USA > Kentucky > A history of Kentucky Baptists : From 1769 to 1885, including more than 800 biographical sketches, Vol. I > Part 39
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BLUE SPRING church is located in Metcalf county, and was onstituted in 1799. The original name of this church was Mud Camp. Under this title it joined in the constitution of Green River Association, in 1800, and, in 1802, reported to hat body a membership of 41. Henry Miller was a licensed riation, preacher in this church, at that time. It was in this church
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that an attempt was made in 1801, to restore Robert Smith to the ministry. The effort probably failed. William Ratliff was the first pastor of this church, of which there is any ac- count. The served it till his death, which occurred not far from 1815. He was succeeded by Daniel Shirley, who served till 1823, when he died. Ralph Petty suceeeded him, and served the church, with much acceptance, many years.
In 1845, this church divided on the subject of missions. The Anti-missionary party remained under the pastoral care of Mr. Petty, till his death, after which it wasted away and be- came extinct. The Missionary party, consisting of 32 members, uuited with Liberty Association. It has had a slow growth, and has continued to be a rather small church. In 1878, it numbered 57 members.
RALPH PETTY was the most distinguished of the early pas- tors of Blue Spring church. He was born in Virginia, Decem- ber 27, 1767. His parents moved to Ohio, and settled near Cincinnati. Here he was raised up, and, in young manhood, married Isabell, daughter of James McClure of Hamilton coun- ty, Ohio. Mr. McClure was afterwards killed by an Indian, while standing in his yard, in Bourbon county, Kentucky, where he had settled, after the marriage of his daughter to Mr. Petty. Mr. Petty also moved to Kentucky, and settled in Bourbon county. Here, during the great revival, in 1801, he obtained hope in Christ, and was baptized.
In 1802, he moved to Barren county, and settled on Fal- len Timber creek. Here he united with Glovers Creek church, and, the following year, was ordained to the deaconship. He was licensed to exercise a public gift, February 3, 1804, and ordained to the full work of the ministry, March 3, 1805. He was called to the pastoral care of Glovers Creek, Mt. Pisgah, Dripping Spring, and Skaggs Creek churches, all in Barren county. Afterwards he gave up the care of Skaggs Creek church, and accepted that of Blue Spring, to the neighborhood of which he had moved, in 1823.
Mr. Petty possessed medium preaching gifts, and was a mild, conservative man. He was of easy, pleasant address, and was a great lover of peace. He was a good pastor, and was much beloved by his people. Besides his long and faithful pastoral labors, he did much preaching among the poor and
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destitute, and, in the early part of his ministry, aided much in building up the Redeemer's cause. His co-laborers in the east- ern part of Green River Association were Stockton, Nuckols, Elkin, Logan and others.
During the great excitement in Green River Association, on the question of missions, Mr. Petty was chosen Moderator of that body, on account of his conservatism. The difficulties were happily adjusted, for the time. When the first split oc- curred in that body, in 1833, Mr. Petty remained with the Missionary party; but when the second split occurred, in 1838, he adhered to the Anti-missionaries. He was pastor of Blue Spring church when it excluded Thomas Edwards for joining a church that believed in " human societies."
Mr. Petty became very corpulent in his old age, but con- tinued to preach till he was attacked by a flux of which he died, July 26, 1851. He was speechless several days before his death.
One of Mr. Petty's chief excellencies as a preacher, was his great simplicity, by which he made the most illiterate under- stand him. Andrew Nuckols said to him, on one occasion: "Bro. Petty, how is it that the people like your preaching so much, and think so little of mine, when we both preach the same doc- trine ?" "Because," replied Mr. Petty, "I cut mine up so that they can eat it, while you give them yours whole."
THOMAS EDWARDS was raised up to the ministry in Blue Spring church. He was born of Baptist parents, in the state of Virginia, September 27, 1787. He came with his parents to Woodford county, Kentucky, about 1791, and thence to what is now Metcalf county, about the year 1800. He professed re- ligion, in his twentieth year, under the preaching of William Ratliff, by whom he was baptized into the fellowship of Blue Spring church.
In early life he was married to Katherine V., daughter of John Burks of Barren county. The fruits of this marriage were five sons and four daughters, all of whom lived to the years of maturity.
