TOWNVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CEMETERY, Oconee County, SC Version 1.0, 22-Mar-2002, C193.TXT, C193 **************************************************************** 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: --------- Located on Highway 24 in the southeast corner of Oconee County. The Townville Presbyterian Church is in Anderson County and their cemetery is in Oconee County. N34 33.850 x W82 54.142 HISTORY: -------- GENERAL AREA HISTORY: By: Nancy S. Griffith 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: By: Nancy S. Griffith 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.) NAZARETH TO TOWNVILLE PRESBYTERIAN: By: Mel Woody Townville Presbyterian Church (USA) has a long history, although until recently it was a struggling church, which often seemed on its last legs. It was founded as Nazareth on Beaverdam in 1803, which makes it older than 34 of the states of the U.S. It's even older than Townville itself, which was originally called Brown's Store, after store owner and postmaster Sam Brown, then Brownsville, until that caused too much confusion with another Brownsville in Marlboro County near Bennettsville. It wasn't until April 12, 1837, that the U.S. Postal service took the bull by the horns and renamed the place Townville, with Sam Brown continuing as Townville's postmaster. Sam, one of the founders of the Townville Baptist Church, is buried in that church's cemetery Page 162 of the minutes of the Synod of the Carolinas at Montreat, N.C., tells the story of Townville Presbyterian's birth. The minutes note that on the 12th of September, 1803, "a society in the fork between Tugaloo and Keowee (rivers) known by the name of Nazareth on the Beaverdam desires to be entered in our minutes and supplied with the gospel." Dr. George Howe's "History of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina" goes on to say that supplies (pastors) are ordered, viz: Messrs (John) Simpson, who was the founder of Roberts Church; (James) Gilliland Jr., and (James) McElhenny in 1803, James Gilliland Sr., (Andrew) Brown and Simpson in 1804, and Simpson and Brown in 1805 and 1806." That was the beginning. It's not known exactly where the congregation met in those early years. It could have been at private homes or under a tree some place. The first we know of a church structure is found in an Anderson County deed (Book 1, Page 71). It says that on Jan. 3, 1849, Nazareth on the Beaverdam bought for the good round sum of $1.50 a building and a half-acre tract on which it stood from Salathiel Bradberry for use as a church building. Matthew Martin and Samuel Pickens Harris were the Nazareth trustees in the transaction. Nazareth Beaverdam was located on the east side of Fair Play Road, 2.5 miles south of the present church, a tenth of a mile south of Jolly Road and 1.2 miles north of Route 243, not far from Little Beaverdam Creek which was part of its name. The church and cemetery were located behind what in 2001 is the home of Mr. And Mrs. Vern Ramage. In those early years after its founding, Nazareth on the Beaverdam was frequently listed as "vacant." Some of its histories inferred from that it was inactive and date it from 1840. But that was a misunderstanding of the term "vacant," which means in Presbyterian churches that no pastor has been ordained and installed there. But many so-called "supply" pastors, many of them domestic missionaries in the 19th century, bring the gospel to such churches perhaps once a month, with the membership keeping the church alive the rest of the time with lay preaching. Often thriving Sunday Schools and other activities. Such was the case with Nazareth on Beaverdam. Session minutes recorded that Benjamin Bonneau Harris was baptized in July 1811. One of his sons, John Caldwell Calhoun Harris, was clerk of session when his father died, Sept. 7, 1894. His entry after the Session met Nov. 11, 1894, expressed the Session's official sadness at the passing of "our oldest and most faithful ruling elder," saying B. B. Harris had been a member of the church for 65 years (which would date it to at least 1829), and an elder ordained and installed in July, 1849. B. B. Harris, incidentally, was a brother of the Samuel Pickens Harris who was a trustee in the church's purchase of the Bradberry property. Among the pastors supplying