The name of the church "EdwardsE River", is of interest to me as I am researching the Edwards family that eventially settled in Morgan County. Any information you might have on the Edwards family and/or how the church got its name would be appreciated. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeff Scism" <Jeff@ibssg.org> To: <brethren@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2008 8:34 AM Subject: Re: [BRE] Carolina Churches - becoming Predestinarian Baptists > Merle mentions Casper Miller and his son Adam. > > I am descended from a John Miller family of Washington District, NC, > later Carter Co. Tennessee. John and his many sons were combatants in > the Revolution. Members of Sevier's 'over the hill' contingent. They are > reported as blacksmiths at the 'shelving rock' on Little Doe River, at > Crab Orchard. This family was out of Pennsylvania. > > This family returned to Crab Orchard when hostilities ceased, but by > 1820 were Regular Baptists (AKA Primitive Baptists) and split between > Kentucky and Indiana. George Miller, a son of John took his family to > Indiana, and by 1820 most were in Montgomery county. The Sugar Creek > Congregation of Regular Baptists was theirs. Before 1834 the > congregation was ready to branch out, and settlements in Mercer County, > Illinois were available. The Millers and several other related families > were the first to settle in Millersburg, in Mercer County, forming the > Edwards River Congregation. > > > "EDWARDS RIVER > > The first record of The Regular Baptist Church of Jesus Christ, of > Edwards River, is the minutes of a meeting of the members, held at the > house of George Miller, on Edwards River, July 21, 1838, of which > meeting Jeremiah Swofford was chosen moderator, and Abraham Miller Jr., > clerk. This meeting was held within the present limits of Perryton > township. Meetings were held in the private houses of members until a > meeting held in the house of Gabriel M. Barkley, in Farlow's Grove (now > in Preemption township), December 22, 1838, the next regular meeting was > appointed at the school house in Sugar Grove (now Perryton township). > March 23, 1839, they voted to appeal to Henderson Church for letters of > dismission and help to constitute them into a separate church. Their > prayer was granted, and the Edwards River church was constituted June > 29, 1839, by Elders Joseph Jones, Charles Vandeveer, and Hiram Bowman. > The members at the constitution were: Joseph and Rebecca Jones; George, > Mary Ann, and Julia Ann Miller; Abraham Miller, Jr.; John and Sarah > Farlow; Roswell and Mehitable Stanard; Youngs Green; Michael Donahoo; > Gabriel M. and Hannah R. Barkley; Mary Miller; and Susannah Shelley. > Gabriel M. Barkley was chosen first deacon of the church, and Abraham > Miller Jr., first clerk. Elder Joseph Jones was the first moderator and > pastor. > > The records of New Hope Church for May 1839 show that a request was > received from the brethren of the arm of Henderson Church, delivered by > brethren Joseph Jones and John Farlow, and agreed to send brethren the > Saturday before the fifth Sunday in June, Charles Vandeveer, Peter > Butler, John Riggs, and James Kelsey. > > The Edwards River Church united with and remained a member of the Spoon > River Association during its existence. > > The first delegation from this church was Joseph Jones, Gabriel M. > Barkley, George Miller, John Farlow, and Abraham Miller Jr., who were > appointed to sit in council with and constitute a church at William > Denison's. It was agreed at this time (1839) to hold meetings one-half > the time at Sugar Grove and one-half the time at Farlow's Grove. > > The last regular meeting of this church was held October 9, 1847, when, > "after consultation and due deliberation being had the church and > council thought it expedient to letter each other out and so become > dissolved, inasmuch as the members are moving away out of the bounds of > this church." Most of these members shortly thereafter removed to Oregon > territory. > > source: > http://www.carthage.lib.il.us/community/churches/primbap/FamHist- > Mercer.html > > (History of Mercer County, E. H. Hill & Co., Publishers, Chicago, > Illinois, 1882) > Page 306" > > > > > > The area of Edwards River was built up and by 1847 the Congregation > was being dissolved, and the membership