USA > South Carolina > History of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, Vol. I pt 2 > Part 27
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600
BEAVER'S CREEK .- HANGING ROCK .- MILLER'S. [1790-1800.
1797 ; the same was also preached at his other stations, Indian Creek and Rocky Spring, in the same year, at Jack- son's Creek, 1785, and at Rocky Spring in 1786. Hugh Mor- rison exchanged with Mr. Mcclintock at Concord, July 3d, 1791, and July 1, 1792. In 1791, Mr. Morrison was preaching at Little River, his engagement there being for a year .- (Let- ter to McClintock of April 25, 1791.) It may be in relation to Concord that Morrison says in this letter, " There is the pros- pect of a promising congregation on the Wateree ; it is the intention of most of the people to have two houses. I think we shall soon triumph over all our enemies; and the pre- judices of the people seem daily to diminish." These ministers were regarded as favoring the principles of those who were known as "New Lights." From 1793, they were supplied occasionally by Mr. Rosborough, Mr. McCulloch, Mr. Dun- lap, Mr. Walker, Mr. Couser, McGilleland, and J. B. Davies ; and after they were organized, once in a month, for one year, by the Rev. Robert W. Walker, pastor of the church of Bethesda, in York.
The first bench of elders consisted of James Aster, James Caldwell, James Hindman, and Abraham Miller. During the year, Mr. Walker ordained as elders John Sterling, James Robinson, and James McKeown. From this year they were vacant, except occasional supplies from the ministers of South Carolina presbytery, until September, 1800, when they called the Rev. William Rosborough to take the pastoral charge of this church, in connection with Horeb church in the same district. 1
To the east of Fairfield, in the northern part of Kershaw district, and on its border, there were the three churches of BEAVER CREEK, HANGING ROCK, and MILLER's. The pastoral relation of Robert McCulloch to the two first of these churches appears to have terminated before September, 1793, for at that time Rev. John Brown was appointed to supply them. They were supplied in 1794 by Mr. Stephenson, and in 1795 by Mr. Brown ; in 1796 by Messrs. Brown, Yongue, and Couser ; in 1797 by Messrs. McCulloch, J. B. Davies and Yongue ; the appointments being made sometimes for each church separately, and sometimes for the two in connection. In March, 1798, Miller's church is mentioned in connection with them, and the three petition together for the services of Mr. Rosborough as a supply. During the same year, Messrs. McCulloch and Foster are appointed to supply Beaver Creek and Hanging Rock, and J. B. Davies and John Couser
601
CATHOLIC .- REV. ROBERT M'CULLOCH.
1790-1800.]
to preach. at Miller's. Miller's church appears on the re- cords of the first presbytery of South Carolina, after the division of the presbytery in existence at this time, and seems to have flourished for some years. The "First Presbytery" held its sessions there, in March, 1805. When Mr. McCul- loch took his seat as a member of presbytery, in 1789, the elder J. Miller also took his seat as representative of one of the churches which had called him. The Millers resided on Hanging Rock Creek, some five or six miles eastward of the church of Beaver Creek. Both Hanging Rock and Miller's church were absorbed eventually by the church of Beaver Creek.
In April, 1790, a congregation in Edgefield county peti- tioned presbytery for supplies, but where it was situated is not said, nor is it again mentioned in this century on the records of presbytery.
CATHOLIC CHURCH on Rocky Creek, in Chester district, en- joyed, at the commencement of this- period, the frequent labors of Rev. John Simpson, pastor of Fishing Creek, who administered the sacraments to them, especially that of bap- tism. In 1793 they applied to presbytery, and Messrs. McCaule, McCulloch, Yongue, and Montgomery, were ap- pointed to visit them. In April, 1794, calls were presented from Catholic and from Purity (which had also applied to presbytery as a vacancy), for the pastoral services of Rev. Robert McCulloch, who had been for some time settled at Beaver Creek. These calls were accepted, and he was regu- larly inducted into the pastoral charge of the two congrega- tions .* The session was at this time increased in number by
* " Mr. McCulloch's residence was on the Rocky Mount road, near four miles from Catholic, and about eight miles from Purity church. He was of Scotch-Irish parentage. He was born in Mecklenburg county, North Caro- lina, on the 20th of March,.1760, in the bounds of which of the seven churches then in Mecklenburg is uncertain, but it is rather supposed in the bounds of Sugar Creek, as there were three brothers, Robert, Thomas, and James, all educated at Liberty Hall, North Carolina. After the close of the Revolutionay war, he taught a classical school in the bounds of Bethel con- gregation, York district, South Carolina.