Nazareth Beaverdam in those days were Rev. William Carlisle and Rev. William McWhorter. They were great grandfathers of Handy Bruce Fant, a member of Townville Presbyterian church, who died in February 2001, at the age of 97. McWhorter, in particular, was described in newspaper accounts as a domestic missionary whose charges included service at Nazareth Beaverdam for 26 years until he retired in 1877. The February 15, 1877, "Anderson Intelligencer" reported that "the church has applied for the ministerial services of the Rev. J. B. Adger of Pendleton and strong hopes are had that he will see proper to comply." The Intelligencer writer was schoolteacher William Alexander Dickson, a member and official at Nazareth Beaverdam. His March 22 report said the Nazareth church was "becoming unfit for use and the congregation is agitating the practicability of erecting a new building at Townville, three of four miles distant. This would greatly inure to the benefit of all concerned and it is to be hoped the plan will be speedily executed." Perhaps Dr. Adger, whose vigor in obtaining improved quarters at other area churches was legend, had been doing a little promoting with Dickson's readers. On April 30, 1877, in what may have been the last sermon preached at Nazareth Beaverdam, Dr. Adger based his sermon on Genesis 43:21, which says, "and when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks and there was every man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it again with us." So Dr. Adger was pushing hard for a new church from a congregation which often had trouble paying its supply pastors out of collections. On July 5, Dickson wrote that the church was under construction and that Rev. Adger would hereafter conduct services in the Townville Academy (then the school behind the present church) on the third Sunday of every month until the new church edifice is completed. The church was erected on an acre J. F. Woolbright sold the church on Aug. 3, 1877, for $35. The deed is recorded in Deed Book E, page 540, at Oconee County Courthouse. The nine-tenths of an acre balance of the present church property was purchased from Dr. W. Thaddeus Hunt in 1900 for $45. On Sept. 27, Dickson wrote, work on the church "is progressing nicely and, ere long, it will be a complete, new and elegant house of worship, which will not only add to the appearance of the town, but will reflect greatly upon the moral energy and Christian performance of the denomination in this community. "The writer noted, too, the Townville Baptists' talk of a new building had resulted in their having "ruthlessly torn from its foundations (their former church) and upon the same site a new church is now in the process of erection." Finally, on Nov. 29, 1877, the Intelligencer ran this story, headlined "DEDICATION OF THE NEW PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT TOWNVILLE" The story, dated Nov. 26, 1877, said to wit: "Editor Intelligencer: Somewhere between 75 and a hundred years ago a small body of Presbyterians built a little house for their worship three miles from the present village of Townville and christened it "Nazareth Beaverdam," the appendage being the name of a creek close by. Its founders and early members have long since been gathered to their fathers, and now another generation is already tottering up the verge of that river beyond whose other shore there stretches an illimitable expanse we call eternity. (Ed. Note: Dickson apparently is a little loose with facts here: the church was founded in 1803, and we have no evidence the Nazareth congregation built a house for worship until they brought one in 1849.)" "At the time of its establishment the church was quite centrally located, but with the changes which half a century works, the old building had become isolated as well as decayed almost beyond reparation...During the past summer it was determined to build a new house at Townville, where it would be more accessible and advantageous generally. But there were obstacles in the way. The membership was weak in both members and means, and had it been asked two years ago, "Can there be any good come out of Nazareth" the answer could have been read in the negative air of the very men who subsequently were to be so active in bringing about the desired end. "The little congregation has happily