Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-11-19
Auat Aisturg.
HISTORICAL SKETCH
BETHESDA CHURCH.
BY REV. JOHN s. HARRIS.


is located in York District, eight miles Little Eas
of South of Yorkvile; thirteen miles, little Eas
of North from Chesterville; twenty miles frotf
Broad River, on the West, and seventeen miles
from Catawba River, on the East and is between
two public roads, leading North and Scuth ano
less than mile from either. 5ai;.j.i, 4
It's original population was chiefly constituted o.
immigrants from thenorth Of Ireland, and the vast
majority of them were Presbsterans, by education
and choice; few, less than six families, were Ro
man Catholics. The most of these early settiRi
came directly from their native land-Ireland
others, from different parts Of the United States
but chiefly from Pennsylsania, and a afsH foh'tht
lower part of South Carolina. The families VIII
composed The community Of Bethesds, between the
years J765 and 17sO, numbered about one hundred
and forty, and are ssfelows; ~ -grr -.,ryg.
John and William Adair; Adams; Akinas Rob
ert Ash; Adrian; Arthur; Baird; Barry Wal
liam Berry; Thomas Black; Thomas Boggs; Col
William, Hugh, Thomas, Samuel and Robert Brat
ton; William Burris; Robert Brown; Edward BY
ers; John and Thomas Carroll; John, William and
Thomas Carson; Capt. John Chambers 1homsi
Clendennin; Charles Curry; John Cooper; VIM.
Davidson; Dickey; John Dennis; William Erwin
Robert and Elijah Fleming ;J ohm FSodefon; Gal
laeher; Gibson Robert, James, Themas and Ar
thur Gill Daniel Givens; William Guy; Glover;
James Givens; Joseph Castor DaYid Gordon
William and James Hanna , James and John
Hemphill Hilhouse; Robert Hovie; Hethering.
ton; John Harris; William Henry, and four sons
William, Malcom, John and &Atner; Keenan,
Samuel Kelsey, John Kidd Kirkpatrick; Mat.
thew and Samuel Kuykendal; Latham; General
Edward LAGER; David Leechi Col Andrew Love
William Lewis; james McE2see; iiam Mana
han: John, Captain James and Edward Martin
McLain John McCsw; MoChpy; james and Ed
ward Meek; Captain Janes Miehsl John Mil
ler; James McElhaney; John Murphy; Charles
Miles; Marley; james McNeei; Captain John
and Reuben Mcconnell; James Mcclure; three
families of Moores-lst. Major Jsmea 2nd. Az
exander and William. 3rd. John and SONS John,
Samuel, Nathan and William; Norman Samuel
and Thomas Nicely; Pagan; Palmer; Porter; lr.
win; George Ratehford; Robson; James and
William Ross; Thomas, Samuel and Benjamin
Rainey; Henry Ray; David and Richard Ssdler;;
Silliman; Joseph Steele /; Christopher Straight
John Swami; Arthur Starr; Smith /; Stations
Trail; Capt James, John and Thomas Wallace
Waters; Williams; james Williamson and fse
sons-John, Adam, Samuel, George and James;
WyEe; Young. -. ,...err,.. .r..s-..ss,s.
Of these families, 80 far as we can learn, the
most, if not all, resided within the bounds OF the
congregation, or were accustomed to worship atthe
Church, and buried their dead in the common
cemetery. There were, doubtless, other name:
that should be added to this list, but they cannot
now be recovered from the unrecorded history o.
that day, and concerning them tradition Is sllen
to the present chronicler. Such community o
families, with their religious instincts and educa
ton, would, very naturally, seek early for local.
ty, at some central point, for place and a house
of worship. Accordingly, we find that some tlme
in 1850 there was reared Ia Church edi6ce- plair
but substantial wooden building -about a mile eas
of the present house of worship, and: around II
were deposited the dead, traces Of whose tomb
stones are visible to this day. This building wa
consumed in l7SO, by the accidental firing OF the
adjacent woods. .al....r.s J. "a. s..
Subsequently to this, another building was erect
ed a few feet South of the house now IN use fol
worship. 1t was framed house, with sides Gov
cred with split boards and stood for nearly forty
years. In 1920 the present house Of worship wal
reared, at a cost of five thousand dollars. Aftel
about twenty years, on account OF some defect II
the original construction, two OF the walls were
taken down and rebuilt. About seven years since
in 1857, additional repairs were made upon th'
Church, to the amount of one thousand dollars
So that to-day, the congregation have beautiful
brick buildng-sixty by forty two-neatly plaster
ed and painted on the inside, with three aisles ant
three galleries, 50 that six hundred worshipperscal
be comfortably accommodated within the building
The primeval forests on every side; two exeefien
springs near at hand large cemetery, enclosed
with iron-railing, and densely populated with tht
dead; dozen or more tents tor the annual en-
campment, as practiced for sixty years; and large
neat and substantial arbor, having capacities fol
two thousand persons, all combine to declare tha
Bethesda Church was happily located for its pur
poses has many and universal faciihesfor accom-
modating worshippers, and that around it mus
hang precious and sacred memories and associa
tions.*
ORGANIZATION and first ministerial supplies Of tn
Chmcla-The period at which the church was or
ganized is, upon good authority, fixed in the yea
1859; although without definite historical data, i
is impossible to say, with absolute certainty, as
the precise year. The same difficulty exists as Il
persons by whom the organization was effected
There was preaching station here for some tim
anterior to the organization, at which missionaries
traversing the country, occasionally stopped ant
preached. As nearly as can be approximated, tn
organization lies between Rev. VIM. Richardson
at this time stationed at Waxhaw Church; KeV
Hezekiah J. Bolch, Missionary sent out by tn
Synod of Philadelphia and New York, in l75s, ant
Messrs. Azel Rome and John Close, Missicnarie
from same body, supplying destitutions in the Csr
oGnas, in the year ITO. We incline to the opin
ion that Rev. Vim. Richardson performed th
work of organization, and are supported in thi
opinion by Rev. John B. Davies, who, twenty-five
years ago, wrote historical sketch of some Of tn
churches in Bethel Presbytery, and, although omit
ting Bethesda in the series Of articles, makes Incl
dental allusion to the question in hand. Of MIR
Richardson, we may add that he was an English
man. On coming to this country, he entered tn
family of, and studied Philosophy under Rev. Sam
uel Davies, of Virginia, afterwards President o
Princeton College.) He was licensed by the Pres
bytery of Hanover, January 1853, and ordained
July 18th, 1859, as Missionary to the Cherokee
tribes of North Carolina. In l76l, he connected
-, - ,,nd on which Bethesda Church stand,