The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-10-06
HISTORY OF UNCLE
JIMMY DANNELLY
ANTI.BELLUM PREACHER OF
WIDE REPUTATION.
Brusque and to the Point.
Did Not Stand for Vulgar Display and
Was Down On Hypocrites-Also
Was Bitter Against immortality.

In old-ante-bellum days, and espe-
cially in the rural sections, preach
ers were of an entirely different order
from the ministers of the gospel in
these advanced and modern times.
They were clerical shoulder-hitters,
who did not mince Or choose their
words and believed in and preached
hell fire and birthstone After one of
these fiery sermons the hairs on the
heads of the terrorized congregations
stood out like quills upon fretful
porcupine. You could almost smell the
birthstone and broiling flesh as they
depicted the horrors of torment, that
was the sure heritage of unpeniteht
sinners.
One of the most noted preachers of
the south was an old wooden-legged
Methodist named "Uncle Jimmy Dan
nelly" who lived about one and a
half miles from Lowdesville, Able
vile district, South Carolina, near
the old Smyrna church. He offlciated
in the early fifties. He was stout
built man and I should say weighed
around $50 pounds. His home was
within sight of Smyrna church, and
close to the old camp-ground Of that
name. This church has been moved
to Lowndesville and the railway from
Anderson passes within a few feet of
the large graveyard belonging to the
church and in which many of the re-
markable men of that section are
buried.
<'Uncle Jimmy" Dannelly hated
three things above all else: Foppery
and gaudy apparel; inattention to
services during his longwinded SER
mons, and immortality. Some of his
denunciations from the pulpit against
the latter sin were 50 str ,ng and ex-
pressive as not to be printed at all.
"Uncle Jimmy's' fame as a preach
er spread over the state and he was
once invited to preach sermon in a
fashionable church of Charleston, S.
c.. He had a piercing, high-pitched
voice. After mounting the pulpit and
taking his text. the old gentleman,
glancing over the building and then
throwing his eyes into the gallery,
set apart for slaves in many city
churches before the war, began his
discourse with: 81 was told when
invited to- preach in this great city
and to this gaudily-arrayed congrega-
tion that they were very refined peo-
pie and I must be careful what said,
lest I offend their sensitive ears.
From the number of mulattoes / see
sitting in the gallery, I should Judge
that the people of Charleston are in
deed refined. Yes, the same kind of
refinement that brought about the de-
struction of Sodom and Gomorrah.' -
He then delivered a powerful sermon
on the subject, and told his hearers if
they did not repent their city deserv-
ed the same fate as brought on the
destruction of the Dead Sea towns.
And he could not bear anything
like display of pride or hypocricy.
There was a member of his church,
wealthy man, whom I shall call Ben
jamin Blank. This man built real
nice new home, the best in the neigh
borhocd, OF which he was. very proud.
Once at Smyrna ''Uncle Jimmy
preached strong sermon about peo-
pie in their old age, instead Of devot-
Ing their wealth and time to the cause
OF God, were spending their sub
stance in riotious living and the erec-
tion of fine palaces to live in.
After services the house-builder ap-
preached Uncle Jimmy, who was
surrounded by a number Of his flock.
and remarked: Brother Dannelly,
do not think you did me the right
thing today in preaching that SER
mon about my new home. 1t was
my money, put in it and every dol
lar was honestly earned"
Looking at Brother Blank the old
man camly replied: "Benjamin, you
are mistaken about my having the
shanty you built in my mind when l
selected my subject for today. l re-
ferred to house the Alstons erected
near Charleston. Why they would
not use the hut you built and are so
proud of for a garden house. If you
had not been so mean and close
fsted and stingy, you would have
built a decent house for your family
long ago. Benjamin, was not shoot
ing at you, but my little shot from
the pulpit today did not come within
two hundred miles Of YOU
When "Uncle Jimmy first came to
Lowndesville to preach, leading