The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1905-02-09

By request of a daughter of the late John
H. Justice we reprint the following, which
will be of interest to all citizens of this
community, and to Baptists all over the
state, Mr.. Justice died Feb. lst, 1901.
John H. Justice was born on June 1lth,
1916, in that part of Buncombe county
which is now Henderson county, within
one half mile of the court house at Hender-
sonvile. He is now S3 years old. He has
lived in Henderson county all his life. His
mother died in 1929, aud he was raised by
his step-mother. He married Mary ].
King in 1885, who still lives happily with
him, and by whom he has had twelve
children.
He Joined the Baptist church and was
baptized in November, 1887, Ebeneezer
Baptist church, Later there was a new
church organized at Mt Moriah, in which
Mr. Justice placed his membership in the
year lS4O and has remained a deacon of
that church ever since.
During the war he was not In the regu-
lar service, but. was connected with the
army in the CAPACITY of buying supplies for
soldiers families Since the war he has re
sided about seven miles east of Henderson
vile.
Mr.. Justice is regarded by his fellow
countrymen as one of the best citizens tbs
county has ever had man of unblemish-
ed character, add model for young men.
Mr. Justice gives the following interest
ing account of the organization of the Wes-
tern North Carolina Baptist Convention,
which is stated in his own language:
"After the war of the Revolution, the
country west of the Blue Ridge was settled
by the white people, but in very small
numbers, among whom there were q few
devoted Baptist ministers. My uncle, Rev.
Thomas Justice, who lived near the head
waters of Shaw's Creek, in Henderson
county, was Que of these. Shortly after
the first church was organized in this re-
gion minister by the name of Humphrey
Posey was sent here by the Philadelphia
Association as Missionary. Brother
Posey preached to the churches which then
existed aud to the Indians, and assisted in
translattng the New Testament into the
Indian language at Missionary Ridge, in
Tennessee. Other devoted missionaries,
such as Benjamin King, Steven Morgan
and William Kinsay, and others who have
long ago passed away, labored in this field
at the same time.
''These events took place before theIyear
1880 according'to my recollection. Then a
new and younger set of ministers came In,
consisting of such men as James BLY,, Mer-
rit Riekman Bailey Bruce, T. B. Justice,
Joshua Ammons and Others The Indians
were removed from Western North Caro-
lima and northern Georgia little later than
this, in the year 1888. At this time the
western part of the state had no railroads,
but few trails, and only two or three stage
owing to these conditions, the brethren of
the West were almost cut off from any in
tercourse with the Eastern brethren or the
State Convention. The Blue Ridge itself
sections; the East enjoying the benefits of
intercourse and the convention, while the
West was almost isolated by its natural
boundaries, intercourse to any great extent
with ourselves or the outside world being
almost impossible.
:''Fhe Western Baptlsts wanted to cooper
ale in the line of Missions, and sent mes
sengers to the State Convention with this
end iu view, these messenger being J. Hugh
Chastian and Merritt Hickman. These
men Travelled to Raleigh on horseback,
with bear skin for saddle blankets, and they
made arrangements with the State Conven-
tion for the organization of the Western
Convention auxiliary to the state conven-
tion. The reason that we asked for this
auxiliary convention can be plainly seen, to
wit: The Bsptists of the west could not
atteno the Eastern Convention on account
of the difficulties of transportation, and
were compelled to have some internal Or
ganlzatlon. At this State convention ar
rangements were made for time and place
to organize the new convention, and q
brother by the name of Lineberry was ap-
point by the State Convention to come and
assist in the organization of the convention
D. s..-.s..-. 80
$50 - s2
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