https://johnsonvilleschistory.org/files/original/5b6a22e56cd36a2fe2d48791ddfa138c.pdf 0af5210e619697efb973d20f3b9a71ed PDF Text Text .INDIANTOWN . PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 175 7-195 7 �Ind·ia 11town Presb3,terian Church, 1957 �An Historical Sketch of INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH In WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY, S. C. 1757-1957 �"To excel the past, we must not allow ourselves to lose contact with it. On the contrary, we must feel it under our feet, because we have raised ourselves upon it." -:JOSE ORTEGA y GASSET. �To the descendants of early members Indiantown is the church of their fathers. For some, time and distance may have blurred reality with a mist of sentiment They fondly picture it as it was in grandpa's day and wish that it could be preserved just so. To the visitor, Indiantown appears a well-kept, dignified, rather plain country church, its original meeting-house style still visible through the additions and alterations of later years. Weathered stones in the cemetary date from as early as 1787. To its members, though they are aware of its history, the past is not so very important. For them the church is the center of religious and social life in a thriving, rural community some hundred square miles in area. Situated in the north-east quarter of Williamsburg County, the countryside has the physical character of the South Carolina coastal plain: there are dark, slow-flowing streams, wide cultivated uplands, sandy-loam soils. The church mirrors the substantial prosperity of its members. Years ago a discerning and witty lady, visiting her husband's old home and puzzled by the vague boundaries of the community, concluded that Indiantown is more a state of mind that a precise locality. It is true that similarity in inheritance, shared history and experience, long years of living side by side, had resulted in a consonance of opinions and prejudices, characteristic speech and manner that gave the community a distinctive flavor and atmosphere. Even quarrels-and there have been some notable rows-were a family affair. The strongest tie was the Church. To an unusual degree Indiantown claimed the loyalty of everyone within reach. Original settlers, almost wholely Calvinist, united in worship at one church. The few newcomers, surrounded by strong opinions and time-hallowed practices, merged into the establishment. They were more changed than changing, and the old patterns continued. Recent years have brought powerful new forces to ·bear : Improved roads have ended semi-isolation; radio and television have modified speech habits; industry is beginning to discover the advantages and attractions of our section; Indiantown has gained many new members-the roll has doubled in the past thirty years. Often they have come from other denominations. But there has been surprising continuity; change has been gradual, and while old ways are being modified, tradition is still potent. All unknowingly, reactions to situations and ideas often reflect our heritage. No age can be understood when isolated from its past. Healthy humility grows with awareness of how much we are the creatures of that past, to what extent we build on foundations laid long ago. The two centuries of our existence as a congregation, eventful as they have been, are only a relatively brief segment in our history. For the three lifespans that compass the clearing of the land and the present moment have their roots in the shadowy days of early Scotland. The Covenanters and the followers of The Bruce were ancestors to those who came to Williamsburg. Hardy, toughened by rugged terrain and harsh climate, fiercely jealous of their rights, thrifty and hardworking, kindly, generous and hospitable, intensely loyal to family and clan, above all deeply religious, they gave to their descendants resources of character iii �and virtue that were to sustain them in bitter times. To their inherent love of freedom may be credited the selfless heroism of our soldiers and the fortitude of their families during the Revolution. All the stamina of the race and all the consolation of their faith were needed to endure the bloody horror of those years. Major James and his followers have become vague and legendary figures, but they were very real. They lived where we live and they fought in defence of these very fields and woods and streams. Victory and freedom were bought at terrible cost. All they had gained by years of toil and privation was burned or pillaged. Even their meeting house was destroyed in hatred and vengeance. But courage was given to persevere; and when independehce was won, they rebuilt their church and homes, and, without any sense of destiny or self-importance, founded a way of life which we, their heirs, still cherish. If the virtues of the fathers seem superhuman and we are overawed by their nobility of character, there are records of other happenings in our church's history to reassure us and to suggest that they were in most respects as frail as we: contentious, prone to backslide, stubborn. There were heated quarrels, long struggles between the old Adam and his ordained leaders, doctrinal battles that bring a superior smile to our twentieth-century faces (our greatgrandchildren will probably find our attitudes equally "queer and quaint"). Even with our sense of mingled superiority and humility, we must be conscious that we are part of an unfolding story, that we are not so far removed from the men of two centuries ago, and that we are continuing what they began. IV �I Indiantown has a daughter's portion in the heritage and early history of old Williamsburg Church. The well documented story of the settlement of the township and beginning of public worship at the king's tree has been told so often that only the briefest of summaries is needed here as preface to our sketch. In 1730, sixty years after its founding, the colony of South 'Carolina was still only a narrow fringe of settlement along the coast. As a defensive buffer between this weak but wealthy strip and the potentially dangerous Indian tribes of the north and west, a series of townships was laid out in the back country sixty miles from Charleston. However selfish this plan in conception, its result was that German Protestants in Orangeburg, Swiss in Purrysburg, Welch in Queens borough and Scotch Dissenters in Williamsburg found unaccustomed freedom from religious strife and a chance to better their lot. Before 1730 a few settlers were already living on the lower reaches of Black River in that part of Craven County now known as Williamsburg. In 1722, John Bayley of Bellinaclough, County Tipperary, Kingdom of Ireland, issued letters to Alexander Trench, of Charleston authorizing him to determine and survey tracts of land totaling 48,000 acres inherited from his father, John Bayley, senior. For one hundred pounds the latter had been created Landgrave of the Province of Carolina in 1698. Among sundry parcels scattered over the province Trench gave deeds to several tracts within a few miles of the old Indian Town. In 1724 Anthony White bought five hundred acres on the "North Branch of Black River." By terms of the deed, he was required to settle on his place. In subsequent years he bought other lots until his holdings came to at least thirteen hundred acres. Trench also gave deeds to John Nesmith and Dougal McKethan for nearby lands. The systematic settlement of the county can be dated from 1732,1 when surveying of the township was undertaken. In that year a small band led by Roger Gordon, and including William James, David Wilson, Gavin Witherspoon and Robert Ervin among others, came from northern Ireland and were given homesites along the river near the natural landmark, the King's Tree. They were the beginning of a stream of Scotch-Irish immigration that was to make the future county for many decades predominantly Calvinist. These first comers were kinsmen, and in the ensuing years they were joined by others of their kindred and related clansmen, notably the Witherspoons: John, his children and their families. Many of these were induced to come by patrons, and to aid in settlement, received a bounty of implements and supplies from the colonial government. 1 R. L. Meriwether: The Expansion of South Carolina. Kingsport, Tenn., 1940, p. 79. 1 �AN HISTORICAL SKETCH 2 They were in humble circumstances, victims of the turmoil and savage factionalism of the preceding centuries. Originally from Scotland, their fathers had been located on lands in north Ireland formerly the holdings of evicted Papists. After winning a measure of comfort and security among the marshes and bogs, they learned that the hard gotten holdings were not theirs, and were thenceforth to be occupied only on severe terms. Embittered by such treatment they were easily induced to sail for Carolina, freedom in the wilderness, preferable to virtual serfdom. By 1736, when the Williamsburg Church was founded, there was in the township area a well established, homogeneous colony, self-sustaining, upright, and growing rapidly. A sudden spurt of immigration in 1737 added impetus. The 198,000 acres in the original survey were granted to the settlers on the basis of fifty acres for each member of a household, including servants. Grantees paid no rent for ten years, thereafter an annual quitrent of four shillings per hundred acres. As the sons of firstcomers reached manhood, married and received new grants, and as their numbers were augmented by new immigrants, the choice locations were exhausted, and expansion beyond the bounds of the original township became necessary. Unlike the lands south of Santee River, these territories were not effectively secured to settlers alone. 2 Great tracts were acquired by speculators, many of whom never saw their holdings. The easily drained and fertile lands east of the township proved particularly tempting to both speculators and bonafide settlers. Non-residents took title to many ~housands of acres adjacent to Black Mingo Creek. Grants to speculators of 2,000 acres, 946 acres, 3,249 acres, and 1,800 acres among others are recorded. In consequence, these tracts had to be bought from the grantees at surprising prices. One of 1,500 3 acres brought 2,158 pounds. Of course, by no means all the land was so preempted, and there were numerous smaller grants based on households, fifty acres for each individual, including servants and slaves. Some of those receiving grants in our vicinity before 1755 were: Thomas Burton in 1744, Robert Wilson in 1753, Joseph White in 1754, Patrick Lindsay in 1740, Thomas Scott in 1747, William Scott in 1741, William Gardner in 1742, Alexander McCrea in 1745. 4 By purchase, inheritance, or in other ways, Hugh Ervin, William Cooper, William Thomson, Samuel Cooper, the Reverend John Baxter, acquired homesites about that time. 5 Most of these deeds and grants refer to Black Mingo Creek in bounding and describing the lands conveyed: "lying on-, -near the head-waters of-, -in the great swamp of-, -on a small branch on the north side of Black Mingo" being a few of the terms recorded. The stream's present condition s~arcely suggests its significance to the early life of the community. A sluggish, 2 Ibid p. 80. a George Hunter to John Baxter 1739. 4 0 Office of Secretary of State, Columbia. Office, Mesne Conveyance, Charleston, $. C. �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 3 meandering trickle between marshy banks, choked and fouled by debris, logs, brush, it bears little resemblance to the clear-flowing artery it once was. Next to Black River-It is frequently called "the north branch of Black River"-it was the most important stream inside the district. It and its tributaries were a valuable means of transport. There were no roads and, as is related in contemporary accounts, 6 except by boat most hauling was by manpower, on the backs of the settlers. Mills' Statistics ( 1826) 7 states that Black Mingo was formerly navigable 8 to sloops as far upstream as the old Mingo Indian village which stood in the fork of Mingo and Indiantown Swamp. It is from this settlement or camp that our church and community 'derive their name. 8 a With the coming of roads and wheeled vehicles, the stream's value as a waterway diminished, and no efforts were made to keep its channel clear. But for some years it had been a great factor in the community's life and development. And what of the lands drained by this stream? They have withstood two centuries of cultivation, and are probably more productive today than when first cleared. Sandy loams and darker soils, with a sub-stratum of clay, they are kind to a great variety of crops. There are none of the sand barrens found in some other parts of the county, and elsewhere in the low country. The settlers soon learned the land's capabilities and might well have thought the bogs of northern Ireland happily lost. Stands of pine covered the plains, and on the lowlands bordering the streams, cypress, oak, hickory, black gum, ·sweet gum, poplar and ash sheltered a great variety of game. William Bartram's rhapsodies on viewing the similar terrain and flora of lower South Carolina would have been equally justified by our virgin country. 9 Lest these early comers think they had reached another Eden, there were aspects less kind. The howling of wolves terrified the family of John Witherspoon.10 Bears and panthers were numerous. The settlers learned respect for the rattlesnake and cottonmouth. The very lushness of vegetation made clearing the land difficult. To men recently come from the colder climate of northern Ireland our summer heat must have been almost unbearable. In later years malaria and typhoid became common. "It has been said that bilious, remitting and -intermitting fevers have increased with the clearing of its lands, as tending to lead more speedily over them exhalations of marsh mias-mais. Fever and ague are prevalent during the summer and autumn, in the lower country ... in low situations adjacent to swamps and waters. But all the high 6 Witherspoon Family Record. 7 p. 767. 8 See Boddie: History of Williamsburg, Columbia, 1923, p. 62, for further confirmation. sa Numerous fragments of pottery, arrowheads, trade pipes may still be gleaned on the bluff about one mile from the church, and vestiges of the old trail are clearly impressed in the face of the hill. The site is an ideal landing, and it is probable that here the boats docked, bringing goods from Charlestown and carrying out the produce of the farms and looms. · · 9 The Travels of William Bartram, Mark van Doren, Ed. passim. 10 Witherspoon Family Record. �AN HIS'l'ORICAL SKETCH 4 lands may be called healthy." 11 There was an epidemic in 1750, known as The Great Mortality, that killed many; but on the whole the colonists were healthy and many lived to great age. Fortunately, the Indians, most of them migratory,1 2 were not dangerous. In the spring when they came to hunt "they were in great numbers in all places like the Egyptian Locusts but they were not hurtful." 13 The Scots were a sturdy lot and accustomed to labor. The lands responded to loving cultivation. Shelters were built and, as the people prospered, were replaced by more comfortable dwellings. A bounty of six pence a pound on all indigo grown in the colonies assured a comfortable return from ~ts production, and on it was based the early prosperity of the Williamsburgers. It also explains the high prices paid for some parcels of land. 14 By 1755 there were numerous residents near the old Indian town, some who had moved out from the King's Tree, others newcomers from overseas or, possibly, the colonies farther north. Indiantown is some seventeen miles from Kingstree, and there was no arterial stream to make intercourse easy. So it was that among the pious, kirk-loving folk far from Williamsburg Church, local worship began. 15 Probably the first services were held in a home by a visiting minister: Mr. Rae of Williamsburg, Mr. Hunter of Black River, or, a likely candidate, the Reverend John Baxter, who lived near by. If the actual founding of Indiantown is recorded, the record is not known. This is true of most of the early churches. Record keeping was the least worry of the people; they were living history rather than writing it. Dr. Howe, in his History of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, 16 gives an account based on a letter written in 1849 by Dr. J. R. Witherspoon of Brookland, Alabama. 16 a Dr. Witherspoon 17 was born near Kingstree in 1774 and was a member of the Williamsburg Church. He was never a member of Indiantown. His letter, on which our history has largely been based, quoted from Dr. Howe, is an old man's recollection of events occurring twenty years before his birth and known to him only by hearsay. Under these circumstances, the wonder is that the traditional history of Indiantown is not further from actual facts. It has been our task, on the occasion of our bi-centennial, to seek out and weigh all available evidence, not to contradict, but, if possible, to verify the commonly accepted statements. 11 John Drayton : A p. 27. View of S. C. as respects her Natural and Civil Concerns, 1802 12 Dr. Chapman J. Milling, in Red Carolinians, Chapel Hill, 1940, p. 203 ff. describes the loose confederation of Siouan tribes or bands that included the Sara or Cheraws, Waccamaws, Winyahs, Peedees and others who have given their names to the streams of eastern Carolina. 13 Witherspoon Family Record. 14 Gregg: History of the Old Cheraws p. 112. 15 Rev. George Howe, D.D., Hist. of Pres. Ch. in S. C., Columbia, 1870, Vol. 1, p. 229. 16 Ibid. p. 413. 16 a Dr. Howe writes J. S. Witherspoon, but this is clearly a typographical error. At other times his name is correctly given by Dr. Howe. 1 1 Wardlaw : Genealogy of the Witherspoon Family. �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 5 Speaking of the church at Kingstree, Dr. Howe, says that "Previous to the year 1760 a number of removals had taken place which formed the germs of several new organizations. The first colony from the swarming hive of Williamsburg among whom were Major John James, William Wilson, Robert Wilson and David Wilson, formed the Church of Indiantown." 18 and on the following page we read that "Major John James, and Robert and David Wilson were its principal founders and its first elders. It was founded probably as early as 1760. Other names recollected as belonging to the congregation are those of William Cooper, senior, William Cooper, Jm;ior, Robert McCottry, Robert Dick, John Gordon, James Daniel, Roger McGill, George McCutchen, George Barr, Thomas McCrea, also John James of Lynche's Lake, Robert Witherspoon of Lynches' Creek, and some twelve or fifteen others." All this information was taken from the above noted letter of Dr. J. R. Witherspoon, written almost one hundred years after the event. Several demurrers to this account must be made. They are based on careful checking of contemporary records and are not hastily entered. First to examine the date of organization: There are several oblique contemporary references to indicate that the phrase "founded probably as early as 1760" should be changed to read, "founded in 1757." The Parish Register of Prince Frederick Winyah 19 includes a letter to Right Reverend Thomas Lord Bishop of London, its date May 1, 1756: "My Lord, "We the Vestry-Men and Chh. Wardens of the Parish of Prince Frederic in So Carolina, beg leave to address your Lordship ... " etc. "That this Parish is the largest, and most populous in the Province, yet tho' numerous in inhabitants We of the Church are widely scattered and but few in number; the Parishoners being for the most part of the Communion of the Church of Scotland and Settlers from thence and the North of Ireland; who have two meetings; 20 and large congregations." Dated June 28, 1757, a second letter to the Lord Bishop states that "there are now four Meeting Houses in this Parish and two more talked of being built." Since Indiantown is acknowledged the oldest offspring of Williamsburg, 21 the inference is plain that Indiantown was one of the two churches built during the previous year. The next evidence comes from An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia by Alexander Hewat( t), pastor of the First (Scots) Presbyterian Church of Charleston (Vol. 1, p. 412). Anglican Church for Prince Frederick Parish stood on the bluff south of Black River, one mile east of present day Brown's Ferry in Georgetown County. 