USA > North Carolina > Ashe County > A history of the Ashe County, North Carolina, and New River, Virginia, Baptist associations > Part 5
USA > Virginia > A history of the Ashe County, North Carolina, and New River, Virginia, Baptist associations > Part 5
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"Resolved, Third, that the committee be instructed in making the selection of a suitable location for said school to have particular reference to the most wealthy and densely populated community."
The committee was duly appointed, consisting of the follow- ing :
William Young, Wiley G. Baldwin, William C. Parks, James Blevins, David Smith, Daniel Blevins, Andrew Dickson, Jona- than B. Young, Jesse Reeves.
I have no more minutes of the Jefferson Association for the years that follow and I do not know what progress was made by this committee, nor what sort of report was made on the subject. As has already been told, the Senter Association, in 1857, set about the same task, probably spurred on by the action of the Jefferson Association three years before. The next minutes I find cover the twentieth annual meeting of the Jefferson Associa- tion, which was held with Mount Pleasant Church again, in Sep- tember, 1868. Whether sessions of the association were held every year or not, I do not know, but I am strongly of the opinion that they were not. During this period the churches in Virginia, with the exception of White Top, dropped off one by one and
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HISTORY OF THE ASHE (N. C.) AND
joined the Lebanon Association in Virginia. In the minutes of the third annual session of the United Association, held in 1862, we find Liberty Chapel represented by delegates, this church having left the Jefferson Association probably in the preceding year. At the 1868 session letters were handed in from five churches, as follows :
Baptist Chapel, represented by W. Thompson, P. Blevins, D. Sheets and D. Blevins.
Apple Grove, by A. Pennington, D. Tucker, D. Blevins and E. Blevins.
Landmark, by T. M. Duncan, Levi Barker, J. Denny and Alfred Barker.
Mount Pleasant, by J. Blevins, D. Blevins, J. Eller, J. M. Carter and J. Green.
White Top, by C. Pennington, Allen Blevins, J. Blevins and I. Edmondson.
It appears that in twenty years the Jefferson Association had lost three churches, one-half of its number, and gained one, had lost two ordained ministers and gained one, and had remaining only 214 members out of an original membership of 313. It must be remembered that the period through which the associa- tion had passed was one of turmoil and trouble. The Civil War dragged its bloody and soul-trying way to a close in 1865 and in its wake came hatred and jealousies that were still flaming in our mountain country for a generation after the war. Appar- ently, the Jefferson Association made no progress on its educa- tional movement and the matter was dropped until it was taken up again in a new association many years later.
I do not have the minutes of the Jefferson Association of 1869 but I know that it met with Apple Grove Church and I have it on the highest authority that the brethren were so discouraged that they talked seriously of giving up the struggle and dissolv- ing. They lacked preachers and they were short on hope and zeal. They had started out as a missionary organization, but they had made it clear from the beginning that every man was to be free to give or not to give, just as he pleased, and I can find no record that anybody gave anything to missions at any time.
I recall distinctly my first gift to missions and it may be of interest, by way of contrast with conditions of today, to tell about it here. I was just a little boy and the amount was fifty
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THE NEW RIVER (VA.) BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS
cents. My church had no connections through which our con- tributions could be forwarded to the Baptist Foreign Mission Board, and I sent my fifty cents to the treasurer of the Baptist State Convention, designating it as a direct gift to Matthew T. Yates, our great missionary in China. I am sure that no church in Ashe County took collections for foreign missions at that time.
Truly, those were hard days. As a little boy my heart was stirred by the great religious need of this wonderful mountain section and many a time have I climbed to the tops of the moun- tains around the little town of Jefferson and looking out over that beautiful, awe-inspiring stretch of mountains and valleys, prayed to God that He would send me to tell them the way of salvation. He did, starting me when I was 17 years old. Tears fill my eyes as I write of those days when the harvest was so great and the laborers so few. For 52 years I have been telling the story. How much more time He will give me I know not but "the Lord's appointment is the servant's hour."
Before passing on to the organization of the New River Bap- tist Association, I would like to review briefly the histories of the churches that made up the Jefferson Association, which churches formed the nucleus for the new association, and pro- vided the ground work of the Baptist structure that now exists in Ashe County. Some of this information I have culled from the old files of minutes, but most of it has come from aged men and women who were familiar with the facts and who told me about these churches.
Baptist Chapel Church was organized in the year 1842 b . B. Roby and Stephen Ross. This church was in Ashe County.
