.
REV. A. W. PEGUES, PH.D.
OUR
BAPTIST MINISTERS
AND
SCHOOLS.
By
A. W. PEGUES, Phi. D.
Professor of Latin and Philosophy, Shaw University,
Raleigh, N. C.
With an Introduction by C. L. Purce, D. D., President of
Selma University, Selma, Alabama.
ILLUSTRATED.
springfield, mass.:
WILLEY & CO.,
1893.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1892,
BY A. W. PEGUES,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at "Washington, D. C.
SOLD ONLY BYl SUBSCRIPTION.
PRESS OF
SPRINGFIELD PRINTING AND BINDING CO.,
SPRINGFIELD, MAS§,
TO TJiE N]IJMISTCpS
Who have labored faithfully, and whose un¬
selfish) devotiog, consecratiog and personal
sacrifice have beeij instrumental iq uplifting
faller) humanity and extending the j^in^dorrj
of ©od, this book is respectfully dedicated
^3>y the Author.
INTRODUCTION.
Rev. A. W. Pegues, Ph.D.
To open the doors of this building and intro¬
duce one not simply to the inmates but into the
very lives of the same, is as much a pleasure
to me, the usher, as it is a task. Each life, each
character, each face here, is a study. The high¬
est aim of the author, who will be blessed, honored,
and revered more by future historians, orators,
and statesman than by the present, is to so por¬
tray the life history of men who have risen out of
the very depths of poverty and obscurity to places
of honor and trust among men of science, arts,
and letters, that the young of all generations,
climes, peoples, and tongues while reading and
studying shall catch an inspiration that will make
the great of mankind the greatest and the lowly
of mankind the better.
Pope has well said, " The proper study of
mankind is man." Nothing can so impress the
mind of man as a careful study of the lives of
men who have left their impress upon the world.
Plutarch's Lives and the Memorabilia of Xeno-
phon never fail to impress the classical student of
the heroic deeds and exploits of the characters
there delineated,
INTRODUCTION.
9
What Bible student can study the lives of
Moses, Joshua, Abraham, or Jesus the Christ,
without feeling the very depths of his soul stirred
with desires and longings to be more under the
enchanting spell of their lives and be protected
by the Hand that guided them through their
earthly pilgrimage ?
And, now, to whom can I first introduce the
reader with more propriety than to him who first
conceived in his fertile brain the bringing together
in one building such a galaxy of noble workmen,
architects of their own future ?
If Virginia has the palm for giving to the
Union more presidents than any other state,
South Carolina has the palm for sending forth
into the world to bless humanity some of the
strongest characters that adorn and will adorn
the pages of history.
Near Cheraw, S. C., in November, 1859, just a
few years before the first gun of the bloody civil
war was fired upon Fort Sumter in the beautiful
harbor of Charleston, while the slaves were
gathered in their " quarters " and were singing
their plaintive plantation melodies at the close of
the hard day's work, the cry of a newborn babe
was heard, a cry of a newborn slave. The first
exertion of the slave babe, Albert Weitherspoon
Pegues, was made in the direction of freedom, and
with this joyous impulse he grows into manhood,
IO
INTRODUCTION.
As soon as the bloody war is over, peace
restored, and the public schools are begun, and
the Freedmen's Aid Society brings a school near
his cabin, Albert finds himself in January, 1867,
seated in the school room. Here he stays two
years, and that was very long for a boy who was
so unfortunate as not to have a father. And, of
course, just coming out of bondage, his mother
could support him no longer, so out of the school
room he must go. He goes to the farm, where
most slaves came from, and where many self-made
slaves are to-day. But Albert had a purpose firm
and true as steel. He worked by day and studied
by night. He had in him the same grit that his
liberator, Abraham Lincoln, had. While others
spent their hard earnings, he saved his.
In October, 1876, the great centennial year
of America, he entered Benedict Institute, now
Benedict College, Columbia, S. C. Here he
spends nearly three sessions. Rapid was his ad¬
vancement. It was here that he and the writer
met and studied together, and laid the foundation
of that friendship that has ever remained green
and fresh. The fall of 1879 finds both of us
in the Richmond Institute, now the Richmond
Theological Seminary. Here he graduated with
the highest honors of his class in May, 1882.
During these years he would spend his vacation
in his native state, doing missionary work—for in
introduction.
March, 1877, Albert was convinced of the errors
of his way, and was converted, and was immersed
in July of the same year. He was licensed to
preach in 1881.
But the course pursued at Richmond did not
suffice the ambitious Albert. Accordingly when
September, 1882, came, he was found at the Uni¬
versity at Lewisburg, now Bucknell University,
Lewisburg, Pa. Here he graduated in June,
1886, in a large class of which he had the third
honor. This, too, in face of the fact that he was
the only negro in the class. But, even as it
always is with men, brain, not color nor the kind
of the hair, makes the man.
The university catalogue shows that he took,
along with the regular classical course, an extra
course, under President David Hill, in philosophy
and its history, both ancient and modern.
At the time of graduation, the National Bap¬
tist said: " I hereby remark that, according to
universal testimony, no member of the University
has more deservedly won the respect of the com¬
munity alike within and without the walls of the
institution than Mr. Pegues. He stood third in
his class, his graduation piece was strong, well
expressed, and well delivered, and he was greeted
with applause which seemed to show that he was
a general favorite." When it is considered that
the National Baptist is one of the great mouth-
12
INTRODUCTION.
pieces of northern Baptists, and the editor a son
of the famous president of the world-renowned
Brown University, and then to have such a man
speak in such complimentary language is but
another evidence of the greatness of the subject
of our feeble sketch.
The first year after graduating from Bucknell,
he was principal of the Summer High School,
Parkersburg, West Virginia, where he enjoyed
the confidence of the entire community.
Thence he was called to the chair of philoso¬
phy and languages in Shaw University, under
the presidency of that whole-souled friend of the
black man, the honored and respected, yea, re¬
vered, Rev. H. M. Tupper, D.D.,at Raleigh, North
Carolina.
But Bucknell could not forget her sable orator
of the class of 1886, so the faculty chose him to
deliver the master's oration at their next com¬
mencement, which was done with credit to him¬
self, the college, his race, and all concerned. The
New York Examiner, the other mouth-piece of
northern Baptists, with an able corps of editors,
commenting upon the occasion, says: " Professor
A. W. Pegues, dean of Shaw University, received
a hearty greeting as he gave the master's oration.
He is one of the most scholarly of our colored
brethren, and is rapidly gaining renown. Selma
University has just conferred upon him the degree
INTRODUCTION.
13
of Ph.D., and, returning to his alma mater for
the A.M., his oration, 4 A catholic mind,' which
was a plea for a broad and wise toleration, fell
upon the ears of an audience to1 whom the
orator's abilities and gentlemanliness were well
known." If men more able to judge of ability
and scholarship than I speak in such congratu¬
latory language, what is left for me to say ?
In 1888 he was ordained to the gospel ministry.
Feeling the force of that truth expressed in these
words, "It is not good for man to be alone,"
he took advantage of it in 1890, went to Rich¬
mond, Virginia, where Cupid wounded his heart
many years before, and where the balm was in
waiting to produce a' cure. He led to the nuptial
altar" the fair Miss M. Ella Christian. Like Eve
to Adam, she is truly a helpmeet. Their union
is like that of Isaac and Rebecca, pleasant and
happy. To them a little daughter was born.
Such, in brief, is the career of the present dean
of Shaw University. This, indeed, is a study for
any man. From the slave hut to the dean of one
of the greatest universities established for the
education of colored youth. Career, wonderful!
Study replete with thought for the philosopher!
In disposition, the dean is as mild and meek
as a child. Tall and slender in form, yet grace¬
ful in action, his whole demeanor sets forth the
Christian gentleman; as Byron says, " Tho' mod-
14 INTRODUCTION.
est, on his unembarrassed brow nature has written
—gentleman." In dress, he is not extravagant, but
comely. His face wears the expression of the
thoughtful, while his retreating eyes sparkle in
their sockets with the ardent and piercing fire of
the student. His cranium is of such a shape as
the phrenologist would take for a model, for it,
indeed, incloses a brain that is cultured, trained,
and developed, and it promises to be one of the
master minds of the negro race. His will is iron,
and his nerves steel. He is as firm in his ruling
as he is mild and meek in his deportment. As
a professor he is deep and thorough. As a
preacher, he is scientific and metaphysical, his
arguments are convincing and conclusive. He
is a ready speaker, a natural born orator, a close
scholar, an accurate thinker, and always in de¬
mand.
When I contemplate the life of such a man, it
makes me feel that God has created no man for
naught, but rather that He has put into the reach
of every man vast possibilities which need to be
turned into the right channel at the right time.
Shakespeare says:—
" There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune:
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures."
INTRODUCTION.
15
Who, in 1859,would have thought that that poor
slave babe had in him the grit to work his way
through the plantation, thence through several
schools of good reputation, to the enviable posi¬
tion of dean of a university ? But he did it.
At Benedict, he worked his way by attending
the horse of Dr. Colby, the sympathetic president;
at Richmond, he sawed wood for Dr. Corey, the
beloved father; and at Bucknell, he rang the col¬
lege bells. He worked and studied, showing the
dignity of labor and at once setting forth an
example to youth in lowly circumstances that
there is no obstacle, however difficult, hard, and
embarrassing, that cannot be overcome by a de¬
termined mind and a fixed purpose. The true
man will always rise above circumstances,
" Pluck bright honor from the pale-faced moon,
Or dive into the bottom of the deep,
Where fathom-line could never touch the ground,
And pluck up drowned honor by the locks."
Such is the character of the subject of this
sketch, loved and admired by all who know him;
and I trust that all who read these lines will catch
an inspiration from this exalted sketch and seek
but the harder to fashion their lives after Him
who spake as never man spoke, and after whom
the author of this volume seeks to fashion his life.
CHAS. L. PURCE.
Selma University, Selma, Ala., Sept., 1891.
PREFACE.
We are living in an age when the rapidity with
which books are multiplied is almost incredible.
This is by no means due to the proclivity of old
authors to flood the market for pastime, nor yet
to the inclination of novices to rush heedlessly
into print. As in the business world so it is in
the literary; production in literature is governed
by the unchangeable law of supply and demand.
The great number of books that are being writ¬
ten and the increased facility with which they are
published make them cheaper and hence more
easily secured by all classes of people; as a nec¬
essary sequence, education is more widely diffused,
intelligence obtains in the homes of the masses.
The present is the most intelligent age the world
ever knew; a period of such intense systematic
and, at the same time, specific development the
world of a hundred years ago never dreamed of.
The possible development of man, a prescribed
creature, is paradoxical. Though finite, man is
capable of almost infinite development. There
is one ever onward and upward movement of
man; a movement peculiar to no one race or
people; a movement whose limits no one dares
outline.
PREFACE. J 7
Man's creatureship necessarily renders him de¬
pendent ; yet his natural endowments are such
that he can do almost whatever he wills to do and
become whatsoever he wills to become.
Every man to a greater or less extent has his
destiny in his own hands. He can exist all his
days in a state of arrested development, an almost
useless incumbrance in society; or he can by
untiring effort, steady purpose, and indomitable
will, grow and become a man of power, influence,
and great usefulness. What is true of the indi¬
vidual is true of a race, a people, a denomination.
The colored Baptist church in the United
States (to say nothing of the unconverted of
Baptist proclivities) are overwhelming in num¬
bers, and have the opportunity of exerting untold
influence in an intelligent development of the
Kingdom of God and the whole people.
Shall the Baptists do it ? Shall they or shall
they not by never-tiring devotion and earnest
consecration become a powerful element in shap¬
ing an intelligent religious sentiment in our
people ?
From statistics carefully compiled by Dr. R.
De Baptist one year ago, it may be seen how
strong numerically the colored Baptists of Amer¬
ica are. When comparing the Baptists with
other denominations it must be remembered that
the Baptists here given are actual communicants
i8
PREFACE.
while many in some other denominations are
only probationers and not actual communicants.
The statistics of 1890 show that in all other de¬
nominations there are 1,314)646 colored members
in the United States; while in the Baptist denomi¬
nation there are 1,399,298 members. According
to these statistics, which were gotten up with
great care and much labor, the members of Bap¬
tist churches outnumber those of all other de¬
nominations combined by 84,652.
General intelligence among the masses of Bap¬
tist faith compares favorably with those of any
other denomination. It may not seem so at the
first glance. But when you consider that any
one of the three or four smaller denominations
will compare with the Baptist about as one to
seven thousand, it will be seen from the above
that though the Baptist may appear to have
more illiteracy, it appears so because of their
vastly greater number of members. Intelligent
worship is steadily gaining ground among the
churches all over the country. Many unnec¬
essary (I was about to say unchristian) customs
have been relegated to the background. For
the most part, the mode of worship has been
simplified in every respect.
In every community the churches are begin¬
ning to appreciate a pure and simple Gospel ser¬
mon, Mere sound no longer satisfies the thirst-
PREFACE.
19
ing souls. The man who now begins his
ministerial career with no other evidence of a
call to preach than loud vociferations accom¬
panied with a peculiar tone soon fails. That
the churches are beginning to appreciate and
actually commend a simple, systematic, well
delivered sermon ought to be a great source
of encouragement to all friends of the negro.
That a scholarly man, of pure and chaste lan¬
guage, with a logically and systematically com¬
posed sermon, is demanded by so many of our
churches is an evidence of the upward Christian
development of the masses.
The educational facilities for the Baptists are
grand. There are sixty Baptist colleges and
high schools in successful operation. The ma¬
jority pi these schools are not what may be called
sectarian. As schools of other denominations,
they admit applicants irrespective of creed. The
Baptists have great reasons to rejoice at the
moral and educational progress in the ministry.
That there is still far too much of illiteracy and
immorality in the pulpit cannot be denied. But
for all that the upward and onward march of the
pulpit has been wonderful. The short time that
has elapsed since the emancipation renders a
great number of college-bred ministers a matter
of impossibility; but the number of ministers
who have attended schools of different grades
20
PREFACE.
and those who, deprived of school training, have
studied eagerly and industriously at home is
almost countless. It is truly marvelous how
many ministers, with scarcely no opportunity for
training, have tugged and toiled until they are
giants in the pulpit. They have acquired
knowledge on the wayside, at night, and by
contact with others. To-day the great majority
of Baptist ministers are regarded as men of
uprightness and truth. The unworthy are
rapidly retreating to the background.
One weakness of the Baptists has been their
ignorance of one another. It often happens that
Baptist ministers in adjacent states are wofully
ignorant of one another. I hardly suppose that
there is one minister in the A. M. E. Church
who does not know of Bishops Payne and
Turner; or one in the A. M. E. Z. Church who
does not know of Bishops Hood and Jones.
The Baptist cause often suffers in comparison
with other denominations, not because there are
not strong, able, scholarly men in the Baptist
pulpits, but because the Baptist men are un¬
known to the Baptist churches and comparatively
so to one another. Why should not the able
Baptist divines be known from the Atlantic to
the Pacific and from the Lakes to the Gulf?
Why may they not be acquainted with one
another ?
preface.
21
Much of the prejudice between Baptist
churches and ministers is due to their almost
total ignorance of one another. They don't
know who or how many belong to the great
family. To remedy this in part, this volume is
sent forth. If this book serves to bring about a
more intimate acquaintance between Baptist and
Baptist the purpose of the author in writing it
will have been accomplished.
It by no means purports to mention all of our
able and worthy divines, circumstances have
made it impossible to do so in this volume, a
fact no one regrets more than the writer. The
aim of this book is not to praise and flatter those
named, nor to fill the pages with high sounding
commendations. It aims simply to record his¬
torical facts—simple narrations. Every one who
reads these simple narrations must, as I, admire
the persistent struggle and final triumph of these
men. What many of them have accomplished is
the result of self-sacrifice, consecrated devotion,
tireless efforts, and firm trust in God.
The selections made might have been others,
and the work better done by some one else; but
men more earnest and devoted could not have
been chosen.
I am indebted to many persons for their
kindness—and especially to Rev. J. W. Carr, Drs.
W. J. Simmons (now deceased), R. DeBaptist, H.
22
frefacfe.
Johnson, S. T. Clanton, Prof. J. A. Booker, Rev.
A. R. Griggs, Dr. E. M. Brawley, Revs. W. J.
White, D. M. Pierce, and Dr. H. L. Morehouse,
who kindly contributed from the Jubilee Volume
and otherwise all the matter concerning the
Home Mission schools, as well as furnished the
cuts of the various buildings, and also to my
distinguished and personal friend, Dr. C. L.
Puree, who wrote the introduction to this book
and thus has associated himself with me.
That good may be accomplished by this book
is my earnest wish and prayer.
A. W. PEGUES.
Raleigh, N. C., September, 1891.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Introduction, 8
Preface, 16
Prof. D. Abner, Jr., A.M., 29
Rev. S. W. Anderson, ...... 34
Rev. W. H. Anderson, D.D., .... 36
Rev. W. B. Ball, 42
Rev. J. L. Barksdale, ...... 44
Rev. Miles Bassett, ...... 46
Rev. Richard Bassett, . . . . . 51
Rev. J. R. Bennett, 53
Re/. A. Binga, Jr., D.D., 58
Rev. J. A. Booker, A.M., . . . . . 61
VRev. F. J. Boulden, f|6
Rev. H. W. Bowen, 70
Rev. M. Boykin, 75
Rev. E. M. Brawley, D.D., 78
Rev. P. H. A. Braxton, ..... 82
Rev. C. S. Brown, 95
Rev. William J. Brown, ..... 98
Rev. R. F. Blythewood, ..... 100
Rev. I. S. Campbell, 100
Rev. Lott Carey, 102
24 CONTENTS!.
PAGE
Rev. J. W. Carr, .106
Rev. E. R. Carter, XI3
Rev. J. M. Carter, IJ7
Rev. L. T. Christmas, . . • •. .119
Rev. S. T. Clanton, D.D., 122
Rev. John Lewis Cohron, . . . . .126
Rev. R. H. Cole, 132
Rev. John Oliver Crosby, Ph.D., . . 137
Rev. J. S. Daniels, 143
Rev. John L. Dart, ...... 145
Rev. Iverson Dawson, . . . . . .151
/Rev. Richard De Baptiste, 153'
Rev. James Albert Dennis, ..... 166
Rev. Bazile Dorsey, . . . . . .169
Rev. A. P. Dunbar, . . . . . 173
Rev. George Washington Dupee, .... 175
Rev. J. J. Durham, A.M., M.D., .... 183
Rev. Alexander Ellis, 187
Rev. Eugene Evans,. . . . . . .189
Rev. John W. Exzell, ...... 193
Rev. S. M. Fisher, .194
Rev. John H. Flemings, 198
Rev. S. Flinn, 198
Rev. J. H. Frank, 200
Rev. Taylor Fryerson, 204
Rev. D. A. Gaddie, D.D., 206
Rev. James H. Garnett, B.D., . - . . . 209
Rev. G. W. Gayles, 214
Rev. W. B. Gibson, 217
contents.
25
fAGE
Rev. Matthew William Gilbert, . . - ,218
Rev. Charles B. W. Gordon, . . . . .221
Rev. W. F. Graham, . . . . . -225
Rev. Elisha W. Green, 229
Rev. Henry Green, ....... 239
Rev. W. A. Green, 241
Rev. Allen Ralph Griggs, D.D., .... 245
Rev. Daniel Thompson Gulley, .... 255
Rev. L. H. Hackney, ...... 258
Rev. William G. Head, ...... 259
Rev. James H. Hoke, ...... 262
Rev. James H. Holmes, ...... 264
Rev. W. E. Holmes, A.M., ..... 267
Rev. Forrest Hooks, ...... 270
Rev. George Brown Howard, ..... 272
Rev. George Henry Jackson, ..... 275
Rev. H. P. Jacobs, M.D., 280
Rev. L. W. Jenkins, ....... 283
Rev. Henry N. Jeter, ...... 285
Rev. Harvey Johnson, D.D., ..... 288
Rev. Wm. Bishop Johnson, D.D., .... 294
Rev. Boston W. Jones, ...... 297
Rev. J. E. Jones, D.D., 299
Rev. T. L. Jordan, ....... 304
Rev. Paul H. Kennedy, ...... 309
Mr. John Carter Leftwich, A.B., . . . . 312
Rev. Wallace Porter Locker, ..... 316
Rev. E. K. Love, D.D., 319
Rev. L. M. Luke, . 321
26
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Rev. L. D. McAllister, 325
Rev. W. H. McAlpine, -3^
Rev. A. N. McEwen, ...... 332
Rev. S. P. Martin, ....... 33^
Rev. James M. Mason, ...... 337
Rev. William Massey, 339
Rev. John R. Miller, ...... 342
Rev. Theodore Doughty Miller, D.D., . . . 345
Rev. H. H. Mitchell, ...... 350
Rev. Elias C. Morris, 353
Rev. Charles H. Parrish, A.M., .... 357
Rev. C. H. Payne, D.D., 364
Rev. G. W. Perry, .371
Rev. Rufus L. Perry, Ph.D., 375
Rev. William Reuben Pettiford, D.D., . . . 381
Rev. D. M. Pierce, A.M., 385
Rev. James Knox Polk, 391
Rev. R. T. Pollard, 393
Rev. C. L. Puree, D.D., 399
Rev. O. T. Redd, ....... 406
Rev. J. M. Riddle, ....... 410
Rev. E. Rainey Roberts, . . . . . .412
Rev. N. F. Roberts, D.D., ..... 416
Rev. J. P. Robinson, ...... 419
Rev. Tenant M. Robinson, ..... 423
Rev. J. Gardner Ross, ...... 427
Rev. J. D. Rouse, ....... 430
Rev. C. C. Russell, . . . . . . .431
Rev. Augustus Shepard, D.D., _ 433
Rev. W. J. Simmons, D.D., LL.D., .... 43^
Rev. Samuel Scipio Sissen, ..... ^3
Rev. E. N. Smith, . . . . . . .4^7
CONTENTS. 27
PAGE
Rev. Hardan Smith, 460
Rev. Richard Spiller, ...... 463
Rev. A. J. Stokes, . . . . . . . 469
Rev. C. C. Stumm, 472
Rev. Aaron Manasseth Thomas, . . . .481
Rev. William Tilman, 485
Rev. E. B. Topp, 488
Rev. Mansfield Tyler, 493
Rev. R. B. Vandervall, D.D., ..... 496
Rev. Michael Vann, ....... 499
Rev. C. C. Vaughn, 503
Rev. C. T. Walker, D.D., 508
Rev. G. W. Walker, . . . . . . .511
Rev. Harrison Watkins, . . . . . . 514
Rev. Henry Watson, .518
Rev. Ralph R. Watson, 520
Rev. Richard Wells,. ...... 523
Rev. W^J.r White, ....... 526
Rev. John A. Whitted, ...... 539
Rev. W. A. Wilkinson, ...... 542
Rev. H. M. Williams, ...... 544
Rev. N. B. Williams, ...... 547
Rev. J. M. Young, 550
Wayland Seminary, Washington, D. C., . . . 561
Richmond Theological Seminary, Richmond, Va., '565
Shaw University, Raleigh, N. C., . . . . 569
Roger Williams University, Nashville, Tenn., . 577
Leland University, New Orleans, La., . . 581
Atlanta Seminary, Atlanta, Ga., .... 587
28 CONTENTS.
PAGE
Benedict College, Columbia, S. C., .
• 59i
Jackson College, Jackson, Miss.,
• 596
Selma University, Selma, Ala.,
• 599
Florida Institute, Live Oak, Fla., .
602
State University, Louisville, Ky.,
603
Bishop College, Marshall, Tex.,
606
Spelman Seminary, Atlanta, Ga., .
609
Baptist Bible and Normal Institute, Memphis,
Tenn., 620
The Mather Industrial School,
620
APPENDIX.
Rev. Sandy Alexander, .....
1
Rev. Walter H. Brooks, D.D.,
5
Rev. John H. Brooks,
11
Rev. Robert Johnson,
14
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS
AND
SCHOOLS.
Professor David Abner, Jr.
The subject of this sketch is one of the bright
young men of the country. He was born in
Upshur County, Texas, November 25, i860,
born at a time when the beginning of the end of
slavery was already in sight. While affairs were
being refashioned and were re-adjusting them¬
selves to the prevailing sentiment of the nation,
the opportunity for seizing every advantage
consequent upon the new changes was offered
this young man.
His parents, the Hon. David Abner, Sr., and
Louise Abner, were both slaves, but had a great
deal of liberty compared with the average slave.
Hon. David Abner held many important po¬
sitions in Texas. For several years he repre¬
sented Harrison County in the State Legislature.
He has been treasurer of the county school fund,
and served as delegate to the Constitutional
Convention, and is trustee of Bishop College in
which his son David is now a professor.
PROF. D. ABNER, JR., A.M.
PROF. DAVID ABNER, JR.
31
It was early seen that young David possessed
elements of genius and great worth, characteris¬
tics of his noble-souled father. His parents gave
him every accessible advantage of training and
development. He was put in school at an early
age. In 1875 he entered Wiley University at
Marshall, Texas, the home of his parents. At
that time there was no Baptist institution of
learning in the state. In 1876 he entered
Straight University, New Orleans, La. Here he
was a close student. Prof. Adams, the presi¬
dent, often said, " That young man is peculiarly
noted for strength of mind. He seeks but little
information on any study, it matters not how
difficult it may be." Thoroughly appreciating
the sacrifices his parents were making for him
he was anxious to show himself worthy of their
favors. When Prof. Adams, formerly of Mar¬
shall, Texas, was elected to the presidency of
Straight University, he wrote urging upon David
Abner to enter that school, writing similarly to
David's father. While at Straight University,
one of the buildings at an unexpected hour and
from an unknown cause caught fire and burned
down. Mr. Abner exhibited such heroism at this
fire in saving the belongings of students and the
institution that he was commended by the faculty,
students, and citizens.
The following and several successive sessions
32 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
he attended Fisk University at Nashville, Tenn.
The same scholarly earnestness and zeal charac¬
terized him there. He gave special attention to
the classics, and has written smooth and tasty
translations of Virgil, De Amicitia, Tacitus, and
some Greek selections. Some specimens of his
Greek and Latin translations were placed on
exhibition at the Nashville Centennial about ten
years ago.
In 1881 he entered Bishop College for the
classical course, from which he graduated in 1884.
He has the honor of being the first negro clas¬
sical graduate in the state. While pursuing his
studies he was a student teacher in the institution.
The same year of his graduation he was ap¬
pointed professor in his alma mater. His career
in this institution has been remarkable; there
some of his best lectures were delivered. His
disposition is always winning and amiable.
Prof. Abner made profession of religion during
his last year at Fisk University, was baptized in
June, 1880, and united with the Bethesda Baptist
Church, whose membership is 725. In 1883 there
was a great cry for missionary workers in Texas.
After looking about, the brethren turned toward
him as the proper man to lead the forces, and he
was ordained to the ministry the same year. The
ordaining council was composed of many strono-
Christian men, such as Dr, S. W, Marston of
PROF. DAVID ABNER, JR.
33
St. Louis, Dr. S. W. Culver, President of Bishop
College, Rev. L. M. Luke, Rev. C. B. Martin, and
others.
He went forth as a disciple of Christ and an
apostle of education. His argument was forcible
and successful. Always firm and uncompro¬
mising yet without prejudice, he advocated the
doctrine of his church. He' is active in all
movements started in the interest of his denomi¬
nation. Mr. Abner is now professor in Bishop
College. For nine years he has been moderator
of the Louisiana and.Texas Association, and for
the same length of time he has been correspond¬
ing and statistical secretary of the Baptist State
Convention. Prof. Abner has also been associate
editor of the Baptist Journal. The same paper
is now published by one of his close friends at
Dallas, under the name of the Southwestern
Baptist. I may here remark that Prof. Abner is
not only active and influential in his own denomi¬
nation but is active and honored regardless of
denominational lines. He was chosen to represent
the state at the National Convention of colored
men held at Louisville in 1883 ; and he was
alternate delegate at large to the National Re¬
publican Convention at Chicago in 1888.
Judging from a- career so worthy, it yet remains
to be seen what this bright genius will accom¬
plish.
3
34
our baptist ministers.
Rev. Squire Washington Anderson, A.B.
Rev. S. W. Anderson was born in Marshall
County, Texas, in February, 1861. He is the
only surviving child of four children, two boys and
two girls, of whom he was the youngest; all were
born slaves. His mother died in 1865 and his
only sister one year later. At t'he age of five
years young Anderson was left an orphan. He
was sent from Nashville (whither his mother had
gone) to live with his grandparents. When he
was about to be bound out by his grandfather,
he was sent for by his great-grandparents, who
thought a great deal of his mother. He was
taken by them to be cared for and brought up.
It may be said here that the dear old people
lavished upon him that care, kindness, and de¬
votion which orphan children of his day seldom
received. The great-grandfather died in 1878
and his wife in 1890. At the death-beds of both
of them was Mr. Anderson and performed every
duty as became a grateful great-grandson, grate¬
ful to those who had done so much for him.
In 1878, at the age of seventeen, Mr. Anderson
became a Christian. He had been what might
be called a strict church and Sunday-school goer
before he made a profession. One year after his
conversion he was baptized by Rev. C. P. Hughes
and united with the Mt, Zion Church at Shelby-
REV. SQUIRE WASHINGTON ANDERSON, A.B. 35
ville. For twelve years Mr. Anderson worked
upon a farm and at odd times attended public and
private schools. His wit and brightness a^ a
scholar made him a favorite with the teachers.
When he was seventeen years of age he taught his
first school. His first year having given universal
satisfaction he was employed in the same com¬
munity for five successive years. In the fall of
1880 Mr. Anderson entered Roger Williams Uni¬
versity with $30.25 in his pocket. How he could
get through school he did not know. But with
unshaken confidence in God and a determination
to be something he pushed on, believing in the old
adage, " Where there is a will, there is a way." By
teaching and with the aid of Dr. D. W. Phillips,
and the Judson Missionary Society of Cleveland,
he was able to pursue his studies. Being success¬
ful in a competitive examination in 1883, he re¬
ceived a state scholarship through Senator Steele,
which paid his bills for two years. At the expi¬
ration of that time he was re-appointed. He was
thus enabled to finish his course of study, gradu¬
ating in May, 1887, with the degree of A.B.
Several positions were offered to him before he
had finished his course of study. He accepted a
call to the Baptist church at Fayetteville, and
took charge of the school at the same place.
There he established the " Anderson High
School," and a Normal Institute for the benefit
36 our baptist ministers.
of those who cannot go off to college. Both
church and schools flourished under his care. In
i8£8 he accepted a call to the Mt. Zion Church,
Nashville, Tenn. This is his present field of
labor. Rev. Anderson is especially interested in
Sunday-school work, and as a consequence the
school of his church has grown, under him, from
13 to 300, while 250 members have been added to
the church.
When he took charge the church had property
valued at $2,000, now they own a house of worship
worth $10,000. On October 17, 1889, he was
united in marriage with Miss Mary J. Foghman,
then a student in Roger Williams University.
She is a good scholar and an excellent lady, a
true helpmeet to her husband in all his work.
Mr. Anderson teaches in the public schools of
Nashville. He is an earnest Christian and a de¬
voted temperance advocate. He with his family
live in their own pleasant home in North Nash¬
ville.
Rev. W. H. Anderson, D.D.
The subject of this sketch first saw the light
of day in Vigo County, Indiana, May 8, 1843.
His first instructor was his oldest sister, who
taught him to read and spell. Though iier ability
as an instructor was very limited, she succeeded
REV. W. H. ANDERSON, D.D.
38 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
in instilling into him a desire to be learned and
useful. How well her first efforts took hold upon
him and how fruitful they have been may be seen
in this noble specimen of manhood who so ably
fills the pulpit of McFarland Chapel in Evansville.
Passing from the tutelage of his sister, his parents
sent him to a subscription school. Walking four
miles a day through swamps and flats to school,
he learned lessons of perseverance that have stood
him well in later years.
His oratorical powers were soon noticed by the
village folks, and while yet in his teens he was a
recognized leader in the community in which he
lived. When a recruiting officer visited that set¬
tlement to enlist soldiers for the fifty-fourth and
fifty-fifth Massachusetts regiments, and also for
Rhode Island, he met with strong opposition in
the person of this young man. Young Ander¬
son made public speeches against methods then
pursued by the United States in enlisting men.
He claimed that the rebellion would never be put
down until every northern state became willing
to allow negro soldiers to enlist in its own com¬
monwealth, stating in a public speech that the
Federal Government would be glad to get every
black soldier it could find and give them equal
bounty and pay with the whites ere the close of
that memorable strife. How true was this proph¬
ecy of young Anderson history plainly states.
REV. W. M. ANDERSON, D.D. 39
He enlisted in the army September 22, 1864,
and served in the thirteenth regiment U. S.
colored infantry until the close of the war, thus
following patriotic speeches by a patriotic act.
On returning home he married Miss Sarah J.
Steward, May 31, 1866, following by a profession
of religion September 27, 1866, and joined the
church pastored by Rev. Lewis Artis, from whom
he received much of his religious training. While
under his pastoral charge he entered the ministry,
being licensed to preach March 12, 1870.
His first field of labor was at Rockville, Ind.
From there he went to Lost Creek Baptist Church
in March, 1871, this being one of the oldest Bap¬
tist churches in the state. The Indiana Baptist
Association soon recognized the ability of Mr.
Anderson, and he was elected or appointed by them
to fill some office for nineteen consecutive years.
The year 1872 found him in the field as general
missionary for the state, an'd his report was con¬
ceded to be the best ever made by any missionary
in the state.
His unswerving loyalty to Christianity, coupled
with his ability, won for him a front rank among
the ministry, and also caused him to receive calls
from the best churches in the state. He assumed
pastoral charge of the Third Baptist Church of
Terre Haute, Indiana, in October, 1873, and by
incessant toil he soon erected a house of worship
46 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
and built up a fine congregation. His gentle-1
manly manners and dignified bearing won for
him the respect of all. The young people soon
learned to love him, and the same success with
them in uprooting the evils of dissipation that
had followed him since his entrance upon God's
holy work, was with him here. He continued
with the church until October, 1882, when he
resigned to take charge of McFarland Chapel,
Evansville, Indiana, his present field of labor.
Here his ability not only as an orator but as a
man possessed of fine business tact was shown
to advantage. An average size congregation of
devout Christians above the intellectual standard
of many colored churches, and no place except
the Court House in which to worship, was the
condition of affairs nine years ago. How differ¬
ent now! A building was first purchased as a
church in the popular part of the town. Soon his
forces were so thoroughly organized that with
a herculean effort an entire square was pur¬
chased and a most beautiful edifice was erected.
The old church is used as a dwelling with a hall
overhead, from which quite a snug surcTis netted.
As a new year's gift from the State University
in Louisville, 1889 brought with it the title of
Doctor of Divinity to this worthy divine, who
thus became the first Baptist preacher in Indiana,
to receive such an honor.
REV. W. H. ANDERSON, D.D. 4I
At the national gathering of Baptists of Indian-
apolis, Ind., in September, 1890, he was chosen
as one of the committee to wait upon the Presi¬
dent and lay before him the grievances of the
Afro-Americans.
Believing that Indiana should have an organ,
the association founded one, choosing Rev. W. H.
Anderson as editor, a duty he performed with
marked ability. The race felt the good resulting
from its publication by such a man and regretted
its suspension in 1890. The Ministerial Associa¬
tion, composed of all the ministers in Evansville,
regardless of color, recognized Rev. Anderson's
fine oratorical powers.
His forensic ability serves Afro-Americans well
in his present field. No insult to the race passes
him unheeded, and when aroused to action he
proves a ready writer, when provoked to argument
he proves a foeman worthy of his opponent's steel.
Prominently identified with the Afro-American
League, as well as several other orders in the
city, his advice is always sought by the citizens
on matters pertaining to the race.
The young men find in him a true friend. His
interest in them seems so unselfish that he wins
them and causes them to love and respect him.
The success achieved by Dr. Anderson is what
may be done by any other man possessed of the
same qualities. His achievements but point out
42 oiik baptist ministers.
possibilities for us all. He has left his impress
upon Evansville people, and has lived long
enough among them to see seed sown by himself
grow up as tropical plants. Most of his time is
spent in visiting and comforting the aged and
afflicted members of his fold.
A Christian minister, a talented gentleman, and
an honest man, universally loved and respected, is
W. H. Anderson, D.D.
Rev. W. B. Ball.
Rev. W. B. Ball was born in Danville, Ky.,
February, 1844. He was brought up on a farm
and, like many other rural lads who have risen to
positions of eminence, fame, and usefulness, he
always had a burning desire to be educated, Yet
he was poor and destitute of moneyed relations.
He however found his way to Ohio ; worked and
saved some money and went to Xenia to school.
From Xenia, along with forty-two others he went
to Sandusky, O., and enlisted in the U. S. army.
Being discharged in 1865, he went to Oberlin to
school. From there he went to Canada; then
returned to Oberlin and engaged in the photo¬
graph business. Mr. Ball then steam-boated
awhile, but soon left the business and re-enlisted
in the army for three years, in which he served as
quartermaster and recruiting officer. In the mean
(See page 118 for portrait.)
REV. W. B. BALL.
43
time, having marched through several of the south¬
western states, he came to San Antonio, Texas,
where he raised a company and was appointed
captain in 1869. It may be said here that Mr.
Ball has been offered some lucrative civil positions
at the hands of the governor of the state but
refused to serve. In Guadalupe County, Texas,
Mr. Ball began to teach in the public schools,
which profession he followed for nineteen years
with one exception. March 21, 1872, he married
Miss Rachel Cartwright. In 1874, he joined the
Baptist church of Seguin, in which he served as
church clerk ten years and as deacon two; he was
licensed to preach in 1875 and was ordained in
August, 1881. Mr. Ball has served the following
churches in Texas: the Luling Baptist Church at
Seguin ; the Baptist church at San Antonio. He
is now pastor of the church at Seguin and of the
Mt. Zion Hill'Church, having served them six
and nine years respectively.
Although Rev. Ball has accomplished a great
work as pastor, no less commendable has been
the part he took in the establishment of Guadalupe
College. This is a Baptist institution purchased
by the Guadalupe, St. John, Mt. Zion, and the
Western La Grange Associations, largely through
the instrumentality of Rev. Ball, who has been the
financial agent of the institution for six years,
enjoying the confidence of the whole community.
44
our baptist ministers.
Rev. J. L. Barksdale, Danville, Va.
On the seventh of December, 1853' in Campbell
County, Va., was born J. L. Barksdale. Accord¬
ing to the prevailing laws of the Southern states,
which made it criminal for negroes to be edu¬
cated,—a crime for knowing beings to know,—
young Barksdale's parents were without education,
hence they were unable to teach him or give direc¬
tion to his training. After the close of the war he
attended schools in the county and at Lynchburg.
His present knowledge he obtained by hard study
and that, too, to a great extent outside of the
walls of the schoolroom. Mr. Barksdale professed
hope in Christ in 1874 and joined the Holcombe
Rock Baptist Church, having been baptized by
Rev. A. Lowny. The church granted him license
to preach in 1876. He was an idle and inactive
licentiate, but in 1880 had worked and brought
together a sufficient number of members to form
a church in Danielstown, near Lynchburg, Va.
Having been called to the pastorate of the
church he was ordained January 14, 1881. At
about the same time he was called to the Baptist
church at Buchanan, Va., and also the First
Church at Covington, Va., thus pastoring three
churches stretching over more than one hundred
miles of territory. His stay at the last named
churches was long mutually cordial. In 1887
REV. J. L. BARKSDALE.
46
our baptist ministers.
Rev. Barksdale took charge of the Ebenezer
Church in Staunton, Va. Unfortunately this
church was not in a very good spiritual condition.
The factions were united and the church grew
strong. He resigned in 1888 to take the First
o o
Church at Lexington, Va. The same success
marked his brief stay here. For in 1889 he ten¬
dered his resignation in order to accept the call to
the High St. Church, Danville, Va. Thus we see
in ten years how rapidly the popularity of Mr.
Barksdale grew. The prosperity of the churches
to which he ministered was steady and all gave
him up with great reluctance.
Under his ministrations 1,200 persons have
professed faith in Christ; of these he baptized
713. For the short time he has had his present
charge his success financially and spiritually has
been wonderful. A debt of $5,000 hanging over
the church has been paid, 241 persons have been
converted through preaching and earnest prayers.
The basement of his large and spacious brick
church will soon be completed, when his congre¬
gation will have one of the finest houses of wor¬
ship in south central Virginia.
Rev. Miles Bassett of New Albany, Ind.
It is needless to say that the greatest amount
of church-building and organization has been by
REV. MILES BASSETT.
Pastor Second Baptist Church, New Albany, Ind.
48 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
men who were born during the dark days of
slavery, men who came up through very adverse
circumstances, men who rose to usefulness not
with the help of their early surroundings but in
spite of the most strenuous efforts to keep them
down.
Such a man is Rev. Miles Bassett of New
Albany, Indiana. Rev. Miles Bassett was born
in Greene County, North Carolina, Aug. 25, 1836.
He was the son of Rev. Zachariah Bassett. Before
her marriage his mother was Elizabeth Reed; she
was of a family of Reeds who lived near Tarboro
in Edgecombe County. In 1844, Miles Bassett
moved from North Carolina and settled in a
Quaker settlement in Park County, Ind. It was
here that Rev. Zachariah Bassett first began to
preach, having organized a little church out of the
emigrants who accompanied him from North
Carolina.
Miles was sent to a Quaker school, where he
received a common school training, which was
afterwards supplemented by hard study. At the
age of seventeen Miles was converted and, being
baptized by his father, joined the church of that
place. In 1865 he was ordained. His labors have
been almost exclusively in Indiana. He served
the Second Church of Shelbyville for nine years.
From a small congregation he built up a large
one and left them with a house worth $3,200,
50 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
whereas when he went to them they had no house
of worship. His second charge was the Second
Church of Rising Sun, Ind.; at the same time by
unanimous consent of his church he supplied
alternately the churches of Carrollton, Ky., and
Madison, Ind. In 1881, he took the pastoral
charge of the Second Church of New Albany,
where he still labors. When he accepted the call
to this church they were worshiping in a comfort¬
able but shabby looking house, ill fitted for the
purposes of a church and unpaid for. By untiring
effort and unswerving fidelity, Rev. Bassett not
only paid off the last cent but immediately began
raising a building fund. He soon had sufficient
money in hand to warrant him in beginning a
new edifice. Instead of building they bought the
finest and most modern style church edifice owned
by any colored congregation in that section of the
state. The original cost of the building was
$30,000. Upon it is the city clock, the official
time-piece for all municipal purposes.
Rev. Bassett is a great financier. He has an
original and almost unequaled plan of liquidating
the church de"bt.
As a preacher Rev. Bassett is deep, yet plain
and practical, and gives to his flock abundant
spiritual food. He is the founder of the EasteriT
Indiana Baptist Association, of which he is corre¬
sponding secretary. In every respect he is an
rev. richard bassett.
51
exemplary Christian. His life is his greatest ser¬
mon. He lives and practices what he preaches.
Rev. Richard Bassett, Shelbyville, Ind.
Rev. Richard Bassett, a younger brother of
Rev. Miles Bassett, was born in Greene County,
N. C., 1846. He, as his brother, was carried to
Indiana along with his parents in 1848 when they
settled in Park County, Ind. He, too, attended
the Quaker school and obtained a common school
training. In 1856 they moved to Howard County.
Young Bassett was converted and joined the Free
Union Baptist Church November, 1864.
He was ordained at New Albany, August,
1867. Now a life that was already useful began
to shine more brilliantly and to bear abundant
fruit.
He was called to Shiloh Church of Rising Sun
and secured for his congregation a spacious brick
building. He has since served successively and
successfully the Second Church of New Albany,
and the Corinthian Baptist Church of Indian¬
apolis. The former he pastored eight years, the
latter five. In 1888 he was appointed by the
Executive Board of the Sunday-school Conven¬
tion, state Sunday-school missionary.
In this field he rendered great service to Sun¬
day-schools and the cause of Christ in the state,,
REV. RICHARD BASSETT.
rev. jacob rivers bennett. 53
and was greatly respected and beloved by all with
whom he came in contact. Rev. R. Bassett is
now serving the Free Union Church and the
Second Church of Kokoma. He is a natural
pulpit orator and is one of the leading ministers
in his state.
Rev. Jacob Rivers Bennett.
Rev. Jacob Rivers Bennett was born in Dough¬
erty County, Georgia, on the plantation of Judge
Henry Andrews, September 20, 1857. His father
and mother, Richard and Julia, were slaves of
Judge Andrews. At the age of three years, young
Bennett was carried to Holmes County, Missis¬
sippi, by Fred Andrews, their young master. He
was never separated from his parents. When
emancipated his father settled in the neighbor¬
hood where .he was brought up, and engaged in
farming. Young Bennett, though living only
eighteen miles from the city, visited it only once
in seven years. When thirteen years of age he
was converted to Christ and baptized into the
fellowship of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in
that neighborhood, by Rev. Robert Webb. He
spent his first week in school under Mrs. Winnie
White, who taught a five months' term in the
above named church. Mrs. White was a daughter
of the famous old favorite of Vicksburg, Aunt
54 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Kittie Foot. At fifteen years of age Mr. Bennett
was clerk of the church and when eighteen was
elected and ordained deacon against his humble
yet vigorous protest.
In the spring of'78 the then Deacon Bennett led,
at a great sacrifice to himself, in the building of a
creditable new frame church, which replaced the
old one, which was in a very dilapidated condition
with only a dirt floor. He expended in this laud¬
able work, not only valuable time and indefatigable
effort, but the contents of his individual purse.
In 1878 he entered Roger Williams University
at Nashville, Tenn., where he stayed only four
months, being called back by a telegram from his
mother which she walked thirty miles to send.
Strange to say,all the school days of Rev. Bennett's
life amount to twenty-four months and three weeks,
and he was twelve years getting that. Yet he
taught public schools six years, holding a second
grade certificate. This shows what a young man
may do with limited opportunities if he only has a
will. In the fall of '79 he traveled with a pano¬
rama. After being out two months with this, he
stopped at Rodney, Mississippi. Here he learned
the art of photography under a white man by
the name of Hall, who finally sold out to Rev.
Bennett and Rev. M. H. Williams, who were
traveling together. In the spring of 1880 they
went to Arkansas and there separated. Rev.
REV. JACOB RIVERS BENNETT. 55
Bennett continued to travel, giving exhibitions
with his panorama. He sold the photographer's
outfit at Little Rock, and joined the First Baptist
Church there. On the 27th day of July he was
ordained by that church to do mission work in
White and Woodruff counties. In October of
the same year he" returned to his home in
Mississippi and Nov. 25th he was married to his
present wife in Lexington, Miss. In June, '81,
Rev. Bennett moved to Little Rock, Ark., with
an aged father and invalid wife. His mother was
left to follow afterward, which she did. About
this time he experienced some of the severest trials
of his life, and no wonder, with an invalid wife and
dependent parents in a strange country.
At the presidential election, 1880, Rey. Bennett
was clerk at the polls, casting the first ballot of
his life for Garfield. #At this election out of 700
votes cast only three were republican, although
there were not more than twenty white men in
the precinct. One of three voting the republican
ticket was known to be himself. For this piece
of independence his life was threatened. When,
after a narrow escape, he reached the city of
Vicksburg, en route to Arkansas, he was arrested,
falsely accused, and lodged in the county jail, where
he stayed three days. The officers who were sent
to carry him back to ihe blood-thirsty mob, failing
to present sufficient reason, were refused the custo-
2 6 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
dy of him by the sheriff at Vicksburg. Mr. Beck
will ever live in the grateful memory of our sub¬
ject, it is needless to say. Still, voting the repub¬
lican ticket was a dear transaction, as it cost Rev.
Bennett $182.45 to get free of the monster which
sometimes 'denominates itself law, that it may
with impunity devour the defenseless. This left
Rev. Bennett penniless. In this condition he
went to Little Rock and engaged in public work,
this being the only avenue of support open to
him. His first call to the pastorate was a small
church at a small station on the St. L. & I. M.
R. R., about a hundred and four miles from
Little Rock. He labored at this church from
September to February, and received the pe¬
cuniary consideration of five dollars. Having
so far forgotten himself as to give a white man
the lie in a dispute about church matters he was
compelled to leave his little flock. He went back
to Little Rock and resolved to do manual labor
and worked with building contractors. He then
accepted a call and served as pastor of the Mt.
Zion Baptist Church, Little Rock, where he was
blessed with moderate success in his labors. But
owing to the fact that the church failed to give
him anything like encouraging support he was
forced to resign. He was then called to the
church at Prescott, and was soon after called back
to Emmet, his first charge. He pastored these
REV. JACOB RIVERS BENNETT. 57
two churches only eight months; but during that
time evinced a decided ability as pastor, having
besides spiritual success built a new church edifice
and purchased a bell. That 'same year he was
elected secretary of the Ozan Association. He
was called to Texarkana to take charge of a
church; the salary was small, but it was a step
upward. He labored there two and half years,
when he resigned to take a charge at Hot Springs,
where he now labors. Rev. Bennett preached his
second anniversary sermon the first Sunday in
last March, at which time a report of his work for
two years was read. As a pastor over $900 had
been paid on repairs of the building alone.
Among several converts baptized was a Jewish
Rabbi, the only one in the annals of history bap¬
tized into a Baptist church by a negro pastor.
Since the beginning of his eleven years' labor
in the state, he has been honored with some of
the highest offices in the gift of his brethren;
having been secretary of the State Convention,
State Sunday-school Convention, trustee of the
Arkansas Baptist College, president of the State
Sunday-school Convention, auditor of the Trust¬
ees' Board, and secretary of the Stockholders.
The last four named positions he holds with
credit to himself and satisfaction to his brethren.
Rev. Bennett is a very able and eloquent
preacher, which the charge he holds would indi-
58 our baptist ministers.
cate, for the Roanoke Baptist Church can well
be called the model church of the South. He is
what is termed a self-made man, and to observe
his evident ability one would not guess that his
education is so limited. Being now in his thirty-
fourth year and having accomplished so much,
what may we look for ere he has lived "three¬
score years and ten " ?
Rev. A. Binga., D.D., Manchester, Va.
Rev. A. Binga, Jr., was born at Amherstburg,
Ontario, Canada, June 1, 1843. He is the son of
Rev. A. Binga, Sr., and Rhoda Binga, whose lives
to young Binga were examples and illustrations of
deep and sincere Christian piety. To them the
eminence of their son must be peculiarly and
rightly gratifying.
Mr. Binga, Jr., spent the most of his early life
in his town. His school days were characterized
by studious application and conduct. He studied
the higher branches at King's Institute.
Habits formed at school are indicative of the
person's future career and destiny. So the life of
Rev. Binga, Jr., may be traced to the brilliant
abilities and studious habits which were so prom¬
ising in his school life. Young Binga from early
youth had a desire to study medicine, and while
pursuing his other studies availed himself of the
REV. A. BINGA, JR., D.D.
6o
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
help of private instructors, to whom he paid
twenty-five cents an hour for services.
In February, 1867, Mr. Binga . was baptized.
This spiritual change wrought a change in young
Binga. The idea of becoming a physician was
given up. The work of uplifting his fellow-men
and extending the kingdom of Christ in the world
seemed to him the proper and most useful field
in which he could labor. In April he was licensed
to preach, and was ordained in the following Sep¬
tember, eight months after his baptism.
Soon after his ordination, he was elected prin¬
cipal of the Albany Enterprise Academy, Albany,
Ohio, in which capacity he acted for several years.
In 1872 he took pastoral charge of the First
Baptist Church, Manchester, Va., where he still
labors. Rev. Binga has been untiring and by no
means unsuccessful in his efforts in that com¬
munity. His name has become inseparably con¬
nected, not only with Baptists of Virginia, but
with every movement that has tended to uplift
his people. He has been the friend and sincere
counselor of all aspiring young men. The cause
of education has not only found in him a warm
friend, but an earnest and unswerving advocate.
He is exact and scholarly in all of his addresses
and sermons. Rev. Binga has enjoyed the entire
confidence and friendship of his brethren and the
community to a very eminent degree. For six-
rev. joseph albert booker, a.m. 61
teen years he was principal of the public schools
of Manchester, Va. For fourteen years he has
been secretary of the Virginia Baptist State Con¬
vention, and for the same number of years he has
served as secretary of the Virginia State Sunday-
school Convention. For some years he has been
chairman of the Foreign Mission Board of U. S. A.
He is moderator of the Shiloh Association, and
a trustee of the Richmond Theological Seminary.
He has also been employed as contributor to
several papers. He has written and published
the first volume of a book of sermons. All that
might be said of the highly moral, spiritual, and
scholarly tone of these sermons would seem super¬
fluous to those who have been fortunate enough
to read them for themselves. As a mark of his
worth and attainments, Shaw University, in May,
1889, conferred upon him the degree Doctor of
Divinity.
Rev. Joseph Albert Booker, A.M.
Rev. Jos. A. Booker was born within one mile
of Portland, Ashley County, Arkansas, Dec. 26,
1859. This gave him six or seven years' view of
the slave system, but no experience in it. His
mother, Mary Booker, died when he was one year
old; his father, Albert Booker, having been found
guilty of the knowledge of books and of communi¬
cating the same, was charged with " spoiling the
REV. JOSEPH A. BOOKER, A.M.
REV. JOSEPH ALBERT BOOKER, A.M. 63
good niggers." For this the father was whipped
to death when the son, Joseph, was three years old.
Thus at three years of age Joseph Albert Booker
was a slave orphan with no one to look to for
moral and religious training but a maternal grand¬
mother, Amy Fisher.
The grandmother saw much in the boy to love
and cultivate. This she'did with the spirit of
devotion of a heroine and a benefactress. What¬
ever there is of goodness or usefulness in him
he readily attributes to her who shaped his early
life, directed his youthful feet, and watched with
zealous care his developing career. It was she
who saw that he was the first of his associates to
learn to count, to say the alphabet, to spell, read,
and write. When the first public school opened
in the community he was ready to enter with his
third reader, spelling book, slate, and arithmetic.
While others of the plantation were doubting the
sincerity and importance of the " new object "—
the free school for colored people—and kept their
children out till the situation could be understood
and plenty of nice clothes and food could be
provided for them to attend " like folks," Joseph's
grandmother entered him in school at once in
his dyed cotton suit and on " half rations."
Hence, with little or no education herself but
sound wisdom and long foresight, she was on the
alert to keep her boy head and shoulders abovq
64
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
the rest in the community. At seventeen young
Booker taught his first school, a subscription
school of thirty or forty pupils, many of whom
were older and of superior size. This served as
a stepping-stone in developing his qualities as a
teacher. Every year of his life since then he has
served his people* as teacher in public or private
school up to date (1891) and is yet engaged as
teacher and president of the Arkansas Baptist
College. He became a Christian in his seven¬
teenth year and united with the Baptist church
in the neighborhood of his birthplace. He was
soon after licensed, the church having seen in
him what he felt himself, a call to the ministry.
At once he set out to obtain higher learning, hav¬
ing no money with which to pay his way through
a high school and college except that which he
could make teaching during the summer vaca¬
tion.
He entered the State Normal School at Pine
Bluff, Ark., under Prof. J. C. Corbin, in 1879. He
spent a part of three sessions in that institution,
finishing, by selecting studies, a course equivalent
to a college preparatory course. In the fall of '81
he entered Roger Williams University (then
Nashville Institute), Nashville, Tenn. He gradu¬
ated from the classical course in this institution
in May, 1886, receiving the degree of Bachelor of
Arts. At once he returned to his native state,
REV. JOSEPH ALBERT BOOKER, A.M. 65
having done no public seryice elsewhere, and was
appointed general missionary for the state by
the Home Mission Society. He served at this
post nine months, whence he removed to take
charge of the Arkansas Baptist College, having
been elected to fill the position of president after
the resignation of his efficient and ripe prede¬
cessor, Rev. Jas. H. Garnett, D.D. "A prophet
is not without honor save in his own country,"
but in Rev. Booker's case even this exception is
removed, for in the state where he was born and
among the characters of his own and older gener¬
ations he stands out at the head as denominational
educator. Already he has served as president of
the Arkansas Baptist College from the begin¬
ning, to the entire satisfaction of the Board of
Trustees. Meanwhile he has acted as pastor of
one of the city churches and editor of the denomi¬
national state organ, The Baptist Vanguard. The
growth of the threefold work proved to be too
heavy for him, so he resigned the pastorate of the
Mt. Zion Baptist Church after serving seventeen
months, and as president of the college and editor
of the paper he still retains the high esteem of
the members and board of his church. Both these
denominational enterprises have grown and even
flourished under his management.
In June, 1887, Prof. Booker was married to
Miss Mary Caver, also of this state, whom he met
5
66
our baptist ministers.
in Roger Williams University and who graduated
from the normal course of that institution in
1886. They are truly devoted to each other as
man and wife. He is a lover of home and devoted
to his family. They have one little girl named
Mattie Albert, taking her name from father and
maternal aunt.
President Booker is the youngest of our negro
college presidents, and with a long life before
him and great opportunities about him he bids
fair to make one of the greatest and most in¬
fluential men of his race. In May, 1891, his alma
mater, Roger Williams University, conferred upon
him the degree of Master of Arts.
Rev. F. J. Boulden.
This old warrior of God was born in New
Castle County, Delaware, October 8, 1820. He
was born free; his parents had been slaves. They
were strict Christians after the old type. Under
their influence and example he lived. He at¬
tended the Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pa.,
where his parents lived for some years and became
some of the founders of the Wood Street Baptist
Church, afterwards Cherry Street Church. Of
that church his father was one of its first deacons
and died in the harness in 1832. After this young
^Boulden was removed to Delaware, and put in
REV. F. J. BOULDEN.
68
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
school. It may seem strange for those days, but
he entered a mixed school. After the death of
his parents he was left amid relatives. He felt
as if the Lord was his special guardian through
the intercession of his parents, for as Hannah
prayed for and gave Samuel to the Lord, so did
his mother.
Like many other boys he strayed from the
counsel of his parents, but soon saw the error of
his ways, became ashamed of himself, and was
happily converted February 5, 1834. There be¬
ing no Baptist church in that part of the state,
he united with the Methodist, in which he re¬
mained until he returned to Philadelphia, the old
home of himself and parents.
He had gained considerable in the Methodist
church, so he was given up with much reluctance
by them and received with gladness by the Bap¬
tists, who looked upon him as a long lost son.
He united with the Missionary Union, the pulpit
of which he was immediately called to supply and
which subsequently called an ordaining council to
examine and set him apart, if worthy, to the gospel
ministry.
The council was composed of the following
persons: Rev. J. Wheaton Smith, John Dowling,
A. C. Wheat, M. S. Clark, and J. Ashee.
During his pastorate at the Union Church there
arose much agitation as to the incorrectness and
kEV. F. J. BOULDEN.
69
inaccurateness of the King James version of the
Bible. The Bible Union proposed to bring out a
new translation, at the same time condemning the
old in very bitter and in. some instances unchris¬
tian terms. Some of the brethren became very
much excited and heartily favored a new version.
Rev. Boulden did not side with these brethren,
taking the ground that the situation so far as they
were concerned would not be changed. For,
having no knowledge of the original, if in twenty
years complaints of a like nature should be brought
against the Union version (winch would probably
happen) they would be no better off. He was
told that the knowledge of scholars would have to
settle the question. Not being willing to depend
upon the knowledge of others with reference to
his rule of faith and practice, he studied under a
Jewish Rabbi and learned to read the Bible in
Hebrew.
Much against the will of the church, he. resigned
his Philadelphia charge in i860, went to Chicago
and took charge of the Olivet Baptist Church of
that city. Here he labored successfully, harmo¬
nizing and uniting the factions of the church.
When the church was thoroughly united he re¬
signed. At the death of Rev. Richard Anderson
of St. Louis, Mo., Rev. Boulden was asked by the
church to pay them a visit of condolence. It
might be said here that Revs. Anderson and
70 our baptist ministers.
Boulden were warm friends, which warmth ex¬
tended to the church. At the expiration of Mr.
Boulden's visit a call from the church was ex¬
tended to him. His pastorate here proved very
prosperous.
He continued there until 1865, when he re¬
moved to Mississippi, in which state he has labored
ever since, save from 1876 to 1882, during which
he was pastor of the 19th Street Baptist Church
of Washington, D. C.
Rev. Boulden has been employed in several
capacities in Mississippi, under the State Associ¬
ation and that of the American Baptist Home
Mission Board of New York.
Rev. H. Winston Bowen.
Rev. H. Winston Bowen of Columbus, Miss.,
was born in 1853 of slave parentage. When he
was twelve years of age his father went off with
the Union soldiers and has not been heard of
since. Two years later his mother died, leaving
eight children to mourn their loss, two of whom
soon followed her. All the others lived to become
devoted Christians. From that time the subject
of our sketch, then a lad of fourteen, has fought
the battle of life alone. He was converted in the
summer of 1871, and began his career as an
exhorter the same year; September 1, 1873, he
REV. H. W. BOWEN.
72
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
became an ordained minister. Prior to this, March
2, 1872, he was married to Miss A. T. Scott.
During* the first four years of his ministerial
work he was pastor of several country churches
in Mississippi, where he had great spiritual suc¬
cess. When he gave up his country churches in
1877 to take charge of the Oxford Baptist Church,
he left behind him many friends and few foes.
He was pastor at Oxford for six years. During
his pastorate at Oxford he took a course of Latin
and Greek under Prof. Quinche who was pro¬
fessor of Latin in the University of Mississippi.
The church made great improvement during his
ministry there. Their church having been burned,
it was rebuilt by Mr. Bowen. At Oxford he did
double duty; viz., that of pastor and principal of
the public schools.
He visited Macon in the fall of '82 as a delegate
to the General Baptist Association. The people
of MaCftn were so charmed with his preaching
that he was earnestly besought to take charge of
Macon Baptist Church. His friends were loath
to give him up, and did not do so without a
struggle to retain him. He assumed the Macon
charge February 7, 1883. Under him the church
more than doubled its membership.
Rev. H. W. Bowen has been called to fill many
positions of honor. He was secretary of Sardis
Association of Mississippi, from 1880 to 1882.
kEV. H. WINSTON BOWEN.
73
He gave such general satisfaction, that he was
urged to retain the clerkship even after his re¬
moval from its territory. He was also clerk of
the General Association in 1883-4; on the oc¬
casion of his resigning said office, he was elected
moderator of the Association. This position he
held till 1888. He is now president of the Bap¬
tist Congress of Mississippi, and vice-president
of the State Convention, also vice-president of the
Baptist Foreign Mission Convention of U. S. A.
for Mississippi; and was for a time a member of
the Executive Board of the same. He was, during
its existence, one of the trustees of the Educational
Society of Mississippi.
Rev. Bowen has also distinguished himself to
some degree in religious literature, being the
author of a tract on "Justification." He has about
completed a theological work covering nearly all
the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, which
he wishes published at an early date. Besides
this he has prepared special papers on the follow¬
ing subjects : Temperance, Unity of Baptists,
How to Train Young Christians, Missionary
Enthusiasm, The Need of Evangelical Work
among the Colored People, How to Bring about
Friendly Relations between the White and Colored
People, etc.
On April 27 Rev. Bowen delivered the Bacca¬
laureate address to the graduates and students of
74 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
the Baptist College at Jackson, Miss. This well
prepared address won him great distinction. It
afterward appeared in print.
Mr. Bowen has a fine appearance. His large,
finely shaped and vivacious eyes irradiate a face
that bespeaks great intellectuality. The whole is
crowned by a broad, massive brow which is indica¬
tive of deep thoughts. In this intellectual face
one sees, as Thomas Carlyle said of Shakespeare,
" such a calmness of depth, placid, joyous strength,
all things imaged in that great soul of his so true
and clear, as in a tranquil, unfathomable sea!"
This subject of our notice has, on the whole,
been highly favored of nature, and, combined
with all that is desirable in personal appearance,
he has been endowed with that crowning gift—a
deep, sonorous, and musical voice. He may fairly
be styled the silver-toned orator, and sweet-voiced
singer.
That he possesses real power and strength as
an ecclesiastic, and rare ability as a pulpit orator,
is beyond question. His genius, which runs
wholly in this vein, is marvelous and striking.
His style of delivery is vigorous and at the same
time admirably fascinating. Rev. Bowen knows
how to manipulate his hearers, and holds them
spell-bound by the magic influence of his wonder¬
ful and soul-inspiring words. His nature is very
sympathetic; for he can place himself in immedi-
kev. m. boykin.
75
ate rapport with his congregation. His sermons,
which have won for him unparalleled renown
among his contemporary brethren, show great
research, thought, application, and originality.
In handling his subject, he evinces much capa¬
bility and clothes his thoughts in language pure,
apt, and well chosen.
Rev. M. Boykin.
Few men under similar circumstances have
done as much to advance the cause of Christ in
the world as Rev. M. Boykin of Camden, S. C.
He was born a slave in Kershaw County in 1825.
He was held a slave by Judge Withers till the
emancipation. During that period he became a
member of a white Baptist church in the town of
Camden. Some other colored people were mem¬
bers of the same church. It truly seems that he
joined that church under the guidance of Provi¬
dence, for he was chosen exhorter by them and
continued thus till they were set free.
Then they resolved to draw out from the
whites and form a church of their own. After
the organization of the church, Mr. Boykin was
called as their pastor, and was ordained in 1866
by two missionaries from the North, Rev. James
Hamilton, and C. H. Corey, now president of the
Richmond Theological Seminary. The little con-
REV. MONROE BOYKIN.
REV. M. BOYKIN.
77.
gregation bought a lot and built upon it, and in
a few years they numbered 250.
In those days when colored ministers (ordained)
were very few, sometimes not more than half a
dozen in a whole county, one would frequently
be called upon, as best he could, to take charge
of four, five, six, and in some cases as many as
eight churches. So Rev. Boykin, although he
was pastor in the town of Camden, was called to
serve country churches, churches which he was
largely instrumental in organizing. Thus he
served a church in Sumter County, known as the
Log Church, preaching to it once a month. He
labored with them four years, during which time
the church grew from a very few to 150 members.
He was also preaching to a church in Kershaw
County, called Swift Creek Church, with 800 mem¬
bers. After three years labor with them their
house of worship was taken away from them by
the white people, and his pastorate with them
ceased. The church then separated into four
bodies, forming as many churches, all of which
Rev. Boykin helped to organize, and ordained
young men to take charge of them. Then he
was called to a church seventeen miles in the
country. It was not a church, for he went there
and baptized a man and his wife, and organized
them with three others into a church. On preach¬
ing days he would go and preach to them, and
78 our baptist ministers.
drive back to town and preach in the evening.
From five members, in three and a half years the
church grew to 125 members. This being too
long a drive he resigned and took Green Hill; the
distance was such as to allow him to go out and
preach in the morning and be back in town to
preach in the afternoon and evening.
For the last few years Rev. Boykin has given
his attention to raising funds to build a new house
of worship in Camden. This church will cost
about $2,000 when completed. He has been a
hard, devoted, and successful worker. No other
man in that whole section of country has held one
continuous pastorate so long; as before stated, he
began work among that people in 1866, and is
still their beloved friend and pastor.
Rev. E. M. Brawley, D.D.
Rev. E. M. Brawley was born in Charleston,
S. C., 1851. His parents were James M. and Ann
L. Brawley. He was born free, and at a very
early age was put in a private school. Here he
remained several years. Afterwards he attended
a school of higher grade, till the John Brown in¬
cident at Harper's Ferry, when the school was
closed. At the age of ten years his parents sent
him to Philadelphia to be educated, He was in
REV. E. M. BRAWLEY, D.D.
8o
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
the grammar schools of that city three years, then
he entered the Institution for Colored Youth,
under Prof. E. D. Bassett, principal. Here he
remained till 1866. Places of honor and useful¬
ness for colored young men in those days were
few. So his parents, thinking it their duty to
give him a trade, had him return to Charleston,
and become an apprentice to a shoemaker. He
served his time as apprentice, and in 1869 re¬
turned to Philadelphia, where he worked at his
trade. He had been baptized during his previous
stay in Philadelphia, in April, 1865, and had
united with Shiloh Baptist Church of that city.
Young Brawley was an active Sunday-school
worker, and early felt impressed with the ministry
as his life calling. He entered Howard Uni¬
versity in 1870, and remained there three months.
Having decided to take a college course/in Jan¬
uary, 1871, through the influence and advice of
Rev. Dr. B. Griffith and the estimable Mrs. Grif¬
fith, he entered the university at Lewisburg (now
Bucknell University), Lewisburg, Pa. He was
the first colored student to enter that institution.
Mr. Brawley also united with the Baptist church
(white) at Lewisburg, by which he was licensed
to preach in his sophomore year. At the time of
his graduation in 1875, he was ordained by a
vote of the Lewisburg church. He was assisted
through college by a scholarship given by Mrs.
REV. E. M. BRAWLEY, D.D. 81
Griffith, and by giving lessons in vocal music, and
preaching during vacations.
He left a go.od impression in the college and
the college community. A commission was at
once given him by the American Baptist Publi¬
cation Society, as missionary for South Carolina.
At that time there were in South Carolina few
Sunday-schools, many churches, and scarcely any
organizations. Some of the associations were
crudely organized, large, and unwieldy. At first
he was bitterly opposed, especially by many of
the older brethren. Not that they opposed prog¬
ress, but movements that they could not see
clearly, comprehend, and see the results of, they
looked upon as innovations and as radicalism.
Rev. Brawley, however, soon gained their confi¬
dence, and, with united forces, organization after
organization went on; many associations were
re-organized, new ones came into being, then a
state convention was organized of the different
bodies. He became the corresponding secretary
and financial agent of that ^body and directed its
work. State mission work was carried on and a
mission field was opened up in Africa, to which
Rev. H. N. Bouey was appointed. Rev. Brawley
finally decided to change his field of labor, and
resigned his commission as Sunday-school mis¬
sionary against the wishes of the American Bap¬
tist Publication Society.
82
our baptist ministers.
In 1883 he accepted the presidency of the Ala¬
bama Baptist Normal and Theological School.
He reconstructed the school, changing the courses
of study, and giving it the rank of a college.
The name of the institution was now changed to
Selma University. In 1885, on account of the
health of his family, he resigned and moved back
to South Carolina. Here for several years he
edited the Baptist Pioneer. Since then, Rev.
Brawley has been district secretary of the South
Atlantic States, with headquarters at Nashville,
Tenn., under the appointment of the American
Baptist Publication Society, which position he re¬
signed in the fall of 1890, to take charge of the
Harrison Street Baptist Church, of Petersburg,
Va. The honorary degree, D.D., was conferred
upon him by State University of Kentucky.
• Dr. Brawley is a strong advocate of education
and an educated ministry. He is a friend to
every undertaking whose purpose is to elevate
and educate. He has published a book of sermons
written by different Baptist divines, for which he
has received much commendation.
Rev. P. H. A. Braxton.
Patrick Henry Alexander Braxton was born of
slave parents, in King William County, Virginia,
September 22, 1853, -His father and mother,
REV. P. H. A. BRAXTON.
84' OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Benjamin and Patsy Braxton, were each married
twice; P. H. A. Braxton is the only living child
by their last marriage.
His father was a shoemaker, a sawyer (in those
days saw-mills were not numerous as now, lumber
being generally sawed by men who made it a pro¬
fession), and preacher and deacon. (This means
that he was appointed by the white deacons of the
Colosse Baptist Church of King William County,
Virginia, with the consent of his master, to look
after the colored people only, and to hand to them
emblems of the Lord's Supper, in the gallery of
the aforesaid church, after the white people had
taken it. These were the only credentials a colored
man could get to preach ; he could not be regu¬
larly ordained because he belonged to another;
it mattered not what his qualifications were, or
how loud the Lord called him, it was optional
with his master whether or not he should go.)
He hired his time, and made good provisions for
his family. He was highly respected and much
beloved by all who knew him, and was looked
upon as a man of exceptional qualities. He died
when P. H. A. Braxton was five years old. By
the marriage of the oldest daughter of the people
to whom he belonged, P. H. A. Braxton, together
with his mother and the other children, was car¬
ried to Staunton,Va., in i860, where they remained
until 1864, when they were brought back to King
RE^. P. H. A. BRAXTON.
85
William County, where they served their owners
faithfully until January 1st, 1866, when mother
and children were turned out without a dollar.
However, they took courage and started out in
life to earn a livelihood by the sweat of their
brows, which they did, and have lived comfortably
till to-day. Truly God careth for the widow and
the fatherless. The subject of this sketch was
his mother's main support, notwithstanding he
was the youngest; he was also the brightest of the
children. He worked on the farm and did severe
labor till 1868, when a public school was started
at Cattail Church in the aforesaid county. After
several weeks in this school, August (the resting
month for farmers) was over, and he had to return
to his work. Some weeks later a night school
was started in the same building; then Alexander
worked all day and walked five miles each way,
making ten miles per night, to attend. When
winter set in he started to school again, and con¬
tinued until the spring of 1869; then went back
to the farm to work. He continued to study and
go to school nights and winters until August, 1872,
at which time the commencement took place, and
he delivered the valedictory, from these words:
" Show thyself a man, that thou mayest prosper
whithersoever thou goest," which was admitted
by all to have been an exceptionally grand literary
and original effort. So great was his eloquence
86
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
and pathetic his appeal to his classmates that the
whole audience, white and colored, were moved to
tears. Beside this, with the exception of having
learned to spell by association with a little white
boy in 1863, he says, " If I am made at all I am
self-made."
He stopped farming and went into the stave
business in 1872. Was elected constable of the
aforesaid county the same year. About eight
months thereafter a warrant was put into his
hands ordering the arrest of one William Virus,
for assaulting one Dr. (both were white
men); now Virus was a notorious braggadocio,
never obeyed the law, and would not allow him¬
self to be arrested. It is said that he killed a man
before the war, for which the officers of the law
were afraid to call him to account. The sheriff
had tried in vain to arrest him with the assistance
of twelve men. Mr. Braxton took two men
besides himself, one white and the other colored,
and went to his house, but pleaded in vain with him
to go quietly; not only did he refuse to go, but
started for his firearms, swearing as he went that
he would put Mr. Braxton under the sod. See¬
ing that he must capture his man to save his own
life, as well as to obey the injunctions of the.
court, Mr. Braxton went up to him, and after a
short battle succeeded in overpowering him, and,
putting him in his own cart, had him driven to
REV. P. H. A. BRAXTON. 87
the court. For this the doctor threatened to
kill Constable Braxton. The case went up to the
county court, where Mr. Braxton was indicted for
assault and battery on Dr. ; but the jury
could not find an indictment against him for
resisting an4d threatening to kill an officer of the
law in the discharge of his duty. Mr. Braxton
concluded that it was because he was a colored
man, and resigned then and there before the
same court, assigning the above as his reason.
In the mean time he was studying law as oppor¬
tunity offered; took an active part in politics, and
held joint discussions with some of the ablest
lawyers in the state of Virginia, viz.: such men
as Hon. B. B. Duglass, W. R. Aylett, and
others; and it was generally admitted that he
did justice to his party; handled his subjects
logically, manfully, and eloquently, made it hard
for his opponents and did credit to his race. He
was always noted for his aptness to learn, good
memory, thirst for knowledge, eloquence in
speech, honesty, bravery, and boldness in speaking
his sentiments and love of debate. In October
and November of 1874 he was a member of the
United States paneled jury that tried the noted
Brooks embezzlement case at Richmond, Va.,
and won great credit to himself and his race by his
manner, and the way he examined the witnesses.
He spent the latter part of 1874 and 1875 in
88
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Washington, District of Columbia, and June,
1875, received an appointment in the United
States Custom Service, where he was converted
June 10, 1875, at Low-Cedar-Point, Westmore¬
land County, Virginia.
He 'was baptized the second Lord's day in
October, 1875, by Rev. Silas Miles; joined the Cat¬
tail Baptist Church, from which he was commis¬
sioned to preach the gospel July 9, 1876. In
December, 1878, he was appointed general col¬
lecting agent of the Consolidated American
Baptist Missionary Convention, after he took his
letter from the aforesaid church and joined the
Ebenezer Baptist Church of Richmond, Va. In
April, 1879, he was called to take charge of the
Calvary Baptist Church, Baltimore, Maryland,
and was ordained at the Ebenezer Baptist Church,
Richmond, Va., June 6, and took charge of the
aforesaid church June 8, 1879, which was com¬
posed of ten members only, worshiping in a
rented room in a little, old, dilapidated carpen¬
ter's shop, corner Mason alley and Preston street.
