Georgia:  Elbert County:   Doves Creek Baptist Church
====================================================================
USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing
free information on the Internet, data may be used by
non-commercial entities, as long as this message
remains on all copied material. These electronic
pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit
or for presentation by other persons or organizations.

Persons or organizations desiring to use this material
for purposes other than stated above must obtain the
written consent of the file contributor.

The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb
Archives to store this file permanently for free access.
This file was contributed by:
Chandler Eavenson
http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00030.html#0007294
==================================================================
Church Records
Doves Creek Baptist Church
The following data is taken from the Doves Creek Baptist
Church Bi-Centennial booklet of 1988 and is intended to
show the early history of the Church.

"Doves Creek Baptist Church was founded in or about 1788
by the efforts of a 33 year old Baptist minister named 
Dozier Thornton. The first forty years of chuch minutes
were lost in a fire of the clerk's home, so the first 
members of the church or the date they started meeting, 
how the people lived, thought and worshipped in that day
is unknown. In 1838 Jesse Mercer completed the first 
history of the Georgia Baptist Association, and from this
book we learn that an association meeting was held in 
October 1788. The session was held at Clark's Station. It
was on Saturday 18, Sunday 19th, and Monday 20th. Among
the churches represented at this meeting was Doves Creek.
This is the first written evidence that Doves Creek Church
existed. 

"There was a committee formed to learn when and who formed
Doves Creek Church and on June 11, 1881 the committee 
reported the following: 'We examined the church record and
filled the blanks therein according to our recollection and
from the best information we could get. We believe the church
was organized between the years 1775 and 1800. The Presbytery
who organized the church was Bro. Dozier Thornton, James
Mathew, and William Davis. Joseph Deadwyler and J. Lonery
electd as Deacons. The first pastor was Dozier Thornton, Sr.'"

"In 1828 Joseph Deadwyler sold Doves Creek Church a two acre
lot for ten dollars where the first 'Meeting House' stood....
On September 16, 1838 a motion was made by Alexander Vaughn
to have Commissioners appointed to arrange the plan for 
building the new 'Meeting House' and to look for a place to
build it.....Alexander Vaughn and John N. Moore, deacons,
purchased a three acre lot from Martin Deadwyler for $15.
This Martin Deadwyler was the son of the Joseph Deadwyler 
who sold the orginal two acre lot in 1828. The deed to this
three acre lot where Doves Creek now stands is on file at 
the county clerk's office in book 'Y', page 12......"

Some of the earlier ministers who served Doves Creek Baptist
Church are shown in the booklet as follows:
Dozier Thornton 1788-?
William Davis ?-1827
William Manning 1828-1830
George Lumpkin 1831-1832
Peter F. Butler 1832-1842
Pleasant F. Burgis 1843-1849
Ishum H. Goss 1850-1858:1873
Benjamin Thornton 1859-1862
L. Waller Stephens 1863-1870:1886-1887
Gibson M. Campbell 1871-1872:1885
Asa Chandler 1874 (Died 1st year)
J. H. McMullan 1874-1881
William Coil 1882-1884
W. F. Stark 1888-1892
Robert S. Chanie 1893-1896
O. P. Harris 1897 (died 1897)
A. E. Kease 1897
L. C. Branyon 1898-1899
Phil W. Davis 1900-1902
E. L. Sisk 1903
Thomas A. Thornton 1904-1906
A. W. Bussey 1907-1913
George W. Bussey 1914-1915
Tom J. Rucker 1916-1920
J. C. West 1921-1930:1931-1932
John K. Williams 1931

The Pastor in 1988, the bi-centennial year, was Marshall
G. Smith. His comments on the opening page included the
following: "Doves Creek name was not given by accident
because Dove in Genesis and Leviticus was the approved
sacrifice offering by the poor. The dove has been 
recognized at the baptism of Jesus, announcing the 
descending of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Doves Creek
was founded as a place of worship where the Holy Spirit
has blessed these two hundred years."

[Submitted by: Chandler Eavenson]