T,.~.,~-':' ~; HIS'i:oaf OF~ c. BAPTISTSt'VOLi,b~'G

::.::: ~.< .;t,.~.,~-':'_~;

HIS'i:oaf OF~ N. c. BAPTISTSt'VOLi,b~'G.W?

.NORTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS

The following Desenting Protestants appeared vitz John Brooks . John James Robt Spring Nich PUrify and Thos Fulcher came into ? court and took the Oathes of alegiance and Supremacy and Sub scribed to the Tests and the thirty-Nine articles of religion being distinctly read to them the following of which they desented from to-wit the Thirty-Sixth and the latter part of the Twenty-Seventb.

ne~d

~

I, A. B., do declare that I do believe that there is not an,.

Transubstantiation in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper or in

the Elements of Bread and Wine at or after the Consecration

thereof by any person whatsoever.

J

,

'

The articles to which the Baptists were allowed to dissent.

were those approving infant baptism and acknowledging .

the truth 'of all written in the homilies. The 'test oath was .

intended primarily for Roman Catholics.

In connection with the indictment of these New Bern

Baptists and their binding over tQ the higher court to

. answer for misdemeanors and to the lower court to keep the

peace, is the well established tradition that ceItain of them; .

were publicly whipped or imprisoned or both. The men';"

who wex:e reported to have suffered in this way were James '

Brinson, Nicholas Purefoy and William Fulsher. In the

documents that we now have there is no record of any case

at all against Brinson, and none of punishment such as,

indicated for any of the three." But the evidence is strong' that such ~ record once existed and disappeared after con-~

troversy over the matter aros,e. Vass makes this statement

with reference to it:

,It is. further claimed bi eminent citizens of New Bern

there, was a record, which has mysteriously disappeared from,.

Clerk's Office, which certified that certain persons, viz.,' Mf~sr's.

Brinson, 'Fulshire and Purifoy, were indicted for holding to

?Brinso~ became active many year; 'later. He was possibly ~ubJect

persecution in the case mentioned by Morgan 'Edwards In 1'168, but not "

In 1'140. According to Vass, Hutof'1I 01 the Pf'elb1lterian Chuf'ch in. N(f'III

Bern, p. 81, there were dupUcate copies of the records of the court, ont'

kept In a bound volume, the other in a set of bound manuscripts. In the

ArehIves of the Historical Commission at Raleigh both sets are at present

bound In one volume.

' .

19!e

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.t. 17th, 1

Coderator.

~.

1 ~ "",

. THE KEHUKEE ASSOCIATION

., Lest this letter s~m to some to be prompted by an abject;

and ignoble spirit it may be recalled here that at least three

of those entrusted with its delivery were prominent patriots . in, ~e days of seventy-six, and members of the Conv~ntion

that wrote the Halifax Resolution of April I!, )776, and

later framed the State Constitution. These three were

". Henry Abbot, Elisha Battle and William Hom.'

,

In addition to their sympathy for the Regulators these.

Kehukee Baptists had reasons of their own for showing ap-:

'0' preciation of the attitude of Governor Martin. Governor

Tryon had not concealed his hatred of the Baptists. It was doubtless because of his known hostility to th~m as a

sect which was in no way to be tolerated and "a scandal to

common sense," that the actions to harass' them of which

Morgan Edwards speaks arose about five years previous to

this time. Edwards says that at that time the court sum

.moned about 7! persons to appear against them; the Bap-

tis~ .were charged with blasphemy, riots and heresy. ~ut

on examination the court found the charges so m':grounded

.that it soon disiDissed the whole matter, seemingly ashamed

of the prosecution. "And," says Edwards, "well they might;?

for the blasphemies the Baptists were charged with turned

out to be Scripture expressions, and their heresies sound

doctrines; the riots appeared to be raised, not by the Ba~ tists, but by the prosecutors who disturbed their assemblies.~ .