Mr. Edwards received but a limited education in his youth, was but having a thirst for knowledge, he applied his leisure to study hful so closely, that he acquired a very good reading. He was a andgood historian, and was especially familiar with the Old Testa-
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ment. He possessed a clear judgment and sound piety, but his timidity kept him from attempting to exercise in public, till he was near forty years old. He was ordained to the gospel ministry, at Blue Spring, by Ralph Petty and others, about the year 1830. He was called to the care of Three Springs church in Hart county. Soon after he entered upon his pastoral work, the second split occurred in Green River Association, and Lib- erty Association was formed of the Missionary party, in 1840. Blue Spring church remained with the old organization. Mr. Edwards, agreeing in faith with the new association, procured a letter of dismission from Blue Spring, and united with Three Springs, of which he was pastor. For this, a charge was brought against him in Blue Spring, and he was excluded " for joining a church that believes in human societies." Five years after- wards, Blue Springs church split, and the Missionary party united with Liberty Association.
Besides Three Springs, Mr. Edwards was pastor of Little Barrern, New Liberty, East Fork and Rock Spring churches. The last named was gathered by his labors, and he was pastor, at the time of his death, of the last three named. He was a strong, sound preacher, rather than a brilliant one. He preached much from the Old Testament, especially comparing the prophe- cies, concerning Christ, with their fulfillment. He was regarded an excellent pastor, and his churches were all prosperous, up to the time of his death. He died of pneumonia, after an illnesss of twelve days, March 27, 1847. His confidence was unshaken as he neared the cold stream. In answer to the inquiry of his friends concerning his prospects, he calmly replied that his ar- rangements had long been fixed.
NATHANIEL GORIN TERRY is prominent among several ex- cellent preachers who have been pastors of Blue Spring church, in later years. He is now a little past middle life, and has preached in the locality in which he was born, and to the peo- ple among whom he grew up, during his entire ministry; and yet it is probable that no minister was ever more beloved or fully trusted by his people. He seems to be an exception to the rule, that a prophet is without honor in his own county.
N. G. Terry is the son of Nathaniel Davis Terry, a native of Virginia. His mother was a Miss Gorin, of a family noted for intellectural vigor and active enterprise. He was born in
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Barren county, Kentucky, November 17, 1826. He finished his education at Centre college, in Danville, Kentucky. His early years were spent in teaching. He was, for a time, princi- pal of the Masonic Female College, at Glasgow, in his native county. He was married in early life to a Miss Stark, a de- scendant of an old French Huguenot family. Several children have blessed this union.
Mr. Terry professed religion nnd was baptized into the fel- lowship of Salem church, in Barren county, in March, 1841. His preaching gifts were not recognized by his church till 1858. In August of that year, he was licensed to preach, and was or- dained to the ministry the following December. His improve- ment was so rapid, that within a few years, he took rank with the leading preachers in the Green River country. After preaching to Blue Spring, Dover and some other country churches three or four years, he accepted a call to the church at Glasgow. Here he ministered fourteen years, with extraordi- nary success. In 1875, the church at Glasgow enjoyed a most precious revival under his ministry. About sixty persons were added to the church, and among them a number of the promi- nent citizens of the county.
In 1876, Mr. Terry resigned his charge at Glasgow, and moved to his farm in the country. Since that period he has di- vided his time among four country churches. He is at present (1881) preaching to the churches at Cave City, Caverna, Rock Spring and Gilead. The latter is on the railroad in Hardin county, the others within a few miles of his home. He has been uniformly successful in his pastoral relations. He has been much engaged in protracted meetings, principally in his own region of the State, and has been abundantly successful. In October, 1865, he held an oral debate of five days continu- ance with T. C. Frogge, presiding elder in the Methodist church, on the action and subject of baptism; and, in October, 1868, he held a seven days' debate with Samuel A. Kelly, on the main differences between the Baptists and Campbellites. Both the debates were at Salem church, in Barren county. In both of these contests Mr. Terry proved himself a ready, skillful and able debater, and gave much satisfaction to his people.
