I want more information on the Brethren involvement in Patrick County. Can anyone do me a general story on the Brethren for the Patrick County Heritage Book Volume 2? We still have the Smith River Church of the Brethren in Patrick County today. In History of Patrick Co., VA, compiled by the Patrick County Historical Society it states "The church had been organized by Topeka Church of the Brethren of Floyd County upon the invitation of John Abe Hooker and his brothers. Church minutes for July 4, 1892 record that 25 members met in council, appointed J. A. Hooker as clerk, Derency Hooker as treasuer, and installed William Elgin as minister. Membership about this time included 57 persons of the families of Hooker, Elgin, Bowling, Martin, Wilson, Hall, Brammer, Robertson, Ross, Foley, Houchins, Nolen, Thomas, Rorrer, Lawson, Harbour, Salmons, Lee, Roberson, Turner, Burnett, Lackey, and Puckett. The first meetings were held in the Hooker-Houchins Schoolhouse near the present church site. The original church building was erected in 1890 and has many significant additions and improvements over the years. In addition to the Topeka Church, the Boone's Mill Church of Franklin County gave help and sent ministers to assist. In the 1930's, student ministers Joel Naff and Edgar Martin spent summers at Smith River Church. Church ministers have included William A. Elgin, William Elkanah Lakey, James Benjamin Roberson, Posey L. Nolen, Isaac T. Hooker, Alvis O. Salmons, Sammie Lee Ross, Buren Alexander Elgin, and Luther Noel Hopkins. John Abram Hooker (1867-1958) became a prominent minister of the Brethren church also. He is credited with bringing this denomination to Patrick County and with founding the Smith River Church of the Brethren. Preacher Hopkins is my aunt's father-in-law. It also states that Mountain View United Methodist Church in PC developed from a "brush arbor" church attended by families of Methodist, Baptist, and Brethren faith. In our Patrick County Heritage Book Volume 1, there was a story on "Sunny Hill Brethren Church" that stated it was the fourth mission church established by the Smith River congregation. The church is located in the community of Charity. It was built in 1909 to serve the small group of Brethren in the area. George L. Roberson donated the land for the church, and W. A. Elgin was the minister. Later his son Buren Elgin was the only active minister remaining, so he preached at Smith River and Sunny Hill. The WPA sponsored a sewing room in the church from 1934 to 1939. Ovilla Rakes was in charge of 15 women. They corded cotten and made quilts; they also made dresses and overalls. Some brought their machines from home, and some machines were furnished by the government. There was a cellar under the church where the ladies would put the church benches during the week, and they would bring them back upstairs for church services. The sewing machines were moved into the corner. Special summer activities that the congregation looked forward to were a Singing School where they learned to read music and a Bible School for children. The Sunny Hill Brethren Church closed in 1965, and the building has been torn down. But the story doesn't end there....there's one Brethren church left standing that is used for storage and that story will be in PATRICK COUNTY HERITAGE BOOK VOLUME 2!!!!!! Alpha Hiatt, Chairman Patrick County Heritage Book Volumes 1 & 2 --- "M. J. Spangler" <[email protected]> wrote: > PART 3 > > In addition to reaching out into neighboring > Montgomery (Mt. > Jackson) and Patrick (Smith River) Counties, the > Brethren from Topeco > also held meetings in Carroll County and across the > line into North > Carolina. The William Tyson and Jacob Wisler > families from Pennsylvania > moved into the area between Mt. Airy, North Carolina > and Cana, Virginia > in 1870 and 1886 respectively. Being loyal Brethern > of Pennsylvania > Dutch ancestry, the Wislers contacted the Brethren > leaders in Floyd > County and invited them to come to this new frontier > to hold meetings. > The invitation was eagerly accepted, and the home of > the Wislers became > the first place of meetings. Soon there were a > number of people who > united with the Wislers in this movement and were > baptized. As the > number of members increased, the pressure for a > meetinghouse also > increased. Wisler decided to donate the land on > which to build, and the > lumber also came from his woods. By 1889 the log > meetinghouse was > completed, and in 1890 C. D. Hylton and S. G. > Spangler from Floyd County > held the first revival meetings in this > meetinghouse. With the continued > growth of the group, the decision was made to > organize, and this was > consummated on September 18, 1891. The name of the > new congregation was > St. Paul, incidentally the only congregation in the > entire denomination > which carries the name of a saint. The presiding > elder of the new > congregation was H. P. Hylton, and a resident of the > area, William Towe, > was called to the ministry. > The St. Paul congregation encouraged the development > of a Brethren > preaching point in Shelton, North Carolina, where > there were Brethren by > 1890. A meetinghouse was constructed in this > community in 1900, and > later the congregation became independent. > The Topeco congregation was also responsible for > the establishment > of another outpost in Carroll County in the area > around the Coulson post > office, some four miles east of Woodlawn. In the > early 1870's a family > named Montgomery moved from Floyd to Carroll County; > even though they > were not Brethren, they knew sonic of the Brethren > ministers in Floyd > County; being lonely in their new community, they > invited these friends > to come to Carroll County and preach. Meetings > continued in homes and > schoolhouses for a number of years with John B. > Hyltnn and J. H. Slusher > usually coming to the Coulson community aboout twice > a year. either on > horseback or on foot- With such courageous > nurturing, the small group > increased in size. and in 1898 a frame meetinghouse > was erected and the > congregation was officially organised. The first > elder was Owen Barnhart > from Floyd County, although numerous other ministers > from Topeco were > cooperating in the ministry of the Coulson > congregation. Under their > patient and persevering work, the congregation > continued and grew. > In spite of giving birth to so many children in > such a relatively > short time, the Topeco congregation was still strong > enough to build a > new frame meetinghouse in 1895, replacing the old > Brick meetinghouse. > The name was changed at that time to Topeco. The > pulpit Bible in the new > meetinghouse was donated by the Hon. Levi P. Morton, > who was > vice-president of the United States from 1889 to > 1893 during the > administration of Benjamin Harrison.96 This Bible > must have served as > quite an inspiration to the congregation, for many > strong leaders came > from Topeco including Jacob Weddle, Austin Hylton, > Archie Thompson, > Joshua Thompson, Andrew Weddle, H. P. Hylton, Andrew > Reed, John Weddle, > Joseph Weddle, William Reed, Isaac Reed, J. P. > Hylton, Cornelius Reed, > J. H. Slusher, Harvey Weddle, P. N. Hylton, Joel > Weddle, C. D. Hylton, > Ananias Harman, Jacob Hylton, William Smith, A. N. > Hylton, and L. M. > Weddle. These men of God built the Church of the > Brethren of the > nineteenth century in Floyd and neighboring > counties. > > > ==== VAFLOYD Mailing List ==== > Floyd County,Virginia Mailing List Web Site > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~barbs/ > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Make Yahoo! your home page http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs