The gold leaf., 1897-05-27
BaptiStS of North Carolina.
SKETCH OF THE ORGANIZATION AND
PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH.

SKETCH OF THE ORGANIZATION AND
PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH.
Baptists Among the First Settlers OF
the Sfate-Many Prominent Men
Identified With It's History, Past
and Present-The First Church Or
ganized In Camden County 1877.
Grew. J. D. Hufham. D. D.. in Whining
ton Messenger.)
There were Baptists among the ear
lier settlers in North Carolina. They
came from different quarters drawn
partly by ,s...- spirit Of adventure, but
more by the offer of religious liberty.
They were to be found at an early
day scattered in groups throughout the
colony. From the year 1000 to the
present time their footprints may be
found in every part of the State. But
they did not begin to organize churches
after the elaborate fashion of our day
until the year 1877. In that year Paul
Palmer organized what is now the
church at Shiloh, in Camden county
From the first i, had vigorous exist.
ence, and with one exception no other
church in the State has been SO pro-
life parent of churches. Within the
counties Of Gates, Chowan, Perquini
ans, Pasquotank, Camden and Cur
rituck, there are more than sixty
churches which have sprung from this
parent stock and these churches have
white membership Of nearly 1000.
The colored are almost as numerous
with almost as large membership. In
Virginia also there are many churches
which have sprung from the old body
at Shiloh. The founder, Mr.. Pal.
mer, was native of Maryland, man
of abounding energy, natural talent
for organizing and leading men, a
courage that never quailed in the pres
ence Of danger or opposition and that
Undesirable thing called magnetism
which draws men. From the year 1927
until his death he extending his labors
into Virginia in one direction and
through Craven and Onslow counties
to the borders Of South Carolina in
another.
In 1920 the second church was or.
ganized at Meherrin, near Murfrees-
boro. In 1742 another was formed al
Kehukee, in Halifax county. From
this, in 1850, came the church al
Sandy Run, BERTHE county, which was
the parent Of numerous ecclesiastical
progeny in Northampton, BERTHE and
Hertford counties. From the same
church at kehukee came the the church
at Falls of Tar River in I745. Into the
fellowship cf this church Elisha Battle
perhaps the most eminent private citi
zen OF North Carolina in his day, wa:
baptized. He was a member of q
family of dissenters that fed from per
secution to Ireland and thence to Nan
semond county, Virginia. He filled
many high stations under the govern
ment in North Carolina and many
times presided over the church assem-
blies of which he was an honoreo
member. Several of his descendants
have made eminent Baptist minister
in this State and others ofthem among
whom are DR.. Kemp P. Battle, Of th'
University of North Carolina, Richard
H. Battle, of Raleigh and their father,
Hon. William H. Battle, have hele
high places under the State govern
ment.
In Georgia, to which state ont
branch of the family removed in 1890
many of the members have filled sta
tions of honor in the ministry ano
other professions. BY the year ITS,
Baptist churches were to be found a
far west as Granville, and in the
other counties toward the coast lin
as far as the border of South Caro-
lima.
In 1855 colony Of Baptists came
from New England through Virgini:
into Randolph county, and settled OF
Sandy Creek, where they organized a
Baptist church. Churches multiplied
very rapidly in the surrounding coun
ties and the movement spread into
Tennessee, South Carolina and Geor
gia. In 1883 the church at Sand.
Creek with the neighbQring churche
| and some in Virginia and South Caro-
lima, organized the Sandy Creek Asso
citation. This was the first effort to or
ganize the Baptist churches in Nortl
Carolina for united and aggressive
| work.
The kehukee Association was form
ed in 1868. This body included
number Of churches in the border coun
ties OF Virginia, and all of those in III
eastern counties of this Stale. Abou
the year 1890 the Virginia churche
| withdrew and formed the Port>mout
| Association.
Thenceforthward the growing of th
Baptists were steady and rapid unit
the troubles of the regulation whic
eliminated in the battle Of Alamance
This battle was fought not far frol
the church at Sandy Creek, and III
rigorous measures Of Governor Tryo
after the battle bore heavily upon tn
Baptists. They fed from that regior
Within a short time more than I,5o
families removed to the territories sout
and west O: US. In the agitation
which led to the war Of the revolutio
and in that struggle the Baptists wei
unanimous and active. Elisha Battle
Lemuel Burkitt, Henry Abbott, Wn
Lancaster, Francis Oliver, Gideo
Lamb and others were prominent Fl.
ures in the convention which adopte
the state constitution and ratified tf
federal constitution. For twelve yea
after the revolution the Baptis,s ha
small growth. But in 1901 and ISo
wave Of revival swept over the sta
{.,J =, ~. TahrLee Aeeoriaton al0r