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Presbyterian College Library
Clinton. South Carolina 29325
HISTOR Y
of The
Vesbgterian Church
of Bethel
Compiled Bp
Rev. R. A. Q)ebb
Fifth Pastor
Originally Issued
in 1887 bv
The Ladies Aid Societi^
Revised to April 1, 1938
Price SI. 25
With Map $2.25
HISTOR Y
of The
Presbi^terian Church
of Bethel
Compiled Bg
Rev. R. A. Q)ebb
Orr^r^u F^fth Pastor
P esbyferian College Lfbrarv
in 1887 bv
The Ladies Aid Society
Revised to April /, 1938
COPYRIGHT 1938
BY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL
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PREFATORY NOTE
This history is published under the uspices of the Ladies'
Aid Society cf Bethel Church. This Society was organized
in 1876, and has increased in usefulness ever since. It is
designed as an auxiliary in the prosecution of the work
of the Lord. It seeks to accomplish this end by collecting
money into its treasury, and then voting it to Foreign
missions, Home missions. Education, and such other worthy
objects as may recommend themselves. When the money
is made, or collected from dues, it belongs to the Society:
:it may do what it pleases with it. None of its methods
are questionable. Most of its revenue comes from dues
which it assesses upon its members, or by the sale cf
articles which they have made. During the past ten years
of its existence, it has made over 500 yards of carpeting,
and contributed more than $1,090 to various benevolent
causes. The publication of this history is, on the part of
the Society, a business venture.
In 1879 Rev. S. L. Watson, at the request of the Presby-
tery of Bethel, prepared an historical sketch of the Bethel
Presbyterian Church, of which he was a son and pastor
for forty-two years. This sketch was necessarily brief. It
v/as scarcely more than an outline. It was very valuable,
however, as the author's memory and associations reached
far into the past. This little pamphlet is scarcely more
than an expansion of -his manuscript. When his words are
used, the quotation is made known by the proper marks.
This history has been written particularly for the chil-
dren of Bethel. It has been to the author a labor of love.
It goes forth with its blemishes, but with the writer's pray-
er that God would bless to his beloved Church its own
story, though poorly told.
Bethel, S. C, R. A. W.
Feb'y 10, 1887.
Digitized by tine Internet Archive
in 2010 with funding from
Lyrasis IVIembers and Sloan Foundation
http://www.archive.org/details/historyofpresbytOOwebb
THE HISTORY
History delights to trace the ancestry of those who.'^e
story it writes; and when it discovers that the blood which
courses through their veins bears upon its crimson tides
the embellishing glory of a noble lineage, it justifies that
people, at its own decisive tribunal, in rejoicing in the
"stock" of which they sprang. In writing the history of
Bethel Church, the first task, therefore, which imposes
itself, is to tell something about the Scotch- Irish, from
whom its congregation claim descent.
THE SCOTCH-IRISH.
Going back to the earliest historic times, it is believed
that the migration of the Scots "was through north-
eastern Europe, by Belgium and the North of France, to
Ireland. There they certainly lived in the third century,
and there they first received the light of Christianity."
(Howe.) In the sixth century a colony of thase Irish
Scots emigrated to North Brittany, and subjugated the
Picts who dwelt in that region. Thenceforward ancient
Calendonia, originally the home of the Picts, became the
Land of the Scots, and Scot-land it is called to this day.
Owing to their inaccessible mountains, these amalgamated
Picts and Scots were never subjugated by the Roman
legions, though attempts were made to bring them under
the iron heel of Caesar. And here I may remark, to the
glory of this people, that they were never subdued by a
foreign power, though defeated upon many a military
field. Scotland is to-day, it is true, under the British
Crown, but this happened by the natural acces.sion of
James VI. of Scotland to the throne of England as James
I. in 1603. Thus v/ere the two nations brought under the
same political head, while Scotland to this day has its
own parliament, and exercises a local and limited self-
government. From the earliest dawnings of their race-
history down to the present time, the Scots' unconquerable
love of liberty has been supported by heroic and succe.ss-
ful endeavors. In the early days, Caledonia's crags and
cliffs became the asylum of the oppressed; and as the
Roman Empire, immediately upon the death of Christ, be-
gan to persecute his disciples, Scotland became a retreat
for many who suffered for righteousness' sake; and, of
course, having taken refuge in this mountain country, these
fugitive disciples of the Nazarene told the story of Re-
demption to the wild tribes they found inhabiting the
country, and with whom they now linked their destiny. In
HISTORY OF THE
all probability, therefore, Scotland drew its Christianity
from persons who got it directly from the Apostles, and
some of them, may-be, from the Divine Master himself.
The Christianity of nearly the whole world came through
the Romans, but, from the best accounts, the Scots derived
it not from the West, but from the East where the last
Apostle lived, labored and died. It is a matter of signifi-
cance and of Presbyterian pride, therefore, to know that
in these early centuries, the ancient Culdee Church of
Scotland held the theology of Calvinism a thousand years
before Calvin was born, and the essential principles of Pres-
byterianism after the balance of the world had gone off
into the Roman aspostacy. "Christianity," says one v/ho
made a special investigation into the question, "was intro-
duced into Scotland very near to, if not during the lives
of the later Apostles, partly by direct missionary effort,
and partly by stress of persecution, driving the primitive
disciples to the mountains of Scotland as an asylum."
(Moore.)
This religious light, thus kindled upon Caledonia's moun-
tain tops, for a season burned brilliantly, lighting up head-
land and peak, and flashing dov/n valley and across lake;
nor had it quite died out, when Wickliffe, the "morning
star of the Reformation," appeared glimmering on the dark
horizon of that illustrious day.
The Irish-Scote, (thus they are called because they came
into Scotland by way of Ireland), when converted,
abounded in missionary enterprises, founded their schools,
and prospered in things temporal and spiritual, while envy
and ambition on the part of their neighbors caused them
many a hard and sanguinary struggle. Their fire of soul
was unquenchable; their cheek of courage was never
blanched. The foe who would invade them by sea or by
land was surely and severely repulsed. But the chilling
influences of "the dark ages" could not thus be rolled
back. The appalling darkness which rose from Rome as
a centre and source, and which continues to fume from the
same quarter to this day, at last covered their hillsides and
settled down like the gloomy fogs of the morning upon their
lochs and glens and romantic valleys. Highlands and low-
lands were alike overlaid with the murky darkness and
moral midnight. Except a few secret camp-fires, burning
in caves or brakes, all had been extinguished. Religious
Rome had subdued the people which military Rome could
not conquer!
But Scotland had a day of deliverance. It at length
dawned. It was at first streaked with morning gray. The
first shafts of lambent flame pierced the valleys among
the mountains. Luther's voice had sounded on the Con-
tinent—the giant of religious liberty had been aroused,
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL
and began to disenthrall the nations of Europe. The sound-
waves of religious freedom rolled until they struck upon
the rocky shores of Caledonia. They sounded from peak
to peak, and leaped from crag to crag with a magic spell
in their note which had been heretofore unknown to the
clarion horn of the mightiest clansman. John Knox, "who
never feared the face of man," was aroused, and, catching
the cry from the lips of the burning martyr, Patrick Hamil-
ton, shouted it in the royal palace, in legislative halls, out
of prison windov/s, on mountain tops, in brakes and fens,
until all Scotland awoke, throbbed, and struck for her
shattered altars and outraged firesides. The Hand which
manages all things and flashes unseen hither and thither,
"putting down one and setting up another," smiting here
and caressing there, distributing tears to one and smiles
to another, is not an eyeless fate that knows not and
cares not, but rather the Hand of heaven's Omnipotent
and Omniscient Ruler. That Hand was with Scotland in
the struggle. It guided her energies, sustained her heart,
nerved her will, and prospered the heroic endeavor. God
smiled upon the land, and it was delivered.
But the darkness was not gone forever. James VI. of
Scotland succeeded to the throne of Elizabeth as James
I. of England. He was a Scotchman and a sworn Presby-
terian. He wore the crown of Scotland and the crown of
England, and thus united the two kingdoms which remain
one to this day. This monarch made his reign notorious
by that Assembly of divines which translated the Bible
into English, which is the version in use to-day, and com-
m.only known as "King James' Version." He made his,
reign infamous by turning against Scotland and the Pres-
byterians. In the religious controversy he sided with the
Roman Catliolics and abjured his Presbyterianism. Until
he was crowned King of England he filled Scotland's ears
with fail* and honeyed promises. He was inconsistent,
corrupt and unprincipled. In 1559 and again in 1592 Queen
Elizabeth had attempted to solve her Irish troubles by
settling the northern provinces with a Protestant people.
The Protestants were law-abiding citizens, and made ex-
cellent substitutes for the Rom.an Catholic Irish. The
scheme failed, though many English Protestants were set-
tled in Northern Ireland under this policy. That which
failed under Elizabeth, met with more success under
James I. When he joined with the Romanists and Episco-
palians, his poor Scotch brethren and subjects suffered
dreadfully. The northern provinces of Ireland being near
to Scotland, and their highland home having been made
well-nigh unendurable, from time to time, the unhappy
and persecuted citizens fled for a little rest to this section;
brought it into cultivation and improved it in many ways.
