BRADAWAY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CEMETERY (1788), Anderson County, SC
a.k.a. Broadaway/Broadway Presbyterian & Belton Presbyterian
Version: 3.0 Effective: 10-Sep-2005 Text File: A370.TXT Image Folder: A370
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SCGenWeb "Golden Corner" Project Coordinator
Anderson: http://www.rootsweb.com/~scandrsn/
Oconee: http://www.rootsweb.com/~scoconee/oconee.html
Pickens: http://www.rootsweb.com/~scpicke2/
DATAFILE INPUT . : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Sep-2005
GPS MAPPING .... : Gary L. Flynn at (visit above website) in
HISTORY ........ : Noted below
IMAGES ......... : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in
RECORDING ...... : ____________ at ____________ in _______
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CEMETERY LOCATION:
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>
Latitude N x Longitude W
CEMETERY HISTORY:
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CHURCH HISTORY:
This history of the Belton Presbyterian church may be divided into five periods,
namely: Organization at original location to the removal to the town of Belton,
1770-1851; Relocation to almost extinction, 1851-1900; Reorganization 1901-1925;
Relocation 1925-1983; Finally the current location 1983-present.
There is a tradition that as early as 1770 there was a worshipping body that
later became the Bradaway Presbyterian Church. The original location of the
church was at a point about five miles southwest of Belton near Broadway Creek
from which the church got its name. Dr. Howe in his "History of the Presbyterian
Church in South Carolina" says: "Bradaway was the ancient orthography of the
name of this church from its first appearance on the records of Presbytery,
March 18, 1788, down to 1833, when it first appears in the statistical tables as
'Broadway' ". Variant names: Bradaway until 1830's, afterwards also Broadway or
Broadaway. Variant location reference: Broadway Creek 1788-1851 (which flows
into the Rocky River and then into the Savannah River).
This latter name and spelling seems to have been retained until, perhaps 1851
when the original name was used again. A little later the records show the name
Belton was used. At the time of the reorganization in 1901, the original name
was used again and continued until July 24, 1932 when by official action of the
congregation it was voted that the church should be henceforth known as the
Belton Presbyterian Church.
Information concerning the early years is lacking. It seems at first to have
been simply a place where people gathered for worship. Robert Macklin, Robert
Hall and W. C. Davis are mentioned in the early records as having preached to
the congregation during the first thirteen years of its existence, being
partially organized by the Rev. Hall with Robert Dowdle as the first ruling
elder. In 1791, the church was more completely organized by the Rev. Daniel
Thatcher, with the election of two more elders who are thought to have been
Joseph Brown and James Dobbins.
In April 1795, the Rev. James Gilliand was called to the pastorate of the
church. (Rev. Gilliand attended Dickinson College. He received his license in
1794 and was ordained as pastor of "Bradaway" on July 21, 1796. At a special
meeting of Presbytery to ordain him, certain protests were made, charging that
he had preached against the government and slavery. To this Mr. Gilliand replied
that he had not preached against the government but had preached against slavery
and would continue to do so. However, he was persuaded to listen to the voice of
Presbytery and remain silent. He served as pastor until 1804 when he moved to
Ohio, an area in more sympathy with his beliefs. A group from the church also
moved with him.
From 1804 to 1820, the following are listed as pastors: Simpson, Templeton,
McElhaney, Gilliand, Jr., Montgomery, Thomas Baird, R. B. Cater. At a meeting of
Presbytery on October 20, 1820, the Varennes-Broadway congregation were made
into two distinct groups. Just when they had become so joined is not recorded.
No further records are available until 1824 when the Rev. Joseph Hillhouse was
called to the pastorate of the Broadway and Varennes churches who memberships
were fifty-two and thirty-five respectively. He remained until 1826. A Mr.
Foster succeeded him. He followed by the Rev. William Carlisle 1831-1838. Then,
Rev. William Harris served for the years 1839-1840. The Rev. Carlisle again
became pastor in 1842 and served until 1855. It is regrettable that no records
of this pastorate are available as it was the longest in the history of the
church.
