 
too,  he  stands  free  from  reproach,  being  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
pertaining  to  all  the  relations  of  life,  and  striving  to  "  do  unto  others  as  he  would 
have  them  do  unto  him." 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


569 


MASHALL  J.  WELLBORN. 

Those  divinely  inspired  words, 
"The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed," 
have  a  felicitous  illustration  in  the 
surviving  influence  of  the  Christian 
life  and  labors  of  Rev.  Marshall  J. 
Wellborn.  His  example,  so  Christ- 
like, still  powerfully  moves  the  com- 
munities in  which  he  re-^^ided.  "  He, 
being  dead,  yet  speaketh."  Multi- 
tudes remember  him  with  grateful 
affection,  and  time  and  eternity  will 
continue  to  disclose  the  beneficial  re- 
sults of  his  pure,  self-sacrificing  asso- 
ciation with  the  Church  of  Christ  and 
the  world  as  a  "  disciple." 

After  he  became  a  Christian,  he 
was  nervously  anxious  that  his  breth- 
ren should  avoid  an  over-estimate  of 
his  endeavors  to  do  good,  and  not 
attribute  to  him  credit  above  the  very 
humble  views  he  had  of  himself  be- 
fore God.  He  sought  no  notoriety, 
and  shrank  with  pain  from  attention 
attracted  toward  him  by  the  publication  of  any  of  his  acts  of  Christian  liberality 
or  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  Now,  his  friends  need  be  under  no  restraint 
on  account  of  his  delicate  sensibility.  Now,  they  ought  to  speak.  His  example 
is  a  most  precious  heritage  of  blessings  for  his  surviving  Christian  friends,  the 
Church,  and  the  cause  of  truth 

His  father,  Thomas  Wellborn,  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina ;  his  mother  of 
Virginia:  both  were  of  English  extraction.  He  was  born  May  20th,  1808,  in 
Putnam  county,  Georgia. 

The  advantages  of  his  early  years  were  moderate,  yet  with  a  laudable  ambi- 
tion and  great  force  of  will,  he  overcame  all  obstacles,  passed  through  the 
Junior  class  of  the  State  University  at  Athens,  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  by  special  act  of  the  Legislature  before  he  was  of  age.  He  advanced 
rapidly.     Though  measurably  seff-made,  results  prove  that  he  was  well  made. 

He  removed  to  Hamilton,  Harris  county,  early  in  1828,  where  the  foundations 
of  his  fortune  and  success  in  after  life  were  laid.  To  the  people  of  that  commu- 
nity he  considered  himself  under  lasting  obligations  for  their  unstinted  support 
in  the  commencement  of  his  professional  career.  A  few  years  afterward  he 
settled  in  Columbus,  which  he  regarded  as  his  home  to  the  end  of  his  Hfe.  Here 
he  became  the  successful  lawyer,  the  learned  and  impartial  Judge,  a  member  of 
the  State  Legislature,  and,  without  a  stain  upon  his  character,  accumulated  an 
ample  fortune.  In  1842  he  was  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  the  Chattahoo- 
chee Circuit.  About  this  time  he  visited  Europe,  and  travelled  extensively  on 
the  continent.  On  his  return  he  was  elected  a  member  of  Congress  to  succeed 
Hon.  Alfred  Iverson.     He  served  but  one  term. 

His  attainments  in  learning,  connected  with  a  large  fund  of  information  ob- 
tained by  foreign  travel,  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  association  with  the 
best  circles  of  society,  made  him  an  accomplished  gentleman,  universally  esteemed 
and  honored ;  in  presence  agreeable,  in  dress  faultless.  He  was  a  moral  nian 
in  the  highest  sense  of  the  term  as  used  by  men  of  the  world.  For  the  Christ 
ian  religion,  previous  to  his  conversion,  he  manifested  high  appreciation  by  con 
stant  attendance  on  its  public  services,  a  liberal  support  of  its  ministry,  and  an 


570  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

attentive  and  most  respectful  hearing  of  the  preached  Word.  This  was  Marshall 
J.  Wellborn  as  Jesus  found  him  in  1858,  a  wealthy,  honorable,  honored  man  of 
the  world.  God's  time  to  save  him  and  make  him  a  witness  for  Jesus  had 
arrived,  and  we  behold  him  wonderfully  transformed  into  a  "  new  man,"  sitting 
at  the  Redeemer's  feet. 

When  the  great  revival  in  Columbus  commenced,  early  in  its  progress  he  was 
arrested  by  the  convicting  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  From  a  state  of  self-right- 
eous satisfaction,  he  was  suddenly  overwhelmed  by  a  sense  of  his  great  sin 
against  God.  He  felt  that  the  title,  "  the  chief  of  sinners,"  exactly  described  his 
condition.  The  lawyer  saw  himself  the  transgressor  of  that  "  holy,  just,  and 
good  "  law,  without  love  to  the  God  of  love.  The  justice  of  his  condemnation 
alarmed  him  ;  he  saw  as  a  judge  that  the  Eternal  Judge  was  compelled  to  exe- 
cute the  penalty  of  his  dishonored  law,  and  punish  the  guilty.  Self-loathing, 
abhorrence  of  the  sin  which  he  had  so  greatly  loved,  filled  him  with  inexpressi- 
ble distress.  Many  tears  flowed  from  those  eyes  unaccustomed  to  weep.  He 
confessed  his  wickedness  in  being  found  arrayed  against  God,  all  goodness  and 
love.  He  had  sinned  without  reason,  willfully,  without  excuse.  "  Now,  could 
mercy  be  shown  to  him  ?  "  He  would  get  upon  his  knees,  and  with  cries  and 
tears  confessing  to  God,  supplicate  for  mercy.  His  whole  soul  was  agitated  be- 
yond anything  his  pastor  had  ever  seen  in  awakened  sinners  before  ;  walking  his 
room  rapidly,  wringing  his  hands,  reproaching  himself  for  having  done  so  wick- 
edly, with  great  tears  falling  from  his  eyes  as  he  beheld  himself,  in  the  light  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  a  lost  sinner. 

After  many  hours  of  repentance  and  of  godly  sorrow,  the  long  struggle 
changed  into  an  earnest  desire  to  be  saved.  "  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  " 
"  Can  I  be  saved  .'*  "  were  questions  in  rapid  succession.  The  incarnation,  mission, 
and  suffering  of  Jesus,  the  requirements  of  the  gospel,  repentance  toward  God 
and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus,  were  presented,  and  absorbed  his  most  profound 
attention.  The  Son  of  Man  came  into  the  world  to  "  save  sinners,  of  whom  I 
am  chief,"  made  satisfactory  answer  to  these  questions.  He  came  to  save  "  the 
chief  of  sinners ;  "  "  I  am  that  sinner  ;  I  may  be  saved,"  he  cried.  How?  What 
shall  I  do  ?  Every  step  in  his  progress  was  taken  with  a  lawyer's  inquiry  for 
the  reason,  united  with  the  teachableness  of  a  little  child.  He  was  told  to  be- 
lieve in  Jesus,  that  "  he  that  believeth  shall  be  saved."  "  What  must  I  believe  ?  " 
Those  passages  were  examined  which  assert  that  the  sufferings  of  the  Redeemer 
were- in  substitution  for  the  sin  of  the  transgressors.  "  Wounded  for  our  trans- 
gression, bruised  for  our  iniquities."  "  He  bore  our  sins  in  His  own  body  upon 
the  tree."  "  The  Lord  laid  upon  him  the  iniquities  of  us  all."  "  He  suffered  for 
our  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  that  He  might  bring  us  to  God."  The  justice 
and  reasonableness  of  an  innocent  person  becoming  a  substitute,  and  suffering  as 
security  for  a  wrong-doer,  he  saw  clearly,  and  contemplated  with  a  degree  of 
comfort.  He  saw  that  the  righteousness  of  the  innocent  sufferer  could  also  be 
imputed  to  the  one  devoid  of  righteousness  if  the  sovereign  and  suffering  security 
so  willed.  The  work  of  Jesus  as  a  finished  work,  designed  and  wrought  out  by 
God  to  save  sinners,  satisfied  him  that  salvation  was  within  his  reach.  Enlight- 
ened from  on  high,  he  saw  that  all  was  ready,  "  Only  beUeve."  He  came  to  save, 
else  he  had  never  submitted  to  the  sufferings  of  the  cross.  "  He  is  able  to  save." 
He  saw  that  the  invitation  of  Jesus  to  sinners  to  come  to  him,  and  his  promise  to 
give  rest,  demanded  the  venture,  the  acceptance  of  salvation  as  the  gift  of  Sov- 
ereign Grace.  The  effort  was  made.  "  I  accept,  I  believe,  I  surrender  all  to 
Thee,  Jesus,  my  Lord."  A  sense  of  pardon,  the  peace  of  God,  joy  and  praise,  at 
once  were  manifested.     He  was  born  of  God. 

He  had  marked  evidences  of  the  wonderful  change,  enrapturing  love  of  God 
in  Christ,  love  of  Christians,  and  all  those  feelings  which  characterize  the  new 
born  child  of  God.  To  his  friends  the  testimony  of  his  change  was  no  less  sat- 
isfactory. "  Redeeming  love  "  became  his  theme  ;  everywhere  the  salvation  of 
his  fellow-men  called  the  energy  of  his  nature  into  fullest  exercise.  During 
the  continuance  of  the  revival,  his  labors,  exhortations  and  efforts  were  typical 
of  his  future  work.  He  wrote  to  many  of  his  associates  and  acquaintances  in 
all  parts  of  the  country,  calling  their  attention  to  the  salvation  of  their  souls,  and 


OF    PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  571 

exhorting  them  to  turn  to  thq  Lord.  Immediately  after  hope  sprang  into  his 
heart,  he  remembered  that  a  great  difficulty  existed  between  a  gentleman  in  the 
neghborhood  and  himself.  He  sought  his  enemy,  made  such  statements  con- 
cerning his  change,  and  such  explanations  concerning  their  alienation,  as  resulted 
in  a  hearty  reconciliation.     This  was  in  the  spring  of  1858. 

He  was  baptized  in  a  few  days  after  this  change,  by  Dr.  J.  H.  DeVotie,  and 
became  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Columbus,  Georgia,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  the  time  of  his  decease. 

"  W^Jiat  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?"  was  his  earnest  inquiry  before  God. 

His  first  decision  was  to  abandon  the  practice  of  law,  not  because  he  did  not 
consider  it  a  most  honorable  and  worthy  profession,  for  he  had  mainly  accumu- 
lated his  fortune  and  gained  his  reputation  by  it,  but  that  he  might  be  no  longer 
connected  with  the  difficulties  and  heart-burnings  of  his  fellow-men.  He  made 
a  present  of  his  valuable  law  library  to  a  legal  friend,  and  his  voice  was  heard  no 
more  at  the  bar.  He  had  given  himself  to  Christ,  soul  and  body,  and  he  fer- 
vently prayed  for  divine  direction.  His  church  elected  him  a  deacon ;  he  said 
he  had  no  impressions  in  that  direction,  and  promptly  declined  the  office.  Never 
had  a  pastor  a  more  loving  and  helpful  co-laborer  in  a  private  member  in  every 
good  work.  He  was  specially  gifted  in  prayer  and  exhortation,  and  was  always 
ready,  when  called  upon,  to  exercise  his  gift  for  the  edification  of  the  church  and 
the  salvation  of  souls. 

His  church,  recognizing  these  talents  as  indicating  a  call  to  the  gospel  min- 
istry, unanimously  gave  him  license,  and  advised  him  to  preach  the  Word.  He 
gave  the  subject  much  thought,  prayed  for  guidance,  and  corresponded  with 
many  of  the  ministers  of  the  denomination.  Their  advice  was  conflicting,  some 
thought  that  he  should,  at  his  advanced  age,  decline.  He  hesitated  and  returned 
the  license  to  his  pastor,  who  held  it  for  a  number  of  months.  The  Word  all 
this  time  was  as  fire  in  his  bones,  and  finally  he  decided  to  preach  Christ  cruci- 
fied.    He  was  ordained  in  Columbus,  June  29th,  1864. 

He  was  invited  to  take  the  charge  of  a  popular  and  wealthy  city  church,  which 
he  declined.  The  Hamilton  Baptist  church  gave  him  a  call  in  June,  1864.,  which 
he  accepted.  The  people  at  Hamilton,  and  the  region  around,  he  said,  had  com- 
menced and  promoted  his  worldly  prosperity,  and  duty,  with  gratitude,  de- 
manded that  their  spiritual  wants  should  receive  his  best  efforts  for  their 
instruction  in  godly  affairs ;  and  well,  lovingly  and  truly  did  he  care  for  their 
souls.  He  was  called  to  the  care  of  the  Bethesda  church  about  the  same  time. 
He  preached  to  both  of  these  churches  two  Sabbaths  a  month  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  A  condition  of  his  acceptance  was  that  he  would  receive  no  salary  for  his 
services.  His  ample  fortune  enabled  him  to  do  this,  but  far-reaching  injurious 
effects  show  his  course  in  this  respect  to  be  a  mistake. 

As  a  preacher  he  possessed  superior  ability.  He  was  a  close  student  to  the 
end.  His  sermons  were  well  prepared,  earnestly  and  eloquently  delivered,  and 
it  is  surprising  how  clearly  he  comprehended  and  explained  the  doctrines  of  the 
Scriptures,  as  understood  by  Baptists.  "  In  doctrine  incorrupt,"  his  labors  proved 
that  he  loved  Jesus  and  the  souls  of  men. 

He  had  few  superiors  as  a  pastor.  His  labors  in  this  respect  were  untiring. 
It  is  said  that  he  scarcely  ever  passed  the  house  of  one  of  his  members  without 
calling  and  having  worship.  The  poor  and  destitute  were  particular  sharers  in 
these  labors  of  love.     His  social  qualifications  fitted  him  for  every  circle. 

His  regular  visits  to  his  churches  were  looked  forward  to  with  a.nxious  ex- 
pectation. Every  family  counted  on  a  visit  from  him  when  he  arrived  in  the 
community.  His  congregations  were  large,  and  his  constant  efforts  to  build  up 
his  churches  were  successful.  Many  believed  and  were  baptized  under  his  min- 
istry. The  condemned  and  perilous  condition  of  impenitent  men  was,  with  him, 
a  reality  ;  hence,  he  sought  every  opportunity  to  warn  the  unconverted,  and  urge 
their  acceptance  of  the  gospel  salvation.  As. characteristic,  not  more  than  half 
an  hour  before  his  last  breath,  he  conversed  with  a  man  on  the  street,  urging 
him  to  repent  and  believe  the  Gospel.  He  dispensed  Christian  charity  with  a 
warm  heart  and  liberal  hand.  His  benefactions  to  the  poor,  the  widow  and  the 
fatherless,  as  far  as  possible,  he  concealed  ;  but  multitudes  of  these  beneficiaries 


572  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES 

speak  out  now  and  bless  God  for  the  friend  He  sent  them  in  their  need.  His 
rule  seems  to  have  been  to  refuse  no  applicant,  unless  the  case  was  evidently 
unworthy.  His  donations  were  so  frequent  and  large  that  his  pastor  presurned, 
on  a  time,  to  expostulate  with  him,  and  represent  that  to  sink  his  capital  rapidly 
might  seriously  impair  his  power  of  usefulness.  He  was  grateful  for  the  solici- 
tude manifested,  but  he,  smiling,  said,  "  I  prefer  to  be  my  own  executor." 

He  was  the  friend  and  ardent  supporter  of  missions,  education  and  all  benev- 
olent enterprises.  Through  his  entire  ministry  he  would  receive  no  compensa- 
tion for  his  services.  Ten  years  of  such  labor  was  no  small  donation  ;  he  could 
have  obtained  a  large  salary.  Though  p>reaching  himself  without  compensation, 
he  was  equal  with  the  most  liberal  contributor  for  the  support  of  the  pastor  of 
the  Columbus  church,  giving  annually  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hun- 
dred dollars.  To  his  influence  and  contributions  that  church  is  largely  indebted 
for  its  elegant  and  spacious  house  of  worship. 

He  delighted  to  assist  young  men,  and  give  them  a  start  in  business  ;  espe- 
cially to  aid  such  as  were  preparing  for  the  ministry  to  obtain  an  education.  To 
a  number  he  furnished  the  means  to  pursue  their  course,  giving  the  entire 
amount,  and  still  further  rendering  needed  assistance  when  they  entered  on  their 
sacred  work.  The  preacher,  in  his  funeral  sermon,  stated  that  the  first  person 
whom  he  met  on  the  train  at  Macon,  when  on  his  way  to  perform  that  sad  ser- 
vice, upon  learning  the  purpose  of  his  visit  to  Columbus,  exclaimed  with  much 
emotion,  "  Brother  Wellborn  was  assisting  me  in  my  expenses  at  college  !"  The 
young  man  travelled  all  night  that  he  might  look  on  the  face  of  his  deceased 
benefactor  and  weep  over  him.  > 

His  many  servants,  before  and  after  their  freedom,  had  in  him  a  Christian 
master  and  friend,  who  sought  their  welfare  and  happiness  and  especially  cared 
for  their  souls.  It  was  affecting  to  hear  his  earnest  prayers  for  their  salvation, 
and  witness  his  joy  when  one  of  them  gave  evidence  of  regeneration.  He  man- 
ifested a  deep  interest  in  every  reasonable  plan  for  the  elevation  and  spiritual  ad- 
vancement of  our  African  population,  contributing  largely  of  his  means  to  build 
them  houses  of  worship,  and  preaching  the  gospel  to  those  in  the  bounds  of  his 
charges,  and  often  elsewhere.  He  was  spoken  of  by  his  friends  as  the  servant 
of  his  servants. 

He  was  for  many  years  a  trustee  for  Mercer  University,  in  counsel  wise,  in 
material  aid  liberal.     The  institution  will  never  have  a  warmer  or  firmer  friend. 

His  convictions  of  right  and  duty  were  strong,  which  he  executed  with  extreme 
firmness  and  fixedness  of  purpose.  Actuated  by  principle,  he  was  yet  possessed 
of  a  sufficient  amount  of  the  emotional  to  give  fervency  and  activity  to  his 
whole  conduct. 

The  means  of  grace  he  applied  with  anxious  solicitude  for  the  perfection  of 
his  own  Christian  character  and  the  cultivation  of  his  spiritual  nature.  He 
found  his  greatest  pleasure  in  communion  with  God  and  constant  efforts  to 
please  Him.  A  tinge  of  melancholy  characterized  his  religious  life ;  this  may 
have  arisen  from  the  absence  of  family  ties  and  the  sympathies  and  endearments 
of  home,  he  never  having  married.  He  sought  retirement,  and  was  much  alone 
in  private  prayer  and  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures.  When  in  the  company  of 
believers,  his  conversation  was  cheerful,  animated,  entertaining  and  always  per- 
vaded by  a  religious  tone.  He  delighted  to  hear  the  experiences  of  his  brethren, 
and  compare  them  with  his  own.  Those  who  were  blessed  with  his  company 
can  never  forget  his  brilliancy  and  animation  when  speaking  of  God  as  love, 
and  the  wonders  of  that  love  in  the  gift  and  sufferings  of  Jesus  for  such  as  he. 
No  one  doubted  the  sincerity  and  ardency  of  his  faith,  his  love  and  great  piety. 

The  following  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  W.  T.  Brantly,  impressively  states  some 
of  the  characteristics  of  brother  Wellborn  : 

"  He  was  singularly  conscientious.  Whilst  no  one  had  clearer  perceptions  of 
the  utter  inadequacy  of  a  sinner's  best  obedience  to  obtain  forgiveness,  and  of 
the  great  truth  that  our  whole  salvation  is  in  Christ,  he  was  as  careful  to  carry 
out  all  the  requisitions  of  the  Word  of  God,  as  if  his.  salvation  were  suspended 
on  the  fidehty  of  his  compliance.  I  remember  one  night  at  a  Convention  we  oc- 
cupied the  same  room.     Some  time  after  we  had  retired,  being  unable  to  sleep. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  573 

I  discovered  that  he  too  was  restless,  and  I  inquired  what  thoughts  were  pass- 
ing through  his  mind.  He  remarked  in  reply  that  he  was  '  reviewing  himself ;' 
that  he  was  '  going  over  the  incidents  of  the  day  and  inquiring  whether  he  had 
exhibited  in  all  the  spirit  of  Jesus.'  Where  he  would  detect  any  delinquency 
he  would  reflect  gravely  on  himself,  repent  and  pray  for  grace  to  avoid  the  error 
in  the  future.  This  was  a  very  common  habit ^  with  him.  He  thus  •  exercised 
himself '  constantly  '  to  keep  a  conscience  void  of  offence  toward  God  and  toward 
man.' 

"  His  reverence,  his  absorbing  love  f  07-  the  Scriptures,  were  most  conspicuous. 
From  the  time  of  his  conversion,  certainly  from  the  beginning  of  his  ministerial 
career,  if  the  Bible  was  not  the  only  book  he  read,  it  was  the  only  one  he  studied. 
His  renewed  mind  took  to  the  study  of  the  sacred  oracles,  not  by  constraint,  but 
con  aniore.  I  have  seldom  met  a  man  of  whom  it  could  more  truly  be  said, 
'  His  delight  is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord.'  One  day  he  came  into  my  study,  \vhen 
the  war  was  raging  most  fearfully,  and  I  began  conversation  on  the  exciting 
topics  of  the  hour.  He  replied  briefly  to  my  questions.  But  after  exchanging 
thoughts  for  a  few  minutes  on  these  subjects,  he  said,  almost  abruptly  :  '  Let's 
talk  about  something  better.'  Taking  up  the  Bible  lying  on  my  table,  he  opened 
at  the  I  ith  Psalm,  beginning,  '  In  the  Lord  I  put  my  trust.'  Making  some  ap- 
propriate remark  on  this  verse,  he  proceeded  to  give  an  extempore  commentary 
on  the  whole.  As  he  read  the  inspired  description  of  the  condition  of  the  wicked, 
contained  in  the  6th  verse,  he  exclaimed  with  peculiar  solemnity,  '  How  horrible 
the  pgrtion  of  the  ungodly !'  Meeting  me  again  one  morning,  he  extended  his 
hand,  smiling  as  though  he  had  some  pleasant  intelligence  to  communicate,  and 
remarking  at  the  same  time,  '  O,  I  had  a  most  delightful  time  last  night  reading 
the  old  prophets.  I  never  saw  such  a  beauty  in  them  before.  I  could  have 
read  on  all  night  without  weariness.'  Again  and  again,  when  we  were  sepa- 
rated, have  I  had  letters  from  him,  and  the  Scriptures  were  the  sole  themes  of 
our  communications.  '  Dear  brother,'  he  would  begin,  '  please  give  me  your 
views  of  the  passage  recorded  in  such  a  chapter  and  such  a  verse.'  Then  he 
would  give  his  own  sense  of  the  passage,  and  so  conclude  the  letter.  To  un- 
derstand the  Word  was  his  highest  desire  ;  to  expound  it  to  the  people,  his  chief 
ambition. 

"  No  one  could  have  known  our  brother,  even  superficially,  without  observing 
his  entire  consecration  to  Jesus.  When  he  was  regenerated  the  work  was 
thoroughly  done ;  and  he  who  before  had  been  jurist,  politician  and  man  of  the 
world,  was  thenceforth  controlled  by  one  idea — to  glorify  God  in  body  and  in 
spirit.  He  seemed,  after  his  conversion,  to  despise  worldly  honors  and  emolu- 
ments, or  to  care  for  them  only  as  means  for  advancing  the  cause  which  was 
supreme  in  his  affections.  Those  who  were  contented  with  an  inferior  type  of 
piety  thought  him  too  severe  in  his  condemnation  of  worldly  pleasures,  and  too 
exacting  in  his  demands  on  Christians ;  but  with  love  to  Christ  pervading  his 
whole  nature,  he  could  think  of  no  higher  joy  than  to  be  engaged  in  His_ service. 
Having  surrendered  his  heart,  this  moral  magnet  drew  everything  else  in  its  train. 
As  to  his  property  he  recognized  himself  as  a  steward  ;  arid  after  appropriating  a 
portion  for  an  economical  living,  he  laid  the  remainder  of  his  income  on  the  altar 
of  the  Lord.  He  generally  carried  to  our  public  meetings  such  money  as  he  had 
at  his  disposal,  and  when  the  claims  of  benevolence  were  presented,  he  was  ready 
to  give  a  portion  to  each,  until  his  purse  was  emptied.  In  a  midnight  ride  we  once 
took  together  from  Penfield  to  Greenesboro,  to  take  the  cars  at  the  latter  place 
we  had  delightful  converse  on  themes  of  mutual  interest.  Every  object  which 
met  his  eye,  the  sombre  woods  around  us  and  the  bright  stars  above  us,  sug- 
gested something  that  reminded  him  of  the  love  of  Jesus.  It  was  then  I_  think 
he  spoke  of  his  property  and  how  he  had  used  it  since  he  became  a  Christian, 
earnestly  urging,  at  the  same  time,  like  action  on  the  part  of  his  fellow-traveller. 

"  For  being  a  Baptist,  for  earnestly  contending  for  the  faith  once  delivered  to 
the  saints— we  love  and  honor  him,  though  his  zeal  might,  at  times,  have  pressed 
too  closely  on  the  confines  of  charity.  It  may  be  said  that  the  conversion  of 
sinners  was  with  him  a  passion.  With  all  the  earnestness  of  a  heart  naturally 
enthusiastic  but  quickened  by  grace,  he  pleaded  with  them  to  be  reconciled  to 


574  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

God.  Secure  in  the  Refuge  to  which  he  had  repaired,  he  looked  out  on  their 
peril,  and  his  spirit  was  deeply  stirred.  With  importunity,  with  vehemence, 
with  tears,  he  sought  to  win  them  to  Jesus,  nor  did  he  plead  in  vain.  Through- 
out a  few  years  (about  a  half  score)  in  the  ministry,  numerous  seals  attest  his 
fidelity  and  success." 

During  a  severe  illness  four  years  before  his  decease,  he  greatly  desired  to 
depart  and  be  with  Jesus.  His  recovery  was  a  disappointment.  But  the  time 
of  his  departure  drew  near.  Regardless  of  failing  health,  he  pursued  his  sacred 
calling  with  unabated  zeal,  until  his  physical  system,  worn  out  by  his  work, 
suddenly  gave  way.  He  had  often  expressed  the  wish  that  his  death  might  be 
sudden  and  quick.  His  wishes  concerning  the  manner  of  his  departure  were 
gratified.  Not  an  hour  before  the  Angel  of  the  Covenant  came,  his  prayer  was, 
"  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly  !"  His  prayer  was  answered  a  few  moments  after 
the  expression  of  his  desire  to  "go  quickly."  On  the  i6th  of  October,  1874, 
eleven  o'clock  A.  m.,  suddenly,  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  The  true  friend,  the 
Christian  gentleman,  the  good  minister  of  Jesus,  the  man  of  God,  was  gone ! 
Heaven  was  enriched  ;  earth  had  suffered  a  rrighty  loss. 

