USA > North Carolina > Edgecombe County > History of Edgecombe County, North Carolina > Part 38
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
This essay created dissension among the missionary Baptists and no less than nine different articles were written in reply to the "American Telescope." Mr. Lawrence replied to the various articles on November 2, 1827, in another essay entitled the "Clod- hopper." Six years later the "Clodhopper" was enlarged, when an application was made to the State Legislature for a charter for Wake Forest College. Joshua Lawrence's power reached its greatest efficiency just at that time. The demand for a charter of a church institution roused him to immediate action. A firm and faithful believer in the separation of church and state, he stated his politi- cal views with the same import as he did his religious views. He had his pamphlet presented to every member of the General As- sembly. This, however, did not bear influence sufficient to prevent the charter. Following the declaration of Mr. Lawrence the churches in the county drew up resolutions against the State incorporating a church institution.
During this same year Mr. Lawrence published his best works on religion from a Calvanistic viewpoint. This production was called a Basket of Fragments, and contained many selections on religious life for the instruction of young people.
A year later, in 1834, he published in the Primitive Baptist 1 an article called "Teeth to Teeth, or Tom Thumb Tugging with the Wolves for the Sheep Skin." In this essay Mr. Lawrence symbolized the old school Baptists as sheep in the midst of the missionaries and being gradually devoured by them. It is most pathetic as well as satirical in its exposition. "Go your way," quotes Mr. Lawrence, "behold I send you forth as lambs among wolves." He depicts the scene of salaried preachers as "wolf preachers clothed in sheep skins and pretending to be in a gospel church." It was his expressed purpose in this article to dig teeth to teeth by Scripture for the sheep skin which the Missionaries
1 A Baptist organ published by George Howard, of Tarboro.
415
BAPTISTS
had assumed in order to devour the sheep in this "garb." To make his thought effective six kinds of ministers of the gospel- self-made ministers, men-made ministers, devil-made ministers, a Christian that makes himself a minister, a gentleman preacher, and God's minister-were described. Each division was taken up in order and portrayed as Mr. Lawrence saw it according to Scripture. The book is a broad survey of socalled hypocracies in the church and the various methods employed by the ministers to deceive the people under them.
During the year 1826 a missionary preacher ventured to stay all night with Mr. Lawrence without knowing who his host was. Mr. Lawrence treated him with courtesy, and surprised his guest the next morning by telling him who he was. Living up to the reputation which had been given him, Mr. Lawrence asked if he had any abolition papers upon his person. His guest, with equal candor, positively denied having any such literature, and showed Mr. Lawrence many tracts and other papers. Mr. Lawrence ad- vised his guest that if he did possess any abolition papers he had better burn them lest he got into "Jack's House" in passing South.
In 1840 several missionary preachers were traveling in Edge- combe in behalf of missions and Mr. Lawrence desired to know of their whereabouts. He wrote to the Primitive Baptist accord- ingly, "If any of you know what has become of these tourists for money you will do me the favor to communicate it to me, for these men have passed me in their routes without calling on me. I want to give them an invitation. My barns have not been empty in forty years. Their horses can be fed when hungry and fatigued; they themselves shall be heartily welcome to the best the pot affords with additional supplies. I wish them and others of like stamp not to think me an enemy because they may differ with me in opinion whether religious or political, for that man is a fool who thinks every man must see out of his neighbor's eyes or be compelled to think as he thinks. Yet I would have it understood that I would as soon believe Judas was a minister of God when a devil from the beginning, as to believe that a mis- sionary hireling is a gospel minister of Christ, for with all of my four eyes for my life I cannot see the difference between selling the Master for thirty pieces of silver and selling the Master's gospel for the highest price."
416
HISTORY OF EDGECOMBE COUNTY
Occasionally an ardent supporter of the missionary cause would venture a reply to Mr. Lawrence's bitter words of de- nunciation. The same year of Mr. Lawrence's inquiry for the traveling ministers in the county an article appeared stating that if Old Lawrence was dead they could come among the Baptists in the county with their steam religion and have a good revival.
