LITTLE RIVER

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A Brief History OF

LITTLE RIVER

Baptist Association

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of

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Kentucky

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A Brief History cif The Little R.iver Baptist A~sc:ciat!on, prepared by E. R. Noel, Princeton, Ky. With slight revision~. this is t'he puiblicJ.- tion of a paJPer which was read by the author ,before the Associatio.n in its annual meeting of 1933, which was held with the_Li!be~,;y ·Point Bap- tist Church, in Trigg County, on August 9th. and lOth. of the year.

We wish to. state, in the beginning, that in prep·aration ~f this brief history, we have, with the excep•tion of five copies, all the minutes of said Association rfrom 1&18 to date. I also, wish to. acknowledge help derived from 'A Brief Histmy of the Little River Bap•tist Associatio.n.' By R. W. Morehead, and From SIP·encer's History of Kentucky Baptists.

EARLY HISTORY OF KENTUCKY BAPTISTS:

Among the emigrants coming from Virginia and the Carolinas to the "Dark and Bloody Ground", undier the leadiership of t::e Boones (Daniel and !Esquire), Capt. Wm. Ellis, John Grant, and others, there

;\vere many Baptists; who. in their persistent ~tru~gle for religious lib- erty, suffering also from oppressdve laws, fines ·and imprisonment, sought

early the freedom of the Western cl!me. ·

The Baptists were the earliest friends of freedom in Virginia and their brave .stll'uggle for liberty o.f cons:Cienrce had mudn. to do with the ibirth and gr01wth of the _.revolutionary sentiment.

Washington spo.ke of them as 'Firm friends of civil lilberty and pre- serving p<romo.ters of our ,glorious re.volution.' Sipark's Washington, Pge. 155, Vol. 12.

In the fall of the y·ear 1781, a church of aibout :200 memlbers with their pastor, E[d. Lewis C'raig, leaving their old homes in S!Pottsylvan- ia county, Virginia, so.ught new homes in Kentucky. Rewching their destination and having settled on Gi:lbert's ci"eek, near where the town of Landcaster now stands, they 1gave to the organization the name of Gilibert's Creek Baq>tist Chul'ch.

This was the third Bap·tist C'hureh west o.f the Alleghanies; Severn's Valley having ibe"en organized ,June the 18th. 178'1, and Gediar Oreek, July 4th. 17811. The former, now ElizaJbethtown; Ky., retains the old name--Severn's Valley ..

The following graphic des.crip,tion of the scene 10re,ented at the constitutio.n of this church is from the IJ)en of s:amuel Hay.~~raft: 'When this widespread and now favored country was but a wilderness; when not a human habitation was to JJe found !between iLouiSJville (th~n call- ed the F'alls of the Olhio.) and Green R~ver, save a fel\v families, who had ventured to Severn's Valley-a dense forest and uneXJ'()·lc~red-and

commenced a s.ettlement. There the lamented John Gerald, a minist:!r of God, came like John the Baptist, 'The voice o.f one ,crying in the wil- derness', and finding a ·few discilp1es of the Lord Jesus Christ, like s~eep

w:thout a sheiPherd, gathered them together under a .?Teen su\!'ar tree,

·where in the fear of God they gave themselves to. the Lord and to C'!'le

another in ehurch :e-overnment and were constituted a Baptist church, named after Seveorn's Valley and the creek that flows t::rough it.'

Other churches, in a few yea,rs, following th';.s, were organized and several associations were formed during the latter pa?t of the 18th.

century, Viz. Elkhorn Association Oct. 29, 1785; South Kentucky, May, 1788; Tate's Oreek, No·v. 26, 1793; Bracken, May 28th. 1799; Green River.

June 1800.

At the close o.f the year 1800 there were in Kentucky these six1 Asso- ciations of Baptists with about 106 churches, having albouli 5,120 mem- bers, being one to every forty of the populatio.n (this ib·eing 221,000). In the year 1&10 there were in the !>tate 28Q Baptist ·churche3 with 16,65[}

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members;. one to every twenty-four of the pcpulatio.n.' In the report of the General Association of Kentucky Bap·tists, 1933, we harve 1,900

~Churches, wi:t:h 3.2'7,746 memlbers;, or aw["oxim~t;ely one to every eight af the :population ibased on the 1930 census, which was 2,614,589.

The. !Red River Associati!Qn iWas 0rganized in the year 1807, with twelve churches, em!bracing a considerable teNitory in the Wes.tern part of this state and a few churches in Tennessee. · LITTLE RIVER AISSOCIATION.

The Red River Association at its annual meetirug in 1813 with Muddy Fork Church, at Cerulean SiPl"ings, Ky., having 40 chu;rches, 1,791 mem-

;bers, ste:ps were taken to form a. ne'W association, to be calle·d the Little River Bap•tist Association, occupying the territory west of a line begin-.

11in:g at a point albout six miles west 1od' Clar-ksville, Tenn., and running iVest of IHapkinsrville, Ky., on to the Ohio River near .£I{enderson.

A meeting for this PUl'IPOSe was apw·inted to be held the s:ame yea;r ,at Eddy Grove church near Princ·et<>n, Caldwell County, Ky. As f·ar as we.

have .been a:ble to determine, the new orgll.nizaticn ·was effected in No-

vern~ber, '18·13, comiPOOed of the ·following chmche.s (Having a:bout 1,000 members) :

Blot'ming Grave, Tenn.; Big Creek, Ky.; Cub Creek, Tenn.; Cypress, Dry C'ree·k, Dry Fork, Eddy Grove, Flat Creek, Muddy iFork, New Hope·, Nt!w Bethel, Providence, Salem, Sinking Fork, Salege .Oreek, Tizrah, Unity, Little !River, and Mt. Pleasant.

Eddy Ur.'loiVe !Church, likely· the old·est af these, was 0rganized in the year 17·99. ~far as we have been alble to det~rriline, th!s church was l.:tcated on U.S. Highway 62, about three miles soutn of Princeton, Ky., near the Hollingswo,rth scho'Ol house.

Among the early settlu.so of thislocality,many of them coming from South Caro-lina, were three p·reachers, Viz: Daniel Brown, Edmund Bear- den, Reulben Roland, who preached in the cabins of the early settlers and succeeded in ga.thering a sufficient numlber of. Baptists to form a small •church. Daniel Brown, it is said, was the tfirs-t pastor; and he was

·succeeded by thevenerruble James Rucker, 'VIiho was .6 CKJ·-laJbc.rer of the Cra1gs, Taylor, Hickman and o.thers in Woodford and adjoining coun-

ties, .and moved to Caldwell about l80'!l. He was suc[!eeded lby Mr. Tan- ner, and he by W'rn. Buckley, who was during his !Pastorate, · :sHenced

~from preaching for intemperate drinking. In _1.833, the church divided, and the r41ajority united wit:h what is now k.noiWll as the Original Little 'River Baptist Ass0ciation; in 1837 it changed its name to Equality. in lo£:41 it divided again, a.nd the minority was reol.'lganized ,by the associa- tion. it finally dissolved' in 1850.