On  Sabbath  morning,  October  17th,  at  eleven  o'clock,  an  immense  congrega- 
tion assembled  at  the  Baptist  church — all  the  congregations  of  the  city  and  their 
pastors  being  present — to  manifest  their  profound  respect  and  love  for  this  great 
and  good  man.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  J.  H.  DeVotie,  who  had  been 
his  pastor  for  many  years,  from  ist  Thess.,  iv,  13,  14  verses.  Then  devout 
men  carried  him  to  his  burial  and  made  lamentation  over  him. 

His  remains  have  been  removed  to  Atlanta  by  his  relatives,  and  lie  entombed 
in  the  family  lot  in  the  cemetery  in  that  city. 

The  following  memorial  sketch  was  prepared  by  Hon.  Absalom  Chappell,  as 
expressive  of  the  sentiments  of  the  bar  concerning  their  departed  associate  : 

"  Our  departed  brother  was  bound  to  us  long  and  intimately  by  ties  of  great 
personal  and  professional  love  and  esteem.  What  he  was  in  all  his  elements  of 
mind  and  character,  and  in  all  the  relations,  private  and  public,  of  his  pure,  hon- 
orable and  well  spent  life,  is  too  well  known  alike  in  the  community  at  large  and 
in  the  wide  circle  of  the  whole  bar  of  Georgia,  to  make  it  needful  to  enter  upon 
any  labored  rehearsal  in  regard  to  him  on  the  present  occasion.  Long  will  he 
live  fresh  and  familiar,  and  be  proudly  and  affectionately' cherished  in  the  bosoms 
of  all,  especially  of  his  professional  brethren.  But  yet,  in  addition  to  such  re- 
membrance, it  is  meet  that  we  should  record  here,  on  this  spot,  some  memorial 
of  the  honor  in  which  we  ever  held  him ;  some  token  of  the  grief  which  we  feel 
at  his  loss  from  earth.  For  his  whole  career — from  budding  young  manhood  to 
the  grave — identified  him  with  this  city  and  this  section  of  the  State  through 
a  period  of  more  than  forty-six  years.  Thither  from  his  native  (Putnam)  county 
he  came  ere  he  had  attained  full  age,  and  settled  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Harris  early  in  1828,  when  the  country  was  yet  new  and  wild,  the  couaty  scarcely 
organized,  and  its  court-house  an  exceedingly  small,  rude  log  structure.  Young 
as  he  was,  he  brought  with  him  to  those  woods,  soon  to  become  the  seat  of 
civilization,  culture  and  wealth,  qualifications  that  at  once  gave  high  promise  for 
him  in  the  noble  and  arduous  profession  on  which  he  immediately  entered. 
How  rapidly  he  succeeded  from  his  very  outset,  and  rose  to  popularity  and  a 
fine  practice,  there  are  those  living  who  can  attest.  He  literally  grew  and  kept 
pace  with  the  country  in  which  he  had  cast  his  lot,  and  which  proved  not  more 
propitious  as  a  field  for  the  enterprising  husbandmen,  who  thronged  to  it  from 
far  and  near,  than  favorable  as  a  theatre  to  him  for  his  professional  pursuits. 
But  the  happy  location  he  had  chosen  was  a  small  matter  compared  with  the 
advantages  he  had  within  himself — virtue,  talents,  industry,  high  enthusiasm,  a 
noble  ambition,  good  previous  preparation  for  the  bar,  to  which  his  intellectual 
make  and  tastes  were  singularly  adapted.  For  he  loved  the  law  intensely  as  a 
study  and  as  a  mental  occupation,  and  mastered  and  enjoyed  it  alike  as  a  science 
and  as  a  business,  taking  delight  in  its  investigations  and  reasonings,  and  in  its 
applications  to  the  affairs  and  interests  of  men.  And  greatly  was  his  pleasure 
in  it  increased  wherJ  he  came  a'  length  to  trace  its  eternal  and  expansive  princi- 
ples up  to  the  throne  of  God,  and  to  find  in  them  a  vital  kindred  to  all  righteous- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  575 

ness  and  justice.  It  was  this  almost  religious  sentiment  which  a  mind  remark- 
able for  its  fine  moral  feeling  and  conscientiousness  carried  into  legal  researches, 
that  rendered  the  bar,  although  he  adorned  it,  less  congenial,  on  the  whole,  to 
him,  than  the  bench,  which  for  a  series  of  years  he  filled,  and  was  felt  by  all  to 
grace  and  honor.  Nor  in  politics,  either,  did  he  find  himself  so  much  in  his 
proper  home  as  in  the  judicial  sphere,  though  he  acquitted  himself  with  reputa- 
tion and  up  to  the  highest  standard  of  representative  duty  both  in  our  State 
Legislature  and  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

"  Whilst  yet  a  young  man,  enjoying  a  rapidly  growing  reputation  and  pros- 
pects, he  changed  his  residence  from  Hamilton  to  this  city.  Here  it  was  that  he 
reached  that  pinnacle  of  fame  in  his  profession  on  which  he  long  stood  among 
us.  Here  he  attained  to  the  judicial  honors  which  he  so  worthily  and  acceptably 
wore.  Hence,  also,  through  popular  favor  and  appreciation,  he  found  his  way 
to  a  seat  in  the  national  legislature,  and  here,  too,  he  prospered  so  greatly  in  his 
affairs  as  to  accumulate  the  handsome  competency  which  enabled  him  to  take  a 
long  respite  from  the  labors  and  avocations  of  business,  both  public  and  private, 
and  to  travel  extensively  in  his  own  and  foreign  countries.  But  this  long  pastime 
of  elegant  and  high  seasoning  enjoyment  and  recreation  did  not  spoil  him  or 
emasculate  his  mind,  habits  or  tastes.  On  returning  home  he  at  once  resumed 
the  harness  and  went  to  work  again  with  unabated  zeal,  energy  and  success. 
At  length,  after  such  protracted  and  unvarying  success  as  had  blessed  him  in  all 
his  worldly  aims  and  aspirations,  his  very  prosperity  seemed  to  have  the  effect 
of  turning  his  grateful  thoughts  heavenward,  and  fixing  them  on  that  sublime 
duty  which  is  paramount  to  all  others — the  duty  which  man  owes  to  his  God. 
As  the  mighty  Vv-eight  and  magnitude  of  that  duty  became  more  and  more 
realized  by  him,  he  was  led  to  withdraw  from  this  contentious  forensic  arena, 
and  devote  himself  to  cultivating  in  retirement  those  undying  germs  of  early 
piety,  which  parental  lessons  and  examples  had  not  ceased  to  sow  in  his  young 
heart  from  the  first  dawning  to  the  mature  development  of  his  mind.  After 
thorough  and  deeply  conscientious  study  and  preparation,  he  publicly  united 
himself  with  that  branch  of  the  church  in  which  he  had  been  born  and  bred,  and 
soon  became  a  bright  and  shining  light  there,  giving  himself  up  wholly  to  its 
service,  ministering  at  its  altar,  proclaiming  its  glad  tidings,  diffusing  precious 
comfort  wherever  he  went,  not  only  by  his  high  religious  encouragement  and 
edifying  conversation,  but  also  by  his  abundant  charities  and  incessant,  unpaid 
labors.  For,  having  an  ample  income  of  his  own,  he  applied  himself  and  all  his 
time  to  heaven's  work  at  his  own  sole  cost,  and,  like  the  grand  apostolic  Wesley, 
not  unfrequently  stinted  himself  that  he  might  have  the  more  to  give  to  the 
needy  and  suffering.  This  touching  fact  only  became  known  after  his  death, 
and  reached  your  committee  from  a  most  authentic  quarter — from  the  gentle- 
man into  whose  hands,  in  consequence  of  his  own  absorption  in  his  holy  duties, 
he  had,  after  his  entrance  upon  the  Christian  ministry,  confided  his  financial 
affairs.  Thus  his  closing  years  were  pervaded  by  a  heavenly  charm,  and  his  life 
crowned  with  a  fine  rehgious  triumph  that  made  it  a  beauty  and  a  blessing  in  its 
decline,  dispensing  manna  along  its  pathway  to  the  pilgrims  of  time,  and  nur- 
turing them  for  the  joys  of  eternity. 

Adieu,  sainted  man  1  Accept  our  tearful,  fraternal  honors  !  We  cannot  give 
up  our  hold  on  thee  !  We  must  ever  claim  thee  as  a  brother  ;  ever  rejoice  in  the 
proud,  tender  recollection  that  such  a  one  as  thou  wert  belonged  to  our  profes- 
sion, and  loved  it  and  us,  and  both  served  in  its  ranks  and  wore  its  ermined  dis- 
tinctions and  responsibilities. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  cherish  with  pride  and  affection  the  memory  of  the  virtues, 
the  talents,  the  learning  and  merits,  and  the  distinguished  and  useful  career  of 
our  deceased  brother,  the  Hon.  Marshall  J.  Wellborn,  and  in  testimony  thereof 
we  lay  this  tribute  on  his  grave,  and  ask  that  it  may  be  spread  upon  the  minutes 
of  this  court." 


576 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


JOHN  QUINN  WEST. 


Rev.  John  Quinn  West, 
for  many  years  a  most  labori- 
ous and  useful  minister,  and 
pastor  of  various  churches  in 
the  State,  was  born  March  22d, 
1800.  He  had  reached  the  age 
of  thirty-three  before  the  Holy 
Spirit  wrought  a  gracious 
change  in  his  heart  and  re- 
newed his  spirit.  About  the 
year  1833  he  professed  conver- 
sion and  was  baptized  into  the 
fellowship  of  the  old  Ebenezer 
church,  in  Wilkes  county,  Geor- 
gia, by  Rev.  J.  A.  Carter.  The 
ardor  of  his  nature  and  his  con- 
victions of  duty  led  him  into 
the  ministry ;  for  his  love  for 
the  souls  of  sinners,  and  his 
desire  to  honor  his  Lord  and 
Master,  resistlessly  constrained 
him  to  declare  the  unsearcha- 
ble riches  of  Christ.  He  was 
ordained  to  the  full  v/ork  of 
the  ministry  in  1835,  and  be- 
came at  once  the  pastor  of 
churches.  For  many  years  he 
served  Double  Branches  and  Salem  churches,  in  Lincoln  county,  and  the  pros- 
perity and  growth  of  these  churches  testify  to  his  usefulness  and  faithfulness  as 
a  pastor.  For  a  long  time,  also,  he  served  Ebenezer  and  Greenwood  churches, 
in  Wilkes  county,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  was  pastor  of  Williams'  Creek 
church,  in  Warren  county.  Perhaps  few  men  have  so  won  and  retained  the 
love  and  confidence  of  his  churches  as  Mr.  West,  by  long,  faithful  and  affection- 
ate services,  in  season  and  out  of  season. 

Mr.  West  was  twice  married.  On  the  5th  of  September,  1826,  he  married 
Miss  Maria  Wade  Butler,  by  whom  he  had  three  children,  none  of  whom  are 
living.  On  the  loth  of  April,  1829,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  Overton  Butler, 
sister  of  his  former  wife.  Two  children  were  the  result  of  this  last  marriage — 
one  daughter,  Mary  C,  who  married  Major  John  B.  Wilcoxon,  of  Newnan, 
Georgia,  and  one  son.  Rev.  T.  B.  West,  who  is  still  living.  Mrs.  Wilcoxon  has 
departed  this  life. 

Mr.  West  closed  his  useful  life  on  the  loth  of  June,  1863,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three,  at  his  old  homestead  on  Little  river,  in  Wilkes  county,  and  in  the  old 
family  grave-yard,  on  the  Washington  and  Augusta  wagon  road,  his  remains 
lie  buried. 

He  was  wise  for  both  worlds,  laying  up  treasure  in  heaven,  and  guiding  his 
temporal  affairs  with  discretion.  As  he  prospered  in  the  things  of  this  world, 
he  maintained  a  spirit  of  liberality,  and  laid  on  the  altar  no  stinted  offerings  in  the 
shape  of  contributions  to  all  the  various  forms  of  Christian  benevolence.  His  in- 
tellectual gifts  were  largely  in  advance  of  his  early  educational  advantages,  and 
made  him  an  able,  as  he  was  also  an  earnest,  advocate  of  the  Pauline  theology. 
Though  not  deemed  an  orator,  he  enchained  attention  in  the  pulpit,  and,  both 
by  matter  and  manner,  compelled  his  congregation  to  follow  him  throughout 
his  discussion  of  revealed  truth.  He  had  the  double  greatness  of  being  good — 
which  is  angelic,  and  of  doing  good — which  is  divine. 


OF    PROMINENT    BAPTISTS. 


577 


THOMAS  B.  WEST. 


Rev.  Thomas  B.  West,  son  of  Rev.  J.  O. 
West  and  his  second  wife,  Eliza  Overton  But- 
ler, v^as  born  February  26th,  1833.  Converted 
at  Penfield,  when  in  college,  in  the  year  1854, 
he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  S.  G.  Hillyer,  D.  D., 
and  united  with  the  Penfield  Baptist  church. 
On  the  13th  of  November,  1853,  Mr.  West 
was  married  to  Miss  Mildred  Olivia  West,  of 
Polk  county,  Georgia.  Feeling  himself  called 
of  God  to  preach,  he  submitted  to  the  laying 
on  of  hands  in  the  year  1858.  The  presbytery 
was  composed  of  Dr.  H.  A.  Tupper,  Rev.  J. 
A.  Carter  and  Rev.  J.  O.  West.  In  succession 
he  served  each  of  the  following  churches  for 
several  years  :  Thomson,  McDufhe  county  ; 
Mill  Creek,  Glascock  county ;  Brier  Creek, 
Warren  county,  and  Ebenezer,  Wilkes  county. 
He  is- now  the  pastor  of  four  churches — Union. 
Marshall  and  Sweetwater,  in  McDuffie  county, 
and  New  Providence,  in  Warren  county. 

His  wife,  who  is  still  living,  has  borne  him  twelve  children,  of  whom  five  only 
survive.  Two  sons  and  three  daughters  died  in  early  infancy,  while  his  oldest  son, 
a  young  man  of  great  promise,  George  Ouinn  West,  died  at  Mercer  University, 
in  Macon,  Georgia,  of  the  terrible  scourge,  meningitis,  soon  after  the  college  was 
moved  to  that  city.  He  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  his  was  the  first 
case  of  several  who  were  taken  down,  when  the  disease  of  which  he  died  be- 
came epidemic.  The  loss  of  such  a  young  man,  under  such  circumstances,  was 
most  sad.  Mr.  West,  faithful  to  his  alma  mater,  has  one  son,  John  T.  West, 
studying  at  Mercer  University,  in  Macon. 

This,  we  feel,  is  a  bare  outline  of  an  upright,  useful  life,  and  gives  scarcely  a 
glimpse  of  the  noble  Christian  character  shaping  that  life.  But  all  who  know 
the  subject  of  our  sketch  will  read  between  the  lines  many  a  story  of  integrity, 
generosity,  devotion  and  zeal,  which  is  written,  not  here,  but  where  the  believer 
has  his  best  record — on  the  hearts  of  saints,  of  Christ,  and  of  God. 


JOHN    IRWIN    WHITAKER. 


Hon.  John  Irwin  Whitaker,  a  grandson  of  Governor 
Jared  Irwin,  was  born  in  Washington  county,  near  Sanders- 
ville,  Georgia,  February  22d,  18 13.  His  parents  were 
Simon  and  Elizabeth  Whitaker.  He  never  had  the  advant- 
ages of  a  collegiate  course,  but  in  early  life  was  sent,  first, 
to  a  well-conducted  school  in  Milledgeville,  and  afterward 
to  the  institution  at  Scotsboro,  and  from  studious  habits, 
and  a  regular  course  of  reading  stored  his  mind  with  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  matters  pertaining  to  both  religion  and 
politics.  He  took  no  mere  surface  view  of  any  important 
question,  but,  with  clear  head,  looked  into  all  questions  with  great  care,  making 
thorough  investigation. 

He  was  impressed  in  his  youth  with  the  importance  of  religion  to  himself  as 
an  immortal,  accountable  being.     After  feeling  that  he  had  beei^  led  by  the 


578 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


Holy  Spirit  to  repentance  toward  God  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he 
united  with  the  Antioch  church,  in  Fayette  county,  and  was  baptized  into  its 
fellowship  by  Rev.  Robert  M.  Stell,  November,  1839. 

Very  soon  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  church,  and  filled  that  position  up  to 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  usually  represented  his  church  in  the  Flint  River  As- 
sociation, and  was  several  times  elected  Moderator  of  that  body,  and  delegate 
to  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention.  He  was  honored  by  his  fellow  citizens  with 
successive  elections  to  some  of  the  highest  official  positions  within  their  gift- 
was  frequently  a  member  of  the  Georgia  House  of  Representatives,  afterwards 
represented  his  district  in  the  State  Senate,  for  a  number  of  years,  acted  as  Judge 
of  the  Inferior  Court  of  his  county — and  in  every  position  met  the  expectations 
of  his  constituents. 

He  was  married,  March,  1840,  to  Miss  Lavicey  Gay,  daughter  of  Thomas  B. 
Gay,  of  Fayette  county,  Georgia,  and  there  were  born  to  him  of  this  marriage 
five  children — one  son  and  four  daughters.  In  his  private  relations  he  tried  to 
do  his  whole  duty.  As  a  husband  and  a  father,  he  was  ever  affectionate  and 
generous.  His  house  was  the  home  of  hospitality — his  brethren,  his  friends, 
and  even  the  poor,  always  receiving  a  hearty  welcome.  In  his  church  relations, 
he  had  the  full  confidence  of  the  membership,  and  their  highest  regard  for  his 
wisdom,  prudence,  and  unselfish  piety.  In  his  public  relations,  he  was  loved 
and  honored  for  his  many  virtues.  He  was  not  an  orator,  and  made  no  preten- 
sions in  that  way,  but  he  was  a  man  of  superior  native  intellect,  had  clear 
perception  of  men  and  measures,  and  seldom  failed  in  judgment.  He  was  a 
man  of  large  heart ;  no  appeals  from  the  distressed  and  needy  were  ever  made 
in  vain.  He  was  ready  always  to  give  of  his  means  to  sustain  his  country,  and 
to  advance  the  cause  of  Christ  at  home  and  among  the  nations. 

In  personal  appearance,  he  would  have  attracted  you  by  his  graceful  carriage, 

'  his  fine  social  qualities,  and  his  good  common  sense.     As  a  presiding  officer,  he 

would  have  impressed  you  with  his  kindness  of  manner,  his  firmness  in  the 

maintainance  of  order,  and  the  dignity  with  which  he  conducted  himself  and 

the  business  before  him. 

He  died  on  the  loth  of  September,  1872,  at  his  residence  in  Fayette  county, 
illustrating  in  his  death,  as  he  had  illustrated  in  his  life,  the  power  and  glory  of 
the  religion  of  Jesus. 


M.    B.    WHARTON. 


Of  very  few  men  can  the  expression  be  used 
that  they  are  "  endowed  by  Providence  with  the 
gift  of  success  ;"  yet,  if  applicable  to  any  one,  it 
is  applicable  to  Rev.  M.  B.  Wharton,  D.D.,  a 
resident  of  Georgia,  though  a  native  of  Virginia. 
He  is  a  man  of  uncommon  natural  talents.  He 
possesses  a  remarkable  memory ;  is  gifted  as  an 
orator ;  and  his  powers  of  mimicry  are  extraor- 
dinary. His  energy  is  unbounded,  and  he  has 
business  capacities  of  a  high  order.  In  his  judg- 
ment of  men  and  measures,  and  of  methods  of 
operation,  he  is  wonderfully  clear-sighted,  and 
generally  correct.  He  was  born  m  Orange 
county,  Virginia,  April  5th,  1839,  and  had  a  good 
Enghsh  and  classical  educational  training  in  "  the 
old  field  schools  "  and  academies  of  Orange  and 
Culpeper  counties.  He  was  the  fifth  child  of 
M.  H.  Wharton  and  Susan  R.  Wharton.  His 
father,  a  farmer  of  the  old  Virginia  school,  and  a  man  of  superior  mental  and 
physical  endowments,  is  still  living  at  Amherst  Court-house,  Virginia.  His 
mother,  a  most  pious,  intelligent  and  useful  Christian  lady,  died  in  1862. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  579 

Being  designed,  by  his  father,  for  a  business  man,  he  spent  his  sixteenth  year 
in  a  store  at  Brandy  Station,  Culpeper  county,  Virginia,  acting,  also,  as  assistant 
depot  agent.  He  was  then  promoted  to  a  clerkship  in  the  general  office  of  the 
Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad,  at  Alexandria,  which  position  he  held  for  two 
years,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of  clerk  and  book-keeper  for  a  wholesale 
and  retail  dry-goods  house  in  Alexandria.  While  holding  this  place  he  was 
converted,  in  a  revival  that  occurred  in  the  Baptist  church  of  Alexandria,  in 
1857,  and  was  baptized  December  20th,  by  Rev.  S.  M.  Shute,  D.D.,  then  pastor 
of  the  church  and  now  professor  in  Columbian  College. 

He  was  then  a  young  man  of  eighteen,  who  had  been  wild  and  wayward 
fond  of  dramatic  impersonations,  having  performed  several  times  in  public  ;  but 
after  his  conversion  he  began  at  once  to  exercise  in  prayer  and  exhortation  meet- 
ings, and  was  regarded  as  a  fluent  and  impressive  speaker.  While  visiting  his 
father's  family  in  Culpeper,  at  that  time,  he  met  Dr.  J.  L.  Burrows,  of  Rich- 
mond, who  was  conducting  a  revival  meeting  at  Cedar  Run ;  and  by  Dr. 
Burrows  he  was  persuaded  to  take  a  course  of  study  preparatory  to  the  ministry. 
This  he  concluded  to  do,  and  entered  Richmond  College  in  October,  1858, 
remaining  three  years,  and  was  in  the  graduating  class  of  1861,  when  the 
inception  of  hostilities  interrupted  the  exercises  of  the  college  and  closed  the 
institution.  He  went  to  the  University  of  Virginia  and  remained  a  few  months 
in  the  military  department,  and  then  entered  the  army,  accepting  a  position  with 
Major  A.  M.  Barbour,  chief  quartermaster  to  Gen.  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  at 
Fairfax  Court-house.  When  the  army  fell  back  to  the  Peninsula,  an  office  was 
established  in- Lynchburg,  and  young  Wharton  was  assigned  to  it. 

In  Lynchburg  he  preached  nearly  every  Sunday  to  large  audiences,  and  thus 
became  known  as  a  Baptist  minister.  The  consequence  was  a  call  to  the  church 
at  Bristol,  Tennessee,  which  he  accepted.  This  rendered  his  ordination  neces- 
sary, which  took  place  at  Lynchburg  in  1862.  He  then  went  to  Bristol,  where 
he  labored  successfully  for  two  years.  Previous  to  the  war,  however,  he  had 
preached  for  one  summer  to  the  church  at  Fredericksburg,  supplying  the  pulpit 
of  Dr.  Wm.  F.  Broaddus,  who  had  temporarily  accepted  an  agency  for  the 
Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary.  He  gained  for  himself  the  reputation 
of  being  an  eloquent  and  striking  speaker,  and  many  were  added  to  the  church 
through  his  instrumentality. 

At  that  time  the  war  was  at  its  height.  Virginia  was  the  battle-ground  of  the 
Confederacy.  Christians  of  all  denominations  manifested  the  deepest  interest 
in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  our  soldiers,  and  contributed  largely  to  supply  them 
with  gospel  preaching  and  religious  hterature.  Among  the  Baptists  of  Virginia 
was  an  Army  and  Colportage  Board,  the  object  of  which  was  to  raise  funds  to 
provide  the  army  with  preachers  and  tracts.  Mr.  Wharton  had  often  preached 
to  the  soldiers,  and  had  become  much  interested  in  their  spiritual  welfare ; 
therefore,  when  he  was  urged  to  visit  Georgia  as  an  agent  for  the  Army  and 
Colportage  Board,  he  resigned  his  Bristol  charge  and  accepted  the  agency  in 
Georgia,  to  which  State  he  repaired  in  1864.  There  he  met  and  married  Miss 
Mary  Belle  Irwin,  the  winning  and  accomplished  daughter  of  Rev.  C.  M.  Irwin, 
of  Georgia,  August  2d,  1864,  and  this  happy  event  it  was  which  caused  him  to 
make  the  Empire  State  of  the  South  his  home. 

After  the  war  he  accepted  the  appointment  of  general  agent  for  the  Domestic 
and  Indian  Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  in  the  State  of 
Georgia,  in  which  work  he  met  with  distinguished  success ;  but  being  called  by 
the  Eufaula  Baptist  church  to  become  its  pastor,  he  accepted  and  entered  on  his 
duties  March  ist,  1867.  There  he  remained  five  years,  doing  a  good  work  in 
the  church,  adding  to  its  membership  over  two  hundred  souls,  and  being  instru- 
mental in  raising  over  $30,000,  with  which  was  built  for  the  church,  a  splendid 
brick  edifice,  regarded  by  many  as  the  handsomest  in  the  State. 

From  Eufaula,  Alabama,  he  went  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  to  take  chaige  of 
the  Walnut  street  church,  in  April,  1872.  For  one  so  young,  this  was  a  high 
compliment ;  for  the  Walnut  street  church  was  one  of  the  largest  and  richest 
churches  in  the  South,  numbering  seven  hundred  members,  and  is  located  in  the 
heart  of  a  city  whose  population  is  1 50,000,  and  among-  its  membership  are 
40 


58o  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

many  of  the  most  cultivated  citizens  of  Louisville.  During  two  years  and  a 
half  Mr.  Wharton  retained  this  pastorate,  laboring  with  a  zeal  and  success  which 
utterly  broke  down  his  health,  and  caused  his  retirement  as  necessary  to  the 
very  salvation  of  his  life.  While  he  was  minister  there  the  church  was  beauti- 
fully and  artistically  renovated  and  refurnished ;  the  congregations  were  among 
the  largest  in  the  city  ;  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  new  members  were  received 
into  the  church  ;  and  about  fifty  thousand  dollars  were  raised  in  cash  and  sub- 
scriptions, for  various  church  and  benevolent  causes.  In  the  summer  of  1875 
he  was  prostrated  with  dyspepsia  and  forced  to  resign.  He  retired  to  his  plant- 
ation in  southwestern  Georgia.  After  recuperating  somewhat,  he  accepted  a 
unanimous  call  to  the  Greene  street  church,  of  Augusta,  with  the  understanding 
that  he  was  to  preach  but  one  regular  sermon  on  Sabbath. 

Here  he  remained  a  year,  by  his  labors  and  appeals  adding  many  to  the 
church,  and  causing  the  construction,  for  the  church,  of  one  of  the  handsomest 
lecture  rooms  in  the  State,  and  a  thorough  renovation  of  the  old  building.  De- 
clining health  again  forced  him  to  resign,  and  sever  the  endearing  bonds  which 
unite  pastor  and  people.  This  was  in  1876,  in  which  year  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  him  by  the  Washington  and  Lee  University,  of 
Virginia. 

