FAIR PLAY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CEMETERY, Oconee County, SC Version 1.0, 5-Feb-2002, C069A.TXT, C69 **************************************************************** REPRODUCING NOTICE: ------------------- These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, or presentation by any other organization, or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. **************************************************************** LOCATION: --------- Locate the intersection of Highways 182 & 59 and then go east 0.2 miles on Highway 59. Church is located on the north side of the road, just west of the much larger Beaverdam Baptist Church. HISTORY: -------- GENERAL AREA HISTORY: It is estimated by Ramsay in his history of South Carolina (1808) that in 1755, there were not even 23 families settled between the Waxhaws on the Catawba River and Augusta on the Savannah River. Since much of the upcountry was Indian land, settlement had centered in the coastal counties. Prior to 1768, the only court held in South Carolina was held at the City of Charleston. In 1768, however, South Carolina was divided into six judicial districts, with courts to be held in each. What is now Oconee County was in the Ninety-Six District. At the end of the Revolutionary War, all of present-day Greenville, Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties was Cherokee land. There was some white settlement in this area, and forts had been erected in various places to protect the settlers. The judicial set-up in South Carolina becomes quite fluid (and quite confusing) from this time on until 1868. A law passed in 1783 recommended the division of the judicial districts into counties of not more than forty square miles, with each county to have its own courts. This was accomplished by 1785, with the Ninety-Six District being further divided into Abbeville, Edgefield, Newberry, Laurens, Union and Spartanburg counties. The lands of present-day Oconee County were temporarily attached to the adjoining counties of Laurens, Abbeville and Spartanburg. The Indians had sided with the British during the Revolution, and were forced to surrender their land. In 1785 a treaty was signed with the Cherokee Indians at Hopewell, the home of Andrew Pickens; the following year, a treaty was signed with the Choctaws at the same location. At about this time it was estimated that the white population of the area was 9,500. By 1789, the residents of present-day Oconee County were having difficulty with their judicial assignment, and the area was separated off into Pendleton County. A courthouse was set up at the site of the present-day town of Pendleton in 1790. The next year, however, the Ninety-Six District was divided into upper and lower regions. The upper region, composed of Pendleton and Greenville counties, was named the Washington District; a district courthouse was set up at Pickensville near the present-day town of Easley. In 1798 the name "county" once again changed to "district"; Oconee County was in the Pendleton District, and court was held in Pendleton. The population was increasing rapidly; according to Ramsay's history, by 1800 it stood at 17,828. The area was, however, still sparsely settled. In 1808, according to Ramsay, there was only one acre of cleared land for every eight acres of uncleared land, and only one inhabitant per 36 acres. Education was "at a low ebb," although some schools had been established; one newspaper was being published, by John Miller in Pendleton. In 1826 Pendleton District was further subdivided into Pickens and Anderson districts. The county seat of the Pickens District, which encompassed present-day Oconee County, was located at Pickens Courthouse, or "Old Pickens." While some of the settlers during this early period had come from the lowcountry of South Carolina, many were Scotch-Irish immigrants who had fled Ulster for Pennsylvania to escape religious