USA > Kentucky > A history of Kentucky Baptists : From 1769 to 1885, including more than 800 biographical sketches, Vol. I > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70
"Daniel Boone, on his second trip to Kentucky, was ac- companied by Capt. Wm. Bush of Orange county, Virginia. Capt. Bush on his return, gave such a glowing description of the wilds of Kentucky, that a colony, composed mainly of Bap- tists, was induced to start to Boonesboro' on the Kentucky River. Capt. Bush went forward to locate lands, while the colony was preparing to start. As soon as the preparations were fin- ished, they set out, and proceeded as far as the Holston, arriv- ing at that point, in December, 1780. Here they received in telligence from Capt. Bush, who was then in the fort, not to pro- ceed any farther, as the Indians were very troublesome at that time."
The following extract is copied literally from the Book of Records of Providence church : "A company of Baptists came from the older parts of Virginia to Holson River, in December 1780 . . Robert Elkin minister and John Vivian elder, and in January, 1781, they, with other Baptists, formed them- selves a body, in order to carry on church discipline, and, in September the 28th, 1781, became constituted by Lewis Cragg and John Vivian, with the members : to wit" [here follows a list of 42 names.] Robert Elkin who was a minister in the col- ony on the Holston, and is spoken of as one of the company of Baptists that came from the older parts of Virginia, seems to have had nothing to do in the matter. His name does not appear, either as one of the constituting presbytery, or in the list of members that entered into the constitution. This probably originated from his being a Regular Baptist, while the church was a Separate Baptist organization. This may also ac- count for the delay in constituting the church. John Vivian was not a minister, but merely an elder, an officer with a very illy defined office, that some Baptist churches recognized at that period. Lewis Craig, (sometimes improperly spelt Cragg) was at this time, a Separate Baptist minister, and was now on his journey to Kentucky, as known circumstances sufficiently prove,
3
, y
ul rt- he yth ers
46
History of Kentucky Baptists.
with the church that settled on Gilberts Creek, in December of that year.
At what time Robert Elkin united with the church on Holston, or became its pastor, the Record does not state. The church remained on the Holston "till the first day of September 1783. Then a principle part of the members, with their minis- ter being about to move to Kentucky, it was agreed they should carry the constitution with them." "And now having arrived in Kentucky, and settling on the south side of the River," con- tinues the Record "near Craggs station, but, through the bad- ness of the weather and our scattered situation, nothing of im- portance was done till April 3d, 1784." "Through a turn of God's providence, the church chiefly moved to the north side of Kentucky, and, for the health and prosperity of zion, we have appointed a church meeting at bro. William Bushe's Nov. 27th [1784.]" This was the first meeting of the church on the North Side of Kentucky river. Here it located on a small stream called Howard Creek, in what is now Clark county, and about three miles from Boonesboro :
In 1785, James Quesenberry, an ordained minister from Virginia, joined the church, and in January of the next year, Andrew Tribble, also a minister from the same State, became one of its members. About this time a Revival commenced in the church, and continued nearly two years. During this period, a considerable number was baptized, of whom were Christopher Harris. Squire Boone, jr. and James Haggard, who became preachers. In 1787, the church entered into the constitution of South Kentucky Association. In 1790, another Revival visited the church, and many were baptized, among whom was Edward Kindred, who became a good preacher. The church had now become quite large. But during this year a difficulty between Robert Elkin and Andrew Tribble caused a division in the body. By the advice of Elders John Bailey, Joseph and William Bled- soe and others, the Elkin party retained the church constitution but changed its name from Howards Creek to Providence ; while the Tribble party was constituted under the style of Unity church. The two churches agreed to live in fellowship.
After the division, Providence church continued to pros- per, under the care of Mr. Elkin, till 1822, when the faithful old shepherd was called to his final reward. Since that time the
47
Churches Planted in 1783.
church seems never to have been able to obtain and retain a suitable pastor ; for, between 1822 and 1876, it made no less than nineteen pastoral changes. But despite this unfavorable circumstance, it has been a prosperous body during its entire history, and is now a leading member of Boones Creek Associ- ation. It continued a Separate Baptist church till 1801, when the terms of general union between the Regulars and Separates were ratified at its house of worship. After that it belonged to the old North District confederacy for a number of years, and finally united with Boones Creek Association. Many prominent citizen of the county have been among its members, and most of the Bushes, Haggards, Quesenberrys and Elkins, in the state, and multitudes of them in the great West, are de- scendants of the fathers of this famous old church.