In 1865, Mr. Terry was elected moderator of Liberty As sociation, and has served in that capacity every year since, ex-
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cept when prevented from being present by sickness. He has been much hindered in his labors by an annual attack of sickness of a very distressing character, which has followed him about six- teen years, and has frequently brought him seemingly nigh unto death. But with this serious hindrance he has baptized something over 1, ICO persons and married about two hundred couples.
He is a man of strong, clearly defined convictions, is a de- cided Baptist and preaches his sentiments without hesitancy or apology. He is a preacher of high order of ability, is easy, flu- ent and pointed in his address, and interests all grades of men as few preachers in the State can do. When his feelings are fully enlisted, his power in exhortation was seldom or never sur- passed in Kentucky.
CHRISTIANSBURG church is located in a small village from which it takes its name, on the Louisville and Frankfort railroad in the east end of Shelby county. It was constituted in 1799, and received into Salem Association the following year. It was at first, called Six Mile Creek. Afterward the name was con- tracted to Six Mile, and in 1836, exchanged for its present name. It entered into the constitution of Long Run Associa- tion in 1803. At this time it numbered 108 members. By whom it was gathered, or who was its first pastor, does not appear. Among its early members were John Gilmore, John Metcalf and Abraham Cook, all of whom were afterwards preachers, and it is probable that Metcalf was a preacher at that time. Among the prominent preachers who have served this church were Abra- ham Cook, Joshua Rucker, W. W. Ford and Thomas M. Dan- iel. This church has been a large and prosperous fraternity from the time of the great revival, which began about a year after its constitution, down to the present time, and is now one of the leading country churches of the State. It has enjoyed many precious revivals. From 1828 to 1835, it enjoyed a continual revival, during which 128 were baptized. In 1842-3 seventy- one were baptized. From 1847 to 1854, 106 were baptized. From that time ro 1877 the baptisms aggregated 170, and in the fall of 1880, sixty-nine were added to the church. This church reached a membership of 300 in 1849, but next year it dropped from its records eighty-for names and dismissed a number by letter, so that its membership was reduced to 200. In 1881, it numbered about 240.
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JOHN METCALF was very early, if not froin its constitution, a preacher in Christiansburg church. On the constitution of North Six Mile, about 1818, he became a member of that fra- ternity. He remained a preacher in that church as late as 1834. He was a very moderate preacher.
JOHN EDWARDS was an excellent preacher. He was a mem- ber of Christiansburg church as early as 1803, and probably from its constitution. Not far from 1809, he moved to Woodford county, and became pastor of Griers Creek church. For a num- ber of years he was a very valuable minister in that portion of the State, but in the fall of 1826 he moved to Missouri.
JOSHUA RUCKER was an ordained preacher in Christians- burg church as early as 181I. He was the son of the old pio- neer preacher, James Rucker, some account of whom has been given elsewhere. He was a native of Virginia, but came with his parents to Woodford county, Kentucky, in his early child- hood, in the Winter of 1784-5. Here he was raised up, sur- rounded by the dangers and privations of frontier life. About the time his father moved to Caldwell county, Kentucky, near the year 1800, he went back to the land of his birth. Where or when he united with a church, and was put into the ministry, does not appear. But after his marriage in his native State, he returned to Kentucky and settled near Christiansburg, in Shelby county, as early as 1811. Here he preached with much accept- ance, till the fall of 1814, when he came to his death from hanging. He was found dead, hanging by a rope around his neck, in his barn. It remains to the present time a matter of doubt as to whether he hung himself in a fit of mental aberration, or whether the dreadful deed was done by his servants, of whom he owned a number. Mr. Rucker was a man of high respectability, and as a christian, maintained a character of unsuspected piety and devotion to the cause of his Master; as a preacher he was bril- liant and popular. The tragical manner of his death threw a deep gloom over the community. Thomas Vandiver, a weak preacher of Henry county, remarked, in a sermon at Newcastle soon after the tragic event, that he would as soon have heard of the defeat of Jackson's army, which was then facing the British forces at New Orleans as to have heard of the death of Mr. Rucker in such a manner. He expressed deep regret for the loss of a cherished brother ; but the people who had friends in
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Jackson's army were so much incensed, that Mr. Vandiver thought it prudent to leave the country to avoid the fury of a mob.
ABRAHAM COOK was one of the early pastors of Christians- burg church. A sketch of his life will carry the reader back to the earliest religious operations in Franklin county, as well as to the horrid scenes of Indian warfare.