They were all poor, and had worked without
success untii this time.
The following extracts are taken from The
Defender published at Baltimore, Md.
REV. P. H. A. BRAXTON. 89
A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE CHURCH AND THE
PASTOR, REV. P. H. A. BRAXTON.
Twelve Years Since—Feb. 9, 1878.
The Calvary Baptist Church was organized and recognized
with ten members, who came from the Union Baptist Church
and met in a little old dilapidated room, which had been
formerly occupied as a carpenter shop, on the corner of Mason
alley and Preston street, by a council of delegates, appointed
from the Baptist churches of Baltimore, with Rev. A. J. Hires,
Moderator, and F. W. King, Secretary. The members were all
poor. They worked without any success until June, 1879.
After the unanimous call of the church, and the earnest and
repeated solicitation of the church and its friends, Rev. P. H. A.
Braxton, who was the general missionary and financial agent
of the Consolidated Baptist Foreign Missionary Convention of
th§ United States, took pastoral charge of the little persecuted
Spartan band. He at once threw himself with his whole heart
and great mental, literary, and executive ability into the work,
fully realizing that he had much opposition to meet. His
efforts were repaid by the immediate growth of the church. In
two years it increased to one hundred and twenty-five members,
and has sustained itself from the start, without appealing to
any other church. See History of the Baptist Churches of
Maryland:—
"The Board of the Maryland Union Association offered to
assist this church by paying a part of the pastor's salary, but it
was refused, on the ground that the pastor believed that for a
church to grow strong and prosperous it must be self-sustain¬
ing—all of which has been proven in the success of this church.
So far from being a recipient, it has contributed to the funds
of the aforesaid board every year since Rev. Braxton has been
pastor."
Notwithstanding the oppositions which were against the
church before Rev. Braxton came to it, and the discouragement,
it has moved on year after year. Most any man can go with
the tide, but when one has to reverse himself and come against
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH,
Park Avenue and Biddle Street, Baltimore, Md.
REV. P. H. A. BRAXTON.
91
the tide of public opinion and all sorts of oppositions, it will
prove what he is.
In the accomplishment of this great work, Rev. Braxton has
had to contend and contest every inch of his way, against every
imaginable opposition. What he has gone through would have
killed most men.
H6 has raised and expended for benevolent work, $33,055.76;
added to the church, 555 persons.
From The Register, April 14, 1888.
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH.
Re-union and Celebration—Rev. P. H. A.. Braxton
Presented with a Gold Medal.
On last Thursday evening the Calvary Baptist Church held
its third annual re-union and celebration in the main audito¬
rium of the church. The large, spacious edifice was crowded;
the friends of Christianity and human improvement having
embraced the occasion to tender an ovation to the pastor.
Rev. P. H. A. Braxton, and to present to him a gold medal
especially prepared by voluntary contributions, both from white
and colored citizens, as a token of their appreciation of his
manly and untiring efforts for the redemption of his people
and the elevation of mankind generally. The meeting was a
representative one, and those who attended were amply repaid
in listening to the recital of the rapid progress this church has
made under the pastorate of Rev. Braxton, and the stirring
speeches of prominent citizens, eulogistic of his work and efforts
in behalf of his people.
The meeting was opened with prayer by Rev. Taylor, after
which Rev. Braxton made a general statement of his work. He
told how Calvary Church had only ten members and no house
of worship when he came, and how, under the guidance of God,
they had grown from ten to three hundred, and passed from
worshiping in a carpenter shop in an alley to their present
beautiful edifice costing $20,000, all paid in three years except
92
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
$3,000. All this was collected by the congregation except
$1,300.
The next speaker was Mr. John H. Butler, who expressed his
gratification at being present to celebrate the third annual
celebration of the opening of the church. He said he had not
been so intimately acquainted with the church, but he knew the
pastor, Rev. Braxton. He knew him as a man—as a Christian
gentleman, and having worked with him in the Educational
Union he was glad to be there to testify to his worth. He
spoke of Rev. Braxton's connection with the Educational
Union, and how, when its members almost despaired of accom¬
plishing any good, he encouraged them, and by his tongue, pen,
and personal visits to the school board and others in power,
worked up an interest and sentiment which have finally crystal¬
lized into the desired fruit. " I regard your beloved pastor,"
said he, " as the peer, mentally, morally, and every otherwise
of any man who has ever been connected with the work, and
am proud to number him among our citizens. His brilliant and
fearless speeches in advocacy of human rights and the protec¬
tion of homes have won for him golden opinions, and given him
a dear place in the heart of each citizen interested in Christian¬
ity and good laws. I am glad God has sent him to Baltimore,
and trust he will stay here as long as I live and you live. I
know you are proud of him, for he has led you like Moses, from
the carpenter shop to this beautiful edifice. Some men call
themselves, but if God called Moses, he called Rev. Braxton."
At this point the following letter was read from Mr. Isaac
Myers who was unable, because of pressing business, to be
present.
Rev. P. H. A. Braxton,
Pastor Calvary Baptist Church, Baltimore, Md.
Dear Sir: I cheerfully accepted an invitation to be present
at your third annual re-union and celebration, which takes
place to-morrow evening, the 5th inst. I felt more than glad
at the opportunity of being present, and with my testimony bear
witness to the high esteem in which you are held, and show my
appreciation of your invaluable services in advancing the
interest of the colored people of Maryland.
REV. P. H. A. BRAXTON.
93
I had gone so far as to prepare myself to speak on the subject
of "AdaptabilityBut you will observe by the inclosed postal,
special arrangements have been made for me to speak in Fred¬
erick City at the same time.
It is only this kind of an engagement that could prevent me
from being with you, for the reason that the colored people
of Baltimore owe you a debt of gratitude that they can never
repay. Your fearless expression in demanding equal privileges
for the colored citizens of Maryland has brought fruit in the
bill just passed by the City Council giving colored teachers to
our colored public schools. Of course I give all honor and
praise to other representative men of our race who moved to
the front of the battle, but " Caesar is entitled to the laurels of
Caesar."
I am willing to allow all that the most severe and exact critic
can demand, and then I say that the Calvary Baptist Church
has a pastor who is the peer of any other colored pastor of any
denomination in the city, and of whose high moral, intellectual,
and religious standing every member should be proud.
Some men call themselves, other men are called of God, and
your marvelous success clearly proves who called you, and this
is what I intended to call "Adaptability,"
Wishing for you and your congregation a happy re-union,
and a happy and prosperous future, I am truly yours,
Isaac Myers.
On the 13th and 15th of June, 1890, Rev.
P. H. A. Braxton spoke by appointment before
the New England Baptist Missionary Conven¬
tion, and the Second Baptist Church (white) at
Newport, R. I., subject entitled " The Condition
of the Colored People of the South," a sketch of
which was published in all of the leading daily
newspapers, and it was generally admitted that
the subject had not been so ably handled before.
His defense of the Baptist ministry against an
94 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
attack made on them by a Rev. Smith of Massa¬
chusetts before the New England Baptist Mis¬
sionary Convention in Philadelphia, June, 1889,
" saved the New England Baptist Missionary
Convention and the colored Baptist denomina¬
tion from disgrace," says Rev. W. T. Dixon.
"As a writer, and as to his knowledge of the
history of the Baptist denomination," says the
Baltimore Baptist, " Rev. P. H. A. Braxton may
be judged by a sermon which he wrote entitled,
'The Baptist and Foreign Missions,' for a book
entitled, 'The Negro Baptist Pulpit,' edited by
E. M. Brawley, D.D., and published by the Amer¬
ican Baptist Publication Society. This sermon
has received the praise of all, both white and
colored, as being one of if not the best in the
book."
He is a life member of the Virginia Baptist
State Convention, and of the New England Bap¬
tist Missionary Convention, and of the Brother¬
hood of Liberty. He owns several thousand
dollars worth of property in Virginia and Mary¬
land, and has a library composed of the latest and
choicest works of the age, valued at two thou¬
sand. dollars,.
rev. c. s. brown, a.m.
95
Rev. C. S. Brown, A.M.
The subject of this sketch was born in the town
of Salisbury, N. C., March 23, 1859, his parents
being Henry and Flora Brown. Henry Brown,
his father, was a man of industrious habits, and
was the first colored man to serve as policeman in
the town of Salisbury. His whole desire was to
educate his children, and to accomplish this he
made every possible sacrifice. He placed his son
Calvin in school at a very early age. The school
to which he was sent was supported by the Freed-
men's Friend Association of the North. To
this school he went until he had reached the age
of fifteen, at which time he secured, on examina¬
tion, a first grade certificate as teacher, and was
given a position the following year in the same
school as assistant teacher.
Unfortunately for young Brown, who had shown
such aptness for study, and upon whom the fond
hope of an ambitious parent was devotedly placed,
death deprived him of his father when he had
scarcely reached" the age of sixteen years. This
calamity reduced the family to suffering circum¬
stances and greatly darkened young Brown's
hopeful future. He, however, applied himself to
hard work on the farm and in the brick-yard to
aid his widowed mother to care for the younger
children, and secure a home.
Young Brown was taught from the cradle to,
(See end. of book for portrait.)
96 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
reverence God's word and attend church and
Sunday-school. He became a member of the
Dixonsville Baptist Church, of Salisbury, at seven¬
teen years. It was in the year of 1880 that
Calvin felt irresistibly impressed to enter the
ministry. He had, however, from the time of
his conversion manifested unabated zeal in the
extension of the work of the church and was
regarded as one of the strongest communicants in
the church.
Desiring to prepare himself for his sacred voca¬
tion, he entered Shaw University in the fall of
1880, and remained until he graduated in 1886.
He was a very successful student, and graduated
as valedictorian of his class. Mr. Brown, having
demonstrated so much adaptness to the ministry,
was offered several good charges, previous to his
graduation, in the states of South Carolina, Vir¬
ginia, and Massachusetts. He refused them, pre¬
ferring to remain in school. Nearly two years
previous to the completion of his course in school,
he received a call to Pleasant Plains Church,
Hertford County, which his friends persuaded
him to accept, and visit as often as convenient.
This church is probably the oldest colored Baptist
church in the state, being nearly fifty years old
at the time Rev. Brown became pastor. The
history of this church is of peculiar interest, as
the material of its standing members is said to
REV. C. S. BROWN, A.M. 97
be superior to any colored church in North
Carolina. The land for miles around the church
is owned by them, amounting to many thousand
acres. Many of the members are handsomely
rich. This church, with six hundred communi¬
cants, never had a colored pastor previous to the
call of Rev. Brown. He succeeded a very intelli¬
gent white pastor. Under Rev. Brown's leader¬
ship, this church has greatly improved.
Shortly after accepting the call to this church
he was tendered a call to a similar church in
Gates County, which, by urgent solicitation, he
accepted. With these additional labors he was a
laborious student, leading all his classes.
In connection with his ministerial duties, Rev.
Brown was elected to lead an educational move¬
ment in eastern Carolina, which steadily resulted
in the establishment of Waters' Normal Institute.
This school grew rapidly in public favor and has
gained considerable prominence as an educational
center.
Rev. Brown has evinced great ability as an
organizer and leader. He was for years the fore¬
most leader of the I. O. of Good Samaritans,
serving successively a series of years as grand
secretary, grand chief and supreme grand sec¬
retary. The latter office he finally gave up to
devote his time more fully to clerical duties.
As a journalist Mr. Brown has made no little
g8 OUR baptist ministers.
reputation. He was first chosen editor of the
Samaritan Journal\ then The Good Samaritan.
To avoid any interference with his school work
he gave up that position. For two years he
edited the Chowan Pilot, which paper gave great
impetus to the educational work at Winton. In
July he was chosen by -the Baptist Ministerial
Union to establish and edit a paper, known as
the Baptist Pilot, designed for the organization
of the colored Baptists of the state. This paper
has been a marked success. Rev. Brown not
only edits the paper but does the mechanical
work necessary to issue it.
As a Baptist leader he is earnest, aggressive,
and devoted. He is pastor of four large churches
with an aggregate membership of more than two
thousand ; is secretary of the Baptist State Con¬
vention, and principal of Waters' Normal Insti¬
tute, and editor of the Baptist Pilot.
Rev. William J. Brown, St. Louis.
One cannot write the history of the colored
people of this country without at the same time
writing the history of the slavery to which they
were subjected; nor can one sketch the lives of
many of our ministers without stamping promi¬
nently upon the pages the barbarity and cruelty
of those centuries of servitude.
REV. WILLIAM J. BROWN. 99
Rev. William J. Brown was born at Richmond,
Va., in 1844. He was the son of George and
Amanda Brown. At the age of six he was sold
away from his parents to traders at Nashville,
Franklin County, Tenn. There he was again
sold to a man named Matthews, with whom he
remained till 1863, when he was emancipated and
went to Nashville. In that city he received a
common school .training.
In 1869 he moved to St. Louis, Mo. Four
years later he professed faith in Christ, and
united with the First Baptist Church, having
been baptized by Rev. Emanuel Cartwright. He
was licensed to preach in 1874. In the following
year he began to supply the pulpit of the Fifth
Baptist Church. He was ordained in 1879, when
he became pastor of the Fifth Baptist Church,
which charge he still holds. Rev. Brown is much
beloved by his church and congregation. Suc¬
cess has followed his efforts. That he enjoys the
confidence of his brethren and community is
apparent from the responsible positions which he
holds. He is moderator of the Berean Associa¬
tion; first assistant moderator of the General
State Association of Missouri; president of the
City Baptist Ministers' Union; member of the
Board of Education of the Baptist Theological
Seminary of Missouri; president of the Afro-
American Mercantile Company of St. Louis.
too
our baptist ministers.
Rev. R. F. Blythewood.
Rev. Blythewood is not only one of the older
ministers of South Carolina, but he is a man of
wide influence and great usefulness. He was
ordained to the ministry in 1868. At that time
there were comparatively few regularly ordained
ministers of his church in the state.
For three years after his ordination, he was
•employed as missionary in the interior of the
state of South Carolina by the American Baptist
Home Mission Society of New York. During
these three years he organized many churches
and baptized four hundred and fifty persons.
Near the close of his third year as missionary, the
pastor of the First Church of Beaufort died, and
Rev. Blythewood was chosen by it as pastor. He
accepted, and from that time has been very suc¬
cessful in his field of labor. For twenty years he
has labored there. God has blessed his efforts.
He remains to-day a man of power in his church
and community.
Rev. I. S. Campbell.
Rev. I. S. Campbell was born in Russellville,
Kentucky, in 1815. He was converted in 1836
and was baptized in the following year. He
began preaching the same year. In 1855 he was
REV. I. S. CAMPBELL.
102
our baptist ministers.
ordained in Canada. Afterward he served as gen¬
eral missionary to the Baptists in Louisiana with
headquarters at Baton Rouge. In 1866 he was
sent by the Baptist Convention, which met at
Nashville, Tennessee, as missionary to Texas.
In that state he formed a wide field of labor, and
reaped an abundant harvest. His great work is
indicative of the untiring efforts of this man of
God; for the field in which he entered was
gloomy and disorganized. He has organized
many churches and has baptized many hundreds
of people. The people called him the " father of
the Baptists of Texas."
Rev. Campbell is at present pastor of the Mis¬
sionary Baptist Church of Galveston, which he
has been serving for more than twenty-five years.
He and his people are now erecting a new house
of worship which when finished will be the most
complete and finest owned by any colored con¬
gregation in Texas. The edifice when completed
will cost $25,000. Rev. Campbell is a strong
Baptist, a friend of progress, and lends his influ¬
ence to any cause which aims to build up his
people.
Rev. Lott Carey.
Rev. Lott Carey, the pioneer African mission¬
ary and namesake of the great English mission¬
ary to India, was born in Virginia about 1780, in
REV. LOTT CAREY. 103
Charles City County. He was very wicked in his
early life, which he spent as a laborer in a tobacco
warehouse in Richmond, Va. About 1807, from
the gallery of the First Baptist Church (white),
he heard a discourse on the third chapter of
John. The minister's account of the conversa¬
tion between Christ and Nicodemus made a deep
impression upon him. He resolved to learn how
to read for himself; and with the assistance of a
young man in the warehouse he soon learned
both to read and to write. He was soon licensed
to preach. Lott Carey was a prudent and eco¬
nomical man. He made money and saved it.
During the session of a night school, to the
astonishment of everybody, he announced his
intention of going to Africa.
A lecture by his teacher, William Crane, on
Messrs. Burgess and Mills' report of'an explora¬
tion on the coast of Africa, stirred him up and
was a factor in causing him to make the declara¬
tion mentioned above, that, " I have been de¬
termined for a long time to go to Africa and
see the country for myself." He had saved suffi¬
cient to purchase his own freedom and that of his
children, his wife having died some time before.
He accumulated besides about fifteen hundred
dollars' worth of property. After making his
resolution to go to Africa, his employer offered
him as an inducement to stay an addition of two
104 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
hundred dollars per year to his wages. In the
face of these inducements he prepared and sailed
to Africa, accompanied by Rev. Collins Teague,
another colored man. Carey set sail for Africa
January 23, 1821, and after forty-four days' sail¬
ing he reached Sierra Leone. But the agents of
the colonization company had purchased no land,
hence Revs. Carey and Teague were unable to
work as tillers of the soil, and consequently
worked as mechanics.
Carey afterward settled in Liberia and entered
most earnestly and heartily into what would pro¬
mote the cause of God, christianize the heathen
tribes, and help his fellow colonists. He served
as health officer under the government. His
experience with the diseases of the coast made
him a very skillful medical adviser. He exhib¬
ited great bravery in assisting Governor Ash-
mun in conflicts with the natives. No more
thoroughly consecrated, self-sacrificing, and totally
unselfish man ever lived than Lott Carey. In
those early dark days this colored Baptist preacher
left home, comforts, and friends, periling his life
and that of his family, and sailed to Africa, a coun¬
try at that time almost wholly unknown; men
knew little else of it than that it was full of heathen
tribes, and its many dangers to civilized life from
disease, from war-like people, etc. The following
is from " Men of Mark " :—
REV. LOTT CAREY.
" Sometimes they would have difficulties with
the natives in Liberia, and it was necessary to do
fighting as well as jDreaching. Carey was pretty
good at both, and lost his life while making car¬
tridges. An explosion took place in which he
was badly injured, and after lingering some days
he died November 10, 1828, leaving many to
mourn his loss, and, besides, leaving as a legacy to
the American people the life of a devoted mis¬
sionary. It has been said that the negroes have
no fine feelings, and that they are but little above
irrational animals, but here is a man with no
circumstances to inspire him, bearing in his heart
a tender love for the Africans who knew not
Christ, even though he himself was fettered with
the chains of American slavery, and seeing
something for him to do in relieving others who,
while free in body, were chained in sin. It is a
remarkable fact that Lott Carey is the namesake
of William Carey, the ' singing cobbler ' of Lon¬
don, who first carried the gospel to the dark-
skinned races of India. The white and the black
Carey shall forever live side by side in the hearts
of those who sympathize with down-trodden peo¬
ple. It has been said that the race has not fur¬
nished sufficient great men for biographers and
encylopedists to take cognizance of them; but
here is a man who was born before this century
began its course, whose name is imbedded in the
106 our baptist ministers.
history of his time, and solidly wedged in the
great books of the age."
Rev. J. W. Carr.
Rev. James W. Carr was born near Port Royal,
Tenn., in Montgomery County, May 5, 1856.
He is the sixth son of Rev. Horace and Mrs.
Kitty Carr.
His father was a slave, but having a progress¬
ive spirit, he hired his time (that is, paid a sum
to his owner for his privileges per year). He
rented about seventy acres of land, known as
Weatherford bottom, after obtaining the privi¬
lege. Here he reared his family during the
benighted days of slavery. Mrs. Kitty Carr was
born free, and thus the children were free. Stren¬
uous efforts were made by slave holders to bind
out the children until they were twenty-one years
old, but to no avail.
Young James, having the above stated privi¬
leges, had good opportunities for study, and, as
both father and mother had a knowledge of
books, he very soon learned the alphabet. His
sister-in-law, Mrs. Jane Carr, kindly instructed
him as early as 1863. When only seven years
old he could spell, read, and write. This was
considered a peculiar thing by the white people
REV. J, W. CARR.
108 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
of the neighborhood. James would go with his
father around to different churches and act as his
secretary, which was remarkable in the eyes of
the colored people of those days.
When the free schools opened in Tennessee in
1869, James was considered a first-rate scholar.
He professed a hope in Christ in. April, 1867,
when eleven years old, and united with the Red
River Missionary Baptist Church (white), as there
was no colored church in the vicinity. Rev.
Adams, pastor of the church, after hearing the
Christian experience, received four of the children
of Rev. Horace Carr into its fellowship.
Soon after this the church called a council for
the purpose of examining Rev. H. Carr, Sr., for
ordination. The body consisted of white minis¬
ters. He was ordained to the ministry after
proving his proficiency. In the following July,
Rev. H. Carr baptized James and the other chil¬
dren above mentioned. Having been reared
under the influence of religious parents, James
soon became an active worker in the Sunday-
school and prayer-meeting. He would frequently
accompany his brother, Rev. A. M. Carr, who
entered - the ministry very early, and carry on
prayer-meeting previous to the hour of preaching.
Rev. A. M. Carr was considered the most elo¬
quent and successful minister of Tennessee.
After much success in Sunday-school work and
REV. J. W. CARR. 109
the prayer-meeting, James realized by the teach¬
ing of the Holy Spirit that he had received a
call to the ministry, and began to prepare him¬
self for the work. Rev. Horace Carr, the father
of James, had a very wide reputation, and thus
James had the advantage of exercising his gift
extensively. He went to Springfield, Tenn., where
he preached awhile, and afterwards taught school
in a Baptist church known as Beard's Chapel,
near Springfield.
After working successfully at Beard's Chapel
as teacher and minister, he received a call in
1878 to the Concord Baptist Church near the
line of Kentucky and Tennessee, in Montgomery
County, Tenn. This church succeeded splen¬
didly both spiritually and financially under the
pastorate of Rev. James W. Carr. On February
19, 1878, the following council met in the Mount
Zion Baptist Church of Port Royal, Tenn.: Revs.
P. W. Baker, B. T. Thomas, S. W. Beasly, A. B.
Childress, and A. M. Carr. After being thor¬
oughly examined and pronounced eligible, he
was ordained to the work of the ministry. He
continued work at the Concord Baptist Church
until September, 1878, when he was called to the
pastorate of St. John's Baptist Church of Clarks-
ville, Tenn. The call was accepted. Time rolled
on, the church prospered, many were added to
the church, until the membership numbered seven
no
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
hundred and twenty-five. God dealt beneficently
with them, and while the church was in this flour¬
ishing condition their pastor resigned to engage
in evangelical work.
A wide field lay open, a great amount of work
was before him, but with untiring energy, excellent
abilities, and the assistance of Almighty God, he
held successful meetings in the following states:
Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio,West Virginia,
and Virginia. His desire was always to do the
most for the enlarging of the Master's kingdom,
whether it be in traveling from place to place, or
as pastor of a church. Success crowned all of his
evangelical labors. Rev. Carr was now called to
the pastorate of the First Baptist Church of
Lebanon, Ohio, and being impressed that he
should do so, he accepted.
He succeeded in doing much for God and
the Baptist church in that place. A call was
extended by the First Baptist Church of Wash¬
ington C. H., Ohio. The cause had suffered, the
church was in a dilapidated condition, and there
was need of much earnest work. With indefat¬
igable labor and fervent prayers, he soon liqui¬
dated the indebtedness and renovated the house.
The work prospered, spiritually and financially,
and sixty-five were baptized. One hundred
others were received into the church.
In 1883 he accepted the call to the First Bap-
REV. J. W. CARR.
I I I
tist Church of Independence, Mo. God followed
him and gave him great success here. In 1884
the church of San Antonio, Texas, extended a
call, which he accepted. He succeeded in pay¬
ing a large amount of the indebtedness of this
church, and was instrumental in adding two
hundred and fifty members to the church. Sev¬
enty-one of these were baptized in twenty-five
minutes. His work in Texas was crowned with
success.
While conducting a revival in Louisville, Ky.,
he heard of the condition of the Baptists of
Indianapolis, and after this meeting closed he
paid said city a call. He preached several elo¬
quent sermons, which greatly attracted the peo¬
ple, especially Baptists, towards him. The Sec¬
ond Baptist Church, then at its lowest ebb, all
at once decided that was the man for them.
He left for his church in San Antonio, but the
Second Baptist Church of Indianapolis prayed,
wrote, and entreated, until he resigned the
charge in Texas and went to Indianapolis to do
a great work. In May of 1887, he accepted the
call, and arrived in Indianapolis June 1, 1887.
Before he reached the city the house which was
being bought by his church was entirely out of
the Baptists' hands. The A. M. E. Zion Church
had secured it, and was in a way for keeping it.
The Baptists, however, had labored too arduously,
112
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
and expended too much money ($18,000), to give
up without a great struggle. Rev. Carr came,
and, through the assistance of the Almighty,
after passing through a period of struggle for
existence, he called together sixty-five members
of the church and preached in the court house
for one month. They then worshiped in a school-
house on New York street, but it was entirely too
small to accommodate the many people who
came from all parts of the city to hear Rev. Carr.
They next hired the rink, a much larger build¬
ing. Crowds still followed, and the Second
Church experienced a revolution, spiritually and
financially. December 2, 1887, just six months
after taking his charge, he had raised $1,000, and
succeeded in redeeming the mother church of
Indiana. The day they re-entered the Second
Baptist church is engrafted upon the minds of
every Baptist of Indianapolis, and will not soon
be forgotten by any in the state. Since that
memorable day God's work has been in every way
successful. The Sunday-school has increased
from fifteen to two hundred and fifty. He has
succeeded in adding five hundred and ninety
members to the church. During the space of
three years and seven months he has collected
$12,000.
Rev. J. W. Carr has received theological in¬
structions from Drs. Stone and Long of Lebanon,
rev. e. r. carter. i 13
Ohio, and Dr. W. H. Wheeler of Independence,
Mo., also from Professor Steward of Burlington,
Iowa. He attended Roger Williams University
at Nashville, Tenn., in 1878, and the Franklin
College of Franklin, Ind., in 1890. ' He is an
earnest speaker, profound thinker, purely original
in his productions. He is considered abreast of
the times, and up to the demands of the day.
He has the largest and most flourishing congre¬
gation of Indianapolis; his church nicely enter¬
tained the American National Baptist Convention
in 1889.
Rev. Carr occupies the following prominent
positions: Vice-president for Indiana of the
National Baptist Convention, treasurer of the
Convention of the Western States and Terri¬
tories, life member of the Foreign Mission Con¬
vention of the United States, moderator of the
General Baptist Association of Indiana, associate
editor of the Baptist Magazine, published in
Chicago, Illinois. He has been recently appointed
the evangelist of Indiana.
Rev. E. R. Carter.
Rev. E. R. Carter was born in Clarke County,
Georgia, 1856, and was a slave till the final over¬
throw of the confederacy in 1865. While yet a
small boy he learned the alphabet, Very soon
8
REV. E. R. CARTER.
REV. E. R. CARTER. I 15
after the war he entered school and remained in
school about three years. In 1869 he was appren¬
ticed to learn the shoe-making trade. In 1874
he began teaching school, intending by- this
means to accumulate sufficient to enable him to
take a course in Atlanta University; failing in
this he again took up the shoemaker's trade. He
received his earliest religious impression from a
sermon preached by Dr. P. H. Mell, from the
text, " Behold, I stand at the door and knock."
He was converted in 1875 under the preaching of
Rev. Levi Thornton at Greensboro, Ga., and he
was baptized by Rev. Floyd Hill into the fellow¬
ship of the First Baptist Church, Athens,' Ga.
In that church he served as deacon one year. He
was married in 1876. In 1879 he went to Atlanta
with the purpose of entering the Atlanta Baptist
Seminary under Dr. Roberts. His first experi¬
ence at Atlanta was one of hardship, self-denial,
and sacrifice. He subsisted upon the scantiest
meals, while poverty rendered his nightly resting
place almost unendurable. The discipline which
resulted from those bitter experiences has been
an important factor in his wonderful success as a
minister and man of the people. In 1880 Rev.
Carter was .called to the Stone Mountain Baptist
Church, which he served, preaching to the church
twice a month. In 1882 he was called to the
First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Ga. That church
I 16 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
is known as the Friendship Baptist Church.
When he took charge, there were about 1,500
members belonging to the church. The church
was about $3,000 in debt. During the first six
years he succeeded in liquidating the debt and
raised more than $10,000 besides. In the same
time he baptized into the church six hundred
persons. In 1884 he graduated from the theo¬
logical department of Atlanta Baptist Seminary;
he has also taken a course in Hebrew under Dr.
William Harper, the recently elected president of
Chicago University.
Rev. Carter has enjoyed the esteem and confi¬
dence not only of his own denominational breth¬
ren, but of all classes and denominations. In
1866 he was appointed grand worthy chief tem¬
plar for the state of Georgia. He was also a
member of the centennial committee of the col¬
ored Baptists of the state. He has done a great
deal of editorial work. His editorials were always
interesting. He is also the author of a book
called "Our Pulpit Illustrated." It contains not
only sketches of prominent ministers of the state,
but successful men in other callings have their
abilities entertainingly set forth. All the charac¬
ters are restricted to the state of Georgia. The
following is taken from the introductory sketch
of the author in the volume, which sketch was
written by Dr. J. W. Lee:—
rev. j. m. carter.
117
" He commands the highest respect and admiration, not only
of his own church and denomination, but of all churches and all
classes of people. He is original and unique. His wit and
humor are of the freshest and most irresistible kind. His way
of putting this is peculiarly striking and entertaining. Perhaps
he has most prominently come before the people outside of his
own denomination in connection with his work for the cause of
prohibition. In this movement he has made himself famous.
He first-took part in the cause of prohibition in the city of
Atlanta in 1885, during the first great uprising on this subject.
He made a name in this campaign that is a household word with
prohibitionists of the South. This led to his being invited to
leading points all over the state. He was also invited to Rich¬
mond, Va., Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama, and Indiana.
His speech in Richmond, Va., excited a great deal of'attention.
Bishop Turner said that while it was being delivered he thought
he caught sight of every pit as Carter uncovered the meanness
of the whisky traffic."
Rev. Carter has also traveled extensively.
Twice has he crossed the briny ocean. In com¬
pany with Dr. C. T. Walker of Augusta, he
extended his trip in the spring of 1891 as far as
Egypt and the Holy Land. Already this com¬
paratively young man has done a great work. A
busy, fruitful life.
Rev. J. M. Carter.
In De Soto Parish, Louisiana, July 4, 1855, Rev.
J. M. Carter was born. His parents, William
and Jane Carter, were slaves. After the emanci¬
pation, his mother moved to Mansfield, where
REV. W. B. BALL.
(See page 42 for sketch.)
kev. l. t. christmas. 119
Rev. Carter still lives. At that place he attended
public and private schools for several years.
On the twelfth of October, 1878, he was con¬
verted, and baptized on the fifteenth. Soon after¬
ward he was made secretary of Northwest Louis¬
iana Association; in 1882 he was appointed mis¬
sionary of the same body. He was ordained in
1883, and became pastor of St. Peter's Baptist
Church, De Soto Parish, La. When the state
convention divided, he was made secretary of
Northwest Louisiana division, which he served
four years.
In the mean time Mr. Carter has been a student
at Wiley University, Marshall, Texas, Straight
University, New Orleans, and the Leland Uni¬
versity, New Orleans.
In 1887 the two divisions of-the state conven¬
tion were consolidated. Rev. Carter contributed
largely to the happy result, and was elected cor¬
responding secretary of the re-united body, which
position he now holds. He is also moderator of
the Thirteenth District Association. In addition
to these responsibilities, Rev. Carter is pastor of
four churches.
Rev. L. T. Christmas.
Rev. L. T. Christmas, son of Marcus and Hen¬
rietta Christmas, was born in-Warren County,
REV. L. T. CHRISTMAS.
REV. L. T. CHRISTMAS.
121
N. G, November^ 1855. At seventeen years of
age he was forcibly ejected from the cars on the
Raleigh and Gaston railroad, because while hold¬
ing a first-class ticket he persisted in his right to
ride in a first-class car.
In the midst of discouragements, he entered
suit against the company for $5,000. The suit
was finally compromised in favor of the plaintiff.
At eighteen he was a public school^ teacher.
In 1875 Mr. Christmas entered Shaw University,
N. G, where in January of the following year he
professed faith in Christ. After two years' stay in
that institution, he resumed the teaching profes¬
sion. In 1879 he was elected to the state legis¬
lature from Warren County. Many important
bills were introduced by him. He was state
delegate at large in 1880 to the National Repub¬
lican Convention at Chicago. It was during a
long illness in 1880-81 that he felt that he had
made a mistake in life-work so far; and he resolved
if restored to health to preach the gospel of
Christ. He returned to school in 1882 and in
1883, and in 1884 graduated.
During the last two years of his stay he was
assistant teacher. The first summer after his
graduation Rev. Christmas was appointed teacher
in the normal school' at New-Berne, N. C. In
the fall of the same year he began to hold pastoral
charges of churches. His first charge was at
x$z our baptist ministers.
New-Berne, at the same time he was preaching
once a month to Shiloh Baptist Church at Kit-
trell, N. C.
In 1885 he was married to Miss Mary M.
Smith of Raleigh, N. C. The same year Rev.
Christmas resigned at New-Berne to take charge
of the Central Baptist Church of Wilmington.
The church was without house or lot, and had a
small membership. Now they own a lot in the
most desirable part of the city, upon which they
are erecting a large brick church, which, when
completed, will be the handsomest colored Bap¬
tist church in the state.
In connection with the church is a training
school of one hundred and eighteen pupils; of
this school Rev. Christmas is principal.
Rev. S. T. Clanton, D.D.
Solomon T. Clanton, the son of Solomon T.
and Maria (Jones) Clanton, was born March 27,
1857, near Glencoe, St. Mary 1s Parish, Louisiana,
of slave parentage.
His father was born in Petersburg and his
mother in Lynchburg, Virginia. Of this mar¬
riage eleven children were born, of whom Solo¬
mon was next to the youngest of the boys. His
parents prized education, and said if they could
REV. S. T. CLANTON, D.D.
124
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
not bequeath landed property to their children,
they would confer the blessings of education.
Accordingly, as the Union forces became victo¬
rious, and private and government schools were
opened, he was sent to school at its opening, and
kept in it every day till closed, and gained an ele¬
mentary English preparation for the grammar
public schools of New Orleans. In this school he
was prepared for and passed a satisfactory exami¬
nation for admission into the white high school in
1872. As there was no provision for teaching col¬
ored youths in that school, he was led to go to the
New Orleans University under the M. E. Churclj,
from which he graduated with the degree of
Bachelor of Arts July 20, 1878. In December of
the same year, under the influence of the late
Deacon Holbrook Chamberlain and wife, of
Brooklyn, N. Y., and Elders G. W. Walker, A. R.
Blount, and Esau Carter, he was appointed in¬
structor of mathematics in Leland University,
then under the American Baptist Home Mission
Society.
Here Mr. Clanton continued for two years,
teaching and saving money to enter upon his
course of seminary training. While holding this
position he made the acquaintance of Prof. James
R. Boise, LL.D., in 1879, of Morgan Park Semi¬
nary, under whose influence he decided to study
theology at the Union Theological Seminary at
REV. S. T. CLANTON, D.D. 125
Chicago, 111. From this institution he graduated
May 17, 1883, with the degree of Bachelor of
Divinity. He made his first address before the
Publication Society at its Saratoga anniversary in
May of the same year.
Rev. Clanton received his first commission
from Dr. Benjamin Griffith, general secretary of
the Publication Society, in June, 1877, and can
truly and gratefully say that the uniform and
continued courtesy and encouragement extended
him by the board and its honored general secre¬
tary have been an unfailing and cheering inspira¬
tion in his struggle for an education.
The great event of Rev. Clanton's humble life
was the first meeting with Miss Olive Bird in June,
1881, in Decatur, Illinois, while visiting homes as
a missionary colporteur of the American Baptist
Publication Society. To this lady he was mar¬
ried June 6, 1883, the month after his graduation
from the theological seminary at Chicago. She
has been a great help to him in all forms of his
public service, and if he has had any success, after
the favor of God and his mother, he owes it to his
wife. He would be false to himself if he did not
cheerfully bear this testimony to her worth, true
womanhood, and devotion as a wife and mother.
To them four children have been born: Edna,
Georgie, Bennie, and Solomon. Rev. and Mrs.
Clanton's earnest desire is that their children may
126
our baptist ministers.
find Christ, obtain a Christian education, and live
useful lives.
Rev. Clanton has held the following positions
of honor and trust: pastor at Elgin and at Evans-
ton, Illinois, missionary colporteur in Louisiana
and Illinois, Sunday-school missionary, recording
secretary of Baptist Foreign Mission Convention
of United States of America, recording secretary
of first District Association of Louisiana, financial
secretary of the Ministers' Mutual Aid Society of
Louisiana, editor of the Christian Herald, cor¬
responding secretary of the American National
Baptist Convention, and recently appointed dis¬
trict secretary of the Gulf District of the American
Baptist Publication Society. In one and all of
these positions he has earnestly and honestly
labored to understand his relations and duties,
and to do them as unto Christ.
In 1888 his alma mater conferred upon him the
degree of Master of Arts, and at the last com¬
mencement of the State University, Louisville,
Ky., Dr. W. J. Simmons, president, the degree of
Doctor of Divinity was conferred.
Rev. John Lewis Cohron.
Rev. John Lewis Cohron, the subject of this
sketch, was born in Eutaw, Greene County, Ala¬
bama, November 27, 1863. His father, Jordan
REV. JOHN LEWIS COHRON.
128
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Cohron, has served as deacon in the Baptist
church for twenty years.
His mother, Nora Ellen Cohron, is noted for
her Christian piety, -and faithful work in the
church. She has ever been a devoted wife and
mother, and this eminent young divine owes
much of his strength of character, right choice,
and success, to her early influence. His life is a
beautiful illustration of the fact that no mother
who has improved her opportunities of serving
and trusting the Lord, in her sphere as a mother,
has failed of her reward.
The early part of his life was spent with his
parents on a farm in Mississippi. He attended
the public schools, was one among the first in his
class, and early distinguished himself as a school¬
boy orator. He passed a county examination at
the age of sixteen, and successfully taught a coun¬
try school for five months; after which he returned
home and worked on the farm till the next school
year. After teaching the second year, he gave his
parents part of his earnings, and with the re¬
mainder entered the Shaw University at Holly
Springs, Mississippi. He studied*here but a few
months, when he was taken ill and was obliged
to return home. He taught school and studied
at Shaw University till 1883.
In 1882 he professed religion, was baptized by
Rev. G. W, Cohron, his pastor, in the New Hope
REV. JOHN LEWIS COHRON. 129
Baptist Church, near Oxford, Mississippi. For
five years he served as clerk of the church. He
felt his call to the ministry at the age of eighteen,
made it known to his church, and soon began to
preach with such ability that he was asked to
assist in the protracted meetings of the season.
In September of 1883 he was elected teacher
of the school in Knobnoster, Missouri, where he
taught for one year with success. The next year
he was elected principal of the school in Harri-
sonville, Missouri, the county seat of Cass County.
He taught this school with great credit to him¬
self for two years; during which time he also
pastored the church at Belton, Missouri, and
preached occasionally at Lee's Summit, and Hol-
den, Missouri, paying his own expenses to reach
the latter. The long standing debts of two of
these churches were paid off and many accessions
made to the membership.
In 1885 he attended the Baptist University at
Ottawa, Kansas. During this year he was elected
secretary of the Second District Association of
North Missouri; this position he held for two
years. In 1886 he was elected secretary of the
Baptist General Association of the western states
and territories. This position he holds at the
present time.
In 1887 he was elected pastor of the Second
Baptist Church, at Lincoln, Nebraska. This
130 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
church asked the church at Pleasant Hill, Mis¬
souri, of which he was then a member, to ordain
him for her, and in compliance with the request
he was ordained in June, 1887. He served this
church as pastor for two years, and at the same
time pursued the regular college course in the
State University, situated in that city. Many
were added to the church, the house of worship
repaired, and the debt thereon canceled. He was
highly esteemed by both colored and white peo¬
ple, and was elected delegate to the state conven¬
tion which was held at Omaha, Nebraska, in
1888, to elect delegates to attend the National Re¬
publican Convention, held at Chicago, Illinois, to
nominate a presidential candidate. In this year
also he was elected secretary of the National Bap¬
tist Convention of the U. S. A., which position he
held for two years.
On October 3, 1889, he was called to the pastor¬
ate of the Central Baptist Church of St. Louis,
the largest Baptist church in the state of Missouri.
He found the church in a sad condition. But he
came into this new field of labor trusting his
Saviour, and his coming has proved a great bless¬
ing to the church and city at large. His first
great work was to unite the contending factions
of the church, which he did satisfactorily to all.
He found the congregation very small, but he had
not preached many sermons before the congrega-
REV. JOHN LEWIS COHRON. 131
tion began to increase rapidly. At the present
time the church will not seat the congregation.
His preaching has especially attracted and inter¬
ested the young men of the city, who have here¬
tofore seemed indifferent to the gospel. During
his pastorate of nearly two years here there have
been one hundred additions to the church by
baptism, and fifty otherwise. There have been
conversions not only during revival seasons, but
all through the year.
In St. Louis it is the custom of all the churches
to give an annual steamboat excursion. On all
of these excursions dancing is allowed in order to
increase the attendance, and thereby augment
the gain. But Rev. Cohron, believing dancing to
be a sin, held that the church ought not to allow it
on the excursion, although it helped the church
financially. The majority of the members feared
the excursion would be a failure without dancing.
But the elder's faith in the right upheld him, and
the excursion went out without dancing. It
proved to be a grand success, financially, and
now dancing on the Central Baptist's excursion is
a thing of the past.
On the 25th of March, 1891, Rev. Cohron mar¬
ried the young widow of the late Prof. Charles
Newton of St. Louis, Mo. She is a graduate of
Oberlin College, and one of the most successful
teachers in the St Louis public schools, He
i32
our baptist ministers.
finds in her a true helpmeet, a devoted and faith¬
ful wife.
At present Rev. Cohron is devoting his ener¬
gies toward establishing a mission in connection
with his church among the people in the north¬
eastern portion of the city, who have no church
near them. The Central Baptist Church is in
accord with her progressive pastor, and the pros¬
pect is bright before them.
Rev. R. H. Cole.
Rev. R. H. Cole was born in Cincinnati, Ohio,
May 14, 1855. He was the only son of Mr. Cole¬
man and Mrs. Sarah Ann Cole.
Rev. Cole attended the public schools of Cin¬
cinnati, graduating from the Gaines high school
in 1874. He taught school in Madison, Ind., for
three years. Mr. Cole went to St. Louis, Mo., in
the summer of 1877, and took the examination
for a position as teacher in the public schools, just
then thrown open to colored teachers. He passed
a most creditable examination. He ranked high
as a teacher, and was the following year promoted
to the principalship of the No. 8 school, now
known as the Simmons school, at his request
named in honor of Dr. William J. Simmons.
Rev. Cole's religious teachings began with his
REV. R. H. COLE.
134 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
earliest recollections from hearing his father and
mother pray around the family altar.
He embraced Christianity when twelve years
of age, but did not unite with any church until,
seven years afterwards, he joined the Zion Bap¬
tist Church of Cincinnati, Ohio.
When he located in St. Louis, Mo., he united
by letter with the Eighth Street (now known as
the Central) Baptist Church. He has ever been
a consistent Christian. Irt Madison, Ind., he was
leader of a number of Christian ladies and gen¬
tlemen calle'd " Gideon's Band," which society
accomplished much good for the Master's king¬
dom. In St. Louis his work has been constantly
toward the uplifting of the cause of Christ.
In 1881 he was prime mover in organizing the
St. Louis City and County (now Berean) Baptist
Sunday-school Convention, of which he has served
both as secretary and president. In 1883 he was
chosen recording secretary of the Berean Associa¬
tion, which position he has three times filled.
Mr. Cole was ordained to the ministry in April,
1884, having studied theology under Rev. Dr.
W. P. T. Jones, a graduate from the theological
department of the Baptist college at Nashville,
Tenn. Mr. Cole served as a missionary in the
Berean Association, having for its jurisdiction the
city and county of St. Louis. He was then called
to supply the vacancy existing in the pulpit of the
REV. R. H. COLE. 135
Central Baptist Church, until the church decided
to call a permanent pastor, after which he sup¬
plied the pulpit of the Tabernacle Baptist Church
for three months, at which time he resigned to
' O
accept the call to the pastorate of the Pilgrim
Baptist Church, August, 1885. In 1890 he re¬
signed this charge to accept the call to the First
Baptist Church. The condition at this time was
such as to give him a trying ordeal, to pass through
which would test his ability to guide and manage.
Out of contentious divisions and strife he brought
peace and harmony. He soon after inaugurated
a series of religious and revival meetings, which,
♦at the expiration of about five-weeks, resulted to
the church in an addition of sixty-seven members,
the like of which was never known in the short
space of time since the church began occupying
its present structure, eight years ago.
Financially speaking, the church was in very
straitened circumstances, and it was the current
belief, at one time, that it would have to be sold
for debt—the amount outstanding, not including
current expenses, being $9,500.
But by energy and an unyielding-disposition to
work for and encourage his people, Rev. Cole
rallied all forces to his assistance, and the people,
taking courage at the untiring zeal of their leader,
soon realized that their church was out of danger.
It now has a good financial system and stands
I36 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
upon a basis that will, in time, relieve it from fur¬
ther financial embarrassments.
Since September, 1890, the people and friends
of the church liquidated all outstanding debts,
raised the first note of $500 on the main debt,
and are raising on an average $200 per month
with which to meet all pressing exigencies.
Rev. Cole was largely instrumental in the
organization of the American National Baptist
Convention, which convened for the first time in
St. Louis, Mo., in 1886, headed by Dr. W. J.
Simmons, whom he induced to select St. Louis,
and the church he now holds, as the place for
assembling.
He filled chairmanships and subordinate places
upon some of its most important committees, and
was a close friend and admirer of Dr. Simmons.
Rev. Cole was a delegate to the subsequent
"A. N. B. C." which convened in Mobile, Ala.,
1887. His services at this time were in great de¬
mand as upon former occasions, and he left it
having flattering honors bestowed upon him by
the convention. In all his public career, Rev.
Cole has been very popular and active among his
people, always identifying himself with them and
their interests.
In church or school, social or literary affairs, he
has been found to be one and the same. He is
also a writer of no limited degree, and has had
&ev. john oliver crosby, ph.d. 137
considerable experience in the line of newspaper
correspondence and editing. He began writing
for newspapers under the directorship of Hon.
George W. Williams, who published a paper in
Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1875.
He was editor of the Sunday-school depart¬
ment of the Western Baptist Herald, issued as a
monthly in St. Louis, Mo., 1884, after .which it
became a weekly under the auspices of the Gen¬
eral Association of the Western States and Terri¬
tories ; he was then chosen its associate editor.
He was also editor of the Baptist Journal, a
weekly newspaper published under the auspices
of the Baptist Journal Publishing Company.
Rev. Cole has been married ten years, has an
amiable wife and two children.
The subject of this sketch bids fair to become
one of the most prominent young men of the race,
of this age, combining as he does the qualities of
scholar, student, minister, and teacher, orator and
lover of his race.
Rev. John Oliver Crosby, Ph.D.
Among the prominent men of the negro race
who have distinguished themselves by words and
deeds, and whose lives will be studied with pro¬
found interest by future posterity, is the Rev.
REV. JOHN OLIVER CROSBY, PH.D.
REV. JOHN OLIVER CROSBY, PH.D. 139
John Oliver Crosby. He was born a slave at
Crosbyville, Fairfield County, South Carolina,
December 22, 1850, and became the favorite of
his parents and all who knew him. His mother,
whose name was Sylvia, was brought from Rich¬
mond, Virginia, at the age of twelve, having been
sold to a speculator at the sale of John Tinsley,
to satisfy his creditors. His father's name was
Thomas Crosby. When but a lad John Oliver
was apprenticed to the carpenter's trade, which
he learned so fast that at the age of twelve he was
made foreman and directed the building of sev¬
eral small houses of from two to ten rooms each.
In i860 Thomas Crosby died, and the same year
the Crosby estate was sold. Mary Q. Crosby
bought the young carpenter for $1,260. His
apprenticeship ending, he moved to Shelton
Depot, and became the slave of James Stanton,
who had married his young mistress. In 1864
Mr. Stanton was drafted into the Confederate
service and went to Florence, South Carolina, to
guard Federal prisoners. During the same year
he came home on a furlough, and on his return
took the boy John along as a servant. At Colum¬
bia, Stanton and other reserve soldiers were
stopped by order of the government and put on
duty as guards at a prison containing about four¬
teen hundred Federal soldiers. John, having a
deep sense of the wrongs inflicted upon the Fed-
I4O OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
eral soldiers, at once set to work to devise ways
and means for their comfort and escape if possible.
After the war he went to live with his mother on
a farm in Chester County. But he and his step¬
father could not agree, as " larnin," said the old
man, was " spilin " all the boys on the place. So
John had to seek shelter elsewhere. At this
early age John became an ardent lover of books,
and was to the boys on the plantation a source of
information. His mother was a woman of fine
sense. John has always thought her greatest
blunder was her selection of a husband.
With his mother's advice, he resolved to leave
home and escape from the paternal slavery of his
step-father. Promising to return to her in due
time, he started from home one afternoon, carry¬
ing with him a smaller brother. Penniless, and
with only a pound of bacon and a corn ash cake,
these boys wended their way until they reached
Winnsboro, thirty-five miles distant. Being poorly
clad, they found some difficulty in getting employ¬
ment. On the second day, however, he got a
place for himself and brother, who is at this
time in good circumstances and completing a
medical course in one of our leading colleges.
Mr. Crosby entered school, working at odd times
for support, and paying for tuition by ringing the
school bell. He was soon elected president of a
debating club, and teacher of the only colored
REV. JOHN OLIVER CROSBY, PH.D. I41
Sunday-school in town. Having joined the Union
League, and becoming prominent in country
politics, he was appointed in the spring of 1869,
by Gov. R. K. Scott, the census taker for Fair¬
field County. He entered Biddle University in
the fall of 1869, and Shaw University in 1870,
graduating from the latter in 1874. He has since
graduated from the National School of Elocution
and Oratory, being the first colored man who ever
graduated from this famous institution. Feeling
called of God to preach the gospel, Mr. Crosby
entered the ministry; and his first work in this
line was done in the summer of 1872, as a student
missionary under the auspices of the American
Baptist Home Mission Society. During his first
four months' labor in Mecklenburg County, he
raised two hundred dollars for the First Baptist
Church at Charlotte, and eighty dollars for Shaw
University; besides organizing a church at Mount
Holly, North Carolina. In 1874 he was ordained
and took charge of the Baptist church at War-
renton, North Carolina, and in the same year
married Miss Georgiana Birdsong, a nieee of the
late Ex-Lt. Gov. R. H. Gleaves, of South Caro¬
lina. He was principal for five years of the
Warrenton public school from 1874 to 1879, and
during the same time was elected delegate from
Warren County to the State Constitutional Con¬
vention which formed the present constitution of
142
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
the state. He tpok an active part in the deliber¬
ations, and vigorously opposed by votes and
speeches all measures which aimed either directly
or indirectly at his race. He was also elected
register of deeds of Warren County, but was
counted out. In 1880 he was called to Dixon-
ville Baptist Church, Salisbury, North Carolina,
and was the same year made principal of the state
colored normal school, located at the same place.
When Rev. Crosby went to Salisbury, he found
the Baptist cause waning ; but by patient toil and
wise leadership he succeeded in building up a
large congregation, so that, upon resigning his
charge as pastor, in the spring of 1889, the Bap¬
tists were on the road to success. The state
normal school, of which he is still principal, shows
signs of great progress. For ten years he was
moderator of one of the largest associations in
North Carolina, and upon resigning was pre¬
sented with a fine gold headed cane as a token of
his valuable services. He was corresponding sec¬
retary of the Baptist State Convention, and chair¬
man of the Home Mission Board, which positions
he held five years. He is still connected with
numerous other positions, boards, and business
enterprises. His wife having died in 1881, he
was married in 1887 to Miss Elmira Richards, of
Herbert, South Carolina, who is a cultured and
most lovable woman. In the spring of 1891 he
rev. j. s. daniels. 143
received from Shaw University the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy.
He has baptized more than twelve hundred
persons. He stands in the first rank as a preacher,
and is one of the popular and successful men of
his denomination in the state. He is congenial
in his manners as well as jovial, and in his present
condition of body and mind he is destined to do
much for the uplifting of his race. Notwith¬
standing his charitable habits he is worth between
eight and ten thousand dollars—the fruit of his
own toil. The boy who was born a slave and in
poverty has steadily risen to eminence and afflu¬
ence, and now fills one of the most important
positions in the state.
Rev. J. S. Daniels.
Rev. J. S. Daniels was born in Barnwell County,
South Carolina, 1834. The date of his birth is
an evidence that he, along with nearly all slaves,
was deprived of an opportunity for obtaining an
education. An overruling Providence seems to
have favored young Daniels. Although to teach
a slave to read was a crime whose penalty was
severe punishment, yet at the hands of one who,
according to law, should inflict the punishment,
Mr. Daniels was taught to read.
After his conversion, when it became evident
144 our baptist ministers.
that he possessed ministerial gifts, his then young
master stealthily taught him to read the Bible.
In 1862 Mr. Daniels embraced faith in Christ,
and was baptized by Rev. W. Baxley (white). In
1866 the Friendship Baptist Church (white),
believing that he was called to preach the gospel,
licensed him. He was recommended to the Barn¬
well Baptist Association for ordination, and was
called to the pastorate of the Union Baptist
Church of his native county, which church he
still holds. The following year he became pastor
of the Honey Ford Church, to which he still
preaches.
From his entrance into the ministry Rev. Dan¬
iels has been earnestly engaged in building
churches and doing mission work in destitute
places. While following his sacred calling he
has considered no sacrifice too great to be made.
Hardships and misfortune have never lessened
his zeal. In his declining years, though worn out
by arduous labors and exposures, he preaches
with remarkable force and effect to large congre¬
gations in Barnwell and Beaufort Counties.
During his ministrations, he has baptized
nearly two thousand five hundred persons. His
life exemplifies his teaching, and that, in a large
measure, accounts for his success.
He endeavors to work good toward all and
malice toward none,
rev. john l. dart, a.m.
H5
Rev. John L. Dart, A.M.
Rev. John L. Dart, the subject of this sketch,
was born March 10, 1854, in Charleston, South
Carolina, of William and Susan Dart. His par¬
ents .were free before the war, having bought
themselves at early ages, and were persons of
more than ordinary intelligence. At six years of
age John was sent to a private school taught by
Edward Beard, an intelligent colored man, where
he remained until the fall of Charleston in 1865.
When the public schools of the city were opened
for colored children he attended them; but he
was soon transferred to the Avery Normal Insti¬
tute of that city, founded and taught by Prof.
F. L. Cardoza, now of Washington, D. C. From
this school he graduated in 1872, being the vale¬
dictorian of his class, which was the first to
graduate from that institution.
His father being a deacon of the Baptist
church, and his mother a consistent Christian,
their son early received religious impressions and
was converted and baptized into the fellowship of
the Morris Street Baptist Church, at seventeen
years of age. At eighteen he taught school at
Sumter, S. C., at the close of which, in 1873, he
entered the Atlanta University, Georgia, from
which' he graduated in 1879. Having been
licensed to preach by his church at twenty-one
10
REV. JOHN L. DART, A.M.
REV. JOHN L. DART, A.M. 147
years of age, he partly supported himself while in
college by preaching and teaching in the counties
of South Carolina and Georgia; and partly by a
scholarship given him by a lady in Massachusetts.
At twenty-five years of age he entered the New¬
ton Theological Seminary at Newton, Mass.
Here he remained three years, taking the full
and regular course of studies, and graduated in
1882, being the only man of color, and taking one
of the special honors of his class on commence¬
ment occasion. After graduating he was or¬
dained at Newton by a council composed of his
teachers and prominent Baptist ministers from
Boston and vicinity.
During 1883 and 1884 he taught at Wayland
Seminary and in the public schools of Washing¬
ton, D. C.; in 1885 he accepted the pastorate of
the Congdon Street Baptist Church, Providence,
Rhode Island; in 1886 he supplied the Union
Baptist Church of Augusta, Ga., for six months,
where a great revival resulted from his preaching,
and many were added to the church. In the
same year, 1886, he was called to the charge of
the Morris Street Baptist Church.
The Morris Street Church of Charleston is the
mother church of that city, and the leading church
among the colored Baptists of South Carolina.
It was organized May 9, 1865, with a small hand¬
ful of Baptists of color who withdrew from the
THE MORRIS STREET BAPTIST CHURCH,
Charleston, S. C.
REV. JOHN L. DART, A.M. 149
three white churches where they had been worship¬
ing, under the old order of things, in the galleries.
This church celebrated its quarter-centennial an¬
niversary about two years ago, and its present
membership of more than fifteen hundred is as
zealous and progressive as can be found.
The first pastor of this church, the Rev. Jacob
Legare, whose successful ministry covered more
than twenty years, was truly a grand and royal
man—one consecrated to God, beloved by his
people, and devoted to the spiritual welfare of that
large flock which God enabled him to build up,
having baptized more than three thousand per¬
sons into its fellowship. Plans for the formation
of the first colored Baptist Association of South
Carolina, in 1867, and steps for the organiza¬
tion of the present educational, missionary, and
Sunday-school convention, in 1876, were first
made and taken by prominent members of this
church.
The missionary work done by this church
during its brief history is remarkable, and has
been an important feature of its activity. Besides
making large and frequent contributions to the
cause of state, home, and foreign missions, this
church, from which all the colored Baptist
churches of this city have sprung, has planted
several of the now flourishing churches in this
community, has organized a church and sent it to
I50 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Africa, and is now fostering six promising mis¬
sion stations.
From the Morris Street Church have gone
forth more than one dozen young men to preach
the gospel, most of whom, like Dr. E. M. Brawley,
and Dr. C. L. Puree of Selma, Ala., are accom¬
plishing much good in the vineyard of our Master.
Since Rev. Dart became pastor of this church,
four years ago, God has signally blessed his labors
—more than five hundred persons have been
added to the membership, the church has been
greatly improved, and a beautiful parsonage has
been purchased, at a total cost of about $8,000.
During the memorable earthquake disturbance
of 1886, which nearly wrecked the city, he took
a most prominent part in relieving the immedi¬
ate wants and distress of the colored population,
and was chairman of the colored relief committee.
He is the author of a controversial pamphlet
entitled " The Immersion Issue," which consists
of extracts from his sermons on baptism, a chal¬
lenge to certain Methodist ministers who had
declared sprinkling to be Scriptural baptism, to
have a joint debate on baptism, and letters which
passed between these ministers and himself. He
received the degree of A.M. from his alma mater,
Atlanta University, in 1882. He was married to
Miss Julia A. Pierre of Washington, D. C., in
1887, and one child has been born to them.
rev. iverson dawson.
Rev. Iverson Dawson.
Rev. Iverson Dawson was born at Livingston,
Sumter County, Alabama, in 1859. While a boy
he acquired a limited knowledge of books in the
county schools, which were poorly taught in
those days. He was brought up on a farm. In
1874 he made profession of religion, was baptized
and united with the Baptist church. In 1876 he
felt that he was called to the work of the ministry.
Miller's Hill Baptist Church, near Epes Station,
was the first church to extend him a call. He
accepted, and served that church two years; dur¬
ing which time a house of worship was built and
seventy-five members were added to the church.
Rev. Dawson took charge of the Mount Zion
Church at Sumterville, with which he remained
till 1886. Under his administration the church
grew from seventy-five to three hundred and fifty
members.
At present Rev. Dawson has charge of the
Jones Creek Baptist Church, and the Baptist
church at Eutaw, Alabama. This is said to be
one of the best churches in the state. The mem¬
bers have caught the spirit from the pastor, and
keep in the vanguard of missionary and other
movements.
When Rev. Dawson took charge of the Baptist
church at Eutaw in 1886, the Baptist cause was
greatly on the decline, other denominations held
REV. IVERSON DAWSON.
rev. iverson Dawson. 153
Sway; but by earnest prayers and great efforts
the town, so to speak, is fairly in the hands of the
Baptists.
As a financier and manager, Rev. Dawson pos¬
sesses considerable ability. His plans are usually
plain, practicable, and successful.
He has also figured in the political arena. He
believes that political reformation is necessary,
and in order to bring about the desired reform
that the better class of men should interest them¬
selves in the politics of the country, and discuss
the issues of the day. Acting upon this principle
he has been prominent in county and state poli¬
tics. Rev. Dawson has been offered several post-
office positions under the present administration,
but has declined in every instance, mainly because
of threats made by some of the opposite party
who were opposed to colored men holding office.
Rev. Richard De Baptiste.
Rev. Richard De Baptiste was born at Fred¬
ericksburg, Virginia. November 11, 1831. His
father, William, and his mother, Eliza De Bap¬
tiste, were both devoted Christians, and members
of the Baptist church, and prominent in. the work
of the church among their people. They were
highly respected by both their own people and by
the whites. The grandfather, John De Baptiste,
REV. RICHARD DE BAPTISTE.
REV. RICHARD DE BAPTISTE. 155
was a native of the island of St. Kitt's, or St.
Christopher, in the West Indies, who came with
General La Fayette to America during the Revo¬
lutionary war, settled in Virginia, and became a
successful business man in Fredericksburg and
Falmouth, places of his residence.
The parents of Richard desired to educate
their children, but the laws of Virginia forbade,
under severest penalties, the education of even
free colored people on its soil, in those times
when slavery felt itself endangered by any part of
the enslaved race receiving mental cultivation.
To meet the exigencies of the case and educate
their children, they turned their dwelling into a
select school room, in which their own and a few
other children received instruction from compe¬
tent teachers in a very quiet and unobserved way.
In 1846, at the age of fifteen years, Richard
moved with his parents to Detroit, Michigan,
where the air was more congenial to freedom
and more extended educational privileges were
enjoyed. Here more advanced studies were pros¬
ecuted in school and under public and private
instructors. In Virginia, his father and uncle
were among the largest builders and general con¬
tractors of their city and the surrounding country.
At an early age Richard received practical in¬
struction in the industries of brick manufactur¬
ing, brick building, and plastering, besides other
I56 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
branches of business of a mercantile character that
were prosecuted by his father. After the family
moved to the West, the father entered into a
partnership to carry on a grocery business, and
Richard, when out of school, was employed as
salesman. This business was not as successful
and remunerative as had been anticipated, and the
father sold his interest in it and returned to
contracting for building and plastering, in which
Richard was taken as a partner before he reached
his majority, and which he afterwards followed
for a number of years under his own manage¬
ment.
In October, 1855, he was united in marriage to
Miss Georgiana Brischo, daughter of James and
Mary Louisa Brischo, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The
newly wedded couple commenced to keep house
in Detroit, Mich., where they lived for several
years. Their home was made happier by the ad¬
vent of their first-born, whom they named William
James. In 1858 Mr. De Baptiste moved with
his wife and son to Mount Pleasant, Hamilton
County, Ohio. Here he taught the public school
for colored youth three years, after passing a
creditable examination before the board of exam¬
iners in Cincinnati. It was here, in Mount Pleas¬
ant, that was also commenced the ministry of the
gospel by R. De Baptiste, to which he has ever
since devoted his entire time, a result reached
REV. RICHARD DE BAPTISTE. 157
only after a long struggle to throw off convictions
of duty.
In 1852 in a revival meeting held in the Sec¬
ond Baptist Church, Detroit, Mich., under the
preaching of Rev. William P. Newman and D. G.
Lett, he was converted, and united with that
church, being one of a company of twenty-five
young men and twenty-five young women who
received the ordinance of baptism and the right
hand of fellowship on the same day. Richard
was from the time of his conversion and join¬
ing the church impressed that the Lord wanted
him to do an important work in connection with
the church, though he was careful not to commu¬
nicate the impression to either parents or church.
Yet it seemed to have been the general opinion
of the members of the church and of the minis¬
ters who made his acquaintance as well, that he
was called to preach. This opinion found open
expression on frequent occasions. For there was
no work for the advancement of the gospel or
opening of usefulness in Sunday-school or church
that he did not freely and heartily put his hand to
or enter upon. He filled all official positions in
church and Sunday-school, except pastor and
deacon of the church, at the call of his brethren,
before he made known to the church his convic¬
tions of a call to preach. The pastor, to the
entire satisfaction of the church, would at times
158 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
announce that he would preach, without a request
from him to do so. The audiences on such occa¬
sions were not smaller than usual, nor were there
heard expressions of disappointment or regret at
having Mr. De Baptiste preach. Upon his removal
to Ohio from Detroit, the church, at the sug¬
gestion of its pastor, without the solicitation
of Mr. De Baptiste, unanimously voted him a
letter of commendation and license to preach.
While teaching at Mount Pleasant he exercised
his gifts. There was no organized Baptist church
in the town, nor any colored church, though a
sufficient number of colored people to make a
good audience lived there. He organized a Sun¬
day-school, of which he took the superintendency,
and started preaching at morning and evening
hours of service on Sundays. He was frequently
called to supply the pulpit of the Union Baptist
Church in Cincinnati during his residence at
Mount Pleasant, and for a short interval, while
the church was without a pastor, the supply was
every Sabbath. The labor at Mount Pleasant
resulted in the conversion of twelve souls who
desired to be baptized. These united with sev¬
eral others, members of Baptist churches in other
places, but now residents of Mount Pleasant, to
request the ordination of R. De Baptiste, that he
might baptize them and organize them into a
regular Baptist church. April, i860, a council
REV. RICHARD DE BAPTISTE.
159
from the four Baptist churches of Cincinnati and
the Lockland Baptist Church (white) met at
Mount Pleasant. The council was presided over
by Dr. N. Colver, then pastor of the First Baptist
Church in Cincinnati, and Rev. Joseph Emery,
clerk. After a satisfactory examination the coun¬
cil ordained Mr. De Baptiste to the ministry of
the gospel. Besides this work in Mount Pleasant
resulting in the establishment of the Baptist
church there, he established preaching regularly
in several neighboring towns, to which he would
go once a month, and was always greeted with
good and interested audiences. In 1863 he re-_
ceived an invitation from Ol ivel._Baptist ClLurch.
Chicago, to visit them with a view to the_m§tor-
ate. ...The 25th of June, after the close of school,
the visit was made, and, after a month's supply of
the pulpit, he was called permanently to the pastor¬
ate of that church. This pastorate was continu¬
ous till February, 1882, when, after an unbroken
pastorate of eighteen years and seven months, he
was succeeded by Rev. Alfred PoddT whom he
had introduced to the church and recommended
as his successor. The resignation of Rev. De
Baptiste was offered three months before the
above date, and was twice rejected by unanimous
vote of the church, and not until it was made
peremptory was it accepted. During this long
pastorate, so marked by the rapid growth of the
160 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
population of the city, and the large increase of
membership of the church, there was no division,
or serious disagreement, even, occurring in the
membership of the church. The first five years
of this pastorate the membership increased over
five hundred. Of this number two hundred and
eighty-six were received by baptism, two hundred
and ten by letter and experience, besides the
excluded members restored to fellowship. During
the eighteen years and seven months the pastor
received over one thousand seven hundred persons
to membership. Of the churches which Rev.
De Baptiste organized may be mentioned Second
Baptist Church of Elgin, Third Baptist Church
at Aurora, the Baptist church at St. Charles, and
the Second Baptist Church at Evanston.
When_.hgJ:o.ok rha.rgg_of the Olivet Baptist
Church at Chicago^ there. were about one hun-
dred names on the rol^ and it was the only col-
ored Baptist church in Chicago. The church
owned a small frame house—converted into an
audience room—with basement added^with a seat¬
ing capacity of one hundred and fifty persons;
but it was on leased ground. During his pastor¬
ate eligible lots were bought, and a fine two story
brick church with cut stone trimmings was built,
with seating capacity for eight hundred persons.
The Sunday-school and lecture room would seat
six hundred. This house was destroyed by the
REV. RICHARD DE BAPTISTE. l6l
great fire July, 1874, and by December, 1875, it
was replaced by a larger house of like material,
costing $18,0.00, the latter house having three
stories besides the basement.
Rev. De Baptiste was elected corresponding
secretary of Wood River Baptist Association,
1864, and has held the position by re-election
every year but two since, though absent three
or four annual meetings. He was elected record¬
ing secretary of the Northwestern and Southern
Baptist Convention at its organization in St.
Louis, 1865; was elected corresponding secre¬
tary, 1866, and held that position by re-election
till that body united with the American Baptist
Missionary Convention to form the Consolidated
American Baptist Missionary Convention. He
was elected president of the consolidated body at
its first meeting at Nashville, Tenn., 1867, and
was re-elected president for four years. At the
annual meeting at Wilmington, N. C., 1870, he
was not present but was re-elected. In 1871, not
being present at the meeting, he was not re¬
elected. In 1872 he was again re-elected, and
held the position of president till 1877, at the
annual meeting: held in Richmond, Va., and was
then elected corresponding secretary of the For¬
eign Mission Department of the work, and con¬
tinued in office till 1879, but it was no longer a
consolidation. At the anniversary meeting of the
u
162
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
American Baptist Free Mission Society (which
was previous to the emancipation of the colored
race in the United States), the active and aggress¬
ive, organization of the anti-slavery wing Of the
Baptists of the country, white, but not prescrip¬
tive, held in Cincinnati, 1870, he was elected
president, and presided during the sessions of
that meeting.
Rev. Nathan Brown, D.D., late missionary to
Japan and translator of the Scriptures into the Jap¬
anese language, was corresponding secretary. As
president of the Consolidated Missionary Con¬
vention Rev. De Baptist was one of the trustees
of the Leland University. In 1881 he was elected
corresponding secretary of the Baptist General
Association of the Western States and Territories.
He is holding that position at present, and has held
the office of treasurer for several terms. At the
organization of the American National Baptist
Convention at St. Louis, 1886, he was elected cor¬
responding secretary of that body, and re-elected to
that position in 1887. At the same time he was
elected to be the editor of the t proposed Baptist
magazine to be issued quarterly by the conven¬
tion. He has been the statistician of that con¬
vention since its organization.
The office of statistician was separated from
that of corresponding secretary, and he was
elected statistician for a term of three years.
REV. RICHARD DE BAKTISTE. 163
During his life he has been a frequent con¬
tributor both to religious and secular journals.
He held the position of editor with Rev. G. C.
Booth on the Conservator of Chicago, and wrote
nearly all the leading editorials during the time
of his position. He was editor-in-chief of the
Western Herald, from September, 1884, to De¬
cember, 1885. This paper was at the time the
only religious weekly of the colored people of the
West, and was the organ of the colored Baptists
of the western states and territories. He was
corresponding editor of the Monitor, a short lived
paper started by Rev. H. N. White of St. Louis.
For several years he held a position on the
editorial staff of the National Monitor of Brook¬
lyn, N. Y., Rev. R. L. Perry, editor and pub-
lisher. He was elected president of the Cook
County Building- and T nan A.monition of Chi¬
cago, a corporated body of colored people under
the laws of Illinois.
At the National Baptist anniversaries at Chi¬
cago, before the immense audience assembled in
Farwell hall, when the delegation from the South¬
ern Baptist Convention was introduced, a free
and lively discussion opened upon the educa¬
tional policy of the A. B. H. M. S. among the
colored people of the South. It was proceeding
with increasing interest by the succeeding speak¬
ers, the vast audience eager and enthused. Rev.
164 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
De Baptiste, as the representative of the colored
Baptists of the Consolidated Convention, was
introduced by Dr. J. B. Simmons, and addressed
the meeting with rare force and pointedness for
about twenty minutes, holding the attention of
the large audience and arousing to a still higher
pitch the intense feeling in the meeting. The
speech made a deep impression, as coming from
a colored minister, as it presented to the audience
the subject as viewed by the colored people them¬
selves. The speaker received many congratula¬
tions from gentlemen at the close of the session.
This address was published in the daily papers
of Chicago with favorable comments upon its
utterances; and was given editorial notice by Xhe^.
Standard, and also by the Richmond^. Va„ Dis¬
patch. whose editor was,aL±he^me&ting.
Rev. De Baptiste has devoted his life to the
ministry of the gospel, but has manifested a deep
and often active interest in every movement and
those enterprises of his race looking to their
advancement in intelligence, education, and mate¬
rial prosperity. In the fifties he was delegate to
the National Convention of colored people, held
at Rochester. He was also elected over several
competitors by the citizens of Chicago, to the
convention of colored citizens of the state of
Illinois held at Galesburg, during the reconstruc¬
tion period. He wrote the address to the people
REV. RICHARD DE BAPTISTE. 165
of the state emanating from that convention,
which was published by the papers of Chicago,
Galesburg, and other cities of the state, with
highly commendatory comments from them all.
The movement started by the above named con¬
vention was the leading cause of the removal of
the odious and disgraceful " black laws " from,
the statutes of Illinois. Rev. De Baptiste has
served in other famous conventions, djoing great
good, and iionored by~all.
Rev. Richard De Baptiste has been married
three times. He has three children living by his
first wife, Georgiana, who died November, 1872.
His second wife, Mary, enjoyed but a brief mar¬
ried life of eight months, before her earthly course
was terminated by the fatal disease of consump¬
tion. The third marriage occurred November 11,
1890, to Mrs. Nellie Williams of Galesburg, Ills.
Each of his companions in marriage was a devoted
Christian woman and a useful church member.
Notwithstanding the many good works to
which Rev. De Baptiste has given much of his
time and labor, and others to which devoted
attention and interest have been given, there has
been but one year since his ordination in i860
that he has not filled the office of pastor of a
Baptist church, and performed the duties of that
office, how well the Chief Shepherd must say
when he comes to reward his servants.
our baptist ministers.
Rev. James Albert Dennis.
The subject of this sketch was born March
2 7, 1857, in Appomattox County, Virginia. His
parents were born free. His mother paid special
attention to his education. He attended the pub¬
lic schools at Pamplin City, Va., in 1870-71. In
1872 he left Virginia and went to Baltimore to
live with his mother's brother, Mr. N. S. Carter.
There he worked at menial labor. In February,
1877, during a revival conducted by Dr. Harvey
Johnson, he was hopefully converted. He and
one hundred and sixteen others were baptized on
the first Sunday in March. Dr. Johnson, believ¬
ing that he was called to preach, urged and
assisted him to go to school and prepare for the
work. He entered Wayland Seminary in the fall
of 1877. He found there a friend in Dr. King,
the president.
Dr. King induced the Women's Missionary
Society of Euclid Street Baptist Church of Cleve¬
land, Ohio, to assist him through school. He
graduated, after four years' study, from the theo¬
logical and normal departments. The fifth year
he studied the languages in the same institution.
He was set apart to the gospel ministry, in Balti¬
more, in 1882. Monday morning, September n,
1882, a council met in the rooms of the Young
lien's Christian Association. Dr. Kerfoot con-
REV. JAMES ALBERT DENNIS.
168 our baptist ministers.
ducted the examination. The council unani¬
mously advised the church to ordain him. The
following Sunday was appointed for the ordina¬
tion to take place. Rev. Dr. Pernick preached
the ordination sermon.
On September 18, 1882, Rev. J. A. Dennis and
Miss M. Lane of Baltimore were united in matri¬
monial bonds by Rev. Dr. Harvey Johnson. Rev.
Dennis, with his wife, left the same evening for
Texas, to fill a position at Clarksville as preacher
and teacher left vacant by the death of one of
Wayland's truest sons, Rev. T. J. Clement. At
Clarksville, Texas, Mr. Dennis preached and
taught school for five years with marked success.
He built a beautiful and substantial house of
worship at this place, which stands as a monument
of his fidelity to the cause of Christ. In 1887 he
accepted a call to the New Hope Baptist Church
of Waco. This church, of which he is still the
pastor, is one of the best and most active in the
state. The building is costly and stylish. Rev.
