Marion County GaArchives News.....The Methodist Episcopal Church South December 21, 1906
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Carla Miles http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00010.html#0002476 February 24, 2005, 10:28 pm

The Marion County Patriot
The Marion County Patriot, No. 49
Friday, December 21, 1906
Page Nine

The Methodist Episcopal Church South

A brief sketch of its local history with the names of its pastors for the past 
thirty years

Old Uchee Methodist Church was organized in the forties on the land now owned 
by Dr. J.A. Weaver, on Uchee creek, two miles south of Buena Vista.

The original membership embraced the names of Rev. D.W. Burkhalter, Bland 
Wallis, William Wells, Benjamin Blanton and Seaborn Martin.  They worshipped in 
a small log church on the land of B. Wallis for a few years and then moved to 
Buena Vista to the site of the present Methodist church building, where Rev. 
Burkhalter gave them five acres of land.  On this land they built a neat hewed 
log church and worshiped in it for several years, then moved it about half a 
mile, where it was used as a schoolhouse, and built a frame church in which 
they continued to worship until 1854 when they began the erection of the 
present church edifice.  The building committee, Rev. D.C.N. Burkhalter, Rev. 
Smith Davenport and James Biggs, tried to arrange with a Mr. Cottinham of 
Talbotton, to build the house.  He wanted $2,500.00, but when the committee 
wanted to bind the contractor and specify a forfeiture on failure of not having 
the house completed by a specified time, he refused to sign the contract, and 
the committee then undertook to build it by day labor, employing a Mr. W.D. 
Ball, a fine carpenter, to superintend the work.  Several thousand dollars was 
spent on the building and it was only up and covered, remaining unfinished 
until 1858, when after a protracted meeting, the Rev. Wm. Stewart and Rev. W.B. 
Merritt circulated a subscription paper and raised enough to put it in 
condition to be used as a place of worship, and it has been occupied ever since.

Among the noted pastors who have filled its pulpit are the names of J. Blakely 
Smith, Samuel Anthony, Leonard Rush, Bro. Reynolds, George Bright and E.H. 
McGehee.  The church has always appreciated her pastors.

About fifteen years ago Buena Vista and Tazewell churches were united in one 
work, but about four years after Tazewell was taken from the work, and Brantley 
and Shady Grove were added to the work and remained so until this year, when 
Brantley and Shady Grove were taken from the work, leaving Buena Vista a 
station with Rev. J.J. Ansley as pastor.

Rev. Ansley is one of the prominent ministers of the South Georgia Conference, 
a strong preacher.  He has filled some of the best appointments in the North 
and South Ga. Conferences, and comes to this work with splendid endorsements as 
a preacher, pastor and worker.

(Picture of church included with the article)

Pastors for the last thirty years:

J.P. Wardlow, 1877,78 and 79; L.D. Clements, 1880 and 81; R.L. Wiggins, 1882; 
J.M. Western 1883; T.K. Lunard 1884; J.D. Maulding, 1885; B. Anthony, 1886; 
B.L. Sentel, 1887 and 88; C.H. Brunch, 1889; J.W. Austin, 1890 and 91; G.C. 
Clark, 1892; E.J. Burch, 1893; D.H. Riley, 1894 and 95; H.C. Brutan, 1896 and 
97; G.L. Johnson, 1898 and 99; R.L. Wiggins, 1900 and 1901; W.E. Arnold, 1902 
and 1903; W.D. McGregor, 1904 and 1905; J.M. Foster, 1906; J.J. Ansley, 1907.



File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/marion/newspapers/nw2001themetho.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/

File size: 3.9 Kb