Unfortunately Mr. Edwards left the place of this prosecu-'

tion untold. The only Baptist minister of this time whose

name is connected by tradition with persecution of this kind

was the Rev. James Brinson who had his church on the NeUse

and who as its representative joined the Association in

1776. It 18 therefore probable that it was he that suffered in- this way.

In addition the Baptists of this section remembered sonie

, other recent manifestations of liostility to the Baptists, the

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NORTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS

. . . . . . . f. '

to Reedy Creek, Elder Lewis Moore had been in Johnstone

County where his brother John had very earlygathered sOme'

Baptist churches.. Probably their father was with th~m dur":.'

ing the years 1780-86.

: ..... : ~{

At the same session of the Association there were scve~a1

other accessions. These were the churches of Cowenjock,

Currituck County, under the care of James GameweU;

the church at Town Creek, Edgecombe Oounty, under the'

care of Elder Joshua Barnes, and the church at Flat Swamp,"

Pitt County, under the care of Elder John Page, which had

become a member of the old Kehukee after the division in

1775.

.A statement of Burkitt and ReadS:! indicates that the old Kehukee Association continued to meet until 1781 and later~'

possibly as late as 1789, when, as we shall see, a 6nal group

of six of the churches of that Association joined the As

sociation of Burkitt. But some of the old Kehukee churchcs'

from this time were among those admitted almost every year. '.

In 1788 a church at Black CreeK in Wayne County waS.,

received. It was a few years later and probably no,! under the charge of Elder Ephrai'ID Daniel. (Asplund.) At th~'

,..

session of 1784 the churches admitted were 'the church at

Red Bank in Pitt County under the care of Elder Abraham:

Page; Neuse River, Craven County, under the care of. Elder James Brinson; and Swift Creek, Craven County;~

under the care of Rev. James Ellis. In 1785 the additions'"

of were Scuppernong, Tyrrell County, under the care Elder'

Amanah Biggs; Bear Creek, Dobbs (Lenoir) County; and, Morattuck, Washington County, which had been 'gather~

...... ". A

~ <

? K"'.uk66 .J.880ciation, 228, In dIscussing the ehureb at the F~l" of the

Tar, they say: "After the revolution In the Association, this ehu~b c:ou-.

tlnued In the regular BapUst Association (viz, that part .01 the Kehulcee

. Association that relused to accede to our measures) unUl Karch, l'fBI,

when this church became dissatisfied with the proceedings of th!lot Jor,

aoeiation. withdrew from them, and was In eommunIon with DO other chureb until NoveJllber 01 the same year, when sbe Joined eommunfon with the cburch on Fishing Creek. at Daniels meeting-house, under the t;are..01

Elder Silas Kereer. Soon alter this she Joined our Association agaIn., ,

490

KEHUKEE ASSOCIATION 1777-1805

Satan. In Wayne, during the same period Rev. Reuben

I1ayes;afterwards pastor of Toisnot, was preaching in the

neighborhood of Naughunty. Beginning his labors there

;, about 1781 he constituted the church of that name in 1791?.

The church at Red Banks was at this time without a regular ..

pastor, but the chur~h organization was kept up by such in..:.

fiuential members as John Moye and William Travis, the

latter of whom "used to exhort and teach in the church,

. until November, 1784,. when he was dismissed and went to

.Georgia:." It entered upon a new period of increase when

Elder Abram Baker assumed the pastorate on June 8, 178!t.

In the region between the Neuse and the South Carolina

line the Baptists were very active in these years. In Craven

and Jones, Elders John Dillahunty, James Brinson and

Joseph and James Willis were ministering to the religious

. needs of the people. In Onslow, the church on New River . was under the care ~f Elder Robert Nixon, who had sue-.

reeded Elder Ezekiel Hunter, and was busily engaged in

preaching the gospel to congregations in Carteret, where as a

result of his labors the church at Newport River was es

tablished in 1778, and in Janes, and in other places 'as far

south as Lockwood's Folly, where the church seeIllS to have undergone a new constitution in 1779. In Duplin and New

Hanover, Elder William Cooper began his . labors during

this time, preaching at the church at Bull Tail, now Wells'

Chapel. He seems to have labored also? in Bladen at the same'

time. (1\splund.)

.

This account, though often details are lacking, is suf

ficient to show that on the whole the Baptists of eastern

North Carolina had been zealous and active in their labors

during the period of the 'Revolution. The close of that

period found them more numerous and the number of their

churches greater than at the beginning. But the old preach

ers were already passing off the scene of action. Some were

dead; .others growing old, others leaving the State. After

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NOR~H CAROLINA BAPTISTS

.,., .

this time we hear no more of Elders George Graham and .

