The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-23

ured in the important civic and reli- gious affairs of Middle Alabama hfty
 years and more ago
 The congregation of Old Hickory Grove Church was organized sixty-two
 years ago. The organizers were Rev
 John Robinson and Rev. Thomas Arm
 strong. Jack" Robinson. as the de-
 vout Baptist leader of those days. was
 lovingly called, was the first pastor
 of the congregation and they wor-
 shipped in a little house on the old stage road, known now as the Mobile road, at & point about half mile south of Davenport and about one mile from the present house of worship.
 Right here it is interesting to rec ord the names of the Baptist minis ters who served the congregation down to date in their order Of service. They were: Rev: Jack" Robinson, Rev. MT. Wyatt, Rev. A. E. Van Hoose, Rev. Matthew Bishop, Rev. J. A. Fon- ville, Rev. David Lee, Rev. B. A. Jackson, Rev. c. w Mcqueen, Rev. R. M. Hurt Rev. T. E. Morgan, Rev. R. H. Fo1mar, Rev. Sidney J. Catts. The present pastor is Rev. W. K. Adams, who also breaches at Sandy Ridge. The present officers Of the com gregation are: ". P. Mcqueen and Thomas j. Hooks. deacons, and David s. Hurst. clerk.
 Tn 1855 the Baptist people of the community began building the house of worship now known as Old Hickory Grove church. The fact that 1t re-
 quried a year in which to build tnis
 simple, wooden church house shows
 the primative building methods of those
 good old days. The dedication took place in the midsummer of 1856. There
 is no record of the exact date. Rev J.
 A. Fonville preached the dedicatory
 sermon. The deacons of the church at
 that time were Franklin Armstrong
 and Fielding Ellis, substantial citizens
 long since dead. There are only three
 persons living who were then mem
 bers of the congregation and because
 of their infirmities they were unable
 to be present at the semi-centennial
 of old Hickory Grove. They are Mrs
 s. s. Stakely, of Woodville, Ga, who
 was Miss Susan Francis Fonville.
 daughter of the pastor of fifty years ago. and mother of Dr. Stakely; Mrs. Andrew W. Hurst, who was Miss Ann Rebecca Armstrong, a daughter of the then deason Franklin Armstrong, and Mrs. G. H. Mcqueen, who was Miss Mary Louisa Moncrief. Mrs Hurst and
 Mrs. Mcqueen reside within few miles of Old Hickory Grove and they are deeply attached to the church and It's congregation. The infirmities of age kept them at their homes on the  most interesting occasion in the history l of the congregation
 But, while these Baptist pioneers 1 those who early kept the faith. were | absent, their descendants, many of l them were in the great throng that | assembled last Sunday at Old Hickory | Grove. Unto the fourth generation Rev. l J. A. Fonville and Franklin Armstrong | the deacon of fifty years ago, were re- 1 presented. Young Davis Fonville | Stakely, a son of Dr. Stakely, and l teacher in Howard College at East Lake who has been admitted to the bar l to practice law, was present as the great grandson of the minister who | dedicated Old Hickory Grove church l and David Webb Hurst, young man I of Macon county represented tho | fourth generation from Franklin Arm | strong the great old deacon of the | church.
 In the vast assembly that participat-