CENTENNIAL STORY, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, TYLER, SMITH CO, TEXAS, 1848-1948 ***************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm Used with the permission of Dr. Michael Massar, Pastor First Baptist Church, Tyler, TX Submitted by Mary Love Berryman - marylove@tyler.net 5 March 2001 ***************************************************************** CHURCH OFFICIALS The present officers of the church are as follows: Pastor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dr. Porter M. Bailes Director of Music and Fducation. . . . . . . . . . John D. Matthews Sunday School Superintendent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .J. R. Moore Training Union Director. . . . . . . . . . . .Mrs. Jessie F. Jeffers Church Clerk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. F. McCain Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .John M. Stephens Financial Secretary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Miss Orlena Roberts church Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mrs. W. D. Goyer Office Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Miss Frances Richards Organist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mrs. James H. Hambrick Orchestra Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ralph Parker Church Hostess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mrs. C. E. Rodgers W. M. U. President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. M. T. Rogers Brotherhood No.1 President . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. F. Prestridge Brotherhood No.2 President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Norval Palmer * * * * * * * * OFFICIALS - THEN AND NOW CHURCH TREASURERS John H. Bonner . . . . . . . . -1891 J. T. Harris . . . . . . . . . 1891-1904 Geo. S. McGhee . . . . . . . . 1904-1909 Carl Wood . . . . . . . . . . 1910-1914 W. D. Swann . . . . . . . . . 1914-1919 H. M. Eagle . . . . . . . . . 1919-1941 John Stephens . . . . . . . . 1941- CHURCH CLERKS Stephen Reeves . . . . . . . . 1848- A. J. Swann. . . . . . . . . . T. J. Kelly. . . . . . . . . . Geo. R. Philips. . . . . . . . 1877-1892 C. F. Mansfield. . . . . . . . 1892-1902 Lee Butler . . . . . . . . . . 1902-1904 R. A. Dean . . . . . . . . . . 1904-1940 D. O. Hosea. . . . . . . . . . 1940-1941 Craven Beard . . . . . . . . . 1941-1942 A. E. McCain . . . . . . . . . 1942- TRUSTEES 1948 S. G. Fry Smith Reynolds Frank Riviere C. E. Owen Dr. S. W. Bradford E. H. Samuels F. M. Johnson Pat Wiley EDUCATIONAL DIRECTORS Chester Harris . . . . . . . . 1913-1914 W. P. Phillips . . . . . . . . 1914-1915 J. B. Oliver . . . . . . . . . 1915-1920 J. D. Carroll. . . . . . . . . 1927-1928 H. D. Bruce . . . . . . . . . 1929-1930 John H. Gary . . . . . . . . . 1935-1942 John D. Matthews . . . . . . . 1942-1948 Lauren Sprunger. . . . . . . . 1948- CHOIR DIRECTORS Mrs. Lorraine Durst . . . . . 1904-1905 Mrs. Lorraine Durst . . . . . 1910-1912 Chester Harris . . . . . . . . 1913-1914 Mrs. Lorraine Durst. . . . . . 1919-1928 Miss Charlette Essman. . . . . 1932-1934 Mrs. Robert Kinney . . . . . . 1934-1935 John H. Gary . . . . . . . . . 1935-1942 John D. Matthews . . . . . . . 1943-1948 Lauren Sprunger . . . . . . . 1948- ORGANISTS Miss Anna Swann . . . . . . . 1893 Miss Mary Bonner . . . . . . . 1893-1898 Miss Mable Boyette . . . . . . 1898-1904 Mrs. Mary Sheppard . . . . . . 1904-1905 (Miss Mary Bonner) Miss Irene Swann . . . . . . . 1904-1913 Mrs. J. H. Hambrick. . . . . . 1913-1948 Ralph Parker . . . . . . . . . 1948- THE DEACONS OF 1948 J. R. Moore, Chairman Craven Beard E. E. Bedell W. V. Boone L. E. Bryant Bob Burns J. R. Campbell A. L. Cone J. L. Cook E. O. Doggett J. M. Donohue T. M. Doyle R. L. Eddins H. J. Ellis W. M. Fitzgerald J. M. Ford Ira W. Gilliam Leroy Greene Dick Gulledge H. Y. Haggard E. E. Hendrix, Sr. W. V. Henson L. R. Herring S. H. Howard I. J. Humphrey C. M. Kay D. E. Killam J. H. Matthews A. E. McCain O. Oliver J. D. Owens E. C. Palmer Ralph Parker J. R. Pierce E. L. Pinkston Edward M. Potter C. E. Prestridge Dugger Ray Sam H. Ross Finis Seale O. R. Smith John M. Stephens N. L. Stephens Ira W. Wade Milton West T. N. Winn CHURCH CUSTODIANS For twenty-three years the church custodian was Milton Clark, who resigned due to ill health. The duties were then taken over by John Hunter, whose assistants are Rozella Gray and A. B. Hill.