Henry Ledbetter. When Morgan Edwards was her~' iia '

. 177! the' f~rmer was living but already "past his labors.'" Elder John Tanner went to Kentucky in 1781. Elder He~r/

Abbot was already old, and there is no record of his at

tending a regular session of the Association after the War,'

though he lived until 1791. Elder, William Walker, the

revered pastor of the church at Reedy Creek and its branchcs,

died in 1784. The Association now had one~great leader in

North Carolina. This was Elder Lemuel Burkitt,. pastor

of the church at Sandy Run. All loved and trusted him. In'

the churches of the Association south and west of the Roa-'

noke only ministers of moderate abilities were to be found,

though some of them were men of much zeal and industry.

Among these the ablest were Elder Jesse'Read of Halifax,

Elder John Page of Pitt, and Elder Joshua Barnes of

E~gecombe. Further south, in the region between the Neuse

and the South Carolina line, were a few able men, such as

Elders James Brinson, John Dillahunty, Robert Nixon, Fleet

Cooper and William Cooper. In a few years, these were'

removed either by death or migration and in some instances - ,

their places were never filled..

..: .

~ The sUpply of ministers was by no means adequate to meet

the needs of the Baptist churches. This was due partly to

the fact that in colonial North Carolina there had been no 8chooi~ able to give the educational equipment necessary for' .

a minister of the gospel, while such schools as did exist were..,

doubtless interrupted in their work by the War. ,But it was-'

also partly due to the failure of the churches to provide a '.~

proper support for ministers. Mr. J. W. Moore, in hid ~. manuscript history of North Carolina Baptists, 8UggeSts~\

two other x:easons for the deficiency of ministers at this time.::

One was th~ attention given by young men to politics.- ~e

minds of? the abler young men were wholly engrossed m . political controversi~ between the followers of Jefferson and .

~~ ~ ""~

Record~ of Craven County, N. C., Vol. I by Elizabeth Moore

pher Dawson and made over tOe Franc1s Dawson; patented Sept.

I

10, 1707. (Dan1el Sh1ne, l1heeler (1) Pearson and John Clem

ents, w1tn~ss~~~??C4. < , .: :'"

...

'

1748; Sept.' 8 ?? N1cholas 'Purefoy' sells to N1chol-as Lawrance '

Bleakley ,100 acres on the north s1de of Neuse R1ver, on the

east s1de of ma1n swamp of Upp'er Broad Creek,' beg1nn11lg ???

to Marked Tree Branch: patehtea 5 March 1740 for 200 acres.

(W. Betts and John Jones, w1tnesses) C 4 . '

,

~

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1748, Oct. 19, John P1ndar sells John Frank11n 90 acres

'(Except the Schoolhouse__P01nt)~ on north_s1de, Qf~euse .R1ver;

beg1nn1ng oak on r1 ver slde between Dawsons Creek and, where .

Vallent1ne Bowers now 11ves,' (Dan1elSh1ne and John Fulcher,

Jr., w1tnesses) C4, -

.' ,

,

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1748, Nov. 29. John Frank11n sells 'above land to John Fulch

er. (Samuel Granbrey and John Clement, w1tnesses) C4. "

~. ,Lew1s 'Bryan sells t'o Cas~n Br1nson, Sr., 130 acres

on the north s1de of Neuse R1ver, on east s1de of Goose Creek,

beg1nn1ng at syprouse 1n pecosen.,.Owens Branch; reserv1ng

ten foot squa1r from senter of the spot where Edward Bryan &

w1fo are bur1ed; patented by John Bryan 1739. (~oscph Wr1ght

and Hardy Pugh, w1tnesses) C4.

)' "

1'748/49, Jan. 7. Jose""ph lfright sells to Nathan1el Gabriel'

150 acres on'north s1de of Neuse R1ver, east s1de of Goose

Creek. (W1l11am Bast1n Wh1tford, wltn6sa) ,C2.

'

~ Jan. 3. Samuel Pasey (Pacey) sells to Cason Br1nson, Jr.

