Wayne-Greene County NcArchives Church Records.....Pine Forest & Hookerton Methodist Churches Copyright Date June 13, 1904
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Dorothy Lou T Walker skywalk1@embarqmail.com May 20, 2009, 9:37 am

A Good Woman
     In The last issue or your valuable paper, page 4, I note two letters, one 
each from Brothers Pate and Tripp, one writing of the Hookerton Circuit and 
the other of the Goldsboro Circuit.  Knowing the good people composing each of 
them these Circuits, I am not surprised that these brethren write such 
enthusiastic, cheering letters.  But in connection with these two charges, I 
hope I may be pardoned for mentioning the names of two people.  I do not at 
all agree with those who wait until death to say good things of those who 
deserve them.  There is the handwriting of a good woman that runs through each 
of these Circuits, so surely, that it is due her in life to know, that her 
efforts are known and appreciated.  I speak of Mrs. E. D. Sasser, of Pine 
Forest, on Goldsboro Circuit.
     Twenty-six years ago Pine Forest was a neighborhood school-house, 
situated in a community where Primitive Baptists largely predominated and 
Sunday-schools were unknown.  But this mother in Israel, true to her 
convictions, decided as for her and hers there should be Sunday-school.
     About that time, Dr. Thos. M. Jordan, now of your city, who was then a 
mere boy, was engaged to teach school at Pine Forest.  While the description 
he gave of the organization of that Sunday-school has its laughable side, 
nevertheless, it is in the main, facts.  Quoting him from memory: “Mother 
Sasser,” said he, “called the ‘meetin’ to order, ‘lected me Superintendent and 
teacher of the Bible Class, appointed herself leader of the choir, general 
manger of the school and Superintendent.  Ours had the largest attendance of 
any country Sunday-school in that county, and a very distinguishing feature of 
the school was, that old and young, whole families, came.”  The Doctor was not 
a member of the church then.  No doubt that experience was helpful to him, and 
surely it must be gratifying to Mrs. Sasser, to see him with every one of her 
own children, and a great many others of that Sunday-school connected with the 
church.  Out of this beginning there has not only grown a nice church, but 
Mrs. Sasser has the consciousness of owning a preacher of her own, Rev. W. D. 
Sasser, who less than a year ago, returning to the scenes of his child hood to 
help in a revival, put in motion the project which has culminated in the 
erection of this beautiful church at Pine Forest.
     In regard to, and connecting the Hookerton Circuit with the Goldsboro 
Circuit and placing the imprint of the hand of this good woman there, it will 
be remembered, the Dr. Jordan, the boy Superintendent out of that Pine Forest 
Sunday-school, located in Hookerton, and was not only largely instrumental in 
erecting the elegant school and Lodge Building there, but in may be said of 
him, and it is generally conceded in that community, that to him more than to 
anyone else is due the erection of the beautiful little church at Hookerton, 
which because it was his plan, his hand and his eye that directed its 
construction into that perfection of beauty and usefulness, that the 
contemporaries of each will never see one without thinking of the other, and 
until the tooth of time shall destroy it, that church will be a living 
monument to his memory.
    May many, many years yet be allotted to Sister Sasser to enjoy the fruits 
of her wise sowing.
     What can just one determined, conscientious Christian worker do!
Sincerely,
Dulus H. Dixon
Goldsboro, N. C., June 13, 1904

Additional Comments:
Notes: Newspaper clipping from unknown source - could be letter to the editor 
of a Raleigh paper as at the time Dr. Jordan lived in Raleigh and that 
corresponds to "Dr. Thos. M. Jordan, now of your city"
Source of record - the papers of Virginia Tate Alexander great granddaughter 
of Mrs. Elizabeth Sasser
Mrs. E. D. Sasser – Elizabeth Delia Sasser – nee Holt
Dr. Thomas M. Jordan – son-in-law of Mrs. Sasser – wife Ida Mae Sasser
Rev. W. D. Sasser – Wiley Dewy Sasser – Methodist - son of Asa Lafayette & 
Elizabeth D. Sasser
Goldsboro, Wayne County, NC
Hookerton, Greene County, NC

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