deceived itself. The work is accomplished. A handsome wooden edifice of modern yet unostentatious design looms a very tribute to the great High Priest and a striking illustration of what Christian energy and devotion can accomplish. "And this house was dedicated on yesterday (Sunday, Nov. 25, 1877); consecrated to the Most High; set apart for the worship of the meek and lowly Nazarene. The church, with a capacity for seating 250 persons (Ed. Note: They were thinner then; a crowd of about 150 fills the church now!) was crowded to overflowing. The pastor, Rev. J. B. Adger, D.D., preached the sermon basing his discourse upon John 1:46..."And Nathaniel said unto him, [Can there be any good thing come out of Nazareth?] {Philip said unto him, [Come and see."] The speaker dwelt at considerable length upon the original application of the text and answered Nathaniel's query in the affirmative...He then adverted to the fitness of the text to the present occasion and said that good had come out of Nazareth Beaverdam in that a new house had been built and paid for, amid surroundings of peculiar embarrassment...This little town justly deserves to be styled "the village of churches." Without a corporation (Ed. Note: Townville is part of Fork Township, which had been incorporated a few years before, but which corporation had been allowed to lapse) and with a population of less than 100 souls, it has two new and elegant churches, Baptist and Presbyterian and a third, Methodist, in actual prospect." (Ed. Note: Dickson made no mention of Shiloh Baptist Church for black folk on the edge of Townville.) So Nazareth on Beaverdam officially became Nazareth Townville on April 13, 1878, and the Presbytery of South Carolina approved changing its name to Townville Presbyterian Church on April 13, 1885. His work done in Townville, Dr. Adger immediately after the dedication moved on. This son of a wealthy Charleston family and former missionary and bible translator in Asia Minor, had for health reasons moved to the Upcountry, purchasing Woodburn Plantation in 1853. His later holdings here included Boscobel, where he and his family lived during the Civil War, when he was unable to teach at Columbia Seminary. Many of the years before he died in 1899, he was either pastor or advisor at Pendleton Presbyterian Church and was instrumental in founding or rebuilding other churches in the area. Dr. Adger's 1877 building project in Townville remains a monument to his energy, for the building he steered into being is the sanctuary of the church to this day. The next pastor to leave a long-range mark on Townville Presbyterian was Rev. Thomas Cheves Ligon, who took over the pulpit in 1883. By this time, William Alexander Dickson had become the Townville Presbyterian Church clerk of session. His minutes of April 12, 1884 note that "We desire to record here our appreciation of the evident earnestness and zeal with which he (Rev. Ligon) discharges his several obligations as pastor." Rev. Ligon also served Roberts and Richland (in Oconee County) churches much of the time before leaving in 1895. He returned to Townville Church from 1908 to 1910, making his home in the community." Dickson made much of the fact that Ligon's residence "in our midst" was a major gain for the church and community. Rev. Ligon preached the second and fourth Sundays of each month at Townville. The church's quarterly report of April 1, 1886, happily recorded that the pastor's salary of $300 was actually paid, not always a certainty for the small, hard-pressed congregation. Presumably benefactors pledged private payment of the pastor's salary, for the twice-monthly public collections ($1.50 on June 13, 1886, and $1.94 on June 27, 1886, for example fell far short of call obligations. Rev. Ligon's stay brought both tragedy and joy. His son Adger, named for John Bailey Adger, Rev. Ligon's professor at Columbia Seminary, died on May 4, 1887 at the age of 14. But another son, J. Burder Ligon, joined the church in 1885 and, except for when he moved away for three years from 1895 to 1898, was a stalwart of the church until his death in 1959. Townville had a bank from 1905 until it folded in 1926. Ligon was an officer in the bank and later managed a Townville cotton gin. Long-time member Clara (Mrs. Norman Sr.) Whitfield remembers that "We called Burder the