Other elders listed during this periods were: John Hillhouse, Patrick Norris,
Robert Telford, John Warnock, Jr., James Simpson, James Alexander, H. C.
Alexander, James Erskine, James Thompson, James Telford, Thomas Erskine, James
Todd and G. B. Telford.
In the historic note as mentioned written by G. B. Telford, clerk of the
session, it is stated that "the corporation of Broadway Church, under the
pastoral care of the Rev. William Carlisle, having obtained the consent of the
elders and the majority of the members of the congregation, determined to remove
their church edifice to the forthcoming village of Belton, to a lot given the
church by Dr. G. R. Brown, a grandson of Joseph Brown, one of the early elders
of the church."
The building was accordingly dismantled, removed and re-erected in its new
location in the months of July and August 1851, and it bears the distinction of
being the first building to be erected to the worship of God in Belton. The
church at its new location was dedicated and a three-days communion meeting held
including the first Sabbath of August led by the Rev. R. H. Reid. A large group
of people attended since a Presbyterian Communion meeting was a new thing in
this part of the country.
In December 1855, the Rev. Carlisle concluded his pastorate. Rev. E. F. Hyde
served the church October 1856 until April 1859. The Rev. Samuel Donnelly served
nearly eleven years preaching one Sunday per month. The Rev. R. A. Fair, the
Rev. J. A. Kennedy supplied the church occasionally. Services were more
irregular until the turn of the century. During these years when the church was
so long without regular preaching services and the prospect for its upkeep so
discouraging nearly half of the membership withdrew and united with the Pelzer
and Midway churches.
The last record in the old Session book is dated May 23, 1892, when the Rev. W.
F. Pearson by appointment of Presbytery visited the congregation and held a
communion meeting. He reported to Presbytery that only one resident elder, Green
Taylor and six or seven members were on roll, that the church building, old and
dilapidated, had been appraised and bought by Mr. Taylor and removed. Mr.
Pearson preached in the Baptist Church, administering the communion and baptized
two children in the home of Dr. Harris. From this date there is no record of any
service having been held until the summer of 1900. The church seems to have
lapsed into an ecclesiastical coma.
At the spring meeting of South Carolina Presbytery held at Greenwood in 1900 the
attention of that body was called to the prospective opening for a Presbyterian
Church at Belton Cotton Mills through a communication of Captain Ellison A.
Smythe, President of the Belton Cotton Mills. (He was born in 1847 in
Charleston, SC. His father, Dr. Thomas Smyth, was pastor of the Second
Presbyterian Church for forty-four years. He was confederate veteran, the
captain of a rifle company in 1876 under Wade Hampton, a textile leader, and was
a director of the Greenville News, several banks and other corporations.) A
committee was appointed to investigate. In August of that year the Rev. Jas.
McLin visited the area finding the Broadway Church virtually disorganized, there
being only six women on roll. There were several Presbyterians in the town area.
On January 27, 1901, the commission appointed by Presbytery met and organized
the church. The meeting was held in the Baptist church as were the services
until the end of the year. The Rev. B. P. Reid preached the sermon from James
4:14, "For what is your life". The following constituted the membership
enrolled: Miss Margaret Erskine, Mrs. L. E. Shirley, Mrs. S. A. Kay, Mrs. Louise
Erskine, Mrs. A. A. Erskine and Miss Mary Cobb, who were surviving members of
the old organization. Also enrolled at the re-organization were: Mr. and Mrs. W.
C. Cobb, Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Guy, Mrs. F. C. Cobb, and Mrs. L. D. Blake by
certificate from the Pelzer church; Mrs. F. E. Lewis from Williamston, Mr. and
Mrs. J. A. Bolton of Henrietta church, NC, and Dr. R. L. Parker from Varennes
Church.
W. C. Cobb and R. L. Parker were elected elders and J. A. Bolton and W. B. Guy
were elected deacons. The services of the Rev. J. L. McLin were secured for one
service a month, and the offer of the Baptist Brethren to use their church as a
place of worship was gratefully accepted, and was used until the Baptist called
a full time pastor. Services were then held in the auditorium of the Mill school
for three years.
