USA > Virginia > Virginia Baptist ministers. 4th series, 1885-1902 > Part 7
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I doubt if in any year of a long life as the head of a fam- ily his expenses ever exceeded his income. The income may have been narrow; the expenses were made nar- rower. Here is an example of his economy combined with his integrity. When he left the Seminary the Board held his bonds for the money aid they had given him. By rigid economy out of a scanty income he saved the money to pay these bonds. Upon tendering the money, however, to the proper authorities he found that his old church, Difficult, had paid the bonds. He was not what is usually called a great preacher. Some of the qualities deemed necessary to the orator he lacked. That mobility of feature and expression which spontaneously adjusts itself to the passing shades of thought and feeling-that resonant flexibility of musical tones which thrills as no other music can thrill-those graceful movements of hand and head and body which seem to respond without effort to the pulsations of the soul, these things Samuel Harris had not in any conspicuous measure. He was almost without imagination. But even with these lacks Mr. Harris was a preacher of power whom the people heard gladly. He was simple, he was direct, he was argumen- tative, he was tender, and he was in deadly earnest. He believed the Bible-he believed it all-and he believed it with all his might. The secret of his power lay here in the downrightness of his own faith and the terrible earn- estness with which he urged this faith on others. And yet his was not the earnestness of loud asseveration. That is rarely terrible. There was that in the manner of the man, in the tones of the man, sometimes in the tears of the man that carried to every hearer the conviction of his deep sincerity. With him faith in Jesus Christ was salvation; the rejection of Jesus Christ was real, unques- tionable and everlasting hell. It never entered his thought that Gethsemane and Calvary were merely tragic scenes
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in a ponderous comedy, played for the transient illusion of the world, while God secretly meant, in virtue of His universal Fatherhood, to save men anyhow. And hence he deeply believed that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a finality and that God, the loving, the merciful, and the just, has no scheme for human recovery and salvation save the plan which is revealed through the divine Son and the divine Spirit. With this conviction penetrating his whole being there was always in his preaching an in- describable solemnity. His most marked characteristic in the pulpit was tender solemnity, the solemnity of a man profoundly convinced that the embracing of that truth is life, its rejection death, and profoundly convinced that only the Holy Spirit can lead to the effectual acceptance of that truth. To Samuel Harris, Jesus Christ was al- ways divine-always majestic and worthy of worship, hence no man ever heard him in private or in public use one word of this flippant, familiar "dear Jesus" style that is common now. Samuel Harris and L. W. Allen, who often preached together in protracted meetings, were complements of each other. In doctrine, Allen was in-
ยท clined to be Arminian; Harris was strictly Calvinistic. In manner, Allen was fiery and impetuous; Harris was calmer and self-contained. Allen's sermons were remem- bered and wrought their effect by the power of particular passages ; Harris' sermons, more regularly and logically constructed, were cumulative and the deepest impression accompanied the utterance of the last words. In exposi- tion Mr. Harris was singularly sound and sagacious. To a great degree he made the Bible its own interpreter. Not often did he fail to concentrate on a disputed pas- sage the light that was to be gathered from the other Scriptures. To one who saw him only in the pulpit it would not have occurred that there was in him a vein of humor. Yet he had it, and the gift made him a very
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pleasant companion. One of the traits of the man al- most painfully marked was a shrinking modesty that shunned publicity. Doubtless he never rose to speak, while preaching to his congregations, without some trepi- dation. In the prime of his manhood he could hardly be induced to preach to a city audience. Once he visited his daughter at school in Charlottesville, and the pastor, Dr. J. C. Long, with difficulty prevailed on him to preach. He did preach. He had liberty and preached well, and he knew that he preached well, and he enjoyed it both during the sermon and after it. He was almost gay that afternoon. Dr. L. B. Anderson, of Norfolk, says that as a pastor Mr. Harris was kind, attentive, sympathetic, prudent, punctual, liberal but firm, loving and forbearing, but unswerving in principle. As he neared the end of his life he declared that he was sometimes more oppressed with fear and misgivings than in the former days of active service. The passages he quoted in this connection showed not that fear and misgivings are a necessary part of the Christian experience, but that we rest more in faith and in hope than we do in knowledge. On Satur- day, March 28, 1891, this man of God departed this life, . and two days later, that is, on Monday, March 30, his wife followed him to the grave. "Lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided."