20 Williamsburg, which by then had a well-built wooden church; and Black River, or Black Mingo, Brick Church, standing in the junction of the Brown's Ferry road and the County Line road one mile southeast of Rhems. 21 Howe, Vol. 1, p. 412. 18 19 The �AN HISTORICAL SKETCH 6 from 1763 until, an ardent loyalist, he returned to England in 1776. This sympathetic review of the first hundred years of Carolina's development was written to inform the British public on the events preceding the Revolution. It was published in two volumes in London in 1779. The following quotation, though long, is so meaty that it is given almost without deletion: 22 "About this same time (Hewat is noting the worsening relations among the rival colonial powers that culminated in the Seven Year War, our French and Indian War) the French took the field against the Emperor; and the flames of war kindling between such powerful pote~tates would, it was thought, inevitably spread, and involve all Europe in the quarrel ... "By this time the Episcopalian form of Divine Worship had gained ground in Carolina, and was more countenanced by the people than any other. . . . Besides the establishment gave its adherents many advantageous privileges in point of power and authority over persons of other denominations. It gave them the best chance for being elected members of the legislature, and of course of being appointed to offices, both civil and military in their respective districts. "However, the imigrants from Scotland and Ireland, most of whom were Presbyterians, still composed a considerable party of the province, and kept up the Presbyterian form of worship in it .... An association 23 had been formed in favor of this mode of religious worship by Messrs. Stobo, Fisher, and Witherspoon three ministers of the Church of Scotland, together with Joseph Stanyarn, and Joseph Blake, men of respectable characters and considerable fortunes. The Presbyterians had already erected churches at Charlestown, Wiltown, and in three of the maritime islands for the use of the people adhering to that form of religious worship. As the inhabitants multiplied several more in different parts of the province afterwards joined them, and built churches, particularly at Jacksonburgh, Indian Town, Port-Royal, and Williamsburg." Hewat speaks of these events as happening before his coming ( 1763) and dating roughly from the time of, or prior to, the Seven Years War (1756-63). Note that Indiantown is prominently mentioned. These excerpts, together with the presence of so many future members living near the church's site give evidence that we can claim 1957 as our bi-centennial. The list of first members as recalled by Dr. Witherspoon must be revised. Family names are probably correct, but there are numerous errors, both of omission and inclusion. There was no William Cooper, Junior. George McCutchen was a child of three; his father, Hugh, is not mentioned. Hugh Ervin must certainly be included, for he was a trustee of the church a few years later. 24 Land titles and other documents make it plausible that the "twelve Vol. II, p. 49 ff. "Although this body was popularly known under several different names, its proper style and title was 'The Presbytery of South Carolina . . . the third in the order of origination in the United States'." Address by Dr. John L. Giradeau, D.D., Oct. 24, 1885. 24 William Thomson's will. See page .. . . .. . 22 23 �INDIANTOWN PRJtSBYTERIAN CHURCH 7 or fifteen others" on the first roll included Thomas and William Scott, William Thomson, Joseph White, Samuel Cooper, John Gregg. That David Wilson, Robert Wilson, and (Major) John James all became elders of Indiantown is certain. Robert Wilson had been an elder in the Williamsburg Church. 25 In 1753 he acquired a grant on the north side of Black Mingo showing Hugh Ervin's land adjoining. If he moved to his new tract within four years he was in residence at the time of the founding of the church. In 1757 David Wilson was only fifteen years old. His gravestone 26 shows that he was born in 1742, and he would have been much, too young to be an elder. His father, also named David and brother to Robert mentioned above had died in 1750, 27 so there can be no confusion of identities or generations. David, Junior, became an elder, but dates forbid his being listed as an elder at the beginning. John James had been brought from Ireland as a baby in 1732 by his father William James, 28 and had grown up on his father's land twelve miles north of Kingstree. He led the free life of the frontier becoming an expert horseman and skilled woodsman. In 1742 William James bought four hundred acres on the headwaters of Black Mingo, part of eighteen hundred acres granted to William Snow in 1737. It is probable that John James on reaching manhood occupied this tract. He later, in 1765, bought another place northeast of the church and made his home there. In several accounts we read that he had been an elder in the Williamsburg Church. Considering his age, only twenty-five in 1757, this is most improbable. There is room for much confusion among the John J ameses of the colonial period. No less than five men bear the name in Williamsburg, at least one in the Welsh N eek, and one at Pine Tree (Camden). 29 A John James, said to have been William James' younger brother, had been an elder in Ireland and was continued as elder by the Williamsburg Church in 1743. 30 A tradition in the James family identifies him further as John James of Ox Swamp. John James of the Lake, also by tradition a cousin of William James and who lived six or seven miles north of Indiantown, was listed among the new church's charter members. So there is a chance of confusion. Tradition is very strong in declaring that John who later became Major James was not only a founding elder, but also one of those who by a loan made possible the erection of the first House of Worship. 31 25 Howe: Vol. 1, p. 284. Indiantown Cemetary. 21 (Witherspoon Family Record). 2s Howe Vol. 1, p. 407. 29 Charles Woodmason: Carolina Back Country on the Eve of the Revolution: Chapel Hill, 1953, note p. 155. 30 Howe: Vol. 1, p. 255. 31 Mr. Kenneth M. James of Darlington, S. C., a direct discendant of Major James and Captain James, gives us this information. Mr. James has presented to the Indiantown Congregation an invaluable document, a record kept by Captain James when he was Trustee for the church, 1793 to 1797. It will be referred to later. 26 �8 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH Our church stands on the approximate site of this original building, that is, within the same Lord's Acre. No description of its appearance survives, but, like much of the construction of the times, it was probably of logs. No old brick or rubble remain to support a suggestion that it was a brick building. 3 2 No deed or bequest of this plot has been found. 33 The site is part of a tract of three hundred acres originally granted to Thomas Burton (also spelled Burtin) in 1744. Two years later it was sold to Joseph White. 3 5 In 1754 Joseph White was granted five hundred acres surrounding his first acquisition on three sides, north, east and south. The eastern part of this grant was in tpe hands of Joseph White's son George until 1818 when it was sold to John Gordon. 36 He, in turn, sold it to his son, John, Jr. In 1823 the latter exchanged this 323 acre tract for 163 acres owned by the Indiantown congregation on the eastern side of Indiantown Swamp. The Church held this part of the original Joseph White grant until the 80's when it was sold in several different transactions. The land surrounding the Church was also in George White's hands as late as 1818. A plat made for Robert McCottry in that year so indicates. 37 Joseph White made his will in 1764 (proved 1768) identifying himself as a planter of Indiantown. His wife Martha is mentioned, also his daughters Martha and Mary-Mary married Robert McCottry-his sons George, a minor, and John. Witnesses to the will were Robert Wilson, William Hamilton, James Case (his X mark) . The executors were his wife Martha and his friend Philip Owens. A word here about colonial deeds, transfers of title and records in general for our section. Often a transaction was never recorded, the actual deed or indenture in several signed copies being kept and passed on to future purchasers or heirs. The long trip to Charleston required to record explains such lapses. As for marriages, only those performed by Anglican clergy were entered in parish registers or considered worthy of official record. 38 Only in 3 2 It is easy to confuse the traditions of Indiantown with those of Black Mingo Presbyterian Church. The latter was brick. 33 Mr. Boddie, History of Williamsburg County, states that William Thompson in 1753 left four acres of land and one hundred pounds toward the building of Indiantown. However, this is another case of confusion of Black Mingo with Indiantown. William Thompson, Junior, made his will in 1742, not 1753. He identifies himself as a resident of Winyah, his land lying on the south side of the North Branch of Black River. His executors are "obliged to make a good and sufficient title to four acres of land being part of this tract of land wherein I now dwell to the use of building a Presbyterian Meeting house on and for the assistance of the building the said house my Executors is to pay one hundred pounds . . . in twelve months after my decease." The land as described is obviously in the vicinity of Black Mingo Church. Further to help clarify the matter, Dr. Howe dates the first records of that church from 1744, 3 4 indicating that Mr. Thompson's bequest had been used. It would also seem that Mr. Baddie's statement that the building was erected by the Baptists and later taken over by the Presbyterians is questionable. 34 Howe: Vol. 1, p. 255. 35 This Joseph White is not to be confused with an Anglican of the same name, a parishoner of Prince Frederick. The names of their respective wives and children are different (Prince Frederick's Parish Register) . 3 6 Office, Clerk of Court Williamsburg County._ 37 Plat Book 1, p. 80, C. o. C. Office Williamsburg. 38 Woodmason p. 15, et seq. �INDIANTOWN PRESBY'tERIAN CHURCB: 9 family bibles and a few wills do we find confirmation of much that is reasonably certain but without absolute proof. Further, "The fires that consume wherever they may took their accustomed toll of such material, and where moth and rust did not corrupt, a careless custody of priceless treasures made possible the destruction or loss of all that once existed." 39 Tombstones, often a rich source of information, are lacking for the colonial period. Transport, or rather lack thereof, dictated the use of family burying grounds." The graveyard was near the house, usually behind the garden. As a precaution against wolves a large hole was dug to the depth of about five feet; a graye was then dug at the bottom of this hole large enough to hold the coffin. After the coffin was deposited in this receptacle it was covered with boards then the whole filled up. 40 Most often the grave site was marked only by a post or board. As long as families remained at their original homes occupants of individual graves could be recalled. But the tumult and confusion of later years broke the chain of information. Our earliest dated stone is that of Mrs. Elizabeth McGill ( d. 1787) wife of Roger McGill. 41 The problem is compounded by a complete absence of civil records for our section from about 1780 until 1805. Following the chaos of the Revolution the present Williamsburg County was part of the newly created Georgetown District, and all legal records were kept at Georgetown, seat of the district court. These were sent up-state for safekeeping when it was thought that Sherman's force would follow the coast from Savannah to Charleston and northward in 1865. Instead his route lay through Columbia, with a brief fiery stopover. All Georgetown's records were lost in the turmoil and destruction of his further progress, probably in the vicinity of Chesterfield. So, for the years when the patriarchs were leaving wills and their sons and daughters marrying, there are only indirect hints and clues. By looking backward from the years after 1805 when Williamsburg County's records begin, we can occasionally discover transactions of the silent years. The church was built one and one half miles from the head of navigation on Black Mingo Creek. It might have been closer, had not the intervening lands been owned by a staunch member of Prince Frederick. 42 The attitude of the Establishment toward Dissenters was not cooperative. The converse is also true. In later years, after the withdrawal of state subsidy and the decay of Prince Frederick parish, family names once found in its register appear on Indiantown's roll. These include the Gibsons, Burrows and Brittons. Dissenters were doubly handicapped. Churches of the Establishment were built at government expense, the clergy paid by the state ; and practically all elective offices were open only to members of the Church of England. Taxed to aid in the upkeep of the state church and unrecognized as legal bodies, the Hirsch: The Huguenots of Colonial S. C. Durham, N. C. 1928, p. 47. Reminiscences of St. Stephen's Parish. 41 Indiantown Cemetery. 42 Nathaniel Snow, whose land bounded Joseph White's 1754 grant on the East. Listed in Prince Frederick's Register. 39 40 Samuel DuBose: �10 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH Presbyterian congregations were forced to raise their own buildings, pay their pastors, and transact their business through trustees. Speaking of the ministers sent out at the request of the colonists from the Church of Scotland, Hewat notes that "the colonists contributed to maintain them, til at length funds were established by private legacies and donations to be appropriated for the support of Presbyterian ministers, and encouragement of that mode of religious worship and government." 43 The first such legacy to Indiantown of which we have record was made in 1763.44 William Thomson (not William Thompson, Junior) after leaving his lands, numerous slaves, neat cattle, stock of horses and mares, 'sheep, hogs, and household furniture in specific division to his brother Alexander Thomson's children, his late brother John's children (still in Ireland but expected to come to Carolina), his sister Jane Cooper and her sons Robert and William McCottry ( McCaughtry), further devises : Item I leave and bequeath the sum of One Hundred and Fifty pounds Currency to John James and Hugh Ervin Trustees for the desenting Presbyterian meeting House lately built upon the High Road to Indiantown and to the Succeeding Trustees of said meeting for ever, that is to say, in Trust only and for the sole use and benefit of the Disenting Presbyterian Minister Professing to Doctrine and discipline and Worship of the Church of Scotland as by law there Established who shall duly perform religious service in said meeting House from time to time and to his successors forever, that is to say the yearly profit or Interest of said sum of One hundred and fifty pounds Currency, the Original sum I order to be let out upon Bond with good security for the Sole purpose above mentioned." 45 How the money was invested is not known. It was common practice to buy slaves and rent out their services by the year. 46 Mr. Boddie states that the first pastor of Indiantown was John Knox. 47 The Historical Foundation at Montreat has no record of such a minister at that time, nor does any other Presbyterian historian mention him. The first minister of definite record was Wiltiam Knox in 1768,48 but at that time he had just arrived in Carolina and had not been here in 1757.49 John Knox does not appear in Mr. Baddie's index, which is quite full and complete. Is it possible that John Knox is a typographical error? Could John Baxter be meant? He was certainly available. A notable personage in early Presbyterianism in South Carolina, he is first mentioned living at Cainhoy. 50 His Vol. II, p. 52. Mesne Conveyance Charleston. John Gregg and William Cooper were named executors. Witnesses were John Ingram, John Baxter and his wife Sarah Baxter, said to have been Sarah Lynch. 46 Howe, Vol. 1, pp. 203, 256, 257, 280, 312, 327. 4 7 Boddie: History of Williamsburg, Cola. 1923, p. 50. 48 Howe, Vol. 1, p. 413. 4 9 Rev. Archibald Simpson's diaries, quoted in Howe, Vol. 1, p. 323. 5o Howe, Vol. 1, p. 204. 43 44 Offic~, 45 �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH fi f I. l; 11 list of preaching engagements, as referred to by Howe and unfortunately lost in the burning of Columbia, shows that he visited most of the existing congregations and had no lasting ties with any. He frequently preached at Black River and Williamsburg, and received a grant of three hundred acres in the township as early as 1736. By grant and purchase he acquired vast holdings, his lands in Williamsburg County alone totaling almost four thousand acres. The place which became his home was bought in 1739 from George Hunter, who had bought it from James Kinlock, the original grantee. S,ome time after 1739 The Reverend John Baxter was in residence on his plantation west of the present village of N esmith. 51 It lay on Black Mingo, only four miles from Indiantown, easily reached by water. We cannot say that John Baxter was our first minister; but there is little doubt that he preached at Indiantown. He is mentioned by the Reverend Archibald Simpson 52 as attending sessions of Presbytery until 1770. In that year his absence is noted with the comment that he is no longer active or regarded as a member of Presbytery. It is suggestive that by 1768, when Mr. Knox served briefly at Indiantown, John Baxter 53 might have been quite elderly, infirm and no longer available. The information about Mr. Knox comes from the Stiles Manuscript collection quoted in Howe's History, 54 specifically from a letter written by Elam Potter, a young minister who for a time preached at old Brick Church, Salem. Indiantown is recorded as having fifty families and being supplied by Mr. (K) nox. He shortly thereafter began a ministry at Black River that continued until well after 1800. He also preached near present day Johnsonville at Knox's Chapel. 55 The years from 1750 till the Revolution saw rapid development of the community. By act of the Assembly in 1747 5 6 commissioners to establish ferries and maintain road were authorized. An important highway, from Georgetown to the Cheraws, by way of a ferry on Black Mingo near the site of future Willtown and thence to Witherspoon's Ferry on Lynches River, 57 passed within a few miles of Indiantown Church. ,Several members, including John Gregg (1761), Robert McCawtry (sic.) in 1775, William Wilson and William McCawtry in 1777, served as commissioners. Probably, as is the way of commissioners, they saw to it that the home community was not neglected. Travel was still mainly on foot or horseback. There were few if any carts or wagons. In the wealthy area below Santee the only four-wheeled vehicle was a cumbersome sort of baggage-wagon belonging to Francis Marion. 58 Since Indiantown was somewhat less prosperous it is unlikely that transport 51 Mouzon's Map, 1774. The Reverend Archibald Simpson's ms. diaries, Charleston Library Society. 53 Howe, Vol. 1, p. 385. 54 Ibid, Vol. 1, p. 363. 55 Ibid, Vol. 1, p. 410. 5 6 Gregg: History of the Old Cheraws. 