Granddaddy of the church. Lots of times he had to go out in the yard after service to ask the men for more money to pay the preacher. And there were times when attendance didn't reach double figures." Still, the congregation by 1951 decided that it needed a separate room for Sunday school, which had been conducted in the sanctuary. By then, the Stevenson family owned the property on which Nazareth on Beaverdam had stood. Mary Stevenson of Anderson remembers that Burder Ligon came to her dad, Floyd Stevenson, and asked if the church could take trees off the Beaverdam cemetery and have them sawed into lumber to use in the construction project. Burder and Floyd were married to sisters, daughters of Dr. Winfield Kennedy Sharp, so Floyd replied, "I can't refuse in-laws." By December 1953, the Sunday school was complete at the rear of the sanctuary. When the congregation decided to build an activities hall behind the old Sunday school rooms in 1992, the former Sunday school was converted into a pastor's study, a sitting parlor and a secretary's room. The church's first bathroom (indoors or out!) was installed in 1973, using water piped under Route 24 from the manse across from the church. Dr. B. E. Pettit, retired Anderson First Presbyterian Church pastor who served as a student pastor at Townville in the 1960's, said lack of a bathroom was one of the reasons churches such as ours used young pastors. Speaking of bathrooms, Rev. Ace Tubs, who served Townville Presbyterian in 1946- 1948, a time when the church manse had only an outdoor toilet since its construction about 1913. One day the outhouse burned down and rumors were rife that Rev. Tubbs was responsible. Rev. Tubbs, set the matter straight when he returned to the church for a Homecoming about 1993. "The Lord burned down the outhouse," he said. "I just lit the match." Tubbs, who later served as pastor of Walhalla Presbyterian Church until 1952, is semi-retired in Black Mountain, N. C., echoed the sentiments of many young pastors at small churches when he wrote Townville Presbyterian, "You were all such a blessing to us (Ace and wife Pat) during my year out of the Seminary. I learned all that I needed to know about the ministry from you. You carefully cultivated me so that I could learn the essential things that were not taught at Seminary-How to counsel people in their sorrows and disappointments, how to conduct a funeral, how to help some of you make your decision for Christ, how to train some of you in what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be a Presbyterian, what it means to be a member of Townville Church and what it means to be a member of Christ's Church in the world..." It can be reported that Townville church has three bathrooms now, not including the original one, which ahs been converted to a storage room. Without in any way downplaying the contributions other pastors made to Townville Presbyterian, it can be noted that its two most recent pastors have ended the decline in church membership and sent it climbing to healthy heights. It had 38 members in 1988, some inactive, and the active membership in 2001 is about 90. The late Rev. Clarence Letson stabilized the Townville Presbyterian membership and was instrumental in recruiting such church pillars as Elders Walter (Dub) Brooks and Herschel Welch. Rev. Letson had retired as the beloved pastor of Walhalla Presbyterian Church in January 1973. A Baptist minister, Rev. Carl Lindsey, had served in Walhalla before taking the Townville Baptist Pulpit. When Townville Presbyterian was without a pastor, Rev. Lindsey would bring its congregation the Gospel at 10 before returning to his own pulpit at 11. Learning that Rev. Letson had retired, Rev. Lindsay suggested our Presbytery consider making Rev. Letson the Townville Presbyterian stated supply. Presto, Rev. Letson became the first pastor who served Townville Presbyterian alone, and held the post until illness forced him to retire in June 1985. During Rev. Letson's watch at Townville the church eliminated the diaconate and established a unicameral session of ruling elders to direct the church's activities. Rev. Letson died February 24, 1995 at age 88, six days after his wife, Velma, and he observed their 50th wedding anniversary. Velma continues as a valued member of Townville Presbyterian. Upon hearing that the