150 acres on north s1de of Neuse R1ver, on west s1de of ,Goose ,Creek, beginn1ns at red oak on sa1d creek above Balahack

~sland' Swamp, (Newman Dunn and W1l11am S1gley, w1tnes,ses) Q'.

1749, Mar. 20. John Foard sells to Thomas Carraway, Jr.,

100 acres on south s1de Barc'River, at head of Trent Creek;

out of paten,t to sa1d John Foard for 260 acres Apr1l 14', 1749.

(Thomas Carraway and Abner Neal, w1tnesses) ~~1.

.

..'

1749, May 18. Samuel Harvey sells to W1ll1am Br1te 160 acres

on'north side of Neuse R1ver, on Lower Broad Creek; patented

by R1se Pr1se 11 Nov.: 1719. (Joseph Mason and James Arter,

w1tnesses) C2. .. -

.

,

1749, Nov. 511' SamuelPacy sells to Robert Peet 50 acres on

north s1de of Neuse R1ver on south s1de of Dawsons Creek, on

south s1de of Mirey Branch. (Dan1el Shine, James Carraway and

Samuel Roberts, w1tnesses) C2.

~ Nov. 10. Samuel MeCoy solIs to Cason Br1nson 80 acres

on the north s1de of Neuse R1ver, on east s1de of Goose Creek,.

patented.by Slmon Mor~us, 15 Feb, 1739. (Samuel Pope and

Jacob Broler (Hoover?), .w1tnesses) C2.'

.

?,Ir,

174~, Dec. 18.? Daniel West sells to William "'lest 100.acres on the north side' of Neuse Hiver ", on east side of Broad Creek; taken out of patent for 400 acres which Christopher Dawson has the patent for. (David Lewis and ~11lliam Spight, witnesses) C4.

1750, Feb. 11.? George Brim Harris (Carteret 00.) sells'to Thomas Carraway 460 acrcson north side of Neuse River, between Upper .""'" Broad. ~{lreek-and-Goose Croek, patented bl said GCQrge. Brim Harris. (John Carraway and Bouthy Rew, w1tnesses) 01.

1750~ Mar. 21. Samuel Granberry sells to Abner Neale 50 acres on

the north side of Neuse River at the mouth ot Dawsons Creek,

.. beginning at head of John Hioks Branch. (Edmund Cullen, Joseph

Masters and Thomas Cook, witnessas)C1.

'. .

,

1750, Apr. 6. Joseph Wright sells to Christophor Dawson 60 aoros on north side of Neuse River, on east side ot Goose Creek: pat ented by John Bryan 15' Feb. 173.9.' (Solomon Edwards and Elizabeth Pitt, witnesses) 01.

1750, Apr. 26, George Gra.ham sells to Solomon Edwards 50 acres

on_e north side ?ot Neuse River. on south sida-of swamp running

out ot Upper Broad Creek. (David Lewis and Thomas Spight,

witnesses) C1.

"

'

1750, Apr. 28. George Hopkins sells to Abner Neale 150 acres on north s1de ot Nouse River, on south side of Orchard Creek. (Joshua Mesick and Thomas Martin, witnesses) C1. . . ' 1750, May 31. Newman ~" sells (tor 15 bushols of corn) 'to Hezekiah Johnson 25 acres on the north side of Neuse River above Wilkinsons Point, beginning at the mouth of Peter Ed's upper

. gutt on river side. (Wheelright Pearson, Sidney Pearson and

Daniel Shine, Witnesses) C1.

...

1750, June 19. Dan1el West sells to Joseph Jackson 60 acres on the north side of Neuse River, .on the south side ot Broad Creek, besinning, ??? to Oowsand.Branch; taken up by Georgo TaY,-\.p.r. (We B. Fonv1elle and John Fonv1lle, witnesses) C1. 1750, Juno 22. Isaac Barr1nto'n Sr. 'sells-Isaac'-Barrin'ton, Jr., 100 acres on the north s1de of Neuse River, on the north s1de, of Upper Broad Creek. ('!rl. B. Whitford and Rl'chard M'c'graw, witnessos

1750, Aug. 28. Samuel Roberts sells to James Roberts 100 acres

on Dawsons Creek, beginning on said creek and running up Race

Path Branch. (John Oook, Qarat Hyman and Charles Bhanawolf,

Witnesses) ....C1. : '

.