Following this slight encounter with the missionary preachers in 1840, Mr. Lawrence published in the Primitive Baptist a satirical article entitled "Froggery." No other piece of satire against modern monopolies and the incorporation of religious in- stitutions has ever appeared in print in this State. Mr. Lawrence makes use of a frog as a symbol of the church and dissects it in order to show how the church may be rid of the evils of the mis- sionaries. Smooth in diction, convincing and accurate in argu- ment, the essay cannot but impress the ability and force of the writer.
In 1841 Elder Lawrence was offered ten thousand dollars for his literary productions in order that they might be published for circulation. Men dogged him for days at the time for the exclusive privilege of publishing his works for personal profit. But in his peculiar way he refused, with the statement that he was devoting his talent and life to the cause of his church and faith and not pecuniary gain.
In politics Mr. Lawrence was a Democrat and was as earnest in his denunciation of political corruption as he was of the new religious movement. His literary skill and free opinion involved him in many political controversies. He displayed unusual energy and generally met his opponent worthily. The sentiment against the bank question in 1841 was championed by Joshua Lawrence in Eastern Carolina. His greatest political document, the "Mechanic," published 1841, was an exposition on this question and brought comment from the best intellect of the time. The Portsmouth Old Dominion,1 edited by F. Fiske, gave the follow- ing approbatory notice of several articles written by Mr. Law- rence against the bank in that year. It says in part: "Reverend Joshua Lawrence, a gentleman, a Baptist preacher of considerable celebrity, who resides in Edgecombe County, has recently pub-
1 The Old Dominion was at the time one of the leading newspapers of the South and published at Portsmouth, Va.
417
BAPTISTS
lished his views upon the evil effects of our present wicked and corrupt banking system, in the Tarboro Free Press. Like the Reverend John Leland, Reverend President Wayland, Reverend Professor Sears and other brilliant lights of the Baptist Church, he is the undeviating force of all chartered monopolies, the firm friend of equality and the rights of man."
For several years after the division among the Baptists and the erection of churches by the missionary party, the strife and con- tention became very bitter. Each party denounced the other in not very gentle and affectionate terms. The missionaries treated the old school Baptists with a great deal of contempt on account of the smallness of their number. They claimed that they would soon become extinct, that their creed was old-fashioned, and that they lacked education and were deficient in culture and refine- ment. They proclaimed in conversation and through the press that the old party would soon be entirely out of the way and would give them no further trouble. Various names of reproach were applied to them by the missionaries, such as "Hardshells," "Straight Jackets," "Ignoramuses," "Lawrenceons," "Orbornites," and "Anti-Omians." The Primitive Baptists retaliated by nick- naming the new school Baptists as "Money grabbers," "Dis- turbers of the Lamb," "Dowerdites," "Imbibbers," "Money- loving," "Money-beggers," "Mesmerizers," "Passion-exciters," "Do-and-live Baptists." In order to make the warfare more effective the old school element organized a paper in 1835 1 to promote their cause in a forceful way. The paper was edited by Mark Bennett, published by George Howard, of Tarboro. The original purpose of the paper was to defend the Old School United Baptists from the aspersions by persons professing their own faith because they did not engage in the new organizations that arose. The paper was not inimical to masonry-as was reported and believed by many several years ago-temperance, the distribu- tion of the Bible, and other religious literature; but it did condemn the new methods of religion and the new idea of securing money for religious propaganda.
The two divisions became distinct institutions and had a church government separate from each other. The time of reaction had come after many months of turmoil and affliction. The cycle
1 Primitive Baptist.
27
418
HISTORY OF EDGECOMBE COUNTY
began anew, with both divisions feeling oppressed and persecuted. Misfortune and confusion, however, strengthened their resolves and plans; it gave them patience to bear the inevitable and the spirit of reasoning to judge their individual weaknesses. Each division became more unified in its doctrine than the collective body was before the separation.
The missionary element, as soon as the split was effected, or- ganized a church under the pastoral care of Elder Dowd. Mr. Dowd was highly qualified to assume the leadership of this new organization. In 1823 he began his ministry. He had missionary principles from the beginning, and in 1833, when he moved to Madison County, Tennessee, he joined the Big Black Church- there being no Missionary Church-on condition that he be per- mitted to contribute to home and foreign missions.