"The writer hereof remembers to have heard the Rev. Robert Cunningham, of Kentucky, while on a visit at the house of Rev. James Wallis, in the year 1814, make the remark, to wit: 'That he had often thought of the log school- house in which Mr. McCulloch taught, the country impoverished by the war, and everything in appearance unpromising, yet he could hardly recall a single individual scholar but who had succeeded well-many of them were now distinguished,' viz .: Andrew Jackson, then a general in the American army, William Smith, a distinguished lawyer in Yorkville, Rev. W. C. Davis, Rev. J.W. Stephenson, and his humble self, Robert Cunningham, and several others,
602
FISHING CREEK.
[1790 -- 1800.
the election and ordination of Messrs. James Harbison, Robert Harper, James Peden, William Peden, and John Bailey. Mr. McCulloch continued the regular pastor of these congrega- tions through the remainder of this century.
The congregations called FISHING CREEK once existed, and met, for convenience, as three congregations, viz. : Lower Fish-" ing Creek, Middle Fishing Creek, and Upper Fishing Creek. Lower Fishing Creek, which was first organized, had declined and become disorganized after Mr. Simpson discontinued his labors among them. It was reorganized in 1792 by Rev. John Brown, then preaching at Waxhaw, and was called by him Richardson, after its first founder. Messrs. James Crawford and John Gaston, are believed to have been of its bench of elders at this time. . It sought and obtained supplies from presbytery, of whom Messrs. McCulloch, Gilleland, and J. Brown, in 1794, Mr. Walker in 1795, and Messrs. Rosborough, J. Brown, Walker, and Dunlap, in 1797, are mentioned.
Fishing Creek (formerly Upper Fishing Creek) became va- cant in 1789, by the dissolution of the pastoral relation, but was still served for a year by Mr. Simpson, its former pastor. It solicited supplies in 1790, and Messrs. McCaule, Montgom- ery, Walker, A. Brown, McCulloch, Foster, Dunlap, and Wm. C. Davis, were appointed to minister to it at different times till 1795. One instance, out of several others, occurs of the fidelity of presbytery (which it is to be feared was not constant), in securing the fulfillment of contracts between people and pastor. September, 1792, " the congregation of Fishing Creek produced a receipt from the Rev. Mr. Simpson, and is now considered as on good standing." In 1793 Mr. Jolin Bowman, a licentiate
not now recollected. After teaching three years he went to Mount Zion col- lege, then under the care of Rev. Thomas H. McCaule, where he graduated. He was licensed in the year 1788, and ordained on the 15th of April, 1789. He was married to Miss Mary Simonton, of Iredell county, North Carolina, before his removal to Catholic.
"In person, Mr. McCulloch was large, and became very corpulent-his ma- jestic appearance in the pulpit was very striking. He was under a cloud during a portion of his life, subsequent to the period of which we speak; but aside from this he was considered a very orthodox divine, a warm and lively preacher. He appeared at all times to feel, and be in earnest-none could sit under his ministry and go to sleep. He had a well-selected library of books. His sermons were well prepared, methodically arranged, and well suited to the times and circumstances. His language was chaste and classical, and at times he was truly eloquent. For one or two years before his death, his health failed him, which sad event took place on the 7th of August, 1824, at the age of sixty-four years four months and seventeen days. He was buried in Catholic graveyard-Mrs. McCulloch having died a few years before."-(D. G. Stinson.)
603
1.790-1800.] BULLOCK'S CREEK .- DR. JOSEPH ALEXANDER.
of Orange presbytery, became their supply, assisted by others, as above mentioned, and continued with them till 1795. In September of this year they called Wm. G. Rosborough to be their pastor, and he labored among them under considerable infirmity of body for two years, and was at length compelled to return their call. In April, 1798, they united with Richard- son in requesting the services of Rev. John B. Davies, then a licentiate of the presbytery of South Carolina, as a supply. In October, they extended to him a formal call, which was ac- cepted, and he was ordained and installed over the two churches on the 14th of May, 1799. His labors among them extended far into the next century. The elders of the Fishing Creek church, when Mr. Davies assumed the charge of the congre- gation, were Samuel Neely, David Carr, David Neely, Thomas Neely, and Thomas Latta.