ROBERT ELKINS, the first pastor of Providence church, was the first minister that settled in what is now Clark county. Of his early life little is known, except that he was born and raised in Virginia, and was "born again " at a place called Cheeks Cross-roads. He came with a colony from the older settle- ments of Virginia to that on Holston river, in 1780, and appears to have been the only preacher at the latter place, at that period. Here a church was constituted, in 1781, and he became its pas- tor. Two years later he came with his church to Kentucky, and, in 1784, settled in Clark county, where he continued to minister to Providence church till a short time before his death, which occurred in March, 1822. He was regarded a good, plain, solid preacher and an excellent disciplinarian. Most of his ministerial labors were devoted to his pastoral charge, and, hence he did not acquire the reputation of being a "traveling preacher." This may have been caused by the fact that "he was twice married, and raised twenty-two children, most of whom raised large families in turn."
S- Id he
CHAPTER V.
GLOOMY STATE OF AFFAIRS IN 1784.
THE winter of 1783-4 was a very severe one. The wea- ther was bitter cold, and a deep snow covered the earth for many weeks. The settlers in the dreary wilderness lived in small, rudely constructed cabins and tents covered with the bark of fallen trees. Their supply of clothing was scant and of a qua- lity that illy protected them against piercing winds and driving snow. Much suffering was inevitable. But the severity of the season brought with it at least one inestimable blessing : It pre- vented the inroads of the Indians, and thus gave the settlers a sense of security against their most dreaded ill. With this sense of security, they were able to give attention to necessary work, and occasionally assemble in each others cabins to wor- ship God.
In describing his own situation, John Taylor, who was by no means among the poorest of the settlers, gives some idea of the condition and surroundings of the people in Kentucky at that period. Mr. Taylor moved to Kentucky in the fall of 1783, and stopped during the winter, in what is now Garrard county. He speaks of his removal from Garrard to Woodford county, in the following language : "I moved in the summer of 1784, and, rather than go in the fort, settled on my own land, with no family between me and the Indian towns, and in the height of war." "For some time we had to pack corn forty miles, and then send a mile to grind at a hand mill, before we could get bread. As to meat, it must come from the woods." "Soon after I settled in my little cabin, sixteen feet square, with no floor but the natural earth, without table, bedstead or stool. I found that an old buck had his lodge a few hundred steps from my cabin, among the nettles, high as a man's shoulders, and interlocked with pea vines. We found those nettles very useful the next winter, in getting the lint, and,
[48 ]
49
Gloomy State of Affairs in 1784.
with the help of Buffalo wool, made good clothing for our black people." Thus situated, the people were compelled to use much dilligence and industry to keep from actual want.
The religious affairs of the people were in no better condi tion than their temporal concerns. At the beginning of the year 1784, there were but eight small churches in the whole of Kentucky, and not one house of worship. There were minis- ters enough to supply the people with preaching, if they could have given themselves wholly to their sacred calling. But they were compelled to support their families, just as did the other settlers, and could, therefore, only give their spare hours to reading the Bible, and to the ministry of the word. Even professors of religion appeared to have lost all interest in spiritu- al things. Speaking of this period, John Taylor says: "Em- barrassed as my worldly circumstances were, the face of things, as to religion, gave me more pain of mind. There were a num- ber of Baptists scattered, but we all seemed cold as death. Everybody had so much to do, that religion was scarcely talked of, even on Sundays. All our meetings seemed only the name of the thing, with but little of the spirit of devotion."