As  agency  work  requiring  travel  was  beneficial  to  his  health,  he  consented  to 
assist  in  raising  the  endowment  for  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary, 
by  acting  as  agent  for  Georgia.  In  that  capacity  he  was  successful  in  securing 
for  the  Seminary,  from  Georgia,  in  bonds  and  cash,  about  $35,000.  At  the 
meeting  of  the  last  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  held  in  Atlanta,  Ga.,  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary  elected  him  Cor- 
responding Secretary  of  the  Seminary,  to  raise  the  $20,000  per  annum  necessary 
for  the  support  of  that  institution.  In  addition,  he  is  to  continue  his  valuable 
assistance  in  securing  a  permanent  endowment  for  the  Seminary.  This  was 
certainly  an  exalted  recognition  of  the  admirable  capacities  possessed  by  him  as 
an  agent  for  the  collection  of  funds. 

Among  other  honors  conferred  on  him,  he  has  been  elected  trustee  of  the 
Western  Theological  Institute,  and  Manager  of  the  Baptist  Orphans'  Home,  in 
Kentucky,  and  a  trustee  of  jVIercer  University,  and  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary,  for  Georgia,  and  also  of  the  Georgia  Baptist  Orphans' 
Home. 

As  a  preacher  Dr.  Wharton  ranks  high,  and  is  competent  to  fill  any  pulpit. 
His  style,  while  ornate  and  poetical,  is  clear,  simple  and  easy  to  be  understood. 
His  delivery  is  such  as  always  attracts  and  holds  the  attention  of  an  audience  ; 
and  his  hearers  are  so  often  impressed  with  his  presentations  of  gospel  truth  as 
to  be  moved  to  tenderness ;  hence  he  has  been  instrumental  in  adding  many  to 
his  churches.  He  seldom  attempts  to  preach  on  the  profound  doctrines  of  elec- 
tion and  the  divine  sovereignty  of  God  in  man's  salvation ;  but  rather  prefers  to 
dwell  on  the  love  of  God  as  manifested  in  the  gift  'of  Christ;  the  doctrines  of 
repentance  towards  God  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  justification  through  the 
imputation  of  Christ's  righteousness  ;  regeneration  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  a  life  of  holiness  and  consecration  to  Jesus  and  His  cause.  As  a 
pastor  it  is  doubtful  if  he  has  a  superior,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  unity,  liberality 
and  numerical  and  spiritual  growth  of  his  churches. 

Dr.  M.  B.  Wharton  is  gifted  in  many  respects.  Providence  has  endowed  him 
with  good  brains,  his  mental  faculties  are  of  a  very  high  order,  and  he  is  enabled 
to  sustain  himself  in  any  position  in  which  he  may  be  placed.  His  tact  and 
common  sense  are  extraordinary,  and,  at  times,  appear  in  their  exhibitions  to  De 
the  intuitions  of  genius.  He  unites  to  these  qualifications  a  wonderful  knowl- 
edge of  human  nature,  which  opens  to  him  the  avenues  of  the  human  heart, 
and  makes  him  one  of  the  best  of  collecting  agents.  He  is  an  exceedingly  ready 
man,  and  whether  it  be  to  make  a  temperance  speech,  deliver  a  Sunday-school 
address,  speak  on  missions,  present  prize  medals,  or  preach  a  sermon,  he  is 
always  ready  and  always  acquits  himself  handsomely. 

Blessed  with  a  remarkable  memory,  and  commanding  a:v  easy  flow  of  good 
language,  with  a  very  active  brain,  a  vigorous  body,  and  pleasant,  affable  man- 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


581 


ners,  he  is  one  of  those  who  never  fail  on  an  emergency.  His  mind  is  stored 
with  a  fair  share  of  information  on  general  topics,  and  with  an  abundant  supply 
of  illustrative  anecdotes,  which  he  never  fails  to  employ  with  telling  advantage. 

As  a  speaker  he  is  easy  and  natural,  with  fine  native  oratorical  powers,  and 
without  being  particularly  eloquent,  is  always  so  pleasing  and  attractive  that 
people  like  to  hear  him,  because  they  know  they  will  be  highly  entertained. 
His  platform  addresses  are  ever  most  pointed  and  practical,  usually  containing 
more  of  the  humorous  than  the  pathetic.  While  not  very  earnest  in  his  man- 
ner, he  is  sufficiently  so  to  interest  his  hearers,  and,  as  a  consequence,  always 
holds  their  attention  to  the  close.  He  possesses  the  rare  trait  of  knowing  when 
to  stop,  and  also  that  other  rare  trait  of  being  able  to  compliment  with  tact  and 
skill.  As  a  speaker  on  all  sorts  of  occasions  he  is  in  great  demand,  on  account 
of  his  pleasing  and  agreeable  address,  his  originality  and  freshness,  and  his 
sensible  and  captivating  modes  of  presenting  subjects. 

As  a  preacher,  his  powers  elevate  him  above  the  average,  and  he  is  capable 
of  attracting  and  retaining  the  largest  audiences  through  the  force  of  argument, 
the  skilful  and  methodical  presentation  of  truths,  and  his  excellence  of  delivery 
and  powers  of  oratory. 

He  is  a  man  of  fine  business  talent,  quick  of  discernment  and  excellent  in 
judgment,  and  perhaps  \)Ss,  forte  is  collecting  money  as  an  agent.  He  is  well 
acquainted  with  all  the  chords  it  is  necessary  to  touch  in  order  to  open  the  heart 
and  purse,  and  at  the  same  time  is  possessed  of  such  wonderful  energy  and 
persistency,  that,  as  an  agent  of  any  cause,  he  has  ever  proved  eminently  suc- 
cessful. 

But  Dr.  Wharton's  best  work  has  been  done  in  the  pastorate.  He  has  been 
pastor  of  some  of  the  best  and  largest  churches  in  the  South — fields  that  have 
required  herculean  labors,  powers  of  the  most  exalted  kind,  talents  of  a  supe- 
rior order,  and  eminent  pulpit  ability  ;  yet  he  has  ever  sustained  himself  ably, 
and  has  made  success  follow  earnest  and  persevering  endeavor.  He  is  now 
District  Secretary  of  the  Seminary,  and  acts  as  business  manager  and  associate 
editor  of  Kind  Words,  the  Sunday-school  paper  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Con- 
vention. He  is  yet  young,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  his  splendid  pulpit  ability 
and  extraordinary  pastoral  capacities  may  be  again  utilized  in  the  Master's 
cause. 


WILLIAM  CLAY  WILKES. 


Rev.  William  Clay  Wilkes,  A.  M.,  was 
born  in  Spartanburg  county.  South  Carolina,  be- 
tween North  and  South  Pacolet,  on  Carol's  creek, 
September  9th,  181 9.  His  father,  Joseph  Wilkes, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  a  Baptist,  and  an  active, 
useful  member  of  the  church.  He  was  mainly 
instrumental  in  the  constitution  of  New  Pros- 
pect church,  which  was  organized  in  his  house 
soon  after  he  moved  from  Virginia  to  South  Car- 
olina. As  long  as  he  remained  in  Spartanburg 
county,  he  was  the  efficient  deacon  of  that  church, 
of  which  Rev.  John  G.  Landrum  is  now  pastor. 
His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Deiphia  W.  Clay, 
a  relative  of  "the  mill-boy  of  the  Slashes,"  Hon. 
Henry  Clay.  For  seventy  years  she  was  a  con- 
sistent Baptist,  and  died  in  her  eighty-fourth 
year. 

William  was  the  oldest  of  six  children,  all  of  whom  but  himself  died  at  a  com- 
paratively early  age.     The  son,  with  his  parents  and  little  brothers,  moved  from 


582  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCrffiS 

South  Carolina  in  1829,  to  Putnam  county,  Georgia.  Here  he  spent  his  boyhood 
and  early  manhood,  helping  his  father  to  till  the  soil.  He  received  a  good  aca- 
demic education  under  Isham  Brooks,  who  taught  him  the  theoretical  and  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  surveying,  at  Pleasant  Grove  Academy.  He  was,  however, 
prepared  for  college  by  Dr.  John  F.  Hillyer. 

In  1838  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  John  E.  Dawson,  into  membership  in  the 
Eatonton  church.  He  stated,  when  relating  his  experience,  that  if  he  had  ever 
undergone  a  change  of  heart  at  all,  it  must  have  occurred  when  he  was  about 
seven  years  old.  So  far  back  as  he  could  recollect,  down  to  that  time,  he  had 
lived  a  life  of  prayer.  Before  he  was  ten  years  old,  and  long  before  he  became 
a  member  of  the  church,  he  had  impressions  that  he  ought  to  preach  the  gospel 
of  Jesus.     He  prayed  in  public  before  he  was  baptized. 

J.  E.  Dawson  and  C.  D.  Mallary  persuaded  his  father  to  permit  this  son  to 
attend  Mercer  University,  in  Penfield.  The  father  declined  for  some  time  on 
the  ground  that  he  did  not  feel  able  to  give  all  his  children  a  collegiate  educa- 
tion, and  could  not  make  a  difference.  He  told  his  son,  however,  that  if  he  could 
pay  his  own  way  through  college,  he  would  interpose  no  objection.  Accord- 
ingly, in  September,  1839,  Mr.  Wilkes,  m  company  with  M.  Thomas  R.  Lums- 
den,  loaded  a  wagon  with  bedding,  bedstead,  table,  chairs,  water-bucket,  gourd, 
wash-stand,  etc.,  bade  adieu  to  the  loved  ones  in  Eatonton,  and  arrived  in  Pen- 
field  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day.  In  due  time  they  were  both  matriculated 
as  members  of  the  Freshman  class.  At  the  end  of  four  years,  in  1843,  he  grad- 
uated with  the  highest  honors  of  his  A/ma  Mate)-.  On  the  Monday  following 
his  graduation  he  took  charge  of  Pleasant  Grove  Academy,  near  Eatonton,  and, 
except  a  few  months'  intermission,  has  been  in  the  school-room  ever  since.  His 
reputation  as  a  faithful  and  efficient  teacher  soon  made  him  principal  of  the 
Eatonton  Academy.  In  a  few  years  his  increasing  popularity  won  for  him 
the  presidency  of  the  Monroe  Female  College,  which  was  then  in  its  infancy. 
Under  his  supervision  the  college,  in  two  years,  commanded  such  a  large  patron- 
age that  greater  accommodations  became  necessary.  For  this  purpose  the 
Botanic  College  edifice  v^^as  purchased  and  handsomely  arranged  for  a  female 
institution  of  very  extensive  facilities.  The  school  was  a  great  blessing  to  For- 
syth. Soon  after  Mr.  Wilkes  had  made  the  college  a  fixed  fact,  the  houses  of 
the  village  were  repainted,  old  fences  repaired,  new  houses  erected,  and  real 
estate  advanced  over  one  hundred  per  cent.  To  the  energy  and  enterprise  of 
Mr.  Wilkes  the  city  of  Forsyth  owes  a  lasting  debt  of  gratitude. 

In  1867  he  retired  from  the  school-room  for  the  purpose  of  giving  his  .whole 
time  to  preaching  the  gospel.  This  was  the  desire  of  his  heart  at  first,  but  his 
modest  opinion  of  himself  made  him  distrust  his  ability  to  command  a  support 
from  such  churches  as  might  call  for  his  services.  He  rejoiced  in  the  hope  of 
great  usefulness.  But  before  one  year  had  elapsed  the  citizens  of  Macon  county 
provided  ample  means  for  building  and  establishing  the  Spalding  Seminary, 
named  in  honor  of  the  maiden  name  of  his  wife,  Mary  A.  Spalding.  In  a  few 
months  he  had  erected  a  large  two-story  edifice,  surveyed  the  land  and  laid  out 
the  streets  and  lots  for  a  new  town,  and  a  flourishing  school  of  nearly  one  hun- 
dred pupils  was  organized.  Land  which  cost  only  eight  dollars  an  acre,  around 
the  Seminary,  now  commanded  a  ready  sale  at  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred 
dollars  an  acre.  New  and  handsome  residences  sprung  up  all  over  a  field 
covered  with  Bermuda  grass,  where  cattle  for  years  were  wont  to  browse.  By  the 
influence  and  energy  of  Mr.  Wilkes  and  his  school,  one  of  the  prettiest  villages 
in  middle  Georgia,  containing  several  hundred  inhabitants,  was  built  up  and  in- 
corporated as  the  town  of  Spalding.  But  it  was  evident  that  the  health  and  lives 
of  his  large  family  were  imperiled  by  the  malarial  fevers  of  that  part  of  Georgia. 
When  it  was  made  known  that  he  desired  to  seek  a  home  in  North  Georgia,  he 
was  elected  principal  of  the  Crawford  High  School,  and  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church  in  Dalton.  Under  his  administration  the  school  increased  in  numbers 
and  in  importance.  Disapproving  of  the  restrictions  put  on  the  school,  he  ac- 
cepted, in  1876,  the  presidency  of  the  Gainesville  College,  and  the  pastorate  of 
the  Baptist  church  in  Gainesville,  Georgia. 

When  the  Baptist  Convention  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  induced  by  the  generous 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  583 

offer  of  $25,000  and  six  acres  of  land  from  the  Mayor  and  City  Council,  author- 
ized the  establishment  and  endowment  of  a  seminary  of  high  order  for  young 
ladies  in  Gainesville,  Mr.  Wilkes  was  appointed  general  agent.  In  a  little-over 
one  >ear  after  the  decision  of  the  Convention,  by  indomitable  energy  and  perse- 
verance, aided  by  his  co-laborer,  Rev.  D.  E.  Butler,  he  had  a  handsome  two- 
story  brick  edifice  erected,  the  seminary  chartered,  and  a  flourishing  school 
opened.  The  Georgia  Seminary  for  young  ladies  promises  to  be  the  crowning 
work  of  his  old  age.  Five  young  ladies,  who  would  do  honor  to  any  institution 
of  learning,  graduated  in  June,  1879.  Six  more  are  expected  to  graduate  in  1880. 
The  new  catalogue  shows  107  pupils  from  thirty-three  counties  in  Georgia, 
Alabama,  South  Carolina  and  Tennessee. 

Mr.  Wilkes'  long  and  useful  life  is  an  important  part  of  the  history  of  educa- 
tion in  Georgia.  Perhaps  no  educator  in  the  State  puts  a  higher  estimate  on 
female  education,  and  at  the  same  time  has  done  more  for  the  daughters  of 
Georgia. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  1849,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Spalding, 
daughter  of  Dr.  A.  M.  Spalding,  in  Gainesville.  He  has  a  large  family  of  seven 
daughters  and  two  sons  living ;  has  lost  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 

In  1850,  having  been  called  to  ordination  by  the  Milledgeville  church,  the 
Eatonton  church  invited  Revs.  C.  M.  Irwin  and  T.  U.  Wilkes,  the  pastor,  and 
perhaps  others,  to  perform  the  duty.  In  due  form  he  was  ordained,  and  entered 
promptly  on  the  work  of  his  office.  Island  Creek  and  Harmony  churches  called 
him  to  be  their  pastor,  but  before  assuming  the  duties  of  this  office  he  was 
elected  President  of  the  Monroe  Female  College,  and  moved  to  Forsyth. 

In  1853  he  succeeded  Rev.  W.  D.  Atkinson  as  pastor  of  the  Forsyth  church. 
He  also  served  New  Providence  and  Mount  Zion  churches,  in  Monroe  county. 
He  was  pastor  of  Travellers'  Rest  and  Barnesville  churches,  each  twelve  or 
thirteen  years.  He  succeeded  Elder  Jacob  King  in  Thomaston  and  Elder  Joshua 
S.  Callaway  in  Jonesboro,  and  is  now  on  the  fifth  year  of  his  pastorate  in  Gaines- 
ville, Georgia.  He  was  also  pastor  of  the  church  at  Marshallville,  in  Macon 
county. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  Mr.  Wilkes  is  a  self-made  man.  When  a  small  boy, 
he  never  failed  to  have  a  little  crop  every  year,  which  he  sold,  and  saved  the 
money  until  he  needed  it  to  pay  his  expenses  at  college.  To  this  fund  he  added 
larger  sums  obtained  with  his  surveyor's  compass.  His  knowledge  of  the  science 
and  skill  in  practical  surveying,  gave  him  ample  employment  in  Putnam  county, 
and  in  difficult  cases  in  Baldwin,  Jones,  Jasper,  Morgan  and  Hancock  counties. 
He  not  only  educated  himself,  but  claims  that  he  has  contributed  in  gratuitous 
tuition  and  board  to  educating  orphans  and  poor  girls  over  $15,000.  His  bene- 
ficiaries are  scattered  all  over  Georgia  and  adjoining  States. 

When  his  elegant  home  in  Spalding  was  destroyed  by  fire,  his  memoranda 
and  manuscripts  of  sermons  were  lost,  but,  as  well  as  he  can  recollect,  he  has 
inducted  into  the  church  by  baptism  about  1,100  persons ;  he  has  educated  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree  1,200  boys,  and  over  1,400  girls.  He  founded  and  put 
into  successful  operation  Monroe  Female  College,  Spalding  Seminary,  and  the 
Georgia  Baptist  Seminary.  In  1856  he  started  the  Georgia  Educational  Jour- 
nal, which,  after  a  few  years,  appeared  as  the  Forsyth  Journal.  In  1857  he, 
his  brother-in-law,  Rev.  A.  E.  Marshall,  Professor  R.  T.  Asbury,  Professor 
Holmes,  of  Barnesville,  Protessor  A.  B.  Niles,  of  Griffin,  and  others,  organized 
a  Teachers'  Convention,  which  has  grown  to  be  a  large  and  very  influential 
body.  He  looks  backward  on  a  career  of  usefulness,  and  forward  to  life  ever- 
lasting— ascribing  both  to  sovereign  grace. 


584  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


THOMAS  U.  WILKES. 

Rev.  Thomas  U.  Wilkes  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  most  laborious  and 
successful  ministers  in  middle  Georgia.  The  following  sketch,  published  first  in 
Campbell's  "History  of  Georgia  Baptists,"  and  subsequently  by  request  in  The 
Christian  Index,  shows  his  untiring  energy  and  unflagging  zeal  in  the  work 
to  which  he  felt  that  his  Saviour  had  called  him  : 

"  It  was  during  the  author's  pastorate  in  Macon,  Georgia,  in  the  spring  of 
1831,  that  T.  U.  Wilkes,  his  mother  and  sister,  joined  that  church,  by  letter  from 
a  church  in  South  Carolina,  of  which  State  he  was  a  native.  He  was  then  about 
twenty  years  of  age.  His  father,  being  en  route  from  South  Carolina  to  Ala- 
bama, and  finding  the  roads  in  an  almost  impassable  condition,  concluded 
to  stop  with  his  family  near  Macon  till  such  time  as  he  could  pursue  his  journey 
to  better  advantage,  which  he  did  the  ensuing  winter.  Being  a  millwright  by 
trade,  he  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  undertook  the  erection  of  a  mill  on 
Walnut  creek,  three  miles  above  Macon,  for  the  brothers  Austin  and  Thomas 
Ellis.  Those  excellent  men  (among  the  best  I  have  ever  known)  ever  held  T.  U. 
in  the  highest  esteem.  Indeed,  a  cordial  friendship  then  sprang  up  between 
them,  which  terminated  only  with  their  lives. 

■  "  He  had  been  licensed  to  preach  by  his  church  in  South  Carolina,  and,  though 
his  education  was  quite  limited,  and  his  appearance  on  the  whole  ungainly,  yet 
such  was  his  thirst  for  knowledge,  his  fervid  zeal  and  his  unostentatious  piety, 
as  to  warrant  strong  hope  of  future  usefulness.  With  this  hope,  the  present 
writer  encouraged  him  to  devote  at  least  two  years  to  the  improvement  of  his 
education,  and  pledged  his  own  lean  purse  for  his  support,  should  such  a  resort 
become  necessary — which,  however,  was  not  the  case. 

"  The  project  for  setting  on  foot  Mercer  Institute  was  then  under  consideration, 
but  Wilkes  had  no  time  to  lose.  So,  at  the  instance  of  the  writer.  Rev.  A.  Sher- 
wood, at  that  time  residing  on  a  farm  near  Eatonton,  agreed  to  receive  him  into 
his  family,  and  furnish  board  and  tuition,  on  condition  of  his  working  half  his 
time.  With  this  condition  he  faithfully  complied,  working  at  his  trade  as  a  car- 
penter, in  the  field,  or  wherever  his  services  were  required.  This  was  the  origin 
of  Dr.  Sherwood's  Manual  Labor  School,  which  was  relinquished  so  soon  as 
arrangements  were  completed  for  the  opening  of  Mercer  Institute.  That  school 
was  commenced  by  Rev.  B.  M.  Sanders  on  the  second  Monday  in  January,  1833, 
Wilkes  being  one  of  its  first  students.  Here  he  continued  two  years  or  up- 
wards, having  acquired  a  very  respectable  knowledge  of  English  and  Latin. 
And  when  he  retired  he  carried  with  him  the  confidence  of  Sanders  and  his 
associates.  This  may  also  be  said  of  the  feelings  of  Dr.  Sherwood  towards 
him  ;  it  being  well  known  to  the  writer  that  Wilkes  ever  afterwards  enjoyed  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  those  great  and  good  men. 

"On  leaving  Penfield,  perhaps  about  the  year  1836,  he  was  engaged  by  the 
executive  committee  of  the  Central  Association  as  their  missionary.  Lott  Hearn 
furnished  him  a  horse,  and  also  a  home  at  his  house,  free  of  charge.  Solomon 
Graves,  of  Newton  county,  also  offered  him  a  home.  So  the  poor  missionary 
neither  lacked  friends  nor  homes.  In  the  course  of  a  year  he  married  Miss 
Graves,  of  North  Carolina,  a  relative  of  the  Graves  family  in  Newton  county, 
one  of  the  most  respectable  and  influential  families  in  the  State.  With  his  wife, 
a  most  excellent  person,  he  received  a  handsome  property,  so  that  in  his  circum- 
stances henceforth,  though  not  affluent,  he  was  independent.  Yet  this  improve- 
ment in  his  worldly  condition  did  not  divert  his  attention  from  the  great  work 
of  the  ministry.  To  this  work  he  devoted  his  best  energies  with  unwavering 
fidelity  while  he  remained  in  this  State  and  to  the  close  of  his  life.  He  resided 
in  Eatonton,  Georgia,  and  preached  there  and  to  contiguous  churches  for  sev- 
eral years.  He  was  an  earnest  and  forcible  preacher,  zealous  and  persevering, 
and  eminently  successful  in  building  up  churches.     Indeed,  he  was  considered 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


585 


by  many  worthy  to  be  ranked  in  the  first  class  of  preachers  in  the  regions  where 
he  labored.  Having  been  invited  by  the  First  Baptist  church  in  Atlanta  to  be- 
come its  pastor,  he  removed  to  that  city  in  1852.  His  first  wife  died  at  Eaton- 
ton,  and  he  was  married  a  second  time,  to  a  most  estimable  lady  from  South 
Carolina.  In  Atlanta  he  was  the  same  indefatigable  minister,  and  '  many  were 
•added  unto  the  Lord.'  His  success  strikingly  illustrates  the  fact  that  want  of 
education  in  early  life,  even  coupled  with  personal  disadvantages  (for  Wilkes 
had  a  harsh,  grating  voice,  especially  in  its  higher  keys),  need  be  no  obstacle  to 
great  usefulness  in  the  ministry.  About  1861  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Arkansas,  and  settled  in  Phillips  county,  near  the  town  of  Trenton,  on  a  farm. 
During  the  war,  in  common  with  all,  he  suffered  the  loss  of  most  of  his  property, 
but  remained  at  his  post,  attending  to  his  business,  promoting  the  good  of  the 
community,  encouraging  the  desponding  and  preaching  to  his  churches  as  usual. 
By  much  patience  and  perseverance  he  was  enabled  to  keep  up  his  meetings,  and 
often  had  the  largest  congregations,  during  the  time  when  the  war  was  raging. 
For  taking  care  of  his  brother-in-law,  who  was  a  Confederate  soldier,  he  was 
arrested  and  treated  with  great  indignity,  and  all  his  farming  implements,  stock 
and  furniture  taken  away  or  destroyed.  He  preached  to  several  churches  in 
Phillips  and  Monroe,  and  his  last  days  were  spent  in  preaching  the  gospel,  the 
work  so  dear  to  him.  Whilst  attending  a  meeting  of  days  at  Concord  he  was 
stricken  down  with  disease,  which  in  two  days  terminated  his  earthly  career, 
when  only  fifty  four  years  old.  He  was  conscious  to  the  last,  and  when  informed 
of  his  condition  replied,  '  I  know  it.  Thy  will,  O  God,  not  mine,  be  done.' 
His  death  occurred  near  Concord  church,  August  12th,  1865.  His  wife  and  five 
children  survive  him.  His  son,  Luther,  was  at  the  time  a  theological  student  at 
William  Jewell  College,  Missouri,  and  is  a  young  man  of  much  promise.  Rev. 
T.  U.  Wilkes  was  a  native  of  Marlborough  district,  South  Carolina,  and  born  in 
1811." 


JOHN  G.  WILLIAMS. 


In  the  year  i8327whenthe  excitements 
of  the  Nullification  controversy  were  at 
their  height  in  South  Carolina,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  born,  September 
3d,  in  Colleton  county,  in  that  State. 
So,  in  the  midst  of  earthly  commotion, 
God  sends,  unnoticed  by  the  general  eye, 
his  gifts  of  blessing  to  a  people ! 

In  his  seventeenth  year — the  age  at 
which  Joseph  was  sold  into  Egyptian 
slavery — young  Williams  was  emanci- 
pated from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  bap- 
tized into  the  fellowship  of  Black  Creek 
church.  Already  his  gifts  and  graces 
began  to  given  token  of  themselves,  and 
the  following  year  he  was  licensed  to 
preach.  He  matriculated  in  Mercer  Uni- 
versity in  1 85 1,  and  pursued  his  studies 
at  that  institution  for  three  years.  He 
then  went  to  Furman  University,  in  his 
native  Stat^,  where,  in  1855,  he  was  graduated.  Receiving  ordination  at  the 
hands  of  a  presbytery,  of  which  Revs.  Joseph  A.  and  Winborn  A.  Lawton  and 
Dr.  W.  B.  Carson  were  members,  he  soon  after  became  pastor  of  the  Black 
Swamp  church.  Among  this  people,  who  dearly  loved  him,  and  who  possessed 
a  large  share  of  wealth  and  intelligence,  he  labored  until  the  beginning  of  the 


586  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

war.  "  Following  the  flag  "  of  his  country,  without  deserting  the  banner  of  his 
Lord,  he  became  chaplain  to  the  Third  Regiment  of  South  Carolina  Cavalry, 
and  held  that  position  until  hostilities  were  ended.  In  the  troubled  years  since, 
he  has  served  several  churches  as  pastor,  and  has  won  and  retained  the  affection 
of  all.  He  has  been  singularly  successful  in  developing  the  activity  and  liberality 
of  his  charges.  Himself  a  growing  man,  they  have  grown  with  him  ;  for,  in  the 
words  of  another,  "  he  has  said  to  them,  not  '  lie,'  go  on,  but  '  Venz'te,'  come  on." 

In  1856  Mr.  Williams  was  married  to  Miss  Cornelia  G.  Leitner,  a  "  helpmate," 
as  Carlyle  phrases  it,  who  has  faithfully  wrought  with  him  in  "  the  kingdom  and 
patience  of  Jesus  Christ."  Nine  living  children  surround  their  hearthstone,  and 
several  have  gone  before — a  nucleus  for  the  heavenly  reunion  of  the  family. 