. Salem, in Li;vingston County, !Was organized with 17 memlbers by Daniel !Brown, Edmund Bearden and Rolbert Smith, June 22nd., 1805. It j0ined the Old Red Rilver Association in 1808, and in '1813 went into the organization of t:he Little River Associatio.n. The said lbody co.nvening with this church in 1814. II'he early p.astors were Daniel Brown, Wm.

Buckley, J. W. 'Manstfield, and Willis Champ·ion, who ·was a mem1beT of this church; being called to preach, he was selected as pa.stcr in 1834 and continued to serve the !Church up, lto the year 1875, i. e., for 41 years.

This church now 1belongs to t:he Ohio River AEsociatio.n.

Mt. Pleasant chureh, in Trigg county, is the only constituent church of the Little River Association, w~ich is now a memlber c-f it. It was or- -ganized in 1810, and -was then located where iLi.lberty Point church now

stands, (on Little Riover about 4 miles West of Cadiz). Little River church, cf Christian County Assa:ciation, and New Bethel, of Ct~ldwell

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County Association were constituent churehes. Litt:e River was organ- ized in 1811, and New Bethel A'Pr. 4tlb.. 1812.

The second oldest church, which is no.w a mcr.Lii>cr of Le Li tle Riv- er Association, is Donaldson Creek, in Trigg County. It was organized as a .branch >O:f Dry Creek chu•rch in the year 1814, and became an inde- pendent organization in 1818, that year it ·had 68 members, and Dry Creek, the mother church, had 43.

F'ourteen associations have, directly or indirectly, gone out of The I.Jttle R.i!V'er A.>;sociat.ion as foUo•w&: in 182;0, Highland witn 15 chur~hes;

.frvm H~ghland. 18\36, LitHe Bethel with 4 churches, frcm L.ttle Bethel.

11888, Ohio Valley, we do IJ.Ot know the numrber of cnurc.he..;.

In 182.3, several churehes withdrew to form Western D'strict Asso- ciation; fn;m Western District,. Olbion was ·formed in 18•28, with 14 chur.ches; from Western D-ishrict, Clark's River Association was formed in 1831 with 7 churches., and in the year 1834 ten chur.ches went out of Obion and •Clark's River Associations and f·o.rmed West un:c.n Assoc·a- .tion. F'r-om West Uni.on~ the follo-wing a~socia.ticns have been formed:

In 1848 Mt. Olivet with 4 churches, in 1870, Blood River wi h H churche:>, (several churches have gone dire•ctly frcm us to Blood River Associa- .tion), in 1892 West Kentucky, in 1893, :Graves county.

In tlhe yea.r 1883 fifteen churches withdrew to form O:':J.io River As- sociation, and in 1924, eighteen churehes withdrew from us tJ. fc·rm Caldwell Oounty Association, and the same year three churches went from us to the Clb.ristian Oounty Organizatic.n.

THE MISSIONARY AND ANTIMISSIONARY SPLIT.

In its ea;rly history, the Little River Association was evangelistic in its endeavo-r, and' decidedly missionary in sp-irit, therefore, grew by leaps and :bo.unds, reP'O·rting from 14 to le7 !baptisms annu3.lly. It m3.int3.ined yearly correspondence with t.he Board of.Mis·s~cns. In 1818 the corres- ponding Secretary o.f the iMissi•on Bo.ard, reported that he bad rec~ived

pleasing, information concerning the advancement of the Redeemer's Kingd·om, which encourages us to. hope that tte time is not far d:stant

\Yhen the alborigines of America shall sit at the f·eet of JEsu3. From the 1818 Minute, we also learn that the Assc'Ciation had an E:md::· . ...-ed Mis- sionary and paid him for his .services; see the following extract: 'Paid Bro. J'Wss fo.r his semces in the Missicnary Bt:siness, $5.00, Clerk for h's

,:J~rvices., $8.00. Printing of Minutes, $<10.00. ;Resolved that this association request the friends of Alborig:nal re!form be meet at Ed.(ly Grove church, Caldwell County, on Friday 1before the eecond Lor·d's [lay in Oc1:Jober next, for the .purp·nse of fo•rming a Missionary 1S:c1Ci"ty.'

In 18120 it was reported that 'the Redeemer's Kingdom is still prcg- res.sing, and we trust that the Lord will carry on H's work vntil a knowl- ,edge of Himself shall cover the earth as the waters cover the great deep.'

The Association up to .18'211 continued to warml'! favor Missionary operatio.ns; it is prcibable that the majority of the e.,~:s:cciation was still in favor of missions and· theolo.gical edu~at\m; 'hut the Anti-missionarv element had .become so diet·ermined in their O.'t'posit'on, th3t the body wai' threatened with scism. To avoid this, it was deemed prudent to yield to their demand, r.ccoTdingly the a.osociation drr.pned correspond- ence with the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions and two neig:q:bo.ring

associations. _

From this period till 1829, the transartions of tbe !body were unim- As early as 1827,the tenets of Alexander Cam:p:bellbegan t.o agitate portant.

,some of the churches of the Bcdy, and that yearL a circular letter, strongly c•ommending the propriety of having a co.nfession of faith; or a

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declaration, in current language, of what we· und!erAJand the scriptures to teach, a,ppended tc the minutes of the association.

In 1829 swef'al ·Churches remonscyated against having an abstract of

;principles rprinted in the minutes. This ll::l'c•ught the :subje'Ct !before the asso.ciation, after &c.me dis•cus.s•ion, it was ordered that cur constitution, ahst.ract of principles and rules of decorum be annexsd to the minutes;

The fcllowirug Albstra.ct Of PrinciP·lEs as adOI;J·ted iby t2e 2.ss.;.dation, and a'ccepted lby most of the churches, formed prior

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1900, as their Ar- t~cles of-Faith, was printed in the As:scciatian Minutes of 1829, 1849, 1866,

1878, 1892: . -

1. We .believe in one only t•rue and living God, the Father, the Son, and t!he Hc.ly Spirit.

2. We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the word of C.cd, and the only rule of faith and practice.

3. We •beEeve in the doctrine of original sin.

4. We believe in the doctrine o.f election, and that {J-od cho:e His pe·o·-

!J)le in Ghrist ihefo:re the foundation of the world.

5. We ibelieve in man's im<P•J•ten·cy to recover him[elf from the fallen state he i.s in ib.y nature, by his o.wn ifree will cr ability.

6. We believe that sinner.s are juo::tified in th;-.. s·ight of God only iby the imputed righteousness of Christ.

7. We :believe that God's eleet shall ibe called, converted, .rergenerated a:nd sanctified lby the Holy S:pirit.

8. We believe the saints .shall persevere in grace and never fall fina.Uy away.

&. We believe that /baptism and the Lwd'.s .sunper are 0rdinances of

Je.mSI C'hr:st, and that true rbe1ie1vers are swbljec:ts, and that the true mode of baJpth:m is .by immersion.