Baptist Union, in Grayson County, Virginia, was organized in 1842 from the remnants of an older church that had existed in the neighborhood, but which had dissolved. Richard Jacks and Stephen Ross organized it.
Sugar Grove Church, in Smythe County, Virginia. was also organized in 1842 and it is supposed to have come mainly from the old Rye Valley Church, which withdrew from the Strawberry Association in 1790 to become part of the Yadkin Association when it was constituted. I can find no record as to the men who organized this church.
Young's Chapel Church, in Grayson County, Virginia, was organized on November 8, 1845, by Richard Jacks and Stephen Ross, with six members, as follows: Phobe Mathina, from Fox
r
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HISTORY OF THE ASHE (N. C.) AND
Creek Church ; David Sheets, William Perry and Stephen F. An- derson from Baptist Chapel Church in Ashe County; William Young and Jane Young from Baptist Union Church. Today Young's Chapel is one of our strongest and most progressive churches and has a membership of 223.
Friendship Church, in Grayson County, Virginia, was organ- ized in 1852 and I can find no other information concerning its early history, nor subsequent history. It disappeared many years ago and no one knows where it was located.
Liberty Chapel Church, which stood near Ashe County court- house, was organized by Richard Jacks in 1847, and it was at this church, as has been related, that the Jefferson Association was constituted. In 1862 we find this church and its pastor, Richard Jacks, in the United Baptist Association, which had been formed in 1859 and which was at that time, the most progressive and most thoroughly missionary Baptist of all of our associa- tions. We can readily understand how such an association would appeal to a militant spirit, such as Richard Jacks most certainly
was. The Jefferson Association was professedly missionary, but in all of its records I can find no trace of giving to missions by any of its churches. The United Association not only professed faith in missions, but put its faith into practice. It is not strange that it should have attracted Richard Jacks and the church which he had established and shepherded.
White Top Church, in Grayson County, Virginia, was organ- ized by Richard Jacks in 1847.
Mount Pleasant Church, in Ashe County, was organized in 1849, by whom I do not know, but I have reason to believe that Richard Jacks had a hand in it. It was at this church that the New River Baptist Association, whose fortunes we are to follow, was organized in 1870.
It will be noted that Richard Jacks took part in organizing four of the eight churches above referred to and was probably concerned with the formation of another. Almost equally active in organization work was Stephen Ross. It was to the ministry of these two great servants of God that the Mountain and Sen- ter Baptist associations objected so strenuously that they refused to accept candidates for church membership who had been bap- tized by either Jacks or Ross.
At this last session of which I have record, the death of Elder Armstrong Blevins was reported, he having died on June 14,
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THE NEW RIVER (VA. ) BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS
1868, in his 53rd year. The minutes contain a beautiful tribute to his character and splendid service in the cause of the Master.
While the situation was not encouraging and the future looked dark, it is good to note that progress was being made along many lines. James Eller, clerk of the 1868 session of the association, has set down in the minutes many items not usually included in minutes of such meetings. He records that at this time Baptist Chapel was supplied by the labors of Elders Jackson Blevins and Levi Barker and that it had "a flourishing Sabbath school." Apple Grove was supplied by Elders J. Green, Jackson Blevins, and Levi Barker. Landmark was supplied by Elders J. Blevins, T. M. Duncan and Levi Barker, and was "in harmony with Young's Chapel and Antioch churches, the difficulty between them having been adjusted." Mount Pleasant was reported as having a fine Sabbath School and regular preaching by its pastor, Elder J. Blevins. Elder Aaron Johnston, of the United Associa- tion, had given this church much of his time. Also, Elder T. M. Duncan, J. Green and Levi Barker had been of a great assistance during the year. White Top Church was reported as having the labors of Elders J. Blevins and Levi Barker, and was "in a prosperous condition ; carries on a flourishing Sunday School and has been doing much good."
On the Sabbath, the closing day of the session, there began a revival that lasted several days and resulted in many conversions and additions to the church.
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HISTORY OF THE ASHE (N. C.) AND
4
CHAPTER VII.
THE NEW RIVER BAPTIST ASSOCIATION.
There was a convention held at Baptist Chapel Church in Ashe County, beginning on June 10, 1870, for the purpose of organ- izing a new association to be made up of churches from the Jeffer- son, Lebanon and United Baptist associations. The introduc- tory sermon was preached by Elder Aaron Johnston, from the text Heb. 12:2.