Rev. McLin served until Oct. 25, 1903. In November, 1903, Dr. John Gordon Law
came as stated supply and served until April 8, 1906. (Dr. Law was born in
Columbia, TN in 1839 and attended Jackson College, Columbia Theological
Seminary, Medical College in Memphis, the University of Edinbourgh (Scotland)
and Assembly's College, Belfast, Ireland. We have no record of his activities
between 1861 and 1869, it is possible that he practiced medicine during this
time. He was ordained by South Carolina Presbytery in 1873 and served churches
in Walhalla, Charleston, Darlington and Williamston. He traveled during the
years of 1876-1878 and served as an evangelist in SC Presbytery during 1878. It
was while he was at the Mt. Zion church that he served as supply for Broadway.
He died near Midway Presbyterian Church on March 29, 1916.) It is during his
pastorate the fourth church building was completed, at a cost of $2,050.00. Dr.
Law held the first service in the new building, October 23, 1904, preaching on
the text, Luke 7:5; "For he loveth our nation and he hath built us a synagogue".
The church was dedicated June 6, 1909, with Dr. S. C. Byrd, Dr. J. G. Law and
the pastor, Rev. C. L. Stewart, participating in the service. The number of
communicants at that time were thirty-five. The session consisted of J. S.
Adams, W. B. Guy and R. L. Parker. The deaconate was composed by A. R. Sharpe,
J. B. Putman and Dr. C. G. Todd.
A Sunday School was organized in march, 1905, with W. G. Templeton as the first
superintendent. The Woman's Missionary Society was organized in 1903 with Mrs.
C. G. Todd, President and Mrs. R. L. Parker, Secretary, with an enrollment of
thirteen.
The Rev. C. L. Stewart served from April 1906-August 1909. Rev. J. M. Dallas
served as supply until the Rev. D. P. Junkin accepted the pastorate in July 1910
and served until October 1917. Rev. A. E. Wallace served from December 1917 to
November 1919. Several Seminary students supplied the church until the Rev. S.
H. Fulton became pastor. They were R. H. Foster, W. T. Woodson, J. Blanton Belk
and S. H. Fulton.
It was during Fulton's pastorate the need of a more adequate house of worship
was felt and efforts were begun toward that end. Subscriptions and pledges were
secured and in the spring of 1925 a contract was let to the Harper Lumber
Company of Honea Path, for a brick structure on the corner of River and Green
streets. Work began during the month of June and the latter part of October the
building was ready for use. The opening service was held November 1 with the
sermon being preached by the Rev. D. M. Fulton or Darlington, SC. It might be of
interest to relate that throughout the building operations there was not
sufficient rain to cause the slightest delay, but at the first service the rain
poured in torrents.
Composing the building committee were A. W. Boggs, Chairman, Rev. S. H. Fulton,
ex officio, Dr. E. C. Frierson, J. A. Singleton, J. S. Adams and R. L. Parker.
The lot was bought from W. K. Stringer for $2,500.00 and the cost of the
building and furnishings was $12,500.00.
The Rev. I. M. Bagnal came as pastor in September 1931 and served until March
1943. It was during his pastorate that the church debt was paid off and the
church was dedicated on November 3, 1935 with much rejoicing. Participating with
the pastor were the Rev. S. H. Fulton, who preached on the theme, "The Church of
God"; Dr. W. H. Mills, of Clemson College, Dr. J. A. Burnett, pastor of the
First Baptist Church of Belton. A week of special services followed with the
preaching being done by the Rev. C. H. Nabors and Dr. Joe Carter.
In April 1943, Presbytery dissolved the grouping with Honea Path in order that
the Belton Church might have a full time pastor of its own. The Rev. W. M. Dendy
came as the first full time pastor in June 1943. In November 1944, a house was
purchased from M. T. McCuen for $4,500.00 to be used as a manse. The was
renovated and improvements added. Mr. Dendy resigned to accept the pastorate of
the Summerville church in June 1945.