moved, via the Coon-Miller wagon > train, to Linn County, Oregon, whereas they joined the Little Bethel > Church of Regular Predestinarian Baptists, which was under Rev. Joseph > Warren Turnage, of Clay County, Missouri, the town was once again known > as Millersburg, being established on the land of George Miller, who > donated a portion of his land for the Little Bethel Church and > Cemetery, and is currently a part of Albany, Oregon. Abraham Miller, Jr. > a son of George Miller, married the widow of Rev. Turnage, Elizabeth > Crowley Dagley, and took over the Congregation. His previous wife, > Julia Ann Morgan, of Pennsylvania, died shortly after arriving in > Oregon. The last of the Millers to leave Illinois and move to Oregon was > Isaac Newton Miller, a brother of George Miller. He departed in 1851. > The people who had bought the land from the Edwards River > Congregational, were apparently very happy to see the "strange" people go. > > > SOURCE: Early Memories, Written by Irene Clark Davis for her > sister, Ada E. Brown > > "Now it is the spring of 1848 and Father moved to Sugar Grove. So does > Uncle Gibbs and Uncle Gabriel. At the Grove we find seven Miller > families. Father bought of a man by the name of Crull. Uncle Gibbs > bought Mr. Griswald's farm. Uncle Gabriel rented a place. Uncle Ransom > soon came to be followed by Lewis and Ware Long. The neighborhood > entirely changed in the space of two years. Not a Miller left. Four > Miller brothers had come to the Grove from some western part of the > state, many years before. Some of them had planted fruit trees that were > now bearing. In those days grafting and budding were not known and the > seedling is slow to bear, so I conclude they had been there 15 or 20 > years. Their several names were Abraham, Isaac, John, and George. All > good religious people. Had a mill for lumber, grist mill, a log house > for school and church. > > "In 1850 all the elderly ones except Isaac Miller and his family left > for Oregon. In 1851 Isaac left, leaving no one by the name of Miller. > The Grove now began to be a different place. People from eastern states > moved in. I heard Ma tell Pa that she liked the new neighbors better > than the old ones. They were so different, (more sociable, I suppose) > such as Ma had always associated with." > > Jeff Scism, IBSSG > > > > > Merle C Rummel wrote: >> Thanks much - >> >> This is a start on what needs to be done on these known Brethren in the >> Carolinas. I will save this in my files, with some of the previous >> information on these churches and families. I am using them to assist >> in the Kentucky Migration - but this is a lead on those Brethren >> families who remained in the Carolinas. I still want to know more about >> the Crane Creek Church (just found a Brethren Casper Miller, who lived >> at Salisbury, his son Adam moved to Washington Co IN, 1824). >> >> Roger Sappington presented what he could find out on the Carolina >> churches in his History of the Brethren in North Carolina. This is the >> next step, because there is more information like this out there. I'm >> finding in Kentucky that the main way to learn of these churches which >> have disappeared, is to trace the families. And that is what we are >> doing in our family genealogies. That is what I've been doing with >> these Kentucky families -where they came from. >> >> I've told myself I'm taking a break on the work on the Kentucky Book >> (some of these "new" families need more research), maybe I'll pull >> together a start on these Carolina churches (my daughter is not going to >> be happy). >> >> I do have another interest here, included in your answer. Who is this >> Christopher Guise? There is a major frontiersman of western >> Pennsylvania, Christopher Gist. This Christopher Gist had a >> "plantation" near Uniontown PA. He led General Braddock's army toward >> Fort Duquesne (1755). He was an early explorer into Ohio. He moved >> south, presumably to Georgia. He signed the petition from Fort >> Redstone, with the Brethren of Brothers Valley and Washington Co PA. I >> picked up a copy of his "Journals", at Fort Necessity last summer (and >> haven't ready it yet). Is there a connection of these two men? or are >> they the same man? Was Christopher Gist Brethren? >> >> The Brethren Encyclopedia was written what 30 years ago. I know