Elder J. B. Jones was elected moderator and James Eller clerk. The convention immediately set about its task and it was decided to call a general convention of the churches connected with the Jefferson, United, Lebanon and Mountain Union associations "to consider matters of great importance, looking to the forma- tion of a new association."
The following very significant preamble and resolution was presented and, after discussion, adopted :
"Whereas, differences of opinion have existed between some of the churches connected with the Lebanon and Jef- ferson associations, and certain proceedings enacted in some of said churches calculated to wound the feelings of some members of said churches, in view of a final settlement of all difficulties of whatever character which have heretofore existed, and the further object of a re-union, be it
"Resolved, by this convention: That we hereby ignore whatever occurred in the past and declare our willingness to, and do hereby, retract whatever has heretofore been done in any of the churches contrary to the spirit of the gospel and regular Baptist usage."
The present generation knows little, and, apparently, cares less about the troubles that dismembered the Jefferson Associa- tion and sister associations and provided the necessity for this convention and the resolution above set out. The Baptist leaders who met in this convention, thought they had smoothed the way for settling all difficulties but they were not settled. In 1876 we find Baptist Chapel Church, where this convention was held, breaking away from its new ties and joining the Mountain Union Association. Baptist Chapel was the first distinctively and avowedly missionary Baptist church to be formed in Ashe County after the "Great Split."
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THE NEW RIVER (VA.) BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS
However, this digression is overrunning our story which has to do now with the convention. It was decided to refer the reso- lutions to the churches and a statement of considerable length was prepared, in which it was set out that they were missionary Bap- tists, believing in missions, but not in favor of taxing their mem- bers for the support of missionaries, or coercing them into giv- ing. With this done, the convention adjourned to meet on Fri- day before the fourth Sunday in October, 1870, at Mount Pleasant Church in Ashe County.
I do not have the minutes of the organization meeting of the New River Association which was held in accordance with ad- journment, nor do I have the minutes of the first session, which met at Baptist Union, in Grayson County, Virginia, in October, 1871.
The organization meeting at Mount Pleasant Church was pre- sided over by Elder Stephen Ross, as moderator, and W. C. Parks was clerk. The introductory sermon was preached by Elder J. B. Jones. The first annual meeting at Baptist Union, was presided over by Elder J. B. Jones, with W. C. Parks again serving as clerk. Elder Stephen Ross preached the introductory sermon.
The second annual session of the New River Association was held with Fellowship Church, beginning August 22, 1872. The introductory sermon was preached by Elder J. J. L. Sherwood from the text Matt. 28:19-20. Elder Sherwood was elected moderator and W. C. Parks was elected clerk.
When an invitation to visiting brethren was extended by the moderator, Elders B. G. Maynard and J. M. Halsey, of the Lebanon Association, presented themselves and were invited to seats in the body. Elder Maynard was representing the Bristol Female College, a Baptist school, not to be mistaken for Inter- mont College, a Baptist institution now in the same city. Elder Maynard made a splendid impression on the association and his plea for his institution met with gratifying response. I have already recorded that forward-looking Baptists in the Jefferson and Senter associations had it on their hearts to provide for bet- ter education of their young men, particularly looking to the improvement of the ministry, but this is the first account I can find in the history of the Baptists of this territory, of any interest being shown in the higher education of girls. At this session, following the report of Elder J. J. L. Sherwood on education, the association pledged $475.00 for Bristol Female College. That
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HISTORY OF THE ASHE (N. C.) AND
the education of young men was not forgotten, is shown by this paragraph from Elder Sherwood's report :
"We must have educated men for all of the relations of life, regardless of vocation. To these ends we would most earnestly recommend the establishment of good academic schools of high grade within the bounds of the association."
It appears from the records of this session that at the previous session in 1871, Elder J. J. L. Sherwood had been appointed associational missionary, for he made a report at this session of the work done during the year and the association decided to continue him in that capacity. Pledges for his support, amount- ing to $156.65, were made by the association. It also appears, from reports of standing committees at this session that the open- ing session had taken an advanced stand on missions, education and Sunday Schools.
The statistical tables in the minutes for the 1872 session show a total membership of 611 in thirteen churches. Landmark and Baptist Chapel churches were not represented.
Apple Grove Church was represented by D. Tucker, W. P. Lewis and G. C. Gilbert. Elder S. Blackburn was reported as pastor of the church.