Dennis is wedded to and connected with all the
Baptist interests of the state.
For four years he was manager of a paper, the
organ of the Baptists of the state. Now he is
president of the Southwestern Baptist Publishing
Company, moderator of a large association, prin¬
cipal of Downsville public school, president of the
Baptist Educational Society of the state, and the
rev. bazile dorsey. 169
most popular pastor of central Texas. Under
the pastoral care of Rev. Dennis the New Hope
Church is growing strong numerically, finan¬
cially, and spiritually. Rev. Dennis has not as
yet reached the zenith of his usefulness. The
history of the Baptist ministers of the state of
Texas would be incomplete without mentioning
his grand work. As a teacher he stands in the
front rank, and as a preacher he is among the
first in the state.
Rev. Bazile Dorsey.
Rev. Bazile Dorsey was born November 20,
1843, in Iberville, Louisiana. His parents were
Bazile and Harriet, and were slaves of a widow—
a Mrs. Dodd.
Young Dorsey was one of her trusted slaves,
and he often speaks with pleasure of her kind
and tender treatment. At the age of eighteen
young Dorsey was converted and was baptized by
an old brother named Louis Spraggins. In 1865
he was licensed to preach. Although illiterate,
he believed that he could not understand and
efficiently explain the Scriptures without some
education. By hard work and careful saving he
accumulated a sufficient amount of money to
enable him to enter the Freedmen's school, estab¬
lished at Plaquemine. In a short time, by dint of
YOUNG LADIES' HALL AND PUBLIC ROOMS.
Arkansas Baptist College, Little Rock, Ark.
REV. BAZILE DORSEY. 171
studious application, he was able to read the
Bible. His funds being soon exhausted, he
was obliged to leave school after the first year.
After this he labored by day and studied by night,
and preached to churches close around, until
1868, when he was called to the charge he now
holds. In 1869 he was married to Miss Nancy
Mullen. In Mr. Dorsey's neighborhood, on the
various plantations, were a few Christians wor¬
shiping in their cabins. He secured an old mule
stable, in which he gathered these humble Chris¬
tians, and was soon able to organize the St. John
Baptist Church, with a membership of one hun¬
dred and fifty. Then they purchased an old cot¬
ton gin house and fitted it up for church pur¬
poses. This house was afterward accidentally
burned. Rev. Dorsey is aggressive, progressive,
and determined. He engineered the purchase
of a piece of land upon which they built a church
structure at the cost of $10,000, which is one of
the handsomest and most complete church edifices
in Louisiana, with a membership of one thousand
two hundred and fifty. In 1873, Mr. Dorsey was
ordained, and the following year he organized the
St. John the Baptist Ministers' Association, which
was about the first local organization .among the
Baptist ministers of his state. He believes that
the colored people should own property, and has
induced his people to buy land and has succeeded
172 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
in establishing a small town, Dorseyville (named
in honor of him), with over six hundred inhabi¬
tants. The majority of the property owners be¬
long to his church. He has also been the means
of erecting a private schoolhouse at a cost of
$1,600. In 1880 his wife died, leaving him one
child. In 1882 and 1883 Rev. Dorsey attended
the theological department of Leland University.
In 1882 he married Miss Mary Verret, who is an
exemplary Christian, and has been a great aid
to him in his work. Rev. Dorsey is a pleasant,
charitable, and sympathetic Christian; an enthu¬
siastic and stanch Baptist, an eloquent, convinc¬
ing speaker, he succeeds in retaining as well as
gaining the love of his large congregation.
He enjoys the friendship and esteem of the
whole community, irrespective of race.
For twelve years he has been treasurer of the
Baptist State Sunday-school Convention, and the
Fourth District Baptist Association. With only
a rudimentary education, Rev. Dorsey, by his
noble life and zealous work, has done and is doing
a great good for his community. He, aided by
others, has done much to allay race prejudice,
so much so that no disturbance has occurred be¬
tween the races of his native parish up to this
time. There are doubtless some more brilliant
and accomplished ministers in Louisiana, but no
one is more zealous, earnest, and devoted to his
rev. a. p. dunbar.
173
calling, and no one has done more for the up¬
building of the kingdom of Christ and the eleva¬
tion of his race than Rev. Bazile Dorsey.
Rev. A. P. Dunbar.
Rev. A. P. Dunbar was born October 25, 1856,
in Barnwell County, South Carolina. He is the
son of Rev. R. and Margaret Dunbar, who were
slaves. His father is a man of considerable in¬
telligence and influence. He has done no little
in the county in which he lives, and offered his
son Albert every opportunity in his reach for
learning.
Young Dunbar first attended the public schools
in his native county. He afterwards attended
the institution at Brunson, S. C., for two years.
In the fall of 1877 he entered Benedict Insti¬
tute, Columbia, S. C., where he studied eight
years, and finished the prescribed course. While
in the latter institution, in addition to his studies,
he did pastoral work and other duties.
Mr. Dunbar professed hope in Christ in 1873,
when seventeen years of age, and began to preach
the same year. When he was twenty years of
age he was ordained. It can be seen from this
that Rev. A. P. Dunbar entered the Master's
cause at a very early age. He had a peculiar
fitness or adaptation to the work in which he has
REV. A. P. DUNBAR.
rev. george washington dupee. 175
been engaged; success has followed him ; he has
been instrumental in saving many souls.
He held his first church in Barnwell County,
S. C., and the first year of his pastorate he bap¬
tized seventy persons. Rev. Dunbar's first im¬
portant charge was Calvary Baptist Church,
Columbia, S. C., which he served nine years.
During these years he completed their house of
worship, which is large and handsome, at a cost
of $8,000, and baptized into the church during
the same time seven hundred and fifty persons.
He received a call from the Fifth Street Bap¬
tist Church of Richmond, Va. Shortly after
being there he saw that the building they were
using was not large enough to accommodate
the people. The church decided to erect a new
building, which they did at a cost of $16,300,
about half of which has been paid. Rev. Dunbar
has been pastor of the Fifth Street Baptist Church
five years, and has baptized three hundred and
seventy-five persons.
Rev. George Washington Dupee.
George W. Dupee was born in Gallatin County,
Kentucky, July 24, 1827. His parents were
Cuthbert and Rachel Dupee; they were slaves,
the property of a Baptist preacher named Joseph
Taylor,
REV. GEORGE WASHINGTON DUPEE.
REV. GEORGE WASHINGTON DUPEE. I 77
While George was quite young his master sold
some of his slaves and moved to the state of
Illinois. He and two brothers were left in Wood¬
ford County, Kentucky, where they lived several
years, and worked in a bagging factory. In his
early life he also worked in a brick yard, and for
several years was hired to various persons.
In 1840 he was put to the carpenter's trade ; by
this time he had also learned some of the trades
of wickedness, such as drinking whisky, swearing,
etc. It was not until a severe punishment had
been informally administered to him by an old
plantation preacher that he realized the morale of
his pranks. In 1842 he became very much con¬
cerned about his spiritual welfare, nor did his
interest cease till he had every reason to believe
that he was happily converted.
From that time his pleasure in things purely
worldly ceased. On the Saturday night follow¬
ing his conversion he attended a meeting of col¬
ored people at the house of Deacon Wingate
(white); at this meeting he was examined and
recommended to go before the Buck Run Church
for further examination.
In August of the same year he was baptized by
Rev. Kenny. He felt impressed that he ought to
preach the gospel, but not knowing how to read
he thought preaching was out of the question,
and used to say to himself, " If the Lord knew
12
178 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
me as well as I know myself, he would know
that he cannot make a preacher of me." In the
mean time Mr. Dupee had learned the alphabet.
One rainy Wednesday, in 1844, he heard old
father David Woods reading the New Testament,
who, becoming weary, laid the book down; then
Mr. Dupee picked up the book, wishing to read
as he saw Father Woods read. He opened the
book at the first chapter of John, saw the letters
J-o-h-n, and said, "What did that fool put those
letters that way for ? They don't mean anything."
He quarreled with the compositor about the let¬
ters of John's name, not knowing there was such
a character as a compositor. He could not pro¬
nounce the name. But just how he began reading
has always been a mystery to him, for he read over
and over again the first three chapters of John.
When he realized that he could read the Word
of God, he shouted, cried, and pressed the book to
his breast in thankfulness to God for teaching
him to read. On the same evening he felt more
deeply than ever impressed that he should preach,
but could not persuade himself that he could
become a preacher. He had great musical talent,
and could repeat over two hundred hymns from
memory.
In 1845 Mr. Dupee had a peculiar experience.
He was introduced to Sister Phoebe Fields, a
member of Big Spring Baptist Church, who
REV. GEORGE WASHINGTON DUPEE. 179
looked at him very strangely, and refused to talk
to him. In August Sister Fields sent for him
to come to see her the first Sunday in September.
When he remembered their first meeting he was
deeply depressed by that message; he was afraid
to go and afraid to stay away. But he met her,
and it was a meeting that he will never forget.
On the Sunday named he went to her house, and
with great reluctance on his part consented to
accompany her and Tier two sisters to a prayer-
meeting. Sister Fields told him why she refused
to talk to him; that she saw something peculiar
in his face, and did not think him honest, but she
had prayed over the matter, and had been led by
the Lord to see that he had been converted, had
been called to preach, and that he had steadily
refused to obey the call. He was dumfounded
at this revelation, as he had never told any one in
that community that he was even a Christian.
At the prayer-meeting, when several hymns had
been sung and prayers offered, Sister Fields
called upon Mr. Dupee to preach. Although he
arose and spoke, yet so dumfounded was he that
he was hardly conscious of what he was saying.
Without further questioning, Sister Fields at that
meeting made an appointment for young Dupee
to* preach the following Sunday.
That meeting marked a new era in his life.
From his efforts a great revival began, and many
180 Our baptist ministers.
souls were converted. The old brethren of the
neighborhood (there being no regular organiza¬
tion among the colored) asked Mr. Dupee to act
as a sort of pastor. The colored deacons of
Buck Run Church had already authorized him to
exercise his ministerial gifts.
In July, 1847, the church voted to give him
license, and the clerk was ordered to write it out
for him. Mr. Dupee did not put himself to the
trouble to go after it, thinking that in preaching
he needed no license.
In 1846 Sister Phoebe Fields impressed him
with the importance of learning to write, saying
that the responsibilities that would inevitably
devolve upon him as a minister rendered it neces¬
sary for him to know how to write. Sister Fields
is a fair example of the great good a consecrated
woman can do by advising and inspiring those
who often sorely need such help.
Mr. Dupee preached in many counties of his
state, walking more than a hundred miles to and
from preaching places, preaching on an average
four sermons a week.
In 1848 he was hired to Mr. Joseph Gales at
Frankfort; in the same year he was married to
Mrs. Matilda Green in the Gov. J. J. Crittenden's
palace, old father David Woods officiating. In
March of the same year Mr. Dupee was ordained
by Rev. Reynolds, D.D., president of Georgetown
REV. GEORGE WASHINGTON DUPEE. l8l
College, and Rev. J. M. Frost, pastor of the white
Baptist church. In the next few years he organ¬
ized many churches at various points, and bap¬
tized many persons.
Late in 1855 Rev. Dupee's attention was called
to an advertisement which announced that he and
his two brothers would be sold at auction to the
highest bidders on January 1, 1856. The good
preacher was in doubt as to what would become
of him. At last he was met by Judge B. F.
Graves, and told that the clerk of the county
court wanted to see him. He suspected that he
would be taken from the clerk's office to the jail
to await the coming of the slave traders. But
through the humane arrangement of Rev. Dr.
Pratt and other persons associated with him, he
was bought, and allowed to work and pay for him¬
self. All the brothers were afterwards set free.
In 1861 Rev. Dupee organized a ministers'
and deacons' meeting, the first in the state among
the colored people, and perhaps the first in the
United States. Being now free his field of labor
was almost unlimited. Church after church was
organized, and the number of calls extended were
more than he could accept. Having received a
call to Paducah in 1864, he moved there. Padu-
cah seemed to be a very gathering place for the
wicked; the good people were largely away at the
time; the place was in the possession of soldiers.
182
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
When Rev. Dupee began work, the men would
come to church, smoke, drink whisky, curse, etc.
The Reverend got a large hickory stick, carried
it to the church, and told the men what would
happen if they did not behave. The men con¬
cluded to let him alone.
Rev. Dupee has been preaching to the church
at Paducah since February, 1865, and has as large
and orderly a congregation as any in the state. He
has baptized three thousand persons there, and
from his church has ordained ten ministers, some
of whom are able men.
In 1867 he, with Rev. S. Underwood and oth¬
ers, organized the first District Baptist Associa¬
tion. Of this association Rev. Dupee has been
regularly elected moderator ever since. When
the General Baptist Association of the state was
organized in 1869, he was elected moderator,
which office he held till 1881. He was also a
delegate to and member of the American Con¬
solidated Convention when it met at Nashville,
Tenn., in 1867, also to the meetings in Savan¬
nah, Ga., Paducah, Ky., Wilmington, N. C., and
Brooklyn, N. Y. Rev. Dupee has been pastor of
twelve churches; he has received thirteen thou¬
sand into church, and baptized more than eight
thousand ; he has joined in marriage over thirteen
thousand couples ; and he established and edited
a paper called the Baptist Herald,, from 1873 to
REV. J. J. DURHAM, A.M., M.D. 183
1878. He has been a member of the church
forty-nine years ; he has been preaching forty-six
years, and an ordained minister forty-one years.
During that time he has preached over twelve
thousand funeral sermons, including the funeral
sermons of some very eminent men.
REV. J. J. DURHAM, A.M., M.D.
Rev. J. J. Durham was born in Spartanburg
County, South Carolina, April 13, 1849. He was
held in slavery till the overthrow of the Southern
Confederacy. At the age of ten he was moved
along with his parents to Cashville, in his native
county, where he worked till he reached the age
of fifteen, when he was apprenticed to learn the
blacksmith trade. He followed this trade till
1870, using all his spare moments learning to
read and write. Mr. Durham made profession of
religion in 1867, and united with the Pilgrim
Baptist Church in Greenville County. During
the same year he was licensed to preach. The
following year, receiving a call to Foster's Chapel,
Spartanburg, he was ordained. Although he felt
deeply impressed with a call to the ministry, yet
he had some hesitancy in devoting himself to the
work because of his limited mental preparation.
Notwithstanding success as a minister seemed
difficult under such circumstances, he decided to
REV. J. J. DURHAM, A.M., M.D.
REV.. J. J. DURHAM, A.M., M.D. 185
undertake the mission and do the best he could.
His church was some fifteen miles from his home,
and he often had many hardships in going to it;
yet he served it eighteen months, and for his
services received about eighteen dollars.
Having by this time saved some money from
his trade by dint of strictest economy, he entered
school at Greenville. By renting a room and
boarding himself, he managed to stay in school
three years. Having hired some one to teach
him Latin and Algebra during the summer of
1873, he was able in the fall of that year to enter
the senior preparatory class of the South Carolina
College. As he was not able enter the Freshman
class as he expected, he again suffered financial
embarrassmeht. Fifty dollars, given him by his
father, enabled him to go through the year with
but little debt.
The fall of 1874 he easily entered the Fresh¬
man class. Being found eligible, he received a
scholarship from the state of twenty dollars per
month, which enabled him to live comfortably till
he had finished the Sophomore year, at which
time the government having passed into the
hands of the Democrats, the appropriations for
the college were stopped, and the institution
closed in the spring of 1877.
October, 1877, he entered Atlanta University,
Atlanta, Ga., and was admitted to the Junior
i86
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
class. March, 1880, he entered Fisk University,
Nashville, Tenn., and graduated with A.B. the
following May. After graduating, Rev. Durham
returned to Columbia, S. C., where he took charge
of the Nazareth Baptist Church.
Feeling that he would be more useful among
o o
his people if he had a knowledge of medicine, he
returned to Nashville and entered the Meharry
Medical College, from which he graduated, March,
1882, the valedictorian of his class.
After returning to South Carolina, he was
called to the pastorate of the Bethesda Baptist
Church, Society Hill, S. C. This was a large and
flourishing church. In connection with his pas¬
toral duties, he had a large medical practice.
October, 1883, Rev. Durham resigned his minis¬
terial charge to become the Sunday-school mis¬
sionary for the state under the American Baptist
Publication Society. At the same time he was
appointed secretary and financial agent of the
Baptist Educational, Missionary, and Sunday-
school Convention. The latter position he held
continuously for eight years. He has been identi¬
fied with all the movements of his denomination
in the state for the past ten years.
He has recently accepted a call to the Second
Baptist Church of Savannah, Ga. As an orator
and speaker Rev. Durham is very impressive. In
addition to natural gifts, such as presentable ap-
rev. alexander ellis. 187
pearance and a fine voice, he is logical and clear.
He gained considerable fame as a debater even
while in school. He has also written much for
the press and otherwise; some of his published
pamphlets on Baptist principles, etc., are strong
and forcibly set forth. They give evidences of
patient research and accurate scholarship.
Rev. Alexander Ellis.
Rev. Alexander Ellis was born October 15,
1837, at Kinlass, Cornwall County, Jamaica Island,
West Indies. He entered the public schools at
eight years of age, and studied there till he was
fourteen. In 1851 he was placed under the tui¬
tion of Rev. Ellis Fray, a Baptist minister. He
was under him till 1856. During the last named
year he was converted to Christ, was baptized,
and became a member of the Baptist church at
Refuge. In September of the same year he
entered the normal department of Calabar Col¬
lege, from which he graduated in three years, the
first in a class of sixteen. The following year he
was an assistant in the normal department. In
1860-61, he was principal of the Collegiate school
at Falmouth. Then he returned to Calabar Col¬
lege as a theological student, and graduated in
1865 with the highest encomiums for his attain¬
ment in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptural stud-
i88
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
ies, and his knowledge of church history and gov¬
ernment. For one year he supplied the pulpit of
the Baptist church in the city of Kingston, Jam.
Rev. Ellis was invited by the Society of Friends
to come to the United States and take charge of
a school for them in Virginia. Having accepted
the invitation, he left Jamaica and arrived in New
York May, 1867. The American Baptist Home
Mission Society, with Drs. Bachus and Simmons
as secretaries, was so well pleased with his testi¬
monials of scholarship and Christian character
that he was immediately appointed as an assistant
of Dr. H. M. Tupper in the establishment of a
Baptist school for freedmen in the city of Raleigh,
North Carolina. From Raleigh he was transferred
to Manchester, Va. While there he was called to
the Independent Baptist Church at Boston, Mass.
He was ordained and installed pastor November
30, 1868. The following ministers composed the
council: Revs. William Thompson, William V.
Garner, O. T. Walker, E. H. Lecomble, Leonard
A. Grimes, and Drs. Rollin H. Neal and D. C.
Eddy. He served that church more than seven
years. Then he became pastor of the Day Star
Baptist Church, which he served more than six
years. While at Boston he was made moderator
of the Boston South Baptist Association, which
position he held two years. He was frequently
called upon to fill the pulpits of some of the
rev. eugene evans. 189
wealthiest congregations in and around Boston.
He has also served as president of the New Eng¬
land Baptist Missionary Convention. He was
called to the Second Baptist Church at Savan¬
nah, Georgia, in 1882, where he still (1891) labors.
Since he entered the ministry he has baptized
two thousand three hundred and fifty-two per¬
sons ; preached nine thousand eight hundred and
fifty-four sermons; and has officiated at the mar¬
riage of four hundred and one couples. Under
his lead the Second Church has built one of the
handsomest houses of worship owned by any
colored congregation in the South.
Rev. Eugene Evans.
Rev. Eugene Evans was born at Louisville,
Ky., November 30, 1855. His father was a slave
and his mother was a free woman. He was put
in school at a very early age, and remained at
school till he was about fifteen. His father died
in 1869, leaving his mother with two children,
and no means of support. Young Eugene, being
fifteen years of age, felt that he ought to help his
mother, and, accordingly, he entered the brick¬
yard, where he worked and gave all his earnings
to his mother. In 1873 he united with the Ken¬
tucky Street Baptist Church, where he soon be¬
came a very useful and influential member. At
Residence. HARTSHORN MEMORIAL BUILDING, RICHMOND, VA.
Main Building.
REV. EUGENE EVANS.
191
sixteen he was clerk of the church and was licensed
to preach at eighteen. He thereupon left the
city and visited the rural counties, where he met
with great success both as a teacher and preacher.
Many conversions attended his preaching. A
church was soon organized, and he was called as
pastor. He served this church, which was located
at Brandenburg, Ky., three years. Success at¬
tended his efforts despite the many threats made
against his life by Kuklux.
In 1876 Rev. Evans moved to Rockford, Ind.,
where he took charge of a small church, which
rapidly grew into one of considerable proportion.
In that year and in Indiana he had his first expe¬
rience in active politics, stumping the state in the
interest of Mr. Hayes. His speeches called forth
many encomiums from the press. While in In¬
diana Rev. Evans also established and published
the Baptist Banner. In 1879 he accepted a call
to the First Church in Elizabethtown, Ky. He
remained there two years, in the mean time pub¬
lishing the Christian Pilot.
In 1882 he was called to the Main Street Bap¬
tist Church, Lexington, Ky. At the time this
was the largest church in Kentucky. He suc¬
ceeded in uniting the factions and liquidating a
great part of the church debt. While there he
also published a paper called Fair Play. He
was called to the State Street Baptist Church,
jg2 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Bowling Green, Ky. This call was extended be¬
fore they had even seen him or heard him preach.
His first work there was very auspicious, having
baptized at the very beginning more than one
hundred persons into the church. In connection
with his church work at Bowling Green he edited
the Bowling Green Watchman, the organ of the
Republican party of the third congressional district.
While at Bowling Green he organized the Union
District Association, the Union District Sunday-
school Convention, and the Union District Min¬
isters' and Deacons' Meeting. These organiza¬
tions have accomplished much good for the Bap¬
tists in that part of Kentucky. After three years'
pastorate at Bowling Green, Rev. Evans accepted
a call to the United Baptist Church at Frankfort,
Ky. The church was soon thoroughly united, a
great revival was held, as a result of which two
hundred were added to the church. During a
pastorate of five years at Frankfort he baptized
into the church over five hundred persons. As a
preacher, he is eloquent and forcible, and attracts
large numbers to his church. He is a hard stu¬
dent, and a brilliant writer.- Besides doing a
great deal of editorial work, he has written sev¬
eral pamphlets. He is writing a book to be
known as " Some Arrows from My Quiver."
Rev. Evans is among the most popular colored
men in the state. He is a trustee of the State
rev. john w. exzell. 193
University, Louisville, and moderator of the Con¬
solidated Educational Association of the state,
and editor of The Kings Children, a Sunday-
school journal. His influence is wide, being
known outside as well as in the state of Ken¬
tucky. He writes for some of the leading papers
of the race. He has already made a good record
as a preacher, orator, lecturer, editor, and author.
Rev. John W. Exzell.
Rev. John W. Exzell was born in Chickasaw
County, Mississippi, November 8, 1852. His
training in the school was very limited. Alto¬
gether he went to school only about five months.
He has been very studious and observant. As
a consequence, he stood a very creditable exami¬
nation before Judge Green in 1876 and was given
license to practice law in the courts of Mississippi,
which he did very successfully until he perceived
that practicing the law and preaching the gospel
do not go together very harmoniously. In 1880
he gave up his law practice and moved to Clay
County, Mississippi, where he taught public
schools nine years. It is said no teacher gave
more satisfaction than he. For two years he
was president of the Teachers' Institute of the
county. He made profession of religion in the
Methodist church at Okolona in September,
13
our baptist ministers.
1869. A few days later he became a member
of the Second Baptist Church of that city. He
was ordained to the work of the gospel ministry
in the Second Baptist Church in 1873. Since
that time with much success he has served nine
different churches. He is among the leading
ministers of his denomination in the state. He
has been vice-president of the Baptist State Sun¬
day-school Convention and is now clerk of the
Mt. Olivet Baptist Association of Mississippi.
During twenty years' ministry he has conducted
fifty-one different series of meetings in which a
great number of persons proclaimed faith in
Christ. Rev. Exzell is a plain, straightforward
gospel preacher. He does not preach to please
men but God. Consequently he does not look
to see who are in the audience before he ventures
to speak his opinions. What he believes to be
true and ought to be said he says and is not
disturbed as to what some one will think or say.
Rev. S. M. Fisher.
Rev. S. M. Fisher was born of slave parents,
January *10, 1853, at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
During the war of the rebellion, he with his
parents was taken to Louisiana, where they -all
remained until the close of the war. After they
were set free, he and his mother made the journey
REV. S. M. FISHER.
J g6 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
back to Vicksburg. His father had preceded
them that a home might be prepared for them
when they reached there. But he died before
they reached him. Young Fisher was then
thrown upon his own resources. He attended
school at Vicksburg and Edwards, Miss. By
diligent study he has acquired a common school
training. He was converted in 1871, was bap¬
tized and received into the Baptist church at
Edwards, Miss. He was licensed in 1876 and
removed to Louisiana, where he was ordained in
1879 in the Evergreen Baptist Church, of Provi¬
dence, La. There he built his first church edifice,
for the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church. He did a
great deal of work in this part of the state, being
especially active in mission work. He was also
employed as missionary for the Consolidated
Convention of Mississippi. In 1883 he moved to
Phillips County, Arkansas, and cast his lot among
the Baptists of that state. Hejtook charge of two
churches in Phillips County and immediately
interested himself in mission work, his mission
work extending over four adjoining counties.
Many persons were happily converted in his
churches and were baptized by him. He built
two church edifices in Phillips County. In 1885
he accepted charge of the church at Van Buren.
In 1886 Rev. Fisher accepted a call to the First
Church at Fort Smith. In December of the same
REV. S. M. FISHER.
197
year, feeling that he could not do justice to both
churches, he resigned his charge at Van Buren
and gave his entire time to the church at Fort
Smith. He felt justified in so doing since Fort
Smith is the gate city of the West. From 1888
to 1890 he was president of the Antioch District
Association of Western Arkansas and Cherokee
Nation. While laboring there he succeeded in
getting his brethren interested in the educational
work of the state.
Rev. Fisher was chosen vice-president of the
Arkansas Baptist State Convention in 1887.
He has been an earnest worker in all denomina¬
tional and educational enterprises since 1883.
He has been a frequent contributor to news¬
papers, and has been especially helpful and loyal
to the papers published in the interest of the
denomination. While at Fort Smith two hun¬
dred persons were added to the church. In
October, 1889, he resigned -that charge, leaving
the church in a good condition, having three
hundred dollars in its treasury. October 12,
1889, he became pastor of the Mt. Carmel Church
at Hot Springs, Ark. Since that time, the
church has paid off a debt of five hundred dol¬
lars, added to its membership thirty by baptism,
and is now planning to erect a handsome brick
building.
198
our baptist ministers.
Rev. John H. Flemings.
Rev. J. H. Flemings was born in St. Landry
Parish, Louisiana, 1852. His mother and father
were slaves and were originally from Virginia.
At the age of eleven he made his way to New
Orleans where he had two sisters living. He
was put in a government school. In 1865 he
left that school and entered a school in the city,
where he remained four years, after which he
attended a private school. He became a Chris¬
tian in 1872 ; he united with the Good Hope
Baptist Church at Algiers. In 1882 he was
called to take charge of the Good Hope Baptist
Church. It was not in a very good condition,
neither spiritually nor financially, when he took
charge. -Under Rev. Flemings the membership
has increased and the church owns a building; lot
worth more than $1,200. He has done a good
work for his church and the community in-which
he lives.
Rev. S. Flinn.
Rev. S. Flinn was born in Beaufort County,
S.C., April 10,1835. He made profession of relig¬
ion and became a member of the Baptist church
in 1866. He was ordained in 1870. Rev. Flinn
has (since his ministry) held four churches at the
REV. JOHN H. FLEMINGS,
200 our baptist ministers.
same time, visiting each once a month. Some
of these churches he has held continuously for
over twenty years. He has baptized more than
one thousand five hundred persons. Rev. Flinn
is among the older ministers of the state. He is
one of the older ministers who remain young. He
not only identifies himself with every good work,
but is an advocate of every progressive movement.
He is a friend of education and of an educated
ministry. He is useful as well as influential in
the Baptist councils of his state. He became a
life member of the State Convention at its organ¬
ization and has been one of the managers ever
since.
Rev. John H. Frank.
Rev. John H. Frank is one of the progressive
and useful ministers of Kentucky. Although
comparatively young, his sphere of popularity
and influence is wide. For several years he has
been representing his state in the national Bap¬
tist gatherings, and is in consequence acquainted
with all the leading Baptist men of the race.
Rev. Frank was born in Jefferson County, near
Louisville, Kentucky, October 22, 1859. He
was practically an orphan at a very early age,
His life has beer* a checkered one. Coming up
REV. S. FLINN.
202
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
in the midst of struggles and in the face of
severe difficulties as he did, his experience has
been an illustration of the fact that " God moves
in a mysterious way his wonders to perform."
His educational advantages were such as the
public schools of Louisville afforded. These he
attended day and night, making very rapid
progress in his attainments. His present effi¬
ciency is an evidence of the earnest application
of the schoolboy. In March, 1877, he was
baptized into the fellowship of the Fifth Street
Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky., by Rev. A.
Heath, whom he succeeded in the pastorate.
His church licensed him to preach October, 1884.
During the same year he was called to the
pastoral charge of the Baptist church at Branden¬
burg, Ky., but did not accept the call. Novem¬
ber, 1886, he became assistant pastor of the Fifth
Street Baptist Church, for which purpose he was
ordained by the church March, 1887, after pass¬
ing a rigid examination before a capable council.
One month later, Rev. Frank assumed full
pastoral charge at a salary of $1,200 per year.
The church is said to be among the leading, if
pot the largest one in the state. It has a mem¬
bership of one thousand seven hundred. It is an
attractive center to persons visiting the city, and
is known among the great Baptist churches of the
country. Besides his pastoral obligations, Rev.
REV. JOHN H. FRANK,
204 our baptist ministers.
Frank finds time to serve his people and denomi¬
nation in other capacities. For many years he has
been at the head of the management of the Colored
Orphan Home of Louisville. Under his man¬
agement a long standing indebtedness of the
Home has been almost liquidated, and the people
of the city are more warmly supporting the
undertaking. He is also active and tireless as a
Y. M. C. A. worker. That organization finds in
him a constant and valuable friend.
The American National Baptist Convention
and the Baptist Foreign Mission Convention of
the United States have repeatedly honored him
with positions of trust. He is now secretary and
treasurer of the Wm. J. Simmons memorial
fund. He also edits and publishes in the interest
of the Fifth Street Baptist Church a religious
journal called the Messenger.
Rev. Frank is an impressive speaker, and an
earnest and successful preacher. Beside other
qualifications, nature has blessed him with a
stentorian voice.
Rev. Taylor Fryerson.
Rev. Taylor Fryerson was born in Union
Springs, Macon County, Alabama, August 2,
1848, and lived there until 1862 ; in that year he
went to Phillips County, Arkansas, and returned
REV. TAYLOR FRYERSON.
205
the same year to his old home. In 1865 he went
to Mobile, and, being free, he made that city his
home for a good many years. In 1872 he went
to Mississippi, as a laborer, to work in a saw
mill, and in 1873 he went to Leland University,
New Orleans, La., and staid there until 1878,
under the watch care of Professor L. B. Barker;
having been called to the ministry he made the
Bible one of his chief studies. He was converted
in the year 1861, but did not join any church
until 1867. He was ordained in November, 1872.
Then he felt the need of an education, and made
the above-named school his choice. After leav¬
ing school he took the sea coast as his field of
labor from Biloxi on the sea coast to Gainesville
on the Pearl river. At the time of his arrival the
Baptists on the coast were few in number and
his task was a difficult one; his trust was in Him
who said, " Lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world." He succeeded in building
churches in the following places: Biloxi, Hands-
boro, Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis, Pearlington,
and Gainesville. He has baptized over one thou¬
sand persons. When he left school he located in
the town of Gainesville, Miss. For several months
he had to preach in a private house as his congre¬
gation was small; there were only two persons
there who were Baptists. He toiled on and suc¬
ceeded in gaining souls one by one until the
206 our baptist ministers.
whole town was brought to the Saviour. At the
same time, he preached occasionally in Pearling-
ton, and at Jordan River, Miss. In Pearlington
there were only six persons contending for the
faith, and at Jordan River only one. But he had
the courage and toiled and toiled until others
were brought to Jesus. In Handsboro and Pass
Christian the Baptists had very small houses of
worship; he built a very magnificent church in
both places. His present home is in Pearling¬
ton, where he bought a place which, when com¬
pleted, cost him about $750; he also has other
property to the amount of $2,500. When he can
do anything that will elevate his race he is always
willing and ready.
In February, 1867, he was united in marriage
with Miss M. J. Johnson of Mobile, Alabama.
Rev. D. A. Gaddie, D.D.
One of the great towers of the Baptist cause in
Kentucky is Rev. D. A. Gaddie. He is tall, erect,
well built, and has a stentorian voice. He has an
intellectual and commanding appearance; and his
influence among the brethren of his state is very
great. He was born May 21, 1836. He has ever
felt indebted to Robert Garner, a white brother,
who was instrumental, he thinks, in bringing him
to Christ. Rev. Gaddie became a Christian in
REV. D. A. GADDIE, D.D. 20J
1859. He was ordained in 1865. He has been
a regularly ordained minister, a faithful servant
of Christ, for twenty-six years, yet he still has the
appearance of being in the prime of life; healthy
and of quick step. He has been pastor of many
churches in the state. In 1872 he was elected to
the pastorate of the Green Street Baptist Church
of Louisville. He has now been pastor of that
church nineteen years. The influence of his
faithful service has been far reaching. That he
has been earnest, devoted, and successful, may be
known from the fact that more than two thou¬
sand persons have been added to the church
under his pastorate; more than three-fourths of
whom he has baptized. Under his leadership
this church is active, well organized, and disci¬
plined. Mr. Gaddie is very popular among the
brethren of the state. They have honored him
on many occasions ; he has served in many places
of honor in the various religious bodies, and has
been moderator of the General Association of
Kentucky Baptists. He usually represents the
Baptists of his state at all national gatherings,'
and is well acquainted with leading men of the
denomination in the country. He was at one
time vice-president of the American Consolidated
Baptist Convention. He has been trustee of the
State University for many years, and also served
on the executive board. He has also been the
208 our baptist ministers.
moderator of the Central District Association for
many years, in which capacity he has given abun¬
dant satisfaction. That association is said to
raise more money for the State University than
any other association in the state, except the Gen¬
eral Association and the Women's Educational
Convention.
He is a great temperance advocate, and is
active along every line which tends to elevate his
people. One thing that has contributed largely
to his success has been the friendly feeling he
extends to young preachers. They always elicit
his sympathy and encouragement. His intellect¬
ual ability, his foresight, and genial disposition
cause his counsel to be sought and accepted.
Recognizing his work and worth, the State Uni¬
versity, in May, 1887, conferred upon him the
degree of Doctor of Divinity. Dr. Simmons in
" Men of Mark," says of him: " His hand is ever
ready to assist in every enterprise calculated to
benefit the people of the state. He is often
elected to conventions which consider the educa¬
tional and industrial affairs of the colored people,
and is therefore more prominent on account of
his known advocacy of every measure which
will elevate the race. Such men hasten 'the
good time coming,' and add to the moral, religious,
and educational worth of the people. His life,
full of usefulness, piety, and acts of charity, draws
rev. james h. garnett, b.d. 209
to him the affection of a loving people, whose
personal kindnesses are well known to the writer."
Rev. James H. Garnett, B.D.,
successor to Dr. William J. Simmons as presi¬
dent of State University, Louisville, was born a
slave in the state of Georgia, Gordon County, in
1852. His master was Samuel Carter, son of
Mr. Ferris Carter, who owned more than a thou¬
sand slaves. In the early days of the war of the
rebellion, James, the slave boy, caught the breath
of freedom, and never afterward rested con¬
tented, but watched his chances to escape from
bondage. One bright morning in autumn, while
the cannon was roaring and the flower of the
youth of the southland were being decimated to
rivet more securely the shackles upon the man¬
acled limbs of the slave, James H. Garnett, though
an inexperienced boy, caught one of his old mas¬
ter's horses, and, with a quilt for a saddle and
rope for stirrups, he, as Abraham of old, set out,
not knowing whither he was going. However,
after a few days wandering he found himself
within the Union lines; and ere long he was on
the famous march to the sea, and from that day
to this has never set eyes on the homestead.
From Savannah he went northward, and in the
course of his wanderings made his way to the
REV. JAMES H. GARNETT,
Pre§ic}ent State University, Louisville, Ky.
REV. JAMES H. GARNETT, B.D. 211
great metropolis of New York. After securing
something by which he could make a living, he,
without a friend, soon found his way into the
public night schools of New York city. There
his progress was marked. During his residence
in New York Mr. Garnett was converted under
the preaching of Father William Spelman. He
was baptized and united with the Abyssinian
Baptist Church, and was subsequently ordained
by Father William Spelman, who since has been
gathered to his fathers. Without consulting his
friends or telling any one where he was going,
Mr. Garnett packed his trunk and went to Ober-
lin College, Ohio, where he spent seven years.
He took the classical course, graduating with the
degree A.B. Out of a class of thirty-two, all.
white but himself, Mr. Garnett stood fifth, and in
his graduating oration carried off the palm as the
best orator of thfe day. He was always a great
favorite with both teachers and students. After
finishing his course at Oberlin he took a three
years' course at the Union Theological Seminary,
Morgan Park, Chicago, 111. He was the only
colored man in his class, and was the president of
his class; indeed, there was no man in the semi¬
nary that stood higher than he, and he was one of
the honored six who represented the class. As
an orator he stood first. , Through his entire
gourse of study Mr. Garnett worked his own way.
2 I 2
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Just at the time he finished his course in theol¬
ogy, the colored Baptists of Arkansas were cast¬
ing about to find a man to place at the head of
their educational work in the state, and Mr. Gar-
nett having been favorably spoken of to them,
they gave him an urgent invitation to visit the
state. His very appearance in the state, and
before the Board of Trustees, secured for him the
confidence of the Baptists of the state, and he was
unanimously elected by the executive board as
president of the Arkansas Baptist College.
The new responsibilities upon which Mr. Gar-
nett entered were crude, and woiild have baffled
the skill of many Old professors, but he took hold
with a firm, determined, and intelligent manner,
,which inspired confidence all along the Baptist
lines. His two years' labor in Arkansas gave to
the Baptist College a standing and prestige
among the people of the state that cannot be
overestimated. Unlike many who are called to
occupy such an exalted station, Dr. Garnett be¬
came a missionary as well as president of the col¬
lege, and spent all of his vacations in visiting the
Baptists in the rural parts of the state. But, to
the regret of all, and over the unanimous protest
of the Board of Trustees, he left Arkansas to
take charge of Guadalupe College, Seguin, Texas.
He felt that the Lord had called him to go to that
field, and human power could not restrain him
REV. JAMES H. GARNETT, B.D. 213
from obeying what he believed to be a call from
God.
During Dr. Garnett's four years' presidency of
Guadalupe College, his success was marked and
marvelous, and surpassed the most sanguine
expectations of his most intimate friends. While
in Seguin he served two years as principal of the
city public schools, and in that capacity endeared
himself to all classes of the people. The Texas
Baptists, like their brethren in Arkansas, were loth
to give him up, and when he was called to take
the position which he now fills so honorably, they
urgently protested.
As an organizer Dr. Garnett ranks among the
best, his ability along that line being that he
possesses a special faculty in awakening sympa¬
thy, arousing interest, and stirring the emotions
of the people, convincing them that he is commis¬
sioned of God, and that he therefore speaks with^
authority. He also possesses in a large degree
the faculty of adaptability, which makes him pre¬
eminently a man of the people. It is said of him
that he is learned, but is as plain as a farm hand.
He carries with him a clean and spotless record.
He now fills the chair once occupied by the late
Rev. William J. Simmons, D.D., LL.D., with
much credit to himself and to the satisfaction of
his brethren. Dr. Garnett is just in the meridian
of life, and is supported by an amiable and tal-
214 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
ented companion, who shares with him in all the
conflicts of life.
There was never any sorrow like that sorrow
which the people of Texas manifested, white and
colored, from Ex-Governor Ireland down, about
the giving up of a Christian teacher, as when
Prof. Garnett left Texas. As a preacher he is
earnest, logical, clear, and effective. As a teacher
he is lucid, interesting, and loved by his pupils;
as a gentleman he is scholarly, dignified, easy in
manners, congenial, friendly, and unassuming.
Rev. G. W. Gayles.
Rev. G. W. Gayles is one of the prominent
representatives of his race in Mississippi. He
was born in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, June
29, 1844. He is the son of Perry and Rebecca
Gayles. His father was formerly of Maryland,
and his mother of South Carolina. In 1859 he
succeeded in learning his letters, which were
taught him by Mrs. Elizabeth Powell of New
York, who was at that time employed by Mrs.
Nancy Barrow to teach her two daughters. In
1863 he went into the army and there he staid
until the winter of 1864. Mr. Gayles seemed to
have had a natural love for reading the Bible and
hymn books. He professed hope in Christ and
was baptized in October, 1866. On the 4th of
REV. G. W. GAYLES, D,D.
2l6
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
November, 1867, he was examined by an ecclesias¬
tical council of Mt. Horeb Baptist Church, Green¬
ville, Miss. The examination was conducted by
M. B. Black, as moderator, Rev.Thomas Epps, and
other members of the council. The council, be¬
ing satisfied after the examination of Mr. Gayles,
publicly ordained him to the work of the ministry.
Rev. G. W. Gayles then began his ministerial work
in Bolivar County, Miss. The first church he
organized was the Kindling Altar Baptist Church
at East Fork, on the 1 ith of April, 1868, of which
he is pastor to this day. On the 7th of Septem¬
ber, 1869, he was appointed member of the board
of police for district No. 3, of Bolivar County, by
Gov. J. L. Alcorn. On the 29th of August, 1870,
he was appointed supervisor for district No. 5,
Bolivar County, and served until November, 1870.
He was then elected member of the Mississippi
legislature, and held the position four years. In
July, 1872, he was appointed for the counties of
Bolivar, Coahoma, and Sunflower, in Mississippi.
He served until July, 1876. November, 1877, he
was elected to the state senate from the twenty-
eighth senatorial district, and was re-elected up to
November, 1887. He held the position of corre¬
sponding secretary of the Baptist State Conven¬
tion for three years, and was member of the execu¬
tive board for eighteen years. In July, 1876, he
was elected president of the Baptist Missionary
rev. w. b. gibson.
217
State Convention by acclamation, which position
he has held ever since by re-election. Under his
administration the Baptist State Convention has
had great success. They have bought a printing
press at a cost of five hundred dollars, and estab¬
lished a college at Natchez, Miss., at the cost of
$5^5- July, 1881, he was elected editor of the
Baptist Signal, which position he held four years.
He is a member of the Republican State Executive
Committee, and has been chairman of the Republi¬
can Executive Committee of Bolivar County for
seventeen years. He has been a delegate to every
Republican State Convention since 1869, and was
a delegate to the convention that nominated Gar¬
field for the presidency, and belonged to the
famous three hundred and six.
Rev! W. B. Gibson.
Rev. W. B. Gibson was born February 10,
1845, at Coaling, Alabama. When two years old
he was carried to Virginia, where he remained
till 1863. He was in the army two years and six
months, and when mustered out at the close of
the war he went to Arkansas. He became a
member of the church in 1869, and received
license to preach one year later. In 1872 he was
ordained to the work of the ministry. His minis¬
terial labor began at Selma, Ark. After being
218
our baptist ministers.
there a while he was chosen state missionary, in
which capacity he served eight years. After that
he settled down at Monticello, where he still lives
and has pastoral charge of three churches. Rev.
Gibson has been very faithful and successful in
his whole ministerial career, and is greatly be¬
loved by-his people.
Rev. Matthew William Gilbert.
Rev. Matthew William Gilbert was born at
Mechanicsville, Sumter County, South Carolina,
July 25, 1862, of Rev. Mark Gilbert and his wife
Mary Ann Gilbert. The parents of Rev. M. W.
Gilbert were slaves until the proclamation of free¬
dom at the close of the civil war. In his early
years he attended the public schools in the coun¬
try, at Mechanicsville, and also at Mannville,
where his parents removed soon after the war. The
father of Mr. Gilbert was a Methodist preacher,
until soon after the war, when, his mind having
undergone a change of conviction on the sub¬
ject of baptism, he embraced the principles of the
Baptists, and became a Baptist minister, and is
still a useful preacher in that denomination.
Young Gilbert was, accordingly, early brought
, under the religious influences of a godly parent¬
age, and in the sixteenth year of his life he made
a profession of faith in Christ, and was baptized
REV. MATTHEW WILLIAM GILBERT. 2ig
by his father in the fellowship of St. Mark Baptist
Church of Mannville. Feeling conscious of a
divine call to preach, he was sent by his father in
the fall of 1879 to Benedict Institute at Columbia,
S. C., to make preparations for his life-work. He
remained in this school until 1883, when he gradu¬
ated from the college preparatory course. While
attending this institution he was licensed by his
church to preach, in the spring of 1880, before
he was eighteen years old, and was ordained by
her sanction in 1882, before he was quite twenty
years old. In the summer and fall of 1882 he
was appointed a state missionary by the Baptist
Educational, Missionary, and Sunday-school Con¬
ventions of South Carolina. During his vaca¬
tion as a student he taught school in Anderson
and Fairfield Counties, S. C. During his last
year in Benedict, in addition to his studies he was
called to the pastorate of St. Paul Baptist Church
of Lexington C. H., S. C., which he filled until
the fall of 1883, when he entered the Freshman
class of Madison University of Hamilton, N. Y.,
receiving the third highest mark in examination
among twenty white applicants. He maintained
a very high standing in Madison, especially in
philosophy, the languages, and oratory. In his
Sophomore year he captured the first Kingsford
prize in a public contest in oratory, he being the
only colored man to compete, and the first colored
220
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
man that was ever appointed in that institution
to compete in such a contest. He was the secre¬
tary and treasurer of his class during his college
career, and was class historian in his Senior year.
In 1887 Mr. Gilbert graduated with honor, with
the degree of A.B. Upon his graduation he was
immediately called to the pastorate of the Spruce
Street Baptist Church of Nashville, where he has
labored since, to the satisfaction of his people.
Since he has been in Nashville, more than three
hundred souls have united with his church. Last
spring Mr. Gilbert visited the commencement of
his alma mater and the degree of A.M. was con¬
ferred upon him. While attending the com¬
mencement he was chosen a member of a com¬
mittee, to which Ex-Postmaster General Thomas
L. James also belonged, to decide the contest
in oratory between eleven young white gentlemen.
In addition to his pastoral labors Elder Gilbert
has edited for a while the Baptist Headlight. He
has written a tract entitled, " Demands on our
Ministry," which has been published by the
American Baptist Publication Society. He has
served the American Baptist Home Mission
Society during his college vacation as missionary
among the colored people in South Carolina. In
1882 he was married to Agnes Boozer of Colum¬
bia, S. C. Three children have been born to
them. Mr. Gilbert is one of the trustees of
rev. chas. b. w. gordon. 221
Roger Williams University at Nashville, Tenn.
In 1890 Rev. Gilbert accepted a call to the
First Baptist Church, at Jacksonville, Florida,
where he now labors.
Rev. Chas. B. W. Gordon.
Rev. Charles B. W. Gordon, son of Daniel and
Nancy Gordon, was born in Bertie County, N. C.,
November i, 1861. His ancestry can be traced
as far back as the Revolutionary struggle. His
great grandfather, Charles Brown Holly, was a
brave, courageous soldier in the Revolutionary
War. He could not have been more loyal to the
colonial cause if he had known that the yoke of
oppression, both of England and America, would
be taken from his own neck. Many a colored
man fought under and for that flag though it
offered no other protection after the battle was
once over than the sting of the master's lash.
But so brave was Mr. C. B. Holly throughout
the Revolutionary contest that he was given his
freedom at its close. His daughter, the grand¬
mother of Rev. Gordon, suffered herself to be
sold from her husband and infant daughter rather
than depart from the law of virtue and morality.
When that infant daughter became grown, she
married Daniel Gordon, who was a preacher and
worked at the carpenter's trade for a living.
REV. CHAS. B. W.* GORDON.
223
In the early years of the late war Daniel Gor¬
don fled to the Yankees to obtain freedom. He
made his way to Plymouth, N. C., where he dili¬
gently worked and planned for the escape of his
wife and seven children. Some months later,
after many dangers and hardships, these joined
him at Plymouth. Daniel took his wife and chil¬
dren to Roanoke Island, which had been made the
headquarters for all fugitive slaves. Their father
being very poor, the burden of caring for the fam-"
ily fell upon the boys in the early years of emanci¬
pation. Charles, though the younger, seemed the
more prudent of the boys, and hence assumed the
greater responsibility in the care and oversight of
the family. When he was about five years old,
Charles Gordon entered school under Mr. Thomas
Nixon, on Roanoke Island. Very early in his
school career he displayed great talent, especially
in his efforts at speech-making. While yet young
he exhibited elements of oratory which have
since developed and have made him a pleasing
lecturer and an influential pulpit orator. As
many other young men, young Gordon met with
many difficulties and passed through bitter experi¬
ences when he assumed control of the farm.
He could attend school Only on rainy days and at
such times as he was not compelled to be upon
the farm. When his parents granted him the
privilege to leq,ve home and educate himself, as
224 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
his own man, Charles at once applied for and
obtained admission into the Elizabeth City nor¬
mal school. Here he was a hard student, and
advanced rapidly. Financial circumstances com¬
pelled him to leave school in 1879. In the fall of
the same year he became a Christian. He felt
called to the gospel ministry, and two years later
he entered Richmond Institute, now Richmond
Theological Seminary. In October, 1881, at
Richmond Institute, the writer met Rev. Gordon
for the first time. We were together in that
school one session, and I well remember the zeal
and earnestness of Mr. Gordon at that time.
During his stay in the institute, Mr. Gordon
usually spent his vacation among his people in
North Carolina, engaged in missionary and evan-
gelistical work. His success was very great.
While he was yet a student, Rev. Gordon received
a call to the First Church at Petersburg, Va.
He took the matter under consideration, and
after one month's meditation he decided to ac¬
cept.
The church was large and the charge was a
responsible one. Rev. Gordon proved quite
equal to the task. During his five years' pastor¬
ate the church grew rapidly, the building was
remodeled, and a parsonage not surpassed by any
in the state was built. Mr. Gordon also became
quite popular as a lecturer during those years.
rev. w. f. graham. 225
In 1886 he spoke before the literary societies at
the state normal school, Fayetteville, N. C., and
the same year to the Eastern Stock and Indus¬
trial Association at Goldsboro, N. C. On both
occasions his successes evoked favorable com¬
ments. For some years Rev. Gordon edited and
published the Baptist Pilot at Petersburg, Va. It
was a monthly paper, now (1891) it comes out
quarterly in the form of a magazine. He has
also published a book of sermons which has been
very favorably commented upon by some of the
foremost preachers of the day. In 1889 Rev.
Gordon resigned his charge at the Harrison Street
Church, Petersburg. He is at present pastor of
another church in that city and at the same time
publishes a quarterly magazine.
Rev. W. F. Graham.
Rev. W. F. Graham, the pastor of the Loyal
Street Baptist Church of Danville, Va., was born
in Scott County, Mississippi, May 10, 1858. His
parents, desiring to better their condition in a
freer atmosphere and on more fertile soil, moved
from Mississippi to Tennessee in 1870. Having
spent two years in West Tennessee, they moved
to East Arkansas, where by hard and earnest
efforts they accumulated sufficient means to pur¬
chase a rich, fertile tract of cotton land. Here
15
REV. W. F. GRAHAM.
REV. W. F. GRAHAM.
227
young Graham remained with his parents until
he reached the age of fourteen, when his thirst
for knowledge led him (with the permission of his
parents) to leave home in quest of an education.
Even in his childhood he evinced an ambition
rarely seen in little boys of six years, for at that
early age he learned to make his alphabet by
watching his young master write the letters on
the ground. His school training began in Bolivar,
Tenn., where he attended school three months in
the summer of 1871. After the family removed
to Arkansas, he had the pleasure of attending
the public school three sessions. In the year
1874 young Graham, at the age of sixteen, united
with the First Colored Baptist Church of Forrest
City, Ark. During his connection with that
church he became an active worker in Sunday-
schools and a useful leader in prayer-meetings.
At the age of eighteen, the church in Forrest
City, Ark., licensed him to exercise his gifts in
the gospel. In 1878 he entered the Branch Nor¬
mal College at Pine Bluff, Ark., where he
remained three years under the masterly intellect
of Professor J. C. Corbin. It was during his
school days that he was ordained, at the age of
twenty-two, to the pastorate of what was then
called the Middle Baptist Church. Having
proved a successful pastor and faithful student,
in the fall of 1881 the Arkansas Baptist State
228
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Convention and the people of Pine Bluff gave
him assistance to attend Wayland Seminary,
Washington, D. C. He graduated with honors
from that institution in the class of 1883. Two
weeks before he graduated he was called to take
charge of the Third Baptist Church, Alexandria,
Va., where he served a most successful pastorate
for six years. In the fall of 1888 he was called
to succeed Rev. J. H. Presley at the.Loyal Street
Baptist Church, Danville, Va. Here he found a
heavy debt, which was soon liquidated. His work
with the people has been very successful. The
membership has increased from seven hundred
and fifty to more than one thousand. His Sabbath-
school has an average attendance of four hundred.
He has been many times honored at the hands of
the brethren of the denomination. In 1880 he
was elected recording secretary of the St. Marion
and the Central Baptist Associations respectively.
The following year he was chosen secretary of
the Arkansas Baptist Sunday-school Conven¬
tion.
For three years he was chairman of the Bible
and Publication Board of the Baptist State Con¬
vention of Virginia. He is now a member of the
Board of Education, and the Board of Managers
of Calvary Baptist Seminary, and a member of the
executive committee. He is vice-president of
the Baptist Educational Convention of Virginia,
rev. elisha w. green. 229
and a member of the executive board of the
Sunday-school Convention.
No young Baptist divine stands higher among
the ministry of the state than he. He is a close
student, affable, polite, and is ever ready to give
aid to every good cause..
Before the Virginia Baptist Sunday-school
Convention he read a paper on " Our Responsi¬
bilities," which attracted wide attention and was
voted by that body to be published. Rev. Gra¬
ham is a young man who can adjust himself to
circumstances, and is able to adapt himself to the
demands and necessities of the people whom he
serves. His success in every way has been
encouraging.
Rev. Elisha W. Green.
The following is the life of the Rev. Elisha
W. Green as told by himself:—
" I was born in Bourbon County, near Paris,
Ky., six miles to the right of that place, on the
Georgetown turnpike. The date of my birth I
am not prepared to mention, because the book
that had the ages in it was burned. I lived in
Bourbon County until I was ten years old ; then
I came to Mason County, where I now reside.
Some incidents which took place in Bourbon
while I was there I have forgotten, and a few I
REV. ELISHA W. GREEN.
REV. ELISHA W. GkEEN. 23 i
remember yet. For instance, the following : The
name of the man I lived with in Bourbon was
Judge Brown. My mother, sisters Charlotte and
Harriet, and the balance of the children were
divided among the heirs of Dobbyns—sister
Evaline to Silas Devaugh ; brother Marshall to
the same man ; brother Alvin to Thomas Perry ;
brother Henry to Thomas Dobbyns; brother
Elijah to Enoch Pepper. I might say here, so
far as to the incidents of slavery and the other
acts of this time, I have no knowledge to present
in this sketch that in my estimation would be of
interest to any one.
" In 1828, as near as I can remember, I went
to May's Lick, Ky., a small town distant about
twelve miles from Maysville, in the same county.
May's Lick is one among the oldest towns in the
state. I think it has been noted for a Baptist
church since the year 1792. I went to that
place and lived with J. L. Kirk, who married my
young mistress, Jane P. Dobbyns. While with
him, of course, as usual where slavery existed, I
saw very rough times. While there I cooked,
washed, spun flax and yarn, and did all the house
work the same as a woman. Here was where a
man became a woman if such ever were possible
in the history of the world. I lived here about
four years—from 1828 to 1832. When Mr.
Dobbyns had been dead awhile, my old mistress
232 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
married Mr. Walter Warder. My sister and four
children and myself were sold in Washington,
Mason County, Ky., at a sheriff's sale. When
we were put up to be sold, Mr. Oliver Kale
refused to " cry " us off, and a man by the name
of Charlie Ward supplied the place. After the
selling, we then broke up at our old home and my
mistress rented a place on the Lexington turn¬
pike, where she remained three or four years.
She then married the Rev. Walter Warder, as I
have stated elsewhere. This act of selling
colored people was considered by many as being
of a low character, while there were those who
thought it right, and to sell a negro was nothing
more than selling a mule. After my mistress
had married Mr. Warder, we then moved near
the north fork, on a farm that formerly belonged
to Benjamin Fitzgerald. I remained with Mr.
Warder some time, until his death.
" I was converted on the farm of Mr. Walter
Warder, about three miles to the left of May's
Lick, Mason County. When converted I was
plowing. It was one Friday morning, between
nine and ten o'clock. Shortly after my conversion,
I was taken down with scarlet fever. It was about
six months after that I was baptized at Nicholas'
ford, on the north fork of Licking river, by the
Rev. Walter Warder.
" In 1835 I married Miss Susan Young. In
REV. ELISHA W. GREEN. 233
1838 I left my wife in the neighborhood of May's
Lick as a servant of Mrs. Sissen and came to
Maysville. They did not get along together very
well, and Mrs. Sissen sold her, as she thought, to
Mr. Peck, of Washington, Ky., who was trading
in colored people, or rather slaves, because in
those times we were not known as colored people.
She sold my wife with the expectation of sending
her south, or " down the river," as the expression
was. My master, John P. Dobbyns, gave the
negro trader the money and sent him out there.
He bought and brought her to Maysville, and,
being unable to keep her, he sold her and three
children to John C. Reid. I do not know how
long Mr. Reid kept them, but I suppose about
ten years. My master bought her back again,
leaving her in the hands of Reid, with the three
children. She remained with John P. Dobbyns
until he failed financially. Having made a final
failure, they put her and the children up at the
market for sale. For better information I will
insert the following paper, which speaks for
itself:—
To the Public:
Elder Elisha Green, the bearer hereof, is a minister in good
and regular standing, of the Baptist church, and an acceptable
pastor of the African church (Baptist) of the city of Maysville.
By the pecuniary misfortune of the gentleman who owned his
wife and children they were thrown upon the market for sale,
and Elder Green was induced by the advice of many friends to
become the purchaser of his wife and two children, at the price
234 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
of eight hundred and fifty dollars. His means (although he
and his wife labor faithfully and live economically) will not
enable him to meet the payments as they become due, and he
has been counseled to seek assistance to enable him to meet his
payment. We commend him to the kind consideration of the
Christian public, and particularly to the members of the Baptist
church.
Maysville, Ky., November i, 1858.
H. Ray,
Pastor of the Baptist Church, Maysville,
Samuel S. Miner,
John McDaniel,
John Hunt,
A. M. January,
Thomas A. Ross,
Robert A. Cochran,
John Shackleford,
Samuel C. Pearce,
Michael Ryan,
Samuel W. Wood,
James A. Johnson,
Lewis Collins.
" These thirteen men, whose names are signed
to the paper, were very generous, shown from the
fact that when I told them I could not purchase
my wife and children, they drew the money from
the bank and said it was for me, saying: ' If you
never pay it, we will never trouble your family.'
I worked and made the money and paid it back
in calls in the bank. Mr. Collins, one of the
gentlemen on the list, told me to come and take
this house in which I am at present. He charged
me four dollars per month as the rent. He said
that when I had. paid him three hundred dollars
REV. ELISHA W. GREEN. 235
in rent, he would give me a deed to the property.
But, for the fact that I was eight hundred and
fifty dollars in debt because of my family, I was
a little cautious about doing so. When I had
paid for my family, property had advanced con¬
siderably. He had been offered five hundred dol¬
lars for the house that I was in. I then, in order
to possess it myself, gave him five hundred dollars
for the property. One lesson I learned from this
was that it will not pay to rent.
" I had not been in Maysville long before I
began a prayer-meeting in the house of old sister
Jennie Marshall, on Short street. I was sexton
of the white Baptist church for sixteen years, and
while associated with them, seeing different dis¬
plays and other movements in church, hearing
various men preach, I, of course, was somewhat
struck with the idea of doing something for God.
I was not only sexton of the church, but a wor¬
shiper in there among the whites. They saw in
me the gift to preach, and two or three of the
deacons went to John P. Dobbyns, my master,
and got the authority to license me. I knew
nothing of it. This is the form of the license
granted in those days to colored ministers,
especially to myself :—
At a regular meeting of the Maysville Baptist Church,
May 10, 1845, the following resolution was unanimously
adopted: Be it
Resolved, That Elisha Green, the property of John P.
236 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Dobbyns, of this city, has full liberty and permission from this
day to exercise his gifts in the public before the colored popu¬
lation of this city or any others before whom in the providence
of God he may be cast.
E. F. METCALF, Church Clerk.
" Thomas G. Keen, who was then pastor here,
prepared to ordain me, but I refused to be ordained.
I was not ordained until about two years after
this. Dr. Helm, Mr. Larue, and Thomas G. Keen
composed the council for ordination.
"In conclusion let me say that I have no
accurate account of the persons that I have bap¬
tized since I began preaching. When in Kansas
two years ago, the Rev. George W. Dupee said
it must be in the neighborhood of six thousand.
But whether it is this or less, I am conscious of
the fact that my work has been blessed. God
has never withheld from his humble servant any
good thing. In all these years I cannot remem¬
ber of closing a meeting without having gained
some soul for 'Christ. Often and at times the
way has looked dark and cloudy, but nevertheless
God came to my rescue. I would try to live so
that I could tell my brethren and sisters, ' Follow
me as I would follow Christ.' I have always
since my conversion tried to follow Jesus Christ.
" A word to the young ministers: A great
responsibility now lies at your hands. God needs
you to carry out his divine plan in the salvation
of the world. We, the old veterans of the cross,
REV. ELISHA W. GREEN. 237
are passing away. Soon we shall sleep with the
fathers. Who will lead when we are gone ? It
rests with you to decide this important question.
While this is an age of education and of progress
in the sciences and arts, yet it is no less the age
of immoral conduct. Possess your character and
educate yourselves. You have no excuse now.
If you go into the ministry uneducated in this
day of enlightenment you show plainly you are
not a progressive creature. Keep yourself pure
from whisky, wine, beer, or any other thing that
degrades a man. It is my character that has
kept me in Paris and Maysville for these thirty
odd years. You can do the same if you will live
right, act right, and do right. If I could call
back forty-five years I would be seen grappling
with language and the different sciences as other
men. But slavery prevented me from getting an
education. I came up in an age of unreconcilia-
tion between men—when books in a black man's
hand were equal to a case of murder sometimes in
this day. But I thank God that that day has
passed and the glories of a better one are upon
us. Young ministers, whatever you do, possess
a good character. But have both character and
education. Be men, and strong men. We old
fathers have prepared the material for the build¬
ing, and you must do the building. Do this, and
God will bless you."
238 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Rev. Green has been a tower of strength to the
Baptist cause of Kentucky. He has been the
instrument by means of which many persons have
been brought to the Saviour and through which
many churches have been organized. He has
also been the victim of cruel treatment at the
hands of some who claim to be ministers of the
gospel of Christ.
On one occasion while en route from Maysville
to Paris, Ky., he was brutally assaulted by some
white ministers.
At Millersburg, Ky., there is a female college.
On the occasion mentioned above when the train
reached Millersburg, it was boarded by Rev. Dr.
G. T. Gould and Professors Bristow and Carring-
ton, and a number of ladies from the college.
Those educated Christian ministers thought the
presence of a negro seated so close to white
ladies was not to be tolerated. Disregarding the
fact that Mr. Green was an aged, crippled Chris¬
tian minister, the reverend gentleman ordered
the aged minister out; when he refused to go two
of the professors held him while the other one
beat him over the head with a small brass-bound
valise. The case was taken to court and, to the
honor of the law and jury of Kentucky, it was
decided in favor of the complainant. The con¬
ductor and many other white citizens interested
themselves in behalf of the colored preacher,
rev. henry green.
239
Rev. Henry Green.
Rev. Henry Green was born at Fredericks¬
burg, Va., 1847. His attention was early directed
toward Christ, and he was impressed with the
necessity of exereising faith in him. He became a
Christian at the age of ten. When twelve years
old he was removed to New Orleans, which city he
has made his home ever since. .In 1864 he be¬
came connected with St. Mark's Baptist Church,
in which he had been*working, doing whatever he
could to benefit the church and people. He was
licensed a minister of the gospel in 1867, a call¬
ing which he faithfully and prayerfully followed.
He was ordained four years later, and went to
Mississippi and became instrumental in organiz¬
ing a Baptist church, which has grown larger and
prosperous. After three years' stay there he re¬
turned to New Orleans, where, by personal sacri¬
fice and exertion, a church was organized, which
he served without a stipulated salary. In 1880
Rev. Green entered Straight University, in which
he studied six years, graduating in 1886. After
leaving school he went to "St. Charles, and or¬
ganized' a Baptist church which has been won¬
derfully blessed. Rev. Green seems to be a great
organizer. After visiting Mississippi a second
time, he returned to New Orleans and organized
church in Tulane avenue, known a§ the Taber-
REV. HENRY GREEN.
rev. w. a. green.
24I
nacle Baptist Church. He now gives his services
to that church. Though small, it is growing rap¬
idly, having a healthy membership and a flourish¬
ing Sunday-school.
Rev. W. A. Green.
Perhaps there has never appeared among the
colored Baptists of North Carolina a preacher
more popular and scholarly and consecrated than
Rev. W. A. Green. About his only pastorate
was that of the First- Baptist Church, Raleigh,
N. C. He was born in New Hanover County,
N. C. He died at Raleigh, N. C., in 1886. The
following is an address delivered at a memorial
meeting in Raleigh, March 25, 1886, in the church
which he served so faithfully as pastor:—
" It is not the purpose of the members of this
church to assemble ourselves together here, on
this the twenty-fifth night of March, 1886, to sim¬
ply lament the death of our beloved pastor, Will¬
iam A. Green, nor did our officers for a moment
entertain the thought that there could be found
one in our number whose culture and capability
were such that, even after the greatest labor,
could have at his command words that would
in every respect be suitable for a eulogy of one
so humble yet so exalted, of one in the flesh yet
above reproach, as our dear sainted and departed
10
242 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
leader. But our purpose is more noble. For we
believe in a meeting like this, warmth and moist¬
ure, as it were, will gather around the already
sown seed whose decomposition has not yet been
discerned and cause them to germinate and bring
forth fruit, such as was intended by the faithful
sowrer, who we believe is now in Heaven reaping
the reward of his arduous labors. Yet we deeply
feel the loss of William A. Green, and behind
us we see the ministry of the state, in an assem¬
bled body, sitting with bowed heads. Still we do
not murmur* at the workings of the All-wise
Creator, but thank him for having permitted us
to come in contact with such a soldier of Christ,
whose weapons were always sharpened with ear¬
nestness, and clothed in the garb of everlasting
truth.
"William A. Green was born in New Han¬
over County, North Carolina, two miles from the
city of Wilmington. While he was yet an infant
his parents escaped from their owners and fled to
Nova" Scotia, where they purchased land and set¬
tled for life. When but two years old his father
died, leaving him to be reared by a pious mother,
who sent him to Indian Village to school when
but six years old. At the age of twelve we see
him wending his way to Boston, where he found
employment as a cigar-maker, in the mean time
attending a night school. There he remained
REV. W. A. GREEN.
243
until the admonitions of his faithful mother took
root in his heart, and when eighteen he deemed it
necessary to separate himself at once from his
sinful habits and the carnal things of this world.
Whereupon the Lord Jesus, by the fire of his
love, by the fire of the Holy Spirit, by the fire of
his word, and the fire of sinful afflictions cleansed
his heart, and bade him to prepare to work in his
vineyard. He obeyed the call, was baptized and
studied under the Rev. Dr. Bushnell, until or¬
dained to take charge of the First Independent
Church (Boston), over which he presided until the
call for troops in 1861, at which time he joined the
army as chaplain of a regiment from Boston,
serving through the war; he was mustered out in
this city, 1865, with only one wound, and that on
his right leg, received while being very sick at
Hilton, N. C. March 13, 1867, he was married
to his last wife. From preaching in the open air
during the war, his voice was greatly broken;
therefore he refused to take pastoral charge of any
church until his health was restored, but would
preach at Wilmington, and other points near,
serving part of the time as inspector, magistrate,
and teacher in public and private schools. Two
years were spent in Washington, D. C., during
which time he was employed by the government.
This—the church in which he finished his course—
is the only one over which he ever presided as
244 0ur baptist ministers.
pastor in the South. But he has faithfully fin¬
ished his work, dying as he did in the service of
the Lord. And it undoubtedly must be a most
gratifying pleasure for this flock to take a retro¬
spective glance over the past seven years of the
history of this church, during which time our
progress has been steady, our influence extended,
our membership increased, and our young men
solemnly exhorted to live godly lives. In the
death of William A. Green this church has lost
a noble and zealous leader, the world a wise
counselor, and the ministry truly a fisherman of
men. And to conclude, let us be so faithful to
our God that, when the church militant's agony
is over, we may mingle our voices with William
A. Green in saying Amen, the .blessing, and the
glory, and the wisdom, and the thanksgiving, and
the honor, and the power, and the strength are
unto God—unto the ages of the ages. For every
saint that crosses the dark river of death, forcibly
reminds us that,
" Our visions are baseless ;
Our hopes but a gleam ;
' Our staff but a reed ;
And our life but a dream.' "
rev. allen ralph griggs. 245
Rev. Allen Ralph Griggs.
Rev. Allen Ralph Griggs was born in Hancock
County, Georgia, in 1850. He was the fifteenth
child of Elbert and Beazillia Griggs. He knew
but little of his parents, only remembering the
death-bed scene of his father, and can remember
seeing his mother but twice. The last time he
saw his mother was at the auction-block, when he
was sold at Wetumpka, Alabama. In 1859, his
older brother, Sutton, and himself were carried to
Plantersville, Grimes County, Texas, by Green
Griggs, a nephew of Judge Henry Griggs, and
remained there till i860, when he removed to
Chatfield Point. Here he remained till 1865,
when, in common with other slaves, he was set
free. Up to this time he had no education but
had a grasping mind, a lofty ambition, and a
strong desire to learn. In 1867, by a peculiar in¬
cident, that of protecting hen's nests from an
egg sucking dog, he secured his first lessons in
Webster's spelling book by the kindness of Mrs.
Andrews, a white lady of the family to whom he
belonged when a slave. Having this start he was
enabled to study awhile by himself. In 1870,
1871, and 1872 he worked on a farm and drove
cattle during the day. At night he would-walk
two and three miles that he might attend night
school. He made profession of religion at Chat-
REV. ALLEN RALPH GRIGGS.
REV. ALLEN RALPH GRIGGS. 247
field, Texas, and was baptized by Rev. Z. T. Par¬
dee, in 1869. In 1870 he was married to Miss
Emma Hodge of Chatfield. Eight children were
born to them, five of whom are now living. His
oldest son, Sutton, is a teacher in the public
schools of Dallas, and has been tendered a posi¬
tion in Bishop College, of which he is a normal
graduate. February, 1874, Mr. Griggs was li¬
censed to preach, and in September of the same
year was ordained to the work of the ministry.
Rev. Pardee was chairman of the council. He
at once set out on a missionary journey through
the state, traveling sometimes on horseback and
sometimes on foot. He was then missionary for
the churches of Ellis and Navarro Counties.
While thus working he succeeded in organizing
several new churches, and developing the churches
into denominational work. The third Sunday in
July, 1875, he was called to the pastorate of New
Hope Church at Dallas, Texas. The church
then had a membership of fifty-five, and was wor¬
shiping in a small box-house twenty by thirty, on
a lot of the same size. Having accepted the call
he at once undertook to buy a desirable place for
worship, and soon procured a lot on a prominent
street; a house of worship was erected costing
$2,500. This they worshiped in till 1880, when
they bought the lot at the present site, corner
San Jacinto and Bogle streets; a house costing
248 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
$4,000 was erected. In 1877 during his pastorate
at Dallas he received leave of absence to act as
financial agent for the Dallas high school, of
which he was founder. This school was the first
Baptist school founded in the state of Texas.
The school has been moved to Brazoria, Texas,
and up to date more than one thousand names
have been enrolled, and more than sixty teachers
and. preachers have been sent out from its walls.
They have received high honors in different
parts of the state. In 1879 he was released again
to act as traveling agent for Bishop College under
the appointment of the American Baptist Home
Mission Society. During this time he collected
hundreds of .dollars for the two institutions. He
was greatly beloved for his sterling honesty and
integrity. In 1882 he was elected general mis¬
sionary of the State Convention, to be supported
jointly by the white and colored State Conven¬
tions and the American Baptist Home Mission
Society. This position he accepted for one year;
at the end of the time he refused re-election in
order to return to his church. In 1885 he was
again elected to the same position, which he held
till October, 1888, when, by the influence of the
late Rev. William J. Simmons, D.D., he was trans¬
ferred from active co-operation with the white
State Convention to work more fully with the
Home Mission Society. But so great was the
REV. ALLEN RALPH GRIGGS. 249
confidence reposed in him by the white brethren
that they continued their appropriation of one
thousand dollars per year to be used as he
(Griggs) should see best in doing mission work
among his people. This position he now holds.
He edited and published the first colored Baptist
organ and possibly the first colored newspaper
in the state, The Baptist Journal. This paper
he published for five years with the exception
of a few months, when he started another paper
known as The Baptist Preacher, which paper is
now being published under the name of South¬
western Baptist, Rev. E. W. D. Tsaac, editor.
He also published a paper known as The Dallas
Christian Leaflet. Rev. Griggs has written and
published a work called " History of the Mission
Work of Texas among the Colored People,"
along; with a brief account of the session of the
National Convention held in Nashville, Tenn.
Also a tract entitled " Denominational Fidelity,"
published by the American Baptist Publication
Society. As an organizer, the Baptist Preach¬
ers' Co-operative Association, and the Broth¬
ers' Missionary Union, stand as living monu¬
ments of his brain. These societies are doing
great good for the cause throughout the state.
He has held the following responsible positions
in the state and national bodies : President of the
Joint Stock Company of the Hearne Academy;
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
president and treasurer of the Texas Homestead
and Farmers' Association; president of the Bap¬
tist Missionary Convention of Texas; vice-presi¬
dent of the Foreign Mission Convention for
Texas; recording secretary and treasurer of the
Southwestern Baptist Educational Society, an
organization for the needy and deserving students
of Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, in securing
an education ; corresponding secretary and super¬
intendent of the State Sunday-school Conven¬
tion. He was also a member of the State Central
Executive Committee, and a member of the Exec¬
utive Board'of the Foreign Mission Convention,
and has been a trustee of Bishop College from its
organization. He is a life member of the Home
Mission Society of New York. He has been
superintendent of missions in Texas for six con¬
secutive years, and has had under his supervision
from thirty-five to fifty missionaries. The fol¬
lowing shows the summary of the work he has
done:—
"Stations supplied, 824; days labored, 18,522;
miles traveled, 207,205; sermons preached, 16,150;
addresses, 6,314; religious visits, 7,495; baptisms,
4,045 ; received by letter, 2,410; total addition on
the mission field, 7,445; conversions reported,
3,143 ; churches organized, 197; prayer-meetings
organized, 859; prayer-meetings attended, 3,876;
Sunday-schools organized, 560; elders ordained,
REV. ALLEN RALPH GRIGGS. 25 I
131 ; deacons ordained, 241 ; meeting houses
built, 101 ; cost of buildings, $22,614.75 5 church
lots bought, 126; cost of lots, $4,934.40; col¬
lected and expended for missions, etc., $31,445.32;
total collected for the mission work, $58,994.47.