57 Mozon's Map of S. C. 1774. 58 Samuel DuBose: Reminiscences of St. Stephen's Parish, Craven County, 1858. 52 �12 AN Hrs'I'ORICAL SK:E'I'ctt was more advanced. There were horses, 59 and there was horse racing. Most hauling was done on sledges and for only short distances. Watercourses were still utilized where possible. In 1757 there were two militia companies in the present county. 60 The militia census of that year estimates the population at six hundred whites and a like number of slaves and free blacks. Indigo culture, stimulated by the supporting bounty, led to the early introduction of black laborers. Inured to tropical heat and resistant to malarial fever, they greatly accelerated settlement and growth. It is doubtful that much effort was made to instruct these savages in Christian theology. Language difficulties and primitive concepts were effective barriers in those early years. However, they were sometimes given spiritual instruction. The Reverend Simpson 61 records a poignant incident indicating that preaching to the Negroes was attempted, but only infrequently effective. Education was cherished. Woodmason's charges of smug illiteracy in the back country 62 are not sustained by the evidence available for Williamsburg (hereafter understood as referring to the present county not the original township). Many wills give strict orders to executors for the education of minor children, girls as well as boys. John Gregg in 1775 charged: "It is my will and desire that my Sons Robert and William and Daughter Jannet be learned to Read Right and Cypher through the Common Rules of Arithmetick by my Executors and all the Expence of said Education to be Paid out of remaining Part of my Estate." With allowances for the free spelling of the period, this would indicate concern for at least the fundamentals. Furthermore, Presbyterians insisted on having educated ministers. "Sensible that not only natural endowments, but also a competent measure of learning and acquired knowledge were necessary to qualify men for the sacred function, and enable them to discharge the duties of it with honor and success, they associated on purpose to prevent deluded mechanics and illiterate novices from creeping into the pulpit. 63 This educated ministry had great influence in the congregations. The minister was often schoolmaster, also. It is rare to find a signature by mark. And in some cases these "marks" are personal seals added to penned signatures. William Thomson's will bears such a seal. Income from indigo was supplemented by herds of "neat cattle," hogs and sheep. Some fine quality flour was shipped to Charleston; and, at first, linen was woven from locally grown flax. But it was by indigo culture that 59 John James bought an Arabian Stallion, one of several imported by Wade Hampton of Revolutionary fame. Major James's war-horse Thunder came from a cross of the Arabian with a captured wild mare. There were herds of wild horses in the area, descended from horses used in the numerous attempts by Spain to colonize Carolina in the sixteenth century. 60 Meriwether : The Expansion of South Carolina, p. 83. 61 Archibald Simpson Diaries. 6 2 W oodmason : Carolina Backcountry, p. 52, passim. 63 Hewat, Vol. II, p. 52. �. INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 13 Williamsburg became the most prosperous and successful of all the settlements above tide water. 64 Indiantowners enjoyed a much better chance of selecting representatives to the colonial assembly than did those living further up state. To vote it was necessary to go in person to the Established Church in the parish where one lived. Since all these churches were near the coast, dwellers in the sand hills and piedmont were disfranchized, quite effectively. Prince Frederick Winyah being relatively near at hand, Williamsburgers were able to make themselves heard, and their influence felt. John James was an assemblyman. 65 Many offices and prerogatives were denied dissenters by the Church Act of 1705. But the people of Indiantown were not oppressed, and had attained a state far above any their fathers had dared dream of. Of the church itself little is heard. There was a severe shortage of ministers. The long trip out, the uncertainty of a decent living and, above all, the hardships of a minister's life on the frontier at that time demanded a martyr's dedication. Mortality among those who came was frightful. 66 Long journeys between churches in all kinds of weather, exposure and, at times, hunger made survival for more than a few years a rarity. 67 The sour and not unprejudiced comment of Charles W oodmason gives some hints of conditions just before the Revolution: "In the Country are eight Presbyterian Meetings, supply' d with Ministers from Scotland, who form a Presbytery and govern their Members after the Plan of the Scotch Kirk Most of these Congregations are in decay tho' strongly supported from Home ... Ibid: p. 74. "The False Zeal of the Presbyterians, who by forcing their people indiscriminately to the Holy Ordinance, have made more Deserters than Volunteers to the Cause of Religion." Ibid. p. 75. There was rapid growth in population. It has been noted that Indiantown had fifty families in 1768. This change from the early roster in only about ten years is indicative. Grants in the sixties and seventies show that the second generation were establishing homes. William Wilson in 1765 (for one hundred acres), and his younger brothers Robert (b. 1737) and David (b. 1742), sons of David ( d. 1750), in 1768 and 1772 received small acreages, based on small households. Others grants of similar size are common. There were also expansion and migration to other areas. John Gregg's family became the nucleus of Hopewell Church. Aimwell's first members were sons of Hugh Ervin, John Ervin, Gavin Witherspoon and John Witherspoon. 68 It would be untrue to state that Indiantown is the sole parent to these noble and ancient churches, but we claim a major share in their creation. 69 64 Meriwether : p. 86-87. 6 5 William Debien James: 66 Howe, Vol. 1, passim. Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion, Charleston, 1821, p. 42. 67 W oodmason : p. 85. 68 69 Jones, Mills: Presbyterian Church in S. C. since 1850, Columbia, 1926, p. 885. Howe, Vol. I, p. 413. �II The moderate prosperity and freedom from oppression enjoyed by Williamsburg makes it understandable that there should have been little enthusiasm for the Revolution in its early years. The practical Scots regarded the crown and royal appointees as preferable to the colonial assembly and its creatures, almost exclusively Anglican planters and merchants from the tidewater areas. Some units of militia were called to Charleston and took part itl the repulse of Sir Peter Parker's fleet in June 1776. John James was in command of the Williamsburgers. He had resigned his royal captaincy in 1775 but had been reinstated by his men? There is no further word of him until 1779. In that year the British captured Savannah and were advancing on Charleston. Opposing them were the raw and urtdisciplined militia under General William Moultrie in General Lincoln's command. Captain James fought gallantly at Tulifinny Bridge in covering Moultrie's panicky retreat. The defending force withdrew into the city of Charleston and were thoroughly bottled up by General Prevost. However, nearness of the fever-season and the approach of General Lincoln's rescuing army dictated a withdrawal; the British retired to Savannah by way of the sea islands; and Charleston was given a brief respite. 2 The interval was used to strengthen the defences of the town and to raise additional militia. For this purpose John James was sent to the Williamsburg area. The following year Sir Henry Clinton with a powerful fleet and an army of 12,0CX}-one of the largest forces massed at any time during the Revolution 3-laid siege. Convinced that Charleston must be defended to the end and heedless of the rest of the state, General Lincoln delayed extricating his considerable defending army until too late. 4 With the fall of the town in May, 1780, the only effective fighting forces in the state were captured. South Carolina lay at the mercy of the conquerors; Apparently generous terms were offered and widely accepted. The militia were paroled to their homes. Civilians were invited to renew their loyalty. Within a few weeks a proclamation superseded the original conditions. It demanded that those declaring ~llegiance actively help in the restoration of royal government. The gist of this order was that those on parole and those taking an oath of loyalty were to assist in apprehending neighbors and relations still disaffected and unsubmissive. 5 1 Howe, Vol. 1, p. 409. Wallace: History of South Carolina, New York, 1934, Vol. 11, p. 192. 3 Ibid, Vol. 11, p. 198. 4 Ibid, Vol. 11, p. 196. 5 Ibid, Vol. 11, p. 206. 2 14 �INDIANTOWN : PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A large part of South Carolina had happily accepted the return · of stability, and the British command complacently believed the campaign ended. But to the Williamsburgers and people of like mind, such acts of betrayal as were implied in the most recent proclamation were unthinkable. Major James had not been in Charleston and, so, had avoided capture and parole. 6 Citizens of the district met in a called meeting, "to deliberate upon the critical situation, and Major John James, who had heretofore commanded them in the field, and represented them in legislature, was selected as the person who should go down to Capt. Ardesoif, and know from him, whether, by his proclamation, he meant that they should take up arms against their countrymen. He proceeded to Georgetown, in the plain garb of a country planter, a,nd was introduced to the captain, at his lodgings, a considerable distance from his ship. An altercation of the following nature took place. After the major had narrated the nature of his mission, the captain, surprised that such an embassy should be sent to him, answered, 'the submission must be unconditional'. To an inquiry, whether the inhabitants would not pe allowed to stay at home, upon their plantations, in peace and quiet? he replied, 'although you have rebelled against his majesty, he offers you a free pardon, of which you are undeserving, for you ought all to be hanged ; but as he ,offers you a free pardon, you must take up arms in support of his cause.' To Major James' suggesting that the people he came to represent would not .submit on such terms,. the captain irritated at his republican language, particularly, it is supposed, at the word represent, replied, 'you damned rebel, if you speak in such language. I will immediately order you to be hanged up to the yard-arm.'~The captain wore a sword, and Major James none, but perceiving what turn the matters were likely to take, and not brooking such harsh language, he suddenly .seized the chair on which he was seated, brandished it in the face of the captain, and making his retreat good through the back door of the house, mounted his horse, and made his escape into the country. This circumstance, apparently trivial, certainly hastened the rise of Marion's brigade'," 7 The news brought by Major James, plus the fact that two disreputable characters had been put in charge of the district by the triumphant British, confirmed the people in their course. Major James was asked to lead the resistance, and two hundred men were divided into four companies under Captains William McCottry, John McCauley, Henry Mouzon, and John James of the Lake, a cousin of the Major. Two companies from the Hopewell and Aimwell communities joined their kinsmen. 8 The first concern of the new force was to 6 Wallace: History of Williamsburg Church, (1856) p. ·39. · account and much of the other information . we have about the Revolution in Williamsburg comes from William Dobein James, son of Major James. In 1780 as a youth of sixteen he was taken out of school to accompany his father in Marion's brigade. A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion written in 1821 by Judge W. D. ] ames is the fruit of his years as a teen-age soldier with the 'great partisan. His first hand account is an invaluable part of our history, and his name should be honored by the community where he was born and reared. (Page references are from a new edition printed in Marietta, Ga., 1948.) 8 Maj or James is said to have stammered. His usefulness . in the field was impaired, and he declined to take full command. His refusal led to the appointment of Marion. 7 This 0 �AN HISTORICAL SKETCH 16 guard against the numerous Tory marauders and outlaws from beyond Lynche's Creek. Shortly on news of the uprising of the Williamsburgers, Col. Banistre Tarleton was sent to scatter the new force. McCottry went to meet him at Kingstree, but, forewarned, Col. Tarleton decamped thinking McCottry's strength greater than it was. It was on this sortie that Tarleton burned the home of Thomas Sumter, near Nelson's Ferry on Santee 9 thus spurring the future Gamecock to take up arms. Sumter is usually said to have been the first to rouse the back country. But our people were already in arms as a fighting force before Sumter was persuaded. It is beyond the scope of this brief account to follow the military fortunes of the patriots except as our community was directly affected. It was early recognized by the British that the core of the new rebellion was the belatedly roused Scots, even more specifically the Presbyterians. Hearing that General Gates's Continentals were advancing southward, the Williamsburgers sent a messenger requesting that a competent leader be sent to take command. The answer was historically momentous : Marion. Until then a Lieutenant Colonel in the Continental regulars, he arrived a Brigadier General of militia, commissioned by Governor Rutledge,10 and · ordered to lead the troops east of Santee. He quickly went into action against the Tories along the Peedee, then swung to secure the line along Santee. Late in August word came of the approach of a large force of regulars and Tories under Major James Wemyss. Stung by Marion's hit and run forays and in revenge for the renewal of rebellion, Lord Cornwallis had dispatched this ruthless destroyer to lay waste the land. Marion's force was much reduced and a reconnaissance having shown the hopelessness of resistance, he led his few loyal men to North Carolina, leaving only a small group of scouts to watch W emyss. The latter's line of march, stretching from near Salem the length of the country between Lynche's River and the Black, seventy miles long and as much as fifteen wide, was blackened and made desolate. "On .m ost of the plantations every house was burned to the ground, the negroes were carried off, the inhabitants plundered, the stock, especially sheep, wantonly killed ; and all provisions, which could be come at, destroyed." 11 There were hangings, "wantonness and cruelty," such viciousness that the militia quickly reassembled bent on vengeance. It was on this sweep that W emyss burned Indiantown Church, because "it was a sedition shop." Major John James 1s home was burned after inhuman treatment of his wife and children. His son, Captain John James had been captured at Charleston and was at home on parole. W emyss tried to induce the Negro servants to testify that he had broken his parole, thus giving excuse to hang him. No such evidence was secured, and he was released. 12 Marion and his men bore incredible hardships. Food was mainly potatoes, occasionally supplemented with corn meal or, rarely, meat. Often salt was not Wallace: South Carolina, Footnote, p. 204. Wallace: South Carolina, p. 216. 11 James : Life of Marion p. 57. 12 Ibid : p. 78 f. 9 10 �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 17 to be had. Marion went to great lengths to get occasional supplies, and when some salt was procured, he saw to it that a part was given to the loyal families. His military effectiveness was limited by shortages of powder and bullets. On one other occasion, his problem became, desperate, he planned to leave the Peedee and seek safety in North Carolina. Timely arrival of arms and reinforcements, sent by General Greene then approaching the state, supplied his lack and gave new courage to his men. The subsequent campaign against British strongpoints along the Santee did much to break the enemy's hold on the province. Bitter as were the privation and suffering of the militiamen, their trials were no more grievous than those borne by the families at home. "Few of us are able to appreciate the sacrifices endured, and the heroic resolution exhibited by our mothers of the Revolution ... .the anguish of mind constantly endured for the fate of husbands and sons, exposed not merely to the dangers of the tented field, but to all the horrors of a civil war, in which life was every moment in peril from every quarter ... those heartrending troubles which afflicted the lonely and isolated mothers with their tender offspring to support, not secure that even the meal in actual preparation would appease their craving appetites, for even this was often the prey of the robber soldiers .... . . . Information from the camp was seldom received, and was always uncertain." 13 The years 1780 to 1783 were the darkest for the people of Williamsburg. Heroic deeds on the battle field are remembered and cherished. Let us also recall those who in harrowing anxiety and destitution endured and stood fast. A complete roll of Marion's Men is impossible to assemble. The fluid composition of the militia was such that formal rolls have not been preserved. At times, Marion's force was reduced to a cadre of a few score. A period of incredibly mobile warfare would be followed by weeks of preparation and waiting. Those, who only yesterday engaged in the ambush of a baggage train or the scattering of a marauding band of Tory outlaws, have to-day resumed their lives as farmers or weavers or smiths. But they are alert to return to arms at Marion's command. There were no Tories among us. There is no record or tradition of internecine divisions such as afflicted other sections with bloodshed. The practical Williamsburgers may have been slow to rise in wrath, but once their sense of justice had been outraged and their homes threatened, they rebelled to a man. It would be ingratitude, however, not to name those of Indiantown most distinguished for valor and achievement. First and preeminent was the noble John James. He served until victory was assured. Then his grateful friends elected him to the Assembly of 1782.14 Also sitting as a representative at this Jacksonborough Assembly was Captain William McCottry. McCottry's Rifles were legendary for their deadly accuracy. Severely wounded and broken in 1 3 Samuel DuBose: 14 Reminiscences of St. Stephen's Parish. Snowden : History of South Carolina p. 433. �AN Hrs'toRICAL .·SKE'tCH 18 health from exposure and privation, McCohry lived only a few years after peace returned. His grave is unmarked and forgotten. The James brothers of the Lake, cousins of the Major, were Marion's trusted scouts. Their ·names: J~mes:, John, William, Robert and Gavin. Captain John James, son of Major John, spent most of the perilous years as parolee. Following exchange he fought gallantly at Eutaw Springs and in subsequent engagemerits; 1 ~ :Like his fat~er he was for many years a ruling elder of Indiantown; Though no formal rolls for Marion's Men have survived, post-revo,lutionary claims for services in the militia (now in archives of the Historical Commission of South Carolina) indicate that the following served with Marion. It is not a complete list, for many entered no claim. As abstracted by Mr. Boddie the roll inclu~es Captain John Graham, Captain Robert Paisley, Lieutenant William Wilson, Sergeant Gavin James, John Daniel, James Ervin, Richard Hanna, James McCutchen, John McCtillough, Samuel McGill, Thomas McCrea, Roger McGill, Thomas Scott, William Scott, William Thompson, John White, David Wilson. It is probable that ~JI of these were from Indiantown. In summary it can be said that' if Marion's role in the Revolution was important-and none will deny it-his success was won with a fighting force composed almost wholely of the Scotch Presbyterians of our section. "Five of Marion's captains were elders of Hopewell Presbyterian Church. There were John and Hugh Ervin and Gavin and Robert Witherspoon. Nearly all the remaining officers with Marion were officers of the Presbyterian Churches of Williamsburg Township [District]." 