On July 1, 1946, the pastor Rev. J. S. Walkup, came from Burlington, NC. The
church was well organized with activities for all ages. The Sunday School was
well staffed with capable teachers for all departments. The Women of the Church,
the Men's Fellowship, the Young Adult Fellowship, the Youth Fellowship and the
Story Hour Group were all active and carrying a full program.
Two of the most forward achievements was the new educational building and the
new Wurlitzer Organ. Dr. and Mrs. E. C. Frierson, devoted members of the church,
feeling a need for additional room and equipment, started a building fund
several years ago. On September 14, 1948, Dr. E. C. Frierson, H. M. Evans and R.
C. Longshore were appointed to secure plans for an addition and to serve as a
building committee. Work was begun about a year later. It was used for the first
time and dedicated on March 5, 1950, giving our church one of the best equipped
small churches in this area, costing approximately $20,000.00.
In October 1950, the Men's Fellowship began an Organ Fund. In spite of the fact
that the church had so recently completed its building program, the church group
accepted the challenge and purchased a new Wurlitzer Electric Organ, which many
felt to be of unusual beauty and quality.
The Men's Group also erected an "outdoor" bulletin board which evoked a great
deal of praise.
The Women of the Church has always been active. During the past one hundred
years it has been the leading organization of the church. They purchased the
Estey Organ (replaced by the Wurlitzer), the carpet, choir curtains and many
other things for the new building of 1925. When it came time to equip the new
addition the Women again led the way, having laid aside some money for that
purpose during the past several years. They have led the church in spiritual
activities, in benevolences, and in activities to raise money for the new
buildings, standing always ready to do more than their part.
After Rev. J. S. Walkup left us, the church has had a succession of pastors.
They being Rev. C. C. Caldwell, Rev. Roy Watkins, Dr. Erskine Clarke and Rev. J.
Samuel Peters. Rev. James H. Foil, Jr. was ordained and installed as pastor on
September 11, 1977 who served as a pastor of our church for almost twenty years.
The current location was built and dedicated in 1983 during the tenure of Mr.
Foil. Rev. Foil left in about 1996 to return to Salisbury, NC to reside as
Associate Pastor for First Presbyterian Church and to attend to his ailing
father. Dr. John LeHeup served as interim pastor until Rev. Will Nickles came
from the Columbia Seminary in 1998. Rev. Nickles went back to architecture in
2003 and up until August, 2005, we had an interim minister in Don Cooke.
In summarizing, this church has been in existence at least 212 years and perhaps
as much as 230 years. It has been served by nineteen pastors. As of 1951 it had
been served by twenty-eight supplies, thirty-six elders, twenty-six deacons and
has erected five church buildings. The original church building stood on a knoll
on the Major farm near the fork of Broadway and Neals Creeks, which was owned by
J. D. Major in 1951, who had a grain box made by his grandfather, out of the
original lumber of the old church. Mr. Major gave the grain box to the church
and Eddie A. Friend made the baptismal font out of it.
History Compiling Credits: The first 50 years of the church history was
compiled by Rev. J. S. Walkup many years ago. The rest was compiled by my
mother-in-law, Vivian W. Buchanan with the assistance of Palmer and Edna
Kirkpatrick and me. I helped put it all in order and designed a cover for the
church history book that she made once. (I had forgot about designing the cover
for her until she just reminded me.) If you look at the Flash (high-speed)
version of the web site at http://www.beltonpc.org you will see some pencil
drawings of the original church that was in Belton after it was moved from
Broadway Lake (where the Dollar General store now stands). There was an 80
year-old man that had attended the church as a child and Vivian got him to draw
the images for her. He died right after he did the drawings.
