Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1911-07-12

40 uuuCu VI GudO oOI v VI ohAhS' az '"
The records have disappeared for
ever.
"Well, anyway, Rev. Nicholas
w. Hodges, the great pioneer Bap,
tist missionary preacher and laborel
lin wide section of country, preach,
ed and labored for the Cause down
here at Mt. Greek in the then school
house and afterwards had charge OF
it when a church building was built
of logs at this site. Some members
from another church that he served,
Little Stevens Creek, came over and
Joined in with this new congrega,
ton but owing to the fact that Mr..
Hodges had his hands full with so
many other churches, the preaching
was not regular and the church did
not thrive. In the year 1929, the
same year of the mysterious voice
over at the Isaac Burnett house not
many miles away there was quite a
revival led by Mr.. Hodges and a
number of people were converted,
among them being young man
named John Trapp who had come
into this neighborhood from Fair
field District as a school teacher.
He was young man then, but a
man of power and influence and his
disposition to enter, the ministry
was strongly encouraged by the
congregation. However, he con-
[tinued to teach school for a few
years, but in 1888, he was ordained
to the Baptist ministry and laying
aside all other work he threw him
self heart and soul into the ministry
and Rev. John Trapp literally
wrought his name into this and ad-
joining neighborhoods by his minis
terial labcrs. He must have been,
indeed he was a wonderful man. He
was school teacher when young
man and therefore grounded in the
foundations Of an education, though
owing to the conditions existing at
that time he had had no opportuni-
ties for what might be called a clas-
steal education. Had he been so
trained he would have himself a
place as one of the leading men of
the denomination in this state.
In 1910, Rev. John Trapp had
his first revival at this church. "A
number were conye.ted and joined
ithesenurch. The second buiiding,a
large frame house was put up that
year. In the sketch in Chapman it
is stated that in this year, lS40,, a
number of members secured their
letters and withdrew to organize
Damascus church, about ten miles
further north. This is an error,
because Damascus was organized in
1888 by Rev. James M. Chiles. The
present Damascus building was put
up in 1854 and it as very probable
that what was meant was that
number of people went out from
Mountain Greek in 1854 when Da-
mascus was moved where it is now,
it being of course some nearer to
possibly some members of Mountain
Creek.
Continuing this sketch sass that
the church continued to grow and
in 1852 there was another revival
in which as many as 80 persons
were baptized and a number of
memberswere restored. Among those
baptized was Theophilus Williams
who was soon ordained to the min
istry. He died ten years later.
AT this time the church was one
of the largest and strongest in the
northern part of the old Edgefeld
Association, the membership (col-
ored iucluded) being over five hun
dred. In the year 1856, there was
quite DETECTION of members, a
number of them withdrawing and
organizing Olive Branch Church,
already mentioned. This church
became extinct in 1878.
SIN the year 1859 there was
another great revival and sixty per-
sons were baptized into the church.
The power of Rev. John Trapp
among these people cannot be ex-
pressed more emphatically than
their mere statement of these addi-
tions all under his preaching.
During the War Between the
States, the church suffered greatly
in financial way and in loss of
members, but in 1866 there was
another great revival and es per-
sons were baptized by Rev. John
Trapp into the membership of the
church and five were restored. This
meeting lasted seventeen days. A
Methodist minister living near the
church was all the help Mr.. Trapp
had in this II days of preaching.
''In the year 1878, the 9th day
of August, Mr.. Trapp died. He
had been pastor of this church con-
tinously since 1884, with the ex-
ception of two years only, 1856,
and no wonder he is regarded as
the man who did more than any one
olsn to hnild I'm the church