" These results have been brought about by the
humble efforts of the missionaries, backed up
by the united prayers and money of the united
churches in the united associations through this
united convention. So the old maxim is true in
regard to us: 'In union there is strength.'
"Of this $58,994.47, about $8,000 came from
the white Baptists of Texas, and the Home Mission
Society of New York. It was this help, this
foundation money, that gave us the good start in
1885. Every branch of our work is now well
organized—the state mission work, the Sunday-
school work, and the educational work. The
houses built and the lots bought are in nearly
every quarter of the state. But few associations
have had missionaries simply running around
from church to church; most of them have
learned that mission work is sending the gospel
where there are no pastors, or where the gospel is
not preached. We have but few presiding elder
missionaries now. The superintendent himself
has not visited many churches this year, because
he has been on the mission field the best part of
his time. For the little success we have had we
252 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
give all the glory to God. Approved by the con¬
vention October 16, 1890."
His worth to the Baptists of Texas cannot be
estimated. Ever watchful of the denominational
interest, he always stands as defender of its doc¬
trines and ministry. When out upon the field his
heart is filled with hallowed fire that bursts forth
from his tongue as he traverses the hills and
valleys proclaiming, " Texas for Jesus." And in
every church, convention, or association wherever
he goes, he is heard pleading, " Let us pray,
plan, and pay for the spread of the gospel." His
sacrifices and his privations have been great.
He has left a good, comfortable home, a loving
wife, and sweet children. Leaving the railroads
he goes on horseback, afoot, in ox carts and
wagons, in the wilds of Texas, among native
Africans, Mexicans, and cow boys ; he goes trust¬
ing in Him who said, " Lo, I am with you alway."
He is truly a great missionary. He received the
honorary degree, D.D., from the State University
at Louisville, Ky., in May, 1891.
The following are some of the newspaper com¬
ments :—
The Texas Baptist says: " Never has the
Baptist cause among our colored people pros¬
pered as since consolidation. For this state of
things, under God, we are indebted to the wise
counsel and able management of Rev. A, R.
REV. ALLEN RALPH GRIGGS. 253
Griggs, state superintendent of colored missions.
He is one of the Lord's anointed, holding up the
torch of truth in the midst of darkness."
Rev. T. L. Scruggs, in Texas Baptist, Decem¬
ber 24, 1885, says: "Elder A. R. Griggs was
there on his mission work, and delivered three
sermons on temperance, with such power and
clearness that he was invited to come back and
talk again Wednesday night, which he did to a
crowded house; and on the day of election held
his people together so as to secure seventy-five or
more for prohibition. The good work of Elder
A. R. Griggs will long be remembered in Ennis."
The Dallas Daily Herald, says: " He took
charge of the church here in July, 1875. The
church then worshiped in a small house twenty
by thirty feet, with a membership of fifty-five. In
1876 and 1877 he built a church on Hall street,
thirty by forty, at a cost of $2,400. The congre¬
gation increased so rapidly they were compelled
to build another house of worship, turning the
one they then had into a schoolhouse. They
commenced the present church edifice on San
Jacinto street, forty by sixty feet, which has cost
to date, $3,000. He leaves the church in peace
and harmony, with a membership of four hundred
and fifty, with several well organized societies.
The church reluctantly gives him up because its
loss is irreparable. He is a man of unblemished
254
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
moral character, sterling honesty, and more than
ordinary intelligence. His word is his bond, and
all who know him implicitly confide in his finan¬
cial integrity. The church will wait with much
anxiety for his return to the pastoral care. He
is one of the few colored divines that have suc¬
ceeded in making a genuine success, and he de¬
serves the praise, confidence, and esteem of his
congregation. He has by his respectful bearing
toward our white citizens gained their good will."
The following appeared in The American Bap¬
tist Flag at St. Louis, March, 1886:—
Elder Allen R. Griggs, of Texas, is a colored man, but a leader
among the colored Baptists of that state. He was born a slave.
But when he obtained his freedom, he undertook to get an edu¬
cation. Of course there were no schools for colored people at
the close of the war. He was quite poor, but he was determined
and improved the poor chance he had. Writing to the Texas
Baptist, he says: "During the years 1869, 1870, and 1872, I
worked hard all day, and went to school at night, going from
two to three miles, reciting my lessons to John S. Andrews,
E. C. Leake, J. W. Price, and P. House." Just think of a stu¬
dent going two or three miles at night to recite, after working
hard all day. No wonder such a man rises. He has gained
such influence with white Baptists who know him, that Dr. W.
H. Parker, the editor and owner of the book of sermons called
" The Texas Baptist Pulpit," has given him the plates of that
book, and Griggs has recently brought out a new edition of
those sermons. How often a young white man or lady says, " I
want an education, but I see no way to get it." Think of this
poor colored man, and you will never again say, " I see no
chance."
There is not a young person in America possessing the reso-
rev. daniel thompson gulley. 255
lution of this colored man that needs to give up hope of becom¬
ing educated.
Think of Griggs and try. He is now a man with six children
for whom he must provide. But again he says, " I am still striv¬
ing to educate myself, and shall not stop till He who called me
to work shall say, ' It is enough, come up higher.' " Will not
this stimulate every poor white Baptist preacher to strive to
improve himself ? Paul said, "Study." 2 Tim. 2:15. Let us
keep in mind the injunction of the apostle, and the example of
this colored preacher. There will be hope that we, too, " shall
not stop till He who called us.to the work says, ' It is enough,
come up higher.'" Discouraged brother, think of Elder Griggs
and try.
Rev. Daniel Thompson Gulley.
Rev. Daniel T. Gulley was born near Snow
Hill, Wilcox County, Alabama, May 30, 1854.
When six years old, his parents were carried to
Scotland County,where young Gulley lived a slave
along with his parents till 1865. He professed
hope in Christ and was baptized in 1870. He
was a very active church member, and filled the
offices of church clerk and superintendent of
Sunday-school for many years. He was deeply
impressed that his mission was to preach the gos¬
pel and resolved to give himself to that work, and
license-to preach was voted him by the church.
In January, 1878, he entered the Alabama Nor¬
mal and Theological School at Selma, Alabama,
to prepare for the ministry. While attending,
he acted as missionary and colporteur under Rev.
REV. DANIEL THOMPSON GULLEY. 257
Woodsmall and the American Baptist Publi¬
cation Society. He graduated from Selma Uni¬
versity May, 1884. Mr. Gulley had already in
1880 married Miss Sarah Nash.
At the request of the Union and Friendship
Baptist churches he was ordained in November,
1883, at St. Philip Street Church, Selma, Ala.
The ordination council was composed of the fol¬
lowing ministers : Drs. E. K. Love, M. Tyler,
E. M. Brawley, W. H. McAlpine, W. R. Petti-
ford, C. O. Boothe, and Rev. H. N. Bouey.
While pastor of the two churches above named,
he was clerk of the executive board of the New
Cahabah Association and district missionary. He
has served as pastor for several other churches in
Alabama. Three hundred and fourteen additions
were made to the membership of his churches, of
whom he baptized two hundred and three. Rev.
Gulley is popular and influential with his breth¬
ren and people. He has been a member of the
Board of Corporation of Selma University since
1888. He is now Sunday-school missionary for
eastern Alabama under the appointment of the
American Baptist Publication Society and the
Alabama Baptist Convention. The Lord has
blessed him in his work. In a series of meetings
held by him upon the mission fields more than
four hundred persons have professed faith in
Christ.
17
258
our baptist ministers.
Rev. L. H. Hackney.
Rev. L. H. Hackney, son of Spencer and
Susan Hackney, was born in Chatham County,
N. C., 1854. His parents were slaves. In 1870,
young Hackney professed hope in Christ. The
following year he was baptized and united with
the Mt. Zion Baptist Church at New Hill, N. C.
During the same year, Mr. Hackney entered
Shaw University, where he studied five years.
Having been impressed that he was called to
preach, he pursued studies in the theological
department under Drs. Tupper and Stone. While
in school, Rev. Hackney was called to the
Blount Street Church, which he served not quite
one year, preaching at the same time to a mis¬
sion church at Apex. In 1876 he tendered his
resignation to the Blount Street Church to accept
calls to the Chapel Hill and Shilolr churches.
The Chapel Hill Church he still holds. Rev.
Hackney has also served for many years the New
Hope and Holly Springs churches. At present
he serves the Chapel Hill, New Hope, and Haro
River churches. Under the ministrations of
Rev. Hackney two thousand persons have
acknowledged faith in Christ, and of these he
has baptized fifteen hundred. In all his churches
are flourishing Sunday-schools. He is earnest,
impressive, and consecrated to his work. He
rev. william g. head. 259
has the confidence of the community in which
he lives, and enjoys the respect and esteem of the
brethren of his state.
Rev. William G. Head.
In 1848, in Winston County, Mississippi, Will¬
iam G. Head was born. His father and mother
were slaves. In 1852 they with their children
were carried to Louisiana, where the subject of
this sketch was brought up. In early life young
Head manifested a great desire to be educated.
While still very young he and his sister were
sent daily to carry dinner to the schoolhouse to
their young master and the teacher. A part of
each Friday was given to spelling matches,
declamations, etc. These exercises stimulated in
the bosom of little Head a greater thirst for
education. Then and there he resolved, slave or
no slave, to be educated. He had no books, but
tried to commit to memory the speeches that he
heard at school. When his young master and
mistress would retire to the library at night to
study, William Head would go too. They finally,
seeing his eagerness to learn, began to teach
William the alphabet, but before he had learned
all the letters the old people had found out what
was Qfoinof on, and forbade the children teaching
oo
William. In i860, William's master moved to a
260 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
large plantation, and by chance bought and
carried with him a slave who could read and
write. Soon afterward, several of the boys
(among whom was young Head) bought Web¬
ster's blue back spellers and engaged the fortu¬
nate slave to teach them. But alas ! one Sunday
morning, before they had advanced very far, a rap
was heard, and the door ordered to be opened,
when, to their surprise, the overseer was stand¬
ing there. He demanded their books and
informed them if ever again they were caught in
so criminal an act they would receive five hun¬
dred stripes each. That did not decrease Will¬
iam's determination to obtain knowledge of books.
In January, 1865, he paid a white boy two dol¬
lars and a half per month to give him lessons.
He learned rapidly, and in a short time he could
read quite well. After the downfall of the Con¬
federacy he worked for his parents, who by that
time had become almost too old to provide for
themselves.
In 1866' Mr. Head attended a night school
taught by Mr. Charles St. Clair. After a few
months Mr. St. Clair was assassinated. That put
a temporary check t.o his learning. In 1870 he
entered the St. Clair Academy. This was the
only school he ever attended. In 1871 he was
employed to teach school in his parish. All the
while his purpose was to become a lawyer. He
REV. WILLIAM G. HEAD.
26l
professed hope in Christ in 1873, was baptized
and united with the Baptist church. His aspira¬
tion to become a lawyer ceased, for he was imme¬
diately impressed that he was called to preach
the gospel. The year following he" made his
feelings and beliefs known to his church, and in
February, 1875, he was licensed to preach. In
September, 1879, he was ordained to take charge
of the First Baptist Church, Trenton, La. The
council was composed of Revs. Alex. Sherman,
T. J. Dunn, Philip Lewis, and George W. Jack¬
son. Rev. Head still holds the same church.
His hold upon the people grows year by year.
It may be said here that his church arraigns a
member, not only for getting drunk, but for
drinking any. He was one of the prime movers
in the establishment in 1887 of the Gibsland Male
and Female College. He has served as president
of the board of trustees from the time it was
first founded. During his pastorate, Rev. Head
has been instrumental in building several hand¬
some church edifices. For twelve years he has
been secretary of the Gum Spring Baptist Asso¬
ciation. We can hardly say too much in praise
of men of God who, despite early deprivations,
despite the meager advantages of later life, have,
by untiring efforts, risen to positions of great use¬
fulness and influence.
262
our baptist ministers.
Rev. James H. Hoke.
Rev. J. H. Hoke was born September-18, 1850,
in Jackson, Alabama. He was converted to
Christ, and baptized in July, 1867, by Rev. E. T.
Reed, D.D. He was ordained to the work of
the gospel ministry February 18, 1877. For a
short time he attended the Talladega College.
But the ability and fitness of Rev. Hoke are
mostly due to his own industry, arduous study at
home, and his indomitable determination to be
something and do something for God and his
fellow men. His career has been active and use¬
ful. He has pastored several churches, and has
been instrumental in erecting some handsome
houses of worship. Many have been happily
converted through his preaching. That Rev.
Hoke has the confidence and esteem of the
church is evident from the fact that he has
served as president and secretary of the Baptist
State Convention many years ; for five years he
has been secretary of the board of trustees of
the Arkansas Baptist College, and he is serving
his third year as general missionary of the Amer¬
ican Baptist Home Mission Society for Arkansas.
He is one of God's humble, consecrated workers.
It is never himself, but he always feels that it is
God who works in and through him. Great good
has been accomplished through him.
REV. JAMES H. HOKE.
264
our baptist ministers.
Rev. James H. Holmes.
Rev. James H. Holmes, the pastor of the larg¬
est colored Baptist church in Richmond, Va.,
was born of slave parents December 9, 1826, in
King and Queen County, Virginia. His mother's
name was Delphia, and his father's Claiborne
Holmes. James was one of a family of sixteen
children. He was sent to Richmond in 1835,
and hired out in Samuel Meyer's tobacco factory.
In 1842 he was baptized into the fellowship of the
Baptist church by Rev. Robert Ryland.
He was married in April, 1846, to a Miss
Smith, whose parents soon afterward escaped to
Massachusetts by the underground railroad, leav¬
ing three children in Richmond. Smith wrote to
his children, but the letter fell into the hands of
other persons, and Mr. Holmes was involved and
put into the slave trader's jail, he being charged
with trying to run away. In 1848 he was sold to
New Orleans, leaving behind his wife and two
children. In New Orleans he worked on the
levee. In 1849 a steamer blew up next to the
boat on which he was then working. A great many
were killed. Mr. Holmes was severely injured,
being cut about the head and having a shoulder
dislocated; his companions, seeing that he was
alive, started ashore with him, when some one
cried there was powder in the hold of the vessel.
REV. JAMES H. HOLMES. 265
They were much frightened, dropped him and
ran. On finding the report to be false, they re¬
turned and carried him where he received proper
attention. During the same year he joined the
Second Baptist Church of New Orleans. In 1850
he was chosen deacon of the church. The next
year he married the second time.
His master having committed suicide, his son-
in-law went to New Orleans to settle up the estate,
and Mr. Holmes was sold to Mr. Parrish, who was
also owner of Mr. Holmes' second wife. Mr. Par¬
rish, being in bad health, went to Richmond to
live in the fall of 1852, taking with him Mr.
Holmes and his wife. In 1855 Mr. Holmes was
elected deacon of the First Baptist Church in
Richmond, of which he was a member before
going to New Orleans. He served in this capac¬
ity until 1865, when he was elected church clerk.
He also kept store during the civil war. In 1862
his wife died; after her death he bought himself
from Mrs. Parrish, paying $1,800 in Confederate
money. He was to pay. Lawyer Sands two hun¬
dred dollars for obtaining his papers for him. Mr.
Holmes paid one hundred dollars cash, and prom¬
ised to pay the balance. When the war closed he
still owed one hundred dollars, which he paid by
giving a drink of cider to the lawyer, who said the
debt was settled. In 1866 he was elected assist¬
ant pastor, and in 1867 he was elected pastor of
266
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
the First Baptist Church, of which he still has
the pastoral care. Rev. Holmes was married to
his present wife in 1863. To them seven children
were born. The oldest, John H. Holmes, is a
practicing physician in West Virginia.
The following, taken from " Men of Mark,"
shows the membership of the church at different
times:—
" In 1870 the membership of the church was
4,683. A new registration was ordered, and all
members requested to report; up to May, 1871,
2,400 reported, and the remainder were dropped.
That year, during the revival, he baptized six
hundred persons. In 1878 another registration
was ordered; up to that time the membership
was 3,800; about 2,500 reported.
"In two baptisms in 1878, eight hundred and
sixty-six were immersed, and during that year he
baptized all together 1,100 persons. In 1880 a
dissatisfaction arose; the membership being4,000,
a split occurred ; a new registration was again
ordered, and 1,700 names dropped from the roll."
The old church having been considered unsafe
it was torn down in 1876, and a handsome church
edifice was built at a cost of $35,000, all of which
has been paid. A new organ was also purchased,
costing $2,500, the largest owned by any colored
church in the state. The First Church edifice is
one of the most costly houses of worship owned
rev. william eve holmes, a.m. 267
by colored people in the South. In 1889 nearly
one thousand members were added to the church.
The pastor, Rev. Holmes, is progressive, earnest,
and untiring in his efforts to benefit his church
and congregation. He is a great pastor, and suc¬
ceeds wonderfully well in holding together his
lar^e and cultured audiences.
William Eve Holmes, A.M.
Professor W. E. Holmes was born in Augusta,
Georgia, January 22, 1856. His parents, though
slaves, enjoyed privileges beyond those usually
accorded slaves in those days, so that the con¬
ditions surrounding the early childhood of young
W. E. Holmes were more favorable than those of
which the vast majority of slave children born in
those troublous days*could boast. His father
belonged to one family, while his mother be¬
longed to another. She was hired out by her
master till the close of the war, so that she
never worked for him immediately. The last
fourteen years of her slave life were spent in the
employ of a family consisting of father, wife, and
son. The father was a large contractor, and
lived an easy, indifferent life. In that family
William was a general favorite. He shared the
comforts of the master's table and household gen¬
erally. During the last years of the war he
268
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
clandestinely attended school. Had he been
detected he would have been arrested, and prob¬
ably sold away, so strict were the laws prohibiting
the negro from learning to read.
During the years immediately following the
close of the war young Holmes attended school
under the instruction of some of New England's
best teachers. On account of ill health he stopped
school during the year 1871. December, 1874,
he professed hope in Christy and in February of
the following year he was baptized into the fel¬
lowship of Thankful Baptist Church, Augusta,
Georgia. The same year he entered the Au¬
gusta Institute. After- four years' attendance the
institution was moved to Atlanta, and incorpo¬
rated as the Atlanta Baptist Seminary.
Mr. Holmes followed the school to Atlanta,
and after three years' study graduated. His
progress and promotion in school were steady; at
his graduation he was given a position in the
school. He has pursued the branches of study
other than those contained in the curricula of
his alma mater. He has taken a course of
Hebrew under the personal supervision of Dr.
William R. Harper, the recently elected president
of the new Chicago University; he studied Ger¬
man under a graduate from a German University,
and French under a graduate of Colby Univer¬
sity.
REV. WILLIAM EVE HOLMES, A.M. 269
In 1878 he was licensed to preach; three years
later he was ordained to the ministry.
Professor Holmes has been closely identified
with the growth and development of the Atlanta
Baptist Seminary. He is a part of it. He enjoys
the confidence and esteem and even the love of
his brethren of the state.
In 1883 he was elected corresponding secre¬
tary of the Missionary Baptist Convention of
Georgia, a position which his duties as a teacher
would permit him to fill but one year. He is
still officially connected with the convention ; at¬
tends its sessions regularly ; and he is particularly
and deeply interested in its denominational and
educational work. He is also a member of the
board of trustees of Spelman Seminary.
His speeches and lectures are scholarly and
pointed. He is regarded as a man of much in¬
formation and ability.
In 1883 he married Miss Elizabeth Easly, a
graduate of Atlanta University, who was a teacher
in the public schools of Atlanta. In June of the
year previous to his marriage, the University of
Chicago conferred upon him the degree of Mas¬
ter of Arts.
270
our baptist ministers.
Rev. Forrest Hooks.
Rev. Forrest Hooks was born April 6, 1835, at
Leighton, Colbert County, Alabama. His mother
was a slave. At the age of fourteen he was taken
by his master to Texas. He now owns the land
upon which his master at that time settled.
His young master taught him to read and spell.
He was sent to the farm, then taken back for a
driver. He used to drive his master's children to
and from a high school located at Clarksville,
Tennessee, sixty miles away. It was during that
time that he learned to write. Taking up a book
he would ask the name of the owner, and then
with charcoal he would write the letters singly on
paper, or with a stick he would write in sand.
This made him familiar with nearly all of the
alphabet. He spent a great deal of time in writ¬
ing upon the sand such words as he could spell
or might find upon pieces of paper. At the age
of twenty-four his mother died, and he was com¬
pelled to make her coffin with his own hands.
Some of the bitter and humiliating experiences to
which many of these old servants were put in
early life cannot be described by words. Much
could be said of the slave-life of Rev. Hooks as of
many others whose lives are sketched in these
pages. Mr. Hooks was converted to Christ in
August, 1855, and was baptized on Saturday.
REV. FORREST HOOKS. 2J'l
On Sunday he went home and began a praise
meeting in which he impressed upon sinners the
necessity of becoming reconciled to God. As a
result of his efforts many slaves were brought to
Christ. For ten years he labored successfully in
this way. At the close of the war he was called
and ordained to preach to a colored congregation
which had withdrawn from the white church, and
were organized into a church by Rev. Hooks,
aided by two white brethren. On the same day
of the organization he baptized twenty-eight per¬
sons, and in less than a month he had a body
of one hundred members. This is the oldest
colored Baptist church in Northeast Texas. It
now has five hundred members and has never
changed pastors. Rev. Hooks has never had the
opportunity of attending a school, but has become
what he is by hard struggles and studied applica¬
tion. He was the first colored teacher, magis¬
trate, county commissioner, and school director in
his part of the state. He has always been inter¬
ested in foreign mission work, and his church has
been one of the most active in collecting and
transmitting money for that purpose. In the
mean time, Rev. Hooks has accumulated consid¬
erable property. He owns one thousand five
hundred acres of rich river land, of which he has
six hundred under cultivation. Besides he has
steam gins and mills.
271 our baptist ministers.
Rev. George Brown Howard.
Rev. G. B. Howard was born at Charlottes¬
ville, Virginia, February i, 1857. He had the
advantage of having very pious parents. He
entered the school of his native town at the age
of fourteen. There he studied hard and ad¬
vanced rapidly. He attended school in the win¬
ter, and worked upon the farm with his father
during the summer. By studious habits and con¬
stant application he was able to enter the senior
class at Hampton Agricultural and Normal Insti¬
tute in 1874, from which he graduated in 1875.
In the fall of the same year Mr. Howard entered
Storer College at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia,
where he took an academic course. In 1886 he
entered the Richmond Theological Seminary,
where he remained three years, graduating in
1889, with the degree of B.D. The parents of
Rev. Howard were poor and unable to aid him
while in school. The burden he had to carry
himself. No one but those who have taken
courses of study unaided by parents and friends
know the difficulties, the hardships, the discour¬
agements, that are met by such unfortunate per¬
sons. The obstacles come singly and combined.
But men are none the less efficient, if they are not
even more efficient, in consequence of such expe¬
riences. During his course in the theological
274 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS. *
seminary Rev. Howard had a wife and five chil¬
dren to support, for he had in 1878 married Miss
Rachel B. Derrett of Harrisburg, Va.
Rev. Howard was converted in 1865; he was
baptized by Rev. William Gibbons, and united
with the Delevan Baptist Church of Charlottes¬
ville, Va. He was very active as a member and
Sunday-school worker. He was ordained to the
work of the ministry in 1876. He has pastored
successfully many churches. His first charge
was the Shenandoah Baptist Church, which he
served one year, during which time he completed
a house of worship, and one hundred were added
to the church. From thence, in 1877, he was
called to the First Church of Harrisburg, Va.
During his ministrations there the church in¬
creased from seventy-five to four hundred mem¬
bers, and- he was instrumental in erecting a brick
building at a cost of $5,000. From Harrisburg
he was called to take charge of the -church at
Lexington, Va. There he labored till 1886, when
he tendered his resignation to enter the theo¬
logical seminary mentioned above. Hundreds
were added to the church while he was in Lexing¬
ton, the church house greatly improved, and a
parsonage bought at a cost of $1,000.
While a student in Richmond, he accepted a
call to West Point, Va. He studied in Rich¬
mond during the week, and preached at West
george henry jackson. 275
Point every Sunday. There he erected a house
of worship costing $3,000, and paid the whole
debt while in school. He was a representative of
the State Convention to the National Baptist
Convention held at Indianapolis, Indiana, 1890,
and was chosen by that body as one of the com¬
mittee to wait on the president and lay before him
the facts concerning the outrages committed upon
the colored people of the South, and especially
the cruel outrage to which some of the members
of that body had been so recently subjected on a
railroad near Baxter, Georgia. In 1890 Rev.
Howard was called to the Baptist church at
Charleston, W. Va. He has been there about one
year, and has succeeded in buying a parsonage
for $2,000; one hundred members have been
added to the church, and they are preparing to
erect a house of worship to cost $20,000. Rev.
G. B. Howard is able, untiring in his efforts, and
has before him a bright future.
George Henry Jackson.
George Henry Jackson was born Feb. 28, 1863,
at Natick, Mass., the preaching place of John
Eliot, and the home of Henry Wilson.
He was the first child of James H. Jackson
and Mary Avilda Roberts, the former a native of
Boston, the latter of the state of Maine.
REV. GEORGE HENRY JACKSON, S.T.B., M.D.
George henry jackson. 277
George was thoroughly educated in the public
schools, where he won distinction by his high class
standing; he was graduated from the high school
in 1880. Immediately after he was engaged as an
interpreter in the French department of a large
wholesale and retail commercial house in Boston.
Two years later he began to learn a trade in a
shoe factory in his own town, after which he
anticipated becoming an architect, and studied for
a year under a competent instructor to that end ;
but God had in store for him other things.
Early in 1884, God, for his Son's sake, pardoned
young Jackson's sins, and he. was baptized
March 2, and united with the First Baptist
Church at Natick.
He felt that he was called to the work of the
ministry. In September, after much anxiety and
prayer, George for the first time left his native
state, and took up the full theological course at
Madison University (now Colgate), Hamilton,
N. Y. While a student there, he was sent as
senior delegate to the Inter-seminary Missionary
Alliance held at Oberlin in 1886, and was one of
the prime movers in the great student volunteer
movement, pledging himself to the Congo work
011 the African field. From this school of high
standing he received a diploma in 1887, being
one of the two speakers on seminary commence¬
ment day to receive special mention by denom-
INTERIOR VIEW, IMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH, NEW HAVEN, CONN.
GEORGE HENRY JACKSON. 279
inational papers, and the-first for many years to
receive applause on such an occasion.
Three ways were now open to him for useful¬
ness, as follows: an impressive invitation to
preach at Durham, N. C., an appointment by the
American Baptist Publication Society to Tennes¬
see, and a call from the Immanuel Baptist Church
of New Haven, Conn. The last place, with its
world famous Yale, offered to him the best
advantage for a still higher education, and he
accepted the call from New Haven.
His work has been called very successful, the
church under his ministration doubling its mem¬
bership in less than three years. Meanwhile,
besides his pastoral duties, Mr. 'Jackson engaged
in state mission work, assisting in organizing four
churches with a membership aggregating two
hundred,, at the following places: Hartford,
Ansonia, Putnam, and New London. Also he
found the way opened by which he could enter
Yale. This he did, and finished with the class
of '89 of the Divinity school. The fall of the'
same year he studied medicine at the same uni¬
versity, in the class of '92. Meanwhile he was
accepted by the American Baptist Missionary
Union as a candidate for the Congo field. He
was married April 24, 1888, to Miss Grace Lillie,
of Madison County, N. Y., who has since been
his partner in labor and blessing. Mr. Jackson
280 our' baptist ministers.
now looks forward to the African field, which he
expects to enter soon after graduating from the
medical department of Yale University.
Rev. H. P. Jacobs, M.D.
Rev. H. P. Jacobs was born a slave in St. Clair
County, Alabama, July 8, 1825. His original
name was Samuel Hawkins; he assumed the
named Jacobs when he ran away from his home
in Alabama to Canada. He learned to write while
in slavery and wrote the free papers by which he,
his wife, three children, and brothers made their
escape from the thralldom of slavery in the far
south to the land of freedom, Canada, in 1856.
They left Alabama July 24, and reached Canada
August 19. Twice on their journey they were
taken up and lawyers examined their papers,
which were found to be all right apparently, and
after detaining the holders a half day they were
permitted to go. The 20th of October of the
same year Mr. Jacobs was baptized in the Detroit
river, on the Canadian side, by Rev. William Troy,
now of Richmond, Virginia.
He was ordained to the work of the ministry
September 18, 1858. He has been a very success¬
ful minister of the gospel; he does not stoop to
whims and petty prejudices in order to gain pop-
REV. H. P. JACOBS, M.D.
282 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
ularity. At the close of the civil war he went
south and settled at Natchez, Mississippi, where
for two years he taught a day and night school.
Very few colored people at that time could read
and write. Under what is known as the Recon¬
struction Act of Congress, he was chosen a mem¬
ber of the Constitutional Convention of Missis¬
sippi ; he was a member of the convention which
met at Jackson in the early days of reconstruc¬
tion and organized by the Republican party in
Mississippi. In recognition of his party ser¬
vices he was three times elected to the state
legislature. He was one of the chief movers in
the organization of the Missionary Baptist Con¬
vention of Mississippi, of which he served as
president seven years. M.D. was regularly con¬
ferred upon Rev. Jacobs in the sixty-fifth year of
his age. It seems that he did not countenance all
of the ways of worship practiced by his people.
He wanted to preach against all unnecessary
customs and practices ; to do that he thought it
necessary to be able to make a living independ¬
ent of his ministerial work. He began the study
of medicine and began to practice without ever
going to college, since none was convenient which
he could attend. After twenty years' practice he
entered the medical college opened for colored
people at Louisville, Ky. On the 3d of May,
1890, he graduated with the degree M.D.
rev. l. w. jenkins. 283
As a physician he is very successful. Dr.
Jacobs is a man of great will power and deter¬
mination. He believes it is never too late to do
good and is constantly using his efforts for the
good of his people.
Rev. L. W. Jenkins.
Rev. L. W. Jenkins was born at Bishopville,
Sumter County, South Carolina, December 29,
1859. His mother died when he was three years
old. Soon after her death, his father moved to
the town of Sumter, where the son received a
common school education. He attended Claflin
University awhile and then entered Benedict
Colle'ge, Columbiat South Carolina, from which
he graduated. He professed hope in Christ dur-
ing'[the vacation of 1879. Having completed the
course at Benedict College h^ returned home,
and was baptized into the fellowship of the Shiioh
Baptist Church, June, 1884,
The Ebenezer Church at Manning having
extended him a call, he was ordained in July ci
the same year. In addition to serving the churchs
he accepted an appointment to the Drincipalship
of the Columbus High School of Manning, in
1885 he was elected secretary of the Black River
Union;" in 1889 he was chosen president of the
Benedict College Alumni. As pastor of the
REV. L. W. JENKINS.
rev. henry n. jeter. 285
Ebenezer Church, Rev. Jenkins was very suc¬
cessful. During his pastorate of six years eight
hundred persons were added to the church. In
1890 he received and accepted a call to the Cal¬
vary Baptist Church of Charleston, S. C. Many
have already been received into the church.
Rev. Henry N. Jeter.
Rev. Henry N. Jeter was born in Charlotte
County, Va., October 7, 1851. His parents, Ry-
land and Mary Jeter, had five children, three sons
and two daughters. His father and two of his
brothers have departed this life. In 1862 his
father, who was a slave, was compelled by his
owner to assist in throwing up breastworks to pro¬
tect the Southern army, who were doing all in
their power to keep the negroes in bondage.
Later, in the same year, he was deliberately shot
down by a Federal soldier because he expressed
a desire to return home to visit his family. After
the Emancipation Proclamation, and surrender of
General Lee, when about fourteen years of age,
Mr. Jeter's mother placed him with her brother,
Mr. Frank Armistead, who carried on quite an ex¬
tensive boot and shoe business in the city of
Lynchburg, Va. While serving as an apprentice,
knowing that he must do something for a living
and to help his mother, such was his desire for
286
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
an education that he attended a night school,
studying his lessons while engaged at his work
through the day, often spoiling his uncle's leather,
being so much absorbed in the study of his book.
In 1868 Mr. Jeter felt the need of a Saviour, and
the last words of his father as he grasped his
hand, and the warm tears that dropped from his
father's cheek upon his, saying, " Be a good boy,
and meet me in heaven," seemed to impress him
as never before. He gave his heart to Christ,
and was buried with Him in baptism by Rev.
Sampson White, late pastor of the First African
Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., in April, 1868.
There were at the same time some ninety others
baptized. After following Christ in baptism, he
was called of Him to proclaim His gospel, and in
order that he might the better fit himself for the
work, in October, 1869, he entered Wayland Semi¬
nary, in Washington, D. C., and spent about six
years under Rev. G. M. P. King, D.D., a thor¬
ough, careful teacher, and president of the insti¬
tution.
Rev. Henry N. Jeter was married to Miss
Thomasinia Hamilton, a very cultured and accom¬
plished Christian lady, daughter of the late
Thomas and Matilda Hamilton, of Brooklyn,
N. Y. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Will¬
iam T. Dixon, the successful and esteemed pas¬
tor of Concord Baptist Church of Christ, Brook-
REV. HENRY N. JETER.
287
lyn. The late Thomas Hamilton was editor and
proprietor of the Anglo-African, a weekly paper
published in New York city.
Mrs. Jeter, experienced and deeply interested
in church work, has proved an invaluable help,
not only to her husband, but to the church and
Sunday-school, bringing together the young
people, training them in singing, speaking, etc.,
giving concerts, thus raising a large amount of
money for church work. Six children have been
born unto them, viz.: Octavia, Leonard, Nellie,
Susie, Walter, and May.
Mr. Jeter left Wayland Seminary in 1875. He
was ordained for the Baptist church at Newport,
R. I., June 24, of the same year. This is the only
charge he has had. For sixteen years he has
been pastor of that church. The membership
was small, only fifty-three, when he took charge.
During these sixteen years he has added to the
church two hundred and twelve members, and
has improved the church edifice and built a par¬
sonage, at a cost of $7,498.70. That is remarkable
to those who understand the circumstances and
environments of a place like Newport. In the
first place the number of colored people is com¬
paratively small; a great many, who may be con¬
sidered as transients, are members of churches
elsewhere, and will not move their membership.
The Baptist cause at Newport was exceedingly
288
our baptist ministers.
far from being in a flourishing condition at the
beginning of 1875, so what Rev. Jeter has
accomplished bespeaks his industry, tireless de¬
votion, and trust in God. In the whole state
there are only three Baptist ministers who have
held charge of the same church as long as has
Rev. Jeter. While others go and come, he
remains, and through God's help succeeds.
Rev. Harvey Johnson, D.D.
I have met with men more learned and of
longer experience—but I can recall no one more
earnest, more thoroughly devoted to what he
believes to be his duty, more aggressive, broad-
minded, and fearless than Rev. Harvey Johnson.
He keeps apace with the times; and there is
scarcely a subject that escapes his scrutinizing and
searching inquiry; he is well informed on matters
of church and state, as well as having extensive
knowledge of church and theological questions;
he believes that he is a man and that his race
belongs to the brotherhood of man ; hence no
calumniations against the race escape his atten¬
tion and protest; while giving much attention to
theology, his writings in the field of science have
attracted much attention. The writer's first ac¬
quaintance with Dr. Johnson was when he came
to Richmond, Virginia, in 1881, and preached
REV, H, JOHNSON, D.D.
29O OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
an eloquent and lucid sermon on the subject,
"Faith." He was born in Virginia in 1843, of
Thomas and Harriet Johnson. He was converted
at the age of twenty. He first entered school at
Alexandria, Virginia, then a school in Philadel¬
phia, Pennsylvania, taught by Quakers. In 1868
he entered Wayland Seminary, Washington, D.C.,
from which he graduated in 1872. In the
fall of the same year he was called to the Union
Baptist Church, Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore
has been his principal field of labor since his
graduation, but that his influence has been great
and effectual outside of the city and state we
shall see further on. When he took charge of
the Union Church, Baltimore, its membership
was two hundred and seventy-three; now it has
a membership of more than two thousand three
hundred, being the largest church in the city.
His success as a minister has been wonderful;
his preaching carried consternation into some
churches of other denominations, as well as into the
camps of the unconverted. There were constant
accessions. Sinners were converted, many per¬
sons came in from other churches as mentioned
above. In one case a Methodist church was
entirely broken up, the pastor and nearly all
the members being baptized by Rev. Johnson.
He has been pastor of the Union Church for
nineteen years, During that time nine young
REV. HARVEY JOHNSON, D.D. 291
men whom the church largely aided in educating
have been ordained and sent out in the work of
the ministry. Eight other churches have grown
out of it; four located in the city of Baltimore,
and four in different parts of the state. Like the
pastor the church is alive to every good work.
What it has done should serve as a beneficent
example to many other churches in the country.
Some years the church has raised more than
$1,200 for mission and educational purposes.
Rev. Johnson has been honored perhaps more
than any other colored minister in the state of
Maryland ; honored not only by his own denomi¬
nation and race, but by men of every color and
creed. Many of the wholesome laws that have
been enacted by the city and state governments
in favor of the colored people, or rather in favor
of justice and fair play, were enacted at his
instance and indefatigable efforts. On several
occasions he appeared with success before legis¬
lative committees at Annapolis, and in the city
council of Baltimore.
He is a life member of the American Baptist
Home Mission Society; life director of the
American Baptist Publication Society; life mem¬
ber of the Virginia Baptist State Convention; has
been president of the Ministerial Union of Bal¬
timore, which is composed of all denominations.
He organized the Baptist 'State Convention Qf
292 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Maryland and was its first president; he also
organized the Mutual United Brotherhood of
Liberty, wrote its constitution, and was its presi¬
dent ; he has by turn served as vice-president of
the white Baptist Ministers' Conference of Balti¬
more, and vice-president of the Maryland Baptist
State Convention, which is composed of white
and colored churches. Rev. Johnson has written
and published many sermons which have been
favorably commented upon by the public and
press. Among the published sermons are pam¬
phlets entitled, " Equality of Father and Son
"The Theophany of the Old Testament;"
" Secret Discipleship," and a work entitled " The
Hamite." The last named has cost the author
years of research and he hopes to treat it further
in the future. " The Hamite " has had a large
sale, has been widely read, and has been received
with marked favor and even with enthusiasm in
some cases when offered for sale. In these
various ways he has been a mainstay not alone
in Baltimore but in the state and nation. As a
man of push, energy, wisdom, and success his
reputation is wide; he has labored in many states
and is an influential member of all our national
denominational meetings.
Though not a man of business (that is, he does
not give himself to business) yet he possesses a
splendid home on a prominent street in Balti-
REV. HARVEY JOHNSON, D.D. 293
more, and a small estate in Virginia near Rich¬
mond.
In 1877 he was married to an accomplished
lady, who has since written a charming and beau¬
tiful story which has been published by the
American Baptist Publication Society, called
" Clarence and Corinne, or God's Way." The
union of Rev. and Mrs. Johnson has been blessed
with three children, one daughter and two sons.
That Rev. Johnson is interested in the public
good may be further judged from the fact that
he has assisted four of his members in suits
against the steamer " Sue" for discriminations
against them on account of color. All the cases
were won.
He was also instrumental in having the bar in
the city of Baltimore thrown open to colored
lawyers. Whereas a few years ago a colored man
could not practice law in Baltimore, there are now
five practicing colored lawyers in the city, one of
whom is a member of Mr. Johnson's church. When
admitted to the bar the church presented the
young man with a set of law books and a purse.
He was the first colored lawyer admitted to the
Maryland bar upon examination, the others being
admitted by means of certificates.
May, 1888, the Richmond Theological Seminary
deservedly conferred upon Rev. Harvey Johnson
the degree D.D.
294 our baptist minlsters.
Rev. William Bishop Johnson, D.D.
Rev. William Bishop Johnson, D.D., was born
in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the nth of Decem¬
ber, 1856. He graduated from the public schools
of Buffalo, N. Y., in 1868, and the normal school,
Toronto, Ontario, 1874.
In 1872 he was baptized by Rev. J. W. Mitchell,
then pastor of the Queen Street Baptist Church,
Toronto, Ontario, and in- 1875 he entered the
Christian ministry, after taking a course of theol¬
ogy under Dr. Mitchell.
Having chosen the South as his field of labor, he
went to Washington, D. C., and entered Wayland
Seminary, graduating with the highest honors of
his class in 1879, and taking the prize as best
orator. The same year he was called to the First
Baptist Church, Frederick, Md., where he built up
a large congregation, and was beloved by the
people.
In 1881 he was appointed by the American
Baptist Home Mission Society, general mis¬
sionary for Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia,
and District of Columbia, and in this position did
great service for the educational work of the de¬
nomination, collecting hundreds of dollars for its
support, and awakening the co-operation of the
churches and conventions with Wayland Semi¬
nary.
REV. W. BISHOP JOHNSON, D.D.
296 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Having taken a special course in mathematics,
metaphysics, and the languages under Professor
Rhoom of the Columbian University after leav¬
ing the seminary, in 1882 he was appointed
professor of mathematics and science of govern¬
ment, at Wayland Seminary, which position he
now holds, enjoying the confidence of the faculty,
students, and graduates. In 1884 he took charge
of the Second Baptist Church, .Washington, a
congregation that had been afflicted with long
continued internal dissensions, and since he took
charge has built up a congregation in intelligence
and number second to none in Washington.
Dr. Johnson stands in the front rank of his
denomination. He is a life member of the Amer¬
ican Baptist Home Mission Society, and the Vir¬
ginia Baptist State Convention, a member of the
foreign mission board of the United States, and
the educational board of the Virginia Conven¬
tion, and a trustee of the Lynchburg Baptist
Seminary.
In 1886 he was elected editor of the Virginia
Baptist Companion, the organ of the Virginia
Baptists, and held that position until the destruc¬
tion of that paper by fire last year. He has just
been elected editor of the Wayland Alumni Jour¬
nal.
He is an able preacher, a close student, and a
forcible writer. His services are in constant
rev. boston w. jones. 297
demand at home and abroad, in the interest of
every good work. He is a prominent Mason and
Odd Fellow, and a friend to every^race enterprise.
He has in contemplation the erection of a new
church at the cost of $20,000, and his efforts are
unanimously seconded by his congregation, by
whom he is greatly beloved. At the last session
of the Virginia Baptist State Convention, he read
a paper on the " Religious Status of the Negro,"
and, in recognition of its excellence, the conven¬
tion ordered it published.
In 1888 the trustees of the Kentucky State
University conferred upon him the degree of D.D.
Rev. Boston W. Jones.
Rev. Boston W. Jones was born in Edgefield
County, South Carolina, March 15, 1854. In
1865 he arranged with some persons to give him
lessons, and in that way he learned to read. In
1868 he became a Christian, and connected him¬
self with the white Baptist church at Edgefield
Court House. His activity, as a Christian, caused
the Mt. Carmel Church to ask the church to
which he belonged to license him and dismiss him
by letter for their service. He was ordained for
the Mt. Carmel Church in 1870. The following
year he was also called to the Pine Pleasant
Church, also to the Mt. Calvary and Mt. Zion
REV. BOSTON W. JONES.
rev. j. e. jones, d.d. 599
Churches. In 1872 he entered what is now the
Atlanta Baptist Seminary, it then being known by
another name, and located at Augusta, Georgia.
On its removal to Atlanta, Rev. Jones attended
Benedict Institute, Columbia, South Carolina.
In 1880 he resigned the Mt. Calvary Church, and
accepted a call to the Mt. Enon Church and
Beaver Dam Baptist Church.
Rev. Jones has been an earnest, faithful, and
successful worker for God and his fellow men.
Rev. J. E. Jones, D.D.
Among the most scholarly men of the colored
Baptish church may be ranked Professor J. E.
Jones. Nearly his whole life either as a studenjt
or as a teacher has been spent in an educational
institution. He was born of slave parents
October 15, 1850, in Lynchburg, Va. During
the whole history of. slavery in America in no
period were such cruel and vigorous laws enacted
against the negro as in that embracing the years
from 1850 to the close of the war. As far as
human law could do it, every avenue of escape
from or improvement in bondage was hermetic¬
ally sealed against him. Virginia, in common
with all other states, strictly forbade the teaching
of negroes to read and write. But being very
anxious that her son should be taught, if possi-
PROF. J. E. JONES.
REV. J. E. JONES, D.D. 3OI
ble, the rudiments of an education, the mother
of young Jones secured the services of a slave
owned by the same master to instruct her son
nights during the week. This arrangement con¬
tinued until the master discovered that the slave
teacher could read and write, and sold him. After
this temporary interruption the services of a sick
confederate soldier were secured. By him young
Jones was taught until Lee's surrender.
For the three years immediately following the
close of the war, his mother sent him to private
schools taught by R. A. 'Perkins and James M.
Gregory respectively; the latter of whom is now
dean of the college department of Howard Uni¬
versity. His progress in these schools was very
rapid. For the most part he stood at the head
of his classes. In the spring of 1868 he pro¬
fessed hope in Christ and was baptized into the
fellowship of the Court Street Baptist Church,
Lynchburg.
He soon after felt impressed to preach the gos¬
pel of Christ, and, with a view to his preparation
for that work, in the fall of 1868 he entered the
Richmond Institute, now the Richmond Theolog¬
ical Seminary. After spending three years in that
institution, during which time he completed the
academic and theological studies, he entered in
April, 1871, the preparatory department of Madi¬
son University (now Colgate University), at
302 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Hamilton, N. Y. September, 1872, he entered
the college freshman class. After a successful
course of four years, he graduated from the
classical course, June, 1876. The same year he
was employed by the American Baptist Hofne
Mission Society as instructor in languages and
philosophy in Richmond Institute. In 1877 he
was ordained to the ministry. Two years later
he received from his alma mater " in course " the
degree of Master of Arts. For fifteen years he
has been instructor in that institution, which has
since become the Richmond Theological Semi¬
nary. During all these years, he has been faith¬
ful and earnest in his work. As a scholar, teacher,
orator, and preacher he has always been very
popular. The writer can speak with authority
because for three years he was under the instruc¬
tion of Prof. Jones.
For eight years he has held the chair of Homi-
letics and Greek in the seminary. In addition to
his work as teacher, he has been active in the move¬
ments of his denomination.. For eight successive
years he has been elected corresponding secretary
of the Foreign Mission Convention of the United
States.
Speaking of Professor Jones, the Religious
Herald of Richmond said :—
" Professor Jones is one of the most gifted
colored men in America, Besides being professor
REV. J. E. JONES, D.D. 303
in Richmond Theological Seminary, he is corre¬
sponding secretary of the Foreign Mission Con¬
vention. He has the ear and heart of his people,
and fills with distinction the high position to
which his brethren north and south have called
him."
Professor Jones has been a frequent correspond¬
ent for newspapers. He gained considerable
celebrity as a writer by a series of articles written
in reply to Bishop Keene, of Richmond. All
fair minded persons, at the close, accounted him
the victor. He was for several years the associate
editor of the Baptist Companion of Virginia.
He also edits the African Mission, the organ of
the Foreign Mission Convention.
The demands upon Professor Jones to speak
and preach have been frequent. His speech
before the American Baptist Home Mission
Society in June, 1880, at Saratoga, N. Y., was
very favorably commented upon by some of the
leading papers of the denomination.
Speaking of the address, the Watchman of
Boston said:—
" The speech of the evening was that of Pro¬
fessor Jones, a colored man. His manly, strong,
and sensible address was a stronger appeal for the
education of his race than the words of the most
eloquent advocate."
June, 1882, Professor Jones married Miss Rosa
3o4 our baptist ministers.
D. Kinckle of Lynchburg. She is a graduate of
the normal department of Howard University.
She can easily adjust herself to circumstances
and has proved a veritable helpmeet to. her
husband.
As a preacher Professor Jones is simple, lucid,
and impressive. He is constantly being called to
fill pulpits, and his hearers always go away with
new fields of thought opened to them. In debates
he is logical and convincing. He wields a great
influence in the Baptist assemblies of his own
state as well as in those of national character. He
is seldom excited and his remarks are always
conservative. In recognition of his scholarship
and worth, Selma University conferred upon him
the degree of Doctor of Divinity, May, 1888.
Rev. T. L. Jordan.
Rev. T. L. Jordan was born in Richmond,
Virginia, on the ground of, and perhaps in, the
old Lumpkin jail. Soon afterwards he was car¬
ried in the arms of his mother to Lowndes County,
Mississippi. His mother was put upon a farm,
and he, being physically delicate, was kept at his
owner's house as a servant. Here he enjoyed
many advantages of knowledge of which the
other slaves were deprived. He obtained his first
ideas of freedom from his master, M. J. Jordan,
306 our baptist ministers.
at a Fourth of July celebration in 1858, when,
becoming full of fire at the probabilities of a war,
he exclaimed, pointing to the boy, " This negro
is mine, who has a right to take him from me ?"
It was for telling some of the other negroes of
the possibilities of freedom, that a sound thrash¬
ing admonished the " negro boy" that he was
not to discourse upon such subjects. Although
young his mind was alert to a thing that was
being discussed concerning the negro's freedom
in church and state, at farm and fireside, in pulpit
and pew. In 1868 he professed faith in Christ.
He worked in a hotel with the understanding
that he should attend church. Immediately
after uniting with the church, he became a very
active member. He frequently walked from one
to five miles, holding prayer-meetings, and exhort¬
ing upon the different-plantations. Success in
winning souls for Christ seems to have followed
him at all his meetings. For some time his church
relations were quite unsettled. The Methodists
were offering him great inducements to join their
church, as he was the most influential young man
in the community. But on November 6,1868, he
was baptized by Rev. N. Goff, and became a
member of the Baptist church. Under Rev.
Goff he was also licensed. His first knowledge
of letters was imparted to him upon the doorsteps
of the pantry on Sunday mornings, by a young
REV. T. L. JORDAN. T>°7
lady who was known and beloved by every one
on the plantation for her sympathy and kindness
of heart. This young lady organized a Sunday-
school class for the purpose of reading the Bible
to them, but young Jordan always brought along
a spelling-book, from which to get a " Bible lesson."
That book was the cause of his getting many a
whipping. It was often taken away from him,
sometimes it was torn up, then it was burned, at
other times crammed in his mouth. However
many times, or in whatever way it was destroyed,
Jordan would regularly appear with a speller.
How he obtained them was a perplexing question
to his master; they were supplied by the kind
young lady teacher. It is needless to say, that
the kindness of that lady yet lives in the memory
of Rev. Jordan.
In February, 1867, a pay-school was begun upon
a farm not far away; with no money, little food,
and scarcely any clothing, young Jordan started
to school, and was taken upon his promise to
earn money and pay the bill. After four months'
stay in the school, he was compelled, from hun¬
ger and scarcity of clothing, to leave/ Obtaining
work as porter in town, he worked and studied
under his employer, until there came from Indi¬
ana into the community a teacher, by name H.
Quick. Jordan made arrangements to wait at a
hotels attend trains, and go to school between
308 our baptist ministers.
meals. In the mean time he was serving a little
church in an adjoining county. After being
pastor of it for seven years, he went to Columbus
to accept a call to a church of which Rev. F. J.
Boulden had been pastor. Being inexperienced,
and having only served a country church, he felt
unequal to the task of serving a city church,
especially one that could boast of having had for
its pastor such a man as Rev. Boulden, experi¬
enced and scholarly. Yet his success was very
great. In one year's time a large debt had been
paid, and the congregation so increased that a
new church edifice had to be built, which was
done at a cost of $6,000, all of which was paid
in two years and a half. For many years he was
pastor of that church. He has also, for several
years, been president of the General Baptist
Association of Mississippi. Under him the asso¬
ciation enjoyed some of its most prosperous ses¬
sions. When he became president, eleven associa¬
tions were united; when his successor came into
office, forty-one associations composed the gen¬
eral association.
Rev. T. L. Jordan is also a great Sunday-school
worker; he has been instrumental in organizing
two Sunday-school conventions, and has served
as presiding officer in both. Of the general asso¬
ciation he was elected moderator by acclamation
without an opponent. For his theological training
rev. paul h. kennedy. 309
Rev. Jordan feels indebted to many of his white
co-pastors, and the books so timely and kindly
donated by the American Baptist Publication
Society.
He is a great friend to the young men, which
deserves mention. Not only is he friendly to
them, but he has been instrumental in assisting
many young men in obtaining an education.
At the last session of the Baptist State Con¬
vention, with a delegation of nine hundred, he was
elected corresponding secretary by acclamation.
In 1887 he resigned the Missionary Union
Baptist Church at Columbus to go to Meridian,
in charge of the largest church in the city, and of
which he is now pastor. Rev. Jordan is also
trustee of the Natchez Baptist College. He is
one of the most successful pastors in the state,
a man of excellent judgment of men and things,
a close student, well known in state and national
meetings of his denomination. As a speaker he
at once commands attention. Several thousand
persons have been baptized by him.
Rev. Paul H. Kennedy.
Rev. Paul H. Kennedy, general missionary for
Kentucky, was born September 1, 1848, near
Elizabethtown in Hardin County, Ky. At the age
of fifteen he enlisted in the army—in the 109th
REV. PAUL H. KENNEDY.
REV. PAUL H. KENNEDY. 311
Regiment, United States colored troops. After
the close of the war he taught music with no
little degree of success. He was educated at
Nashville Institute (now Roger Williams Univer¬
sity), Nashville, Tennessee. He happily professed
faith in Christ in 1873, and was ordained to the
work of the gospel ministry in 1876, in the First
Baptist Church of Clarksville, Tennessee.
His first pastoral work was with the Baptist
churches at Leitchfield and Greenville, Kentucky.
He was first appointed missionary for the First
District Association, then for the state at large.
He gave up that work and again did pastoral
work for several years, during which time he
served at different times the First Church,
Paducah, Ky., the First Baptist Church, Hender¬
son, the First Baptist Church, Booneville, Mis¬
souri, and a church at Indianapolis, Ind. The
Lord greatly blessed all of his pastoral efforts.
His churches grew and flourished.
In August, 1888, while pastor in Indianapolis,
Rev. Kennedy was again appointed general mis¬
sionary for the state of Kentucky, in which work
he is at present engaged. He has a liking as
well as a fitness for missionary work. His success
in that field amply justifies his brethren in ap¬
pointing and sustaining him in that particular
work.
312
our baptist ministers.
Mr. John Carter Leftwich, A.B.,
the great temperance Jecturer of the state
of Alabama, and the subject of this sketch, the
eldest son of Lloyd and Frances Leftwich, was
born June 6, 1867, near the little town of Fork-
land, Greene County, Alabama. His father was
emancipated without anything in the world but
muscle; yet by some means he obtained a scanty
education. By hard work and diligent toil, he
soon became the owner of his old master's plan¬
tation. In 1872 he was elected senator to the
Alabama Legislature, losing nearly all he had by
running into politics. He earnestly did every¬
thing he could to educate his children. John Car¬
ter Leftwich received a very poor education at his
father's home. He had to work hard every evening
until nine o'clock, and then walk six miles to
school. This he did for five years. After finish¬
ing up all that a country school could give he
desired to go to a high school. But his father
being very poor and unable to send him away to
school made it appear almost hopeless for young
Leftwich to cherish such an idea. One day while
John was behind the garden fence praying that
the Lord would send him away to the high school,
his parents discovered him. They were so touched
with his earnestness that they then and there
promised to try to send him the coming fall.
MR. JOHN CARTER LEFTWICH, A.B. 313
This inspired him and during the same year he
gave his young life to the Master. He was
baptized upon profession of faith, joined the
church, and became an active teacher in the Sun¬
day-school. During the latter part of the sum¬
mer of the same year, Rev. C. L. Puree, D.D.,
then a professor in Selma University, went to
Forkland to preach and solicit aid for the school.
During his stay in the community he stirred the
people up to such a pitch that they became deeply
interested in the school, and as John had the
promise of going to school, he chose this school
for the purpose.
The fall came, and John was not sent off to
school. However in January, 1886, his parents
gave him twenty dollars and sent him off to
school. After paying his expenses he had only
$5.25 left to pay his board. He was puzzled
what to do, but by seeking he found something
to do to keep him in school. Rev. E. M. Braw-
ley, then president of the school, gave him a
position as janitor. At the close of the school
he was elected principal of a summer academy
for teachers and preachers. The salary was
small but it helped him much in school the next
session. His life in school was not a very quiet
one. His high ambition and higher temper
caused him many sorrowful hours and yet he
was looked upon with much respect—in fact, he
3I4 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
was a general favorite. While he was in his
second session Rev. C. L. Puree, D.D., became
president of the school. He immediately took
young Leftwich in hand; he found him to be
hard and trying. Dr. Puree talked with him,
reasoned with him, persuaded him, and prayed
for him. This wholesome influence wrought a
great change in the character of the young man,
and before his school life was closed he was
pronounced one of the leading lights of the
school. He is a ready speaker and a natural
born orator. As a debater in school he had no
equal. When the beloved president received the
degree of D.D. from the State University of
Kentucky, Mr. Leftwich was chosen by the school
to make the presentation speech to Dr. Puree.
This he did in a masterly style, winning afresh the
laurels which he so gracefully wears. He was
chosen many times while a student to lecture and
deliver orations outside and inside of the school.
He has been a pronounced temperance advocate
from his youth, his temperance stand becoming
very marked in his college life. He graduated in
1890 with the degree of A.B. His graduating
oration, " The American Orator," was a gem and
added much to his reputation as a thinker and
orator.
The position he took on temperance won con¬
siderable fame for him in the state, and in May,
MR. JOHN CARTER LEFTWICH, A.B. 315
1890, being highly recommended by the presi¬
dent and some of the best citizens of the state to
the National Temperance Society of New York,
he was appointed as temperance lecturer for
the state of Alabama. Mr. Leftwich entered
upon his field of labor at once and soon won a
state reputation as a temperance lecturer. He
is also a Sunday-school worker, being president
of the Sunday-school Convention, one of the
largest district conventions in the state. He has
won a national reputation as a speaker and tem¬
perance lecturer. He has spoken to over five
hundred organizations and churches.
The newspapers of the state have given him
the highest compliments ever paid to a young
man. At the Negro Conference recently held in
the city of Montgomery, the City Journal\ a
leading Democratic paper, came out next morning
with the following statement: " Of all the speeches
made at the convention on the World's Fair
Bill, the speech made by Mr. J. C. Leftwich was
pronounced by all to be the most eloquent and
logical of the day." The National Temperance
Advocate gives him great credit for his skillful
management of temperance matters in the state.
As a specimen of their appreciation I append a
clipping from a recent copy of the Advocate:—
J. C. Leftwich, Esq., of Alabama has been very active and
efficient in many parts of the state, where he has lectured with
316
our baptist ministers.
great acceptance and has distributed much temperance litera¬
ture, and introduced the "Temperance First Reader" into
many schools, so that the good which he does lives after him.
Writing from Selma, he says :—
" I have been busy lecturing and scattering the literature. I
have just come to Selma. I have met three Sunday-school
conventions, and lectured each day and night during their
sessions. The people were more than overjoyed to hear tem¬
perance lectures. I have visited twenty-five Sunday-schools,
lectured at thirty churches, and visited over two hundred fami¬
lies since my last report."
Mr. Leftwich is a devoted friend to the presi¬
dent of his school, and loves him as a father.
"To him," he says, " I owe my success so far and
if my career shall ever be illustrious or great, it
will be through the tender care of my beloved
friend and president."
Leftwich's leisure time is spent in reading. He
has a thirst for newspapers and biography that
seems never to be satisfied. He does not care
for honors and seeks none; his chief ambition is
to do his people, his race, the American nation
good. Surely he is a rising young Alabamian.
Rev. Wallace Porter Locker.
Rev. W. P. Locker was born at New-Berne,
N. C., July 19, 1853. His parents were slaves.
The alphabet and the fundamental principles of
arithmetic were taught him by his father. He
had early advantages which were denied the ma-
REV. WALLACE PORTER LOCKER. 31 7
jority of the slaves of his day. He began to attend
a public school of New-Berne in 1863 and con¬
tinued in school until the spring of 1866. His
father thinking it well to develop the muscle
along with the brain, moved into the country and
started a farm. There being no colored school
in the neighborhood into which he moved, Wallace
was obliged to pursue his studies at night and
other odd hours. In 1867 his father moved into
Hide, to a settlement where there was a colored
school supported jointly by the county and the
patrons. There Wallace worked upon the farm
and went to school until 1873, when he was ex¬
amined and received a certificate of qualification
as teacher, and taught the school where he was
previously a pupil. That responsibility inspired
him to undertake greater things. Accordingly,
in 1874 he moved to St. James Parish, Louisiana,
and the following year he began teaching a public
school-in the same parish. One year later he was
elected justice of the peace for the Seventh ward,
Parish of St. James. The same year he married
Miss Isabella Taylor. This excellent woman and
her child died about one year later. In 1879
Mr. Locker accepted a position under the na¬
tional government. Not receiving what he thought
just compensation for earnest services rendered
those in higher political circles, he resigned the
office, and went to Pearlington, Mississippi, where
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
he applied for a public school position. He ob¬
tained the requisite certificate, but was refused a
position on account of his Baptist proclivities.
He was told that the Baptists were the poor and
ignorant of the community; that a man of his in¬
telligence had no business among them; if he
would join the Methodist church, he might have
the school. The offer was scorned, and a private
school was opened whose enrollment was a great
deal larger than that of the public school. The
man who made the proposition was colored, and is
living at this writing. It was not until November,
1879, that Mr. Locker was converted and baptized,
and became a member of the Baptist church.
He was licensed to preach during the same year.
In 1880 he went to Handsboro, Mississippi, began
teaching, and married Miss M. J. Evans. He
was ordained in 1882. In every school taught
by him, he inaugurated a system of Bible reading,
and had night assemblages for the same purpose.
This school has been the nucleus of many revivals,
in fact he has been called the "children's preacher."
Rev. LoGker has suffered great persecution
because of his loyalty to Baptist principles, and
for preaching what he believed to be scriptural
teaching. He is an ardent Sunday-school worker;
his ministry has been very successful. He takes
part in politics, believing that the so called
"negro problem" can be best and quickest solved
rev. e. k. love.
319
by godly men entering actively into the politics
of state and nation. He is now United States
Inspector of Customs.
Rev. E. K. Love.
Rev. E. K. Love, the president of the Foreign
Mission Convention of the United States, was
born near Marion, Alabama, July 27, 1850. He
was deprived of early training. He was reared
upon a farm upon which he worked during the
day and studied at night by torch light. In 1870
he entered Lincoln University, Marion, Alabama,
where he studied one session, at the end of which
time he had gone through nearly the whole
course of study then pursued at that institution.
In the fall of 1872 he went to Augusta, Georgia,
and attended the Augusta Institute. He was a
member of that institution until he graduated from
the prescribed course of study in 1877. In school
his advancement was rapid; he led his classes in
all their studies. In 1868 Mr. Love made pro¬
fession of religion and was baptized into the
fellowship of the Siloam Baptist Church, Marion,
Alabama. It is said that he began to preach on
the evening of the same day on which he was
baptized; and he has continued to this day a
faithful minister of the gospel. He is a good
theologian, a close reasoner, an aggressive and
3 20 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
fearless speaker, a pulpit orator. He is a writer
of no little proficiency, lucid, logical, and vigorous;
these qualities are evident to all who have read his
numerous newspaper articles, etc.
After graduation, Rev. Love was appointed
missionary for the state of Georgia under the
American Baptist Home Mission Society. Al¬
though his success upon the field was great, and
amply satisfactory to all concerned, he resigned
the position of missionary in 1879, and accepted a
call to the First Church of Thomasville, Georgia.
There his success was very great and more than
four hundred persons were baptized into the
church, and the church edifice was repaired. He
tendered his resignation to that church in 1881, to
the regret of church and community, and accepted
an appointment under the auspices of the Ameri¬
can Baptist Publication Soci.ety. As a mission¬
ary no previous appointee equaled him. He was
a great organizer and had a genius for raising
money, and to this day that peculiar genius is in¬
separable from him. In October, 1888, he re¬
signed his commission to accept a call to the First
Baptist Church at Savannah, Georgia. However
successful he has been upon the missionary field,
the pastoral field seems to be his mission. He is
an indefatigable worker, and untiring in his efforts
to wake up, work up, and build up his people.
Since taking charge at Savannah, he has baptized
rev. l. m. luke.
321
into his church more than a thousand persons;
and he raises a large amount of money every
year for conventional and other purposes. He has
held many positions of honor and trust among
his brethren of the state and nation. He has
been assistant teacher under Rev. J. T. Roberts,
D.D., LL.D., and associate editor of the Georgia
Sentinel. He is pastor of the largest church in
the United States ; its membership numbers more
than five thousand. The honorary degree, D.D.,
has been conferred upon him.
Rev. L. M. Luke.
It is always pleasant as well as profitable to
read the life of a faithful and consecrated serv¬
ant of God. Rev. L. M. Luke was born in
Caddo Parish, La., July 12, 1857. His mother was
blind, she never saw her son. She was the mother
of five children, three sons and two daughters.
His father was considered a great preacher in
his time. He labored in the ministry thirty-five
years and died beloved by his people. ' The year
of emancipation his father died, and left his blind
wife and one daughter to be supported by young
Luke, then only eight years old. To gain sup¬
port for them, the boy was hired to his former
master. He was greatly devoted to his mother
and tenderly cared for her during her life, She
21*
REV. L. M, LUKE.
REV. L. M. LUKE. 323
died when he was eighteen years old. These
early cares prevented him from receiving any
early training, although he had great eagerness
to learn. After the death of his former master,
he with ten others undertook to buy his planta¬
tion, in which they failed after paying $5,000 upon
it.
From boyhood he was very precocious in all
kinds of mechanical work and could handle tools
with skill at a very early age. Under the pious
influence of his mother and father he became a
Christian at the age of ten. At nineteen he was
licensed to preach. That he became a preacher
seems natural; when six years old it is said he
used to gather the plantation around him and go
through the form of preaching. So amused was
his master that he promised him the use of a
mule as soon as he became old enough to preach.
People were surprised that a boy so young should
become so active in church work and take so firm
a stand for Christ. So small was he at the time
of his conversion that he was put upon a table
while he related his experience. His youthful-
ness and lack of education forestalled his early
anxiety to preach. . The advantage of a night
school upon the place where he lived afforded an
opportunity for considerable improvement, which
opportunity was eagerly seized by him. Young
Luke was a-n active Sunday-schoQl WQvker, mak-
324 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
ing it a point to commit and recite every Sunday
one hundred verses from the scriptures. That
exercise has proved a great blessing to him, as
he can now quote and apply with great facility
passages of scriptures to suit the occasion in
hand.
Upon the plantation where he lived he was re¬
garded as an encyclopedia of Biblical knowledge.
At the age of eighteen he was holding revival
meetings and was known as the " boy preacher";
he was ordained at twenty ; at twenty-one he was
called to preach to the Galilee Baptist Church,
at Shreveport, La., his old home. When he took
the church there were eight members and no
house of worship; he remained with them two
years and resigned leaving two hundred and
twenty members and a house of worship worth
$1,300. While at Shreveport he studied under
Rev. J. A. Lockell, pastor of the white Baptist
church of that city. Rev. Luke has always been
an effectual gospel preacher. In 1880 he married
Miss Annie Stephens, an orphan girl of limited
education. But she has been to him a devoted
Christian wife, and even an indispensable help¬
meet. She has spent three years in college
since their marriage. In 1880 he was called to
the Bethesda Baptist Church, at Marshall, Texas.
That pastorate afforded him much opportunity
for growth, He remained with them seven years
rev. l. d. mcallister. 325
and added three hundred and twenty members
to the church. In 1887 he resigned to become
pastor of the St. Paul Church at Paris, Texas,
which charge he resigned one year after to accept
an appointment from the American Baptist Home
Mission Society as general educational agent of
Texas, which position he still holds. While at
Marshall he attended a high • school taught by
Prof. D. Abner, Jr., now Bishop College. He re¬
ceived instruction at the hands of Dr. S. W.
Culver,, for ten years the eminent president of
Bishop' College, to whom he claims is due his
success as a preacher and instructor of the
Bible.
Rev. L. D. McAllister.
Rev. L. D. McAllister was born at Aberdeen,
Monroe County, Mississippi, April 2, 1857. He
was deeply impressed with the subject of religion
at a very early age. These early impressions
were due, principally, to his pious mother.
He made profession of religion in 1877, and
became a member of the Pine Grove Baptist
Church the following year, and was licensed to
preach the same year. In 1879 he returned to
his old. home (Aberdeen), and united by letter
with the Second Baptist Church. The following
year he assisted in the organization of the Mt.
Olivet Church in Monroe County, which called
rev. l. d. McAllister.
REV. W. H. McALPINE. 327
him to its pastorate in 1875. He was ordained
for this church. At the call of the Spring Creek
Church, he served it once a month, thus dividing
his time between the two churches. During his
two pastorates many professed hope in Christ and
became members of these churches. In 1877
Rev. McAllister accepted a call to the Second
Baptist Church of Aberdeen, of which he is still
the devoted and beloved pastor.
Although pastor of the Second Church of
Aberdeen, he has given a part of his time to New
Grove and Ebenezer churches, both of which are
composed of former members of the Second of
Aberdeen. When he became pastor of the
church at Aberdeen, it had five hundred members,
a majority of whom lived out of town and wor¬
shiped, at small meeting places. Since he has
been with the church they have dismissed by
letter four hundred and ninety-five members, by
whom seven churches have been organized. The
mother-church at Aberdeen still has three hun¬
dred and thirty-seven members. Rev. McAllister
has been moderator of the North Mt. Olivet
Baptist Association five years.
Rev. W. H. McAlpine.
Rev. W. H. McAlpine was born in Bucking¬
ham County, Virginia, June, 1847. When about
328 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
three years old, he, his mother, and younger
brother were carried to Alabama, and sold by a
slave trader to a Presbyterian minister named
Robert McAlpine. His owner died when he was
about., eight years old. At his death the estate
being divided, William was separated from his
mother and taken possession of by a son of Mrs.
McAlpine who was a doctor. He remained with
Dr. McAlpine till the close of the civil war. He
served as nurse for the children in the family of
his master ten years. It was customary in those
days in many families' to use boys as nurses.
Mrs. McAlpine was a northern lady, and, as the
method of teaching children in the South did not
suit her, she employed persons to teach her chil¬
dren at home, when she did not do it herself. As
William was not allowed to mingle with the other
slaves, but was kept in the house night and day,
he learned to read and write and acquired some
knowledge of grammar, arithmetic, and geog¬
raphy. After separating from his mother in
1855 he did not see or hear any more of her till
1874. In 1864 he became a Christian and was
baptized into the fellowship of a white Baptist
church at Talladega, Alabama. Two years after¬
ward he worked at the carpenter's trade, and in
the same year (1866) he taught school at Mardis-
ville, a small village five miles from Talladega.
During the winter he attended Talladega College,
REV. W. H. McALPINE. 329
where, on account of his poverty, he was com¬
pelled to work mornings, evenings, and Saturdays
to pay his school expenses, and attend school
during school hours. Mr. McAlpine was con¬
nected with Talladega College from 1868 to 1873,
and lacked six months of graduating when he left
school in 1874. It was not long after his con¬
version that he felt that he was called to the min¬
istry, but as he believed that he should be thor¬
oughly prepared for such a work he refused to
be licensed for some years. He was licensed in
1869, and having in the fall of 1871 received
a call to a church at Talladega he was ordained
for the church. The present church edifice of
the colored Baptists at Talladega was built dur¬
ing his pastorate. While pastor at Talladega, he
attended the college there. During vacation he
canvassed the state for students, being employed
by Rev. E. M. Cravath, who was secretary of
the American Missionary Association. At the
close of the canvass he received a letter which
reads as follows :—
New York, March 2, 1871.
William McAlpine, Talladega, Alabama.
Dear Sir: Yours with bill, March 14, is at hand. Mr. Safford
will pay you the balance due on account, and I feel you have
done us good work in the state, that will tell in the results
more largely in the future. I hope you will succeed in your
efforts for the church, and that a blessing may rest upon your
labors.
Very truly yours,
E. M. Cravath.
330 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Rev. McAlpine attended the first meeting held
in Alabama for the purpose of organizing the
Colored Baptist Missionary State Convention and
has been in every meeting except two since its or¬
ganization. In Tuscaloosa, Ala., 1873, a white con¬
vention was in session, at the same time the colored
convention met there. Rev. McAlpine offered a
resolution to endeavor to establish a school (which
is now Selma University). The colored conven¬
tion while yet undecided sent a committee to
take the resolution to the white convention and
ask advice on the matter. A committee from the
white brethren was sent to advise them to give what
money they had to them, and they would send to
school such young men as the colored convention
thought deserving, as it would be unwise to un¬
dertake to establish a school. Notwithstanding the
advice of the white brethren Rev. McAlpine rose,
expressed quite a different view, and succeeded in
making his brethren see it was their duty to at
least attempt the establishment of a school.
In 1874 Rev. McAlpine was chosen financial
agent by this convention; he succeeded in raising
over $200 for the school and aroused much in¬
terest all over the state. In 1876 he was again
employed as financial agent for the whole year.
He succeeded in raising $500. The convention
met in the fall of 1877 and decided to locate the
school in Selma; the old fair grounds were pur-
kEV. W. H. McALPINE. 331
chased for $3,000, and now the colored Baptists
of Alabama own one of the best schools of the
state. Much credit is due Rev. McAlpine for
his earnest effort in its behalf. In 1881 he was
elected president of the school. This position
he held two years. He felt that the school
needed a more learned man at its head, so he re¬
signed, against the wishes of the board of trust¬
ees, faculty, and students.
He was called to the church at Marion and
accepted the pastoral charge. In 1880 when the
Baptist Foreign Mission Convention was organ¬
ized in Montgomery, Ala., Rev. McAlpine was
elected president, and served two terms. The
third term he refused to serve longer in that
capacity.
He was editor of the Baptist Pioneer when it
was started, in 1878, and held that position till
1882, when he resigned in favor of Rev. E. M.
Brawley, D.D. He was for six years a member
of the board of trustees of Lincoln Normal
University, at Marion, Ala., being the only colored
member of the board. For three years he had
the pastoral charge of a large church near Marion,
also of the church at Marion, which he still serves.
Dr. Wm. J. Simmons says of him in " Men of
Mark": " He is a man of fine parts, genteel, in¬
telligent, faithful, and earnest. He is much re¬
spected and beloved by all who know him. As
332 our baptist ministers.
he grows in age, he grows in wisdom, and the
work of Alabama Baptists is largely guided by
his suggestions. He has arisen to many offices of
honor and trust, because he is always on the
right side."
Rev. A. N. McEwen.
Rev. A. N. McEwen was born in Mississippi,
April, 1849, of slave parents. His childhood was
about the same as that of other slaves.
At the close of the civil war he found himself
free and penniless. The boon of freedom having
been granted he lamented not his poverty, but
turned his hands to whatever would bring him an
honest penny. He saved his earnings that he
might educate himself.
In 1867 he entered the Baptist Institute at
Nashville. He did not remain at this school very
long as his slender resources were soon exhausted.
By industry and economy young McEwen was
soon able to buy a horse and wagon and in a
short time was above the needs of life. Soon
after he married and procured a home for his
family. In 1870 he professed hope in Christ and
began the work of the gospel ministry. In 1876
he received a call from the Baptist church at
Tullahoma, Tenn., to which he responded. He
labored with this church six years, at the end of
REV. A. N. McEWEN.
334 0ur baptist ministers.
which time he was called to Montgomery, Ala.
This field was broader and the needs greater, and
he went feeling that he could do more for the
Master's cause. At this place he did untold good
for his people.
Rev. A. N. McEwen takes much interest both
in education and politics. He is a member of
the board of trustees of Selma University. Such
is his influence that no Baptist convention is
complete without his presence and counsel. The
Argus of Alabama speaks of him as follows:—
" Rev. A. N. McEwen is the honored pastor
of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church of this
city, and editor of the Baptist Leader, the officii
organ of the Baptists of this state. As an orator
he has few equals in the state, and stands in the
front rank of the Baptist ministry as a practical
preacher. It has well been said that no one can
sit and hear his discussion without being moved
from center to circumference. His sermons are
not only methodical, but replete with thought
which moves the soul. He has the power of cap¬
tivating and swaying his congregation at will,
making them both laugh and cry.