Baptist Union, by S. Perkins, L. L. Long, S. Ross and W. P. Long. Elder W. C. Parks, pastor.
Fellowship, by D. P. Robinson, W. Calahan, A. Wright and John Cannoy. Elder J. J. L. Sherwood, pastor.
Forest Home, by James Eller, R. Wallace and A. F. Wilcox. No pastor.
Galena, by J. H. Hampton, B. Bird and L. D. Vaughan. Elder A. S. Murray, pastor.
Grubbs Chapel, by J. Grubb, J. Haga, J. G. Jones and J. Testerman. Elder W. C. Parks, pastor.
Independence, by M. B. Dickey and E. M. James. No pastor. Liberty Hill, by William Carson and Thomas Bennett. Elder W. C. Parks, pastor.
Mount Pleasant, by Robert Blevins and A. P. Howell. Elder Jackson Blevins, pastor.
White Top, by W. L. Blevins and A. L. Pennington. Pastor, Elder E. Ayers.
Young's Chapel, by L. L. Perkins, W. C. Parks and J. J. L. Sherwood. No pastor.
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THE NEW RIVER (VA. ) BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS
The third annual session of the New River Association was held with Liberty Hill Church in Grayson County, beginning on October 9, 1873, with the introductory sermon by Elder J. T. Kincannon. Elder J. J. L. Sherwood was again elected modera- tor and J. B. Jones was elected clerk and treasurer.
It was decided at this session to continue the associational mis- sionary work and Elder Sherwood was retained as missionary. Individual pledges were made for his support amounting to $205. Interest was still high in the Bristol Female College and three men, W. C. Fields, D. F. Roberts and another whose name was not given, subscribed $50.00 each for this school. $18.00 was contributed toward a parsonage to be erected at Marion, Va., this being done after the matter had been presented forcefully by Elder R. B. Boatright.
I think that this session of the association was one of the greatest in the association's entire history, in many respects. I find that the reports presented by the various committees were of unusually high order, especially notable being the report on periodicals, by James Eller ; the report on Colportage, by Robert Blevins; the report on Sabbath Schools, by L. N. Perkins; the report of progress of the Baptists, by W. C. Parks; the report of missions, by J. H. Perkins ; the report on temperance, by Wil- liam Carson, and the report on education by Dr. E. M. James.
Dr. James suggested that immediate steps be taken to estab- lish a "male school of high grade." Elder W. C. Parks and Wiley G. Young then presented a proposition from Young's Chapel Church to construct an academy at Oak Hill, promising to contribute largely to their means toward construction and maintenance. Elder Parks placed the matter before the associa- tion in the following resolution, which was unanimously adopted :
"Resolved, that this association respond to and accept the proposition of Young's Chapel Church to construct an academy at Oak Hill and they will contribute of their means to said object."
The association then named a committee of five, consisting of E. M. James, James Comer, Alex Stamey, W. C. Parks and Levi Long, to select nine trustees for the new school, to whom the real estate necessary for the school should be conveyed, and who should supervise the erection of the school and direct its opera- tions. This committee gave the matter due consideration and
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HISTORY OF THE ASHE (N. C.) AND
HON. W. C. FIELDS
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THE NEW RIVER (VA. ) BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS
named the following as the first board of trustees of "Oak Hill Academy":
Elder W. C. Parks, Elder J. B. Jones. W. G. Young, L. N. Perkins, William Carson, John W. Ross, James Eller, D. Blevins, W. C. Fields.
The committee's nominees were unanimously elected and it was provided that their successors would be elected by the associa- tion. I think I should record here the first gifts to this, the first Baptist school in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina and this part of southwest Virginia. The amounts appear to be small, but in view of the poverty of the times, they are truly large. They are listed as follows :
Andrew Greer, $50; James Eller, $25; J. B. Jones, $25; J. Sayers, $10; David Lovelace, $25; P. Blevins, $25; E. McCar- roll, $25; J. York, $25; A. C. Holdaway, $25; J. Testerman, $25 (the last three to be paid in work ) ; J. A. Dickey, $25 ; J. G. Jones, $25 ; Martin Vaughan, $10; E. S. Lovelace, $25; I. Ed- mondson, $10; J. H. Gallehon, $25; Miss Maggie Carson, $18; Miss Clem Young, $18; N. Shelton, $10; William Carson do- nated 150 acres of land. Valuing the land at $150.00, the total subscriptions amounted to $576.00.