HISTORY OF THE
while previous to their settlement these counties had been
desolate and covered with heavy woods and marshes. There
they were known as the Scotch-Irish.
"Thus, after the lapse of nearly a thousand years, the
Scots, whom Ireland gave to Caledonia of old, came back
again to occupy their ancestral homes, and the Irish-Scots,
as they were called in the sixth century, became the
Scotch-Irish of the seventeenth." Thus, you see, the name
Scotch-Irish dees not import a mixture of bloods, but it is
the name by which those Scotchmen who live in the north
of Ireland are designated. In all probability the English
who had formerly migrated to the same provinces were
eventually fused with them. The blood, therefore, of the
Scotch-Irish is pure Scotch with a tinge of Enghsh. But
as it was a religious matter that brought these settlers to
Ireland, the name has taken on that complexion; so that
to-day Scotch Irish in Ireland means Presbyterian as con-
trasted with Celt which means Roman Catholic.
There, in the north of Ireland, as everywhere the finger
of history traces their destiny, the Scotch, (now to be
known as the Scotch-Irish in contradistinction to the
Scotch who reside in Scotland), flourished. They lengthen-
ed their cords and strengthened their stakes. They brought
back to the Erin of their ancestors that pure faith and
that Scriptural Church polity, which their forefathers had
given to North Britain more than a thousand years before,
while Rome, as yet, had not enforced her false creed and
false forms.
There, too, in a material sense, they prospered. The God
of their fathers ble.ss€d them. Says a writer: "South Ire-
land is profusely blessed with the gifts of nature, in a far
richer soil, in a milder and more congenial climate; the
whole, indeed, is an emerald in the flashing ocean. The
North, is rougher, colder, and less congenial, and yet, as
you enter the province of Ulster, you have left the region
of filthy cabins, sturdy beggars, dilapidated villages, and
wretched, neglected farms, and fields of sluggards, luxuri-
ant with thorns and thistles; and ycu enter a territory of
rich culture, of comfortable dwellings, and thriving towns.
You have passed from a land of joyous often, yet care-
less idleness, where the pig, cow, and child herd together
in miserable hovels, into a province where the diligent
husbandman, the enterprising merchant, the intelligent,
plodding mechanic are found, and the virtuous housewife,
who 'seeketh wool and flax, and worketh diligently with
her hands,' who 'maketh fine linen, and selleth it, and
delivereth girdles to the merchant;' and 'whose candle
goeth not out by night.' It is the land of our Presby-
terian ancestors, inhabited by a race instinct with a sense
of right, and hatred of oppression; of an instructed, and
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL
not superstitious, conscience; educated in a pure faith,
versed in that vigorous theology which Augustine, Calvin,
and Knox, professed; their understanding and reason ad-
dressed by an educated ministry on the Sabbath day, and
their household virtues stimulated and formed by the voice
of praise and prayer at the domestic hearth."
But in their Ireland-home these people did not find
peace. The government put upon them many galling religi-
ous disabilities, against which every sentiment of their
liberty-loving souls daily chafed, and under which their
manly, courageous hearts refused to lie. These, together
with their crowded population, and influenced to some
extent by a love of adventure, induced them to seek other
homes. Some emigrated to friendly, Protestant Holland,
where the Dutch opened their hearts, their country, their
cities, and their homes. Others sought the Western shores
of the Atlantic, where they planted themselves among the
American colonies, and developed a social, national and
religious importance.
These Scotch- Irish chiefly settled in Pennsylvania, and
thence, by gradual emigration, they penetrated southward,
through the valleys of Virginia, across North Carolina, and
into the "up-country" of South Carolina. The Huguenots,
who for similar fiery persecutions fled from their "vine-
clad France," sought the mouths of the streams, and thence
pushed their settlements upward toward their sources.
The Scotch-Irish, on the other hand, being natives of a
hill-country, sought the headwaters of the various water-
courses, and thence migrated downwards. So we find the
"lov/-country" of South Carolina settled, in the main, by
people of French Huguenot extraction, while the "up-coun-
try" is populated by the descendants of the Scotch-Irish.
A smaller number of these emigrants from North Ireland
cam.e directly to the port of Charleston, and thence by
wagon, pack-horse, or on foot proceeded to the place of
theii* choice.
From this on to the close, our narrative will restrict it-
self to a single settlement of these Scotch-Irish— to that
community, which, for near a century and a quarter, has
been known as
THE BETHEL PRESBYTERIAN CONGREGATION.
. When that tide of Scotch-Irish emigration, which flowed
southward from Pennsylvania, had peopled that fertile
region between the Yadkin and Catawba rivers, it con-
tinued to flow westward, and gradually the valley and great
water-shed between the Catawba and Broad rivers were
occupied by the same sturdy race. In this way, what is
now known as York county, South Carolina, but which
was then a part of Tryon county. North Carolina, was set-
led.
to HISTORY OF THE
How characteristic of this Presbyterian people, in whose
history religion had been for so long a time a potent and
potential factor, that churches should be seen springing up,
almost cotemporary with the settlement itself! Of these,
now within the bounds of the Presbytery of Bethel, which
comprises the four counties of Fairfield, Chester, York, and
Lancaster in the State of South Carolina as its territory,
the Waxhav/ Church is the oldest, having been organized
in 1755; Catholic, in Chester county, organized in 1759,
occupies the second place in the chronological table; and
Bethel, organized in 1764, is third; then follow Bethesda,
Bullock's Creek, and Beersheba, all in 1769; Pishing Creek,
1770; Lebanon, about the same time; Mt. Olivet, 1784;
Ebenezer, (formerly Indian Land), 1785; Purity, (now in
the town of Chester), in the same year; Scion, (in Winns-
boro), 1787; Fort Mill, (formerly Unity); 1788; Concord,
1796; Aimv/ell, 1799; and the balance subsequent to 1800.
Bethel Church is, therefore, at this writing (1887), one
hundred and twenty-three years old, being twelve older
than the independence of the United States. It was or-
ganized by the Rev. William Richardson, who was at the
time the minister at "The Waxhaws" in Lancaster county,
but who engaged in exteixsive missionary work in the
regions of the Catawba and Broad rivers. Its house of
worship is located in York county, S, C, ten miles north-
east of Yorkville; five miles east from Clover, a village on
the Chester and Lenoir railroad; four miles south of the
North Carolina state-line; eight miles west of the Cataw-
ba river; and fronting north, on the public road leadmg
from Clover by Boyd's ferry across the Catawba river to
Charlotte, N. C. The house is a frame building, painted
v/hite, sixty-five feet long and forty wide, and is situated
on the second level of a hill in a beautiful grove of oaks
and hickorys interspersed with a small number of pines,
and near a spring whose flow of waters seems perennial.
It is the fourth house., The site was selected in the fol-
lowing manner: Mr. Andrew Floyd, Mr. Baird, and Col.
Samuel Watson were appointed a committee to select a
spot for the location of the building. These persons resided
at extreme points from each other. In some way they
agreed to meet at the spring, which now flows from the
hill on which the church stands, in order to consult
about the object of their appointment. On the occasion
of their m.eeting, and upon comparing notes, they discovered
that they all had travelled about the same distance, and
so were near the centre of the congregational boundaries;
and as the spot was pleasant to look upon, and water was
near, they fixed upon this as the site of the building. Judg-
ing from the residences of this committee, says the Rev.
S. L, Watson, in his sketch, (and he got this incident
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL 11
from Mr. Floyd, one of the committee of location), the
ccngregaticn, at its organization, covered an area of more
than twenty miles square. "From the present site of
Beersheba church to the Catawba, and from beyond Olney
and the South Fork to that which has since been known
as the 'Indian Land.' " Its territory, at prei;ent, extends
from the Chester and Lenoir railroad on the west to the
Catawba river on the east, and from the North Carolina
state-line on the north to Allison creek on the south.
There are several families all around who live outside of
these boundaries, but these limits comprise the residences
of the vast majority of the congregation. The area is,
consequently, less than half it was at its formation.
The church was incorporated by the Legislature of South
Carolina, March 22d, 1786, in perpctiium, v.ath the title —
"The Prcsbyt-erian Church ef Bethel Ccngregaticn."
(Statutes of South Carolina, Vol. viii., pp. 126, 134).
There is no accurate knowledge of the first communi-
cants. If any roll was made at the organization, it has
been lost. Indeed, the first written record in possession
bears date "April 8, 1817." Consequently much of this
history is traditional. But v/hile the number and names
of the first members have not been preserved, the mem-
bership, it is believed, was large. Mr. Watson in his early
pastorate obtained "from a reliable source'' a list of the
fii^st eiders. These were David Watson, John Jordan,
George Devinny, John Gullick, Thomas Neel and James
Campbell. "Probably they were called to office at different
periods, and v/ere not all chosen on the day of organiza-
tion." "Colonel Neel commanded a regiment in 1776 in the
war with the Cherokees. He died in 1779. One of his sons,
a captain, v/as killed by the Indians, and another, a colonel,
by the Tories. Colonel Samuel Watson, afterwards an
elder, (the grandfather of the author from whom we quote),
was the commander of a regiment in the Continental
army. But it is needless to go into details. The congrega-
tion of Bethel were Whigs to a man. Presbyterianism not
only makes its subjects advocates for liberty, but fits them
for the privileges of freedom, as the scenes at King's
Mountain abundantly testified."