The church of BULLOCK's CREEK was still served by the Rev. Joseph Alexander, with varied success, through the period of which we write. His connection with the church terminated in 1801. On the 27th of March of that year, his pastoral connec- tion with the church was dissolved at his own request, and with the consent of the people. He had preached the gospel and taught among them twenty-seven years. In the letter to presby- tery (dated June 24, 1801), giving a report from his congrega- tion, at the close of which he asks a release from his pastoral relation, he says his church at that time consisted of eighty-five communicants. He had baptized eleven adults and seven hun- dred and fifty-three in infancy. He gives "a want of interest and harmony among his people" as a reason for the dissolution. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from the col- lege of South Carolina in 1807. Having reached a good old age, he remained without pastoral charge until his death, on the 30th of July, 1809. He was a man of small stature and lame withal, as we have been informed by one of his pupils* who greatly admired him. He was endowed with fine talents and accomplishments, and was an uncommonly ani- mated and popular preacher. He was an ardent patriot in the Revolution. His wife was a daughter of President Davis, our American Chrysostom. A small volume of his sermons was published in Charleston in 1807.
Dr. Alexander was as much distinguished as an educator of youth, as he was as a minister of the gospel. This is re-
* His Excellency David Johnson, Chancellor and afterwards Governor of South Carolinia.
604
BEERSHEBA .- BETHEL.
[1790-1800.
hearsed in the act of the legislature passed in 1797, bestow- ing a charter on the Alexandria College, named after him, which was to be located at Pinckneyville in his immediate vicinity. The trustees embraced most of the clerical members of presbytery, as well as some others who were laymen. Their names are Joseph Alexander, James Templeton, John Simp- son, Francis Cummins, Robert McCulloch, James White Stephenson, John Brown, Robert Wilson, William Williamson, Robert Becqum Walker, Samuel Whorter Yongue, John Fos- ter, John Kennedy, James Gilleland, William Smith, Abra- ham Nott, Andrew Love, Alexander Moore, Thomas Brandon; William Bratton, Samuel Dunlap .- (Statutes at Large, viii., 198.) This college had occupied the attention of presbytery (Minutes, p. 108), but as it was chartered by the legislature, it was regarded as having an independent existence, and was remitted to the trustees who had been appointed.
During the first four years of this period, the church of BEER- SHEBA, in York, was vacant, as it had been before, and a suppliant to presbytery for supplies, and Joseph Alexander, Robert B. Walker, and William Montgomery were appointed to visit it. But this church united with the Bethel church in a call to Rev. George McWhorter, who was ordained and installed as pastor of the two churches at a meeting of presbytery held at Beer- sheba on the 6th of July, 1796 ; Rev. Robert B. Walker preach- ing the sermon, and Rev. Joseph Alexander giving the charge to the newly-ordained pastor and people. He continued in this charge until September, 1801, when he removed to Salem, Black river.
The BETHEL CHURCH, in YORK district, had been under the pastoral care of Rev. Francis (afterwards Dr.) Cummins, from 1783 till April 17, 1789. This congregation had for some time been in a very flourishing condition ; being very numerous and largely extended in its bounds, embracing an area of ten miles in every direction from the place of worship. Without any special revival of religion, many had been added to the church, and it was probably the largest congregation west of the Catawba. About the time of Mr. Cummins' departure, it began to decay. A spirit of sloth and inattention to the gospel seems to have prevailed. Unhappy dissensions arose among the people through animosity and party spirit, so that they not only became disaffected with one another, but some were, unhappily, disaffected with their honorable and devoted pastor, who had spent some of the best years of his life among them. This want of unanimity weakened their strength, and
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605
BETHEL (YORK).
1790-1800.]
prepared the way for the changes which took place. The congregation sought supplies from presbytery, and was visited for this purpose by their former pastor, Mr. Cummins, Mr. Templeton, W. C. Davis, Mr. Dunlap, Mr. Gilleland, and Mr. James McRee, of North Carolina. A part of the congre- gation resided across the State line in North Carolina, and besides the disaffection to which we have referred, were re- mote from the place of worship, and uniting with those con- tiguous in South Carolina, they congregated as a church under the name of OLNEY, and built themselves a house of worship. This division took place in 1793, and the Olney church was connected with the presbytery of Orange, and Wm. C. Davis became their pastor. The southern part of the congregation continued under their former organization, with a renewed earnestness and zeal after the division, though with diminished numbers. In 1796, Bethel united with Beer- sheba in calling Rev. George G. McWhorter to be their pastor, who was ordained, as we have already said, July 7, 1796, and remained with the two congregations until the 29th of September, 1801, after which he removed to the South, and eventually to Alabama .*
The Rev. Robert G. Wilson, D.D., and the Rev. Samuel B. Wilson, D.D., were born in this congregation. Some account of the elder of these distinguished men will be found under the head of Long Cane church, of which he was the pastor.