It had been more than eight years since the first settle- ment had been made in the country. Forts and stations had now been erected and surrounded by cabins, from Craborchard, Boonesboro and Lexington, to the Falls of Ohio and the present site of Elizabethtown, and there must have been between 20,000 and 30,000 people in the country, an average propor- tion of whom had been church members. There were at least sixteen Baptist preachers and one Presbyterian minister among the settlers. But only a few had gathered into the eight small Baptist churches which have been spoken of, and there was no church of any other denomination in the country. There had been nothing like a religious revival, of which we have any authentic account, in any one of the settlements. The church- es had been built up exclusively of persons who had been church members before their emigration to the West. It is not known that a single baptism had been administered in any of the waters of Kentucky, the account of Lynn's having bap- tized seven persons in Nolin river, in 1782, being purely tradi- tional. The religious condition of the country was deplorable indeed. Old church members had become dull and lifeless in
50
History of Kentucky Baptists.
religion, the younger ones had become more or less reckless, and the faithful old heralds of the cross had become gloomy and despondent. John Taylor says : "Kentucky felt to me now as the quails did to the Hebrews, when they eat them till they were loathsome and returned back through their noses."
David Rice, a Presbyterian minister, who had previously visited the country, moved to Kentucky, in October, 1783. Speaking of the Presbyterians, who were quite numerous in the country, he says : "After I had been here some weeks, and had preached at several places, I found scarcely one man, and but few women, who supported a credible profession of religion. Some were grossly ignorant of the first principles of religion. Some were given to quarreling and fighting, some to profane swearing, some to intemperanee, and perhaps most of them totally negligent of the forms of religion in their own houses. I could not think a church formed of such materials as these could properly be called a church of Christ. With this I was considerably distressed, and made to cry, where am I ! What situation am I in ? Many of these produced certificates of their having been regular members in full communion and in good standing in the churches from which they had emigrated, and this they thought entitled them to what they called christian privileges here. Others would be angry and raise a quarrel with their neighbors if they did not certify, contrary to their knowledge and belief, that the bearer was a good moral charac- ter. I found indeed very few on whose information I could rely respecting the moral character of those who wished to be church members.">
This is indeed a gloomy picture, and, while we do not hear of such gross and general immoralities among the Baptists, who had been gathered into churches, and watched over by wise and faithful pastors, the life and spirit of religion seemed to have no place in the country. This sad state of affairs did .not arise from want of able and pious ministers. There has, probably, never been, on this continent, a more effective corps of preachers than lived and labored in Kentucky during the year 1784. Lewis Craig, John Taylor, William Hickman, John Bai- ley and William Marshall, have had few superiors for effective-
#Rice's Memoirs, page 68.
5I
Gloomy State of Affairs in 1784.
ness in the gospel ministry, in any age or country. Yet, under their ministry, and that of several others, who had been abund- antly successful in Virginia, we do not learn that there was a single baptism during the year. But, after all, of what value is human talent, skill and energy in the gospel ministry if unac- companied by divine power? The time had not yet come for God to pour out his Spirit upon the hearts of the people, in this great wilderness.
Most or all of the ministers who now labored in this relig- ious desert had been accustomed to live in the midst of a con- tinuous revival, in Virginia, from the time they entered the christian warfare till they came to Kentucky. They had seen multitudes of people weeping and crying for mercy, while many others were rejoicing in the fullness of the love of Christ. Some of them had lain for months together in wretched prisons, "for preaching the gospel contrary to law." But even those were heavenly seasons compared to what they were enduring now. Then the divine presence was with them. Sinners were weep- ing and saints rejoicing around the jails, while they preached a crucified Savior to them, through iron grates, and mingled their prayers and tears with those of the multitudes who visited them in their prison cells. But now all their prayers seemed unanswered, and their preaching appeared to fall on hearts of stone. It is not wonderful that they were gloomy and sad, or that the new country became distasteful to them as were the quails of the desert to the Israelites. Kentucky was indeed an Eden of beauty and fertility, and, with Bishop Heber, they could exclaim :
" Every prospect pleases and only man is vile."
But with them these things were trifles compared with the priv- ilege of communing with Christ. How fully they appreciated the sentiment of Newton's hymn :
" While blessed with a sense of his love, A palace a toy would appear, And prisons would palaces prove If Jesus would dwell with me there."
But under all these discouraging circumstances, they continued to sow the seed of gospel truth, trusting in the divine promise that if they fainted not they should reap in due season. The
52
History of Kentucky Baptists.
fulfillment of the promise was realized anon, and the desert blossomed as the rose.