His  advance  in  grace  and  his  intellectual  development  have  kept  pace  with 
each  other,  and  both  have  been  great.  And  now,  when  his  physique  promises 
many  years  of  life,  we  feel  sure  that  neither  in  head  nor  in  heart  has  he  reached 
his  zenith.  Some  of  our  most  acceptable  preachers  have  comparatively  very 
little  thought  or  logical  connection  in  their  sermons ;  but  Mr.  Williams  unites 
these  qualities  in  an  eminent  degree  with  a  popular  delivery.  His  pulpit  utter- 
ances are  spiced,  too,  with  a  touch  of  quaintness  which  gives  them  peculiar  zest ; 
while  in  his  speeches  humor  flows  as  naturally  and  as  pure  as  water  from  a 
fountain. 

A  striking  characteristic  of  his  ministry  is  its  conspicuous  unselfishness.  It  is 
sad  and  stiameful  that  heralds  of  the  cross  sometimes  descend  to  the  level  of 
politicians  in  their  efforts  to  supplant  each  other.  But  Mr.  Williams  goes  rather 
to  the  opposite  extreme  :  he  will  not  accept  a  position  if  another  has  set  his 
heart  on  it — he  scorns  even  the  possible  imputation  of  personal  rivalry. 

His  social  qualities  are  quite  equal  to  his  public  ministrations.  He  is  a  heart- 
winner,  as  well  for  himself  as  for  his  Master.  One  secret  of  his  great  popularity 
as  a  man  lies  in  the  fact  that  he  knows  every  person  whom  he  has  once  met ;  for 
people  like  to  be  recognized,  and  often  resent  a  forgetfulness  which  is  due  to 
some  life-long  defect  in  perception  or  in  memory,  as  a  mark  of  indifference  and 
as  an  individual  affront.  If  Mr.  Williams  heard  you  preach  twenty  years  ago, 
he  remembers  not  you  only,  but  your  text  and  the  principal  divisions  of  your 
discourse. 

In  this  or  in  that  respect,  Mr.  Williams  doubtless  has  superiors  ;  but  in  the 
harmonious  development  of  mental,  moral  and  spiritual  qualities,  he  has  few 
equals.  He  is  a  whole  man  ;  and  has  unfolded,  and  will  yet  unfold,  his  germs 
of  native  capability  in  "  full-orbed  completeness." 


HENRY  A.  WILLIAMS. 

Rev.  Henry  A.,  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Corley), 
Williams,  was  born  in  Orangeburg  district.  South 
Carolina,  December  5th,  1810.  With  limited  opportu- 
nities, he  acquired  a  fair  English  education  by  improve- 
ment of  his  leisure  hours  and  by  school-teaching.  In 
early  life  his  thoughts  were  turned  to  that  supreme 
question — the  salvation  of  the  soul.  He  was  hopefully 
converted  in  his  sixteenth  year,  but  did  not  connect 
himself  with  the  church  until  his  eighteenth  or  nine- 
teenth year,  when  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  J.  T.  Mar- 
shall, of  Columbia,  South  Carolina.  He  commenced 
preaching  about  the  year  1830,  and  was  ordained  in  1838,  by  Revs.  J.  Wheeler 
and  C.  Howell.  He  was  employed  at  once  in  evangelistic  labor,  as  missionary 
to  the  destitute  regions  within  the  bounds  of  the  Edisto  Association.  Having 
previously  removed  to  Pendleton  district,  he  returned,  in  1839,  to  Orangeburg, 


OF   PROMINENT    BAPTISTS.  587 

and  accepted  charge  of  Ebenezer,  Canaan  and  Orange  churches,  w^hich  he  served 
for  two  years  with  great  success.  In  1841  he  entered  on  a  seven  ySars' pastorate 
with  Dry  Creek  church,  Edgefield  district,  baptizing  many  and  preaching  regu- 
larly at  other  places  also.  In  1848  he  settled  in  Cobb  county,  Georgia,  where  he 
resided  for  sixteen  years.  During  this  period  he  had  the  care  of  four  churches 
every  year  except  the  first — when  he  ministered  to  three,  Noonday,  Mount  Zion 
and  Concord — was  several  times  elected  Moderator  of  the  Tallapoosa  Associa- 
tion, and  served  that  body  as  clerk  for  a  decade  or  more.  Being  in  the  track  of 
the  invading  army  in  1864,  he  took  refuge  in  southeast  Georgia,  and  labored  for 
three  years  in  connection  with  churches  in  Tatnall  and  Liberty  counties.  He 
became  pastor,  in  1867,  of  the  Second,  or  KoUoch  Street,  church,  Augusta,  where, 
in  the  course  of  five  years,  he  baptized  between  two  and  three  hundred  persons. 
In  1873  he  returned  to  Cobb  county,  serving  Noonday,  Salem,  Harmony  and 
Campbellton,  for  terms  varying  from  one  year  upward,  until  employed,  in  1877, 
by  the  State  Board  of  the  Alabama  Baptist  Convention  as  a  missionary.  Filling 
that  position  for  a  year,  he  removed  to  the  State  and  located  at  Cross  Plains, 
Calhoun  county,  where  he  resides  at  present,  preaching  twice  a  month  to  the 
church  at  that  point. 

He  was  married,  November,  1832,  to  Miss  Eve  Margaret  Senn,  by  whom  he 
has  now  living  four  sons  and  one  daughter,   all   members  of  Baptist  churches. 

Mr.  Williams  has  been  a  laborious  worker,  gathering  many  persons  into  the 
churches  ;  but  has  been,  most  of  the  time,  under  the  necessity  of  working  with 
his  own  hands  to  eke  out  a  support  for  himself  and  his  family.  He  has  been 
greatly  troubled  and  embarrassed  by  heavy  pecuniary  losses  at  four  different 
times — by  security  for  an  insolvent,  by  fire,  by  the  war  and  by  unfaithful  breth- 
ren— but  the  Lord  has  not  forsaken  him  ;  "  his  bread  and  his  water  have  been 
sure."  His  health  is  still  good,  and  he  has,  presumptively,  other  years  of  labor 
before  him. 


WILLIAM   WJLLIAMS. 


The  following  sketch  of  Rev.  William  Williams,  D.  D.,  was  furnished  by 
an  intimate  friend  to  The  Christian  Index,  in  March,  1877.  Those  among  us 
who  knew  that  lamented  brother  best  will  cheerfully  indorse  all  that  is  said  of 
his  ability  and  worth.  We  have  had  but  few  more  gifted  men  in  our  denomination. 

"Dr.  Williams  was  born  in  Eatonton,  Georgia,  March  15th,  1821.  When  he 
was  twelve  years  of  age,  his  father  removed  to  Athens.  Here  he  was  prepared 
for  college,  and  entered  the  State  University  in  his  seventeenth  year,  graduating 
in  1 840  with  the  highest  honors  of  his  class.  For  a  few  years  after  graduation 
he  gave  himself  to  business  pursuits.  When  he  had  completed  his  twenty- 
fourth  year  he  elected  the  legal  profession  as  his  vocation  for  life ;  and  in  order 
that  he  might  secure  the  best  preparation  for  his  calling,  he  matriculated  at  the 
law  school  of  Harvard  University,  very  soon  after  his  marriage  in  1845,  where 
he  remained  for  three  years,  and  graduated  in  that  department  with  distinguished 
honor.  Lie  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Montgomery,  Alabama,  tak- 
ing at  once  a  high  stand  among  his  contemporary  practitioners.  He  acquitted 
himself  so  handsomely  in  his  very  first  case  in  court,  that  the  presiding  judge, 
subsequently  a  distinguished  member  of  Congress,  expressed  great  admiiation 
for  his  ability,  and  predicted  for  him  a  brilliant  career  as  a  lawyer. 

"  The  fine  intellect  which  placed  him  in  the  van  of  his  class-mates  at  college 
would,  doubtless,  soon  have  won  for  him  similar  superiority  at  the  bar,  had  he 
adhered  to  legal  pursuits.  But  Providence  summoned  him  to  a  holier  work. 
Whilst  a  student  at  college,  his  heart  had  been  renewed  and  his  service  conse- 
crated to  Christ.  He  had  been  but  for  a  brief  period  in  the  practice  of  law, 
when  he  became  convinced  that  it  was  his  duty  to  plead  for  Jesus  rather  than 


588  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

for  human  clients,  and  he  promptly  sacrificed  the  inviting  prospects  of  fame 
and  of  fortune,  which  were  opening  before  him,  for  the  self-denying  work  of  a 
herald  of  the  cross.  At  the  special  request  of  the  church  at  Montgomery  to 
preach  for  them,  he  did  so  on  the  third  Sunday  in  August,  1851,  using  as  his 
text  this  portion  of  Scripture  found  in  John  7  :  46  :  '  Never  man  spake  like  this 
man.'  That  church  called  him  as  their  pastor,  but  he  declined  to  accept  the 
call,  preferring  a  smaller  field  of  labor,  where  he  would  have  more  time  to  study 
and  to  prepare  for  the  great  work  upon  which  he  had  entered.  He  accepted  a 
call  from  the  Auburn  church,  Alabama,  where  also  he  was  ordained,  perhaps  in 
185 1.  Entering  with  great  earnestness  and  zeal  on  his  duties,  he  soon  became 
known  as  one  of  the  most  effective  preachers  in  the  State.  At  this  period, 
Daniel  Webster,  of  Massachusetts,  was  in  the  zenith  of  his  fame,  and  such  was 
the  enthusiasm  awakened  by  the  preaching  of  Dr.  Williams,  that  many  pro- 
nounced him,  even  at  this  early  period  of  his  ministerial  career,  the  Webster  of 
the  American  pulpit.  Shortly  after  entering  on  the  work  of  the  ministry,  it  was 
our  good  fortune  to  hear  two  discourses  from  our  brother  whilst  on  a  visit  to 
his  friends  in  Athens.  We  shall  never  forget  the  impression  of  those  sermons. 
More  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  passed,  but  the  clear  and  beautiful  analy- 
sis, the  striking  and  original  thought,  the  terse  expression,  combined  with  the 
evangelical  sentiment  and  fervid  oratory  yet  fresh  in  the  memory,  attest  the 
power  of  the  preacher. 

"Some  time  about  the  year  1856,  the  venerable  and  beloved  Dr.  J.  L.  Dagg 
retired  from  the  professorship  of  theology  in  Mercer  University,  having  been 
elected  the  President  of  that  institution.  Dr.  Williams  was  called  to  succeed  him. 
The  number  of  theological  students  was  small,  but  his  scholarly  habits  and  fine 
acquisitions  awakened  their  enthusiastic  admiration.  At  the  same  time  his  gifts 
in  the  pulpit  placed  him  in  the  very  front  rank  of  the  ministers  of  the  State. 
Hon.  A.  H.  Stephens,  who  occasionally  heard  him  in  Crawfordville  about  this 
period,  remarked  to  a  friend  who  communicated  the  observation  to  us,  that  he 
knew  no  preacher  in  the  State  of  such  commanding  power. 

"When  the  Baptist  Theological  Seminary  at  Greenville,  South  Carolina,  was  or- 
ganized, and  the  trustees  were  in  quest  of  the  best  men  in  the  denomination  for  the 
important  positions,  Dr.  Williams  was  elected  to  fill  the  chair  of  Systematic  Theol- 
ogy. In  1859  he  resigned  his  professorship  in  Mercer  University,  and  removed 
to  Greenville  and  entered  at  once  upon  his  duties.  How  admirably  he  sustained 
the  expectations  of  his  friends  in  this  new  and  high  position,  let  the  scores  of 
young  ministers  who  have  been  brought  under  his  valuable  training,  and  who 
are  now  occupying  posts  of  distinguished  usefulness,  answer.  Let  the  trustees 
who  feel  the  great  difficulty  of  filling  the  place  so  long  adorned  by  our  brother, 
attest.  His  clear  and  comprehensive  conception  of  his  topics,  his  vigorous 
thought,  his  large  information,  his  ready  powers  of  expression,  concurred  in 
giving  him  eminent  fitness  for  the  duties  of  a  theological  instructor. 

"While  our  brother  possessed  gifts  which  made  him  so  eminent,  both  in  the 
professor's  chair  and  in  the  pulpit,  he  was  distinguished  by  moral  excellences 
which  are  rarely  found  in  union  with  such  high  endowments.  We  can  truly 
say,  after  an  acquaintance  protracted  through  more  than  thirty  years,  it  has  rarely 
been  our  privilege  to  be  acquainted  with  so  estimable  a  character.  Modest  and 
unostentatious,  he  toiled  along  from  year  to  year  without  courting  the  least 
observation.  In  manner  he  was  as  simple  and  unassuming  as  a  child,  whilst  in 
thought  and  mental  power  he  was  the  peer  of  our  strongest  men.  Entirely  de- 
void of  all  taint  of  covetousness,  unselfish  and  self-sacrificing,  he  had  little  con- 
cern about  this  world's  goods — willing  (as  we  have  seen)  to  sacrifice  his  earthly 
prospects  for  the  'excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  his  Lord.' 

"The  last  time  we  saw  him  was  in  May  last  (1876)  when  visiting  Baltimore  in 
reference  to  his  health.  He  was  then  too  feeble  even  to  sit  whilst  in  conversa- 
tion— being  compelled  to  recline  ;  and  though  his  physicians  even  then  intimated 
to  him  the  probability  of  an  unfavorable  termination  of  his  malady,  he  was  per- 
fectly cheerful.  The  good  man  knew  whom  he  had  believed,  and  he  was  ready 
for  continued  work  or  for  an  early  dismission  from  his  labors.  Death  had  no 
terror  for  him — he  had  long  ago  made  his  peace  with  God.     Like  the  beloved 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


589 


Fuller,  he  relinquished  flattering  worldly  prospects  that  he  might  preach  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  Like  him  also  his  preaching  was  pre-eminently 
evangelical.  '  I  determined  to  know  nothing  among  you  save  Jesus  Christ  and 
Him  crucified,'  was  the  text  of  one  of  his  first  sermons  after  he  entered  the 
ministry,  and  it  was  the  key-note  of  his  whole  preaching." 

For  some  time  before  his  death,  failing  health  compelled  him  to  relinquish 
the  duties  of  his  Chair ;  but  his  friends  hoped  that  cessation  from  work,  together 
with  the  propitious  influences  of  a  milder  climate,  would  restore  his  accustomed 
vigor.  This  hope,  however,  was  destined  to  disappointment.  He  "  fell  on 
sleep,"  at  Aiken,  South  CaroHna,  on  the  20th  of  February,  1877,  in  the  last 
month  of  his  fifty-sixth  year.  This  event,  from  the  earthward  side,  was  inex- 
pressibly painful,  for  it  bereaved  the  denomination  of  one  of  its  brightest  orna- 
ments ;  what  it  was  on  the  heavenward  side,  we  shall  know  in  full  only  when 
we  hear  the  "  unspeakable  words  "  which  now  no  human  lips  are  worthy  to  utter, 
and  no  human  heart  able  to  conceive. 


R.  J.  WILLINGHAM. 


Rev.  R.  J.  WiLLlNGHAM,  pastor  of  the 
Talbotton  Baptist  church,  besides  enjoy- 
ing the  confidence  of  the  community  at 
large,  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  flock 
for  his  piety,  his  consecration  to  his  work, 
and  his  pulpit  ability.  His  superior  edu- 
cational advantages,  studious  habits  and 
energy  of  character,  inspire  the  hope  that, 
with  the  divine  blessing,  he  will  achieve 
great  good  in  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer. 
In  addition  to  his  own  personal  qualifica- 
tions, he  has  been  fortunate  in  securing  a 
wife  who  is  a  cultivated,  refined  and  pious 
woman,  always  ready  to  further  his  labors 
and  eminently  adapted  to  promote  his 
success. 

He  was  born  in  Beaufort  district.  South 
Carolina,  May  15th,  1854.  His  father, 
Benjamin  L.  Willingham,  and  his  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  M.  Baynard,  were  both  devoted  Baptists. 
Under  the  healthful  influences  of  a  Christian  home,  he  was  early  led  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  the  exercise  of  faith  in  Christ.  He  professed  conversion  in  August, 
1867,  when  only  thirteen  years  old,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Joseph  A.  Lawton, 
into  the  fellowship  of  Cqncord  church,  in  his  native  district.  Prepared  by 
thorough  academic  training,  he  entered  the  University  of  Georgia,  at  Athens, 
and  graduated  there  with  distinguished  honor.  After  his  graduation  he  taught 
for  some  time  as  principal  of  one  of  the  public  schools  in  Macon,  where  his 
father  at  that  time  resided.  Thus  there  opened  before  him  the  promise  of  a 
career  marked  with  honor  and  profit.  But  feeling  that  imperative  duty  de- 
manded the  devotion  of  his  life  to  the  ministry,  he  relinquished  these  prospects 
and  became  a  student  in  the  Southern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Louis- 
ville. Passing  through  the  entire  course  of  instruction  in  this  institution,  he  was 
called  to  ordination  in  May,  1878,  by  the  First  Baptist  church,  Macon.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  actively  at  work  in  the  ministry  with  goodly  tokens  of 
success. 

He  was  married,  September,  1874,  to  Miss  S.  C,  daughter  of  Colonel  R.  J. 


590 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


Bacon,  of  Macon,  Georgia.  Three  lovely  children  have  crowned  this  union.  He 
is  six  feet  two  inches  in  height  and  weighs  over  one  hundred  and  ninety  pounds. 
Blessed  with  a  vigorous  constitution,  tine  health,  a  cultivated  intellect  and  an 
energy  that  knows  no  limit,  his  future  ought  to  be  one  of  more  than  ordinary 
usefulness, 


CAREY  C.  WILLIS. 


One  of  the  most  unassuming  of  men ;  one 
of  the  most  gentle,  genial  and  lovable  of 
friends  and  companions ;  most  gentlemanly, 
honorable  and  high-toned  in- all  the  relations 
of  life ;  and  peculiarly  tender,  conscientious 
and  zealous  as  a  Christian,  Rev.  Carey  C. 
Willis  is  beloved  and  admired  by  a  wide 
circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances.  He  is 
one  of  the  few  men  whose  names  are  never 
used  lightly  by  gossiping  lips. 

The  eldest  son  of  Dempsey  and  Margaret 
Willis,  he  was  born  in  Baldwin  county,  Geor- 
gia, March  24th,  1809.  His  mother's  name, 
before  her  marriage,  was  Margaret  Curry. 
Both  parents  were  Baptists,  and  consistent 
members  of  the  church.  Not  wealthy,  yet 
possessing  enough  of  this  world's  goods  to 
live  in  ease  and  comfort,  they  considered 
it  a  sacred  duty  to  rear  their  children  under  religious  influences.  They  were 
blessed  with  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  all  of  whom  were  trained 
to  regard  it  as  honorable  to  earn  their  bread  by  the  sweat  of  their  brows ;  and 
young  Carey  was  remarkable  for  the  energy  and  perseverance  he  manifested  on 
the  farm.  Indeed,  these  characteristics  have  marked  his  course  through  life, 
and  proved  important  elements  in  securing  the  success  to  which  he  attained. 
Educational  advantages  were  meagre  in  Georgia  in  his  early  life,  and  therefore 
he  did  not  enjoy  the  advantages  of  a  classical  education.  His  defects  of  educa- 
tion he  however  sought  to  remedy,  as  far  as  possible,  by  self-application  after 
his  entrance  on  the  ministry.  Having  moved  to  Muscogee  county  in  1828,  he 
there  professed  conversion  and  united  with  the  Bethel  church,  ten  miles  from 
Columbus,  in  1829,  when  twenty  years  of  age.  He  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Z.  H. 
Gordon,  a  pious  and  good  man,  who  is  still  living  in  Alabama.  After  the  lapse 
of  half  a  century,  Mr.  Willis  still  retains  his  membership  in  the  church  with  which 
he  first  became  connected.  His  pious  conversation  and  godly  walk  induced  his 
church  to  set  him  apart  to  the  office  of  deacon,  March  31st,  1831,  and  his  zeal, 
activity  and  usefulness  as  a  member,  together  with  the  gifts  he  exhibited,  led  to 
his  ordination,  December  24th,  1836.  The  presbytery  was  composed  cf  R.ev. 
George  Granberry,  Rev.  G.  B.  Waldrup  and  Rev.  Anderson  Smith,  all  of  whom 
now  slumber  in  the  grave. 

Called  first  to  serve  the  Liberty  church  as  pastor,  Mr.  Willis  began  at  once  a 
long  life  of  active  and  most  useful  ministerial  service,  which  can  be  but  briefly 
hinted  at.  His  connection  with  Liberty  church  continued  six  years,  and  he 
baptized  many  into  her  fellowship ;  with  Harmony  church,  in  Cusseta,  Chatta- 
hoochee county,  he  was  connected  as  pastor  ten  years,  beginning  with  1840,  and 
from  a  membership  of  thirteen  only,  it  became,  under  his  care,  one  of  the 
strongest  churches  in  the  Columbus  Association.  The  Bethel  church  has  been 
greatly  blessed  by  his  labors,  in  a  long  pastorate  of  forty  years,  which  still  con- 
tinues. Very  many  have  been  received  into  its  membership  and  baptized  by 
"him,  among  them  fifteen  of  his  own  children.     Under  his  watch-care  this  church 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  SQI 

became  a  model,  and  one  of  the  most  efficient  churches  in  the  Columbus  Asso- 
ciation. Its  house  of  worship  far  surpasses  in  excellence  most  country  churches, 
but  what  is  more  remarkable,  its  people  and  pastor  have  ever  been  in  such  har- 
mony that  an  unpleasant  division  on  any  subject  has  never  occurred  among 
them. 

For  seventeen  years  Mr.  Willis  served  the  Bethesda  church,  in  Harris  county, 
and  is  still  pastor  of  the  Mt.  Zion  church,  in  Muscogee  county,  although  he  be- 
gan to  preach  for  it  twenty-four  years  ago ;  and  his  labors  have  been  greatly 
blessed.  The  Rehoboth  church,  in  Harris  county ;  the  Beulah  church,  in  Stew- 
art county,  and  several  other  churches,  in  both  Georgia  and  Alabama,  have  en- 
joyed the  benefits  of  his  ministrations,  and  wherever  he  has  labored,  the  people 
"rise  up  and  call  him  blessed." 

Few  men  can  look  back  on  a  long  ministerial  life  with  so  much  gratification 
as  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  yet  it  is  doubtless  true  that  he  regards  himself  as 
merely  an  humble  instrument  in  the  hands  of  Providence.  As  a  pastor,  he  has 
always  been  tender,  kind  and  loving,  yet  firm  in  his  convictions  of  duty,  truth 
and  right.  His  moral  influence  for  good  over  an  extensive  section  is  very  great, 
because  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  all  classes  of  society.  As  a 
supporter  of  the  Sunday-school  and  mission  cause,  he  is  noted.  The  region  in 
which  he  has  labored  was,  in  part,  formerly  strongly  anti-missionary  in  sentiment ; 
but  so  potent  has  been  his  influence  that  anti-mission  sentiments  have  given  way, 
and  a  strong  missionary  spirit  prevails ;  indeed,  the  churches  of  the  Columbus 
Association  are  conspicuous  for  their  liberality  to  the  mission  cause. 

As  a  revivalist  and  exhorter,  Mr.  Willis  is  almost  unequalled ;  as  a  peacema- 
ker, he  has  ever  wielded  a  most  happy  influence,  being  always  able  to  control 
the  troubles  that  arose  in  his  churches. 

For  nineteen  years  he  has  presided  as  Moderator  over  the  Columbus  Associa- 
tion with  a  patience,  firmness  and  tact,  combined  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
parliamentary  practice,  that  command  the  respect  of  all. 

His  distinction  as  an  exhorter  may  be  illustrated  by  a  remark  made  by  Rev. 
George  Cranberry,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Columbus  Association.  One  of  the  ses- 
sions of  that  body  was  held  on  the  old  Muscogee  (Methodist)  Camp  Ground  ; 
and  among  the  visiting  ministers  present  was  Rev.  James  Davis,  of  the  Western 
Association,  who,  during  an  exhortation,  became  thoroughly  aroused  ;  and  with  a 
vehemence  and  natural  eloquence  that  could  not  be  withstood  or  surpassed,  he 
carried  everything  by  storm.  Said  Mr.  Cranberry  afterwards:  "  I've  seen  two 
things  to-day  I  never  expected  to  see  in  this  life :  I've  seen  James  Davis  lay 
Carey  Wiflis  in  the  shade  as  an  exhorter,  and  I've  seen  the  Baptists  beat  the 
Methodists  on  their  own  ground." 

Mr.  Willis  has  married  twice.  His  first  wife,  whom  he  married  October  15th, 
1829,  was  Miss  Martha  A.  Stallings.  She  died  in  December,  1845,  leaving  eight 
small  children.  He  afterwards  married  Mrs.  Mary  T.  Huff,  who  still  lives  to 
bless  his  declining  years,  and  who  has  borne  him  ten  children,  three  of  whom 
have  "gone  on  before." 

Mr.  Willis  lives  in  the  Bethel  neighborhood,  ten  miles  east  of  Columbus,  in 
Muscogee  county,  in  which  neighborhood  he  has  resided  for  fifty  years — a  pe- 
riod long  enough  to  try  a  man  ;  and  those  long  years  have  tried  and  proved 
him.  The  salt  has  been  found  to  be  good  ;  the  light  has  proved  to  be  steady 
and  bright.  Hence,  measurably,  his  success ;  for  his  people  have  unbounded 
confidence  in  his  piety.  By  his  life,  during  his  long  sojourn  among  them,  he 
has  impressed  on  them  the  conviction  that  he  is  a  "good  man,  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  faith."  Lord  Chesterfield  said,  "  Goodness  is  greatness."  And  it  is 
true  that  true  piety  makes  a  man  have  power  with  God  and  man,  and  prevail. 

Another  element  of  his  character,  which  has  contributed  to  his  success,  is  his 
ardent  love  for  God  and  the  souls  of  men.  He  believes  with  unquestioning  faith 
aU  that  God  has  said  about  the  lost  condition  of  man  and  the  love  of  Christ  for 
every  soul.  That  love  o^  Christ  constrains  him ;  and  we  know  that  love  works 
wonders  on  him  who  exercises  it,  and  upon  the  recipient  of  that  love.  His  peo- 
ple have  had  unceasing  evidence  of  his  love  for  them,  and  not  what  is  theirs, 
but  themselves,  they  feel,  he  has  ever  sought  with  prayerful  solicitude.     And 


592  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

hence  they  love  him,  for  "love  begets  love."  When  the  loving  under-shepherd 
and  the  Hock  are  drawn  together  by  love,  success  must  follow. 

Finally,  his  zeal  has  been  consuming.  Of  him  it  may  be  truthfully  affirmed, 
"  he  is  abundant  in  labors."  His  faith,  working  by  love,  has  made  him  a  prince 
in  Israel.  He  is  a  friend  of  every  good  thing,  and  is  a  missionary  from  princi- 
ple. He  preaches  missions,  and  has  taught  his  members  their  duty  in  regard  to 
benevolent  enterprises ;  and  then,  when  he  has  urged  upon  others  the  duty  of 
giving,  has  led  the  way  by  giving  generously  himself. 

