USA > South Carolina > History of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, Vol. II pt 2 > Part 11
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482
HARMONY CHURCH.
[1830-1840.
for some months, and that Wm. M. De Lorme and Anthony White were elected and ordained elders in 1835. Rev. Donald McQueen became pastor and took charge of the church in January. 1838, giving to it half of his time, and the other half to Concord Church. J B. White. W. M. DeLorme, and A. White being the elders, the latter clerk of session. At this time the roll shows twenty-eight white members and and one colored ; the latter (Carolina) is the oldest living member and the only colored member now (1876) in com- munion with the church.
HISTORY OF HARMONY CHURCH. NOW A PART OF MANNING CHURCH .- The church of Harmony was organized in the month of April, A. D. 1830, with twenty-two members, and two ruling elders, all white persons.
The causes which led to its organization were there : The labors of the Rev. John McEwen, who preached at that time in the Fork of Black River as a missionary, proving very acceptable to the people, and there not being any Presbyterian Church convenient to them, and they being anxious to secure to themselves and their children the privileges of the regular ministrations of the word, it was determined by the blessing of Almighty God, to form themselves into a church, which was accordingly done, under the instrumentality of Rev. John McEwen, and the church was taken under the care of the Presbytery of Harmony at its next stated meeting there- after. Mr. McEwen continned to preach regularly to them, in conjunction with the Church of Sumterville until his re- moval to the church above, in the month of June. A. D. 1833;
The labors of this devoted servant of the Lord Jesus Christ were greatly blessed, and a number of white and colored persons were added to the church under his ministry.
After the death of Mr. McEwen the church was unsupplied, except by occasional visits of neighboring pastors, until the spring of A. D. 1834, at which time, in connection with the church of Concord, they succeeded in obtaining the services of the Rev. Francis R. Goulding. Mr. Goulding left them at the end of the year, and was succeeded by the Rev. Philip Pierson in the following spring, viz .. A. D. 1835. Mr. Pierson preached for them until June, 1837, at which time he left . them.
They were then unsupplied except by occasional visitors, until the fall of the ensuing year, 1838, at which time they
483
BRUINGTON.
1830-1840.]
employed the Rev. Julius L. Bartlett, who remained with them until the fall of the next year, 1839.
BRUINGTON .- This church in connection with Midway, con- tinued to be the pastoral charge of Rev. John Cousar. The to'al membership of Midway being, in 1830, 185, and of Bruington, 186, 184 and 147, in 1831 ; 204 and 146 .in 1832 ; 200 and 142 in 1833; 160 and 110 in 1834. In 1837 the pastoral relation between father Cousar and these churches was dissolved at his own request, on account of the infirmity of age, by the Presbytery of Harmony at its meeting in Indiantown Church, and he died the following autumn, having been pastor of these churches for 26 or 27 years. Father Cousar had long been an active and zealous minister of Christ. He had been the stated clerk of the Presbytery of Harmony from its organization in March, ISIO until October, 1836, when he resigned the office which he had filled so well. He was gratly disturbed by the division of the church which was about to be effected, and resisted it to the last. He communicated his views at length, in a letter addressed to the Presbytery from Midway, Sumter District, South Carolina, April 5th, 1837, arguing strongly against the attempted division. The Presbytery meeting at Sumterville, in November of the same year, adopted the following minute : " The Presbytery being duly informed of the death of Rev. John Cousar, would express their sense of the respect due to the memory of the deceased. He had become the last survivor of his brethren, who originally composed this body, and for several years was regarded the father of this Presby- tery. Having almost fulfilled the measure of three score years and ten. he had been indefatigable in his attendance upon the meetings of this judicatory, served it with great fidelity, preserved an unblemished moral character, and was revered for piety and usefulness." [MS. Minutes, Vol. II, 193.] Mr. Cousar was a man of marked character, not with- out many innocent singularities, but with all this greatly beloved.
Bruington church remained without a pastor and the stated administrations of the gospel, until the autumn of 1838, when it made out a call for the Rev. Julius L. Bartlett, a minister of Harmony Presbytery. Presbytery placed this call in his hands, and at his request allowed him to retain it for conside- ration. until its next regular meeting. Soon after this Mr.
484
MIDWAY-SALEM (B. R.)
[1830-1840.
Bartlett commenced preaching regularly in this church, giving half his time to it, but he did not remain long for he soon after left the church, and also this Presbytery. At that time the church of Bruington was composed of about twenty members and two ruling elders.
The Rev. Philip Pierson was called to the Midway Church as its pastor, in October, 1837, and installed May 10, 1838. Mr. Pierson was really the first pastor, ecclesiastically speak- ing, Midway ever had. Mr. Cousar was never regularly in- stalled, though indicated as pastor in the statistical tables.
SALEM (B. R.)-The Rev. Robert Wilson James continued the pastor of this church through this decade, a man greatly beloved by his flock and by all who knew him, a man wise in counsel, judicious in action, revered by his people, whose labors were blessed, not only to the white portion of his flock, but to the numerous band of colored people who waited on his ministry. To his efforts is the Theological Seminary at Columbia greatly indebted for those funds raised by his grat- uitous labors, which so largely contributed to its support at this period of its history, while as yet it had little or no endowment.
MOUNT ZION (SUMTER.)-As has been intimated, the Rev. John Harrington ministered to this Church with great accept- ance till the failure of his health in 1834. In that year the Rev. William Moultrie Reid, a member of the first graduating class in our Columbia Seminary, was invited to preach, and took charge as the first minister ever installed over the Church. His ministry was one of great faithfulness, and he endeared himself greatly to his people by his labors, both public and private. His labors were greatly appreciated by the colored people of his charge. The membership of this Church arose to the number of 200 during this decade, but the larger portion of these must have been blacks.
CHESTERFIELD DISTRICT .- We find the Rev. John McFar- land ministering in 1832 to the Churches of Pine Tree, Rocky Ford, Pisgah and Lebanon. The Postoffice address of Rev. John McFarland continues still to be Chesterfield C. H., South Carolina, but there are no statistics of the churches above mentioned in the minutes of the General Assembly, or Synod. These people continued to worship the God of their fathers, to read their Gaelic Bibles, to chant their Gaelic Psalms, and some of the elder of them to retain in memory
485
1830-1840.] NEWHOPE-BISHOPVILLE-CHERAW.
the old traditions of the brooks and braes of their native Scotland, or the Isle of Skye, from which some of them came.
NEWHOPE .- Difficulties arose in Mount Zion Church grow- ing out of the location of their new house of worship. This ed to the organization of New Hope Church, which took place on the 6th of January, 1831. At Old Mount Zion Church Newhope was organized, with 22 members. Wm. Mccutchen and Wm. Shaw, elders. [Minutes of Harmony Presbytery at Hopewell, April 7, 1831.] This organization did not continue long. It was merged into that of
BISHOPVILLE, which was organized by a committee of Pres- ytery in the fall of 1838, with twenty-two members and four lders, whose names were J. W. English, Robt. Commander, ames McCallum and Wm. Mccutchen. The members that onstituted the Church at its organization were partly the hembers of the New Hope Church (alias Old Mount Zion), which became extinct when this was organized-and partly hey were from Salem (Black River), who had purchased ands in this vicinity and moved up from that congregation. The Church obtained the services of Rev. Thomas R. Eng- sh as soon as it was organized. [MS. of Rev. W. W. Wil- on. Records of Harmony Presbytery, April 4, 1849.]
CHERAW .- The 10th day of April, 1830, is the earliest date four regular Church Records.
In April, 1832, the Church consisted of thirty-one mem- ers. During that year there was considerable religious terest in the Church and community, and ministers were vited to visit the people and instruct them. The Rev. Daniel Baker, Rev. S. S. Davis, and several ministers from ayetteville Presbytery labored among the people, and there ere added to the Church in about twelve months thirty- ght members.
In April, 1834, Mr. Powers, who had not been installed astor, left the congregatien, the Church at that time num- ering some sixty-seven communing members.
In November, 1834, Rev. Rufus W. Bailey was employed s a stated supply, and during the period of his ministry, say vo years, some twenty-five members were received on exam- iation into the commuuion of the Church.
In the second volume of the sessional records, pp. 10, 12, the following :
.
486
CHERAW.
[1830-1840.
" TUESDAY, October 30, 1835.
"Session met at Mr. Coit's. Present-all the elders, viz : L. Prince, J. C. Coit and M. McLean.
" Opened with prayer.