REUBEN R. OWENS
Reuben R. Owens was born in King George County, Virginia, February 20, 1823. He graduated at Colum- bian College, Washington, D. C., in 1851. He, and his brothers, Putnam and Warren, were Baptist ministers; his ordination took place September 1, 1852, when he became pastor of Newville and Antioch churches in Sus- sex County ; here he remained five years. On December 21, 1853, he was married to Miss Maria F. Simons, of Nansemond County. For two years he lived in Missouri, teaching in the Lexington Female College. On his re- turn to Virginia he was for three years a missionary of the Goshen Association to Southwest Virginia, making Abingdon his home. His next work was in Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. In 1867 he returned to the Portsmouth Association, settling in Nansemond County. The next year his post-office was Windsor, Isle of Wight County, and the next he was pastor of the Millfield and Tucker's Swamp churches, Portsmouth Association. Later he served the Beaver Dam, Great Fork, and Boy- kin's churches. Nearly all of the rest of his life he was pastor of Colosse and Western Branch churches, Ports- mouth Association. His presentation of the gospel mes- sage was marked by unction. He constantly grew in the affection of his people. For some years before his death, which took place April 14, 1891, his feeble health greatly hindered his activity. His funeral, held at the Western Branch Church, in the presence of an immense congregation, was conducted by Rev. Dr. J. F. Deans, who also wrote for the Herald a sketch of his life. In the main, the facts of this article are from that sketch. Brother Owens left a wife and seven children.
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EGBERT BOLLING WINFREY
Egbert Bolling Winfrey, a son of George H. and Judith C. Winfrey, was born March 21, 1868, in Buck- ingham County, Virginia. At the age of fourteen he was baptized into the fellowship of Sharon Church by Rev. L. R. Thornhill. From January, 1884, to Septem- ber, 1888, he lived in Spottsylvania County, in the home of his brother, Rev. E. W. Winfrey. While here the question of his life work was much with him, and after serious thought and much prayer, he decided to become . a minister of the gospel. The session of 1888-9 he stud- ied at Homestead Academy, Chesterfield County, whose principal was Rev. L. W. Moore. During that vacation he labored as a colporteur, and in the fall entered Rich- mond College. This session he won the medal in the Philologian Society for improvement in debate. During the summer of 1890 he held protracted meetings in the Goshen Association, and in the fall accepted a call to Bethany Church, Caroline County. He did not, how- ever, give up his course at the college, his plan being to carry on his preaching and his studies together. The double work was too much for him, and doubtless "inces- sant toil and the burden of anxiety for souls made his body an easier prey to disease." May 15, 1891, was a sad day at Richmond College. No classes met. In one of the upper rooms a struggle was going on for life. Soon after noon "a stricken father, a broken-hearted mother, and a crushed brother filed slowly down the long stairway and left their dead." The burial took place on Saturday at the old homestead in Buckingham and the next day at Sharon memorial services were held, and
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Rev. Dr. C. H. Ryland, Messrs. W. B. Loving, M. J. Hoover, J. E. Hickson, of the College, the venerable Rev. W. C. Hall and Rev. L. R. Thornhill spoke. The last speaker called Mr. Winfrey's comrades and compan- ions to accept Jesus, and ten responded to the call; "the scene was memorable in its tender impressiveness."
This young man's "sweet gospel sermons" had been heard at Waller's, Zoar, Wilderness, Flat Run, Bethany, churches of the Goshen Association; his home had been in the James River Association; at Richmond College in two sessions he had won the confidence and affection of faculty and students; for seven months he served Beth- any Church as under-shepherd.
ISAAC T. WALLACE
Isaac T. Wallace was born in Norfolk County, Vir- ginia, on February 27, 1829. When he was some ten years old his parents died.