pulpit was vacant, Rev. Minnie Sue Douglas of Pickens asked to preach at Townville Presbyterian. Her request was granted immediately, and the next thing you knew, Rev. Minnie Sue Douglas was being ordained and installed at Townville Presbyterian as the first female pastor in the five- county Presbytery of the Piedmont, now Foothills Presbytery. It was a courageous step for what might be thought a conservative congregation, with Dub Brooks and the late Elder Ellis Whitfield among her most enthusiastic supporters. But Rev. Douglas was a veteran at overcoming obstacles. She attended Erskine College, originally majoring in Spanish, but switching to home economics with the hope it would "make me a better preacher's wife." But a young Erskine chemistry student F. G. (Jerry) Douglas, changed that and they became engaged after graduation in 1965. Early the next year she was diagnosed as having leukemia. Nevertheless, they were married in April 1966, and lo, within a year, she had gone into spontaneous remission. Jerry, in the meantime, had four years of med. School in Charleston, went to Charlotte for his internship, spent time in the Air Force in Texas, had his family practice residency in Charleston in 1973, then began his practice in Pickens. By 1979, although Minnie Sue was busy as an elder at Pickens Presbyterian and with other church work, she was feeling frustrated because "I had never gotten rid of the sense of call; I was depressed because I felt I was not doing what I was supposed to do...I couldn't ride to heaven on my husband's coattails." So, with the enthusiastic support of her husband and their three daughters, she entered Erskine Seminary in 1980 and, when she was graduated in 1984, she won the Kenneth F. Morris Award for highest distinction in Bible studies. The Douglas family has been a boon to the church in many ways since Minnie Sue took over the pulpit as Townville Presbyterian's first ordained and installed pastor on October 13, 1985. Dr. Jerry Douglas, a man of many instruments, became organist and musical director. Eldest daughter, Mindy Douglas grew up in the church and now is a minister in North Carolina. And Rev. Douglas has earned a reputation as a well-grounded and forceful preacher. On Rev. Douglas' watch, the manse was sold and the proceeds helped finance construction on the Penola Hunt activities hall at the rear of the church in 1992. Penola Hunt was a long-time member whose widower husband, R. Max Hunt, also made a major contribution to the hall in his will. A newer organ and a new piano have replaced the older instruments the church had used for many years. Loree Holcombe and Bobbi Prater became the first two women elders in the church's history. Elder Shirley Woody had edited a weekly bulletin since 1988. Mary Jo Cosner and Elder Jeri Bedford founded a quarterly newsletter and Elder Wayne Van Ness and his wife Helen have carried on its editing the last several years. A food cupboard has been installed for the needy. The church has taken responsibility for quarterly cleanups of a two-mile stretch of Highway 24. Dr. Adger's sanctuary was gutted and completely refurbished at a cost of $38,391 in 1996, roughly 48 times what the sanctuary cost to build in 1877. And Rev. Douglas has taken a leading part in establishing a Townville chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Can any good come out of Nazareth? It would seem so. CHURCH RECORDS: By: Nancy S. Griffith 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 Feb-2001 Vivian Parkman at cpvp@aol.com in Apr-2001 Nancy S. Griffith at ngriffit@mail.presby.edu in Apr-2001 DATAFILE LAYOUT : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Feb-2001 HISTORY WRITE-UP : Mel Woody at woodyewe@bellsouth.net in Mar-2001 Nancy S. Griffith at ngriffit@mail.presby.edu in Apr-2001 LIBRARY REFERENCE: Nancy S. Griffith at ngriffit@mail.presby.edu in Apr-2001 LOCATION WRITE-UP: Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Feb-2001 TRANSCRIPTION .. : Ann Rogers of Walhalla SC in 1980's Mel Woody at woodyewe@bellsouth.net in Apr-2001 TRANSCRIPTION NOTES: -------------------- a. = age at death b. = date-of-birth d. = date-of-death h. = husband m. = married p. = parents w. = wife BOOZER, George Burder, b. 14-jan-1822, d. 23-oct-1902, f. of medora boozer ligon BOWEN, Ida W., b. 1872, d. 1946, h. whit bowen