USA > South Carolina > History of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, Vol. I pt 2 > Part 22
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Among these were General Pickens, Colonel Reid, Major Bowie, Major Hamilton, with the Captains Wardlaw, Rosa- mond, Watts, Jones, &c.
Upper Long Cane and Greenville were incorporated in 1787. LOWER LONG CANE (afterwards HOPEWELL), is situated about fourteen miles southwest from Upper Long Cane, or about twelve miles in the same direction from the village of Abbeville. The first house of worship, as we have seen on page 443, was built of logs, and in this, in all probability, the church was organized.
GREENVILLE CONGREGATION is situated on the head-waters of Long Cane Creek, in Abbeville district, and, from the residence of many of its members near the river of that name, was formerly called Saluda. There are no existing docu- ments which show who were the first ministers that preached to this people, nor at what period they were first supplied. The first stated preaching they had was from the Rev. John Harris, who commenced his labors with them in the year 1772 or '73. He gave them a portion of his time for some years. About the year 1784, Robert Hall, of Orange presby- tery, was called to the pastoral care of this congregation. He
* April 13, 1788. I called at a Presbyterian meeting-house, and heard Mr. Hall, the minister, preach a good sermon on Isaiah 55. After meeting we rode twenty miles to brother Moore's on the Saluda .- Bp. Asbury's Journal.
551
BULL TOWN, OR ROCKY RIVER.
1780-1790.]
appeared at the first meeting of South Carolina presbytery with his dismission from Orange, and was ordained as has been described.
BULL TOWN, OR ROCKY RIVER, was about fifteen miles north of Lower Long Cane. At Bull Town a large frame building succeeded the log house, and the name was changed to Rocky River. The Rev. John Harris continued to officiate to these and the other churches of Abbeville district through the first half of this decade, and occasionally afterwards.
" On the day subsequent to the ordination of Robert Hall over the Upper Long Cane and Greenville or Saluda congre- gation, the presbytery met at Mrs. Pettigrew's for the trials of Robert Mecklin, and on the day following, July 29, 1785, he was ordained and installed in the bounds of Rocky River congregation, Rev. James Edmonds presiding, preaching the sermon from 2d Timothy, ii., 15, and delivering the charge to the pastor and people. A vast concourse assem- bled at Davis' Bridge on this occasion, "to witness the ordination and instalment of Mr. Robert Mecklin, into the pastoral charge of Lower Long Cane* and Rocky River. Such was the eagerness of the people to witness this cere- mony, that it was deemed advisable to select a suitable spot between the two congregations ; and there, in the rich cathe- dral of nature, the young presbytery of South Carolina held its third meeting within the space of two months for this solemn and beautiful purpose. It had first received as pro- bationers, from the presbytery of Orange, three young men, Robert Hall, Robert Finley, and Robert Mecklin-the first of whom had been placed at Upper Long Cane and Greenville- names that were destined to leave a fragrance of piety, not yet utterly lost to this region. This ordination was 'a scene which could never be forgotten,' said one who was an eye-witness. And certainly it was a beautiful sight, after the terrors and turmoils of war, to behold two large congrega- tions meeting peacefully and harmoniously in the exercise of their simple worship, which requires no 'temple built with hands.' No longer were to be seen the ominous stacks of muskets, nor the sentinel pacing to and fro with straining eye; there were no more palpitating hearts nor trembling nerves ; but on the green sward, and under the rich shadow of the water-oaks, were groups of happy children and happier mothers, whilst the serene and hopeful expression of the
* It was not until 1788 that the place received the name of Hopewell.
552
ORDINATION OF MR. MECKLIN.
[1780-1790.
assembly, seated around on logs or puncheons, was nearly as sparkling as the limpid waters which flowed at their feet. But the most touching sight of all, was the appearance of the young candidate for holy vows, in whose countenance there must have been a peculiar sanctity and devotion, to have in- spired his people with so much reverence, and to have given a presage of his early translation to a purer world. The fame of Mr. Mecklin as a preacher seems to have been con- temporary with his ministry ; and when, at the end of three years, God was pleased to remove him to the upper sanc- tuary, he was remembered with feelings of veneration and love, bordering on enthusiasm. 'I thought his death would have killed me,' said the intelligent and aged lady before referred to, then a youthful bride ; 'but we could have been reconciled if he had left us some of those great sermons for publication.'"