by: Theresa Buchanan at theresab@theresab.com in Sep-2005
o----------o
GENERAL AREA HISTORY:
It is estimated by Ramsay in his history of South Carolina (1808) that in
1755, there were not even 23 families settled between the Waxhaws on the
Catawba River and Augusta on the Savannah River. Since much of the
upcountry was Indian land, settlement had centered in the coastal
counties. Prior to 1768, the only court held in South Carolina was held at
the City of Charleston. In 1768, however, South Carolina was divided into
six judicial districts, with courts to be held in each. What is now Oconee
County was in the Ninety-Six District. At the end of the Revolutionary
War, all of present-day Greenville, Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties
was Cherokee land. There was some white settlement in this area, and forts
had been erected in various places to protect the settlers. The judicial
set-up in South Carolina becomes quite fluid (and quite confusing) from
this time on until 1868. A law passed in 1783 recommended the division of
the judicial districts into counties of not more than forty square miles,
with each county to have its own courts. This was accomplished by 1785,
with the Ninety-Six District being further divided into Abbeville,
Edgefield, Newberry, Laurens, Union and Spartanburg counties. The lands of
present-day Oconee County were temporarily attached to the adjoining
counties of Laurens, Abbeville and Spartanburg.
The Indians had sided with the British during the Revolution, and were
forced to surrender their land. In 1785 a treaty was signed with the
Cherokee Indians at Hopewell, the home of Andrew Pickens; the following
year, a treaty was signed with the Choctaws at the same location. At about
this time it was estimated that the white population of the area was
9,500. By 1789, the residents of present-day Oconee County were having
difficulty with their judicial assignment, and the area was separated off
into Pendleton County. A courthouse was set up at the site of the
present-day town of Pendleton in 1790. The next year, however, the
Ninety-Six District was divided into upper and lower regions. The upper
region, composed of Pendleton and Greenville counties, was named the
Washington District; a district courthouse was set up at Pickensville near
the present-day town of Easley. In 1798 the name "county" once again
changed to "district"; Oconee County was in the Pendleton District, and
court was held in Pendleton. The population was increasing rapidly;
according to Ramsay's history, by 1800 it stood at 17,828. The area was,
however, still sparsely settled. In 1808, according to Ramsay, there was
only one acre of cleared land for every eight acres of uncleared land, and
only one inhabitant per 36 acres. Education was "at a low ebb," although
some schools had been established; one newspaper was being published, by
John Miller in Pendleton. In 1826 Pendleton District was further
subdivided into Pickens and Anderson districts. The county seat of the
Pickens District, which encompassed present-day Oconee County, was located
at Pickens Courthouse, or "Old Pickens."
While some of the settlers during this early period had come from the
lowcountry of South Carolina, many were Scotch-Irish immigrants who had
fled Ulster for Pennsylvania to escape religious persecution. They then
traveled down the Great Wagon Road from Harrisburg, through the Shenandoah
Valley of Virginia, and into the piedmont region of the two
Carolinas. Some wealthy plantation owners from the lowcountry did begin to
build second homes in the upstate, mostly to take advantage of the more
moderate summer climate. John C. Calhoun was one of these; his home, Fort
Hill, was later deeded to the state by his son-in-law, Thomas Clemson, and
became the site of Clemson University.
EARLY PRESBYTERIANISM:
The early settlement of South Carolina took place along the coast. The
first minister to preach to Presbyterians in South Carolina was Rev.
Archibald Stobo, who arrived in Charleston in 1700. Until 1704, he was the
pastor of the "Mixed Presbyterian and Independent Church" there, the only
place of worship for Presbyterians in the entire colony. There was
probably no organized presbytery in South Carolina until the 1730s. Early
Presbyterians were organized under the Presbytery of Orange, Synod of New
York and Philadelphia. By 1760 there were eleven Presbyterian ministers in
the colony, concentrated in areas near the coast. By 1784 membership in
the Carolinas was increasing, resulting in a desire to form a local
presbytery. Following the various Indian treaties signed in the late
1780s, settlement of the Upstate accelerated, mostly by Scotch-Irish
Presbyterians who had traveled down the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania.
By 1789, the year the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church was
established, there were ministers appearing in some upstate areas,
including the Waxhaws, Saluda, Rocky River, and Upper and Lower Long Cane.
Among churches which had been organized in the upstate at this point were
Richmond/Carmel (1787), Bradaway/Broadway (1788), Good Hope (1789) and
Roberts (1789). It was also at this time that Hopewell (Keowee) or the
"Old Stone Church" was established. In 1790 the list of Oconee County
churches expanded with the addition of Bethlehem and Philadelphia (or
Ebenezer).