10. We believe in the resurrection of the dead, and a general judgment.

11. We ibelieve the !PUnishment ·of the ·wicked, and the tjc.ys of the . righteous, will ibe eternal.

12. We rbelieve that np ministers have a right to the administration of the o-rdinances, only such as are regularly bautized, •Called, and come un,- der the impcsitib.n of the· hands by the Preslbytery.

In 1832, a ma.tion was mad€ to drnp correspondence with iRed River

A~.sodation, which was at this time an anti-missionary bcdy. A lengthy discu.ssicn ensued, and the motion finally prevailed. No further progress toward a division of the Association was manifested at th!s .session; but the matter was discussed among the churches, during the ensuing year.

The memorbale se.ssion of 1833, ccnvened at Mt. ;pleasant church, in Trigg 'County, on the 16th., and two succeeding days in August.

William Buckley, an anti-missionary, was elected Mcdierator, Jno.

Draper, a Missionary, was eletCted •Clerk. Letters f;om several of the churches ·remonstrated against the doctrine of the general atonement, and declared they were unwilling to hold in fell!a•wsh~p any who. held that do·ctrine; but this Association "knowing that toleration is given in the terms of unio.n amongst us, and tha,t one or more of Our Churches were constituted en those p~inciples; and that in all the Churches in this Association, there is more or less difference of ·orpinion on that suib- ject; we haJving lived together in peace· and prosperity, would not can- sent l:Ja• violate that sacred covenant.

To violate our co.venant would'.be the more unjrst, in as much as we have ·been, fm years 1p·ast, in the practice of re::eiving members coming to us from the United Baptists--and we have always considEred our- selves of. that order, and we are called by that name.

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After various efforts, by the dissatisfied party, to extort p~opositions

on which the Association co.uld divide in a triendly manner, we con- stantly affu·med that we· had no sucu pr·oy.:Sl~-ons tu oher; :but

closely adhere to the P•rindples o{)lf the General Union. And after var- io.us propositions and motions, the following !Illu•tion was offered by E.

tMans . .field; to wit: "I move that the que::.•t.on_be t~ken (WLether the As- so·ciaticn will supp·a•rt the principles of the United B&..ptbts; or will they .usurp dominion over the consciences cf men)". The que<Jtion being tak- en; the result was twenty-six in favor of the general Union-it being a majority of the AswtCiation.

We then proposed that we should live to_gelher in ;peace and !broth- erly love, upon the principles of the gt:ne1al Union; allowing tne brethren, on either side, to entertain the:r own views relative to our own confessio.n of faith; wnich t'hey refused, iby rending them_elves from us;

and the Moderator resigned his office by saying, "Brethren, I re:ign my .office as Moderator of the Litttle· River Association." Tne me.s·sengers from the following churches withdrew from the Union; Viz: Cublb Creek.

;Dry Creek, Dry F:ark of Eddy, E:ddy Greve, Muddy Fork a.f L_ttle River,

Cro~kett's Creek, Sinking Fork of Little River, Saline Creek, and Ten- nessee; tbut one cf the messengers from Sinking Fork, i.e. Charle.s Pope, immediately returned, and was recognized as the delegate fr-vm Sink:ng I<'ork Church. ,EJd Dudley Williams:, was then called to the chair, and the Association proceeded as follows: Etc.

(The rubove was corpied tby me, from the or:ginal minutes o·f 1833J.

Spencer says that the se•ceding party withdrew to the grove, the foJJowing day, leaving ,the missionary party in possession of the rec- ords and the house. Bo.th parties claimed the name and prErogative of Little River Baptist Aswciation; ibut st<ibgequently the miner organtza- ti·on prefixed the word "Original" t{> its title.. The churches. represent- ed iby the messer..gers withdrawing from the convention, tad 409 mem- bers, ho.wever, one o·f these, to wit: Crockett's Creek, refused to stand by the action of its messengers, and .remained Mi:s:on~ry and continued to make annual reports to the Association, and is. today a Mis-ion:>ry Bap-

tist Church. The churches remaining with the Union had 791 members.

According to 81)encer, in 1834 one more (Cases' Creek) church, had united with the 'Party which s·plit off, and yet that year they rep•;:;·rted only 385 members; in 1932, this same organization reported five chui·ches with a total membership of 49, (two •churc_hes nc.t ·re;orting their pres-

ent membership.) _

The Little River Missionary Baptist Ast:ociation in 1834, num.lbered 14 .churches with 860 memlber&, and in 1932, we rep(}rted 3,629 members.

Below we give the names of the churches remaining in the Union:

Bloaming Gro.ve, Little River, Mt. Pleasant, New BethEl, Sa:em, Donald- wn .Creek, Union, Deer Greek, West Union, Donald~on, Harmony.

The following copy, flrom records o.f the Dry Cnek Anti-miss~onary

Baptist church, shGw that the Mis5ioriaries· were in the m3jori'y when the division took place in the M·s·ociaticn: "On Saturday before the 2nd.

Lord's Day in Septemiher .. 1833, the church sat in order. Bro. Nance Mod- erator. FellowshiiP enquired for.

Motion and agreed to cpen the· d·oor for the reception of members.

Called on delegates to tbe JI.~I&Ceiation. Bro .. John Carr reported to the church. Moti-on and s·ec<'nd to take the dividing v·ote.

'Motion and .~econd, deciding that all who want letters of dismis- sion to be .granted.

'Motion and second, that all who. ap·pro·ve the cause of the nine - 6 -

churches; make it known by ri.s.i,ng to t!heiT feet; the,n aroce Wm. Scott, John Carr, Wyley Wolland, John Tinsley, Maget Scott, ELzaibeth Tinsley,

Jane Tinsley, N. Carr. .

'Those who f.avo.r the 'Ten Churches' (rj:!ally eleven). to wlt: J.Esse Cox, A. Brunron, Amy Skinner, Elizwbeth Rodgers, Rachel Hargraves, Martha Boren, Jane Sumner.'

There were eight fa.vorin'g' the cause of the: .. "n:n~ churches" and .seven favoring the cause of the "Ten Churches" deciding .tP,e church An-

ti-missionary ;by one vo.te majority .

.Mc.th:m and second that we receive letters, and grent t'::eir request.

Motion and se•cond that we buy and! g1ve to the memlbers favoring the Ten Chur.ches, either the new o;r the old 1book.s.

Agreed that each party shall oecupy the house one half o·f the time;

it is understo.od that those who are in favor of the 'Nine churches' con- tinue their meetings on the same day as heretofcre.'

The ·reader will notice that the fa!Ctions h.ad not yet assum~d or ac- quired any names .by which they should lbe designated, therefore, this lccal .chu11ch, in tak_ing the dividing vote simply design.ated the Hard- r:hell faction a.:1 the nine churches, end the M!ssionary, as the Ten. S:>.

W"l can easil'Y see that 'their reck is not as our rock, they themselves be-

ing· the judqe.s.'

Although the Association has actually d!v:ded heq-.self five times and

n~ores o.f churche.s have .gone out from us into other A.ssoci"tions·, the 'Split cf 1833' is the cnly cne that has taken tPlace as a re::ult ofl inter- nal strife or do·ctrinal differences. And so fn as I have been .!!lble to lea!l'n, except the divisions th.at c.ccurred in the churches immediately following the .~·plit in th·e .Mso·ciation, we have never had a church to divide and l:ec•cme two seperate organizatinos from the albo'Ve named ICau.ses.