persecution. They then traveled down the Great Wagon Road from Harrisburg, through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and into the piedmont region of the two Carolinas. Some wealthy plantation owners from the lowcountry did begin to build second homes in the upstate, mostly to take advantage of the more moderate summer climate. John C. Calhoun was one of these; his home, Fort Hill, was later deeded to the state by his son-in-law, Thomas Clemson, and became the site of Clemson University. In 1868 Pickens District was divided into Pickens and Oconee counties. The area was still a rural one, centered around courthouse towns which usually had a courthouse, several churches, a school, and a few dozen citizens. EARLY PRESBYTERIANISM: The early settlement of South Carolina took place along the coast. The first minister to preach to Presbyterians in South Carolina was Rev. Archibald Stobo, who arrived in Charleston in 1700. Until 1704, he was the pastor of the "Mixed Presbyterian and Independent Church" there, the only place of worship for Presbyterians in the entire colony. There was probably no organized presbytery in South Carolina until the 1730s. Early Presbyterians were organized under the Presbytery of Orange, Synod of New York and Philadelphia. By 1760 there were eleven Presbyterian ministers in the colony, concentrated in areas near the coast. By 1784 membership in the Carolinas was increasing, resulting in a desire to form a local presbytery. Following the various Indian treaties signed in the late 1780s, settlement of the Upstate accelerated, mostly by Scotch-Irish Presbyterians who had traveled down the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania. By 1789, the year the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church was established, there were ministers appearing in some upstate areas, including the Waxhaws, Saluda, Rocky River, and Upper and Lower Long Cane. Among churches which had been organized in the upstate at this point were Richmond/Carmel (1787), Bradaway/Broadway (1788), Good Hope (1789) and Roberts (1789). It was also at this time that Hopewell (Keowee) or the "Old Stone Church" was established. In 1790 the list of Oconee County churches expanded with the addition of Bethlehem and Philadelphia (or Ebenezer). Rev. Thomas Reese, who was serving Hopewell (Keowee) Church at the time, eloquently described the possibilities for church growth in the region. Noting that circumstances were "favorable to virtue and religion," he also noted that "As the country is in its infancy, we have yet to expect that these congregations will soon become much stronger, and in the course of a few years, if peace continues, it is probable that each of them will be able to support a minister. It is a pleasing reflection to the friends of religion, that as the people travel westward, the gospel travels with them, or soon follows after them; that God inclines the hearts of ministers, respectable for learning, worth, and piety, to settle in these uncultivated regions." Southern representation at early meetings of the General Assembly was limited, since meetings were always held in the North, and travel was complicated and expensive. Thus figures on the development of churches in South Carolina are scarce. The western "frontier" of South Carolina was considered a missionary territory, with ministers traveling around and "supplying" a number of churches. Indeed, a number of the same ministers served the various Presbyterian churches in Oconee County. Salaries were often left unpaid; the largest contribution toward the salary of Rev. John Simpson, first pastor at Roberts Church, was $5.00, and some members were only able to give a few pennies, or gifts in kind such as corn, wheat, and whiskey. Often these itinerant preachers were not even reimbursed for travel and lodging. Consequently, some ministers turned to teaching, opening early academies and schools. Often