Rev. Thomas Reese, who was serving Hopewell (Keowee) Church at the time,
eloquently described the possibilities for church growth in the
region. Noting that circumstances were "favorable to virtue and religion,"
he also noted that "As the country is in its infancy, we have yet to expect
that these congregations will soon become much stronger, and in the course
of a few years, if peace continues, it is probable that each of them will
be able to support a minister. It is a pleasing reflection to the friends
of religion, that as the people travel westward, the gospel travels with
them, or soon follows after them; that God inclines the hearts of
ministers, respectable for learning, worth, and piety, to settle in these
uncultivated regions."
Southern representation at early meetings of the General Assembly was
limited, since meetings were always held in the North, and travel was
complicated and expensive. Thus figures on the development of churches in
South Carolina are scarce. The western "frontier" of South Carolina was
considered a missionary territory, with ministers traveling around and
"supplying" a number of churches. Indeed, a number of the same ministers
served the various Presbyterian churches in Oconee County. Salaries were
often left unpaid; the largest contribution toward the salary of Rev. John
Simpson, first pastor at Roberts Church, was $5.00, and some members were
only able to give a few pennies, or gifts in kind such as corn, wheat, and
whiskey. Often these itinerant preachers were not even reimbursed for
travel and lodging. Consequently, some ministers turned to teaching,
opening early academies and schools. Often they found this work more
congenial, and left the ministry, contributing further to the shortage of
qualified pastors.
In 1796 Rev. Andrew Brown was appointed to spend time as a missionary on
the South Carolina frontier, at a salary of $16.66 per month. In 1797 he
apparently had charge of the Bethlehem and Philadelphia churches on Cane
Creek in present-day Oconee County. In his history of South Carolina,
Walter Edgar estimates that only 8% of the white population in the upstate
belonged to churches at this time. Church membership, however, was
increasing, largely as a result of massive ecumenical camp meetings. The
early churches were simple, usually built of undressed logs. They had few
windows, and were furnished with benches rather than pews. No musical
instruments were employed in the services.
It was during this time that Nazareth/Beaverdam (1803) and Bethel (1805)
were organized. Edgar states that membership had almost tripled, to 23% of
the white population, by 1810. As for the Presbyterians, by that time
there were only 9 ministers to serve 25 churches and 634 congregants in the
entire Presbytery of South Carolina. By 1826 Mills' "Statistics of South
Carolina" indicated that there was a dominant Presbyterian presence in
Abbeville, Chester, Fairfield, Greenville, Laurens, Pendleton, Richland and
York districts. In Oconee County, Westminster and Richland had been
organized in 1834. Ministers continued to be scarce, however, and most
only stayed in one church for a short time. It was not until 1859 that the
concept of a permanent pastorate became popular in the church.
By 1870 there were still only 29 ordained ministers in South Carolina
Presbytery, and only 13 of these were devoting their full time to the
ministry. During this time the Presbytery continued to employ "domestic
missionaries" to supply vacant pulpits. By the late nineteenth century,
after a restructuring of the Presbytery to form Enoree Presbytery, there
were 19 ministers left in the Presbytery of South Carolina to serve 39
churches, and rural churches continued to languish on into the 20th century.
(For more information on the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, see:
Howe, George, History of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina;
History Of The Presbyterian Church In South Carolina Since 1850, edited by
F. D. Jones, D. D. And W. H. Mills, D. D.; and Strupl, Milos, History of
the Presbytery of South Carolina, 1784-1984.)
----------
Although there is a Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, the
best place to find material on the "Southern" church is at
Montreat. Here's what the Society says about this on their website:
The Presbyterian Historical Society serves its constituency from two
regional offices, one in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and one in Montreat,
North Carolina.
The Philadelphia office documents "northern stream" predecessor
denominations and their work, congregations, and middle governing bodies in
thirty-six states, and the work of the current denomination's national
agencies.
The Montreat office documents "southern stream" predecessor denominations
and congregations and middle governing bodies in fourteen southern states.