In s.pite of the fa.ct that so. many churcres and Associations have gene out fr-om us, 'The oil has not failed in the C'ruse, n-:r tl-oe meal in the !barrel.' Today we have a thi•rd more churcbe.J than we had at the

;bz.g-innin.g, and three and one h.alf times as many memJbers.

After the dilvision of 18.33, a dis'Cordant element which could not be conciliated or longer t·olerated. bein!!' new eliminated, and hwin~ drop- oped cor.res.pondence with Old Red Rjver Ass::-dation in 183·2 and High- land and Muddy River (ILiL) A.nti-missio.nary bodies, .a few years later, this Association Resolved to encourage itinerant ,-preaching, recommend- ing to the churches· that they make contrilbut'ons fctl' tbis purpos".

Following this, there was a co.mmendf?ible zeal mg_nifes•ed in Mi..~ion

work at hnme and a.broad, and the A~scciation increased in numbers ve1·y rapidly. From. 1838, until the Civil war. ~xtensive revivals pre- vailed. In 1860 there were 34 chur1che.s ibelcngin~ to the· .A.ssocaitioo, with 3,998 members, comparing favc.raibly, in zeal for the Maste•r's cause and maintenance of benevoleJJ.t enterpri_se.s, with the leading asso-cia- t:ons ·of the State.

In 1870 there were 51 churches with 4,198 mPmiO·ers; In 1882, there weTe 58 churches and 5,339 memJb.ers. From 1813 to J833; there were re..:

ported 1,406 baptisms., (and the fi~rPs are not available for 6 years during this time). Fer 'the iDa:st 'hundred years, we h.ave reported 23,- 744 haopti~ms .. <and tbP. number o.f baptisms were not rep•o·rted in the minutes of 1900 and 1915).

In 1843, It was resolved that this Association contemplate with deep ii).terest the Indian Mission Association, organized at Cin"innati, in Oct- tober cf the previ·ous year, and regard the work o.f sending the Gospel

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to the Indians, as especially appropriated to t..."IJ.e chuirches of t'te West;

that this Association recommend to the churches comp·c.sing h~r body, to ade-pt some plan by which more money may lbe secured and sent during the present Associational ye~r. to the treasurer of Indian Mis- sions at Louisville, and r€'port the same to the next Asso·c~ation.

Similar resolutions and recommendati"Ons have !been passed at dif- ferent times, favoring Missionary work at home and in Foreign lands.

In ·order to supply the destitution in the boundis of the Asl!•ociation, it was resolved in 1845, that this Association recommend to the churches the propriety and importance cf taking up immediate coUections for the purpose of enabling their pastors, and other ministers, to supply the d€stitution.

The question of Ministerial support came up in 1839, a~d it was re- solved, because of the great inattention to, ministerial support, and consequently, the great inefficiency of our ministers, that we recom- mend to our chwrches comrp-osing the As.sociat:on, to. ra',;e funds to be pla-ced in the hands of a treasurer, for the purposP:; of employing an agent, whose /business it shall be tc visit the churches bslcnging to the Association and urge them to adopt some rplan by which their pastors or preachers may be enabled to go forth unfettered and preach the un- searcha.ble riches of Christ.

At the annual meeting in 1854, a committee en re.solutions was ap- pomted, and reported favorably on the foU.owing mbje::t.s., to-wit: Home, Indian and Foreign mis·s!.ons, Tem(peran<ce, Sunday-SJchools and revision o.f the Ecrirptures. Up~n the question of Temperance, it was resolved, 'That inasmuch as the use of intoxicating drinks h"ls been tbe fruitful .source of crimes, pauperism and death, eveQ'y Christian ought to dis~

countenance its use as. a beverage altogether. It /Was Resolved, "In·

view c.f the innumera1ble advantages resulting from Salbibath school in·

.struction, eveQ'y church <'Ught to c•rganize and sustain a Saibath--chool.

.. In 1861, the following resolution was offered \by J. F. White, of Cadiz, Ky., which was adopted:

Whereas, Time in its diversified changes, is phcing many import- ant incidents connected with the history of thi-s As:>o~hticn, very re- mote f·rom the memory of many of those now livin~; and whereas, even some of the ministers whc in gone iby days, la.'bored mcst successfully in building up the cause of Christ in this Association; ..and whereas, many important facts connected with their la-bors and their bi~tory will soon be forgotten, theref('·re, resolved that this A,-sociation a-cpo:nt a Com- mittee of •brethren o.f extensive ex.uerience E~nd knowledge of tbe history of this Association, t:o- prepMe a sket.ch of the most important incidents and facts connected with this Association, and report th~ s1me to the r1ext meeting c.f the As.mciation, the s.a.me to -be anpended t'l the min- utes nf the Asf-ociation. ' A Committee was app·oint~d to rff:ct the pro- visions of the Resolution: this committee was continued fr.r two vears, and finally dis•cha.rged without .perform¹ng the tllsk s.~oicn'ld. In 1876, a brief history of tbe Association, (preS-Uma.bly ·by R. W. _Mo-re!:ead) was appended to. the minute.s of the P.s.~ociation for thll.t y~ar.

'l'he Little River Missionary Baptist Association in 1834, number~"rt

14 churches with 860 members, and in 1932, werepcrted 3,629 members.

In 1886, the foUowing Resolution was pa•ssed with refer~nce to in- tcmpe>ra.nce: "It is the opinion of the A>"sociation that intemperance is one of the :gre:;~.te.srt evils of the age, that for a church m~mber to eng?ge

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in the ~le of intoxicating drinks is injurious tC> good morals, destruc- lti:ve to the happiness and g.ood order of so.cie·ty, and fraught with evil and only evil. Re~1olved, therefore, that in the future this .Associaticn will not hold in fellowshiiP any chur.ch that will continue to p:rmit her memlbers to sell intoxicating drinks." The MlJbject of temperance wa.s given a prominent pla·ce in all the medings . cf the A.Sisociation from 1854, on until the adtOptio.n of the 18th. Amendment.

In 1846, a restQlution was poa.ssed .authorizing .the word "United," to he ins€'rted ,be·bween the words "River" and "BaJ;.tWt", in the caption of cur minutes; from this time to 1901, the name "lzittle River Assa,ciation of 'United Baptists," an>pears on our Minutes, sin-ce 1901 the ward "Unit- · ed" has not be·en ured in .our name.

. The first Executive· Beard was aP'POinted in 1846, as follows: C. W.

Ro.ach, John W. Jackson, W. A. Ea.sley, Jchn I:-aker, and Peter B9.ker;

since th.at time, the association has paid to missions and benevolen-ce,

$180,434.28. Up to and including the year 1919, the yea..r of the launcn- ing of the Seventi,V-five Million Campaign, we had pajd $73,552.43, to·

Mi.ssicns and Benevolence; during the five years of tbe Campaign, we paid $'1'1,423.05, c.r $3,870.62, more than we had paid in 74 years prior to the Campaign. In the leanest yeax of the Campaign, we paid three and one half times as much as our best year since the Campaign. And in the two leanest ye·ars a.f the Campaign, we lacked only $604.09, paying as much as we hav-e in the poast eight years.

