The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-12-23
~SkEICH OF REV. PHILIP NII,KEY
And Some Union County History coucerning
baptlsts, Written by Rev. J. D. Bailey.
REV. PHILIP MUEKEy

REV. PHILIP MUEKEY.
some names ofssome importanc,
because of continued mention bv Nit
ers and speakers, seems TO lose non
Oh their lustre as the years 90 bv
while others of greater import,nc
1all into disuse and soon, become oh
solete in the public mind One sue,
name Of the latter9class is that. .,
b Philip Mulkey, yet it was he tha
plunged into the almost unbroken, u;l
~derness and laid the foundations NJ
our great Baptist commonwealth il
upper South Carolina.
His Early Life. Remarkable Corver.
sion and Entrance Into the
Ministry.
He was born near Halifax, in North
carolina, May 14th, 1882. He wa,
bred churchman. He married Ann
Ellis, by whom he had five children
wiz, David, Jonathan, Philip, Parry
sand Sarah. Morgan Edwards tells
-ens that his conversion was very re.
markable. 1t was in the manner
"Onc night as he went out a house
where he had been playing the fiddle
at dancing frolic, he saw as he
thought, the Devil grinning at. him
with fiery eyes; upon which he swoon-
ed away. When he came to himself
ne was in the greatest terror, think
ing the Devil would be permitted to
take him away bodily by way of ex-
ample to the company he had been
with. However, he mounted his horse
and as he rode home, fancied that the
trees struck st him, and the stars
frowned at it. In this terror he con.
;tinued about three weeks reforming.
but not able to sleep much, and vast
ing in flesh and strength. After this
he was tempted to believe that he
never could be saved until he had
been faithful to his old master. the
.%Devil, for hitherto he had been faith
eful to neither; and began to serve the
Devil faithfully; meanwhile strang-
.'er came to his house, whose name is
John Newton (now a. minister) and
read the 53rd chapter Of Isaiah, 3rd
verse. We hid etc., which put him in
mind of Sal. by it. Newton goes
'Hway-he followed afar off from an
apprehension that as soon as he lost
sight of him, fire would come as when
Lot left Sodom." Here Edwards mar
9rative ends, but we presume that it
was not long until the scales fell
from his eyes and he saw the light,
Tor on December 25th, r756,; Philip
dulkey was baptized sby sShubeal
'Stearns into the fellowship of Sandy
Greek Baptist church, in North Caro-
ina. Mr.. Edwards says he was "called
to the ministry in Stearns' church IN
February, 1857 s'Ws.auppose.byA this
-tAAt-has-Xsa licensed to. preach, for
his ordination took place in October
Jthe1same year. He Immediately as
sumed the are Of Deep River church
in North Carolina, where he remained
until 1850.
Philip Mulkey was man whose
soul was all afiame with unquench-
able evangelical zeal, andgspared not
time, toll, prwation, hardship, nor
suffering in order that he might plant
the Gospel banner in newly formed
communities where it never waved
before. Semple, in his History Of
Virginia Baptists, says, at seems the
Gospel was first carried into the
neighborhood Of Bluestone by, Will
liam Murphy aid Philip Mulkey about
1885, Their! dabors 'swere very sue
cessful and in 1853 or 1859 they were
sufficiently numerous to exercise the
rights, Of. church." 'Bluestone was
in Mecklenburg county, N. c., some
where between Charlotte and the
Stanuton river.
His Advent Into and the Planting of
the First Baptist Church in Upper
South Carolina.
That eminent minister and his
torian, Morgan Edwards, says: "In
1771 and 1772, visited the churches
from Pennsylvania to Georgia, which
cost me the firing Of two horses and
a ride of about three thousand miles" "
AS we have in our possession copy
Of Edwards Materials Toward His
L tory of the Baptists in South Caro-
lina," we are able to give our readers
his account of the planting Of Fair
field, which church he visited in 1772.
It is as follows:
"FaIrforest (1760)"
$50 distinguished from a tract of
hand where the meeting house stands
in the county of craven and parish Of
St. Mark, about 200 miles northwest
from Charleston, and 750 southwest
from Philadelphia. The land Is FORM
ed into an angle by the running OF
Fairforest river into the Tiger, Sc
that the, house stands in the forks
The meeting house is 40 feet by e2d
with galleries erected this, year. The
old house stands yet, abut. Isl, decay.
ing. The land is two acres, the gift
of Benjamin Eolcomb. The families
are about 800 whereof 1877 persons are
hant;,od and IN communion which IL