Fisher County Texas Archives Church Records.....Bethel Baptist Church: A Historical Overview
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Dorman Holub searchersofourpast@gmail.com February 4, 2025, 11:22 am

Bethel Baptist Church in Fisher County, Texas, holds the distinction of being the
county’s inaugural church. 
Established in 1889, it was founded in the residence of Reverend Robert Martin, who
welcomed thirteen 
charter members.

Following the church’s establishment, a modest church was constructed. The charter
members included 
Reverend Robert Martin and his wife, Reverend N.J. Ethridge and his wife, Reverend
L.B. Allen and his wife, 
S.R. Bryan and his wife, C.C. Hawkins and his wife, Mrs. Eugenia Kiefer, Mrs. J.M.
Hilbun, and Mrs. Warren 
Haynes.

Rev. Martin’s lineage is as follows: his grandfather, Robert Martin, was born in
Dublin, Ireland. He emigrated to 
South Carolina at a young age and served as a sergeant during the Revolutionary
War.

Rev. Martin’s father, James Martin, was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on
November 15, 1788. He married 
Hester Bogan on December 31, 1811, in Union, South Carolina. The family relocated to
Randolph County, 
Georgia, in 1831, where they established their residence. They raised their family
of nine children, comprising 
two daughters and seven sons.

Rev. Martin’s mother, Mrs. Hester Martin, played a pivotal role in the organization
of the Bethel Baptist Church 
in Randolph County. She instilled in her children a strong religious faith, and all
of them eventually became 
members of the church. Two of her sons served as Baptist deacons, while five others
became Baptist 
preachers.

In 1852, Rev. Martin and his family relocated to Bossier Parish, Louisiana, where
they settled in a secluded 
location. He promptly initiated the establishment of a Baptist church and requested
that it be named New 
Bethel in honor of the original Bethel church in Georgia.

In 1886, William C. Martin relocated to Fisher County. When it was time to name the
new church, he proposed 
the name Bethel in honor of the two Bethels he had been a member of for so long.
After six years in Fisher 
County, he returned to Louisiana and rejoined the New Bethel Church. Upon his
passing on December 25, 
1899, in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, he was laid to rest in the cemetery of the New
Bethel Baptist Church, 
where he had dedicated his life to preaching the gospel for 56 years.

The Bethel Church in Georgia continues to operate, as does the Bethel in Fisher
County. However, the Bethel 
in Louisiana remains standing but is not currently in use.

William C. Martin and Asher Booth Martin of Fisher County, Texas, were descendants
of the Revolutionary War 
hero, and were the fourth and fifth generations from the Martin family.


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