Though  not  fully  supported,  financially,  he  has  industriously  labored  with  his 
own  hands  to  supply  the  lack  of  service  on  the  part  of  his  brethren.  Not  being 
given  to  change,  satisfied  with  the  field  assigned  him  by  his  Lord  and  Master, 
and  "  having  a  mind  to  work,"  he  has  kept  together  a  large  church,  embracing 
a  very  considerable  proportion  of  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  interesting 
communities  in  Georgia,  through  a  continuous  pastorate  of  forty  years,  and 
where,  honored  and  beloved  by  the  entire  population  of  his  region,  he  remains 
unto  this  day.  In  all  those  years  Christ  and  His  cross  have  been  themes,  fer- 
vently preached,  prayerfully  and  lovingly  declared,  "  in  season  and  out  of  sea- 
son," that  he  might  by  all  means  "  save  some." 


FRANKLIN   WILSON. 

One  of  the  most  useful,  scholarly  and  hard-working  men  of  the  denomination 
is  Rev.  Franklin  Wilson,  D.D.,  of  Baltimore,  a  man  who,  by  his  pen,  as 
well  as  orally,  has  done  much  to  advance  the  Baptist  cause.  He  is  now  over 
fifty-eight  years  of  age,  having  been  born  December  8th,  1822,  in  Baltimore, 
Maryland.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  was  graduated  at  Brown  University,  in 
September,  1841,  with  the  third  honor.  During  his  college  course  he  was  con- 
verted and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  S.  P.  Hill,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  church 
of  Baltimore.  In  September,  1844,  he  entered  Newton  Theological  Seminary, 
remaining  two  years,  and  afterwards  spending  a  few  months  travelling  in 
Europe.  On  his  return  he  was  ordained  in  the  First  church,  of  Baltimore,  Jan- 
uary 1 8th,  1846,  and  took  charge  of  the  Huntington  (now  Waverly)  church,  in 
the  suburbs  of  the  city.  He  labored  in  that  position  over  a  year,  and  then 
assumed  charge  of  the  High  street  church,  Baltimore,  laboring  until  December, 
1850,  when  an  attack  of  bronchitis  deprived  hirn  of  the  use  of  his  voice  for  six 
years.  Though  partially  recovered,  and  able  to  preach  a  great  deal,  yet  he  has 
never  since  been  able  to  return  to  regular  pastoral  labor.  In  October,  1854,  he 
united  with  others  in  forming  the  Franklin  Square  Baptist  church,  and  during 
the  many  intervals  between  the  departure  of  one  pastor  and  the  settlement  of 
another  over  that  church,  he  has  acted  as  pastor.  November  21st,  1848,  he 
married  Miss  Virginia  Appleton,  of  Portland,  Maine,  a  niece  of  Mrs.  Dr.  James 
B.  Taylor,  of  Richmond,  Virginia. 

From  January,  185 1,  to  January,  1857,  he  edited  the  True  Union,  a  Baptist 
paper.  From  January,  1857,  to  January,  1859,  he  edited  The  Chrzstmn  P.eview, 
quarterly,  in  connection  with  Rev.  George  B.  Taylor.  Besides  other  editorial 
labors,  he  has  published  various  excellent  religious  and  denominational  tracts  ; 
one,  a  prize  essay,  on  "  The  Duties  of  Churches  to  their  Pastors,"  was  published 
by  the  Southern  Baptist  Publication  Society,  in  1853;  and,  more  recently,  a 
remarkable  and  most  useful  work  of  his,  "  Wealth,  its  Acquisition,  Investment, 
and  Use,"  has  been  published  by  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society. 
For  nearly  twenty-eight  years  he  has  been  the  secretary  of  the  executive  board 
of  the  Maryland  Baptist  Union  Association,  the  duties  of  which  office,  and  of 
various  benevolent  and  reformatory  institutions  of  which  he  is  a  director, 
together  with  occasional  preaching,  occupy  his  time. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


593 


JOHN    W.    WILSON. 


Rev.  John  W.  Wilson  was  born  in  Talbot  county, 
Georgia,    October   5th,    1835.      He   was   reared  by   pious 
parents,  whose  precept  and  example  served  to  impress  him 
with  the  purity,  power  and  preciousness  of  the  religion  of 
Christ.     He  felt  this  wholesome  spiritual  influence  deeply 
in  early  life,  and  experienced  the  new  birth  when  about 
twenty  years  of  age.     He  was  baptized  into  the  fellowship 
of  Sardis  church,  in  September,  1856,  by  Rev.  John  Howell, 
Having  subsequently  removed  his  membership  to  Mount 
Zion  church,  where  he  still   holds   it,  he  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  that  church,  in   1868,  and  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  at  its  request,  in  1870,  by  Revs.  M.  J.  Wellborn,  J.  S.  Searcy  and  J.  D. 
Wilson,     Since  that  date  he  has  devoted  himself  to  the  work  of   preaching 
Christ  most  acceptably  to  the  churches  and  the  congregations  favored  with  his 
services. 

He  was  married,  June,  1857,  to  a  daughter  of  Rev.  James  Ferryman,  of  Talbot 
county. 


JOHN  WHITFIELD  WILSON. 


Rev.  John  Whitfield  Wilson,  a  direct  descendant  of  Rev.  George  Whit- 
field, was  born  at  Fort  Charlotte,  on  the  Savannah  river,  in  the  year  1794.  Be- 
reaved at  a  tender  age  of  his  father,  he  was  left  to  the  guardianship  of  Colonel 
Richard  Griffin,  of  Abbeville,  South  Carolina.  This  gentleman  appears  to  have 
had  an  enlightened  regard  for  the  mental  development  of  his  ward,  and  placed 
him  in  the  school  of  Dr.  Moses  Waddell,  at  Wellington.  Here  the  beginning  of 
the  war  of  181 2  found  him,  and  the  martial  instincts  proved  too  strong  for  the 
attractions  of  study.  He  ran  away  to  join  the  army,  and  was  in  the  trenches 
at  Savannah  when  peace  was  made.  He  then  returned  to  Abbeville  and  entered 
the  office  of  Judge  William  Harris  as  a  law  student.  On  the  completion  of  his 
course,  he  removed  to  Alabama,  and  settled  at  Tuscaloosa,  where  he  remained 
but  a  short  while,  going  thence  to  Linden,  Marengo  county,  and  engaging  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  that  point.  He  married  there  in  1822.  His  wife, 
Clarinda,  daughter  of  Captain  Jacob  Lindsay,  United  States  Army,  bore  him  ten 
children. 

His  highest  ambition  at  this  stage  of  his  life,  as  he  frequently  said  in  the  un- 
reserve of  family  intercourse,  was  to  drive  fast  horses  and  outdress  his  associates. 
The  latter  weakness  provoked  a  public  reproof,  about  the  year  1826,  during  a 
camp-meeting,  from  a  Methodist  minister,  who  asked  him  if  he  was  going  out  in 
the  midst  of  the  services  to  show  his  gold-headed  cane.  On  the  spur  of  the 
moment,  he  answered  that  if  his  reprover  would  come  down  from  the  pulpit  the 
cane  should  be  worn  out  across  his  shoulders.  Instantly  the  impropriety  and 
enormity  of  his  conduct  smote  him  with  a  sense  of  guilt,  and  led  him  to  seek 
the  salvation  of  his  soul.  Making  a  profession  of  faith,  he  joined  the  Methodists, 
but  became  dissatisfied  with  what  he  had  previously  regarded  as  a  valid  baptism, 
and  desired  to  be  immersed.  But  no  minister  of  the  denomination  would  com- 
ply with  his  request,  because  he  had  been  sprinkled  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 
when  an  infant,  and,  in  their  view,  to  immerse  him  would  be  Anabaptism.  He 
felt  himself  constrained,  therefore,  to  unite  with  the  Baptists,  which  he  did'  in 


594 


BIOGRAPtllCAL   SKETCHES 


1828,  whatever  sacrifice  might  attend  the  step,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev  Hosea 
Holcombe.  His  piety  soon  showed  itself  to  be  of  the  aggressive,  diffusive  type ; 
himself  a  believer,  he  could  not  rest  without  attempting  to  bring  others  to  the 
faith.  He  became  a  preacher,  and,  to  awaken  the  churches  on  the  subject  of 
missions,  he  rode  as  an  evangelist  over  the  State  from  1830  to  1835.  Inuring 
the  winter  of  the  latter  year  he  removed  to  Georgia,  first  serving  as  pastor  the 
church  at  Lawrenceville,  Gwinnett  county,  for  a  year,  laboring  the  next  year 
with  Goshen  church,  Lincoln  county,  going  then  to  Crawfordville,  where  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  the  law  and  ministered  in  various  churches  as  pastor  or 
supply,  among  them  Bethesda  church,  Greene  county ;  Powelton  church,  Han- 
cock county,  and  Phillips'  Mill  church,  Wilkes  county.  From  1845  to  1849  he 
had  charge  of  the  Griffin  church,  removing  thence  to  Pine  Bluff,  Dougherty 
county,  and  subsequently,  in  succession,  to  Cuthbert  and  Americus.  He  died 
February  ist,  1856,  away  from  home,  on  his  route  to  the  Florida  Association,  at 
the  house  of  Rev.  D.  G  Daniell,  then  pastor  at  Thomasville. 

He  was  a  doctrinal  preacher,  insisting  very  strongly  on  human  depravity, 
regeneration  through  the  Spirit,  and  vital,  saving  faith.  If  the  belief  were  right 
and  the  heart  renewed,  he  held  that  good  works  would  naturally  follow ;  and  he 
concerned  himself  less  with  the  stream  than  with  the  fountain  which  supplied 
it.  He  gave  the  last  years  of  his  life  entirely  to  the  ministry,  with  a  good  degree 
of  acceptance  and  fruit,  and  died  in  the  full  assurance  of  the  faith  which  he  had 
preached. 


JOSEPH    EDGERTON    WILLET.- 

Professor  Joseph  Edgerton  Willet, 
A.  M.,  M.  D.,  the  modest,  amiable  and  learned 
Professor  of  Natural  Philosoph}^  Chemistry 
and  Geology  in  Mercer  University,  is  the  son 
of  Joseph  Willet  and  Margaret  McKay,  and 
was  born  in  Macon,  Georgia,  November  17th, 
1826.  Professor  Willet's  father  came  from 
New  York  City  in  1818,  but  was  born  in 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  where  his  father  had, 
for  many  years,  been  a  ship-builder.  John 
Willet,  a  Welshman,  and  the  ancestor  of  the 
family,  landed  in  Boston  about  1630,  from 
which  city  one  of  the  family  went  to  New 
York,  as  one  of  its  early  English  Governors, 
under  appointment  of  the  Crown.  Colonel 
Willet,  another  of  the  family,  is  frequently 
mentioned  in  the  history  of  the  Revolution. 

Professor  Willet's  maternal  grandfather  was 
a  Scotchman,  who  emigrated  from  the  Heb- 
rides to  North  Carolina,  and,  about  1820,  moved  from  that  State  to  Bibb  county, 
Georgia.  In  that  county  Mr.  Willet  spent  his  youth  on  a  farm,  laboring  but 
little,  however,  after  his  twelfth  year.  As  a  boy,  he  was  sober  in  his  habits,  and 
not  much  given  to  boyish  sports.  His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the 
schools  of  Macon  and  at  an  academy  near  where  is  now  the  town  of  Marshall- 
ville.  He  entered  the  Junior  class  of  Mercer  University  in  1844,  at  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  graduated  in  1846,  with  Sylvanus  Landrum  and  Thomas  C. 
Neal  as  class-mates.  A  portion  of  the  year  following  he  spent  in  studying  law 
at  Macon,  but  during  a  visit  to  Penfield,  to  attend  the  commencement,  in  July, 
he  found  himself  unexpectedly,  and  without  solicitation  on  his  part,  elected  ad- 
junct Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy  and  Chemistry.     Teaching  as  a  profes- 


OP   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  595 

sion  had  never  been  contemplated  by  him,  but  want  of  love  for  the  law,  and  the 
uncongenial  habits  of  many  of  those  who  would  have  been  his  associates  had 
he  become  a  lawyer,  it  is  thought,  induced  him  to  accept  the  professorship.  He 
entered  on  his  duties  in  August,  1847,  before  he  was  yet  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  At  that  time  Mercer  University  possessed  but  slender  facilities  and  very 
inadequate  apparatus  for  teaching  natural  science,  and  after  an  experience  of 
one  year,  .Mr.  Willet  became  convinced  that  he  must  obtain  a  more  thorough 
preparation  elsewhere.  Accordingly,  in  August,  1848,  he  entered  the  analytical 
laboratory  of  Yale  College,  and  engaged  most  pleasantly  and  profitably  in  daily 
work  in  analytical  chemistry,  and  in  attendance  upon  various  lectures  on  kindred 
subjects.  He  returned  to  Mercer  University  in  April,  1849,  immediately  re- 
sumed the  care  of  his  classes,  and  for  fifteen  or  twenty  years  afterwards  was, 
perhaps,  the  only  teacher  in  Georgia  who  could  perform  a  chemical  analysis. 
But  the  multifarious  duties  of  an  undivided  chair  of  natural  science,  it  is  to  be 
regretted,  have  prevented  him  from  devoting  much  time  to  the  special  study  of 
analysis  since,  and  have  condemned  him  almost  exclusively  to  the  labors  of  a 
teacher.  Still  he  is  a  capital  professor.  His  fine  analytical  and  discriminating 
mind,  combined  with  industrious  habits  and  excellent  powers  of  acquisition, 
have  made  him  most  successful  as  a  professor  of  chemistry  and  natural  science, 
to  the  study  of  which  he  has  devoted  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  But  he  has 
read  much  outside  of  his  profession,  and  is  a  man  of  generous  culture  and  re- 
fined tastes.  Owing  to  nothing  but  his  own  modesty,  he  passes  for  less  than 
he  is  worth.  Many  a  man  of  far  less  ability,  and  of  far  inferior  attainments, 
has  been  noised  abroad  as  a  person  of  great  distinction  in  learning  and  ability, 
while  he  remains  comparatively  unknown.  Had  he  occupied  a  conspicuous 
position  in  some  great  institution,  it  is  certain  that  his  opinions  would  have  been 
considered  authority  throughout  a  continent. 

He  is  a  Fellow  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science, 
and  has  written  various  scientific  articles  for  the  American  Journal  of  Science. 
In  1869  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society  offered  a  prize  of  $500  for  the 
best  small  work  on  science,  for  Sunday-school  libraries,  and  Professor  Willet 
entered,  in  competition,  a  little  book  entitled  "Wonders  of  Insect  Life,"  touching 
the  structure,  habits  and  instincts  of  insects,  which  bore  off  the  prize.  It  is  in- 
deed a  very  instructive  and  entertaining  work,  which,  though  written  for  the 
young,  is  full  of  instruction  for  most  adults,  and  is  written  in  such  a  pleasing 
style,  and  so  appropriately  illustrated  by  handsome  engravings,  as  to  make  it 
quite  fascinating.  No  one  can  read  the  little  book  without  perceiving  in  the 
author  an  attentive  and  appreciative  student  of  nature  in  all  her  varied  aspects, 
animate  and  inanimate.  Considerable  attention  has  been  given  by  him  to  agri- 
cultural science,  and  he  has  delivered  lectures  before  the  State  Agricultural  So- 
ciety, and  before  horticultural  societies  at  Gainesville,  Macon  and  Jonesboro.  He 
also  delivered,  in  I879,  a  course  of  six  lectures  on  Science  and  Religion,  before 
the  Wesleyan  Female  College,  Macon,  Georgia,  by  which  he  showed  himself  to 
be  the  devout  student  of  nature,  who  "  looks  through  nature  up  to  nature's  God," 
and  sees  His  almighty  goodness,  power  and  wisdom  in  every  natural  law  and 
product. 

As  a  member  of  the  United  States  commission  to  investigate  the  ravages  of 
the  cotton  caterpillar  on  our  great  staple,  and  study  the  insects  which  are  injuri- 
ous to  the  cotton  plant.  Professor  Willet  has  served  two  years,  1878  and  1879, 
during  the  vacations  of  the  University ;  and  he  contin  es  to  participate  in  the 
investigations,  which  are  still  in  progress.  During  the  war,  his  scientific  know- 
ledge and  skill  in  manipulation  was  made  serviceable  by  the  Confederate  States 
government.  He  was  employed  in  the  arsenal  at  Atlanta,  as. superintendent  of 
the  laboratory  for  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds  of  ammunition,  in  which  position 
he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  rendered  important  service,  espe- 
cially in  all  applied  chemical  work. 

His  continuous  studies  and  labors  have  not  been  altogether  free  from  those 
penalties  which  ardent  students  sometimes  suffer  for  their  devotion  to  books,  or 
to  a  too  eager  pursuit  of  knowledge.  Many  years  ago  the  ciliary  muscles  of  his 
eyes  were  strained  by  reading  fine  print,  and  the  injury,  which  continues  to  this 

41 


596 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


day,  has  interfered  much  with  his  literary  work,  and  has  rendered  his  reading 
irregular  and  desultory.  Siill,  after  the  war,  in  conjunction  with  Professor  San- 
ford,  he  recommenced  the  exercises  of  Mercer  University,  which  had  been  sus- 
pended, and  the  two  carried  it  on  until  the  next  year,  when  the  other  offices  were 
added;  and,  thenceforward,  he  labored  most  diligently  until  September,  1871, 
when  his  overtaxed  system  gave  way,  and  he  experienced  a  severe  nervous 
prostration,  which  necessitated  his  leaving  his  post  altogether,  until  October,  1872, 
He  has  since  recovered  his  health,  in  a  good  measure,  and  at  present  performs, 
fully  and  efficiently,  the  duties  of  a  professor  in  the  University,  at  Macon.  His 
lectures  are  very  popular  among  the  students,  and  he  is  always  instructive,  per- 
forming the  most  delicate  experiments,  but  never  without  the  most  perfect 
success.  It  would  not  be  supposed  that  one  of  his  gentle  nature  would  be  a 
good  disciplinarian,  but,  in  his  quiet  way,  he  preserves  excellent  order  in  his 
lecture-room.  Indeed  he  is  gifted  in  that  respect,  and  keeps  better  order  with 
less  effort  than  almost  any  one  else  seems  capable  of  doing.  Dr.  Tucker,  who 
was  associated  with  him  for  eleven  years  in  the  faculty  of  Mercer  University — for 
five  years  of  that  time  as  president  of  the  institution — and  who  has  had  more 
extended  observation  of  such  things  than  most  men,  has  been  heard  to  declare 
that  he  has  never  seen  Mr.  Willet's  superior  as  a  professor  of  natural  science, 
and  that  he  should  hesitate  before  naming  his  equal. 

Professor  Willet  was  converted  about  the  year  1840,  under  a  sermon  preached 
by  Rev.  T.  B.  Slade,  but  did  not  join  the  church  until  1852.  He  was  happily 
married  in  January,  1851,  to  Miss  Emily  Sanders,  daughter  of  Rev,  B.  M.  San- 
ders, and  six  of  the  seven  children  born  of  the  union  now  survive,  some  of 
whom  are  grown,  and  inherit  the  handsome  appearance  and  intellectual  force  of 
their  father.  Mr.  Willet  possesses  a  very  tine  physique,  and  is  universally  pop- 
ular on  account  of  his  amiable  and  gentle  disposition  and  unvarying  urbanity  of 
manner.  One  of  the  most  striking  traits  of  his  character  is  his  modesty.  He 
never  uttered  a  boastful  word  in  his  life.  He  never  asserts  himself,  never  makes 
himself  conspicuous,  nor  seeks  any  position  or  honors.  His  whole  nature  is 
retiring  and  unobtrusive,  quiet  and  sedate ;  and  yet  he  is  a  man  of  firmness. 
When  he  takes  a  position  he  holds  it,  and  when  an  occasion  calls  for  courage  he 
manifests  it.  While  he  is  at  the  farthest  possible  remove  from  being  a  bully,  he 
is  just  that  far  from  being  a  coward.  He  is  amiable,  truthful,  benevolent  and 
sincere — a  man  of  devout  habits,  pure  heart,  upright  conduct,  and  unblemished 
reputation. 


WASHINGTON  MANLY  WINGATE. 

Rev.  Washington  Manly  Wingate,  D.D.,  was  President  of  Wake  Forest 
College,  North  Carolina,  for  twenty  years.  A  native  of  Darlington,  South  Carolina, 
he  was  graduated  at  Wake  Forest  College,  in  the  year  1849,  studied  theology  at 
Furman  Institute,  South  Carolina,  became  agent  of  the  institution  over  which 
he  presided  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1853,  and  was  thus  fully  identified  with 
the  Baptists  of  North  Carolina.  He  was  very  tall,  and  of  striking  appearance. 
His  forehead  was  low,  but  the  brilliancy  of  his  eye  showed  the  wealth  and  power 
of  his  intellect.     His  hair,  which  was  black,  was  worn  long. 

Dr.  Wingate  was  one  of  the  best  preachers  in  the  Baptist  denomination,  but 
his  exceeding  modesty  would  never  allow  him  to  be  known  and  appreciated  as 
he  deserved.  He  preached  better  at  home  than  elsewhere,  and  many  of  his 
friends  thought  he  made  a  mistake  in  preferring  the  professor's  chair  to  the 
pulpit,  since  he  was  not  only  an  admirable  preacher,  but  possessed  rare  qualifi- 
cations for  pastoral  work. 

•Simple-hearted  as  a  little  child,  gentle  and  affectionate  in  his  nature,  and  the 
most  unselfish  of  beings,  his  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  characters.  He 
was  a  man  to  be  loved  and  honored  by  all  who  knew  him. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


597 


At  the  time  of  his  death,  February  27th,  1879,  ^^<^  for  years  previously,  he 
was  Vice-President  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  for  his 
State.  "  As  a  preacher  he  was  peculiarly  effective.  Gifted  with  a  rich,  melodi- 
ous voice,  a  pleasing  address  and  a  ready  utterance,  his  pulpit  labors  were 
always  acceptable,  and  sometimes  highly  pathetic  and  impressive.  He  excelled 
particularly  in  the  exposition  and  illustration  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  Christ 
and  Him  crucified  were  his  unvarying  theme.  Although  naturally  inclined  to 
metaphysical  speculations,  he  utterly  eschewed  metaphysics  in  the  pulpit.  Per- 
haps more  than  anything  else  he  was  distinguished  by  the  spirit  of  love — love  for 
Christ,  love  for  the  saints,  love  for  all  mankind.  His  last  utterances  were  those 
of  love  for  the  name  of  Jesus  and  of  trust  in  his  sustaining  grace.  Possessing 
an  intellect  at  once  masculine  and  original,  studious  in  his  habits,  patient  and 
persevering  in  his  investigations,  calm,  deliberate  and  fixed  in  his  conclusions,  it 
is  not  surprising  that  he  rose  to  distinction  as  an  educator  and  a  preacher." 


JESSE  'M.   WOOD. 

Of  English  descent,  Rev.  Jesse  M.  Wood,  A.M., 
editor  of  the  Baptist  Banner,  was  born  in  Elbert 
county,  Georgia,  October  14th,  181 5.  His  father, 
James  Wood,  was  a  farmer,  and  a  man  of  robust 
physique  and  fine  mental  abilities,  who  represented 
Elbert  county  for  several  years  in  both  branches 
of  the  State  Legislature.  His  mother  was  a  wo- 
man of  small  stature,  but  remarkably  sprightly 
and  active,  a  strong  Baptist,  with  a  most  lovely 
disposition  and  distinguished  for  her  piety.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Power. 

The  family  moved  to  Monroe  county  in  1824, 
when  Jesse  M.  Wood  was  nine  years  old ;  and 
there  James  Wood,  his  father,  died  July  5th, 
1835;  the  mother  was  removed  by  death  nine 
years  afterwards,  in  1844. 

Of  his  childhood  and  youth,  that  can  be  said  of 
Jesse  M.  Wood  which  can  be  said  of  few  boys — 
no  case  of  palpable  disobedience  to  his  parents,  requiring  chastisement  on  the 
part  of  either,  occurred.  He  studied  in  such  schools  as  the  country  afforded. 
After  he  was  grown,  he  attended  Mount  Zion  Academy,  in  Monroe  county,  of 
which  a  brother  of  President  Pierce  was  the  preceptor,  and  then  matriculated  at 
Mercer  University,  Penfield,  where  he  remained  three  years.  On  account  of 
failing  health  he  left  Mercer  without  graduating,  being  granted,  however,  a  cer- 
tificate of  superior  scholarship  and  of  good  moral  standing.  Afterwards,  in 
consideration  of  teaching  and  a  continuance  of  his  studies,  the  Board  of  Trustees 
conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  A.M.,  in  1856. 

After  leaving  Penfield  he  took  charge  of  the  academy  at  Knoxville,  Georgia, 
where  he  taught  a  flourishing  school  for  two  and  a  half  years,  when  his  health 
again  failed,  and  he  ceased  teaching  and  gave  all  his  time  to  the  ministry  for  a 
period  of  six  years.     This  was  in  1845. 

On  the  I  St  of  September,  1846,  Mr.  Wood  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  P. 
Milner,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  H.  Milner,  of  Pike  county.  She  has  shared  with 
him  the  labors  and  trials  of  thirty-four  years,  sympathizing  with  him  in  all  his 
efforts  and  assisting,  with  marked  success,  in  Sunday-school  work  and  revival 
meetings.     They  have  three  children — a  son  and  two  daughters. 

From  boyhood,  thanks  especially  to  the  influence  of  a  pious,  praying  mother, 
he  had  been  seriously  impressed  on  the  subject  of  religion,  often  making,  and 


598  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

as  often  breaking,  good  resolutions.  Indeed,  so  often  did  he  fail  to  follow  up 
steadfastly  good  impressions  on  his  mind,  that,  gradually  his  heart  grew  into  a 
callous  quietude,  in  which  a  feeling  of  pride,  on  account  of  his  moral  standing 
predominated.  From  this  state  of  quiescence,  he  was  rather  startlingly  aroused 
by  a  declaration  of  Rev.  John  E.  Dawson's  in  a  sermon  at  Forsyth,  Georgia : 
"  You  need  not  commit  outrageous  sins,  such  as  murder  and  highway  robbery 
in  order  to  get  to  hell ;  just  sit  still,  and  you  will  go  there  as  fast  as  time  can 
carry  you  !"  Not  long  afterwards  he  was  hopefully  converted,  and  promptly 
uniting  with  the  church  at  Forsyth,  was  immersed  by  John  E.  Dawson,  Septem- 
ber ist,  1839.  Soon  after,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  his  church,  when  barely 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  while  preparing  for  college  at  Mount  Zion  Acad- 
emy. The  following  year  he  entered  Mercer  University,  where  during  the  three 
ensuing  years,  he  preached  occasionally  in  the  neighboring  churches,  when 
accompanying  Dr.  Adiel  Sherwood,  B.  M.  Sanders,  Iverson  L.  Brooks,  Noah 
Hill  and  others  to  their  appointments.  It  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  these  circum- 
stances redounded  to  his  benefit. 