Abraham Cook was born of pious Baptist parents, in Franklin county, Virginia, July 6th, 1774. In 1780, his parents moved to the wilderness of Kentucky, and joined some half doz- en families in forming a settlement at the Forks of Elkhorn, in what is now Franklin county. Here the father died only a few months after his arrival in the new country, and left the mother with a large family to struggle with the pinchings of poverty, and the hourly dangers of frontier life. When the settlers had increased to the number of seventy-five or one hundred souls, they began to feel the need of a preacher among them. Ac- cordingly, the leading citizens of the little colony held a council, and commissioned John Major, a pious old Baptist, to go to the settlement on South Elkhorn, and, on behalf of the settlers, tender William Hickman a hundred acres of land on condition that he would settle among them. He reached Mr. Hickman's cabin late at night. It was in December, 1787, and the weather was very cold. "When he came in," says Mr. Hickman, "on being asked to sit down, he replied: 'No, like Abraham's serv- ant, I will not sit down till I have told my errand.' He then told me what had brought him to see me, and gave me till the next morning to return him an answer. We passed a night of prayer. It was a night of deep thought with me, for I wished to do right." In February, 1788, Mr. Hickman moved among them, and in June following, constituted a small church called Forks of Elkhorn. A religious revival broke out in the settle- ment, and continued more than a year. "I think in the course of the year," says Mr. Hickman, "I must have baptized forty or fifty. I baptized nine of old sister Cook's children, and among the rest, that well known Abraham, now the minister of Indian Fork church, in Shelby county."
This devoted christian mother's heart must have overflowed with joy, at seeing so many of her loved ones embrace her Sav- ior. But an overwhelming flood of sorrow awaited her in the
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near future. About Christmas, in the year 1791, two of her sons, Hosea and Jesse, having married, and one of her daugh- ters having married Lewis Mastin, the three young families, together with three or four others, settled three miles lower down on Elkhorn, in what was called Innis' Bottom. Here they remained undisturbed more than a year. But on the 28th of April, 1792, the settlement was attacked at three different points, almost simultaneously, by about one hundred Indians. The two Cooks were shearing sheep. At the first fire of the Indians, one of them fell dead, and the other was mortally wounded. The wounded man ran to the cabin, got his and his brother's wife, and their two infants, and a black child into the house, barred the door, and fell dead. The two Mrs. Cooks were now left to defend themselves and their babes against the bloodthirsty savages. They had a rifle in the house, but could find no
bullets. One of them finding a musket ball, bit it in two with her teeth, rammed one piece down the rifle, and, putting the gun through a small aperture in the wall, fired it at an Indian who was sitting on a log near the cabin. At the crack of the rifle he sprang high in the air and fell dead. The Indians tried to break the door open; failing in this, they fired several balls against it. But it was made of thick puncheons, and the balls would not penetrate it. As a last resort, they sprang on top of the cabin and kindled a fire; but one of the heroic women climed up in the loft and threw water on the fire till she put it out. Again the Indians fired the roof, and, this time, there was no water in the house. But when did a mothers courage or resources fail when the life of her babe was at stake? Still remaining in the loft, though an Indian had shot down through the roof at her, she had called for the eggs which had been collected in the house. These she broke and threw on the fire till it was extinguished. Once more the baffled and infuriated savages kindled a fire on the cabin roof. This time there was neither water nor eggs. But another expedient was soon found. The jacket, thoroughly saturated wih blood, was taken from the body of the murdered man, and thrown over the newly kindled fire. At this moment, a ball from the Indian's rifle passed through a hank of yarn near the woman's head, but did her no harm. The savages at last retired, and left the young mothers to weep over the bloody corpses of their husbands. Lewis
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Mastin was killed about the same time. The Indians were pur- sued, but they all escaped across the Ohio river, except the one killed by Mrs. Cook and one other.
Abraham Cook remained a member of Forks of Elkhorn, till 1796, when he married Sarah Jones and moved to the head of Six-Mile creek, in Shelby county. Here he entered into the constitution of Six-Mile (now Christiansburg) church, in 1799. For a period of twelve years, he divided his time between labor- ing on his farm and studying the Bible. During this period, he suffered many conflicts and sore temptations. He felt strongly impressed with the duty of preaching the gospel. But being poorly educated, and having a very humble opinion of his his natural gifts, he strove against the impression till his anguish became almost intolerable and, at last, he was compelled to yield.
