Can anyone tell me the names and locations of the earliest churches located in Marion County in close proximity of the Marlboro County Line? We are searching for early records that may shed light upon one of our g....grandfathers, Thomas Preston Pearson and his early family. Thomas Pearson was listed on the 1820 Marion County census as Preston Pearson with wife and children enumerated. His father was Captain Moses Pearson who with his brother Aaron Pearson raised their families on the Pee Dee River in the vicinity of Hunts Bluff and close to where the current Parnassus Church is located (all in Marlboro County). We suspect that Thomas married a Marion County woman, although we do not have proof,, nor do we know her name. He reappears in Marlboro county in later census periods. We only know that he and his young family were residents there for a period of time. One of his sons, Preston Pearson latter married Sarah (Sallie) Clark from Marion County. She was a daughter of George Clark whose property I believe was in the vicinity of Reddy Creek or Little Reddy Creek... The Pearson family was Baptist and after 1820 or so, became Methodist. A few of Thomas's children are buried in the Parnassus Church Cemetery. We suspect that Thomas Pearson married someone and lived reasonably close to the Marlboro County line in Marion County and probably attended a Baptist ..or maybe a Methodist Church... We would like very much to learn more of his and his family's whereabouts and activities during this period of time....and we are hoping Church histories may help us.. We would certainly appreciate any help. Glenn Pearson

>Hi, Glenn, By coincidence, I have just been working on piecing together information on the ministry of a Rev. Dwight Hays (Baptist). In January of 1839, the Biblical Recorder and Southern Watchman gave the schedule for the February (and subsequent) preaching appointments for Dwight Hays. I think Rev. J. Culpeper, Jr. and Rev. Joel Allen visited the same churches. Preaching circuit information read: Dwight Hays will preach Feb. 1st. on the same circuit, at Gapway; 2nd, at Hopewell; 3rd, at Salem; 4th, at Conwayborough; 5th, at Little Pee Dee; 6th, at School-house; 7th, at Friendship; 8th, at Terrell's Bay; 9th, at Brown's C. H. at night; 10th, at Bird's; 11th, at Antioch; 12th, at Catfish; 13th, at Brownsville; 14th, at Salem; 15th, at Bethel Ch.; 18th, at Digg's; 19th, at Piney Grove; 20th, at Bethel; 21st, at Beaver Dam; 22nd, at Burton's Fort-Bennettsville at night; 23rd, at Hebron; 24th, at Sardis; 25th, at Stafford's; 26th, at Buck Swamp. Somehow I think this names many of the Baptist churches in old Marion County and Marlboro County at that time, although I would love to know what others existed. Then, I have some notes on Bethesda Methodist (now Southern Methodist) Church in Oak Grove. As you know that is not too far over into what was Marion County--and not so many miles down the road from Parnassus. These notes indicate that around 1850 the only nearby churches were Bethlehem (Methodist), which you probably know is in Marlboro County; Catfish and Antioch (Baptist), which you not are listed in the schedule above; and Union (Methodist--later to become Presbyterian), which I think is the old church that years ago sat in a field not far from Berry's Crossroads--between Oak Grove and Sellers. I have some other notes on the "fourth quarterly conference of the Methodist Church for the Marion District" held November 30, 1842. Evidently the district involved some of Marlboro too. Churches involved were Bethesda, Dothan, Marion Courthouse, Ariel, Old Neck, Millers, Liberty Chapel, Union, Hopewell, Moodys, Tranquil, Schoolhouse, Clio, Parnassus, Bethlehem, Macedonia, Ebenezer, Ark, Philadephia, Tabernacle, and Shiloh." Unfortunately I don't know which ones besides Bethesda, Union, and perhaps Dothan would have been in the area in which you are interested. I don't have a good comprehensive view of the old churches and will be very interested in seeing other responses, but I thought I should toss this in. Larry Jones Can anyone tell me the names and locations of the earliest churches located in Marion County in close proximity of the Marlboro County Line? > >We are searching for early records that may shed light upon one of our >g....grandfathers, Thomas Preston Pearson and his early family. Thomas >Pearson was listed on the 1820 Marion County census as Preston Pearson >with wife and children enumerated. His father was Captain Moses Pearson >who with his brother Aaron Pearson raised their families on the Pee Dee >River in the vicinity of Hunts Bluff and close to where the current >Parnassus Church is located (all in Marlboro County). > >We suspect that Thomas married a Marion County woman, although we do not >have proof,, nor do we know her name. He reappears in Marlboro county in >later census periods. We only know that he and his young family were >residents there for a period of time. > >One of his sons, Preston Pearson latter married Sarah (Sallie) Clark from >Marion County. She was a daughter of George Clark whose property I believe >was in the vicinity of Reddy Creek or Little Reddy Creek... > >The Pearson family was Baptist and after 1820 or so, became Methodist. A >few of Thomas's children are buried in the Parnassus Church Cemetery. > >We suspect that Thomas Pearson married someone and lived reasonably close >to the Marlboro County line in Marion County and probably attended a >Baptist ..or maybe a Methodist Church... We would like very much to learn >more of his and his family's whereabouts and activities during this period >of time....and we are hoping Church histories may help us.. > >We would certainly appreciate any help. > >Glenn Pearson > > >==== SCMARION Mailing List ==== >Marion County SCGenWeb site: >http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/1786/marion.html