" The stated minister of the Church being absent from town, and not expected to return before the approaching meeting of Presbytery and Synod, the session determined to proceed to business without a presiding minister, M. McLean was ap- pointed the delegate to the next meeting of Harmony Pres- bytery, and also to the next meeting of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia, and J. C. Coit his alternate.
"On motion, the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted :
" Whereas, the future character of the Southern portion of our Church will most probably depend very much upon the character of the Theological Seminary under the care of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia ; therefore,
" Resolved, as the opinion of this session, That the Semi- nary ought, in the present state of the Presbyterian Church, to be distinguished, not only for its decided orthodoxy, but also for the zeal of its professors in opposing and striving to root out the destructive heresies which have unwarily been permitted to creep into the Church.
" Resolved further, as the opinion of this session, That it ought to be diligently inculcated upon the young men edu- cated at the Seminary, that it will be their duty when they enter the Christian ministry not only to preach the truth, but also, in the spirit of their Divine Master, and of His holy apostles, earnestly to contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints, and combat the heresies which are now corrupting the Church.
" And resolved also, as the opinion of this session, That the professorship now vacant in the Seminary ought not to be filled by any one who is not only a man of decided orthodoxy, but one who is also known to have evinced his attachment to the standards of our Church by his decided stand on the side of truth and his past efforts to arrest and expunge the errors now held and published within the pale of the Church.
" Resolved, That if neither the delegate of this session to the Synod nor his alternate cin attend the approaching meet- ing of that body, then it shall be the duty of the clerk of the
487
CHERAW.
830-1840.]
ession to forward a copy of these resolutions to the Mode- ator of the Synod, with a request that they be presented to he body over which he presides.
" Adjourned by prayer. “(Signed) M. McLEAN, Clerk."
In the same volume of records, page 20, is the following :
" TUESDAY, February 29, 1836.
" Session met at the house of Mr. Coit.
" Present-all the elders, viz : L. Prince, J. C. Coit and 1. McLean.
" Opened with prayer.
"The Church being at this time destitute of a stated min- stry, and there being no Presbyterian minister in town, or 'ithin convenient distance, Mr. Prince was appointed Mod- rator.
" It was resolved that till the session or church shall other- ise determine, the collections taken up at the monthly con- ert prayer meetings of this church shall in future be remitted the treasurer or other authorized agent of The Western Foreign Missionary Society, as often as the amount thereof hall equal one hundred dollars, for the purpose of aiding to upport the missionaries of said Society."
On the 27th to the 37th pages of the same volume of ses- ional records is the following :
" SEPTEMBER 29, 1836.
"Session met at the house of Mr. Prince.
" Present-all the members as above " -- [Rev. M. D. Fra- er, L. Prince, J. C. Coit and M. McLean.]
"Opened with prayer.
" Resolved unanimously, That the Church be convened by ublic notice from the pulpit, and that the following be recom- iended for its consideration and adoption, viz :
" Whereas, a circular dated " New York, 13th July, 1836," is appeared in the newspaper called " The Presbyterian," ated 17th September, 1836, signed by W. W. Phillips nd others, a committee, appointed by the meeting publicly illed in Pittsburg through the moderator of the last General assembly, of those who voted for the resolutions of Dr. liller, condemning certain doctrinal errors, &c. ; and whereas
488
ACTION ON THE CODE SCHOOL.
[1830-1840.
several questions are proposed in said circular touching topics of vital and fundamental import to the Gospel and Church of Christ, and are addressed to the deepest feelings and sym- pathies of Christians ; therefore, it is becoming, at such a crisis, for the Churches to bear their testimony to the truth, and to express their convictions as to what should be done by those who are of one mind and one faith ; therefore,
" Resolved, That the following answers to the questions in said circular do express the feelings, conviction and testimony of this church in the premises :
" Question Ist-With so great a difference of sentiment in regard to doctrine and order in the Presbyterian Church, can we continue united in one body, and maintain the integ- rity of our standards, and promote the cause of truth and righteousness in the earth ?
" Answer-We think not.
"Q. 2-If you think it can, please to say how the causes that at present distract us can be removed ?
" A .-- It is answered in the first.
"Q. 3-Do you believe that there are ministers in our connection who hold errors on account of which they ought to be separated from us ?
·· A .- Yes.
" Q. 4-If you think such errors are held, please to name them particularly ?
"A .- They are set forth with precision and truth in the document called 'The Act and Testimony,' well known among the churches.
"Q. 5-If you believe that persons holding the errors you name ought to be separated from the communion, what, in your judgment is the best way of accomplishing it.
" A .- We are decidedly of opinion that the fidelity of the Church as a witness for Christ and for His truth, demand that such ministers be cut off from our denomination. The best way to effect the object is to proceed according to the con- stitution, if it be possible to accomplish the necessary result in that way. If not, then, from the necessity of the case, by some revolutionary movement.
"Q. 6-It was repeatedly avowed by ministers in the last General Assembly that they received the Confession of
489
STATE OF THE CHURCH.
1830-1840.]
Faith of our Church only for ' substance of doctrine, as a sys- tem, or as containing the Calvinistic system in opposition to the Arminian,' &c. Hence, we know not how much of our standards they adopt and how much they reject. Is this, in your opinion, the true intent and meaning of 'receiving and adopting the Confession of Faith ' ?
" A .- No.
" Q. 7-It is believed by many that much of the evil of which we now complain has come upon us in consequence of our connection with the Congregational Churches within our bounds. and represented in our judicatories. We would ask whether, in your judgment, it would not be better, as a Church, to have no other connection with Congregationalists than the friendly one which we now have with them as corresponding bodies ?
" A. - Yes.
" And whereas the above named committee cannot dis- charge the duties of their appointment without incurring ex- penses, therefore,
"Resolved, That the sum of $ be forwarded as our contribution for that object. .
"Resolved, also, That the above proceedings be published in he Southern Christian Herald, signed by the Moderator of Session.
" The above proceedings having been read from the pulpit fter sermon the 9th October, and a meeting of the church aving been at the same time announced to be held on the 3th October, the meeting was accordingly held on that day, nd the above preamble and resolutions (after filling the blank the second last resolution with 25) were adopted.
(Signed) " M. McLEAN, Clerk."
In October, 1836, Ruling Elder J. C. Coit was licensed by he Presbytery of Harmony to preach the Gospel, and at the bring session of the same Presbytery, April, 1837, a call gned by all the members of the Cheraw Church was sent Presbytery for him to become their pastor. In July, 1838, Ir. Coit was ordained and installed pastor of the Cheraw hurch in accordance with said call.
490
THE SABBATH-SCHOOL.
[1830-1840.
During the summer of 1838, George H. Dunlap and John Wright were elected by the church and ordained ruling elders by the session.
In the second volume of Records of session, page 47, is the following entry :
" SEPTEMBER 23, 1838.
" The following preamble and resolutions were adopted, viz :
" Whereas our Lord has established his Church, and ap- pointed therein officers to govern and to teach, and has also instituted families in which he has established also persons to govern and to teach, and has enjoined upon this people duties connected with their relations to the family and the Church ; and whereas heretofore in the religious discipline and instructions of the servants and children of this congre- gation no proper regard has been paid to those divine institu- tions and the obligations connected therewith in the premises, but it has been customary with us to have the children taught statedly on the Sabbath, and sometimes also the servants, by such persons, whosoever they might be, as might volunteer to discharge that duty ; and whereas, where there is no law there is no transgression, so where there is no law there is no obedience, and wishing as a Church and as a people to be found walking in all the ordinances and commandments of the Lord ; be it therefore
" Resolved, I, That the Sabbath-school, as heretofore con- ducted, be abolished.
" 2. That it is a duty devolving upon the heads of families faithfully and daily to teach their children and servants the principles of the doctrines of Christ, and their duties to God and man, which duty this session feels called upon not only to declare, but to enforce by all the authority committed to them in the Church ; and they therefore enjoin the daily attention to these obligations upon the parents in this con- gregation, and, furthermore, they recommend, as a most use- ful manual of instruction, the Confession of Faith and larger and shorter Catechisms of the Church, to be read in the family as part of the exercises of religious worship.
" 3. That the parents of this congregation be, and they are hereby, enjoined to secure the attendance of their children and servants on the Sabbath day at such time and place as
491
GREAT PEE DEE.
30-1840 ]
e pistor of this church may indicate, to be by him instructed the religion of Jesus Christ.
"4. That these proceedings of session be communicated the next Sabbath, by the pastor, to the congregation."