He became a Christian while yet a youth and was bap- tized by the Rev. J. G. Council. He entered Richmond College as a ministerial student and graduated in 1857, in the class with John W. McCown, Stephen E. Morgan, Edward Eppes, W. F. G. Garnett, Jno. M. Gregory, and A. T. Goodwin. Of this seven, one became a physician, three lawyers, two preachers, and one, who a little while later was killed in the battle of Shiloh, a farmer. While at college Mr. Wallace did good work in Fulton, the eastern section of Richmond, as missionary under the direction of the ladies of the First Baptist Church. His ordination took place, "with imposing ceremonies," at Mulberry Grove Church, the Rev. Thomas Hume and Rev. Henry Watkins conducting the exercises. His first pastorate, from 1861 to 1862, was with Hebron (South- ampton County ) and High Hills (Sussex County) churches. He answered the call of war and became the chaplain of the Forty-first Virginia Regiment. After serving in this capacity for some eighteen months, he took charge of a school in Henrico County. For the rest of the War he was a teacher, at the same time preaching to the colored people in the basement of the Leigh Street Baptist Church. He now became pastor again, having, first, Walnut Grove, in Hanover County, and then Em- maus, in New Kent County. After three successful years he was next in Gloucester and Mathews Counties. In 1872 his health failed and he returned to Richmond, as his friends thought, to die. His life was spared and once
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again he began to preach, ministering now once more to Walnut Grove and also to Antioch and New Bridge, all in the Dover Association. His health again, in a measure, failed, so he had to give up the ministry, yet he continued for awhile, as he was able, to speak for the Master, in Chesterfield at Branch's, at Cool Spring in Hanover, and at East End in Richmond. Of necessity he now engaged in the publishing business, for he would have preferred to continue to preach. In his sixty-third year he died at his home in Richmond, July 20, 1891.
SAMUEL THOMAS FULLER*
Samuel Thomas Fuller was born, of pious parents, near the town of Woodlawn, Talbot County, Georgia, in April, 1843. At an early age he was converted and bap- tized into the fellowship of the Valley Grove Baptist Church by the pastor, Elder John Harris. Steadfastness of purpose and devotion to duty brought him the mas- tery of the branches taught in the public schools and soon he was himself a teacher. The impression that he ought to preach led him to give much time to the study of the Bible, Spurgeon's sermons and similar books. When he was about eighteen years old the call to arms led him to enlist as a volunteer, and joining the Ninth Regiment, he was soon on the battle fields of Virginia. In a short while a wound sent him home on a furlough, but before he was able to bear arms again he was once more in Vir- ginia, seeking a wounded comrade, but his friend was dead, so back to Georgia he went with his sad charge. He had not been back in the ranks long before he was captured and sent as a prisoner to Point Lookout, where he remained until the close of the War. When he reached his Georgia home he found that all had been de- stroyed by fire or carried off by Wilson's raiders, but he was soon at work with energy seeking to get the farm into good shape once more. After four or five years the conviction that he was called to preach led him to turn the farm over to his brother, O. V. Fuller, and to go to
*The information which has made this sketch possible was fur- nished by Rev. J. P. McCabe, who is at present pastor of the church in Martinsville, in whose "city of the dead" Mr. Fuller sleeps his last sleep.
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the Seminary at Greenville, South Carolina. After a year he became pastor of the church at Hamilton, Ga., and during his pastorate here was married to Miss S. A. Johnson. He was not satisfied with his equipment for his life work, so he went to Louisville, taking his family with him and, while carrying on his studies at the Seminary, did work as a city missionary. After a year as pastor at Aiken, S. C., he accepted the care of the church at Lan- caster, S. C. At this place typhoid fever laid him low and eventually developed into kidney trouble that was finally the cause of his death.
While at the Southern Baptist Convention, in Rich- mond, in 1888, he received a call to a field in the Blue Ridge Association, composed of these churches: Cas- cade, True Vine, Martinsville, and Stuart, all of them weak and dependent on the State Mission Board. The work demanded by this field was far too heavy for one as frail as Mr. Fuller, but he laid hold of the situation with patience and perseverance, going to his appoint- ments with great regularity. At Martinsville the church numbered only about a score, and the only property owned was a lot. He went from house to house visiting his little flock, and once a month preached in the Presby- terian Church. In his second year he and his faithful band had the joy of dedicating a meeting-house at Mar- tinsville. One Sunday his text was: "Prepare to meet thy God"; the sermon was a solemn one, but no one dreamed that it was his last message in that pulpit, yet it was even so; in three months he passed away, after months of suffering, on July 23, 1891. The funeral was conducted by the pastors of the town and Rev. J. R. Har- rison. On December 15, 1907, the body of Mrs. Fuller was laid beside that of her husband in "Oakwood." Two daughters survive.