they found this work more congenial, and left the ministry, contributing further to the shortage of qualified pastors. In 1796 Rev. Andrew Brown was appointed to spend time as a missionary on the South Carolina frontier, at a salary of $16.66 per month. In 1797 he apparently had charge of the Bethlehem and Philadelphia churches on Cane Creek in present-day Oconee County. In his history of South Carolina, Walter Edgar estimates that only 8% of the white population in the upstate belonged to churches at this time. Church membership, however, was increasing, largely as a result of massive ecumenical camp meetings. The early churches were simple, usually built of undressed logs. They had few windows, and were furnished with benches rather than pews. No musical instruments were employed in the services. It was during this time that Nazareth/Beaverdam (1803) and Bethel (1805) were organized. Edgar states that membership had almost tripled, to 23% of the white population, by 1810. As for the Presbyterians, by that time there were only 9 ministers to serve 25 churches and 634 congregants in the entire Presbytery of South Carolina. By 1826 Mills' "Statistics of South Carolina" indicated that there was a dominant Presbyterian presence in Abbeville, Chester, Fairfield, Greenville, Laurens, Pendleton, Richland and York districts. In Oconee County, Westminster and Richland had been organized in 1834. Ministers continued to be scarce, however, and most only stayed in one church for a short time. It was not until 1859 that the concept of a permanent pastorate became popular in the church. By 1870 there were still only 29 ordained ministers in South Carolina Presbytery, and only 13 of these were devoting their full time to the ministry. During this time the Presbytery continued to employ "domestic missionaries" to supply vacant pulpits. By the late nineteenth century, after a restructuring of the Presbytery to form Enoree Presbytery, there were 19 ministers left in the Presbytery of South Carolina to serve 39 churches, and rural churches continued to languish on into the 20th century. (For more information on the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, see: Howe, George, History of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina; History Of The Presbyterian Church In South Carolina Since 1850, edited by F. D. Jones, D. D. And W. H. Mills, D. D.; and Strupl, Milos, History of the Presbytery of South Carolina, 1784-1984.) FAIR PLAY HISTORY: The town of Fair Play is located in Oconee County near the Georgia state line. Local legend says that the town's name was the result of a fight between two residents; during the altercation, cries of "fair play" were heard, and thus the town got its name. By 1883, the town must have been a fairly substantial one, as it was listed as having 7 stores. Prior to the organization of the Fair Play Church on September 27, 1903, Presbyterians in the area had attended services held by J.A. Wilson, W.S. Hamiter and T.C. Ligon in the Jones Chapel M.E. Church. (Ironically, after Jones Chapel was destroyed by a storm, their members united with Fair Play.) In 1903 J.W. Shelor Esq. donated a lot for the church building. Rev. Ligon was in large part responsible for the organization of the church, which had 24 charter members. The first elders were S.P. Stribling, J.D. Sheldon, and Herbert E. Thompson; deacons were T.R. Harris, T.J. Compton, and George W. Davis. Ligon served the church between 1903 and 1906, and was there when the first church building was dedicated in April of 1905. The church was a plain wooden building, with a tall steeple and stained glass windows flanking the front entrance. He had earlier served the Richland Presbyterian Church, and was also to supply Townville and Roberts churches. Aside from Ligon, other early ministers included Rev. J.J. Harrell (1906-09), Rev. M.E. Peabody (1909-1911), Rev. F.D. Vaughan (1912-1913), and Rev. W.T. Hollingsworth (1914-19). During Hollingsworth's tenure, on July 3, 1914, a windstorm blew down the building; the congregation donated $550 to rebuild it. The new building was not as large as the first, and the steeple not as tall; a typewritten history of the church actually describes it as "more like a barn than a house of worship," lacking paint, stained glass, carpet, and pulpit furniture. Subsequent ministers included Rev. W.L. Latham (1920) and Rev. J.A. Clotfelter (1921). Clotfelter, a graduate of Davidson College and Columbia Seminary, served the church until his death from a stroke in 1934. J.L. Russell served the church from 1935-1938, Hugh Jefferson from 1938-41, and W.H. Boyd from 1942-43. Subsequently the church was served by Richard Scoggins from 1943-1946, during which time Fair Play was having services only one Sunday morning and two Sunday evenings a month. Scoggins was also serving Townville and Roberts at the same time. Ace L. Tubbs supplied the church in 1946 and 1947, and Marshall L. Smith between 1948 and 1949. He was followed by Charles Browning (1950-52) and Ben L. Eller (1952). Over the years, renovations had gradually taken place, and a newly remodeled church was re-dedicated in November of 1951. At this time, the church had 45 communicants and 68 attending Sunday school. In June of 1956, Byron Milton was installed to serve the Larger Parish of Piedmont Presbytery, including Annie Linley, Flat Rock, Fair Play, Mt. Zion, Townville, and Varennes churches. In 1958 Milton left and was replaced by Rev. Ralph Buchanan. A very popular student minister, Bobby Earl Pettit, served the church from 1960-62. Marion Anderson was called to the pulpit in 1964; he dissolved his relationship with Fair Play and Townville in 1971. In the late 1970s upstairs flooring, plumbing and electrical power were installed, with the labor being donated by two Clemson students. The sanctuary was enhanced with new lighting, heating and cooling, carpet, drapes, and cushions. The Anderson Presbyterian Church donated a cross, and over the years a piano and two different organs were donated. Land was given to allow for the expansion of the cemetery and the construction of an education building. A new roof was put on in 1986, and the sanctuary building was re-sided in 1987. According to the Daily Journal, "Even though this congregation may currently be small in the number of attendees, their commitment to keeping this quaint little country church beautiful is remarkable." In February of 2000, Rev. Dr. Larry Dunster was serving the church. (Some of the information in this history was taken from "Ministry of the Week: Fair Play Presbyterian Church 'revs up' after 97-year history." Daily Journal/Daily Messenger, Saturday, Feb. 5, 2000. Additional information came from "History of Fair Play Presbyterian Church, 1903-1953," a typewritten history written by Mrs. J. Laurens Sheldon.) CHURCH RECORDS: Although there is a Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, the best place to find material on the "Southern" church is at Montreat. Here's what the Society says about this on their website: The Presbyterian Historical Society serves its constituency from two regional offices, one in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and one in Montreat, North Carolina. The Philadelphia office documents "northern stream" predecessor denominations and their work, congregations, and middle governing bodies in thirty-six states, and the work of the current denomination's national agencies. The Montreat office documents "southern stream" predecessor denominations and congregations and middle governing bodies in fourteen southern states. For records from congregations, synods, and presbyteries in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia, contact the Montreat office first. For all others, contact the Philadelphia office first. Presbyterian Historical Society P.O. Box 849, Montreat, NC 28757 