To my mind, this session is epochal, for it marked the end of dreaming and the beginning of realization of dreams. For a generation the people of this section had been thinking about establishing a school, but they had gotten no further than that. Now they take steps to secure the sort of school they had been dreaming about.
In 1874 the association met with Forest Home Church, in Ashe County, on October 8th. Elder I. W. Thomas preached the introductory sermons and Elder J. J. L. Sherwood was again elected moderator. Elder W. C. Parks was chosen clerk and treasurer. One new church, Pleasant Home, was received into the association, and many Baptist leaders from other associations were invited to seats in the body, among them being I. W. Thomas, of the Brushy Mountain Association ; J. F. Maiden and Dr. Houston, from the Lebanon Association; B. G. Maynard, a professor in Bristol Female College : Elder E. F. Jones from the Watauga Association; J. H. Garvey and M. Campbell from the Brushy Mountain Association, and Elder A. Powers from the Mountain Union Association.
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HISTORY OF THE ASHE (N. C.) AND
It is recorded that following the report on missions by A. S. Murray, the association pledged $100 to state missions and $34 for foreign missions. J. H. Perkins offered the report on educa- tion which was followed by a discussion of the needs of Oak Hill Academy and a total of $152.50 was pledged for it. On motion of W. C. Parks, J. H. Perkins was elected trustee of the school, succeeding Elder J. B. Jones, who had moved out of the associa- tion.
I did not have the pleasure of meeting J. B. Jones but I heard much about him. He was pastor of the church at Independence, Va., which was later moved out of town to a site two miles south of town on Brush Creek and renamed Brush Creek Church. Whence he came and whither he went I have never known. He was a small man physically, not tall enough to stand behind the old-fashioned pulpits of his day and see his congregations over them. He was a great Sunday school worker and organizer. He organized a Sunday school at old Beaver Creek Church in Ashe County, an anti-missionary church, in 1871 or 1872. Afterwards I attended this Sunday school, walking about two miles in order to do so. I was just a boy of 11 or 12 years, but that Sunday school made an indelible impression upon my mind and shaped my destiny. I thank God for J. B. Jones and for the little old- fashioned Sunday school that he established.
We find in the statistical tables of this and the preceding ses- sions, two churches in Carroll County, Virginia, Hebron and Pickett's, organized by Alex Stamey. These churches disap- peared and in the following session of the association some one asked Stamey what had become of his little churches. He said:
"The Hard-shells, the Methodists, Tom Stone (a so- called Campbellite preacher ) and the devil got among 'em and scattered 'em to the four corners of the earth."
In 1875 the association met with Pleasant Home Church, in Ashe County, beginning on September 2nd. Elder Alex Stamey preached the opening sermon and Elders Sherwood and Parks were re-elected moderator and clerk, respectively. At this ses- sion Baptist Chapel asked for a letter of dismission and it was granted. We find that this church went over to the Mountain Union Baptist Association the next year and remained in that association until 1924, when it applied for membership in the Ashe County Association and was received. This is one of the
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THE NEW RIVER (VA.) BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS
REV. I. W. THOMAS
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HISTORY OF THE ASHE (N. C.) AND
notable old churches of Ashe County, with an interesting history. As I have already stated, it was organized in 1842 by Elders B. Roby and Stephen Ross and it was the first distinctively mission- ary church to be organized in Ashe County after the "great split" of 1836 to 1838. Baptist Chapel did not remain in the latter association.
The association at this session showed considerable interest in Oak Hill Academy and pledges were made for it amounting to $224.00. This session is notable for the fact that it brought into Ashe County and Grayson County a very capable preacher and faithful servant of God, Elder I. W. Thomas, a native of Alex- ander County. Acting favorably upon the recommendation of James Eller, of the executive committee, the association voted to employ Elder Thomas as associational missionary and individual pledges were taken for his support amounting to $130.00. He had only recently come to Ashe County and had married Miss Julia Garvey. He did splendid work in the association. He later moved to Caldwell County and died there a few years ago after having served his day and generation well and faithfully to a ripe old age. He was an outspoken friend of missions and of every good cause.
The minutes of this session show no contributions for missions, for pastors' salaries or for any other cause except "printing min- utes." Only two Sunday schools were reported, though there were probably more. These were Forest Home, with thirty students and Galena with fifty. A total church membership of 767 was reported, a gain in three years of 286.
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