1st PASTOR— 1770-1776.
For six years after its organization Bethel was vacant;
but it is impossible to believe that a church so large and
so encouraging, as this was in the very beginning, could
have been wholly destitute of the preached gospel. It Ls
easy to imagine that faithful and energetic pastor of
"Waxhaw, Mr. Richardson, v/ho organized the church, as
occasionally visiting it to break "the living bread." While
it had no pastor, we must believe that it fed during these
years from the kindly hand of shepherds of other generous
12 HISTORY OF THE
flocks, though there is no record of such a fact.
"In 1770 Rev. Hezekiah Balch, a member of Orange
Presbytery which then extended over the whole of North
Carolina, received and accepted a call from Bethel. He
served them as pastor for several years. While in Bethel
he was married to Miss Hannah Lewis, a lady of rare
personal charms and remarkable for her intellectual en-
dowments. During his pastorate some changes took place
in the congregation, and still greater in the country. Dur-
ing his residence the following persons were ordained
elders: Joseph Bradner, Colonel Samuel Watson, John
Howe, Samuel Craig and Adams Baird." ^
Mr. Balch was born in Maryland. In his early childhood
his father removed to Mecklenburg, North Carolina. He
was graduated from Princeton college in 1762. He was
licensed by the Presbytery of Newcastle in 1768- '69, and
ordained an evangelist in 1770. In the same year, he,
with six others, was set off by the Synod of New York
and Philadelphia as the Presbytery of Orange. He con-
tinued pastor of Bethel for about six years, resigning his
charge scon after the beginning of the Revolutionary War,
and removing over the mountains to East Tennessee, where
his beautiful and accomplished wife showed mental de-
rangement, and he "became widely known, for various
reasons, in the church."
VACANT— 1776-1782.
After the departure of Mr. Balch, Bethel was six years
vacant. During this period the Church received occasional
supplies from the Presbytery of Orange. For the most
part those who ministered to it were the Rev. John Gossan,
a missionary sent over from Europe by Lady Huntington,
Rev. James McRee of Mecklenburg, and Mr. Francis Cum-
mins, a licentiate of the Presbytery of Orange.
On the 7th October, 1780, and while Mr. Cummins was
supplying the Bethel pulpit, the important battle of King's
Mountain was fought. The mountain is one of the south-
east foot-hills of the Blue Ridge. The main mountain
rises in a high peak, and the battle was on the backbone of
one of the western ridges. This battle-ground was on the
extreme northwestern verge of Bethel's boundary, and
about fifteen miles from the house of worship, and about
a mile and a half south of the state-line between the two
Carolinas.
After his successful battle at Camden, Cornwallis ad-
vanced to Charlotte, North Carolina, inflated by his vic-
tory over General Gates. He dii-ected Colonel Tarleton to
operate east of the Catawba river, and ordered Major
Ferguson to embody the Tories of North and South Caro-
lina in his division. On the 1st of October Ferguson
crossed Broad river at Cherokee ford, and encamped on
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL 13
this foot-ridge of King's Mountain. He had in his di-
vision thirteen hundred men, of whom five hundred were
Tories. His plan was to march southeasterly across York
county, destroy Hill's Iron Works, in the southeast corner
of Bethel's boundaries, and effect a junction with Colonel
Tarletcn. He is reported as having said concerning his
encampment— "Heie is a place God Almighty cannot
drive us from." It is traditionally handed down in Bethel,
that he said "he would spend one night in Bethel Church,
leave it in ashes by day-light, destroy Hill's Iron Works
before dinner, and be on the east side of the Catavv^ba be-
fore nightfall." This saying even if partly true shows how
Bethel had impressed itself upon the enemy.
In his supposed impregnable position, which was, indeed,
remarkably strong, Major Ferguson was attacked by a
force of thirteen hundred and ninety m.en, of whom four
hundred Virginians were under Colonel William Campbell,
five hundred and ten North Carolinians under Colonels
McDowell and Cleveland, and four hundred and eighty
Tennesseeans under Colonels Sevier and Shelby. The ob-
stinate conflict terminated in victory to the patriots, Fer-
guson having been slain, three hundred of his m.en killed or
wounded, and eight hundred prisoners and fifteen hundred
stand of arms captured. "Let not him that girdeth on
his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off." After
the battle ten Tories, who had been notorious for cruelty,
were hung. The Amxericans had about twenty killed. Their
dead and wounded were brought from the field on rude
sleds, some as far as Bethel Church and graveyard.
Tradition loves to tell to this day of brave women v/ho
mounted their horses and hastened to the scene of blood
to do what the gentle hand of woman only can perform.
Bethel divided with other patriots the hardships and dan-
gers and death of that conflict, which was the first to
prognosticate that independence, which came with the
surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1782, and
Bethel must reap her share of the praise.
2nd PASTOR— 1782-1789.
Mr. Watson continues: "After the close of the war, a
call was presented to Mr. Cummins to become their pas-
tor, which he accepted; and in the latter part of 1782
he was ordained and installed. The congregation continued
to grow and expand, partly from immigration, and partly
from the inhabitants of the land. During his pastorate the
following elders were ordained and installed: Joseph Mc-
Kenzie, Alexander Eakin, William Davis, and Andrew Floyd.
In 1788 Mr. Cummins, while residing in Bethel as pastor
and teacher of the youth, was chosen by the people of
York as one of their representatives to the convention of
South Carolina, which was called to decide upon the adop-
14 HISTORY OF THE
tion of the Constitution of the United States. His col-
leagues voted against it. This, or some other cause,
created dissatisfaction in the congregation, and in 1789 he
resigned his charge and moved to Georgia, where the
writer of this sketch heard him preach in 1826. He had
passed his four score years. He died in 1828, loved and
respected by all who knew him."
Rev. Francis Cummins, D. D., second pastor of Bethel,
was born in Pennsylvania in 1752. His parents v/ere from
North Ireland, and moved from Pennsylvania to Meck-
lenburg, North Carolina, when he was nineteen years of
age. He was graduated from the old "Queen's Museum,"
in Charlotte, N. C, about 1776. He was several years a
preceptor in Clio Academ.y in Iredell county, N. C. He
was present at the meeting of the Mecklenburg Whigs,
in which on the 20th of May, 1775, was read, from the
Charlotte court-house, the celebrated "Mecklenburg Declar-
ation of Independence." He studied theology along with
his teaching under Dr. Jas. Hall. He was licensed by
Orange Presbytery in 1780. In 1782 he became pastor
of Bethel,
In 1788 the old Presbytery of South Carolina held its
seventh session at Bethel. This was, perhaps, the first
Presbyterial meeting ever held at the church. John Jor-
dan was the representative of the Session. This meeting
was notable, and is mentioned here, because certain mem-
bers of the congregation form.erly brought charges against
their pastor, Mr. Cummins. This was, perhaps, the cause
of his vacating the field in 1739, and not his vote in the
State Convention, as Mr. Watson intimated above. Mr.
Cummins was the moderator of the meeting, v/hich proves
that the charges were sprung against him. The following
is a true extract from the minutes of that meeting:
"The following complaints were brought into Presbytery
under the signature of John Howe against the Reverend
Mr. Cummins and the Session of Bethel.
(1) Complaint. For breaking a certain Latin School.
(2) For unjustly depriving certain Persons of the
Privileges of the Church.
(3) For charging the Complainants with the sin of
Sacrilege.
(4) For craving* the Parishioners on the Sabbath day.
This last complaint, though tabled by John Howe, was
disavowed by him, and avowed by Robert Leper to be by
him defended.
Witnesses adduced by the Parties were heard, whereupon
Presbytery came to the following Decisions on the charges
* "Craving" perhaps means begging for money; and this com-
plaint apparently charges Mr. Cummins with urging his people on
the Lord's day to pay their subscription to his salary.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL 15
respectively : ^ , ,
(1) This complaint was altogether unsupported. Mr.
Cummins was no Ways influential in breaking said school.
(2) Unsupported. Mr. Cummins and Session were per-
rectly right in suspending from Privileges the Persons in
question.
(3) Groundless. As to the Complainant (John Howe) the
Presbytery do judge: That notwithstanding v/hat acknow-
ledgements of Guilt and Repentance they (the Presbytery)
might demand of him for exhibiting these groundless
Charges against a Minister of the Gosepel and ruling
elders, together with his strange Conduct in signing a
Complaint against said Cummins for craving the People
on the Sabbath day, which he, before Presbytery, says
he did for another person whom he adduced as Witness,
yet they (the Presbytery) Charitably judging the most
favourably and hoping the best, do forgve him for said
Things, and recommend a forgiving and friendly Disposi-
tion to Mr. Cummins and Session towards said Complain-
ant on his returning to his former Standing as a member
with them and supporter of the Gospel.