When  he  took  charge  of  the  Knoxville  Academy,  he  was  invited  to  preach 
to  Benevolence  church,  in  Crawford  county,  and,  on  motion  of  Williams  Ruth- 
erford, now  professor  in  the  State  University,  was  called  to  ordination,  which 
took  place  in  the  spring  of  1843,  at  Forsyth.  Ere  long  he  was  invited  to  preach 
for  them  by  the  churches  at  Knoxville,  Efim  and  Lebanon,  in  all  of  which  sea- 
sons of  revival  occurred.  It  need  not  be  deemed  a  wonder  that  his  health 
broke  down  under  the  burden  of  four  churches  and  a  school.  He  resigned  his 
charge  of  the  academy,  and  continued  to  preach  to  the  churches  in  Crawford 
county  until  1846,  when  a  peculiar  providence  led  him  to  Lumpkin,  where  he 
remained  two  years  as  pastor,  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the  church  there. 
He  was  then  called  by  the  church  at  Forsyth,  and  went  to  reside  in  that  village, 
continuing  there  during  the  years  1847  and  1848.  While  pastor  at  Forsyth,  he 
gave  half  of  his  time  to  the  church  at  Cedartown,  in  North  Georgia,  going  back- 
wards and  forwards  on  the  railroad.  In  1848  he  resigned  charge  of  the  Forsyth 
church,  and  settled  at  Cedartown,  as  pastor  of  that  church,  and  then  began  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  and  successful  pastorates  on  record. 

His  acquaintance  with  the  Cedartown  church  had  begun  in  1847,  when  on  a 
visit  to  the  valley.  At  that  time  the  church  was  in  a  deplorable  condition, 
caused  by  internal  dissensions,  and  was  on  the  verge  of  dissolution,  the  mem- 
bership being  reduced  to  a  dozen  and  a  half,  there  being  only  three  female 
members.  Elder  James  Davis  had  made  an  appointment  for  a  meeting  there, 
at  the  time  of  Mr.  Wood's  visit.  Several  other  ministers  were  in  attendance, 
and  a  glorious  revival  was  the  result.  Confessions  were  made,  difficulties  were 
removed,  reconciliations  were  effected,  many  were  converted,  and  the  member- 
ship of  the  church  was  doubled.  That  was  the  church  to  which  he  preached  in 
1848,  and  over  which  he  was  settled  as  pastor  in  1849.  Revival  after  revival 
occurred,  and  soon  the  membership  increased  to  three  or  four  hundred.  The 
community  was  wealthy  and  refined,  and  during  a  pastorate  of  twelve  years 
Mr.  Wood  built  up  one  of  the  strongest  churches  in  numbers,  wealth  and  intel- 
ligence in  the  State,  and  leaving  it,  in  1861,  undiminished  in  numbers,  although 
during  that  time  it  had  sent  out  four  colonies  and  formed  four  other  churches — 
Mountain  Home,  Friendship,  New  Hope  and  Limekiln — standing  thus,  a  mother 
surrounded  by  a  quartette  of  daughters,  yet  undiminished  in  numbers  and 
strength. 

During  this  pastorate  Mr.  Wood  was  also  engaged  in  other  important  enter- 
prises, by  which  he  overtaxed  his  energies,  but  still  with  the,  perhaps,  compen- 
sating satisfaction  of  good  accomplished.  As  stated,  he  settled  at  Cedartown, 
Polk  county,  in  1849,  as  pastor.  In  1851  he  established  there  a  high  school  for 
young  ladies,  the  buildings  for  which,  situated  in  a  beautiful  grove  near  the 
Baptist  house  of  worship,  were  erected  at  his  own  expense.  A  full  corps  of 
professors  was  employed,  and  from  the  institution,  at  one  time  the  most  flour- 
ishing female  seminary  north  of  Atlanta,  went  forth  a  large  number  of  educated 
young  ladies,  three-fourths  of  whom  were  converted  while  at  school  there.  But 
the  labor  involved  in  the  pastorate  of  a  large  and  flourishing  church,  and  in  the 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  599 

presidency  of  this  institution,  afterwards  Icnown  as  Woodland  Female  College, 
was  more  than  one  man  could  endure,  and  in  1855  and  1856  Mr.  Wood's  health 
gave  way  completely.  Hemorrhages  from  the  lungs  ensued,  necessitating  a 
year's  rest  and  a  sojourn  of  three  months  at  the  Red  Sulphur  Springs,  Virginia, 
in  the  summer  of  1856.  He  recovered,  contrary  to  the  expectations  of  his  friends, 
but  resigned  the  presidency  of  the  institution  in  favor  of  Dr.  W.  B.  Crawford, 
who,  however,  soon  retired  from  the  position  and  returned  to  Madison.  The 
school  was  placed  under  the  fostering  care  of  the  Coosa  Association,  and  after- 
wards under  the  auspices  of  the  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention.  Its  existence 
was  terminated  by  the  ravages  of  war. 

While  building  up  this  school  for  girls  Mr.  Wood  assisted,  also,  as  trustee, 
and  otherwise,  in  founding  and  sustaining  the  Cherokee  Baptist  College  for 
boys  at  Cassville,  of  which  the  distinguished  Dr.  Thomas  Rambaut  was  for 
several  years  the  president.  The  magnificent  buildings  of  this  college,  with  most 
of  the  village  of  Cassville,  were  ruthlessly  destroyed  by  Sherman's  army  in  its 
devastating  march  through  Georgia,  and  the  institution  and  its  prospects  were 
utterly  blasted.  It  is  said  that  the  actuating  motive  was  revenge,  because  the 
name  of  the  county  had  been  changed  from  Cass  to  Bartow. 

The  Cherokee  Baptist  Convention  was  formed  in  old  Cassville  in  1855,  mainly 
to  foster  educational  and  mission  enterprises,  and  J.  M.  Wood  was  on  the  com- 
mittee appointed  to  draft  its  constitution  and  set  forth  its  objects.  As  such,  in 
accordance  with  an  ardent  love  for  missions  which  he  has  always  manifested,  he 
insisted  on  two  features  in  the  workings  of  that  body :  the  promotion  of  mis- 
sions— Indian,  home  and  foreign — and  representation  upon  no  money  basis. 
For  years  in  succession  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Convention.  Hon.  Mark 
A.  Cooper,  Dr.  J.  W.  Lewis  and  Rev.  Ed.  Dyer,  each,  also  served  as  such  for  one 
session.  Rev.  E.  L.  Compere  was  the  Indian  missionary  for  the  body,  and  labored 
until  the  war  put  an  end  to  the  organization. 

It  may  be  well  to  state  here,  that  during  his  residence  in  upper  Georgia  Mr. 
Wood  was  an  active  participant  in  the  operations  of  the  Coosa  Baptist  Associa- 
tion, which,  in  its  independent  support  of  David  Foreman,  a  missionary  among 
the  Cherokee  Indians,  was  the  first  Baptist  Association  in  Georgia  to  act  in  the 
mission  work  independently  of  the  Home  Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention,  and  mainly  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Wood. 

We  have  seen  that  a  Missionary  Baptist  Convention,  independent  of  the  Geor- 
gia Baptist  Convention,  was  organized  in  Cherokee  Georgia,  in  1855,  chiefly  to 
foster  missions  and  educational  enterprises  in  North  Georgia.  About  the  years 
1858  and  1859  the  brethren  of  North  Georgia  felt  that  they  needed  an  organ  to 
foster  their  college  and  conventional  interests,  and,  at  a  meeting  of  their  conven- 
tion at  Dalton,  in  1859,  an  amount  for  the  support  of  such  a  paper  was  pledged 
by  private  subscription,  and  Rev.  Jesse  M.  Wood  was  elected  editor  by  ballot. 
The  paper  was  called,  at  first.  The  Cherokee  Baptist  and  Landmark  Banner. 
The  first  issue  appeared  in  Rome,  Georgia,  in  October,  1859,  but  in  June,  i860, 
it  was  moved  to  Atlanta,  a  firm  known  as  "  The  Franklin  Printing  House  "  was 
formed  for  the  publication  of  the  paper,  and  Rev.  H.  C.  Hornady  was  added  to 
its  editorial  department  as  co-editor.  Many  important  questions  were  then 
agitating  the  denomination,  in  the  discussion  of  which  Rev.  J.  M.  Wood  took 
his  full  share.  He  had,  however,  for  years  been  an  able  contributor  to  The 
Christian  Index,  Tennessee  Baptist,  and  other  papers.  The  paper  of  which 
Le  was  an  editor  had  a  brief  but  brilliant  existence.  Owing  partly  to  the  bad 
conduct  of  the  business  partner,  but  more  to  the  devastations  of  the  war,  it  went 
out  of  existence,  having,  nevertheless,  filled  an  important  mission.  It  will  thus 
be  seen  that  Mr.  Wood  had  attained  a  position  of  great  prominence  and  influence 
among  his  brethren  as  pastor,  president  of  a  female  college  and  of  a  convention, 
and  as  editor  of  a  denominational  paper.  In  their  councils  his  influence  was 
felt,  and  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  was  manifested  by  his  election, 
repeatedly,  as  Moderator  and  President  of  assemblies. 

He  moved  from  Cedartown  to  Rome  at  the  close  of  1859,  then  to  Atlanta,  June, 
i860,  and  to  Newnan  early  in  1863.  He  continued  to  preach  at  Cedartown  a  year 
or  two  after  his  removal ;  at  Newnan  he  preached  twice  a  month  for  a  year  before 


6oo 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


settling  there— making  three  years  in  all.  Near  the  close  of  the  war,  when  that 
section  was  endangered  by  raids,  he  moved  his  family  to  Macon  county  for 
safety  and  quiet,  preaching  during  the  year  1865  to  two  churches.  Union  and 
Pleasant  Grove.  Two  raids  and  a  visitation  from  Sherman's  army  (by  which  a 
valuable  library  of  his  was  burnt),  together  with  the  general  results  of  the  war, 
destroyed  all  his  means  and  left  him  in  comparative  poverty. 

Gathering  up  what  little  remained,  he  went  to  Early  county  in  1866,  and  fol- 
lowing the  bent  of  an  ardent  natural  inclination  for  farming,  sought  by  planting 
cotton  to  retrieve  his  fortunes ;  but  the  years  1866  and  1867  were  fatal  crop 
years  in  that  section,  and,  so  far  from  gaining  what  he  had  been  deprived  of,  he 
lost  what  had  been  left  to  him. 

In  1868  he  accepted  a  call  of  the  Barnesville  church  and  moved  to  that  place, 
where  he  remained,  preaching  to  other  churches  in  the  neighborhood  also,  until 
he  moved  to  Gumming,  Georgia,  and  took  editorial  control  of  the  Baptist  Ban- 
ner, in  January,  1880. 

In  Rev.  J.  M.  Wood  Georgia  has  a  minister  bold,  independent,  pious  and 
able — a  man  who  thinks  and  acts  for  himself,  despising  the  shams  and  dissimu- 
lations of  the  world,  and  entertaining  small  sympathy  for  the  various  benevolent 
organizations  of  society,  which,  by  their  demands,  detract  from  a  Christian's 
efficiency  as  a  church  member  when  he  unites  with  them.  He  possesses  the 
elements  of  a  successful  revivalist,  and  had  his  bodily  vigor  been  always  equal 
to  his  zeal  and  mental  ability,  his  achievements  would  have  far  exceeded  what 
he  actually  accomplished.  Self-reliant  and  independent,  he  has  had  little  use 
for  commentators  ;  believing  that  the  mission  interests  should  be  brought  home 
to  the  churches  as  strongly  and  directly  as  possible,  he  has  advocated  the  con- 
duct of  missions,  when  practicable,  by  the  churches  themselves,  without  the  in- 
tervention of  a  Board. 

As  a  Christian,  he  is  pious,  faithful,  loving  and  devoted  to  the  cause  of  Jesus, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  strong  in  his  convictions  and  bold  in  their  avowal.  He 
is  a  man  of  natural  courage,  but  has  a  large  amount  of  caation,  which  makes 
him  reserved  and  sometimes  hesitating.  As  a  preacher  he  is  logical,  always 
strong,  sometimes  powerful,  and  when  his  voice  was  good,  eloquent  and  effec- 
tive, and  is  entitled  to  be  ranked  high  among  his  fellow-preachers.  A  melan- 
choly temperament  has,  doubtless,  tinged  all  his  life-labor,  but,  on  occasion,  few 
men  can  more  effectually  stir  the  hearts  of  others.  His  likes  and  dislikes  are 
strong,  and  he  is  naturally  disposed  to  take  sides  on  any  contested  case  brought 
before  him ;  this  probably  arises  from  his  strength  of  character.  Opposed  to 
oppression,  his  sympathies  are  always  with  the  weak,  and  kindly  but  firmly  he 
resists  a  wrong.  As  a  writer,  though  not  polished,  he  wields  a  frank  and  vigor- 
ous pen,  and  his  articles  for  the  press  have  been  numerous  and  useful.  Edito  • 
rially,  he  aims  at  what  he  conceives  to  be  the  good  of  the  denomination  and  the 
promotion  of  true  Christianity  in  the  world. 


W.  WOOD. 


Rev.  W.  Wood  was  a  native  of  Elbert  county,  Geor- 
gia, and  lived  within  its  limits  until  fourteen  years  of  age ; 
but  in  1824  his  parents,  James  and  Elizabeth  Wood,  re- 
moved to  the  vicinity  of  Rocky  Creek  church,  Monroe 
county.  As  their  house  was  the  home  of  travelling  Bap- 
tist ministers,  he  was  thrown  in  early  life  into  association 
with  them — an  association  which,  in  connection  with  the 
faithful  and  earnest  sermons  preached  by  them,  proved  a 
source,  not  of  pleasure  only,  but  of  profit.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  converts  in  a  remarkable  revival  at  Rocky 
Creek  church,  under  the  ministry  of  the  devoted  and  suc- 
cessful pastor,  Rev.' J.  M.  Gray.  This  revival,  beginning  in  the  autumn  of  1827, 
was  protracted  for^nearly  a  year,  and  was  crowned  with  the  hopeful  conversion 


OF    PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


601 


of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  a  whole  day 
in  July,  1828,  was  joyfully  given  up  to  the  recital  of  Christian  experiences  on 
the  part  of  young  converts  seeking  admission  into  the  church.  Though  only 
seventeen  years  old,  his  entrance  on  the  new  life  of  faith  was  marked,  as  in  the 
nature  of  things  it  should  have  been,  by  activity  and  zeal.  With  many  others, 
he  prayed  in  public,  and  made  earnest  efforts  to  help  inquiring  souls  into  the 
Bethesda-pool — the  pool  of  the  "  House  of  Mercy  " — while  the  waters  were 
divinely  troubled. 

Mr.  Wood  remained  with  this  church  for  ten  years,  and  then  removed  to  Tal- 
bot county.  In  1838  he  was  married  to  Miss  F.  E.  Gibson,  of  Harris  county, 
and  made  his  home  in  that  county  during  the  course  of  the  year.  He  held  con- 
nection here  with  the  Mulberry  church,  until  its  dissolution  in  1848.  The  year 
following  he  settled  in  Polk  county,  uniting  with  the  church  at  Cedartown,  in 
which  he  served  as  clerk  for  a  number  of  years,  and  which  he  represented  in 
associations  and  conventions  at  nearly  every  session  for  a  decade.  The  convic- 
tion that  he  ought  to  preach  grew  upon  the  church  as  time  wore  on,  and  he 
was  accordingly  licensed  to  exercise  his  gifts  in  1870.  Within  less  than  a  year, 
at  the  request  of  a  neighboring  church  which  desired  his  services,  he  was  or- 
dained to  the  ministry.  Since  his  ordination,  however,  he  has  performed  but 
little  labor  as  a  pastor,  preferring  rather  to  expend  his  energies  on  the  effort  to 
supply  destitute  regions  with  the  word  of  life.  In  this  more  difficult  sphere  he 
has  CO  mmended  himself  to  his  brethren  and,  we  doubt  not,  to  his  Lord — his 
and  ours. 


WILLIAM    GEORGE   WOODFIN. 


■  Professor  William  George  Woodfin,  for 
twenty-two  years  Professor  of  Ancient  and  Mod- 
ern Languages  in  Mercer  University,  is  an  ac- 
complished classical  and  English  scholar  and  a 
polished  Christian  gentleman.  Of  medium  height 
and  full  proportions,  manly  bearing  and  courteous 
manners,  handsome  features  and  intellectual  ap- 
pearance, he  is  gifted  in  conversational  powers, 
possessing  a  large  fund  of  information,  united 
with  facility  of  expression,  acuteness  of  percep- 
tion, good  humor  and  a  fine  flow  of  animal  spirits. 
He  comes  from  a  good  old  Virginia  stock,  and 
was  born  in  the  capital  of  that  State,  October  30th, 
183;.  Time  has  dealt  very  leniently  with  him, 
for  he  is  exceedingly  well-preserved,  and  appears 
much  younger  than  he  is.  At  an  early  age  he 
manifested  a  love  for  letters,  and  especially  an 
aptitude  for  acquiring  languages,  and,  after  grad- 
uating with  distinguished  honor  from  Richmond'  College,  he  entered  the  Llni- 
versity  of  Virginia,  where  he  mastered  all  the  languages  of  southern  Europe, 
besides  the  classical  languages.  In  April,  1856,  while  astudentat  the  University 
of  Virginia,  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Modern  Languages  and  Adjunct  Pro- 
fessor of  Ancient  Languages,  in  Mercer  University.  In  1857,  he  was  elected 
Professor  of  Latin  and  Modern  Languages,  which  chair  he  filled  with  ability  for 
a  number  of  years.  The  Professor  of  Greek  having  retired,  he  was  elected 
Professor  of  Ancient  Languages,  and  when,  subsequently,  the  chairs  of  Greek 
and  Elocution  were  united,  he  was  re-elected  by  the  trustees  of  Mercer  to  the 
duties  of  both  chairs.  From  1856  to  1878,  he  shared  the  fortunes  and  the 
honors  of  Mercer  University,  assisting  in  the  education  of  thousands  of  young 
men,  who  have  gone  forth  from  Mercer  to  adorn  the  various  walks  and  pursuits 


6o2 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


of  life.  Ever  faithful,  attentive,  kind,  courteous,  capable  and  obliging,  he  won 
the  respect  and  good-will  of  students,  trustees  and  fellow-professors.  His 
duties  were  onerous,  yet  he  performed  them  with  great  credit  to  himself,  to  the 
benefit  of  the  students  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all. 

He  remained  in  Mercer  University  till  the  15th  of  October,  1878,  when  he  was 
unanimously  elected  to  the  chair  of  Ancient  Languages,  in  the  State  University, 
at  Athens,  by  the  executive  committee  of  the  board  of  trustees,  to  succeed 
the  lamented  William  Henry  Waddell.  He  accepted  the  position,  severed  his 
connection  with  Mercer  LIniversity  and  moved  to  Athens.  The  following 
August  the  board  of  trustees  ratified  the  choice,  re-electing  him  during  good 
behavior,  in  accordance  with  the  fixed  rule  of  that  institution. 

In  social  life,  Mr.  Woodfin  is  genial,  entertaining  and  very  companionable. 

He  has  been  married  once,  and  though  he  has  lost  his  wife,  five  children  are 
living,  two  of  whom  are  bright,  beautiful  girls,  just  blooming  into  lovely  woman- 
hood. Professor  Woodfin  has,  during  the  time  he  has  been  teaching  at  the 
University,  given  such  high  and  satisfactory  evidence  of  his  qualifications  and 
eminent  abilities  as  to  elicit  the  remark  that  he  is  fully  worthy  to  wear  the  mantle 
of  his  illustrious  predecessor. 


ISAAC  GRAY  WOOLSEY. 


Rev.  Isaac  Gray  Woolsey,  M.D.,  was  born  October 
14th,  1828,  in  Cumberland  (no-<v  Clinton)  county,  Ken- 
tucky. He  was  the  youngest  of  the  four  children  of 
Zephaniah  Woolsey,  of  East  Tennessee,  who  belonged  to 
an  honorable  family. 

His  parents  were  not  able  to  give  him  a  thorough  edu- 
cation, but  he  attended  country  schools  until  his  eighteenth 
year,  when  he  entered  Franklin  Academy,  in  his  native 
county,  under  the  principalship.of  Rev.  Isaac  T.  Reneau, 
a  disciple  of  Rev.  Alexander  Campbell.  After  five  months 
he  was  again  thrown  on  his  own  resources.  But  an  im- 
petus had  been  given,  and  he  commenced  teaching.  Whilst  thus  engaged,  he 
pursued  his  studies  and  obtained  a  thorough  English  education.  The  habit  of 
study  thus  formed  has  measurably  marked  his  course  through  life.  In  his  early 
years,  a  pious  mother  instilled  into  his  heart  a  love  of  truth  which  has  never 
forsaken  him.  In  1850,  at  an  interesting  meeting,  he  was  made  to  feel  himself  a 
lost  sinner,  was  brought,  a  suppliant,  to  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  soon  became  a  happy 
convert.  "  Knock  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you."  He  conferred  not  with 
flesh  and  blood,  but  offered  himself,  the  next  Sabbath,  to  the  church  in  Albany, 
Clinton  county,  followed  his  Saviour  in  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  and  went  on 
his  way  rejoicing.  From  that  day  he  devoted  his  time  and  talents  to  the  work 
of  winning  souls  to  Christ.  He  was  active  in  Sabbath-schools  and  social  meet- 
ings, but  resisted  strong  convictions  that  he  ought  to  preach  for  nine  years.  In 
1859  the  church  licensed  him,  but  the  war  of  the  States  coming  on,  and  he  en- 
tering the  army,  his  ordination  did  not  take  place  until  April,  1864.  at  Liberty 
church,  Gordon  county,  Georgia — presbytery.  Revs.  James  Adams,  William  T. 
Fleming  and  J.  B.  Harris.  In  1868  he  became  pastor  of  several  churches  in 
Henry  and  Spalding  counties,  one  of  which,  Teman.  was  constituted  under  his 
labors.  All  these  he  resigned  to  make  a  trip  to  Texas,  with  the  intention  of 
settling  in  that  State  ;  but  his  heart  yearned  for  the  State  of  his  adoption,  and  in 
the  autumn  of  1873  he  returned,  determined  to  make  Georgia  his  permanent 
home.  In  1875  he  settled  in  Fayette  county,  seven  miles  from  Fayetteville. 
He  is  now  preaching  to  four  churches  in  that  and  the  adjoining  counties,  having 
baptized  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  persons  during  his  ministry.     From  1866 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS. 


603 


to  1873  he  was  clerk  of  the  Flint  River  Association,  and  afterwards  Moderator 
of  that  body,  both  of  which  offices  he  has  filled  with  entire  satisfaction  to  his 
brethren.  Being  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  the  superintendence 
of  his  planting  interests,  his  habits  of  study  could  not  be  as  systematic  as  is  de- 
sirable ;  but,  with  close  application  in  his  leisure  moments,  and  with  the  aid  of 
Gill's  Commentaries  and  Dagg's  Theology  in  the  thorough  study  of  the  Word 
of  God,  he  has  become  an  able  expounder  of  the  Baptist  faith.  Believing  firmly 
in  our  doctrines  as  a  people,  he. has  ever  been  an  unswerving  and  faithful 
defender- of  them.  As  a  pastor,  he  is  prompt  in  his  attendance  on  the  meet- 
ings of  his  churches,  while  kindness  and  affability  mark  his  intercourse  with  his 
flock.  He  has  always  exerted  a  great  influence  in  the  community  in  the  cause 
of  temperance,  as  well  as  in  the  practice  of  medicine. 

In  height  six  feet,  and  weighing  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds,  with 
stern  countenance  and  commanding  person,  one  can  well  imagine  what  a  mag- 
nificent looking  soldier  he  must  have  been.  And  if,  in  this  brief  sketch  of  him 
as  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  it  would  be  proper  to  speak  of  his  bravery  in  the 
hard-fought  battles  of  the  three  first  years  of  the  civil  war,  the  patriotic  heart 
would  swell  with  emotion  at  the  recital.  He  was  Captain  of  Company  C,  8th 
Regiment  Tennessee  Confederate  Cavalry  during  his  entire  connection  with  the 
army.  But  in  the  battle  of  Chicamauga,  September,  1863,  he  was  wounded  and 
carried  from  the  field.  His  health  became  so  shattered  that  he  was  obliged  to 
leave  the  service,  and  resigning  his  commission,  he  found  a  home  in  Georgia. 

He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Miss  E.  C.  Reagan,  daughter  of  Colonel  Charles 
Reagan,  of  Forsyth  county,  Tennessee.  There  are  four  living  children  of  this 
marriage  and  one  dead.  The  mother  was  stricken  down  in  1862,  a  victim  to  her 
exertions  to  relieve  the  sufferings  of  the  brave  men  in  Zollicoffer's  command. 
His  second  marriage  was  with  Mrs.  A.  F.  Wood,  nee  Hutchinson,  of  Rhea 
county,  Tennessee,  October,  1863,  at  Cleveland.  This  marriage  was  hastened 
by  circumstances  growing  out  of  the  troubled  state  of  the  country,  which  would 
as  well  "point  a  moral"  as  "adorn  a  tale,"  and,  if  narrated,  would  elicit  the 
hackneyed  exclamation,  that  "  truth  is  stranger  than  fiction."  It  is  sufficient  to 
say  that  "  this  over  true  story  "  would  cause  this  lady  to  be  ranked  with  the 
brave  heroines  of  the  ages.  Her  courage  in  the  hour  of  peril,  and  her  success- 
ful attempt  to  warn  the  Confederate  army  of  danger,  will  never  be  forgotten  ; 
but  she  is  a  true  woman ;  and  though  an  actor  in  these  stirring  scenes,  she  now 
contentedly  takes  up  the  daily  routine  of  the  life  of  a  minister's  wife  and  of  a 
devoted  step-mother.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  the 
time  of  her  present  marriage ;  but,  after  prayerful  reading  of  the  Scriptures, 
she  united  with  the  Baptist  church  at  Indian  Creek,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev. 
J.  G.  Kimbell. 


A.  R.  WRIGHT. 

Judge  Wright  is  a  man  of  warm,  generous,  noble  im- 
pulses. He  has  filled  many  high  and  honorable  positions 
in  Georgia  with  distinguished  ability.  He  was  born  June, 
1813,  in  Wrightsboro,  a  small  town  some  thirty  or  forty 
rniles  from  the  city  of  Augusta,  Georgia.  His  opportuni- 
ties for  mental  culture  were  good.  He  is  a  graduate  of 
Franklin  College,  Georgia,  and  had  the  advantages  of  the 
splendid  law  schools  of  the  Goulds— of  the  father,  at  Litch- 
field, Connefcticut,  and  of  the  son.  Judge  W.  T.  Gould,  at 
Augusta,  Georgia.  With  this  superior  preparatory  train- 
ing, he  entered  on  his  chosen  profession,  and  opened  an 
office  in  Crawfordville.  Here  he  met  the  strongest  legal  minds  in  the  State,  but 
always  showed  that  he  was  an  antagonist  of  no  mean  capacity.  After  pursuing 
his  profession  at  Crawfordville  for  a  few  years,  he  moved  to  the  young  but 
42 


604  BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 

growing  city  of  Rome.  Here  lie  lias  diligently  followed  his  profession  for  yearsy 
and  is  acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  best  lawyers  in  Georgia.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-eight  years  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Cherokee  circuit,  which  position 
he  filled  for  several  years,  resigning  before  his  term  of  office  expired.  He  was 
elected  from  his  district  to  the  United  States  Congress,  where  he  improved  the 
opportunity  to  demonstrate  that  he  was  a  statesman  as  well  as  a  lawyer.  Like 
many  of  our  clearest-headed  men,  he  took  decided  stand  against  Secession,  and 
used  all  his  powers  to  defeat  it ;  but  when  it  was  fixed  and  his  State,  with  others, 
had  decided  to  withdraw  from  the  Union,  he  "accepted  the  situation,"  and  went 
with  her.  He  was  elected  to  the  Confederate  Congress,  and  feeling  that  his 
services  were  demanded  on  the  field  of  conflict,  raised  by  his  influence  a  legion 
of  1,250  men,  and  tendered  himself  and  his  force  for  service  in  the  Confederate 
army.  Subsequently,  under  a  resolution  of  the  Confederate  Congress,  he  was 
called  from  the  field  to  resume  his  seat  in  Congress.  He  never  lost  his  love  for 
the  Union,  but  never  ceased  to  try  to  make  peace  on  the  basis  of  the  rights  of 
the  South. 