WILLIAM B. PEDIGO
About the third year of the nineteenth century William B. Pedigo first saw the light. He was ordained in 1857 and gave most of his ministerial service to churches in Montgomery and Giles Counties. At different times he was pastor of these churches : Bradshaw's Creek, Tom's Creek, Sugar Grove, and Sinking Creek. "For a long time he was the sole representative of the Baptist minis- try in the lower end of that (Montgomery) county. He was a plain, devout and earnest man and possessed some gifts as a speaker. He was a mechanical genius and could turn his hand to almost anything, and this capacity oftentimes served him in cases of emergency. He was poor in this world's goods and did all his traveling afoot, going wheresoever opportunity offered as the King's al- moner to dispense the true riches." He continued to preach occasionally until laid aside by increasing years and infirmities. Lafayette, Montgomery County, was for many years his home, but towards the end of his life he and his wife were dwelling in a box car at Franklin Junc- tion, Pittsylvania County. When the Ministers' Relief Fund Trustees learned of the situation of this venerable and worthy couple they at once went to their relief. Mr. T. H. Ellett, president of this Fund, calls attention to the fact that Rev. Dr. J. B. Hutson was converted under the preaching of William B. Pedigo. Brother Pedigo died in Bland County in the summer of 1891.
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HARRISON H. BANKS
This sketch is based upon the obituary in the minutes of the General Association for 1891 and on the file of the minutes of the same body. Harrison H. Banks was born in Princess Anne County in 1801. He was married in early life to Miss Martha Bartee of the same county. Five of the children of this union survived him. They grew up faithful and reverent to the God of their father. For over sixty years he was a minister of the gospel, and for fifty of these years proclaimed the glad news of sal- vation. Hundreds turned to God under his message. The London Bridge Church, Portsmouth Association, was his charge for some years, and after this pastorate ceased for a time "London Bridge" was still his post- office. He was unusually blessed with good health, his body remaining strong almost to the last of his pilgrim- age of ninety-one years. "His hand had been kept busy, his heart had been kept pure, and his mind ever active; the wheels of time did not break or rust, but simply ran down-as the clock in the steeple of time struck the hour for his peaceful departure." He died, at the home of his daughter, in Norfolk, Va., October 10, 1891, and his funeral, which took place at the Freemason Street Bap- tist Church, was conducted by Rev. Dr. M. B. Wharton, assisted by Rev. Dr. Calvin S. Blackwell.
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GEORGE P. LUCK
John P. Luck, coming to this country from England, settled first in Caroline County, Virginia, and later pur- chased a farm about a mile and a half from Botetourt Springs, where Hollins College is now located. Here he kept for many years a tavern known as "The Black Horse Stand." Tradition has it that President Andrew Jackson, going backward and forward between his home in Tennessee and Washington, often stopped at the "Black Horse." Mr. Luck was married twice, his second wife being the widow Calhoun, of Franklin County, her maiden name having been McGhee. The children of this union were George P. and Lucy, the former being born December 29, 1817. When George was quite young his father died. Before the death of his mother, which oc- curred a few years later, he had gone perhaps more than once with her on her annual visit to her people in Caro- line County. This trip, made in the family carriage, along the Valley of Virginia, across the Blue Ridge, and through Charlottesville, was doubtless a great treat to the growing boy and his sister. After his mother's death his half-brother Nathan sent him first to private schools and then to the New London Academy, Bedford County. When he left school he took an extensive Southern trip, going as far west as Texas and returning by way of St. Louis, which was then being laid off in town lots. The West did not attract him, so he did not settle there. Upon his return from the West he bought a large farm near the headwaters of Goose Creek Valley, Bedford County. His first wife lived something more than a year, and about 1844 he was married again, his second
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wife being Miss Nannie Buford, the daughter of Abra- ham Buford and the niece of Captain Paschal Buford, "a man of notoriety and distinction in old Bedford County." She was "a woman of strong Christian char- acter and an ardent Baptist," and a member of Mount Zion Church. Her father was a deacon in this church, and into his home, where all Baptist preachers were wel- come, Drs. Jeter and Witt, the Leftwiches and "Father" Harris often came. For twelve or fifteen years after her marriage Mrs. Luck's prayer for the conversion of her husband was not answered. Finally, however, one day her husband walked into her chamber and said: "Wife, your prayers have been answered. I have accepted Christ as my Saviour." By family history and traditions he
was inclined towards the Episcopal Church, but upon dili- gent study of his Bible he was led to unite with the Mount Zion Baptist Church. Before long he was talk- ing in church meetings and prayer meetings. He was fond of children and presently became superintendent of the Walnut Grove School-house Sunday school.