"Mr. Mecklin's power did not lie in the arts of elocution ; for he stood before his people always with a small Bible open in his hand, whence he drew his inspiration and his learning. His theme was Christ crucified-Christ alone. 'Christ all and in all,' was expounded with so much unaffected pathos, solemnity, and energy, that the large crowds which he attract- ed were often melted down by his loving tones. It is said to have been no unusual thing to see the whole congregation affected to tears by the divine unction of his words and manner. This fact is accredited by more than one witness."
"From what I have heard my revered mother often relate," says the venerable A. Giles, Esq., in October, 1853, who is an elder in this church, " Rev. Robert McLin" (such is his and the venerable Hugh Dickson's orthography of his name) " was no doubt the first pastor of the then united churches of Rocky River and Hopewell. As she frequently told me, he was the minister who baptized me. This must have been in 1784 or 1785, as I was born the 24th of November, 1784. Mr. McLin came when quite young, I presume, from Ireland, and settled in North Carolina, and thence removed to this district, married here, and died in a short time after, without issue. He was (as his brother Hugh, who was long a mem- ber of the Rocky River session, informs me), an active Whig in the time of the Revolution. He was one of the best of preachers, as I have heard my mother and others often assert."
"During his ministry, the Huguenots, settled ten miles below on Little River, flocked to his church. They had attended, in
553.
HIS DEATH AND CHARACTER.
1780-1790.]
some measure, the services of Mr. Harris, but to many of them these ordinances must have been more nominal than real ; for the older French adhered tenaciously to their native tongue, and very imperfectly, if at all, understood the English. They still maintained their lay worship and their Sabbath- schools at home ; yet taught, as they had been, that they were bound to assemble themselves together, even in woods and deserts, it is not a matter of wonder that they should seek to be fed with the crumbs of the blessed Gospel, though they were obliged, many of them, to walk eight or ten miles for this purpose.
" For a considerable period all, and for a longer time many, of these desolate and sanctuary-loving people owed their spiritual teachings to the ministrations at Hopewell, thinking themselves happy that here they could meet to commemorate the love of their dying Lord. 'It was affecting,' said one of their number, 'to see them meet at this place, always saluting each other with a kiss, while tears flowed down their cheeks.' 'They wept, yea, they wept when they remembered Zion.' Such were their numbers, it was thought proper they should have a representative in the session, and Peter Gibert, Esq., was elected an elder.
"The preaching of Mr. Mecklin was in character with their zeal and enthusiasm ; but while engaged in pastoral visitation in the summer of 1788, he was stricken with fever and died. He was originally from North Carolina, but his family had settled near Rocky River church, where his remains lie. He had been but recently married, and left no descendants."_ (Contributions to the Church History of Abbeville, from Mrs. M. E. D.)
All parties conspire in bearing their testimony to the char- acter and labors of Mr. Mecklin. Dr. Cummins says of him : " Mr. Mecklin having found it was the desire and intention of the people to call him as their pastor, previous to their calling him he publicly appointed a day to meet the church, and on said day delivered his sentiments to them in favor of the 'new psalmody,' as it is now called, and desired none would sub- scribe for him who would not allow him to practice accordingly in public worship. A few dissented, but a great majority chose him as their pastor on his own terms. He labored in the gospel with great zeal, assiduity, and success, until Sep- tember, 1788, when his great Lord and Master called him to give an account of his stewardship. His death was greatly and justly regretted by many of the most pious people as a loss
. 554
ROCKY CREEK.
[1780-1790.
to the churches."-(Materials, &c., forwarded to the General Assembly, 1794. The same testimony is given by John B. Kennedy and Dr. Waddell.) The records of presbytery notice his absence by death : " Also absent by death our reverend and very dear brother, Robert Mecklin."
Mr. Dickson names as the elders in Lower Long Cane or Hopewell congregation, Patrick Calhoun, William Hutton, Ebenezer Pettigrew, and another by the name of Blain. The elders in Rocky River congregation : Nathan Lusk, Samuel Porter, Hugh Mecklin (brother of the pastor, and an active Whig in the time of the Revolution), and Baskin, and Robert Allen. Mr. Speer also mentions Mr. Russel, William McKinley, and James Caldwell as among the first elders. And the chief names in Mr. Mecklin's charge were those of Calhoun, Noble, Davis, Baskin, Sweringham, Shanklin, Lawrence, &c.