Las•t year (1932) Calcllwell County A.ssociatiQn and Little River A.<:sc- ciation, which were one and the same, before and during the Campaign, cnly lacked $759.£0, paying as much as we did the banner year before the Campaign, which was in 1918, when we were experiencing a period .of such financial prosper·ity as this co-untry had never before kncwn, :aor have we seen such pTosperit:y since tha.t year and the two cr tpree years immediately following. 1£20 w.as our Banner year in cantributwns tc missions; we patd that year, $21,573,55, . _

1880 was our banner year for ban>Usms, that year ·baptizing 524 con- verts. · The Little River Association today, through the Co-c.perative Program, is not only doling extensive missicn w.ork .at home, •but, is help- ing to suppo.rt nearly 400 Missionarie.s, in 14 Foreign countrie3.

Below we give only to.o brief a skat:::h, cf some who have lived and wrought in the Association, but time and ~ace w.ll not permit a mare complete biographical sketch.

ELD. EDMUND BEARDEN, SUIPPOS•ed to have been the first Bap- tist preacher in the original territory of the Little River .j\!o.s:ociaticn, wss ordained to prea·ch by a church on Reedy River, in Greenv.me District, S.C., as early as the year 1790. Soon after th:s date he mov·Ed to what js now Cald·well Co.unty, Ky., and settled near wha.t is now the pres-ent site of Princeton. It is said that he was active in preaching among th.e settlers in a large area of country. He a·fded in the constitut.icn of sev-

eral of the first chur-ches organized :in this se-ction o.f the State. It is not known that he was pastor of any of these.

DANIEL BROWN, was one amcng the fir~t preachers to settle in this portion o.f the State and aided in gathering the .scattered Baptists into these early churches. Was pastor of Eddy Grove, Salem, and NCJW Bethel churehes. He was in the organizaUon of Red River Association in 1807, and the,..Little River As&cciation in 1813, and mo.ved to Alabama in 1816. ·

· ELD. JOSIAH HORN, was an early settler in what i.e; now Mont- gpmery County, Tenn. He was a memlber, and p·erhaps , pastor 9!

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Blwming Grove church, in that county. He was in the organization o·f thC' Little River A:ssc.c•iation. In this •body he held a re~pectable· position

ur~tn 1830, when his name disappear·s from the ·records.

ELDER DUDLEY WILLIAMS, was among the yo.unger ministers who entered the organization of Old R·Ed River A<sc·c·iat.:on in 1807, he w.a.s at that >time a merrJber, and mo&t likely the pastor of Dry Creek Chur·ch, in Trigg ccunty. He had probwbly gathered the church, which was constituted: in 18C5, and of which he continued as a memibe·r until 1831, when he moved his mem!bers:hip to HarmJOny in Caldwell county.

He was Moderator of the• .Association at lea&t 6 times, and· on two occa- sions preached the Introductory Eermcn. In the ~1plit of 1833, after the Moderator, Wm. Buckley, left the cha1ir, £~Y.1ng 'I res·ign my office as Moderator o'f Little RitVer Associa•tion,' Elid. William& was called to the chair and served as Mnderat10•r until the clo.se of that [~.~·sic.n. He was also Moderator the following ye:a:r (1834). BTother VV1ll:ams warmly adl- vo<:at-ed_the caus•es of Temperance, Missions and Christian benevolence.

His name disappears from the.Minute:;; about 1·83 9. . ELDER FIELDING WOLF, was a na•tive of South Carolina, and an Early settler dn what is now Trigg ccunty, K}y. He wa'l an ordained preacher when he entered into the crga:nizatic.n ·Of Red River Associa- .tion, in 1807. Both his natural gifts and acquirements were meageT;

but he po.ssereed a cregre-e of self-confidence and persdS'~ence which gave hlm no inc·cnsidle·ra.'ble• infiuen·ce over that class of people, who value a ma:p. accc.rding tc his eSitimate of him.9€lf, and: the ~·ersi.>tence with wh•ich he asserts it. Mr. Wolf .became a member of Muddy Fo-rk church, perhaps at its c.ons•titution, and sertVed it as pastor a.bout 25 years. With his ·chur·ch he E·ntered the consrtituticn of Little River A.::ISl:oLtion in 1813; ·On at least two oc•casions prea:ched the Introductio•ry Sermon.

Abcut 1829, he was accused, 1by one C'f his mem'b·ers, of preaching Dan- iel Park·er's "Tiwo S·eeds" doctrine; follow•.ng wh:.ch, great difficulty arose in his church, s:eveoral prominen-t memlb·ers withdrew themselves from the church. In .183.1, he motVed to. Pettus county, Mo., whsre he d:ed a!bo-ut 1845 ... Although he wa.s morally upright, it ds feared that the spec- ulat:ve nature of his p·reaching in Kentuc~y, did more harm than good.

ELDER JOHN MALORY. A memlber d Uttle~RiveT church, de-"

parted this J..ife the 16th. cLay of June, 1824, ·aged 71 years. For 37 years ht wa& a memiber of srane Baptist church, and: fc.r 25 years wa.s enga~ed

in the weork of the minis:try.

ELDER .JAJ.'UES. PAYSON. Died August 20, 1823, aged 47 years. He became a memlber of a Baptist church when 24 year.s: of ag·e, and shortly after, a preacher of the gc~!Pel. He s1Cen>t the J;·emainder of his days in faithful discharge -of bis duty to his div:ne Ma~~er.

ELDER

w.

^~. CLOPTON. Died in the year 1848. He was a mem- b2r of the Nsw Harmo.ny (nnw Big R•o·ck) church, Stc.rwart county, Tenn.

ELDER JE1S1~E COX. Born in Eouth Oar·Olina aibcut 1774, of poQr parents. He moved• to Trigg county in 1·80-8. Here he united wlth the Dry Creek Baptist church. He preached: a.s a licentiate fvom 1827 to Hl35, when he was o.rdoa.ined. Under his pr·each'ng trere· were manv converSI!on:s• and-,;,1.e h·an·tized a consideralble r>um,..,er. Of th?Ee w"re A. P.

Hod~es and Wm. Skfnner, of Calloway county, whn became useful min- isters. His· gift was nrindpally in exhortati-on and he us:d H diligently.

He died July 12th. 1849.

ELDER CLAYBOTJRN WILSON. D1ed in 1849, W8SI40 ye?rs of age·.

He was a member {'f Cro·o.keld Cr·eek chPrch, !lnd for .six years servod his- cllUrch and .two others as pa.stor. He labored alw among the destitute

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around him. His la'st sermon was preached at Pi~ey Cr·S§k cburch.

WILLIAM BIGHAM, was a p:ous, zealous and useful minister of the go.spel. He first united with the Cumlberland Presbyterians in Cald- well c:ounty and was set apart, •by them, to-the rnin'stry in the year 1822.

