Roane County TN Archives History - Books .....Bethel Presbyterian Church - Officers 1927
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com November 6, 2005, 9:05 pm

Book Title: The History Of Roane County Tennessee 1801-1870

OFFICERS OF BETHEL CHURCH



    May 22, 1819, Addison Carrick was elected Ruling Elder and was ordained by

Rev. Rob. Hardin. April 11, 1824, Thomas N. Clark was elected Ruling Elder,

being ordained by Rev. William Eagleton. Oct. 2, 1824 Lewis W. Jordon was

elected Ruling Elder, and was ordained by Rev. Isaac Anderson. December 27,

1827. David Patton, Thomas McConnell and James Moore, were ordained Elders by

Rev. Thomas Brown.



    The records show that Andrew Morrison was Moderator of Presbytery in 1820.



    John Purris was the first Clerk of the Session, serving from the

organization of Bethel Church until his death Sept. 1829, and was succeeded by

Dr. Lewis Jordon, who was followed by John Moore as Clerk in 1820. Dr. Jordon's

name is signed as Clerk in 1835 and on thru 1839, when John P. Patton was

elected to the office and his name appears as clerk until Feb. 15, 1861, when

the minutes close until April 1870 when the name of A. Phillips appears.



    On October 16, 1870 James B. Martin and Constantine Brouse were ordained

Elders by Rev. Thomas Brown and Rev. Thomas Roberts.



    Nov. 12, 1870 Rev. E. W. Wyatt was ordained as pastor and continued his

services with the Church until April 1872.



     April 5, 1871 Mrs. Elizabeth Houston was given a letter of dismissal to the

Church at Rockwood.



     During the year the Church was most disturbed over the intemperance of one

of its members. He had been brought before the session early in the year for

drinking, he admitted his guilt but asked forgiveness and was forgiven. The

second offence takes up most of the minutes of the year as his trial is written

out in full. He was penitent but was excluded from the Church. The following

sentence was published by the pastor from the pulpit. "With the earnest prayer

that God in the abundance of his Grace and for the sake of our blessed Mediator

and Advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ will lead our offending brother to

repentance for all his sins, so for this, also his sin of continuance in

refusing to hear the Church." W. S. Patton, Clerk.



     March 27, 1872 is the next date of the meeting of the Session. Those

present being Elders J. B. Martin, C. Brouse, W. S. Patton, with Rev. E. W. P.

Wyatt, Moderator. J. P. Patton was absent on April 5. Alex Bartlett was

Moderator and on April 13, William H. Deitz resigned as Treasurer and Rev. Wyatt

resigned. It was decided at this meeting to hold two communion services a year.

On April 17 at a congregational meeting Gustavus A. Gunter was elected a Trustee

in place of Mr. Deitz and it was decided to fill the place of Rev. Wyatt as soon

as possible. The minutes close with those of May 5, 1872 as follows "Communion

Season. Rev. Wyatt submitted the following testimonials to the worth and

services of our former minister, the late Thomas Brown. "As early as 1827 he

entered upon his ministerial labors and only by the interruption of the late War

and finally thru feeble health in 1867, did he cease to preach to us the

unsearchable riches of Christ."



     Rev. William Eagleton was probably the first regular pastor of the Church

coming in 1819 and was President of Rittenhouse Academy. On account of failing

health he resigned in 1826 or 27. He was succeeded by Thomas Brown who came a

young man and stayed for forty years. He married Jane Patton. Rev. Wyatt was his

successor in 1867 and remained until 1872. Thru the century of the Church's

existence several of the male members were dismissed or reproved but the records

show only one female who did not walk the straight and narrow path. In 1830 she

was dismissed from the Church for being quarrelsome with her neighbors, and

would not promise the Session that she would quit the bad habit. The first money

shown on the Treasurer's book is "amount of collection after deductiig expenses

$11.39 3/4 ." Very little money was paid the early pastors most of it going for

communion wine and material for church building. How interesting it would be to

know more of the story of Bethel Church.



    Addison Carrick m. Rebecca Gamble in Knox Co., Nov. 5, 1812.





Additional Comments:
From:



Part Three



The History of Roane County Tennessee 1801-1870

by

Emma Middleton Wells



Printed by

The Lookout Publishing Company

Chattanooga, Tennessee



(1927)

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