In 1829 Mr. Dowd and his followers occupied the meeting house on the corner of the block now occupied by the ice factory in Tarboro. The leaders of the church caught the spirit that was awakening and moving the new world. It was a time for organ- ization, and on February 10, 1829, Edgecombe sent representa- tives to the Missionary Baptist State Convention at Greenville to assist in organizing the North Carolina Missionary Baptist Benevolent Society. Mr. Dowd was elected president and Henry Austin, of Tarboro, treasurer. Many members from the Tarboro Church were also elected on the board of directors. The purpose of the society was to raise funds and to appropriate them to the support of traveling ministers conducting evangelistic campaigns within North Carolina. Mr. Dowd himself was elected one of the missionaries.
The new church in Edgecombe sent a large delegation to the convention held at Rives's Chapel, Chatham County, in 1832. Amos J. Battle, the great grandson of Elisha Battle and a brother of late Judge W. H. Battle, accompanied Treasurer Austin from the Tarboro Church. Mr. Battle was a prominent leader of the Missionary Baptists in the State. His conversion came while he was traveling on a horse through Georgia to one of his plantations in Florida. He had stopped at a wayside country church to rest and the day being the appointed time for services he went in to hear the sermon. It was then that he felt the call to the ministry and on his return from Florida he received the ordinance of
419
BAPTISTS
baptism at the same church and from the same pastor that he received the first impression. He entered the ministry in a short time, laboring zealously for the faith he believed. Mr. Battle was very wealthy and supported the missionary movement with very liberal gifts. Before his death he gave two handsome brick resi- dences to Wake Forest College and a beautiful brick church to the Missionary Baptist Congregation in Raleigh.
At the convention Battle and Austin labored zealously for the missionary cause. Through their instrumentality the board of missions was enlarged and plans for more and better churches were made. It was at this convention that Edgecombe's repre- sentatives also pleaded for special attention in the organization and discipline of Sunday schools. On his return home Mr. Battle, assisted by Elder Dowd, began an earnest campaign for the missionary cause. This year, 1833 and 1834, is the landmark for the Missionary Baptist movement. John Culpepper, in his seventieth year, visited the county and preached several sermons in a revival meeting. James Thomas, the celebrated minister, traveled for days and weeks in the little villages throughout the county holding meetings in various houses.
The object of these meetings was two-fold. There was an earnest desire to raise means for the spread of the gospel, and to offer a strong opposition to slavery which had a stronghold among the people of the county at that time. On May 16, 1834, this series of meetings culminated in a great evangelistic campaign.
The principal leaders of the movement were Mr. and Mrs. Way. They were assisted by a Dr. Bolles, Reverend Luther Rice, Reverend William Hill Jordan, Amos J. Battle, James Thomas, and two natives of Burmah. The crowd congregated at the church about eleven o'clock, and service was introduced by Dr. Bolles. Mr. Way then addressed the people upon the cause of missions and its relation to the teachings of Christ. To support his view he introduced the two Burmans-two of whom were in the congre- gation-as an evidence that the missionary labor had not been in vain. The Burmans were requested to stand up and were interrogated as to their conversion. Not being able to talk Eng- lish, their words were interpreted to the congregation by Mr. Way. During the meantime the women were instructed relative to the
420
HISTORY OF EDGECOMBE COUNTY
women's conditions among the heathen, at Mr. Henry Austin's, by Mrs. Way.
This campaign received much celebrity and became the cause of much controversy. An account of the meeting was written by a friend of the Missionary Baptists in the Tarboro Free Press. The next day, May 23, 1834, there appeared an article signed "Philanthropist" in reply. It was the purpose of this article to confute the awful conditions depicted in the Burman Empire. "Philanthropist" showed that Burmah was one of the finest coun- tries for rice, cotton, sugar, cane, and all tropical fruits. The inhabitants had mines of gold, silver, rubies, sapphires, and other precious stones, and yet, quotes the writer, they are without the great truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This evangelistic meeting also resulted in a bitter controversy by the introduction of the slave question. The matter of slavery became the all-absorbing issue, with the various divisions of the churches in the county. The missionaries were termed bigots and compared with the fanatics of the North, who, in their bigotry, were in favor of immediate abolition. The opposition to the missionaries also took on a racial and political controversy, which was reflected in an editorial of the Tarboro Free Press, May 30, 1834. Mr. Howard, the editor, discussed the promiscuous mingling with the Burmans, who on account of their dark com- plexion, he considered them members of the African race. The fact that the white missionaries introduced these Burmans in the Tarboro society caused the opponents of the missionaries to raise a bar of social intercourse with them. The action of the whites was interpreted as that of being in favor of the emancipation of slaves.