And respecting all such as have been suspended from
Privileges for the Breach of Confidence as Subscribers to
the Society, Presbytery require them to discontinue their
offence, and to be restored to the Privileges of the Church
from which they stand justly debarred. And with Respect
to the Complainant, Mr. Robert Leper, the Presbytery do
not only find the Charge unsupported, but the Contrary
proven. They do, therefore, judge that Mr. Cummins is
clear of the Charge alleged against him. And as to Mr.
Leper, no th withstanding the Injustice he has attempted to
do Mr. Cummins' Character, the Presbytery pass no Judg-
ment on him, but only submit him to Mr. Cummins and
Session.
As the Presbytery really believes that it would not only
contribute to the Honor of Religion, but be mutually ad-
vantageous to Pastor and people, in promoting and pre-
serving Harmony and Love between them:
Ordered, therefore (and pursuant to an Order of Synod),
that the Pastor be annually, and at the Fall Presbytery
inquired at as to the Discharge of his ministerial Duties;
and that the Congregation at the same Time produce
some satisfactory Evidence to Presbytery of a Settlement
with the Pastor, or be judged guilty of a violation of that
Faith which they publicly pledged to their Minister and
to Presbytery."
It was this case, in all probability, which eventually
caused the withdrawal of Dr. Curnmins from his pastorate.
The case, apparently, grew out of an attempt to collect
certain subscriptions of money, made to the pastor's
16 HISTORY OF THE
salary.
A VACANCY AND A SCHISM.
After Dr. Cummins resigned, the church had no pastor
for seven years. This is, perhaps, the gloomiest period of
the Chui'ch's history. Concerning it Dr. Howe writes in his
first volume: "About the time of Mr. Cummins' departure,
it (Bethel) began to decay. A spirit of sloth and inatten-
tion to the gospel scenxs to have prevailed. Unhappy dis-
sentions arose among the people through animosity and
party spirit, so that they not only became disaffected with
one another, but some were, unhappily, disaffected with
their honorable and devoted pastor, who had spent some
of the best years of his life among them. This want of
unanimity weakened their strength, and prepared the way
for the changes which took place. The congregation sought
supplies from Presbytery, and was visited for this purpose
by their former pastor, Mr. Cummins, Mr. Templeton, Mr.
W. C. Davis, Mr. Dunlap, Mr. Gilleland, and Mr. James
McRee, of Noich Carolina. Part of the congregation re-
sided across the State-line in North Carolina, and be-
sides the dissaffection to which we have referred, were
remote from the place of worship, and uniting with those
continguous in South Carolina, they congregated as a
church under the name of Olney, and built themselves a
house of worship. This division took place in 1793, and
the Olney Church was connected with the Presbytery of
Orange, and Wm. C. Davis became their pastor. The
southern part of the congregation continued under their
former organization, with renewed earnestness and zeal,
after the division with diminished numbers." But subse-
quent history discloses the truth that, while the forma-
tion of Olney may have been distressing at the time and
under the circumstances, yet, under the providence of God,
it has redounded to the preservation of Presbyterianism
to a section which might otherwise have lost this great
blessing. The mother church has survived, and another
centre of influence has been established.
3rd PASTOR— 1796-1801.
In 1796, Bethel united with Beersheba in calling Rev,
George G. McWhorter to be their pastor. Heretofore
Bethel had been able to employ a pastor without uniting
with another church; but the Olney defection seems to
have so dispirited the congregation as to compel the church
to seek an alliance with Beersheba. This is the only time
in its history that it has been united in a pastorate with
another orgrajnization.
I quote again from Mr. Watson: "After serving the
church five years in connection with Beersheba, which
had been previously organized with a part taken from
Bethel, Mr. McWhorter resigned the charge in 1801, and
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL 17
removed south; and at a later period to the State of
Alabama. Having served his generation through a long
life, he entered uDon his rest. As the writer of this sketch
was baptised in infancy by this servant of God, he made
it convenient in 1829 to visit him at his home in Alabama,
that he might see his face again in the flesh. He found
him social in his manners, pious in conversation, and
strong in faith and hope. Like most of God's ministers he
was poor. Destitute of the luxuries, and almost of the
necessaries of life, yet he continued to preach the gospel
to the destitute with all the vigor of youth, 'esteeming
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of
Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of re-
ward!'"
VACANT— 1801-1811.
Bethel now remained vacant for ten years. In the mean-
time the Reverend Humphrey Hunter supplied the pulpit
from time to time, with other ministers. The congrega-
tion had learned a lesson from the Olney defection, and
instead of becoming cold and indifferent and divided,
while without a pastor, they unitedly built the third house
of worship. We are not informed when the first house
was erected. The church was thus prepared for the
long and prosperous ministery of Rev. Jas. S. Adams.
A LONG SUPPLY— 1811-1840.
"In 1811," continues the history of Mr. Watson, "Rev.
Jas. S. Adams, who had been preaching in Dorchester, S.
C, for six years, and who had been set apart to the full
work of the ministry by an Association of Congregational
Ministers, removed to Bethel, and was invited by the con-
gregation as a stated supply. He was a native of Bethel,
and was born September 12, 1772, about four miles
northeast from the church. He studied the higher branches
cf literature and theology under Rev. James Hall, D. D.,
of North Carolina. He continued his labors in Bethel for
twenty-nine years, without interruption. It was not un-
common during this period, en sacramental occasions, for
many families to leave their homes, come in their wagons,
with provision prepared, and remain until Monday. (These
v/ere called 'camp-meetings.' The services generally began
en Friday. They sometimes protracted themselves through
the next week.) Three services were held each day, and
social intercourse during the intermissions. All was quiet
and orderly. No extra means were used to create excite-
ment. Large crowds assembled. Many prayers went up,
and often great good was the result. Rev. Robert B. Walk-
er, from Bethesda, Rev. John B. Davis, from Pishing Creek,
and Rev. James S. Adams made it convenient to be with
each other on these occasions; and many of their respective
members accompanied them, thus greatly increasing social
18 HISTORY OF THE
enjoyment and Christian fellowship.
It was during Mr. Adams' pastorate that Centre a branch
of Bethel had its origin. It is five miles west from the
church. An aged and pious member of some means was
instrumental in the erection of a house for religious serv-
ices, on week-days, for his own good and that of his
poorer neighbors. This has been continued to the present
time (1879). The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is ad-
ministered once in the year. Many will look back to
Centre as the place v/here the burden of sin was rem.oved,
and where they found joy and peace in believing.
It v/as a good Providence that sent Rev. James S. Adams
to this people, and secured to them his services for so long
a period. He was a man, like David, after the Master's
ov/n heart, endeavoring to do the will of Him that sent
him — 'A good man, and full of the Holy Ghost.' But why
speak of htm? He was known in all the churches, and his
name will long be embalmed in the memory and affections
of the pious. In his ministrations, he v/as instructive,
eloquent and most effective. He had a good supply of
worldly wealth, and was an example to all in its distribu-
tion for the good of others. During Mr. Adams' ministra-
tion, the following persons, at different times v/ere chosen
and set apart as elders: David Watson, (farther of the
writer,) Jas. Moore, J. Gabby, ' McCord Pursley, William
Anderson, Laban Suggs, William Watson, William Latta,
Robert Johnston, and Adam Beamguard. These have all
removed from Bethel, retired from office, or entered upon
their rest above. Joseph Adams died April, 1860, having
been an efficient elder for forty-eight or forty-nine years.
In the early part of 1840, Mr. Adams, feeling the infirm-
ity of his age, resigned his charge. Though he continued
to preach occasionally, and always with great acceptance
to the last. He departed this life Aug. 18, 1845, in the 71st
year of his age, and in the 48th of his ministry. His death
was sudden. In the midst of his household, and seated in
his chair, without a struggle, he ceased to breathe. 'The
end of the righteous is peace.' "
As the ministry of Mr. Adams had more to do with form-
ing the character of the church than that of any other
minister, Mr. Watson at this point arrests his narrative
and gives himself to the following reflections:
The religious instruction in Bethel has been strictly
Scriptural, as set forth in our (Presbyterian) Standards.
While the great doctrines of the gospel have been exhibit-
ed and maintained as truths to be believed, they have, at
the same time, been presented as practical in their nature,
and leading to good works. A promJnent place has been
given to the observance of the Sabbath to the religious
training of children and servants. Yet the main reliance
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL 19
for success has been on the presence and aid of the
Holy Spirit. At different times during Mr. Adams' pas-
torate (supplyship) the special presence of the Spirit was
enjoyed; when the church v/as refreshed and many were
added to her numbers. At the close of the year 1832, after
one of these gracious visitations, one hundred members
were added to the church. Some of these at the present
time (1879) are among her most efficent workers."
"The means and opportunities were not without effect
upon the people. Their reading was mostly confined to the
Scriptures and pious books. Of coun-e, in a knowledge of
fashionable literature and worldly wisdom, they were be-
hind many other people. But they were well versed in
Scripture knov;ledge, and the elements of a wholesome
morality. Strangers, who attended their solemn assem-
blies, could not but observe the good order and solemn at-
tention which were given during the Sancutary services."