In 1859 or 1860 he was ordained as a minister of the gospel, J. P. Corron, J. A. Davis, and J. R. Harrison being members of the presbytery. Mr. Luck was, before the Civil War, a man of ample means, and he never cared to become a regular pastor of a church, choosing rather to preach to pastorless churches and in destitute places. His farm yielded him an ample income, and, besides, he was an excellent surveyor. After the War he was pastor and received some small compensation for his services. He aided in organizing a church and building a meeting- house at Elliston (Big Spring), Montgomery County, and was pastor here for a number of years. He served also Back Creek, Botetourt County, for many years. To this church, when it happened that the horses on the farm were busy, he would often walk, crossing the Blue Ridge.
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Towards the end of his life he built a meeting-house at Mountain View not far from Blue Ridge Springs, where he was pastor for a season. Jennings' Creek and a school-house on James River, below Buchanan, were also points at which he often preached. He loved to preach where people rarely had a chance to hear the gospel. It was said that he entertained more people and preached more for nothing than any other man in Bedford County. He loved to hear preaching and to preach. Shortly be- fore his death, when he had grown quite deaf, he went to hear Rev. Dr. E. C. Dargan. When he came out he said : "Brother Dargan, judging from what I heard of your sermon you preached a fine sermon. The only word I heard was 'Jesus.' When you preach Him you preach all, and may God bless you." As he said these words, with tears rolling down his cheeks, he gave his brother preacher a hearty shake of the hand. For many years he was a trustee of Hollins Institute and a great admirer of Dr. Charles L. Cocke.
While an earnest student of the Bible and an effective preacher, "he led an active out-of-door life, was fond of hunting and fishing, and his fund of anecdotes and reminiscences seemed exhaustless. His presence brought gladness into any assembly and his boyish exuberance never deserted him. During his illness, having some difficulty in swallowing, he humorously recalled Sam Weller's power of suction. In September, 1891, he rode across the mountain fifteen miles, preached two sermons, and went to a friend's house to spend the night. Before the next morning he was slightly para- lyzed, but insisted on riding home. He reached there quite exhausted. As he was ministered to be lisped : "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
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GEORGE P. LUCK
On October 7, 1891, he passed away. At the very end, when he could no longer speak, a baby grand- daughter was placed near him on the bed. His face brightened, he toyed with the little hand and then his spirit slipped away. His wife, who preceded him by five years to the unseen world, bore him seven sons and three daughters. Two of the sons, Rev. J. P. and Rev. J. M. Luck, are Baptist ministers.
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J. M. BUTLER
On March 28, 1812, some five miles west of Rich- mond, Virginia, John M. Butler was born. In 1824 he came to live in Richmond, and on June 8, 1831, was converted. He united with the First Baptist Church of that city, being baptized by the pastor, Rev. John Kerr. About 1835 he moved his membership to the Third (Grace Street) Church, then in charge of L. A. Ander- son. He was a good singer, and in this congregation, as well as in others, rendered valuable service by train- ing the young in sacred song. Mr. Butler did much pioneer work in Richmond. He was licensed to preach in 1850 and his first labor in the ministry was on Oregon Hill, a section of Richmond near Hollywood Cemetery. Here he organized and conducted a Sunday school and preached, thus laying the foundations of the Pine Street Baptist Church, which has now a mem- bership of nearly 1,900 and one of the largest Sunday schools in the land. In its early days this organization was known as the Belvidere Church. On April 18, 1852, he was ordained to the gospel ministry at Grace Street Church and became at once pastor of Bethel, Chesterfield County, but continued to reside in Rich- mond. His pastorate here was short, and the records do not show where his next work was, though prob- ably it was at this time that he had charge of a colored church in Petersburg, for during the War he lived in Petersburg and for awhile supplied the pulpit of the Byrne Street Church. After the War he returned to Richmond and for several years (1868-69) was pastor of the Belvidere Church, which he had founded. In this
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