During this year only one church was gathered. But this was an important work. It was planted in the midst of a wide field of destitution, now being rapidly populated. Louisville had been settled by a few families as early as 1778, and now contained "63 houses finished, 37 partly finished, 22 raised but not covered, and more than 100 cabins." A number of popu- lous settlements had been made on Bear Grass, and in other portions of the county. Some early settlements had been made along the north bank of Salt river, and several forts and stations had been occupied in Shelby and Spencer counties. In the area of country lying between Salt river and the Ohio, and ex- tending east to Kentucky, there was no church, and, so far as known, but one preacher. In this large diocese John Whita- ker labored alone, save when some preacher came from afar to assist him. One of his preaching points was about six miles east of Louisville. Here he collected the scattered Baptists from the surrounding settlements, and, in January, 1784, with the aid of James Smith, solemnly constituted them a church, under the style of the Baptist church on Bear Grass.
BEAR GRASS was not only the first, but for a period of more than eight years, the only church in Jefferson county, or with- in thirty miles of Louisville. When it entered into the consti- tution of Salem Association, the next year after its constitution, it numbered nineteen members, and was under the pastoral care of John Whitaker. Its growth was not rapid ; for when it en- tered into the constitution of Long Run Association, just after the close of the great revival in 1803, it numbered only sixty- seven members. About 1820, it enjoyed a revival which in- creased its membership to 142. But Campbellism early took root in the church, and it was utterly destroyed by that heresy. Among its early members were Col. Samuel Wells, the Kel- lars, Hikeses and Arterburns.
JOHN WHITAKER was one of the first preachers that locat- ed in Kentucky, and it is not certain that he was not here ear- lier than William Marshall. Of his early life nothing is now known. He is supposed to have emigrated from Maryland, and, with his son Aquila, was in George Rogers Clark's cam- paign against the Indians, as a Kentucky volunteer, in 1780.
53
Gloomy State of Affairs, in 1784.
The next year he was living in Brashears Station, at the mouth of Floyd's Fork, in what is now Bullitt county. His grandson, the late venerable John Williamson, related that some young men were going to that point to procure his services in marry- ing two couples at Lynn's station, on Bear Grass, when they discovered the Indians that effected Floyd's defeat on Long Run in 1781.
Mr. Whitaker, though somewhat advanced in years when he came to the West, appears to have been very active in the ministry. He aided in constituting most of the early churches, that were gathered within fifty miles of Louisville. He gather- ed Bear Grass church, and became its pastor at the time of its constitution, probably filling that position until the time o f his death, which occurred not far from the year 1800. His sons were John, Abraham. Elijah, Isaac, Jesse and Aquilla. The latter was a colonel of Kentucky malitia, and was a famous Indian fighter. Isaac was a Baptist preacher.
1
CHAPTER VI.
FIRST REVIVAL IN KENTUCKY.
The year 1785 was one of great activity and prosperity among the Baptists of Kentucky. It opened, as the preceding year had closed, very gloomily. But it had not advanced far before some glimmerings of the approaching dawn began to en- courage the desponding saints. Increased interest in religious worship began to be manifest. The ministers held meetings in the cabins of the settlers more frequently, and there was an in- crease in the size of their congregations. Before the winter was over, some tenderness of feeling began to be manifest, and there was some weeping under the ministry of the word. The first appearance of this blessed work was in John Craig's settle- ment on Clear creek, in what is now Woodford county. To- wards spring some persons professed conversion. The revival spread to other neighborhoods, and, during that year and the next, pervaded most of the settlements in the new country. As this work began under the ministry of Mr. Taylor, it is deemed proper to give a brief sketch of his eminently useful life, in this place.