Telephone (828) 669-7061 Fax (828) 669-5369 http://www.history.pcusa.org Presbyterian Historical Society 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia PA 19147-1516 Telephone (215) 627-1852 Fax (215) 627-0509 http://www.history.pcusa.org The Special Collections area at the Thomason Library, Presbyterian College, Clinton SC contains a quantity of Presbyterian materials, including minutes of the Synod of South Carolina (and its successors, the Synod of the Southeast and the Synod of the South Atlantic), the Minutes of the General Assembly, incomplete sets of South Carolina presbytery minutes, many histories of churches in South Carolina, biographies of area ministers, sermons, and the papers of 19th century ministers Ferdinand and William Plumer Jacobs. The library also has extensive information on Presbyterian College and Thornwell Orphanage. The library's catalog can be searched online at: http://library.presby.edu/. Special Collections librarian is Nancy Griffith, e-mail ngriffit@presby.edu. South Caroliniana Library at USC has over 474 titles listed on South Carolina Presbyterianism, including local church histories. They also have over 800 issues of the "Southern Presbyterian," which was a prominent journal during the late 19th and early 20 centuries. Their catalog can be searched online at: http://www.sc.edu/uscan/ DATAFILE INPUT . : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Apr-2001 Nancy S. Griffith at ngriffit@mail.presby.edu in Apr-2001 DATAFILE LAYOUT : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Apr-2001 HISTORY WRITE-UP : Nancy S. Griffith at ngriffit@presby.edu in Apr-2001 LIBRARY REFERENCE: Nancy S. Griffith at ngriffit@presby.edu in Apr-2001 LOCATION WRITE-UP: Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Jul-2000 TRANSCRIPTION .. : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Jul-2000 TRANSCRIPTION NOTES: -------------------- a. = age at death b. = date of birth d. = date of death h. = husband p. = parents w. = wife WARNING: -------- There are (3) cemetery areas that are located in-between the C7 Beaverdam Baptist Church and the C69 Fair Play Presbyterian Church. It appears that at one time, these cemeteries were shared by the two churches. However, recent burials have been made in separate areas - in back of the Fair Play Presbyterian and on the east side of the Beaverdam Baptist Church. BOTH church cemetery locations should be searched. The following inscriptions are known to be for this church. BROCK, Annie B. Shelton, b. 14-aug-1908, m. 9-jun-1928, h. elmer brock BROCK, B.D., b. 6-feb-1909, d. 10-may-1984, w. s.h. brock BROCK, Buford Guy, b. 17-sep-1934, d. 26-sep-1934, p. elmer & annie brock BROCK, Elmer, b. 23-jun-1902, d. 27-jan-1975 BROCK, Emma, b. 1883, d. 1960 BROCK, Lee, b. 1873, d. 1939 BROCK, Mildred A., b. 7-oct-1932, d. 30-jan-2000, h. w.h. brock BROCK, Miller Clara, b. 5-mar-1914, d. 24-mar-2000 BROCK, Sarah H., b. 1-may-1918, h. b.d. brock BROCK, Sherry Ann, b. 24-aug-1948, d. 24-aug-1948 BROCK, W. Howard, b. 10-apr-1925, d. 24-aug-1996, w. m.a. brock BROCK, Wentford N., b. 23-dec-1931, d. 2-apr-1969 COOKS, Thurman M., b. 1941, d. 1973 DORROH, Helen T., b. 1885, d. 1968 DORROH, John F., b. 1861, d. 1938 DURHAM, Cisero, b. 7-may-1883, 20-feb-1952 DURHAM, Clarence L., b. 18-jan-1909, d. 28-dec-1986 DURHAM, Eatta, b. 1888, d. 1928 DURHAM, Lucille G., b. 10-aug-1906, d. 5-feb-1985h. c.l. durham DURHAM, Sally, b. 12-feb-1876, d. 14-mar-1956 FELTMAN, Frances C., b. 12-jul-1934, h. r.h. feltman FELTMAN, Patsy A., b. 17-aug-1965, d. 25-may-1969 FELTMAN, Robert H., b. 1-sep-1930, d. 5-sep-1992, w. f.c. feltman GIBBS, Billy Ray, b. 29-sep-1937, d. 17-oct-1937, buried next to b.f. gibbs GIBBS, Bobby Fay, b. 29-sep-1937, d. 30-sep-1937, buried next to b.r. gibbs GIBBS, H. Louise, b. 4-jul-1938, h. j.c. gibbs GIBBS, James C., b. 15-jul-1931, w. h.l. gibbs GIBBS, James H., b. 1880, d. 1973 GLENN, Cecil Williams, b. 1928, d. 