Early Baptist Churches - Fayette County Gleaned from Sandi Gorin's KyResearch Tips TIPS 233 & 234 Information is taken from "A History of Kentucky Baptists, Volume 1", by J. H. Spencer, covering 1769 to 1885, originally published in 1885 and now reprinted by Church History Research & Archives, P. O. Box 38, Dayton, OH 45449. According to Spencer, there were three Baptist churches in Kentucky in 1782 - Severns Valley in Hardin County; Cedar Creek in Nelson, and Gilbert's Creek in Garrard Co. They were known as "regular Baptist churches" and its early ministers included Barnett, Gerrard, Whitaker, Marshall, Lewis Craig, and likely Richard Cave and George Stokes Smith. All of these ministers except Barnett and Gerrard had been ministers in Virginia. Lynn and Skaggs were the only known Separate Baptist ministers at this time. SOUTH ELKHORN is reported to have been the fourth church, "not far from Lexington". It was gathered by Lewis Craig in the fall of 1783. He is believed to have been assisted by George Stokes Smith and Richard Cave. Spencer notes that no record of a baptisms taking place in Kentucky was shown until 1782. The first recorded revival took place in 1785 under the ministry of John Craig in now Woodford County. HEAD OF BOONE'S CREEK CHURCH: Constituted about 1785, Fayette County, supposedly gathered by Joseph Craig. GREAT CROSSING CHURCH: It was located in what is now Scott County near Georgetown. It is believed Colonel Robert Johnson was the "chief mover" it its organization. Lewis Craig and John Taylor were the organizers. The Two Associations - Regular and Separate Baptists in early times: According to Spencer, it appears that the first families in the Boonesboro settlement were all Baptists; it is known that the Boones, Calloways and Frenches were Baptist. According to Collins History, the first marriage was performed there 7 August 1776 between Samuel Henderson and Betsy Calloway by Squire Boone, a younger brother of Daniel who was a Baptist preacher. By 1781, three Regular Baptist churches were organized and by the end of 1785, eighteen churches had been constituted - 11 Regular Baptists and 7 Separate Baptists. There were 19 licensed Regular Baptist ministers: Squire Boone, Joseph Barnett, James Garrard, John Whitaker, Augustin Eastin, Wm. Taylor, Wm. Marshall, John Tanner, George Stokes Smith, William Edmund Waller, Richard Cave, John Taylor, John Dupy, Lewis Craig, Elijah Craig, Wm. Hickman, Wm. Wood, John Price and James Rucker. There were 7 Separate Baptist preachers: Benjamin Lynn, James Skaggs, James Smith, John Bailey, Joseph Bledsoe, Joseph Craig and Robert Elkin. No organization bound any of these churches together until 1785 but it was decided that associations were needed. It was difficult in the fact that two different types of churches existed - the Regular and the Separate. The differences were called "triffling". The diffeences had come back in the early 1740's over the topic of revival in the Congregational church. Many persons had been fined and imprisoned for favoring revivals and it split the Congregational church. Those who favored revivals were called Separates because they separated from the established churches. Those remaining were called Regulars. This term later applied to the Baptist church as well. BRYANT'S STATION, spelled sometimes BRYAN's was the first church constituted in 1786 - it was located near the fort of the same name about 5 miles northeast from Lexington. William Bryant, one of the three original brothers from North Carolina was killed by the Indians in 1779. The other brothers returned to North Carolina and Col. Robert JOHNSON occupied the fort along with other. Augustine EATIN supposedly got this church started and it was constituted by Lewis CRAIG and others. Early members included Henry ROACH, Wm. TOMLINSON, Wm. ELLIS, Sr., Joseph ROGERS, Ann ROGERS, Elizabeth DARNABY and Elizabeth RICE. Ambrose DUDLEY came about this time and became the first pastor. BOONE'S CREEK CHURCH (Separate Baptist) was formed in Fayette Co, 1787. Joseph CRAIG was its pastor. MARBLE CREEK CHURCH, later called East Hickman, was located in at the southern border of Fayette Co. - an offspring of Boones Creek. William HICKMAN was credited with starting this congregation in 1787, George Stokes SMITH and Ambrose DUDLEY were also early laborers. Some of the first members included William SCHOOL, Robert FRYAN, John HUNT, Martin STAFFORD, Samuel BRYANT, and Flanders CALLOWAY. DAVID'S FORK CHURCH, founded 1786 as a branch of Bryants. Business meetings were held at Bryants Station, but also met at the headwaters of a small stream called Davids Fork of Elkhorn. Ambrose DUDLEY also preached here. FORKS OF ELKHORN formed with the help of William HICKMAN, 1788. Spencer notes that in 1789, the Separate and Regular Baptist united, solving their differences and became known as the United Baptist churches. HICKMANS CREEK in what was then Fayette Co, founded 1790. Thomas AMMON, a minister and Robert ASHERST and JOHN KING were licensed also. It faded from the pages of history and nothing more is known of it. 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