Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-11-19

ION laf tBt Yallatifaal, al. SaMl s.agrI
o.. g.. THU FsS1o4 Az,
humane master, q laborious Pastor,a puaStuz
Presbyter, jealous advocate for every good ;.sof
and benevolent, liberal minded citizen; sef !
his life, practical example which IS worthy Of thi
imitation of al" = ri psfIT.:. - aa .,,se ..
In January, 1910, Andrew Harper Caldwell Z.
1ioentate Of Concord Presbytefy, WIS ;insited b
preach at Bethesda for one year III Octobsr'io d
the same year, he WIS ordained andcinstalled Pas
tor Tho time covered. By shs pastoral seryiices
may be pfonounced.th period 6f Bethesda sf
fictions. During almost tie ensips ppastorate, ths
Christening hand of GodGvssupcn the ,consrega
tion: The four yearsof fcontmneds sthtpugh
out the Church, causing the death Of such p mul
titude; the severe drought Of 1886 and subse
quent emigration to the West are facts PAINFUL,
familiar to the old by experenoe, and 10 the youni
by report Under these sdysisities, the. youthful
Pastors labols were greatly multipiisd and embar
rassed. Having endured these, tolls amidst dis
couragements for seven years, lie, 1876, having
caught the spirit which transferred 50 many Of hi.
flock to the West, removed to Marshall County,
Mississippi, and took charge Of two Churches
| where laboring With his wonted fidelity he remain
for nearlya dozen years. He then removed tt
Lamar, Mississippi, andbecame Pastor Of neigh
boring Church, and, mas shortly afterwards ap
pointed agent for, the Synodical College at ia
grange, Tennessee, in both Of which capacities hs
was eminently successful About year since, h
changed his location to Pamela County, Mississip
pi, and has charge ofSardis Church, and is to-day
recognized as one of the most practical active ane
useful preachers of the West, .,l,,.-, ms, ..:,.
| In January, 1S47, Rev. Pierpont Edward Bish
lop, who had just removed from Ebenezerr e
| Yorkvine, began his hbors as stated supply, q
Bethesda Thus alternating Sabbatbs With b York Yor
vile, he preached on here until 1851, when he wa,
installed Pastor of Bethesda Here be continued
to labor, both preaching and teaching, with une1
ampled fidelity, acceptability and success until The
spring of 1856, when his rslation being dissolved
with much reluctance on the part>of his flock; 'hs
went to Bennettsvils, where heelosed his work
in his Masters vineyard on the 9Th of March
1859, in the 5eth year Of bis age, and the 3eth o.
his ministry. That he was born, in ,Amhers
County, Virginia, April 1908, the child Of power
y, but also of piety and prayers; graduated: al
Hampden Sydney College in 1929; having profes
sed religion when about eighteen studied Theolo
| g in Union Seminary, Virginia; licensed t
preach by the Presbytery Of West Hanover in 1898
that he came to South Carolina, Immediately, ana
engaging in July Of that year, 10 preach ot Unit,
and Ebeneser IN York District, Of which, he wa,
made Pastor IN 1884, but closing his labors in tht
former in lS45, and in the latter, in 1916 re-
moved TO- Yorkvila II, the Fall Of i846, laborsd al
this point until 1850; occupied Bethesda for .nint
years. reaching from January, ls47, to January
1885, preached at Zion Church also, from its found
alton in 1852, until his removal from Bethesda
and that he spent his last days in unceasng labor
| in the Churches of Bennsttsville and Great PEI
Dee, are facts still fresh in the minds of the Synod
from having been published three years sago, intht
several memorial discourses called forth hg bis Dc
cease, and in the tribute adopted BY the Synod
As to his character as man, constituting him one
of natures oveliest and noblest sons his fervent
consistent and ever active piety pattern Of trlt
godness his ministerial eminence, success and
unexampled devotedness to the work Of winning
souls to the cross; his conscientious fidelity in al
relative and social duties-in the family, church
and church judicatory-in fine, as to his unexpect
ed death, for which, however, he was ready, to &
degree such as few reach. He sleeps in the grave
yard at Bennettsyile, and the universal wailins
that followed the death of the good man and be-
loved servant of God, and exemplary minister ,o
the New Testament, the writer need not enlarge
for each member Of the Synod has the knowledge
in his own mind, and the image Of the departet
father with all the excellent features Of the char
acter and habits Of his useful Life, is craven upor
the tablets of all our memories The Church o.
Bethesda, now deprived of her fourth Pastor
seemed crushed by his departure from her, and
was vacant for several months. ~ 80. '..- =: =.
In August 1856, John s. Harris, student ,ol
Columbia Theological Seminary, and Lceptiate oi
Concord Presbytery, in compliance with an invita-
ton, began to supply thechurch for six months, Al
the close Of this period, call was made for him q
Pastor, and being accepted, he was accordingly
ordained and installed Pastor on the 18th Of April
1857 He still remains in this relation, constitu
ting the fifth Pastor of this venerable Church.
This brings us to another branch Of our history
and with more rapid survey, we proceed to name
and remark upon the Elders Of Bethesda,
As the records of the Church, anterior to 1884,
were lost great number Of years since, the writer
has only to rely upon traditions He feels assured
he has recovered the names of all who sat upon the
bench of Edership in Bethesda, but as 10 dates in
few cases, and details in Others an approxima-
ton to accuracy is all that is pretended.
The first on the catalogue is q man by the name
of Nicely. We have the testimony Of father
Walker, as to his occupying this position, but his
full name family, or history, cannot now be dis
entombed from the sepulcherof the forgotten past.
His official service, however, began with the or
ganizasion of the Church, 1859. 80. -.
John Young, another Elder, lived in the eastern
part of the congregation, and served from 1859 to
to 1870, when he died. More than thisis not now
known of him. 'a'h ID. ...'' 10
Robert Fleming was elected in 1859; lived until
about the close of the last century, when he died,
leaving his mantle to fall upon his sons, Of whom
he had four, viz: Elijah, who was an Elder in the
Chuloh, also; Alexander, who died in Camden
Jail, of small pox, during the Revolutionary war
Robert, who moved to Franklin County, Georgia,
about sixty years ago, and died there few years
since; William, who also moved to Georgia, was
for long time an Elder in Hebron Church, in
Eslu 0o.- ,nd d;ad in TeYas vh;ther he