" He is earnest and aggressive in his arguments,
diving into the unfathomed ocean of thought;
bringing out gospel truths which put the most
stupid to thinking. He preached in all the lead¬
ing cities of the state, for both Baptist and Meth-
REV. A. N. McEWEN.
335
odist, never failing to capture his audience. As
a financier he has truly made a success and justly
deserves the distinction of being second to none
in the state. His ability in this direction has ex¬
ceeded the most sanguine expectations of his
many friends. He came to this city in 1884 and
took charge of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church,
the condition of which at that time was very un¬
favorable.
" The church was not only financially embar¬
rassed but the members were entertaining such
feelings towards each other that the work seemed
to be at a stand-still.
" Since having charge of the above named
church he has, with the united assistance of his
officers, built an edifice costing over $12,000, in
fact the finest in Montgomery. The congregation
is composed of some of the best people in the
city.' He has also, in connection with this, ac¬
quired sdme very valuable property. As an editor
he has made a fine record by building up a good
paper for the church for which he has so earnestly
labored."
Rev. McEwen has recently been called to a
large church in Mobile, Ala. He has entered
upon his work there with the same energy and
prospects that have attended his past efforts.
Though he has just reached the prime of life,
he is a man of great activity and wide influence.
336
our baptist ministers.
Rev. S. P. Martin.
Rev. S. P. Martin, a native of Holly Springs,
Marshall County, Mississippi, was born March 11,
1850. He was deprived of the advantages of
school training; what he knows of books " he
picked up " by contact with others, etc., but he
now has some well chosen books that compose
his library. We often speak in the most com¬
mendable terms of men like Lincoln, Greeley, and
others, who, without special high school training,
have reached positions of distinction, and we as
frequently overlook men of the negro race who
are unlike Lincoln, Greeley, and others, in that they
were not only deprived of school training, but
were not even born free; who were not only born
in log huts, but were born the chattel slaves of
other persons ; who were not only born poor, but
they were unable to breathe the air of freedom.
Yet these men in their spheres have becorfie useful,
progressive, distinguished. Rev. Martin became a
member of the Baptist church in 1866. He made
a profession of religion on Saturday, and began
preaching the following Wednesday night. He
is still an earnest, active, and successful minister
of the gospel.
The ministerial work was not of his own seek¬
ing nor even his own wishes. He was licensed
by the Chulahoma Baptist Church in 1871, and
rev. james m. mason.
337
was ordained by the same body in 1874. After
his ordination he accepted a call to the New
Hope Church, with which he remained two years.
The second year, in addition to New Hope, he
served Spring Hill Church, both in Marshall
County. The third year of his ministry was spent
in the service of the Bethlehem Baptist Church
at Coffeeville, Mississippi. After a year at Coffee-
ville, he accepted a call to another church at Gre¬
nada, the Bell Flower Baptist Church.
Rev. Martin has also labored in the capacity
of district and state missionary for five years.
During that time the district and state organiza¬
tions enjoyed great prosperity. He is now pastor
of the Durant Baptist Church, where he has been
since 1886. • When he took charge the member¬
ship was about one hundred and twenty; these
were scattered and had no house of worship.
Now the church numbers four hundred and has
an elegant church edifice.
Rev. James M. Mason.
Rev. James M. Mason, tha son of Jordan and
Lucy Mason, was born June 6, 1853, at Snowville,
Pulaski County, Virginia. He is the youngest of
seven boys.* He professed hope in Christ in 1870,
and, having been baptized by Rev, C, S, Sheaffer
22
338 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
of Christiansburg, Virginia, he was received into
the fellowship of the First Church of that place.
Rev. Mason was educated at Wayland Semi¬
nary, Washington, District of Columbia. He
was, at one time, pastor of the Baptist church at
Blacksburg, Virginia, also of the First Church
at Frankfort, Kentucky. For seven years he has
been pastor of the Second Baptist Church at
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, his present field of labor.
Under him the church has flourished and the de¬
nomination has grown in strength. Rev. Mason
enjoys the reputation of being one of the best
pastors in the state. He is not only a good pastor,
but he is progressive and aggressive, earnest and
useful; indeed, he is one of the leading church
lights in the state among the Baptists.
As a preacher, he is eloquent, logical, faithful,
and a natural pulpit orator. He feels that the
ministry is his calling and he follows it, hence he
is beloved as a minister. It should have been
mentioned before, that Mr. Mason was ordained
in 1876 by a council of the Valley Baptist Asso¬
ciation of Virginia, at the request of the Baptist
church at Christiansburg. He has been serving
in the ministry fiftoen years, during which time
he has baptized more than two thousand persons,
has officiated at more than five hundred marriages.
At present Rev. Mason, in addition to his pas¬
toral duties, edits a religious paper, The Tusca-
rev. william massey. 339
loosa Light House. He is a profound and fine,
writer.
Rev. William Massey.
Rev. W. Massey, the president of the Baptist
State Convention of Texas, was born in Cul-
peper County, Virginia, in 1843. He was sold on
the auction block at Richmond, Va., 1856. He
was taken by Doctor Allen M. Hall to Wash¬
ington, Tenn., where he was kept about two years,
at the end of which time he was again sold for
$ 1,150 to a slave trader, John R. Massey, with whom
he lived six or eight months. Massey then sold
him to J. B. Sterling, a cotton planter in Missis¬
sippi, for $1,650. Sterling kept him in Missis¬
sippi till the beginning of the war of the rebellion.
When the Union army came dangerously near,
that is, when the loss of his slaves was threatened,
Massey moved his slaves to Alabama, on the
Tombigbee river, where he engaged in the salt
making business.
One morning before day William Massey, the
subject of this sketch, ran away and made his way
to the Federal soldiers. He enlisted in the 8th
Illinois Regiment; with that regiment he went to
Mobile, Ala., from thence it was ordered to Texas,
via New Orleans, La., thence to Shreveport, thence
to Austin, Texas. Prior to his experience in the
34-0 our baptist: ministers.
.army William Massey had professed faith in
Christ. As there was no church organization
among the colored people at that time, he was not
baptized till he went to Marshall, Texas. He was
licensed and ordained in the white Baptist church,
the ordination taking place September, 1871,
conducted by Dr. A. E. Clemmons, and Rev.
T. L. Scruggs, white ministers.
Rev. Massey's education is not very extensive,
and he never attended school. His alphabet was
taught him by his young mistress at Alexandria,
Va. All he knows besides he has acquired by
observation and contact with others. Still he has
made himself quite proficient in the primary
branches, and has taught very successful schools.
He has suffered untold hardships and has
made great sacrifices for the cause of God and
the good of his fellow men. His missionary labors
in the state were attended by many difficulties
and personal inconveniences.
The following address is a sketch of the life
and labors of Rev. Massey, from the time he
reached Marshall, Texas, to the present time. It
was delivered by Prof. David Abner, Jr., before
the State Baptist Convention of Texas, 1888.
Twenty-two years ago there appeared in the city of Mar¬
shall, then a village, a pale faced, undisciplined, and awkward
young man, whose garments, cheap and coarse, were made of
jeans dyed in the stain of the walnut, but they covered a noble
soul, The brightness of his eyes, the roundness of his forehead,
REV. WILLIAM MASSEY.
341
his meek and lowly disposition, all suggestive of a solid brain
backing, told the stranger that he had a message for him. It
proved true. He was a preacher sent from God. The manner
of his life, the simple and truthful way he handled the message
committed to his care by his Master and Saviour, soon called
a congregation for him. In a short time he had a thousand
true friends. My parents opened their door to him and took
him in their bosom. He was called' pastor of Bethesda Baptist
Church, of this place. Here, for seven years, he told with pow¬
erful effect for a man of so little chance at that time, the undy¬
ing truths of God's gospel—of His wondrous love and power to
save. Having a little learning, he shared it out by attempting
to teach school. As to time, he was among the first colored
teachers. He ably instructed the alphabet and first and sec¬
ond readers, but as to his ability to teach the marks of punctu¬
ation—the comma, the period, etc.—I say nothing, but prefer
to leave that with him and his God. As to the result of his
preaching here, many souls have been saved and added to the
church, and the man was great among the people even in the
face of conflict and hard times. It was a wonder he succeeded
so well by himself, as preachers were few and far between then.
Churches held, by divine right, seemingly, that they were in duty
bound to pay their pastors nothing or but little. While the
church was prosperous and gathering in of souls easy, this
unselfish, common sense, Christian gentleman resigned his
position, against the protests of the church and to the regret of
the people, to go on the prairies of the wild West to help the
needy. Nothing but a Christ-like spirit could have made him
do this. Through God he laid a noble example of morality,
duty, and obligation. The church now numbers six hundred
and fifty. He goes from a palace, comparatively speaking,
made by his own hands, to preach in a shaggy blacksmith's
shop at Waco. Here he collected and built up a fine congre¬
gation, now presided over by one of the worthy sons of Way-
land Seminary. Many praiseworthy things could be said of
him in his work at Calvert, Austin, and Navasota. At the two
last named places he now holds the fort, all of which honor
him. To-day his bosom is crowned with friends from all parts
342.
our baptist Ministers.
of the state, made so by his invincible, effective, and persuasive
pleading of God's word and the holy influence of the Holy
Ghost pervading every element of his life. His power to
expound God's word lies not in dry, sentimental tones, but in
the closeness to God. He has the high quality of looking to
God for everything. His force among men is due to the
attractive disposition of dealing fairly and squarely with all
mankind ; his only fault being that he endeavors to please
everybody against the old maxim, " Everybody can't be pleased
at once." Many of those in whose hearts he sowed the seed of
faith rank among the brightest jewels of this race. He has
ever opened his heart Jo young men, and by counsel cheered
them on their way in the road to eminence. He has held and
now holds a high place among the brethren in all the grave
interests which concern this denomination. He is a Baptist all
over, and is earnestly devoted to Baptist doctrine. In conclu¬
sion, considering the combats his work offered and through
what he has valiantly come, all are evidences of what an hum¬
ble soul can do that desires to do. These high and exalted
qualities of which we have been speaking belong to Rev. Wm.
Massey, the president of this convention, whom I now nomir
nate for president for the next ensuing year.
David Abner, Jr.
Rev. John R. Miller.
Rev. John R. Miller was born in Nelson
County, Kentucky, August 9, 1844. In J848 he
was taken from his parents by his owners and
carried to the southern part of Kentucky, and
put upon a farm. He cannot remember even
seeing his parents. His father was set free by
his owner, but some of the heirs destroyed his
papers of manumission, and then sold him into
REV. JOHN R. MILLER. 343
slavery again down on the Red river, where he
still lives for all his son knows. His mother died
about 1857. In 1864 young Miller enlisted in
the United States Army, Company A, 122d Regi¬
ment, and followed the soldier life till 1866, when
he was honorably discharged; after which he set¬
tled in New Albany, Indiana.
His age would not permit him to enter the
free public schools ; what training he has he ob¬
tained by going to a night school. He acknowl¬
edged Christ as his Saviour, and was baptized into
the New Albany Baptist Church in 1867. He
served as clerk of the church two years. The
story of the life of Rev. Miller so far is the story
of the lives of a great many of our veteran min¬
isters. They were born in the dark days of
slavery; they have spent their days under task¬
masters, and in too many cases very hard task¬
masters ; they felt it their duty to preach the gos¬
pel, explain its precepts and examples, yet it was
a crime according to the human laws for them to
learn how to read that word which they were
called to expound. He was licensed to preach in
1870. He was called to the Second Baptist
Church of Brandenburg, Kentucky, and also the
Second Church of West Point, Kentucky, and
took charge of them in 1872. His stay with these
churches was very successful; many persons pro¬
fessed hope in Christ and were baptized during
344 0UR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
his ministrations. These two churches he re¬
signed in 1874 and returned to Indiana. When
he reached his home in Indiana he was in quite
straitened circumstances financially. For a while,
as did Paul, he worked with his hands as well
as preached. Rev. Miller has served as pastor for
the following churches besides those already
named : Second Church, Mitchell, Indiana; Sec¬
ond Church, Bloomington, Indiana; Second
Church, Lafayette, Indiana; First Church, Edin¬
burgh, Indiana. He is at present (1891) pastor
of the Second Church of Crawfordsville and the
Second Church of Columbus. He has been very
successful in all the churches he has held. All
of his churches increased largely in membership
and he has been instrumental in building several
beautiful, capacious, and costly houses of worship.
Rev. Miller was elected moderator of the Indiana
Baptist General Association, in 1878; correspond¬
ing secretary in 1882; moderator again in 1884;
and in 1888 he was elected president of the In¬
diana Baptist Ministerial Convention.
From 1889 to the present he has served as cor¬
responding secretary of the General Association
(Baptist) of Indiana. It may be seen from the
above what estimate Rev. Miller's brethren in the
ministry put upon him. His career has been long,
active, and useful.
rev. theodore doughty miller, d.d. 345
Rev. Theodore Doughty Miller, D.D.
Any star of however small magnitude shines
brilliantly when isolated; every other star when
surrounded only by darkness. But the star that
attracts attention in the midst of brilliant orbs must
emit a peculiarly bright light. So among men. It
is not very difficult for a man to appear great in an
age in which no great men live, or in a neighbor¬
hood where no great man has a home, but to ap¬
pear great in a progressive age, surrounded by
men eminent and progressive, necessitates inher¬
ent worth in the man esteemed as great. In our
time and in the pre-eminently thoughtful and
scholarly city of Philadelphia, Rev. T. D. Miller
has grown prominent, influential, and useful. For
several-years he was the pastor of the writer while
he was connected with Cherry Street Baptist
Church, Philadelphia. The following is a brief
sketch of his life and work.
Theodore Doughty Miller was born in the city
of New York in the year 1834. After gaining
a thorough common school education, he studied
the classics, and began the theological course at
the St. Augustine University, with a view to the
ministry of the Episcopal church, in which he was
brought up. Afterward he united with the Bap¬
tist denomination; taught school in New York
city; Trenton, New Jersey; and Newburgh, New
REV. THEODORE DOUGHTY MILLER, D.D.
R£V. THtObORE DOUGHTY MILLER, t).D. 34*7
York, where he entered the ministry and was
called to New Haven, where he spent a year, and
from thence to Albany, New York, where he
remained five years; here, under the tutorship of
Dr. E. L. McGooy, he took a full theological
course. From thence he came to this city (Phil¬
adelphia) in 1864, where he has just closed twenty-
six years successful pastoral labor with the Cherry
Street Church. He has been the recipient of
many honors; prominent among which have been
the conferring, a few years since, of the honorary
degree of Doctor of Divinity; the appointment
by the old time-honored Philadelphia Baptist As¬
sociation in 1876 as its introductory preacher,
the only colored minister ever filling that position
in its history of one hundred and eighty-two years;
and the vice-presidency during the last term of
the Baptist Ministerial Conference. With a cult¬
ured congregation, and always ready to lend his
voice and influence in every work for the eleva¬
tion of his racfe, he is justly held in high esteem
by all denominations.
The Ministerial Conference has just passed res¬
olutions on his long and useful pastorate, standing
next in line of service to Dr. G. D. Boardman of
the First Baptist Church, whence his church
eighty years ago received its birth.
Below are some of the interesting events and
incidents which have occurred during his pas-
34-8
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
torate of twenty-six years at the Cherry Street
Church.
1. A husband, unconverted, coming into the church to wit¬
ness the baptism of his wife, to which he was bitterly^opposed,
with a pocketful of stones to hurl at the pastor, for whom, also,
he had no liking; instead of which, it pleased the Lord by the
act of baptism to convict him, and the month following he was
baptized, and remains to-day one of the best friends of the pas¬
tor and one of the most consistent members of the church.
2. The baptism of five of the pastor's own children, two of
the children of former pastor (Rev. J. Underdue), and grand¬
son of first pastor (Rev. J. Burress), also officiating at the
funeral of first pastor's wife, and of the second and third
pastors (Revs. Vaughan and Underdue), and at the marriage of
daughter of third pastor.
3. The baptism of a wife from what was declared by both
husband and physician a dying bed (having been seriously ill
for months previous), with the understanding from the hus¬
band, " If the pastor dared baptize her, his life would be at
stake," the wife leaving it to the pastor's decision, and he, as
an embassador for God, to do His will, being responsible alone
to Him, baptized her. Although she was conveyed to the
church in a carriage and remained reclining in the lecture
room till the administration, received in the church, she ral¬
lied, living three years afterward. Thirteen years later, though
common recognition had never been given, nor a word passed
between that husband and pastor in all these years, it pleased
the Lord to convert that husband, and at the midnight hour
he sent for this pastor to acknowledge his error and ask him
to pray with him, and a warmer reception never was given to
any one; at his funeral, by his own request, this pastor offi¬
ciated.
4. The baptism of an entire family, save one—father,
mother, three sons, two daughters.
5. The conversion and baptism of two persons over seventy
years of age.
6. The sending out of eight young, successful pastors.
7. The organizing of a branch at Germantown.
REV. THEODORE DOUGHTY MILLER, D.D. 349
8. The conferring of the honorary degree of Doctor of
Divinity upon pastor. 1
9. The death of two .members beyond ninety years of age.
10. The fact that less than thirty of the original member¬
ship survive; the oldest members still living being Mary
Stevens, 78, Joseph W. Johnson, 74, and John Debity, 77.
11. The baptism of forty husbands and wives.
12. The great and valuable aid rendered in former years in
the musical department, and the continued practical interest
shown in later years, even to the present, in the welfare and
progress of the church, by his magnificent contributions ^nd
his readiness to aid in every good work—of that stanch friend
of both pastor and church, Mr. Andrew F. Stevens (an illus¬
trious son of devoted Christian parents), the memory of whose
services can never be forgotten.
13. The splendid contributions of the Sunday-school and
Dorcas Society to aid the church in her debt and improvement
work.
14. The life, growth, and vigor of~the church to-day in her
old age (organized June, 1809).
15. The conversion of thirty persons in the several revival
seasons, who united with other churches.
16. The securing of this house, noted as the only church
building in the city, where, years ago, that noted English abo¬
litionist and friend of our race, George Thompson, Esq., was
allowed to speak in our defense, and utter his bitter denuncia¬
tions against the tyranny of American slavery, consecrated by
his eloquent appeals in behalf of a wronged and oppressed
people; now, by God's providence, it becomes the home and
property of that people—redeemed and free—to remain forever
consecrated to God and human liberty.
17. The success, both spiritual and temporal, attained, as
we believe, by the observance of our pledge in keeping this,
God's house, alone as consecrated to his. service; the only
exceptions to regular religious service being marriages, funerals,
lectures (free), and social gatherings of church and congrega¬
tion.
18. The following brethren (still living) have been honored
35°
our baptist ministers.
by the church in filling at various times official positions:
George D. Press, Wm. H. Thomas, Allen C. Miller, John Dean,
Julian Armstead, James E. Warwick, Edward Stannard, Jesse
R. Smith, Armstead Jones, Hamilton White, Christopher E.
Jones, John Mason, James H. Francis, Isaac Lee, James Willis,
John Debity, Andrew Ricketts, Andrew J. Clover, Nathaniel F.
Tolivar, Charles Elias, Edward Jordan, Sylvester B. Keen,
Alfred Wood, Richard T. Robinson, Patrick West, Frank P.
Thompson, Henry J. Suydam, Jesse B. Collis, Wm. B. Harris.
19. Preached or delivered addresses in the following
churches (white) : First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Tenth,
Eleventh, Memorial, Passyunk, and Broad Street, Philadel¬
phia ; Berean, West Philadelphia; First, Norristown; Second,
Wilmington; Second, Germantown ; First, Frankford ; First,
Salem, N. J.; New Britain ; Penn Line ; First, Burlington, N. J.;
First, Woodbury, N. J.
Rev. H. H. Mitchell.
Among the younger and scholarly men of Vir¬
ginia is Rev. H. H. Mitchell of Farmville. Noth¬
ing more clearly indicates the progress in learning
and Christian development of a people than their
growing appreciation of an intelligent and schol¬
arly exposition of the scriptures. Some years ago
the man who developed and explained his theme
in a simple, lucid, and scholarly manner, was
referred to by his hearers not as a preacher but a
lecturer; his finest sermons were called good
lectures. To-day, almost any audience, whether
in town or country, enjoys a clear, simple, logical,
and forcible presentation of the gospel.
Rev, Mitchell was born in London, Canada,
REV. H. H. MITCHELL.
352 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
1852. He obtained his literary training at Lin¬
coln University, Pennsylvania. After leaving
Lincoln he entered the Crozer Seminary, West
Chester, Pennsylvania, where he took a theolog¬
ical course. He is the only colored student to
take a course of study in that institution. He
professed faith in Christ while a student at Lin¬
coln in 1875, and was baptized the following year
into the fellowship of the Cherry Street Baptist
Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1879
he was ordained to the work of the gospel min¬
istry. Rev. Mitchell has ever been ready and
active.
His first ministerial charge was at Albany, New
York. From there he was called to the charge
of one of the Baptist churches at New Bedford,
Massachusetts. He resigned there to do service
as a missionary and colporteur in Delaware. In
the spring of 1882 he was called to the Fifth
Street Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia.
That was a large church, composed of more than
one thousand members. After a successful serv¬
ice of several years with that people, he resigned
to accept a call to the High Street Church, Dan¬
ville, Virginia. That is the largest church in
Danville; they worship in a spacious brick edifice,
handsomely furnished. Several hundred persons
were added to the church during his stay there.
In 1888 he tendered his resignation to the High
rev. eli as c. morris. 353
Street Church to accept an appointment from the
American Baptist Home Mission Society, as gen¬
eral missionary for the state of Virginia. During
the same time he was corresponding secretary of
the Virginia Baptist State Convention. He re¬
signed as missionary in 1890 to take charge of
the Baptist Church at Farmville, Virginia, where
he still labors.
Rev. Mitchell is held in high esteem by the
brethren of the state, which is abundantly evident
from the many positions of trust and honor which
have been tendered him at their hands. At this
time (1891) he is president of the Baptist State
Convention. He is fluent and oratorical as a
speaker, forcible and convincing as a debater,
earnest and persuasive as a preacher. It is
against his rule and custom to go into the pulpit
without thorough preparation.
Rev. Elias C. Morris.
Rev. Elias C. Morris was born of slave parents
in Murray County, Georgia, May 7, 1855. He
lived there until the close of the war of secession,
when, with his parents, he removed to Chattanooga,
Tennessee, and eighteen months later to Steven¬
son, Alabama. At Stevenson he attended school
and received a common school training. Having
23
REV. E. C. MORRIS.
REV. ELIAS C. MORRIS.
355
lost his parents at the age of fourteen, he was
unable, as he desired, to take a higher course of
study in some college. Man's success in life de¬
pends largely upon his own will. Energy, push,
and indomitable will, combined with discretion
and common sense, enable a man to do and be
about what he wills to do and be. Of course
God's favor is necessary under all circumstances.
While I would not for a moment, by barest pos¬
sible innuendo, undervalue collegiate training, for
the classic walls have no more earnest devotee
than I, yet the college does not make the man.
It may be an invaluable assistance to those seeking
its aid, but it is not the essential.
At an early age young E. C. Morris was ap¬
prenticed to Rev. Robert Caver to learn the
shoe-making trade. Having served his three
years' apprenticeship, Mr. Caver rewarded his dil¬
igence by giving him entire charge of his business,
from which Mr. Morris realized a handsome sal¬
ary for one so young.
He professed faith in Christ in 1874 and was
baptized into the fellowship of the Morning Star
Baptist Church of Stevenson, Alabama. Being
impressed that he was called of God to preach,
he made known the fact to his church and was
granted license August, 1875. His first effort to
establish a church was in Scottsborough, Ala¬
bama, in 1877, but before completing it he was
356
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
urged by some power to go west. Obeying the
persuasions of his mind he at once made prepa¬
rations to leave Alabama, and March, 1877, found
him in Helena, Arkansas. Here he resumed his
trade, shoe-making, and whenever an opportunity
presented itself he would preach on Sundays and
at night. He connected himself with the mem¬
bership of the Centennial Baptist Church in 1878,
of which church in 1879 he was called to the
pastorate..
His first connection with the Baptist State
Convention was in 1880, at which time he was
elected secretary of the convention, and was re¬
elected in 1881. In 1882 he was elected presi¬
dent of the convention, to which position he has
been re-elected for nine successive years.
He served six months as state missionary under
the American Baptist Home Mission Society.
He assisted in the organization of the Baptist
Foreign Mission Convention of the United States,
also organized a company for the publication of
the first denominational paper published by the
colored Baptists in the state, The Arkansciw
Times, now the Baptist Vanguard; he was for four
years editor of this paper. He was founder of the
Arkansas Baptist College in 1884. This college
is wholly under control of the colored Baptists of
Arkansas. For two years Rev. Morris rendered
able services as president of the school. He is
rev. charles h. parrish, a.m. 357
now serving his sixth term as chairman of the
board of trustees. During the eleven years of
his pastorate at Helena, he has built up one of
the strongest churches in the state. He is vice-
president of the American National Baptist Con¬
vention, and state vice-president of the Foreign
Mission Convention.
He is prominent as a leader among his people
in all matters of general interest. - He was for
three years a member of the Helena school
board. He represented his county in the State
Inauguration Convention in January, 1888. He
was a member of the National Convention of Col¬
ored Men which met in Louisville, Kentucky, in
1881, also a member of the National Republican
Convention of 1884, which nominated James G.
Blaine for president. At present he is the editor
of a weekly newspaper published in Helena, The
Peoples Friend, the most influential paper in the
Southwest.
Rev. Charles H. Parrish, A.M.
On the 18th of April, 1859, at Lexington in
Fayette County, Kentucky, Charles Henry Par¬
rish was born. His parents were slaves, belong¬
ing to Jeff Barr and Beverly Hicks. His father
is described as " a man of industry and frugality."
He was a devout man, a deacon of the Baptist
REV. CHARLES H. PARRISH, A.M.
REV. CHARLES H. PARRISH, A.M. 359
church of Lexington, pastured by Rev. London
Ferrill. His mother was a seamstress of great
worth. Young Charles was early taught the rudi¬
ments of noble manhood. He began his educa¬
tion in the public schools of Lexington. His
parents being very poor he was compelled to give
up the schoolroom and engage in wage earning,
that he might be more able to assist in the care
of the family at home. In 1874 he went to work
as a porter in the dry goods house of John O.
Hodges; he remained in the employment of that
gentleman for six years. But during all this busy
time while trying to assist his father, although
the progress made in his studies was very dis¬
couraging, he was bent on obtaining knowledge,
and studied at every opportunity. After some
time Mr. Hodges quit the dry goods business,
and Charles went to work for Cassell, Price &
Co., where he was employed until September,
1880. He seemed to have been blessed with
employers who were both kind and considerate.
When Charles had attained his twelfth year he
was converted and united with the Baptist church
of Lexington. He showed an aptness and adapta¬
tion to church work and after many years of
training he was elected secretary of the Sunday-
school, which position he retained for eight years.
His aptitude for religious work was not over¬
looked, and during this period he was not only
360 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
elected as a worker in the Sunday-school, but as
a church clerk and clerk of the deacon board. He
was steady in habits and thus gained the confi¬
dence of the people. While assisting W. A.
Stewart in a night school, he, through his efforts
to instruct, became aware of his own lack of
knowledge. He determined to obtain a liberal
education. Having great faith in prayer, he be¬
gan praying and planning over the matter. He
at last persuaded his father to allow him to at¬
tend the Nashville Institute. In the midst of his
preparations to attend the school, the hand of
Providence intervened and his father was taken
from him. The way now seemed dark and com¬
fortless. It seemed that misfortune was on his
track. He had no time for study or school life,
thrown thus at the head o£ the family, with a
mother, brother, and sister to guide. All thoughts
of school were abandoned for a time. While
still mourning the death of his father, death came
in July and robbed him of his mother. Our ad¬
miration is often excited over some deed of dar¬
ing, or some wonderful adventure; how much
more should it be excited over such a striking
o
example of perseverance under difficulties as we
have before us. Still with a burning desire for
knowledge Charles worked on, burdened with the
care of a family, discouraged by the loss of
mother and father. There was hope left, and all
REV. CHARLES H. PARRISH, A.M. 361
his love and devotion were now given to a little
sister left to his care. He had built in fancy a
great castle in which she lived as queen. All of
his affections were centered in her. But Provi¬
dence again laid the hand of affliction on this
household, and took from it the idol and treasure,
the little sister. It seemed as though daylight
would never dawn. Hard work was now his
companion. The cloud which had settled over
this young man seemed to have no ray of sun¬
shine to pierce its gloomy darkness, when without
warning, God, who never forsakes those who put
their trust in Him, opened a way for him. Dr.
Wm. J. Simmons, who was at that time pastor of
the First Baptist Church, of which young Parrish
was a member, was called to the charge of the
Normal and Theological Institute, Louisville
(now the State University). He offered to take
Charles with him, who being anxious for an edu¬
cation went. He began his student life at the
above mentioned place, September, 1880. The
institution was then very poor, not able to pay
teachers, furnish rooms, or provide sufficient ac¬
commodations for the students. He began life
there with but little money, and by helping around
the building, working as janitor in the city and
doing some extra night work, he was enabled to get
through the scholastic year with a small debt,
which he paid during vacation. The "board of
362 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
trustees, seeing that he was so desirous of gain¬
ing knowledge, when he returned in 1881 ar¬
ranged to assist him. Thus he was rewarded
for his patience and willingness to do whatever
was assigned him. He had but little time for
study, yet in May, 1882, he graduated from the
academic course at the head of his class. Being
ambitious for learning he remained and took a
college course. He was aided in this by some
kind friends in the North, among whom was Mrs.
M. L. Bacon, West Newton, Mass. While in
college he was tutor, book-keeper, and student
teacher, all of which positions he filled with credit
to himself and friends. During all these years
he was active in Christian work. He graduated
at the head of his class with the degree of Bache¬
lor of Arts, May, 1886. Mr. Parrish seemed spe¬
cially adapted to mission work, and under the
Berean Baptist Church, of which he is a member,
he was superintendent of the largest colored
mission in the city. While in school he was
called to six different pastorates but refused, some
being the largest churches in the state. How¬
ever, after his ordination, 1886, he accepted the
pastorate of the Calvary Baptist Church, and
was made its permanent pastor, September 27,
1886. The above named church he has yet in
charge, and it is one of the best churches in the
city of Louisville. He is said to be a man who
REV. CHARLES H. PARRISH, A.M. 363
combines spirit with intellect, and thus has a
living church, a church that is sound in the
Baptist faith, a reading church, an intelligent
church, much of which is due to their faithful
pastor. He was also professor of Greek, and
secretary and treasurer of the university from
which he graduated. He resigned both these
positions May, 1890, so as to give more time to
his church work. He has also been agent for the
university, and associate editor of Our Women and
Children. He is at present, beside pastoring, en¬
gaged as financial agent of the American Na¬
tional Baptist Convention, and president of Norton
University. He has been sent as delegate to
conventions and associations all over the United
States wherever was needed intelligent Christian
men. The state is proud of this young man, and
should life and circumstances favor, he is des¬
tined to be one of the great Baptist men in this
country. He has already written a pamphlet
published by the American Baptist Publication
Society, " What We Believe." At the commence¬
ment of the State University, May, 1889, the de¬
gree of Master of Arts was conferred upon Rev.
Parrish. Through his upright living and hon¬
est desire to please the Master, he has secured the
esteem of men who are able to appreciate him
and know his worth.
364 our baptist ministers.
Rev. C. H. Payne, D.D.
Among the names of those who have become
illustrious since the " surrender " there is no name
more worthy of honor than that of Christopher
H. Payne. He has believed in the elevation of
his race, and has sought for it with a zeal that has
never cooled and a faith that has never weakened.
The story of his life and work is full of.interest.
On the 7th of September, 1848, near the Red
Sulphur Springs, Monroe County, West Virginia,
was born Christopher H. Payne, who was des¬
tined to make for himself a great name. His
parents were free and he was their only child.
While he was very young his father died of small¬
pox, leaving hi§ wife and child without a protector.
Finding herself alone in the world, and with no
consolation and none to comfort her but her aged
mother and her baby boy, Mrs. Payne decided to
devote her entire time to his rearing and training,
she having been given the rudiments of an Eng¬
lish education by her old master, who is supposed
to be her father. The little boy was very apt, he
does not now remember when he could not read.
Although born free, having no protector but
his mother, he was made to go into the army as a
servant, and there he remained until 1864. When
he left the service he went down on New river,
Summers County, and was employed by Mr. Vin¬
cent Swinny; he remained with him until the
REV. CHARLES H. PAYNE, D.D.
366
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
close of the civil war. It was at this place he
met Miss Ann Hargro, whom he married while
still a boy., He left home in 1866 and walked
through the mountains to Charleston on the Ka¬
nawha river, and taking a steamer from that point
he went to Ohio, traveling in that state and Ken¬
tucky. Finally he returned to Charleston and
remained there more than a year, working in the
day and going to school at night. Here, as in
many parts of his history, we may discover that
excellent trait of character which renders him so
useful—a steady perseverance in laudable under¬
takings. It is only by an honest, industrious use
of means in our power that we can become great.
Feeling in early life a desire to benefit his race,
he made use of such opportunities as were in his
power for that purpose. After having been gone
about a year and a half he returned to his home and
began the life of a pedagogue, teaching in Mercer
and Summers counties in the winter, and farming
in the summer. In 1875 he gave his heart to the
Saviour and was baptized in Indian Creek, near
his birthplace, on the, 14th of .October, by Rev.
G. W. Deskins; and on the 22d of February,
1876, he was licensed to preach the gospel. In
the month of May, 1877, he met the ministers'
meeting of the Greenbrier Association, and, after
a very rigid examination, he was ordained to the
full work of the gospel ministry.
REV. C. H. PAYNE, D.D. 36 ?
He entered the Richmond Theological Semi¬
nary, at Richmond, Virginia, in the fall of 1877,
and began a course of study, after passing an ex¬
amination which enabled him to enter the senior
class of the preparatory department. He pursued
his studies with such energy and success that he
gained the esteem and confidence of all his teach¬
ers and fellow students. Going back to his field
of labor in West Virginia, in the spring of 1878,
he found the Baptist cause in such bad condition
that he remained out of school two years, working,
preaching, and organizing churches and Sunday-
schools. He returned to school at Richmond in
1880, and remained there three years. Soon after
entering school he accepted a call to the Moore
Street Baptist Church; this gave him double
work, yet he succeeded in maintaining a credita¬
ble standing in all his classes, and giving satisfac¬
tion to his congregation. He is second to no
preacher the school has ever sent out. As a
preacher he is clear, fluent, direct, and graceful.
He was appointed by the American Baptist Pub¬
lication Society as Sunday-school missionary for
the eastern district of Virginia, and after his
graduation he attended the Baptist anniversaries
which were held at Saratoga Springs, New York,
May, 1883, and delivered an address before the
publication society, which was highly commended
by many of the leading journals of the land. He
368 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
continued to work for the society until 1884, when
on account of failing health, caused by overwork,
he tendered his resignation.
Rev. Payne went back to West Virginia and
took charge of the First Baptist Church of Coal
Valley. Since he has become pastor, the church
is one of the most prosperous in the state, and
has added about one hundred and seventy to its
membership. Chiefly through his efforts, the
West Virginia Baptist State Convention was or¬
ganized, and he was made its first president. For
many years he was moderator of the only associa¬
tion in the state. He was one of the founders of
the West Virginia Enterprise, the only weekly
newspaper published by colored men in the state
until recently. In 1884 he represented the Third
Congressional District of West Virginia as alter¬
nate in the National Republican Convention. In
1887 he delivered an .address before the Ameri¬
can Baptist Home Mission Society, which con¬
vened that year in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This
speech elicited the highest encomiums. He was
again chosen by the Republicans of the Third
Congressional District in 1888 to represent them
in the National Convention; this time he was a
delegate. In 1889 he was called to the pastoral
care of the First Baptist Church of Norfolk, Vir¬
ginia. He resigned his charge at Coal Valley on
the first Sunday in April of that year. He be-
REV. C. H. PAYNE, D.D.
369
came pastor of the First Baptist Church at Nor¬
folk. Entering upon his work in this church
with his usual zeal and energy, he soon created a
general interest in all departments of church work.
Many changes were made, the congregation con¬
stantly increasing; and a bright future seemed in
store for both church and pastor. But in a few
months signs of a serious throat trouble made their
appearance and the physicians advised a change
of climate. Mr. Payne decided to take their ad¬
vice. When the church at Coal Valley learned
that he had to leave Norfolk on account of his
health, they immediately recalled him to their
pastorate. After resigning his charge at Norfolk,
which lasted only seven months, he again accepted
charge of the First Baptist Church at Coal Valley,
beginning his pastoral duties in November, 1889.
During his pastoral labors in Norfolk, he was
\sery successful in re-organizing the church and
setting on foot plans that have been working very
successfully; he also baptized one hundred and
thirty-seven persons into the fellowship of the
church, besides receiving a large number by let¬
ter and experience.
Since his return to West Virginia, he has been
appointed deputy collector of internal revenue by
A. B. White, Esq., who is collector for the state of
West Virginia. Mr. Payne now has charge of
the revenue office at Charleston, thd-capital of the
24
370 our baptist ministers.
state. At the annual meeting of the West Vir¬
ginia State Convention which convened in Charles¬
ton, June 4, 1891, he was re-elected to the position
of president for the fifth time ; four times in suc¬
cession by ballot, and the last time by acclamation.
He is also assistant editor of The Pioneer, a weekly
journal published in Huntington, West Virginia,
and one of the brightest newspapers published in
the country by colored men. He was an appli¬
cant for the position of minister to Liberia in
1889, and filed one of the best indorsed applica¬
tions ever sent from the state.
At a meeting of the trustees of the State Uni¬
versity of Kentucky, held in May, 1890, the
degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon
him; and at the commencement exercises held in
the opera house of the city of Louisville, in the
same month, the lamented Rev. W. J. Simmons,
D.D., LL.D., in a most eloquent and impressive
speech presented a certificate of the degree.
Regardless of the honors and pleasures of the
world that might be his, he is so conscientious that
he will not enter into any business, however prof¬
itable, that would injure his fellow men.
Dr. Payne is just coming into the bloom of his
manhood and is full of energy, hope, pluck, and
vigor. We may therefore expect much work to
be done by him for his race, his denomination,
and his country.
rev. g. w. perry.
371
Rev. G. W. Perry.
Rev. G. W. Perry was born and brought up in
Franklin County, North Carolina. His father at
four years of age was carried from Virginia to
North Carolina. The mother of Rev. G. W.
Perry was a North Carolinian by birth. His
father though a slave was able to read. Young
George while only a lad was taught by his father
at night and on Sundays. After taking George
through a small primer, his father resolved to
purchase a higher book for his son, but the state
legislature having in the mean time passed a law
prohibiting the sale of books to negroes, his
efforts were unsuccessful. He succeeded in get¬
ting the overseer to get one for him. At that
time it was very unusual to meet a negro who
could read. But from then (1842) onward the
anxiety to learn and the ability to read rapidly
increased among the colored people.
Rev. Perry has always felt indebted to his
mother for his moral and religious training.
Though not a Christian, she went regularly to
her place of prayer, and was constantly talking
to the children about heaven and hell. She was
strict in taking her children to church and prayer-
meetings. She finally united with the church, and
lived a very happy life. In 1853 young George
Perry professed hope in Christ, and joined the
REV. GEORGE WASHINGTON PERRY.
REV. G. W. PERRY.
373
Baptist Church at Louisburg, N. C. Being early
impressed with the desire to lead souls to Christ,
he took an active part in prayer-meetings, tem¬
perance, and every good work for the glory of
God. After the emancipation he felt impressed
that he should publicly enter the work of the
ministry. While he was hesitating the church
voted that he should assist the pastor in preach¬
ing, which he did. He soon felt the need of a
better understanding of the scriptures and pas¬
toral duties, and hearing of a theological school
at Raleigh that afforded the needed opportunity,
he took courage and resolved to attend it. Jan¬
uary, 1868, in company with his brother, he set
out to Raleigh, met Dr. Tupper, the principal of
the school, whose kind treatment made the two
strangers feel at home. They were totally igno¬
rant as to the necessary training and the method
of schoolroom work. During the day they
studied at the Second Church, then used for
school purposes, and at night they took theology
at Dr. Tupper's house. After three months' stay,
George went out to teach. During the same
year (1868) he was licensed to preach. After
seven months he returned to Louisburg and
supplied the pulpit, the church having been with¬
out a settled pastor during his absence.
In January,' 1870, he returned to school. He
employed his Sundays in serving congregations
374 our baptist ministers.
in and around the city. In 1871 he was ordained
and entered the state mission work under the
auspices of the American Baptist Home Mission
Society, in the interest of Shaw Collegiate
Institute, as Shaw University was then known.
Here his field was wide and his opportunities of
work great. Near the close of 1871 he was
called to the pastoral charge of St. Matthews and
New Bethel churches; the latter he still has in
charge. Besides his pastoral duties Rev. Perry
taught in the public schools till 1885. He now
gives his whole time to preaching, reading, med¬
itation, and prayer. He finds this a great and
good, as well as hard work, one which will bring
in the end more gain than money or fame. Rev.
Perry is very humble and quiet, and unassuming
almost to a fault.
He has the confidence of every one who knows
him. He is a deep and logical thinker, and he is
very deliberate in his remarks. To him the
Bible is a subject of daily study and meditation.
Prayer, he believes, is the great lever which
moves, elevates,-and links man to his .God. He
is very prominent in the Baptist councils of his
state, and for many years he has been a trustee
of Shaw University.
rev. rufus l. perry, ph.d. 375
Rev. Rufus L. Perry, Ph.D.
The father and mother of Rev. R. L. Perry,
Lewis and Maria Perry, were slaves. His father
was a Baptist preacher, and his mother was a
communicant of the same church. When young
Rufus was only seven years old his father escaped
to Canada. He was a fine mechanic and cabinet
maker; hired his time, and saved sufficient money
to carry his family to Nashville and support them
there. Here Rufus was regarded as a free child,
and attended a school for free negroes taught by
Mrs. Sallie Porter. The running away of his
father put an end to that free arrangement, and
the family were carried back to the plantation.
The educational advantages young Perry had
enjoyed soon caused him to be despised by the
other slaves, and regarded by the whites as a
" dangerous negro." The opinion of " danger "
developed to such a pitch of intensity that in 1852
he was sold to a negro trader to be carried to
Mississippi. The plantations of Mississippi were
considered a panacea for such crimes as that of
which Mr. Perry was guilty—knowing how to
read and write. But Mr. Perry did not go to
Mississippi. After being three weeks with his
new owner, he made his escape to Canada. He
was converted in 1854, and, being impressed that
he was called of God to preach, he studied at the
REV. RUFUS L. PERRY, D.D.
kev. rufus l. p£rry, ph.t). 377
Kalamazoo Seminary, Kalamazoo, Michigan, with
that calling in view. He was in the class of 1861.
He was ordained in October, 1861, by a council
of which Rev. Samuel Cornelius was chairman,
and Prof. J. R. Boise, clerk. He became pastor
of the Second Baptist Church at Ann Arbor,
Mich. In 1865 he entered actively upon the gen¬
eral missionary and educational work among the
freedmen. From that day to this he has been
earnest, constant, and devoted in his efforts to
christianize and elevate his race, serving as super¬
intendent of schools for freedmen, as editor of the
Sunbeam, co-ordinate editor of the American
Baptist, editor of the Peoples Journal, and editor
and publisher of the National Monitor.. The
last named he still publishes; his editorials are
spicy, strong, vigorous, fearless, and well written.
He is a profound thinker, logical reasoner, shrewd
debater, and a pleasing and fluent speaker.
For many years he held prominent positions in
the Consolidated American Baptist Missionary
Convention, the American Educational Associa¬
tion, and the American Baptist Free Mission
Society. Rev. Perry has also given considerable
attention to the study of ethnology and the
classics. He has written a work entitled, " The
Cushite, or the Children of Ham as seen by the
Ancient Historians and Poets." The reader can
derive some idea of the ability of Dr. Perry and
378 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
the worth of the book if we give here some quota¬
tions from it.
" From these come three great and distinctly
marked streams of people, reaching to this time
through a period of four thousand two hundred
and thirty-four years ; and presenting us, from
the earliest ages of written history, a white
Europe, a black Africa, and a yellow Asia. In
the race of life the Cushite led the van for nearly
fifteen centuries ; and the Greek theaters in which
he played the best, the regions of his noblest
deeds and grandeur, were Egypt and Ethiopia.
" But the enemies of the negro maintain that
the distinguished Ethiopians and the Egyptians
of such frequent and favorable mention, in both
sacred and profane history, were not black men.
They ingeniously explained the black man away,
and cunningly substituted some other race. They
seemingly forget that the ancient language is a
constructive tale-bearer; that its roots are etymo¬
logical indices, twinkling like the fixed stars to
light up the pathway of the scholar engaged in
historic research."
Another eloquent passage :—
" He has had a checkered life, it is true, but so
have the Shemitic and the Japhetic families. He
has been master and he has been slavey but this
is no less true of Ham than of Japhet. In the
world's history of the rise and fall of nations, no
Rev. rufus l. perry, ph.d. 379
race, no color, can boast of exemption from mis¬
fortune. But no race can boast of higher celeb¬
rity in ancient times than the negro, then called
Cushites by the Hebrews and Ethiopians by the
Greeks."
Another passage we cannot refrain Lom quot¬
ing:—
" On looking back over the centuries to the be¬
ginning of the Christian era, to Noah, and noting
the rise and fall of great men and great nations,
we see none more conspicuous than the children
of Ham. Greece had her Athens, and could
boast of Homer, Herodotus, Plato, Solon, Socra¬
tes, and Demosthenes, and a host of other poets,
historians, philosophers, and orators, and of her
great Alexander. Persia had her Cyrus the
Great, her Cambyses, her Darius, and her relig¬
ious Zoroaster. China had her great cities walled
in so that nothing could come in or go out but
the theosophic philosophy of her deified Confu¬
cius. Rome had her noted patricians, and, • like
Greece, her poets, orators, historians, and generals,
and begat for herself a great name; but before all
these is the land of Ham, of Cush, and the Cush-
ite; the land of the chosen of God in which to
train his peculiar people, and as a city of refuge
for his Son, when Herod sought to slay him.
Africa had her Cushite ; Meroe had her Thebes,
her Memphis, her sciences, and her wonderful
3&0 OijR BAPTIST MINISTERS).
works of art. She had a great commercial traffic
with the nations of the East, borne from country
to country by numerous caravans. She had her
high priests, whose sacred hieroglyphics bespoke
their reverence for their gods. She had a thou¬
sand thousand soldiers, infantry and cavalry,
with generals of unequaled prowess. She had
her astronomers, physicians, and wise men—men
of deeds rather than words, actions rather than
theory. She had her Sesostris, her Memnon, her
Shishak, her Zerah, her Nitocris, her Queen of
Sheba, her Candace, and her long line of Pha¬
raohs mentioned in sacred scripture. She had
her Hannibal, and her Terence, the one distin¬
guished for being the greatest general with whom
the Romans ever measured swords, and the other
for giving polish to the Roman tongue and for
giving expression to a philanthropic sentiment
of which the Christian age produces nothing
grander."
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy was con¬
ferred upon him by the State University, Louis¬
ville, Ky., in 1887. Dr. Perry is ever ready to
defend his race. He is a ready, bold, fearless,
though discreet writer and speaker. What he
believes is right he expresses regardless of conse¬
quences.
rev. william reuben pettiford, d.d. 381
Rev. William Reuben Pettiford, D.D.
This popular and influential pastor well
deserves mention for hard, persevering, labo¬
rious, and faithful work for God and his fellow
man.
Rev. W. R. Pettiford was born in Granville
County, North Carolina, January 20, 1847. His
parents, William and Matilda Pettiford, were free,
and, according to the law of the land, their son
was free. He did not have many opportunities
for learning except a few lessons given him on
Saturdays and Sundays. At the age of ten he
could read quite well. His parents sold their
little farm and moved to Person County, where
he had the advantage of private instruction, and
obtained a very fair knowledge of the English
branches. Being the oldest child, he had to bear
a part of the burden of the family ; the hard, toil¬
some work he was compelled to do was a school
of preparation for his life work.
Being converted in 1868, and baptized at Salis¬
bury, N. C., by Rev. Ezekiel Horton, was the
beginning of that life which has made him an
earnest disciple and minister of Christ. From
then he became an active church member. In
1869 he married Miss Mary J. Farley. Business
becoming dull he moved to Selma, Alabama, and
worked there both as a laborer and teacher. In
382
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
March, 1870, after being married eight months, his
wife died. Deciding to pursue a further course of
training he entered the state normal school at
Marion, Alabama. He remained there seven years,
paying his expenses by teaching during vacations.
He paid his bills one term, at least, by taking
care of a garden between school hours. Many
parents do not realize what a blessing they are
conferring upon their children when they teach
them some trade or work at which they can
make a living. The man who knows how to
work can make a better living at any calling he
chooses to follow in life. He was connected
with the church at Marion, where he made a
favorable impression upon the brethren by
attending and conducting prayer-meetings and
revivals. The church licensed him to preach
in March, 1879. Mr. Pettiford had in the mean
time, 1873, married a Mrs. Jennie Powell, of Mari¬
on, who died September, 1874, leaving him for
the second time a widower. As principal of the
school at Uniontown he was assisted by Mrs.
Florence Billingslea and Rev. John Dozier. Mr.
Pettiford met with much success. Wishing to
take a more extended course of study, he resigned
his position as principal, 1877, and entered Selma
University. The following year the trustees
appointed him a teacher at a salary of twenty
dollars per month and permission to pursue the
REV. WILLIAM REUBEN PETTIFORD, D.D. 383
theological studies under the president, Rev. W.
H. Woodsmall. The following year, 1879, the
trustees appointed him general financial agent.
In that capacity he succeeded in raising more
money than any previous agent. After one
year's service he resigned to take charge of the
Union Springs Church. November 23, 1880, he
married Miss Delia Boyd. He connected him¬
self with the St. Philip Baptist Church, of Selma,
at whose request he was ordained in 1880, Rev.
W. A. Burch, the pastor, preached the ordination
sermon. He moved to Union Springs, and suc¬
ceeded in liquidating a large church debt, and
repairing the house of worship. There he taught
as well as preached. February, 1883, he tendered
his resignation that he might accept a call to the
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Birmingham,
Ala. He accepted that field of labor at the
urgent solicitation of many of the leading brethren
of the state. Birmingham, being a progressive,
rapidly growing city, is destined to become one
of the most important points, if not the most
important in the state; hence the necessity of
having strong men there. Rev. Pettiford was
regarded as one who could build up the cause.
At this time the church had a membership of
one hundred and fifty, were worshiping in a
store in the low part of the town, and five hun¬
dred dollars in debt. The cordiality he met at
384 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
the hands of all classes of citizens greatly encour¬
aged Mr. Pettiford. By August, 1884, the debt
was paid, and a building fund raised; August
18 the first stone for the new structure was laid ;
November 9 they held services in the new house.
It is forty by eighty feet, substantial and beauti¬
ful. More than seven thousand dollars have
already been paid on the property. The rapid
increase in the value of property in Birmingham
makes the church property worth twenty-five
thousand dollars. The church now numbers
four hundred and twenty-five. Rev. Pettiford's
wife contributes no little to his success by her
earnestness, push, and interest in his work.
He is president of the ministerial union of
Birmingham, a trustee of Selma University, pres¬
ident of the Baptist State Convention, and presi¬
dent of the Alabama Penny Savings Bank. Be¬
sides owning a valuable home in the city, he is
interested in other property. He has the confi¬
dence of his brother ministers and all with whom
he eomes in contact. Rev. W. H. Woodsmall,
in a letter of recommendation to the American
Baptist Home Missi.on Society, says of him:—
" I take special pleasure in commending Rev.
W. R. Pettiford, pastor of the colored Baptist
church of Birmingham, as a minister worthy of
the Christian regard and confidence of all whom it
may concern. I have known him during the past
rev. d. m. pierce, a.m. 385
eight years ; he was assistant teacher and a pupil
in the Alabama Baptist Normal and Theological
School at Selma about three years, during the
time I had charge of that institution. He was
for quite a while financial agent of the school and
collected a large amount of money. He made a
successful agent and faithfully accounted for all
moneys collected. He was equally faithful as a
missionary, and I have always found him a man
of admirable spirit as well as honest and trust¬
worthy. His influence can but be good in any
community where he may labor. I regard it as
a specially fortunate thing for the Baptist cause
that he is pastor of one of the leading churches
in Birmingham at this time."
The degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred
upon Rev. Pettiford by Selma University.
Rev. D. TvL Pierce, A.M.
Any man who has become educated and useful
in the elevation and edification of his fellow men
deserves much credit; but one who has become
so by dint of personal sacrifice and difficulties
and hardships almost without number deserves
much more credit. Such a man as the one last
named is Rev. D. M. Pierce.
The' writer met Mr. Pierce for the first time in
the winter of 1876 at Benedict Institute (now
25
REV. D. M. PIERCE, A.M.
REV. D. M. PIERCE, A.M. 387
Benedict College), Columbia, South Carolina.
The winter of 1877-8 we were roommates at that
institution. In the fall of 1879 both of us en¬
tered the Richmond Institute (now Richmond
Theological Seminary), Richmond, Va. For three
years we were roommates and classmates at that
institution, and graduated from the same platform
in May, 1882. It gives me great pleasure to
write this sketch and to be able to record some
words of testimony concerning that man of God
who has labored so faithfully and who has done
so much to advance the kingdom of his Master.
Rev. Pierce was born a slave at Riverdale, South
Carolina, July 10, 1851. He was the third son
of March and Eliza Pierce. His father died in
1866 and his mother in 1867. He was brought
up in the family of Mr. E. J. Lide, to whom he
feels indebted for his early Christian training and
education.
In 1867 he was converted, and in July of the
same year was baptized into the fellowship of the
Macedonia Baptist Church at Darlington, S. C.,
by Rev. I. P. Brockinton, the pastor. From that
church he has never moved his membership.
April 8, 1869, he was united in marriage with
Miss Flora Scott, the only living daughter of
Jacob and Susie Scott. When he married he
had purposed to enter the mercantile business,
but God had purposed otherwise; He had another
388 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
calling for him. Mr. Pierce soon felt called to
the work of the gospel ministry. Instead of
following his original plans he obtained letters of
recommendation from some of the best citizens
of Darlington and one from his church, and
entered Benedict Institute to study with a view
to the ministry.
On the first Monday in January, 1871, he entered
the above named institution, where he was a stu¬
dent all or a part of every school year from 1871
to 1879. While there he won the confidence and
affection of both students and teachers. During
that time (1874) he was licensed to preach.
Desiring a more extended course of training
than was then given at Benedict Institute, with
letters of recommendation, in the fall of 1879, as
before mentioned, he entered Richmond Institute.
After three years of honest study he graduated
in May with honors. v He spent all his vacations
from 1876 till his graduation doing missionary
work in South Carolina under the auspices of
the Baptist Educational, Missionary, and Sunday-
school Convention of that state.
Wherever fortune has thrown him he has
succeeded in gaining the confidence of those
with whom he has had any relation. Before he
entered the ministry he was trusted with the
business of his former friend and owner, Mr. Lide.
At both Benedict College and Richmond Theo-
REV. t>. Mi PIERCE, A.M. 389
logical Seminary he enjoyed the highest respect
of the students and teachers. His influence
among the students was very wide; he held places
of the highest honor and trust in the literary
societies at both institutions referred to, He was
ordained to the work of the ministry, July, 1882,
In the same year Rev. Pierce was appointed gen¬
eral missionary for South Carolina by the Amer¬
ican Baptist Home Mission Society of New York.
From 1882 till 1889 he served that society and
state with great success. The present organi¬
zation and healthy working condition of the Bap¬
tists of the state are largely due to his efforts.
Sickness in his family compelled him to tender
his resignation as missionary in 1889, to the regret
of the society and brethren of the state.
In order that he might be with his family he
accepted a call to the Bethlehem Baptist Church,
at Timmonsville, S. C., and in the same year
(1889) he accepted the position as principal of the
Timmonsville graded school. He still holds that
position; and, in addition, he is pastor of two
large churches, the Bethlehem and Pleasant Grove
Baptist churches.
Since 1883 he has been annually elected secre¬
tary of the Pee Dee Baptist Association and
Sunday-school Union. For ten years he has
filled the same office in the Darlington union
meeting; three times he has represented the
390 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
American Baptist Home Mission Society, and
his own state convention in the Baptist Foreign
Mission Convention of the United States, and
the National Baptist Convention, and preached
and delivered addresses before them.
He has been a member of the visiting board
of Benedict College, from the time of the crea¬
tion of that board till now. He has been finan¬
cial agent of Benedict College for seven years.
In May, 1889, the degree of Bachelor of Arts
was conferred upon him by Shaw University, at
Raleigh, N. C. In 1891 the degree of Master of
Arts was conferred upon him by the Bethany
College of Lumberton, N. C.
Mr. and Mrs. D. M. Pierce have five children,
three daughters and two sons. Those old enough
are being carefully educated by him. Rev. D. M.
Pierce is an acceptable preacher and teacher, and
has a host of friends. His eyes are not dim and
his health is fine. He has been very busy from
the day he left school to the present, laboring for
the Christian civilization of his fellow men. He
has organized about thirty Baptist churches;
baptized about twelve hundred persons; ordained
about forty deacons. He has united in marriage
about three hundred, couples. Rev. Pierce has
always led a very busy life. As already inti¬
mated, industry, devotion, untiring efforts some¬
times in the face of very unfavorable circum-
rev. james knox polk.
391
stances, have brought him where he is. The
writer has always found him conservative in his
views, wise and sagacious in his counsels.
He now preaches twice every Sunday, teaches
one Sunday-school class, and teaches school all
the week. In two years under him his school has
grown from twenty-five to two hundred and thirty
scholars.
Along with many other good and noble serv¬
ants of God in the state, he has been a bulwark
to the Baptists of his state.
He is congenial as a companion, logical as a
speaker, earnest and sincere as a preacher.
Rev. James Knox Polk.
James Knox Polk was born a slave in Wood¬
ford County, Kentucky, January 21, 1845. His
parents came from South Carolina in 1830. He
is the only child of his mother, Margie Miles.
His boyhood days were spent on the large and
beautiful farm of his owner. At the age of twelve
he began to ride race horses, and continued to
ride until the beginning of the war of the rebell¬
ion. In 1862 his owner, Gen. Abe Buford, took
him into the rebel army as a waiter, and he re¬
mained with him until the overthrow of the rebell¬
ion in 1865. He received his freedom at Gaines-
392 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
ville, Alabama. He at once hastened back to his
"Old Kentucky Home." Now being a free man
what pursuit in life to follow was a great concern
to him. He had comparatively no education.
When a'boy he was not allowed to study any
books, but at night long after every one else
was sound asleep he could be found diligently
studying his speller and reader. After having
received his freedom he attended the common
schools for three years. His mother being a
devout Christian raised young James in the
Christian faith. Thus he was early inclined
toward the Christian ministry. He joined the
Versailles Baptist Church under the late Reuben
Lee. After studying three years for the ministry
he was ordained as a minister of the gospel. He
preached his first sermon in Midway, Ky., in 1871,
and afterward organized the Pilgrim Baptist
Church at Midway. Since its birth eight hun¬
dred members have been received into the fellow¬
ship. He is now building a church at the cost of
$6,000. From this church have gone several of
the foremost young ministers of the state. He
also has charge of the Baptist church at Mortons-
ville in Woodford County, with a membership of
about four hundred. Thus, for twenty years, he
has had charge of two churches in the same
county. He .has filled many of the most impor¬
tant positions among the Baptists of the state.
REV, R. T. POLLARD. 393
At the annual session of the general association
of the colored Baptists of Kentucky, held at'
Henderson, Ky., in August, 1890, he was elected
moderator. To-day he stands with the foremost
leaders of the race in the state of Kentucky.
He is a man with a stainless reputation. It will
be well for the young men of the race to follow
the example of his life. He is a member of the
county executive committee. He is as fearless in
politics as he is devout in the ministry. He has
stood firmly for the race in its most trying time.
He has always preached economy and acquisition
of wealth and knowledge to his people. He
loves his people, who will always love him.
Rev. R. T. Pollard.
Robert Thomas Pollard, son of Rev. R. T.
Pollard, Sr., and Mrs. Mary Pollard, was born at
Gainesville, Alabama, October 4, i860. His
father, who was a Baptist minister, carried his son
Robert to Enterprise, Mississippi, a few years
after the emancipation. There he received his
early impressions, which in the life of every indi¬
vidual are the most lasting, hence should be of
the best character. Robert's mother died when
he was about twelve years old. No doubt before
that sad event she had made an impression
upon her son which has had much to do in
REV. R. T. POLLARD.
REV. R. T. POLLARD.
395
making him what he is. Soon after the death of
the devoted mother, the little boy, left to reflect
upon the instructions he had received from her,
made profession of religion and was baptized
into the fellowship of Mt. Pleasant Baptist
Church. Unlike many young converts, he found
employment immediately in the service of the
Lord as church clerk and Sunday-school teacher.
Although he did not go to a school of any kind
until he was twenty years of age yet he could read
and write at the age of twelve. At the age of
sixteen he felt a call to preach the gospel. He be¬
came known in Mississippi as " the boy preacher."
The year 1880 marked a new era in the life of
Mr. Pollard. Twenty years of his life had passed
away before he entered school. In 1880, at Merid¬
ian, Miss., for the first time he entered school,
under the principalship of Prof. Paul D. Jones.
Here he studied arithmetic, algebra, English
grammar, and Latin. He continued in this
school for more than two years. In the fall of
1882 Mr. Pollard entered the Alabama Baptist
Normal and Theological School (now Selma
University). Rev. H. Woodsmall was then
instructor in theology. Mr. Pollard was therefore
fortunate in being under such a man as Rev. H.
Woodsmall, the influence of whose life on his
students was always good and wholesome. This
influence is plainly seen in Rev. Pollard. In
396 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
1884 he graduated from the normal department,
the valedictorian. Not satisfied with the normal
course and being impelled with an insatiable
desire for more knowledge, he again entered
school in the fall of 1884 to take the college
course. He remained through the freshman and
sophomore years, then left school for want of
means to complete the course. He supported
himself during his entire student life by teaching
and other employments. All who have had the
pleasure of teaching Mr. Pollard can bear willing
witness to his faithfulness as a student and a
Christian. His appointment as assistant teacher
during his college course was evidence of the
confidence of the faculty in his ability and a
reward of his diligence:
He was ordained in March, 1885, at Selma,
Alabama, just before completing the sophomore
year, the council consisting of the following:
E. M. Brawley, D.D., Revs. W. H. McAlpine,
H. N. Bouey, C. L. Puree, A. N. McEwen, C. R.
Rodgers, and L. J. Green. After ordination
Rev. Pollard was called to the pastorate of the
Vilula Baptist Church and also the Union Baptist
Church, both near Marion, Ala.
After leaving school he moved to Marion, Ala.
He resigned the Vilula Church and instead was
called to the pastorate of the Hopewell Baptist
Church, numbering over eight hundred members.
REV. R. T. POLLARD.
397
He had great success in his work in the three
churches which he served. He was for several
years moderator of the New Cahaba Association
and also clerk of the Uniontown Association, the
latter being the largest in the state. He has for
several years held the position of recording secre¬
tary of the Alabama Baptist State Convention.
The exact and full record of the proceedings of
the convention and the prompt publication of the
same attest the wisdom of the convention.
Though a young man he has been chosen a
member of the executive board of the convention.
Step by step Mr. Pollard has rapidly risen in
prominence among his brethren. Happily for
him he has not had to. meet that opposition
to his progress that many young men in some
other states have met. To the honor of Alabama
be it said she quickly recognizes and appreciates
ability and worth.
In 1888, when the call came for a Sunday-
school missionary for Alabama from the American
Baptist Publication Society, the state convention
thought of her faithful clerk. He that is faithful
in that which is least will be faithful in much.
Acting on. this principle, the convention and the
Publication Society jointly appointed Rev. R. T.
Pollard as their Sunday-school missionary for
Alabama. Almost two years have passed since
his appointment, yet there has not been the least
398 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
cause for regret that he was appointed; on the
contrary, every one recognizes the wisdom of the
selection.
In 1887 Rev. Pollard was united in marriage
to Miss Eliza Washington, with whom he formed
acquaintance while at school. She has proved a
helpmeet indeed, and has assisted him largely in
attaining his success. She has been a very suc¬
cessful teacher for a number of years.
Rev. R. T. Pollard is a rising young man; he
is full of push and energy, and has sufficient con¬
fidence in himself to insure success. In com¬
memorating one's qualities, we never mean to
say that there is any possibility of success in
God's service without His favor and continued
support. Though young, Rev. Pollard is a man
of discretion and judgment. He is persevering
and is not discouraged by difficulties and hard¬
ships. His mind is searching, his arguments are
logical and to the point. If the measure of suc¬
cess with which he has met as a pastor can be
taken as an evidence, he is a good preacher. He
is not what is popularly called an eloquent and
fluent speaker, but he is frank and earnest. The
future will reveal what is in store for this young
man,
REV. C. L. PURCE, D.D.
399
REV. C. L. PURCE, D.D.
The writer's acquaintance with Dr. C. L. Purce
began in 1878, when they, as students, were at
Benedict Institute (now Benedict College),Colum¬
bia, S. C. Since then their relations have been
such as to enable the writer to give very minute
details of Professor Puree's career. As may be
seen from this paper, very few men starting from
the same depth have reached the same height as
he. It is an evidence of what an unconquerable
will, an irresistible determination, can do. Pov¬
erty may be an inconvenience, but it is certainly
not an impregnable barrier to high attainments,
success, and usefulness; it may contest every
inch of the progress one attempts to make, but it
can never be an invincible foe to him who firmly
wills to be and to do.
In the " City by the Sea," the " City of Palms,"
Charleston, South Carolina, in the year 1856, just
four years before the great civil war, Charles L.
Purce was born. His mother was a slave and his
father a freeman. At the age of five, he, his
mother, and his brother were taken to Georgia by
their master to escape being taken by the " Yan¬
kees." While in Georgia his only sister, Laura,
was born. They were kept in Georgia till 1864,
then taken to Summerville, S. C., and there they
remained until the evacuation of Charleston. In
REV. CHARLES L, PURCE, D.D.
REV. C. L. PURCE, D.D. 40I
1866, the father, William Puree, brought Ellen
his wife, Laura, Lawrence the oldest child, and
Charles back to Charleston. The boys attended
the city schools and private schools as best they
could and received a fair education. In 1869
Lawrence died. The father being in poor health,
Chailes had to stop school and do whatever he
could to help support the family. He at once
set out and learned a trade and thus helped the
family very nicely.
In the year 1875 he attended revivals at the
Morris Street Baptist Church. He was converted
and was baptized by Rev. Jacob Legare and
became a devoted member of the church. About
this time Dr. E. M. Brawley, then a student at
Bucknell University at Lewisburg, Pa., became
acquainted with the young convert. Having
become acquainted with him, the college student
was much impressed and sought in every way to
encourage the young man to hope for noble
things. In the spring of 1876, Charles, in com¬
pany with a cousin, Charles Haninesworth, took
steamer for New York to see if he could not
improve his condition. There they both found
employment, made many friends, and got along
well, but Charles was always feeling dissatisfied
because he was not engaged in the work the Lord
had called him to perform. He was struggling
with a feeling impelling him to preach the gospel,
26.
4-02 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
but to do so he must be prepared. In the mean
while Mr. Brawley was keeping track of him and
would often write and encourage him. Having
written a letter to Mr. Brawley and telling him
how impossible it was for him to prepare for
the great work to which the Lord had called him,
feeling somewhat despondent as he had no means
and could count on nothing more than he
made daily, Mr. Brawley wrote him encouragingly
that " the Lord would provide " if He called him
to preach. Being encouraged by those words he
toiled on; about two years later he returned to
his native home, went to Camden, S. C., stood an
examination before the ministerial board of the
State Convention and was accepted as a bene¬
ficiary to attend school at Benedict Institute,
Columbia, South Carolina, Dr. Lewis Colby, presi¬
dent. Here he met A. W. Pegues, who has been
his warm friend up to the present. The following
vacation he went to New York again, where he
worked until October, 1879, when he entered
Richmond Institute under Dr. C. H. Corey.
Here he stayed four years, taking the academic
and theological courses. His stay here was one
of incessant toil mentally and physically; three
years of this time he worked as caterer to help
himself through school. He made friends of the
faculty, students, and city folks. In a class of
iourteen young men he graduated with high hon-
REV. C. L. PURCE, D.D. 403
ors. In delivering his graduating oration on
" The Future Negro " he exhibited true eloquence
and received the encomiums of the vast assembly
and the several newspapers of the city.
After graduating he went to his native state,
and spent the summer of 1883 with Dr. Brawley
and family in Greenville, South Carolina, as pri¬
vate secretary. In the fall he was called to take
charge of the Bethesda Baptist Church, Society
Hill, South Carolina, of which Dr. J. J. Durham
had been pastor. He was ordained by the Mor¬
ris Street Baptist Church and immediately took
charge of Bethesda. This was at that time the
largest and most influential church in the state,
having over eleven hundred members. The
church flourished under his care, a debt which
hung over it was cleared, and everything pointed
to success, but pastor and people were soon to be
separated. A call came to him from Alabama to
accept the chair of Greek and Latin in the Ala¬
bama Normal and Theological Institute at Selma,
Dr. E. M. Brawley, president. After a careful
consideration of the subject, and with great reluc¬
tance on the part of the church to give him up,
he accepted the call to Alabama and entered upon
his duties in January, 1884.
In this new field, the young professor soon
made many warm friends, both among the people
and the students. While teaching he was carry-
404 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
ing on a course of study in the Correspondence
School of Greek of* Chicago, where he gained
much distinction. Having studied in this course
awhile he turned his attention to the study of
Hebrew under the renowned Dr. Harper. Here,
on account of his excellent work, he would inva¬
riably receive his papers marked.
January, 1885, he was married to Miss Charlotte
C. Sinkler, in Philadelphia, Pa., by Rev. Dennis,
pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church. They have one
son five years old, John William Puree.
November, 1886, was a turning point in the life
of Prof. Puree. In this month Dr. Brawley re¬
signed the presidency of Selma University, the
new name given the school, and the convention
at once elected Professor Puree to fill the place of
the president.
He took charge of the work as president, Dec.
1, 1886. During his presidency the work has
steadily grown. When he took charge there was
a debt of nearly $8,000 on the school property,
to-day, 1891, there is no debt, and there stands on
the beautiful, spacious grounds a four story brick
building, having forty rooms, erected in 1889, as a
monument to his untiring energy, pluck, and per¬
severance. This shows the high esteem in which
V.
he is held by the Baptists of Alabama. He is a
tower of strength among the baptists, and one of
our leading educators,
REV. C. L. PURCE, D.D. 405
In 1888 the State University of Kentucky,
Rev. William J. Simmons, D.D., LL.D., presi¬
dent, conferred the degree of Doctor of Divinity
upon Rev. Puree, though Shaw University of
North Carolina conferred the degree of Bachelor
of Arts upon him in 1886.
In the spring of 1889 he addressed the Home
Mission Society in Tremont Temple, at Boston,
Mass. The city papers were very complimentary
in their notices of the address.
The Selma University of which he is president
is in a flourishing condition; for the year 1891
the enrollment has gone above five hundred
students. The dormitories are insufficient and
many students have to board in the city. They
have been enabled to accommodate only about one
hundred and fifty boarding students at one time.
More than three hundred students go to Selma
to attend this school. Her fame has gone abroad
into all the land.
Many of the graduates hold important posi¬
tions all through the state; some of the women
who did so much toward erecting the new build¬
ing were once students of the school, and it
would be a hard matter to go anywhere in the
state where the influence of the school is not
felt.
The doctor is a well read, polished gentleman,
dignified in manner, reserved in speech, but posi-
406 our baptist ministers.
tive when he does speak. He is of a very retiring
nature, yet practical at whatever he turns his
hand. He never allows himself to be de¬
feated in any undertaking, it seems as if he must
succeed or die trying. As a leader he has few
equals, as a financier he has proved himself to be
one of the ablest, as a preacher he is in the
first rank. Full of enthusiasm for any cause he
espouses, he knows how to inspire others. As a
teacher of the classics his students would call him
Cicero, as a preacher they would call him Paul,
pure and simple, yet bold and powerful. He is
devoted to his students and they are devoted to
him. He is proud of Alabama, and Alabama is
proud of him.
May he live long to bless the people he loves
so dearly.
Rev. O. T. Redd.
Rev. O. T. Redd, the only child of his parents,
was born in Richmond, Virginia, June 5, 1854.
In 1861 he was carried with his mother to
Booneville, Missouri. While at Richmond Mrs.
Redd was a member of the First African Baptist
Church. Her boy was taken regularly to church
and Sunday-school. There being no Sunday-
school for colored children at Booneville, Mo.,
REV. O. T. REDD.
408 our baptist ministers.
she taught her son to read and write as far
as she knew; she instructed him in the Bap¬
tist catechism and impressed upon him the
necessity of loving and obeying Christ. To his
mother Mr. Redd attributes his early conver¬
sion, and his usefulness in the Christian world.
His opportunities for education were limited.
His mother taught him as far as she could, while
he was small; he attended the district school
four months in the year for several years; he
studied privately at night every opportunity he
had. In 1876 he was appointed to teach one of
the district schools and followed teaching three
years. He then attended the normal school at
Ottumwa, Iowa, several sessions, where he became
well equipped as a teacher. In 1881 he began
teaching school again, receiving $40 per month.
The following year, at Salisbury, Mo., he was
united in marriage with Miss Emilie Lee Black,
who has made his home cheerful and happy. The
same year he was appointed principal of the
schools at Linneus, Mo., which position he held
for four years, giving complete satisfaction to the
educational board and patrons. At De Witt, Mo.,
where he was pastor of the Second Church, his
success as a teacher was highly commended.
The following letter was given him by the sec¬
retary of the school board :—
REV. O. T. REDD. 409
Office of
J. F. Turner, Attorney-at-Law and N.otary Public.
De Witt, Mo., October 18, 1889.
To Whom it May Concern :
Rev. O. T. Redd, having resided in De Witt, Mo., some
three years, I can say he is a gentleman of strict integrity, and
a good teacher and a good minister, and I cheerfully recom¬
mend him to any and all persons in either capacity.
J. F. TURNER, Secretary School Board.
Mr. Redd became a Christian in 1869 and
united with the Bethel Baptist Church in Howard
County, Mo. At once he became a faithful and
active church member. In 1877 he moved his
membership to Carrollton, Mo. He again in
1883 moved his membership to Salisbury. That
church becoming satisfied that Mr. Redd was
called to preach, without any request upon his
part, gave him license to preach in 1885. In
May, 1885, the Baptist Sunday-school conven¬
tion met at Salisbury, Mo., and appointed him
Sunday-school missionary of the state. Success
attended his efforts. The same year he was
called to the Second Church of De Witt. Under
him the church prospered, many members were
added to it. He was ordained at the request of
the De Witt Church in 1886. The following
ministers composed the ordaining council: Revs.
J. H. Homesley, J. T. Thomley, T. H. Philips.
In the few years remaining since his ordina¬
tion, he has held several large and influential
410 our baptist ministers.
churches, and has been officially connected with
four associations. He has for many years been
a prominent officer in the State Sunday-school
Convention. The above shows the esteem in
which Rev. Redd is held by his brethren. He is
at present pastor of the First Church at Bruns¬
wick, Mo., and the Second Church at Kirksville,
Mo.; these are in a flourishing condition.
Rev. J. M. Riddle.
Rev. J. M. Riddle was born May 15, i860, in
Buckingham County, Virginia, of slave parents,
Henry and Susan Riddle. When only one year
old he was sold with his mother and three other
children to a negro trader, John Foster, who
bought them from the auction block in Richmond,
Virginia, and carried them to Henrico County,
where they were subjected to the most cruel treat¬
ment. Although James was very young he has
vivid recollections of many severe whippings ad¬
ministered because he refused to call the little
children of his owner "Master" and "Miss." They
were removed to Buchanan County. The same
cruelty followed them there. On one occasion
when only four years old little James was so se¬
verely whipped that he ran away to the mountains
and staid several days where he was liable to be
attacked by the wild animals of those regions, and
REV. J. M. RIDDLE.
