Robeson County NcArchives Church Records.....JACKSON SWAMP BAPTIST CHURCH Copyright Date 1879 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sam West sam.west.1@gmail.com July 23, 2007, 11:41 am JACKSON SWAMP BAPTIST CHURCH 1879-1904 Old Jackson Swamp Baptist Church was organized in the year 1879. It took it's name was derived from the swamp by which it was seated, and was in existence for a period of only twenty-five years. The constituent members, although most of their names are lost to us, came from Antioch Baptist Church in Robeson County, and Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Bladen. The one person who probably gave the greatest contributions in the constituting and continuance of the church was the Reverend Noah Mercer, who served the church as her pastor for the entire twenty-five years. He was born in Robeson County on December 26, 1822, and died here on January 12, 1904. Rev. Mercer was from an old line Robeson County family with a solid foundation in the principles and beliefs of the Baptist denomination. Noah Mercer and his wife Mary Byrd Mercer were first found to have been members of the old Burnt Islands Baptist Church in eastern Robeson County. On December 3rd, 1842 their names were found among those of that church which led in the reorganizing of that church, and the name was then changed to Antioch. They remained faithful members there for many years. Then on October 1st, 1859 they along with others were granted letters to assist in the organizing of Zion's Tabernacle Baptist Church on the Tar Heel Road. It was at Zion's Tabernacle that Noah Mercer was licensed to preach in the year 1861. Later, in November, 1868 they were granted letters of dismission. They connected themselves to the old Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Bladen County, and they remained there for a little over ten years. In November, 1879, Reverend Noah Mercer and his family were granted letters of dismission, and at that time they along with other relatives from Antioch Baptist Church convened together and formally constituted the Jackson Swamp Baptist Church. The church was seated in the heart of the old Mercer settlement, near Mercer's Mill on Jackson Swamp in eastern Robeson County, and it was sometimes called "Mercer Meetinghouse". Rev. Mercer became the pastor, and his son, James P. Mercer served as the first Church Clerk. He was succeeded by a brother-in-law, Simon Allen as clerk. On October 12, 1880 the church was received into the fellowship of the old Cedar Creek Baptist Association. The Delegates from Jackson Swamp to the association that year were Elder Noah Mercer, and his sons-in-laws, S[imon]. Allen, and R[obert]. Q[uincey]. Butler. The church later became a member of the Robeson Baptist Association. To get a truer picture of those who worshipped at Jackson Swamp we view the letters of Antioch, one of the mother churches, of those letters granted to and from Jackson Swamp between 1879 and 1904, to wit: Citsey [Kitsey] Mercer; Noah Mercer, and wife Mary Jane; Orren Mercer; Martha Jane Brisson; Rowland Mercer and wife Anzaline; A. J. Branch, and wife Caroline; A. J. Branch, Jr.; Mary Jane McLean; Susan Magnolia Branch; Joseph Tyner; J. R. Phillips; J. P. Meares and wife Margaret; John W. Branch; B. C. Todd, and wife Martha Jane; Agrippa Mercer and wife Elizabeth; J. B. Pitman; John Hagen; Rowland Mercer; Charles A. McLean; Perry Augustus Todd and wife Mary E.; Eliza Jane Mercer West; John R. Phillips; I. J. Moore, and wife Molsey, and daughter Kittie; John A. Branch, and wife Archie Louise; Solomon W. West and wife Oretta; and Missouri Belle Mercer Parnell. In early 1899 some issues arose in the old Jackson Swamp Church, which eventually caused a split in the congregation. The knowledge of the cause of this division has been lost to the present generation, but it was of such a magnitude that the congregation became split over the issues. In late 1899, a group of members met in the Jackson Swamp Meeting House, for the purpose of establishing a new church organization. This movement became manifested in 1900, when the Singletary’s Cross Roads Baptist Church was organized. The reimnant at old Jackson Swamp still held on for a period of four years. Then after the death of their pastor, the remaining members apparently decided to dissolve the old church organization, move and create a new and separate church organization. In 1904, those remaining members convened together and organized the Zion Hill Baptist Church. Today the only thing that remains of the old Jackson Swamp Church is the old church graveyard on Mercer Mill Road. Many of the early members were buried there. Submitted by: Sam West sam.west.1@gmail.com File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/robeson/churches/jacksons6nbb.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ncfiles/ File size: 5.2 Kb