16 a 15 James : Marion p. 79. Presbyterian Leaders, by H. A .. White, N. Y. 1911. 16 Southern �III Following the disasters of 1780 all public worship came to an end. The church had been burned ; the men of the congregation were with Marion; mere survival was the preoccupation of the families at home ; there was no minister; and public assembly was an invitation for attack. Any delay in rebuilding the meeting-house and resuming public worship is remarkable only in that it was not prolonged. Fire and destruction had left the people in pitiable state. The prosperity created by the subsidized indigo trade was dead. The only resources left to the wretched victims were those of mind, body, and heart: sturdiness, courage, industry, and, above all, faith in the Providence that had brought them through the horrors of revolution. Many years later, Mr. George Barr recalled that following the war the congregation worshiped in a nearby field. Another tradition is of a brush arbor. 1 The latter may have been the first shelter after open air services. By 1783 Indiantown had as pastor the Reverend Thomas Hill, said to have been "one of the missionaries sent out by Lady Huntingdon to Georgia." The presence of a minister employed full time suggests that the church had been successfully revived and a building erected. The pre-revolutionary Presbytery of S. C. had succumbed during .t he turbulent years. In May 1784, the new Presbytery of S. C. was separated from Orange Presbytery and the Reverend Thomas Hill was one of the ministers set apart to compose the new body. 2 It is recorded that Mr. Hill supplied the pulpit of Williamsburg Church occasionally prior to the ministry-if such it can be called-of the Reverend Samuel Kennedy. Mr. Hill was our first full-time minister of record, except for Mr. Knox's brief association in 1768. Unfortunately his usefullness was marred by indulgence and at the first meeting of the new presbytery, at Waxhaw in April 1785, he was cited to answer charges of intemperance. Failing to appear at the subsequent meeting he was cut off, and his work at Indiantown ceased. 3 For a time the pulpit was occasionally supplied by the Reverend James Edmonds of Charleston, Thomas Reese of Salem Black River, Robert McColloch, Robert Finley and James W. Stephenson. It is quite possible that the Reverend William Knox of Black Mingo would visit. However, Black Mingo was a member of Charleston Presbytery not of the newly formed Presbytery of S. C. 4 Howe, Vol. 1, p. 489. Centennial address by Dr. John L. Giradeau, D.D. 1 1885. a Howe, Vol. 1, p. 663. 4 Ibid : p. 489. 1 2 19 �20 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH The year 1788 is important in the history of Indiantown. In South Carolina the Church of England had been disestablished in 1778. At the same time provision was made for the incorporation of other Protestant church units, to make possible their ownership of property and assumption of obligations. There is in the archives of the Historical Commission in Columbia, the original Confession of Faith signed by the members of Indiantown congregation on Feb. 11, 1788, and a petition for incorporat1on addressed to the Assembly. The Confession of Faith is as follows : We the Congregation of Indiantown subscribe, First, That there is one God and a future State of Rewards and Punishments. Second, That God is publickly to be worshipped. Third, That the Christian Religion is the true Religion. Fourth, That the holy Scriptures of the old and new Testament are of divine Inspiration, and are the Rule of Faith and Practice. Fifth, That it is lawful, and the Duty of every Man, being thereunto called by those that govern to bear witness to Truth. The Petition for incorporation: The Honble. Mr. Speaker and the House of Assembly in Charleston now sitting. The Petition of the Presbyterian Congregation of Indian Town in Georgetown District humbly 5 • • • That your Petitioners have associated themselves for the Purpose of religious Worship, and have complied with the other Requisitions previously necessary in Order to entitle them to the Privilege of Incorporation. Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray, That they may be incorporated agr~eably to the Constitution, and be constituted and regarded in Law as of the established Religion of this State, under the Denomination of the Presbyterian Church of Indian Town. Signers of both the Confession and Petition were : John James Snr Robert Graham Wm. D. James James Barr John James Jr ( ?) Mary Witherspoon Nathl. McCollugh Jane Dobbin J no. J. McCollugh Philip Owens David Jones William Graham James Daniel J no. Cooper Robert Wilson Moses Barnes Richard Hanna John Gordon Zechariah Owens John James, Jun. Peter Owens John Graham James Owens Robt. McCottry Thomas J ohnsten David Wilson 5 Word illegible. �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 21 Alexr Thomson Roger McGill George Burrows William Mcllveen Anthy. Haselten George White Wm. Mcllroy Sam'!. Cooper Hugh Paisley Robt. Dick Robt. McFaddin Thos. McCrea Thomas Pressley William Cooper Archibd. Jolly John Gibson Geo. McCutchen It appears that only heads of households signed: there are only two signatures by women, each a widow and head of a household. The year 1788 also saw the coming of the Reverend James White Stephenson at first as supply and subsequently as minister, his services being shared by Indiantown and the newly organized congregation of Bethel at Kingstree. Bethel's membership, like Indiantown's, was composed chiefly of the descendants of the early settlers, and clung to the lofty standards and pure doctrine of the patriarchs. Control of the Williamsburg Church had passed throught weight of numbers to late arrivals, men of a different mold and stamp. 6 The last and most hateful insult was the Socinianism of the Reverend Samuel Kennedy. His heretical views so outraged the Witherspoons, Friersons, McBrides and others of like mind, that they resorted to violent schism, going so far as to destroy the original house of worship. The new congregation of Bethel formed by this faction was closely associated with Indiantown during the forty years of its existence and usually employed the same minister. Mr. Stephenson's parents came south from Pennsylvania during the migrations of the 17SO's. 7 He was born in Virginia in 1756, but grew up at Waxhaw, S. C. Given the best classical education the frontier offered at Mount Zion College near Winnsboro, he became a school master and numbered among his pupils Andrew Jackson, the future president. After revolutionary service he prepared himself for the ministry and was ordained in 1791. For eighteen years he preached at Bethel and Indiantown; his influence was great and it was he who introduced the new dispensation. It seems to have been a mark of the times, this new morality that "took the place of the religion of the Gospel, and many believed that morality was religion." 8 His labors were rewarded by growth in membership and some success in curbing the ancient practices of "treating at funerals," 9 horse-racing and dancing. It was also during his ministry that work among the negroes was begun. In 1802, a camp meeting-an innovation said to have originated in Kentucky-caused great excitement and emotional fervor. 10 It was held at the Sand Hills near Kingstree, drew huge crowds, and resulted in many conversions. Bethel Sessional Record, also Howe, Vol. 1, p. 406. Howe, Vol. 1, p. 581 ff. s DuBose : Reminiscences p. 32. 9 Howe, Vol. 1, p. 586. 10 Howe, Vol. II, p. 65. 6 1 �22. AN HISTORICAL SK~'I'CH . Mr. Stephensoff married Elizabeth, the daughter of Major James. Their married life was brief, and in July 1793 she was buried near her father in the churchyard at Indiantown. The Major had died at the age of fifty-nine in 1791. His son, Captain John is noted as being an elder in May 1792. We do not know when his ordination took place, whether he was elected in his father's stead or had served before. John McFaddin is also on record as an elder at this time.11 In 1805 several families from Bethel migrated to Maury County, Tennessee and bought a large tract of land from the heirs of General Nathaniel Greene. These first migrants were followed by others, and the family names o,f Frierson, Armstrong, Fulton, Witherspoon, Blakeley, Fleming, still appear among the membership of Zion Church, founded by the Williamsburgers. The only member to go from Indiantown that can be identified is Mrs. Jane Wilson Dobbin (she signed the Confession and Petition in 1788) . The journey proved too much for her and she died shortly after reaching Franklin, Tenn. 12 Mr. Stephenson visited his friends in their new home in 1808. Struck by the opportunities of the territory, and affectionately invited by the new congregation, he moved from Williamsburg to Maury County. There he worked with great success until 1831. So highly was he regarded, that South Carolina College, urged by Chancellor William Dobein James, in ·1815 made him a Doctor of Divinity. His long pastorate among us saw Indiantown achieve stature as a large and flourishing congregation, no longer .dependent on occasional supplies and visiting ministers. From 1790 until 1868 her pulpit was seldom empty. A brief pastorate by Dr. Andrew Flinn (1008-10) 13 was followed by that of Daniel Brown. "That which is calculated to make Mr. B.'s ministry most memorable was the opening the way for the reception of People of Colour into full communion with the Church. This we believe has served many beneficial purposes, especially the leading of that class of People among us to reflect that they were concerned on the Subject of Religion as well as the White Christians, but some ·few have disgraced their profession." 14 A fragmentary record has also been preserved which may · mark the beginning of firm judgments meted out by the Session : "The Sessions of the Congregations of Indiantown and Bethel impressed with a sence of their high responsibility as officers of the Church of Christ deem it their duty at all times to attend to the Just Requisitions of the higher Judicatories of the Church of which they are members, being also well assured that the General Assembly had just cause to call on the churches under their care to adopt measures to suppress the alarming and growing vise of the intemperate use of ardent Spirits, Under such views the sessions have unanimously adopted the following resolutions relative to the exercises of dicipline." rn There follows a listing of the degrees of offence and the requisite penalties : Howe, Vol. 1, p. 589. ·. . · Stephenson : The Friersons of Zion Church. The Parthenon Press. 13 Dr. Flinn was first minister of the 2nd Presbyterian Church, Charleston. 14 Sessional Record Bethel Church. 15 Ibid. 11 12 �INDIANTOWN ·PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 23 1. Private drunkenness to be admonished. · 2. Drunkenness, not "aggravated ·by profanity, contention or some other immorality" to be reproved by the session. 3. Aggravated drunkenness to be reproved before the congregation. 4. Persistence in intemperance to be punished by being cut off from the communion of the Church. In 1811,. the Sessions of the two churches acting jointly found a member of Bethel guilty of "incest" because he had married his deceased wife's sister. Mr. Brown died in 1815 while on a visit to his old home. There was an interval of occasional pre·aching before Mr. John Covert a native 'of Oyster Bay, N. Y. and graduate of Princetown, graced the pulpits of Bethel and Indiantown for a year. Had not a call already been extended to the Reverend Robert W. James, Mr. Covert's association would have been prolonged. Instead, he became p·a.stor of Williamsburg, and, equally beloved by both that congregation and his former charges at Bethel, he did much to bring about the reunion of the two factions. That happy outcome was realized only in 1828 after his early death. The Reverend Robert Wilson James was a son of Captain John James. Our Session records have been kept faithfully since his coming, and it might be well at this point to note some matters necessarily omitted in a chronological survey. In trouble and adversity people turn to the church for consolation and reassurance. Spiritual growth can come out ·of tribulation. But it is also true that a church reflects the condition of its members. During the Revolution public worship was abandoned. But the return of peace and confidence brought a quick rebirth. The remarkable ministry of Mr. Stephenson coincided with a period of prosperity and expansion. . The economic void left by the death of the indigo trade was filled by cotton. There had been small plantings of cotton during the colonial period, chiefly for home use. Tedious separation of fiber and seed by harid had limited its · commercial development. The cotton gin opened a new chapter in the economic and social life of the South. Prosperity, greatly increased use of slave labor, the growth of the plantation system, later migrations to the west, all these .affected the state of the church at Indiantown. Black seed, or Sea Island cotton, formerly planted in Williamsburg, was replaced by short staple varieties, green seed and nankeen, a coarse fiber used for rough cloth. 16 The lint, spun into thread at home, was often ·carried to a weaver to be made into cloth for the plantation. One such establishment in Williamsburg was near Murray's Ferry on Santee~ 17 A ready· market for the baled staple developed, and wagon trains, ·each wagon piled high with six bales, made the long trip to · Charleston once a .year.'18 The plantation system, though never on the scale found in the Deep South, became the new order. Drayton : A View ·of S:' C., p. 128. DuBose : Reminiscences. 18 McGill : Reminiscences in Williamsburg County, p. 79. 16 11 �24 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH Roads made wheeled vehicles possible. They had been almost non-existant before the Revolution-none are mentioned in wills-but now riding chairs are often mentioned. That awkward, heavy, two-wheeled cart, with its broad seat and roomy body, was gradually replaced by more comfortable rigs. Eventually carriages and barouches became numerous. Education was afforded by private schools, and, when Mills compiled his Statistics, there were also eight public schools supported by the state, "in which poor children are educated gratis." A very revealing glimpse into church finances and affairs is given by an account book presented to Indiantown Congregation by Mr. Kenneth M. James of Darlington. Twelve pages long, it details the trusteeship of Captain John James and John Wilson, whose responsibility it was to collect the bonds given by the members and disburse the funds for the years 1793 to 1796. The same names appear as those signing the confession of faith and petition for incorporation, with the following additions : J ~cob Rowland, Jean James (widow of Major John James), William Persons, Hugh McGill, Marthar McColough, Henry Price, Stewart Dickey, William Hanna, James Hanna, Thomas Williams, Hanna Snow, John Wilson (one of the trustees), Andrew Russel, Robert Graham, William Graham, Samuel Jones, William McCrea, and Thomas Blackwell for the estate of James Gordon. The bonds, equivalent to our pledges, ranged from ten shillings to seven pounds ten shillings per year. One notation shows that John Wilson advanced the Reverend Stephenson three pounds, ten shillings and sixpence "out of his pocket-which is now due said John Wilson." In June 1797, Mr. Stephenson was paid one hundred one pounds, fourteen and five. Evidently the trusteeship was continued beyond the dates covered by the record, for a notation of 1803 shows that Mr. Stephenson "settled with Messrs. John James and John Wilson Trustees ... in full for the Sallery due on the Bond for which they were appointed collectors." The Census of 1790 sheds some light on the economic standing of the members. There are none very rich, a number in comfortable circumstances, a few whose assets are meager. A fascinating story comes from Howe 19 about a long forgotten personality who had more than casual connection with Indiantown. It was during Mr. Stephenson's pastorate that Thomas Dickson Baird came to join relatives near the church. He had been born in County of Down, Ireland in 1773. His father was determined he should be a blacksmith but he managed to teach himself, though learning the smith's trade. In 1796 he fled to Delaware to escape punishment for taking part in rebellion against the British. He came to South Carolina in 1803. His wife and children died in an epidemic the following year. He had united with Indiantown and expressed his determination to become a minister. In 1809 he sold his possessions and entered the famous school conducted by Moses Waddel at Willington. Waddel, one of the prominent edu19 Vol. II, p. 68. �INDIAN'l'OWN PRESBY'l'ERIAN CHURCH 25 cators of his day, declared Baird to be the most brilliant student ever to come to his notice. In 1812, aged thirty-eight, he was ordained to the ministry. After preaching and conducting a large classical school he moved to Ohio in 1815. Thereafter, his influence became great in church councils. He had an important part in establishing the Western Missionary Society; he became editor of the Pittsburg Christian Herald, sat in the General Assemblies of 1837-38, and was president of the Convention meeting in connection with it. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity ; and three of his sons became ministers, two Doctors of Divinity. Such was one fruit of Dr. Stephenson's ,ministry at Indiantown. David Wilson died in 1812, and Robert Wilson in 1813. In these brothers, sons of David Wilson and Mary Witherspoon, the church lost two elders who had served long and faithfully. David's son, David D., proved a worthy successor. �IV On February 11, 1819, the Reverend Robert W. James was ordained to the ministry and installed as pastor of Indiantown and Bethel congregations. The Bethel Sessional Record tells us that at the .first meeting of Harmony Presbytery, Mr. James "had the honor to attend; it was there understood that it should be a regulation that a record should be kept by every minister and his session, and there books to be reviewed by the Presbytery annually." To this we owe our well preserved history from that date. It would also seem that no regular sessional records had been required or kept before that time. Beginning with the entry noting Mr. James' installation, the Indiantown records were kept in the "old Session Book" until 1845. By that date the book included several inferior specimens of writing, had become somewhat jumbled, and the binding had suffered wear. The minutes were copied into a new book which continued in use until 1899. Hence we have the original and a copy of the records and membership roll from 1819 until 1845. The first page of the new 1845 book records that the transcriber, Reverend J. P. McPherson was requested by the Session to prefix a short history of the church to the copied record. There follow seven blank pages! Mr. McPherson did collect information about Indiantown and Williamsburg. Dr. Howe refers to his notes on Williamsburg/ and Mr. McPherson wrote to The Southern Presbyterian in 1849 that he had a complete list of births and marriages for Williamsburg District from 1732 to 1788. Efforts to trace this invaluable record have been so far vain. The roll of members, as it was first kept, gives no dates, indicating neither when membership began nor ended. The roll is cumulative, but just where the original roll of 1819 ends is uncertain. It is impossible to ascertain the roll at any specific time. Indications are that the congregation in 1819 included the following family names: Barr, Brown, Britton, Cooper, Daniel, Ferrell, Dick, Gordon, Gotea, Graham, Green, Gregg, Gibson, Hanna, James, McCants, McConnell, McCrea, McCottry, McCullough, McFaddin, McCutchen, McIlveen, McKnight, McKnight, Nesmith, Owens, Paisley, Scott, Singletary, Thompson, Wilson and Snowden. Colored communicants were listed by given name and name of owner. There were eighty-nine such members. In 1819 the Session was composed of Captain John James, James Daniel, George McCutchen, Senior, and David Wilson. During the year, Hugh Hanna, George Barr, George McCutchen, Junior, and Samuel J. Wilson were ordained. The office of elder was not lightly bestowed nor lightly assumed. Monitoring the behavior of the membership called for superhuman qualities of humility, assurance and blamelessness. The early record is concerned i Howe, Vol. 1, p. 255. 