The church of Lower Long Cane took measures in 1787 to erect a new house of worship. The plan, which is now before us, with the specifications, the names of the persons who have chosen seats, and the assessments upon each pew for salary, and the expense of building, purports to have been adopted on the 7th of September, 1787. The house was to be sixty feet by thirty-four, with galleries. It was erected on a rising ground opposite the old log church. There is a reservation in the plan of two pews for their French neighbors. From this plan, the resources of the permanent congregation and pew- holders of this date can be ascertained. It was after the erec- tion of this more commodious house that the name seems to have been changed from Lower Long Cane to Hopewell. Under this name it was incorporated by the legislature in 1788 .- (Statutes at Large, viii., 144.)
ROCKY CREEK (afterwards called the Rock) church is inti- mately connected in its history with the early Presbyterianism of Abbeville district. The earliest elder in this church received his ordination, it is said, in 1770. And about the year 1776 James Templeton, from Pennsylvania, came into Carolina and preached for a short time at Rocky Creek, but on account of the troubles which ensued from the Revolutionary war he soon returned. James Templeton was a graduate of Nassau Hall, and was licensed by the presbytery of Hanover, October 26th, 1775, and soon removed to South Carolina. The Rev. James Cresswell, also was an occasional preacher. His death, however, occurred in 1776, at the beginning of the Revolu- tion. In 1785 the church, in connection with Ninety-Six, petitioned the presbytery of South Carolina for Rev. James
555
REV. THOMAS CLARK.
1780-1790.]
Templeton as a supply for six months. October 12th, 1786, he is again appointed to supply one Sabbath at Rocky Creek, and Dr. Cummins also, in 1788. October 18th, 1788, Mr. John Springer was licensed and directed to supply Rocky Creek one Sabbath ; and April 14th, 1789, a call from the united congregations of Cambridge (alias Ninety-Six) and Rocky Creek, and another call from Little River, were sent to pres- bytery for Mr. Springer, and were put into his hands. Mr. Springer made no reply to these calls till he was cited by presbytery, October 15th, 1789. In April, 1790, he appeared before presbytery and gave up the calls from Little River, Rocky Creek, and Cambridge. At the same meeting of pres- bytery, calls from Providence, Smyrna, and Washington, in Georgia, were presented to him and accepted. It is the state- ment of Rev. Mr. McLees, in his historical discourse of April 3d, 1867, that Mr. Springer preached at Rocky Creek about two years, till in 1788 he left for Georgia. But Mr. Springer was not licensed till October, 1788. He was ordained at Washington, Georgia, in July, 1790. He probably preached here in the latter part of 1788 and in 1789.
Soon after the settlement of Robert Hall over Upper Long Cane and Greenville, and Mr. Mecklin's settlement over Rocky River and Lower Long Cane, the Rev. Thomas Clark, an old minister seceder, a native of Ireland, commonly known as Dr. Clark, from the title of M. D., which he bore, came from Albany and settled in a place called by them Lower Long Cane, among a number of his old acquaintances from Ireland. By violently opposing everything else in public praise besides the psalms of David, and by wittingly, as is charged, admitting to sealing ordinances members of the neighboring churches under suspension in their own churches for immoralities, he somewhat interrupted the strength and peace of the church.
This Dr. Clark was a student under Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, who had charge of the Burgher students in Scotland. He was licensed in 1748, and with two other ministers formed " The associate presbytery of Down" in 1751. From his first min- istry he was an earnest minister of Christ. Sent over by the Burgher presbytery of Glasgow as a missionary to Ireland, he was indefatigable in his labors. He is represented as riding through the country at a quick pace, as if on a high errand ; and as he moved to and fro, his appearance was sure to awaken suspicion and alarm in the careless and in the "New Light" ministers of that country. He wore a Highland bon-
556
NINETY-SIX (OR CAMBRIDGE).
[1780-1790.
net, expressed himself in broad Scotch, was of a dark com- plexion, tall, and gaunt ; yet he knew how to reach the con- science, exhibit the glory of the Redeemer, and proclaim a free pardon, and move the congregations he addressed. He would not take the " abjuration oath," and refused to swear by kiss- ing the book, which he regarded as a superstition, and he was thrown into prison, from which he was eventually released. Having obtained, through correspondence, a grant of forty thousand acres of land in Warren county, New York, he set sail from Newry, Ireland, on the 16th of May, 1764, with nearly three hundred of his neighbors and people. On his arriving in this country, half of his company settled on the New York lands, and the rest came to Long Cane and Cedar Spring, South Carolina. He resided for a time with the northern colony, but came to the south as before described. He pos- sessed quite a polemic spirit even to his death. He was pecu- liarly odd and uncouth, even sometimes ridiculously so, in the pulpit, but had a remarkable gift for religious conversation with children, which was his delight. He lived to an advanced age, and died suddenly while sitting in his study ; a pastoral letter to his old flock at Ballibea, Ireland, which was subse- quently published, lying before him. His death occurred on the 25th of December, 1793 .- (Reid's Hist. of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, vol. iii., p. 422, et seq. ; McKerrow's Hist .; Sprague's Annals, vol. ix .; MS. by Dr. Cummins.)