"At the close of Mr. Adams' pastorate (supplyship) but
little change could be perceived in domestic arrangements,
personal dress and manners, social hospitality, and such
like, as could be seen in many other places. For this, in
addition to the disposition of the people, there were ether
reasons. The soil, being naturally thin, did not furnish the
means for luxurious indulgence. Wealth to most persons
was out of the question, and they were content with a
plentiful subsistence, while a spirit of pride kept them
from debt. The leading members in society were, for the
most part, imbued with the spirit of piety — they denied
themselves and ether followed their example. In addition
to plain preaching of the gospel, Bible classes. Sabbath-
schools, and social prayer-m.eetings had a most happy
influence on the youth in connection with the home in-
struction through this series of years. In those days only
a few families enjoyed the luxury of a carriage. They went
to the sanctuary on foot or on beast of burden. Some now
remember the helpless father, who was brought to the
church-door in a farm wagon, and carried in his chair by
his sons to feast on the fat things of the sanctuary; and
the mother in Israel, who walked ten miles, when past
three score and ten years, to meet with the great congre-
tion on sacramental occasions. * * * But little complaint
was then heard about distance or roads— ordinances were
privileges, and their conduct said, 'a day in thy court is
better than a thousand.' '
It may here be observed that this picture of "the olden
times," so pleasantly drawn by the pen of Mr. Watson, is,
down to the present day (1887), still true to life. The
Bethel people have never been ashamed nor afraid of hon-
est and honorable work. Hence they have accumulated
many comforts about them during all these years of toil,
20 HISTORY OF THE
Which were unknown to their forefathers. Men may still be
seen clothed in the warm and "tasty" home-spun and
home-made jeans; and the old "rag carpet" may still be
seen en many floors, reminding of the past and afford-
ing much ccmfort for the present. The people still love
the house of the Lord, and reverence and respect, pro-
foundly, all sacred things, though, it must be confessed,
that there is a deal of grum.bling about "bad roads." The
sacramental occasions still continue to be great occasions,
and m.ultitudes assemble from far; but as churches are
thicker nov/ than then, these crowds cannot be so large.
This people are not given to change. May they ever cherish
the memory and religion of their ancestors!
4th PASTOR— 1840-1882.
The Rev. James S. Adams, who had, for twenty-nine
years so faithfully and successfully ministered to this people
in spiritual things, in 1840 asked the congregation, in view
of his infirmities, to release him from the ministeria,l care
cf the church. This was done; and the samie year a
call was made out for the pastoral service cf Rev. Samuel
L. Watson, then pastor of the Steel Creek Church in
Mecklenburg county, N. C, and under the Presbytery of
Concord. Mr. Watson accepted this call, and on the 25th
day cf April, 1840, he was installed pastor of the church.
I again quote from Mr. Watson's own account: "At the
commencement of his labor in Bethel, as far as could bo
known, the number cf communicants was between four and
five hundred. The list of their names had been mislaid.
Cf this number a fourth or fifth were persons of color.
The session v/as composed of Messrs. Jos. and Wm. Adams,
Wm.. Watson, Wm. Latta, Rob't Johnston, and Adam Beam-
guard. In September, 1840, the following elders, having
been elected, v/ere ordained and installed: Rob't Barber, J.
J. V/ilscn and Zenas Kerr. In 1844, A. A. McKenzie and
J. D. P. Currence. In 1857, James Wallace, Dr. A. P.
Cam.pbell, and J. F. Harry. In 18G6, David A. Adams, J.
L. Adams, and J. C. McCarter. The following compose
the present (1879) session: J. J. Wilson, A. P. Campbell,
J. L. Adams, S. L. Adams, Thomas J. Nichols and Samuel
B. McCully.
The church had b-een without Deacons, and, in 1845, the
following number were elected to that office, ordained and
installed: Messrs. Hugh Currence, James Wallace, Wm.
Currence, Milton H. Currence, Jno Kerr, Allen Lawrence,
S. L. Adams, Rufus J. Adams, Newton B. Craig, J. Neely,
J. L. Wright and Lawson Wilson; and others at different
periods since that time. The following compose the present
(1879) Board of Deacons: Dr. W. E. Adams, M. H. Cur-
rence, David Jackson, A. H. Barnett, J. C. Patrick, Wm. I.
Stowe, and J. W. Beamguard.
FRESBYTERI/N CHURCH OF BETHEL Tl
The instruction of our youth, so diligently carried on
during the labors of the previous pastor, (Mr. Adams), has
been continued. The Sabbath-school, monthly concert of
prayer, family visitation, to a limited extent the Young
Men's Christian Association, the Ladies' Aid Society: these
tend to do good, and greatly aid in keeping up practical
godliness. But the main reliance is on the ministration
of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments
of the Church, made effectual, in ariswer to the prayers
of God's people, by the Holy Spirit.'
"During the present pastorate," ccntinued Mr. Watson in
writing of his own ministry, "the Sacrament of the Lord's
Supper has been administered one hundred and eighteen
times, and, in the good providence of God, the pastor,
with one exception, has been present on all these occasions.
He has never been absent from the pulpit more than one
Sabbath at a time, until last summer, from personal sick-
ness or any other cause. Praise the Lord for His mercies!
No year has passed during the present pastorate without
additions to the church, ranging from tv/elve to twenty.
During the last fev/ years the attendance has been larger,
the attention better, and the additions greater than at any
former time. On sacramental occasions we have the as-
sistance of neighboring brethren, and on tv/o or more
occasions the services have been continued by them
through the week, especially at night. Crowds would te
present. But it was the old gospel — 'Christ and Him
crucified.' The labors of these brethren were blessed, and
they will not lose their reward. The number of additions
for a few years past will speak for itself. In 1872, there
were added on examination 38; in 1375, 18; in 1876, 41; in
1877, 11; and in 1878, 64; and in the same year 19 adults
were baptized. During the present pastorate there has
been an average of twenty additions to the church per
annum. The total number is eight hundred and three.
Infants baptized, nine hundred and fifteen; adults, one
hundred and thirty; total number of baptisms, one
thousand and forty-five. We now (1879) number on our
books three hundred and forty-five. Sixty or seventy
persons of color left the church after the war. Only a few
of them now remain in our communion. Bethel has also
been circumscribed in her boundary. Six churches sur-
round her — four of her own denomination and two of the
Independents, now of us — to say nothing of other denom-
inations. All of these are strictly in her original bounds,
except Beersheba, and all drawing from Bethel. But with
God's blessing, while she has sent hundreds to strengthen
and create churches, she is still strong in numbers."
On September 17, 1882, the long and useful pastorate
of Mr. Watson, extending over a period of forty- two years,
22 HISTORY OF THE
came to an end by his ov/n resignation. He requested the
congregation to unite with him in petitioning the Presby-
tery of Bethel for the dissolution. He assigned the general
infirmities of age, (being eighty-four years old), as his
reason for his resignation. In response to this petition, the
ccngregation unanimously and with feeling adopted the
following paper, which reveals how dear to the heart of
this people their aged pastor was. The paper reads:
"1. We had fondly indulged the hope, that thi5 tender
relation between us and our aged pastor might continue,
until he should pass to the sweet influences of the heavenly
scenes. Our desire, however, is now, as it has ever been,
to do his pleasure. We, therefore concur with him in his
request, sorrowfully on our part, and just simply because it
is his desire.
2. We feel impelled by the occasion, to the Great Head of
the Church with thankful hearts, adoring the grace where-
by we have enjoyed the unwonted privileges of the services
of a faithful and godly minister for near a half century.
We recognize the hand of mercy in all that he has done
for us as a minister of grace; and call upon our souls and
all that is within us to bless and magnify the great and
holy name of the Lord for this distinguished favour.
3. As he retires from his long and useful pastorate, and
yet to live among us still, we confess our obligations to
him for having given us one-half of his entire life. Long
has he stood between us and God— between the Cross of
Calvary and the Judgment Bar— between the glories of
heaven and the glooms of hell— with 'the glorious gospel
of the blessed God' in his hand— dealing out its doctrines
and exhortations, its promises and threatenings, to the
conversion and edification of ourselves and kindred. He
has baptized our children, visited our sick, buried our
dead, cheered our bereavement, and in innumerable ways
blessed our people with wealthy blessings. Wherefore, we
are profoundly grateful. His memory will ever be fresh,
even as his sainted life has been fragrant. As children
part with a tender parent, so part we with our beloved
pastor,
4. As long as a beneficent providence may lengthen the
silver cord of his life, we pledge him our respect, esteem,
love, sympathy, and aid in every time of trouble. As long
as he dwells among us, we ask for his counsels and prayers.
As he v/alks tov/ards the extreme verge of his earthly life,
so will we gather the shining mercies of Him, who remem-
bered His wounded and broken-hearted mother in the
mid^t of the agonies of the cross, into the evening of his
declining day."