BOWEN, Katie Adaline, b. 18-aug-1906, d. 23-jun-1907 BOWEN, Lemuel Clarence, b. 22-sep-1907, d. 11-may-1964 BOWEN, Whit L., b. 1858, d. 1920 BOWEN, Wilson B.W., b. 1913, d. 1983 CHILDS, Clara M., b. 21-oct-1947, d. 16-jan-1976 CLOTFELTER, Joseph Albert (Rev), b. 31-jul-1866, d. 12-apr-1934 CLOTFELTER, Stella McClelland, b. 6-sep-1877, d. 20-sep-1941, h. joseph a. clotfelter DALRYMPLE, Alice Alberta, b. 16-dec-1846, d. 26-mar-1906, h. thomas j. dalrymple DALRYMPLE, Jehu, b. 16-jun-1818, d. 28-may-1895 DALRYMPLE, John R., b. 20-aug-1839, d. 14-jul-1895 DALRYMPLE, Sibella, b. 22-apr-1818, d. 6-mar-1892, h. jehu dalrymple DALRYMPLE, Thomas J., b. 25-sep-1842, d. 9-apr-1901 DAVIS, G. Cleve, b. 27-oct-1905, d. 22-oct-1950 DAVIS, Shelby Jean, b. 2-apr-1939, d. 18-apr-1939 DAVIS, William A., b. 25-nov-1845, d. 27-jun-1924, w. maranda jane elrod, p. billy & jane mcgill davis DOBBINS, Susan Jane Gaines, b. 21-dec-1874, d. 10-nov-1962 DOBBINS, Vic Gaines, b. 28-sep-1872, d. 20-apr-1951 DONALD, Furman, b. 1929, d. 20-apr-2001 DOYLE, Elizabeth, b. 5-mar-1823, d. 26-may-1873 ELROD, Harmon R., b. 1900, d. 1975 ELROD, Otis, d. 30-jun-1932 FANT, Handy Bruce, b. 21-nov-1903, d. 12-feb-2001, w. kathleen c. fant FANT, Handy Eugene E., b. 5-oct-1873, d. 14-jul-1961, w. madge lesley fant, f. h.b. fant, kyle lesley fant, louise fant lorenz FANT, Kathleen Camp, b. 1913, d. 23-dec-1910 FANT, Kyle Lesley, b. 14-jan-1908, d. 23-dec-1910 FANT, Madge Lesley, b. 18-jul-1876, d. 27-dec-1967, h. h.e. fant FARMER, Alice Simpson, b. 23-aug-1894, d. 5-dec-1922 FARMER, Andrew E., b. 1-jun-1891, d. 27-jun-1960 FARMER, Edward B., b. 6-aug-1898, d. 16-may-1981 FARMER, Elijah Berry, b. 1854, d. 1930 FARMER, Mary Alice Hunter, b. 1851, d. 1915, h. elijah berry farmer FARMER, Mary H., b. 1886, d. 1970 FARMER, Meda P., b. 5-mar-1911, h. edward farmer FERGUSON, Lizzie, b. 27-nov-1853, d. 15-aug-1933 FREE, Brian K., b. 19-may-1965, d. 27-mar-1988 GAINES, Dora, d. 19-sep-1886, a. 20y, p. j.a. & s.j. gaines GAINES, Infant Son, b. 1-may-1882, d. 23-may-1882, p. j.a. & s.j. gaines GAINES, John Asbury, b. 1-jan-1834, d. 30-nov-1914 GAINES, Stonewall J., b. 9-oct-1879, d. 21-mar-1887 GAINES, Susan Jane Cox, b. 11-feb-1844, d. 9-nov-1931, h. john a. gaines GAINES, Susan Janie, b. 21-dec-1874, d. 10-nov-1962 GEORGE, Dewitt C., b. 1882, d. 1950 GEORGE, Mamie Todd, b. 8-may-1887, d. 12-aug-1969, h. dewitt george GEORGE, William Hugh, b. 5-jul-1918, d. 20-apr-1953 GEORGE, William K. (Jr), b. 16-aug-1941, d. 24-jan-2000 GILES, C.D., b. 24-apr-1826, d. 6-dec-1908 GILES, Harry McCarley, b. 23-apr-1910, d. 21-apr-1949 GILES, Pearl McCarley, b. 20-apr-1882, d. 21-oct-1952, h. willett e. giles GILES, Sarah E., b. 9-jan-1845, d. 15-feb-1927, h. g.d. giles GILES, Willett E., b. 4-dec-1879, d. 15-nov-1949 GRAHAM, Roscoe P., b. 23-oct-1909, d. 11-sep-1987 GREENE, Christine Hatcher, b. 129, d. 1983, h. william h. greene GRUBBS, Infant, b. 11-jun-1908, d. 13-jun-1908, p. m.a. & s.g. grubbs HALEY, Nancy, b. 1-jan-1827, d. 7-apr-1893 HALEY, Ruby N., d. 27-oct-1900, a. 6m 22d, p. j.j. & r.l. haley HARRIS, Annie T., b. 28-apr-1807, d. 9-jul-1888 HARRIS, Benjamin Bonneau (Sr), b. 20-jul-1811, d. 11-sep-1894, f. j.c.c. harris HARRIS, Frank Lee, d. 8-dec-1921 HARRIS, Infant Son, b. 26-dec-1877, d. 26-dec-1877, p. b.b. (jr) & n. harris HARRIS, John Caldwell Calhoun, b. 13-oct-1847, d. 14-feb-1940 HARRIS, Lucy Jane McCarley, b. 3-jan-1853, d. 7-oct-1908, h. j.c.c. harris HARRIS, Mary P., b. 1-mar-1836, d. 16-mar-1906 HARRIS, Orpha, b. 14-feb-1815, d. 10-nov-1877, h. b.b. harris (sr) HARRIS, Oscar, b. 12-sep-1882, d. 4-aug-1883, p. o. & s.e. harris HARRIS, Oscar, b. 6-jun-1853, d. 7-oct-1916 HARRIS, Sara Elizabeth Jones, b. 7-oct-1853, d. 11-jun-1894, h. oscar harris HASTINGS, Clara M. Childs, b. 21-oct-1947, d. 16-jan-1976 HASTINGS, James Henry, b. 8-nov-1917, d. 18-mar-1987 HATCHER, Annie Sanders, b. 1898, d. 11-jul-2000, h. john a. (sr) HATCHER, Infant Daughter, 13-jan-1931 HATCHER, John A. (Jr), b. 1-mar-1921, d. 12-jan-1988 HATCHER, John A. (Sr), b. 1899, d. 1971 HATCHER, Leola S., b. 1876, d. 1944 HATCHER, Lizzie Lee, 5-feb-1922 HATCHER, M. Reese, b. 1870, d. 1950, h. leola s. hatcher HERRING, Furman Tugaloo, b. 19-apr-1884, d. 31-jul-1972 HERRING, Lucille Johnston, b. 16-oct-1893, d. 19-feb-1967, h. furman tugaloo herring HOBSON, Grace R., b. 