26 �lNDIAN'tOWN PR1tSBY'tERIAN CHURCH 27 largely with cases of discipline: intoxication, chiefly, but also the "unchristian conduct of quarrelling and fighting." Baptized members were subject only to admonition and exhortation. Offending members in full communion were required to make confessions and profess repentance and reformation before being admitted to the Lord's Supper. Even members of the Session were not wholly free from the sin of intemperance, and the judgment of their peers was stern. Tardiness in submission to the decrees and citations of the Session often resulted in suspension of the privileges of membership, and, if too prolonged, in excommunication. It was a courageous heart or rebellious soul who could bear such a dreadful doom. Colored members were subject to like watchful supervision. If a ' sin was judged particularly serious, the colored offender was made to acknowledge his crime and profess sorrow, not only before the tribunal of the Session, but also before the colored congregation on Sunday afternoon. A touching case found the Session at a loss how to rule: A slave, accused of adultery, had been "forceably separated" from his former wife. Reference of the matter to Presbytery, and by Presbytery to Synod, brought the judgment that, in such a case, remarriage did not exclude from church privileges. The slaves were given religious instruction. In 1824 a Bible Class, a Sunday School 2 and "regular catechising of the black people" was undertaken. They were required to achieve a creditable knowledge of scripture and doctrine and pass examination in "experimental piety" before being admitted to baptism and communion. From the roll it is evident that only a few qualified for admission at first. And it is probable that such distinction was highly prized, not solely from religious conviction. The years 1825 and 1826 saw great changes in the Session. David Wilson in 1825 took dismission with his family to move to Alabama. This is the first of many records of Indiantowners joining the westward march-to Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and California. The Session lost three members by death: Captain John James in 1825, George McCutchen, Senior, and James Daniel in 1826. The following year David D. Wilson joined the Session. Each . generation has its outstanding leader. Major John James had stood above his fellows in the early years, his son and namesake in the early 1800's; and now Colonel D. D. Wilson. It is not only for prominence in church affairs that he is remembered. Patron of education, senator from Williamsburg, Colonel of Militia, and highly progressive and successful planter, he can be listed as one of the county's outstanding citizens. 2 Dr. McGill in his Reminiscences (p. 56.) tells of a Sunday School for which the Elders, Col. D. D. Wilson, William Daniel (?), George McCutchen, George Barr; and Mr. William E. James, Miss Lavina James, Mrs. Eliza Montgomery and Mrs. Thermutis Cooper were the teachers. Col. D. D. Wilson became an elder in 1827 and all the Session resigned in 1834, so the Sunday School to which Dr. McGill refers was in existance between those two dates. Mrs. Cooper joined Indiantown in 1827 and Mrs. Montgomery was a member of the Bethel Congregation until its reunion with Williamsburg. �28 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH In 1824 Miss Margaret McConnell "was received a member from the late church of Black Mingo, this now being extinct." This congregation had been served by Mr. William Knox until after 1800. Just when it dispersed is not known. The old names of members are missing from its vicinity and its records are lost. 3 Mr. James resigned in 1827. From his new charge at Salem Black River he returned occasionally to administer the Lord's Supper, to preach, and to moderate Sessional meetings in the absence of the regular pastor. Upon application to the Domestic Missionary Society of Charleston, our pulpit was supplied by a Mr. Power for a brief time. The Reverend John 'McKee Erwin of North Carolina came and preached in June, 1828, and being called, became pastor in December. To Mr. Erwin must be credited much of the ferment of succeeding years. He had no sooner come than the Session found itself committed to a course that would rock the church and community, and engender opposition leading eventually to bitter separation. The "higher judicatories" of the Presbyterian Church had denounced dancing as early as 1818. But the local Session did not act until the coming of Mr. Erwin. The people of Williamsburg had always loved and enjoyed dancing, horse racing-Capt. John James is said to have had a track on his plantation-and moderate tippling. (Among the tools given the earliest settlers by the authorities in Charleston was a still-mill. 4 We are also told that George Whitfield, the great Methodist, strongly urged the admission of both rum and Negro Slavery into the new colony of Georgia. 5 And in 1770, the Presbytery of South Carolina repaired to Dr. Hewat's for a glass of wine. 6 This is not here inserted for the encouragement of topers, but simply to show that the vice, or practice, was one of long standing.) It must be said that the stern measures adopted by the Session were in compliance with the policy laid down by the General Assembly and were a departure characteristic of the times. The change in emphasis is underscored by a description of Mr. William Knox as a "minister of the old school" who "probably regarded many of his bretheren as too rigid, and perhaps fanatical." 7 This shortly after 1800. It must also be noted that the disciplinary measures instituted by the Session were directed only against communicants. Full membership carried responsibility in those days. A person was expected to have attained serious3 While information about John Baxter was being sought, the following clue to Black Mingo's fate was found: Mr. Robert Barnes, who owns the land on which the church stood and lives nearby, told us that his grandmother, a Miss Gibson, as a girl came to that site just after the War in 1812. When very old, she told her grandson that the church had been burned during the war by British soldiers on a foray up Black River from Georgetown. It was not rebuilt, though the cemetary was used for a time. All that can now be seen are a rectangular mound of broken, crumbling bricks and two or three gravestones. 4 Witherspoon Family Record. 5 Howe, Vol. 1, p. 247. 6 Ibid, Vol. 1, p. 387. 1 Howe, Vol. II, p. 72. �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 29 ness and dignity, to have overcome the world, before graduating from membership by baptism alone to full communion. It was to preserve the purity of this body and to assert the "government and discipline" of the Presbyterian Church that the Session took its uncompromising position. The matter was enlarged when the original offence of dancing was aggravated by reluctance to bow to the decrees of the Session. The charge of "obstinacy" superseded the original indictment. However earnest the participants or noble the motives, it is impossible to read the Sessional account without smiling at the wonderful clash of personalities and the terrific heat created. It is difficult to keep in clear perspective the basic questions : the "government and discipline of the Presbyterian Church" as embodied in its courts, the authority of the Session over the membership in matters of conduct, and freedom of the individual conscience. The campaign began on January 8th, 1830, when the Session "unanimously resolved to address the following to the Communing Members of this society : "That whereas your Session has reason to believe that some of the members in full communion in the Church give incouragement to and take an active part in Balls or Dancing frolics, and whereas the incouragement thus given to this amusement is a great grievance to Some, perhaps to a Majority of this Society, and if we mistake not a Stumbling Block to others; and whereas the General Assembly of our Church has expressly disapproved of this Amusement as inexpedient among professors in our Church ; the Session after deliberately viewing these things in connection with our high responsibilities as officers of this Church do hereby declare to you our approval of the decision of this Judicatory of our Church and that we will henceforth feel ourselves bound to view all professers of religion in this Church who incourage or take an active part in dancing as offenders against Its purity and prosperity; and finally Bretheren we affectionately exhort you to abstain from all appearance of evil, directed to be read by the Moderator next Sabbath." This address was not entirely effective, and the minister was instructed on March 27th to "admonish privately'~ those violating the resolution. Full compliance still not being achieved, Presbytery was asked, "what farther measures if any are to be taken?" The reply: The Session was to deal with the members "according to the Book of Discipline and the expressions of the opinion of the Synod and General Assembly." This was in March of 1831, a full year after the matter first began to ferment. Reassured in their sense of duty and authority, the Session chose several from. its ranks to converse in a private manner with those persons said to have "recently taken an active part in a dancing party, and if they confess guilt to endeavor to bring them to Repentance." This was done. One of those so visited was Mr. Samuel McGill. He was a devoted member of Indiantown-at this very time, as we shall see, he was one of the contractors for the new church building, a project of much difficulty and no profit. He was also a lover of dancing and pleasure. The interview was not �II 30 satisfactory to the Session, its deputies reporting that Mr. McGill had "assumed principles and made expressions," for which the Session warned Mr. McGill not to commune the next day. Weeks of sparring, requests for clarification of statements and positions, charges and counter charges were climaxed by a demand to know if Mr. McGill submits to "the Government and dicipline of the Presbyterian Church," accepts the authority of the Assembly's letter respecting dancing, and recognizes the duty of a properly authorized officer "to endeavor to bring an offender to repentance." A stated deadline having passed without reply, Mr. McGill was charged with obstinacy, disrespect of the "authoritiv~ expressions of the General Assembly in 1818," "slandering an individual of this Session." Note that the charge of dancing had been overshadowed. A point of view counter to that of the church record is found in "Reminiscences in Williamsburg County" by Dr. Samuel Davis McGill, son of the recalcitrant member: "The Rev. J. M. Erwin, from North Carolina, was our pastor, who tall and slim of figure, and of cold and repulsive address, condemned from the pulpit the practice of dancing ... A church committee, composed of the elders of the church, was appointed to wait on Mr. Samuel McGill to summon him to trial, to be held in the session house. When the day came those two men were seen approaching his house and as their errand was known, it can be imagined in the manner his soft blue eyes sparkled with indignation, overshadowing his otherwise handsome features. He did not meet them, but the wife did at the gate, and it was said their business was hurriedly dispatched amid her clamors, made stinging by her nimble and then irritated tongue, telling them, among other things, of Mr. McGill's claim to that church which his father had founded, nor did she desist in the denunciation of them till they were out of her hearing, and going at a brisker pace than they had come." The trial aroused great interest and excitement in the district. Pages of testimony, much too long to be reproduced here, were given by witnesses for both prosecution and defense, with cross-examination. Several bits, however, must be repeated: To the question, "Did you recommend any religious exercise in preference to dancing as an amusement?" Mr. Erwin replied, "I did. I recommend singing hymns." Mr. McGill had retorted that he "had seen more sin committed in singing hymns than in dancing, because they laughed while singing solemn words." He also quoted from Isaac Watts: "Religion never was designed to make our pleasures less." One witness, a light-footed miss named Leonora Montgomery reporting her feelings when interviewed by a inember 0£ the Session: She was "so badly scared I Hardly Know'd what I said." 8 The Session, having weighed the evidence, found Mr. McGill guilty of the first two charges, but not on the count of slander since there were "extenuating l ( 8 Mr. McPherson, the transcriber of the old record, very carefully and kindly corrects the grammar. Mr. Boddie quotes the eorrected version (p. 278). ,, �lNDIAN'tbWN PRESBYifERIAN ' CHURCit 31 circumstances." Mr. McGill was ordered ·to appear before the elders and witnesses for admonition and rebuke. He thereupon declared his intention to appeal to the congregation, and was granted permission to do so. However, on examining the minutes, Presbytery branded such a· review by the congregation unconstitutional, and appeal was denied. At its next stated meeting, Harmony Presbytery deliberated the whole matter, and the Session had the satisfaction of being sustained in its actions and judgment. The sentence of rebuke and admonition was carried out at long last. It was without visible effect on Mr. McGill and he remained under censure. His request for a letter of dismis'sion :w~s denied. His son says that the suspension was not long continued, that Mr. McGill · came bef9re the elders, made his peace, confessed, and was restored;· "There · were no more dancing parties given at his house during the remainder of his life.'; The Session Book records that on "Nov. 4, 1832, The Session of Indiantown met at the call of the Moderator. Mr. Sam McGill being present gave satisfactory evidence of repentance for the charge against him and was restored to the privileges of the Church." Cases were made against other members; Miss Leonora Montgomery, Mrs. Mary McGill and Miss S. R. G. Sndwden; for dancing after the resolutions had been published. In absentia they were adjudged "contumacious" and received suspensions. So the Session was victor in the battle, but the war was far from won. Evidently the love of dancing and pleasure was not to be stifled in a day or a decade. Mr. McGill was known as an upright man, and others involved were among the most popular and respected members of the church. The actions of the elders may have been entirely correct, but the meinbership was not ready to walk the narrow path they had chart~d. Copscious of their isolation and unpopular rectitude, the Session, en masse, addressed the congregation as follows: "April 28th ( 1834), We the ·undersigned, Elders of the Indiantown Church, having for some years past . been contending against prevailing practices in the Church, which we d.eem unchristian and when bringing discipline to bear on offending members, we were planely told by a member in full standing 'that he knew the mind of the congregation ten .times better than we did and that there were not three individuals in Indiantown Church that would sustain our proceedings,' and having received very little Support or Counten~n~e from the Congreg;ifion, we were induced to believe his statements measurably correct ; arid moreover at a House in the immediate viscinity of the Church (the Heads of the family in full membership) at whi~h a large number of the Congregation attended a Wedding, o'n the hight. previous to a three-Days' meeting, at which the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered, these practices were introduced and persevered in through the night, and to~ such ' . �32 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH excess that we believe it hopeless to proceed farther against such determined opposition, and as we cannot Conscientiously Serve the Church as Ruling Elders, seeing the practice of dancing, excessive drinking and their accompanying evils cannot be Suppressed by us, and judging from the efforts already made that our influence is insufficient for this or to promote the purity and edification of this Church; and therefore after mature reflection we have unanimously resolved that we claim the Constitutional priviledge of ceasing to act as officers of this Congregation ... and now we earnestly pray the Great Head of the Church that the efforts of those who may be called in His Providence to Succeed us ~ay be accompanied with His Almighty power and blessing and make theirs more successful than ours have been." The Signers : S. James Wilson, George Barr, George McCutchen, and David D. Wilson. Mr. George McCutchen a short time later sold his holdings and moved to the Mount Zion community of Sumter District. There he exerted great and lingering influence. Samuel James Wilson and his family moved to Alabama. The Reverend Mr. Erwin also severed his connections with Indiantown and Williamsburg and returned to North Carolina. The entire Eldership having resigned, there was some confusion. A call to the Reverend A. G. Peden was declared out of order by Presbytery because there were no ruling elders. He was installed after the election of William Daniel and Samuel Scott to form the new Session. A more positive and inviting approach to goodness is found during Mr. Peden's ministry. A flourishing "Sabbath School" came into being, with two .superintendents, sixty-six scholars and a library. Thirty-four dollars was initially subscribed for the library's establishment, and occasional special offerings were taken to buy additional books. Fifty-three dollars was also contributed to the newly founded Theological Seminary in Columbia. Fifty-eight dollars was sent for Domestic Missions. The fund for infirm ministers received fifteen dollars ; and thirty-three dollars, fifty-six and one quarter cents went to foreign missions. Indiantown' s interest in the foreign field was no doubt heightened by the fact that John Leighton Wilson, pioneer American Missionary to Africa was the grandson of Captain John James, and descendant of Robert Wilson one of our first elders. 9 All during the years 1830 to 1835, the Session's preoccupation with discipline monopolizes the official record. No mention is made of the building of the new church-our present structure. We again turn to Dr. McGill for our information :10 "The foundation of the new Indiantown Presbyterian Church being ready to be laid, a small eastern portion of the old church was pulled down for the position of the western portion of the new church . . . In this condition, with 9 Wardlaw : Witherspoon Family. 