Another resolution adopted directed that this paper be
sent to the Presbytery to convene at Bullock's Creek in
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL 23
September, in order that that body might know the feel-
ing of the Church in this matter. It was done as ordered;
and on September 23, 1882, the Presbytery Epraad this
minute upon its records: "That the pastoral relation be
dissolved, and he be released from the charge, solely on
the ground that he requests it." Thus the action of the
congregation and of the Presbytery was taken simply to
oblige Mr. Watson.
On November 13, 1882, this good and faithful minister,
at his own residence about a mile and a half from the
Church, where he had resided during his long pastorship,
passed to his final rest. Ke was a son of Eethel, being a
child of David Watson, an elder, and Margaret Watson,
who resided in the southern part of the congregation,
about seven miles from the house of worship. He was
born February 5, 1798, and was consequently in his 85th
year when he died.
Mr. Watson received his preparatory training in the noted
academy of the Rev. J. McKumle Wilson, D. D., located
in the bounds of Rocky River congregation, Cabarrus
county, N. C. He was graduated from the South Carolina
College at Columbia in 1820. He taught for tv/o years, and
then entered the Theological Seminary at Princeton, N. J.,
v/here he remained three years, completing the regular
course in theology in 1826. In November of the same year
he was licensed as a probabticner of the gospel ministiy
by the Presbytery of South Carolina in session at Upper
Long Cane in Abbeville county, S. C. He immediately
went upon a missionary tour to Alabama, and Mcntgom.ery
City was the centre of his operations, being the first to
preach at that capital. Returning to his native state,
he v/as ordained an evangelist March 15, 1828. He intended
returning to his Alabama work, but Presbytery revoked its
consent, on the ground that he was too much needed at
home, and he was settled in 1829 as pastor of Steel Creek
Church in Mecklenburg county, N. C, sixteen or seventeen
miles east of Bethel. Here he continued until 1840, when
he crossed over the Catawba to take charge of his native
Bethel. While in Steel Creek, he was married to Miss
Nancy Hannah Neel, the daughter of Col. S. Neel. They
had eight children, three of whom died in infancy: one
became a Presbyterian minister, and died in the prime
of manhood; and four are now (1887) living.
Mr. Watson was a preacher of the gospel for fifty-six
years; for forty-two of these he was pastor of Bethel.' In
personal appearance, he was tall, slender and perfectly
erect. When a young man, however, he was said to
weigh two hundred pounds. In social intercourse, he was
reserved and careful in his speech, yet pleasant, instructive,
and at times humorous. Plainness and frugality
24 HISTORY OF THE
Characterized his life at home. He was a man of much
prudence, eafe and judicious in counsel, and slow to speak
cf the faults of others. He was careful to maintain the
mastery over his appetites. All his mental exercises were
dominated by a love of truth, his conduct was controlled by
a Icve cf right, and his heart was filled with the love of
God. Upon the foundation of truthfulness, uprightness
and godliness, he had reared the superstructm-e of his
solid character. Eminent conscientiousness was an out-
standing feature. As a preacher, there was nothing bril-
laint or flashing about his pulpit performances, but what
he said was sound. His style was what is termed by
rhetoricians "conversational." As a theologian, he was a
thorough Calvinist. He possessed a clear idea of the
system, and loved it. As a presbyter, he was eminently
conservative, yet he was an ardent sympathizer with all
efforts at church extension. He has left an impress up-
on this church and community which the effacing hand
cf tim.e will not soon destroy. His body rests in the Bethel
graveyard, with that cf his uncle, the Rev. James S. Adams,
and among multitudes cf his kindred and people.
THE CONFEDERACY.
In 1861, while Mr. Watson was pastor of the church, be-
gan that distressing conflict between "the North" and "the
South," which for four long years drenched the land with
blood, and drained the South of its flower and chivalry.
The responsibility for this war and all its horrid con-
sequences belongs to the North. They were the aggressors.
The South attempted to repel an invader by withdrawing
from an alliance with him. Her attempt to accede was an
attem.pt at self-protection. She was acting upon one of the
great primordial rights of human kind — the right to de-
fend herself against her desrtoyer. If the Constitution
had not guaranteed to her the right of secession from the
Union, this original and indestructible principle cf human-
ity would have warranted it. It is not human to expect
that partisan histories will place the responsibility of this
cruel war at the door of the victorious. The weak have
few friends: the multitude go with the strong. But the
unborn historians of the future may do justly and locate
me moral responsibility of this fratricidal conflicts where
it belongs.
One end sought to be accomplished by the fomenters of
this strife was the emancipation of Southern slaves and the
abolition cf the institution. The people of Bethel were
mostly slave-holders. They were not extravagant admirer.s
of the system. There were some among them who re-
garded it as unprofitable and unpleasant. Still they said
that, by the word of the Lord, it was a permissible relation.
Legally and morally they had a right to their slaves, and so
FREEBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL 25
did the balance of their Southern fellow-citizens. When,
therefore, they saw one section of the country usurping
the dictator's place, and ordering them to liberate their
slaves, their souls were fired, as might have been predicted
from their past history. It made no difference then
whether they thought slavery politically or financially de-
sirable, the piercing cry of threatened Liberty was heard,
and they volunteered, v/ith their countrymen of ail quar-
ters, to resist unto blood the unrighteous oppression of
the North.
The plan which the South adopted for its defence was
withdrawal from the Union. Her sister States at the North
had violated, by this interference, as well as in otlier ways,
the compact which bound the sections together. They
complained, but complaint brought them no relief. They
had the Constitutional right of secession guaranteed to
them in the original bill of rights. When Congressional
efforts on the part of the representatives of the South,
and popular outcry from all over the Southland, failed to
accomplish anything, the States affected claimed their
original and Constitutional right, and sought to retire
from a union which had begun to be abused. This they
would have done peacefully, but the North declined to
allow them their guaranteed right. They v/ould have been
less than men had they submitted without a struggle.
The people of Bethel enlisted in the Southern armies,
not coldly and in an enforced manner, but with hearts
ablaze v/ith patriotism. Many a son, brother, lover, friend,
v/ho went forth in manly beauty and with a soul of
courage, never returned to gladden the home that war
had darkened. Some sleep in the graveyard by the Church,
whither parental love brought and laid the sacred form;
others sleep on distant battlefields, sheeted with a patriot's
glory, though uncoffined and unsung. The record of the
Bethel soldiers is not only above reproach, but worthy of a
liberal meed of praise. May their descendants, neither for
the sake of gain nor for the froth of sentimentalism, ever
forget the heroic dead or the principles for which they
bled and died!
The faction which agitated the country until it was
girdled with the. fiery zone of war, had its sympathizers in
the Church of Jesus Christ. The fanatical agitation did
not forbear to disturb its sacred pale, until the General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church forgot its spiritual
nature and the ends of its existence as a court of Christ.
It passed its judgment upon the political question that was
distressing and dividing the Commonwealth. At its annual
meeting at Rochester. New York, in 1861, it categorically
declared for the North and against the South. The
language of the Church journals at the Nortlr, of the
26 HISTORY OF THE
Northern pulpit, cf Northern presbyters, of Northern
Church courts was severe and bitter in denunciation of
the Southern people for withdrawing from the Union.
They were called "rebels," "traitors," "schismatics,"
"heretics," and many other offensive things. If they were
so bad, the Southern churches ought to have been cut off
from Northern ccmmunicn, and, in all probability, v.^ould
have been but for their timeliness in withdrawing, and
forming "The Presbyterian Church in the United States,"
which has been popularly known as "The Southern Presby-
terian Church." This organization was effected at Augusta,
Ga., in December, 1861. Since that time Bethel's ecclesias-
tical relation has been with this Southern Assembly.
5th PASTOR— 1882.
The Rev. S. L. Watscn, as has been said, had been min-
istering to Bethel as its pastor since 1840— a period of
lorty-two years— and he was now in the eighty-fourth year
cf his age. The infirmities consequent upon his years made
the duties cf his pastorate tco onerous for him, and his
people sought an assistant. On December 7, 1881, Mr.
Robert A. Webb, a licentiate of the Presbytery of Nashville,
came to serve the Church for a probationary period. On
the 23rd day of Februaiy, 1882, he was unanimously called
to the co-pa.storate with Mr. Watscn, who had for a long
time been reverently known as "Father Watson." This
call was carried to Bethel Presbytery in session at Fort
Mill, S. C, approved and placed in his hands by that
body. On Friday, April 14, 1882. Mr. Webb was ordained
and installed co-pastor v;ith "Father Watson;" and, on his
resignation which took place In the following September,
Mr. Webb became the sole pastor of the Church.
Rev. Robert A. Webb was born at College Kill Lafayette
County, Mississippi. He is the second son of Robert C.
Webb, who for many years has been a reputable member
cf the Presbyterian Church. When fourteen years of age,
his parents removed to Nashville, Tennessee. After three
years preparatory schooling at the Culieoka Institute in
Maury county, Tennessee, in 1874 he entered the Sophomore
class in Stewart College, Clarksvilie, Tennessee, which was
then in its transitional stage from a College to the South
Western Presbyterian University. He graduated with the
degree of A. B. from this University in the spring of
1877, and in the fall of 1877 entered the Theological Semi-
nary at Columbia. S. C, completing the course of three
years, in 1830, and was licensed by the Presbytery of
Nashville at McMlnnville. Tenn., April 19, 1880.