Another minister, Rev. Peter McMullin, came amongst them, of the same faith, after the death of Mr. Mecklin, and as the result of these influences, a large house of worship was built for Mr. McMullin, within four miles of Hopewell church ; within four miles of which, on the opposite side, the same measures had raised one already .- (MS. by Dr. Cummins.) During the lifetime, too, of Mr. Mecklin, and soon after his settlement, the Anabaptist preachers came among them, and made at first some small impression. But a sermon of his on the subject of infant baptism, carefully prepared, and deliv- ered, after due notice had been published, turned the tide against them.
CHAPTER VIII.
NINETY-SIX (subsequently CAMBRIDGE) .- This was a village situated six miles to the south of the Saluda river, and about
557
FRENCH OF NEW BORDEAUX.
1780-1790.]
thirty-five miles from the Savannah, and was at this time the seat of justice for the old district of Ninety-Six. It received its name from its being ninety-six miles from Keowee, the chief village of the Cherokees, opposite which was Fort Prince George, the frontier fort. From the journal of William Tennent, (see back, pp. 368, 369), we have seen that Rev. James Creswell was pastor of a church there in August, 1775. The inhabitants capitulated to the British in 1780. It had early been surrounded by a strong stockade, and was now more elaborately fortified. It was invested by General Green in May, 1781, and vigorously attacked, and as vigorously de- fended by Lieutenant-Colonel Cruger, who was relieved by the sudden advance of Lord Rawdon .* Soon after the evacuation of Ninety-Six by the British, the Cherokees broke into the district, with a number of white men, and massacred several families, and burned a number of houses. General Pickens collected a party of militia and took summary retalia- tion. At the head of three hundred and ninety-four horse- men he invaded their territory, burned thirteen towns and villages, killed upwards of forty Indians, and took still a larger number prisoners. He did not expend three pounds of ammunition, and yet but three Indians escaped after being once seen. Instead of firing, they rushed forward on horse- back and charged with drawn swords. The district of Ninety-Six contained within it, after the peace, one thousand four hundred widows and orphans, made so by the war.
We have seen that the church of Ninety-Six made its application to the presbytery of South Carolina for supplies in connection with the church of Rocky Creek, and that in the last application it has changed its name to Cambridge, which was done in view of its becoming a seat of learning.
The French Protestants of NEW BORDEAUX seem still to have conducted their lay worship at Gibert's Mills, under their chosen leaders. Pierre Moragne, senior, is said to have read sermons and acted as precentor, and Pierre Gibert, Esq., to have offered prayer. Hon. James L. Pettigru re- membered the time when his mother, who was the youngest child of Rev. Jean Louis Gibert, took him thither on the Sabbath. But they were drawn also to other sanctuaries, and more especially to Hopewell, in the plan of whose church edifice two of the most desirable slips or pews are marked as appropriated to their use.
* For a graphic and perspicuous account of the siege of Ninety-Six, see Lossing's Field Book of the Revolution, vol. ii., pp. 433-488.
558
BRADAWAY .- GOOD HOPE AND ROBERTS. [1780-1790.
The labors of the pastors of the churches in Abbeville district, Robert Hall and Robert Mecklin, were not confined to the bounds of their own congregations. In the year 1777, the Indians, having been completely defeated, ceded the tract of land, about forty miles square, which was afterwards in 1798 known as Pendleton county or district, and is now Anderson and Pickens. After the chastisement inflicted on the Indians by General Pickens, and the peace of 1783, this country began to fill up rapidly with inhabitants, and when the first census was taken, by order of Congress, it already contained about nine thousand five hundred souls. The first and most respectable inhabitants were of the Pres- byterian denomination, and removed from the older settle- ments adjacent, particularly from Abbeville.
The ministers of Abbeville were the nearest as to distance, and to these they naturally looked for the privileges of the gospel. New congregations were formed, the nearest of which was
BRADAWAY, which was first known on the records of presby- tery in 1788, March 18th. From this period it was supplied by Robert Mecklin, Robert Hall, and William C. Davis. "Bradaway," says Mr. Dickson, " was partially organized by Mr. Hall. The people congregated and built them a log house, and Mr. Hall ordained Mr. Robert Dowdle, a ruling elder. After Mr. Hall's afflictions they had occasional supplies."