10 McGill: Reminiscences p. 37 ff. �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 33 only a small part of the old church taken down, it did not hinder divine services in it, protected by the frame of the new church on the exposed side ... "The building of our new church, offered to the lowest bidder, was awarded to Col. D. D. Wilson and Mr. Samuel McGill, at $1,700, which proved to be a tedious and unprofitable investment, as all the lumber for the church could not be gotten nearer than Lawren's water mill, on Lynch's Creek, ten miles above the present town of Scranton. These two contractors put all the material necessary for the completion of the church on the yard, and employed Mr. Doney, of Upper Pudding Swamp, to erect and complete the building ... "Amid the great political and social disturbances in our State and district the new Indiantown Church was completed, and after painting, was' ready for its occupancy. The seats being numbered the members were solicitous in the choice of them ... Mr. George Cooper was given first choice, by reason of a donation in money 11 left by his deceased father for the benefit of the Indiantown Church. "The first sermons 12 • • • were delivered by Rev. Mr. ______________ Morgan, of North Carolina ... These sermons may have been in the dedication of the church or on a sacramental occasion directly afterwards, and were very effective in their delivery." Mr. Morgan was a brother of Mrs. Erwin and is spoken of as "the great and renowned preacher." Evidently the present building was finished during the Nullification period, since Dr. McGill speaks of the great political ... disturbances. There are further interesting facts in Dr. McGill's recollections about the church, its appointments and customs : "The pulpit was high, and its back frame nearly reached the upper ceiling of the house, all of panel frame of workmanship, painted a dull red color, and fringed with black, and raised high above the flooring of the church proper, it was conspicuous. Its enclosure was small, barely sufficient to seat two persons at a time on its hard and uncushioned bench, and was reached by a narrow flight of half a dozen or more steps, supported by a hand railing to its swinging door, which the preacher closed behind him upon his entrance with a slam ... when seated, only his head was visible; and in full view, was another frame of an enclosure, in which the two 'clerks' of the church were placed, whose business was to pitch or raise the hymns ... Mr. Benjamin Gordon, of Cedar Swamp, a singing school master, assisted by Mr. Samuel Wilson, of Muddy Creek, was the foreman of the tenor, while Mrs. Mary Ann McGill from her seat lead the female voices in the part of the music, then known as the 'tribble.' 13 "In the summer of 1838, a Singing School 1 4 was formed and taught by Mr. Marion Timmons, from Marion District, and another school the following 11 Eight hundred dollars 12 Ibid, p. 60. 13 Ibid, p. 58. 14 Ibid, I>· 132. by William James Cooper in 1808. I ! 1.. .. ~:· 1 ! f �34 AN HISTORICAL SKE>i'CH summer ... All the young people eagerly joined, and the old, if not scholars, 'gav~ their encouragement and frequently their attendance'." 15 The eagerness for · learning and culture here noted, was not new. Private schools had been maintained; During the years when the church was being built, the session house-the same still standing-was used as a school room, presided over by Mr. DuRand (DuRant?) of Georgetown. In 1832, the Indiantown Academy was erected .at the head of Mr. Samuel McGill's avenue not far from the church. 16 .Another brother-in-law of Mr. Erwin, Mr. McCamy Morgan, wa.s. teacher. The cypress-pole construction belies th~ pretentious name, but thorough instruction w~s given and some of its students went on to further study at South Carolina College, Davidson, the Medical College of . South Carolina, and numerous boa!ding and finishing schools. In all honesty it can be said that the people of Indiantown had achieved a high standard of living, and showed great respect for knowledge and refinement. Cotton prosperity afforded means to gratify in moderation the desire for self improvement and comfort. Surviving volumes fr9m libraries of the period show a surprising knowledge of the classics and contemporary literature. The pioneer homes, usually of logs, had given way to the weather-boarded, twostory house, rather tall and spar:~, known as a two-up and two-down ; there were additional rooms in a single-story "shedroom" to the rear. Generous porches and shutters made summers cool, and huge brick chimneys kept out the winter cold. With a few exceptions, these houses were not pretentious, but they were substantial and comfortable. General well-being is reflected in the benevolences of the church, in increasing concern for missions. In 1837, the congregation gave one hundred eightyone dollars, eighty-seven cents; and the Ladies contributed an additional fifty dollars to "constitute their Pastor an honorary member of the South Board of Foreign Missions." Once again, Colonel D. D. Wilson was elected elder, and joined the session at the same time as Alex. Knox, and John M. Fulton. Members of the congregation still danced, and the Session still thundered; but there seems to have been a more perfunctory approach to discipline. Sinners were quick to confess, but almost as quick to fall from grace again. One very serious case, however, was that of an elder convicted of intemperance, suspended from his office and forbidden to co~mune for two years. Certain of the "most pious and ·orderly" among the ·colored members were chosen to act as monitors among their fellows. Great efforts were made to impose monogamy and sobriety but seem to have been no more successful than the continuing campaign against dancing by the white communicants. 15 As late as the turn of th.e century, most members of the congregation sang by note. A few years ago Mr. Rob Ervin recalled that it was customary to use two hymnals in singing, one for the music in one hand and the word-hymnal in the other, since the words were occasionally sung to different settings. 16 Ibid, pp. 47-60. �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 35 Williamsburg was granted a part of Mr. Peden's services for a time, and, after his resignation, Indiantown received in return the ministration of Dr. George H. W. Petrie then at the older church as stated supply. This was only briefly, for in 1840 the Reverend H. B. Cunningham was installed. In a paragraph devoted to the comings and goings of ministers, it might be appropriate to name Indiantown's sons who had become ministers. Dr. Baird's connection has already been noted; so has Robert W. James'. Robert George McCutchen became a minister and moved to Indiana early in his career. W. ' H. Singletary was received as a candidate a bit later, in 1843. Robert Harvey Lafferty came to Indiantown from his native Ohio in 1840 to conduct the Indiantown Academy. In 1842 he dedicated himself to the ministry and was taken under the care of Harmony Presbytery. After graduating from Columbia Theological Seminary in 1845 he was ordained by Concord Presbytery in North Carolina and the following year was installed as pastor of old Sugaw Creek Church at Charlotte. There he remained until his death in 1864. It might also be recalled that Indiantown can claim a definite interest in John Leighton Wilson. In 1843, the Reverend J. P. McPherson began a pastorate notable among other things for greatly increased colored membership. The records of the General Assembly show, by estimate, eighty such members in 1844, and 356 in 1852. Numerous rebukes, admonitions and suspensions for dancing indicate that the Session had by no means given up its prerogatives. Even some of the colored members were disciplined for dancing. It is also evident that the church was far from unanimous in supporting such strict supervision, and there were intimation of serious trouble to come. In 1846 the Session prepared a "brief history of the divisions in our church for the past eight or ten years" which was laid before Presbytery. A few years later a number of dissident members withdrew to form the Whiteoak Congregation. Included were the families of several who had been at odds with the Session in its stern course. Membership, including the colored, dropped from 452 in 1849 to 382 in 1850. It is easy to give too much attention to conflicts, overlooking the gains and quiet progress of turbulent years. The Indiantown Academy, then taught by Dr. S. D. McGill, was made a parochial school (1848) and the pastor was requested to visit it often to catechize and instruct the students. Deacons were elected for the first time in 1849. Those ordained were J. C. Wilson, R. D. Wilson, and L. W. Nesmith. At the same time, S. J. Snowden, R. H. Wilson and W. F. Blakely were added to the Session. Mr. Blakely became clerk of the Session; however, he soon found himself in disagreement with his associates and resigned as elder. The celebrated evangelist, Daniel Baker, D.D. of Texas, chaplain of Congress and founder of Austin College, held a very emotional and fruitful meeting at Indiantown in 1852. The . minutes of the next Session meeting list numerous professions of faith. Receipts among the papers of the Rogers family indicate that extensive repairs were made on the parsonage and church in 1852. Again Colonel D. D. �36 AN HISTORICAL SK~TCH Wilson seems to have been one of the principal contractors. Two other receipts given Mr. W. Vv. Rogers show that the Reverend W. H. Singletary, mentioned before as a ministerial candidate, supplied our pulpit at intervals from 1852 to 1855, and the Reverend William Donnelly preached in 1852. The following year, the Reverend A. L. Crawford was called, and W. C. Barr and James McCutchen were ordained. A year later, D. D. Barr, an elder in the Williamsburg Church, joined Indiantown and was requested to act with the Session. That body was still trying to promote sobriety and moral rectitude among the 585 colored communicants. White members were not slighted. One was disciplined for selling "ardent spirits" and non-attendance. The latter sin of omission received serious attention ; the Session decreed that "any person not communing within the space of one year, his name shall be erased from the Church Book" This ruling was declared too severe by Presbytery and revoked. The elders were faced with another thorny case: A free-for-all fisticuff had occurred at the Muster Field where the militia met for drill. The years have blotted out recollection, but tradition tells of fox hunting and torn-down rail fences as two of the causes of bad feeling. The first notice of the affair is an entry recording that Mr. George Cooper, his sons, and their ladies had applied for dismissals to Whiteoak Church. The request by the men was denied until the Muster Field fracas could be investigated, and responsibility fixed. They were summoned to give testimony but declined to acknowledge the citation. Witnesses for the opposing side gave their version of the set-to, but the Session, "in view of the meagreness of the testimony," was "unable to arrive at a just, and righteous decision" and dismissed the case. It was further resolved "that in consideration of our state as a church· it is our duty to humble ourselves before God, beseaching him no more to afflict us ; but that he would cause all enmity and disposition to strife to give place to Brotherly love and to the Spirit of peace." The petitioners withdrew to join the Whiteoak congregation. In 1857 Samuel J. Snowden lost the power of speech. In a touching letter to his fellow elders he wrote: "Last Sabbath I came off from the Church without letting you know it ... I could not talk, and I had left my slate at home. And Bretheren, I hope you will excuse me from sitting with your honorable body on business of importance, which I am not able to attend." He lived until 1862 but was never again active as a member of the Session. In its centennial year, Indiantown reported 379 members, 282 of them colored. The following year, the Reverend James Ruet Gilland began his pastorate, and the church reported 317 members a figure reflecting the removals of the preceeding year. Mr. Gilland, a native of Pennsylvania, graduate of Washington and Jefferson College, had come south about 1840. He had been pastor at several churches in upper South Carolina, and in 1850-51 was acting president at Davidson College. Preferring the active ministry, he declined the presidency. A gifted teacher, he specialized in preparing youths for �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 37 college. At each of his churches he also conducted a school. Though from the North, he held strong sympathies for the Southern cause, and his pastorate was unmarred by political strife. Within the Session there was discord aplenty. Three elders, D. D. Wilson, W. C. Barr, and D. D. Barr resigned in protest over the handling of a case of discipline and because they thought they had "lost the confidence of the congregation." William Daniel died in 1859, the venerable George Barr in 1860, soon to be followed by Robert H. Wilson. The sole remaining member, James McCutchen, who had been ordained in 1853, was soon to join the Army of Virginia. James D. Daniel, elected in 1862, was the oµly active elder during the war years. The chief duties performed by Mr. Gilland and elder Daniel were the baptism of infants and the examination of candidates for membership. The roll of the church was greatly increased, and in 1866 there were five hundred communicants, eighty per cent of them colored. In 1932, Mrs. Thomas M. Gilland recalled of her father-in-law that "it was said that he would sometimes throw off his ministerial mien and play his fiddle for the younger members of his congregation to dance and forget the stress and strain of the war days." 17 (Shades of Mr. Erwin!) Stress and strain are weak words to convey the privations and anxieties of the times. The very sparseness of the church records suggests the disruption caused by four years of war. The Sunday School was an early casualty. Practically every able-bodied white man was with the forces. As the fighting grew more savage, there were poignant entries in the roll opposite the names of members: Wm. Wilson, Dead, Killed in Battle, Chancellorsville, May 2, 1863. Julius J. Hanna, Dead in Confederate service, Richmond, 1863. Robert Wilson, Dead, Killed in battle near Petersburg, 1864. Wm. Cunningham, dead, Killed at Sharpsburg. Wm. Douglas, Dead in Confederate Service. John C. Wilson, Dead [died of wounds in a Richmond Hospital] . To these must be added the maimed and wounded. Unlike the Revolution, The War Between the States did not make our community a battle ground. Its testing time was to come with Reconstruction. There was not even grave unrest among the servants. It was only under military government, and with the hearty encouragement of the Freedman's Bureau that good will and cooperation between the races were replaced by bitterness. There are records of additions to the roll of colored members as late as 1866. But by 1867 almost all had left to form their own churches or to join those already organized. Total membership dropped to eighty-two. An attempt to revive the Sunday School in 1867 failed, but another try one year later was successful. About the same time there began a happy association with the Reverend James McDowell, at that time pastor of Brewington and Harmony Churches. 18 He was engaged to supply our pulpit once a month 17 18 The County Record, June 30, 1932. Jones, Mills. �38 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH after Mr. Gilland moved to Arkansas. The memory of this saintly minister is still revered. He was often here during the rest of the century, called in difficult times to bring peace and unity, or simply to hold services. His grandson, Dr. James McDowell Richards, President of Columbia Theological Seminary, bears his name. In the darkest days of Reconstruction, Indiantown was without a pastor. Presbytery evangelists, among them Mr. Boggs, or frequent visitors such as Mr. G. Morgan-probably the Reverend Gilbert Morgan, noted teacher at Harmony College, Sumter District-preached from time to time. In such circumstances, the Session's importance increased. Dr. Joseph S. C~nningham and Dr. Joseph A. James joined its ranks in 1868. Dr. Cunningham continued an elder until his death in 1925, a span of fifty-seven years! Dr. James, grandson of Chancellor W. D. James, author of the Life of Marion, returned to his ancestral community to marry Miss Sarah McCutchen shortly before the War. He moved to Cheraw in 1884. In 1870 the second election of deacons of which we have record resulted in the choice of T. M. McCutchen, J. C. Josey and Julian Wilson. The Session having lost J. D. Daniel by death gained the services of F. N. Wilson. Elder Wilson moved to Manning in 1876. William J. Daniel was also ordained, but was never able to meet with the Session. He died a few months after (Oct. 4, 1871). The congregations of Indiantown and Whiteoak had both suffered greatly from the War. The more bitter factionalists had died, and once great causes of division seemed much less important. In 1870 the two churches joined Williamsburg in sharing the labors of Mr. Banks, and two years later Mr. A. R. Kennedy became pastor of both Indiantown and Whiteoak. Mr. Kennedy's ministry was climaxed by the reunion of the congregations, all but five of Whiteoak's members returning to Indiantown (1873). These five were granted letters to other churches. Mrs. Kennedy was a sister of Woodrow Wilson. During three years among us, warm friendships were formed. Shortly before they left, their little daughter died, and since they had no permanent home, the little one was buried here among friends-a small tie with one of the great men of our era. The Ladies' Missionary Society was organized on July 10, 1875. Mrs. James McCutchen is recalled as the first president. The constitution pledged the members to "labor together in whatever ways may be right and best to secure funds for the cause of Foreign Missions, and to promote the knowledge of God's Kingdom in the world and to increase an interest in this work throughout the congregation." An entrance fee of ten cents and a monthly fee of ten cents were to be collected by the vice-president. Ten cents was not then the pittance it now seems. The society met once a month, at the church, usually, and prayer was made by the pastor or some other officer of the church. The meetings were opened with the singing of a hymn. Members pledged to "attend �INDIANTOWN PR~SBYT~RIAN CHURCH 39 the meetings of the Society and to discharge the duties of the same, unless prevented by good and sufficient reasons." 19 An account of the work of the Women of the Church will be given later. The Reverend J. R. Gilland, after preaching and teaching in Arkansas and Mississippi, retired to Indiantown to make his home with his daughter and son-in-law, Colonel and Mrs. James McCutchen. He died only two weeks later, and is buried in the church yard ( 1876). His son, Henry Gibbs Gilland, who had spent the greater part of his boyhood at Indiantown, became our minister in 1878. Trying times and a depressed economy forced the church to ask Presbytery to be 'placed in the second class financially and be called on for a smaller contribution. But progressive steps were taken and there was steady increase in membership. The congregation was apportioned among the members of the Session for supervision, encouragement and visitation. It became the rule to take collections regularly instead of occasionally. The Session had gained J. D. Daniel ( 1881), T. M. McCutchen and P. D. Snowden ( 1883). It no longer thundered and commanded but, rather, "admonished kindly" those who fell or wandered. On November 17, 1883, a new church came into being at Lake City. All but one of the members came from Indiantown: H. H. Singletary, J. T. Gaskins, W. C. Brown, Mrs. Singletary, Mrs. Gaskins, T. M. Perkins and Mrs. S. J. McCutchen also Mrs. Singletary's children, John Duncan, Barfield Lamar, and Virginia Vernon. The founding commission of Harmony Presbytery, headed by the Reverend James McDowell, included the Reverend Henry Gilland, the Reverend W. C. Smith, and elders James McCutchen and W. M. Kinder. First elders of the new church were H. H. Singletary and J. T. Gaskins. The Reverend H. B. Garris was first pastor of the small congregation. Its growth has been steady and it now outnumbers its ancient parent and is one of the stronger churches in the Presbytery. 