The danger of engaging in political controversy became very obvious. The missionaries immediately offered an explanation to the previous statements that had been made in the convention, modifying to a considerable degree the various charges made by them against the rights of slavery and political freedom. The Reverend Mr. Battle wrote Mr. Howard from Nashville, N. C., in reply to his editorial. He pointed out that the editor misunder- stood the meaning of the missionary meeting held in Tarboro. He moreover informed the citizens of Edgecombe that the thought of exciting the slaves to rebellion or revolt was never mentioned
421
BAPTISTS
in the entire meeting. In spite of the fact that Mr. Battle pub- lished his explanation, the ire existing in the minds of the people was never eliminated. The impression made upon the people at the meeting and the editorial in the Tarboro paper was too pro- found to be so easily eradicated. The one idea that the mis- sionaries who favored foreign missions were using this as a pre- text to accomplish their designs of interfering with servitude in the county remained until the war between the states.
Notwithstanding the opposition, the missionary cause began to take more permanent steps in church work. A movement which proved very helpful to the missionaries was the erection of churches in the largest towns, and especially in Tarboro. Prior to 1850 there was only one church in the entire county. Churches were established after this date at Hobgood, Rocky Mount, Tois- not, Wilson, and after the Civil War in almost all the other towns and villages by the State Missionary Board. More recently places of worship have been established at Conetoe and Mildred. The Primitive Baptist denounced the central organized board for church organization as a human institution. Many among the missionaries who were somewhat weak in their faith felt the charge of the Primitive Baptists against the board, and withdrew from its work. However, by much effort on the part of those who believed in the validity of church organization the sentiment turned in the missionary favor, and the State Board of Missions began anew its active work in the county.
One of the most important problems the new church had to contend with was that of its colored members. It was during Elder P. D. Gold's pastorate as a missionary that the question of colored membership came up. For awhile there was a tendency for separate church organizations for the blacks. This tendency, however, was overruled by a majority, and the negro worshiped with the whites until he obtained his political freedom in 1865. Shortly after 1869, a lot, No. 163, was rented from the town of Tarboro for $1.00 per annum to erect a negro Missionary Baptist Church. This church stood in a square between Congress Street, Water Street, Cedar Street, and Hendrix Street. It is in use now.
For several years the church had the same laws, rules and regu- lations that the white church had. A dissatisfaction, however, to this system arose in May, 1883. Ella Fetter, wife of Dock Fetter,
422
HISTORY OF EDGECOMBE COUNTY
professed religion and was favorably received by the church by a majority of votes. As she was about to be baptized one of the deacons objected because of her character. The pastor, George Norwood, refused to consider the objection, claiming it came too late. The deacon then claimed that if the majority of the deacons objected the rite could not be legally performed. On the evening of the ceremony of baptism the church door was locked by the deacons, and feeling reached fever heat. Epithets and slang were generously used. One member even struck another on the nose, but claimed that she was only shouting and was not angry.
The pastor and his followers contended that the pastor was the supposed head of the church, and that his word was law, that the temporal management was his duty and not that of the deacons. He and his supporters, moreover, advocated a different form of church government than the whites, and asserted that if one hundred members would give ten dollars each he would build another church and separate from the present organization. The deacons, however, prevailed and preferred charges of schism in the church and disturbing the peace by violating the church law against the pastor.
Thus it was that the desire for baptizing an unfavorable can- didate paved the way for a new church government for the negroes. Although Norwood and his followers were unsuccessful at the time in securing an independent church building, they did secure an individual pastor, board of deacons, and church officers. After the termination of this confusion in 1883, excluding minor and trivial strife, the churches have had a peaceful existence to the present day.