After preaching am-ong them for s.everal years, he j.~ined the B;:pt.ists and was called to the care of Dyer's Hill Bap•tist church. In 1852 he was employed to do mission work in the Western part of the asso,ciation. He great success during his thirty years' WJork in the min:stry; and died

Sep·t. 23, 1852, aged 56. -

JOHN W. KELLEY, was a son of James Kelley and a nephew -of Elder Benjamin Kelley, who labmed and died in Ohie cc.unty, Ky. He was a native of Halifax county, Va.; and emigrated to Kentucky in 1833.

He settled first in Christian county and afterwards moved to Trigg. He served as past.or of Little River, West Union and Harmony churches. He was regardEd as an a\ble ministe·r o.f the New Te.stament. He was a

>varm friend cf ministerial education and contrLl:uted Uberally of his means for this purpose. He died Augw::·t 17, 1840.

EI,DER JAMES W. MANSFIELD, was one -of the mo-s:t lab::rious, us·eful and highly esteemed ministers that ev<:r lived in Western Ken- tucky. He wa-s born in A1bermarle county, va., March 18th., 1794. He mo.ved to Kentucky in the year 1815 and se•ttled near Danville, where he ,was baptized in Octotber of the following year. The same fall he moved to Christian county and united with SalUlbl'ia S'prings (n-ow Bethel) church. In 18~9 he moved to Caldwell oounty, where h~ united with New Bethel church, in what is now Lyon county. In the following year on the 26th, day o::: May, he was licensed to rreach. He was pasto~

of Donaldmn and New Bethel churches f;or 25 years. and in 1851 organ- ized the Princeton Baptist church. He also pre::l.ched to Harmony church from 1840 till his death, which occurred at his home in Caldwell county, Sunday, Oct. 15, 1853. He was Moderator of the L'.ttle River As-

~ociation 14 years, and preached the introducto.ry sermon •beofore that body on six occasions.

ELDER JOEL E. GRACE. Departed this life in Crittenden coun- ty. Ky .. Jan. 27, 1864. The most of Bro. Grace's la,bors were performed in the bounds of Little River Association, in which he se·rved as Mis.-:;ion- ary, Cl•erk and Moderator at different times; he was alro pastor of sev- eral churches, some of which were greatly built up through his instru- mentality. There were but feJW men in the Associat:on, if any, who had more correct views o.f the doctr.ines of the Bft>le, who were more useful in ·.he churches, and more beloved oby all who k,n:e.w him, than J. E.

Grace.

ELDER THOMAS W. MATLOCK, wa.s born in 1807. He un1.ted with Harmony church in Caldwell corunty in Jan . .!,840, and was baptiz- ed by Jno. W. Kell~y. He was the principal inStrument ·in gathering Blue Spring church, in Caldwell c·ounty, he was crdained to its pastorial care in Dec. 1852. To. this church he ministered succe,~sfully several years. Su·bsequen-tly he was called to the care of Princeton, Harmony, and Liberty churches. Brut in the midst of his useful and highlv appre- ciated labor, his brief ministry was suddenly terminated. He died f.rom a st::-,:}ke on his forehead, by which his skull wa.s frac.tured, Feib. 16, 1866,1 As the mortal wcund was infUcted while he was alone in his hor.~e lo.t after dark, •it could not be a.scertained whether it was done by the hands of an enemy or the kick of a mule.

ELDER SELDON Y. TRIMBLE, was born in Logan county, Ky., -11-

Sept. 17, 182.'7. At the age of albout 21 years he cbtained hope in Ci~rist,

and was J::aptized 1by Thomas F'elts, into the fellc·w:hip of New Hope church in his r.at·ive county. In 1850 he was licensed •to preach, and im- medlately afterwards ·entered Union University, where he graduated in ,1854. In 1855· he was sent by Hopkinsville church, as a mis•si.Jnary within the bC'unds of Little Riv·er Asso.ciation. In 1856 he w2s ~;.ent as a Mls-

~ionary to Afri·ca, by the Fore•ign Missionary Board of the Southern Bap·- tist Oonvent!,on, wh:ere aft.er a1bout one year's la,bo.r, he was forced tc r·e- turn home on ac.count of fa.ilin.g health of hi.s wife. In 185-9 he took charge cf Canton and Dc.naldson Cre·ek churches, in Trigg county. He was afterwatlds past.or of ;Donaldson, Nerw Bethel, Eddyville, Eddy Creek.

Bethany, and Parkersville churches. He also lai!J.e>.red as Mi::,sionary of the Asmciation for albc.ut hvo years. Ercther Trimlble was a man of earne·st piety and un·swerving devo·tion to the truth he so albly proclaim-

ed. He died of pn•eumonia at his residence, in Parkersville (now Lamas- co) Lyon cc.unty. Kv., Oct. 4, 1873.

ELDER WILLIS CHAMPION. Died at the resid·ence cf his broth- ,er, J. B. Champion, in Livingston county, Ky., August -9, 1876. He was porn in E:d.gecorr.i:> county, N.C., Felbruary 4, 1801,_bec~Jme a m"Omlber of Salem churcp, in Livi.ng-s1tcn county, i:c...18!1-9, was cantil and o.rd>ained .by said church in 1834, where he c·ontinued as past<'r for 41 ye-ars. The grerut theme of hi.s life was Christ, and Him ·cruci1fied, which seemed fresh in his mind until the last. He con~tituted, in 1840, Fri·end'ship church, in Livingston county, in 1877 numeri•cal:y the Itrcnrest churc~ in the As- ,sociatlon, and· was its pastc,r 20 years. He had ba.ptize·d 870 persons and

married 440 couples. ·

WILLIAM A. McCHErSNEY, was iborn 1812. Unit"..d with Donald- sen ·Church in 1841, ·ordained; to the minktry in 185·2. Her was pastor of several churcl:es in this and 1L·ittle Bethel Aszochtions. He w; s a gnod man and wn.c•ecrated his gifts to the· work at-the Ma~liier. He died Apr:l 30, 187-9.

EL.DE.R L. H. AVE.RITT, of Tri:gg ccunty, died Felbruary 27, 1881.

He was for m2ny years an active and effident minister cf the gcspel.

Three year.s ibefNe his death he was afflicted with a str.oke o,f paralysis., which afiect.eg his organs of s:t:·eech .a.nd kep~ him from his labors.

ELDER B. W. BARNES, of Salem, Crittend-en county, one of the eldest ministers. in the P..ssodaticn, d:ed in 1881. Hie wr..s a go.·Jd: man, tulJ cf fa:th and served his generation according to h:s alb:lity in preach- ing the gospel of (}hri.srt.

ELDER

z.