20 During the eighties, the Southern Church debated the questions raised by the increasing acceptance and impact of the Theory of Evolution. 21 Dr. James Woodrow, Perkins Professor of Natural Science in connection with Revelation at the Columbia Theological Seminary, was at the center of the controversy. By request he published an article in The Southern Presbyterian giving his views. Far from attempting to refute the new and revolutionary concepts, he suggested that Divinely guided mutations were plausible. Long deliberations by Synod and the Presbyteries led eventually to the dismissal of ·Dr. Woodrow from the faculty of the Seminary. He became an honored and beloved teacher at the South Carolina College, and, retaining the love and respect of his brother ministers, was later elected moderator of Synod. No mention of the controversy appears in our church's records. But it is recalled that stands were taken and sympathies expressed not without heat. 19 Duplicate copy of the original constitution. 20 Jones, Mills. 21 Ibid. �AN HISTORICAL SKETCH 40 For the second time the Indiantown congregation applied for incorporation. Dated May 29, 1882, the charter empowers the "said corporation to purchase and hold real estate or personal property not exceeding in value the sum of $25,000, and to sell and dispose of the same in any manner whatsoever." Some of the church's property was shortly thereafter mortgaged, but promptly redeemed. 2 2 Numerous real estate transactions resulted in the sale of almost all the church's holding except the land adjacent to the manse. For several months late in 1889 after Mr. Gilland was released to join Concord Presbytery, North Carolina, our Stated Supply was ~fr. W. S. Hamiter. Years of occasional preaching followed. J. E. Dunlop supplied the pulpit in 1891 and for the next seven years he preached at both Indiantown and Williamsburg. Colonel Dunlop is remembered as a man of strong passions. He was by that time elderly, with a large white beard. But the fires that had made him an outstanding staff officer with General Forrest were not dead. A violent temper and impulsive behavior were translated in the pulpit into an equally intense delivery and earnestness. Such a person and personality invited either great admiration or strong disapproval. Memories of him differ widely. He made his home at Indiantown manse, but preached at Union, Central and Williamsburg also, continuing the latter charge after resigning from Indiantown and moving to Georgetown in 1898. Once again the Session lost an outstanding member, James McCutchen, an elder for forty-four years, and superintendent of the Sunday School for most of his life ( 1897) . T. M. McCutchen, his brother and brother-elder, was taken the following year. Hugh McCutchen and W. D. Owens were chosen in their places. The diaconate had gained M. W. Rogers and James F. Cooper in 1894, and in 1898 W. C. Snowden was also elected and ordained. The Session Book begun in 1845 ends with an entry in October 1899, a report to Presbytery that "grave rumors are in circulation affecting the character of a minister of our Presbytery." It is far from our intent to revive a tragic story or give new life to an almost forgotten scandal. Perhaps it is well that our records for this period have been destroyed. No purpose will be served by probing an ancient hurt. Those members of the congregation who remember the events to which the report to Presbytery was a prelude are reluctant to discuss the painful scenes. Charity urges us to leave an old man in peace. He had done much good in his long life; and to be called to trial on a grave charge was a bitter last chapter. This much is written only because the impact of the whole affair was terrible and the hurt to the cause of religion and morality deep and slow to heal. In the words of one who was present : "It almost killed the church!" 22 P apers in the possession of Mr. J. C. McCutchen. �v For two years we were without a pastor. The Reverend Frank H. Wardlaw, a young seminary graduate, came in 1900. A brief but pleasant association was ended by his resigning to join Synodical Home Missions in 1902. He was superintendent of the work during a time of expansion and achievement. In 1905 he transferred to the foreign field, and for a number of years was stationed at Cabarien, Cuba. 1 He was at Indiantown again as pastor 'from 1912 to 1914. The Reverend J. B. Branch was our Stated Supply for a brief interval in 1903. The Reverend H. T. Darnall is fondly recalled as a gentle and godly man of distinguished appearance. He and his wife were much beloved. Mr. Darnall died only a year after resigning in 1907. Their son Vernon is remembered as a singer of considerable fame, and a concert given by him in the church is remembered some fifty years later. During Mr. A. C. Bridgman's stay ( 1908-11) a second daughter church was created by peaceful separation, McGill Memorial, named in honor of Dr. Samuel D. McGill and composed largely of his descendents and relatives living some ten miles west of Indiantown. McGill Memorial, though never very strong, continued until improved roads made Indiantown more accessible to its members, and it dissolved in 1929. During its life, it always had the same minister as Indiantown. In 1910, Presbytery met with us as part of the celebration of our sesquicentennial. For the occasion the church "had been renovated and a porch added extending the whole width of the front with roof supported by solid massive pillows." It was a time of reunion and homecoming. Addresses were given by Professor H. A. White on the "origin of the Williamsburgers: the currents of religio-political history of Europe that beat upon them and made them what they were, and brought them here;" and Professor George McCutchen of the University of South Carolina. Professor McCutchen, a son of Indiantown, spoke on the "History of Indiantown Church," and "while such a subject is difficult to popularize, his presentation of it showed the painstaking research of the antiquarian and that sympathetic and masterful grasp of the material in reach that could rivet the attention of his auditors even when the dinner hour was past and the physical man was faint." Barbecue was the chief dish. "The social feature took precedence over the Presbyterial work and until late in the afternoon Presbyters and people mingled in handshaking and conversation in the spacious groves around about the overflowing 'well down by the gate'." 2 1 Jones, 2 News Mills. and Courier. 41 �42 AN Hrs'I'oRICAL SK:E'I'Ctt After Mr. Wardlaw's second pastorate, our next minister was W. R. Pritchett. His stay included the stirriµg days of the First World War, the "Crusade to Make the World Safe for Democracy." The fact that Woodrow Wilson was a Presbyterian and that the Reverend James H. Taylor, D. D. was his pastor gave Indiantown a sense of immediate contact with world affairs. Dr. Taylor is the son of the late Mrs. Clara Wilson Taylor of Charleston, grand-daughter of Colonel D. D. Wilson. In his youth he was a frequent visitor to his mother's girlhood home, and has always shown his deep affection for our church and community. , The boom days of the war brought unaccustomed prosperity. Farmers usually make a comfortable living, but it is not often that .surplus cash can be expected. The demand for cotton and foodstuffs created by the war gave our section a long delayed chance. A few automobiles had labored to church over unimproved roads as early as 1912. But now cars became commonplace. They in turn demanded systematic maintenance and improvement of the public roads. Fords were bridged, marshy spots filled, and sand beds firmed with clay. As a result church attendance became easier; and, stimulated by the fervor of the times, the congregation increased. Contributions became more liberal, and extensive improvements were undertaken. The church was badly in need of Sunday School rooms. All classes except the primary, which met in the Session House, were forced to share the church auditorium, and it was difficult to keep children attentive and intere~ted. So the church building was raised and a basement containing classrooms was placed beneath. The former high dais, (not the earlier pulpit described by Dr. McGill), was at this time replaced by a semi-circular, low platform with room at the rear for the choir. The old reed-organ was superseded by a piano. Steam-heat added greatly to the comfort of the congregation. In 1920 the present manse was built. It took the place of the original parsonage, a post-revolutionary cottage. In 1918 the cemetery was enlarged by 2.5 acres bought from Mrs. Fannie K. · Montgomery, and enclosed with a substantial fence. An arch over the gate bears the name "Indiantown." Two memorial windows, one to Colonel James McCutchen (1830-1897) and his wife Mary Jane Gilland ( 1841-1900) , the other to the memory of Janet Witherspoon Wilson ( 1822-1901) were donated by their respective descendants. For a number of years the church undertook the support of Miss Eliza Neville (later Mrs. Lancaster) missionary to China. Members pledged the proceeds from one or several acres of crops. A census in March 1926, showed sixty-six families connected with the church including three-hundred four individuals; two-hundred twenty-nine members of the Sunday School; and only ten individuals in the vicinity not members of the church. There were two hundred thirty-nine members. Prosperity vanished with the coming of the boll-weevil in the early twenties. Long before the rest of the country experienced the post-war slump culmi- �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 43 nating in the great depression of the thirties, Williamsburg and most of the South had become accustomed to belt-tightening. Only increased cultivation of tobacco compensated in part for the loss of our chief cash crop. Tobacco has since become the backbone of our farm economy, but in the twenties it could only cushion the blow. For years the treasury of the church was often empty but no emptier than the purses of its members. Mr. Pritchett resigned in 1927. He had been pastor at Indiantown longer than anyone else except Dr. Stephenson. Later he preached at Olanta, South Carolina and in Louisiana. On retiring he returned to Olanta, and was a frequent visitor among us until his death in 1954. He is buried in our <;hurchyard. An interesting service was held in 1928. The occasion was the unveiling of a memorial tablet to David Wilson, his son Colonel David D. Wilson, and grandson Robert H. Wilson, all former members of the Session. Placed on the south wall near the family pew, the handsome bronze plaque was a gift of Mrs. Clara Wilson Taylor. Dr. James H. Taylor delivered the sermon, and a large congregation of relatives and friends met to honor the three former elders. Mr. E. C. Clyde, pastor from 1928 until 1937, will be remembered for the gentle, spiritual leadership he gave in difficult times. The depths of the depression fell during his stay. It was a time of holding fast, not expansion. But, although there are no statistical indications of growth, there was progress. The work among the young people was stressed; and vacation Bible schools were started and regularly held. The church was improved by the installation of electric lights and was completely repainted. Thornwell Orphanage has always had a particularly warm spot in the hearts of Indiantown. During the years when money was short, truck loads of produce were sent each fall, contributed by the members as they were able. For twelve years, Mr. A. W. Ragsdale, one of our elders, has been a member of the board of Trustees. A great loss was suffered in the passing of two beloved leaders: Mr. M. W. Rogers had been a member of the Session and a devoted Sunday School teacher for many years. Mr. David E. McCutchen at the time of his death in 1933 had been an elder for thirty years and superintendent of the Sunday School almost as long. Loved by everyone, he has been sorely missed, and his place has not yet been filled. Mr. William H. Hamilton came in February 1938. His four years as our pastor brought much-needed harmony and restored unity. The whole congregation gave him their support and forgot differences that had rankled for decades. On Sunday, November 8, 1942 Mr. Hamilton conducted services and seemed in his usual health. But shortly after returning to the manse he suddenly passed away. His grave and Mrs. Hamilton's are in Indiantown cemetery. �44 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH Once again the church felt the impact of war. In spite of crippling shortages, gasoline rationing, and the absence of many young people in the armed forces, work continued and expanded during the war years. Our minister was Mr. C. J. Matthews. Sharing in the general boom times and the artificial stimulation of the war effort, the community was able to meet the demands increased membership made on the church's physical plant. Funds were solicited for several years before the lifting of restrictions and easing of shortages made possible the erection of the Fellowship Building in 1948. Costing nearly ten thousand dollars it was completely paid for when finished. It has added greatly to the social life of the church. Many memorial gifts were made to help in the project, and a tablet on an inner wall reads : INDIANTOWN FELLOWSHIP BUILDING ERECTED TO THE GLORY OF GOD 1948 DEDICATED To THE MEMORY oF GEORGE HENRY LOVETT, JR. AND LISTON BLAKELY BURROWS WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE AND IN HONOR OF THE FIFTY OTHER MEN AND WOMEN OF INDIANTOWN w HO SERVED IN THE ARMED SERVICES IN WORLD WAR II REV. CURTIS J. MATTHEWS, PASTOR A. W. RAGSDALE J.C. MCCUTCHEN L. H. BARTELL BUILDING COMMITTEE In 1948, total expenditures and contributions for the church, including the Fellowship Building, were $27,237.00. Mr. Matthews was deeply interested in the development of the Rural Church. In 1947, with his encouragement, a Country Church Award was endowed at Columbia Theological Seminary by Messrs. George, Dexter and James Stuckey of Indiantown in honor of their father and mother Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Stuckey. The interest on the endowment will go each year to the member of the rising senior class who is judged to have worked most fruitfully in a rural church or community during the preceding summer. The same year an electric organ was bought. Mrs. A. B. Buffkin (Martha Snowden) who had been our pianist for some dozen years, anticipating the �PLATES Indiantown Presbyterian Church, 1900 Indiantown Presbyterian Church, 1910-19 The Session House, 1820 The Indiantown Fellowship Building, 1948 The Manse, 1920 Aerial View Pastors from 1808 until present ~ -- �Presb31teria11 Church , c. 1900. It re1110ined ·uirt11all31 1111 chan ged erection 1830-1111til 1910, 'Z ihen th e porch z 1as added Indiantown Presb31 feria.11 Church, 1910-19 ��The Indiantown Fellowship Building, 1948 The Manse, bu,ift in 1920 ��.4erial Viei (C ircle) 111dia11toiv11 Presbyterian Church. A . Three h1111dred acres granted to Tho111as B11rto11 A/arch 19, 1744; a11d co11z 1eyed by Tho111as Burton to Joseph TVhite i11 1746. B. Fi7.•e h111:dred acres granted to Joseph TVhite Ma31 2. 1754. Note 011 both these tracts how current field di'l isio11s, roads a11d land lines at 111a1131 points are deter111i11ed by the rigi11al surveys 111ade i11 174./ a11d 1754. C. Probable site of the 1lli11go Indian Village for ·which the church a11d co111111u11ity ore 1 llQllled. �v ANDREW G. PEDEN 1835-1838 �JAMES McDOWELL 1867 HENRY GIBBS GILLAND 1879-1889 w. s. HAMITER 1889 �FRA K H. w ARDLA w 1900-1902 1912-1914 w. R. PtUTCHET'l' 1915-1927 �E. c. CLYDE 1929-1937 C. ]. MATTHEWS 1943-1949 W. H . HAMILTON 1939-1942 �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 45 installation of the new instrument, prepared herself by private lessons and diligent practice. Her skill and excellent taste add immensely to the beauty and reverence of our services. The organ has since been improved by a second tone-cabinet. The church was repainted and the manse thoroughly renovated. The Session Book in use since 1899 was burned in the fire that destroyed the home of the Clerk. Since it included the church roll, it was necessary to reconstruct the list of members from memory. Two-hundred eighty-six names were recalled. An effort was also made to list former members who ' had died, elders and deacons no longer living, when they had served, and such other pertinent facts as could be verified. In 1947 the church began the full support of Miss Miriam Heindel, missionary to Brazil. This was continued until her death in 1949. Subsequently, for a number of years, Mr. Joe Hopper of Korea was in part supported by us. In 1948 the choir area and dais were redesigned and rebuilt. The work was given as a memorial to Mrs. Ellen Gamble Tallevast by her daughter Mrs. Carl Feagle of Columbia. At the same time the pews and floor were sanded and finished to show the beauty of the old wood. Our minister, the Reverend Eugene G. Beckman, has been with us since December, 1949. Membership has shown steady growth. In 1955 the Session retired forty-six names of non-resident, inactive members, but the roll still shows three hundred twenty-six communicants. The Sunday School has an enrollment of three hundred ninety-three with thirty officers and teachers. Among progressive steps and achievements of the past few years may be noted the organization of the Sunday School into departments ( 1950) ; the holding of Communicants' Classes for young people, in preparation for church membership; the adoption of the rotary system for Deacons ( 1954) ; organization of The Men of Indiantown (1950)-current president is Mr. George Stuckey. Indiantown contributed a cabin to Camp Harmony in 1954. L arge scale repairs to the porch and basement of the church were made in 1955. The latter was successfully water-proofed and the classrooms attractively painted; the outside of the church was also repainted. In 1954 carpet was ]aid in the aisles and before the pulpit. In recent years new silver collection plates have been given by the Young People and a new communion service by the Gamble family. In 1952 Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Ragsdale gave a handsome mahogany communion table in memory of our beloved former pastor Mr. Hamilton. Organization of the Missionary Society in 1875 has already been mentioned. Mrs. James McCutchen (Mary Jane Gilland, daughter of the Reverend James Ruet Gilland) was president until her death in 1900. She was succeeded by Mrs. Mac Ervin (Sue Barr) who served for six years. Subsequently, Mrs. James F. Cooper (Mary R. McCutchen), Mrs. A. C. Bridgman and Miss Mutie Cooper held office. Mrs. H . M. Cooper (Virginia Saunders) was president for twelve years, from 1915 to 1927. During her tenure, circles were �46 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH organized; young people were sent for the first time to summer youth conferences ; and colored delegates to Negro women's conferences. In recent years others serving as president have been Mrs. J. B. Lovett (Emma Cooper), Mrs. W. H. Nelson (Lucile Cooper), Mrs. H. C. Nelson (Ruth Wilson), Mrs. John W. Snowden (Virginia Wilson), Mrs. S. D. McGill (Jennie McCutchen), Mrs. R. J. Daniel (Jo Smit~), Mrs. R. C. Gamble (Josie Bartell), Mrs. Jessie Marsh (Mary