During the five years of Mr. Webb's m.inistry the fol-
Icvv'ing summaiy may be made: In 1882 George L. Riddle
and David G. Stanton were ordained and installed Ruling
Elders, making forty-seven from the foundation of the
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL £7
Church; in 1883 the parscnage was built; in 1884 L. Berry
Brown and William N. Wallace were ordained and install-
ed Deacons, making a total cf nineteen from the first; in
1885 a Session-Room and recess were added to the rear of
the Church building; eighty-one members have be^n added
to the Communion, and eighty-five loi.t by death or other-
Vvise; the Church now (1887) has five Ruling Eiders and
six Deacons, and a membership of three hundred and ten.
(Beyond these mere statements of fact the writer de-
clines to say more about himself or his v;oik).
A few more things remain yet to be told before this his-
tory can be drawn to its clcse.
THE MOTHER OF MINISTERS.
Bethel is entitled to this honorable distinction. It has
been a nursery to the Church. It has been organized one
hundred and twenty-three years, and for seventy-one cf
these it ha^ been supplied with the gospel at the hands
cf her own sens — Adams and Watson. Besides thus pro-
viding for herself, she has given the Church many great
and good ministers. Let us read the roll of which she
is proud: Rev. Robert G. "VVilson, D. D., who became the
eminent President cf the Universily of Oliio; his brother
Samuel B. Wilson, D. D.. from 1841 to 1869 Professor of
Systematic Tiieology in Union Theological Seminary, at
Kampden Sidney, Va.; James Gilleland, v/hose conscience
was too tender en the slave-question to allow him to re-
m.ain in the South, and who, therefore, removed to Ohio
in 1805; John Howe, who went to Lexington, Ky., in 17o3:
Mr. Price; James S. AdamiS, who gave twenty-nine good and
useful years to his m.other church, who sleeps in her
cemetery, and whose fragrant name is held in memory by
a mural tablet on the wall to the right of the pulpit;
James M. H. Adam.s, the son of the fcrm.er, who died as the
pastor of the Yorkville Church, who left his mark upon
female education in the village of his pastorate, and whote
remains lie among the Bethel dead; Kenry and Jam.es Kerr,
the latter of whom died when thirty-five years of age;
Jcsiah Patrick; Samuel Lytle Watson, born a child cf
Bethel, lived the pastor of Bethel, and is buried am.cng
the people of Bethel — a marble-slab, appropriately in-
scribed, and hung on the wall to the left of the pulpit, tells
of the respect and love of his native people and chosen
flock; John F. Watson, the son of the former, died at
Princeton, Ark.; A. M. Watson, cousin of the old pastor.
Bethel's missionary to the Indians cf West Tennessee, and
now a pastor in Mecklenburg Presbytery; Andrew W. Wil-
son, who died in the harness in Mississippi in 1882; Samuel
L. Wilson, now a pastor in Virginia; and James Adams
Wilson, novN^ the young pastor of Aimwell and Longtown
Churches in Fairfield county, S. C.,— these last three are
28 HISTORY OF THE
the sons of one of Bethel's honored elders, Capt. J, J.
Wilson. Sixteen ministers have gene forth as the sons of
this Church. May this splendid succession of gospel heralds
never be discontinued!
(Note: Since the original printing of above list in Dr.
Webb's History the following sons of Bethel have en-
tered the Gospel ministry: Rev. Leland Flanagan, now
permanently retired on account of impaired sight and
living in Clover. He and his family are members and
regularly attendants at Bethel. Rev. Hamilton John-
ston, now pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Cor-
nelius, N. C. Rev. J. Haskell Dulin, now pastor of
Arnistrong Memorial Presbyterian Church, Gastonia,
N. C. Rev. W. W. Arrowood, now pastor at Pulaski,
Va. Rev. Carl McCully, now pastor at Sharon and
Filbert, S. C. Rev. Geo. Riddle now pastor at Cherry-
ville, N. C. Rev. W. Paul Nickell, Tazewell, Va. Rev.
A. Lesslie Thompson, Troy, N. C.)
A MOTHER OF CHURCHES.
This is net too much to claim for this illustrious old
daughter of Zion. She is now surrounded by six separate
organizations, all founded upon what v/as originally her
own territory, and to each of them she gave of her mem-
bers with a liberal hand. Three of them — Olney, New
Hope and Union — are in Gaston county, N. C, and three
— Allison Creek, Beth Shiloh and Clover — are in York
county, S. C. Olney was formed in 1793 in this wise: Rev.
Wm. C. Davis, notorious for his theological errors, and
who had been permitted to supply Bethel for a season,
sought to settle himself over them as pastor. He was not
acceptable to the South Carolina portion of the congrega-
tion, while the North Carolina members did not find him
Lo objectionable. (Tiie State-line divided the congregation).
Those in North Carolina, together with a few in South
Carolina contiguous to them, drew off from Bethel, and
congregated under the name of Olney, and had Mr. Davis
as their pastor. The new Church was connected with
Orange Presbytery, and still thrives under the jurisdiction
of Mecklenburg Presbytery. When Mr. Davis formed the
Independent Presbytery, Olney was again divided, but it
has since been united. About the same time New Hope
was organized further to the east, and a considerable por-
tion of its members were derived from Bethel. Union orig-
inally belonged to the Independent Presbytery which was
formed under the leadership of Rev. W, C. Davis, and was
received under Bethel Presbytery in 1363, when the Inde-
pent Presbytery was dissolved, and subsequently transferred
to Mecklenburg Presbytery. Beth Shiloh belonged likewise
to the Independents, was organized in 1829, and received
under the care of Bethel Presbytery at the same time with
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL 20
Union. Alli.'^on Creek was formed from Ebenezer and
Bethel in 1853, and now embraces the territory, where the
Rev. S. L. Watson was born. In 1881, during the pastorate
of "Father Watson," Clover was organized. To form this
Church the Session cf Bethel dismissed seventy-nine mem-
bers, and subsequently enough to make the number re-
ceived from this source amount to about one hundred.
Clover sprang out cf Centre, a place a little south of the
present village where Rev. J. S. Adam.s began to hold
monthly services, and where they were continued by
"Father Watson," who also supplied the organization until
they received the Rev. M. R. Kiikpatrick as their first
pastor. This is now a flourishing Church with one hundred
and fifty members.
On Sabbath morning, June 29, 1884, "Bethel Chapel"
was dedicated to the worship of Almighty God. It is situ-
ated about six miles east of the Church, between Crowder's
Creek and the Catwba river, on the Clover and Boyd's
ferry road. The Rev. S. L. Watson preached occasionally
at this point In a schoclhouse on the spot where the
Chapel now stands, and known as the "South Point
Academy." The Rev. R. A. Webb, on taking charge of
the Church, began holding regular services there on the
afternoon of one Sabbath each month. Mr. Robert
Harper donated an acre of land to this Chapel, which
was exchanged by the trustees of the Academy for the
one then occupied by the schoolhouse. The building is
now painted and comfortably furnished— a monument to
the zeal and devotion of that people. This it not a
separate organization, but is under the jurisdiction of
Bethel, and forms a part of it.
Thus is it the rare privilege of Bethel to sit among her
daughters as a fair and amiable matron, watch their be-
haviour, pray for their prosperity, and pronounce her
benedictions upon them.
THE CHURCH'S PROPERTY.
The house of worship has been sufficiently described. It
is secured by titles granted to the Deacons and theii- suc-
cessors as Trustees. There are about twelve acres of land
attached to the Church, three of which are enclosed as
a graveyard. In the summer of 1883 the congregation
cut and hauled lumber enough to build a two-story Par-
sonage, with seven rooms. Two acres adjoining the west
boundary of the Church tract were purchased from Ruling-
Elder J. L. Adams upon v/hich to locate the building. In
1882 the Trustees of the old Bethel Academy, once famous
as an educational institution, but which under the "free-
school system" had become useless, sold the lands of the
Academy, (about fifty-three acres), and the proceeds were
turned over to a building committee, consisting of J. C.
30 HISTORY OF THE
Patrick, A. H. Barnett, W. E. Campbell, D. J. Jackson
and J. L. Adams, to be employed in building a manse for
the Church. With this money the house was erected in
1883, though it was not occupied until 1886. Mr. Webb
was its first occupant. Two additional rooms were added
in 1887.
THE GRAVEYARD.
The people of Bethel have always respected the dead.
Three acres of a ridge in the rear of the Church, running
north and south, and sloping east and west, have been
enclosed by a stone wall as their Machpelah. It now con-
tains three or four thousand graves. From many of
these the destructive hand of Time has carried away all
signs of the sleeping dead; but the vast multitude of marble
monumxents are so numerous as to strike the stranger with
awe, and impressively remind this congregation that the
dead, by thousands, outnumber the living. Tradition has
two accounts of the first burial.