I wrote >> on what I knew then, and some of that has since proven to be incorrect. >> I'm finding the same true about what others wrote. And there is a lot >> more The 4th Volume was to correct these, but I admit, I didn't send >> anything more in, partially because I'm still finding out new things. >> But it is like Jeff Bach just reminded me - at some point, we have to >> present what we know now. >> >> Merle C Rummel >> >> >>> There were three Brethren churches west of the Catawba River. The >>> earliest >>> church, Killians Meeting House, later became regular Baptist and was >>> located >>> in eastern Lincoln County. It began in the middle 1750's with >>> Christopher >>> Guise (variously spelled) and Abraham Earhard as ministers. Mountain >>> View >>> Baptist has an older cemetery which is the remnants of Lebanon Lutheran >>> Church. Lebanon was a later Lutheran church of Killians Meeting House. >>> Evidence suggests that Killians Meeting House was originally a union >>> church >>> of Lutheran, Reformed, and Brethren. Rev. Lemuel Saunders, apparently a >>> regular Baptist, came to minister to the remains of the Brethren at >>> Killians >>> Meeting House after the American Revolution. Many Brethren moved away >>> just >>> before, during and after the Revolution. Some were Tories and Neutrals >>> and >>> some just moved. >>> >>> Two other Brethren churches located in western Lincoln and western >>> Catawba >>> County were both named Thessalonica. Their ministers were Henry Rhodes >>> and >>> Lorentz Linhardt. I believe that members of the Thessalonica located >>> in >>> present western Lincoln County joined Mt. Zion Baptist Church near >>> present >>> Cherryville in present Gaston County. Many of the Catawba County >>> members of >>> Thessalonica, the Millers and Bakers, moved to Cape Girardeau Missouri >>> where >>> Peter Baker established a Brethren congregation around 1800, the >>> Whitewater >>> congregation. They intermingled with the Rowan and Uwarrhi (spelling) >>> Hendricks. The Catawba County Thessalonica Church also became regular >>> Baptist Church. >>> >>> The two Thessalonica Brethren churches were served by Henry Rhodes and >>> Lorentz Linhardt. Both died in early 1830's and apparently no other >>> Brethren ministers served these congregations. Members apparently then >>> joined regular Baptist churches. >>> >>> More research needs to be done on these churches. I have seen no >>> evidence >>> that the Brethren Church even recognizes Linhardt and Rhodes as >>> ministers. >>> I have primary documentation that they were Dunker/Tunker ministers. >>> >>> I am not at all certain about the Rowan and Stanley County, NC churches. >>> >>> Hope this helps, >>> >>> >> >> >> ------------------------ >> Search the Archives at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/BRETHREN >> ------------------------ >> Support Our Sponsoring Agency >> The Fellowship Of Brethren Genealogists (FOBG) >> For further information contact Ron McAdams mailto:McAdamsr@hotmail.com >> ------------------------ >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> BRETHREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> > > > -- > > > Jeffery G. Scism, IBSSG > ~~ > > "No one more sincerely wishes the spread of information among mankind than > I do, and none has greater confidence in its effect towards supporting > free and good government." > > -- Thomas Jefferson (letter to Trustees for the Lottery of East Tennessee > College, 6 May 1810) > > Reference: The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Washington, ed., vol. 5 (521) > > > > Visit http://ibssg.org/blacksheep/ > For the Intl. Blacksheep Society of Genealogists website > > Putnam County Indiana http://ingenweb.org/inputnam/ > Montgomery County Indiana http://ingenweb.org/inmontgomery/bios/ > Fountain County Indiana http://ingenweb.org/infountain/ > > > ------------------------ > Search the Archives at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/BRETHREN > ------------------------ > Support Our Sponsoring Agency > The Fellowship Of Brethren Genealogists (FOBG) > For further information contact Ron McAdams mailto:McAdamsr@hotmail.com > ------------------------ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > BRETHREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 270.4.2/1523 - Release Date: 6/28/2008 > 7:00 AM >