Logan County KyArchives Biographies.....Warder, William 1786 - 1836
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 June 13, 2011, 12:08 am

Source: See below
Author: Mrs. J. Wells Vick

Rev. William Warder
    He was the 2nd pastor of the Russellville Church. This biography was taken
from the Western Recorder and the family history. 

He was born in Fauquier Co. Va. Jan. 8, 1786 and according to the inscription on
his tomb in the Old Baptist Cemetery at Russellville, Ky., "In the days of his
youth he became pious and devoted his life to the ministry of the Gospel. He
united in marriage to Margaret Morehead. He was a kindly husband and a fond
father. Before his God he walked humbly, and before man uprightly. He died in
the Lord August 9, 1836." By his side lies his wife, and on her tomb is this
inscription, "Mrs. Margaret Hanbrough born May 16, 1804, married Rev. William
Warder Dec. 26, 1821, married Peyton Hansbrough Jan 28, 1841, died July 1861."
Margaret Morehead was the sister to Charles Slaughter Morehead, Governor of
Kentucky and a first cousin to Gov. James Turner Morehead of Kentucky.

    Three of the Warder brothers, William, Walter and John were early Baptist
ministers, two of whom, William and Walter in the year 1807, being respectively
twenty and twenty-one years of age, left their Virginia home and traveled on
horseback across the mountains of Virginia and Kentucky. These youths found
their way to Barren County, Ky. Being so charmed with the fretility [sic] of the
land and the beautiful scenery, they wrote to the family at home to join them
and settle. Before the end of that year the father, Joseph Warder, a
Revolutionary War soldier, and all the family moved and settled near the old
Dripping Springs Church, east of Glasgow.

    In the latter part of the year 1807, the two brothers, Walter and William
entered into a covenant to seek the salvation of their souls. Soon after this
William set out on a journey to Virginia. On his return the brothers met with
great joy, for they both had found Christ. They were baptized on the same day in
1808.

    In 1809 William was licensed to preach and was ordained two years later. In
the year 1813 Jeremiah Vardeman and William Warder visited the Baptist Church at
Mayslick and held a series of meetings, which caused a great revival of
religion, adding 150 converts to that church. William's brother, Walter, spoke
several times and was later called, which he accepted.

    For several years William Warder devoted himself zealously to evangelism. In
company with, first one and then the other, of Isaac Hodgen, Vardeman, Warfield,
R. T. Anderson, Philip Fall and others, he traveled and preached almost
incessantly from Franklin, Tenn. to Maysville, Ky. Usually they would preach two
sermons a day and at one place, and then went to the next appointment. Immense
crowds attended and great numbers were brought to the cross of Christ.

    In 1817 William Warder and Isaac Hodgen (the beloved A. C. Hodgen was a
nephew - note by writer) were sent as messengers from The Kentucky Missionary
Society, to the Baptist Triennal [sic] Convention, in Philadelphia. (Mr. Hodgen
had informed this writer that his uncle was noted as much for his singing as for
his preaching) The two made the journey on horse-back, in order that they might
preach on the way. The distance was more than a thousand miles; during this trip
they preached almost every night. On the return trip, they went through
Virginia. At a dead church in Spottsylvania Co., their preaching was so
Spirit-filled, that a most wonderful revival began; they remained and preached
five or six sermons, and nearly six hundred were converted. 

    Among the children of William Warder and wife - nee - Margaret Morehead was
Dr. Joseph William Warder, pastor of the Walnut Street Baptist Church in
Louisville and Secretary of the State Board of Missions for twenty-three years;
the father died when young Joseph was only eleven years; his education was
supervised by his uncle Gov. Charles S. Morehead. Another son was Dr. William
Warder of Philadelphia.

    When Elder Warder came into the red River Association in 1818, he found that
body strongly anti-missionary. His first move, after preaching among the people
on missions, was to introduce to the churches some strongly ministers who
believed whole-hearted in missions, Warfield, Hodgen, Vardeman and Walter
Warder. The effect was immediate and powerful and the more intelligent brethren
were awakened and the need for educated ministers was strongly felt. Thus soon
after the Russellville Church transferred to the Bethel Association, he was
largely instrumental in the organization of Bethel Association in 1824 out of a
small missionary element in old Red River Association, and was its first
moderator, while Rev. Isaac Hodgen preached the first sermon.

    Elder Warder organized an "Educating Society" at Russellville and this
institution laid the foundation of Bethel College. The material for this
biography was taken from an article in the Western recorder January 9, 1936.


Additional Comments:
Volunteer transcription - copied from FHL Film #855039

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