One report hands it down that the sacred soil was first
opened to receive the mortal remains of a child; and, if
£0, since it is the faith of this congregation that all chil-
dren dying in infancy are saved, it is a speaking fact to
Bethel's multitude of tereaved parents — grace owns the
first dead. The other tradition reports the first burial as
that cf a traveller who sickened and died by the wayside;
and, if this be the correct account, it is a fact which tells
how the stranger may find a home among this people — a
fact which speaks in the language of the good Samaritan
concerning all travellers to the tomb. The oldest grave-
stone bears this inscription:
WILLIAM V7ATSON SON OF
SAMUEL AND ELIZABETH WATSON
DIED IN OCTOBER 1774 IN THE
ELEVINT TARE OF HIS AGE
Beheld hew good a thing it is &
How becoming well for such as
Brethren ere in yunity to dwell.
Still another, as a sample of these early monumental
inscriptions, reads:
SACRED
TO THE MEMORY OF
ANDREW KERR
WHO WAS BORN FEB. 23RD
1755, IN MECKLENBURGH
N. CAROLINA.
CAME TO S. C. 1765
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL 31
BOUR THE BURDEN THROUGH
THE REVOLUTIONARY
STRUGGLE AND DIED
June 18, 1842.
There were, however, undoubtedly burials earlier than
1774, for many of the once shapely soapstones have
crumbled away, until they are now but rough and ugly
rocks. Indeed, tradition has it that there v^ere burials be-
fore the first house was built. Here lie the sacred remains
of five ministers of the gospel: Rev. W. H. Johnston, Rev.
James K. Kerr, Rev. James S. Adams, Rev. James M. H.
Adams, and Rev. S. L. Watson — pastors and people, strang-
ers and friends, kindred and acquaintances, soldiers of the
Revolutionary and soldiers of the Confederate wars, all
sleeping side by side, and awaiting, v/ith the patience of
death, the blast of that trumpet, which will cause this vast
city of the dead to heave with its teeming populace as
they struggle back to life.
Another inscription reads:
HERE LIES YE BODY
OF
FRANCIS ARMSTRONG
WHO DIED OCTOB'R
ye 4TH 1779 AGED
40 YEARS
Another with a motto undercircling a coat of arms
carved into soapstone runs:
Vivit Virtus
Post Funera
IN MEMORY OF
COL. JOSEPH HOWE
WHO DIED JULY 15, 1799,
AGED 56 YEARS.
Heaven has confirmed the great decree,
That Ada.m's race must die:
One general ruin f weeps them down,
And low in duft they lie.
(Note: In the spring of 1938 the "Bethel Cem.etery Asso-
ciation" was organized for the purpose of providing
proper perpetual care for this sacred spot. In con-
junction with the Church a full time care-taker ha?
been secured. Funds for this purpose are provided
by a annual membership fee of $1.00 and by the es-
tablishment of Honorary Memberships of $100 on
32 HISTORY OF THE
which the interest alone will be used from year to
year.)
CONCLUSION.
May the sons and daughters of Bethel cherish her blessed
history. May they cling to the God of their fathers with
increasing reverence and love. May they adhere, with
determination, to those doctrines of Calvinism which made
their ancestry illustrious. May they continue to love those
principles of Presbyterianism which has made them strong
and liberty-loving. May they wrap their arms around the
ancient Bible, and the Bible's Christ, and refuse ever to be
divorced from either. May their Bethel still be to them
"none other than the HOUSE OF GOD and the GATE
OP HEAVEN." May "her servants take pleasure in her
stones and favour the dust thereof."
Bethel History Since 1887
I have been asked to summarize the history of Bethel
Church since Dr. Webb completed his intensely interesting
review of the century and a quarter, from the beginning of
the Church until his retirement from the pastorate in 1887,
now nearly fifty years ago. This was Dr. Webb's first
pastorate, he having come here in December 1881 as a
licentiate. The Sessional Records of that period, and the
testimony of the older members of the congregation still
living indicate a ministry of a high order, as would be
expected by those who are familiar with his later record as
a preacher, pastor, writer and instructor in the seminaries
of the Church.
After leaving Bethel Dr. Webb served as pastor of the
Davidson College Church for one year. He then served
two years, until 1892, as pastor of the V/estminster Church,
Charleston, S. C. Prom 1892 until 1908 he was Professor of
Theology in Southwestern Presbytterian University at
Clarkville, Tenn. Prom 1908 until his death May 23, 1919,
he was Professor of Systematic Theology in the Presby-
terian Theological Seminary of Kentucky at Louisville.
During the period from 1888 to 1936 the following min-
isters served Bethel Church: Rev. D. S. Robinson, pastor,
1888 to 1891; Rev. D. S. McAllister, pastor, 1891 to 1899;
Rev. W. B. Arrowood, 1899 to 1905; Rev. Robt. Adams,
1910 to 1914; Rev. R. K. Tim.mons, 1914 to 1916; (irregular
supplies served the Church during part of 1916 and 1917).
Rev. G. W. Nickell, pastor, 1918 to 1924; Rev. A. H. Key,
pastor, 1925 to 1933; Rev. Tilden Scherer, supply, February
to October, 1934, and from January, 1936, until his instal-
lation as pastor May 10, 1937.
During above period the total church membership varied
but little. There was a consistent record of accessions on
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHEL 33
profession of faith, with a much smaller number on certifi-
cate from other churches. At the same time there was
a stream of dismissals which kept the total member-
ship near the same figure from year to year. The number
reported in 1918 was 247, while the total in 1936, twenty
years later, was 246. In the earlier days the membership
had been well over 300, but the organization of new
churches, particularly that at Bowling Green, in 1895, when
twenty-five members were dismissed from Bethel at one
sitting of the session, has resulted in stabilizing the resi-
dent membership around 250. The dependable source of
accessions is the homes of the community. From these
homes, for the most part through the Sunday Schools,
there come into the Church each year a goodly number
of fine young people. Many of these, as is the case in all
country congregations, move from the community as they
ccme to maturity, and join other churches, thus becom-
ing a most substantial source of supply for the member-
ship of those churches in towns and cities. Except for
some shifting of the population along the Catawba river
in the Chapel neighborhood, due to public utility develop-
ments there, the families of the Bethel community remain
much the same as the years pass. There are many chil-
dren and young people in the church homes and these
must furnish the substantial nucleus for the maintenance
of the membership and activities.
Since the close of Dr. Webb's pastorate in 1888, the
following eldersi and deacons have served this church, with
the year of ordination indicated: 1889: Elders: Dr. D. T.
Partlow, Wm. E. Adams, Philander E. Mcore, David M.
"Wallace, John H. Adams, Jr.; Deacons: Jas. M. Miller,
Samuel L. Clinton, I. Beatie Faires. 1894: Deacons: David
J. Glenn, Jr., T. Joseph Patrick and Henry F. Glenn. 1895:
Elders: Jno. M. Craig, I. B. Faires and Dr. I. A. Bigger.
1896: Deacons; J. M. Adams and G. C. Ormond. 1900:
Elders: S. W. Patrick, Dr. Thos. N. Dulin, and A. Camp-
bell Harper; Deacons: R. A. Jackson, A. H. Bar-
nett and T. J. Glenn. 1906: Elders: J. B. Ford and T. E.
Brandon. 1903: Deacons: H. G. Stanton, J. M. Miller and
B. J. Currence. 1913: Elders: W. N. Wallace, W. H. Glenn,
J. E. Brandon, J. L. Currence and A. L. Thompson; Dea-
cons: C. T. Brandon, J. R. Currence, W. G. DavLs, F. C.
Brandon and Clair Harper. 1921: Elders: R. A. Stewart
and S. S Glenn; Deacons: Paul Harper and W. R. Cur-
rence. 1927: Elders: D. D. Johnston and R. B. Harper.
1931: Elders: Frank M. Jackson, Harold Davis and J. M.
Barnett; Deacon: R. W. Barnett. 1936: Elder: H. G. Stan-
ton, (died Dec. 1, 1937); Deacons: Lacy K. Ford, Joseph
William Brandon and James Howard Brandon.
The period between the beginning of the century and the
34 HISTORY OF THE
first of the depression years was marked by substntial
increases in the gifts of the congregation to the benevo-
lence causes of the Church. Some of the annual reports
to Presbytery show gifts to these causes more than double
these to local support, while for many years there has been
an almost invariable record of larger gifts to others than
to the support of the home church.
In 1930 the frame Chapel building was burned to the
ground. A neat, substantial brick veneer building was im-
mediately erected en the same sight and the work there
has continued and grown substantially. In 1937 a sub-
stantial three-room addition was built at the Chapel to
accommodate the growing Sunday school. This was made
possible by a generous donation of brick by Mr. W. H. Beik,
of Charlotte, and by gifts of cash, labor and material by
members of the Chapel congregation and others, the whole
jepresenting an investment of about $1,500.
The Sunday Schools (at Church and Chapel) now have
a regular average attendance of approximately 200, about
equally divided between the two. There are two active
Ycung People's groups Vv^ith a membership of about 35
each. The Woman's Auxiliary is divided into four circles
and this organization functions in a splendid way along the
lines recommended by the headquarters committees.
TILDSN SCHERER, Pastor.
Bethel Manse
Apr. 1, 1938.
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