"From some memoranda in his handwriting, it appears that Samuel B. Wilson was born March 17, 1783, in Lincoln county, North Carolina. His father, John Wilson, was born in Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish ancestry ; and his mother, Mary Wray, also born in Pennsylvania, was of Welsh origin. Marrying in early life, they removed to North Carolina, and followed the tide of emigration that commenced in 1764, to the waters of the Yadkin and Catawba, and the Green river, extending across South Carolina ; choosing their abode not far from the South Carolina line, and within a few miles of King's Mountain, the noted battle-ground in the Revolu- tion. Here, during the strife of the Revolution, particularly disastrous to that region of country, was reared a family of eight children ; five sons and three daughters. The parents were pious people, and were connected with the church of
* MS. History of Churches in York County, reported to Presbytery in 1794 in hands of Stated Clerk of General Assembly; J. B. Davies, Sketch of Bethel Presbytery ; History in Yorkville Enquirer, November, 1855; and Minutes of presbytery.
606
SAMUEL B. WILSON, D.D.
[1790-1800.
Bethel, of which the Rev. Francis Cummins was pastor, and by whom Mr. Wilson says he was baptized.
" The father, John Wilson, was engaged in cultivating the earth, and kept his family in good circumstances, as people lived, in those days of active labor, and frugality, and suffering from the war. He held the office of elder in the church, and Register of the county. He gave his second son, Robert G. Wilson, a classical education, in some of the excellent schools set up and carried on by the ministers of the emigration to which he belonged.
" The father of the family died in 1797, leaving his son Samuel, a youth about fourteen years of age, his education not far advanced. His brother's course in education stimu- lated Samuel, and, encouraged by his mother, he resolved to pursue a classical course of study, and after mature reflection, he resolved to follow the footsteps of his brother, and to pre- pare for the ministry.
" He began his classical course in a school set up by the Rev. Joseph Alexander, in York district, South Carolina, a man of eminence, both as a teacher and preacher. For prudential reasons, he then attended a classical school in Spartanburg district, managed by Rev. James Gilleland, who became a member of South Carolina presbytery in 1796, and in 1805 removed to Ohio. He spent one year in study with his brother Robert, at the Long Canes, and then entered Washington College, Lexington, Virginia, under the presi- dency of Rev. George A. Baxter, assisted by professors Rev. Daniel Blain and E. Graham, Esq. At this college he made the experiment that has allured young men of small pecuniary means, with strong desires for an education, to the brink of ruin, and not unfrequently left them, like wounded men after a catastrophe, hobbling through life, dyspeptics. He at- tempted to double the studies required, and recite with two classes. Want of exercise, and over-mental exertion, soon brought on hemorrhage, and for a time forced him to intermit hard studies.
"On receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts, he put him- self under the care of the Lexington presbytery as a candidate for the ministry, and began a course of reading under the direction first of Dr. Baxter, and then of Rev. Samuel Brown, of New Providence. He was licensed to preach the gospel at the Stone Meeting-house, by Lexington presbytery, on the 17th of April, 1805. After performing some missionary work for the presbytery, in the region of the Kanawha, Mr. Wilson
1790-1800.] GILLELAND .- HOWE .- DICKEY. 607
visited his birth-place, went to Fairforest and preached a while ; and returned to Virginia, refusing to accept an invita- tion to visit Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, with the expectation to become pastor and teacher; and early in January, 1806, he was sent to Fredericksburg, Virginia, and labored there with so much success that a church was organ- ized, of which he became and continued to be the pastor for thirty years. His church grew, under his judicious and faith- ful ministry, into one of the largest and strongest in the Southern States.
" In 1841 he was transferred from his pastoral charge in Fredericksburg, to the chair of Systematic Theology in the Union Theological Seminary, and continued to discharge the duties of this chair until within a few years of his decease, when the accumulating infirmities of age made it necessary that his burdens should be lightened. He still taught some branches of the seminary course until the close of the session of '68-9, and at that time, being less than three months before his death, he examined his classes in the presence of the Board's committee, though laboring under the weight of four score and six years.
" He fell asleep in Jesus on the morning of the Sabbath, the 1st day of August, 1869, after weeks of severe suffering, which he bore with that calmness and fortitude which had always been his marked characteristics."
Rev. James Gilleland, pastor of Bradaway church, who removed to Ohio in 1805, originated in this congregation. He fitted for college under Rev. Wm. C. Davis.