1956 GLENN, Cora Lee Jolly, b. 26-feb-1904, d. 17-mar-1969 GLENN, Elise Marett, b. 2-sep-1898, d. 25-jan-1982, h. joe glenn GLENN, George Dewitt, b. 17-may-1898, d. 26-nov-1919, p. s.a. & m.r. glenn GLENN, Inez Carnes, h. cecil glenn GLENN, Joe D. (Sr), b. 29-jul-1895, d. 30-may-1965 GLENN, Mamie R. Skelton, b. 1-jun-1876, d. 21-apr-1925, h. s.a. glenn GLENN, Mamie R., b. 1-jun-1876, d. 21-apr-1925, f. s.a. glenn GLENN, Mary Cathering, b. 1871, d. 1953, h. robert glenn GLENN, Maudie Beatrice, b. 1903, d. 1983, h. willis glenn GLENN, Robert James, b. 1873, d. 1954 GLENN, S.A., w. m.r. glenn GLENN, Samuel A., b. 5-aug-1871, d. 10-may-1948 GLENN, Stacy Lee Ann, b. 1978, d. 1978 GLENN, Townes Julian, b. 2-sep-1934, d. 9-apr-1988 GLENN, Willes James, b. 1905, d. 1966 GLYMPH, Bessie C., b. 26-jul-1896, d. 19-mar-1986h. w.n. glymph GLYMPH, Frances E., b. 3-oct-1922, d. 25-nov-1971, p. w.n. & g.b. glymph GLYMPH, Perry Wyatt, b. 20-may-1946, d. 27-jul-1998 GLYMPH, Wallace N., b. 11-jan-1891, d. 28-nov-1972 HARRIS, Hattie Wright, b. 25-oct-1880, d. 29-nov-1927 HARRIS, Leon W., b. 23-sep-1891, d. 6-sep-1959 HARRIS, Margarete, b. 17-apr-1861, d. 20-sep-1943, h. thomas harris HARRIS, Thomas R., b. 16-feb-1852, d. 14-jan-1909 HERRING, Bud A., b. 25-apr-1915, d. 19-jul-1986, w. e.g. herring HERRING, Effie Gibbs, b. 1916, d. 1980, h. b.a. herring HOLLINGSWORTH, Carl Isaiah, b. 21-dec-1920, d. 9-feb-1983, w. helen hollingsworth HOLLINGSWORTH, Helen Glenn, b. 30-aug-1928, h. c.i. hollingsworth JOBES, Lauretta, b. jul-1910, h. w.a. jobes JOBES, William A., b. jun-1914, d. jul-1990, w. lauretta jobes JOHNSON, Bessie Glenn, b. 11-jul-1905, d. 4-dec-1992 KING, Charles Knox, b. 2-aug-1891, d. 19-jun-1961 KING, Charles T., b. 7-sep-1921, w. m.b. king KING, Dorothy Allice, b. 7-jul-1920, d. 29-jan-1993 KING, Eunice Marett, b. 26-jan-1894, d. 11-dec-1979, h. charles king KING, Lucy Knox, b. 1864, d. 18-dec-1947 KING, Mollie B., b. 9-feb-1925, h. c.t. king KING, Samuel Howell, b. 24-mar-1924, d. 30-jul-1975, p. charles & eunice king MADDEN, Core Glenn, b. 1895, d. 1943 MADDEN, Howard R., b. 1893, d. 1968 MADDEN, Infant, b. 8-nov-1943, f. j.c. madden McBRIDE, Donald L., b. 8-jun-1923, d. 10-mar-1977 McBRIDE, Margery Coe, b. 3-may-1929, d. 3-may-1929 McJUNKIN, Cody Lane, b. 22-aug-1998, d. 29-aug-1998 MOSLEY, Ada Lou, b. 1876, d. 1940 MOSLEY, Robert C., b. 1899, d. 1949 PRUITT, Florence Durham, b. 25-mar-1885, d. 12-sep-1925, h. s.h. pruitt PULLEN, James H., b. 1856, d. 1930 ROUNTREE, Joyce, b. 26-oct-1905, d. 5-nov-1985 SHELDON, Elizabeth Foster, b. 6-feb-1894, h. j.l. sheldon SHELDON, John Laurens, b. 20-may-1890, d. 11-feb-1979, w. elizabeth foster STRIBLING, Edna Johnson, b. 15-mar-1920, d. 9-aug-1989 STRIBLING, Frank, b. 1913, d. 1978 STRIBLING, Infant, b. 6-aug-1942, d. 6-aug-1942, p. s.p. & edna stribling STRIBLING, Joseph F., b. 27-oct-1906, d. 28-may-1996, w. m.h. stribling STRIBLING, Maralouise H., b. 18-may-1910, h. j.f. stribling STRIBLING, Mark David, b. 1883, d. 1943 STRIBLING, Nellie A., b. 1886, d. 1964 STRIBLING, Samuel Petigrue, b. 21-nov-1910, d. 9-aug-1989 STRIBLING, Samuel Pettigru, b. 11-feb-1850, d. 21-jan-1910 STRIBLING, Sarah Janie, b. 5-oct-1908, d. 4-may-1997 STRIBLING, Susan Sheldon, b. 23-may-1855, d. 28-jun-1923 THOMPSON, A.T., b. 2-apr-1839, d. 15-jul-1918 THOMPSON, Herbert EW., b. 9-nov-1971, d. 5-mar-1910 THOMPSON, Infant Son, b. 8-dec-1903, d. 5-jan-1904, p. j.c. & h.e. thompson THOMPSON, J. Mariner, b. 19-sep-1905, d. 26-sep-1924 THOMPSON, Julia Cox, b. 10-jun-1874, d. 25-feb-1910 THOMPSON, Mary E., b. 5-oct-1841, d. 16-oct-1916 WHITTLE, Christine, b. 14-apr-1923, d. 1-feb-1994, h. w.h. whittle WHITTLE, William Harold, b. 28-sep-1919, d. 15-may-1991, w. christine gibbs WIESNER, Hattie Frances K., b. 20-jul-1964 WILLIAMS, Ora W. WILLIAMS, Victor L., b. 19-mar-1919, 21-jan-1985 WORLEY, James L., b. 10-may-192?, d. 29-mar-1971 WRIGHT, Dillard V., b. 22-jun-1853, d. 20-mar-1935