1-mar-1888, d. 7-nov-1982, h. j.m. hobson HOBSON, J.M. (Dr), b. 30-jan-1882, d. 6-apr-1934 HOLCOMBE, Bertrick R., b. 1915, h. william harris holcombe HOLCOMBE, Boyce Bud, b. 1925, w. loree c. holcombe HOLCOMBE, Dewitt Clinton, b. 12-nov-1865, d. 19-dec-1890, p. e.w. & lucretia brownlee holcombe HOLCOMBE, E.W., b. 4-dec-1830, d. 13-mar-1907 HOLCOMBE, Hampton, b. 13-jul-1873, d. 29-jun-1902, p. e.w. & l. holcombe HOLCOMBE, Henry Wesley, b. 18-dec-1867, d. 11-jul-1927, f. william harris holcombr HOLCOMBE, Henry, b. 10-jul-1907, d. 3-aug-1928 HOLCOMBE, James D., b. 9-mar-1870, d. 21-sep-1901, p. e.w. & l. holcombe HOLCOMBE, Joe, b. 8-oct-1911, d. 9-apr-1983 HOLCOMBE, Loree C., b. 1916, h. boyce holcombe HOLCOMBE, Lucretia, b. 7-sep-1832, d. 7-oct-1918, h. e.w. holcombe HOLCOMBE, Lucy Harris, b. 2-may-1875, d. 19-jul-1962, h. h.w. holcombe HOLCOMBE, Nannie M., b. 26-jan-1913, d. 12-apr-1991 HOLCOMBE, Rebecca A., b. 31-may-1859, d. 7-aug-1903, p. e.w. & l. holcombe HOLCOMBE, Walton M., b. 23-sep-1904, d. 22-jun-1961 HOLCOMBE, William Harris, b. 28-oct-1902, d. 12-dec-1976, f. boyce holcombe HUNT, Sallie McCarley, b. 14-nov-1863, d. 22-jan-1948, h. thaddeus hunt HUNT, W. Thaddeus (Dr), b. 2-jul-1862, d. 21-dec-1914 HUNTER, Andrew, b. jun-1816, d. dec-1899, w. mary reamer hunter HUNTER, Annie Martha, b. 1861, d. 1921 HUNTER, Mary Reamer, b. jul-1813, d. feb-1895, h. andrew hunter JOHNSTON, Julia A., b. 1860, d. 1932, h. samuel johnston JOHNSTON, Mary C. Harris, b. 19-jun-1838, d. 3-oct-1909, h. james t. johnston JOHNSTON, Samuel R., b. 1856, d. 1922 JONES, S.A. (Jr), b. 10-mar-1875, d. 25-mar-1931 JONES, Zella Ferguson, b. 3-apr-1874, d. 6-may-1919, h. s.a. jones KEMP, William George, b. 1967, d. 10-oct-1909 KEMP, William, b. 12-nov-1913, d. 3-sep-1972 LARK, Charles E., b. 24-jun-1883, d. 5-aug-1884 LARK, William F., b. 21-dec-1884, d. 22-sep-1885 LIGON, Adger, b. 14-apr-1873, d. 4-may-1887, p. t.c. & medora e. ligon LIGON, Infant Son (Twins), b. 3-dec-1915, d. 3-dec-1915, p. j. burder & ovaline sharp ligon LIGON, Infant Son, b. 8-dec-1886, d. 8-dec-1886, p. t.c. & medora e. ligon LIGON, J. Burder, b. 26-nov-1874, d. 13-nov-1959, p. t.c. & medora e. ligon LIGON, Lewis L., b. 14-jun-1881, d. 28-jul-1937, p. t.c. & medora e. ligon LIGON, Medora E. Boozer, b. 12-sep-1847, d. 16-nov-1918, h. t.c. ligon LIGON, Ovaline Sharp, b. 9-dec-1883, d. 13-oct-1952, h. j. burder ligon LIGON, Thomas Cheves (Rev), b. 21-may-1840, d. 13-nov-1923, f. of infant twin sons j. burder & louis ligon LORENZE, Elsie Bieler, b. 16-apr-1880, d. 25-feb-1966 LORENZE, Louise Fant, b. 8-oct-1902, d. 4-nov-1988, p. h.e. & madge fant LORENZE, Robert Achim, b. 3-apr-1901, d. 16-nov-1987, w. louise fant lorenz LYLES, Lynn Whitfield, b. 1919, d. 1983 LYLES, Walter W., b. 19-jun-1919, d. 4-nov-1987 MARTIN, Eva C., b. 15-may-1920, d. 28-mar-1948 MARTIN, Infant Daughter, b. 16-apr-1916, d. 17-apr-1916, p. s.w. & r.e. martin MARTIN, Infant Son, b. 18-jun-1915, d. 19-jun-1915, p. s.w. & r.e. martin MARTIN, Ruth Alice, b. 18-jun-1917, d. 7-jan-1918, p. s.w. & r.e. martin MAYS, Fannie M., m. of medy d. mays MAYS, Medy D., b. 26-jun-1856, d. 1-jan-1907, m. fannie m. mays MAYS, Roger, b. 2-mar-1911, d. 17-jun-1912, p. w.e. & bessie mays McADAMS, John Dalrymple, b. 10-feb-1905, d. 6-jul-1906, p. j.r. & maude mcadams McCARLEY, C. Ray, b. 11-mar-1903, d. 5-jul-1936 McCARLEY, Clara, b. 1-jan-1902, d. 18-aug-1907, p. l.c. & m. mccarley McCARLEY, Clifford, b. 13-oct-1905, d. 25-oct-1905, p. j.w. & e.n. mccarley McCARLEY, E. Horten Simmons, b. 1-jan-1860, d. 3-jan-1921, h. john mccarley McCARLEY, Fannie Stephenson , b. 1-jan-1872, d. 30-jan-1902, h. j.w. mccarley McCARLEY, Hugh Wilson, b. 9-oct-1815, d. 10-mar-1887 McCARLEY, John Jefferson, b. 7-oct-1856, d. 17-jul-1931 McCARLEY, Luther C., b. 1-jul-1877, d. 8-nov-1926 McCARLEY, Mattie Bowie, b. 30-may-1878, d. 3-jan-1952, h. luther mccarley McCARLEY, Mattie, b. 23-feb-1867, d. 20-jul-1941 McCARLEY, Sarah Dobbins, b. 8-jan-1828, d. 9-feb-1904, h. h.w. mccarley McLESKEY, Frank H., b. 5-jun-1859, d. 26-mar-1884, p. j.a. & n.c. mccleskey McLESKEY, Joseph A., b. 17-feb-1834, d. 20-jan-1910 McLESKEY, L. Furman, b. 1872, d. 4-apr-1894 McLESKEY, Narcissa Clem, b. 11-sep-1838, d. 3-sep-1910, h. joseph mcleskey McSELBY, Delia, d. 22-jul-1921 MILLER, Helen Giles, b. 1913, d. 1938, buried with infant daughter