Rev. John Howe, who removed with his father to the vicinity of Lexington, Kentucky, in 1788, at the age of twenty, is supposed to have been born and partially educated in this congregation. He was licensed by Transylvania presbytery in 1795, preached in Barren county, and subsequently at Greensburg, in Green county, Kentucky, where he taught an academy. He died at his daughter's, in Missouri, December 21, 1856, at the age of eighty-eight, having been sixty-one years in the ministry.
Rev. John McElroy Dickey, of Lexington, Kentucky, was born in York county, but whether within the bounds of this congregation we are not informed. He died in Indiana, in 1848.
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608
BETHESDA.
[1790-1800.
CHAPTER III.
The BETHESDA CHURCH, in York, continued vacant until De- cember, 1794. Mr. Harris, in his MS. history of Bethesda, speaks of the Rev. John Simpson, of Fishing Creek, as sup- plying this church for six years, from the departure of Mr. McCarra, whose ministry was interdicted by presbytery in 1788.
But the contemporary history of the churches of York county, prepared by Joseph Alexander and W. C. Davis, by order of presbytery, after saying of the church that "they are pretty numerous and considerably able," adds : "They are a pretty well-organized people, and seem to be striving for the gospel; but they have never been happy enough yet to have the gospel regularly stated among them, except one year they enjoyed the one-half of Rev. John Simpson's labors. They were first supplied by ministers from the synod of New York and Philadelphia, afterwards by the Orange presbytery, and ever since by the South Carolina presbytery. The present state of the congregation seems to be encouraging. They are pretty numerous, and profess themselves able to support the gospel. As to matters of faith, they are, with few exceptions, agreed, though the state of religion appears to be but low among them."-(Account of the Churches in York County, sub- mitted to Presbytery, April 10th, 1794, in the hands of the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly.) Bethesda congrega- tion were petitioners for supplies in 1790, '91, '92, and '93. The appointments are not always distinctly recorded in the minutes ; but Robert Cunningham was appointed to preach to them twice in 1792, and Messrs. Cummins, Newton, Wilson, and Yongue, in 1793. The presbytery held an adjourned meeting at Bethesda, October 7th, 1792. A call was laid be- fore presbytery at its sessions at Fairforest, April 8th, 1794, from this church, for the pastoral labors of Mr. Walker, which was accepted by him at the fall meeting in September. His ordination took place at an intermediate session held at Bethesda, on December 4th, 1794. The ordination sermon was preached by Rev. James Templeton, from 1 Cor. iv., 1, 2, and the charge was given by Rev. Robert McCulloch.
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Robert Becqum Walker was born in South Carolina, in 1766, and was graduated at the Mount Zion college, Winnsboro, in 1791. In September of this year he was received under the
609
REV. ROBERT B. WALKER.
1790-1800.]
care of presbytery as a candidate, and on the 28th of Septem- ber, 1793, he was licensed to preach. He married the daughter of Dr. Joseph Alexander, of Bullock's Creek.
Thus commenced a pastoral relationship, which lasted for forty years. He was brought into the pastorate while the demoralizing effects of a long and bloody war were still per- ceptible among the people. Spiritual languor and internal dissensions had made sad havoc, and greatly abated their religious warmth and energy. From this prostrate condition he was instrumental in raising them. The history of his min- isterial life and labors belongs to the nineteenth century, rather than to this, in which these labors commenced. We can only anticipate by saying, in the words of one of the latest of his successors, "That as few men have ever lived and labored so long among one people, few have been so univer- sally beloved as was he ; and few have been permitted to in- fluence and mould so many characters for good, and few have contributed more to the upholding and spreading of true re- ligion, and in strengthening the stakes and lengthening the cords of Zion." The late and lamented Mr. Bishop, in his funeral sermon, occasioned by Mr. Walker's death, says of him: "Father Walker possessed, naturally, a robust constitution, and was blessed with good health during the greater part of his active life. His mind, by nature, was much above the ordinary grade, and was informed and cultivated by an educa- tion such as our southern country at that time afforded. He was well versed in the Calvinistic system of theology, so ably illustrated and defended by our old divines. These, with the essential prerequisite of decided and unquestioned piety, certainly qualified him for a life of usefulness in the gospel ministry."" "Taking into view the power of his example, his influence in the school-room, his influence in the house of mourning and at the funeral, and the effects of his public preaching, and remembering these labors continued, without ceasing, forty years in the same community, not to an ever- changing population-I say, take all these things into view, and I frankly confess that when I thus contemplate the man, there appears to my mind to be a grandeur, nay, a moral sublimity connected with his life and labors which I cannot describe."
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