Clay County Georgia - History - Mt. Gilead Baptist Church ********************************************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ********************************************************************************************** This file contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Charlene Parker" <laurel43@bellsouth.net> Oct 2002 From "History of Bethel Association Including Centennial Meeting", by Alexander Lee Miller Mt. Gilead is a small church situated seven miles northeast of Fort Gaines on the old "stage coach route" from Fort Gaines to Cuthbert via Cotton Hill. The early records of the church have not been kept, or can not be found, but according to information given us by Mr. W. E. Brown of Columbia, Ala. whose father, Mr. Joe Brown, was at one time a wealthy land-owner of this section, and also owned two hundred sixty two slaves we find that the church was constituted on the third Saturday in July 1822, thus making it almost one hundred and ten years old. Also much older than Clay County, in which it is located, which for many years later was still a part of Randolph County. The land was donated and deeded by J. Hugh Edge, grandfather of our informant, Mr. W. E. Brown. The first building was of round pine poles and served also as a school house. The members who constituted the Church were J. Hugh Edge, Deacon, Elizabeth Edge, Dr. Smith and Wift, Louis Pearce, Mary Pearce, Major Towson and wife and also Rev. Jim Davis, who was pastor at the time and for many years thereafter until his health failed because of old age. Several slave members were in the constitution also. Their names are Jim Edge, Fannie Edge, Louis Edge and wife, Nelson Smith, Louis Smith, Sam Pearce, Fannie Pearce. The records show us that Mt. Gilead joined the Association in 1839 which Association was held in Americus that year. The Pastor, Rev. Davis, lived between Cotton Hill and Georgetown while he served the church at Mt. Gilead. The delegates were Thomas Green, Thomas Towson. In that year four were baptized and eight were received by letter. Total membership was nineteen. Our oldest living member, Mr. S. L. Jester, also tells us that others of the very early members were John H. Callaway, Thomas Green, Seaborn Jones, Richard Thornton and William Davenport. He also names the following early pastors: William O. Crumbley, James Bass and William Crawford. One slave member, Joe Callaway, after being "Freed" became a very noted preacher among his race. Mt. Gilead once was a very wealthy church with a large enrollment of members most of whom were slave-owners, and in those days most of the wealth was in slaves and land. This church has the honor of having licensed one preacher, Mr. S. J. Railey on November 18, 1899. An interesting feature in connection with the history of the church is that "Uncle" Billie Hammack, whose picture appears in that of the church was first called to this church as pastor in the fall of 1886. At three other times he served as Pastor and at one time served nine successive years. At another time he served as "supply" for a number of years. Did not accept as Pastor but came as often and as faithfully as his health permitted during those later years, until Rev. Eugene Eller came, who preached for us for two years at the end of which time he resigned to begin work in another field. Then came our present pastor, Rev. A. B. Hawkes of Fort Gaines, Georgia. The present building together with the five acre tract of land is valued at seven hundred and fifty dollars ($750.00). The church has a total membership of seventy three members. The active deacons are Mr. C. C. Lindsey, Mr. B. O. Shivers and F. G. Hartley. Our Sunday School has an enroillment of sixty seven, Mr. C. P. Lindsey is Superintendent and Mr. Harvey Price, Assistant Superintendent. Miss Lilla Mae Lindsey is leader of the Sunbeam Band which has eleven members. We also have a very interesting and enthusiastic W. M. S. with Mrs. F. G. Hartley, President and a membership of eleven. In the W. M. S. we have two meetings each month. One at the church and also one at the home of some member. The home meeting is on the social order but the program in "Royal Service" is also given at this time. The following is a list of Pastors and Clerks of the church together with the date they served according to the earliest available record which began in 1874. Date: 1874 Pastor: J. S. Parker Clerk: W. H. Mandeville Date: 1875 Pastor: J. C. Bass Clerk: G. W. Goodman Date: 1876 Pastor: J. C. Bass Clerk: S. L. Jester Date: 1877 Pastor: J. C. Bass Clerk: H. M. Shaw Date: 1878 Pastor: J. C. Bass Clerk: B. F. Pearce Date: 1879-80 Pastor: H. R. McLendon Clerk: W. T. Pierson Date: 1881 Pastor: H. R. McLendon Clerk: D. B. Womble Date: 1882 Pastor: John Martin Clerk: D. B. Womble Date: 1883 Pastor: David Rogers Clerk: D. B. Womble Date: 1884 Pastor: J. J. King Clerk: D. B. Womble Date: 1885 Pastor: J. J. King Clerk: J. J. Johnson Date: 1886 Pastor: J. J. King Clerk: J. J. Johnson Date: 1887 Pastor: W. D. Hammock Clerk: J. Womack Date: 1888 Pastor: W. D. Hammock Clerk: R. A. Lindsey Date: 1889 Pastor: W. D. Hammock Clerk: R. A. Lindsey Date: 1890 Pastor: W. D. Hammock Clerk: R. A. Lindsey Date: 1891 Pastor: W. D. Hammock Clerk: J. E. Lindsey Date: 1892 Pastor: W. D. Hammock Clerk: J. J. Johnson Date: 1893-1895 Pastor: W. D. Hammock Clerk: J. M. Chester Date: 1896 Pastor: J. H. Corley Clerk: J. E. Lindsey Date: 1897 Pastor: W. D. Hammock Clerk: J. E. Lindsey Date: 1898-1899 Pastor: J. L. Pate Clerk: J. B. Goodman Date: 1900 Pastor: J. L. Pate Clerk: C. C. Lindsey Date: 1901 Pastor: W. A. Mabry Clerk: T. B. Jenkins Date: 1902-1903 Pastor: J. E. Dykes Clerk: R. L. Shaw Date: 1904-1905 Pastor: No record Clerk: No record Date: 1906 Pastor: J. E. White Clerk: C. C. Lindsey Date: 1907-1909 Pastor: A. C. Wellons Clerk: C. C. Lindsey Date: 1910 Pastor: No record Clerk: No record Date: 1911-1912 Pastor: Marion Greer Clerk: C. C. Lindsey Date: 1913 Pastor: J. C. Daniels Clerk: C. C. Lindsey Date: 1914 Pastor: W. D. Hammock Clerk: C. C. Lindsey Date: 1915-1917 Pastor: W. D. Hammock Clerk: C. C. Crozier Date: 1918-1919 Pastor: Marion Greer Clerk: C. C. Crozier Date: 1920-1921 Pastor: J. D. Overstreet Clerk: C. C. Crozier Date: 1922-1925 Pastor: W. D. Hammock Clerk: C. C. Crozier Date: 1926-1929 Pastor: W. D. Hammock (As supply) Clerk: C. C. Crozier Date: 1930-1931 Pastor: Eugene Eller Clerk: C. C. Crozier Date: 1932 Pastor: A. B. Hawkes Clerk: H. J. Price