411
was without food and shelter, rather than face the
bloody lash of his inhuman master.
At the close of the war the -mother with her
children went back to her former home, where
the care of the children fell upon her. Young
James was put into the first school that opened
in the community; he studied at school during
the day and had the advantage of a private tutor
at night; his advancement was rapid.
At eighteen he began his career as a public
school teacher. In that sphere he was pronounced
a success through the county. Having reached
some prominence in the county as a politician he
was elected justice of the peace in one of the
townships at the age of twenty-two. This office
'he filled with credit to himself and the community.
A singular incident occurred while holding this
office: the very man, Albert Hudgin, who had
sold James into slavery, now being old and grieved,
and unbalanced in mind, it is said, because of the
loss ol his slaves, was brought before this negro
justice for sentence to be passed as to his sanity.
After examination he was adjudged insane and
sent to the asylum. Thus it came to pass that
he who was once a slave sat in judgment upon
the man who twenty-one years before had sold
him away from home into slavery.
Mr. Riddle became a Christian at the age of
sixteen and united with the Liberty Baptist
412
our baptist ministers.
' Church. He was a devoted worker in both church
and Sunday-school, and a close Bible student. In
1884 he was impressed that he was called to the
work of the ministry. The church appreciated
the feeling and licensed him to preach. So rapid
was his progress in one year that at the request
of his church he accepted a call from a church in
West Virginia, where he taught school as well as
attended to his pastoral duties. Rev. Riddle
soon gained the confidence of his brother minis¬
ters; so much so that at the meeting of the State
Convention in 1888 he was appointed by that
body jointly with the American Baptist Home
Mission Society, general missionary to the col¬
ored people of West Virginia. Although the
work was arduous and difficult, Mr. Riddle by
going into country places and byways did a great
deal to stimulate and encourage the work and the
brethren. Against the wishes of the convention
in 1891 he accepted a call to the Baptist church
at Rendville, Ohio.
Rev. E. Rainey Roberts.
Rev. E. R. Roberts was born in the city of
Charleston, South Carolina, January 5, 1856, of
free parents, Rev. B. L. Roberts and Mrs. C. E.
Roberts (nee DeReef). His early instruction was
received at the hands of his parents. When four
REV. E, RAINEY ROBERTS.
414 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
years old he could read. From 1857 to 1861 he
lived in Anderson village. His parents, being
advised to leave the state at the beginning of the
war of the rebellion, emigrated to the Bahama
Islands, arriving there the first of January, 1863.
Young Roberts attended the public schools of the
Island of New Providence. In 1867 he with his
parents returned to the United States and he en¬
tered the Shaw Memorial School of Charleston,
under the auspices of the New England Aid So¬
ciety, Arthur Simm, brother of the Hon. Charles
Simm of Boston, Mass., being the principal. By
dint of hard study and promotion he became the
leading scholar, and in the Easter examination
in April, 1869, took the first prize, for which he
was highly complimented by Professor M. A.
Warren of Avery Institute. In 1871 he moved
to Greenville, and attended the Allen School for
a short time. Young Roberts, being of a mechan¬
ical turn of mind, was put out to learn the shoe¬
makers' trade. After serving three years at the
bench he decided to take up the work of a coun¬
try school teacher. He began teaching in 1874
in Newberry County, about nine miles from the
court house; he also taught school the same
year in Laurens County. At the examinations
of the South Carolina University in 1875, he was
admitted to the freshman class. Realizing that
the university could not remain as it was for an-
REV. E. RAINEY ROBERTS. 41 5
other year, he went to Newburg in the fall of
1876 and began teaching school.
During a series of meetings at the Beaver Dam
Baptist Church, in the fall of 1877, he professed
hope in Christ and united with that church.
He at once became active in the affairs of the
church. In the latter part of the same year he
moved to Camden and connected himself with
the Mt. Moriah Church of that place. He was
impressed to preach the gospel, but tried to ban¬
ish the impression. His church work began there
as Sunday-school superintendent, in which capac¬
ity he served for three years. In 1879 he was
licensed to preach by the Mt. Moriah Church.
The following year Mr. Roberts moved to
Kingstree, where he opened a harness making and
shoemaking business combined. In 1882 he at¬
tended the meeting of the Baptist State Conven¬
tion at Georgetown, South Carolina. The same
year the Mt. Moriah Church asked for his ordina¬
tion, and in August he, along with M. W. Gilbert,
now of Jacksonville, Florida, was ordained. The
following ministers composed the council: Revs.
E. M. Brawley, D.D., M. Boykin, R. C. Dow,
J. C. Butler, and M. Gilbert.
Rev. Roberts entered at once upon the field as
a missionary in Williamsburg County. He gath¬
ered a small company of believers at the house
pf sister Jennie Dozin and succeeded in organiz-
416 our baptist ministers.
ing what is now the Siloam Baptist Church and
built for them a neat house of worship worth $800.
In February, 1883, he was called to the Trinity
Baptist Church, Florence, South Carolina. Dur¬
ing a pastorate there of six years, he baptized
five hundred and seven persons into the fellow¬
ship of the Trinity Church. January, 1890, he
began the publication of the Baptist Herald.
It at first was a monthly journal, but has since
become a weekly. All who have read that paper
know of its merits as a sound, reliable, Christian
journal. July, 1890, Rev. Roberts accepted an
appointment as a general state missionary for
South Carolina, from the American Baptist Home
Mission Society. That position he still holds.
Rev. Roberts holds certificates of graduation
from Benedict College and Chautauqua University
of New York. The subject of this sketch, though
young, is one of the leading ministers among the
Baptists of South Carolina. He is an untiring,
energetic, and successful preacher and worker in
his church and among his people.
Prof. N. F. Roberts, D.D.
Prof. N. F. Roberts, D.D., principal of the
normal department, and professor of mathematics
in the college department, of Shaw University,
^as born near Seaboard, in Northampton County,
PROF. N. F. ROBERTS, D.D. 417
North Carolina, October 13, 1849. From early
boyhood he was a great lover of books, and eager
to grasp and assimilate all the knowledge that
could be obtained from them. He was brought
up in a farming district, and he was a farmer all
the early years of his life. Farming is an exceed¬
ingly healthy life for the mind as well as for the
body. Not a few great men, not only of the
negro race, but of the nation, owe their greatness
in a large measure to their life as farmers. There
is a certain atmosphere of freedom, a rare oppor¬
tunity for observation, a wide sphere for studying
nature, a pure balmy air, which are not found in
cities and towns. Young Roberts was not a
careless observer of his environments; they stim¬
ulated him to think and study. He was apt to
learn and had a special liking for figures: so
much so that he was considered a little genius in
the neighborhood. He could solve almost any
problem in the common school arithmetic before
he attended school. This boyhood precocity was
only a precursor of what he attained in the
mathematical sphere. October, 1871, he entered
Shaw University (then Shaw Collegiate Institute),
Raleigh, N. C. He began in the lowest grades
and was rapidly promoted, easily keeping at the
head of his class. His whole school life was
consistent, his deportment called forth many ex¬
pressions of commendation from his teachers,
27
418 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
May, 1878, he graduated from the college depart¬
ment and received congratulations from students
and faculty for his attainments. Mr. Roberts
became a Christian in March, 1872. Being im¬
pressed that he was called to preach he was or¬
dained to the work of the gospel ministry, May
20, 1878. As a preacher he is earnest, able, and
logical; a deep thinker and an impressive speaker.
Since the year of his graduation Rev. Roberts
has been professor of mathematics in Shaw
University with the exception of one year when
he was general missionary under the American
Baptist Home Mission Society, and the Baptist
State Convention. Professor Roberts is not only
an adept in mathematics, but he is an apt teacher.
Some of his methods of teaching are original,
and his students are usually interested in that
branch of study.
July, 1882, he was elected pastor of the Blount
Street Baptist Church, and served the church
nine years, resigning August, 1891, because he
felt that it was too great a pressure to discharge
his duties as teacher, etc., and at the same time
perform all the functions of a city pastor. He is
popular among the brethren of his state; he is
esteemed by them as a man, minister, and educa¬
tor. He has held many positions of honor in the
state. For many years he was president of the
Baptist State Sunday-school Convention, and is,
rev. j. p. robinson. 419
now the treasurer of that body. He has also been
elected several times president of the Baptist
State Convention, and he is at present correspond¬
ing secretary of that body.
Rev. J. P. Robinson.
Rev. J. P. Robinson was born a slave at Her¬
nando, Miss., Dec. i, 1856. The brutal sepa¬
rating system of slavery deprived him of seeing
and knowing his father, till he became free and
old enough to search the country for his father's
whereabouts. His mother, Amelia, did what she
could to educate him after emancipation, but
this was not beyond the advantages of common
schools of the country. He was reared on the
farm, trained to hard labor. When quite small,
his mother and other friends taught him that his
father was a good man; this was a strong stimu¬
lus to the Tad. He wanted to be good like his
father. He professed faith in Christ in the year
1879, and was baptized at once, and received into
the Baptist church, in De Soto County, Miss. He
had not been a member of the church more than
two months before he was elected as clerk of the
church. This position he held as long as he
remained in that vicinity and state.
He was married to a Miss Sophia Washington,
one of the most amiable young ladies in De Soto
REV. J. P- ROBINSON.
REV. J. P. ROBINSON.
421
County. He then settled down to farming. This
avocation engaged him two years. Having felt
a call to the gospel ministry, he began preaching
in 1880. After preaching three years he was or¬
dained by the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, of
which he was a member. Soon after his ordina¬
tion he was appointed traveling missionary over
the county of Pulaski and four others. He was
highly successful in that work, having organized
one church, and brought in a large number of
new churches that had not been represented be¬
fore in any association.
After a few months of this valuable and pro¬
gressive work he was called to the pastorate of
the Walnut Grove Church of Lonoke County,
Ark. The church prospered under his adminis¬
tration.
As soon as he was at liberty to accept another
charge he was called to and accepted the pas¬
toral care of the. First Baptist Church of Little
Rock, Ark. He was called to the pastoral care
of that church in January, 1886; that position he
still fills to the entire satisfaction of the church.
This is clearly demonstrated in the fact that he
has been re-elected unanimously for three years.
Rev. Robinson took charge of the church
when its edifice was unfinished, with a debt of
over $4,000 hanging over it. The members were
almost despairing, for the creditors were growing
422 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
impatient for some one to take charge and pay
off the debt; this to be done or the edifice on which
the members had paid so much would be sold.
No sooner had Rev. Robinson taken command
of affairs than satisfactory arrangements were
made with the creditors, and everything began to
move off smoothly. The church is now practi¬
cally out of debt; the membership is large and
still growing. The services at the First Baptist
Church never want for a congregation when the
weather is half favorable.
In spite of his meager advantages Rev. J. P.
Robinson has hewn his way up and out among
the foremost workers in the evangelization and
educational work of his race and denomination.
He has successfully taught in the common schools
till his work as minister of the gospel grew too
heavy for him to follow any other avocation. No
one has shown more ardor for denominational
education than he; although in his early days
these opportunities were generally shut off from
him, he has done his part in preparing for those
who have been born since he has, and whose op¬
portunities for availing themselves of higher edu¬
cation are in every way better.
The work of the Baptist State Convention has
always found in him a true and tried friend. He
has from time to time held important positions in
all the state work, such as vice-president of the
rev. tenant m. robinson. 423
convention, and trustee of the Arkansas Baptist
College.
He is not a graduate from any institution, but in
addition to his common school training he has
accomplished very much by private, hard study;
he has also had considerable training in the
theological department of the Arkansas Baptist
College.
He has also shown himself very useful in the
work of denominational journalism. He served
two years or more as local writer of the Baptist
Vanguard, and, at the annual session of the board
in 1890, he was elected business manager of the
above named paper.
Rev. Tenant M. Robinson.
Rev. Tenant M. Robinson, pastor of the First
Baptist Church of Macon, G'eorgia, was born on
the Edisto river, near Charleston, South Caro¬
lina, in 1839. His mother was sold when he was
five years old and carried to Aiken, South Caro¬
lina. She was again sold to a man by the name
of Nat Black and carried to Graniteville, South
Carolina. There little Tenant lived with his
mother a short time, when they again moved to
Edgefield County. He was not here long before his
mother ran away and left him alone in the world.
REV. TENANT M. ROBINSON.
REV. TENANT M. ROBINSON. 425
Tenant was now a good sized lad, and drifted
back again to the neighborhood of Charleston,
where he had several sisters. His mother had
four children, two boys and two girls. He never
saw his mother after she left him in Edgefield
County until after the emancipation. Little
Tenant was carried to Aiken, South Carolina,
again. His master, who kept a sharp eye on
his growing " nigger," now went to Louisiana
and left the lad with his brother James, who hired
Tenant to a man in a place then known as
Kolan, South Carolina. But Tenant was not
here long before he found himself in Augusta,
Georgia, where he remained until the begin¬
ning of the war of the rebellion. He was then
taken again to Kolan and remained there until
he was set free. He returned to Augusta,
Georgia, embraced the religion of Christ, was bap¬
tized by Rev. Henry Johnson, and united with
the Thankful Baptist Church. Soon after becom¬
ing a member he was united in marriage with
Miss Louisa Jenkins of Hamburg, South Caro¬
lina, in 1866. Mr. Robinson began his ministe¬
rial work the first year after becoming a member
of the church. He attended the institution planted
in Augusta, Georgia, by the American Baptist
Home Mission Society, which was afterwards
moved to Atlanta and known as the Atlanta Bap¬
tist Seminary. His advancement in knowledge
426 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
and ministerial proficiency was rapid. In 1870 he
was called to a church in Columbia County, Geor¬
gia, which he served seventeen successive years.
At the expiration of that time he was called to An-
tioch, Alabama; with that church he remained
three years, at the end of which time he ac¬
cepted the call to his present field of labor.
As a preacher Rev. Robinson is full of force
and eloquence. He is a fisher of men and many
souls are brought to Christ through his efforts.
As a rule he preaches to crowded houses. Out of
the pulpit he spends most of his time in studying
the Bible and visiting the sick. He is a member
of the executive board of the Ebenezer Associa¬
tion, the Middle Georgia Association, and the
State Baptist Convention, and is president of the
Ministers' Union of Macon, Georgia. In June,
1890, he was elected president of the Central City
Times Publishing Company.
Rev. Robinson has a good wife and three chil¬
dren, two boys and one girl. He is now erecting
a fine brick church edifice at a cost of $30,000 in
place of the old building now used by the First
Baptist Church of Macon. He lives in his own
comfortable home on Pleasant Hill, one of the
popular suburbs of the city.
rev. j. gardner ross.
427
Rev. J. Gardner Ross.
Rev. J. Gardner Ross was born at Nantucket,
Massachusetts, in the month of September, 1844,
and there and at Boston received his early train¬
ing. Mr. Ross was converted in the year 1857,
and baptized by Rev. J. E. Crawford of Pleasant
Street Baptist Church of Nantucket. Removing
to Boston he connected himself by letter with the
Twelfth Baptist Church of that city, Rev. L. A.
Grimes, pastor, and by this church was licensed
to preach. He studied theology at Newton
Theological Seminary, and graduated in the class
of 1877. He was called to the Webster Street
Baptist Church of New Haven, Conn., and having
accepted the call he was ordained at the First
Baptist Church of New Haven, Rev. T. Howard
Patterson, pastor. He here had a pastorate of
more than eight years; during that time he was
able to procure funds to build a new house of
worship on the corner of Chapel and Day streets.
This church was given the name of Emmanuel
Baptist Church. This is a fine property valued
at $10,000 and entirely free from debt. During
his pastorate the membership was greatly in¬
creased, and the church generally much improved.
In the city of New Haven, and throughout the
state, Rev. Ross was well known and highly
respected; he was engaged in muoh work outside
REV. J. GARDNER ROSS.
rev. j. gardner ross. 429
of his church, serving on many committees; was
a member of the Pastors' Union, Y. M. C. A.,
and S. P. of Crime, etc. He was also at this
time connected with the New England Baptist
Missionary Convention, and was its correspond¬
ing secretary for two years, and at one time its
presiding officer.
In 1885 he received a call to the Bethel Bap¬
tist Church of Jacksonville, Florida. He became
their pastor and entered the work at once. Here
he was blessed with a successful ministry. The
old church was greatly improved within and
without, a fine parsonage built, and more than
five hundred and fifty souls were added to the
membership. He coll*ected by enjoining system¬
atic giving more than $10,000 for church expenses
and benevolent objects. He had also planned a
new church edifice to cost $25,000, toward which
they had pledged $8,000. He left the church free
from debt, and with $815 in the bank to the credit
of the Bethel Baptist Church.
Rev. Ross was recently called to the pastorate
of the Main Street Baptist Church of Jackson¬
ville, Florida. This is a new church composed
of some of our best people, and at the present
time it is the most progressive Baptist church in
the state. They have a beautiful and a constantly
increasing attendance, making it the leading Bap¬
tist church of this city and the state,
43°
our baptist ministers.
Rev. J. D. Rouse.
Rev. J. D. Rouse was born in Henderson
County, Kentucky, November 15,1854. His par¬
ents moved to Evansville, Indiana, in 1865. He
was converted to Christ and was baptized into the
fellowship of the Liberty Baptist Church by Rev.
Green McFarlan in 1867. The church licensed
him to preach in 1875. In 1881 he was ordained
by the Indiana Baptist Association. The same
year he was chosen by the church of which he
was a member to succeed Rev. Green McFarlan
as pastor. There was an indebtedness of $3,000
upon the church which was paid off in three years.
In the spring of 1886 the church edifice was
blown down by a cyclone; at the time they had
no money on hand, but in the following July they
began to rebuild; in December their new house
was dedicated, Rev. Dupee of Paducah, Kentucky,
preaching the dedicatory sermon. The cost of
rebuilding was nearly $8,000; about $7,000 has
(1891) been paid. In 1882 the church member¬
ship was five hundred; it now numbers nine hun¬
dred, the largest colored Baptist- church in the
state. Rev. Rouse was educated at the public
schools of Evansville, Indiana, and at Roger
Williams University, Nashville, Tennessee. For
three years he was president of the Indiana Bap¬
tist Association; he is now corresponding secre¬
tary of that body.
rev. c. c. russell.
431
Rev. C. C. Russell.
Rev. C. C. Russell, pastor of the First Baptist
Church of Knoxville, Tennessee, was born in
Wayne County, Kentucky, May 15, 1846. Young
Russell was a slave boy. He was once sold to
Dr. A. A. Russell and carried to Stevenson,
Alabama; he went through the war as a servant.
At the close of the war he went to Deckard, Ten¬
nessee, worked in a hotel and attended a night
school. His owners had taught him to read and
write during slavery. In 1866, Mr. C. C. Russell
moved to Murfreesboro and attended a school
taught by Rev. Z. Rush.
In 1867 he was married to Miss Catharine
Marlin; she died about a year afterwards. Mr.
Russell professed hope in Christ in 1866, and be¬
came a member of the First Baptist Church of
Murfreesboro. He entered the ministry in 1869,
and was ordained to that work in 1870. In the
autumn of that year he went to East Tennessee,
and did general missionary work among churches
and Sunday-schools. He was called to the Mt.
Olivet Baptist Church of London, Tennessee, in
1871; that church he served eleven years; during
that time he was secretary of the general asso¬
ciation for five years. Rev. Russell was called to
the First Baptist Church of Knoxville in 1882,
one of the largest churches in the city. Since
REV. C. C. RUSSELL.
rev. augustus shepard, d.d. 433
then he has baptized four hundred and fifty per¬
sons. In May, 1884, he baptized one hundred
persons in one hour, to the astonishment of his
Pedobaptist brethren, and some of his own.
He is moderator of the general association of
East Tennessee and president of the Baptist State
Convention. He is a fair English scholar, a close
student of the Bible, an influential and effective
preacher, speaks with great ease, and commands
a large congregation. He is a good parliamenta¬
rian, is very popular in bodies over which he
presides, and, indeed, with all classes of people
throughout the state. He is now preparing to
build a large brick house of worship.
Rev. Augustus Shepard, D.D.
Rev. A. Shepard, Sunday-school missionary of
North Carolina under the American Baptist
Publication Society, was born a slave of slave
parents, Richard and Flora Shepard, in the city
of Raleigh, March 1, 1846. After the close of
the war of secession he worked with his father till
he reached his majority. He became a Christian
in 1866, and was baptized into the fellowship of
the First Baptist Church of Raleigh, by Rev.
William Merrick. Without his request the
church voluntarily licensed him to preach. Shaw
University, which was then Raleigh Institute^
28
REV. AUGUSTUS SHEPARD, D.D.
REV. AUGUSTUS SHEPARD, D.D.
extended an opportunity to the church to send
two young men to study for the ministry. They
unanimously chose A. Shepard as one of them.
Although the greater part of the expenses were
provided for him he was to provide the other
necessary expenses. So he hired himself for five
dollars per month with the understanding that he
should be allowed to attend school from nine to
one o'clock every day. Being unable to read
when he entered school he was put in class num¬
ber one (only one in the class), and was taught
from the beginning by Rev. H. M. Tupper, presi¬
dent. Having remained in school two sessions,
he became assistant pastor to Rev. Tupper, who
was pastor of the Second Baptist Church. Rev.
Shepard studied theology at Shaw University,
and received a diploma from that department.
In 1873 he traveled through the New England
states with the Jubilee singers, preaching and
teaching.
In 1874 he was appointed Sunday-school mis-
sionary by the American Baptist Publication So¬
ciety for North Carolina, which position he still
holds, having served the society continuously
(now 1891) seventeen years.
Mr. Shepard reorganized the State Convention,
forming what is now the State Sunday-school
Convention. He was elected president, and held
the office several years. In 1878 he represented
436 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
his people at the Baptist anniversaries held at
Cleveland, Ohio, and again in 1880 at Indian¬
apolis, Indiana. He has organized a great num¬
ber of Sunday-schools and churches, built many
meeting houses, distributed in the state over ten
thousand dollars' worth of Bible testaments and
other religious literature. In 1884 he formulated
a plan through the Sunday-school work for the
establishment of a colored orphan asylum, which
has since become the " Colored Orphan Asylum
of North Carolina." Rev. Shepard is president of
the board of directors of this asylum. As a mark
of his worth and ability, May, 1891, Shaw Uni¬
versity conferred upon him the degree of Doctor
of Divinity.
Dr. Shepard is a man of great power and influ¬
ence ; broad minded and big hearted. As a
preacher he is earnest and effective, logical and
convincing, full of faith; and he has been instru¬
mental in saving many souls for Christ. As a
speaker he is easy and fluent, having the power
to persuade and carry his audience with him.
He commands the respect and confidence of all
who know him.
The following are some extracts taken from his
speech delivered at Indianapolis before the Bap¬
tist Publication Society:—
"That a great work remains to be done in edu¬
cating and evangelizing the colored people of the
REV. AUGUSTUS SHEPARD, D.D. 437
South cannot truthfully be denied. If there be
any who entertain doubts respecting the wretched
and deplorable condition of these colored people,
they have only to travel through the South and
be convinced, and say as others have said, ' that
the half has not been told.' The recent emanci¬
pation of this people, loaded with ignorance and
all of its degrading effects, necessitates this work,
and it must be done ere they reach that mark of
civilization characterized by love of virtue, moral¬
ity, and Christianity. This great work, which is
mostly a work of charity, should be done without
delay. Now is the time to accomplish the great¬
est good. ' The harvest is ripe,' and the cry
throughout the South, from Maryland to Texas,
is ' help, help, help.' The people, notwithstand¬
ing their extreme ignorance, exercise the ballot
equally with the more intelligent citizens of this
country, and represent an important factor in the
voting population of the nation. How necessary
it is that they be enlightened, that their influence
upon the nation be exerted for good and in the
right direction. Why should a work of so vast
importance be delayed ? Why hesitate to feed
the starving ? Does not the case demand imme¬
diate action ? The emancipation of the colored
people in these United States is one of the grand¬
est events in modern history, but the reclamation
of the same people from ignorance and immor-
438 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
ality is a desired event of no less, if not greater,
importance, both to the people themselves and to
the nation of which they form a part.
" Our Pedobaptist brethren, especially the
Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and
Congregationalists, lose no time in looking after
their interests in the South. They realize the.
importance of early action in a new field like this,
and they are not slow to take advantage of the
circumstances. That their doctrines may be
propagated among these colored people, they
freely give both their time and their money.
There has already been a great deal done for us
through the Baptist Home Mission Society in
the way"of educating our young men for the min¬
istry and other positions of trust. Many of our
young women are now being educated in the
schools of the same society. These young men
as ministers of the gospel, and the young women
as Sunday-school teachers, are already exerting a
potent influence in the great work of enlightening
their brethren. The Women's Home Mission
Society has also accomplished a great and good
work among our people by sending us mission¬
aries^ who visit from house to house instructing
the mothers. It is a great help in many ways.
It aids the parents, in that it restrains the child
from vice; the church, in that it seeks to save
the soul; the state, in that it reduces crime."
rev. w. j. simmons, d.d., ll.d. 439
Rev. W. J. Simmons, D.D., LL.D.
Every age of the world has its chiefs. The
masses of men move at the direction of some
other man or men. The very circumstances make
it necessary for somebody to go to the front and
take command. But, in some cases, leadership or
greatness is forced upon men despite their in¬
ability and unfitness to become great. Some
become great, after many hard fought battles and
repeated failures, by means of their own untiring
industry, indefatigable energy, and indomitable
will; while others, still, are born with inherent
elements of greatness; nature endows them with
gifts which sweep them into prominence and
greatness without let or hindrance. Dr. Sim¬
mons could not strictly be put in any of the above
classes of men. That nature highly favored him
with many endowments is indisputable, but with
these endowments he combined a certain enthu¬
siasm, a singleness of purpose, an aggressive de¬
termination, that few men possess.
Dr. William J. Simmons was born at Charles¬
ton, South Carolina, June 29, 1849. His parents,
Edward and Esther Simmons, were slaves. The
mention of the fact that they were slaves tells the
whole story of oppression and disadvantage to
which young Simmons was subjected in early
life.
REV. W. J. SIMMONS, D.D., LL.D.
kEV. W. j. SIMMONS, D.D., LL.D. 441
Before he was very old William, with his
mother and his two sisters, was spirited upon a
vessel and taken to Philadelphia, where an uncle,
Alexander Tardiff, met them and kindly cared
for them. He was a shoemak.er, which trade
among the prejudices and hardships of those days
enabled him to do little more than scantily clothe
and keep soul and body together for the little
family. While in Philadelphia, they were harassed
by poverty, anxieties, and, most cruel of all,
slave traders, who seemed never to tire searching
for and haunting that little band of runaways.
Their dogged determination was always foiled
by the adroitness of the uncle, who parleyed with
them in his shoe shop in the front of the house,
while the Simmons family were stowed away in
the garret.
Finding it impossible to make a living at his
trade, the uncle went to sea, leaving the mother
and children at Roxbury, Pennsylvania. Here
for two years the mother by hard toil night and
day managed to earn support for herself and
children. After two years the uncle returned and
took them to Chester, Pennsylvania, where his
trade was quite lucrative. But they were still
pursued by the ever active, inhuman slave hunters.
To escape these ever ceaseless hunts the family
was taken to Philadelphia and remained until the
uncle obtained employment at Bordentown, New
442 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Jersey. William never attended a public school.
The uncle, who had attended school at Charleston,
South Carolina, under D. A. Payne, now bishop
of the A. M. E. Church, had a fair English
education and undertook the education of the
children, which proved very beneficial to Will¬
iam in after years, as the training given was
so thorough that it formed a broad foundation
for his college studies. 4In 1862 William was
apprenticed to a dentist, Dr. DeLange, of Bor-
dentown, New Jersey, who treated him very
kindly. He soon acquired sufficient knowledge
of the business to wait upon the patients in the
doctor's absence. Though many patients on
account of his color refused his services, yet he
treated some of the best families in the place.
Being unwilling to follow a profession whose
scientific principles and acquirements he did not
understand, he applied to a dental college in
Philadelphia but was refused admission, largely
on account of his color. He decided to leave the
profession, but stayed with Dr. DeLange till the
fall of 1864, when he ran away and enlisted in the
Forty-first United States Colored Troops. He
was engaged in the battles around Petersburg,
Hatch's Run, Appomattox Court House, and was
present at Lee's surrender. In September, 1865,
he was honorably discharged from the army. For
a while he practiced dentistry under a colored
REV. W. j. SIMMONS, D.D., LL.D. 443
dentist, Dr. W. H. Longfellow, in Philadelphia,
then again under Dr. DeLange at Bordentown,
RJ'
He professed faith in Christ in 1867 under the
preaching of Rev. J. W. Curtis at Bordentown and
united with the white Baptist church of that
place. He was very kindly treated in that church,
and when he made known his feelings that he
was called to the ministry the church supported
him in school three years. He entered the
academic department of Madison University,
from which he graduated in 1868, enjoying the
kindest sympathy and best wishes of both students
and faculty. Feeling that in Rochester, where
there are many colored people, he would have a
wider field of usefulness, and being induced by
increased aid from work he could do in a small
church in that city, he matriculated in the fall in
Rochester University. At the.end of the fresh¬
man year his eyes had become so bad because of
hard studying at night, that he was compelled to
leave school till 1871, when he entered Howard
University at Washington, D. C. He graduated
from that institution in 1873 as Bachelor of Arts.
He suffered untold privations during his school
life. Many times his meals were scarcely more
than the gruel of Franklin, his clothes were thread¬
bare, and sometimes he had only one shirt to his
back. During his senior year he walked seven miles
444 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
a day, taught school, did other duties, recited his
lessons at night, and yet graduated with second
honor.
Immediately after leaving school he went to
Arkansas, but soon returned to Washington and
took charge of the Hillsdale School, District of
Columbia, where he had already taught during
his student days. In 1874, in Washington, D. C.,
he married Miss Josephine A. Silence; their
union was blessed with seven children. In Sep¬
tember of the same year he went to Florida. He
was principal of the Howard Academy, and also
held the office of deputy county clerk, and county
commissioner. He took interest in politics, and
became an active and influential worker in the
Republican party of the county and congressional
district in which he lived. While at Ocala, Fla.,
he was pastor of a small church, but was not or¬
dained until just before he left the state. From
Washington, D. C., whither he had gone from
Florida, he received a call in 1879 to the first
Baptist church of Lexington, Kentucky. In
1880 he was elected to the presidency of Normal
and Theological Institute, now State University,
located at Louisville, Ky. There began his real
life's work, the work to which it seemed nature
had destined him. In the school at that time
were only thirteen pupils and two teachers. The
following is from the Bowling Green Watchman:—
REV. W. J. SIMMONS, D.D., LL.D. 445
" Few men of Professor Simmons' ability and
standing would have been willing to risk their
future in an enterprise like the Normal and Theo¬
logical Institute; an enterprise without capital
and with but few friends. But it can be truly-
said of Professor Simmons that he has proven
himself master of the situation. The school has
been talked of for nearly twenty years but no one
ever dreamed of its being a possibility. When
he was elected president every cloud vanished,
and the sunshine of success could be seen on
every side. Some of his students already rank
among the foremost preachers, teachers, and
orators of the state."
Few men are more intensely earnest, aggressive,
and fearless than was Dr. Simmons. Whatever
else may be said of him, he was an unconditional
and uncompromising negro. Whatever inter¬
ested the negro, interested him ; nothing con¬
cerning the negro was foreign to him. Outspoken,
sometimes almost to imprudence, he was first in
everything that pertained to the elevation and
good of the negro. In his relation to the country
he was more than a negro simply, he was a citizen
of the United States; he felt and declared himself
such; he gloried in the fact that he was; he urged
upon his race to feel that they are citizens, entitled
to all the privileges and immunities belonging to
American citizenship. As an educator he had
446 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
few if any superiors. Clear and lucid, he had the
ability of infusing his own soul into those of his
pupils; his tenderest care extended to all; the
poor students claimed his kindest sympathy and
help. As a preacher he was impressive and con¬
vincing. As a speaker he was logical, bold, and
eloquent. Dr. Simmons' politics was Republican,
but his partisanship never led him to sacrifice any
interest of the negro for the benefit of the party.
He believed that the negro ought to give more
attention to state than to national politics. He
said :—
" The days are slipping by and our children are
growing into manhood and womanhood—we are
fast passing away. Shall we live deluded with
the hope that the general government will bring
to us a panacea for all our ills ? No ; we must
court the favors of the people of the state. We
must be for progress wherever found. We must
act wisely. Indeed, the Republican party could
not, if it would, help us. They are debarred by
statutes and by sentiments stronger than statutes.
Let us study state interests, its schools, and its
development in every direction. Let us vote for
liberal men who will help us. We cannot expect
them against whom we vote to do so. Take
Kentucky; who has secured all the school advan¬
tages for the colored race? Why, the colored
people themselves, The Republican party did
REV. W. J. SIMMONS, D.D., LL.D. 447
not do it—not a bit of it. The white men of the
party and their children were all right. When
did they offer to make a special fight for us ?
Never. When, then, did we secure a change of
the forty-eight per capita tax to an equalization
of the tax for all children alike? By petition of
our own and by favor of Democrats, even when
put to a popular vote, and by the act of a Demo¬
cratic legislature. Is it not queer, too, that we
never thought to demand of our party that they
make the fight for us ? The answer is that the
colored man is such a slave to his party that he
has fought the white man's battles, secured office
for him and for his own rights unaided in ' negro
conventions.' White men would have made a
broad, open fight, and demanded the negro votes.
After the convention was over the negroes would
petition the very legislative members whom "they
fought and voted against in every county. Ne¬
groes attempt to do in conventions what they
ought to do with their votes, and are driven to
it by the policy of the Republican party in the
South. We should change this thing."
He has been many times honored by the peo¬
ple of his state irrespective of denominational
lines. For several years he was chairman of
the executive committee of the " Convention of
Colored Men of Kentucky," and was chairman
of the committee appointed by that convention
448 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
to lay the grievances of the colored people before
the legislature. Of his speech on that occasion
the Soldiers' Reunion said: " The speech of
Rev. W. J. Simmons, D.D., before the Kentucky
legislature, was the ablest effort ever made in the
interest of the colored people. The legislature
ordered two thousand copies of it printed." At
the meeting of the colored Press Convention
which met at Atlantic City, New Jersey, July,
1885, he was elected president; this position he
held till his death in 1890. He was a member of
the National Convention of Colored Men which
met in Louisville, Ky., in 1883, and did very effect¬
ive work, taking a leading part in the discussions.
At the request of the American Baptist Home
Mission Society he made several addresses before
the society at the Baptist anniversaries. It was
through him that the Baptist Women's Educa¬
tional Society was organized in Kentucky to
assist in raising money for educational work in
the state.
It was to his efforts that the American Na¬
tional Baptist Convention owes its existence. It
was organized in 1886 in St. Louis, Mo., with
Dr. Simmons as president; he held the position
till his death.
In 1885 the degree of Doctor of Divinity was
conferred upon him by the faculty of Wilber-
force University, Ohio, In 1887 he delivered an
REV. W. J. SIMMONS, D.D., LL.D. 449
oration at the Lexington Emancipation Cele¬
bration ; among other things, he said :—
" The warm blood of the negro that haunts
the channels of his veins with ancient Egyptian
and Ethiopian fires has been tempered in the
climate of the South, and reduced to that propor¬
tion which robs it of its sluggishness, subdues it
of wild passion, and holds it by reason, while the
trials of the past have been the friction that
brightens, the winds that toughen, and the frosts
that ripen. No great song, or poem, or book, or
invention has yet seen birth south of the ' Mason
and Dixon Line.' It has been reserved for us.
The only American music was born on the plan¬
tations, and wrung from aching hearts as wine
from the luscious grape. It has touched the heart
of the learned, and engaged the attention of the
scientific musician. As the Indian faded in the
North, before the white man, so the white man of
the South must yield to us, without, however, a
bloody conflict. We shall gather wealth, learn¬
ing, and manhood, and occupy the land. This is
the asylum of the world; and the tramp of hurry¬
ing nations warns us that this is the ' Valley of
Decision.' On this soil are settled the great
questions of earth. Already the march of the
empire has bathed its weary feet in the Pacific,
and with the exception of watery waste has
arrived at its home, and it is possible that He who
29
450 Our baptist ministers.
made all nations of one blood, will here in our
land, marry and inter-marry, and reduce this con¬
glomerate mass into one distinct nationality, with
all the blood made one, and, the highest type of
consecrated manhood being realized, reduced
back to the Adamic color through us; or He
may out of the aggregate develop each to its
highest type, and let them Jive to the end of time,
carrying out His divine plans, and unerringly
accomplishing His decrees. Here in this new
South the negro shall shine in the constellation
of the nations, and by his words and deeds hand
down to unborn ages the glittering pages of our
history. We shall in some prominent way mount
the ladder of our difficulties, scale the cliff of
prejudice, and hide our heads among the stars."
In 1887 Dr. Simmons was appointed district
secretary for the southern states under the Ameri¬
can Baptist Home Mission Society. In that
capacity he traveled through every southern
state, speaking and organizing the Baptist forces,
awakening enthusiasm, especially in educational
matters. His reputation is national. Men, irre¬
spective of race, admired his push and ability.
Some of his stanchest friends are men of other
denominations. Here is what Bishop Henry M.
Turner says of him in " Men of Mark":— '
" I regard Dr. Simmons as one of the most
replete scholars of his age in the country, for all
REV. W. J. SIMMONS, D.D., LL.D. 451
the invincibility that attached to his boyhood
and youthful days, enabling him to triumph over
every obstacle that confronted him,-still incites
him to literary research, so that almost every sub¬
ject within the circle of literary learning has
been pierced by his intellectual prowess. Yet it
could not be expected that a man of his age
could be master of every branch, for such exalted
attainments only come by years of laborious ap¬
plication, which a young man' has not. had time
to accomplish. The doctor has a large, symmet¬
rically developed head, elevated in the center at
the organ of veneration, with a brain texture of
the highest type, attesting marvelous powers
when, even in many instances, the head is oblong,
but infinitely more so when rightly shaped, thus
giving the doctor giant powers to use while
employed in ferreting out the deep things of
science, philosophy, and theology, which will, if
the doctor lives fifty years, culminate in making
him one of the most mighty men of our race
upon the globe."
In 1889 the degree of Doctor of Laws was con¬
ferred upon Rev. Simmons by the faculty and
trustees of Selma University, Selma, Alabama.
Any institution might have felt itself honored in
conferring such a degree upon him.
Dr. Simmons, although complaining, seemed
to be the picture of health, until the spring of
45^ OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
1890. From that time he began to decline. Late
in the summer his friends began to be anxious
about him, yet hopes were entertained of his
recovery till late in the fall. But to the heartfelt
sorrow of all who knew him, he departed this
life October 30, 1890. All who were fortunate
enough to know him, regardless of denomination
or race, bemoaned his departure. All over the
country memorial meetings were held.
The Baptists especially felt that they suffered
a great loss. Dr. Simmons undoubtedly stood at
the head of the colored Baptist leaders.
The following is taken from the Baptist Home
Mission Monthly of January, 1891 : "The exe¬
cutive board of the American Baptist Home
Mission Society records with sadness the death,
October 30, 1890, of Rev. William J. Simmons,
D.D., district secretary for the southern states.
The loss to the society and to educational and
missionary enterprises of the colored people can¬
not be estimated.
"From the beginning of his connection with
the society in September, 1881, as president of
the institution known as the State University at
Louisville, Ky., and his subsequent appointment
in July, 1887, as district secretary for the south¬
ern states, he displayed remarkable ability as an
organizer and a leader of his people, a promoter
of the society's interests, and, at the annual
rev. samuel scipio sissen.
453
meetings of the society, oratorical talent of the
first order. His fervent, hopeful Christian spirit
was ever an inspiration to all with whom he was
associated. To his bereaved family we extend
our heartfelt sympathy, and hereby direct the
continuance to them of Dr. Simmons' salary
until January, i, 1891."
Rev. Samuel Scipio Sissen.
In the quiet little town of White Plains, Cal¬
houn County, Alabama, June 11, 1862, the Rev.
Samuel Scipio Sissen was born. He lived with
his parents on the plantation, helping as best he
could. Attending church, he was convinced of
his sins, converted, and in 1871 was baptized. He
attended the public school every chance he could
get, and in 1882, being convinced that he was
called to the ministry, he entered the school es¬
tablished by the Baptists at Selma, Ala., under
the presidency of Dr. W. H. McAlpine. Means
being sent and with no other help than his own
push and dauntless trust in God, he continued to
go to school, from time to time. Even now, 1891,
amidst the cares of the largest Baptist church in
Selma, he finds time to pursue a course of theo¬
logical lectures at Selma University. In 1888 the
St. Philip Street Baptist Church called Rev. Sissen
to its pastorate. He accepted and entered at
REV. SAMUEL SCIPIO SISSEN.
REV. SAMUEL SCIPIO SISSEN. 455
once upon the arduous duties of this field. In
the same year he married Mrs. Roxie Drake of
Auburn, Ala. She proves to be a true helpmeet
to him. When he took charge of the church it
was in debt and antagonistic to Selma University.
To-day it is out of debt, has a good bank account,
and is in the closest sympathy with Selma Uni¬
versity and the state work generally. The school
had its beginning in this church in 1878. Out of
this church have issued some colonies that com¬
pose the several Baptist churches around Selma,
and it is one of the historic churches of the state.
About $3,000 in cash has been secured for the
purpose of erecting a brick church edifice. The
church numbers about one thousand members,
five hundred of whom have been received during
Rev. Sissen's pastorate, he having baptized three
hundred and seventy of them.
Rev; Sissen is a comparatively young man, but
he has a wonderful faculty of starting new energy
in his people and putting all to work in the right
direction* His education from books is limited
but his education of heart knows no bounds. He
is broad and deep in everything that pertains to
the elevation of his people, and all classes and
conditions find in him a friend and helper. His
church is always crowded, he is greatly beloved by
his own people and admired by the non-professing
of his congregation. Rev. Sissen has great hopes
456 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
for the future of his people and does everything
possible to advance them. There is no depart¬
ment of our state work that is not materially
helped by this church. It is known for its good
work, and he for his liberality.
As a preacher Rev. Sissen is sound in practice
and doctrine; indeed, in doctrinal practice, literal.
He is not afraid to preach and contend for the
cardinal principles of our great denomination. He
is a bold, fearless champion of those eternal prin¬
ciples which distinguish us from other denomina¬
tions. By his forcible presentation of the living
gospel as it is, fearless of friend or foe, he has
brought together a people that were scattered and
bewildered, hardly knowing what they believed.
Under him we have the pleasure of seeing a peo¬
ple united.in the belief of the Baptists. He is
definite.in his preaching and enjoys the blessings
that can only come to such preachers. As a pas¬
tor he is kind, gentle, yet firm. He delights in
his church and his people. He puts his whole
life, his very soul, into his work, and there is no
foolish reserve, but a living interest in the con¬
cerns of his people. In seeking to do good and
improve others he is improving himself, not only
by reflex influence, but by direct influence, posi¬
tive study, and discipline.
rev. e. .n. smith.
457
Rev. E. N. Smith.
Rev. E. N. Smith of New Iberia, Louisiana,
was born in Toronto, Canada, December 6, 1853.
It was in Toronto that his father acted as agent
of the underground railroad, having moved there
from the United States. Some months after the
birth of the subject of this sketch his father re¬
moved to the United States and settled in Provi¬
dence, Rhode Island. In i860 he removed to
Boston, where his son attended school during the
years of the great conflict between the North and
the South. At the close of the war Rev. Smith,
Sr., moved his family to Philadelphia, and there he
lost his daughter. Her death left of a family of
eight children only one, young E. N. Smith.
The latter part of 1866 young Smith returned
to Boston and attended school in Cambridgeport.
It was during that time that his father accepted
an appointment from the American Baptist Pub¬
lication Society as Sunday-school missionary for
Louisiana. It was not many months before he
sent for his son to join him in his southern home.
The union was destined to be but a brief one. In
August, 1867, young Smith arrived in New
Orleans and in October of the same year his father
fell a victim to that dread disease, yellow fever.
During the father's short stay in Louisiana he
made some warm friends; one of them, Mr. Rob-
REV. E. N. SMITH,
REV. E. N. SMITH.
459
ert Watson, a rich coal merchant, very kindly
offered to educate young Smith. He sent him
north to relatives of his in Allegheny, Pa., in the
spring of 1868. There he remained two years
and attended the public schools of that place. At
the expiration of that time he was sent to Lincoln
University, Pa. Entering that institution in 1870
he graduated in 1874. Among his classmates
were Moses A. Hopkins, afterward a minister to
Liberia, L. K. Atwood of Mississippi, and W. H.
Bryant of North Carolina.
Leaving school he returned to Louisiana and
engaged in teaching school in that state and in
Mississippi. Feeling that he was- called to the
work of the ministry he made his way back to
Massachusetts and entered Newton Theological
Seminary; he remained three years and graduated
in the class of 1885, being appointed to represent
the Hebrew department on commencement day.
Before he graduated he received a call to the
Third Baptist Church, of Springfield, Mass.; he
accepted and during his ministry many persons
were added to the church. While pastor at
Springfield, through the recommendation of Dr.
Mitchell, president of Leland University, he was
appointed by the American Baptist Home Mis¬
sion Society in 1889 principal of Home Insti¬
tute of Louisiana. In 1890 he was married to a
lady in Springfield, Mass.
460
our baptist ministers.
Rev. Hardan Smith.
The subject of this sketch was born in Rock¬
ingham County, North Carolina, in 1837. At the
age of ten years he was brought by slave traders
to Tennessee and sold to Mr. W. H. Loving, then
a prominent lawyer and large slaveholder of
Brownsville, Tenn. Feeling a deep conviction
•of his sins, under the preaching of brothers
James Fox and Robert Loving (colored), who
were leaders of the prayer-meetings in those dark
days, he was converted in 1855, and was ordained
in 1864 to the gospel ministry by Revs. Thomas
Owens, William Shelton, and David Whitelaw
(white). During the same year (1864) he began
the pastorate of Woodlawn Missionary Baptist
Church, whose membership was about eighteen
or twenty. It has since increased to two thousand
five hundred, scattered in various parts of the
Union; present membership one thousand two
hundred and fifty. In 1856, under the rights of
slave matrimony, he was married to Miss Jane
Loving, who departed this life in 1883. As a
result of their union eleven children were born to
them, of whom eight are now living. When the
immortal pen of Abraham Lincoln unloosed the
shackles of slavery from his limbs, freedom found
him poor, unlettered, and inexperienced. Not
being able to attend a common school, he learned
REV. HARDAN SMITH.
461
tp read and write by chance. His life does not
consist so much in things said or promises made,
but really in things done or achieved. Well
might it be said that labor and patience will solve
the most difficult problem, for Rev. Hardan Smith
had as far to climb to reach his present distinction
as a pulpit orator as the poorest white boy now
to reach the highest political office within the
gift of the American people. He is strictly a
self-made man as far as that term goes. He has
indomitable resolution, fine native ability, irre¬
proachable character, and is so true to his con¬
victions that he will dare to assert them even at
the peril of his life.
In October, 1869, in Lauderdale County, he
succeeded Rev. G. W. Young (white) as pastor
of Durhamville Missionary Baptist Church, hav¬
ing then a membership of two hundred, which
has since increased to one thousand five hundred.
Several churches have grown out from the Wood-
lawn and Durhamville churches.
In July, 1883, he married Miss Matilda Smith,
and five children have resulted from this union.
On account of his broad and comprehensive
knowledge of parliamentary usages he has been
many times unanimously chosen as moderator of
the annual associations and religious conventions
of West Tennessee.
Pen cannot picture neither can words describe
462 6UR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
the errands of mercy and charity which this hum¬
ble servant of God has performed for the good of
downfallen humanity and the kingdom of Christ
Having continuously served the ministry for
twenty-nine years, and though bending under the
weight of age, he is still the old man eloquent.
So great is his truthfulness that people never stop
to inquire about a matter if they know Hardan
(as he is often called) said it.
Men like him have few equals and scarcely
any superiors. Those of envious and malicious
tongue, who at times would fain attempt to mis¬
apply his public utterances and slanderously per¬
vert the meaning, he always treats with silence,
and has little to say in private concerning an
enemy, but relying on the firm and steady guid¬
ance of God he pursues the even tenor of his way
without any attempt at show or display. Family
duties, his presence in the pulpit, at the sick bed¬
side, and amid weeping mourners around the open
grave, give him but little time for rest and recre¬
ation.
The old frame structure known as Woodlawn
Church has long since been torn down and a
handsome brick church with a seating capacity
of eight hundred persons erected at a cost of
$3,000. The many hundreds whom he has
preached to and baptized will doubtless rise up
on the last day to bear testimony to his usefulness
rev. richard spiller. 463
as a minister. A loving husband, a kind father,
and an ever ready friend to the poor and needy
are among the noteworthy characteristics of his
nature. His powerful and logical sermons have
won for him the esteem and confidence of all who
know him.
Rev, Richard Spiller.
Rev. Richard Spiller was born in Buckingham
County, Virginia, in 1851. His father and mother,
William and Delphia Spiller, being consistent
Christians, early impressed him with reverence
and respect for religion. Hence between the age
of eighteen and nineteen he was converted and
baptized at the First Baptist Church, Lynchburg,
Virginia, by Rev. Sampson White, who was then
pastor. Previously and some time after this he
made a living by manual labor, working in tobacco
factories, rock quarries, rolling mills, and as a
canal boy. From the time of his conversion he
felt that he was destined to be "a watchman on
the walls." He had prior to his conversion
learned to read a little at a school kept at Fin-
castle by Northern people. He kept his own
counsel, nursed his hope, and worked bravely on,
when, as generally happens in the lives of most
men, something occurred which proved to be the
turning point in his life. Just about this time
REV. RICHARD SPILLER.
REV. RICHARD SPILLER.
465
the Shiloh Baptist Association met at Lynchburg
with the First Baptist Church, and during the
session many encouraging speeches were made
from different topics, and among other things it
was announced by the Rev. James Holmes that
the American Baptist Home Mission Society had
opened a school in Richmond, in a building
known as Lumpkins' Jajl, where negroes were
kept for sale by Mr. Lumpkins prior to the civil
war. This school Rev. Holmes said was for the
instruction of colored men who wished to make
proper preparations to enable them to preach the
gospel and teach among their people.
This announcement seemed to young Spiller
like a flash of light, filling his soul with joy.
How he could get to Richmond and support him¬
self after getting there was a problem he could
not solve. About eighteen months after becom¬
ing a Christian, he made known to his brethren
his call to the ministry and requested that he be
allowed to attend Culver Institute (now Richmond
Theological Seminary) with a view to preparing
himself for the ministerial work. It was voted
that he should preach a trial sermon. This to
him was a sore trial, as, being unable to read a
chapter in the Bible correctly, he was called upon
to do that which he felt he could not do.
Nevertheless he preached the sermon and God
seemed to bless his efforts, for it was very effect-
30
466 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
ive. The church voted a letter of recommenda¬
tion and sent him to Richmond. He met Dr.
C. H. Corey, the principal of the institution,
showed the letter from his church, and was
admitted. Although, as informed, he had to fur¬
nish books, fuel, and pay his wash bills, he had
but forty cents in his pocket. But God, as he
promised to do, opened the way and Mr. Spiller
attended the institution three years and made
very rapid progress. His first work was among
the lower classes of people in Lynchburg, Va.
There his preaching was greatly blessed. Many
places of vice and sin were broken up through his
earnest efforts. His first charge was at Bristol,
Tenn., where he found a divided church. He
succeeded in restoring harmony and building a
commodious house of worship. A series of ser¬
mons preached by him upon baptism and the
Lord's Supper brought many into the church
from other denominations, among whom were two
Methodist preachers, one a pastor in the city of
Bristol and the other a circuit rider in the west¬
ern part of Virginia. It was at Bristol Mr. Spil¬
ler was ordained, the council being composed of
Revs. J. M. Armstead, the pastor at Knoxville,
Tenn., Walker Smith of Abingdon, Va., and Abra¬
ham Taylor. While at Bristol one hundred and
thirty persons were added to the church by bap¬
tism. He accepted a call to the Bank Street
REV. RICHARD SPILLER.
467
Church at Norfolk, Va., in 1876. That offered
him a wide field of work as well as an opportunity
for further educational pursuit.
He studied under Rev. E. M. Burns, embrac¬
ing systematic and pastoral theology, homiletics,
mental and moral philosophy, English composi¬
tion, etc. The Bank Street Church was reunited,
the debt paid, and its church edifice remodeled
at a cost of $2,000. Under him more than six
hundred persons were baptized into the church.
A mission also from the church has grown into
what is now the Calvary Baptist Church.
In 1884 he tendered his resignation to the Bank
Street Baptist Church. Although he had many
inducements to labor elsewhere, yet he preferred
starting a mission in Norfolk, as he thought
another church was needed. The Queen Street
Baptist Church is the result of that effort. They
bought a lot for $3,000 and put up a building for
$5,000.
About that time the Religious Herald said of
him: " Rev. Spiller, educated by Dr. Corey, is prob¬
ably the ablest colored minister in the state. He
has built a beautiful new Baptist church in the
city, all within six weeks. It is a mystery where
the colored Baptists get so much money to build
churches."
In 1887 Rev. Spiller was called to take charge
of the First Baptist Church at Hampton, Va., to
468 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
succeed Rev. Y. Jackson, who departed this life
August, 1887. Rev. Spiller has been preaching
at Norfolk and Hampton together fifteen years.
He is popular and is much beloved by his people.
He has a clear, ringing voice, articulates well, is
full of wit and humor, and can keep his audience
under his control. He reads much, and has a
fine library of over eight hundred volumes. He
is also a practical business man; by his advice
and interest in the affairs of his people, many
mortgages have been removed and homes restored
to them. He organized the People's Building
and Loan Association, of which he is president.
This association of two years' standing collects
from $800 to $900 a month.
Rev. Spiller has the confidence of his brethren.
He was elected vice-president of the Virginia
State Sunday-school Convention, corresponding
secretary of the Virginia Baptist State Conven¬
tion, a member of its state mission board more
than twelve years, and is still a member and has
served as president four years. He was one of
the first three delegates admitted into the white
General Association of Virginia and represented
the colored Baptists. He was also elected by the
Virginia State Convention as a delegate with
fourteen others to organize the Baptist Foreign
Mission Convention of the United States. He
also served as treasurer of that organization for a
rev. a. j. stokes. 469
number of years. He served as president of the
Norfolk, Virginia, Union Baptist Association three
years, which is the oldest colored association in
the Onited States. He is one of the trustees of
the Virginia Seminary at Lynchburg and presi¬
dent of the trustee board. He is also author of
the resolution looking forward to the building of
the said institution.
Rev. A. J. Stokes.
Rev. A. J. Stokes was born in Orangeburg
County, South Carolina, July 25, 1858. At the
age of twelve years he became a Christian. In
the year 1871 he became a member of the Canaan
Baptist Church, Canaan, South Carolina. From
this church he was called to the pastorate of the
Black Jack Baptist Church of Winnsboro, South
Carolina, which he served faithfully and honorably
as pastor f'or four years. During that time he bap¬
tized one hundred and fifty persons in all; one
hundred and eighty were added to the church
under his administration. In 1875 he became
pastor of the Rock Hill Baptist Church of Fair¬
field, South Carolina, and served as pastor four
years. Here too his work was blessed and he
baptized three hundred persons. In 1876 he be¬
came pastor of the Mt. Olive Baptist Church,
also,, and for nearly three years he continued to
;REV, A. J. STOKES.
REV. A. J. STOKES.
471
serve as pastor of both churches, the Rock Hill
and Mt. Olive. At Mt. Olive five hundred per¬
sons were baptized. In 1878 he became pastor
of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, Orangeburg
County. While at Orangeburg he was pastoring
five other churches, some of which were in differ¬
ent counties of the above named state. In 1882
he built Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church at Orange¬
burg Court House, which was valued at $3,000.
During that time two hundred persons were
added to the church under his administration;
the entire membership consisted of five hundred.
In 1885 he became the pastor of the First Bap¬
tist Church at Clarksville, Tennessee, and during
this time he built a church at a cost of $20,000
and baptized about three hundred persons. Rev.
Stokes was also missionary for the state of South
Carolina two years, and in this time he raised
a large sum of money for the Baptists of said
state and many souls were united to all churches
under his care. At the same time he was asso¬
ciate editor of the South Carolina Baptist. Dur¬
ing his stay in Tennessee he was secretary of the
association of which his church was a member,
and also president of the State Convention and
editor of the Progressive Signal of said state.
Rev. A. J. Stokes is one of the leading ministers
of the Baptist denomination and one that cannot
be excelled. He first attended a country school
472 our baptist ministers.
in Barnwell County, South Carolina, then the
Claflin University two terms. He graduated from
Benedict College, South Carolina, with high hon¬
ors in 1884.
Rev. A. J. Stokes, although a man thirty-four
years of age, has done much good for the upbuild¬
ing of the Master's kingdom. He is certainly a
hero in the cause. From 1871 to 1892 he has
built fourteen churches and baptized nearly four
thousand persons, and at this writing he is pas¬
tor of the New Zion Baptist Church, Fernan-
dina, Nassau County, Florida. Although he has
been pastor of said church but nine months, still
his marvelous work goes on. During this time
he has baptized two hundred ■ and fifty persons
and has done over $1,000 worth of building and
repairing. Oh that the Lord would send us
many more such heroes! It can be said of him,
what cannot be said of a great many, that every
church he has ever pastored would be glad to-day
to receive him again as its pastor. May the Lord
bless him in his every undertaking.
Rev. C. C. Stumm.
Chasteen C. Stumm was born at Airdrie, near
Paradise, on Green River, Muhlenburg County,
Kentucky, April 11, 1848. His early life was '
REV. C. C. STUMM.
474
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
spent on a farm, where he began his education.
He studied on rainy days and winter evenings
and attended subscription schools. Bent on prog¬
ress he entered school at Greenville, Ky., spend¬
ing three terms, when he entered the white school.
This event so agitated the propriety of the white
community, that the professor was forced, in
obedience to public opinion, to discontinue his
studies in the schoolroom but kindly instructed
him privately. With this preparation, in the
spring of 1871, he entered Berea College, Mad¬
ison County, Ky., where he remained but one
year. He next entered the Baptist Theological
Institute at Nashville, Tenn., where he studied
three years. Declining health compelled him
to abandon school 'for a few years. In the fall
of 1883 he re-entered the Baptist Theological
Institute, whose name had meanwhile been
changed to Roger Williams University. Though
in the higher classes and progressing rapidly,
unforeseen contingencies compelled him to leave
school again. During this second compulsory
absence he pursued private studies under Pro¬
fessors R. L. Perkins, Mitchell, and Harper of
Boston, Mass., covering Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.
Mr. Stumm began teaching school when he was
nineteen years old, remarkable for those days
(1869), comparatively few colored people being
able to read then. His whole career as a teacher
REV. C. C. STUMM.
475
was very successful. He held some important
positions.
In iB75 he married Miss Elizabeth Penman of
Louisville, Ky. Her qualities well fit her to
become the helpmeet that she is.
In 1873, while still a student at Nashville, one
of the editors of a daily paper of that city asked
the pastor, Rev. N. G. Merry, to have some one
appointed to report the proceedings of the con¬
vention of Baptists, then convened in that city,
and Mr. Stumm was chosen. He subsequently
became a correspondent to several papers, among
which may be named The Standard, published at
Paducah, Ky., by Rev. G. W. Dupee; The Pilot
at Nashville, Tenn.; American Baptist at Louis¬
ville, Ky.; The Tribune, a Republican paper pub¬
lished at Danville, Ky.; The Baptist Companion,
published at Knoxville, Tenn., subsequently at
Portsmouth, Va., by Rev. M. Armstead, and a col¬
umn for children in the American Baptist, in
which he was known as " Uncle Charles." He
also conducted a column for colored people in the
Bowling Green Democrat until some of the Bour¬
bons intimidated the editor into discontinuance
of the column. The Bowling Green Watchman,
a circular journal, was then originated by Messrs.
Stumm and C. R. McDowel and successfully pub¬
lished for a few years. The board of managers
of the New England Missionary Convention,, in
476 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
June, 1887, employed Mr. Stumm as editor of The
Baptist Monitor. He continued in this position
until the paper was sold. Dr. Rufus L. Perry
bought The Baptist Monitor, continuing Mr.
Stumm as one of the editors. The Christian
Banner, a four column, eight page religious and
home journal, was first published by Mr. Stumm
and wife, January, 1890. The Banner is his last
newspaper effort' and he is making out of it a
good paper, which should be in every' home. The
Banner is spicy, newsy, and thoroughly conse¬
crated to the Master.
Mr. Stumm professed hope in Christ in 1866 and
became a member of the Methodist church. As
early as his seventeenth year he began his relig¬
ious work in the Sunday-school in Muhlenburg
County, Ky., near Paradise. Rev. Samuel Elliott,
to whom he is much indebted for early instruc¬
tion and advice in his Christian life, was the lead¬
ing pastor and colored man of Greenville, Ky.
Under this good man's advice Mr. Stumm left
the white church and joined the African Method¬
ist Episcopal Zion Church. Rev. Elliott licensed
him to preach in said church at Hartford, Ohio
County, Ky., 1868. He met the conference the
following spring and was appointed to work under
Rev. Y. M. Carr, at Bloomfield and Chaplain-
town. Mr. Stumm preached regularly at this
place and sometimes at Bardstown. The work
REV. C. C. STUMM.
477
at Chaplaintown was threefold, viz.: teaching,
preaching, and church building. Here at the age
of twenty-two he built his first church edifice.
In 1871 he was appointed by Bishop Jones to do
missionary work under the direction of confer¬
ence, during vacation. He entered the mission¬
ary field with his accustomed energy and enthu¬
siasm, visiting destitute fields, organizing Sunday-
schools, and holding revivals wherever he could
assist the Master's cause. Before he entered
upon this mission work he was given a highly
complimentary letter of recommendation signed
by Bishop S. T. Jones.
Greenville was the starting point of his mission
work. This town was of special interest to him,
being the residence of his dear friend, Elder Sam¬
uel Elliott, whose house the young man upon
kind invitation made his own. For several years
he labored successfully in the Methodist connec¬
tion.
The faith of Mr. Stumm was very much affected
while preaching at Chaplaintown by a debate,
between a Methodist and a Campbellite preacher,
which led him to a careful study of baptism and
church government. This time of study was care¬
fully and prayerfully carried out after entering
Berea in 1871 until 1872. During his mission
tour many apparently accidental things hap¬
pened to help him to a decision in these grave
478 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
matters. Baptist tracts distributed by Rev. Allen
Allenswarth of Louisville with other literature of
the same kind from the American Baptist Publi¬
cation Society were potent agents in settling his
convictions. A book called " Theodocia Ernest,"
in two volumes, and a.pamphlet by a Methodist
preacher who had become a Baptist were the
most conclusive. Conscientious and consistent
in life, having changed his belief, he at once
joined the First Baptist Church of Nashville,
Tenn., Elder N. G. Merry, pastor.
The church was so well pleased with his work
that so early as May 26, the same year, he was
licensed to preach by this church.
This did not take him away from school, but
opened the way for him to preach the gospel dur¬
ing vacation while in school. One year later he
was ordained to the work of the gospel ministry,
having passed a most satisfactory examination in
points of faith and doctrine.
In September, 1875, he was called to take
charge of a church, which he accepted, working
with marvelous success • for two years, or long
enough to build up that body, for many were
added to it in that time.
In the summer of 1877 he accepted charge of
the church at Elizabethtown. The church edifice
was remodeled and everything put in a flourish¬
ing condition before he resigned.
REV. C. C. STUMM.
479
October 10, 1879, he was called to take charge
of the Independent Baptist Church of Frankfort.
This was the richest church in the state among
the colored people. In January, 1881, he left
this place to take charge of one of the largest
churches in the state, at Bowling Green, Ky. He
resigned here and became assistant pastor of the
Spruce Street Baptist Church at Nashville, a few
months before the death of Rev. N. G. Merry.
We next find him in Boston, Mass., as pastor of
Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he did a good
work, which has been continued by Dr. J. H. Car¬
ter.
The climate not agreeing with him there he
soon left for Philadelphia, where he took charge of
the Union Baptist Church October 4, 1885. He
found this church in a very bad condition,
both scattered and discouraged, and with no
hope of remaining in the association. Since his
pastorate here about one hundred and fifty per¬
sons have been added to the church and its
strength increased wonderfully. A new site has
been selected on Twelfth Street below Bainbridge.
Here a new edifice has been commenced which
will cost between $25,000 and $30,000 when it is
completed. The first story of this building has
been occupied since July 28, 1889. Over $9,000
has been collected.
Rev. Stumm has frequently spoken in the Bap-
480 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
tist Ministers' Conference, which is composed of
some of the leading white and colored ministers
of the denomination. A paper which Dr. Stumm
has recently read before this body, entitled " The
Mission of Negro Baptists," received the highest
commendation from the conference. Dr. H. L.
Wayland, editor of the National Baptist, says:
" I take great pleasure in introducing to all mem¬
bers of the denomination and to other friends of
a good cause the Rev. C. C. Stumm, pastor of
the Union Baptist Church of this city. Rev.
Stumm is a highly esteemed member of the Bap¬
tist Ministers' Conference, and is a faithful and
wise pastor and a good preacher of the word. The
conference has commended him and his church
in their enterprise of building to all our brethren.
I sincerely hope that his appeal for aid will meet
with a favorable response."
The New England Missionary Conference Con¬
vention when it convened at New Bedford in
1887 elected Mr. Stumm president of that body,
and the board of managers appointed him editor-
in-chief of the Baptist Monitor. Mr. Stumm has
accomplished a noble work in this city and has
proved himself worthy of the confidence Qf the
people. In May, 1890, the State University at
Louisville, Ky., conferred on Rev. C. C. Stumm
the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. Rev.
William J. Simmons, D.D., LL.D., was president
rev. aaron manasseth thomas. 481
of the university at the time. Mr. Stumm is a pa¬
tient and constant student, with a library such as is
rarely found, consisting of the best writers on all
subjects, and from all view-points. He is pre¬
eminently a liberal man, knowing his books and
what is in them as well as just where they are.
A patient thinker, he possesses a great power of
analysis. He is an easy speaker, pleasant to hear,
tending rather to the didactic method, with a mar¬
velous facility for illustration. He neither smokes,
chews, nor indulges in the wine cup, but is a total
abstainer, an unrelenting foe to intemperance in
any form, believing that self-sacrifice is a Christian
principle in Christian life.
Rev. Aaron Manasseth Thomas.
Rev. A. M. Thomas was born at Brooklyn,
in Halifax County, Virginia, April, 1858. Always
eager to get knowledge he attended at intervals
in and about Danville, Virginia, both public and
private schools. Having acquired some profi¬
ciency in the common branches and aptitude for
imparting knowledge, he was employed for one
year as public school 'teacher. Being associated
in that capacity with an old student of Richmond
Institute, he was persuaded in the fall of 1877 to
enter that institution. He pursued the regular
course of study and graduated with honors in
31
REV. AARON MANASSETH THOMAS.
REV. AARON MANASSETH THOMAS. 483
1882. Like most students, especially in those
years, he was dependent almost wholly upon his
own resources for means of support. The term
"financial embarrassment " does not half express
the severe hardships, straitened circumstances, and
bitter experiences of a poor student. Thomas'
lot was not different from that of other dependent
students. The vast majority of people do not ap¬
preciate the poor colored youth's struggle for an
education, if they did they would encourage even
more than they now do the thousands of poor
colored girls and boys who are trying to cultivate
and prepare themselves for the higher duties of
life.
In 1876, during a very interesting series of
meetings which began in the Sunday-school of
the Loyal Street Baptist Church, Danville, Vir¬
ginia, and spread through the church and com¬
munity, Mr. Thomas became a Christian, and
along with more than a hundred others was bap¬
tized into the fellowship of the Baptist church.
Becoming impressed while at school that he was
chosen of God to preach the gospel, he conferred
not with the " flesh and blood," but immediately
made known to the president of the institution
the indications of Providence. Relying upon his
knowledge of Mr. Thomas' fitness, the president
encouraged him, and having obtained from the
church a letter commending the moral qualifica-
484 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
tions of Mr. Thomas he enrolled him as a minis¬
terial candidate.
Being called to a church in Virginia in August,
1882, a council was called by the High Street
Church of Danville for the purpose of ordaining
Mr. Thomas. After the usual examination in the
doctrine, etc., of the church, he was publicly set
apart for the ministry August 13, 1882. Before
accepting the call of the above named church, he
received a letter to visit the Mt. Zion Church at
Parkersburg, West Virginia. He went, preached,
was called, and accepted. For eight years Rev.
Thomas labored with that church; when he went
to Parkersburg the Baptist cause was not only in
a low state, but was looked down upon by other
denominations. Under his tireless self-sacrificing
and devoted efforts the church grew and flour¬
ished. No minister in the city was more highly
respected by all classes than he. For five years
"he was secretary of the Ministerial Conference,
which is composed almost wholly of white minis¬
ters of the different denominations of the city. In
the fall of 1890 Rev. Thomas was joined in mar¬
riage with Miss Mattie Thomas of Parkersburg.
About the same time he accepted a call to the
Baptist church at Zanesville, Ohio, where he still
labors.
rev. william tilman.
485
Rev. William Tilman.
Rev. William Tilman was born January 6, 1830,
in Abbeville County, South Carolina. He had
the advantages of early religious training by a
pious mother.
At a very early age he witnessed the baptism of
his mother, which deeply and lastingly impressed
him. The careful training imparted by his
mother to her only child has been greatly bene¬
ficial to him. His kindness and politeness won
the good will of the students at the Georgia Mili¬
tary Institute while he was employed there as
head waiter (1853) and they permitted him to
have access to their books, which has proved help¬
ful in developing his proficiency as a worker.
As a result of his marriage in 185 3 to Miss Rachel
Moore five children were born,, of whom Rev.
William Tilman, Jr., is one.
Mr. Tilman became a Christian in 1855 and
immediately entered actively into the work of
the church, doing earnestly and faithfully what¬
ever his hands found to do. He was a member,
of course, of a white church. He served an ap¬
prenticeship as a carpenter at Marietta, Georgia,
and followed that trade for many years. In 1864
he moved to Augusta, and in the same year he
went to Macon to live. He returned to Augusta
in 1866 and connected himself with the Central
486 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
Baptist Church. This church he served first as
clerk and then as deacon. He was licensed in
1868 and was ordained to the ministerial work in
1872. The following year an appointment was
given him by the Baptist State Convention as state
missionary. In 1874 he lost his wife to whom he
was so much devoted and who had been his sol¬
ace in many trying hours. In January of that
year he organized the Mt. Olive Baptist Church
with fifteen members. The next year the church,
representing seventy members, was connected with
the Ebenezer Baptist Association, and they have
built a house of worship at a cost of $400, upon
which they owe only $20.
In October, 1875, he married Miss Selma
Thompson. During the same year he resigned
the pastorate of Mt. Olive and accepted a call to
the Third Baptist Church of Atlanta.
Since his ministration with the church, they be¬
gan two small churches which have gone out of it,
yet the mother church now numbers nearly a thou¬
sand members. They have also erected a house of
worship at -a cost of nearly $10,000. Rev. Til-
man for many years has been moderator of the
Ebenezer Baptist Association. He is an untiring
worker; a man of great influence and power. He
enjoys the respect and honor of all who know him.
The following, taken from Our Pulpit Illustrated^
is an extract from one of his sermons;—-
REV. WILLIAM TILMAN*. 487
"Acts of the Apostles, ixM 41: 'And he gave
her his hand and lifted her up.' We shall speak
to-day not only on women's help, but as to their
capacity as leaders. When we refer to the wo¬
men of Bible times, it is to be presumed that we
have abundance of evidence to support our argu¬
ment. We find Rebecca, the modest maid, the
faithful and loving mother. Rachel, the most
passionate and loving of all mothers, whose wail¬
ing and lamentations still greet our ears from
Ramah, for her children, refusing to be comforted
because they are not. See the brave and com¬
manding Miriam, as she stood on the bank of the
Red Sea, with timbrel in her hand, commanding
her sisters to sing praises to her God as she gazed
into the dark gulf below on the destruction of
God's enemies. See Deborah in command of the
king's army. See the meek but brave daugh¬
ter of Jephthah the Gileadite. What might be
said of the many good women and their grand
work in the apostles' day? Lydia, Aquila, Pris-
cilla, all were strong and mighty in their day, in
home and church work. The subject of our
text—Tabitha, the beautiful Dorcas by interpreta¬
tion—was known for her good works. In her death
she was much missed. Each of you, my sisters,
should live such lives, that when your work is
ended some one besides yourselves will know you
lived in this world, in this community, and in
488 our baptist ministers.
Christ's church. As I shall renew this subject at
some future day, our benediction is: come to-day,
come now, come work in the Master's vineyard.
We are waiting to give the hand to lift you up
and to present you to the Lord of the church as
a living stone in His building, as Peter lifted Dor¬
cas from death and presented her alive again to
the weeping women and children around her sup¬
posed dead body. God help you to rise."
Rev. E. B. Topp.
Rev. E. B. Topp, late missionary to Africa,
editor of the Baptist Messenger, secretary of the
Baptist Congress of Mississippi, and pastor of the
First Baptist Church of Jackson, Mississippi, was
born in Lee County, Mississippi, April, 1857.
His parents, Henry and Eliza Topp, though poor,-
made great sacrifices to give him, along with the
rest of the children, a good common school edu¬
cation. At the age of fifteen years he was con¬
verted and joined the Pine Grove Baptist Church
near Shannon, Mississippi, only a few miles from
his birthplace. At the same time he gave evi¬
dence of a divine call to the gospel ministry. In
May, 1879, he was happily united in wedlock to
Miss M. E. Craw, the youngest daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Fred Craw. In January he was or-
REV. E. B. TOPP.
49° OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
dained to the work of the gospel ministry and
during the same year he was called to a small
church in Grenada County, for which he labored
with great success both in the Sunday-school and
church. In 1881 he resigned the charge of the
church (to the regret of each member) to prepare
himself for foreign mission work. He entered
the Natchez College in 1881, and, being assisted
financially by the Grenada Association and in¬
spired by the presence and sympathy of his wife,
who entered the college with him, he began the
arduous task of obtaining an education with the
fixed purpose of going to Africa to carry the bread
of life to the perishing millions there. Rev.
Topp and his wife worked willingly with their
hands, in order to enable themselves to remain in
school until the close of the several school terms.
During his school life in Natchez he was invited
to supply the Pine Street Baptist Church in that
city. Many of the students of the college were
baptized by him. In 1883 the Home Mission
Society decided to remove the college to Jackson
through the recommendation of Rev. C. Ayer,
president. Rev. Topp was appointed financial
agent in Mississippi to raise money to assist in
building at Jackson. Being a student, the prin¬
cipal work was done during vacation and as a
demonstration of his marked success, in addition
to a, handsome salary, he was voted a life member
REV. E. B. TOPP. 491
of the Home Mission Society of New York
through the interest and influence of Dr. H. L.
Morehouse. In 1886 he with his wife graduated
from the Jackson College, and in September of
the same year they met the Baptist Foreign Mis¬
sion Convention at Memphis, Tennessee, and were
sent to Africa to preach the gospel to the heathen.
Rev. and Mrs. J. J. Coles of Virginia, and Rev.
J. J. Digg of Mississippi, were also among the mis¬
sionaries sent at the time.
After a wearisome voyage of a month and
seven days the good ship anchored on the west
coast of Africa.' Our missionaries were met by
Rev. H. McKinney, who, standing on the shores
of another continent surrounded by a crowd of
naked and wondering natives, welcomed them to
their new field of labor. Revs. Topp and McKin¬
ney were former classmates. On seeing Rev.
Topp, Rev. McKinney exclaimed, "Topp, what
did you come here for?" Rev. Topp replied in a
very impressive manner, " I came to preach the
gospel to the heathen." Then this little mission¬
ary band, thousands of miles from home and loved
ones, standing on the shores of the broad Atlantic,
had an old fashioned hand shaking which seemed
to mean more than tongue could express.