For records from congregations, synods, and presbyteries in Texas,
Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and
Virginia, contact the Montreat office first. For all others, contact the
Philadelphia office first.
Presbyterian Historical Society
P.O. Box 849, Montreat, NC 28757
Telephone (828) 669-7061
Fax (828) 669-5369
http://www.history.pcusa.org
Presbyterian Historical Society
425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia PA 19147-1516
Telephone (215) 627-1852
Fax (215) 627-0509
http://www.history.pcusa.org
The Special Collections area at the Thomason Library, Presbyterian College,
Clinton SC contains a quantity of Presbyterian materials, including minutes
of the Synod of South Carolina (and its successors, the Synod of the
Southeast and the Synod of the South Atlantic), the Minutes of the General
Assembly, incomplete sets of South Carolina presbytery minutes, many
histories of churches in South Carolina, biographies of area ministers,
sermons, and the papers of 19th century ministers Ferdinand and William
Plumer Jacobs. The library also has extensive information on Presbyterian
College and Thornwell Orphanage. The library's catalog can be searched
online at: http://library.presby.edu/. Special Collections librarian is
Nancy Griffith, e-mail ngriffit@presby.edu.
South Caroliniana Library at USC has over 474 titles listed on South
Carolina Presbyterianism, including local church histories. They also have over
800 issues of the "Southern Presbyterian," which was a prominent journal during
the late 19th and early 20 centuries. Their catalog can be searched online at:
http://www.sc.edu/uscan/
by: Nancy S. Griffith at ngriffit@mail.presby.edu in Apr-2001
o----------o
Located in present-day Anderson County, was organized perhaps in 1788. It reported fifty-two members for the years 1824-28 and fifty-nine in 1829.
o----------o
From: "kim wilson" <kimgeek@gmail.com>
>From a Firey Pulpit
The Rev. James Gilliland was ahead of his time as an abolitionist in the
South.
Gilliland, a white preacher from North Carolina, came under fire for his
anti-slavery stances when 12 members of his congregation protested his
ordination. After the Presbyterian leadership failed to support him,
Gilliland moved to Red Oak, Ohio, to form his own church in 1805.
>From the pulpit of his new church, Gilliland helped ignite the abolitionist
movement that spread throughout Ohio, which became a hotbed for abolitionist
activity. Along with the Rev. John Rankin of Ripley and the Rev. Dwyer
Burgess of West Union, Gilliland assisted hundreds of runaway slaves and
held abolitionist rallies until 1841. Gilliland and his associates,
according to the Ohio Historical Society, probably did more to establish the
abolitionist movement than any Ohioan.
http://medicolegal.tripod.com/analysesofabols.htm
Scholarly Analyses of Abolitionism, With Context of Events in the U.S.
Slavery Era
Excerpt 5, from Univ. of Mich. Prof. Dwight L. Dumond Antislavery: the
Crusade for Freedom in America
(Ann Arbor: Univ of Michigan Press (1961), pages 87-88 and 90-95)
James Gilliland was born (1761) and reared in South Carolina. He was opposed
to slavery, and, after graduating from Dickinson College, Pennsylvania,
returned to South Carolina to preach in 1796. He was charged by twelve
members of his congregation with political treason for preaching against
slavery, and the Presbyterian Synod of the Carolinas, meeting at Morganton,
November 3, 1796, decreed that he could not speak publicly for emancipation.
He obeyed for a time, but moved to the greatest single mecca for emancipated
slaves and ex-slave holders. Brown County, Ohio, in 1805. Here, he served as
pastor of the Red Oak church for thirty-nine years, to a congregation of
ex-slaveholders and other emigrants from the South. He was an uncompromising
advocate of immediate emancipation and was second on the list of
vice-presidents of the American Anti-Slavery Society when it was organized
in 1833. He was affectionately known as Father Gilliland and founded
churches at Ripley, Russellville, Decatur, and Georgetown.
TOMBSTONE TRANSCRIPTION NOTES:
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a. = age at death
b. = date-of-birth
d. = date-of-death
h. = husband
m. = married
p. = parents
w. = wife
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