WORLEY, was horn in Bedfprd county, Va., .August 1, 1800. Pr.cJero:ed faith in Christ and urrit•ed with a Baptist church in Fr;mkl:n ·cc.unty, Va., when he was aibcut 25 years of age. He was or- dained to the full work of the min<i.s1try at ·28, most of his work wa.s that of an evangelist. ).He was in th'e organization of th~ General Association cf Kentucky Baptists. He was cne of: the first of cuur Baptist mini&ters who arose in earnest oppo.sition again.st mak;ng and selling intoxicating drinks, and succeed'ed in removing several dli&_,tilleries, some• ()f. which were cwned: anld con:rcUed iby Bap<•ir•t min:d€rs. During his mintstry ,he wrote a beak entitled "Lights and Shades of the Go.s!Pel." He spent the latter part of his life in this Association. He died in Crittenden county, December 31, 1881.

. ELDER GEORGE PATTERSON, Died at the residence of his son,

~r. J. Patterson, near Cadiz, Ky., in the 68th: year 0f hi.s age. He was born Jan. 11, 1814; prof·e~sEd faith in Christ in 1840, wa.s ordained in

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the wDrk of the ministry in 1843. During h:s ministry he was pastar of the following rahurches: Anti<l'ch, Cadiz, Shady Gr~ve, Mt. Pleasant, Blue Springs, Hurricane, C'anton, Donaldson Creek., .Cumberland Riv- er and Pleasant Vall·ey, all of which he served Wlth that fidelity which was ever characteristic of the man. fie died Oct. 18&1, at his post.

ELDER D. S. HANBERRY, was ibarn May 4, 1823, in Trigg county, Ky. He made a pmfessdon of faith and united with the Me,thodist? in l::S43, ,began preaching for ~hem in 1847. Socn after this Bro. Han,berry became doi.SJsatit.(lled with the church government and doctr-ines and unit- ed with Hurricane Baptist church, anciJ was .bapti~d 'by Elder J. F, White. Re entered the pastorate among the Baptists and served churches in' Trigg, I..:yon and Caldwell counties, with earnestness and real until a feiW years :before his death, when because af failing health he·

g~ave up the pastorate and quietly waited the summons home, which came April 22., 1889.

ELDER SIDNEY A. CHILDRESS. D~ed in the prime of life, Mar1 12. 1891, in Liv<ingston oounty, of pneumonia fever. He be·came a mem- ber o.f Union church in 1878. Being at the same time impressed to preac·h the gospel, he took. special pains to prepare himself fer the work, and S'Oon became an earnest and successful minister, d.Qing much to promote the cause o.f Christ. He was a member of the Ohio River Asso- ciation at the time of his d!eath.

ELDER ·COLLIN HODGE, Am<>ng the most prominent ministers of Little River Asso.ciation, was ,bern in Crittenden cQunty, Ky., Feb. 2;2, 1816. He was rear·ed o.n a farm and r·eceived a fair common school edu- cation. When he was albout 2~5 years of age· he jQined the Methodist church as a seeker. Albout tJWo months later he ()lbtained hope in Christ.

He now gave himself to a diligent study of the Bilble. Finally, against h!& fo.rmer ecnvictions a.nd prejudices, he became convincEd of the script,uralness of Baptist doctrines, and united with Union church in CritJtenden c·ounty. ·He was l,icensed to preach in May, 1841; and or- dained in July , 1842. In 1844 he gathered Calcllwell Spring church, and became its pas1or. He afterward\S gathered Dyer's Hill, Go<>d Hope, ,Smithland, and GQl'Conda (Ii.U churches. He has served New Bethel, Croo.ked Creek, Princeton. Friendship and Paducah churches as pastor.

H~ went with his· church in 1882 to form the Ohio River Ass-ociation. He waR Moderator of this Assodation three years, preac1iect the introduc- tory sermo.n on .six occasi<>ns. He was p8.stor of Caldwell Spring ChnJ;:ch mere than 30 years; he lived to be 74 years of age.

ELDER J. W. CREWDSON, of Livings-ton county, Ky., was born in Logan county, Ky., July 23, 18,28. Pr<>fessed faith in Christ June 3, 1844, in Henry county, Tenn., and was baptized J"ul:,r 23, same year; was ordained to. the work of the· ministry March 1, 18'56, he preached from this time in the State of' Illinois, as past,or and missionary until 1870, when he removed to Llivings.ton county, Ky., where he lived and labored until called· to his rest and• reward. During hTs-1~ years' connection with this Assc.ciation he tol().k .a ;prominent stalli11n all our denomina-

tional enterprises. -·

ELDER JOHN F. WIDTE, was connected with thi.s Association for more than 53 years. 'He comm·enced his ;w.iriistry among the Meth:..

odists. Soon aft6lr uniting with the Baptists, he was ordained and call- ed to the care o.f R~ocky Rid,ge church. of which he was a memiber. He served this church as pastor, Jor 25 years or more, and other churches fer .shcrter periods of time. During his early ministry he was very active

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.and efficient in his sacred calling, and many were added to the churches under his· lrubors. He was an earnest advocate o.f Missions ~nd gave iltr- -crally to this and other benevolent OlbJects. ·

:t!;L.UEK WILLIAlV.d. Glt.t;GS'.l'ON. Died Sep'i;, 2, 1898, at his h-ome in F'armersville, Galdiwell County, Ky., in the 71~t. year <Jf h:s age·. Pro- fessed fz.lth in C'hrist when he was a;bout 20 years of age. Wa.:; called to

·the care of Camp Creek church, and ordained ;by thtiXL. in 1852, from which time un:til 18115, he had preached to a;bout 15 cuurches in Cald- .well and ad•joining counties; he was at Pleasant Gro<ve church almost 30 years, and at some others .albout twenty years._He w~s a good man, pos- :.Sessing many noclble traits of character and beirilg hignly e~teemed by -those who kneiW him best.

ELDER A.

w.

MEACHAM, was born in Christian c-ount·y, Ky., .F'eb-13, 1818. He was ra-ised on a farm and .acqu·ued a good ]!;ngliS'n ed- uc.&.tion. On the 1uth. of Decemlber, 18i18, he was ba.pt.zed into the fel- lowship )Of Pleas•ant Hill church, in his native ccunty, ·and ordained to

·the ministry nee. 10, 1839. He served as pastpJ of the fo.ilowing church- es: West Union, Blue Springs, CeTulea.n s:prings, Cad:z, Canton and La-

·Cust Gmve in this Associati.on. He also. held pa.stora.tes in PadiUcah,

·and other c·ounbies in this State, and in Middle Tenn., and north Ala- ,bama. _He baptized more than 4,000 c-onverts; -united in marriage more -t11an 700 couples and officiated at more t:lan 1,000 funerals. He se:ved as Madera tor of this Association 26 times and preached the introductory -sermon 9 ti..mes. He d·ied Dec. 11, 1902.

EL~ER J . . U SPURLIN, was t-orn in Chri.s;tian county in the year 1824, he was actively engaged in the ministry for mere than 50 years. Though not a member _-of this As&eciation, yet is i,s imJPossilble to :write a histary of this body without w:ne notice of hb work among us.

During his more than 45 years wcrk in this As~·ociation, he served as ,pastor o-f the f10Uowing chrur·ches: Pleasant Grove, Harmony, Little -Riv- er, Canton, Hurricane, Lehanon, Gerulean S•pring.s, and Buffalo Lick. He alsa did a considera,:~·le ~'llount cf mission wor~.Jor the Asscc.atLon. In .these meetings he witnessed a;bout 2;000 convers .. ons and Bapcized from

1,500 to 2,000 pers.ons.