In the southwestern part of Anderson district are the two churches of GOOD HOPE and ROBERTS, which seem always, thus far, to have been associated with each other. Roberts received its name in honor of Colonel Roberts, of Revolutionary memory. It is located on the main road from Pendleton to Hamburg, and also on the road from Anderson court-house to Andersonville, which is at the junction of Tugaloo and Seneca rivers-the roads intersecting near the church, and separating soon after they pass it. It is about nine miles from Anderson court-house, and five miles from Andersonville, and some two or three miles from Sloan's ferry on Seneca river ; while some smaller streams, as the Devil's Fork, Mountain Creek, and Generostee are near it. The lands on these streams are very productive, while the ridge land is of inferior quality.
GOOD HOPE is about twelve miles from Roberts, and about six or seven from the Savannah river, on the head-waters of Little Generostee creek and Rocky river. The first house of worship was some two miles west of the present location ; a graveyard was commenced there, and some of the early mem-
559
HOPEWELL (KEOWEE).
1780-1790.]
bers of the church now quietly rest in that sequestered place. The land in the vicinity of this church, except on the water- courses, is also of inferior quality. The early settlers were Scotch-Irish, and their descendants from the more Northern portion of the country ; the same race which settled the adja- cent district of Abbeville, who were mostly Presbyterians, and who in emigrating sought to locate near each other, from the desire to enjoy the church privileges to which they were accus- tomed.
In the year 1789 the Rev. John Simpson having obtained a dismission from his charge at Fishing Creek, visited Pendle- ton county, then a frontier of the State, being lands lately purchased from the Indians and settled very fast. The set- tlers were partly Presbyterians and partly Baptists. Those who were Presbyterians were very desirous of having the gospel preached among them statedly. Mr. Simpson spent some time with them, and formed the two small congregations which received the names Roberts and Good Hope. Good Hope first occurs on the records of presbytery, April 14th,- 1789. " A congregation on Little Generostee, to be known by the name Good Hope," is mentioned in connection with the vacancies, petitioning for supplies ; and at the same meet- ing Robert Hall was appointed to preach one Sabbath at Good Hope, and one at Roberts ; and in October John Simpson one at Seneca, one at Roberts, and one at Good Hope ; and Robert Hall one at Good Hope, one at Cuffey Town, and one at Brad- away, and one at discretion. These were the first ministerial labors these churches enjoyed, of which any knowledge has come to us.
HOPEWELL CHURCH, sometimes called Hopewell (Keowee), or Hopewell (on Seneca). The first notice of this congrega- tion occurs in the minutes of the presbytery of South Caro- lina, October 13th, 1789. " A people on Seneca apply to be taken under our care and receive supplies." At the same meeting John Simpson is appointed to supply them one Sab- bath. "It was organized," says one account, "in 1788 or 1789, by the spirited exertions of a few men who removed from Ab- beville. They are not so numerous as the people of Carmel, but better united, more catholic in their principles, and disposition, and liberal in their sentiments. A few of their number are wealthy and very forward to support the gospel ; among whom are General Pickens and Colonel Robert Anderson, both men of great influence in the State of South Carolina. Messrs. Calhoun and De Saussure, two eminent lawyers in Charleston,
560
CARMEL.
[1780-1790.
have done themselves much honor by liberally subscribing for the assistance of this church. Owing to these circumstances, their ability to support religion in proportion to their numbers is greater than that of any other congregation in the upper part of the State."-(Brief MS. account of the congregations at Hopewell and Carmel, by Thomas Reese, September 15th, 1793.)" "It was formed," says another account, " in union with CARMEL church, which stands a few miles to the eastward of it, entirely since the Revolution, by the gradual immigration of different families of Presbyterians who removed hither from different quarters. . General Andrew Pickens and General Robert Anderson, both from Abbeville, contributed in no small degree, by their example in removing hither with their families, to encourage settlers of their own denomination here."-(MS. History of the Churches of the second presbytery of South Carolina.) This church is near the village of Pendleton, a few miles north of it. Its first house of worship was of logs, not built, according to Mr. Dickson, till 1791, but it gave place, in 1802, to one of stone, and "The Stone Meeting-house" has been the well-known designation of both the edifice and the church .*
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