He  was  elected  from  his  county  a  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
Georgia  in  1877,  which  framed  the  present  Constitution.  He  was  faithful  to 
this  important  trust,  and  with  all  his  powers  of  mind,  employing  all  his  legal 
knowledge  and  experience  as  a  statesman,  he  tried  to  make  the  best  provision 
possible  in  the  Constitution  to  protect  the  people  from  unwise  homestead  and 
usurious  laws. 

He  became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  1837,  but  as  he  could  not 
reconcile  the  sprinkling  of  children  with  the  clear  teachings  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  as  one  of  the  ministry  insisted  on  his  right  to  sprinkle  the  children  of  the 
Judge,  he  withdrew  from  the  church  and  united  with  the  Baptists,  whose  views 
he  beheved  were  more  in  accord  with  the  Word  of  God.  He  has,  for  the  last 
forty  years,  preached  the  gospel  whenever  an  opportunity  presented,  but  his  life 
has  been,  for  the  most  part,  given  to  his  profession. 

He  has  been  twice  married — first  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Armstead  Rich- 
ardson, of  Augusta,  and  again  to  Adeline  E.,  daughter  of  Colonel  Selman,  of 
Brown  Valley.  By  these  two  marriages  he  has  had  eighteen  children,  thirteen 
of  whom  are  now  living. 


HENRY   OTIS   WYER. 

Rev.  Henry  Otis  Wyer  was  born  March  19th,  1802,  at  Beverly,  Massachu- 
setts. He  received  a  liberal  education,  first,  at  Waterville  College,  Maine,  and, 
after  the  removal  of  his  mother  to  Alexandria,  Virginia,  at  Columbian  Uni- 
versity, Washington,  District  of  Columbia.  The  eldest  son  of  his  pious  mother, 
she  gave  him  to  the  Lord  from  his  birth  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel ;  and  the 
desire  of  her  heart  was  granted  her.  He  began  to  preach  a  little  while  subse- 
quent to  his  conversion,  which  occurred  about  his  eighteenth  year,  just  before 
his  entrance  into  college.  For  several  months  after  his  graduation  he  served 
destitute  churches  in  his  native  section,  and  then  removed  to  Savannah,  Georgia, 
under  appointment  to  labor  as  a  city  missionary.  Here  his  piety,  talents  and 
zeal  led  the  Baptist  church  to  call  him  as  its  pastor,  and,  in  1824,  he  was  ordained 
by  a  presbytery  consisting  of  Rev.  W.  T.  Brantly,  Sr.,  D.D.,  and  Rev.  James 
Shannon.  Two  years  later,  he  married  Miss  Mary  S.  Hartstene,  who  survived 
him  nine  years,  having  borne  him  two  sons,  the  elder  of  whom,  a  physician  of 
much  promise,  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  while  the  younger  still  lives,  a  useful 
Christian  minister  in  Virginia. 

Mr.  Wyer  filled  the  office  of  pastor  for  ten  years,  when  his  health  broke  down 
under  the  incessant  toils  incident  to  the  series  of  revivals  with  which  his  min- 
istry was  crowned,  and  in  which  hundreds  were  converted  and  the  church  was 
greatly  built  up.     Besides  the  three  services  on  the  Sabbath,  usual  at  that  time. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  6o$ 

he  frequently  held  two  and  even  three  in  the  course  of  the  week ;  and,  as  if  this  were 
a  kind  of  idleness,  he  often  labored  in  the  adjoining  churches  of  Georgia  and 
South  Carolina.  Among  the  members  brought  to  Christ  through  his  instru- 
mentality, during  these  years,  were  Rev.  R.  Fuller,  D.D.,  Rev.  E.  Lathrop,  D.D., 
Rev.  J.  H.  DeVotie,  D.D.,  and  Rev.  D.  G.  Daniell,  "  whose  praise  is  in  all  the 
churches." 

Subsequently,  on  the  resignation  of  his  successor.  Rev.  Dr.  Binney,  to  go  as 
missionary  to  Burmah,  Mr.  Wyer  accepted  the  pastorate  again  for  the  term  of 
a  year,  that  he  might  assist  in  lifting  the  burden  of  a  heavy  debt  from  the  church- 
edifice,  and  retired  on  the  accomplishment  of  this  object.  A  year  or  two  later, 
on  the  constitution  of  the  Second  church,  he  became  its  pastor,  but  ill-health 
drove  him  from  this  position  after  the  lapse  of  two  years.  He  never  afterward 
assumed  the  office,  though,  to  the  close  of  his  life,  he  frequently  ministered  to 
destitute  churches  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  sought,  whenever  his 
health  would  permit,  to  preach  every  Sabbath. 

Mr.  Wyer  died  of  pneumonia,  May  9th,  1857,  at  Alexandria,  Virginia,  whither 
he  had  gone  the  previous  month,  in  his  usual  health,  to  rejoin  his  family.  The 
Sabbath  preceding  his  attack,  he  preached  in  the  morning  and  the  afternoon  in 
the  church  for  the  blacks.  The  warmth  of  the  house  during  the  second  service 
caused  the  doors  near  the  pulpit  to  be  opened,  and,  as  he  spoke  in  a  draft  of 
air,  it  is  likely  that  he  thus  contracted  the  disease  which  terminated  his  course 
on  earth.  His  last  text  was  that  key-note  of  his  whole  ministry,  John  iii,  14,  15. 
"  I  have  run  the  race,"  he  said,  the  day  prior  to  his  death ;  "  I  have  fought  the 
battle  ;  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown."  And  when,  a  short  time 
before  he  expired,  his  son  asked,  "  Is  it  all  well  with  you  now  ?"  his  response  was  : 
"  Not  a  doubt — not  a  doubt — all  clear."  The  marble  that  marks  his  resting- 
place,  in  Ivy  Hill  cemetery,  near  Alexandria,  bears  the  inscription  :  "  And  now 
my  witness  is  in  heaven  and  my  record  is  on  high." 

Rev.  W.  T.  Brantly,  Jr.,  D.D,,  shortly  after  Mr.  Wyer's  death,  wrote :  "  As  a 
pulpit  orator,  our  departed  brother,  when  in  health,  had  very  few  superiors  in 
this  country.  He  had  a  fine  presence,  and  when  his  sonorous  voice  and  piercing 
eye  were  animated  by  a  soul  filled  with  love  to  Christ,  and  yearning  for  the  con- 
version of  sinners,  he  spoke  with  the  most  thrilling  effect.  Who  that  heard 
him  preach  for  upwards  of  two  hours  at  the  Georgia  Baptist  Convention,  in 
Madison,  about  fourteen  years  ago,  will  ever  forget  that  sermon  ?  Who  grew 
weary,  under  that  protracted  discourse  ?  During  the  remarkable  revival  which 
took  place  in  Charleston,  in  1846,  he  and  Rev.  Richard  Fuller  frequently  spoke 
on  the  same  occasion.  After  Dr.  Fuller  had  preached  for  more  than  an  hour, 
and  wrotight  the  audience  to  a  degree  of  feeling  which  was  intense,  I  have  seen 
brother  Wyer  rise  and  with  appeals  almost  electric,  swell  the  feeling  into  deeper 
emotion,  and  retain  the  multitude  in  profound  attention  to  a  late  hour  of  the 
night.  A  beautiful  feature  in  our  beloved  brother's  character  was  his  humility. 
He  never  seemed  to  be  conscious  of  his  great  power,  and  shrank  from  anything 
like  notoriety.  He  was  willing  to  work  in  the  most  obscure  positions,  ar^d 
always  rejoiced  when  his  ministering  brethren  were  assigned  places  of  distinc- 
tion. His  genial  disposition  made  him  a  universal  favorite  in  society,  whilst  his 
intelligent  conversation  and  refined  manners  gave  him  access  to  the  best  circles 
in  our  country." 

Rev.  R.  Fuller,  D.D,,  also  wrote  at  that  time  :  "  It  was  not  long  after  he  came 
to  the  South,  when  the  writer  of  this  notice  entered  a  church  almost  casually. 
In  the  pulpit  was  a  man  still  young,  with  a  very  striking  appearance,  with  a 
musical,  sonorous  voice,  and  whose  gesture  was  graceful  and  commanding. 
These  accomplishments  were,  however,  soon  forgotten,  and  the  attention  of  the 
entire  audience  riveted  by  the  earnestness  and  pathos  with  which  the  speaker 
enforced  the  simple  but  sublime  truths  of  the  Gospel.  Although  utterly  care- 
less, I  could  but  be  impressed  as  he  urged  '  the  one  thing  needful '  for  man's 
peace  and  happiness  and  salvation.  '  IVho  zs  this  ?'  '  The  Rev.  Mr.  Wyer, 
pastor  of  the  Savannah  Baptist  church.'  I  lost  sight  of  him  for  some  years,  but  we 
were  destined  to  meet  again,  and  often  to  share  the  toils  and  successes  and  sor- 
rows of  the  ministr3\     I  remember,  as  it  were  yesterday,  the  calm,  sweet  morn- 


6o6 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES 


ing  when  he  led  me  down  into  the  water  and  baptized  me  into  that  name  so 
precious  to  us  both.  Scene  after  scene  rises  to  my  memory  when  we  knelt 
together,  and  from  one  closet  went  forth  to  preach  Jesus  to  the  great  congrega- 
tion, and  to  triumph  together  in  seeing  the  salvation  of  the  Gospel  breaking  forth 
on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left.  For  him,  all  this  has  ceased.  Indeed,  for 
many  years  his  impaired  health  compelled  him  to  relinquish  the  occupation  so 
dear  to  his  heart.  He  had  to  resign  his  pastorship,  and,  with  Rutherford,  to 
'  mourn  over  his  dumb  Sabbaths.'  He  has  finished  his  course.  What  anxieties, 
what  cares,  what  griefs,  what  joys,  what  fears,  what  labors,  what  tears  and 
groans,  what  hopes  and  disappointments,  are  crowded  into  the  life  of  a  faithful 
minister  of  the  gospel  !  He  knew  all  these,  but  now  he  knows  them  no  more. 
He  has  passed  from  them  to  the  peace  and  purity  of  rapture — the  wreaths  and 
the  robes  of  the  victor — to  the  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the 
righteous  Judge,  will  give  to  them  who  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith  and  are 
faithful  unto  death." 

"  In  social  intercourse  he  was  the  same  sincere,  disinterested,  benevolent  man. 
Ever  scrupulously  just  in  his  dealings,  ever  courteous  in  his  manners,  and  ever 
faithful  in  his  friendships,  he  has  left  a  reputation  unsullied  by  a  single  stain,  a 
name  which  no  human  being  can  mention  with  unkindness,  and  a  memory 
enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  thousands  who  loved  him.  It  was  especially  in  his 
family  that  all  the  virtues  and  amiabilities  of  his  character  were  unfolded.  But 
within  those  hallowed  precincts  others  must  not  intrude.  To  lose  such  a  hus- 
band and  father  must  be  an  irreparable  bereavement.  But  the  hand  which  hath 
chastened  can  wipe  away  all  tears.  And  the  prayers  offered  night  and  day,  by 
him  whose  form  they  will  see  no  more,  whose  voice  they  will  hear  no  more, 
those  prayers  will  now  return  in  consolations  and  blessings  which  can  cause  the 
soul,  in  its  bitterest  affliction,  to  exchange  'beauty  tor  ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for 
mourning,  and  the  garments  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness.'" 


JOHN  R.  YOUNG. 

One  of  the  most  diligent,  faithful  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel belonging  to  the  Georgia  Association,  is  Rev.  John 
R.  Young.  He  resides  in  Greene  county,  Georgia,  not 
far  from  where  he  was  born  in  January,  1824.  His  father 
was  in  limited  circumstances,  and  with  a  family  of  tv^/^elve 
children,  could  afford  to  his  son  only  a  very  partial  edu- 
cation. In  1838  he  professed  conversion  and  united  with 
the  church  at  Antioch,  Oglethorpe  county,  and  was  bap- 
tized by  Rev.  Jack  Lumpkin.  In  a  few  years  he  began 
to  manifest  a  deep  interest  in  the  prayer-meetings,  and 
would  read  the  Scriptures  at  these  meetings  and  exhort 
his  brethren  to  the  obedience  of  the  truth.  In  1 845  he  was  licensed  by  the  church 
to  preach  as  opportunity  might  be  presented.  Having  transferred  his  member- 
ship to  Baird's  church,  he  was  by  that  church  called,  in  1852,  to  the  full  work  of 
the  ministry.  Revs.  P.  H.  Mell,  N.  M.  Crawford  and  J.  L.  Dagg  performing  the 
ordination.  His  services  were  at  once  called  for  by  the  churches.  Shiloh,  Phil- 
lips' Mills,  Beaverdam  and  other,  churches  within  the  bounds  of  the  Georgia 
Association,  have  enjoyed  the  ministry  of  this  warm-hearted,  zealous  servant  of 
Christ.  He  possesses  the  full  confidence  of  his  churches  and  congregations  for  his 
soundness  in  the  doctrines  of  grace,  and  his  conformity  in  life  to  the  principles  of 
the  gospel.  As  a  preacher  he  is  forcible  and  animated.  His  voice  is  clear,  full 
of  compass  and  easily  heard,  always  securing  the  attention  of  his  hearers.  In 
his  private  life  all  agree  that  he  is  a  good  man. 


OF   PROMINENT   BAPTISTS.  607 

In  November,  1847,  he  was  married  to  Miss  P.  G.  Goolsby,  of  Oglethorpe 
county,  who  has  borne  to  him  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  still  live.  In  1847-48 
he  taught  school  near  Bowling  Green,  in  Oglethorpe  county,  and  not  being 
familiar  with  all  the  text-books  used  in  his  school,  he  was  compelled  to  devote 
every  spare  hour  to  most  diligent  study  that  he  might  teach  his  scholars.  It 
was  his  custom  also  to  study  the  Bible  and  lecture  his  school  on  its  great  moral 
and  religious  teachings.  Many  of  those  who  heard  these  lectures  were  lead  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  turn  their  feet  to  the  divine  testimonies.  Thus  our  brother, 
whether  in  the  school-room  or  in  the  pulpit,  has  been  instrumental  in  leading 
many  to  Christ.  He  resides  near  Bairdstown,  blessed  with  good  health,  is  sound 
m  body  and  mind,  and  has  a  heart  full  of  the  love  of  Christ  and  zeal  for  the 
salvation  of  souls. 


APPENDIX. 


JOHN    DUPREE. 

Rev.  John  Dupree  was  born  in  Burke  county,  Georgia,  March  26tli,  1806. 
Kis  grandfatl:ier,  John  Dupree,  moved  from  Virginia,  in  the  prime  of  life,  and 
settled  in  Jefferson  county,  Georgia.  His  father,  Thomas  Dupree,  was  born  in 
Virginia.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Cynthia  McDonald,  came  to 
<}eorgia,  from  North  Carolina,  with  her  father,  Randal  McDonald.  He  married 
Mary  Ann  Taylor,  the  daughter  of  John  Taylor,  of  Laurens  county,  Georgia, 
January  3d,  1828.  They  raised  to  the  years  of  maturity  three  sons  and  six 
•daughters. 

In  his  early  life  he  was  a  leader  in  the  amusements  and  pastimes  of  the  day. 
In  the  fall  of  1828  he  felt  his  condition  as  a  sinner,  and  in  May,  1829,  he  ob- 
tained pardon  for  his  sins.  In  July,  1832,  he  united  with  the  Baptist  church  at 
Poplar  Springs.  Laurens  county,  Georgia.  His  wife  joined  the  same  church  in 
the  fall  of  the  year.  He  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  preach  soon  after  uniting  with 
the  church,  but  did  not  begin  till  September,  1841.  He  was  ordained  at  Big 
Sandy,  Wilkinson  county,  Georgia,  in  1842,  and  was  pastor  of  that  church 
•eighteen  years,  consecutively,  till  he  moved  to  Louisiana,  in  the  latter  part  of 
i860.  The  scene  of  his  labors  in  Georgia  extends  from  Baldwin  county  to 
Waresboro,  in  Ware  county.  He  organized  and  built  up  many  churches  in 
■Georgia,  and  baptized  hundreds  of  converts  who  are  steadfast  in  the  faith. 

Since  i860,  he  has  labored  in  Louisiana  and  Texas  ;  chiefly  the  former. 
When  he  moved  to  Louisiana  there  was  a  space  east  of  Red  River  of  more 
than  one  hundred  miles  in  which  there  was  not  a  single  Baptist  church.  He 
has  organized  sixteen  churches  in  that  destitute  section.  For  two  years  and 
six  months  he  labored  as  missionary  under  the  Baptist  State  Convention  of 
Louisiana,  and  for  two  years  and  six  months  under  the  patronage  of  the  Red 
River  Association.  A  great  portion  of  his  labor  at  this  time  is  missionary  work, 
-with  no  adequate  support.  He  cannot  remain  idle  as  long  as  he  is  able  to 
preach.     He  is  always  welcomed  as  a  faithful,  zealous  servant  of  the  Lord. 

He  has  thrice  visited  Georgia  since  his  removal.  During  his  last  visit,  which 
extended  from  the  latter  part  of  1880  to  April  1881,  he  was  constantly  engaged 
in  preaching  and  visiting  the  sick,  often  preaching  twice  a  day  in  different  places. 
He  says  the  only  thing  that  troubles  him  is,  that  he  cannot  love  Jesus  as  much 
as  he  desires  to.  He  is  highly  esteemed  by  the  church  and  community  wherever 
he  is  known.  He  has  given  the  last  forty  years  of  his  life  to  the  cause  of 
Christ,  and  now  he  is  looking  forward  to  that  '•  crown  of  righteousness  which 
-.the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  to  all  them  that  love  His  appearing." 


N.   L.  McMEKIN. 

N.  McMekin,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  came  to  Georgia  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years,  and  was  baptized  in  his  youth,  by  Rev.  W.  Jackson,  into  the 
fellowship  of  Rehoboth  church,  Wilkes  county.  He  was  married  in  August, 
1 8 14,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Cooper,  who,  at  an  early  age,  had  been  baptized  into 
the  fellowship  of  Ebenezer  church,  of  the  same  county,  by  Rev.  Thomas 
Rhodes.     Three  children  were  given  to  them ;  and  among  that  number  was 


6lO  APPLNDIX. 

Rev.  N.  L.  McMekin,  born  September  5th,  181 8.  These  pious  parents  reared 
their  household  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  obeying  the  precept  while  trusting  the 
promise  of  His  word.  The  impressions  made  on  the  subject  of  this  sketch  in 
favor  of  godliness  were  never  forgotten.  But  he  did  not  yield  to  his  convictions 
until  he  had  grown  to  manhood.  He  was  converted  September  5th,  1839,  so 
that  the  day  of  his  birth  was  also  the  day  of  his  new  birth,  with  precisely  twenty- 
one  years  lying  between  the  two  events  !  He  united  with  the  Rehoboth  church, 
and  was  baptized  by  the  pastor,  Rev.  Enoch  Callaway.  He  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  deacon,  in  1848,  and  discharged  its  duties  faithfully  for  the  space  of 
fifteen  years,  serving  the  cause  of  Christ  still  further,  during  the  greater  portion 
of  the  time,  as  a  licentiate.  In  1863,  when  forty- five  years  old,  he  received 
ordination  to  the  ministry  at  the  hands  of  Revs.  John  Hogan,  T.  J.  Beck  and 
Isaac  McLendon.  For  eighteen  years  he  has  performed  the  functions  of  this 
office  with  tidelity,  acceptance  and  effectiveness.  He  was  married,  in  1875,  to 
Sallie  E.  Bell,  and  two  sons  and  one  daughter  are  growing  up  under  their  careful, 
affection. 


B.  L.   ROSS. 


Rev.  B.  L.  Ross,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Wilkinson  county, 
Georgia,  in  1825.  His  father.  Rev.  John  Ross,  moved  his 
family,  in  1830,  to  Upson  county,  where  he  resided  until 
his  death,  in  1837.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  thus 
left  fatherless  at  less  than  twelve  years  of  age.  The 
financial  crisis,  with  some  reverses,  so  reduced  his  father's 
large  estate  that  little  was  left  to  each  of  the  fourteen 
heirs.  Hence,  he  did  not  have  the  advantages  of  a  colle- 
giate course.  But  he  used  well  every  opportunity  for 
acquiring  the  education  afforded  by  the  common  schools, 
and  spent  one  year  at  Collinsworth  Institute.  He  joined  Antioch  Baptist  church, 
Talbct  county,  in  1838.  Although  possessed  of  a  naturally  active,  vivacious 
temperament,  he  was  ever  watchful  of  his  Christian  character,  and  maintained,, 
with  consistency,  his  profession. 

In  Philadelphia,  in  1846-47,  he  attended  medical  lectures,  and  in  1848  he 
graduated  in  the  school  of  medicine  in  Charleston,  S.  C.  Immediately  he  began 
the  practice,  with  marked  success,  in  Talbot  county,  where  he  had  lived  since 
his  father's  death. 

In  1854,  he  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry,  moved  toThomaston  in  1856, 
continued  to  practice,  and  preached  with  good  results ;  was  pastor  there  m 
1857.  Two  years  later,  he  resigned  a  lucrative  practice  and  located  in  Cuthbert, 
intending  to  devote  his  time  exclusively  to  preaching;  was  pastor  there  in  1861. 
The  following  year,  the  war  and  domestic  interests  induced  him  to  return,  to  his 
former  home,  now  Taylor  county,  where  he  resumed  the  practice,  and  was  pastor 
at  Antioch,  Butler  and  Fort  Valley.  To  the  last  mentioned  place,  he  moved  in 
1867;  has  had  the  pastorate  there  every  year  since  that  time.  During  these 
years  he  has  preached,  as  pastor,  at  Smithville,  Dawson,  Marshallville,  and  other 
places.  ' 

Many  appreciate  him  because  he  pointed  their  weary,  sin-sick  souls  to  the 
Star  of  Hope.  His  consecration  is  unsurpassed.  Few  men  could  combine, 
with  such  gratifying  results,  the  two  vocations  as  he  has  done.  His  talent  and. 
skill  in  the' healing  art  are  acknowledged  by  all.  He  successfully  anchors  many 
patients  from  the  sea  of  sickness  upon  shores  of  health  :  he  is  considered  ejninenf 
wherever  located. 

With  an  intellectual,  noble.  Christian  wife  (nee  Miss  Mangham)  he  is  rearing 
five  bright  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  memibers  of  the  church.  A  more 
exemplary  man  never  lived.     His  physique  is  most  admirable,  his  constitutiori. 


APPENDIX.  6l  I 

enviable.  After  once  meeting  him,  his  not  tall,  but  ver)'  erect  and  handsome 
figure,  noble  face  and  genial,  affable  manners  are  ever  remembered.  He  is  neat 
and  refined  in  person  and  taste.  Kind  and  benevolent,  many  times  he  has 
bestowed  blessings  on  soul  and  body. 

Once,  when  a  missionary  collection  was  taken  (just  after  the  war)  having  no 
money,  he  took  from  his  pocket  a  good  gold  watch  and  laid  that  in  the  hat  as 
his  offering.  He  has  felt  willing  to  surrender  all  to  his  God — wife,  children,  and 
self. 

Few  men  possess  warmer  or  more  attached  friends ;  few  are  more  generous 
and  genial ;  and  none  are  more  devoted  to  principle  and  the  cause  of  religion 
than  Mr.  Ross.  He  is  a  staunch  Baptist,  retains  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
all  who  know  him,  is  an  eloquent  preacher,  and  a  true  man  and  Christian  in 
every  sense  of  the  word.  He  wields  a  veritable  battle-axe  against  error  and 
sin,  and  hews  down  many  stalwart  foes,  of  the  cross  and  of  the  truth. 


ISAAC  SMITH. 


This  beloved  and  devoted  man  was  born  in  Chatham  county.  North  Caro- 
lina, on  the  I4ih  of  October,  1796.  Two  years  afterwards  his  father,  Colesby 
Smith,  whose  wife  was  Anna  Henry,  removed  to  Georgia,  staying  in  Burke 
county  for  a  year  or  two,  and  afterwards  removing  to  Washington  county  and 
settling  permanently  near  the  old  home  where  Isaac  died.  We  have  no  infor- 
mation which  will  enable  us  to  speak  particularly  of  the  incidents  of  his  earlier 
years.  Up  to  the  date  on  which  he  united  with  the  church,  the  12th  day  of 
Jiine,  1824,  his  life  had  been  one  of  quiet,  earnest  industry,  always  marked  by 
a  high  order  of  integrity.  It  is  said  that  he  was  much  disinclined  to  religious 
thought  and  reflection  until  within  a  short  period  before  his  conversion — so 
much  so,  that  he  was  opposed  to  his  wife's  uniting  with  the  church.  But  at 
length  by  that  earnest  and  gentle  influence  which  woman  only  can  wield  and 
which  it  is  vain  to  resist,  his  wife  became  the  instrument  of  changing  his  thought, 
his  life,  his  action.  And  when  changed — a  change  could  not  have  been  more 
complete.  He  united  with  the  church  on  the  12th  day  of  June,  1824,  and  on 
the  6th  day  of  July,  of  the  same  year,  was  ordained  to  preach  the  gospel. 

There  are  not  many  characters,  whether  eminent  or  humble,  that  are  better 
defined— more  strongly  marked  than  that  of  the  man  to  whose  memory  we 
make  this  offering. 

He  seemed  specially  endowed  with  all  those  traits  which  fitted  him  to  meet 
all  the  demands  of  the  times  and  circumstances  in  which  he  lived.  As  a  man 
he  had  the  integrity,  the  energy  and  industry,  which  made  him  proof  in  early 
life  against  the  prevailing  vices  around  him,  and  consequently  these  virtues  en- 
sured him  success  in  business — competency,  prosperity.  What  his  hand  found 
to  do  he  did  with  his  might.  And  this  decision  and  promptness  in  action  ex- 
plains the  fact  that  in  less  than  thirty  days  from  his  entrance  into  the  fellowship 
of  the  church,  he  had  put  on  the  whole  armor  of  an  apostle  and  was  doing  bat- 
tle valiantly  in  the  service  of  which  he  died,  and  we  might  say,  in  the  service  in 
which  he  lost  his  life,  for  it  was  while  on  a  visit  to  the  church  at  New  Bethel,  (a 
church  he  so  much  loved  and  which  was  mainly  a  fruit  of  his  instrumentality) 
that  he  was  attacked  by  the  disease  from  which  he  never  recovered.  This  trait 
is  also  illustrated  by  the  fact  which  is  related  by  those  who  have  lived  near  him 
all  his  life,  that  he  became  an  effectual  preacher  and  a  useful  minister  from  the 
day  and  hour  he  set  forth!  He  cast  his  whole  mind,  soul  and  body  and 
strength  into  the  field  white  with  the  harvest. 