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175~

70 acr

Se es

potn.

15. the

Isaac Simmons, Jr., selle north side of Neuse River,

to on

Thomas Simmons west side ot he~d

ot Lower Broad Creek Swamp; patented by Lew1s Johnston. .(Daniel

Simmons and Ba~ue+ Lucas, Witnesses) C1.

~Feb. 6. Casion Brinson sells to Casion 8~tt 8~ acres

{co~~inued to page 17)on the north side of the Neuse River, on east side of Go

Creek; patented 13 Feb. 1739 by Simon 16 Malpass (Morpus?). C1.

side o~,Broad Creek. (David Lewis and Ann Pain, wItnesses) 02.

,

,

1758, Oct. 14. John Vendricksells to James Gallaway 205 acres

on the north side Of Neuse River, on east sIde of Beards Creek;

patented 4 April 1720 by Martin Franck. (WIlliam Carraway,Jr.

, ,~and ~Samtigl? Satawhi te ,"witne sse s ). ~~C2 a

'758, Oct~ 26. 'Thomas Carraway Sr. gives Thomas Carraway, Jr. 130 acres on the north side ot Neuse River, a little above Dawsol Creek. '(\'f1lliam Bryan and James Carraway, witnesses) ,C2.

~. N~v. _'. ~eter Harper sells, io"James Bri~son 75 acre~ on

tnenorth side of Neuse River, on east side of GoosEr.Creek and north side of Polecat Branch; part of a patent tQ Simon Molpus 28 Feb. 1739. (Casson Brinson and Jonn-Linton, witnesse, s) C2. 1758, Dec. 25. Ka.zia Cooper sells to John :Morris 100 acres on south side of Bay River; patented 30 June 1738 by Jarvis Jones. (Richard'Horsend, James Rice and James Wilcocks, witnesses) , C2.

1759, Jan. 1. ChristIan' Bowers sells to John Pender ___ acres 0]

north side of Neuse River, beginning on gut.near Dawsons Creek.

(James

Carraway and '.

Thomas and Mary ..

Haw. ks,

wi.tnesses)

C2.

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1759, 'Feb. 8'. Joseph Riding. Bartee Co.," sells to Francis DawSOl '400 acres on the north side of Neuse 'River, in Dawsons Creek, called by the name ~f Rich Neck. (Christopher Daw~on Jr., John Mills, Ann Bryan and Francis Delomar,'witnesses) C2.

1759, Feb; '18. Christian Bowers sells to 'Valentine 'Bowers (Jr.?

40 acres (1/2 parcel), called Valentine Bowers' plantation, wherE

he once lived, though now deceased, bounded by river front and

Johl1Pender's and John Fulcher's lines. (JohnPindar, Ja~~s

Carraway 'a~d Thomas Hawke, ~it~esses)C2.

.

Cii5.iJ July 17. John Linton sells to John Barker _ acres on .

the east side of Goose Creek, beginning at 9ason Scottls'line ???

west side of PesimonBranch; ,butted and bounded by Cason Scott nanedssJeasm) esC' B2ri.n'son.. ,(Cason Bl"'ins. on, ,Jr.'an,d~ Cason. ' S'(')6t, t J w,it '

1759, Sept~ 8. 'Thomas Nelson for love and a~fectio~ gives to

brother John Nelson 450 acres; begInning at the head of a littl~ creek that parts plantation whereon John Bryan lives and Rich Neck, thence along courses of patent to Cashaw Creek. (William Carraway, Jr., and Joseph Carraway, wItnesses) C2. ,

~ Nov, 22. John Barker sells to pet~r Harper 87 acres on

the north side of Neuse Ri vert on east s1.de of Goose, Creek; par' of gra.nt to Nicholas Harper 13 March 1735. ,(Cason Brinson, Jr. ,nd John Brinson, witnesses) 02.

1760, Jan. 1. Abraham Basset sells to John Vendrick'45 acres on the north side of Neuse River, on the east side of Broad Creek; surveyed by Enoch ~Tard and sold to Martin Fra.nck. (Daniel Ven

18

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