JOHN TAYLOR was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, in 1752. His father had wasted his estate through intemperance, and young Taylor was brought up to hard labor on a farm. While he was a youth, his parents moved over the Blue Ridge, and settled on the Shenandoah river, in Frederick county. Here, at the age of 17, he heard the gospel preached for the first time. The preacher was William Marshall, a sketch of whose life has already been given. He was much affected under Mr. Marshall's preaching, and resolved to attend no more of his meetings. But the Holy Spirit had lodged an ar- row in his heart, and he was unable to rid himself of the awful impression of guilt that weighed upon his soul. After a while
[54]
55
First Revival in Kentucky.
he began to read the Bible and pray much. Like John Bun- yan, under similar circumstances, he presently concluded that he had made himself as good as any body, and that he would "go to heaven without making any noise about it." Mean- while, quite a revival had followed Mr. Marshall's preaching. A number of persons had been baptized, and among them two brothers of the names of Joseph and Isaac Redding, both of whom were afterwards valuable preachers in Kentucky. The two young zealots commenced holding meetings in the neigh- borhood soon after their conversion. They had been intimate associates with young Taylor in sinful amusements, which caused the latter to attend one of their meetings. "The bur- then of their preaching was, that men must be born again or never see the kingdom of heaven." "Under the preaching of the Reddings," says Mr. Taylor, "the poor rags of my own righteousness took fire and soon burnt me to death." After this he endured great remorse and agony of mind for many . months. At last he found peace of soul in Christ, and was baptized by that devoted "prisoner of the Lord," James Ire- land. This was in his 20th year. He now felt much impressed to warn sinners of their danger, and invite them to a Savior he had found precious to his own soul. He felt such a desire to communicate his feelings to Joseph Redding, who had moved to South Carolina, and to be constantly near him, that he im- mediately set out to seek him and induce him to return or to remain in South Carolina with him. In the following spring, they both returned to Virginia, and the two zealous young men commenced laboring together in the gospel of Christ. For about ten years, Mr. Taylor, sometimes with Redding, some- times with others, devoted himself to preaching in the frontier settlements, following the emigrants to the extreme borders of civilization, God crowning his labors with abundant success.
In the fall of 1779, he visited Kentucky, traveling across the mountains on horseback. Joseph Redding started at the same time, with his family, to come down the Ohio river on a flat-boat. But being detained on the way, he did not reach Louisville till the following spring. Being discouraged by sick- ness in his family and the death of one of his children he deter- mined to go back to Virginia. Mr. Taylor was discouraged by the low state of religion in Kentucky, and the two yoke-fellows
56
History of Kentucky Baptists.
returned across the wilderness together to their former field of labor. Here Mr. Taylor continued to labor as formerly, till the fall of 1783, when, having married and received a small prop- erty by the will of an unmarried uncle, he determined to move to Kentucky and make it his permanent home. The descrip- tion of his journey is here given in his own unpolished but graphic language :
" It was a gloomy thing at that time to move to Kentucky.
Without a single friend or acquaintance to accompany me, with my young helpless family, to feel all the horrors that then lay in the way to Kentucky, we took water at Redstone; and for want of a better opening, I paid for a passage in a lonely, ill-fixed boat of strangers. The river being low, this lonesome boat was about seven weeks before she landed at Bear Grass. Not a soul was then settled on the Ohio between Wheeling and Louisville, a space of five or six hundred miles, . and not one hour, day or night, in safety. Though it was now winter, not a soul in all Bear Grass settlement was in safety, but by being in a fort.
"I then meditated travelling about eighty miles, to Craigs Station on Gilberts creek, in Lincoln county. We set out in a few days. Nearly all I owned was then at stake. I had three horses. Two of them were packed, the other my wife rode with as much lumber besides as the beast could bear. I had four black people, one man and three smaller ones. The pack-horses were led, one by myself, the other by my man. The trail, what there was, being so narrow and bad, we had no chance but to wade through all the mud, rivers, and creeks we came to. Salt river, with a number of its large branches, we had to deal with often. Those waters being flush, we often must wade to our middle, the weather cold. Those struggles often made us forget the dangers we were in from Indians. We only encamped in the woods one night, where we could only look for protection from the Lord. One Indian might have de- feated us ; for though I had a rifle, I had very little skill to use it. After six days painful travel of this kind, we arrived at Craigs Station, a little before Christmas, and about three months after our start from Virginia. Through all this rugged travel, my wife was in a very helpless state ; for about one month after our arrival, my son Ben was born."*
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.