The missionaries were then conducted into the
Vey territory by Rev. McKinney. Rev. Topp
remained at the same station with Rev- McKin-
492 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
ney to preach to those who had never heard the
gospel. Rev. Topp very soon learned to speak
the language of the tribes, especially the Vey and
Congo. He survived the African fever, Rev.
McKinney died; Mrs. Topp being always frail in
health broke down entirely,which fact necessitated
their return to America. The Foreign Mission
Board at Richmond, Virginia, highly indorsed
his return and recommended him to the Fourth
District Board, comprising Mississippi, Louisiana,
and Florida. As traveling agent for the Foreign
Mission Convention his efforts in this work were
wonderfully successful; he raised over $1,250
annually. In September, 1889, after a full and
satisfactory report before the board in Indianap¬
olis, he resigned the mission work, being highly
commended by the board for his faithful and
zealous work. In October, 1889, he was elected
editor of the Baptist Messenger, and in November
of the same year he was called to the Mt. Helm
Baptist Church, a very large and intelligent con¬
gregation, which position he now fills with credit
to himself and entire satisfaction to the immense
congregation who gather to hear him.
rev. mansfield tyler.
493
Rev. Mansfield Tyler.
Rev. Mansfield Tyler was born a slave, near
Augusta, Georgia, 1826. While quite young he
was carried to Augusta, Georgia, and brought up
by Rev. Jacob Walker, a Baptist preacher; when
about eighteen he was taken by slave owners from
Augusta to Alabama. He made profession of the
Christian religion in 1855. He felt commissioned
to preach the gospel of Christ, and followed that
calling as best he could under the circumstances.
Only our old mothers and fathers know how diffi¬
cult it was to carry on meetings among the col¬
ored people in those dark days of slavery. In
many communities the negroes could congregate
for almost any purpose but that of holding relig¬
ious services. They could meet and have what
is popularly known as " candy-pullings," " quilt-
ings," and " dances," frolic and dance as much
and as long as they pleased. But should they
meet to praise and worship God, to hear some
one of their number exhort as to their Christian
duty, they were liable to be interrupted at any
moment by the cowhide of the " patrol" or the
walking cane of the " master." Their meetings
were held in secret places and often at a late hour
of the night when they felt certain the " white
people " were asleep. In other places they were
allowed to hold meetings provided a white man
REV. MANSFIELD TYLER.
REV. MANSFIELD TYLER.
495
Could be present to see and hear everything that
might be said. It was^ under such circumstances
that many of our old ministers had to labor for
God. Rev. Tyler managed to learn how to
read by chance. At the close of the civil war
he moved to Lowndesboro, Ala. There was no
organization among the colored people and few
professed to be Christians. Through his preach¬
ing many professed hope in Christ, and a church
was organized in 1867. Mr. Tyler was ordained
to the work of the ministry in 1868. Since that
time he has baptized more than a thousand per¬
sons in Lowndesboro and hundreds in other places
where he has organized churches.
He is one among the few ministers who were
in the organization of the Baptist State Conven¬
tion of Alabama. He was president of that body
ten years. He was also one of the first to advo¬
cate the establishment of a denominational school
in the state.
Selma University is the result of the efforts
put forth by those early advocates. Rev. Tyler
was at the origin of the school elected president
of the board of trustees and still holds that posi¬
tion, He has ever urged his people not to be
religious only, but also to get education and
acquire property, and own their homes.
496
our baptist ministers.
Rev. R. B. Vandervall, D.D.
Rev. R. B. Vandervall was born in 1832, at
Nesley's Bend, about ten miles from Nashville,
Tennessee. His mother, Sylvonia, was the slave
of Major Hall, who brought her from Virginia
while a babe in her mother's arms. His father,
whose name was Lewis, was the slave of a man
named Foster. He was allowed to visit his wife
only once a year. After the death of Mr. Hall,
the mother and her eleven children became the
property of his daughter, by whom the children
were hired out as soon as they became old enough
to be separated from their mother. R. B. Vander¬
vall was hired and taken from his mother when
only seven years old and carried twenty miles
away.
The wonderful possibilities of human attain¬
ments are amply demonstrated when men, as Dr.
Vandervall has, climb from the depth of an inhu¬
man and degrading slave system to the acme of
intelligence, influence, and usefulness. No argu¬
ment so indisputably foreshadows what the negro
will do as the recital of what he has already done,—
and that, too, in many instances, under the most
adverse circumstances. Young Vandervall's expe¬
rience under his new master was in many respects a
very bitter one. Upon his arrival he found that
he had one quilt in which to roll himself, and his
REV. R. B. VANDERVALL, D.D. 497
bedstead was the floor. To be separated from
his mother in an unsympathetic slave home was
particularly crushing to him. He, however, en¬
joyed one great advantage, as he was allowed to
attend school and to be taught by the white boys
at home. He was afterwards hired out at Nash¬
ville ; and was finally sold to Mr. Vandervall for
$500. He became a Christian at the age of fif¬
teen. He was then more thirsty for knowledge
and put forth every possible effort to obtain it.
He attended night school and was also taught by
his master's son. He split rails to pay for the
lessons given him. All of his spare time was
spent in doing religious work. He began to
preach at sixteen. His religious journey was not
one of easy sailing. At the time he became a
Baptist the doctrines of the denomination to which
he adhered were in ill repute in that section. His
friends ascribed " his rash course" to extreme
youthfulness. He was tenacious in his views and
immovable in his chosen course.
Soon after his marriage to Miss Martha Nich¬
olson he was sent to the railroad to work. By
this arrangement he was allowed to live with his
wife. When the man to whom he was hired
found that he could read and write, he treated him
so cruelly that he ran away to Nashville, where he
was permitted by his owner to hire his own time,
for which he paid $200 per year. He made
32
49§ OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
money rapidly and was soon able to hire the time
of his wife also. But he was doomed to more
trouble. He heard, through the friendship of an
old white gentleman, that his owner was arrang¬
ing to sell him. He went home and found the
report true. After considerable talk with his
master he obtained from him the promise that he
would never sign a paper for his sale.
Arrangements were finally made by which he
was allowed to buy himself. He was to pay
$1800, $500 of it in cash. Through the treach¬
ery of his master, however, he experienced much
difficulty before the bargain was closed. The
threatened sale of his wife by her master brought
upon Mr. Vandervall more perplexing and aggra¬
vating troubles.
He was finally allowed to hire the time of his
wife. By hiring the time, he and his wife lived
together till the close of the war, when they
became their own owners and enjoyed uninter¬
ruptedly their mutual happiness.
Rev. Vandervall has always been a hard work¬
ing, studious man. His ministerial efforts have
been devoted and successful. He has attended
faithfully to the education of his children. His
son, James N. Vandervall, a graduate of the med¬
ical department of Central Tennessee College, is
practicing medicine in Waco, Texas. His chil¬
dren were educated at Roger Williams Univer-
rev. michael vann. 499
sity. Mr. Vandervall is highly honored and
esteemed by the brethren of the state. For
many years he was president of the State Sunday-
school Convention ; and for several years he has
been president of the Baptist State Convention.
He is active in everything that affects the inter¬
est of his denomination. He was of unspeakable
aid to the Baptists in the early days of freedom.
He has been instrumental in organizing many
churches.
At the commencement of Roger Williams Uni¬
versity in 1886, the degree of Doctor of Divinity
was conferred upon him by that institution.
Rev. Michael Vann.
The lives of many of our young men are mon¬
uments of their own industry and steady purpose
inspired and sustained by the spirit and grace of
God. Poverty is by no means a crime, but it is
terribly inconvenient in many instances : it is a
prison house which gives up its victims with the
greatest reluctance. Rev. M. Vann is one of
those men who by hard struggle have reached po¬
sitions of usefulness and influence.
Rev. Vann was born in Madison County, West
Tennessee, April 5, i860. He was the eldest of
twelve children and much of the burden of car¬
ing for the family fell upon him, During those
500 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
years while not employed upon the farm, he at¬
tended the country schools. He studied hard
and used every advantage that tended to increase
his knowledge. So diligent was he that at the
age of sixteen he was able to teach in the country
schools with benefit to the schools and credit to
himself. At eighteen he entered Roger Will¬
iams University, Nashville, Tennessee, where he
remained until 1881, when he graduated from the
normal department. While a student he did
whatever he could to help himself financially.
He was also assisted by friends, among whom
were Mrs. Smith of Michigan, and Mrs. Pitford
of Massachusetts. He was highly respected by
his fellow students. Mr. Vann professed hope in
Christ while a student in 1879 and united with
the Shady Grove Church in Crockett County.
From 1881 to 1884 he was principal of the pub¬
lic school'in Dyersburg; then he became prin¬
cipal of the school at Milan. When he left
Dyersburg to go to Milan, Prof. R. S. Thompson,
superintendent of public instruction, in commen¬
dation of him said: " Supt. R. Deason, I take
pleasure in commending to your favorable con¬
sideration Mr. Vann, who has taught in the county
for a number of years, as he has also in Dyers¬
burg, and I feel no hesitancy in saying he is the
best colored teacher in our county. From under
his instruction some young men have gone out
REV. MICHAEL VANN. 50I
who manifested his ability as a teacher. There¬
fore you need not feel any hesitancy in placing
him in charge of any school in your county."
The Milan Local Press (white) said: " The Milan
School Academy under the charge of Professor
Vann (colored) has enrolled an attendance of one
hundred. The professor has an excellent reputa¬
tion as a teacher, being himself a graduate and
very successful as an instructor. He professes to
give the children a common school education and
to prepare them to enter college. Our colored
population are fortunate in having so able a man
among them." Other commendations of the
same import might be quoted. In 1887 he was
chosen to fill a position in the Baptist Bible and
Normal Institute at Memphis, Tenn. He was a
member of the board of trustees and was appointed
general agent for the same institution. Through
his connection with that institution great good
was done, and he raised $2,000 for the school.
In 1888 he resigned that position to serve as
general missionary for Tennessee under the ap¬
pointment of the Baptist State Convention
together with the American Baptist Home Mis¬
sion Society. Before entering upon this work
he was ordained at the request of the church at
Dyersburg of which he was a member.
As a missionary he is very successful. He has
been active and successful in reorganizing and
502 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
putting life into associations, and in reorganizing
Sunday-school conventions and preachers' and
teachers' institutes. He is a great support to
the denomination in the state. That he is elo¬
quent and persuasive may be inferred from what
the Western Record (the principal organ of the
Baptists of the Southwest) said of a speech de¬
livered by Rev. Vann before the white Baptist
State Convention of Tennessee. "By permission
of the body M. Vann, general missionary for the
state under the appointment of the American
Baptist .Home Mission Society, made a ten min¬
ute speech. Vann is a graduate of the Roger
Williams University and is a full blooded negro,
but he proved himself a man of ability before he
had been on the floor a minute, for he captured
the audience and stirred their sympathies. Many
of his remarks are well worth reproducing."
At the close of his speech the convention
pledged $ i ,000 for general missionary work among
the colored Baptists of the state. He met with
similar success before the Alabama Baptist Con¬
vention which met at Birmingham in May, 1891,
and sent to Rev. Vann a special invitation accom¬
panied with a ticket.
Rev. Vann is active along more than one line.
In April, 1890, he was elected president of the
Nashville Tribune Publishing Company. This
company was formed largely through his efforts;
rev. c. c. vaughn. 503
it has a capital stock of $10,000 and publishes an
influential and widely circulated paper.
Rev. Vann has been twice married. His first
wife, whom he married in 1882, lived only fifteen
months. In 1890 he married his second wife,
Miss Emmil Black, a graduate of Roger Williams
University. Rev. Vann is yet in the vigor of
young manhood, and his prospects for future use¬
fulness are bright.
Rev. C. C. Vaughn.
Rev. C. C. Vaughn, of Russellville, Kentucky,
was born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Dec. 27,
1846. His parents were slaves of Theodoric H.
Griggs, who in 1852 sold his plantation and car¬
ried his slaves to Ohio and set them free. C. C.
Vaughn was left an orphan at thirteen years of
age. He lived upon a farm with his cousin,
whose residence was so far from a colored school
that it was very inconvenient for young Vaughn
to enjoy the advantage of school training during
his early life. He worked on the fa-rm in the
summer and went to school during the winter.
He was very eager to learn, so much so that one
winter he only lost three days during the whok
session. His cousin was anxious for him to have
every opportunity for obtaining a common school
REV. C. C. VAUGHN.
REV. C. C. VAUGHN. 505
education, and Vaughn took advantage of every
opportunity. In 1861 and 1862 he worked in a
brick yard ; the following year his cousin moved to
another farm so that young Vaughn might be more
convenient to a school. In 1864 he worked with
permission of his cousin upon the farm of Judge
Heywood, near Troy, Ohio. In 1864 he enlisted
for three years in the United States Army and
was assigned to Company F, Colored Heavy Artil¬
lery. He was afterwards transferred to Company
A, and was promoted to orderly sergeant and sat¬
isfactorily performed his duties. Mr. Vaughn
was mustered out of service November, 1865.
Returning home with some money he entered
Liber College, Indiana, where he was the only
colored student, which fact made him study much
harder because he wanted to surpass his class¬
mates. During the vacation of 1866 he taught a
three months' school for one hundred dollars.
Saving some money from his teaching he entered
Liber College again the following winter. At the
close of the session he delivered, during com¬
mencement exercises, an oration whose subject
was " The Colored Man's Right to the Ballot."
That effort elicited much applause from the audi¬
ence. Being out of money he was compelled
before finishing his course of study to seek some
field of labor. The president gave him a letter
which read as follows :—
5°6
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
This certifies that Mr. C. C. Vaughn has attended this school
for several sessions; he is active, ambitious to excel, and has
made good progress in his studies. I regard him as a young
man of good character and polite habits, and he is entitled to
the esteem of those with whom he may have to deal.
Ebenezer Tucker,
July ii, 1867. President Liber College, Indiana.
After leaving school he worked on the farm
through the harvest, and in the fall he went away
and was examined at Marietta, Ohio, and received
a two years' certificate to teach school. He
taught a six months' school in the county for
forty dollars per month. He was very successful
and his fame as a teacher went around. He met
with the secretary of the Freedmen's Aid Asso¬
ciation, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. E. M. Cravath.
In April he received an appointment to teach
under the American Missionary Association and
the Western Freedmen's Aid Commission. His
field of labor was at Cynthiana, Ky., a difficult
place in which to teach on account of the preju¬
dice existing toward northern men at that time.
After staying there two years he entered the
school at Berea. While there he was compelled
to do a great deal of hard manual labor to obtain
means to pay his expenses.
By so doing he was able to finish his course of
study. He professed faith in Christ in 1869.
At the solicitation of some of the students he
decided to go to Greenville, Mississippi, to teach
REV. C. C. VAUGHN. 507
school; but while on the way he stopped at Rus-
sellville by the request of Rev. J. F. Thomas and
taught school in the Baptist church. He ren¬
dered service so acceptable that he was constrained
by the people of the place to remain with them.
That his stay has been wholly satisfactory it
suffices to say he still has charge of the public
schools of Russellville. In 1875 he united with
the Baptist church and still holds the position of
clerk to which he was elected in 1875. The fol¬
lowing year the church licensed him to preach,
and during the same year he accepted a call to
the Baptist church at Allensville, Kentucky, upon
the recommendation of Rev. Moses Harding, the
former pastor. In September of 1878 he was
ordained at the First District Association in Hop-
kinsville, Kentucky. Mr. Vaughn is still pastor
of that church. Since he became a minister he
has held many prominent positions in his associ¬
ation and has received many honors at the hands
of his brethren. In January, 18 79, he married and
settled at Russellville, having bought fine property
in the city the year before. Rev. Vaughn has also
figured quite conspicuously in the political arena,
and has exerted no little influence in the field of
politics. He was chairman of the State Conven¬
tion of Colored Men held in Louisville, Ky., 1884,
and by his able and efficient rulings, etc., he ac¬
quired considerable celebrity a"s a parliamentarian.
5°8
our baptist ministers.
He is popular among all classes and is usually
elected to whatever position he aspires when he
comes before the people. He preaches the word
of God, simple and pure. Rev. Vaughn js a
leader among men; he is found in the vanguard
of all good works; he is bold and progressive,
an intense lover of his race, and allows no word
or deed disparaging to the race to pass him
unchallenged. Though a Republican in princi¬
ple he suffers no injustice to befall the race with¬
out his protest. He loves his race more than he
does his party.
Rev. C. T. Walker, D.D.
Rev. C. T. Walker was born in Richmond
County, Georgia, January n, 1858. He united
with the Franklin Covenant Baptist Church in
1873. He was an active Christian from the time
of his conversion. He was licensed in 1876 and
was ordained for the ministry in 1877. Thus
before he reached his twentieth year he was an
ordained minister. Rev. Walker received his lit¬
erary training at Augusta Institute, now Atlanta
Baptist Seminary. Before reaching twenty-one
years he was becoming noted as a preacher and
had served several years as pastor of the church
of which he was rfiember. While a student in
REV. C- T. WALKER, D.D.
510 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
school he served three or four churches in the
country. He has since pastored some of the
largest churches in the state. During the time
he built many church edifices, and baptized more
than one thousand persons. He is now pastor of
the Tabernacle Baptist Church, Augusta, Ga.; at
the same time he has charge of two country
churches. The Tabernacle has one of the finest
houses of worship iji the state. It is a monument
to the energy, industry, and devotion of the pastor.
He traveled north in the interest of his church
and preached in the leading pulpits of his denom¬
ination.
His chaste language, good diction, eloquence,
Christian bearing, and spirit of earnestness evoked
many encomiums from leading divines. Our
Pulpit Illustrated, says of Rev. C. T. Walker:—
" Rev. Walker has recently been unanimously
called to the pastorate of the Spring Street Bap¬
tist Church, Nashville, Tennessee. It is one of
the finest church buildings in the South, with a
membership of three thousand, and though the.
salary offered was twice as much as he receives
in his present field he did not accept the call.
He is identified with all of the late organizations
of his denomination. His church cost $12,500
and is an honor to the race and an ornament to
the city in which it is located. Standing room is
frequently at premium. Rev. Walker's highest
rev. g. w. walker. 511
ambition is to be an humble, successful preacher
of the Lord Jesus Christ."
Rev. Walker has also traveled abroad. During
the spring and summer of 1891 he traveled, in
company with Rev. E. R. Carter of Atlanta,
through the historic countries of Europe as well
as through Egypt and the Holy Land.
His lectures upon the Holy Land are excep¬
tionally entertaining as well as profitable. He has
a musical voice, a choice collection of words, and
an even flow of language. His descriptive pow¬
ers are well developed. He is modest and always
manages to keep himself in the background while
speaking.
He is a deep thinker, a logical speaker, a ready
writer. He is earnest and consecrated to the
work of the Master.
For several years he has been treasurer of the
American National Baptist Convention. In rec¬
ognition of ability and success the degree of
Doctor of Divinity has been conferred upon him.
Rev. G. W. Walker.
Rev. G. W. Walker, pastor of the Austerlitz
Street Baptist Church, New Orleans, was born a
slave at Pulaski, Tennessee, October 25, 1820.
He went to New Orleans, La., in 1845, where he
successfully followed his occupation as engineer.
REV. G. W. WALKER.
REV. G. W. WALKER. 513
On September 29, 1846, he was converted, and
was baptized May, 1847. Being convinced that
he was called of God to preach, although a slave and
deprived of educational advantages, he resolved
to learn to read and write ; that he did by attend¬
ing Sunday-school. He also managed to master
the fundamental principles of arithmetic. Despite
the fact that Rev. Walker's advantages have beeji
limited, he has succeeded by constant push, indom¬
itable will, and trust in God in forging his way to
the front. He has organized two Baptist churches;
he is one of the founders of the Louisiana Baptist
State Convention and was its treasurer for many
years. The first Sunday-school institute was
organized by him. He is a great Sunday-school
worker and has served as president of the Sunday-
school State Convention several years. He also
assisted in the organization of the Foreign Mission
Convention of the United States, at Montgomery,
1881. The Austerlitz Street Church, of which
Rev. Walker is pastor, is said to have more edu¬
cated young people in it than any other church in
the city. This shows that Rev. Walker is a friend
to the young people and an advocate of education
and progress. He has been pastor of that church
twenty-three years, a trustee of Leland University
sixteen years. His sermons are full of simple
gospel truths ; they are always forcible and prac¬
ticable, and are well received by the large audience
33*
514 our baptist ministers.
who flock to hear him. He was active in the
establishment of the Widows' Home of New
Orleans, and has been its treasurer several years.
Rev. Walker is a life member of the American
Baptist Publication Society. His last years are
full of activity for the cause of God and human¬
ity.
Rev. Harrison Watkins.
Rev. Harrison Watkins was born of slave par¬
ents, Dennis and Maria Watkins, January, 1853,
in Abbeville County, South Carolina. The par¬
ents and children were moved soon after Harri¬
son's birth to Greenville County, where they
remained till the close of the war, when they
settled in Anderson County. Harrison was con¬
verted when eleven years old and baptized into the
fellowship of the Fork Shoal Baptist Church. The
opportunities presented to colored youths for
education in Anderson County in those early
days of freedom were few and exceedingly limited.
Harrison obtained his first knowledge of books at
Sunday-school; he next went to a small school
taught by a gentleman named Peter Garrison;
from there he went to the public school at Belton,
S. C., which he attended only a few months.
Becoming convinced that he was called to pre-ach,
REV. HARRISON WATKINS.
5 16 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
it was made known to Mt. Zion Church at Belton,
to which he had transferred his membership, and
he was licensed in May, 1870. In 1872 he married
Miss Mary J. Palmer; that checked his educational
progress for a while. He entered school again in
1876, but, having a wife and four children to care
for, he attended too short a time to make much
progress.
In 1880 Mr. Watkins entered Benedict Insti¬
tute (now Benedict College), Columbia, South
Carolina. In that institution he studied more or
less regularly for seven years, at the expiration
of which time he graduated from one of the
courses of the institute.
Mr. Watkins was ordained to the ministerial
work in 1872. From the time he began that
work he held three and four churches at the same
time until 1888, when he took charge of the
Springfield Church, Greenville, to which he devotes
his entire time. His first pastoral work was with a
small church near Belton which was partly organ¬
ized through his efforts. He was pastor of that
church thirteen years; during that time a comfort¬
able house of worship was built and the member¬
ship grew from twelve to three hundred. To that
church belong some of the brightest young men
and women in the state. In 1872 he also accepted
a call to the Mt. Pleasant Church, which he served
twelve years and added three hundred to its mem-
REV. HARRISON WATKINS. 517
bership. At various times from 1872 to 1888 he
served successfully the Welfare Church, the Shiloh
Church* the Mt. Pisgah Church, the Mt. Olive
and Springfield churches. During his services at
those churches more than five hundred were added
to their membership.
The ministerial career of Rev. Watkins has
been a series of successes. All churches held by
him have prospered. The acquaintance of the
writer with Rev. Watkins began in 1881, when, as
a missionary of the Baptist State Convention of
South Carolina, he was laboring in the north¬
western part of the state, where Rev. Watkins was
located. He was then one of the most active and
influential ministers of the association to which
he belonged and of which he was moderator. He
is a thorough Baptist and a very aggressive one.
He is very earnest as a preacher; other things
being equal, exceeding earnestness is the soul of
preaching any way.
In the fall of 1888 a call was extended from
the Springfield 'Church at Greenville, S. C. Rev.
Watkins accepted, and that is his present field of
labor. That church possesses a splendid edifice.
It is one of the best congregations in the city.
our baptist ministers.
Rev. Henry Watson.
Rev. Henry Watson was born near Charleston,
South Carolina, August, ii, 1854. When very
small he was sold to a slave trader at Lauderdale,
Mississippi.
He has never attended a school; nor did he
have any educational advantages till after he
entered the ministry. One of his white neighbors
kindly offered to teach him, and for three years
he took lessons from this neighbor at noon and
worked the rest of the day upon the farm. All
the training he has other than that he has
acquired by reading and studying and coming in
contact with others.
In 1871, during an interesting series of meet¬
ings, he was converted to Christ; feeling that he
should preach the word of God, he at once entered
upon that mission. In 187.3 he was ordained and
set apart for that work. For eleven years he was
pastor of a church at Lauderdale. Much against
the will of the church he resigned, and accepted
the church at Shuqualak, Miss., where he labored
five years. Besides the churches named, Rev.
Watson was at the same time pastor of others.
He usually served three or four at a time going
to each once a month. Soon after going to Shu¬
qualak he became pastor of Pilgrim Rest Church,
the largest church in East Mississippi, having a
REV. HENRY WATSON.
520 our baptist ministers.
membership of two thousand two hundred. He
did not remain at Shuqualak very long on account
of the health of his family. He moved to Kem¬
per Springs, where he has been pastor seventeen
years. At present Rev. Watson is pastor of four
churches. He is moderator of the Meridian Asso¬
ciation, treasurer of the Mt. Olivet Association,
the Meridian Sunday-school Convention, and of
the Ministers' Fraternity of East Mississippi.
During his ministration he has built six churches
and baptized six thousand nine hundred and
eighty persons.
Rev. Ralph R. Watson.
Rev. Ralph R. Watson, one of the older Bap¬
tist ministers of Georgia, was born in Louisa
County, Virginia, September 27, 1816, and was
the only child of Joseph and Mary Watson. The
father of Ralph was a fiddler, and his mother was
a most devoted Christian lady. Under her influ¬
ence her child was led to Christ when about fif¬
teen years old.
When a child he learned the alphabet by
listening to the children of the family to which
his mother belonged recite their lessons. Thirst
for knowledge had seized him, ere long he pro¬
cured a spelling book, which was carried in his
REV. RALPH R. WATSON.
521
bosom. He availed himself of every opportunity
to increase his stock of learning. By hard study
he became a constant reader of God's word.
Soon after his conversion, though quite young, he
began to exhort sinners to repent and seek the
Lord. His gift of exhortation developed rapidly
and he was licensed to preach and labored around
the country neighboring his home, sometimes at
meeting houses and sometimes on the plantation.
He worked earnestly and his efforts were crowned
with success. Many were converted and many
were admitted to the church. He labored in Vir¬
ginia till 1847, when he was sold for debt. He
was bought by Mr. D. W. Orr, who carried him
to Macon, Georgia. Here he united with the Cot¬
ton Avenue Baptist Church. In 1851 Rev. Wat¬
son was joined in marriage to Miss Delia M. Robin¬
son. Her home was in Norfolk, Va. They have
sailed o'er life's sea together for more than forty
years. Their union has been blessed with thirteen
children. Of this number six were boys and seven
were girls. Two of the girls have gone over the
river,where they watch and beckon the others. The
children are nearly all grown and have their pro¬
fessions, George W., a carpenter; Ralph Roy, Jr.,
clerk in a wholesale grocery; Joseph H., brick
mason and architect; Willie Madison is following
in the footsteps of his aged father; James Herman,
teacher; John C., the indulged baby, is still in the
522 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
schoolroom. The girls are all married except
the two youngest. The older of the two is a
recent graduate and has been elected as one of
the teachers in the High school; the other is still
a school girl.
Rev. Watson organized the first colored church
in Mitchell County. In January, 1866, the col¬
ored members of the church-at Albany procured
letters of' dismission at the suggestion of the
white members. They said that oil and water
could not mix, neither could negroes and whites
worship together. A Baptist church was organ¬
ized and Rev. Watson was immediately called by
them to its pastorate. He has been pastor of this
church, known as Mount Zion, for nearly twenty-
five years. Many hundreds have been under the
sound of his voice. Rev. Watson has assisted in
the organization of many churches, and he has
been able to bury many in the liquid grave. He
has labored faithfully and well in the vineyard of
our blessed Master. He was ever a kind and
loving husband, a most devoted and affectionate
father. He has ever looked out for the welfare
of his family.
Though well stricken in years he still works
earnestly for his Lord. He is feeble and his steps
are slow and not as firm as in the days of yore,
yet he persists in working for Christ and often
may he be heard to say:—
rev. richard wells. 523
" A charge to keep i have,
A God to glorify,
A never-dying soul to save
And fit it for the skies."
May his life be spared yet many years.
Rev. Richard Wells.
Rev. Richard Wells was born in Richmond,
Virginia, August 3, 1827. He lived in that city
till he was about eight years old, when he was
taken away from his mother and sent to Manches¬
ter, Virginia, to live with a man for his food and
clothes. Thefe he lived three years, after which
time he was carried back to Richmond and hired
to a man named David Briget; after being with
him two years Richard was sold to a Mr. John
Kerr, with whom he lived until the close of the
civil war. He professed hope in Christ when quite
young, but did not join the church for five years
afterwards, as his master, who was a Presbyterian,
wanted him to unite with that church, to which
young Wells would not agree. After being bap¬
tized into the fellowship' of the First Baptist
Church of Richmond, he felt impressed to preach
the gospel, but as he had no education he did not
see how that could be accomplished. However,
God prepared a way for him. His master's
nephew, who had just come from Scotland, viewed
the situation and told young Wells if he would
524 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
get a book he jvould teach him privately. The
book being obtained the lessons began, but were
soon discovered by Mr. Kerr, who forbade his
nephew teaching the boy; not, however, before
he had learned the alphabet. After this he
studied as well as he could alone. He cut a hole
on the inside of his jacket in which to conceal his
New York "speller.
Being very powerfully impressed that he was
called of God to preach the gospel of Christ, he
reported to the church. Dr. Ryland, who was
pastor, gave him a hearing before the members.
They approved of his statement and granted him
license to preach. He was allowed to preach at
funerals ; had he attempted to preach any other
sermon he would have been arrested and whipped.
At the beginning of the civil war Mr. Wells
went into the shoemaking business with Mr. Cor¬
nelius Liggon, and lived with him until the close
of the war. After the excitement of the evacua¬
tion of Richmond was over he began shoemaking
again and continued at this until he was called to
take pastoral charge of the First Baptist Church
of Manchester, Virginia, May, 1865. When he
took charge of the church the membership num¬
bered seven hundred. He remained with the
church five years, during which time the member¬
ship increased to one thousand one hundred and
eighty-six. While pastor of the church he was
REV. RICHARD WELLS.
525
elected moderator of the Shiloh Association and
held that position two years. In May, 1870, he
was elected president of the Virginia State Con¬
vention, which position he held eleven years.
While in Manchester he attended for two sessions
a school which was opened in Lumpkin's Jail by
the American Baptist Home Mission Society, Dr.
Culver president, and Dr. Robert Ryland one of
the teachers. This school is now Richmond
Theological Seminary. In 1870 he received a
call from the Ebenezer Baptist Church of Rich¬
mond, Virginia, and entered upon the pastoral
work in October of the same year. He is still
pastor of this church (1891). In 1889 about seven
hundred were added to its membership within
four months, the result of a large revival which
commenced in the Ebenezer Church and spread
throughout the city. Rev. Wells takes much
interest in Sunday-school work; he teaches a large
class of young men and often preaches special
sermons to the children.
Rev. Wells enjoys the esteem and confidence
not only of his church and congregation but of the
people of the city and state. Like most of the
older ministers who have risen to prominence,
he has passed through many dangers and difficul¬
ties, but inspired by the love of truth and right,
and having firm trust in God, he has been so far
a conqueror. His church edifice is among the
526 our baptist ministers.
most tasty in the city; the congregation which
meets him from week to week may be numbered
among the intelligent and appreciative audiences
of the city.
Rev. William Jefferson White, D.D.
William Jefferson White, eldest son of Chaney
and William White, was born at Ruckersville,
Elbert County, Ga., December 25, 1831. He
was a robust child and remarkable for physical
strength when six years of age. When very
young he was taught the alphabet and to
spell two and three letter words by his mother.
The Webster's blue back speller out of which he
learned was bought by himself with twelve and
one-half cents which he received for sale of chest¬
nuts that he had gathered from the woods. At
seven years of age he was put to work in a cotton
factory, and at ten years he had learned to run
any machine in the factory. For a few months he
traveled with the wagon that sold factory goods
through the country districts of Georgia and
South Carolina. In June, 1842, while in his
eleventh year, he was brought to Augusta and put
with the family of Capt. W. G. Nimms to be
reared. Having great thirst for education he
pursued with much diligence the study of books,
often sitting up till one and two o'clock at night,
REV. W. J. WHITE, D.D.
528 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
learning how to spell. In this way, by taking one
book at a time, he went through several readers
and arithmetics. He also went alone through a
book which taught the first lessons in grammar.
He learned to write by copying from a spelling
book and practicing on names of persons, places,
and things that he knew how to spell. When he
began to earn money he bought useful books and
newspapers, by the careful reading of which he
acquired when young a good education, and so
quietly had he done this that no one knew but
himself what he had acquired in the way of edu¬
cation. He was an exceptional boy in the fact
that he did not run around with other boys but
kept himself employed, when not at work, in the
pursuit of knowledge. The family with which he
lived treated him with the greatest kindness, and
while they gave him no help in getting an educa¬
tion yet gave him encouraging words when they
found out his love of books. He had learned to
read and write a good hand before any one knew
of it but himself. It was a great surprise to oth¬
ers. Having great taste for use of tools he went
when about grown to learn the carpenter's trade
under W. H. Goodrich at Augusta, Ga., and at
the expiration of a five years' apprenticeship was
classed as a first-class workman. Two years later
he went to learn the cabinet maker's trade under
C. -A, Piatt Co., of Augusta, and four years
REV. WILLIAM JEFFERSON WHITE, D.D. 529
from the time he went to them as apprentice he
was employed to take charge of their undertaking
business, in which they had ten thousand dollars
invested. His service gave such entire satisfac¬
tion to his employers that they paid him a salary
of twelve hundred dollars a year. This position
he held until the early part of 1867, when he
resigned, much to the regret of his employers.
He embraced the Saviour October, 185.5, and was
baptized with nineteen others on Sunday, Octo¬
ber 7, 1855, by the Rev. Kelly Lowe, and became
a member of the Springfield Baptist Church of
Augusta, Ga.
He was a very earnest Christian though a
young man. On the 25th of March, 1856, he was
united in marriage to Miss Josephine Thomas of
Augusta, with whom he still lives. To them have
been born eleven children, nine, of whom are now
living; two died while quite young. In 1853,
while learning the trade, he was persuaded by
Samuel Ketch, under whom he worked, to open a
night school at his (Ketch's) home. Here he
taught the four children of Mr. Ketch and the
children of a few friends that could be trusted.
About a dozen scholars were taught in a small
room on the back of the lot during light months
of the year for six or seven years. The neighbor¬
hood got too thickly settled to continue this risky
work. In another locality a school was established
34
530 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
at the home of Deacon Anderson Hartwell in
1854 and kept up until he and family removed to
Liberia. At the home of Rev. Peter Johnson
another school was opened in 1854, where only
the children of the family numbering six were
taught. These three schools were all run at the
same time, two nights a week being given to each.
When the Hartwell family went to Africa the
scholars remaining were taught for a time on the
premises of Judge W. T. Gould. Of course Judge
Gould knew nothing of it. Some of the best men
and women of Augusta obtained their education
in the secret schools of Mr. White during the
days of slavery.
On the 8th of January, 1859, Mr. White opened
a Sunday-school at Springfield Baptist Church, of
which he was a member, under the protective care
-of Dr. S. S. Davis, a distinguished white divine
of the Presbyterian church. Parson Davis had
lived in the South many years but was a native of
New England and took great interest in the spirit¬
ual elevation of the colored people while they were
held in bondage. No meetings could be held by
the colored people unless they had some white per¬
son to be present or vouch for their good conduct.
Out of this Sunday-school, which soon increased
to two hundred and fifty scholars, have come a
large number of men and women of great useful¬
ness, as preachers, deacons, and church workers.
REV. WILLIAM JEFFERSON WHITE, D.D., 531
Catechisms and question books used in the
school prior to emancipation were only in hands
of teachers. The laws would not allow of their
being put into the hands of scholars. Mr. White
retained superintendency of this school until he
removed his membership from Springfield Church
to another field of labor.
Mr. White was licensed to exhort September
19, 1858, and exercised his gift with acceptance
at the prayer-meetings of the church and in pri¬
vate houses in the suburbs of the city. On the
16th of February, 1862, he was licensed to preach
and admitted to the pulpit. He preached as
opportunity was afforded but continued his Sun¬
day-school work. April 1, 1866, he was ordained
to the ministry by the imposition of hands, after
careful examination by a presbytery. June 16,
1867, Mr. White and a few others began to hold
meetings in a grove belonging to Mrs. Mary Bon-
yer McKinley and known as McKinley's grove, in,
the southern part of Augusta, which was at the
time quite sparsely settled. These meetings were
held each Sunday when weather did not prevent
for nearly a year. Rev. George Barnes, who had
been ordained at the same time as Mr. White, offi¬
ciated most of the time at these outdoor meetings.
May 10, 1868, Mr. White and six others with let¬
ters of dismission from Springfield Church were
organized and constituted " The Harmony Bap-
532 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
tist Church," on a lot adjoining McKinley's grove,
a part of which had been given by Mrs, McKinley
and a part bought from her. On "the first Sunday
in July following Mr. White was called to the
pastorate of this church and retains the same at the
present time. He will soon complete his twenty-
fourth year of continuous pastoral service at this
church. In connection with his work at this
place Mr. White labored several years in Colum¬
bia County, about eighteen miles from Augusta,
where two thriving branches or mission stations
were organized and subsequently constituted into
the Watery Branch and Simonia Baptist churches.
Both of them have become prosperous churches.
Harmony Baptist Church has now a membership
of about two hundred and fifty and is one of the
leading Baptist churches of Augusta. The older
people who started with Mr. White at this church
are nearly all passed away. He is the only one
of the original seven left, but their children and
grandchildren are as much attached to him as
were their mothers and fathers. The children
all love him. very much. When the Missionary
Baptist Convention of Georgia was organized at
Augusta, 1870, Mr. White was a leading member
and as secretary of the committee wrote the con¬
stitution that was adopted by that body. He was
elected treasurer of the body at its organization
and held the place continuously fourteen years,
REV. WILLIAM JEFFERSON WHITE, D.D. 533
when he declined re-election. He has been an
active member of the executive board since the
convention was organized.
When the office of corresponding secretary was
created in the convention Mr. White was chosen
to fill it and was re-elected yearly until he declined
re-election in 1883. When the Shiloh Baptist
Association was organized in 1870 Mr. White
was chosen treasurer and has been re-elected from
year to year ever since, covering a period of
twenty-two years.
Mr. White and other leading Sunday-school
workers in Georgia conceived the idea of organiz¬
ing a state Sunday-school, in 1872, which resulted
in a large gathering at the Cotton Avenue Bap¬
tist Church, Macon, Ga., the same year. Mr.
White was chosen unanimously to the presidency
of this body. He filled this position several years
and voluntarily relinquished it to F. P. Johnson,
a most excellent young man. This convention is
still doing good work.
Three years ago the State University of Ken¬
tucky, of which the lamented Dr. W. J. Simmons
was president, conferred upon Mr. White the hon¬
orary degree of Doctor of Divinity. January 12,
1867, Mr. White was appointed by Gen. O. O.
Howard, educational agent of the " Freedman's
Bureau," and assigned to the duty of organizing
schools in the state of Georgia for colored children.
534 our baptist ministers.
His labors were principally in the interior of the
state, and in many places he was the first to
enlighten the colored people in regard to their
own freedom. At one place, Dawson, Georgia,
he found the colored people compelled by the
ringing of the town bell to be off the 'streets
after nine o'clock at night. He established during
the two years of this service schools in many
localities, and procured the erection of school
buildings by the people themselves with aid of the
Bureau. To the colored people themselves it
was a great curiosity to see their children going
to school. The sight to the white people can
be better imagined than described.
He was first to make known to the colored peo¬
ple through southwest Georgia that they had been
given the right to vote by the reconstruction laws
passed by Congress. These were dangerous times,
and frequently it looked as though Mr. White
would be murdered by the whites, who could not
bear at that time even the thought that colored peo¬
ple were to be equal citizens with themselves of the
United States. He organized educational soci¬
eties among the people wherever he could gather
them together, and through these societies many
school sites were purchased and houses erected.
He induced land owners in a number of instances
to give land for the erection of schoolhouses for
colored children. Upon a number of lots pro-
REV. WILLIAM JEFFERSON WHITE, D.D. 535
cured by these societies the Freedman's Bureau
erected nice school buildings. The good seed
sown by Mr. White in this work is still bearing
fruit and doubtless accounts in part for the rapid
progress being made by the colored people of
Georgia in the acquisition of education and prop¬
erty. Leaving service in the Bureau, January i,
1869, Mr. White was appointed, May i of that
year, assistant assessor of internal revenue, by
Captain Edwin Belcher, the first colored man
appointed assessor of internal revenue by Presi¬
dent Grant after his inauguration March 4, 1869.
He held commission in different branches of the
revenue service until January 1, 1880, when he
resigned to accept the " Spurgeon Mission,"
under the American Baptist Publication Society
of Philadelphia, Pa. This position was resigned
by Mr. White, after one year's service, greatly
to the regret of the society, on account of his con¬
nection with The Georgia Baptist. Shortly after1
the establishment of the Atlanta University, in
1869, Mr. White was chosen trustee of that
institution and held this position for nearly twenty
years, during which time' he was a valued mem¬
ber of the board. When the Augusta Institute
was organized in the city of Augusta in 1869,
Mr. White was one of the trustees. When the
school was removed to Atlanta several years after¬
ward and the name changed to "The Atlanta
536 OUR BAPTIST, MINISTERS.
Baptist Seminary," Mr. White was among the
corporators and has since been an active member
of the board of trustees, of which he is now secre¬
tary. When Spelman Seminary, Atlanta, Georgia,
was incorporated ten years ago, Mr. White was
one of the corporators and has been a member of
the board of trustees ever since. He is now vice-
president of the board. Upon each of these
boards are distinguished southern white men
who show their appreciation of Mr. White by elect¬
ing him to these responsible offices. In 1880 a
movement was inaugurated by the colored Bap¬
tists of Georgia for the establishment of a print¬
ing office and the publication of a newspaper as
organ of the denomination. A committee to give
the matter practical shape was appointed by the
State Baptist Convention that met in May of that
year. . The convention made no appropriation
for the purpose. This committee met and after
• full and free discussion of the question, unani¬
mously selected Mr. White to edit and manage a
paper that he was authorized to get out if ways and
means could be found. Mr. White besran at
once to move in the matter, and upon his personal
credit and the use of a thousand dollars of his
own money he fitted up a fifteen hundred dollar
printing office, and on the twenty-eighth of Octo¬
ber, 1880, he brought out the first copy of The
Georgia Baptist,
REV. WILLIAM JEFFERSON WHITE, D.D.^ 537
It was a seven column, four page paper, and
was enthusiastically welcomed by the Baptists in
all parts of Georgia, and cordially welcomed in
South Carolina, Florida, and other states of the
South. Mr. White proved himself well fitted for
editorial work and soon put his paper in the front
rank of the religious weeklies of the country.
His editorials cover a wide field of thought and
some of them have attracted wide attention in all
parts of the country.
While his paper, as shown by its name, is Bap¬
tist, and the distinctive doctrines of that denomi¬
nation are strongly upheld and defended, yet its
editor has not regarded it as necessary to keep up
a fight with those who differ with him on denomi¬
national questions. The paper has ardently advo¬
cated the cause of prohibition in all local contests,
but its editor has never allied himself in any offi¬
cial way with the National Prohibition party. He
is a stanch Republican, and up to the present has
preferred to act with that party on national ques¬
tions. The Georgia Baptist discusses from a Bible
standpoint all public questions, and its articles
have great influence in shaping the opinions of its
subscribers, that now number several thousands.
Mr. White has succeeded in building up a job
business that requires the employment of from
twelve to eighteen hands during the entire year,
A large cylinder and a large and a small job press
538 OUR BAPJIST MINISTERS.
find employment in The Georgia Baptist job
printing office. The Georgia Baptist plant is the
largest operated exclusively by colored help in the
country; is now worth between eight and nine
thousand dollars. The pamphlet work done at
this office is first-class in quality, and the patrons
are as far away as Mississippi and Louisiana.
The Georgia Baptist has been by formal vote
made the official organ of the Missionary Baptist
Convention of Georgia, with a constituency of
one hundred and eighty-five thousand, and of
nearly every individual association, to the number
of nearly fifty in the state of Georgia. The State
Baptist Conventions of South Carolina and Florida
have both passed strong resolutions of indorse¬
ment of The Georgia Baptist. Lucian Hayden
White, son of W. J. White, is now associated with
his father as associate editor and assistant busi¬
ness manager.
The Georgia Baptist printing office has only
colored employees ; it is largely a school to which
colored boys and girls may go and be given a
good trade that white printing offices in the South
will not give them.
Mr. White got his first knowledge of the print¬
ing business by making printers' wooden furniture
during the late war. The blockade shut out
northern printers' supplies and there were no
factories South, After the war he was among the
rev. john a. whitted. 539
first to take part in a movement at Augusta to
get out a paper edited by a colored man. He
helped John T. Shuften, Sr., who brought out The
Colored American within a few months after the
war closed in 1865. He was secretary of The
Loyal Georgian Printing Company, which bought
out The Colored American and issued The Loyal
Georgian as its successor. For this paper he
wrote until it was supplanted with the Georgia
Republican, published also at Augusta, but by a
company of white Republicans. For this paper he
also wrote. He was for several years Augusta cor¬
respondent of the Atlanta Republican. He has
corresponded for papers in different parts of the
country at different times. It will thus be seen
that he is entitled to be called the veteran editor
in colored journalism in this country.
Rev. John A. Whitted.
Rev. John A. Whitted was born at Hillsboro,
N. CM March 10, i860. His earliest educational
experience was in public schools. He entered
Shaw University, Raleigh, N. G, in 1876, and
remained there till 1880. It was while a student
of that institution, January, 1877, that he professed
faith in Christ. His stay at Shaw University was
uneventful | he exhibited the stern character,
REV. JOHN A. WHITTED.
REV. JOHN A. WHITTED. 541
push, and quick perception that have made him
an influential leader so early in life.
Leaving Shaw University, he entered Lincoln
University in Pennsylvania, from which he grad¬
uated in 1885. In the fall of the same year he
began teaching at Warrenton, North Carolina.
From that time to the present, Warrenton has
been his field of labor. In 1886 Mr. Whitted
was ordained to the work of the ministry. Since
then he has worked there as principal of the
Warrenton high school and pastor of the First
Baptist Church. The school is the property of
the Shiloh Baptist Association. It is a beautiful
school location, and was formerly the property of
one of the large slave owners of that community.
It is a curious fact that so many of our schools
are on the very sites once owned by the largest
and most cruel slave owners. The Warrenton
high school will soon be incorporated as the Shi¬
loh Baptist Institute. The school has grown
steadily in members and influence. Many of the
students are teachers holding first and second
class certificates and obtained all their training at
that school.
The church of which Rev. Whitted is pastor is
a model in some respects. The church and con¬
gregation are intelligent and well trained. Rev.
Whitted is hard working, energetic, aggressive,
and has an indomitable will and much personal
542 our baptist ministers.
force. He is an easy, forcible, and logical speaker,
a skillful and effective debater; he exhibits much
power, earnestness, and eloquence as a preacher,
Rev. W. A. Wilkinson.
Rev. W. A. Wilkinson was born at Anderson,
South Carolina, February 13, 1845. He never
attended school; his present attainments are the
result of private lessons taken at night and such
reading, etc., as are usually employed by self-made
men. He paid one dollar per month for being
taught twenty minutes at night, four nights in the
week. In that way he had acquired sufficient
training to begin teaching school in 1868. He
was converted in 1862. Besides his ministerial
work he gave considerable attention to politics;
not indiscriminately but with ideas of right and
justice. In Marion County, Florida, in 1869,
Rev. Wilkinson began his public career. He
was first a postmaster, then a justice of the peace,
then a member of the legislature. He was elected
to the legislature three times in succession and is
the only person ever elected so many times from
that county in succession. When nominated the
fourth time he declined to run.
When the State Sunday-school and the State
Baptist General Association met at St. August-
REV. W. A. WILKINSON.
543
ine in 1889 he was elected vice-president of both
bodies; and at the same meeting he was appointed
by the general association state missionary. At
the same time he was serving as moderator
of the Bethlehem Association. In 1891 he was
elected president of the general association and
for the third time appointed state missionary.
Rev. Wilkinson has been equally active as a Sun¬
day-school worker and has held various offices in
the Sunday-school organization of the state. He
was elected at Ocala in 1886 president of the
educational association. It was this association
that established and erected buildings for the
Howard Academy. Rev. Wilkinson has also
served six years as chairman of the Republican
Executive Committee and twelve years as its
secretary.
His life has been one of exceeding great activ¬
ity and usefulness. He has served his race and
country faithfully and creditably in various public
capacities in both church and state. The Baptists
of Florida number .less than one-third part of
those in some of the southern states, yet they are
wide awake, progressive, and are more in number
than all other, denominations combined. This
speaks for the activity of Rev. Wilkinson and
other brethren in the state.
544
our baptist ministers.
Rev. H. M. Williams.
Rev. H. M. Williams, principal of Hearne
Academy, Hearne, Texas, was born in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, January i, 1863. Williams'
parents were poor, but they possessed excellent
qualities of head and heart, and did all in their
power to educate their children. His precocity
was marked. He entered the public school at
the age of six years and made rapid progress until
1877, when, because of his father's interest in a
farm, he was compelled to leave school.
While a plow-boy at the age of thirteen he
resolved to make a mark in life. " There is
always room at the top" met young Williams'
gaze and filled him with a new determination to
study. Robert Burns-like, his book was his con¬
stant companion and the hardest tasks were has¬
tily dispatched by him that he might have more
time to study. He embraced religion at nineteen
and united with the Baptist church. At twenty
he entered the Leland University. He had but
little trouble in his classes and was second to
none in deportment, and because of his ability to
speak he was entitled the Demosthenes of the
school. At twenty-one he commenced to teach
school and by that means he was able to defray
his expenses at the University. He soon gradu¬
ated from the normal course and began the sci-
546 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
entific course, in which he proved himself well
fitted and led his classes with more apparent ease
than ever. Being apt, and by dint of studious
application, he found much time to read—thus
storing his mind with much information and at
the same time greatly enlarging his vocabulary by
acquisition of new words which he knew how to
use. On leaving .school he was at once made
principal of Gum Spring Academy, D'Arbonne,
La., which position he held two years, then
resigned. Returning to New Orleans, he married
Miss R. A. Ferguson, March, 1888. Shortly
afterward he received an invitation to take the
Millican public school. He accepted, and with
his wife set sail for the Lone Star State. He
held this position but a few months when he
accepted an invitation to fill the president's chair
at Hearne Academy, which position he now holds.
He was ordained a minister, January, 1889, and
accepted the pastorate of the First Baptist Church
of Hearne.
His ministerial gifts, the earnestness of his
appeals, the force of his logic, and simplicity make
him the subject of much favorable comment.
With his introduction the institution seems to
have begun a new era. He is master of the
situation in executive ability and financial skill.
He is spoken of in the highest terms by the stu¬
dents, Under his discreet and sound manage-
rev. n. b. williams.
547
ment the institution is gradually but permanently
taking her place among the schools of learning.
In 1889, Rev. Williams was appointed by the
Baptist State Convention as a delegate to the
National Educational Convention.
Rev. N. B. Williams.
Rev. Nash B. Williams was born at Jefferson,
Jackson County, Georgia, October 15, i860.
While quite young his father moved to Athens,
where Nash grew to manhood. His mother died
about the close of the civil war leaving six chil¬
dren of whom he was the youngest save one. As
is usually the case with motherless children, his
early life was full of hardships and discourage¬
ments. But God seems to have been watchful of
him. When fifteen years old his father gave him
his time. Nash hired himself to Dr. H. N. Law¬
rence for four and a half dollars per month. For
three years 'he attended night school, paying for
it out of his earnings one dollar per month. At
the expiration of three years he was employed to
teach-a small district school for $10 per month
and board. From that source he saved his first
money for paying his expenses at a day schooL
He entered the high school at Athens, Georgia,
and was there prepared for college by Profes^spr
J. G. Hutchins,
548 OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
In 1888 Mr. Williams studied at Atlanta Bap¬
tist Seminary, under the learned Dr. Roberts.
For three and a half years he attended that insti¬
tution, during which time he enjoyed the esteem
of faculty and students.
Mr. Williams became a member of the church
in 1878. He was licensed to preach in 1882 and
was ordained in 1886. The Lord has made him an
acceptable gospel minister. He is now pastor of
a church of more than one thousand members.
He is one of the young ministers of Georgia; he
has fine abilities; he is devoted to and successful
in his work. The following is an extract from a
speech delivered by Rev. Williams, " Conditions
of Social Progress ":—
" Seeing that education is so indispensable to
the advancement of a people in excellence, let us
to a man stand and advocate the education of the
masses, for we have many men among us who for
want of this most useful power, don't understand
and care nothing for the rights of suffrage of a
4 bona fide ' citizen, that ought to be intelligently
exercised in the spirit of self-respecting manhood
which would spurn to sell itself. If any race
needs education that is the negro race. They
want it to advance them in knowledge and power.
' Knowledge is power.' We certainly do want
power. Let us then cling to our schools, colleges,
and seminaries as an anchor of our hope. Let
REV. N. B. WILLIAMS. 549
us ever keep before our people the golden and
guiding star of education, the highest, truest, and
very best within our reach, as the polar star of our
social and religious progress ! But before we dis¬
miss the subject of social progress, there is one
last essential condition. It is considered last,
but it is by no means least. It is the most im¬
portant of all considered. Without morality there
can be no true social and religious progress in
this world nor in the world to come. A vicious
people is and ever must be low in the scale of
social being. There is a great evil that almost
clogs the wheels of our progress as a race, yea, it
is a millstone about our necks, which will sink us
forever in the ocean of social shame and disgrace
if we don't cast it off. This is a monster of in¬
satiable appetite, and has destroyed many fami¬
lies, and is yet destroying numbers of promising
young men and women. This monster is immor¬
ality, vice in its most hideous forms. It has made
its way into our society, and is leading a multi¬
tude to ruin. This hell-born fiend must be de¬
throned and driven back with herculean force to
his infernal domain, or else we cannot rise in
social being. Ministers of God, be exemplary in
this grand onward march, for upon you and our
teachers hangs our hope of moral reform. We need
to rise in our manhood. Put on our self respect
and, with the fear of God before us, no more put
550 our baptist ministers.
asunder what God has joined together, no more
divorce morality from religion, which are in their
nature one and inseparable. Let us put away all
lying, all dishonesty, all intemperance, and all un-
chasteness, as the dire enemies of our souls, and
the curse of mankind. Let us aspire to the type
of true manhood, even to the imitation of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Then we arise to a scale of
being where we shall have a true and never ending
progress. Permit me to say, in conclusion, that
whenever we become inspired with a proper spirit
of emulation, with a laudable desire to excel, when
we become united, heart to heart and shoulder
to shoulder, when we cherish and exercise indus¬
try and economy in the pursuit of wealth, then
we make the highest and best education possible."
Rev. James M. Young.
Rev. James Madison Young, pastor of the Bank
Street Church, Norfolk, Virginia, was born at
Kittrell, North Carolina, April 9, 1857. His
brother began teaching him when he was six
years old. He attended a public school taught
by Prof. Pratt of Massachusetts. At fourteen
years of age he entered the high school at Frank-
linton, N. C. ( now Albion Academy), of which
Prof. Swann was principal. Poverty rendered
REV. JAMES M. YOUNG. 551
him unable to attend school regularly; he would
work upon the farm one year and go to school
the next. In the fall of 1878 he entered Shaw
University, Raleigh, N. C. „ In the summer pre¬
vious he became a Christian and was baptized
into the fellowship of the Haywood Baptist Church
near Louisburg, N. C., of which Rev. J. A. Ashe
was pastor. Feeling that he was commissioned
to preach the gospel of Christ, upon making it
known he was licensed to preach by the Haywood
Church. In 1880, along with his studies, he began
the study of theology, and graduated from the
theological department of Shaw University, May,
1885.
One year before graduating he had accepted a
call to the Martin Street Church in Raleigh, which
he resigned in 1887 on account of ill health. He,
with Rev. A. Shepard, under the auspices of the
American Baptist Publication Society, were Sun¬
day-school missionaries till he was appointed by
the board of the Virginia Baptist State Convention
in 1886 to work with a small church at Wytheville,
Va. In December of that year he was married
to Miss A. L. Perry, daughter of Rev. and Mrs.
Perry of Louisburg, N. C. In 1887 he also took
charge of the Marion Baptist Church. Rev. Young
faithfully served these churches till 1888, when
a call was extended and accepted from the Bank
Street Church at Norfolk, Va. This is one of the
552
OUR BAPTIST MINISTERS.
largest churches in Norfolk. They worship in a
large, well furnished, brick edifice. Rev. Young
has there a wide field of labor. Mrs. Young is a
great help to her husband in his ministerial work.
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS
OUR SCHOOLS.
Arkansas Baptist College, Little Rock, Ark.
Atlanta Seminary, Atlanta, Ga.
Benedict College, Columbia, S. C.
Bible and Normal Institute, Memphis, Tenn
Bishop College, Marshall, Tex.
Choctaw School, Kuli Inla, I. T.
Creek Freedmen School, Tullehasse, I. T.
Florida Institute, Live Oak, Fla.
Hartshorn Memorial College, Richmond, Va.
Howe Institute, New Iberia, La.
Jackson College, Jackson, Miss.
Leland University, New Orleans, La.
Mather School, Beaufort, S. C.
Richmond Theological Seminary, Richmond, Va.
Roger Williams University, Nashville, Tenn.
Shaw University, Raleigh, N. C.
Selma University, Selma, Ala.
Spelman Seminary, Atlanta, Ga.
State University, Louisville, Ky.
Wayland Seminary, Washington, D. C.
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
In the schools for the colored people: Teach¬
ers, 143; of whom 65 were men and 78 women,
about 60 colored teachers being among the num¬
ber. Students, 4,749; males 2,035, females
2,714; number under 16 years of age, 980, chiefly
in three or four schools with preparatory depart¬
ments ; students for the ministry, 405 ; preparing
to teach, 1,319. In schools for the Indians there
have been 19 teachers; males 5, females 15.
Students, 419; males 212, females 207.
In Mexico, 2 teachers; pupils, 100.
The conversions of students reported for the
year is 281. Several schools have had unusual
religious interest. The formation of Christian
character is a supreme object in all these institu¬
tions. Within eight years over two thousand
students have been reported as converted in these
institutions.
For the 1,200,000 colored Baptists of this
country, better and more intelligent ministers
of the gospel are greatly needed. To supply
this need, at least in part, is a chief aim of the
society in maintaining these institutions, in nearly
556 OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
all of which attention is given to the education of
students for the ministry. Last year 405 were
reported as preparing to preach. Some had been
preachers and came for better preparation. Oth¬
ers are as ambitious as white students to get the
best education possible. For these it is intended
that Richmond Theological Seminary shall pro¬
vide courses of more extended study than can be
supplied elsewhere. Gradually it must attract
the more advanced students from other institu¬
tions.
In several states the pulpits of the strongest
churches are filled by men- who obtained their
education in these schools. A careful observer
at the National Baptist Convention at Louisville,
Ky., last September, states: " The influence of
the Home Mission Schools was everywhere felt.
Ninety-five per cent, of the educated delegates
had at some time been connected with these
schools, and as we mingled with these servants
of God, we thought how these institutions have
helped in giving Christian character and scholar¬
ship to the race." Another colored brother in
Alabama writes : " If our people are to be lifted
up at all, they will only be lifted up through these
Christian schools. Take away these schools,
whence must come teachers, preachers, and lead¬
ers of the people, and you have taken away the
greatest gift one people can bestow on another."
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
557
The Leonard Medical School of Shaw Univer¬
sity continues to be the only school, among all
our institutions, for the training of physicians.
It reports an enrollment for the year of 48, and a
graduating class of 6. The students are from 22
institutions; 17 of them from Shaw University.
There is a growing demand for well educated
colored physicians.
The law school of Shaw University has had 9
students enrolled and reports 2 graduates this
year. The embarrassment in conducting this as
well as a medical school is the lack of funds. An
endowment of $50,000 for these purposes is
urgently needed.
There is a growing interest among the students
in skilled industrial training. A few years ago
this was generally regarded with aversion. As
its advantages are understood, larger numbers
are eager to avail themselves of it. The Slater
Fund has made about the same appropriations
as heretofore to several schools, while others with¬
out aid from this source have done something in
this line. Even rudimentary instruction for the
many in common branches of industry is valua¬
ble ; while more thorough and technical training
for the few, in some well equipped institution,
would be very desirable. As the South is rapidly
developing its manufacturing interests, skilled
labor will be more and more in demand.
558
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
The amount of endowment funds held by the
society for the benefit of these schools is $i35r
403.00, an increase of $22,367.53 over the amount
reported last year. The principal item in this
increase is $18,879.30, paid in on the $25,000
pledged a year ago for the endowment of the
president's chair in Shaw University.
About sixty acres of the outlying portion of the
land of Benedict College, Columbia, S. C., have
been sold at $250 per acre, leaving a fine campus
of nearly nineteen acres for the institution. The
most of this $15,000 will probably be added to the
endowment of the school.
Unless there are larger additions soon for
endowments, it will be impossible for the society
properly to maintain these institutions. An an¬
nual outlay of at least $100,000 is required. Even
with an endowment of a million dpllars, nearly or
quite $50,000 would yet be required annually
from the society and from other sources.
Little has been done the past year in the erec¬
tion of buildings. The large laundry building
for Spelman Seminary, referred to in last year's
report, has been completed ; also a laundry build¬
ing costing about $2,500 for Bishop College,
Texas. The Arkansas Baptist College entered
its new quarters last fall, though they were not
wholly finished and furnished.
Bishop College needs larger and better class-
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
559
room accommodation as well as a more spacious
chapel. Plans are being matured for the erection
of a structure to cost about $17,000, for which
about $10,000 are now available. The colored
Baptists of Texas propose to raise from $3,000
to $5,000 for this purpose.
The alumni of Wayland Seminary have taken
active steps to secure offerings for the erection of
"Alumni Hall."
At Washington, Richmond, Atlanta, and Jack¬
son, at least $100,000 are needed for new buildings
to properly accommodate teachers and students.
From the first it was a question whether Live
Oak, Fla., was the proper location for the school
for that state. But as it had been fixed upon,
and as property had been acquired there by the
colored Baptists of Florida, it seemed best to
co-operate for the time being in its development.
It has become more and more apparent however
to all concerned that a change should be made.
Accordingly at the meeting of the Colored State
Convention in February a committee was ap¬
pointed to confer with the society's representa¬
tives concerning a location elsewhere. As the
amount invested in property at Live Oak has
been comparatively small, there will be but little
financial loss in the change, while larger grounds,
better buildings, and a more friendly and pro¬
gressive environment yyill be great gain.
560 our baptist schools.
The Tullehassee school for the colored people
of the Creek nation passes from the supervision
and management of the society with the close of
the present school year. The society hitherto
has been responsible for salaries of teachers, the
Creek nation making an annual appropriation for
the support of students. At the meeting of the
Creek Council last fall a board of education was
appointed to take entire control of- the educa¬
tional work in the nation. It is expected, there¬
fore, that the nation will provide for the entire
expenses of this as well as of other schools within
their borders. The one cause of regret is that
the decided Christian influence which is so much
needed in such an institution will probably be
lacking. The institution was never in a more
flourishing and efficient condition than now, under
the superintendency of Prof. E. H. Rishel.
Schools.
" And God hath set some in the church . . . teachers."—I.
Cor. xii. 28.
Only a mere outline of the history of the schools
founded or fostered by the society can here be
given. In the perusal of these sketches the fact
should be borne in mind that distinctively educa¬
tional work was not at once undertaken by the
society; but that the instruction of ministers as
well as of others was combined with missionary
WAYLAND SEMINARY. 561
work, as generally understood. The term " mis¬
sionary teachers " is commonly applied to minis¬
ters appointed to labor among the freedmen from
1862 to 1867, while " assistant missionaries "is the
term applied to their unordained helpers, both
men and women. The delay in taking up the
educational work until 1865 is thus explained by
Dr. Backus: " The board were without instruc¬
tions from the society, without constitutional pro¬
vision for the prosecution of such a work, and
without funds, and therefore waited for direc¬
tion from the society." From 1865, as we have
seen, the society's policy on this subject was
well defined and vigorously pursued. The prelim¬
inary work where schools have been established
will be briefly-noticed in these sketches. For the
full lists of teachers the reader is referred to the
historical tables.
WAYLAND SEMINARY.
Washington, D. C.
The first regular work of the society for the freedmen
in the District of Columbia was done by Rev. Jeremiah
Mace, who entered upon his labors in March, 1864. Pre¬
vious to this something had been done by the Baptist
Free Mission Society.
In 1865 the board appointed twelve teachers to labor in
Washington, who reported 812 students under their
instructions during the year. The work thus begun was
vigorously followed up by the purchase in 1866 of school
36
WAYLAND SEMINARY.
563
property on " I " Street at a cost of $1,500, from moneys
contributed by women of the North, for the Freedmen's
Fund. On this site, a building for school purposes, cost¬
ing about $1,500, was erected by Gen. Howard from
funds of the Freedmen's Bureau, and subsequently given
to the society. In 1867 Rev. S. B. Gregory was appointed
president of the institution, which was named " Wayland
Seminary," in honor of President Francis Wayland of
Brown University. An average of twenty-five ministerial
students was reported for the nine months of the first
school year.
In 1869, after the Home Mission Society had taken up
the work of the National Theological Institute, Rev. G. M.
P. King, who had been connected with the latter organi¬
zation, was appointed president.
In 1871 a new site, 150 feet square, on Meridian Hill,
in the northern part of the city, was purchased at a cost
of $3,375. The erection of a new building thereon was
begun in 1873, the corner stone being laid in October.
Though partially unfinished, it was occupied by the school
in the fall of 1874. It is a fine four story building with
basement, with accommodations for 75 students, with
recitation rooms and rooms for the faculty. It cost
about $20,000. The walls from the foundation to the
crowning were constructed by colored bricklayers under
the supervision of a master-workman, an ex-slave from
Virginia, who purchased his own freedom before the
war.
In 1882 an addition thereto, for the girls' dormitory,
was completed at a cost, including furnishing, of $12,541.
It has accommodations for forty young women. For
several years before this, young women were received
into the school, but making their homes in the families
of the neighborhood. The new building is called
" Parker Hall," in honor of the mother of J. W. Parker,
564
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
D.D., whose personal powers and possessions have been
freely given to the upbuilding of the institution. The
labors of President King for fourteen years, not only in
teaching and in the general management of the institu¬
tion, but also in enlisting in it the interest of many and
securing their generous offerings for the erection and
furnishing of the buildings, have been very arduous
and very successful. Twice has he visited the North with
"The Wayland Singers," in furtherance of the interests
of the school.
The instruction combines academic, normal, and theo¬
logical courses. In 1874 it was stated that " more than
five hundred freedmen have been pupils in Wayland
Seminary." Eighty of these are spoken of as " eminently
useful " on their fields of labor. The average attendance
annually has been about 125. Maryland has 14 honored
laborers, and Virginia more than 40 from Wayland; while
others are pastors of churches in New England and
through intervening states even to the remote southwest ;
and still others, teachers, three of the number being in
the Indian Territory. The principal colored church in
Baltimore, under the pastorate of a former student in
Wayland Seminary, has secured property valued at
$50,000, on which there is no indebtedness. From the
same church five young men have been educated, and
are doing good service for Christ. These, and similar
result's elsewhere, through the labors of men who have
gone from Wayland, suggest the inestimable value of
this and of kindred Christian institutions.
The statistics for 1882 show six teachers, 133 students,
—males, 101, females, 32—also 18 conversions, and 49
students for the ministry. Two scholarships of $r,ooo
each have been secured. Judge Wayland, of New Haven,
Ct., has for several years given valuable prizes for excel¬
lence in studies.
RICHMOND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 565
There are about 500,000 colored people in the district
adjacent to this institution. Addition for girls' dormitory,
erected 1882 ; addition to chapel, 1887. Location, on the
heights north of and overlooking the city of Washington.
The property is worth about $80,000. Endowment,
$20,000.
Chief patrons, the Wayland family, Ex-Governor A.
Coburn, and J. W. Parker, D.D. G. M. P. King, D.D.,
President.
II.—RICHMOND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY.
Richmond, Va.
The society's first appointment to Richmond was in
April, 1865. Soon after the surrender of this stronghold
of the Confederacy, the missionary and teaching force
was enlarged to eleven, who maintained two missions in
the city. In November of this year, J. G. Binney, D.D.,
at one time president of Columbian College, and subse¬
quently teacher of a theological class in Rangoon, Bur-
mah, began his work of instructing colored men prepar¬
ing far the ministry. He had a class of from twenty to
twenty-five, who assembled at night, being compelled by
day to labor for their bread. His valuable services were
lost to the work after about eight months, on account of
the failure to secure suitable accommodations for the
school.
In 1867 " The National Theological Institute and Uni¬
versity " appointed Nathaniel Colver, D.D. (Professor of
Biblical Theology in the Chicago Theological Seminary),
to open a school for ministerial students in Richmond.
He began his work in May, and July 1 secured for the
school, for three years, at a rental of $1,000 per annum,
the establishment called " Lumpkin s Jail, otherwise
566
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
known as " the old slave pen," located near Shockoe
creek, in " Lumpkin's Bottom." The four principal
buildings were of brick ; one of which had been used for
the residence and office of the proprietor ; another as a
boarding house for those who came to buy or sell slaves;
another for bar room and kitchen ; and the fourth, " the
old slave pen," for the safe-keeping of men and women
until they were disposed of at private or public sale.
RICHMOND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, MAIN BUILDING.
In this building, with its barred windows and its bitter
memories, the students for the Christian ministry received
instruction under Dr. Colver. The school began system¬
atically about September i, 1867, with thirty or forty
pupils, two-thirds of whom had some reference to the
ministry. For some time, Robert Ryland, D.D., of Rich¬
mond, was associated with Dr. Colver in this work. Dr.
RICHMOND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 567
Colver's health failing, he resigned in June, 1868. His
death occurred September 25, 1870.
Rev. C. H. Corey, laboring at Augusta, Ga., was trans¬
ferred to Richmond in September, 1868, to conduct the
school, which, in 1869, together with the other work of
the " National Theological Institute," passed into the
hands of the society. The United States Hotel (Union
Hotel until 1853), on the corner of Nineteenth and Main
Streets, was purchased January 26, 1870, and occupied
by the school in the fall of the same year. The main
building, which is of brick and four stories high, fronts
sixty feet on Main street and fifty feet on Nineteenth
Street, and has an extension on the latter street one
hundred feet long by thirty-nine wide. It contains about
fifty rooms. It was once the fashionable hotel of the
city, and is said to have cost originally $110,000. It was
purchased for $10,000, with money granted by the Freed-
men's Bureau. The amount expended for the extensive
repairs needed and for fitting up the building for school
purposes was $10,017.22, of which amount the citizens of
Richmond, white and colored, contributed over $1,000.
To avoid legal difficulties in the society's holding prop¬
erty in the state, it was taken in trust by the following
individuals : A. B. Capvvell, J. B. Simmons, J. S. Backus,
E. E. L. Taylor, A. R. Brooks, H. K. Ellyson, and R. M.
Manly. The school, which up to this time had been
known as "The Colver Institute," now became the
"Richmond Institute," and under that name it was
incorporated by act of the General Assembly of Vir¬
ginia, February 10, 1876. Under the act the institu¬
tion may hold $500,000 worth of property. The trustees
named in the charter are Nathan Bishop, A. B. Capwell,
J. B. Hoyt, W. A. Cauldwell (of the Home Mission
Board), and H. K. Ellyson, J. H. Holmes, Richard Wells,
A. E. Dickinson, and Stephen Woodman, of Richmond,
568 OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
three of the latter being colored men. In the place of
the first two named, deceased, H. L. Morehouse and
Gardner R. Colby have been elected.
June 28, 1880, a new site, consisting of two and one-
half acres, was purchased in the western part of the city.
The business surroundings of the old location make it
undesirable for school purposes. New buildings for the
education of both sexes are to be erected on the new site
as soon as means can be secured. For lack of proper
accommodations, comparatively few female pupils have
been received. About 100 have been instructed in special
classes. The purpose of the society and of the trustees,
who work in co-operation with the society, is to build up
here a higher theological institution, to which the ad¬
vanced students from al'l schools may come for the com¬
pletion of their studies. Two colored instructors, gradu¬
ates of Madison University, Profs. Jones and Vassar, have
for about six years been associated with President Corey.
Dr. Corey was honored with his degree by Richmond
College in 1881. He has won and held the confidence
and esteem of the citizens of Richmond, generally, and
many have been the encomiums upon him and the insti¬
tution under his charge.
From 1868 to 1882 the record shows that 771 different
students have been enrolled, 532 of whom have studied
in the regular course. More than 300 of these studied
with the work of the ministry in view, and about 200
with a view to teaching. During the summers of 1871
and 1872, from twenty to twenty-five students were
appointed by the society as missionary teachers. From
annual statistics, it is estimated that through the labors
of the students, during their summer vacations, not less
than seven thousand persons have professed conversion.
More than fifty churches have been established, and quite
one hundred Sunday-schools organized by these student
SHAW UNIVERSITY.
5^9
preachers. Many thousands have been added to the
churches served by graduates of the school. One grad¬
uate within two years received 1,600 members by bap¬
tism ; another 3,300 members. Rev. Solomon Crosby,
from the institution, became a missionary to West Africa,
under appointment of the colored Baptists of Virginia.
He died, greatly lamented, April 23, 1881. Rev. W. W.
Colley, after his graduation, was missionary of the South¬
ern Baptist Convention (white) in Africa, for nearly five
years ; and for the last two years has been the leading
spirit in the general organization of the colored Baptists
for mission work in Africa.
The library numbers 2,600 bound volumes, some of
which are of great value. The Endowment Fund
amounts to about $3,000, the most of which has been con¬
tributed by students of the institution. There are about
400,000 colored people in the district adjacent to Rich¬
mond Institute.
New site procured 1880. Property worth $30,000.
Endowment $54,800. Name changed from "Richmond
Institute" to " Richmond Theological Seminary," in
1886. School is for higher education for ministerial stu¬
dents. Chief patrons, J. D. Rockefeller, New York, J. B.
Hoyt, Connecticut. C. H. Corey, D.D., President.
III.—SHAW UNIVERSITY.
Raleigh, N. C.
This school had its origin in the formation of a theo¬
logical class of freedmen in the old Guion Hotel, in
Raleigh, N. C., December 1, 1865, and taught by Rev.
H. M. Tupper, of Massachusetts, who, with his wife, had
arrived in Raleigh the tenth of the preceding October.
The work was commenced under the auspices of the
American Baptist Home Mission Society, Mr. Tupper
SHAW UNIVERSITY, RALEIGH, N. C.
SHAW UNIVERSITY.
571
receiving his commission while yet a soldier in the Union
army, through the personal efforts of Dr. Ripley, of New¬
ton, Mass. Early in the spring of 1866, through the liber¬
ality of General Andrew Porter, of Monson, and Elijah
Shaw, of Wales, Mass., and other northern friends,
money was contributed, so that, with the aid of the col¬
ored people in the way of work, a large wooden building
LEONARD MEDICAL BUILDING, SHAW UNIVERSITY.
was commenced at the corner of Blount and Cabarrus
Streets for the accommodation of the school, where it
continued as the Raleigh Institute until 1870. The Freed-
men's Bureau gave $2,000 toward finishing the building.
During this period, about 2,000 men, women, and children
in the day, night, and Sunday schools received instruction.
In 1870 the Barringer property, comprising about ten
572
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
acres with a mansion, was bought for $15,000. In 1872
nearly one-half of the Shaw building was completed at a
cost of $15,000, and in 1874 the Estey building, a school
for girls, was finished at a cost of $25,000. Mr. Shaw, of
Wales, Mass., from whom the school was named, has been
one of its largest benefactors, having given $8,000 to¬
wards the original purchase and erection of the Shaw
building. Towards the erection of the Estey building,
J. Estey & Co., of Brattleboro, Vt., gave $8,000 ; George
M. Morse, of Putnam, Conn., gave $2,000 ; $5,000 were
raised by the North Carolina Jubilee Singers, and various
persons in the North gave smaller sums.