patricia in same grave, h. raymond miller MILLER, Patricia, p. raymond & helen miller MOORE, Eva McCarley, b. 1881, d. 1958 MOSELEY, Delia, 22-jul-1926 MOSELEY, Eva, b. 26-aug-1914, d. 25-feb-1985 MULDROW, James M. (Buck), d. 6-jun-1997 NIMMONS, Clarence C., b. 21-sep-1939, d. 21-jun-1940, f. w.c. nimmons NOWELL, John A., b. 12-nov-1920, d. 23-jun-1996 NOWELL, Maxie Mae Whitfield, b. 11-may-1914, d. 11-nov-1997, h. john a. nowell PARHAM, Addie, b. 1896, d. 1976 PRATER, William Robert, b. 10-feb-1953, d. 20-jul-1980 QUEEN, Infant Daughter, b. 26-nov-1905, d. 19-nov-1906, p. g.t. & n.a. queen QUEEN, Marion, 9-feb-1933 REEVES, Bertha, b. 1891, d. 1972 REEVES, Robert A., b. 12-dec-1859, d. 3-jan-1925 REEVES, Sallie Stevenson, b. 13-jul-1866, d. 12-may-1947, h. robert reeves ROUTH, Harvey Cleveland, b. 7-jan-1850, d. 26-may-1924 ROUTH, Minnie A., b. 25-jun-1851, d. 29-apr-1897, h. h.c. routh SCHLOCK, Cullen Silas, 18-jan-1938, f. frank schlock SCHLOCK, Frank S., b. 1911 SCHLOCK, Hampton, b. 26-nov-1881, d. 11-nov-1966 SCHLOCK, Irene A., b. 1916 SCHLOCK, Julia Kowalski, b. 8-mar-1849, d. 7-oct-1919, h. mickel schlock SCHLOCK, Lucy B., b. 27-apr-1889, d. 2-nov-1979, h. hampton p. schlock SCHLOCK, Mickel, b. 18-oct-1846, d. 21-mar-1926 SCHLOCK, Truman H., b. 1940, d. 1965 SENKBEIL, Caroline, b. 6-mar-1853, d. 23-jul-1930, h. george senkbeil SENKBEIL, George, b. 26-feb-1841, d. 26-feb-1930 SNELGROVE, J.C., after his 1st wife died in 1918, he married again and subsequently was buried in seneca. This space was then reserved for glyn snelgrove ksenzak, daughter of j.c. & matie johnsston snelgrove SNELGROVE, Jesse G., b. 8-jul-1912, d. 10-feb-1913, p. j.c. & m.j. snelgrove SNELGROVE, Mattie Johnston, b. 6-aug-1888, d. 29-oct-1918, h. j.c. snelgrove SPEARES, Donna Lee, b. 1886, d. 1979 SPEARES, Lawrence C., b. 1884, d. 1972 SPEARES, Mary Elizabeth, b. 22-may-1915, d. 31-aug-1916 STEVENSON, Elvira, b. 17-oct-1833, d. 12-apr-1909, h. john a. stevenson STEVENSON, John A., b. 6-aug-1831, d. 5-jan-1904 TERRY, Carl M., b. 1938, d. 1968 TERRY, Jule T., b. 1890, d. 1954 TERRY, Margie M., b. 1898, d. 1962, h. jule terry THACKER, Fannie W., b. 20-aug-1887, d. 12-jul-1962 THACKER, John S., b. 9-nov-1911, d. 24-apr-1977 THACKER, Louise H., b. 6-apr-1912, h. john thacker THACKER, Sallie, b. 2-may-1922, h. william thacker THACKER, William M., b. 22-jan-1922, d. 22-jan-1971 TRIBBLE, Fannie Doyle, b. 13-feb-1854, d. 14-mar-1890 TRIBBLE, Furman, b. 30-apr-1900, d. 22-sep-1900, p. j.n. & fannie tribble TRIBBLE, Infant Son, b. 12-feb-1887, d. 12-feb-1887, p. f.j. & h.j. tribble WHITFIELD, Angelia D., b. 24-oct-1975, h. bobby joe brown WHITFIELD, Annie B., b. 26-jul-1932, h. dennis a. whitfield WHITFIELD, Beatrice M., b. 1907, d. 1972, h. lucius alton (bobby) whitfield WHITFIELD, Clara Callaham, b. 23-may-1911, h. norman c. whitfield (sr) WHITFIELD, Dennis A., 25-dec-1931 WHITFIELD, Dollie E., b. 25-jun-1909, d. 18-nov-1961, p. j. ledford & mary s. whitfield WHITFIELD, Dorothy V., b. 3-jan-1919, h. lewis ray whitfield WHITFIELD, Edna, b. 18-mar-1912, d. 1-dec-1914 WHITFIELD, Ellis, b. 14-sep-1913, d. 10-jan-1998, w. thelma donald whitfield WHITFIELD, Fred T., b. 1883, d. 1940, f. ellis whitfield, w. mamie z. kay whitfield WHITFIELD, Grady A., b. 12-dec-1905, d. 29-jan-1940 WHITFIELD, Hadewish S., b. 14-may-1885, d. 15-nov-1963, h. warren c. whitfield, m. of norman c. & lucius a. whitfield WHITFIELD, J. Ledford, b. 25-jul-1876, d. 11-jan-1962 WHITFIELD, James Oliver, b. 11-may-1908, d. 7-apr-1963 WHITFIELD, Lewis Ray, b. 6-mar-1921, d. 29-may-1981 WHITFIELD, Lewis Wade, b. 5-aug-1888, d. 2-apr-1959, w. pearl whitfield WHITFIELD, Lucius Alton (Bobby), d. 4-oct-1986 WHITFIELD, Mamie Z. Kay, b. 1890, d. 1981, h. fred t. whitfield, m. of ellis whitfield WHITFIELD, Mary S., b. 22-nov-1876, d. 29-jul-1959, h. j. ledford whitfield WHITFIELD, Norman Carodine (Sr)., b. 18-dec-1903, d. 1-mar-1982, w. clara c. whitfield WHITFIELD, Pearl P., b. 28-apr-1892, d. 2-nov-1976, h. lewis wade whitfield WHITFIELD, Riley M., b. 14-may-1952, d. 13-may-1979 WHITFIELD, Slay H., b. 8-may-1927, p. lewis w. & pearl whitfield WHITFIELD, Thelma Donald, b. 11-jun-1925, h. ellis whitfield WHITFIELD, Warren C., b. 19-oct-1881, d. 6-aug-1961 WILLIAMS, G.N., b. 14-jan-1854, d. 13-dec-1904 WILLIAMS, William Berry, b. 17-apr-1894, d. 17-sep-1909