The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-10-19
HISTORY OF SPIT
BETWEEN BAPTISTS
THE OLDEST CHURCH IN THE
SOUTH WAS FOUNDED IN
CHARLESTON IN 1882.
MISSIONS CAUSED Tilt BREAK
Churches Along the Savannah River
Were the First Organized in Geor-
gia. Primitive Baptists Did Not
Approve Foreign Missionaries.

Were the First Organized in Geor-
gia. Primitive Baptists Did Not
Approve Foreign Missionaries.
SAVANNAH, Ga.-As the PRINT
tive Baptists open a three-day con-
vention in Savannah today George
S. Cargill, Esq, one of them, pre-
pared the following brief history Of
the church for the Morning News as
a matter of news and information;
The oldest Baptist church in the
South is the First church of Charles
ton, organized in 1852. From this
lchurch, which contained among its
members such illustrious names as
Gen. James Screven of Revolutionary
fame, came many missionaries into
Georgia, among them Nicholas Bedge-
wood, who was employed at Mr..
Whitfield's orphanage near Savannah,
! where it is said the first Baptist COM
munion service in this state was held.
The first Baptist church in Georgia
was constituted in what is now Co.
lumbia county, and took the Indian
name Kiokee. Daniel Marshall of Vir-
ginia and Edmond Bottsfeld of
Charleston, S. c., were among the
early preachers. Edmund Bottsford
was a native of England and emf
grated to Charleston and, becoming
deeply concerned in the matter of re-
| ligion, was converted and baptized.
First Churches in Georgia.
The First Baptist church in Sa-
vannah was constituted in the year
1900, and its first pastor was Elder
Henry HolcOmbe, who was afterwards
pastor of the First Baptist church
of Philadelphia. Another of the ear
! ly preachers was Hon. Joseph Clay,
Judge of the United States district
court for this district, who became
converted while on the bench and re-
ceiVing a call to the higher work of
the ministry resigned the judgeship.
The churches along the Savannah
friver were the first to be esta blished
in Georgia, but as the tide of emf
grafton moved southwark and west
ward live and prosperous churches
were established throughout the
state. Many of the early preachers
came into Georgia from Virginia and
the CarOlinas, but the old Charleston
church seems to have furnished the
greater number. There were no mis-
sionary societies in those days and
| although the churches and associa-
tions sometimes raised funds for To-
cal missionary work there were no
missionary boards such as exist to-
day and as to sending missionaries
into foreign lands that was a thing
unheard of until some years after the
Revolutionary war.
Still the Baptist cause grew and
prospered, and they welded a wide
influence throughout the country.
But as the churches increased and
grew in wealth and numbers there
arose preachers more ambitious than
the pastors of colonial times, and
many new movements were inaugu-
rated to cause the old church to grow
more and more; theological schools
were established, missionary and
tract societies formed, and plans
were laid to join in the great mis-
sionary movement started in Eng
land to send the gospel into all
the world.
So persistent were the demands of
| these Jealous missionary workers and
! so bold their efforts to line up the
churches behind their visionary plans
! for evangeliZing the world that many
| 81 two 1nr
saw a leniency to depart from the
! simple order of the ancient church
and were not willing to join the
movement.
Missionary Agents Permitted.
For a number of years it was an
| open question among the Baptists
| and missionary agents were permitted
I to travel among all the churches;
but as the movement spread the
brethren contending for the older or
| der of things saw the breach between
! them and their ardent missionary
brethren widening, so they concluded
! that the only way to preserve the
i primitive order was to sever all con-
nectiOns with the modern missionary
| system and all who persisted in fos-
/ tering it upon the churches. This
| brought about the division between
what is now known as the Mission
airy and the Primitive or Old School
/ Baptists, and ever since that time
each side has maintained a separate
organization, each contending for its
| own particular views on the ques-
tions in controversy.
In some of the churches there was
no division-each church following
! its own particular lead, some going
one way and some another The old
church in Savannah, as well as the
| church in Charleston, became affiliat-
! ed with the missionary party; and it
was not until the year S95 that an
I other church of the Primitive order
! was established in Savannah.
! ONE TREE 81 FEET AROUND.