ELDER R. W. MOIREHEAD, was iborn in Logan c-ounty, Ky., Apr.

,13th., 1834, and died in Prince·ton, Ky, Nev. 14th., 1910. He professed :faith in Christ early in life and was from that time a cansistent Chris- tian worker. Early in life he surrendoered to a call to the ministry; his

·work was chie·fly that of a pa..,<'l1;or, thtOugh not without considerable evangelistic exper~ence. He served as pastor of the foll~wing churches in this Association: Gaddz, Canton, Rocky Ridge, West Union, Hurri- cane, Looust Grove, C'erulean S:priJ).gs, H~armc.ny, Donaldson, Princeton, Kuttawa, Eddyville; and !Was for 25 years pastor of New Bethel church in Lyon county. He was Moderator of the Association 3 years, Clerk 13 years, preached the intro.ductory sermon 6 t:mes., and w::ts a member of -the Executive B<Jard moot of the pericd of 45 years that he was in our

·midst.

ELDER R. C. RAMEY, was a mini.:ter and pastor of churches in this Association f,or 38 years; during his ministry he •bapt'zed 3,767 per- :sons. He d~lighted in .schc.ol-house and brush arbcr meetings and in feUowship, ca_rrying the gospel into destitut_e places•; although he was no.t an educated man, he had comid·era;ble· gifts• as an evangel'st. Long.

will his memory li_nger in the minds cf those who knew his labors. He

departed this life in 1929. · ·

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ELDER SAMUEL SUMNER, was born in Trig?; cc.unty, Ky., ori the 27t.h. day of May 1845; born again in 1860, or wbout that time, and bap- t.zE.>d into the fellowship p.f · Donaldson Creek church. Early in life he tontered the ministry and for 20 years he was one of the leading pasto.rs in the ASisociation. He was the chief instrument in the founding of Del- mont church, was a charter member and gave more toward the erection of a house o! worship :fJor this chucrh than any otb.ei' member. He died at his hCime, near R~ari.ng 8-grings, Ky., on_ June 7tfi.; 1~20-

ELDER ADAM KNO'IH, was born June 17, 1847 in Lyon coonty, Kentucky. Coming to young manhood and facing the questio.n of re- ligion he decided to adoyt infideiity as his belief. He faw:J,,!i it hard to be

!l.n infidel, and under the earnest preac!ling of a Methodist minister, he rwas convicted o.f sin and converted. He j.oied the Methodist chureh. AB sr;on as he began to read the Bible he w_as C{'nvinced of the scrirptural- llE'SS of the Baptist position and un1ted ~oth the Baptist Church at Mac- rdonia. In 1874 he helped to, organize Bethlehem Church in Lyon caun- ty and tbecame one of its charter members. S!lon afterward he was li-

<'ensed and ordained to the work of the minlstry by this church and re- mained a member of the same church until his death. He never gave his entire time to. the ministry, but made his living on the fal'IIIl and

~reached as.;.::p:rortunity cffered. He .1:'erved as past.or of a number of churches at d1:fl'erent tilJle·s in his lif·e. He was in the ministry a.bout :forty years. He flied Dec. 17, 1920. He was the father of three sons and two daughters, all active members of Baptist churches. One ~on, L. J.

Kno.th has for a 111umbe·r of y-ears been an active pastor in Liftle River .and Caldwell Bao-tist Associations.

ELDER JOHN T. CUNNINGHAM, was born in Trigg county, Ky., Octcrber 26, H!59. lris parents moved to Graves •CQU,;!tY when he wa&

-twelve years of age, and at the age of 15 he was E·aJVed, jcining the Mt.

Olivet Bap_:Ust church. He was licensed

ro

p·reach at 22. After complet- ing the common school, he attended Clinton C.ollege, and the SoutP,ern Baptist 'I'heological E'eminary, at Louisville, Ky. In 1890 he was called

a~ pastor of the Oak Gr·eov-e BaiP•tiEt church and except for a few years

·~hat he was away, attending the Seminary, has been pastor ever since.

He is also pastor of Blue Spring church wbere he was called about 35 years ago. As a yo.ung man, he also taught school in Trigg C()<unty for

~bout 15 years, durbg a great part of this time he served on the county iboard of examiners and was recognized as one of ..J;he most efficient teachers in the county. ·_Back in the days of,_o.pe~ saloons, he was one -of the champions in the cause of prohilbition. :wa.s an ruble temperance .lecturer, and as such, wa.s in great demand in campai-gns in many counties in West Kentucky. He has ever been very persis~ent in

·evangelistic work, holding from six t·o twelve meetings per year. He is today ga¹ng stronog-, and is Da,%or of five churches, three in this As.soci- 8.tion and 1lwo in the Ohio Riv·er Association. He was for five y~ar."" Mod- erator cf the Little River AsEociation, memlber of the Exe·cutive Baard 27 years. nreached. the introductory sermon 5 times .

• TOHN DRAPFR, w2s Clerk of the Association for 16 years.

c. w.

POJ'CII. Clerk 11 yE'ars.

H. B. WftYLftND, Clerk, 18 year.s.

I .. J. WALLACE, Clerk 7 years and memlber of Executive Baard 25 .Years.

w.

H. WHI'J'F.. '~"'~~ ~ member of the Exe,.nt've BoPrd 28 yearl!.

DR. W. E. MITCHELL, pastor <.'f the Cadiz Baptist church, was -15-

.Moderator of the Assocation for eiight years and during this peripd W!l4

.~J.so Chairmim o.f the Executive Board, at· thi.;s t,me is Mudera.tor of the·

Oenreal Association of Kentucky Baptists, had rendered invaluable ser- Nice to the churches in this body.

· HONORABLE A: L. HALL, was Clerk of the Aswciat:.on for eight .years, aJ;td Chairman of the Sunday School "Cnnventfon of the As,ocia- tion .for eight years, is an untiring Slundlay StChool worker and largely due

to l}is efforts there L:,.now a Sunday school in every church in the A:;so.- ciation.

The present pastors in the As~ociati.on are as fellows: W. E. Mitch- ell, Cadiz, Ky., T. E. Taylor, (Present Moderato::) Walloh:a, Ky., J T.

Cunningham, Princeton, Ky., W. G. Bla:keley, Golden Pond, Ky.. L. L.

,Spurlin, Hopkinsville, Ky., L. B. Hooks, Lamasc<', Ky., C. A. Ladd, Pem- ibroke, Ky. Also, the following ministers hoJd;ing membership, but not·

pastors in the Association: W. J. Stewart, Luther Saunders, F. M. Mc- ,Cawley, Marvin Ramey, W. B. Ladd.

. A fine fellowshi!P prevails am{'ng our churches and pastors gnd we .feel that the Associatiof~bids fair to. go on in the work of the Lord fn a way which has characterized her efforts in Kingdom work for the past hundred yean;.

Respectfully .submitted,

E. R. NOEL, Princeton, Ky.

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