The white churches increased both in numbers and influence very rapidly. In 1872 the church at Tarboro called T. R. Owen as its pastor and witnessed a revival during his administration. This is, as far as the records show, the first revival held in that church. Mr. Owen, however, was no strong believer in revivals, and it is reported by some of the oldest members in Tarboro that when the Reverend George Green came to conduct the meeting he left town. The revival was not a successful one, for only one addition, Willie Battle, was added to the church.
Mr. Owen served the church for about three years, and after him the church was supplied by Reverend Mr. Carter, who lived in
i
i
TARBORO MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
423
BAPTISTS
Wilson and preached in two other churches in addition to the one at Tarboro. It was during Mr. Carter's pastorate that the church held one of the largest revivals ever held in the town. Many additions were made and a profound awakening stirred the en- tire community. A new church was built following this revival to better aid in the work already begun.
A noted movement in Missionary Baptist history in Tarboro occurred when Dr. J. B. Huffman took charge of the church in 1880.1 Dr. Huffman was a man of high character. In 1881 he was moved to Raleigh, and was made editor of the Biblical Re- corder, a Baptist publication. Before this he had made a good impression as a speaker and writer. He and Mr. Owen, having been of the Presbyterian faith, did not favor revivals. Dr. Huff- man remained in Raleigh through the dark years of the late war, gathering experiences that proved beneficial in organizing churches in his later life. In 1878 he was called to take charge of the Scotland Neck Church, which at that time was closely related to the church at Tarboro. These two churches experienced a feeling of fellowship and assisted each other in time of spiritual depres- sion and material opposition.
Realizing the powers of Dr. Huffman, the church at Tarboro, in the fall of 1891, offered him the pastorate of that church. Dr. Huffman, feeling that his labors would be more fruitful at Tar- boro, accepted. The Missionary congregation at this time was very small. The church was struggling under a debt of $6,000 on their new church house.2 Dr. Huffman had succeeded Rev- erend J. W. Hundley, who had, with the assistance of his congre- gation, built a new church on Main Street. Mr. Hundley left before the church was completed. O. C. Farrar, one of the leading members, had built the church with the original purpose to present to the congregation the debt on the day of its dedication. Mr. Farrar, however, died suddenly, and his worthy purpose was not
1 Mr. Carter was succeeded by James M. Macmanary. No events of importance occurred during his stay, and he gave way to Rev. J. A. Leslie, who remained two years, preaching the tenets of the faith with power and persuasion. Mr. Huffman succeeded him.
" The old church which stood on Hendrix Street was sold to the colored Primitive Baptist for $200. This church was the one formerly used by the United Baptists before the division in 1832. At the time of the division the Missionaries received it and worshiped here until 1888, when it was burned. It was rebuilt by the Mis- sionaries and used by them when Elder P. D. Gold was pastor.
424
HISTORY OF EDGECOMBE COUNTY
accomplished. The church was advertised for sale when Dr. Huffman arrived. He set about immediately to pay off the church debt and met with hearty support from C. A. Austin. With Mr. Austin's aid and with much sacrifice on the part of the individual members, a large part of the sum was raised in the spring of 1894. After accomplishing his work at Tarboro Dr. Huffman sought a new field.
Reverend W. M. Savage succeeded Dr. Huffman and the church enjoyed his ministry for four years. Many additions were made, and the spiritual growth of the church increased during his stay. In 1898 he was succeeded by Reverend Braxton Craig.
The Primitive Baptist Church began a new career after the division in 1832. It seemed, however, that harmony and brotherly affection was not to be enjoyed for any length of time. Parallel and contemporary with the mission split was the anti-Masonic movement among the Primitive or Regular Baptists. When the resolutions were passed in 1830 against missions nonfellowship was also declared against those joining the Masonic fraternity. As early as 1826 much dissension existed between the Baptists and the members of the Masonic order. The controversy was re- newed when many of the Baptists joined the fraternity, and it was not infrequent that the ministers themselves belong to that institution.1 The friction became so acute that James S. Battle, John W. Mayo, and others were appointed as a committee by the church to draw resolutions against members of the Baptist Church joining the Masons or visiting their lodges.
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.