From 1870 to 1874, 600 pupils attended, and the school
was known as the Shaw Institute. In 1875 the school
was incorporated as the Shaw University. In 1879 the
University Hall was completed at a cost of $6,000 ; all
the money, except $650, having been saved from tuition
and the boarding department.
At the annual meeting of the board of trustees in 1880
the president of the institution was authorized to make
an effort to raise money to establish a medical depart¬
ment in connection with the university. Soon after, a
pledge of $5,000 was received from the Leonard family,
of Hampden, Mass., on condition that $5,000 in addition
be raised to erect the necessary medical buildings. Most
of the required sum was pledged in the summer of 1880.
Dr. Nathan Bishop, William A. Cauldwell, Joseph B.
Hoyt, O. H. Greenleaf, Timothy Merrick, and Col. Levi
K. Fuller, of the Board of Trustees, contributed liberally,
together with other brethren of the North.
The erection of the medical dormitory was commenced
in the fall of 1880 and was finished in the spring of 1881,
at a cost of $5,000. The principal medical building,
which is known as the Leonard building, was commenced
in the summer of 1881, and was completed and occupied
ESTEY BUILDING, SHAW UNIVERSITY,
RALEIGH, N. C.
574
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
in the fall of 1882. This fine building cost over $7,000.
The land on which the medical building is located was a
part of the lot of the governor's mansion, and was gen¬
erously donated by Act of the last General Assembly of
North Carolina. Arrangements are in progress for com¬
pleting the Shaw building, at a cost of about $10,000.
The entire school property is valued at $125,000. There
are five large brick buildings besides the Mansion House,
with twelve acres of land.
The number of pupils enrolled since the school was
incorporated, in 1875, is over 1,000—six hundred young
men and four hundred young women. In all the depart¬
ments of the school provision has been made for the
accommodation of about three hundred pupils. The
number enrolled in 1882 was 277. The students pay
annually for board and tuition about $6,000 in cash, and
$2,000 in work.
The school has six departments—normal, scientific,
collegiate, theological, medical, and pharmaceutical.
Since the founding of the school, nearly three hundred
have been students in the theological department. Many
have already entered the ministry and are doing noble
service in the different spheres of Christian labor. Two
are laboring as .teachers and missionaries in Africa. It
is believed that not less than 1,000 of the students have
taught in the public schools, and the demand for teachers
at the present time is far beyond the supply. Most of
these teachers engage in Sunday-school work and other
Christian labor, and thus constitute a great power for
good.
The medical school opened in 1882, with a class of ten
students. Leading physicians of Raleigh are on the
corps of teachers and lecturers. The expenses of this
department are met by tuition fees and by special dona¬
tions, so that no part thereof falls upon the society.
SHAW UNIVERSITY.
575
The female department, which dates back to 1870, has
prospered far beyond what even the most enthusiastic
dared hope. The progress of the young women has been
quite as rapid and satisfactory as that of the young men,
and they have exhibited a degree of interest and activity
in Christian work which shows the wisdom of providing
for the education of colored women. The young women
receive instruction in industrial and domestic branches
from teachers supported by the Women's Baptist Home
Mission Society.
A school of carpentry was opened in the fall of 1882,
in which students are taught the use of tools and the
rules and principles of construction.
Special attention has always been given to the moral
and religious training of the students. Sunday services
are regularly maintained in connection with the institu¬
tion, besides religious meetings during the week. The
daily study of the Bible and frequent lectures upon topics
of special interest and adapted to the peculiar wants of
colored students have done much to develop Christian
character and led to a more intelligent and quiet form of
worship. Not less than three hundred of the young men
and women have been converted while pursuing their
studies in this school.
The charter provides that the treasurer, the chairman
of the executive board, and the corresponding secretary
of the American Baptist Home Mission Society, shall be
ex-officio members of the Board of Trustees. The names
of the present board are as follows : L. K. Fuller, Vt.;
Elijah Shaw, Mass.; O. H. Greenleaf, Mass.; Timothy
Merrick, Mass.; J. G. Shed, Mass.; J. B. Hoyt, Conn.;
E. Lathrop, Conn.; S. S. Constant, N. Y. ; H. L. More¬
house, N. Y.; W. A. Cauldwell, N. Y.; C. H. Banes, Pa.;
W. W. Keene, Pa.; G. W. Perry, N. C.; C. T. Bailey, N.
C.; W. W, Arrington, N. C,
576
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
The charter confers on the board the power of estab¬
lishing "one or more universities, colleges, academies, or
schools for persons of both sexes or either sex, without
regard to their race, color, or any previous condition of
servitude."
President Tupper opened his first Sabbath-school in
Raleigh in 1865, under an old oak tree. In 1892 he pre¬
sides over an institution domiciled in five large brick
buildings, unequaled by those of any educational insti¬
tution in the state, and a noble monument to his untiring
energy, tact, wisdom, and faith. Through his personal
influence the most of the means for the erection of the
buildings has been procured, and by close personal atten¬
tion to the manufacture of brick on the premises, and to
the construction of the buildings, he has secured their
erection at about half the usual cost.
During the earlier years of his service he encountered
severe and protracted opposition in many ways, bufwith
sublime heroism held on his way, devoted to his mission,
winning the admiration even of opposers, and at last
rejoicing in the era of good-will and in the measurable
accomplishment of his great aims. Rare are the records
of achievement grander than his.
The colored population of North Carolina in 1890 was
567,17°.
The medical dormitory building completed, 1881.
In 1882 the Leonard building containing laboratory
and instruction rooms for the medical school was com¬
pleted. The Leonard Medical Hospital building was
erected in 1885.
An industrial building was erected, 1887. President
Tupper planned and superintended the erection of the
buildings, even to the making of the brick on the prem¬
ises. Much of the work was done by students. Property
worth $140,000. Endowment $30,000, Chief patrons;
ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY.
Messrs. E. Shaw, Massachusetts ; J. Estey &' Sons, Ver¬
mont ; Judson Wade Leonard and family, Massachusetts ;
O. H. Greenleaf, Massachusetts ; J. B. Hoyt, Connect¬
icut ; Geo. M. Morse, Connecticut; O. B. Grant, Con¬
necticut ; T. Merrick, Massachusetts ; J. D. Rockefeller,
New York ; Mrs. S. B. L. Tupper, North Carolina ; Rev.
R. Jennings, Connecticut. H. M. Tupper, D.D., Presi¬
dent.
IV.—ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY.
Nashville, Tenn.
The beginnings of work for the freedmen at Nashville
and vicinity, on the part of the Home Mission Society,
date back to a year before the close of the war, in the
appointment, June ist, 1864, of Rev. H. L. Wayland as
missionary teacher to that place. After eight months he
resigned, and Rev. D. W. Phillips, who in August, 1864,
had "been appointed to Knoxville, took his place. The
published statement concerning him at the time of his
appointment, is " that this brother, late of South Reading,
Mass., is one of the ablest men we had in all New Eng¬
land." At first he preached to a white congregation and
surveyed the field. Then he gathered a class of colored
young men in his own house, and later in the basement
of the First Colored Baptist Church. In 1865 an aban¬
doned government building was purchased for $1,000.
This was taken down, removed, and rebuilt- at an expense
of about $4,000, upon a site northwest of the city. In
this building, 120x40 ft. and two stories in height, fur¬
nishing recitation rooms and accommodations for about
forty-five young men and for twelve girls, the school was
opened in 1866. For ten years the school continued in
this building.
37
ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY, NASHVILLE, TENN.
ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY.
579
Larger accommodations being required, in the spring of
1874, the estate of W. H. Gordon, southwest of the city,
consisting of a brick mansion house 80 x 48 ft., two stories
with basement, together with thirty acres of land, was
purchased by Dr. J. B. Simmons at a cost of $30,000. In
1875 a third story and mansard roof were added to this
building, and in 1876 a new brick structure 160x49 ft.,
three stories and basement, with mansard roof, and con¬
necting with the mansion, was erected at a cost of about
$45,000. Toward the erection of this new building Dr.
Nathan Bishop and wife gave $28,000.
The school entered these buildings October, 1876. A
regular course of study was first "introduced in 1875-76.
The school from the beginning has had powerful compet¬
itors in institutions established at Nashville by other
denominations, but has maintained a high reputation for
thorough work. In 1874 Brown University conferred upon
Rev. D. W. Phillips the degree of Doctor of Divinity. To
his indefatigable labors in the institution, and during
vacations in presenting the claims of the institution to
individuals, churches, and associations at the North, is
much of its prosperity due ; while in this connection hon¬
orable mention should be made of the valuable services
of his principal associate, Prof. L. B. Tefft, who since 1874
has been connected with the institution.
The records of the institution show an attendance since
1872 as follows :—
1872-3
Males, 72
Females, 18
Total,
90
1873-4
79
"
29
"
108
1874-5
" 95
it
41
U
136
1875-6
71
((
43
114
1876-7
81
tt
49
130
1877-8
" 128
<<
75
203
1878-9
" 128
79
207
1879-80
" 15°
U
81
231
I880-I
" 159
90
249
I88I-3
" 171
a
99
270
580
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
The sudden and permanent increase in 1877-78 was
caused principally by holding teachers' institutes during
the preceding summer, which made the school more
widely known. In this work Prof. Tefft took a leading
part.
The entire number of students who have attended from
the beginning cannot be exactly stated, as for the first
years no records of attendance were kept. The number,
however, is not far from one thousand ; for since 1872 the
enrollment shows 787 different pupils connected with the
institution. The larger proportion have fitted themselves
for teaching. Many have entered the ministry and have
been leaders in every good work. In 1881 gratuitous
theological instruction for two months was offered to a
limited number of pastors, who accepted the proposition.
A positive religious influence has characterized the insti¬
tution. Nearly 200 conversions have been reported. The
students have maintained themselves by their own efforts
very largely, although help for many worthy students
is required to keep them in the school. Receipts from
students for tuition, board, etc., in 1881-2 were $6,559.36.
In 1882 the board of the Home Mission Society
decided to incorporate the institution, but the incorpora¬
tion was not effected until January, 1883. At this time
also, in order to relieve Dr. Phillips of the cares of admin¬
istration, and that he might devote the rest of his valuable
life to instruction of theological classes, the board
appointed Rev. William Stewart, D.D., of Canada, Presi¬
dent. He entered upon his labors February, 1883. The
name of the school was also changed from Nashville
Institute to " Roger Williams University." Four courses
of study are provided—the normal, the academic, the
collegiate, and the theological. The whole property is
valued at $80,000. The school has a small endowment
fund of less than $1,000. Several Indian youth from the
LELAND UNIVERSITY.
58:
Indian Territory have been students in the institution.
The graduates are widely scattered throughout the South,
occupying positions of influence and usefulness.
The president's house, erected 1883. Hayward Hall,
erected 1886. Both are brick buildings of which we
have no engravings. Principal patrons, Nathan Bishop,
LL.D., and Mrs. C. C. Bishop of New York.
V.—LELAND UNIVERSITY.
New Orleans, La.
In July, 1863, the Home Mission Society appointed
Rev. J. W. Horton missionary to the Coliseum Place
Baptist Church (white), New Orleans ; and in November,
1865, Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin, D.D., to engage in the work
of instructing colored ministers, and students for the
ministry. In this service he continued with some inter¬
ruptions until 1868 ; when becoming convinced that it
was labor wasted to work in the manner he was com¬
pelled to do, with no place in which to gather his classes
for regular instruction, he left the field. In December,
1869, Rev. William Rollinson, of New Jersey, was ap¬
pointed to carry forward the enterprise. His labors in
New Orleans began Dec. 29th, by the organization of a
class of eight or ten of the resident colored ministers, and
also a night school for the general instruction of adults
of both sexes ; the basement of the First Baptist Church
being used for these purposes.
A few weeks later Dea. Holbrook Chamberlain, and
his wife, of the Baptist Free Mission Society, reached
New Orleans, for the purpose of establishing an institu¬
tion under the patronage of that society, supposing the
field unoccupied. Negotiations were entered into for
concerted effort in this matter, and as a result of the visit
MAIN BUILDING, LELAND UNIVERSITY,
NEW ORLEANS, LA.
Leland university.
583
to New Orleans by Secretaries Simmons and Taylor, an
arrangement was effected whereby the work was to be
conjointly prosecuted, Dea. Chamberlain assuming one-
half the pecuniary responsibility and possessing an equal
right of control until such time as a Board of Trustees
should be appointed and the institution incorporated,
when control should pass to them, he, however, still
remaining responsible for half the expenses. "The Free
Mission Church " was then about to build a new house
of worship, and it was decided to furnish the basement
for schoolrooms, the Home Mission Society supplying
$2,000 for that purpose and taking a lease of the school¬
rooms as compensation. These rooms finished and well
furnished were ready December, 1870, and on the 10th of
January the. school therein was formally opened. The
number in attendance this year reached 170.
A board of trustees was appointed and incorporation
effected in March, 1870. Immediate steps were taken for
the erection of suitable buildings, for which three squares
of ground, between seven and eight acres, with a mansion,
in the upper part of, the city and fronting on St. Charles
St. (the principal avenue), were purchased at a cost of
$25,000. One-half of this was paid by the society and
one-half by Dea. Chamberlain. The institution was called
" Leland University," after the maiden name of Mrs.
Chamberlain, who was a direct descendant of Elder John
Leland. " From this institution," as Dr. Simmons wrote
after the incorporation, " by the terms of our charter
(which terms were of our own choosing) students can
never be excluded on account of race, color, or previous
condition of servitude. Should whites who were once
slaves apply,—of whom there are not a few in the South—
they will be admitted. Should whites who were never
slaves apply, they will not be rejected. For a Christian
school, like a Christian church, should be open to all prop-
GIRLS' DORMITORY, LELAND UNIVERSITY, NEW ORLEANS, LA.
LELAND UNIVERSITY. 585
erly qualified candidates. All the Home Mission Society's
schools have proceeded from the first on this New Testa¬
ment basis."
On the board of trustees were representatives of the
Home Mission Society, the Free Mission Society, and the
Consolidated Convention (colored).
Rev. William Rollinson continued as president until
October, 1872, when upon his voluntary retirement Rev.
S. B. Gregory was appointed. Of his own labors Mr.
Rollinson says :—
" During the whole time I was on the field, I preached
nearly every Sabbath, generally for the colored churches,
though often for the Coliseum Place and the First Bap¬
tist (white). I wras cordially received by and received
the moral support of the white Baptists and enthusias¬
tically so by our colored Baptists ; and I look back to my
years of labor in New Orleans with unalloyed pleasure."
Mr. Gregory's labors were terminated by his death in
1873. Rev. L. B. Barker, who had been his associate,
took charge until 1876. Rev. Marsena Stone was presi¬
dent from 1876 to 1878, when he was succeeded by Rev.
S. J. Axtell, who continued as president until 1881, when
Rev. W. F. Morton was appointed ; and upon his resig¬
nation in 1882, Rev. H. A. Traver received the appoint¬
ment.
In 1873 the large and beautiful three-story building
with mansard roof was completed, at a cost of $45,000.
By Dea. Chamberlain's close attention to its erection
a great saving of expense was effected. The Freed-
men's Bureau had promised to duplicate the amount
expended on buildings to the sum of $25,000. The
work was projected therefore on the scale of $50,000.
When the Bureau, after payments of $17,500, refused to
give further aid, the burden of the unfinished work fell
with almost crushing force upon Dea. Chamberlain, who
586
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
on this understanding had assumed the expense of its
erection. Nobly, and with self-sacrifice rarely equaled,
did he devote time, and energies of mind and body, to the
accomplishment of the work, putting into the building, of
his own means, $15,000. In addition to this, in 1879, he
gave $10,000 toward an endowment fund, and in i88r
conveyed to the trustees, for the same purpose, property
in Brooklyn, N. Y., valued at $25,000. Beyond this, in
1881, under his inspiration and with the approval of the
board of trustees, a new dormitory for girls was begun,
which for lack of funds is not yet completed, and the
total cost of which is to be about $17,000. The entire
amount which this devoted servant of God has given to
the upbuilding of Leland University is over $65,000.
In his seventieth year he rejoices that he has been per¬
mitted to do this for a people in whose welfare he has
ever had the liveliest interest. He is worthy of all honor,
and his example worthy of imitation by many more
greatly blessed than he in temporal things.
The property of Leland University, with the comple¬
tion of the new building, is valued at quite $100,000. A
good beginning has been made toward a library, but
school apparatus is specially needed. Afterward an
arrangement was made between the board of trustees
and the board of the Home Mission Society, whereby
the latter assumed the practical management of the
educational work of the University, thus securing to it
the advantages of the methods adopted by the society
for the best instruction ; the society becoming responsible
for the maintenance of the school and for the character
of the instruction. For many years annual appropria¬
tions have been made by the board for teachers' salaries.
Special attention is given to the normal and industrial
departments, while the great aim in the founding of the
institution, viz., the education of colored preachers, is kept
ATLANTA SEMINARY.
587
prominent. A career of enlarged usefulness is evidently
entered upon ; and nowhere is such a school needed
more than in the great city of New Orleans and its vicin¬
ity, a stronghold of Catholicism, with the usual concom¬
itants of ignorance and superstition.
Brick building for girls begun, 1881; completed, 1884.
Value of property, $125,000. Endowment, $9.5,000. Be¬
came self-supporting, 1886.
Chief patron, Deacon Holbrook Chamberlain of New
York, who gave years of his time and most of his estate
to the institution. E. C. Mitchell, D.D., President.
VI.—ATLANTA SEMINARY.
Atlanta, Ga.
In May, 1867, Rev. J. W. Parker, D.D., of Massachu¬
setts, went to Augusta, Georgia, under the auspices of
the National Theological Institute, to locate a school for
the training of preachers and teachers for the colored
people. The school was opened in the Springfield (colored)
Baptist Church, at night. He was compelled by sickness
to return North in July, when Mr. J. Mason Rice took
charge. In November of the same year, Rev. Chas. H.
Corey and wife commenced their labors, retaining Mr.
Rice, and receiving aid for a few'weeks in the way of
lectures from Dr. Parker. The school was kept in a
rented room, and mostly at night, so that Mr. Corey sel¬
dom reached his lodgings till midnight. The attendance
for the year ending May, 1868, numbered 60, of whom 17
were students for the ministry. Mr. Corey's labors here
ended July 13, 1868, and he was subsequently transferred
to Richmond. Rev. Lucian C. Hayden, .D.D., took up
the work the following winter. As the Freedmen's
Bureau was then establishing free schools for the colored
S88
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
people, Dr. Hayden was induced early in January, 1869,
to take charge of one of these public schools, which was
regarded as the expedient thing to do ; hence ministerial
instruction was almost wholly suspended.
On November 15, 1869, under appointment of the
Home Mission Society, Rev. W. D. Seigfried arrived, and
soon after in a rented room opened a school. April 21,
1870, an eligible lot 180 x 180 feet, on Telfair Street, was
purchased for $5,700. The school was at once transferred
to the old buildings on this property. Mr. Seigfried
resumed work in the autumn of 1870, but encountering
great difficulties in consequence of the intense political
excitement of the time, he left the state, and for a time
the school was discontinued.
Leading brethren of the Georgia Baptist Church Con¬
vention (white), who had become interested in the work,
recommended that Rev. Joseph T. Robert, LL.D., of
Georgia, be intrusted with the management. This action
was indorsed by the Georgia Baptist Missionary Conven¬
tion (colored); and the Home Mission Board accordingly
appointed him. His connection with;the institute began
August 1, 1871. Among the whites of the city the enter¬
prise was regarded with disfavor, on account of some
things in its previous management. Dr. Robert secured
funds to put the building in condition, and for four years
without an assistant, conducted the school, with an
annual average attendance of 52 pupils. Dr. Robert in
his sketch of the school says : " Many whites thought,
at first, that colored men could not be roused mentally ;
we have proven otherwise there." The " Augusta Insti¬
tute," as the school was called, was continued here until
1879, when at the desire of the colored brethren of the
state, and with the approval of the white, it was removed
to the capital of the state and the name changed to the
Atlanta Baptist Seminary. A site for the school was
ATLANTA SEMINARY.
589
purchased at the corner of Elliott and West Hunter
streets, containing nearly four acres, and with the avails
of the sale of the Augusta property and a special appro¬
priation by the Home Mission Society, a commodious
brick school building was erected ; the cost of the whole
being about $12,500. In 1879 the institution was incor-
ATLANTA BAPTIST SEMINARY.
porated. .Dr. Robert has remained at the head of the
institution until the present time, for more than eleven
years. In his own words the school " has aimed unwaver¬
ingly at the education ol preachers, and such teachers as
could be classed with them profitably." Dr. Robert's
success in this direction has been marked. The leading
590 OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
men among the colored Baptists of Georgia have been
under his training.
More than 250 ministerial students have been enrolled
in the school at Augusta and Atlanta. The whole num¬
ber in attendance from 1871 to 1882 was about 50°;
in 1882, 113 were enrolled. Of more than 100 ordained
ministers who were students in the institution, about
one-half are pastors in Georgia ; while licentiates and
unordained students are yearly doing a great work.
No dormitories for either sex were erected, and only
young men were admitted to the school. A strong senti¬
ment in favor of education for young women, also,
was developed soon after the removal of the school to
Atlanta. The board of the Home Mission Society fa¬
vored it, and encouraged the colored churches of Georgia
to contribute toward the erection of buildings.
In the fall of 1881, under the auspices of the Woman's
American Baptist Home Mission Society of New England,
Miss S. B. Packard and Miss H. E. Giles went as mission¬
aries to Atlanta. They soon opened a school for girls.
Early in 1882 the school was taken up by the Home
Mission Board, the teachers' support being pledged by
the Woman's Society. They met in the basement of the
Friendship St. Baptist Church (colored), a most unsuit¬
able place. With great devotion these teachers labored
until a large school was gathered and the demand for
larger and better accommodations became imperative.
Inasmuch as the seminary site was impaired for
school purposes by the close proximity of a new railroad,
and the lot was not well adapted to the erection of addi¬
tional buildings, a new location was determined upon.
In the fall of 1882 Dr. Gregory, Superintendent of Educa¬
tion, after surveying several locations, selected a section
of the property known as " The Barracks," on the high
ground in the western part of the city, and after a careful
BENEDICT COLLEGE.
591
investigation, in company with the corresponding secre¬
tary, its purchase was recommended and effected with
the approval of the board, for the sum of $17,500. The
site contains about eight acres, on which are four double
two story dwellings, originally erected for officers'
quarters and suitable for dormitories ; also a large, long
building formerly used for a hospital, which with few
changes serves for general school purposes. Into this the
girls' school was transferred at once, and the entire school
placed under one president in the fall of 1883. The sale
of the old property will probably meet a large part of the
cost of the new. The colored people of the state have
taken deep interest in the work, promising to raise $5,000
for the enterprise. They have also aided to quite an
extent in the support of beneficiaries, and for other
purposes. The school has evidently a great future before
it in 'provfding an education for the leaders of thought
among the more than 100,000 colored Baptists in the
.Empire State of the South. The colored population of
Georgia was 725,133, irf 1880. A new site of thirteen acres
was purchased in western part of Atlanta, 1888; new
building costing $30,000, erected 1889. Value of property,
$40,000. No endowment. S. Graves, D.D., President.
VII.—BENEDICT COLLEGE.
Columbia, S. C.
For a long time after the beginning of the society's
work for the freedmen in South Carolina, there was no
concentration of effort for the founding of one strong
school. For several years, from 1862, Dr. Solomon Peck
and others labored at Beaufort and Rev. C. H. Corey
about three years at Charleston. Many other point§
received attention.
BENEDICT COLLEGE. MAIN BUILDING.
BENEDICT COLLEGE.
593
In 1870 a desirable site for an institution was found
available at Columbia. As this was the capital of the
state, and central, it was decided to locate it here. The
Lord disposed the heart of a noble woman of New
England, Mrs. B. A. Benedict, of Providence, R. I., to
give $10,000 toward its purchase, the cost being $16,000.
The property consisted of nearly eighty acres of land, on
which was a large mansion, with several outbuildings,
and beautiful grounds. Before the war it was valued at
$40,000. In honor of the deceased husband of the donor,
Dea. Stephen Benedict, brother of Dr. David Benedict,
the historian, the board called the school " Benedict
Institute."
It was opened December 1, 1870, under the charge of
Rev. Timothy S. Dodge, as principal. The first pupil
was a colored preacher, sixty-six years old. The attend¬
ance the first year was sixty-one. Industrial work was
attempted with some degree of success under Mr. Dodge.
In October, 1877, Rev. Lewis Colby succeeded Mr. Dodge
under appointment of the board.
Upon his resignation in 1879, Rev. E. J. Goodspeed,
D.D., was appointed. He entered upon hiswrork in Octo¬
ber, continuing until his death in the summer of 1881.
Rev. C. E. Becker was selected as his successor and went
to Columbia in October, 1882, and is at this writing the
president of the institution.
During 1879-80, Rev. Lewis Colby, deeply impressed
with the need of better accommodations, especially for
the girls, devoted his time without compensation, and
with the approval of the board, to raising $5,000 for a girls'
building. This amount being secured, together with an
additional offeriftg from Mrs. Benedict, two frame build¬
ings, one for girls' dormitory and schoolrooms, the other
for dining and music rooms, were erected in 1881. To¬
wards the furnishing of the buildings, the colored people
38
COLBY HALL, BENEDICT COLLEGE, COLUMBIA, S. C.
BENEDICT COLLEGE. 595
of the state gave over $1,600. The girls' building is
known as "Colby Hall." Better quarters for the young
men are greatly needed. For this purpose Mrs. Benedict
has offered $5,000, and plans are progressing for the new
building, which is to cost $10,000. In addition to these
liberal gifts she also wisely gave $10,000 in 1873 for the
endowment of the institution. To this, additions by gift
and by income have been made, so that the cost was
about $21,000. By special act of the South Carolina
Legislature, through the efforts of President Becker and
the co-operation of leading Baptists, the institution in
1882 was exempted from taxation.
The attendance has been as follows: 1870-71, 6i ;
1871-72, 61; 1872-73, 142; 1873-74, 84; 1874-75, 118;
1875-76, 115; 1876-77, 101; 1877-78, 70; 1878-79, 88;
1879-80, 100; 1880-81, 232; 1881-82, 239.
The great increase in 1880-81, and the year following,
was partly due to the completion of the girl's building,
and to the establishment of a preparatory department,
which, however, has been discontinued. The school has
been a fountain of great good to the colored churches of
the state. The name of the benefactor is blessed by
hundreds who have enjoyed its privileges, and thousands
more will honor her memory. The property with the
new building completed is valued at $40,000.
There were 692,503 colored people in South Carolina
according to the census of 1890.
The girls' dormitory was enlarged in 1888. The large
brick building was completed in 1884. Value of prop-
erty, $50,000. Endowment, $33,000. Chief patron,
Mrs. B. A. Benedict, Rhode Island. Rev. C. E. Becker,
President,
596
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
VIII.—JACKSON COLLEGE.
Jackson, Miss.
Years before the opening of this institution, it was felt
by many friends of the society and by its workers in the
Mississippi valley, that a school should be established
somewhere between Memphis and the Gulf. Under
appointment by the society, Rev. A. C. Caperton, in the
fall of 1867, began the work of instruction at Memphis,
where the society's missionaries had previously labored.
He continued about two years, but neither here nor at
any other point did the indications seem favorable to the
establishment of an institution. In 1876 the United
States Marine Hospital, erected years before the war in
the most substantial manner, at a cost of about $60,000,
was offered for sale at auction. The building had been
unused since the war, and was somewhat damaged
by a tornado. It was purchased by the society for a
school, at a cost of $5,000. The Secretary of the Treas¬
ury declining to accept so low a bid, an act was solicited,
with his concurrence, from Congress, instructing him to
approve the sale. The bill was passed, as there was no
demand for the building except for such purposes, and
the society received_a deed from the United States, in
January, 1877. C. T. Sampson, Esq., of Massachusetts,
generously gave the amount required for its purchase.
Extensive repairs and alterations were necessary to adapt
the building to school purposes, and even then, with its
large rooms and broad halls and corridors, it was not by
any means well suited to the wants of such an institution.
The amount expended on improvement was $11,807.
In October, 1877, under appointment by the society,
Rev. Chas. Ayer, of New York, opened the school with
20 students. The school has steadily increased in num¬
bers under his efficient management to the present time,
JACKSON COLLEGE, JACKSON, MISS.
598
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
having for the year ending 1882, 149 enrolled, some of
them young women.
The difficulty and expense of reaching Natchez, espe¬
cially from those sections of the state where most interest
is taken in educational matters, led the board, after care¬
ful deliberation, to the decision that a location more cen¬
tral was necessary for the greatest prosperity and useful¬
ness of the institution. This course was required also by
the growing feeling among the colored Baptists of Mis¬
sissippi, that their educational wants were not met by so
remote a location, and by their contemplated action to
start another school.
Accordingly, in November, 1882, a conference was
arranged between representatives of the society and of
the colored people, at Jackson, Mississippi. Dr. Gregory
and President Ayer and Dr. Marston were present on the
part of the society. Union of effort was decided upon,
and on the recommendation of a joint committee, the
board soon after purchased the Campbell property, con¬
sisting of fifty-two acres with a good mansion, north of
Jackson, and near the city limits, for $5,000. ' The loca¬
tion proving unsatisfactory, property was sold to city of
Natchez, 1883. New property purchased 1882, comprising
fifty-two acres and residence a little north of Jackson.
New building erected and school transferred, 1884.
Value of property, $35,000. No endowment. Chief
patron, C. T. Sampson, Massachusetts. Rev. Charles
Ayer, President.
The colored population of Mississippi in 1880 was
650,291.
selma university.
599
IX.—SELMA UNIVERSITY.
Selma, Alabama.
The colored Baptist convention at Tuscaloosa, in 1873,
decided to establish a school for preachers, and asked the
white brethren, whose state convention was then in ses¬
sion at the same place, for money and advice. They
were told that the scheme was impracticable. In 1874
they sent Rev. W. H. McAlpine among the colored
churches to raise money, and by November, 1876, he had
raised about $r,ooo. The convention at Eufaula, in 1877,
decided to locate the school at Selma, and to open it Jan¬
uary 1, 1878.
Rev. H. Woodsmall, who had been holding ministers'
institutes in Alabama, under the auspices of the Home
Mission Society, was asked to take charge of the school.
The society was not prepared to support him in this
undertaking. Nevertheless, feeling that the work was
demanded, he accepted the invitation of the convention,
on condition that the colored brethren would endeavor
to provide the land and buildings needed, meet the cur¬
rent expenses, and provide for half of his salary. This
they agreed to do. The school was opened in January,
1878, in the colored Baptist church at Selma.
Property was bought, in 1878, comprising about thirty-
six acres with a building (formerly the agricultural fair
grounds), at a cost of $3,000. It is in the suburbs of the
city. Not only did the colored people pay for this, but
proceeded to make improvements and to erect a frame
chapel and schoolrooms in 1879, while.at the same time
giving for the support of the school. Since 1877 they
have raised for educational purposes about $14,000. The
property is now valued at $15,000. Mr. Woodsmall was
formerly an attorney in Indiana, then captain of an
Indiana regiment during the war, and after the war
WW,....
selma university.
becoming deeply impressed that he ought to consecrate
his life to the spiritual and intellectual elevation of the
colored people, studied and was graduated from a south¬
ern theological school to fit himself for this work. Find¬
ing the colored people unable to bear the burdens as¬
sumed, and having expended his own means, he appealed
to the churches of his native state for aid. The ladies of
Indiana, largely through the activity of Miss Auretta
Hoyt, contributed to the support of teachers, while other
friends in the North were also raised up for the work.
In March, 1880, the board of trustees of the institution
petitioned the society to co-operate in its support. The
executive board, in June, responded favorably with a
pledge of $2,000 for teachers' salaries the ensuing year.
Since then the amount has been raised to more than
$3,000 per annum. About 550 students have been enrolled
since the opening of the school.
More than one hundred students for the ministry, and
about the same number of teachers, have been in the
institution. In 1881 more than eighty pupils were teach¬
ers in the public schools of the state. Both sexes are
admitted. The institution has no dormitories. These
are greatly needed, as students find difficulty in obtain¬
ing suitable rooms in private residences.
In 1881 Rev. W. H. McAlpine, who was a slave until
1865, and who has done more than any other colored
man for the school, was chosen president ; though Rev.
Mr. Woodsmall continued in charge of instruction. Mr.
Woodsmall started a paper in 1878, called The Baptist
Pioneer, which has a monthly circulation of about 2,000
copies. The school has been characterized by a deep
religious interest, and students have been organized for
work during vacations. Through them over ten thou¬
sand books, including Bibles and Testaments, and a great
number of papers and tracts by both teachers and stu-
6o2
our baptist schools.
dents, have been distributed. Mr. Woodsmall has devoted
much of his vacation in holding ministers' and teachers'
institutes throughout the state, and by his indomitable
perseverance and unflinching faith, in the face sometimes
of reproach and opposition, for more than five years he
has carried forward the enterprise ; literally putting into
it his life.
There are over 600,000 colored people in Alabama.
X.—THE FLORIDA INSTITUTE.
Live Oak, Florida.
In October, 1868, the Bethlehem Baptist Association of
Florida was organized, and at once took steps to estab¬
lish an institution of learning. Rev. C. B. Simmons and
Col. Wood were appointed a committee to raise money
and select a site. Live Oak was chosen, and a square of
land, comprising about three and a half acres, on which
was an . incomplete building originally intended for a
court house, was purchased. The colored people of the
state raised and expended for this purpose $2,000. Nov.
I5> I^73, the school was incorporated and trustees duly
elected. In 1876 the last payment was made on the
property. Unable to complete the building and open
the school, the association, in October, 1879, formally
petitioned the society for assistance. The corresponding
secretary of the society made an investigation of affairs,
in a visit to Florida in February, 1880, and in March of
the same year the board voted to aid, if funds could be
obtained, and to open the school the following autumn.
Contributions having been sent in for the purpose, Rev.
Charles Ayer was requested to proceed to Live Oak and
superintend the work of completing the building. This
being done, Rev. J. L. A. Fish was appointed to take
STATE UNIVERSITY.
603
charge of the institution. School was opened in October,
1880. -In 1882 a re-organization of the educational work
in the state was effected, so that the colored state con¬
vention was enlisted in the upbuilding of the institution.
As yet it is in its infancy, and is in need of nearly every¬
thing. A generous Christian woman in Massachusetts
has promised $5,000 towards the erection of dormitories
for girls and better school accommodations, provided
$5,000 additional can be secured. A plain two-story
frame building, with rooms for thirty-two young men was
completed in 1882, at an expense of about $1,500.
President Fish has already won a large place in the
esteem of the colored Baptists of Florida, and only needs
the proper support to make the school a great success.
The convention unites with the society in the support of
Rev. J. N. Stokes as general missionary and agent for the
institution.
There are about 126,000 colored people in Florida.
In southern Georgia, which is naturally tributary to this
school, there are about 100,000 more.
Frame building for girls' dormitory, erected, 1882.
Additional ground and building for boys' dormitory, pur¬
chased, 1884. Entire property now includes about eleven
acres in the western portion of Live Oak. Property val¬
ued at $7,000. No endowment. Rev. J. L. A. Fish,
President.
XI.—STATE UNIVERSITY.
Louisville, Kentucky.
Very soon after the close of the war, the colored Bap¬
tists of Kentucky organized themselves into a " General
Assembly," for the purpose of establishing a college for
the education of ministers and teachers. In 1866 they
purchased a site at Frankfort, but they were too poor to
604
OtjR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
start the school. In 1869 they changed their name to
the General Association of the Colored Baptists of Ken¬
tucky, and by a bare majority decided, to change the
STATE UNIVERSITY.
location of the school from Frankfort to Louisville. For
ten long years, without a missionary or teacher sent to
organize and lead them, they lived and toiled on toward
STATE UNIVERSITY. 605
the goal. For some cause, the Home Mission Society did
but little work among the colored people of Kentucky ;
the principal laborer being Rev. Marsena Stone, who spent
about six months holding ministers' institutes in the state
in 1873-4.
In 1879 they rallied anew to establish the school. The
Frankfort property was sold for $2,000. A location was
selected in L<puisville, on Kentucky street, between
Seventh and Eighth streets, comprising about two and a
half acres, on which was a large two-story brick building,
and purchased for $13,800. It was a great venture. In
November a school was opened with Rev. E. P. Maros, a
colored pastor in the state, as manager, and Rev. W. R.
Davis, as teacher. From 25 to 30 students were in attend¬
ance the first year. The school was duly incorporated.
As the board of trustees had no resources, the teachers
were without a stated salary, and often in no little em¬
barrassment. By direction of the General Association the
board of trustees called Rev. Wm. J. Simmons, pastor of
a colored church in Lexington, and a graduate of How¬
ard University in 1873, to the presidency of the institu¬
tion. He entered on his work in September, 1880. Dur¬
ing the ensuing year 111 students were enrolled. From
tuition fees and contributions, about $3,200 was raised,
and the General Association appropriated, in 1881, $1,500
toward the school.
Finding the burden becoming too heavy, the president
visited New York, in June, 1881, and as a result of his
conference with the board of the Home Mission Society
$1,500 was appropriated for the support of teachers, and
the president joyfully telegraphed back : "Saved ! God
has heard our prayer. The Home Mission Society res¬
cues us." The appropriation was increased to $2,500
the next year, on the promise that about $5,000 should
b? raised in the state to pay for the property. A third
6o6
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
story was added to the building in 1881 at a cost
of $1,300.
All the teachers are colored, three of them having been
students in Nashville, and one, Prof. C. S. Dinkins, a
graduate of Newton Theological Seminary. The courses
of study are academic, normal, and theological. In the
latter course some of the professors in the Southern
Theological Seminary, as well as pastors in the city, have
given lectures to the students. The capacity of the
building is wholly inadequate to the demands. The col¬
ored people^ of Kentucky, under the energetic leadership
of President Simmons, deserve much praise for what
they have done, and speedy success in their undertaking.
There are about 275,000 colored people in Kentucky.
XII.—BISHOP BAPTIST COLLEGE.
Marshall, Texas.
The need of a school for the colored people of the
Southwest, beyond the Mississippi, had been appreciated
for many years prior to 1880, and had engaged the
thoughts of Dr. Nathan Bishop, who said to a friend not
long before his death in 1880, "I have $10,000 to put into
a school in Texas, when the time has come." This was
the inspiration of the movement to establish such an
institution, although no positive gift was left for this pur¬
pose. In the summer of 1880, Dr. S. YV. Marston, super¬
intendent of missions for the freedmen, made a tour of
observation with special reference to the location of a
school. With the concurrence of the Texas and Louis¬
iana Association, held in August, 1880, it was decided to
locate the school at Marshall, Texas. The " Holcombe
property," a beautiful site, with a mansion and smaller
buildings in the midst of a grove and ten acres of land,
was purchased for $2,500. The colored people contrib-
MARSTON HALL, BISHOP BAPTIST COLLEGE,
MARSHALL, TEX.
6o8
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
uted liberally toward the purchase of the property, and
at the Texas State Convention (white) in October, 1880,
$400 was contributed for the same purpose. Within ten
months nearly $2,000 was provided by the colored people,
and a larger sum pledged for the enterprise.
In the fall of 1880, through the gift of $10,000 from
girls' dormitory, bishop college.
Mrs. Bishop, thus carrying out the intent of her deceased
husband, and her own intent as well, the board was
enabled to arrange for the erection of a suitable building.
This was begun in the spring of 1881, and completed for
use in the fall of the same year at a cost of $15,428.74.
The building is of brick with stone foundations and
SPELMAN SEMINARY.
609
trimmings, three stories in height, with schoolrooms and
dormitories for fifty-six students. Additional accommo¬
dations for students are provided in the other buildings.
A new building for girls is in contemplation. Twenty-
seven acres of woodland for purposes of fuel have also
been purchased. The entire expense of grounds, build¬
ings, furniture, etc., has been $23,046.35.
The school opened the first year most favorably, un¬
der the charge of President S. W. Culver, with a force
of competent teachers, including Professor F. D. Shaver,
formerly an instructor at New Orleans. The attend¬
ance for the year ending May, 1882, was 299 ; many,
however, were in the preparatory school, sustained in
part by public funds. The colored Baptists of Texas,
and the white brethren as well, have taken a deep inter¬
est in this institution, the only school of the society for
freedmen west of the Mississippi.
The colored people on this field number about 600,000.
XIII. SPELMAN SEMINARY.
Atlanta, Ga.
Early in April, 1881, Rev. Frank Quarles, pastor of the
Friendship Baptist Church, was in his study praying the
Lord to send Baptist teachers to open a school for
colored girls and women in Atlanta. While he was yet
praying, Miss S. B. Packard and Miss H. E. Giles, women
of long experience in educational and Christian work in
the North, having come for that very purpose, were wait¬
ing at the door. Miss Packard had been corresponding
secretary of the Woman's Baptist Home Mission Society
in Boston, and had visited the South, for the purpose of
carefully studying the condition and needs of the colored
girls and women, and she had been deeply impressed
that God called her to work especially for them. Atlanta
3a
PACKARD HALL, SPELMAN SEMINARY, ATLANTA, GA.
SPELMAN SEMINARY.
was selected as the best field for work, and she, with
Miss Giles, had arrived thereunder commission from the
Woman's Baptist Home Mission Society.
On the nth of April, a school was opened in the dark,
damp basement of the Friendship Baptist Church.
Eleven names were enrolled, the majority being those of
full-grown women, who, being over fifteen years of age,
could not avail themselves of the instruction offered to
their people by the state.
Within three months, the number of pupils increased
to eighty. During the summer of 1881 Miss Packard
and Miss Giles remained in Atlanta, visited the homes of
the colored people that they might better understand
their needs, gathered large numbers into the Sunday-
school, gave Bible readings, and organized a mission
band and an educational society.
As a result of the summer's labors the fall term
opened with increased numbers, and during the year
one hundred and seventy-three were enrolled. Forty-
four of these were of ages ranging from twenty-five to
fifty years and had known the woes of slavery. Touch¬
ing incidents showed the eagerness and perseverance
of these women. One was so afraid that she should
forget what she had learned that she used to get up and
light a candle, if she chanced to be awake in the night,
that she might look at the letters and words once more ;
she saw at last the proud day when she could read a
chapter in the Bible to her husband. A mother came
with her four daughters, all of whom were in advance of
her, but she called herself the happiest woman in town,
because she learned to read her Bible within a year.
The dark basement was overcrowded and comfortless.
There was not a desk in the room ; the seats were hard
benches. The boards in the floor were loose, decaying,
and in some places wanting, and the scholars brought
612
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
mats to cover the bare earth under the feet of the
teachers. Girls learned to write kneeling on the floor
that they might use their seats for desks. The light was
so poor that on rainy or cloudy days it was impossible
to see to read, and ofttimes the wind swept the dust in
such clouds through the open windows as temporarily to
injure the eyesight of the teachers. Miss Champney,
who joined Miss Packard and Miss Giles in April, 1882,
heard her recitations in a quondam coal-bin. It became
imperative that larger rooms should be obtained. The
school was supported by the Baptists of the North, who
also maintained in Atlanta a theological seminary for
young men, -and it was proposed that the two schools
should be combined, and that buildings should be
erected for them on the same lot. Miss Packard and
Miss Giles strenuously opposed this union on the ground
that they deemed it essential for the best education of
the girls of the negro race that.they should pursue their
studies apart from the distractions caused by constant
companionship with young men, and it was decided that
the two schools should remain distinct. Experience in
teaching also showed that there was hope of more speedy
and radical good if as many of the students as possible
were under the constant supervision of the teachers, and
plans were made for a boarding department.
Rev. Frank Quarles, who had always done his utmost
in behalf of the school, having raised some money
among his own people, decided to go North to plead
with the churches for funds for a new building. The
inclemency of a New England November was too great
a strain upon his Southern constitution, and he sickened
and died, thus giving his life for the education of the
women of his race. Just before his illness he uttered
this prophecy, " The girls will have their school," and
it has been fulfilled,
SPELMAN SEMINARY. 613
In February, 1883, nine acres of land and five frame
buildings formerly used for the barracks of the United
States troops, were purchased by the American Baptist
Home Mission Society, and the school was moved to one
of the most delightful locations in Atlanta, a rise of
ground in full sight of the Kennesaw mountains. The
boarding department was immediately opened, and
industrial education was added to the instruction previ¬
ously given ; cooking, sewing, house-work, and laundry-
work were taught.
Dr. J. Gregory, while inspecting the schools of the
Home Mission Society, became impressed with the value
of a training school for students preparing to teach.
During a subsequent visit to Miss Packard and Miss
Giles, then in the basement, Dr. Gregory presented the
need ; plans were devised, and upon removal to the
" Barracks " a school for children was opened in one of
the rooms of the hospital building. Members of the
normal classes were detailed to teach under the super¬
vision of a teacher, Miss Grover, the second to join the
principals, who came in December, 1882. The satisfac¬
tory work accomplished by the trained teachers has fully
proved its utility.
When the school had been in session only seven weeks
of the next school year, the family numbered ninety, and
there were about three hundred day scholars. On its
third birthday, April 11, 1884, the enrollment was five
hundred and sixteen, and the debt on the school property
was paid. Hon. J. D. Rockefeller of New York gave the
larger part of the money needed for this, and the name
of the school was changed from the Atlanta Baptist
Female Seminary, which it had hitherto borne, to Spel-
man Seminary, in honor of Mr. Spelman, the father of
Mrs. Rockefeller, who was for more than forty years the
steadfast friend of the colored race.
614
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
Another year saw the " Barracks " so overcrowded
that ground was broken for a large brick building, which
was to contain a chapel, recitation rooms, and dormito¬
ries. Again the largest donor was Mr. Rockefeller, and
it received his name. Rockefeller Hall was dedicated in
1886.
Meanwhile a printing office was furnished, and a
school paper, the Spelman Messenger, was begun, that the
trade of printing might be taught. A nurse-training
department, with a three years' course, was also intro¬
duced, to teach the profession of caring for the sick.
During the winter of 1886-7 the prosperity of the
school was great. The total membership was six hun¬
dred and forty-six, and the number of teachers was
twenty-five. Diplomas were given in May to six girls,
the first class that had completed the higher normal and
scientific course.
This prosperity was speedily followed by a sore calam¬
ity—the burning, during the summer vacation, of the
largest of the frame buildings, Union Hall, in which were
the dining-rooms, the rooms of the model school, and a
few dormitories. Yet this misfortune was turned into a
blessing. The sympathy of friends furnished funds with
which to build by the side of Rockefeller Hall another
large brick building containing dining-rooms, music-
rooms, and bed-rooms for sixty girls, while a brick
industrial building in its rear holds the kitchen and
pantries, the printing-office, and a light, airy sewing-
room. The Board of the Woman's Baptist Home Mis¬
sion Society voted that this should be named Packard
Hall.
The graduating class of 1888 numbered nine, and one
girl took a certificate as a professional nurse. In May,
1889, there were eight graduates in the higher scientific and
normal course, and five in the nurse-training department.
ROCKEFELLER HALL, SPELMAN SEMINARY, ATLANTA, GA.
6i6
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
The enrollment for the eighth year was five hundred
and fifty-one, and the number of boarders is two hundred
and fifty-two, with twenty-nine teachers. The cooking
and housekeeping department has given certificates to
fifty-four girls, and twenty-three more graduated in 1889.
The aggregate enrollment for these eight years was 4,131,
and there were 512 conversions. The estimated value of
the school property is $85,000.
In March, 1888, a board of trustees was formed, and
Spelman Seminary was incorporated by the state of
Georgia. This step insures permanence to the school.
The salaries of eleven teachers are paid by the Woman's
Baptist Home Mission Society of Boston. Several ladies
give their services either wholly or in part, and the
industrial work is maintained by the Slater Fund. Dr.
Haygood, the agent of this fund, has been one of the
best friends of Spelman, and it is wholly due to his
hearty and generous financial aid that the industrial
work has been possible. The physicians of Atlanta are
in cordial sympathy with our nurse-training department,
as is proved by their presence at its semi-annual exami¬
nations, by their commendation of the skill of those
girls whom they have met in the sick room, and by their
readiness to give courses of practical lectures to the
class.
The graduates of Spelman are doing honorable and
noble work, which is making the world better. One of
them, Miss Nora A. Gordon, has gone to the Congo as a
missionary—the first fruits of the school offered for the
elevation of Africa—and others are expecting to follow
her.
The rapid growth of Spelman Seminary illustrates the
blessing of God upon works combined with faith. Its
founders trusted in the Lord, that he had sent them to
Atlanta, and that he would sustain them ; they have
STATISTICS.
also labored in season and out of season, in school time
and in vacation, by pen and by speech, in the South and
in the North. Not only have they gathered about them
a band of consecrated teachers, not only have they been
the counselors and leaders of hundreds of students;
they have put down the opposition of enemies, have con¬
vinced reluctant friends, and have raised the funds for
the ever-growing needs of the school.
It is an easy task to give statistics and dates concern¬
ing a school, but it is impossible to describe its moral
and spiritual atmosphere, and its results as tested by the
formation of Christian character. Suffice it to say that
the Bible has always been the text-book that has received
the most careful study, and that daily living according
to the teaching of that book is pressed upon every pupil
as the only true and fruitful life, and we know that the
reaping always corresponds with the sowing.
STATISTICAL TABLE OF CHURCHES,
SCHOOLS, ETC.
The following summary of statistics of the churches,
schools, etc., of the Baptist and all other religious
denominations of the colored people in the United States
was compiled from the reports of district associations
and state conventions, by Dr. R. DeBaptiste, and reported
at the National Baptist Convention at Louisville, Ky.,
September 25, 1890.
Churches and Sunday-schools.
Number of state conventions of churches, 17
Number of state conventions of Sunday-schools, 8
Number of state conventions of women, educational and
missionary, 7
Number of district associations, 39°
6i8
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
Number of ordained ministers, 8,637
Number of churches, 11 <9^7
Number of baptisms, 40,676
Number of church members, *>399)298
Number of Sunday-schools, 6,585
Number of Sunday-school officers and teachers, 27,208
Number of Sunday-school pupils, 341,506
Value of church property, $6,741,080.00
Contributions for salaries and expenses, $496,257.02
Contributions for missions, $39,051.04
Contributions for education, $16,558.07
Contributions for miscellaneous purposes, $79,269.46
Total contributions reported, $631,135.59
Institutions for Education.
Number of schools of colored Baptists owned and man¬
aged by themselves but open to all, 46
Number of schools owned and managed by the American
Baptist Home Mission Society for the education of
the colored race, 12
Number of self-supporting schools, 1
Number of instructors in schools of the colored Baptists
(male 72, female 56), 128
Instructors in schools of the American Baptist Home Mis¬
sion Society (male 70, female 71), 141
Number of students in schools of the colored Baptists, 4,106
Number of students in schools of the American Baptist
Home Mission Society, 2,692
Number of students preparing for the ministry in colored
Baptist schools, 181
Number of students preparing for the ministry in Ameri¬
can Baptist Home Mission Society, 340
Number of volumes in library in colored Baptist schools, 4,435
Volumes in library in American Baptist Home Mission
Society, 19,900
Value of library and apparatus in colored Baptist schools, $6,443.00
Value of library and apparatus in American Baptist Home
Mission Society schools, $32,700.00
Value of grounds and buildings of colored Baptist
schools, $243,140.00
Value of grounds and buildings of American Baptist
Home Mission Society schools, $703,000.00
STATISTICS.
619
Amount of endowment of American Baptist Home Mis¬
sion Society schools, $109,600.00
Total value of property of American Baptist Home Mis¬
sion Society schools, $845,300.00
Total value of property of colored Baptist schools, $249,583.00
The schools owned and managed by the colored Baptists are located
as to states as follows : Alabama 3, Arkansas 3, Georgia 7, Kentucky 6,
Louisiana 2, Mississippi 2, Missouri 1, North Carolina 12, South Caro¬
lina 1, Tennessee 1, Texas 4, Virginia 3, West Virginia 1.
The schools owned and managed by the American Baptist Home
Mission Society are located as to states as follows : District of Colum¬
bia x, Florida 1, Georgia 2, Indian Territory 1, Mississippi 1, North
Carolina 1, Tennessee 1, Texas 1, Virginia 2, South Carolina 1.
Colored Members of Other Religious Denomina¬
tions.
Number of colored members in regular missionary Baptist churches in
the United States, 1,399,298
"The Methodist Episcopal Year Book 1890" gives the
African Methodist Episcopal, the African Methodist
Episcopal Zion, and colored Methodist Episcopal
throughout the world : Itinerant ministers 6,389, local
preachers 21,494, lay members 884,000, total, 890,000
The Methodist Episcopal has colored members, 156,000
The Methodist Episcopal South has colored members, 646
The Protestant Episcopal in the United States has colored
members, 20,000
The Presbyterian churches have colored members, 20,000
The Congregational churches have colored members, 9,000
The Roman Catholics claim as members a colored pop¬
ulation of 200,oco
This gives a total of colored members in the pedobaptist
denominations named, evangelical and unevangelical,
in the United States, 1,295,646
Allow as a liberal estimate of colored members in all pedo¬
baptist denominations not named, 19,000
Total colored members in those churches, 1,314,646
This gives regular Baptist churches a majority of colored
members over them all of 84,652
Total, 1,399.298
620
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
BAPTIST BIBLE AND NORMAL INSTITUTE.
Memphis, Tenn.
This institution was incorporated in 1887. It was
organized by colored people in the interests of self-
development and self-support, and is the outgrowth of a
struggle for righteousness and intelligence to prepare the
people for Christian citizenship.
The property is valued at $20,000, with a debt of
$6,000. It has no endowment. The annual expenses
are about $5,000, of which $2,000 is paid by tuition,
$1,000 by donations on the field, and $2,000 by the
Baptist Home Mission Society. It has theological, nor¬
mal, and industrial departments. The industrial depart¬
ment is supported by prominent white citizens of
Memphis.
Rev. H. R. Traver, A.M., is president. There are eight
teachers.
THE MATHER INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.
This school is conveniently located on a beautiful bluff
about one mile from the incorporate limits of the town
of Beaufort, on the public road leading to Port Royal,
overlooking the Beaufort river. It was established im¬
mediately after the late war by Mrs. Rachel C. Mather
of Boston, Mass., whose name it worthily bears, and now
represents over twenty odd years of successful labors
among the freedmen and their descendants of this vicin¬
ity. Mrs. Mather was a teacher in the public schools of
classic Boston when the call came to her to come south
and engage in the noble work that has received the full
strength of her best years with more than ordinary fidel¬
ity.
The work of the school is conducted by Mrs. Mather
with the help of six assistants. Three of these are sup-
MATHER INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL. 621
ported by "The Woman's Baptist Home Mission Society,"
one partly by the county school authorities, and the
other two from her own resources. There is immediate
and pressing need of a sewing teacher, but the neces¬
sary support is' not forthcoming. If a suitable and
efficient person could be secured for that department, its
product might be made remunerative and materially aid
in the support of the general work. Here is a most excel¬
lent opportunity for the exercise of a wise philanthropy.
The good accomplished by the expenditure of money in
a work of this kind is simply beyond calculation.
The day school has an enrollment of two hundred
scholars gathered from the surrounding country—in¬
deed, many from the town of Beaufort attend it also.
They are regularly and carefully taught in all of the
common school and higher branches and such industries
as are necessary to make them useful and successful
through life. The idea that the hand should be as care¬
fully and intelligently trained as the head and the heart
is a leading feature of the school and closely observed in
all branches of its work.
The Bible is a principal text book in all departments
of the work, and the most careful attention is paid to the
proper moral training of those connected with the school,
orphanage, and home. Temperance has long been a lead¬
ing feature of the institution. A temperance society is sus¬
tained, which has also done a great deal of good among
the adults of the surrounding country.
There is an orphanage connected with the school, into
which there have been gathered and trained, during the
twenty odd years of its existence, many orphan children;
also a boarding home and domestic training school for
those girls who would prepare themselves to become
good home makers. Homes have been furnished and
made pleasant here for many orphans and outcasts, who
622
OUR BAPTIST SCHOOLS.
were prepared to do good service in other homes North
and South. Much good has been done through this
instrumentality.
The aim of this school has been to reach the home and
to develop the home-life of those who have come under
its care, which is acknowledged to be the only line upon
which the great work of elevating and educating the
freedmen can be successfully conducted. The evils en¬
tailed by long years of neglect in that most important
respect can be counteracted only by years of patient
Christian effort, directed at the home-life of their off¬
spring. In the home of the colored people must the work
be done, and these homes can be best reached by taking
from them the young in all their tender crudity and
returning them well and carefully trained home makers.
Work carefully conducted on this line will save us a
century of unnecessary work in that important field of
labor.
This lady has patiently and heroically conducted this
important work that we have so imperfectly described
above, almost single handed and alone, for nearly twenty-
four years! She has borne with remarkable fortitude and
astonishing courage all the cares, anxieties, and worry
necessarily attending a work of the kind, carried on as
that has been without any certain sources of revenue to
meet its constant and varied obligations. In her younger
days the trials were lost sight of, perhaps, in her youth¬
ful enthusiasm for the work. But in her declining years
they become yearly exceedingly more and more burden¬
some and grievous to be borne. If any one desires a
worthy and promising field for the judicious exercise
of a remunerative philanthropy, here it is. Every dollar
expended in a work of so much promise is returned ten¬
fold to the giver in lasting rewards. The work is worthy
of a cheerful and substantial response.
APPENDIX.
Rev. Sandy Alexander.
It is a positive pleasure to be able to add tes¬
timony to the worth and character of one who has
devoted many years to the service of God and
humanity; especially is it so with reference to the
pioneer ministers of the colored race. Men who,
in the days of exceedingly great darkness and
oppression, devoted whatever talent and opportu¬
nity they possessed to the cause of the oppressed,
deserve commendation in no stinted measure.
The younger men of to-day are doing a grand
and noble work. In many instances they are
reaping great harvests. But in some cases the
fruits they are now reaping are the results of
seeds sown by our forefathers in cruel and inau¬
spicious times, and under adverse circumstances.
For nearly forty years Rev. Alexander has been
preaching the word of God. During that time
many churches have been organized through his
efforts as will be here shown. Very few, if any,
ministers enjoy more of the confidence and love
of their people than he.
The Rev. Sandy Alexander, pastor of the First
Baptist Church of Georgetown, D. C., was born
in 1818, in Virginia. When about twelve years
2
APPENDIX.
of age he went to Washington, and remained for
one year, and then returned to Virginia. About
two years later he went back again, and shortly
afterward his owner in Virginia died and he was
called home by the executors. When the will of
his owner was .read it was found that he would
have to serve the estate until he was twenty-five
years of age, when he would be set free. He
served the ten years and then received his free
papers. While in Virginia he had learned to
read a little. He had been converted at the age
of twelve years. He returned to Washington
when he was about twenty-six years old, and he
improved himself as fast as he could by attending
a day-school taught by Mrs. Charlotte Gordon
on the corner of Fourteenth and G streets. He
next attended the Columbian College, under the
care of Rev. Dr. Sampson, during the mornings
and evenings. There he was taught theology by
Dr. Chancery Leonard, and afterwards was exam¬
ined in theology by Rev. Dr. Sampson, and was
ordained by a council to the work of the gospel
ministry.
Rev. Mr. Alexander has been a remarkable
man in many respects, and has usually achieved
success in all of his undertakings. He married
a slave, and some years afterwards, when his wife
and two children were put in the Georgia pen in
Alexandria to be sold, he bought them out, paid
REV. SANDY ALEXANDER.
3
for them, and set them free. By hard work he
succeeded in educating both of his children, one
having graduated at the high school in Philadel¬
phia.
Mr. Alexander was called to the pastoral charge
of the Second Baptist Church of Washington, at
a time when there were but two colored Baptist
churches in the District of Columbia. He built
the edifice for the Second Baptist congregation,
and assisted them in paying for it. In 1858 Rev.
Dr. George W. Sampson, then president of the
Columbian College, and Rev. Dr. Stephen P.
Hill induced him to go to Georgetown, and try
to build a Baptist church there. Upon going
there he found but two Baptists to begin with,
Collins Williams and his wife, Betsy Williams.
With this small contingent he worked arid
preached, often preaching to only three or four
persons, until October 5, 1862, when Rev. Dr.
Sampson called a council, organized the First
Baptist Church of Georgetown, and Rev. Alexan¬
der was called to take the pastoral charge. The
corner stone of the present church was laid in
July, 1882, and since that time the church has
been built and paid for. Deeds of release have
been given, canceling the deeds of trust, and the
entire church property is now free of debt. The
membership of the church has increased from
five to over seven hundred. Rev. Alexander has
40
4
APPENDIX.
also built four other churches, assisted in paying
for them until they are all out of debt. He has
also organized three other churches from the
First Baptist church, and ordained three persons
to the work of the gospel ministry, who now have
prominent churches and are doing well. In 1871
Mr. Alexander was chosen chaplain of the senate
of the District of Columbia, and served out his
term, receiving complimentary notices at the close,
from Mr. Stickney, the president of the senate,
and from Hon. Fred Douglass, for the earnest
and faithful manner in which he discharged
his duties. He was also employed in the dead
letter division of the post office for nineteen
years and seven months, and in July, 1871,
was transferred to the patent office department,
where he remained until June, 1886, when he
voluntarily resigned. In the discharge of all his
public duties he has ever been faithful and true.
In accepting his resignation the deputy commis¬
sioner of patents says, "In all cases you have con¬
ducted yourself in such a manner as to win my
entire approbation and esteem, and merit the
good opinion of all who admire competency,
integrity, and worth in the administration of the
departments of the government."
The great success that has attended his labors
has been incomprehensible to many. But pos¬
sessing as he does good executive ability, good
rev. walter h. brooks, d.d. 5
judgment, and being a good teacher withal, he
has been able to accomplish much for the good
of his fellow men, and for the cause of religion
and morality. Whenever he has desired to raise
money for his church or to assist other churches,
it was always his custom to head the list with a
contribution from himself and each member of
the family, and then appealing to his congrega¬
tion and friends, he was able to raise the required
amount and ofttimes more than he had asked for.
On the second Sunday in May, 1885, he asked
for $1,000, and his congregation responded!by
giving $1,020. On the second Sunday in May,
1886, he asked for $1,000 more, and the church
gave a collection of $1,213.29, being the largest
amount raised by any church in the district in
one day.
He is a faithful and successful minister of
Christ.
Rev. Walter H. Brooks, D.D.
Rev. Walter H. Brooks, D.D., is one of the
most progressive men in the Baptist denomina¬
tion. He need not be restricted to the Baptist
church ; no denomination can boast of men more
progressive, more in touch with the time and its
demands, than is Dr. Brooks. He is eloquent
and logical as a speaker, forcible and convincing
" » » O,
Rev. WALTER H. BROOKS, D.D.
REV. WALTER H. BROOKS, D.D. 7
as a debater, and fluent as well as piercing as a
writer. He is perfectly at home in the pulpit,
sympathetic and pathetic as the occasion demands.
His ready flow of language makes him easily and
anxiously listened to. He knows all the leading
men of the denomination in the country and is
known by them.
Rev. Brooks was born in Richmond, Virginia,
August 30, 1851. He remained a slave till he
was set free in 1865.
In December, 1858, he was sold along with his
mother and the other children. At the begin¬
ning of the following year he was put to work in
a tobacco factory. He was kept at that kind of
work about two years. In the mean time, his
father, by industry and economy, had saved suffi¬
cient money to purchase his wife from her own¬
ers. She in turn, now being free,-hired the time
of young Brooks and put him at hotel work, at
which he remained till 1865.
In August of the same year he was put in a
private school in Richmond, Virginia, entering
the lowest grade in the school, as he did not know
all the letters of the alphabet. After two months'
stay in that school he was taken north and entered
a school at Carolina Mills, Rhode Island, where
he remained eight months.
In the fall of 1866, Mr. Brooks was. sent to
Lincoln University. There he began in the low-
8
APPENDIX.
est grade in the preparatory department. After
six years of study, he graduated from the college
department in 1872. The following school year
was spent in the theological department. In the
summer of 1873, after spending seven years at
Lincoln University, he took his final leave of the
institution. One of the great turning points in
his life was reached while yet a student in 1867.
In December of that year he became a Christian,
and in January of the following year he united
with the Ashman Presbyterian Church. But his
mind having undergone a change as to certain
questions relative to baptism and church govern¬
ment, he severed his connection with the Presby¬
terian church in the fall of 1873, and was baptized
into the fellowship of the First African Baptist
Church, Richmond, Virginia. This change of
mind explains why he did not complete the the¬
ological course at Lincoln University. For lack
of funds he dropped out of school altogether.
Fortunately, about that time he was given an
appointment at the post office at Richmond, Vir¬
ginia, and was put in charge of the general
delivery. Mr. Brooks soon re-entered the minis¬
terial work, and in May, 1874, resigned his clerk¬
ship in the Richmond post office, and became a
Sunday-school missionary for the state of Vir¬
ginia, under the auspices of the American Bap¬
tist Publication Society. Before entering public
REV. WALTER H. BROOKS, D.D. 9
life he took as the companion of his life, Miss
Eva Holmes, daughter of Rev. J. H. Holmes,
pastor of the First African Baptist Church, Rich¬
mond, Virginia. While in the service of the
American Baptist Publication Society he ad¬
dressed the society at its anniversary meeting
held in Philadelphia, 1875. The address evoked
much criticism, some unfavorable as well as favor¬
able ; these gave him a national reputation.
In December, 1876, he was ordained to the
work of the gospel ministry, and in the following
spring, he accepted the call to the pastorate of
the Second Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia.
While there he became intimately acquainted
with the leading white clergy of the city. He
was respected for his manhood and highly es¬
teemed as a Christian minister.
During 1880 he addressed the Baptist General
Association (white) of Virginia. His reception
was cordial and his speech brought his audience
to tears. It was very favorably commented upon
by the daily and religious press.
October, 1880, he again entered the Sunday-
school missionary work, under the American
Baptist Publication Society, with his headquarters
at New Orleans, Louisiana. From that point
he extended his work throughout the state. At
its anniversary meeting in the city of Indianapo¬
lis, Indiana, he addressed the Publication Society.
IO
APPENDIX.
That speech added greatly to his reputation and
brought much sympathy and substantial aid to
the colored people whom he represented.
During the same summer he lost his father,
who had reached his sixty-third year, and also
one of his children. In the fall of 1881 he moved
his family south. Louisiana did not agree with
the health of his wife, in consequence he gave up
the work of the Publication Society, and accepted
a call to the 19th Street Baptist Church, Wash¬
ington, D. C., where he still labors. The 19th
Street Church is the mother church in the Dis¬
trict of Columbia. From it has sprung thirty-four
others with an aggregate membership of twenty
thousand. When organized, in 1839, the 19th
Street Church had^only four members ; in addition
to the other thirty-four churches sent out, it now
has a membership of thirteen hundred.
It has never been more prosperous than in the
last nine or ten years. The church edifice has
recently been enlarged and beautified at consider¬
able expense. It is now very capacious as well as
beautiful. In speaking of it the Plaindealer of
April 10, 1891, said: "Rev. Walter H. Brooks,
D.D., is now in his ninth year of the pastorate of
the church. During his connection, the church
has prospered as it never has before, both mate¬
rially and spiritually." In 1889 Rev. Brooks was
honored with the degree of Doctor of Divin-
rev. john h. brooks.
ity, conferred by Roger Williams University,
Nashville, Tennessee, and almost at the same time
by the State University, Louisville, Kentucky.
Dr. Brooks is scholarly in his address, his style
is energetic, his diction precise. Besides public
addresses, he has written much for the press. He
believes in negro manhood ; he opposes anything
or anybody who antagonizes the manly develop¬
ment of the negro. Already he has done a great
work for God and his fellow men, yet he is just in
the prime of life as to age and intellect. He is
always a conspicuous and influential figure in the
national gatherings of the Baptists.
Rev. John H. Brooks.
The late Rev. John H. Brooks, pastor of the
Fifth Baptist Church of Washington, D. C., was
born in Hanover County, Virginia, in 1830.
When a boy he became a Christian, and although
it Was against the laws of the state for colored
people to use books, he managed to learn to
read, and commenced to preach when very
young, in the dark days of slavery. During the
late war he left his old master and came into the
Union line and drove a wagon for the govern¬
ment.
He subsequently came to this city, and contin¬
uing to preach, he collected together many of his
12
APPENDIX.
old friends and commenced worship. After some
time preaching in private houses on 16th street,
he organized a band of members, and they
called themselves a church, and built a little
frame edifice where the meeting house of the
Fifth Baptist Church now stands, on Vermont
avenue, between Q and R streets n. w.
Finding that his was not a recognized church,
and that it was necessary to become regularly
organized, he consulted the Rev. D. W. Ander¬
son (pastor of the 19th Street Baptist Church),
and upon his advice, Brooks and seven others of
his congregation joined the 19th Street Church
for the purpose of drawing letters of dismission
and becoming a regularly organized and recog¬
nized church. Rev. Anderson then being their
pastor, took the matter in hand, proceeded at
once to grant letters, and called a council of
sister churches to establish this little branch. He
met with great opposition, but they were organ¬
ized and recognized in May, 1866.
This loving little flock chose Brooks as supply
to the newly established church and very soon
asked for his ordination to the work of the eos-
pel ministry here. He was bitterly opposed by
his brother ministers, but his congregation stood
by him and secured his ordination in March, 1867,
and on the second Sunday of the same month
he baptized sixty-five candidates. The church
REV. JOHN H. BROOKS.
13
grew rapidly with a man as -their leader who was
scorned by many who thought themselves too
good presiders to preach to the people to whom
he ministered. He did not stop for that, but
continued on and would say, as did Nehemiah of
old, " I'm about a great work, and cannot come
down." The disposition of this great leader who
had so many good qualities made for him a host
of friends. He was a despised man, and he took
up his own people who were also despised and
forsaken.
He baptized between eight hundred and a
thousand people; he became a leader even among
preachers. The -church was in that part of the
city known as " Hell's Bottom." This name was
brought about by a low class of people then living
in this locality. It must be admitted that Brooks
did a great deal to break down that class, and
before he died the name was changed from
" Hell's Bottom " to " Heaven's Isles." There is
no possible chance of saying too much about the
life and character of this good man.
Rev. Brooks and wife lived to see their three
daughters and one son grown, and he had the
glorious pleasure of baptizing every one of them.
He was pastor of the church from its organiza¬
tion in 1866 until August, 1889.
14
appendix.
Rev. Robert Johnson.
ReV. Robert Johnson, pastor of the Fourth
Baptist Church, on R street, between Twelfth
and Thirteenth streets n. w., Washington, D. C.,
was born in Westmoreland County, Va., in the
year 1836, and worked on the farm as a slave until
after the breaking out of the late war. In 1859
he was carried to Alexandria by his owner to be
sold, but not being able to get his price, after
remaining in Alexandria three months, he was
returned to his old home in Westmoreland
County. While in Alexandria part of the time
was spent in jail, where he had been placed for
safe keeping, and the remainder of the time he
worked on a farm near Alexandria. He contin¬
ued to work 011 his owner's farm until some time
in the year 1863. At that time Fredericksburg
and all the country below on the Rappahannock
river was in the hands of the Union army. Find¬
ing a suitable opportunity, he made his way into
the Union lines, and continued until he reached
Fredericksburg. Arriving there he engaged
himself as a cook to one of the regiments then on
duty there, in which service he continued for
several months. Not satisfied to be separated
from his wife and child, whom he had left at the
old farm in Westmoreland County, he determined
to return there, and if possible bring them with
him, within the Union lines at Fredericksburg.
REV. ROBERT JOHNSON. 15
Accordingly he started, with many misgivings,
but with a brave heart, knowing that the whole
distance was well guarded with rebel pickets.
Not many miles had been traveled before the
pickets were encountered. He succeeded, how¬
ever, in eluding them, and arrived safely at the
old home, but here he was detained for more than
six weeks on account of the sickness of his wife.
She having sufficiently recovered to go with him,
he took a small boat on the Potomac and crossed
into Maryland. Seeing a revenue cutter in the
river, he asked to be taken on board but was
refused by the officer in charge, and was referred
to another steamer in the river near by. He
attempted to get aboard this steamer and failed,
and remained in the river in a small boat with
his wife and child until he was picked up by a
sailing vessel and brought to Alexandria ; from
there he came to Washington and entered the
contraband camp. Again safe within the Union
lines,.he at once went to work as a day laborer to
support his wife and child.
He had not been in Washington long before
he was taken sick and was sent for treatment to
the Haywood hospital, where he remained for
about three months. Recovering his health he
was employed as overseer over a number of hands
working around the hospital. Up to this time
he had never had any opportunities of education,
i6
APPENDIX.
not being able either to read or write. But while
he was at the Haywood hospital a night school
was organized taught by different soldiers on
duty there, and as the term of one soldier would
expire another would take charge of the school.
Often while at work during the day he would
have his book before him, studying as he worked,
and when night arrived he had perfectly learned
his lesson. In the spring of 1865 he enlisted in
the 43d United States colored infantry, and
served until December of that year, when he was
mustered out of service at Brownsville, Texas,
and afterward taken to Philadelphia, where he
was discharged from the army. Returning to
Washington from Philadelphia he again entered
a night school, working every day as a laborer.
This enabled him to support his family and at
the same time he was acquiring a fair education.
The school he attended was the Home Mission
School of the Wayland University. Rev. Mr.
Johnson first connected himself with the Fourth
Baptist Church at its organization, in 1864, as a
private member. In 1867 joined the Nine¬
teenth Street Baptist Church, and was there
ordained as a minister and sent to take charge of
the church at Falls Church, Fairfax County, Va.
He remained there until 1870, when he was
called to the Fourth Baptist Church, his present
charge, and since that time he has devoted him-
REV. ROBERT JOHNSON. I 7
self to the upbuilding of that church. The mem¬
bership of the church at first was small and the
members poor, and to enable him to serve them
and at the same time to support his family, in
1873 he accepted the position of a private watch¬
man at the White House under President Grant,
and served there during the remainder of Presi¬
dent Grant's term and under President Hayes
until the fall of 1880. In addition to all his other
duties, in 1880 he organized a day school at a
hall on R street, into which were gathered forty
children, many of whom had been denied admis-*
sion into the public schools of the city, and some
of whom had been dismissed from the schools,
and from this school sixty children have been
returned to the public schools.
The Fourth Baptist Church, organized in 1864,
had at first no church building, but held their
services in the old barracks on R street, between
Twelfth and Thirteenth streets. In 1865 the
church purchased two good lots of land on R
street, and immediately commenced to erect a
frame building for church purposes, that being
the best they could do with their limited means.
The building was not entirely finished when Mr.
Johnson took charge of the church in 1870.
With characteristic zeal Mr. Johnson applied
himself to the work, and succeeded in raising
means sufficient to complete the building, which.
i8
APPENDIX.
was done, and 1872 it was dedicated to the
service of God. That building was used until
1882, when the congregation having greatly in¬
creased, it was then, too small to accommodate
them, and, in addition, the building not being
considered in a safe condition, it was decided to
tear it down and erect a substantial brick edifice
sufficient to accommodate the church and its
constantly growing membership. Two additional
lots having been purchased, on the 28th day of
August, 1882, the corner stone of the present
church was laid. The church is built of brick,
erected in the best manner, and is 165 by no feet.
In May, 1883, service was commenced in the
basement, and is still being continued there, the
main audience floor not being quite finished.
Up to this time about $20,000 has been con¬
tributed and spent in building and in paying for
the lots, by the church. About $5,000 will be
required to complete it and put in the necessary
pews, cushions, and gas fixtures. The member¬
ship of the church is now about 1,500, with a
congregation usually of 2,000, composed entirely
of plain working people. The Sunday-school
connected with the church has an average attend¬
ance of 2,000.
REV. C. S. BROWN.
(See page 95 for sketch.)
REV. M. W. GILBERT,
(See page 218 for sketch.)
Rev. W. A. WILfclNSON.
(See page 542.)
EMORY UNIVERSITY