In 1806, a church called Indian Fork was constituted near where he lived, and he became a member of it. Here he was licensed to exercise his gift, on the fourth Saturday in De- cember, 1808, and, on the fourth Sunday in September, 1809, was ordained to the work of the ministry, by William Hick- man, Jr., Thomas Wooldridge, and Philip Webber. He was now thirty-five years of age. He was over six feet high, very straight, rather spare, dark, swarthy complexion, large, dark brown eyes, and black hair. He possessed a strong constitution, and was very energetic. His bearing was dignified and com- manding, and his manners, gentle, affectionate and persuasive. His voice was clear, strong, and musical, and could be heard at a great distance. His piety was of that sincere, frank and earnest type, that wins the respect of all, and the love of the godly.
His preaching talent was above the mediocrity of his times, and he soon became very popular and influential. He was chosen pastor of Indian Fork, Six-Mile and Buffalo Lick churches, in Shelby county, and Mt. Carmel, in Franklin. Like most preachers of his times, he did, in addition to his pastoral labors, much preaching among the destitute, and very great suc- cess attended his labors. He supported his family by his labors on a farm, persistently refusing to receive any pay for preach- ing. He continued to labor, as pastor, with the churches that first called him, until the feebleness of old age admonished him to retire; and then left them all strong and prosperous.
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In 1851, he sold his possessions, in Kentucky, and, with his wife and youngest daughter, moved to Missouri. His daughter took sick on the way, and died, a few days after they reached their new home. Nor did he, himself, haveto wait long for the Master's summons. On the Ioth of February, 1854, he passed out of the "mud-wall cottage," and went to join the saints and their Redeemer in the New Jerusalem.
In doctrine, Mr. Cook was Calvinistic, and was very firm and decided in his principles, contending for them with earnest boldness ; but he regarded it his duty to warn sinners to repent and believe the gospel. He preached the doctrines of the gos- pel with clearness and force, and dwelt much on the operation of the Holy Spirit and experimental religion. In exhortation, he was fervent, eloquent, and very effective. Of his descen- dants, Joshua F. Cook, a grandson, is a graduate of George- town College, and is an able preacher and a distinguished edu- cator. He has been, for several years past, President of La- Grange College in Missouri.
THOMAS M. DANIEL held the longest and most successful pas- torate in Christiansburg church, and was one of the most effi- cient and popular preachers that ever lived in Shelby county. Few men have ever lived and labored so long in the same lo- cality, and had so few enemies.
Mr. Daniel was born and raised in Owen county, Ken- tucky. In his youth (in October 1838) he professed conversion and united with New Liberty church, in his native county. He was licensed to exercise a gift, in March, 1840. He appears to have developed slowly, at first. In June, 1844, he was re- quested to preach one Sunday in each month at the church of which he was a member. He was ordained to the full work of the ministry, in June, 1846, by Lewis D. Alexander, Elijah Threlkeld, and Paschal H. Todd. Having been called to the care of the church at Christiansburg, soon after he was or- dained, he took a letter from New Liberty church, in Novem- ber, 1847, and immediately joined the church at Christiansburg, where his membership remained till his death. Soon after he was called to Christiansburg, he became pastor, also of Indian Fork and Buffalo Lick churches in the same county, and, after- wards, of Campbellsburg church in Henry county. These churches all prospered under his ministry, as long as he served
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them. In addition to his pastoral labors, he preached much among other churches, especially in protracted meetings, and an extraordinary degree of success attended these labors.
In his early life, he was a close student of the Bible, and made excellent progress in his study. But being a good econo- mist, and a man of great industry, he began to acquire prop- erty, and, according to his own confession, allowed the world to get too strong a hold on his affections. He did not preach less, perhaps, and certainly no man ever maintained a better moral character, or had more entirely the confidence of the peo- ple, but he gave to his temporal business too much of the time that he should have devoted to study, and hence failed to attain to that high degree in his ministry, of which he was capable.
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