GREAT PEE DEE .- The origin of this church cannot be tter told than in the language of the record found in its first ok of Minutes or Sessional Records, which is believed to. drawn in the handwriting of Rev. Colin McIver, and which as follows :
" A few persons residing in the district of Marlborough, the State of South Carolina, some of whom had previously en members of the Presbyterian Church, and others, though t yet communicants, having been brought up among Pres- terians and feeling a strong attachment to the form of wor- ip and general usages of the Presbyterian Church, finding, account of the distance of their several places of residence om the Red Bluff Church, which was the nearest Presby- fian place of worship to which they could have access, it their attendance at that place as frequently as they sired would be productive of some inconvenience, prevailed on Rev. Archibald McQueen, the pastor of that church, to me a few times to preach to them in as central a situation they could select for the purpose. Mr. McQueen com- ed with their request as much as it was practicable for him do; but it was not in his power to visit them on the Sab- th. Perceiving their strong desire to enjoy the preaching the Gospel more frequently, and that, too, if practicable, the Sabbath, he prevailed upon Mr. Hector McLean, a entiate of the Presbytery of Fayetteville, to visit them, ich he accordingly did, for the first time on the last Sab- th. in December, 1832. The result of this visit was a sire on the part of the people to be more regularly supplied th the preaching of the Gospel, and Mr. McLean continued labor among them once a fortnight. This produced an creasing desire on the part of the people to be placed in ch circumstances as might secure to them the future regu- and stated ministrations of the Gospel ; and they were, the 25th day of May, 1833, regularly organized as a urch and congregation. On this occasion, Rev. Colin clver, a member of the Presbytery of Fayetteville, by cial request, presided, and the following act of organiza- on was unanimously adopted."
492
LITTLE PEEDEE.
[1830-1840.
The act of organization is here omitted, for the sake of brevity, which provided that they should report themselves to the Presbytery of Fayetteville, and make application to be taken under their care. This was subscribed by twenty-six persons. Immediately thereupon the following persons were chosen to exercise the office of ruling elders, and ordained the Rev. Colin McIver, viz: Lewis E. Stubbs and James McRae. The first named seems to have been an unfortunate selection, for after having given the Church a good deal of trouble, he was, in about four years thereafter, excluded by the session. December 7th, of the same year, David G. Coit was elected and ordained elder. In May, 1835, Jonathan Hart was elected and ordained elder. From about this time Malcolm Nicholson seemed to have exercised the office of ruling elder until the time of his death, in July, 1837. It is probable that he had been an ordained elder previous to his connection with this church, as the records make no mention of his ordination. In the year 1837 occurred, also, the death of David G. Coit, a man remarkable for his general intelli- gence, and still more for that energy of character and high enthusiasm which he carried with him into everything in which he engaged.
December 10th, 1837, Benjamin N. Rogers was ordained elder. Rev. Archibald McQueen supplied the pulpit this year, alternately with Rev. H. McLean, it is said at the instance of some of the congregation. May 13th, 1838, Jas. H. McQueen was ordained elder.
In 1838 or 1839, the connection of this church with Fayette- ville Presbytery ceased, and it was taken under the care of Harmony Presbytery. Rev. Hector McLean served us regularly as stated supply from his earliest visits until about this time, preaching at first in private houses and in a school- house until our present church edifice was built. His memory here, associated as it is with our being first gathered into a household of faith, is still cherished with great respect and affection by the few who survive his labors in this vicinity. [MS. of D. Matheson. ]
LITTLE PEEDEE .- In the year 1830, the Rev. Joseph Brown, then a licentiate of the Presbytery of Fayetteville, was called by this church as a supply. This was the first regular preaching on the Sabbath this church had yet enjoyed. He continued to supply them on every third Sabbath until Janu-
493
0-1840.] PINE TREE-RED BLUFF.
7, 1838, when he assumed the pastorate of the Hopewell urch. During his ministry three ruling elders were or- ined, viz : Messrs. Daniel Charmichael, Archibald McIn- 'e and Michael Carmichael. In 1839 Rev. Archibald lie, of Fayetteville Presbytery, then an aged man, became e supply of this church.
PINE TREE .- The Rev. John B. McFarland continued to oply this church (in connection at least some portion of the he) with Chesterfield, through this decade.
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