This  trait  of  decision,  energy,  whole  heartedness  is  illustrated  in  the  remark 
made  of  him  by  a  brother  who  had  travelled  much  with  him  in  ministerial  labor, 
"  that  he  could  bear  up  under  and  endure  more  mental  and  physical  labor  than 
any  man  he  had  ever  seen."     He  seemed  many  times  a  verification  of  the  Scrip- 


6l2  APPENDIX. 

ture  "  thou  shalt  not  live  by  bread  alone  but  by  every  word  that  cometh  from 
the  mouth  of  God."  His  hope  and  efforts  to  do  good  v^^ere  often  his  meat  and 
drink.  So  unreserved  was  his  consecration,  that  like  the  Baptist  of  old  ha 
would,  if  need  be,  have  rejoiced  to  lift  his  voice  in  the  wilderness  with  nothing 
for  his  meat  but  locusts  and  wild  honey.  United  with  this  decision  and  energy 
was  a  gentleness  and  love  towards  all,  which  completed  the  beauty  of  his  char- 
acter. He  preached  love,  and  it  was  in  all  his  actions.  The  mission  for  which 
he  seemed  endowed  and  which  he  had  chosen  for  his  life  was  the  reconciliation 
of  the  Primitive  churches  which  lay  south  of  the  Washington  Association. 
The  older  brethren,  his  contemporaries  of  the  Washington,  will  long  remember 
the  interesting  and  feeHng  narratives  he  made  to  the  Association  of  his  labors 
in  this  field.  As  he  would  tell  of  the  destitution  of  religious  privilege  in  that 
region,  the  want  of  preaching,  the  demand  for  Bibles,  his  face  would  beam  with 
light  and  love  which  his  words  could  not  utter.  It  was  in  this  field  that  his  pa- 
tient endurance  and  his  unfailing  love  was  severely  tried.  He  was  often  in  these 
journeyings  brought  to  listen  to  abuse  from  the  pulpit  of  those  with  whom  he 
acted.  Often  he  heard  himself  and  those  who  sent  him,  called  hypocrites  and 
Pharisees.  But  he  reviled  not  again.  He  has  been  known  to  ascend  the  stand 
immediately  after  one  of  these  harangues  of  abuse  and  vituperation  and  preach, 
"Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  Indeed 
such  was  the  spirit  of  all  his  ministerial  labor.  He  never  found  time  to  preach 
controversy.  He  preached  love,  his  life  was  love.  And  it  was  this  which  made 
him  truly  an  exalted  character. 

This  beautiful  junction  of  firmness  and  decision  with  gentleness  and  love, 
has  been  well  illustrated  in  his  home  life.  His  marriage  with  Miss  Assenia 
Brantley  was  b'.essed  with  many  sons  and  daughters.  That  he  held  the  reins 
of  family  government  firiiily  but  affectionately,  is  abundantly  proven  by  the 
fact  that  his  sons  and  daughters  without  exception  are  members  of  the  church — 
all  hold  useful  stations  in  society,  and  four  of  his  sons  are  ministers  of  the 
gospel ;  surely  his  works  do  follow  him.  Surely  that  pure  fountain  of  love  and 
grace  which  sprung  forth  and  began  its  fiow  upon  the  earth  in  the  conversion 
and  consecration  of  Isaac  Smith,  is  still  flowing  on  and  widening  and  deep- 
ening in  its  course,  and  all  the  good  he  has  done  and  is  still  doing  by  the  exam- 
ple of  a  holy  life,  can  be  known  only  by  the  revelations  of  heaven  itself. 

He  died  at  his  residence  in  Washington  county  on  the  7th  of  May,  i860.  His 
death  was  such,  as  such  a  life  insures — peaceful,  full  of  resignation  and  hope. 
His  illness  was  painful  and  protracted.  He  felt  a  consciousness  almost  from 
the  first  that  it  would  be  fatal.  Disease  at  length  wore  away  physical  strength. 
As  he  felt  the  time  of  his  departure  draw  near,  he  requested  his  son  B.  D.  Smith, 
a  physician,  to  watch  his  condition  closely  and  when  he  should  think  that  he  had 
but  few  hours  to  live,  to  rouse  him  up  and  give  him  notice  that  the  time  was  near 
at  hand.  What  was  the  reason  for  this  request  ?  His  work  was  not  all  done. 
He  had  lived  long,  labored  much — done  good  in  his  day,  and  now  lay  prostrate, 
wasted  and  dying,  but  his  work  was  not  yet  all  done.  The  good  old  man  made 
all  the  use  of  life  he  could.  Life  he  had  mastered  and  controlled,  and  given  to 
the  service  of  his  God.  And  now,  when  life  has  given  away  and  death  is  com- 
ing, his  spirit  rises  with  the  emergency  and  lays  hold  of  the  grim  monster  and 
compels  death  itself  to  do  service  in  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer.  "  I  want  all 
my  children,  one  by  one,  to  come  to  my  bedside  and  receive  my  dying  injunc- 
tion and  my  parting  blessing."  They  all  did  so  come,  and  one  by  one  he- coun- 
selled them — blessed  them  and  bade  them  farewell.  Can  any  doubt  that  his  dy- 
ing words  still  dwell  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  the  living?  He  then  had  his 
servants  called,  and  advised,  admonished  and  blessed  them.  And  now  his  work 
was  done — completely  done.  His  triumph  over  death,  hell  and  the  grave,  was 
complete.  He  had  made  them  all  subject  to  the  purpose  of  his  long  and  useful 
life.  He  had  compelled  death,  hell  and  the  grave  to  preach  the  gospel  of  peace, 
of  love.  His  last  act  was  his  mightiest  sermon,  and  he  died  with  the  glorious 
consciousness  that  he  had  fought  the  good  fight  and  kept  the  faith — and  that 
a  crown  awaited  him  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father.  "  Blessed  are  the  dead 
that  die  in  the 'Lord.  Yea,  saith  the  Lord,  they  shall  rest  from  their  labors  and 
their  works  do  follow  them." 


APPENDIX. 


613 


C.  C.  WHITE. 


Rev.  C.  C.  White,  son  of  John  and  Rachel  Carter 
White,  was  born  in  Elbert  county,  Georgia,  January  1 5th, 
1820.  His  mother  had  been  baptized  by  Rev.  Jesse 
Mercer,  and  reared  her  son  as  Timothy  was  reared,  un- 
der the  power  of  gospel  truth.  In  his  twenty-first 
year,  September,  1840,  he  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Asa 
Chandler,  into  the  fellowship  of  Vance  Creek  church, 
in  his  native  county.  He  was  educated  principally  at 
Ruckersville,  Georgia,  but  was  subsequently  a  benefici- 
ary student  at  Mercer  University.  In  September,  1850, 
ten  years  after  his  baptism,  he  was  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry, at  Carmel  church,  Newton  county,  by  a  presbytery  composed  Of  Revs.  C. 
M.  Irwin,  J.  Bledsoe,  J.  M.  Carter  and  W.  Richards.  He  entered  at  once  on 
active  service,  laboring  for  a  year  as  missionary  of  the  Central  Association,  and 
for  twenty  years  after  as  pastor  of  churches.  During  this  time  he  ministered, 
through  periods  ranging  from  three  to  fourteen  years,  to  Shiloh,  Rocky  Creek 
and  Hopewell  churches,  Jasper  county ;  Liberty,  Carmel,  Covington  and  Zion, 
Newton  county ;  Sharon  and  Sardis,  Henry  county ;  Conyers,  Rockdale  county, 
and  Lithonia,  DeKalb  county.  His  preaching  was  sound  in  doctrine  and  earnest 
in  spirit,  and  he  possessed  hortatory  gifts  in  an  unusual  degree.  Christians  were 
comforted  and  strengthened  ;  sinners  were  awakened  ;  the  churches  were  built 
up,  and  he  baptized  from  twenty  to  fifty  converts  yearly — the  baptisms  one  year 
amounting  to  over  a  hundred.  In  the  pulpit  and  in  private  life  his  manner  was 
simple  and  unassuming,  and  his  bearing  was  friendly  to  all,  without  distinction 
of  sect  or  station.     He  was,  at  once,  a  popular  and  a  successful  pastor. 

About  the  year  1872,  Mr.  White's  health  failed,  and  he  was  compelled  to  re- 
tire from  regular  pastoral  labor.  Recently,  however,  he  has  sufficiently  regained 
physical  capability  to  resume  it,  and  has  entered  the  field  again  with  his  accus- 
tomed energy.  • 

During  his  connection  with  the  Central  Association,  perhaps  in  1856,  he  filled 
the  chair  of  Moderator,  and  at  present  he  is  Moderator  of  the  Second  Georgia 
Association. 

He  was  married  in  December,  1852,  to  Miss  A.  J.  Sharpe,  daughter  of  Dea- 
con Thomas  Sharpe,  of  Newton  county.  They  have  four  children,  two  sons 
and  two  daughters. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Abell,  Alexander  Pope 3 

Adams,  Thomas  Jefferson S 

AdkHs,  Aaron 6 

Amos,  Elijah  Moon 7 

Anthony,  Anselm 8 

Armstrong,  James 9 

Arnett,  H.  J ii 

Ash,  John  Hergen 12 

Atkinson,  William  Dawkins 13 

Baber,  Robert 15 

Bailey,  Napoleon  Alexander 16 

Bailey,  Samuel  S 17 

Baker.  Joseph  S 18 

Barrett,  Edward  Benjamin 22 

Barrett,  James  Legh  Richmond 23 

Barrow,  James 24 

Battle,  Archibald  J 25 

Battle,  Jesse  Brown 27 

Battle,  Cullen 28 

Beck,  Thomas  J.,  Sr 30 

Beck,  Andrew  J 32 

Bennet,  W.  B 33 

Black,  James  Edgar 34 

Blakey,  B.  A 35 

Blalock,  F.  M   36 

Blewett,  William  J 36 

Blitch,  Benjamin 37 

Blitch,  b.  E 38 

Blitch,  Joseph  L. 38 

Blitch,  James  E 43 

Boyce,  James  Petigru 39 

Boykin,  Samuel 43 

Boykin,  Thomas  Cooper . .  46 

Branham,  Isham  Richerson 47 

Brantly,  William  Theophilus,  Sr '. 49 

Brantly,  William  T.,  Jr.... 56 

Brantly,  John  Joyner 59 

Bridges,  W.  M". 60 

Brittain,  Jabez  Marshall 61 

Brooks,  I verson  Lewis 62 

Brooks,  W.  A 64 

Brown,  Joseph  Emerson 65 

Brown,  D.  A 68 

Browne,  James  Courtney 69 

Broadus,  John  Albert 70 

Burney,  Thomas  J 72 

Butler,  David  Edward 74 

Buffington,  Jacob 76 

Buford,  A.  W 77 

JButler,  Peter  Patrick 78 


PAGE. 

Bunn,  Henry .. .     ...' 80 

Buchanan,  Henry  Franklin 81 

Butts,  John  W 82 

Burk,  Thornton 82 

Burney,  Samuel  A 83 

Cain,  Moses  Powell 84 

Callaway,  Enoch 85 

Callaway,  Brantly  Mercer 86 

Callaway,  Abner  R 87 

Callaway,  John  Sanders  *. 88 

Callaway,  Pitt  Milner 89 

Callaway,  Joshua  S 91 

Callaway,  Jesse  Mercer 92 

Callaway,  Samuel  Pope 93 

Callaway,  Wm.  Anderson 99 

Campbell,  Jesse  H 95 

Campbell,  Abner  B loi 

Campbell,  Charles  D loi 

Campbell,  Gibson  Matthews 102 

Carpenter,  Craven 103 

Carroll,  E.  B 104 

Carson,  W.  B 109 

Carswell,  E.  R 105 

Carswell,  E.  R.,  Jr 106 

Carswell,  James  Hamilton 108 

C^arswell,  Mirabeau  Lamar 108 

Carswell,  Charles  M no 

Carter,  Joseph  A m 

Carter,  James 112 

Cassidey,  Hugh  Emmet 113 

Cate,  Samuel  Houston 116 

Cawood,  J.  H 115 

Chambliss,  John  Alexander 117 

Chandler,  -  sa 118 

Chaudoin,  W.  N 120 

Cheney,  Franklin  W 121 

Cheves,  Adoniram  Judson   123 

Chiles,  James  Madison 124 

Clarke,  William  Moore 126 

Clarke,  John  T 12S 

Clements,  John  A . . '. 131 

Clements,  J.  C 132 

Cleveland,  William  C.        134 

Cliett,  George  Hillman 133 

Cloud,  Aaron  E. 136 

Coile,  James  Nicholas 135 

Colquitt,  George  Washington 137 

Cooper,  Mark  Anthony 138 

Cooper,  W.  H 140 

Cooper,  T.  B 141 


II 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Cooper,  George  F   142 

Corley,  J.  H 144 

Corn,  Alfred 143 

Cowdry,  William  Drayton 146 

Crane,  William  Carey 149 

Crawford,  John 152 

Crawford,  W.  B" 153 

Crawford,  Nathaniel  Macon 154 

Crawford,  William  Lewis 158 

Cross,  James  M 159 

Cumbie,  Andrew 159 

Cumming,  Thomas  J 160 

Curry,  Jabez  Lamar  Monroe 161 

Curry,  W.  L 154 

Dagg,  John  Leadley 166 

Dagg,  John  Francis 171 

Daniel,  Francis  Marion 172 

Daniel,  David  G 173 

Davis,  James 175 

Davis,  Jesse  M.  .  .  . 177 

Davis,  William  Hudson  178 

Davis,J.B.S iSo 

Dawson,  John  Edmonds 181 

Dean,  William  H 185 

Defoor,  James  Martin 186 

DeVotie,  James  H 187 

DeVotie,  Noble  Leslie igi 

Dodd,  John  S 193 

Donaldson,  J.  M 194 

Duffey,  David  Laney 195 

Duggan,  Ivey  W 196 

Du,ggan,  Asa 197 

Dumas,  E ig8 

Dupree,  Thomas  W 199 

DuPree,  John 609 

Eason,  Parker • 200 

Edge,  Peter  William 203 

Edge,  N.  N 205 

Edwards,  J.  C 202 

Ellington,  John  Winfrey 206 

Everinghara,  Lewis 207 

Felts,  W.  C .    208 

Fleming,  Robert 210 

Fortson,  John  Henry 209 

Foster,  Nathaniel  Greene 211 

Fowler,  James  S 213 

Fuller,  Samuel  T   214 

Fuller,  Richard 215 

Fuller,  Robert  W 218 

Garland,  Henry 220 

Gaulden,  Charles  S 221 

George,  James  R 227 

Gibbs,  Thomas  Alexander 223 

Gibson,  Sylvanus  225 

Gibson,  J.  G.. 226 

Geiger,  Washington  L 222 

Gilbert,  H.  D 228 

Gordon,  Zachariah  H 228 

Goss,  William  Rabun.    .       229 

Goss,  L  H 230 

Gray,  John  D 232 

GriiBn,  James  A 233 


PACK. 

Grisham,  Joseph 234- 

Gunn,  Radford 235 

Gwaltney,  Luther  Rice 237 

Gwin,  David  William 239 

Hall,  George  Washington 241 

Hall,  James  Hamilton 242 

Hamilton,  David  Blount 244 

Hanks,  Robert  Taylor 245 

Hanks,  J.  A.  R 247 

Haralson,  Jonathan 248 

Hardin,  Martin  B 249 

Hardman,  W.  B.  J 25r 

Harris,  Juriah 252 

Harris  J.  A 253 

Harrison ,  James  P 254 

Harvey,  Raymond  S 256 

Hawkins,  F.  M 256 

Haygood,  Francis  Marion 557 

Headden,  Robert  Benjamin 258 

Hedden,  Elisha 261 

Henderson,  Samuel 260 

Hendrix,  John 262 

Hillyer,  Shaler  Granby 264 

Hogue,  Robert  Jasper 266 

Hollis,  Thomas 271 

Holcombe,  Henry 272- 

Holmes,  Adam  Tunno 268 

Holmes,  Wiley  T 271 

Hooten,  Enoch  M 276 

Hornady,  Henry  Carr 278 

Hornady ,  Nelson  A   280 

Horne,  Jesse  R. 277 

Home,  W.  D 278 

Howell,  W.  M 281 

Huff,  Jonathan 283 

Hyman,  J.  J 282 

Irwin,  Charles  Mercer 284 

Ivey,  John  Augustus 286 

Ivey,  Benjamin  Henry 286 

Jackson,  John  A 288 

Jackson,  R.  H 288 

Jackson,  Hartwell 289 

Jackson,  George  L 290 

Janes,  Absalom 290 

Jessup,  Phillip  Andrew 291 

Jennings,  L.  R.  L 293 

Jewel,  Edgar 292 

Johnson,  William 297 

Johnston,  Malcom 295 

Joiner,  W.  D 298 

Jones,  N.  M 298 

Jumper,  John 299 

Kelly,  Adoniram  Judson 300 

Kelly,  William  Willis 301 

Key,  Joshua 30& 

Kilpatrick,  James  Hall  Tanner 302 

Kilpatrick,  James  Hines 304 

Kilpatrick,  Washington  L 308 

Kimbell,  James  Graham 309 

Kimbell,  John  T 310 

King,  Jacob 311 

Lacy,  John  B 3T3 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX. 


Ill 


PAGE. 

Lamar,  A.  W 314 

Landrum,  M.  M 315 

Landrum,  S 317 

Landrum,  William  Warren 319 

Landrum,  J.  G 321 

Langford,  Bedford 322 

Langley,  T.   E 323 

Lanier,  T.  W : 321 

Law,  Joseph  Spry 328 

Lawton,  James  S 324 

Lawton,  Joseph  Alexander 330 

Lewis,  John  W 332 

Little,  Samuel  Boyd 336 

Lofton,  George  A 334 

Lumpkin,  Wilson 337 

Luther,  John  Hill 343 

Luther,  W.  C 345 

■  Mallary,  Charles  Dutton 348 

Manly,  Basil 345 

Manning,  A.  M 356 

Mansfield,  William  L 357 

Marks,  D.  W 358 

Marshall,  Asa  Monroe 359 

Martin,  Joshua 360 

Mathews,  Philip 361 

Mathews,  James 362 

Maxwell,  Simeon 363 

McCall,  W.  C 364 

McCall,  George  Robert 365 

McCall,  Moses  N.,  Jr 366 

McCall,  Moses  Nathaniel 368 

McCallum,  Hugh  B 369 

McDaniel,  L  0 373 

McDonald 374 

Mcintosh,  William  Hillary 376 

McMekin,  N.  L 609 

McMichael,  William  Griffin 379 

McMullen,  James  Henry 378 

McMurray,  J.  A 380 

Mell,  Patrick  Hughes 381 

Mercer,  Jesse 384 

Milner,  John  Holmes 389 

Milner,  Pitt  S   390 

Milner,  John 391 

Mitchell,  Archie  B 392 

Moncrief ,  A.  L 393 

Moncrief,  D.  H   394 

Moor,  George  R 395 

Moore,  D.  H 396 

Morcock,  William  J 397 

Morris,  E.  S 398 

Murphy,  T.  H 399 

Murrow,  Joseph  Samuel 400 

Muse,  J.  M 402 

Muse.  Thomas 403 

Neeson,  H 404 

Northen,  Peter 405 

Norton,  William  H 406 

Nunnally,  Gustavus  Alonzo 407 

Oliver,  Hugh  F 410 

Overton,  W.  A 408 


PAGE. 

Owens,  Jesse  M 41 1 

Pannel,  E.  J 412 

Parker,  J.  S 412 

Patillo,  Lewis  A 413 

Patrick,  W.  J 413 

Peek,  Hart  C 414 

Peeples,  Richard  A 415 

Perryman,  James 417 

Perryman,  Elisha 418 

Phillips,  Trustin .   416 

Pilcher,  Thomas  Jefferson 421 

Pipkin,  Philip  J 422 

Pitman,  Radford  Edward 423 

Polhill,  Joseph 424 

Polhill,  [ohn  G 426 

Pope,  Owen  C 427 

Posey,  Humphrey 430 

Powell,  Hiram 429 

Price,  Lewis 433 

Rabun,  William 433 

Rainey,  H.  M.. 435 

Rainwater,  James 436 

Renfroe,  J.  J.  D 437 

Reeves,  James 440 

Rhodes,  Thomas  Napoleon 442 

Rice,  W.  H , 443 

Richardson,  William  H 444 

Richter,  Edward  F 445 

Riley,  Benjamin  Franklin 447 

Robert,  Joseph  Thomas 448 

Robert,  William  Henry 450 

Roberts,  Benjamin.   452 

Robinson,  Philip  Baldwin 451 

Roop,  W.  W 454 

Ross,  William 455 

Ross,  B.  L 610 

Rushin,  James  M 456 

Ryals,  James  Gazaway 457 

Sams,  Marion  W .  .      461 

Sanders,  Billington  McCarter 459 

Sanford,  Vincent  Thornton 462 

Sanford,  Shelton  Palmer 463 

Screven,  James  Odingsell 465 

Searcy,  John  S 467 

Shackelford,  Josephus 469 

Shank;  J.  A 472 

Shaver,  David 47® 

Sherwood,  Adiel 473 

Shivers,  John  A 478 

Shorter,  John  Gill 479 

Skinner,  Thomas  E 482 

Slade,  Thomas  B 483 

Smith,  George  Washington 485 

Smith,  Henry  Foster 486 

Smith,  Matthew 487 

Smith,  John  A 488 

Smith,  J.  M ■'. 488 

Smith,  Isaac 611 

Spalding,  Albert  Theodore 490 

Speairs,  William  J 491 

Springer,  I.  M 49' 


IV 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX. 


I'AGE. 

Stansben-y,  J,  M 493 

Steed,  Epenetus  A 494 

Steed,  William  PuUen 495 

Steely,  W.  R 497 

Stephens,  L.  W 496 

Stephenson,  Asa  Castleberry .  500 

Stevens,  Carlos  W 498 

Stewart,  J.  D 500 

Stillwell,  Charles  Harden 501 

5;tillwell,  Jacob  M   502 

Stout,  Thomas  Henry 503 

Stocks,  Thomas 504 

Stokes,  William  H 506 

Stiaton,  Henry  Dundas  Douglas  509 

Strickland,  Charlton  Hines ,  .  510 

Strickland,  William  Henry 511 

Sumner,  IMartin  T ...    513 

Swanson,  James  Francis.  . .                             . .  515 

Tatum,  Aaron  S 517 

Taylor,  J.  G 518 

Taylor,  George  Boardman 519 

Teague,  E.  V 521 

Tebeau,  Lewis  C .  -  522 

Tharp,  Benjamin  Franklin 523 

Tharp,  Charwick  A 525 

Thornton,  Vincent  R .    527 

Thornton,  Benjamin 529 

Thornton,  William  T , 530 

Tichenor,  Isaac  Taylor 531 

Tomkies,  John  Henry 533 

Towers,  Lewis 535 

Tucker,  Henry  Holcombe 536 

Tucker,  Thomas  C . 540 

TuggleM.  B..... 542 

Tumlin,  George  W 541 

Tumlin,  George  ,S 541 

Tupper,  Henry  Allen 543 

Turner,  George  W 545 

Turpin,  William  Henry 546 

Tweedell,  W.  S 548 


PAGE. 

Underwood,  John  Levi 549 

Van  Hoose,  Azor 550 

Vaughan,  Elias. 552 

Vaughan,  Albert  B.,  Jr. . .-. 553 

Verdery,  William  M 554 

Vickery,  William  J 556 

Waldrop,  Andrew  Jackson 556. 

Ward,  Arthur  Church 557 

Walker,  Joseph 559 

Warren,  Ebenezer  W.. .' 560 

Warren,  Lott 563 

Waugh,  Chastain  Valentine 565 

Weaver,  J.  M 567 

Webb,  John  M  •  ■  •    567 

Weekly,  G.  W 56S 

Wellborn,  Marshall  J 569 

West,  John  Quinn 576 

West,  Thomas  B 577 

Wharton,  M.  B 578 

Whitaker,  John  Irwin 577 

White,  C.  C 613 

Wilkes,  William  Clay   ■. 581 

Wilkes,  Thomas  U 584 

Willet,  Joseph  Edgerton 594 

Williams,  John  G 585 

Williams,  Henry  A 586 

Williams,  William 587 

Willingham,  R.  J. 589 

Willis,  Carey  C 590 

Wilson,  Franklin 592 

Wilson,  John  W 593 

Wilson,  John  Whitfield   593 

Wingate,  Washington  Manly 596 

Wood,  Jesse  M 597 

Wood ,  W 600 

Woodfin,  William  George 601 

Woolsey,  Isaac  Gray 602 

Wright,  A.  R..    .    603 

Wyer,  Henry  Otis 604 

Young,  John  R 605 


J^TILJ^ISTTJ^      CjtJ^. 


BSf  ABRISBBB  tSe©. 


LEADING    THE  VAN  IN  THE   BEAUTY  AND 
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^^BINDINS 


■i^^ 


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In  hope  of  securing  a  share  of  your 
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Samples  and  estimates  furnished. 


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SOUTHERN  BAPTIST  SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. 


Supplf  your  Libraiifis  with  Home  Publications, 


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J)  ELIEVING  that  it  is  the  earnest  desire  of  every  superintendent  and  teacher  to  secure  the 
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f^  by  Pedobaptism  and  kindred  errors  in  the  Libraries,  we  appeal  to  them  to  buy  their 
books  from  those  who  are  in  sympathy  zvith  Southern  Baptists.  We  have  a  complete 
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In  four  grades,  prepared  especially  for  our  Southern  Baptist  Sunday-schools.  From  these  Catechisms 
the  great  doctrines  which  are  essential  to  a  correct  faith— to  a  saving  faith— to  an  intelligent 
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udiced and  unsatisfactory  publications  of  Northern  publishers.  Our  "  Home  "  Catechisms  are  adapted 
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insriDEx:  HYnynnsr  booic,  ^^ 

Containing  a  large  and  beautiful  collection  of  our  Baptist  hymns,  especially  suited  to  the  song-service 
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We  are  prepared  to  furnish,  immediately,  a  complete  Library  outfit  for  our  Sunday-schools,  and  will 
take  pleasure  in  answering  by  return  mail  any  questions  that  may  be  asked,  or  give  any  information 
that  may  be  desired  by  parents,  teachers  or  superintendents. 

Do  not  Touch  Doubtful  Publications,        {\ 

And  be  not  misled  by  flatttering  and  cajoling  "  circulars  "  from  alien  publishers  and  firms,  who  have   r 
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