E. Snowden), Mrs. R. F. Badger. Mrs. S. J . Ervin (Louise Brock), Mrs. Ronald Daniel (Elizabeth Roberts), and currently, again Mrs. S. J. Ervin. Many ladies from Indiantown have held high Presbyterial and Synodical offices. Mrs. J.B. Lovett was president of Harmony Presbyterial (1933-35). Many of those mentioned have been chairmen and secretaries of causes. Prior to 1900, fifty dollars was given annually-this in spite of hard timesto the salary of a missionary, Miss French. Later~ a cot was supported in Dr. Wilkinson's hospital in China in memory of Mrs. James McCutchen, the Society's first president. The ladies gave generously in support of Miss Eliza Neville when she was the church's representative in China. Miss Heindel and Mr. Hopper were given hearty encouragement. Local projects carried out by the ladies include new cushions for the church in 1935 and again currently; the sponsoring of Bible instruction in the Indiantown and Hemingway High Schools (1943); present teacher is Mrs. Julian Hanna (Cleva Rhame); silver, china, and linen tablecoths have been bought for the Fellowship Building; young people have been taken to Presbyterian College for placement and aptitude-tests. One of the most fruitful projects achieved by the ladies has been the adoption by the church of a long-range master plan for improvements to the Church Building. Mr. Albert Simons of Simons and Lapham, Architects, Charleston, was engaged to make recommendations and suggest a schedule to be followed in future years. His plan was adopted by the deacons and is being adhered to faithfully. This year, in accord with his advice, new sashes, more in keeping with the original style of the .building, are being installed; wainscoting and window facings are being refinished to match the pews ; and more harmonious lighting fixtures are replacing the old, undistinguished lights. Last year air conditioning was installed. It should be noted that all these improvements have been paid for without indebtedness or borrowing. Indiantown has a representative in the ministry. The Reverend Clarendon · Ervin now of Glade Valley, North Carolina, has given his life to work among the mountain children. The church also takes pride in Miss Frances Ann Buffkin, a graduate of Coker College and the Assembly's Training School in Richmond, who is full time Director of Religious Education and Minister of Music in Darlington, South Carolina. Miss Olivia Cooper, who spent her childhood in our church, is in full time church work in Lumberton, North Carolina. �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 47 Misses. Harriet and Manette McCutchen, daughters of Elder Thomas M. McCutchen, spent their lives in social work in the mill villages of upper South Carolina, for most of the time at Union. The effectiveness of their efforts and the love they merited are symbolized in the Presbyterian church building recently completed in Monarch Mill Village. It is called McCutchen Memorial. Their sister, Miss Laura Eugenia ,McCutchen, though not a professional social worker, helped her sisters and made their dedication possible. Many names in our recent past deserve affectionate mention: Mr. Clarence C. Daniel who joined the Session in 1903 served a full half c~ntury with gentleness and wise understanding. Mr. R. Wheeler Stuckey, originally from Lee County but a resident of the community and member of Indiantown since 1899, served almost as long, first as deacon, then as elder from 1929 until his recent death. Mr. W. Dodd Daniel and Mr. Robert H. Ervin both gave long years of devoted service. Each was a deacon of the church and a member of the Session. Mr. Rob was also Superintendent of the Sunday School for many years. Elder David D. Brown ( 1938-47), also a Superintendent of the Sunday School, is remembered for a deep sincerity and a genuine goodness that was as attractive as it is rare. Mr. Percy D. Snowden, an elder for thirty-nine years; elder Hugh McCutchen, who kept his allegiance to Indiantown and returned each Sunday from his/ home in Kingstree; S. J. Ervin and his son Laurie H. Ervin; Hugh M. Cooper; J. L. Covington; S. D. Snowden; J. M. Williamson; all served faithfully as members of the Session. Currently elder Albert B. Buffkin is treasurer of the Church. Rudolph J. Daniel also has served as treasurer and is now Clerk of the Session. A project of great promise is near realization. The neighboring town of Hemingway and the surrounding countryside give evidence of continuing growth and development. A Presbyterian church in that section has been more and more needed during recent years. The Session of Indiantown has voted unanimously to support the founding of such a church and it is our hope that Indiantown will, in this her bi-centennial contribute both members and funds to the project. A suitable lot has already been bought by Harmony Presbytery. Plans call for a Sunday School building to be used for all services at present, and a sanctuary later as membership and growth demand. Surely a fitting project for our two-hundredth year! �Material for this summary was collected and arranged by James F. Cooper at the request of the Indiantown Bi-centennial Committee. Mrs. John W. Snowden gathered the pictures of former ministers. Mr. Beckman extracted the statistical report from the records of the General Assembly and documents at the Historical Foundation, Montreat. The Indiantown Bi-centennial Committee: Reverend Eugene G. Beckman, Pastor James F. Cooper Mrs. John W. Snowden, Secretary Albert B. Buffkin Mrs. P. D. Bishop Mrs. W. H. Cockfield Mrs. Ronald C. Daniel Samuel J. Ervin 48 �MINISTERS OF INDIANTOWN 1768 William Knox, 1768 1783 Thomas Hill, 1785 1785 James Edmonds, supply also in 1788 1787 Thomas Reese, supply, 1788 1788 Robert McColloch, supply, 1789 1789 Robert Finley, supply, 1789 1788 James W. Stephenson, supply 1790 James W. Stephenson, 1808 1808 Andrew Flinn, D.D., 1810 1811 Daniel Brown, 1815 1817 John Covert, 1818 1819 Robert W. James, 1827 1828 Josiah Powers, stated supply, 1828 1828 John McKee Erwin, 1834 1835 Andrew G. Peden, 1838 1839 George H. W. Petrie, stated supply, 1839 1840 H. B. Cunningham, 1843 1843 J. P. McPherson, 1852 1852 W. H. Singletary, occasional supply, 1855 1852 William Donnelly, occasional supply, 1852 1853 A. L. Crawford, 1857 1858 James Ruet Gilland, 1867 1867 James McDowell, 1867 1870 G. W. Boggs, supply without charge, 1870 1870 William Banks, supply, 1870 1871 G. Morgan, without charge, 1872 1872 A. Ross Kennedy, 1875 , 1877 W. S. P. Bryan, supply, 1877 1879 Henr.y Gibbs Gilland, 1889 1889 W. S. Hamiter, supply, 1889 1891 J. E. Dunlop, 1898 1900 Frank H. Wardlaw, 1902 1903 J. B. Branch, supply, 1903 1904 H. T. Darnall, 1907 1908 A. C. Bridgman, 1911 1912 Frank H. Wardlaw, 1914 1915 W. R. Pritchett, 1927 1929 E. C. Clyde, 1937 1939 William H. Hamilton, 1942 1943 C. J. Matthews, 1949 1949 E. G. Beckman MINISTERS FROM INDIANTOWN W. H. Singletary Robert Harvey Lafferty Clarendon Ervin Thomas Dickson Baird, D.D. Robert W. James Robert George McCutchen FULL-TIME RELIGIOUS WORKERS Miss Olivia Cooper Miss Frances Ann Buffkin RULING ELDERS OF INDIANTOWN Samuel J. Wilson, elected 1819-resigned 1834 David D. Wilson, elected 1827-resigned 1834, re-elected 1836, resigned 1861 William Daniel, elected 1835-d. 1859 Samuel Scott, elected 1835-retired 1853 Alex. Knox, elected 1836-inactive John M. Fulton, elected 1837-moved 1845 J. B. Pressley, serving 1841-inactive Samuel J. Snowden, elected 1849-retired 1857 R. H. Wilson, elected 1849-d. 1860 Wm. F. Blakely, elected 1849-resigned 1851 Major John James, 1757-d. 1791 Robert Wilson (b. 1710), 1757 David Wilson (b. 1742)-d. 1812 Robert Wilson (b. 1737)-d. 1813 John McFaddin, serving 1792 Capt. John James, serving 1792-d. 1825 George McCutchen, serving, 1819-d. 1826 James Daniel, serving 1819-d. 1826 David Wilson, serving, 1819-moved 1826 George Barr, elected 1819-resigned 1834 again active 1853-d. 1860 Hugh Hanna, elected 1819-inactive after 1824, d. 1841 George McCutchen, Jr., elected 1819-resigned 1834 49 �so AN HIS'I'ORICAL SK~'I'CH James McCutchen, elected 1853-d. 1897 W. C. Barr, elected 1853-resigned 1861 D. D. Barr, continued, 1854-resigned 1861 James D. Daniel, elected 1862-d. 1870 Dr. Jos. S. Cunningham, elected 186&d. 1925 Dr. Jos. A. James, elected 1868-moved 1884 F. N. Wilson, elected 1871-moved 1876 William J . Daniel, elected 1871-inactive, d. 1871 W . D. Knox, elected 1876-moved 1880 J . D. Daniel, elected 1881-moved 1893 · Thos. M. McCutchen, elected 1883-d. 1893 Percy D. Snowden, elected 1883-d. 1922 Hugh McCutchen, elected 1898-d. 1920 W . D. Owens, elected 1898-moved 1905 D. E. McCutchen, elected 1903-d. 1933 C. C. Daniel, elected 1903-d. 1953 H. M. Cooper, elected 1917-d. 1942 M. W. Rogers, elected 1917-d. 1931 R. W. Stuckey, elected 1929-d. 1957 W. Dodd Daniel, elected 1932-d. 1944 S. J. Ervin, elected 1932-d. 1937 J. L. Covington; elected 1932-d. 1939 S. D. Snowden, elected 1938-d. 1938 J . M. Williamson, elected 1938-d. 1951 W. G. Burrows, elected 1938-serving D. D. Brown, elected 1938-d. 1947 R. H. Ervin, elected 1938-d. 1946 L. R. Ervin, elected 1938-d. 1943 A. W. Ragsdale, elected 1942-serving R. E. Covington, elected 1945-inactive A. B. Buffkin, elected 1945-serving J. C. McCutchen, elected 1947-serving R. J. Daniel, elected 1947-serving L. H. Bartell, elected 1947-serving R. M. Stuckey, elected 1947-serving C. P. Snowden, Jr., elected 1947-serving Jasper Tanner, elected 1956-serving R. C. Gamble, elected 1956-serving C. H. Bartell, elected 1956-serving George Stuckey, elected 1956-serving KNOWN TRUSTEES OF INDIANTOWN CONGREGATION Serving in 1763: Major John James Hugh Ervin Serving in 1793: Capt. John James John Wilson Serving in 1820 : John McGill 1 Serving in 1823: Benjamin Britton Hugh McCutchen John Gotea 2 DEACONS OF INDIANTOWN Elected : 1849 J. C. Wilson R. D. Wilson L. W . Nesmith 1874 T. M. McCutchen, elected elder in 1883 J. C. Josey Julian Wilson 1894 James F. Cooper, Church Treas., d. 1914 M. W. Rogers, elected elder 1917 1898 W . C. Snowden, d. 1912 1906 R. H. Ervin, Church Treas., elected Elder 1938 1909 R. W . Stuckey, elected elder 1929 J . A. Cunningham, Ch. Treas. d. 1938 Elected: 1917 R. E. Wilson, d. 1948 1929 W. D. Daniel, elected Elder 1932 W. R. Graham, rotated 1954 1921 L. R. Rollins, moved 1928 T. D. Gamble, d. 1948 1933 D. D. Brown, elected Elder 1938 J. M. Williamson, elected Elder 1938 W. G. Burrows, elected Elder 1938 R. J. Hanna, rotated 1954 S. D. Snowden, elected Elder 1938 1938 J. C. McCutchen, elected Elder 1947 R. J. Daniel, elected Elder 1947 S. J. Ervin, Jr., rotated 1956 George Stuckey, elected Elder 1956 James Stuckey, rotated 1954 1 The Administrators of George White's estate paid $12.00 to John McGill, as Trustee for the Indiantown Congregation. 2 Named in deed from John Gordon, Jr. to the Indiantown Congregation for the lands formerly granted to Joseph White. .. �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Elected: 1939 R. C. Gamble, elected Elder 1956 C. P. Snowden, Sr., rotated 1956 L. H. Bartell, elected Elder 1947 1945 Henry C. Nelson, rotated 1954 Jasper Tanner, elected elder 1956 J. L. Rollins, rotated 1954 1947 J. J. Marsh, d. 1948 P. D. Snowden, rotated 1955 Dewey Eaddy, rotated 1954 · S. J. Hanna, rotated 1955 Ronald C. Daniel, rotated 1955 P. D. Bishop, rotated 1954 1955 Thos. Baxley, serving Elected: 1955 C. H. Bartell, elected Elder 1955 Harry White, serving W.W. McCullough, serving 1956 Thos. P. Mitchell, serving Pearless Snowden, serving James Stuckey, serving Benj. Stuckey, serving Richard Gamble, serving 1957 John S. Bartell, serving . J. E. Doster, serving ' R. A. Holt, serving Roland Stuckey, serving 51 �INDIANTOWN CHURCH ROLL IN 1819 ET SEQ. Page 1 A Catalogue of the Members of Indiantown Church Explanation: Those names having the Letter D attached to them Designate members Dead. Those with the Letter M, Persons Removed. Those with the Letters Sus., Members Suspended. Those with the Letters Ex, Members Excommunicated. Those with the Letters Dis., Members Dismissed. Page 2 BAPTISED MEMBERS MEMBERS IN FULL COMM.U NION James S. Wilson, M Thomas E. Wilson, M Robert M. Wilson, M 1820 Samuel A. Wilson, M 1822 David S. Wilson, D Sarah B. McCrea Esther L. McCrea, M Mary E. McCrea Alexander Cunningham Alexander McCrea Margaret E. McCrea Eliza C. McCrea Francis J. McCrea 1821 Thomas W. McCrea 1823 John S. McCrea 1819 Jane M. McDonald James McFaddin Hugh McCutchen Elizabeth McCutchen, D Thomas McCutchen, D Nancy McCutchen, D David Wilson, M Sarah F. Wilson, M Thomas McCrea, D Esther McCrea Elizabeth Mcilveen, M, D 1822 Jane McCrea Martha Brown Enos McDonald, M Mary McDonald, M Elizabeth Gotea Mary McConnel, D John Graham, Sr., D 1821 Samuel N. Graham, M William Graham, D Susanna Graham, D Samuel Scott Jannet Scott Agness Singletary Mary G. Brown Sarah Brown, D James McCants Elizabeth McCants, D Alexander McCants Martha McCants Hugh Hannah, Sr., D Elizabeth Hannah, D John Hanna, D Page 3 1819 Elizabeth McDonald John Gotea, D William Gotea, D Sarah Gotea John J. Gotea, D John Graham, Jr., D Elizabeth M. Gotea Aaron F. Graham, M Samuel E. Graham, M Jane M. Graham Susannah K. Graham Sarah E. Graham William J. Graham John F. Graham Daniel B. Graham Charles N. Graham William Hannah Hugh Hannah, Jr., D Page 4 1819 Alexr. W. ]. Graham Samuel Singletary, D 52 �lNDIAN'l'OWN Pu~sBY'l'ERIAN CHURCH MEMBERS IN Fuu. COMMUNION Jane Barr, D William McFaddin Mary McFaddin, D Mary McCrea, D Elizabeth Graham, D Samuel McGill Mary A. McGill, M John McGill, M 1821 Margaret S. McGill, M John James, D John T. James, M Elizabeth James, D 1821 William E. James, M Mary E. James, M BAPTISED MEMBERS Samuel D. Singletary, D Agnes K. Singletary Ebenezer Singletary, Jr., D James D. Singletary 1820 John D. Singletary 1824 William H. Singletary Robert Brown Moses W. Brown James Brown 1823 John Brown Sarah Brown Mary Brown Sarah Hannah, D James H. Hannah Page 5 Samuel James, Ex, D James Barr, Sus., D John Price, M Jane Price, M Elizabeth Graham, D Mary Ferrell, D 1821 Robert G. Ferrell, M Cothenia Ferrell James Daniel, D Martha Daniel, D Jennet Daniel, D Jane Daniel, D Samuel J. Wilson, M Elizabeth Wilson, D Celia Owens, Dis. Peter Owens, D Samuel Green, D Georg W. Hannah Samuel D. Hannah Joseph F. Hannah 1819 Calvin Hannah 1821 Elizabeth A. Hannah John A. Daniel, M 1819 Margaret Daniel, D William J. Daniel Margaret Daniel, Jr. Susannah Jolly Jane Thompson, D 1819 Mary S. Barr 1821 Elizabeth W. Barr, D William M. McFaddin, D Mary A. McFaddin, D Jane E. McFaddin Sarah M. McFaddin Page 6 Mary Green Jane Gordon Jane Wilson, Jr., D William Gordon, D · John Barr, D · Lydia Thompson, D John J. McColough, D George McCutchen, Sr., D George McCutchen, Jr., M Eliza. W. McCutchen, D Georg Barr Jennet Barr, D 1822 George A. Barr, D Margaret Jolly, D Hugh Paisley, Sus., D Jane Dick Mary McCottry, D John T. McFaddin Robert McFaddin Mary McFaddin 1819 Henry E. McFaddin Sarah Paisley Susannah D. Paisley Jane G. Paisley, D William Thompson Alexander Thompson Elizabeth Thompson Alexander Thompson, Jr., D Thomas S. Thompson Robert G. Thompson John S. Dick Agnes Daniel Martha Daniel Esther E. Daniel, D 53 �54 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH Page 7 MEMBERS IN FULL COMMUNION Mary B. McCottry William Daniel Esther Daniel, D Hannah Gordon, D Margaret A. James, M Thomas Mcilveen, M Catharen Mcilveen, M John Gordon, Jr. Mary Gordon John Gordon, Sr., D Jennet Gordon, D Jane Wilson, Sr., D David D. Wilson Mary Wilson, D Samuel N. Snow, M Margaret Snow, M Henraetta Snow, M BAP'l'IS!tD MEMB!tRS Hannah G. Daniel, D Sarah M. Daniel 1821 James D. Daniel Mary W. McCutchen Martha M. McCutchen, D 1822 George McCutchen Robert M. McCutchen, ·D Elizabeth Hannah, Jr. John J. McFaddin Hugh McFaddin Mary Scott Jannet M. Scott Sarah Scott, D Joseph W. Scott 1820 Rebecca C. Scott Mary E. McCutchen Jane E. McCutchen Page 8 William W. Britton, M Sarah Britton, Jr., M Benjamin Britton, D Sarah Britton, Sr., D Margaret Mcilveen, M Sarah Green, D 1823 Agnes Barret, D 1823 Sarah B. McCrea 1823 Elizabeth L. James, M 1823 Hannah Green, M 1823 Elizabeth Mcilveen, D 1824 Elizabeth A. McGill, M 1824 Elizabeth Barino, M 1824 Adam Smith, Sus., D 1824 Jane Isabella James, D 1825 Stephen Carter, M 1825 Samuel Green, M 1825 Margaret McConnel, D 1827 Thermutis. Cooper 1829 Ann Gregg, D 1829 Agnes Daniel 1829 Martha Daniel 1829 Elvira Daniel 1829 Margaret N easmith, D 1829 Alexander McCrea, D 1829 Jane J . McKnight 1829 Agness K. Singletary, M 1829 Sarah A. B. Singletary, M 1829 Sarah Gotea . Margaret M. McCutchen 1820 Elizabeth McCutchen 1821 George McCutchen 1822 John M. McCutchen, D Robert G. McCutchen Joseph W. McCutchen Mary J. McCutchen Thomas McCutchen Eleanor Nesmith Margaret Nesmith · 1821 Sarah W. Britton, M Jane J. Wilson, D Robert H. Wilson 1819 David E. Wilson 1821 Mary A.H. Wilson, D James Gordon David Gordon William M. Mcilveen, D Roger Gordon, M Page 9 1820 Mary E. McGill, M 1823 Martha W. McGill, M Elizabeth M. Wilson Robert D. Wilson Elizabeth A. McGill Jannet L. McGill . Drucilla McGill, D Mary M. McGill Jane C. McGill 1819 Samuel D. McGill 1821 William W ; McGill �INDIANTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH MitMBltRS IN FULL COMMUNION 1829 Mary M. McGill, M 1829 Sarah Ann James, M 1829 William Pressley, D 1829 Elizabeth Pressley, M 1829 Elizabeth M. Pressley, M 1829 John J. Clark, D 55 BAPTISED MEMBERS 1822 Mary A. S. McGill Elizabeth L. James Sara A. James 1819 James A. McCants 1824 ( ? ) Martha M. McCants Mary Ferrel, D Page 10 1829 Jane P. Clark 1829 Samuel E. Graham, M 1829 Martha M. Graham, M 1829 Margaret E. McCrea, M 1829 Jane E. McFadden 1829 Elizabeth Mc. Wilson, D 1829 Sarah R. J. Snowden 1829 Jane T. Barr, D Liza Dick John Dixon, D William P. Hort, M Samuel J. Snowden 1830 Dorcas Knox 1830 George Cooper 1830 Mary E. McCutchen 1830 John Singletary, M 1830 Ebenezer Singletary, Sus Ticen Ferrel, M William Graham Ferrel 1819 David Flavel Wilsori, M 1821 James Alexander Mc Cants Martha McCants 1819 Alexander James McCants 1821 John Thomas Mc Cants John Alexander McCullough, M William Nathaniel McCullough, M Mary Jane McCullough, M Samuel James McCullough, M 1823 John C. Barr, D 11823 John E. Hannah, D Sarah E. Wilson Henry Mcllveen, M Pamelia Mcilveen, M Rebeccah Mcilveen, D Page 11 John Pressley Jane Heddleston 1830 John G. McKnight 1830 Alexander Cunningham 1830 James Green, M 1830 Sarah McFaddin 1830 Jane McCutchen 1831 Elizabeth Hannah 1831 William F. Blakely Elizabeth H. Erwin, M Leonora Montgomery, M Ann Cunningham Julina McCutchen Mary W. McCutchen, M 1832 Thomas McConnell Sarah McFadden James, M 1825 John Calvin Wilson 1825 John Jay James, M 1825 Alexander James McCrea Robert James Gotea, D 1825 Mary Susannah Gordon 1825 Mary Thomson Hannah 1825 Margaret Jane Gotea 1825 Daniel Dwite Barr 1825 Elizabeth Scott Gordon 1825 William Friendly Gordon, D 1826 Elizabeth McCottry McCutchen 1826 Amanda Magdaline McGill 1826 Robert William Brown 1826 William McCutchen 1826 William Henry McCrea Page 12 1832 Ezra W. Green, M 1832 Willm J. Cooper 1832 David Nesmith 1832 James Pressly, D 1827 Samuel Isaih Wilson, D 1827 William Chalmers Barr Mary Luiza Wilson 1827 Luiza McGill Scott The roll from 1819 till 1822 appears to have been grouped by families with a few names of members joining after 1819 inserted before the whole was entered in the official record. After 1823 names were added in the year members were received into the church. The dates are extracted from the full Sessional Record, and are not a part of the original roll. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Documents Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Indiantown Presbyterian Church 1757-1957 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1757-1957 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource James F. Cooper Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Indiantown Bicentennial Committee Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cathy Boyd Barber